DEAD KENNEDYS “What Shall I wear Tonight? The 1987 Demos” LP

You can feel the energy emanating from these rare, almost-lost recordings of heroic San Francisco punks the Dead Kennedys. Laid down in 1978, the same year the band got together, it’s hard to work out what’s more remarkable – the rabid vibe itself, or the fact that rabid vibe seemed to come so effortlessly and naturally once the founding members joined forces. It’s almost like it was meant to be. Across 16 tracks that vitality is laid bare in all its ferocious glory. And while it’s great to hear the origin stories behind some of the DK’s biggest songs – ‘Kill The Poor’, ‘Holiday In Cambodia’, ‘Forward to Death’ – it’s perhaps more interesting getting to grips with the initial ideas that didn’t come to fruition in the end. Either way, basking in the glory of an outfit with protest and anti-establishment attitude bleeding from every orifice still feels fantastic.

A1 Kepone Kids
A2 Forward To Death
A3 California Uber Alles
A4 Your Emotions
A5 Kill The Poor
A6 Holiday In Cambodia
A7 Kidnap
A8 Man With The Dogs

B1 I Kill Children
B2 Dreadlocks Of The Suburbs
B3 Rawhide
B4 Mutations Of Today
B5 Cold Fish
B6 Viva Las Vegas
B7 Untitled
B8 Saturday Night Holocaust