ALBUM REVIEW: THE CUNDEEZ – ‘Geeez It’ (2022)

The brand new album from The CundeeZ. Pure Dundee scheme Rock’n’Roll wi bagpipes!

It does literally seem like just the other day that Dundee band The Cundeez released anything. Geeez It is the boys 6th studio album and follows swiftly on the heels of Teckle An Hide which made #4 in the London Celtic Punks Best Celtic-Punk Album of 2020. On that album the only criticism I saw anywhere was that their was too much of it and they could maybe have cut a couple of songs from the sixteen  (!) presented. Too much of a good thing perhaps. Anyway it was a fantastic album and an album that won them many new fans and praise. In the meantime they released a Scotland football song for the European Championship and have carried on post-Covid where they left off – touring, touring, touring.

Here for Geez It they have confined it to only ten songs but the running time is till almost forty minutes and for a Punk band that is some length. Now a lot of Punk albums could really drag at that but The Cundeez mix of genres, passion and tongue in cheek humour keep it fresh throughout. They also manage to continue confusing those us not use to the Dundonian accent that even scientists say is more like a foreign language.

The album kicks off with ‘Bog o Riffs’ and an absolutely f’ing brilliant instrumental. With a menacing air and Goth/ Post-Punk feel it’s a great start and Gary’s fantastic bagpiping is out of this world. Seriously one of the best pipers in the Celtic-Punk scene. I love it when The Cundeez do these instrumental’s of which their are many dotted through their back catalogue. ‘Geeez It !’ is more straight up Cundeez fair. A Punk Rock number with no frills just catchy shouty chorus leading into ‘East Meets West’ and a song that steers directly into port with a tale of sea-bound deeds and mis-deeds and even ends with a clip from the beloved kids TV show ‘Captain Pugwash’ if I’m not mistaken.

As I’ve said many times when reviewing them they cover plenty of ground, and they always have done, but ‘Rockabilly Revolution’ was a bit of a surprise as the guys go full on Rock’n’Roll with a song wouldn’t disgrace any R’n’R band on the circuit. Joined by their mate Calum ‘Boydie’ Macleod from Peat & Diesel. A hilarious great video (you can only watch on Facebook) sees the lads dressed up ala Russ Abbot all it’s missing is the double bass. Geez It is mostly original numbers but they have a habit, alongside their more traditional ones, of chucking in some unlikely instrumentals and this time it’s a superb bagpipe and keyboard heavy version of Martha And The Muffins 1980’s smash hit ‘Echo Beach’.

“I know it’s out of fashion
And a trifle uncool
But I can’t help it
I’m a romantic fool”

We’re ploughing through and ‘On The Ran Dan’ sees the boys on the pish around Dundee. Drinking songs are must in Celtic-Punk and don’t forget these guys are just ordinary working class Scottish guys so there’s gonna be no niceties here and definitely not any safe spaces! Now The Cundeez have a fantastic relationship with the band Peat & Diesel and I guess this is partly due to their love of the island of Stornaway in the western isles. With a population of just under 7000, according to the 2011 Census, 43% of still speak Scottish Gaelic. ‘The Stornaway Stomp’ is another straight up Punk number with them paying tribute to all things ‘western’.

 

Not sure who the song ‘CG McGeddon’ is named after but here the guys rock hard while Gary speaks of the danger of loneliness and isolation. It’s the modern curse especially among young men.If you’re feeling the pressure their are people out there to talk to.

The summer of 2021 saw a rare outing for the Tartan Army when they qualified for the European Championships. The Cundeez celebrated with the release of ‘Kilts On Taps Aff’ by far the best of a slew of football songs released at the same time. Dismissed by the English media they gave the fancy-dan English millionaires a real fright and could have easily won the game between the two if they had only had a wee bit of luck. The Scottish fans also made many friends with their joyful exuberance (pissed) celebrations.

The curtain comes down with ‘The Old Forge’, a bagpipe heavy instrumental specially written in recognition of the small and extremely remote Inverie community in western Scotland, who successfully took control of the local pub in a community buy-out scheme. The Western Isles boat that takes you there is called The Old Forge CB.

Having safely sailed past their 10th anniversary a couple of years ago they have settled on while not just a sound but a whole host of genres that make that sound. Never afraid to mix it up The Cundeez show once again that they are so much more than just a Punk band. That’s a label that they are unashamedly proud of, and rightly so, but underneath the initial first glimpse theirs a real depth to the band and they do it all with a sense of humour and humility most new Punk bands don’t have a clue about. A band with a mission and a night out with The Cundeez is guaranteed to wear out the soles of your feet and I can testify that they are perfect house guests as well!

To buy the CD of Geez It contact The Cundeez directly

or download via Amazon

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