Release year: 2024
Label: Young Guns II

Now, this here release is a prime example of the reasons why I love punk, the grassroots scene and the DIY ethos. I mean, how awesome isn’t the story of how this release came to be? Read on and see if you don’t agree…

Roachenders were a US oi!/punk band who were active from 1998 ’til 2007. During that time, they played a handful of gigs and released about an albums’ worth of tracks on various compilations, a tape and a CD. The latter two never saw any proper distribution and as a result, Roachenders was relegated to the role of a footnote in US oi! history – if even that: try to Google the name, and virtually nothing turns up. There’s one track by them on Youtube.

And then, along comes a Finnish guy who somehow gets his hands on these tracks, falls in love with them, digs up contact details for the band, and manages to convince them to agree to an LP release. And lo and behold!, long after their demise, Roachenders are given a new chance at a moment in the spotlight.

And you know, there’s far worse stuff that’s been pressed on wax and lauded as the next big thing. Whilst Roachenders maybe didn’t bring much new to the US oi! sound, they certainly hammered out an album’s worth of tracks that deserve to be properly released.

In comparison to European acts, US oi! has always had a slight rocking edge to it, and a bit more of a punk rock snarl to the attitude. Roachenders certainly fit into this description with their loud and raucous oi! punk rock. There’s a rock & roll swagger especially to the solos, and a certain snotty punk-ness to the overall feel, whilst still being auhtentic working class street rock.

At times, I am reminded somewhat of earlier Dropkick Murphys and other such acts, who took the formative US oi! of Stars & Stripes and Forced Reality and added just a little of… well, not polish, but something somewhat similar. A bit of dynamics to the musicianship, and a bit of groove to the playing instead of neanderthal plodding. So in other words, for a band who started out during the late 90’s, Roachenders sound like a band of their era.

Singling out a couple of favourites from the album, Takin’ It Too Far with it’s somehow slightly wistful mood is my first pick. The harmonica intro really anchors the song into blue collar rock. The following track, Doin’ Time, features a bit of saxophone – was this the band’s experimental phase? Anyhow, another great track. Providence, the band’s tribute to their home city, is a prime tough as nails oi! oi! tune, and is my third pick for tracks to absolutely check out.

Though the tracks have been culled from various sessions and original releases, this compilation album sounds coherent enough. The sound or style remains sufficiently similar throughout; at times you can almost even forget you’re listening to a compilation release.

To be honest, Roachenders aren’t some kind of lost holy grail of US oi! – not that one stupendously awesome band, who everyone just forgot all about. They’re not the best thing since sliced bread. But they were far better than deserving obscurity in perpetuity. As such it’s certainly only justice being served that this stuff is finally getting a bit of recognition. Roachenders will probably always be a curiosity and a piece of nerd trivia for fans of US oi! and oi! in general – but thanks to this relase, a curio one can actually hear somewhere.

There’s a sad epilogue to this release as well.

You see, the whole band was quite enthusiastic about this release and were glad to see it happen. But, sadly, Bob the drummer passed away before he could see it released. As such, this vinyl album is not only an epitaph to one of the unsung heroes of US oi! – but also a tribute to Bob Roachender.

Here’s to you, Bob – skål!

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