While the Fire engines don’t appeal to my personal style and tastes in music, Hungry Beat and its collection of songs laid down the foundation for punk rock for years to come. Founded in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1979, they only existed for eighteen months and consisted of singer/guitarist Davey Henderson, bassist Graham Main, and drummer Russel Burn. These men created only three singles and a mini LP in their short time as a band. The sounds of Velvet Underground and Television ring through in many tracks. Countless modern punk bands site the Engines as an influence. Once the album starts to spin, these qualities become obvious and catch the listener’s ear. The flow feels choppy with short tracks followed by longer tracks and vice versa. These tracks are crammed with ramshackled guitar, brash and edgy tones, manic rhythms, and boisterous vocals. Hungry Beat opens with a fiery track entitled “Candyskin” followed by three tracks that flow with rousing rhythm and vocals. The feel shifts to a whimsical vibe in “Big Gold Dream” and continues into two detached and disoriented tracks titled “Plastic Gift” and “Sympathetic Anaesthetic”. These three numbers easily take the album to its highest point and this is followed by a track named, “Discord” which like its name suggests carries a messy and rollicking feel. The sound rambles on until the energetic conclusion in the two part song entitled “Lubricate Your Living Room.” In these creations the very essence of punk blasts into the stratosphere and to this day hasn’t come done to Earth.
The mystique of brilliant innovators such as The Fire Engines keeps artists creating and inspired for years to come. These innovators collection of their expressions,
Hungry Beat appeals to all punk fans and especially those looking to find the roots of their favorite bands.
