I first encountered the Mega City Four when my band, The Libertines (ya see Doherty and his bunch of musical junkies didn’t have an original name either !), were booked to open for them at The Dial in Derby in early 1989. I was positively disposed toward them even before I heard them due to my being a big 2000AD/Judge Dread fan and the connection with their name (for those not in the know Judge Dread polices Mega City One). But that night at The Dial I think they convinced me they might just be the greatest band on the planet at that very moment. Their amalgamation of Punk-rush and bloody fantastic, melodious songs had me hooked straight away.

Their debut album, “Tranzphobia” was released just 3 months after that first encounter. I’d hoovered up their first 3 singles in the interim and this album proved to be an extension of those and the handful of gigs we did with them. I’m not gonna do some microscopic breakdown, none of this is complicated, you write great songs and you play them with some fire and skill. Walls of buzzsaw guitars and thumping drums back up Wiz’s high pitched vocals, and it works. The so called Pop-Punk bands of the US all sound like they very much over-familiarised themselves with the Mega’s before setting off on their way.

I got to see them quite a few times as the Mega’s did some gigs opening for The Wonder Stuff and a few years ago I reconnected with bass player Gerry Bryant when he turned up as the bands driver on a TWS tour. Those that are fans are fanatical about the Mega’s, still. If you’re yet to experience them just click this link.

Paper Tiger - https://youtu.be/EAKCL3vrAAg?si=0d9yusvmUM0LPVIf