Grade 2: Talk About It
Hellcat Records
Vinyl | CD |DL available here
4.5 out of 5.0 stars
The ever rising Isle Of Wight punk trio Grade 2 are back with their fourth album and it’s another run of melodic punk anthems as tight as ever. Wayne AF Carey reviews…
Grade 2 have always been contenders for the punk throne with their anthems that keep the blood boiling in every tune. In my neck of the woods we have Kicked In The Teeth that rouse our youth yet Grade 2 are the upstarts that are rolling with the big guns. Stone Gossard from Pearl Jam recognises that by getting them on board but do they hit that target? As fuck. They do in great style. Sticking to their early Oi style stuff they blast straight into Cut Throat like it’s normal. A punk belter with venom.
Hanging Onto You is just pure punk joy. A tuneful tune that doesn’t let go. Riffing like fuck, tight as banjo string, with a bass line to die for. Top stuff. Standing In The Downpour is just pure punk from the IOW upstarts. Never mind Wetleg. This is rebel music. AND they never let up with the excellent Better Today, a great punk tune with the best bass going and vocals, riffs and drumming that keeps you begging for more. Talk About It is just pure punk rock from the boisterous bastards. Four albums in yet they’re going back to early roots on this.
Don’t Worry About This is another blast of top punk that blows your cobwebs away, like the Clash on crack. A classic bit of rousing punk noise. Crash And Burn just continues how good this band are! Crushing music throughout with a belting guitar refrain and some mental punk to fuck you up! Smugglers Haven is as good as it gets. Fast as a cheetah with Adidas on. Back to the Oi days on this one! Rotten is just hardcore as a bastard! 90 plus seconds of hardcore shit that goes mental! Love it!
Wasteland is great. Sounds like Gallows being a bit mellow but still gets me. Anthemic as fuck and punk as it gets in my opinion. Otherside is another great tune. Full of vigour and venom like all the great new punk bands coming out recently. The thing with Grade 2 they’re not new, they’re there. You just don’t know it. Please don’t be ignorant to the new punk scene and jump on the Grade 2 rollercoaster.
Grade 2 — 2026 Tour Dates
03.04 | O2 Academy Islington | London
04.04 | Strings | Isle Of Wight
25.04 | Zakk | Dusseldorf, Germany
26.04 | Don’t Panic | Essen, Germany
27.04 | Hansa39 | Munich, Germany
29.04 | Arena Wein | Vienna, Austria
30.04 | F-Haus | Jena, Germany
01.05 | BETA Club | Copenhagen, Denmark
02.05 | Bahnhof Pauli | Hamburg, Germany
03.05 | Privatclub | Berlin, Germany
06.05 | Paradiso | Amsterdam, Netherlands
07.05 | Hall Of Fame | Tilburg, Netherlands
10.06 | Substage | Karlsruhe, Germany
12.06 | Club Vaudeville | Lindau, Germany
13.06 | Rock For People Festival | Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
18.06 | Graspop Metal Meeting | Belgium
20.06 | Letzigrund Stadium | Zurich, Switzerland
26.06 | Jera On Air Festival | Ysselsteyn, Netherlands
04.07 | Fettfest | Leipzig, Germany
05.09 | Punkadeka Festival | Milan, Italy
07.09 | La Deskomunal | Barcelona, Spain
08.09 | Wurlitzer Ballroom | Madrid, Spain
09.09 | Nave 9 | Bilbao, Basque Country
11.09 | Volkshaus | Zurich, Switzerland
12.09 | Volkshaus | Zurich, Switzerland
Tickets: grade2official.co.uk
For more information:
Website | Instagram | YouTube
Words by Wayne Carey, Reviews Editor for Louder Than War. His author profile is here
A Plea From Louder Than War
Louder Than War is run by a small but dedicated independent team, and we rely on the small amount of money we generate to keep the site running smoothly. Any money we do get is not lining the pockets of oligarchs or mad-cap billionaires dictating what our journalists are allowed to think and write, or hungry shareholders. We know times are tough, and we want to continue bringing you news on the most interesting releases, the latest gigs and anything else that tickles our fancy. We are not driven by profit, just pure enthusiasm for a scene that each and every one of us is passionate about.
To us, music and culture are eveything, without them, our very souls shrivel and die. We do not charge artists for the exposure we give them and to many, what we do is absolutely vital. Subscribing to one of our paid tiers takes just a minute, and each sign-up makes a huge impact, helping to keep the flame of independent music burning! Please click the button below to help.
John Robb – Editor in Chief
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO LTW
Leave a comment