It All Comes Down To Represses

After not jumping on the repress wagon right away with the Give Blood represses, I decided not to repeat the same mistake when I saw that It All Comes Down To This was about to repressed. I‘ve known for a long time that the band was really unhappy with the way their debut album sounded. I never got that because I don‘t have an ear for that to be honest (ask any of my bandmates) and I don’t care if songs were recorded on a second-hand four-track in a basement in an abandoned building in New York in 1983 as long as they‘re good songs. As a matter of fact, if a record doesn‘t sound all that great that can actually add to the charm of a record for me. 

Anyway, I listened to an episode of Where It Went podcast with Aaron Dalbec of Bane and Brian McTernan of Battery/Be Well/Salad Day Studios, who did all the recordings for Bane except for It All Comes Down To This. However, he was in charge of remixing and remastering this LP and both of them were really excited when talking about the finished product, which in turn made me really excited.

Like I said before, I really don‘t have an ear for what‘s a good or bad production, but goddamn, Brian McTernan did an excellent job with this remix. It‘s like a completely different record! This version does sound so much better compared to the original, it‘s hard to fathom. If you want to get all the details about the process of remixing the record, you should really listen to the Where It Went episode, it‘s a really interesting listen. 

I picked up this version first because it‘s the best looking one by a mile. Can‘t go wrong with (clear) pink vinyl. The cover was also tweaked a little bit and it looks as fantastic as the record sounds. The gold and red foil or whatever that is in combination with the metallic colors used for the sleeve are great details. The only thing I‘m not a fan of is that the labels were redone as well. I actually like ones on the OG pressing better. Still, I‘m really, really stoked on this repress. 

2024 Repress on Clear Pink on Equal Vision (Newbury Exclusive /300)

I have a framed promo poster for the original release of It All Comes Down To This hanging in my office, so this felt like a good time to take it off the wall for a picture. As you can see the picture in the promo poster is the same as the one used on the inner sleeve of the record. 

Guided

The new High Vis album was high on my list of records I wanted to check out. Sadly, this has been kind of a let down. It‘s not a bad album at all, but I haven‘t found any hits yet. On their previous records there were also a bunch of songs that stuck out, but Guided Tour just sort of trods along. 

1st Press on Oriole (?) on Dais /2000

Deprogramming

Earlier this year I picked up the first Planet On A Chain LP and I really, really liked it. So getting their  second LP, Deprogram, was high on my list of rather current releases. And again, the band does not disappoint at all. The cover looks sick as well and you get exactly the kind of music you might expect from looking at the picture. The green vinyl looks awesome as well and who doesn‘t like a nice OBI strip?

1st Press on Clear Green on Revelation /600

One Step Closer

When I picked up the last One Step Closer record last year I wrote that I was afraid of the their musical progression on their next output, meaning going even more pop. Yet they did just that and somehow I like All You Embrace more than Songs For The Willow. I'm not sure if my taste in music has changed or they are just really good at what they're doing, but it's funny how that goes sometimes. Be that as it may, I really enjoy the songs on this record. 

The artwork is kinda meh, but the packaging is excellent. Run For Cover always goes the extra mile. Big poster and a giant booklet, all printed I color. This kind of packaging actually justifies a slightly higher price. Good job by both label and band. 

1st Press on White on Run For Cover /1200

Another Fucked Up Record

Last year, Fucked Up released a record called One Day, which I liked very much. When I saw that the band had released another record this year called Another Day, I couldn‘t think of any good reason not to pick it up. Fucked Up has become one of those bands I‘ll always check out, no matter what. Their latest LP is a good listen, but it‘s not quite as good as the previous one. Maybe I just have to sit with it a little bit longer.  

1st Press on Milky Clear on Fucked Up Records /1520 (Indie Store Pressing)

Prude

Looking back over my last few posts, people reading this blog might get the impression that I only buy old records or records by older, more established bands. Well, there‘s some truth to that, but I always try to keep up with newer bands. I really enjoyed all of the Drug Church output of the last few years, so when their latest LP dropped I knew I wanted to have a copy. Prude is a good record, but I haven‘t found the track yet. On their previous records there was always one hit that stuck with me immediately. Not on this one, at least not yet. 

