I've seen Flat Back Four live a couple of times recently and on both occasions they have been excellent. Those live performances have certainly filtered through to the studio with their latest album 'Who Dares Penguins'. This is excellent stuff by these guys from St Helens, fast as fuck, great vocals and well produced without being too polished. Of the 11 tracks it was all to my taste even a cover of The Clash's 'English Civil War' which goes very close to bettering the original. The band do have the ability to change from the American sound that is their mainstay to the very British sounding 'Thatto Heath Song'. 'Psalm 23' wouldn't look out of place on any punk album but with so many bands going down the American route it is quite possible the British sound might just be consigned to the past.

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'We Thought These Flames Might Set The World On Fire' is the first i've heard by Lucien. Even their name conjures up metal and that's what this 10 track album is. I am not saying it's a bad album but I like my music simple and this is far too technical to be punk. Punk is kept simple for a reason, you don't need the prowess of Jimi Hendrix to succeed. That is why these guys might do better if they were touted more at the metal/rock genres because I think there they can do themselves justice. It was a bit of a chore listening to this album several times because it ain't my cup of tea but I will say this about Lucien. As musicians these guys are a match for anyone in the metal genre and if you have leanings that way I would definitely suggest you check them out.

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'One Way Kiss' is the first i've heard by this female fronted band from Norwich. I checked The Neutrinos out on myspace and there they catagorise themselves as Punk/Blues/Indie. Indie yes, blues yes but definitely not punk and this is something punks just won't be interested in. It really annoys me when bands label themselves as punk when they aren't. These guys should be targeted at the Indie/Blues market where it's just possible they could make inroads in a music scene that has gone very stale. I think the band need to concentrate on getting a musical identity and not just relying on being female fronted to pull them through. This isn't my bag and even Karen Reilly's vocals were nothing spectacular which all added up to this 11 track album being infinitely forgettable.

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Messenger hail from Norway, which makes them the first Norwegian band to get reviewed by Punk4life. Saddly Messenger register zero out of ten in the punk stakes, this is more along the lines of Bon Jovi or the like. Having said that 'Head For Glory' isn't all bad, it is listenable and a few tracks especially 'That's Why We Play', 'Go Change Your Attitude' and the title track are good solid tracks in the classic rock genre. There is also a free video of 'Change My World' included on the album. 'Amazing' whilst being the first track of the 11 on the album is also released as a single with 'Life As We Know It' a track not on the album. I am pretty sure I have heard these guys on the radio and it won't surprise me in the least if they make it stateside as there is definitely room for them.

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