Dave The Punk

Volume 4

Crashing into the 90’s

From DJ Caz’s Guest Spots

Oct and Nov 2024

Du Hast

RAMMSTEIN

One of my favourite films from the ’90s was the cyberpunk classic The Matrix — a mind-bending masterpiece that came with an equally powerful soundtrack. Nestled among the heavy hitters like Marilyn Manson and Rage Against the Machine was a German band I’d never heard of before: Rammstein. Their track Du Hast hit like a punch to the chest — dark, industrial, and impossible to ignore.

After a few near misses over the years, I finally stepped into the infamous Feuerzone earlier this year. Flames erupted from the stage, lighting up the sky with towers of fire. A blizzard of white confetti rained down like a surreal snowstorm, and rockets screamed overhead in a symphony of chaos. It wasn’t just a gig—it was a spectacle. Quite possibly the greatest show on Earth.

Roots Radicals

RANCID

By the time the nineties rolled around, the UK punk rock scene had hit a bit of a lull. But hope wasn’t lost—something was bubbling away across the pond, especially in California. Fledgling bands like The Offspring and Green Day were on the rise, heading for mainstream superstardom. But for me, the standout act was Rancid.

Their raw energy, street-smart attitude, and blistering sound grabbed me in a way no other band did. Over the years, I’ve been lucky enough to see them live four times, collected all ten of their albums, and even have three Rancid tattoos inked into my skin. That’s not just fandom — that’s a way of life.

From 90’s All The Way

March to July 2025

Weak

SKUNK ANANSIE

Picking my favorite music from the 80s was like letting a kid loose in a sweet shop—so many treats to choose from! But now that Caz has expanded the show to include the 90s, that sweet shop has turned into a full-blown department store… and I don’t know what to devour first.

But when I think back to the 90s, one band that immediately stands out is Skunk Anansie. The first time I saw them, I was absolutely captivated. Skin’s powerful look, her raw, emotional voice, and the sheer intensity of her performance were like nothing else at the time. ‘Weak’ is a perfect example—beautifully vulnerable yet fiercely powerful. An unforgettable track from an unforgettable band.

Dope Show

MARILYN MANSON

Marilyn Manson may not be a punk band, but they have a punk attitude in their style and sound. The raw energy, the anti-establishment vibe, the shock factor—it all had that same rebellious spirit.

I first saw them live in 2001, and I was in awe when Manson performed this song on stilts. Dressed in a long, flowing red coat with matching gloves, he loomed over the stage, moving in a slow, eerie manner—like some kind of alien rock star designed in a laboratory. It was pure theatre and perfectly captured the song’s themes of manufactured celebrity and excess.

Freak On A Leash

KORN

I know Korn aren’t a punk band, but hear me out… when I first heard them, I was hooked. There was something raw and chaotic in their sound that resonated with me, much like punk’s energy and rebellion.

Korn carved out their own lane with a heavy, down-tuned guitar attack, eerie atmospherics, and Jonathan Davis’ unhinged vocal style. But what really grabbed me was Fieldy’s funky, percussive bass. It gave their sound an off-kilter groove that set them apart from other heavy bands. This song is a perfect example… with its creepy whispers, explosive chorus, and insane scatting breakdown. It was heavy, weird, and infectious all at once.

Wait and Bleed

SLIPKNOT

This week on Dave’s Discs, we’re diving into Wait and Bleed by Slipknot. Again, not a punk band, but they captured that same aggressive, chaotic energy that punk thrives on—just with added masks, mayhem, and sheer sonic brutality.

Slipknot are an absolute force live — nine members creating an onslaught of sound, from the pounding double bass drums to the frantic turntables and haunting samples. Then there’s Corey Taylor, switching from eerie melody to full-throttle screams in an instant. Wait and Bleed was the track that introduced me to their madness—a short, sharp blast of controlled fury that felt like a rollercoaster drop straight into a riot. Seeing them live is like being hit by a sonic wrecking ball, and somehow, you love every second of it.

Basket Case

GREEN DAY

For the whole of May, Dave’s Discs will be diving into the sound of 90s California. This was a golden era for American punk, with bands from the Golden State dominating the airwaves and shaping the decade’s music scene. These bands brought attitude, energy, and a whole lot of distortion. So, grab your skateboard, dust off your Vans, and get ready for a month of pure 90s Californian noise!

