Russian Metal and Scottish Street Punk

Here’s a pair of shows that should prove interesting. 80’s thrash throwbacks Fatum (Russia) and long-running Scottish punk band Oi Polloi are headed to NB this fall.

Matt Carter

Oi Polloi performing in Belgium, Dec. 2017. (photo: Facebook)

Just so there’s no confusion here, the Los Angeles-based, Grammy nominated dance music act Fatum are NOT playing Maniac Mansion on October 14 with Hard Charger and Scumlord. Not at all. That said, Russian thrash metal punks Fatum ARE playing the Maniac Mansion on October 14 with Hard Charger and Scumlord. Now that we’ve cleared up that little bit of housekeeping…

All the way from Moscow, Russia, Fatum are currently in the midst of their very first trip overseas. The band will be playing dates in Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia over the next few weeks including two dates right here in New Brunswick.

Fatum have been hammering out the heavy in the Russian capital since 2007, releasing several albums and EPs beginning with their 2010 debut CKBEPHA. After more than a decade of music making, the band remain true to their roots and continue to channel late 80’s punk and thrash influences with admirable strength and determination.

From dirty Russian thrash metal to Scottish street punk, Edinburgh’s Oi Polloi will also be making the rounds of the Maritimes this fall with dates in both Fredericton and Moncton.

Formed in 1981, Oi Polloi have released 17 albums and EPs and nearly as many 7” singles. They’ve also had more than 50 members come through the ranks over the years. Frontman Deek Allen remains the band’s driving force and only original member.

In a 2011 interview with Vice, Allen admits his own surprise at the band’s longevity saying, “We’re more amazed than anyone. When we started we were just a bunch of spotty teenagers attempting to play Exploited covers in a mate’s garage with one 15-watt amplifier and a drum kit composed of old buckets of fertilizer.”

With the 40 year mark just a few years away, Oi Polloi remain true to the anti-facist, anarcho-punk ethics that defined the group from the very beginning.

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see these Scottish punk legends when they play New Brunswick in November. The same goes for Fatum. It’s not every day we get a bands traveling from 6000 kms away to play our tiny neck of the woods.