I like the artwork and vinyl color works really well with the sleeve. I don‘t really care that it‘s the most common variant, but can labels / bands please stop coming up with these ‘fun‘ names for colorways?

First Press on Fun Dip Purple Marble on Pure Noise /3400

Seasonal

Kill Holiday wrote one of my all-time favorite songs. Not just hardcore or punk songs, but songs in general. Period. I even got into their one and only LP in recent years. So when I saw that there was another record coming out, I knew I had to have it. Seasonal is a collection of material from the early days of the band and it doesn‘t disappoint. All in all it‘s a fun listen. Because I absolutely wanted to have this record, I even ordered directly from the label in the US, which is something I very rarely do these days. The label had posted this was going to be one-time only press out of 250 copies, so I figured I‘d better order pretty quickly. However, the record didn’t sell out immediately. Apparently fewer people are into Kill Holiday than I had thought. Then, Seasonal became available through distros in Europe (and still is). And on top of that Indecision announced a second pressing. So, my stupid FOMO made me spend a whole lot of money for nothing. I mean, not for nothing, but I could have saved a pretty penny by just being more patient. However, I‘m still glad about the actual record I got.

1st Press on Burgundy on Indecision /250

Once In A While

Every once in a while I will hit up the local record store. Their focus is definitely not on what I usually listen to, but they do have a second hand punk/hardcore section that consists mainly of rather obscure stuff. But sometimes there‘s a record in there that tickles my interest. When I saw this Downcast LP I was very intrigued and since it was priced at 10€, there was really no good reason to not buy the record. Leaving behind an LP at this price in 2024 would be a crime, punishable under rule 23B of the Hardcore and Punk Collectors’ Code. 

Not only is the music really good, the cover and the booklet are so well done too. I wish more bands/labels would put that much effort into those things. 

In Place Of Real Insight

There seems to be kind of a Karate resurgence be going on, at least in this little record blogger bubble. In his blog entry about the latest LP by Karate which was just released a couple of weeks ago, Marcus’ was kind enough to mention my posts about all the band’s records I picked up this year. Reading the entry, I noticed that one record I knew I already had was missing. Marcus hadn’t made a mistake, I simply hadn’t posted about the record yet for whatever reason. In Place of Real Insight is the band’s second LP, released back in 1997. I really enjoy this record. For me, it’s the whole package: Music’s cool, the minimalist artwork in combination with the haptic aspect aspect of the sleeve is awesome and the blue chosen for this repress works really well for me. This feels like a group effort to finally get me posting about this record. 

Also, this serves as a reminder that I need to pick up a copy of the new Karate LP after Marcus’ very positive review. 

Bad Greens

Not only was I Against I rereleased with those awesome Punk Note covers, the band also pressed the record on a ton of different colors. I wanted a colored copy to keep the collection of colored versions going, but I also wanted to stay clear of those awful splatter versions. Green marble sounded like a solid choice by comparison. This is not the 'plutonium' color, which I've seen advertised everywhere, but the Newbury exclusive on 'Green Bay'. I have no idea if that is an actual name for a color or just something someone came up with.  After ordering this record, I found out that there’s also an orange marble version and a solid red version, which in hindsight would have maybe been the better choices. Then again, what’s one or two more records in the collection, right?

2024 Repress on 'Green Bay' on Bad Brains Records (Newbury Comes Exclusive /300)

Jets To Australia

Among the other bands I put on my holiday playlist to finally check them out was Jets To Brazil. I was well aware of the Jawbreaker connection, but for some reason I just always put on Jawbreaker and never listened to Jets To Brazil. Well, flying to the other end of the world and having plenty of time on the plane, I really had no excuse to put off listening to new bands any more. As you can see, I really liked what I heard and eventually ordered a copy of Orange Rhyming Dictionary. Since original pressings sell for quite a bit of money these days, I decided to go with a good looking repress. 

