1981 – 2025
I’m surprised I never saw Devoid back in the day, but in those heady days of the late 70s early 80s Redditch seemed a million miles away from my estate in Brum, and the only thing I knew about it was when one of my friends move there with his family. 26 miles seemed a long way back then.
Devoid have been working hard since they got back together a couple of years ago. They originally formed in Redditch in 1979 after leaving school and this is the first album since their comeback, released in 2025. This is full on late 70s – early 80s punk songs played with expert precision from their now many years of playing.
‘Just for the Craic’ opens with a drumbeat taken straight from the second wave of punk and is as tight as they come, with cool bass lines complemented by Johnny Thunders like riffs and spot on drums. Devoid have their own sound and ‘Dirty Man of Europe’ continues the breakneck speed, with clever lyrics and a killer chorus. ‘Limited War’ driven by well thought out tom grooves is almost over too quickly, but that was the norm in 1981. The guitar work is clever throughout and the singer reminds me of singers you would hear on early punk singles which makes it all the more authentic.
‘Ma.D’ goes from a piano riff and launches into a full on 82 punk tune keeping the pace up. In contrast, ‘Media Pigs’ takes the pace down a touch and is a well-crafted groove. This is another great singalong and for me the best track on the album. The controlled start on ‘No Sense’ leads into an explosive tune that has a real message and to me ends before it has got going. ‘Nostradamus’ continues the anti-war theme with a guitar solo akin to The Stooges and the complex outro is really well worked and effective. They don’t just throw this shit together. The album ends with a cover of ‘Sound of Silence’ which this album clearly isn’t.
Fast, Loud and Beautiful – 2026
Devoid have put out 2 albums in 2 years, which is some going. The new album starts with ‘Fighting the Norm’. This builds on the 1st album and while this is another punk onslaught overall these new songs have a more complex feel and the bass on this track is sublime. ‘Dilemma’ is a rock and roller with proper punk vocals and leaves you with the title echoing in your ear. ‘Hold the Front Page’ shows the marked difference in these new tracks which are played with more freedom and are more thought out, Imagine The Damned fronted by the in-your-face vocals of Sham or the Rejects.
‘Gig Police’ follows in a similar style with the music moving all over the place aided by the wicked drumming of Terry Downes and a chorus as catchy as they come. ‘Conned’ is more like that tracks on the first album and ‘In Memory of the Fallen’ flies along with a memorable chorus but this is not simple three chord punk rock. You find yourself getting lost in some of these tunes as they meander but with real purpose.
Next up is ‘FAD’, a cool departure with its mid paced rock tune and singalong chorus. The guitar and bass really complement each other and they know when to give other space. ‘I Don’t Trust You’ is apparently about the Redditch police and has an intro and verse like early Killing Joke, a metal solo, a cool breakdown and the catchiest chorus you are ever going to hear. To me this sounds like a typical set closer.
‘I Don’t Wanna Fucking Die’ tackles a very real issue cast over some class riffing and the intense bass and drums are brilliant with the bass at the end complementing the almost punk rapping. They end with another full-on short punk tune of ‘No Future Manifesto’ played with machine gun precision with nice references in the lyrics and some ace backing vocals and a solo like the MC5. A great way to end their second album and I’m sure there is a manifesto for the future given the quality of the album.
It is good to see Devoid have written new tunes and carried this forward as the songs on the new album are well crafted and build nicely off the first record, The sound and production on both recordings is spot on. This is top stuff filled with 2/3-minute punk blasts from Carol Lane, Terry Downes Matthew Elliott, and Grant Petford. Devoid are a great live band and should really be gracing the stages of Rebellion Festival. 1
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