Lady Bird lectures us about school in ‘Factory Fool’

Lady Bird, consisting of Don Rennols, Joe Walker, and Alex Deadman, have been consistently releasing music for the best part of three years now. And for fans of punk-rock, they have become staples of the scene. 

Hailing from Tunbridge Wells, the band have cultivated a unique sound that manages to blend the styles of The Streets with that of Slaves to impressive effect. 

So, how does their latest release, ‘Factory Fool’, fare?

The new single doesn’t move too far away from the band’s staple sound. Most significantly, it still has a distinctive, clamorous quality to it. Each element of the track works together incredibly well. The slight distortion of the guitar, the thunderous drums, and the high-tempo, energetic vocals all tie together seamlessly. It has the sound and the feel of a classic punk-rock song. Blighty invented the genre, and ‘Factory Fool’ feels like an ode to those original greats.

The track’s lyrics delve into issues including hard labour and education. Frontman Don Rennols, self-proclaimed ‘King of the Riff-Raff’, pleads with the listener, “Don’t be the fool / Don’t be the fool and concentrate in school.” There is also uncertainty to his words as he wonders, “What is school? / What is school? / What the fuck is school?”.

It’s significant that Rennols employs the rule of three. It’s a technique commonly used in speeches to increase the memorability of the speaker’s message, and it certainly works wonders here. Alongside the guitar, drums, and vocals, these lyrics seal the delivery of a powerful crescendo. 

The track is far from over, though. If anything, the prospect of experiencing this musical culmination over and over again is an exciting one. As the song goes on, it’s a sound that only becomes louder and angrier.

The music video also adds to the overall impact of the track. Depicting the band messing around in a warehouse depot while wearing boiler suits, it’s clear that they had a great time shooting it. The video has just the right balance between being relevant to the subject matter of the single and feeling fresh and exciting as an accompaniment.

Lady Bird are a band that has proven time and time again that they are a musical force to be reckoned with, and ‘Factory Fool’ is another fantastic track for them to add to their arsenal. It ticks all the boxes for a great punk-rock song with its fast tempo and energetic vocals. Lady Bird have always released fantastic music, but ‘Factory Fool’ may be my new favourite.

 

Liam Russell

@LiamDRMedia

Image: Factory Fool Official Single Artwork