Big Cheese Magazine

“The first release on this Yorkshire based label are cider punks PUDGE with a similarly northern lyrical wit as bands such as THE AMISTAD and THE DAUNTLESS ELITE with a sound that harks back to the brilliant CHOPPER, this debut is full of passionate sing-alongs like ‘fuckin yes mate’ and ‘bus strike. It’s a reight boozey du!”

Collective Zine

“The music on this CD spins me straight back into the 90s, Crackle Records, Chopper and whatnot. It’s a joy to hear a pop punk band sound like they are from this country and not from fucking Gainesville. Sure, the sloppy and free wheeling nature of the whole thing brings to mind long ignored bands like Fay Wray, but the vocals are energetic and heavily accented instead of gruff and Yankee, whilst the music flies around at high speed. Maintaining the strong regional feel of the whole thing are song titles such as “Bus Strike” and “Strongbow”, and lyrics like “fuck your fancy cheese, get some mushy peas” (although the early Superchunk-ish “abcd!” is dead emo and the stand out track for me).

This is straight up, unpretentious UK melodic punk, and it is a blast for sure. The songs barely trouble the clock, only one is over 153 seconds long and several are less than 120, but each one maintains the energy and excitement of seeing this kind of band live. There’s not much more to add, if you like it like it was over a decade ago, and still spin “Last Call for the Dancers” every now and again then Pudge is the band for you. Good uns!”

Punktastic

“From the school of Cop Out and Calvinball comes Pudge. Pudge play pissed up cider fuelled indie pop-punk. They sing songs about their everyday lives in Sheffield. Like getting drunk in the Washy, Jager shot abuse, minimum wage job hatred, bus strikes, pissin’ in Propaghandhi’s dressing room, Corporation nightclub, reminiscing about The Cricketers Arms and Cop Out. Or at least that’s what the band say about themselves. On their myspace they say they ‘sound like 1995′ and that’s actually spot on.

They remind me of all those good 90s bands that influenced the So-Cal EpiFat punk explosion. Fashionable and current this lot most certainly are not. But that’s a good thing. It’s a blast of nostalgia and it’s done really, really well. It’s certainly more Superchunk than NOFX, but the guitar riffs soar, the drums hit hard and the vocal melodies are really good too. There are faster songs, there are songs with silly lyrics, there are bits ripped off of other bands I’m sure. But mixed in with it all is an honesty and a sense of fun that this band are simply doing their thing because they want to and because they love it. And fuck anyone else who cares. And I like that – I think there’s a ‘spirit’ in this record that a lot of other bands could do with taking away and learning from. ‘Chippy Tea’ won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s refreshingly old and enjoyable”

Punknews.org

“There are a fair few U.S. bands around at the moment who play relatively fast pop-punk–bands like Dear Landlord, for example. Well, imagine if one of those bands came from a post-industrial town in the north of England…that’s basically Pudge in a nutshell, which makes them easily as good but actually much better if you’re from the UK.

 

It’s easy to relate to the lyrical content of this album’s songs about getting pissed, working shit jobs, having chips and mushy peas for tea on your way to the gig, ill-advised late night Jaeger shots… You get the idea; it’s probably your life! There’s no pretence at all–it’s fast and fun and basically tells it as it is; no trying to make being poor and drunk in Sheffield sound romantic or revolutionary. You’re born, you work, you get drunk, you die…let Pudge be the soundtrack to your mindless path of destruction! Very good! ”

Moving North Zine

“I figured being drunk would be the best way to write this review, as 90% of Pudge’s songs are about boozing.

Right, the first time I saw Pudge was in August 2009 and they were supporting Spraynard and one phrase stuck with me from that show, and that was “Fuckin’ Yes Mate” which was one of Pudge’s song titles and lyrical hooks. Craig from Not Shy of the DIY has put in a lot of effort to getting this release, erm, released and being out there and he wouldn’t have pushed it that far unless he knew it was worth something.

“Chippy Tea!” offers 10 tracks of brilliant Superchunk-esque pop punk about a typical working class Sheffield lifestyle. Songs about Corporation, Cop Out, Strongbow and having a Chippy Tea! I knew I’d like this CD before I even listened to it because I’ve seen Pudge live a few times and they’ve always been very entertaining, very relaxed and just a great band to watch live. They don’t take themselves seriously and just write simple catchy songs about being unemployed, being drunk and being skint in a northern town. Stand out tracks on the record are “Fuckin’ Yes Mate”, which gets stuck in your head more than a bullet if you were a cop and stole Raul Moat’s lunch money. “

Chippy Tea” is a humorous sing-a-long classic about, well, having a chippy tea and the closer on the record is reminiscent of Lightyear – 200 Kebab Shops. Most of the song is spoken word about Lauren giving some kid a flyer outside of Corp whilst an instrumental plays in the background with the chorus of “Sweetheart, I pack more punch than you.”

 

 

 

 

This whole record is fucking brilliant, it’s five quid, it’s available from http://notshyofthediy.bigcartel.com/ and you shouldn’t even be reading what I’m writing now because you should already be filling in your PayPal details.”

Mass Movement Magazine

“Chirpy Northern pop punk which although endearing and infuriatingly catchy, nevertheless sounds like a 1000 other bands you’ve heard in the past 10 years. The band have the advantage of writing some amusing lyrics which cover the day to day experiences of the band including toilet catastrophes and the joys of chip shop dinners, bringing to mind the sophomoric humour of bands like Peter and the Test Tube Babies or a less offensive Macc Lads, particularly the almost Oi leaning title track. Despite the lack of originality and occasionally annoying vocals this has an inescapable youthful charm”

Kill Your Own

 

Jerkstore Zine

“On the surface PUDGE (who shared a drummer with CALVINBALL) sound like rowdy knockaround fun, singing songs about “having a laugh” and “stuff”, but maybe it’s because here I feel like an island of cultural references that don’t translate in conversation anymore, this record made me really homesick. They’ve got that style of writing that’s very culturally specific to places, bands etc.. and hearing these guys tear it up while singing about the mundane details of normal like in the UK, kicking around with your mates and getting up to shit, it sounds all the more pronounced and endearing. This whole CD is excellent, but the best track for me has to be the closer “sweetheart” – Amazing stuff.”

Fear and Loathing Zine

“Fine melodic punk rock with a very British feel, think of the best bands from the late 80′s like Snuff or early Senseless Things, with maybe a few hints of The Ruts. A good DIY production with plenty of imagination. This really deserves to be heard”

A Short Fanzine About Rocking

 

“Remember Captain Everything!? Six years ago they were one of the best and most hard-working bands in the country. Well ‘Chippy Tea’ sounds like if the Watford guys relocated to Sheffield, immersed themselves in the dialect and culture for a few years and then decided to write an album based on their findings… while listening to 90s indie bands from across the pond. If the CE! comparison means nothing to you – Pudge are a scrappy, fast-paced pop punk band who sing about, well, living in Yorkshire. It’s unashamedly honest and relatively basic, traits that give the album a lot of charm. Pudge aren’t going to set the world alight with their debut album, but they will hopefully show a fair few that refreshingly genuine music can be written without having to worry about what the kids are listening to these days”