2023 Repress on Tangerine Dream on Jade Tree /500

Spiritual Cramp

Before I went on holiday I decided to make a playlist on Spotify with some all-time classics and with songs by bands I meant to check out for a while but never got around to do so. One of those bands was Spiritual Cramp, which I got tipped off to after Mike posted about their LP from last year. Seeing that Marcus co-signed on the record, this band seemed worth checking out. Mike mentioned the song ‘Talking on the Internet’, so that was the song I picked. And what can I say, I was hooked from the first listen. After listening to the playlist a few times, I ordered a copy of the band’s s.t. debut LP right away. 

‘Talking on the Internet’ is a such goddamn hit. So catchy. It even made the very elusive list of songs I could see myself using if I ever was going to film a skateboard part. Don't get your hopes up though, I haven't really skated in 15+ years and even at the best of times I was extremely bad and in now way, shape or form could I have filmed a 3 minute or so part that other people would have liked to watch too. BUT if I were good enough to do that, that song would make such a great choice. In my head I already know how I'd edit that part, as in where would the single tricks go, where would be a good place for a line and which effects could be used. Not that I could do that either from a technical stand point, but it's nice to have dreams, isn't it? 

It’s not just the one song though, the whole album is incredible from start to finish. So much fun to listen to. 

2nd Press on Milky Clear on Blue Grape /

I Against I Against I

If you’ve been following this blog for the past months, you probably noticed that I’m really into Bad Brains’ I Against I LP. As with their other full lengths releases, the band re-released special versions that have been a nod to legendary label Blue Note. Those previously released Punk Note versions all came out so great, it took me about two seconds to decide to get a copy when it was announced I Against I was going to receive the same treatment. 

Since I started collecting colored versions of I Against I, getting the colored version of this repress was kind of a given. Plus, the color chose for this repress looks so damn cool, especially in combination with this artwork. 

2024 Repress ‘Punk Note’ Edition Coke Bottle Clear on Bad Brains Records /1000

It’s funny how record collectors come up with a thousand different reasons why they need to pick up a certain record or version of a record or why they need to pick up more than one copy of a record. With all the other Punk Note versions I only managed to get black copies, because the colored versions had already sold out. So to keep the collection of black Punk Note editions complete, obviously I need to buy a second copy. Makes total sense. 

I also got a copy of the Bad Brains fanzine and put it in the picture just for fun. 

2024 Repress ‘Punk Note’ Edition on Black on Bad Brains Records /1000

Give More

So after caving on the Don’t Wait Up represses, I decided to go full in and started looking for copies of the Give Blood represses Equal Vision did last year. Now I’ll be slowly chipping away at those missing copies, probably just in time for the newly announced repress of It All Comes Down To This. I think Poison Idea got it wrong. Record collectors aren’t pretentious assholes, they are gigantic idiots. 

2023 Repress on Opaque Cream (“Newbury Exclusive”) on Equal Vision /300

Just Don’t

The post with the three more copies of Bane’s Don’t Wait Up the other day were just the tip of the iceberg that is the madness of collecting. 

While on holiday, End Hits Records and Bane announced that there would be a 10-year anniversary reissue of Don’t Wait Up. Of course that meant a bunch of different versions. Initially I only bought the last two records shown in this post because they were the most limited ones. But after suffering from not-buyer’s remorse the day after, I bought the remaining versions too. Well, technically this isn’t 100% true because by that time the version only available in the UK was already sold out. Since I didn’t want to give my money to flippers on Discogs, I still don’t have a copy. But luckily prices have come down already a little bit. Hopefully this trend continues and I can cross of that version soon as well. 

I really, really hope that this trend of splatter in all variations will end soon and we will be able to look back on this era of vinyl and say ‘Phew, what were we thinking? Let’s not do that again.’ But for now I’m stuck in splatter hell. Obviously no one forced me to buy these records, so I'm can't really complain too much. 

