Phinius Gage

Seek Out Your Foes (2007)

kev fevton

Brighton's Phinius Gage seem to have been around forever, playing their hearts out up and down the UK and Europe all the while building a sizeable and loyal fanbase. That is, a fanbase that likes simple, unaffected punk rock, punk rock that is fast, melodic and from the heart. With Seek Out Your Foes the band have moved away from their earlier work, where their influences were clear for all to see, and delivered an exceptional record full to the brim with skatepunk anthems that will see fists raised and smiles brewed in equal measure.

Seek Out sees the band fly through 12 hard-edged, street-savvy anthems in just over 30 minutes, each stamped with a sassy sense of authority and conviction that cannot be ignored. Each track is dominated by Ade Maverick's sardonic but 110% British vocal delivery, a treat in this day and age when it seems everyone seems to adopt an American accent to seemingly appeal to a larger mass; it's not needed. This album is proof of that. The music is well-executed and direct, ranging from the urgency of opener "Battered and Bruised," the melodic suss of "Stop Looking Up" and the almost refrained "The Young and the Restless" with its piano-led outro adding a sense of calm to the proceedings.

How Phinius Gage have not been picked up by a larger label is a mystery. They have the belief and the determination to carry themselves onto greater things. They should, by all rights, be spending most of this year winning over Americans on the Warped Tour showing everyone that a scene made stale by aging bands going through the motions (Lagwagon/Pennywise) can be exciting and relevant again. With Seek Out Your Foes Phinius Gage certainly have the record to do it with.