9 o’clock Nasty are a trio of rock minstrels from Leicester who have been appearing on our pages since 2022. Each new release comes with a gripping yarn to introduce it. “They are true, or at least based on truth,” according to the band. “Obviously we exaggerate but a lot less than you’d think.”
By Graeme Smith
There’s a pertinent story behind their new album This Is Crowland. In a world that seems to be increasingly hankering after the mostly fictional concept of “the good old days,” the album tackles this idea head on, soundtracking what such a backwards world would really be like.
“Crowland was inspired by a tourist visit to Stratford on Avon,” explain the band. “Ted and Addermyre were there one very drunken summer afternoon and got into the slipstream of some tourists on a coach trip. The whole story of Shakespeare was reduced to a litany of how great English culture used to be and what a wonderful world we have left behind. When you listen to many people now, in any country, you hear the same refrain, ‘liberalism has gone too far, TV was better when there were only 3 channels.’ So Crowland is that imaginary place.”
There’s plenty of grit across its fifteen tracks, from the chanting album opener Crowland to the eco-disaster of Unkle Natur. For such an ambitious album, there doesn’t seem to be really any filler going on. This is as a result of the stringent process that went into making it. “…We threw away a lot more material than usual,” the guys say. “We have had a lot of songs this year that were good but not good enough. We’re trying, over time, to elevate what we do and get to something really special. That means being brutally honest with each other when something needs reworking or dropping. Probably our greatest talent is knowing when to hit delete.”
The band wanted to make songs that hold their own against some of alternative indie’s best and I have to say they’ve done that. 9 o’clock Nasty truly have a sound that’s their own, both anarchic and polished. They’re also not scared to mix it up when it comes to genre. “The rule has to be that if we can make what we think is an interesting take on a genre, and it fits the song, then that is how it goes. A good example from the album is Hot Disco Shit. That started life as a punk song, … then finally, one afternoon it just fell into place as a four on the floor disco song.”
The track proves an early highlight on the album, sitting alongside other memorable moments like the whimsical For The Sugar, the swaggering Kid Blast, the funky Shrink Wrap, the punchy Bad Monkey, and edgy album closer Paint Me.
You can tell that the album was a labour and blood, sweat and laughs for the band and the hard work has paid off. It’s their most accomplished record to date, with plenty to unpick (try and spot all the Shakespeare in its lyrics.)
This is Crowland is out now and you can give it a listen below.
