The Stage Bottles "New Flag" Review

[IRmod]

The good folks at the Deep Fry Bonanza webzine have made THE STAGE BOTTLE'S latest release "New Flag" one of their recommended picks! It's released by, and available from, Insurgence... Here's the review:

"Stage Bottles
We Need A... New Flag
Insurgence Records
A Frankfurt, Germany band with a real infectious street punk sound that borrows heavily from pop sensibilities (as far as song structures go: verse, chorus, verse kind of thing). Like a UK Subs/Bad Manners collaboration of sorts on the surface, but yet the Stage Bottles end up sounding more and more like Leatherface’s singer fronting Infa Riot; the lyrics are straight-up working class and of the anti-fascist variety but still Oi! to the core. This one’s for the skinheads; it’ll have ya hoisting the pints till the sun comes up. Makes me think about how great Skrewdriver could have been had they not succumb to nationalism and Nazi, swastika-toting bullshit. Some quality music, that’s what the Stage Bottles deliver. Is the semicolon not the greatest? I love the semicolon. "

And, if that doesn't convince you, here's a review from the September 2004 issue of Maximum RocknRoll:

"Arguably the best skinhead band in Europe, the Bottles have released yet another sing-a-long classic. Poppier than their last, but still music to wave large mugs of strong German beer along to. The Stage Bottles prove that you can have a huge skinhead following and be outspoken leftist anti-fascists. Great release from a great band."


www.dfbpunk.com Deep Fry Bonanza
www.stagebottles.de The Stage Bottles Website
www.hxcmp3.com/bands/13995 An assortment of Insurgence MP3s, including THE STAGE BOTTLES.

Cheers!

[IRmod]

And, just in, here's a couple of more reviews, courtesy of the fine folks at Amp Magazine www.ampmagazine.com :

STAGE BOTTLES
“We Need…A New Flag” CD
Wow, this isn’t what I expected. I see big tough skinheads. I see anti-Nazi symbols. I see names like Claf and Matthias. I’m expecting Oi! Nope. This is some decent straight forward punk rock. Definitely more classic punk than Oi! The singer has a good approach with a strong voice, and the band keeps their message positive. So if old school punk rock with elements of street punk is what you dig, check these guys out. (MWB)

STAGE BOTTLES
"We Need A....New Flag" CD
4th or 5th (I reckon) full length from these longtime virulently anti-fascist German skinheads. And with this one, they've taken the melody, controlled fury and channeled aggression to new heights. At times, they almost have a poppy feel. Think of the best of early BUSINESS ("Official Bootleg" era) and early BLITZ (first album) combined with above average lyrics, and a healthy dose of sax, and you're away...(RK)

Cheers!

[IRmod]

Hot off the press, here's yet another review, this time from the Punk And Oi In The UK webzine www.punkoiuk.co.uk :

The Stage Bottles
We Need A New Flag
12 tracks plus 1 bonus track of "Hooligan" from this Oi band. The whole album is suberb, the music and vocals and a guy with sax all combine to make what will undoubtedly become a classic album. It's good honest music and with a small booklet with all the words (all sung in English) and some pics. I liked every song and couldn't find a fault with any of it.
5 out of 5
Review by Steff

[Insurgence Records]

It ain't poetry, but it's short and sweet:


STAGE BOTTLES
We Need A New Flag: CD
"German skinhead music that doesn't suck. Now there's an oxymoron you don't run into everyday."
(Jimmy Alvarado)
Razorcake #23

[IRmod]

Here's a review from the January 2005 issue of Maximum RocknRoll:

The Stage Bottles
We Need A New Flag CD

"I thought these guys broke up a few years back. It's nice to see they're still out there. Vehemently anti-fascist skinheads from Germany play Euro-oi with horns and reggae mixed in. I don't know if they've reformed or what, but their sound has really come along. The ska/reggae is downplayed and this is actually really good punk with a nice upbeat tempo, good vocals and nice production. I've always liked this band, but I must admit more so for their stance than their music. This is the record I've been waiting for them to make." (AD)

[chipheadwound]

Not that my zine is printed yet, but this is what I had to say on the subject

STAGE BOTTLES ‘We Need A New Flag’ CD
This band can do no wrong as far as I’m concerned, but I was a bit sceptical on first hearing this as the sound is more polished and poppy than previous outings, and the vocals in the first track really took me by surprise. A couple more listens and I got totally into it, and although I still prefer their earlier, more raw-sounding stuff, this is top-notch. If you’ve never heard them, Stage Bottles play melodic Oi! with a distinctive saxophone and strong, sussed political ideas – imagine early Blaggers with German accents, better tunes and a splash of brass. They can bang out a stomping anthem, and ‘Real Skinhead’ or ‘PC Idiots’ are up with their best material and they even throw in a furious-sounding version of the early classic ‘All You Need Is Hate’ at the end. And the ideas they put across are heartfelt, but with a lot more wisdom than your standard sloganeering… from the commercialisation of football, to how you affect your children’s lives, its all good sensible stuff. And in a great put-down to right-wing scum, they inform us “Fred Perry was a Jew, and Levi too” … I didn’t know that, but it makes bonehead hypocrisy stink even more! Knockout released this in Europe, but I’d recommend tracking down the version put out by Insurgence since it has one extra track 'Hooligan' which is a total killer. Great stuff as always. 4/5

More of the same for three dollars post-paid from Headwound, c/o 145-149 Cardigan Road, Leeds, LS6 1LJ, England. There's even an Insurgence interview in it. Printing in mid-January

[IRmod]

And yet another top-shelf review, this one from Bystander Fanzine:

www.bystanderfanzine.com

Stage Bottles – We Need A.. NEW FLAG (Insurgence Records)

Melodic German punk rules, and so does this CD. Stage Bottles songs are very catchy and the singer’s English is surprisingly good (probably better than mine) for someone from another country. The singer also plays saxophone on some of the songs, which may seem like a shtick actually compliments the songs rather than taking away from them. In terms of influences it seems like a mix of Eastbay pop punk, New York street punk, and Oi which is probably why the songs seemed to stick in my head long after I stopped listening. Stage Bottles are extremely vocal on their anti-Fascist views and have had problems in the past, but after 11 years they are still going strong. I hope they come back to America soon.

Final Decision: Strongly Recommend

[IRmod]

I don't think this band can get a bad review! This one's from Toronto's best punk rock radio show/zine Equalizing X Distort exd.sohc.org/. Can be heard on the internet too..:

"Germany’s favourite hooligans are back with a full length of new oi anthems to chant along with. Sounding as energetic and full of verve as the STAGE BOTTLES of the past the band delivers songs like “Real Skinhead” in an attempt to instill an anti-racist message with the subculture. And “Punk & Disorderly” should have been a song written ages ago, although not quite the unity song it serves more to demonstrate the differences in the two scenes. STAGE BOTTLES have been at it since 1993 forming out of the break up of BLAGGERS ITA. Politics have always been a big part of their sound and given that the band is a skinhead band it only makes sense that the anti-racist message is how this gets expressed. The new cover is a crushed swastika war medal demonstrating as much. The band is from Frankfurt Germany and with the resurgence in fascist ideals, the STAGE BOTTLES form an important anti-fascist alternative. What sets the band apart from the pack is Olav’s saxophone. It gives the band an eerie BAD MANNERS feel to their skinhead punk beat associating them with anti-racist scenes of the past. But the band is a straight up hardcore punk band with loads of melody. Think BAD MANNERS meets the politics of ANGELIC UPSTARTS meets the sound of BLAGGERS ITA. "