2024 Repress (= 6th Press) on Clear w/ Blue Blob and Yellow Splatter on End Hits Records /125

This version actually looks pretty cool. Love me a nice pinwheel record, especially with a nice color scheme. 

2024 Repress (= 6th Press) on Dewdrop / Midnight Blue Pinwheel on End Hits Records /200

 

The record itself is not that nice to look at, but the silk-screen cover is really sick. 

2024 Repress (= 6th Press) on Midnight blue w/ White/Yellow Splatter on End Hits Records /111

On the back of the cover, the record is numbered out of 111 copies. Nice touch. More bands / labels need to do this kind of thing again. 

Last, but not least, I also managed to pick up a test press for this repress. End Hits tends to do a lot of test presses, which some people frown upon. I don’t really care. If selling test presses helps to keep a label afloat, I’m all for it. 

Test Press for the 2024 Repress (= 6th Press) on End Hits Records /43

Don’t (Wait Up)

For quite a while, I told myself that I wasn’t going to get sucked into buying even more represses of records I already have a lot of copies of. But after seeing Bane a bunch of times and seeing the repress copies of our gracious host Daniel, I said “Fuck it. It’s Bane.” Luckily, this happened around Labor Day in the US and Equal Vision offered a discount over that weekend. Since the records weren’t that expensive to begin with, I actually got Bane records in 2024 for less than $20. Well, at least before shipping, but still. 

Musically, there’s not much to say. The last Bane LP is now considered a classic in itself, which makes me feel old as hell. This repress came out last year and was a Revelation Records exclusive color. Kinda weird this comes on baby blue instead of yellow, because the latter has been the go-to color for Rev exclusives these last few years. I’m not really complaining though because baby blue works much better than yellow. 

2023 Repress (= 3rd Press) on Baby Blue on Revelation Records /???

The most current represses are not that pretty, but a collector’s gotta do what a collector’s gotta do. 

2023 Repress (= 4th Press) on Custard w/ Blue on Equal Vision (/500)

This version looks much better than the other one, because at least the colors go with the artwork, at least to some degree. But it’s still not a good looking version. 

2024 Repress (= 4th Press) on Purple and Black/White Splatter on Equal Vision /500

More Clarity

What makes a very good record store an outstanding record store? A great second hand section, and that’s exactly what Clarity has! Experienced crate diggers will tell you that heading straight is the only right move when going to a record store with a used punk / hardcore record section. 

First up is Delinquent Songs by local Adelaide band The Personalities. Music = ? Footy, the owner of Clarity Records, also happened to sing for this band. The music is very much punk. Going by the name of the band, the release, and the song titles, you might have already guesses that. It's not my go to kind of music these days, but I really enjoy this record. As an avid record collector himself, he put in extra effort to make the record unique. As you can see there’s a flap on the right hand side / at the bottom of the sleeve if you open it. This makes it slightly inconvenient to store, because the flap makes the sleeve a tad bigger than regular sleeves. But it is a cool feature and I appreciate the creativity. Marcus will frown at the next statement, but black vinyl is really the best choice of color for this release. It looks so classy with the artwork. 

1st Press (?) on Black (self-released)

In the 2000s, Youngblood Records was a safe bet for releases I liked. The Lights Out LP has always been a record that I really enjoyed, but their only 7” Get Out had always eluded me. Listening to this record, not picking up a copy sooner was clearly a poor decision on my part. Especially considering that his record is easy to find and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. This kind of music will always grab me. 

1st Press on Black on Youngblood Records /???

Latest God is an Australian band, made up of scene veterans I’ve been told. I’m getting very strong Dag Nasty vibes on their s.t. debut on vinyl. Cool record. 

1st Press on Maroon on Life.Lair.Regret /???

Shook Ones is one of those bands I rarely listen to, but whenever I do, I tell myself that I need to listen to them more often. Too much music, too little time. Anyway, I didn’t have a copy of Merriweather Post Pavillion yet, so buying a copy sitting right in front of me wasn’t a particularly hard decision. 

