Shot Balowski, the purveyors of one of the Ginger Quiff top ten album of last year, released a three track EP last week. If you are of the “keep politics out of music” brigade, look away now. Eton’s Burning is the lead lockdown anthem taking a swipe at the old boys’ club.
Kicking off with Debbie’s sonorous bass throb, the dynamic thrusting guitars crunch into life with Simon’s distorted vocal spitting venom backed by Tef’s thundering drums. The track ends on a plea. “Don’t dial 999”, in a squall of Manic Street Preacher style guitars. Class.
England’s (not) Dreaming
As a former Morrissey devotee, you may be forgiven for thinking I may be offended by track two. The title? Morrissey’s Over. My feeling is quite the opposite. I couldn’t agree more with the sentiments in this melancholy pastiche of the former Smiths frontman. The track uses him as a mirror reflecting Little England in general. My favourite lyric “No need for a poster saying the future is cancelled, the Queen isn’t dead she only twisted an ankle”. Elsewhere Simon urges the celebration of the life of Johnny Thunders on 23rd April (the date of his death) rather than celebrating St Georges Day.
Ironically, there is a Morrissey (ish) link to the increasingly Tommy Robinson-esque singer in the final song. He once covered the Jam’s That’s Entertainment. The final track on the EP is Shot Balowski’s very own song heavily nodding to the Jam classic. Debbie takes the lead vocal on the track. Kitchen Sink previously appeared as the title track on their lockdown EP, but this version is a more muscular, beefier one.
Eton’s Burning EP
The EP is available now and the band’s debut album is available to pre-order on limited edition 10” vinyl on their website