Seaside Donkeys is the latest release from Percy, the Yorkshire based outfit who gained notoriety in the early nineties when their home brand of left-field post-punk led to a record deal with legendary Leeds label Mook Records. They received airplay from John Peel and Steve Lamacq and made ‘single of the week’ in Melody Maker...

You'd be forgiven for thinking Percy would have run out of steam by now; that they would have tired of their own particular brand of punk. They haven't and don't think this is watered down or in any way less on the nail as their '90s work was.

The band's wry sense of humour shines through on tracks like 'Will of the People' - a sideways swipe at the ridiculous Brexit debacle. With its in-your-face riff and swirling synths it offers an ageless rage of being dragged off into isolation in a future that obsesses over the good old days, prophetically in the UK’s recent trials.

‘The People Who Drank Themselves to Death’ is a witness to decades of decay in the North of England. A memento mori to larger than life characters cut down to size by a culture that expects a daily excess of alcohol. ‘Big Lil’s’ is a fanciful story of a visit to the fabled pub of the same name on the Headrow in Leeds with its mock-saloon doors and a crowd that goes quiet when you enter the room.

Percy still have a lot to say and contribute to society. Long may they continue.

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Nick Smithson