This last record, a split between Adventures and Pity Sex, I picked up for two reasons: 1) the Adventures LP is awesome and I listen to this a lot when working at home and 2) they cover Behind This Wall by Turning Point. Which, as it turns out, is a phenomenal cover in my opinion. The other song by Adventures is also really good and I also enjoy the Pity Sex side a lot. Very poppy, but the good kind of poppy. This split may be my favorite of the whole lot. 

2nd Press on White and Orange on Run For Cover /1000

The B-Side looks pretty cool as well. Also, imagine doing a second press of 2000 copies in total for any record nowadays, let alone a split 7”! Crazy how the vinyl landscape has changed in the last 10 years.  

All in all, the trip to Clarity Records was as good as it could be. Makes me wish for a cool record store in my area too, though. 

Clarity

Usually I really enjoy exploring record stores in new cities, but on this trip I wasn‘t too bothered by the fact that I didn‘t have that many opportunities to go digging. The main reason for this was that I knew I was going to an excellent record store in Adelaide. My friend Dan had been telling me about this fantastic record store called Clarity. And what can I say, he didn‘t exaggerate. Clarity is the kind of shop I would love to have close to where I live because the selection of new records is excellent, the second hand section is equally as good and all of the records are priced fairly. Hell, the section on hardcore and punk related books alone would be enough for me. I would also hate to have a record store like this so close to    where I live because I would spend way too much time and money there. But as always in life, love prevails.

The first LP I got was Liveage, the Descendants live LP. Great selection of songs from their early period. I was pretty excited to find this LP because I in my head this record was high on my want list. Well, I should have checked my actual want list and, more importantly, my spreadsheet, because I could have seen that I already own a copy. As much as I like this album, I certainly don’t need two copies.  So if anyone wants a copy for cheap or do a quick trade, let me know. 

Most Recent Repress (?) on Black on SST

I love Fucked Up as a band, but their discography is such a nightmare. They’re such a prolific band, it’s hard to keep track with all of their released. 7”s are much worse than LPs, so I mostly stick to their full lengths or compilations nowadays. Do All Words Can Do is a collection of B-sides and demo versions from the David Comes To Life era, which in my opinion is their album. When I read the information on the hype sticker, I knew I had to get this. This record is probably not a necessity, but I really enjoy the songs on here. 

1st Press on Black on Matador

Last, but certainly not least is the first LP by Tørsö called Sono Pronat A Morire. This was originally released on Agipunk, but later on it was re-released by Sorry State. I love both 7”s they released on Revelation a few years ago, especially Build and Break. But for some reason I never bothered to pick up their other releases. When I saw this record in the wild, it was a no-brainer to pick it up. I’m usually not a fan of swirl records and yellow-green is definitely not my favourite color combo, but for some reason this colorway works for me. 

5th Press on Yellow / Green Swirl on Sorry State (no further pressing info)

I also have to say that the prices of the records were incredibly fair. Not only for Australia, but for records in general. Big shoutout to Clarity Records. If I ever get back to Australia, I’m definitely going there again. 

The Trade That Keeps on Giving

One of the highlights of our trip to Australia was the opportunity to catch up with old friends, which was true especially for my wife because she live in Australia for more than a year. It was really cool to meet some of her old friends and see some other people we both know again. Two of our friends even invited us into their homes and we could stay with them for a week each. An incredible generous gesture and I will be forever thankful to them. Can‘t wait to see you guys again!

One of our friends, and fellow record / Bane collector, Daniel Hoskin of Bane Records Blog, and I have had an ongoing open trade for years now. Basically he gets me releases from Australia and I get releases from Europe for him, which otherwise we probably would never get or hear of in the first place. We also throw in some other stuff we know the other person likes. I‘m always excited when I get a parcel from Australia because it means I get to discover new music. 

When we arrived at this house, he had some records waiting for me and, of course, I had a bunch of records for him with me. Another reason why I didn‘t buy too many records during our trip prior to arriving at our final destination.

