Marching Orders · Living Proof

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• 12`LP
• 12" LP black — 100 Stück
• 12" LP transparent beer — 450 Stück
• 12" LP tricolour white/grey/orange splat — 450 Stück
• CD Digipack — 1.000 Stück → im Shop

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+++ Pressestimmen +++ 6 Reviews

Even though 2013 has started slow, it has started with some really good records, and Living Proof by Marching Orders is one of them. This band keeps getting better every time I hear them. They get tighter and tighter. The song writing gets sharper on almost every song.

What is impressive about this record, is that they do not take the easy road by rehashing Oi! classics. They proudly take the influences of their heroes and take it forward. Not just sonically but in overall song writing and feel. This is true even to the point that the young kids will be singing these songs the way we did of our heroes whe we were young. You even hear on tracks like Hand Of Fate that they have the confidence to slow down and tell a brutal story. They lose none of their anger on this track and add atmophere and the biting lyrics to make an instant classic. This track really shows the vocalist's (Al) bark and bite. Nothing pretentious, just really great voice.

They bring songs of pride like Spirit of 84 that has that classic driving bass that well keep your hands in the air and your lungs filled with Marching Order songs.

They show their ability to write a sing-along anthem that should fill all bar rooms where the short cropped gather in for a pint and fellowship of the outcasts. Songs like Living Proof tell the stories of the back street with a big chorus and sharp as razor guitar parts. The Party's Over is a 5 minute rocker that shows they can blend Aussie rock brashness with tight down stroke guitar that echos SLF early days. Real tight song and I usually do not care for such long punk songs. On Dog Eat Dog and Rich Man you hear the bands biting social commentary while still giving you songs to sing-a-long too.

Hands Down this is Marching Orders best record and a steep road to climb for other bands in 2013. Great job, guys. For this I give the rare...5 out 5 Oi!'s

For fans of Rust, Marching Orders, Plan Of Attack, the Corp, T.H.U.G. and Control.

MARCHING ORDERS

LIVING PROOF

This one’s a cracker. Melbourne’s Marching Orders, have been around for a while. They’ve been on quite a few compilations, have had their own various releases, and “Living Proof” is their latest. This is oi!/streetpunk for now; true to their influences without being derivative. The roots of good old 80’s oi! are definitely entrenched in their DNA, and they’ve taken that to a new level.

If the two opening tracks “Dog eat dog” and “Guilty by suspicion” don’t hook ya in from the outset, go and listen to the Offspring or some other shit. Well executed twin guitar riffs, with distinctly Aussie vocals. As on the rest of the record, there’s plenty of melody and hooks and singalong choruses. It’s all about reality here, there ain’t no sugar coating ,they’re just calling it as it is. Side one closes with “Hand of Fate”, a vocal and guitar only song which is nonetheless still powerful, and packs a wallop. Side two opens with “Spirit of ‘84” as I mentioned, they’re true to their roots (“after all these years oi!’s the beat of the street”). The last song “Songs of yesterday” (Do you remember singing along to every word of every song/when the music seemed to mean much more yesterday/there’s no substance being played on the radio today/the music seemed to mean much more yesterday/We’ll sing the songs of yesterday”) – too true.
A nicely packaged record (which is always good, as that’s part of the appeal of vinyl), this one’s yellow vinyl. The sepia-tone alley way cover indicates life’s realities for the working class, and is another nod back to mid 80’s oi! . Comes with an insert with lyrics, and although the band-against-the-wall photo has been done many times, I like it. This has great production too. That is not to say the record’s over produced or “slick”, but it’s got a great warm and full stereo sound. There’s also a download code for those interested.

Second album from Australian street punks, anyone? Australia is producing a decent line of punk bands lately, and not a hint of AC/DC or Rose Tattoo in the sound (well almost).

'Dog Eat Dog' is no nonsense, four to the floor, rock solid punk which is pretty much the theme but there is a lot of hard rock in the playing whilst the vocals are right out of the Jimmy Pursey book of delivering lyrics, or even a Charlie Harper here and there. In fact 'Guilty By Suspicion' has more than a hint of the UK Subs about it in style and substance and all the better for it it is too.

'Living Proof' is quite an upbeat tune and a tip of the hat to the likes of Cock Sparrer. 'Nothing To Lose' on the other hand could have been penned for the last Argy Bargy album - a damn fine tune it is too. Again it's not as aggressive as say the Corps but it's good that there is variety in the bands and they don't all just sound the same. Christ, there is even a strong melody and rim shots on this track, but the passion shines through.

To close off Side One (remember that, when you had to flip the record over for Side Two? Anyway, I digress...) 'Hand Of Fate' is just voice and electric guitar in a Billy Bragg meets Last Resort kind of feel.

Side Two track one features a guest appearance from Iain from Control and 'Spirit Of '84' is like a snarling dog of a tune. Side Two is off and running with some really strong tunes that have variety from side one. 'Rich Man' again tells its story in the vein of The Subs then before you know it were onto the last track, 'Songs Of Yesterday', with its Sparrer singalong on the chorus... and it's over.

