Single review
Trash
Matter of Time
Rhythm And Blues Records
7 inch vinyl / DL
Out 12 April 2025
Trash were a Stones/Dr Feelgood style rock band ‘Bashing Out The Chords’ in the middle of the Punk wars who released the classic 45 ‘Priorities’. A retrospective album came out in 2023 and… 47 years after their last single N-N-E-R-V-O-U-S (1978) Trash release a freshly-recorded song as a vinyl 7” in time for Record Store Day. Subtitled, The Ballad of Trash, it tells the bands story and even Louder Than War and I (Ged Babey) are mentioned due to our review being a late career highlight!
In the past when critics get mentioned in rock-songs they are being slated: Crass targeted Gary Bushell. The Cure, Ian Penman. Nick Caves ‘Scum’, the Stranglers ‘London Lady’ and Adam & the Ants ‘Press Darlings‘ are all infamous attacks on music journalists in song. So it’s oddly sweet to be mentioned in a positive light, ‘Ged Babey really got it!‘ in a brand new song from a band who wrote one of my favourite obscure punk songs, Priorities.
Trash never achieved the success predicted by the pop pages of The Reading Chronicle, despite being signed to Polydor and being produced by the late Shel Talmy (Who, Kinks) and Nigel Gray (Police, Siouxsie). Guitarist and songwriter Mick Brophy has produced a song that sends out a message of hope to ageing rockers of all haircuts.
Drummer Simon Butler-Smith had not played for the last 38 years (kit stored at his mums) but recorded his parts in a single take.
Vocalist Simon Wright has spent the lost decades making chocolate and is inexplicably an adviser to the government on organic food.
The original Trash singles didn’t sell in large quantities at the time but now go for £20 a pop. And the band has featured on Soul Jazz and Cherry Red punk compilations in the last couple of years.
So what is the new single like? Well, it’s well-produced, the playing is good considering how ‘rusty’ the band are and the guitar-solo section is fantastic.
The song itself is kinda like one of those unerringly accurate Not The Nine O’Clock News parodies (‘Gob On You’ was a genuine classic that bettered many a real latter-day punk single) or mocking their own teenage self-obsession and carrying it on into their Sexagenarian Dreams – so hard to beat! Another Grandma walking down the street….
Rock’n’Roll and punk have always been stuffed full of self-referential songs and Trash keep up the tradition so I’m not knocking them at all.
As well as mentioning me and Louder Than War there is a shout-out to Dizzy Holmes the head honcho at the wonderful Detour Records – a man who should get a medal for his services to reissuing great ‘lost’ music from contenders on the fringes of the music business.
The Detour compilation of Trash in 1976 -79 closes with a brace of cover versions: Louie, Louie, Waiting For My Man. The Hippy Hippy Shake. 96 Tears, (Roxy Music’s) Editions Of You and so on – and that is where the band seemed to really hit their stride, having fun, aiming to getting people dancing.
Trash could’ve been contenders – but maybe it’s not too late… maybe it’s only a Matter Of Time…. maybe Fame and Fortune will come knocking soon. But guys, maybe look out of the window first and make sure its not a dude with a hood and a scythe….
Download A Matter Of Time
Buy the Trash album from Detour Records here
Trash on Facebook
Simon Wrights Blog
Simon Wright also written a great book on the Only Ones first album.
All words Ged Babey. Press release content in italics. Photos by kind permission of Rich Linton and Alison White.
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