Vipers

The Vipers have an agenda, and they promise us that it's one that is pure and clear. It may be a reaction to trendy haircuts, the fashionistas and Madchester revisionism. But, they plea, "Don't pigeonhole us... To label it is to kill it." This is the case with many bands that play at Dirty Water, but in some ways this still comes across as a refreshing approach – when so many bands come with PR that immediately name checks the bands they sound like and make clear their aim to be on Top of the Pops (RIP – not). Like many bands you'll see at Dirty Water, the Vipers sound like a motley distillation of yesteryear, and they don't deny it. Simply, they are a band that jumbles together the pre-punk sounds of NYC and London - the combination of the sounds that gestated into a fully blown punk movement but without forgetting where punk came from. Gravelly vocals are nailed down with tunefully grating guitars and all finished off with a melodious Farfisa organ subtly ebbing along in the shadows. Ultimately it's a mix of the 100 Club and CBGBs in early 1976, with hints of real raw garage-rock, bubbling away with heady expectation - there's a good reason why these guys have been signed to Dirty Water Records.