Craic Killers – Who Said I Was… (2026)
It’s a fact that in a divided society, art thrives. With global tension at such a precipice, the importance of expression through music has never been more important. Stepping up to the plate are Craic Killers, a band I’ve not heard of until they dropped in my inbox with their debut EP, Who Said I Was…. Reading that their influences included The Dead Kennedys and Black Flag caught my attention straight away as I grew up on their music, and I couldn’t wait to dive into the record.
Opening track ‘Itheann’ hit me like a tonne of bricks and delivered instantly what I was expecting. The fast-paced riffs accompanied by the chanting, “They’re eating babies, and they’ll eat yours too”, could not have been a more punk way to introduce themselves as a true powerhouse of the genre. I was hooked, singing along straight away; it gave me the same rush I got the first time I heard ‘My War’ from Black Flag 25 years ago.
With a change of pace, but not losing any energy, comes ‘Gimmie’, which is a certified tune and truly genius piece of social commentary, name-checking MAGA, Donald Trump and Andrew Tate, giving an intelligently crafted satire of the right side of the political spectrum. This kind of songwriting is what sets bands apart from the flock when it comes to punk. Anyone can scream and shout without really saying much, but it takes true talent to convey an idea with an articulate delivery that only a few can do.
I would put Craic Killers up there with masters of the craft, Sleaford Mods, who, honestly, I’ve only recently come to appreciate fully. With ‘PSNI’ it’s straight back into pure mindless punk passion, which is very easy to get lost in and again just proves there is always a place for a good old rant.
Offering something unique at the halfway point with ‘Interlude’, the use of a largely instrumental track is not something often delivered in the world of punk rock, but it worked very well as a musical palette cleanser, including some subtle spoken word at the end. It perfectly led into the final two tracks of the record, which were my favourites by far.
Starting with ‘TFL’, I loved the raw droning sound, which allowed the lyrics to be appreciated. Again, it just cemented them as great lyricists. Finally came ‘Public Relations’ – for me, the track of the EP. It takes everything I’d already heard, combines it and turned up to the max. Musically, it’s pure punk: the aggression, the tempo, it all just comes together perfectly. Add the vocals to it, and you get the perfect punk rock tune.
Bands like Craic Killers are the reason I love doing what I do; discovering a band of this calibre and intensity shows there are plenty of bands out there to shine a light on the state of the world. I cannot wait to catch them live. As soon as they make the trip north from their London base, I’ll be there; until then, Who Said I Was… will be getting some heavy play in my house.
Find out more about Craic Killers on their official website, Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, Bandcamp, YouTube and Spotify.
This artist was sent to us by Knight PR.
