Single Review: The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing – The Gin Song

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October 5, 2013 by Dan Swinhoe

The problem with most Steampunk bands is that most of them aren’t very, well, Punk. The exception to this rule is The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing, the band who put the Punk in Steampunk. Already two albums and an EP into their career, they’ve just released their new single, The Gin Song b/w 3rd Class Coffin. And a corker it is too.

The Gin Song, unsurprisingly, is an ode to that most British of drinks, Gin. Featuring some jazzy off-kilter guitar work, eerie theramin sounds and a surprising rock guitar solo with gang chats of GIN after every refrain. “From ladies and lords to the unwashed hoards, everyone loves Gin.” It makes ugly girls pretty, it’s cleaner than water and will wash away all your woes. Possibly the best drinking song you’ll here all year, and definitely the greatest about juniper berry-based drinks.

The b-side, 3rd Class Coffin is a Victorian class-war song for the unwashed masses. It provides a history lesson describing how the Necropolis Railway treated the poor after they croaked it, the theme of inequality still rings surprisingly true today. Featuring quiet spoken vocals that get louder and more intense and Snotty Cocker-nay accents with snide Sex Pistols-esque attitude, the chorus of “3rd Class citizen, even when I’m dead!” will be stuck in your head for days.

The good thing about TMTWNBBFN is that they’re a good Punk band first and a Steampunk band second, that they’ve got some genuine substance beyond the Cogwheel style. Their whole back catalogue is worth checking out if you like your Punk dripping with attitude and a smirk, and The Gin Song b/w 3rd Class Coffin is another quality release to add to their collection.