The Hipshakes from Bakewell (now based in Manchester), are a British garage punk institution From the crazed teenage yowlings of their Debut ‘Shake Their Hips’ (Slovenly), to the exuberant punk pop of ‘Snake’ (Art For Blind), really good Hipshakes records have been the norm for a long time. We at Nerve Centre are over the bloody moon to be putting out a 7” by these guys; especially one of this quality.
First track ‘Shot’ has the immediacy of Wire in late seventies euphoric mode, combined with that thing which makes a Hipshakes track instantly recognisable. ‘Samba’ is a power-punk stormer, all climbing guitars and last-gasp singing. On first listen it made me want to pull over my car and stand on the roof while shaking my arms around. Both tracks were recorded in Nerve Centre’s hometown of Falmouth, Cornwall, by local legends Ben Woods and Sam Stacpoole (Black Tambourines, Holiday Ghost), and were mastered by Mikey Young of Total Control and Eddy Current Suppression Ring.
With a tour of America and a slot at Goner Fest coming in October, one thing’s for sure: The Hipshakes will continue to bang out bona fide hits for a long time to come. We are just glad to hold two captive on Nerve Centre for the second instalment of our 7” series.
FFO: Wire, Angry Angles, The Saints
https://nervecentrerecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-hipshakes-shot-samba-single
