Angelic Upstarts

The german punk-rock veterans from Düsseldorf released a new album this spring, 5 years after the LP "Ballast der Republik". "The last few years have given us much pleasure, but there were also really bitter moments," says the band. "The death of our friend and longtime manager Jochen Hülder was a shock, and one year later we had to say good-bye to our former drummer Wölli, who lost the fight against a cancer." Both experiences made us clear once again how much happiness we as a band With our friendship, and that our time does not last forever. "

Action Time Vision opens with the Damned’s “New Rose,” which Cherry Red declares “the first British punk 45” and which hasn’t lost a shred of its power. Things proceed more or less chronologically from there, with a healthy dose of sides from trailblazing labels like Stiff, Chiswick, Small Wonder and Step Forward. That latter label was founded by Miles Copeland, brother of Police drummer Stewart Copeland and a man who deserves more credit for cobbling together a US club circuit for “alternative” touring bands (British and American) that exists to this day.