Red Zebra - Songs And Stripes (1980 – 2020) (Bandcamp)

English:CD-review
 Silke D    14 april 2020

40 years of Red Zebra and a new best of! There is one new track and there are 3 new live performances (taken from a live gig in their original hometown Bruges, last year). Die hard fans already have all the songs (except the new track and the new live performances), but as a fan of this band and since I have seen them for the first time on stage in the 90’s it’s time to look back and listen back to all these great punk and New Wave anthems!


They started as real punks (16 years old), not aware on how to play an instrument according to the school rules and their singer sang with a certain accent that doesn’t come close to English. I’m even not sure if the original members can even read music notes. If I got it good Peter Slabbynck is the only original member of the band as all the rest left the band since then (I can mention Frits Standaert as EX-RZ member). But hey they didn’t care and just did what they love: play music and spit on the society! According to the mass media they only have one hit, but real fans know it’s bullocks!

It all starts with the guitar and a bass: I Can’t Live In A Living Room. In times of Covid-19 (and soon Covid-20) it sounds very cruel and like written last week. Funny thing is that they played this song during the Living Room concerts (the past years) not so long ago and from what I heard it was really fun! The chorus is very catchy and easy to sing a-long!

Next in line is Innocent People.The Classic 70/80’s guitar sound and vocals that sounds as coming from a cave reigns here. When you listen to this song now you could project it on the old people who are now dying one after the other because the government forgot to take the needed measures to keep them out of danger and now it’s all too late! But just like in the lyrics: innocent people are rare to find! The tempo is a bit slow until halfway and in the end of the track, but the lyrics hit hard. Graveyard Shuffle let’s the guitars speak and carry the typical 70/80’s sound. There are no vocals, but the title says it all and could once again be very actual and linked to the Covid-19 disaster in New York, Belgium, Italy, Spain, …

T.V. Activity (live) sounds a bit different from how I remember it from their gigs in the 90's. I hear extra backing vocals and sharper guitars. The drums lead at some point and off course Peter has to joke a bit in the middle of the track. I like this version. In days like these where most of us stay at home and binge watch series it sounds very actual. Others have to work hard and risk their lives. All I can say is that I'm happy I can still listen to Red Zebra after a long weekend, trying to make a difference!

I’m Falling Apart (Live) sounds really modern and updated. Peter's vocals sound a bit different, but I think he was holding his mic in such a way that it was deforming his voice a bit. The other thing is that the guitars are very much in the front, but hey: there are more guitar players now on stage then when they started. The drums also sound very good. I really like this live version! The explosive parts, the echo's, the desperation, it all works out in a great way! They really did a great jon within this live version!

Bastogne is another track with no vocals where the guitar and the bass play an important role (next to the drummer). The sound is very typical for a track recorded in 1981. Shadows Of Doubt is a great cold wave track with an excellent bass. It’s also an excellent live track where Peter can perform his typical stage act and act like really weird and crazy. Another great track is The Ultimate Stranger with an excellent lead guitar and powerful lyrics. The sound is dark, cold and scary and despite having that typical touch from the 80’s you can still play it in 2020 and think about Trump whilst looking on how he reacted to Covid-19. Man Comes From Ape is a classic track and has been performed a lot over the years. Imagine Peter eating a banana whilst singing this song and doing all kind of crazy shit on stage … Even my daughter has fun whilst I play this song and write my review. The lead guitar is legendary, just as the bass!

The Art Of Conversation is yet another track that is still very actual. Just listen to the lyrics! The music is very hypnotic and yet somehow catchy. The Italian speaking voices gives it something dark. Once performed on stage it somehow gives the audience a certain power and automatically gives back some extra backings. Polar Club is 2 years older, but has also been performed a lot on stage with a lot of people backing up the vocals. On stage it really sounds very powerful! I remember that Peter came on stage dressed up as a Polar Bear whilst performing in full summertime! It was hot as hell and yet he did what he did: everything for a great live show! Another song from the Maquis album is Search Party. This song is not as known as all the other tracks and sounds a bit more into pop/rock but still has the depressed feeling and typical 80’s touch.

Paradise Lost (Live) was in it's origin almost a duet (with a famous Flemish actress: Ann Tuts). I somehow miss the female touch here (in the past Dett Peyskens also did it in a great way). Once I'm over it I start to appreciate the version a bit more (even the rolling R whilst singing). The French part might have been a reason why we have a famous New Wave duo singing mostly in French: Vive La Fête! It sounds funny, even if you end u in Walibi! Singing in French is clearly not the strongest point for Peter, but hey I'm also writing this review in English and that is not my native language.

The Beauty Of The Beast sounds a bit different from the other tracks thanks to the trumpet and the other extra cool stuff they add compared to the more simple sounding older tracks. It’s a very eclectic track that almost pushes you to dance or do simply crazy moves. Fragility comes with the very cynical song called Beirut By Night. It’s not a ballad, it’s not a romantic track and yet it sounds like this. It’s what I call the Felix Flaucher approach: you bring something soft and mellow but yet you sing about death, war, pain, … The song still appeals to all of us and is sadly still actual. Kill Me, Before I Kill Myself (comes from the album called Mimicry). It’ a great song and a very actual song. Feel the pain, let you get touched by the haunting lead guitar and the depressing vocals. A song frol the same album that would have been great too is Don’t Ease My Pain (it’s actually a duet performed with Dett Peyskens also known from Pas De Deux). More heavy guitars comes with John Wayne. It’s a lesser known track, but has the typical poisoned lyrics and was from the moment that I saw it getting performed on stage a real live track with cool visuals and some funny acting by Peter.

Pony Girl Punishment has a different sound from the other songs on this album: more drums, more tribal and S/M influences (and more electronics). The lead guitar takes out a lot of the sound. Frankly: it’s not the track I would have chosen from the same album.

Don’t Put Your Head in A Bucket marked briefly the return on TV for Red Zebra and can be marked as a milestone for them. It’s a marvellous track with a top notch sound! It’s catchy, fast and o so sticky! Jump, move, do crazy and follow the fired up sound of the track! On the same album are other great tracks like Blue Nothing Day and Punks Don’t Have Barbecues. I also miss their version of Agent Orange and a cover from The Sound. It’s cool that they add Spit On The City.

Anno 2020 you end in jail and get a huge fine for doing this, so DON’T! Also: stay the fuck home and don’t have a ball (or at least do it at home)! But hey, I understand the feeling of the song as it renders the real punk attitude! It’s yet another catchy as hell track with sharp vocals sung in bad English. It’s a hit! Last track is the brand new song. Yet again the lyrics are really into punk and I totally understand why they wrote this song as it appeals every feeling you get when you have a boss that expects you to work until you die, a boss who has no kids, no family and simply no life! I chatted a lot with people I know about this song and they all had this kind of moment where it feels like as if your boss is a robot!

Well, I'm a rebel, so I'll post this song for you (as it's not on this album):