CD REVIEW: DIRTBAG REPUBLIC – Downtown Eastside

Shane | 4 June 2017 | Reply

CD REVIEW: DIRTBAG REPUBLIC – Downtown Eastside
Independent
April 2017
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
8 ½ /10

It ain’t rocket science, this rock n’ roll business – all you need is a few catchy hooks, some musclebound riffs, a keen eye for the underbelly of life on the seedy side of the street, and a hefty serve of outsider attitude.

Vancouver ‘glunks’ (glam punks, I think – so that’s a thing now) Dirtbag Republic have all that and more on their second album: Faces rambunctiousness, Aerosmith groove, New York Dolls choruses, Stones-meets-Pistols swagger and surliness. Most endearing of all, they sound like they’re having a bloody great time of it, too.

On top of all that there’s the social consciousness of Homeless, the AC/DC-styled street groove of See You In The Morning, the near-chaos Wildhearts punk n’ roll of Free Falling, the slower Hanoi Rocks burn of closer Crawling Back To Me.

Rock n roll seems to have transgressed past the point where it must be revelatory or new. New is for pop, and is usually nothing more than smoke and mirrors. Rock n’ roll is better than new: it’s real. As comfortable as a favourite pair of dirty denim jeans, and Dirtbag Republic are exactly the sum of their influences and attitude. For me, that’s exactly what I need right now.