First off, buy this album! It’s only £8 – less than the price of 3 pints – it’s supported by the Strummerville Foundation, and all proceeds will be donated to Jail Guitar Doors, Billy Bragg’s organization which funds instruments and musical tutorials for prisoners. If you’re a Daily Mail reader and think that sounds like a wet lefty waste of cash, then, fuck you. Also, note that the re-offending rate of those involved is 10-15% rather than the 60% of the general prison populace. But mostly, fuck you. You get 31 tracks for yer dosh – a bargain in anyone’s language – and they’re a hugely varied bunch in style. Highlights are Billy himself’s live cut of ‘I Keep Faith’, and the sludgy glamour of Raven Beats Crow’s ‘Puncture Kit P; and if Shock Defeat’s ‘As A Vegan I Was So Tired’ doesn’t win any awards for its sonics, it takes title of the year at a canter. The real revelation however, is the 2 JGD graduates featured – Jonny Neesom’s swagger reminds you why you’re so disappointed Plan B’s turned into such a gonk; and Leon Walker’s plaintive ‘Borrow Me A Fiver’ is battered and beautiful; he sounds like a rural sunset as directed by Shane Meadows. Second off, BUY THIS ALBUM! (repeat to fade….)