Wearing their influences on their sleeves with pride Marching Orders knock out some pretty decent tunes. You can imagine these going down well on the live circuit which is where I'd imagine Marching Orders feel most comfortable. Pirate Press deliver yet another good album from around the globe and this is living proof.

Pirates Press Records / Longshot Music/ Contra Records/ Three Star Records
12" LP
Oi! / Street Punk


Track Listing:

A1 Dog Eat Dog

A2 Guilty By Suspicion

A3 Living Proof

A4 Callous World

A5 Nothing To Lose

A6 Hand Of Fate

B1 Spirit Of '84

B2 Place Called Home

B3 The Party's Over

B4 Rich Man

B5 Songs Of Yesterday

Even though 2013 has started slow, it has started with some really good records, and Living Proof by Marching Orders is one of them. This band keeps getting better every time I hear them. They get tighter and tighter. The song writing gets sharper on almost every song.

What is impressive about this record, is that they do not take the easy road by rehashing Oi! classics. They proudly take the influences of their heroes and take it forward. Not just sonically but in overall song writing and feel. This is true even to the point that the young kids will be singing these songs the way we did of our heroes whe we were young. You even hear on tracks like Hand Of Fate that they have the confidence to slow down and tell a brutal story. They lose none of their anger on this track and add atmophere and the biting lyrics to make an instant classic. This track really shows the vocalist's (Al) bark and bite. Nothing pretentious, just really great voice.

They bring songs of pride like Spirit of 84 that has that classic driving bass that well keep your hands in the air and your lungs filled with Marching Order songs.

They show their ability to write a sing-along anthem that should fill all bar rooms where the short cropped gather in for a pint and fellowship of the outcasts. Songs like Living Proof tell the stories of the back street with a big chorus and sharp as razor guitar parts. The Party's Over is a 5 minute rocker that shows they can blend Aussie rock brashness with tight down stroke guitar that echos SLF early days. Real tight song and I usually do not care for such long punk songs. On Dog Eat Dog and Rich Man you hear the bands biting social commentary while still giving you songs to sing-a-long too.

Hands Down this is Marching Orders best record and a steep road to climb for other bands in 2013. Great job, guys. For this I give the rare...5 out 5 Oi!'s

For fans of Rust, Marching Orders, Plan Of Attack, the Corp, T.H.U.G. and Control.

9 / 10 points

Marching Orders - Living Proof

Contra Records/Longshot Music/Pirate Press - LP -

Second full length from the one of my most favourite bands of nowadays – Marching Orders from Australia is out now. After Days Gone By released in 2011 which was quickly sold out and it should be repressed came the band with this one - Living Proof. Album contains 11 songs (the last one is Songs of Yestarday which you may know from the single) of their typical style which I like. In song Spirit of 84´ you will hear also Iain from Control. I like Marching Orders because of the fact that their music is real and sincere. It is not hard, it is not heavy but so so trustworthy that you will have almost tears in your eyes when you will liste to some of their songs. In their music I hear Cock Sparrer, The Clash or older Red London or Red Alert. Iteresting is song Hand of Fate (about friend who died) where is just an electric guitar (no bass and no drums) with vocal. Next thing is the fact that topics of their songs aren´t so funny – drugs and destiny of people who used it (The Party´s Over), supsection without evidence which makes you guilty (Guilty by Suspicion), about man who was raised and breed by city streets (Living Proof), streetkids whose have nothing to loose but they go ahead against the world (Nothing to Loose – really one of the best songs from the album), or the last one Songs of Yesterday from the single. LP was released in 1000 copies (why not when you took into account the fact that Days Gone By was quickly sold out) in three versions – black, transparent beer and white-grey-orange splattered. LP is in the paper cover with lyrics and old working class and city streets black and white photos on one side and big black and white photo of the band on the other side. The band will released their demo recordoing from 2002 on EP through Lionheart Records in few days and I am looking forward to have it on my stereo. I will give them the same rating as to the Days Gone By album because this is really brilliant!

Though Marching Orders has been around for over 10 years it wasn’t until a year or three ago the band caught my attention with the, in my eyes, brilliant album “Days Gone By”. After I heard that record it didn’t took me to add almost the whole Marching Orders discography to my collection. Now it’s 2013 and the new record “Living Proof” is there!

We got a little teaser of “Living Proof” last year with the “Songs Of Yesterday” EP, a magnificent song that raised the bar a bit more for this Melbourne (Australia) outfit for this new album. And I have to admit, when I heard the opening track “Dog Eat Dog” I thought they wouldn’t make it. In my opinion this song doesn’t reach the absurd high quality of Oi! / Streetpunk music the remaining 11 songs do have. This is just what I think of it of course, but tracks such as “Guilty By Suspicion”, “Living Proof”, “Nothing To Lose”, “Spirit Of ‘84”, “Place Called Home”, “The Party’s Over” and previous mentioned “Songs Of Yesterday” make this album one of the best records of 2013 so far, despite the false start (though the song ain’t bad to begin with).

“Living Proof” has been out for a few months now, and you would be a fool not to pick this gem up. The Australian scene is rising up again and Marching Orders belong to the top of this scene, or any scene for that matter. Superb!