© Fotos & Words by Steve Drury

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Single Reviews

So what has happened . . . to the other reviews? This is a straight enough question. The answer though isn’t. Although there weren’t any reviews for the single in the national weekly press. There were numerous fanzine reviews of this single. But these have since been lost in the midst of time and the umpteen moves since. Maybe there’s a landfill site near you bursting full of old fanzines. Maybe there’s a sack full of them on offer on eBay. Or maybe a rough looking second hand bookstall near Alice Springs (I wouldn’t be surprised - word does seem to have got around).

guitar, Party Day start the murmuring all over again... and this time, the chaps get on with it. Their simpering and delightful sound is a thing of beauty, throwing them into the Flesh For Lulu jumble sale where things can be attained quite easily.

ZIGZAG, July 1983

RTBA Promo Photo

LP Reviews

EP & Comp Revs

Sorted!

Artwork - Singles

Row the Boat Ashore

This came in a hideous sleeve, some vile orange duvet creation clearly thrown together in the needlework class at school. Earlier this year, people around town were muttering the band's name, perhaps unaware of this, the band have maintained a low profile.

*

I'd forgotten they existed but then here they are, everything is cosy and isn't it cold at this time of the year. A casually built song, invested with divine bass

The Spider - (Press Release)

"The winter froze the ground together"

similar effect), Party Day unleash a totally unexpected firecracker, one which sizzles rather than fizzles and keeps erupting with renewed energy instead of spluttering out like a damp squib. The bass and drums rattle along and the vocals whoop and swoop down on that most precious of commodities - a decent tune. A veritable gem. Just the kind of unheralded single that would get me listening to John Peel again. Excellent!

The Spider Promo Photo

With an impressive rush of controlled power (think back to 'Babylon's Burning' or 'Follow the Leader' for a

Excellent punk junk howl, despite all the bloody confetti they put in the sleeve. Full marks for an inventive cover, too. The flip is entitled 'Flies' and hovers along nicely, thank you.

Tibet - SOUNDS, 19 May 1984

Ray Street - JAMMING! No.19 May 1984

Mouthy pellets of malevolence pops out of a fine motor man guitar part; unfortunately I was showered with confetti when I drew disc from sleeve, so suspect they are secret sissies.

Richard Cook - NME, 19 May 1984

Lord I'm a patient chap. It took a good ten minutes to make the record fit for playing. Was it worth it?

Yes, I must admit. Theirs is a crisp crimplene diet. Straight instrumentation with quiet laughter built into the despairing wolfman. The guitar could have been the star but they all rally round and you end up with a with a madder dose than you'd expect from such decent looking folk. The B-side is 'Flies' which is supposed to show a link I daresay . . .  BUT it just sounds dreary after the A-side onslaught.

Johnny Waller - ZIGZAG, No.31 June 1984

Whichever bright spark filled this record sleeve with bits of brightly coloured paper that stuck like glue through accommodating static to the record, can thank the

out of.

The intro would have made fine accompaniment to the scalping of Custer. . . as tribal as you're ever likely to get. Another stonker that deserves your attention . . . another group that are living proof that the spirit of '77 is not dead and that the spirit of '84 might just be starting to come alive! By the way, the sleeve packaging job etc is once again first rate. . . love the confetti. Atomize.

Red Rouska - ROUSKA MAGAZINE, 1984

A worthy follow up to 'Row the Boat Ashore', but now the Party Day have landed, with their feet firmly on terra-firma. We shall hopefully continue to see them rip up the roots of this bland desolate music industry, and bludgeon the moronic pip squeak pump mockers into the tepid pulp like soggy substance that they're made

It's knowing when to stop... said the lads from Barnsley. I hope they haven't thought about doing that just yet. I'm sure they've got more fine material, such as this, up their sleeves. And I wanna hear it OK!

Yeah Party Day's first 45 contains a sense of urgency, fury and fire that’s long been missed. Nothing quite like this single's happened for me since '77. Reminiscent of the best of The Pistols, Adverts and foreign punk... all rolled into one. Recommended cure for a case of blues.

Richard Rouska -  ROUSKA MAGAZINE, 1983

If ever there was a real humdinger of a single then this is it - two songs of absolute pure energy, ability and beauty. Why this hasn't been a predominant member in the indie chart, I don't know - it's about this time the world sat up and took notice of this very special band.

Best single of this year so far without a doubt.

Tongue In Cheek May 1984

He played ‘The Spider’ several times on his radio show, even though he was initially irritated with the confetti I’d put inside the promo copies, he was willing to persevere and wipe the vinyl clean. Hearing it on the radio was . . . just like the first time! (See playlists for more info).

Hmm, what's this? transparent plastic sleeve and yellow folded inside bit with sparse info and obscure artwork.

Take out platter and place on turntable . . . Oooh, . . . echoed vocal noises, laugh, boomy bass repeating and leading menacingly intro congealed scream. All this is topped with a helping of ‘Cure-Ish’ lead guitar motif. Yep, all the Party Day trademarks are here, and all the tricks in full play. Hang on and endure the tension a few minutes, then turn over to b-side . . . ah-ha . . . 33rpm (must be a first?) . . . nearly caught out. Slower and more drawn out, this one.

Put back in sleeve and file under "P".

2 days later . . . "think I'll give the Party Day single another spin" . . . and the following day you're tempted again. It's then you experience the spine tingles and you can't get the bastard thing out of your head for the rest of the week!

Len Liggins - ROAR No.13 1984

John Peel

It was a great feeling to hear both singles being played on Peel’s show. I was in a London hostel (whilst on a promo trip)

listening to his show, and when he played it, it was a real joy.