Harcore punk live
I'm not going to pretend to have been a fan of skatepunkers R.K.L back in the day. I was just eight years old in the year they formed in Santa Barbara, but listening to this CD makes me wish I'd been there for the ride and I can hear their influence in many of the bands I loved growing up. To really hammer that point home, the press release quotes Fat Mike from NOFX as having said "Without RKL, there wouldn't be a NOFX. Well, there might be a totally shitty NOFX." Making you feel like you really should have been born a few years earlier.
This CD features music from the first incarnation of the outfit before their reunion in the 90s and gives us the band at a gig in West Berlin in 1988. Along with the live material there are previously unreleased bonus tracks at the end, recorded in either 2000 or 2001 in a studio setting and the package is finished off with a booklet including lyrics, interviews and liner notes from the original band members.
RKL has a vital but controlled sound, punctuated by their heartfelt lyrics; tales of the bad side of drinking to excess, warnings about not thinking for yourself, tracks about lost loves and ultimately trying to live day to day, all delivered with unflowery honesty and grit. The gig itself is a raw and energetic performance from the band, they power through the 20 odd tracks of fast thrash-edged punk with manic drums, chunky riffs and slightly gravelly vocals; light banter is exchanged with the audience and they sound like they're enjoying every minute of the stage time.
It's a nice memento of an influential band, with the live material the star of the show. The only slight gripe is that at over an hour in total the CD may feel a touch long if you're not a huge fan and newcomers may benefit by listening to it in bite sized chunks, however, there is plenty to keep you listening and hardcore punk fans especially will find plenty to get their teeth into.