Album review: Desperate Measures – Rinsed

It would be fair to call Eugene Butcher a lifer. Four decades after forming the relatively short-lived band Desperate Measures in his native New Zealand, the singer – and noted punk journalist – has returned to his first love. Assembling a new team of punk rock avengers including former members of the UK Subs, Done Lying Down and The Glitterati, Eugene and his band have finally released (most of) an album.

Written largely in lockdown, Rinsed froths with pent-up energy and frustration. Scars & Memories kicks things off with a driving groove and bloody licks straight from the Johnny Thunders school of scuzzed-up rock’n’roll. The Rich-Tual (see what they did there?) keeps those energy levels high, with a taut riff and a 'fuck the system' theme, complete with big ‘woah-oh’ hooks big enough to land a whale. They certainly know their way around an unruly anthem, but then Flowers At Your Door changes the vibe with an echoing guitar and arch gothic atmosphere that sounds more like The Cult than any Pistols punk stomp.

Lost Angels adds an irresistible sense of hard rocking melody to its live-in-the-studio intensity and harks back to the band’s past, with the six-track mini-album also featuring a more laid-back demo version from 1988. Finally, there’s a cover of Don't Gimme No Lip Child by ’60s pop star Dave Berry that owes more to the Sex Pistols’ version that cropped up on The Great Rock 'N' Roll Swindle. Ultimately, this isn’t a release that is going to change the world, but it is a set of cracking tunes performed with fire, and sometimes that’s enough.

Verdict: 3/5

For fans of: UK Subs, The Stooges, New York Dolls

Rinsed is released on September 3 via Easy Action Records.

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