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Foxboro Hot Tubs – ‘Stop Drop and Roll’

There’s something about Foxboro Hottub’s debt album which makes it more than an up-coming bands debt album. Maybe its the sound, the technique or the album artwork which screams out “I Love the Sixties’.With all its tributes to the days of Mods and Rockers with Kink-esqe fuzzbox riffs, like in the song “The Broadway” on their album. But apart from all the tributes to bands such as Iggy and the stooges or the who. The use of drugged out organs and guitar riffs sounds un-cannily similar to a group we all may know as Green Day.

That’s because the group are the punk rock trio Green Day in disguise. Yep, Billy Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool are back after three years of touring their platinum award album “American Idiot”. Billie Joe broke the news to the music press in April, However, this is not the first time the group have gone underground and undercover. Back in 2003, the trio formed a side project known as The Network. after a debt album called “Money Money 2020” on Billie Joe’s record label Adeline Records with the hit “Teenagers from Mars.”

Apart from all the hide and seek of big bands going underground, Stop Drop and Roll is unique. Unlike American Idiot or Dookie, the debut album of Foxboro Hottubs is the first album since Kerplunk, released in 1992 to use song samples. on songs “Stop Drop and Roll!!!” and “She’s a Saint Not a Celebrity” both are preceded by clips from the 1970 cult film “Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf?”

All together, as a side project’s debut album, its a brilliant achievement for a band who haven’t played for three years. It won’t be surprising that throughout the summer we will hear hits from the album such as “Mother Mary” and self titled “Stop Drop and Roll”. But, what really is exciting as that if this is a preview to what green day may do on future records, there will be a lot more platinum records on Billie joe Armstrong’s mantle piece and hopefully a UK tour as well.

8/10

Alex Ward

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