Peter Pan Speedrock is a band from Eindhoven in The Netherlands. I have fond memories of this band. Very fond in fact. I remember their sweaty beer fuelled gigs many years ago back home in the Netherlands very well. I even played in a 'Turborock' band (called Stoichkov) when I lived in Utrecht, which was modelled largely on PPSR. So when I received an out of the blue email by their Dutch PR asking if I was interested in reviewing their upcoming new album, Buckle Up And Shove It!, I didn’t hesitate a single second.
Peter Pan Speedrock started back in 1997 when guitarist Peter van Elderen joined forces with drummer Bart Nederhand and bass player Bob Muileboom, who was replaced by Bart ‘Bartman’ Geevers after the release of their first self-titled album. Peter Pan Speedrock makes, uhm, Speedrock. It is what defines their no-nonsense Motörhead meets AC/DC rock n’ roll hybrid the best possible way. It is raw, loud, fast, with plenty of riffs, solos and pounding drums. Okay, their music may then not be the most original music out there; it draws many parallels with already mentioned Motörhead and AC/DC, but also with Gluecifer, Hellacopters, Danko Jones and similar bands, as they basically play a very familiar up tempo brand of filthy rock. But it doesn’t matter as Peter Pan Speedrock stands with head and shoulders above many other similar bands. These guys have a legendary status in at least the Benelux countries, but also in many other places in the world and just the fact that they’ve played nearly 1800 shows in nearly 20 years is quite an impressive feature! Besides, we’re talking about the proud Godfathers of the Eindhoven Rockcity movement.
So what has their 9th full-length release in store for us? Well, I’m happy to tell you it’s much more of the same! Whereas in lots of bands I like to see progress, or perhaps a slight evolution in their sound, in the case of these Speedrockers I just want another album of the filthy no-nonsense rock n’ roll I expect to get. It’s a brilliant album that contains as on the previous 7 releases 13 songs, which is a tradition in the band apparently. Buckle Up And Shove It! makes me want to grab 2 pints of warm flat lager and get absolutely hammered while dancing like a sweaty maniac, spilling said warm flat lager all over the place.
Peter’s voice sounds raw and very similar to Lemmy, but again this comparison doesn’t matter. It is what this music really needs; the voice of someone who’s been drinking his whole life while chewing on some razorblades for breakfast. The song-titles speak for themselves, with some nice examples as ‘Get You High’, ‘Loose Women & Loud Guitars’ and ‘Wide-Eyed And Thirsty’, while lyrically it adds much to the same, but it’s what I at least expect when you sell you music as Speedrock. Take for example the chorus in ‘Doin’ the Nasty’: “I’m just lookin’ for some easy action. Baby, baby – let’s get it on.”, or “Come on Raise you glass (way up high!) and salute the stars. For loose loose women – loose loose women and loud guitars” in the track ‘Loose Women & Loud Guitars’. For some people perhaps slightly childish, for some the best lyrics to sing along to as loud as possible. I definitely fall in the latter category.
Basically, this is not just Speedrock, this is Peter Pan Speedrock. Open a six-pack of beer and throw yourself into the sweaty pit. You won’t regret it. They will tour the UK in the summer and I suggest you won’t miss this. I just hope their 'mascot' Dikke Dennis will be joining them.
