Northern Irish punks Enola Gay have returned with a ripped-from-the-headlines single, “PTS.DUP”, which attacks sectarian violence in their home. It was inspired by firsthand experience of this unnecessary behaviour, as they explain:
“Following a band member being brutalised in a sectarian attack that left him with a fractured skull, we felt a lot of raw hatred and some shame. After processing this, we reflected on the tribalism that fuelled the attack and our anger that followed. The attackers themselves are victims of jingoistic rhetoric that is insidiously normalised in the north of Ireland. In a country still suffering remnants of The Troubles, young people left in the middle of the road turn to alt-right political parties masquerading as conservatism such as the DUP, searching for a sense of belonging. With talks of a united Ireland looming we should consider how and why Unionists feel and fear that they will be left with nowhere to call home when they shouldn’t have to.”
Over a barrage of blastring beats and pummeling bass, the furious vocals are unleashed in a torrent of pent-up frustration; “Nobody’s culture should ever be dismissed / Just remember 15 million Brits forgot we exist.” The breathlessness only grows as grinding guitars add muscle to the rippling track, the words pouring out all the more voluminously and viciously as they go; “Nothing to be proud of just the absence of truth / Have you ever tried comparing your kid’s history books?” Diving further into the morass of messages shared at hundred-mile-an-hour velocity only reveals more depths to the pain and shame the band (and their community) feel.
“PTS.DUP” is the first taste of a new EP from the band arriving this summer. By then we might just about have caught our breath and be ready for the next volley.
Watch the video for “PTS.DUP” below or find it on streamers.
“PTS.DUP” is out on Modern Sky and will be followed by an EP this summer. You can find Enola Gay on Bandcamp, Facebook and Instagram. They’ll also be hitting the road in the coming months:
8th June – Gullivers, Manchester
9th June – The Parish, Huddersfield
10th June – Download Festival, Donnington
12th June – Yellow Arch, Sheffield
13th June – The Hare & Hounds, Birmingham
14th June – Kazimier Stockroom, Liverpool
15th June – The Prince Albert, Brighton
16th June – Windmill Brixton, London
17th June – The Louisiana, Bristol
