Hand-picked by Brakes partly from a hometown (Brighton, UK) show in August 2008, and partly from a May 2009 show in Cologne, Germany, this combination of tracks includes choice cuts and singles from their back catalogue – the tracklisting closely resembles a ‘best-of’ compilation, but the owners are quick to point out that this record is far more than a simple ‘hits’ collection (not least because they haven’t had any).
As Crud knows only too well, ‘hits’ are necessarily the best gauge to judge a projects’s success and whilst it’s unlikely to be bought by anyone outside the band’s loyal and swelling legion of scruffy, mouthy fans, there’s something so visceral and so primal about the way Brakes plough through this blistering and cantankerous collection of post-angry punk tunes (with wordplay!) that is likely to appeal to anyone who has ever considered hitting someone in the face with something hard, fuzzy and very very loud indeed.
Pay special attention to the souped-up and explosive, ‘Porcupine or Pineapple’ at the Concorde in Brighton. Short, sharp, shocks – in that order. With lots of punctuation.