Penetration
Moving Targets /
Coming Up For Air
(Cherry Red Records)
Let’s face it, the first wave of punk bands were a very mixed bunch. They ranged from the Who era Mod sounds of The Jam, and the Doors influenced rock of The Stranglers, through the snarlier Pub Rock of The Sex Pistols, punk’s very own version of The Bay City Rollers; The Ramones, Boy Band revolutionaries The Cash, sorry, The Clash!, to the gothic tones of The Banshees and the high-speed cartoon antics of The Damned. Then there were the second-string bands; X Ray Spex, Eater, Chelsea, Sham 69, UK Subs, The Vibrators, Lurkers, 999, The Adverts and…Penetration. Whilst the top flight punk acts all fell over themselves to sign to major labels (very alternative!), had multiple hits, and generated iconic and original tracks that we can all remember and are now deemed classics of their time, the others managed one or (exceptionally) two standout tracks and the rest was filler. Penetration certainly fitted within that second category, having released a brilliant single, ‘Don’t Dictate’ which everyone knows, yet also put out these two albums, now freshly remastered and reissued by Cherry Red, that I would struggle to recall a single other track from.
The whole concept of punk was a bit wonky from the start to be honest. The media of the time created the story that they couldn’t play. That was patently untrue. There was also the impression given that they were going to smash the record business. Also false, as with a very few exceptions (Mark Perry’s ATV being one) they were all desperate to abandon their DIY credentials, sign to a big label as fast as they could, and get on Top of the Pops with a hit record, just like any other pop band since the 60’s. What punk acts did have, though, was an anger, urgency, and visceral energy that had been totally lacking in the glam, pomp, and prog rock wilderness years, which were dominated by the likes of Queen, ELP, Yes, Deep Purple, and their ilk. Penetration certainly had that energy in spades, as you can see from this video of their performance at Manchester's Electric Circus.
As with all bands fronted by a female, the focus was on singer Pauline Murray with her shouty vocal stylings, and she certainly had the attitude, but that would do a sad disservice to the rest of the band. These were not just a bunch of mere snotty nosed council estate chancers, but skilled musicians composing competent rock music full of things like chord changes, middle eights, harmonies, and all that. Much of it sounds like what would soon be termed ‘New Wave’. If anything, the weakest link, certainly on the first album, ‘Moving Targets’ is Pauline’s vocals, which sound quite strained for much of the album. Standout track of course is the wonderful ‘Don’t Dictate’, which sounds even better here than I remember it, along with ‘Stone Heroes’, which also sounds vaguely familiar from the time. The rest of the first CD is padded out by extra tracks and demos from the ‘Race Against Time’ bootleg album to bring it up to the required length for a reissue these days. It’s a strong album though, full of great moments, and certainly stands up to the test of time.
The second CD comprises the second album, 1979’s ‘Coming Up For Air’, which is largely a very
samey, weaker version of their debut, and was poorly received at the time. This
does, however, contain a stonking live version of ‘Stone Heroes’ included as an extra
track. Penetration split later in 79, with Murray going solo and also collaborating
with punk superstar band, The Invisible Girls, which included former
Penetration bassist Robert Blamire, Vini Reilly from The Durutti Column, and John Maher from the Buzzcocks on drums, and was produced by Martin Hannett. Needless to say, Penetration didn’t stay split for ever and re-formed in 2001. Fourteen years later they even produced a third album and continue to tread the punk nostalgia
circuit to this day.
Listening back to this, it is clear that Penetration definitely had a pretty good first album in them, but probably no more, and unless you are a completist, you could satisfy yourself with owning just that. There is little in the way of extra sleeve notes or exclusives here to tempt you either. Penetration had none of the controversy or star quality of their peers to draw you in, and as a ‘box set’ this is little more than a reissue double with minimal frills really. As a historical document it does, however, act as a reminder of the wide range of diverse acts that were shoehorned together under the punk banner, largely because they appeared live on the same bill (don’t forget, at one time The Police were even regarded as a punk band just because they had short dyed hair and played the Marquee!) and illustrates just how hugely varied the music scene of the late 70s and early 80s was.
Essential Information:
Penetration - Moving Targets / Coming Up For Air is out on 6th December on Cherry Red Records and is available to pre-order from their store here
Main image: Cardiff Top Rank, 10th October 1979