I don‘t think I ever listened to Blindside before, but the name rang a bell when I read it. Hard to believe this band was around about 10 years ago already. Some of the songs on Wave of Regrets sound like Wild Side to me, which is a good thing in my book. 

Pre-Order on Pink Vinyl on Straight and Alert /164

This is a weird one. When I put on Burn All White Flags by Found My Direction, the record player in my office skipped all the songs on the A-side. Same on the B-Side. Then I tried playing the record in the living room, but again to no avail. I headed to Discogs and the entry for this record says that all records, both on black and clear, are mis-presses and you can‘t really listen to them. So this is more of a collectible. I went and looked for the record on Spotify and it is actually on there. Not quite what I expected. Just judging by the cover I thought this my be some hardcore PUNK or even crusty record, but it reminds me of Floorpunch, especially the singer. Maybe a little bit less youth crew and bit more punk. I‘m still glad I got this record, because otherwise I would have never listened to this. And in defence of my friend, I‘m pretty sure he told me about this record and I just forgot. 

1st Press on Black on Resist Records

The Uglies are a punk band from Australia and Planet Uglies is their latest album, which was released in 2022. This is the kind of music I really enjoy in a live environment, but wouldn‘t necessarily buy on record. But it‘s cool to have this record for the moments when I feel the itch to listen to something punkier at home. 

1st Press on Black on UGL Records

My favorite of this batch is the s.t. LP by Colourblind. This came out right when we were in Australia, actually Dan picked it up at Clarity when went there together. And to actually go full circle, this record was also released by Clarity Records. Colourblind play hardcore adjacent music I‘d say, or maybe a modern version of 90s emo. This would totally make sense on Run For Cover Records. I dig the artwork, the splatter vinyl is actually done tastefully and works with the artwork really well. One of my favourites in 2024. 

1st Press on Clear with Blue Splatter on Clarity /50

Killin‘ It

After The Searchers, I went to Strangeworld Records. The owner was a nice guy and of all the record stores I went to, Strangeworld had the best prices for new records but unfortunately nothing really tickled my fancy. The last store I had time for was Heartland. I really wanted to go to Poison City, because a store selling records and skateboards is hard to beat, but it was too far away and I simply couldn‘t manage to get there time-wise. Maybe on the next trip… 

Heartland was a cool store and I‘ve never seen so many multi record box sets. That was a sight to behold. I made a mental note of some of them, because I definitely wasn‘t going to buy one of these and lug it around for the rest of the trip. The selection at Heartland was really good, but I knew I could get most of the newer records back home for a much better price. But since I didn‘t want to leave without another record, I browsed the small, but decent second hand section. And lo and behold, I spotted this cool rerelease of the first Bikini Kill EP. I already had a copy, but this 2022 version comes with a gigantic fold out poster with a bunch of interviews and pictures. So this is a clear upgrade for me. 

2022 Repress on Black on Bikini Kill Records

Some Old Bullshit

So, the reason why this blog was rather quiet over the summer was that my family and I took a rather long trip to Australia. It was sort of a once in a lifetime holiday, but I definitely want to get back at one point. Since this isn‘t a travel blog, I don‘t want to talk too much about my vacation. Let‘s just say I loved every second of it and there‘s a reason, well actually many reasons, why I want to go back. 

I was told by a good friend from Australia that record prices down under are pretty steep, even when taking into account the Euro - Australian Dollar exchange rate. Plus, I didn’t want to spend that much time away from my wife and son. Besides, dragging around records while travelling is kind of burden, especially if you don’t stay in just one place. So I didn‘t hit up that many record stores during the trip. I had one afternoon in Melbourne to check out some stores and I knew I was going to go to a great record store in Adelaide, which I‘ll talk about in a different post. 

