MUFFS - No Holiday 2LP

Double album housed in gatefold sleeve.

Highly recommended.

I once got to see The Muffs, in London 1995. It was rather special. Ringo (the other one) and I arrived in London a week ahead of The Meanies starting a European tour.

I remember talking my way backstage - I may have dropped Bruce Milne's name and used his friendship with Kim Shattuck - chatting with her after the show as we set on a set of steps, our knees rubbing as it was such a tight space. Kim was so lovely, bubbly and accommodating for this fan from Australia. The band never made it here.

It's all but impossible to divorce the music on No Holiday from the death of The Muffs lead vocalist, guitarist and guiding light. Compared to the rest of the band's catalogue, No Holiday sounds more subdued, quieter and more contemplative, with less of their usual frantic tempos and not as much of Shattuck's trademark gritty shout.

R.I.P. Kim Shattuck and thanks for being a highlight of this young man's European tour.

The legacy of this incredible band will never die.