ALBUM REVIEW: Wingmen – Wingmen

Lockdown was an interesting time for all of us, to say the least. It was certainly a time where many of us felt loneliness and perhaps went a little stir crazy with all that was going on in the world, so as a distraction we tried to keep our minds occupied by focusing on hobbies, starting a new project, or trying something totally new. For WINGMEN their conception was a result of all three; a supergroup made up of Baz Warne (THE STRANGLERS), Paul Gray (THE DAMNED), Leigh Heggarty (RUTS DC) and Marty Love (JOHNNY MOPED) who came together during lockdown and have now put out their self-titled debut album.

With decades’ worth of knowledge of all things punk between them it’s not hard to imagine what’s to come; a punk album that fuses different styles of rock and tongue-in-cheek lyrics that have a take down the establishment attitude. The first two tracks, instrumental Starting Blocks and the bluesy The Last Cigarette, may not be the best way to start things out as, while pleasant to listen to, are rather easy to zone out of and easily forgettable. So, you’re left wondering if this all we have to look forward to, but things pick up once we get to Louis Smoked The Bible which is where we enter into the tongue-in-cheek territory with lyrics that create an anti-hero anthem, complete with an electric organ that sort of gives the impression that we’re listening to a villain’s story of how they came to be.

Then we move into the anti-government, or rather anti-right-wing, segment of the record as we start to hear criticisms of the current Tory government in I Would If I Could. It takes aim at their underfunding the NHS and mocks their previous promises of “the NHS is not for sale!” that we all knew weren’t true. From there, we get parodies of the propaganda of those in support of Brexit and constant complaints of us British folk in the obvious titled Brits, the mockery of the ‘England is for the English’ attitude in Oh! What A Carry On, and poking fun of those who refused to follow the rules of COVID in Backstage At The Opera, because, yes, you’re really sticking it to the man by refusing to wear masks and follow social distancing rules…

This is a punk album that goes straight to the heart of the genre; an anti-establishment take on politics, capitalism and those who follow the practice. You’ll have so much fun listening that you’ll be sad when it’s over.

Rating: 7/10

Wingmen is out now via Cadiz Music.

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