Crapsons: Before The Robots Take Over (Crap Records)
CD | DL
Rel Date Fri 18th July 2025
With the release of Before The Robots Take Over, Birkenhead’s Crapsons have pulled one of those rare musical achievements; the capturing of a live recording that retains the energy and raw aggression of the actual gig – it goes without saying there are no overdubs, no studio malarky to enhance the sound… this is raw unfiltered joy!
This thirteen-song set was captured at The Fleece, Bristol in May 2025 when they were supporting Steve Ignorant, having previously been invited to share a stage with The Undertones, Cabbage, Bob Vylan and fellow Wirral wordsmiths Half Man Half Biscuit.
Crapsons enter the stage to the Wallace & Gromit theme, before a pummelling beat ignites the spark that is Clotheslined By A Nun, this one careers along – their sound fully fleshed out by the inclusion of guitarist Pet Williamson as vocalist Mike Markey screeches as if his very existence depended upon it, which leads us into the classic Single Greatest Game You’ve Ever Seen which oozes punk attitude with both anger and a healthy dose of humour which extends into the rampaging Checking Into A&E, an adrenaline induced barb at those clowns that fish on Facebook and the like for concerned comments to splatter their feed – its razor sharp and dangerously catchy.
Even with the extended audience banter Fuck Off is only able to stretch to just over a minute, but with a great title why waste it on just a 30 second track, hence Fuck Off Again which at a full 3 minutes is heading into prog-territory; these Crapsons boys need to give their heads a serious wobble! Elephant In The Room arcs back to their 2022 album Songs To Make A Brew To (LTW review) as “he broke my coffee table and shit all over the rug” is delivered like a sharp crack to the skull; its not that Crapsons are unaware of global geo-political issues, its just that as with the rest of us we are often left feeling helpless, so we drill down to our own local issues, granted Crapsons make it ultra local, but deliver the message coated in biting sarcastic humour. RIP Gary laments the passing of the name to a rampage of drums, solid chugging guitar and growled vocals, similarly with Petrol which builds on a familiar post hardcore frame but has a glorious wandering guitar refrain ahead of a pointed lyric aimed at the discomfort of modern life culminating in the glorious closing retort of “you cunt”.
We are treated to the power-house You Don’t Know When Your Going To Die which was the band’s first recording – these days updated to include the passing of Prince Philip, though I thought that one was a track in itself at one time; its razor sharp observational humour wrapped up in a raging punk rock blanket; which leads into the anthemic brilliance of Kings Of The Council Estate, though not before Mike Markey bats off a female heckler asking for a free T-shirt with a warm “you can fuck off”.
Crapsons are raw, and fantastically unapologetic, their songs are crafted from their own life experiences and delivered like a hand grenade!
Crapsons online:
A Plea From Louder Than War
Louder Than War is run by a small but dedicated independent team, and we rely on the small amount of money we generate to keep the site running smoothly. Any money we do get is not lining the pockets of oligarchs or mad-cap billionaires dictating what our journalists are allowed to think and write, or hungry shareholders. We know times are tough, and we want to continue bringing you news on the most interesting releases, the latest gigs and anything else that tickles our fancy. We are not driven by profit, just pure enthusiasm for a scene that each and every one of us is passionate about.
To us, music and culture are eveything, without them, our very souls shrivel and die. We do not charge artists for the exposure we give them and to many, what we do is absolutely vital. Subscribing to one of our paid tiers takes just a minute, and each sign-up makes a huge impact, helping to keep the flame of independent music burning! Please click the button below to help.
John Robb – Editor in Chief
