Flying the flag in the early 80s for the street punks, Charged GBH (as they were initially known before dropping their prefix) were a lot more together as musicians than they’re perhaps given credit for. This more-than-comprehensive three-CD set puts that one firmly to bed, highlighting a band with a powerful blend of third-wave punk/ hardcore tunes, but also the talent to match. Everything that they recorded for the Stoke-On-Trentbased Clay label (including both albums: the delightful Leather, Bristles, Studs & Acne and the equally lovely City Baby Attacked By Rats) is lovingly reproduced here. There’s some 50 tracks of passionate, raw punk rock that both recalls the time and stands outside of it, alongside contemporaries such as Wattie Buchan’s The Exploited.
With tracks ranging from the usual and expected assaults on war and capitalist scummers and the like, to necrophilia and werewolves, GBH’s output is perhaps a little more true to their personalities than some of the more earnest acts of the time. Disc Three brings the set sharply into focus with the live album No Survivors, and comprehensive sleevenotes by punk/hardcore expert Ian Glasper.
