KEY POINTS:
Herald rating: * * * *
Verdict: Local rabble rousing punk rock kings nail second album
Label: Border
To have voices like brothers Chazz and Rupe Rabble you either start drinking Wild Turkey from a very young age, gargle razor blades instead of Listerine, or - and this is most likely for these lads - wear it out with hundreds of gigs.
The thing constant gigging ensures is tight playing, so it's no wonder the Rabble's second album, The Battle's Almost Over, is grunty and adventurous rather than sticking to a strict punk rock formula. The vicious Sick and Tired, with a fancy bass solo, morphs in multiple directions, there's the hoe-down punk of Devil's Highway and the bagpipes on The Battle are inspired.
Elsewhere there's the more traditional punk of This World Is Dead, featuring Mark Unseen from Boston's The Unseen, and the rolling pop punk of Seeking before it's rounded off by the belligerent chug of City of Sin.
Another reason why this Hibiscus Coast band is so promising is that they look the part - punk rock to the core. They have put out two releases themselves, including last year's debut album, No Clue, No Future.
On Saturday the Rabble are at it again with a show at Auckland's Ellen Melville Hall to celebrate the release of The Battle's Almost Over.
