BENZO AND THE QUEENS – BENZO AND THE QUEENS | EP Review

Benzo Queen have long been an entity opposed to conventionalism. This EP pretty much embodies such a sentiment. Meet BENZO AND THE QUEENS.

Something of an off-shoot from Bristol’s finest synth-speckled nonsense rock rabble rousers Benzo Queen, BENZO AND THE QUEENS (all caps) came into being for a single performance at Bristol’s legendary Dean Lean Hardcore Funday a few years back. And like any good sudden rash or new haemorrhoid, it appears this iteration of the band is here to stay for a bit, something they’re proving with this new EP.

So what, you may ask, is the difference between Benzo Queen and BENZO AND THE QUEENS though? Whilst it would be oh so easy to say this iteration of the band is the evil twin of Benzo Queen, to do so would not just be clichéd, but a bit false too. BENZO AND THE QUEENS, more fittingly, is the sibling that came out a bit wrong. It’s the sibling that needs to be chained up in the loft, the one that needs to be fed fish heads, the one that’s too crazy for boys town, too much of a boy for crazy town.

Even by Benzo Queen’s unconventional standards, this EP is bonkers, something that’s immediately proven by ‘This Could’ve Been An Email’. Rollicking and raving in the band’s established synth ravaged noise punk madness albeit with a sense of spitting haste that almost comes across as madness, this sounds like Benzo Queen’s carbonated output but with added kick. If Benzo Queen is a shaken-up bottle of coke, BENZO AND THE QUEENS is that same bottle of coke expect it’s been lobbed in a washing machine alongside a brick. ‘James Blonde’ encapsulates this, it’s one-and-a-bit minute nonsensical ravings and thrashings tastefully chaptered nicely with what can only be described as that sleek James Bond chord your dad is familiar with.

However, this is not a head first song dive into the lower levels of irredeemable insanity. Nor is it a total departure from the band’s previous output. The punk, spunk and spit ethos of Benzo is still evident as much as the daft yet lovable cynical humour is. The speckled soaked and riff driven likes of ‘Eeg’ and ‘Good Kiddy’ will no doubt be a catalyst for silly pit exercises, and a new punchy re-recording of ‘See Ya’, (titled as a Benzo Queen cover) see’s the band adding further metallic bite the track. As for the closer, the wonderfully titled ‘This Is Why Making Music Should Be Less Accessible’ sounds akin to distorted interspace warbling picked up by space-scanning radar, but only if the ones sending the transmissions from light years away canned 6 cans of Bristol’s finest K cider prior to transmitting it.

In all, whilst one could say that this mad EP could be mirroring of the inherent madness of us trying to retain a sense of routine whilst the world spins off it’s axis or something else poetically hypothetical, it’s probably not. This is strange and fun nonsense for the sake of strange and fun nonsense, and that itself is enough to be celebrated. If Benzo Queen normally brandish musical weapons manifested through sonic abuse, BENZO AND THE QUEENS sees them actually use them, but instead of using them aggressively, they’re implementing them to drive shirtless punters to do roly pollies in the pit.