And then Cult Figures went and did this. They went and made the best album of 2021, hands down, no argument will be entered into.

After re-forming and making the album they should have made in 1980 they wrote a bunch of new songs and put together this marvel. It is bursting with great songs, tunes I would happily have thrown myself around a dancefloor to before the onset of knee problems.

Opener “Chicken Bones” sets the scene describing walking to work in the early hours and witnessing the detritus of a night on the town (“I’ve been picking my way through the chicken bones and the fast food ketchup stains”) including the characters involved (“Puffer jacket up ahead, He’s a third generation low grade dealer, Meets a punter out to score who’s a tyre kicking waste of time”) all set to a track reminiscent of The Clash’s go at “Police On My Back”. It’s a belter and deserves a much wider audience.

The subjects of the songs would not have been out of place back when Cult Figures were young uns, the futility of a dull existence (“Donut Life”), casual violence at the weekend (“Silver Blades”), young love (“Julie-Ann”) and creeping gentrification (“Concrete and Glass”) are all covered here.

The band themselves say the album still holds the three P’s of their early days – punk, pop and psychedelia, and all that is here. It’s named after on old industrial area of our mutual home city, Deritend to the East of Birmingham City centre, where the Barrel Organ pub, Digbeth Civic Hall and the Irish Centre were all situated, scenes of great gigs, nights out and pitched battles between the Anti Nazi League and the NF in the late ‘70’s. Silver Blades ice rink, as mentioned in song on this album, isn’t too far away. It’s a record with its heart in Brum even if it was made in London.

As this album was being released I had, via the medium of social media, reconnected with singer Gary Jones (an old mate of my ex’s brother for those who aren’t paying attention) and I was excitedly awaiting the announcement of a Cult Figures Brum gig so I could finally catch up with him after getting on for 40 years. Then one morning I received the awful news from a friend that Gary had been ill for sometime and had succumbed to his illness and passed away. Such a bloody shame but f*cking hell mate, you left behind one hell of a statement x

Chicken Bones - https://youtu.be/bTJCPCTdCoI

Anyone who lived around our part of South Birmingham (Castle Bromwich, Chelmsley Wood, Marston Green, Sheldon, Solihull) at the time we were in our teens will likely have an inkling of what that title means. For the rest of you, the 166 was the bus route that took you from one end of that list to the other and was the bus often caught back then by Cult Figures singer Gary Jones.

Gary was a mate of my then girlfriends brother. Gary and Doris (for that was my girlfriends brothers nickname) were only a couple of years older than us but when you’re 15, 17 or 18 feels like a lifetimes difference. Gary was in a band, Cult Figures, and looked really cool in biker jacket, Levi’s and brothel creepers (funnily enough now I write it down pretty much identical to Rick and Eddie (see Eddie Cochran a few days ago) the Walthamstow rockers). But what made Gary really cool was his band made a record.

The reason he spent so much time on the 166 was to get to Solihull to hang with his college friends who were in a band called Swell Maps. They helped Gary and his band make a record on their label, Rather Records. That record was the single “Zip Nolan”, and it got played on the John Peel Show and reviewed in the inkies (that’s the NME, Sounds and Record Mirror for those not old enough to remember the inkies). Some journalists posited that this was actually Swell Maps but we knew better. Cult Figures made a second single, the “In Love EP”, which was great too, and then that was it.

In 2018 this album appeared. Cult Figures had all made friends again, done a few gigs and then recorded the album they should have made in about 1980. There are re-recordings of “Zip Nolan” and a couple of tracks from the “In Love EP” have been re-written or have grown lyrics (“Silent Majority” is the “In Love EP” song “”Almost A Love Song” with new lyrics for instance), none of them match up to the original versions but hey, I have those too so no harm done. 

Of the new songs (aka songs I’d never heard before as calling something written in 1979/80 new is a bit of a stretch) “Reactions Nil” is a tubthumping kickstarter with fab slashing and chugging guitars. These songs are all genuine “long lost gems from the British DIY Punk era” as the band put it, recorded a bit better than they might have been back in the early 80’s but with an authenticity that cannot be ignored.

My highlight is over on Side 2. “Martin’s Holiday” is all about my ex girlfriends brother Doris , a.k.a Martin, and how he dresses, goes to the Blues, then The Bell and eventually went to Italy to teach English but when he comes home the weather is always shite. Minutiae but it brings back a lot of memories.

This one may not be for everyone (maybe wait until tomorrow’s piece for something that I hope will be) but I have a lot of history wrapped up in this music and what it represents.

Reactions Nil - https://youtu.be/khJCgaYMoYs

I was very late to Cud’s party. Yes I knew the name but I don’t think I knowingly heard them until I caught them at the Shiiine On Weekender at Butlins (!) in 2015. That was the point at which I pondered “why have I never listened to them before ?”. They were bloody good. One of their CD’s (this album) came through the shop and I had a listen, it was bloody good.

Singer Carl Puttnam has a booming voice reminiscent of Scott Walker at times. The guitars are groovy and upfront and most of the songs seem aimed at the hips. The one that did it for me was “Hey Boots”, an absolutely poptastic Indie groover. Much more than that I cannot tell you. I guess if you already know Cud then you already know and if you don’t know them then have a listen to “Hey Boots” and see what you make of it.

Hey Boots - https://youtu.be/ac9ARPL1xYA