{"title":"The Flexibles","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"pink-everything","title":"Pink Everything","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Flexibles are a Punk Rock Band. The Flexibles bend space and time, flex your head, space your Punk, a jarring lightning bolt of truth to the heart of the matter. Comprised of Richard Youngs, his young son Sorley Youngs and family friend Andrew Paine, they operate within Glasgow city limits, outsiders in an outsider culture. Swirling around the wild, searing guitar playing and cosmically infused songwriting of Sorley, The Flexibles' Pink Everything is a concept album of sorts, on the surface a narrative about space travel, the state of the human race in the modern Acopalyx. While vicious in its take down of humanity's own death-drive, the subtext of Pink Everything describes a world where anything is possible. Perhaps the Acopalyx, or Apocalypse, needs to happen for us to be re-born. Anything can be Pink. Over both sides, The Flexibles depict a realm where fantasy and reality are inexplicably fused together... Sorley's lyrical flourishes touch on the stream-of-conciousness imagery that seems to be swimming in the Youngs genepool, but there are dashes of real life. When I Was 86 has Sorley tearing modern living apart both from the perspective of the anti-hero Arcosta - an alien visitor to Earth but also from his own perspective as a young man making sense of a reality that needs changed. Smothered by Richard's electronics and the super-massive fuzz bass of Paine, it's a radical stomper. Album opener Pink Everything however, offers the flip: a distorted, crazed sermon that essentially asks Why Not? Why can't everything be pink, true and truthful. Side B comprises a suite chronicling Arcosta's journey, struggling to comprehend the things we do; capitalism, the endless grind of work-play, the rituals that to extra terrestrials and indeed to children unaffected by cynicism seem meaningless. As a power trio, The Flexibles blow apart pre-conceptions, burn down barriers and paint them pink. The Flexibles believe anything can be possible and embody an ultimate creative freedom, unencumbered by age barriers, limits. Anything can be pink.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Night School","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50467735404875,"sku":"403266","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/3368b735-99b3-436a-98af-fc24723197c3_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727341230"},{"product_id":"chewing-gum-for-the-ears","title":"Chewing Gum For The Ears","description":"\u003cp\u003eTen years is a lifetime in Hardcore Punk. A band’s ability to traverse such a lengthy stay is a testament to their dedication to this thing of ours, which in and of itself is commendable. Remaining sonically relevant, and engaging ever younger audiences, is another beast altogether, and a far more difficult feat to achieve. Somehow, The Flex have managed both. Not only are they the defining band of the New Wave of British Hardcore movement of the 2010’s, not to mention the last band from this original wave still left (“Last Ones Left” indeed) but they continue to trudge on with unrelenting power, orchestrating live madness wherever they roll through. \u003ci\u003eChewing Gum For The Ears\u003c\/i\u003e is the most perfect illustration of the bands raw power to date. From the opening chords of “Warboy”, it is clear that The Flex formula remains unchanged: the vitriol of Boston 82, the lumber and swagger of mid to late 80’s NYHC, the monotone thud of UK82 and the blistering urgency of 90’s Japanese d-beat. A perfectly seamless blend of their influences, the highlights on this LP are too prevalent to list, with CGFTE earning the rare accolade of a no- skips-certified-banger. “Inferno” might hold the greatest up-tempo mosh part since Antidote’s “Foreign Job Lot”, sans the crummy political baggage. Beechwood Terrace starts off sounding like Oi! on steroids before degenerating into an Impact Unit style frenzy, and the title track “Chewing Gum for the Ears” (aka “The Herd” of 2022), begins with an Outburst style intro and develops into an anthem that ensures this LP finishes in the most appropriate of fashions. However, it is the growth on display which is most astounding; a track like “Stranger” sees the band sounding like a British Death Side, while the drum-and-bass call and response, during the song’s closing mosh part, reveals a level of musicality few bands can match. These nuances add a level of intensity and urgency which propels \u003ci\u003eChewing Gum For The Ears\u003c\/i\u003e above their previous output, making this their most concise and crucial release to date. Sonically, James Atkinson of Voorhees and Gentlemen’s Pistols fame, has captured the band’s sound perfectly; all trebly buzzsaw guitars, guttural vocals, and a perfectly tight rhythm section, whilst Tin Savage’s ever excellent art ensures a level of visual consistency that few bands are able to maintain. I finish on these two points for an important reason, The Flex have understood the assignment; produce an LP that looks and sounds like everyone’s favourite UKHC band, whilst pushing themselves to the limits of their impressive technical range and sophisticated palate. LS4 still kicking in your door. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Static Shock","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50503424442699,"sku":"1153780","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/cb83361c-04ac-4a0a-9421-6d810fa31f68_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727795712"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/collections\/the-flexibles.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}