In the world of punk, hardcore, and alternative rock and roll, there’s a lot of screaming. There’s the hoarse, off-key, ear-splitting rage of Johnny Rotten; the better-produced, love-me-‘cause-I-need-you emo of My Chemical Romance; and the direct intensity of Mick and Joe in their Clash days. Then, there was McLusky. There, one would find Andrew Falkous’ telling jokes and passing drunken judgment on a wide variety of topics (a favorite was “Fuck This Band”) using any and all three of these techniques, often within the same song. Last year, Falkous regurgitated his latest effort, along with bandmembers Kelson Louis Matthias (bass/vocals/keyboard) and Jack Egglestone (drums/vocals), with his band called Future Of The Left. Men rejoiced, and women hid.

Now, they’re back, Travels With Myself And Another is hilarious, violent, frightening and fun. The songwriting is straightforward—pop song structure without extended bridges, tempo changes, or jams—on steroids. The song titles tell most of the story: ‘Throwing Bricks At Trains;” “You Need Satan More Than He Needs You;” and “Lapsed Catholics,” to name a few. Twelve songs in all, most less than three minutes long. As Egglestone says: “Some people may think that 33 minutes is too short for a record. These people are wrong.” Indeed. Part of making your point with a record like this, is to make it quick and sit down. Or, to borrow from Thomas Hobbes: Punk should be like the lives of average men– solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.

Arming Eritrea

Future Of The Left JULY US Tour Dates:

July 13 Hoboken NJ – Maxwell’s
July 14 Philadelphia PA – Johnny Brenda’s
July 15 Toronto ON – El Mocambo
July 17 Cambridge MA – T.T. The Bears
July 18 Brooklyn NY – Siren Music Festival
July 19 Washington DC – DC9
July 21 Chicago IL – Schubas Tavern
July 22 St Paul MN – Turf Club
July 25 Seattle WA – Capitol Hill Block Party
July 28 San Francisco CA – Bottom of the Hill
July 31 Los Angeles CA – Spaceland