The first store I went to in Melbourne was The Searchers. Apt name for a record store. Digging around in a record store is always such a joy to me. Even if I don‘t find anything, I still enjoy just the haptic aspect of flipping through records. Of course, finding at least one record you want in an actual store is always a good feeling. This Beastie Boys record had been on my want list for quite a while, so finding a 1st press in the wild was great. Some Old Bullshit is a compilation of well, older punk/hardcore songs by the Beastie Boys. Two songs are taken from an old WNYU radio show that played hardcore songs, the rest are the songs released on the Polly Wog Stew and Cooky Puss EPs. You probably don‘t need this compilation if you already have the EPs, but listening to the songs on this format is much more convenient. 

1st Press on Black on Grand Royal

Don't Look a Gift Record in the Mouth

A few months yet another birthday came around and a very good friend of mine was kind enough to gift me two records when we saw each other a couple of weeks after the actual occasion.

The first one is by a band from France called Placid. The band released a demo two years ago and follows this up with this 7" called Aller James Retour, released earlier this year.  I learned French at school, but that was a long time ago, so I'm not always sure what they sing about. As far as the music is concerned, it took me a while to get used to it. Or maybe I just have to be in the right mood for this kind of music. It's very punky, which I usually like, but there's this effect on the vocals that doesn't always grab me. At least on record. I imagine this to be very fun to see live. I have the vague memory that I might have seen them live before or that I was at a show where Placid played as well and maybe didn't actually go in to see them. Be that as it may, today I'm in the mood for this sort of music, so it gets a thumbs up from me. 

1st Press on black on STTW Records /250

The second record is the vinyl debut by a band called Pluto the Racer. I've seen them a bunch of times live and was lucky enough to share the stage with them as well. Always a good time. The music is at the pop  end of the punk spectrum, but it's done really well. I'm always amazed by drummers who not only play the drums but also sing - and the singer in Pluto the Racer does both things so well. Maybe jealous is also an appropriate word, haha. They're a pretty young band too, so I'm very curious about their future. 

1st Press on Burgundy on KROD Records /500

Wait

Back in 2014, my favorite band released another album, which sadly was also supposed to be their last one. After having released Don’t Wait Up, the band embarked on a lengthy tour, which was supposed to be their goodbye tour before calling it quits. That was a very happy time for me because I got to travel with my wife, hang out with a ton of friends and see Bane plenty of times. At the same time it was a sad time because I knew I wouldn’t be able to do that in the future and how much I was going to miss screaming along to those songs. 

Fast forward to 2023: Bane announced they were fully back as a band. They’d played one or two shows as a benefit/tribute for their friend and former band member Stu, who sadly passed away a few years ago. I was always doubtful about the band’s breakup being permanent, because the members loved the band and everything that came with it so much, but at the time the decision seemed to be pretty final. Sometime last year the band posted on Instagram that they were going to play a few shows in the US and one festival in the UK. To be honest, I was fairly indifferent to the news because I knew I wasn’t going to see Bane, so I felt no real connection to them being back on stage. Then, sometime earlier this year shows in mainland Europe were announced, three of which were within a 2.5 hour radius of where we live. The possibility of seeing Bane again and plenty of friends checking in to see who was going to which show got me more and more excited. When the tickets went on sale, all of the initial shows sold out in seconds and my wife and I luckily managed to secure tickets for one of the shows. Great. Then more shows were announced, one only 30 minutes from the town we live. Perfect. 

In the end, we managed to see Bane four times on that tour, two shows being back to back nights. Having a job, a kid, and being of a certain age, this bordered on a miracle. Travelling to shows, hanging out with friends you don’t see all that often, and seeing your favorite hardcore band (and going into work with very little sleep) was such a great throwback to a very different life. Maybe it was also the onset of my midlife crisis. Who knows. The first show we got to see Bane was the first real hardcore show (Bane had only played a festival somewhere in Eastern Germany the day prior) and what a show it was. When that first note hit, the whole room erupted. Granted, maybe a little slower than 10 or 15 years ago because the age average was definitely 35+, but still. Singalong, stagedives, moshing without any bullshit - just like a hardcore show should be imho. The setlist was pretty close to prefect, too. The other three times we saw them were fun as well, but that first show was by far my favorite.