First up is a song that helped catapult Green Day into the mainstream – and pop-punk into the history books. It’s bratty, brilliant, and still buzzing with the urgency of a band that had something to prove. This is Basket Case from 1994.

Linonium

NOFX

Next up, it’s NOFX — this band never sold out, never signed to a major label, and never cared what anyone thought. Frontman Fat Mike is punk’s sardonic court jester: politically charged, sharp-tongued, and never far from controversy — or a corset. Their 1994 track “Linoleum” is a chaotic, honest anthem about finding identity in the scraps — no frills, no chorus, just pure punk ethos.

Time Bomb

RANCID

This week, it’s Rancid — East Bay punks with hearts full of ska and boots made for the pit. Time Bomb, from 1995, is a ska-punk stomper that blends streetwise grit with infectious groove. Tim Armstrong’s raw, choppy guitar style — played left-handed on an upside-down righty, slung impossibly low — is as distinctive as his gravel-soaked voice. His silhouette, hunched over that guitar like a street poet in combat boots, hit me so hard it became the subject of my first tattoo. This one skanks with swagger and bleeds authenticity.

Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)

THE OFFSPRING

Rounding off our month of 90s Californian punk is The Offspring with their 1998 satirical smash, Pretty Fly (For a White Guy). This one struts in with cheesy swagger, poking fun at suburban wannabes with borrowed street style and no clue. The Offspring always had a knack for mixing punk energy with pop hooks, and here they lean into full-blown parody without losing their bite. It’s loud, it’s ridiculous — and it had us all saying “Give it to me baby… uh huh, uh huh.”

Coma America

AMEN

Fronted by the brilliantly named and utterly feral Casey Chaos (RIP), Amen were the snarling, bloodied bridge between punk and nu-metal—too unhinged for the mainstream, too loud to ignore. Coma America is a full-throttle howl of rage at the American dream turned nightmare. It’s political, primal, and positively filthy with fury. Chaos didn’t sing so much as vomit truth into a mic, and this track still punches like a barbed-wire-wrapped fist.

Break Stuff

LIMP BIZKIT

This song is the musical equivalent of a smashed IKEA chair. It’s angry, it’s immature, and that’s exactly the point. Fred Durst may not have been punk in the traditional sense, but Limp Bizkit carried a chaotic, middle-finger energy that punk kids could recognise—even if it came with DJ scratches and dad jokes. Break Stuff is all about that one day when everything winds you up and somethings about to get decked for breathing too loud.

Wake Up

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

The closing track from The Matrix – and what a way to walk out of a cinema. I remember being floored by the film… and then this kicked in. That slow-burn intro, the tension, the fury, and finally Zack de la Rocha’s prophetic roar — “WAKE UP!” It sent shivers down my spine. I tracked the song down the next day and became an instant fan. Rage weren’t just a band; they were a political riot with guitar pedals. Wake Up still feels urgent, still feels dangerous — and still makes you want to take the red pill and rage against the machines.

War?

SYSTEM OF A DOWN

Before they broke the charts with Chop Suey! and became the weirdest household name in metal, System of a Down were already spitting fire on their debut album. War? is a razor-edged anti-war anthem, fuelled by fury and frenetic riffs. The band’s Armenian heritage runs deep through their music—this one pulls no punches in confronting militarism, corruption, and the lies used to justify conflict. Serj Tankian snarls, growls and pleads through it all like a man possessed. It’s punk in spirit, metal in delivery, and still feels like it’s seconds from imploding. Unhinged. Uncompromising. Unmissable.

I’m With Stupid

STATIC-X

I was obsessed with this band back in the day — pure industrial sleaze with enough crunch to rattle your fillings. I’m With Stupid is gloriously dumb, feral, and full-throttle — nu-metal at its most chaotic. Wayne Static’s vertical hair defied both gravity and logic.  He looked like a cartoon supervillain who’d been electrocuted during a Nine Inch Nails gig. This track still slaps like a spiked baseball bat in a mosh pit. Rest in static-powered peace, Wayne.

Listen on Apple Music | Spotify

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