The word Borstal will conjure up bleak and terrible images for those of a certain age. Visons of sexual assault in a potting shed and bloody violence coupled with a young Ray Winstone proclaiming himself “the Daddy” are etched in the minds of those that saw the film Scum at an early age.  I have stood at the gates of the original Borstal which is situated in the village of the same name in Kent. It is a foreboding and place that was built to crush the human spirit.

This Hardcore Supergroup is foreboding and crushing but designed to lift the spirits of listeners with a brutal blend of LBU style Hardcore and snotty street punk. The obvious place to start when discussing this bunch is the man on the drum stool Nick “drummer’s drummer” Barker. The man who has sat behind the kit for Cradle, Brujeria, Dimmu Borgir et all gets to unleash his street side here and fire off pummelling blasts that would make any civilian duck for cover. The mouth is Pierre from legendary pit starters Knuckledust and he is just as incendiary for Borstal as he is with his usual band of brothers. Add in members of Dripback and King of Pigs you know how huge and tasty the riffs are going to be.

This E.P. is relentless from the opening drums of Refuse To Lose which drown out the news clip discussing the tragedy of youth violence caused by neglect and lack of education.  Then after a brief chunky intro we are off. Full arms spinning, legs flailing hardcore maelstrom with gang vocals this is the sound of working-class anger pent up over 150 years.

There are six tracks on offer with no let up. Opener Refuse To Lose gives way to the hard riffing “Karma” with big Slayer style chugs being jumped all over by Pierre’s gruff barks which erupt into a surpassingly tuneful melody. The rhythm section is quite frankly punishing and takes me back to old days of Stampin’ Ground pits.

We Stand As One” is as snotty nosed and street punk as the title suggests. If there is one thing Pierre knows that is to embody the brother and sisterhood of Hardcore and bang out anthems to be chanted in sweaty venues across the land.  Mixing Oi with NYHC and of course homegrown sounds this is a glorious cacophony.

Vicious Circles has a groovy bassline throughout and effervesces with an old skool Noo Yawk vibe – Agnostic Front meets Sick Of It All on this tuff guy.

Worm Food is pure crossover (if a hybrid genre can be pure?). Big dayglo thrashy riffs cascade over a hectic drum pattern that appears to be teetering on the brink of chaos throughout. This is one for the hi –top and the wifebeater vest wearers to meet in the middle on.

Then comes a real treat and a kick in the nuts for me. I have known guitarist Lee Kitchener for years, chatting music and general nonsense at the London Tattoo Convention year after year since the mid 2000’s. Quite how I did not know or realise that his old man is Arthur Kitchener from Oi legends Last Resort I do now know. What a wally!

So Lee has got his old man to introduce Borstal’s cover of Last Resorts classic boot boy anthem “King of the Jungle” and the band have picked up original from the streets of Thatcher’s London and brought it kicking and swearing into 2021. It still sounds as anthemic as ever but now with a more up to date swagger about it with huge metallic riffs replacing the old stark street punk guitar lines.

Hearing At Her Majesty’s Pleasure, I really hope that this was not just an itch that Nick Barker had to scratch. The mix of big hardcore choruses, bastard heavy riffs and snarling street attitude is something that needs some longevity and definitely to be unleashed on an unsuspecting crowd. Just remember no punching in the face, no kicking in the goolies and no biting”

(8/10 Matt Mason)

https://www.facebook.com/BorstalHC

https://borstalhc.bandcamp.com/album/at-her-majestys-pleasure