Band : Lower Class Brats
Album title : This Is Real!
Label : TKO Records
Distributor : Sonic Rendezvous
Release date : 24/06/2008
Release : DVD + CD

Back in 1994, Brit Punk Rocker Bones DeLarge had just gone 21, and moved from San Diego in California (where he'd grown up and had been targeted by kids for his musical preference, which was quite a contrast from the ruling musical tastes in that area) to Austin in Texas. By then, many of the old bands had folded, The Adicts and Cock Sparrer were still around but hardly toured, and in Austin at least he knew that here at least sóme bands continued to play Street Punk/ Oi!, which is the music he loved (and continues to prefer).

Playing guitar in one of those bands was Marty Volume, and the two soon forged a durable friendship...which came in handy when the latter's band went belly-up! So, LBC started out officially in January 2005, and soon threw themselves on the circuit of smaller local venues, occasionally portraying their love for the movie Clockwork Orange with Bones wearing a bowler hat on stage. Over the years, the band persevered with Bones and Marty occasionally having to look for new members, surviving bands from the scene which they themselves took influence from (because as Bones put it himself, they were so much better). As far as the band's releases are concerned, info sources are somewhat contradictory, some claiming there's a total of 4 albums out at this moment, contributions to two movie (porn flicks) soundtracks and a shitload of compilations, and several live DVDs. Closer to the truth, there's at least proof of several releases on the TKO Records roster with a 1997 split 7-inch with The Templars, the 1999 Glam Bastard 7-inch single, a contribution to the 1999 compilation Punch Drunk, the 2006 split 7-inch with British act Chelsea, and the September 2006 released debut full-length The New Seditionairies. Previous to this DVD, TKO also issued 2007's Live!!! Loud And Out Of Tune DVD + CD (featuring a 2005 show on the DVD and a 2007 show on the CD). Of course, the band has also released stuff through other labels, and PunkCore at least issued the Rather Be Hated Than Ignored single in 1998. I'm not sure about the two other things mentioned on the band's MySpace though (either there's also been singles in 2000 and 2003 – respectively titled The Plot Sickens and A Class Of Our Own – or the wongs posted – again respectively "Psycho" and "Just Like Clockwork" – were contributions to compilations). Austria's TSOR Records however díd issue the I'm A Mess single in January 2006!

Anyways, about this very package (and a nice package indeed!), which consists of a DVD and additional CD... Let's talk about the DVD first: the major bulk of the footage is a live set recorded at Allen Theatre in Southgate (CA) in late July 2006 (same set as on the CD that came with the Live!!! Loud And Out Of Tune DVD!), with each live song interrupted for a bit of interview with one of the guys, or on-the-road footage recorded by the band themselves. Besides the band's own classic tracks "Ultra-Violence", "Who Writes Your Rules", "Addicted To Oi!" and "Just Like Clockwork" (plus 11 others, all equally as great) the guys also brought covers with Mad Parade's "Sex And Violence" and The Misfits' "Bullet". In the "Special features" section of the DVD, you get the possibility to watch that combined footage (with a total length of 56 ½ minutes) all over again with commentary from all 4 band members at that time: Bones, Marty, bassist Evo, and drummer Clay Aloy. Also in the "Special features" section are exceprts of two live sets (an 8-track 1996 set recorded at The Blue Flamingo in Austin, and a 2-track 1997 set from Bo Jangles in Sacramento, California; the two combining in length for an additional 27 minutes worth of viewing time), an 11 ½ minute excerpt from the Just Like Clockwork documentary (during which the band itself states to have released just two singles and a full-length...confusing, what? What? Whut? - inside joke there), an additional 14-minute interview with the band, and the video made for the song "Just Like Clockwork" (which totals to a DVD duration of almost 2 hours and 50 minutes).

You also get an insight/ preview into some other DVDs on the roster, but at the end of the day it's this DVD that's important, right? And I would say that the DVD has really given me a nice insight in the band's history and reasons for existence. Ohhh...the CD? Well, that includes a total of 10 tracks not used for the The New Seditionaires album, songs that were either taken out of the track-list, or never passed the demo recording stage. You can check out 6 of the band's songs at myspace.com/lowerclassbratsrule to find out whether you like 'em or not. In spite of the fact that in the DVD's interview the guys claim to have the strongest unit ever, the line-up mentioned on the MySpace page now includes bassist Johnny O and drummer Joey The Kid.

As this IS a DVD, there's no rating, but in the genre it's definitely gonna be one of my additions to the year-lists!
 
Tony.