Zulu are one of those bands that were sadly born thirty years after their time, but luckily the events of that time meant that Zulu had a variety of iconinc role models to look up to. Most notably there’s bassist Louis Simonon’s father’s band – The Clash. That’s right, Paul Simonon, the bassist from The Clash is the father of the bassist of Zulu. So that’s where the element of effortless cool comes from, but don’t dismiss this five piece as mere follow-ups, shadowed by the legacy that came before.
Zulu are an ideal example of the term punk, a term that is thrown around insolently, these days, as the majority of acts that don’t fit the mainstream seem to be granted with the label of “punk”. But lest we forget, punk isn’t all about the hair and the intimidating character. It’s about the attitude, the charisma and most importantly – the music. Zulu have managed to bring the ’79 sound hurtling into the 21st century, incorporating grappling guitar lines with psychotic vocals and a rumbling rhythm section. Keeping their songs sharp and short, each falling short of the three-minute mark, and playing them in the most careless and vacant of manners. Bringing further proof that punk is not dead.
Jonathan Hatchman
