The album blasts off in style with The Boy Who Knows Everything, and from then on there is no looking back, every song is a winner, this is absolutely an all killer, no filler album. That being said, they still display their original punk attitude and sneer and retain that underlying groove that has Reaction written all over it. Every song sounds very much like it belongs on a Reaction album, Big Carson has an undeniably recognisable vocal, and Joe’s guitar has its familiar tone, but with each release they have switched things up, adding elements and experimenting with styles to bring a fresh new sound. I’ve literally listened to the album half a dozen times today and wouldn’t tire of an other half dozen listens. In my mind, the band haven’t put a foot wrong with their albums to date, but if anything they’ve raised the bar once again with this new record. On their last album Keep it Weird, Keep it Wired it was the welcome addition of brass on songs such as the brilliant Welcome to Rust Town, this time we’ve got banjos and harmonica (or the moothie if yer from roon this way) to add some different textures to the music. Vigilantibus has them up the ante once again bringing different instruments into the mix to spice things up a bit. The current line up of Ian Carson (vocals), Joe Whyte (guitars), John Bryson (drums) and new boy Angus McPhee on bass once again prove Reaction are not a band to rest on their laurels and settle for the same old same old. (Interesting fact…The Zips last album Huh? and Vigilantibus both feature cover art from the talented Stephen Scott) They’ve keep their foot down ever since, and this week sees the release of album number 3, Vigilantibus, proving that they, alongside The Zips, are still up there with the West of Scotland’s premier protagonists of that original wave of punk.
Crashing out of that hotbed of talent, Airdrie, in the late 70’s (actor Ian Bannen, footballer Brian McClair – need I go on) on the crest of the first wave of punk, Reaction only actually released their debut album Accelerator in 2016.
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