Blue City Streets

Today I watched Andy Murray win Wimbledon. I'm not really a tennis fan, but regardless, it was one of the best things I have ever seen. There hasn't been a British winner at Wimbledon for 77 years, but today history changed and it was awesome to watch.

So as well as tennis, it seems Britain is also ahead of the world when it comes to hardcore right now. Violent Reaction, the one man straight edge army from Liverpool, has pretty much taken the world by storm in the past twelve months, and with this album, 'City Streets', it's easy to understand why. It's the perfect mix of punk, hardcore and attitude and there is no doubt that this will be on everyone's best of 2013 lists.

I was lucky enough to get the US pressing on Painkiller on red a few weeks ago, and this week my blue vinyl UK copy turned up too. This was released by Quality Control HQ (who released the Violent Reaction 7", and also the No Tolerance 12" last year) and this blue vinyl version is limited to 100 copies. Just like the No Tolerance 12", this comes in a super glossy sleeve that you could put on your wall and use as a mirror.

This is undoubtedly one of the best UK hardcore records in years. The more I listen to it, the more I want to listen to it. That's pretty much all I can say. Record of the year? Probably, yes. The only problem is that there's a red vinyl UK tour press and I don't have one. If anyone has one, or can get one, and would be into trading, please get in touch.