Pete Bentham And The Dinner Ladies: What’s On The Inside Has To Come Out – album review

Pete Bentham And The Dinner Ladies: What’s On The Inside Has To Come Out

(9×9 Records)

Out Now

DL | LP | CD  

Upbeat scouse punk rockers – Pete Bentham And The Dinner Ladies release their fifth album and it’s an absolute belter. Neil Crud dons his apron and gets cooking.

Despite my anarchistic leanings I’d put a big cross next to Pete Bentham’s name should he run for parliament. Pete is our leader, he’s the new messiah! The country would be a better place if we cast aside the narcissistic arseholes in power and had a Dinner Ladies cabinet instead. Serving the people rather than themselves.

Pete Bentham And The Dinner Ladies are back with a bang in the form of their spanking brand new album What’s On The Inside Has To Come Out on 9×9 Records. The promotional blurb states: The band’s most introspective, empathetic and ambitious album to date – yep, I’ll buy that for a dollar.

You may have seen the pics of the band and dismissed them as some sort of parody. Silly dinner ladies and mops ‘n’ stuff – “not my kinda thing mate.” WRONG – Stop and listen; it all slots into place. Yes it’s fun, and rock ‘n’ roll needs to be so, but there’s also plenty of social observations, messages and kinship to share. This release is as good a platform as any to dive into the poetic kitchencore world of these Merseyside legends. Make Scouse Not War!!!!

Bands that release albums at the arse end of the year (perhaps) catch the Xmas market, but ultimately lose the placings in the Albums Of The Year listings – such is this glaring omission from our own Top 100 Albums of 2022 – so let’s make a special dispensation right now and demand a recount. Let’s storm the LTW offices! Come the revolution! Step off the podium Suede, this place belongs to The Dinner Ladies. Yes, this album is that good.

What’s On The Inside Has To Come Out sets the stall with the opening title track with the theme, ‘If you were born a man and not happy with the plan, and you want to change your mind and become another kind.’ In simplistic terms; don’t bottle up who you are in the face of the prejudiced few – be yourself. This isn’t a song, this is the start of a manifesto.

Pete also apologises to his parents for being a little shit as a child, in Mum And Dad. Maybe growing up is overrated and he’ll understand once he’s procreated. If you meet Pete Bentham in person, you’ll find a shy (but far from retiring) unassuming generally nice bloke who doesn’t say too much. On stage he’s a spokesman for Generation J, K, Q and XXX – all the weird ones that nobody else understands – he’ll fight your cause, because you count.

Growing up on Planet Punk I never took to saxophones in my record collection, I kind of tolerated X-Ray-Spex and didn’t have the time for Spear Of Destiny. Yet, Sonny Rolling-Pin’s (her real name) saxophone is an essentially active ingredient here. I’m not talking about self-indulgent Baker Street bullshit; the sax on this album is part of the rhythm section along with bass, guitar and drums and all is played to perfection.

Let’s also sit back and marvel at the lyrical and musical genius of Happy Birthday Syd, a lament to the fallen creative power of early Pink Floyd. Simply superb.

Whereas you may be familiar with the Pete Bentham choppy scouse gobby singalong formula, they’re not afraid to mix it up a little. Take the chilled balladic Elvis In My Dreams and the almost Christmas fireside-esq Everybody Has A Song that closes this top-drawer, heart-warming, spine-tingling album.

Pete for president – you know it makes sense.

Get it here

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Neil Crud presents a Monday night Punk & Beyond show on Louder Than War Radio – follow him on Twitter

Source: louderthanwar.com