Where were you on March 1st 1999? Well, it’s fine if you can’t remember because if you weren’t listening to the release of Pedigree Chump by Ska Punk Legends, [spunge], it probably wasn’t that interesting anyway!
Having sold 5000 copies of 1998’s Kicking Pigeons EP in the UK’s mighty pub and club scene, the music became a full-time job for [spunge]. Hitting hundreds of roads and playing hundreds of gigs nationwide, the start of a discography was brewing. Honing their art whilst touring, it was only a matter of time before the full-length debut would come along, and UK audiences only had to wait one year!
Pedigree Chump (released on MoonSka Europe) was one of the UK’s finest debuts in a ska-punk scene heavily dominated by the US talent of the time. Big Reel Fish, eat your hearts out. The Brits had arrived (again).
Featuring tracks from Kicking Pigeons and brand new material heavily influenced by the sounds of reggae, pop-punk, and two-tone ska, the album introduced Europe to a couple of guys in a band from Tewkesbury. Tewkesbury finally had household names! This was great, of course, for a small town in Gloucester that was famous for little more than a Horseradish-Mustard blend, and a battle that Shakespeare mentioned in a play that one time.
When DMS were asked if we would press the 25th Anniversary edition of Pedigree Chump on classic black 12” vinyl (for the first time ever, no less), the ska-heads in the office jumped at the offer. Even better was when the band let us know that their 30th Anniversary was coincidentally the same year and that they’d be coming to our little old home of Plymouth as part of the celebrations! Geddon, lads!
For many ska-punkers, this album was the one that started it all so DMS had a grand time helping [spunge] reformat their artwork to suit the vinyl release. Crafting a perfect remaster was all too important to preserve that legacy. Printed in high-quality, full-colour CMYK, the artwork was kept in the absolute highest resolution possible to preserve all those delicious easter eggs on the front cover. Anyone up for a game of ska-ified ‘Where’s Wally’?
The release came packed with an anniversary insert, and so, this standard package became a package that any [spunge] fan would be lucky to have in their collection. We love it when a fairly unassuming 3.5mm Outer Sleeve holds so much history in its ink, and when the package comes out so vibrant in print!
The music is a 12-track rollercoaster that was fresh due to its range of slapstick, cheery, bouncy, and somewhat gleefully self-deprecating lyricism. If you like pumping, skanking beats and music that screams, “STAGE DIVE,” then these are your guys. Whilst Kicking Pigeons is a cult classic track, our shout-out goes to the raucous, meaty “Angel With a Pint Glass”.
The DMS crew that worked on this special release were kindly given the opportunity to meet up with the [spunge] lads at their Plymouth gig on November 9th last year, and the occasion DID NOT disappoint. Moshing inside the tiny lower section of The Junction on Mutley Plain was a sweaty and messy - but deliciously hectic - time. Who could resist picking up a physical copy after a show like that? [Hint: we couldn’t]
[spunge] went on to play 8 cracking shows as part of the Ska/Punkin! Tour, including a sell-out gig in Manchester, but we’re sure that our beloved Ocean City of Britain gave them a show that holds a special place in their hearts. 😉
Go grab your copies of Pedigree Chump here: [spunge] webstore!
Released: OUT NOW!
Label: Dent’All Records
Originally released on MoonSka Europe Records in 1999.
Recorded at Merlin’s Cave Studios in Malvern Dec ’98 / Jan ’99.