Review: “Fuelled by Spite” by R.P.C

When it comes to the crunch, while variety is very much the spice of life, if someone offers you Noni fruit (Morinda citrifolia) then the answer should always be no. To give it its other name, that’s fermented vomit fruit and anything with vomit in the name should instantly make you want to reconsider your life choices. The same can be said about music. Modern Hardcore, Skate Punk and Crossover Thrash? How on earth is that going to work? Hardcore injected Punk – Yes. Hardcore injected Thrash – Yes. But all three? Sounds like we might be back to our fruit, doesn’t it? R.P.C have other ideas however and claim to have taken influences from all three genres and used them to create a sonically diverse and eccentric sound…

Originally hailing from Ireland and subsequently relocating to Bristol, at the time they recorded sophomore EP “Fuelled by Spite” at Room4Studios in Bristol with Phil Davies they were a four piece, comprising bassist and vocalist Ciara “Fozzie” Hayes, guitarist and backing vocalist Jim Spillane, guitar, bass and lyricist Emmet Hickey and drummer Darragh “Reylough” Loughrey. Since then guitarist Billy-Ted Channel and drummer Alfie Alderson have entered the fray with Hickey moving to bass.

Snot nosed Hardcore Punk with a hit of Grindcore about it, opening cut “Molotov” finds Hayes roaring her way through the lyric sheet like a banshee. If you haven’t heard of the band before that might catch you off guard and be warned, her bark sounds like its just as vicious as her bite. The accompanying soundscape is equally as raw and harsh, the cut sounding like it may have been recorded live on the floor in one take. A bouncing bassline and barbed riffs fuel the fire, the quartet testing our metal with a menacing finale. Changing their angle of attack “Fuelled By Spite” offers up quirky clean vocals with the kind of Punk Rock riffs and that Tarrie B from My Ruin would fall in love with. However despite the sensibilities there is purposefully nothing polished about the bands approach, the four piece sounding like they’re trapped in a dark, damp basement torcher chamber hell, biding their time before being let out. Hints at influences in Black Flag or Dead Kennedys rear their ugly head in “Drugz R Bad“, a dark tale which does exactly what it says on the tin. Slow dance riffs and a spoken word about coming down adds a joie de vivre, the band pulling another trick from the magicians hat as if it were nothing.

Surprisingly catchy, the earworm that is “Think I’ll Keep You” has its roots firmly in the 80’s with a quirky bassline making it sound like it belongs on the soundtrack to the Addams Family. Hayes sublime American accenting on the repeated line “I know you’re sick of me, but you won’t get rid of me!” makes it one that is going to go down well live in call and response and if you’re not addicted by this point then look away now. Less sugar and more coffee makes “Feed Me A Stray Cat” a viciously bitter bouncy Hardcore Punk tune, the caustic nature of the beast enough to strip the paint from the walls if left unattended. The drums sound raw, the guitars abrasive and the bass distorted as “Anxiety Disco” races away into the night sky like a firework aimed at someone’s open back bedroom window. Sparks fly with a headbanging attitude on a track that is arguably the heaviest of the collection, the lyrics resonating with anyone who has suffered from anxiety or depression.

Track Listing