By
Andrew Field
Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 13/07/2018
Label: Riff Rock Records
“Come
& Chutney”
is remarkable in so many ways, but perhaps most tellingly when the album ends
you want to both play it again and go see one of their shows immediately. With
no flab to be found on it, and packed with hooks which will lodge in your brain
for months, “Come and Chutney” is
damn near perfect.
“Cum &
Chutney” CD//DD//LP track listing:
1).
Doggy Bag Of Slurry
2).
Krones Of The Kiln
3).
Cojones Feos
4).
Glue Ear
5).
Gutlads
6).
Gawdless
7).
Doner Trump
8).
Psychedelic Hallucinogenic Vagrancy
The Review:
Watching Chubby Thunderous
Bad Kush Masters live is a truly life affirming experience. Few
other bands lock in and groove like they do. Built on the thunderous rhythm
section of drummer Mark Buckwell and four stringer Will Hart, with frontman
Owen Karty laying ocean-sized fuzzed-up riffs and gravelly vowel-mangling
vocals over the top, their sheer sonic power is matched by their fierce tie-die
t-shirt and corpse-painted stage presence.
Whilst their debut 2015 EP “Earth Hog” was a sterling effort, it
served more as a momento of their live shows than anything. Their songs on the
2017 “Special Split” with Ten Foot Wizard likewise. And so, one was left wondering if
Chubby were to be one of those bands who never quite caught
their onstage majesty on vinyl.
All such fears are swept away after
just one play of “Come & Chutney”,
and after several spins it’s clear the trio have created something quite
special. We’re talking “candidate for album of the year” levels of goodness
here. From the opening riff of “Doggy
Bag Of Slurry” onwards, the Chubbs deliver 8 slabs
of buzzsaw boogie and achieve the remarkable feat of making them all killer
with no absolutely no filler.
Every track packs a punch and is an
ear worm: we’re talking 40-odd minutes of vim, four-to-the-floor swagger, drug
and kebab love, and a good old go at Donald Trump. Immaculately captured by Sam
Thredder in his Cro’s Nest studio, Buckwell’s bass drum is constantly battering
your head and driving each seismic anthem forward. Hart’s bass rumbles and
thunders. Karty’s guitars are constantly set to stun. When Chubby
properly hit their stride, on the majestic “Krones
Of The Kiln”, they sound like the bastard offspring of ZZ Top
circa ”Rhythmeen”. Only better.
The best is left to last. Closing
10-minute wig-out “Psychedelic
Hallucinogenic Vagrancy” turns off the fuzz and ramps up the heavy psych,
starting with a beautifully plucked guitar motif then building through to an
explosive organ-led finale featuring guests Chantal Brown of Vodun and Gary Harkin of Ten Foot Wizard.
The song reeks of weed and sounds like 1969.
“Come
& Chutney”
is remarkable in so many ways, but perhaps most tellingly when the album ends
you want to both play it again and go see one of their shows immediately. With
no flab to be found on it, and packed with hooks which will lodge in your brain
for months, “Come and Chutney” is
damn near perfect.
“Come
& Chutney”
is available here
