Review: The Briggs

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The Briggs
“Numbers”
(Disaster Records)

Someone asked me the other day what “Oi” means.  Sort of a tough question, isn’t it?  I mean, if you’re talking to your buddy in Liverpool and you say, “Oi,” you’re saying, “Hey,” but if you’re listening to Oi music, you’re not listening to Hey music, are you?  The Briggs are Oi-flavored punk band from SoCal, taking bits of Rancid and Social Distortion melodies and adding the street-punk stylings of English rockers like Sham 69 and Cock Sparrer.

“Numbers” does a pretty good job of keeping things from stagnating to the point of delirium, as the fourteen tracks blaze through a landscape varied enough to keep you hooked.  Plenty of political rants and societal critiques are delivered throughout the breakneck track “Red Alert” as well as the obligatory “keep your head up” gutter-punk anthem, this one titled “These Streets”.  The Briggs may or may not be your thing, but they do enough right on “Numbers” to warrant a listen.