Music: Civilians ‘Civilians’

Jun 9, 2015 Posted by Emily Matview In Featured Music Tagged The Civilians Comments 0

Today we’re happy to bring you a handful of new songs from the new self-titled album from Vegas street punk band Civilians. These songs were recorded with John Brown at Camel Hump Studios.

Street punk – in Vegas? You don’t see it as much as other genres, something the band noticed and took action to change. “The band formed out of necessity, really” explains frontman Trueland Morrison. “We just wanted to play the music we loved and weren’t hearing here. In the summer of 2011 there was a huge void as far as streetpunk or Oi! was concerned. Hell, there still is! That’s unfortunate. There should be more!”

The band draws inspiration from the great street punk bands of the past, including Cock Sparrer and The Business. “Picking up on those influences in our music is a huge compliment to us, so thanks for that” says Morrison. “We’re very honest about it, so we’re glad that it shows. We purposely wear those inspirations on our sleeves. Sometimes it’s obvious, and sometimes it’s very subtle. For instance, a song like ‘Blue Bloods’ has a heavy Patriot or Evil Conduct feel to it, whereas a song like ‘We Survive’ has a bit more subtle influence, like Scotland’s the Strike, or Canada’s Emergency.”

The love for those bands started early for Morrison, thanks to a mixtape and a love of football. “My earliest memory of this music is of a mate’s mixtape. It had some Cock Sparrer, Sham 69, Cockney Rejects, and quite a few songs from these guys called the Business on it,” Morrison explains. “The more I listened the more I realized that most of these bands were singing an awful lot about football, which was right up my alley, having been raised a stone’s throw from Celtic Park. Football was part of everyday life in a poor working class neighbourhood. I was hooked immediately. The themes of friendship, family values, sticking together through thick and thin, the overall positive messages in the music spoke to this kid and told him everything will be just fine as long as you work hard and don’t ever give up. Sure, this music can be a bit abrasive at times, but it’s supposed to, innit! After all, you can’t prepare yourself for a ruck on a Saturday afternoon or a showdown with the boss by listening to Abba, can you! By the way, it was also through these bands that I became a West Ham supporter. Sorry, mum!”

If you like what you hear, you can pick up the album straight from the band this Saturday, June 13 at their show with UK Subs at The Dive, a venue that the band has spent a lot of time at. “It’s because we can’t say no to Angie [Randazzo]” says Morrison, explaining why the band ends up on so many Dive gigs. “She bats her eyes and we come running! Seriously, though, we love playing there. It’s always a rowdy crowd. We’re a ‘fists in the air, everyone sing-along’ kind of band and that’s a ‘fists in the air, everyone sing-along’ kind of place. It’s also a ‘leave your bullshit at the door’ kind of place. That place more than any other in town seems to ‘get’ us. The staff, the atmosphere, the crowd always makes us feel welcomed. We’ve always have a lot of fun when we play there.”

For more information on the band’s CD release show, head over to Facebook. The self-released CD will be available for $10. If you can’t make the show, you can purchase the album online via CDbaby.