Prior to the tour, I’d heard rumours that Don’t Wait Up, the final Bane LP before their break up, was about to be re-released because this year marks the 10 year anniversary of that album, which is crazy to think about in itself. A friend close with the band told me that there was going to be a tour press, too, which made me even more stoked about the shows we were about to attend. The tour press doesn’t have different artwork, which is kind of a bummer, but at least the color scheme works really well with the sleeve. The shows made me realize how much I love this band and to embrace all of the represses. You’ll probably see  more Bane records here eventually.     

2024 Tour Press on Yellow and Purple Halves on End Hits /150

Time Capsules

When Change released Closer Still, the world was still very different. As you can see Change went on tour in Europe in February 2020. They were a brand new band and were just about to release their first LP. I’m a little hazy on the exact release date because the LP was released on two different labels on two continents and two different points of time. Plus, the world shut down soon afterward because of the Covid pandemic, an event which has blurred my already blurry sense of time. If I remember correctly, the tour press was the first variant available and remained so for a couple of months and then the album was properly released by React! and Refuse Records. But feel free to correct me. 

I remember that I really wanted to go to one of the shows, probably the one in Leipzig, but for some reason I couldn’t make it. I didn’t think much of it because it wasn’t the first time I missed out on a show. Little did I know what would happen a few weeks later and how long it would be until I’d go see a band play live. 

Closer Still was exactly what I needed at the time. Melodic hardcore with a modern twist. I really liked the reggae influence too. The lyrics were great too and on top of that, the nod to Wishingwell Records and Uniform Choice was the cherry on top. This album is also the last current record that I actively collect because collecting records has changed so much these last few years. As much as I wanted to have every copy of let’s say the Anxious LP, the first Magnitude LP or any of the Fiddlehead albums, I just couldn’t justify the expense with the myriad of variants from an ever growing number of outlets. So, Closer Still is a marker of many changes for me. I managed to collect most of the variants quite quickly. I think I only miss the second press copies and I’m not sure I want to get those to be honest. The only variant that kept eluding me was the tour press from 2020 until a few weeks ago a copy popped up for sale on Discogs for a fair price.

I didn’t have time to pull out all variants and take a group picture, but I might edit this post at one point.

Tour Press on Green Vinyl on Refuse Records /113

Tour Poster + Back Cover of the LP

The seller also graciously sent me another record with the Change LP, a split 7” by two bands I’d never listened to before. Mine, which I knew only by name, were a hardcore band from Switzerland, while Dawnbreed hailed from the south of Germany. Both bands played sort of screamo hardcore typical for the mid- to late-90s. I like both sides of the split, but I’m not sure how often I will reach to this 7”. I also dig the dystopian artwork and how the cover is part of a big fold-out poster. Also, DIY style patches that come with records need to make a comeback!

A Strong Desire

Desire Line are a relatively new band from the Cologne/Munster in the northwest of Germany. Two of the people in the band played in Tides Denied, an awesome, but now defunct youth crew band, although they switched instruments for this new project. Actually, the record was released on another band mate’s label, too. However, Desire Line sound nothing like youth crew. 

I really liked the demo they released in 2022, you might call it a single because the quality is so good. But to me, the first release of a band with only a few songs is a demo, especially if it is released on cassette. Like I said, I really liked the demo, so when I heard that they were going to release a proper record, I was really looking forward to it and they didn’t disappoint. The music is this awesome mix of indie, shoe gaze and dream pop. 

I only received Life’s Between Us on vinyl maybe three weeks ago, no thanks to the pressing plant, and this record has already spent a lot of time on my records player and I guess this will be the case for the foreseeable future too. Originally it was supposed to come out in March and technically I could have listened to the songs online since then, but waiting for the proper release on vinyl was well worth it. I really like the artwork as well (“Collective Memory” is a sticker, not part of the cover!) and of course they did a great job by picking out pink/magenta as vinyl color, although purple would have matched the artwork even better. But it still looks great together. For me this is a strong contender for record of the year. 

Pre-Order on Pink on Collective Memory /50