Words by Matt Gabites
2021 may well be remembered as the year that we all stood in line waiting for a covid jab.
More’s the pity really when you consider it could just as easily be remembered as the year Ed Banger and the Kardashits dropped their debut E.P. Crash and Burn.
18 minutes of heavy rock perfectly timed to offset the dreaded covid-blues.
After a short introduction to Ed Banger himself the title track kicks in. A song Dave Wyndorf would have proudly had on any of his early Monster Magnet albums. Ed then reappears before Day After springs out of the speakers adorned in fuzzy bass and power chords. A few more moments in Eds company precede LSH (Love Sex Hate). A love song from an alien’s point of view, devoid of any ‘lighter in the air’ moments and all the better for it. Next up is perhaps the e.p’s heaviest track, Videogame Freak. A song that roars into life for the first two minutes and then spends the next two retreating into the kind of breakdown that (one day) will make audiences jump.
Ed then reappears to set the scene for closing track Stone Cold Drunk. And with Lemmy now a ouija board away what better way to sign off than with this Motorhead masterclass mixing just the right amount of nods, winks and drinks.
So there you have it.
Ed Banger and the Kardashits have delivered the perfect post-covid E.P.
Five tracks from four blokes that are just too good to be glassed with the label of pub rock. Music that deserves to have us all at home, ripping those face masks off and playing. LOUD.
Sure, it may not be a vaccine, but it’s a pretty bloody good antidote.
