MC16: Machine Code
(Neverlution Records)
CD | DL
Out 14th February 2025
PRE-ORDER HERE
Following a number of insightful and hard-wired singles and mini-albums, Wolverhampton’s MC16 finally deliver their debut album, Machine Code. And for a band who are on a mission to challenge, confront, question and entertain, this is an album that delivers on all fronts as their own brand of classic reggae-infused punk rock explodes from the grooves in a sonic blast of glorious noise.
MC16 aren’t exactly the new boys on the block having been treading the boards and securing whatever studio time they could afford for around five years now whilst developing and fine tuning their craft along the way. But as a band formed by a bunch of guys who kept meeting at gigs in the Wolverhampton area, it’s certainly been a rocky road in the intervening period. However, fate and destiny prevailed as mid-term glitches were repaired and the original line up regrouped ready for the big push.
Having already released a string of thought-provoking video singles and two mini-albums which inspired a growing fan base, they also captured a whole bunch of new fans due to their song United States Of Generica being picked up and used by YouTuber and engineer Colin Furze. But there is no doubt that MC16 have been causing something of a stir on the live circuit having already played Rebellion Festival three times, Morecambe Punk Festival twice, Nice ‘N’ Sleazy Festival pre-party and supported the likes of Spear Of Destiny, 999, Peter and The Test Tube Babies, Gimp Fist, Dirt Box Disco and many more besides. So, with their reputation growing it seemed high time for their debut album to hit the racks, and here it is in the form of Machine Code.
MC16 comprise Carson on guitar and vocals, Quinn on bass and vocals and Duffy on drums. Through their collective efforts, they have fashioned a sound which is heavy, hard-hitting, fast and direct, with a rampaging spirit that leaves you in no doubt what the core messages are. The fact that the album was recorded in the Old Cider Press Studios in the wilds of Worcestershire with Dave Draper (The Wildhearts, The Professionals) at the controls speaks volumes for the sound that unfolds.
Whilst Machine Code delves into many areas of modern life’s standards and morals, it is done so with some serious care and attention, as Carson explains, “Our lyrics are more a thought process, unpacking the issues of what the song is about as we think through them, so it’s quite spontaneous and live. But sadly our brains don’t work quick enough to freestyle like the brilliant rappers do!”
As an album with ten songs lasting 25 minutes, this is what you call a short sharp sonic attack on the senses. But amidst all the noise, there are some deeply impassioned messages in the same way that The Clash so often plundered a sharp societal and political narrative. And on the same tack, whilst MC16’s sound has a hard edge, it nonetheless fully embraces wider cultural influences through the frequent use of reggae rhythms which allow the songs and their messages to come to the surface and breathe.
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Opening song Shoot ‘Em Up is a strong case in point with an emotionally charged view on modern warfare. Dominated by vocals which convey a real sense of anger and a hard driving rhythm which is punctuated by guitar breaks which give off the aura of gunfire or sirens, it encapsulates a stark warning that “Consequence is made to order, Start a war with one supporter” with a brief reggae-infused respite coming with the message “They launch attacks waving Union Jacks, There’s never any military shyness.” As Duffy explains, “If there actually are rules of war then rule 1 seems to be its perfectly OK to bomb families as long as you say that you meant to hit a military target. Although it seems you don’t even have to say that now! War is just an action.”
One From Another follows with a similar attitude, driven along with a burning bass line and punctuated by incendiary guitar breaks and reggae overtones, together with a brief spoken word section by Quinn about growing up in Birmingham. As Carson explains, “The song is about the fact that biologically we are all just one from another. That is our starting point in life, and it can be a lifelong tangle. You are born pre-loaded with all the preconceptions and stereotypes which then evolve and develop for better or worse.”
Ground Control opens with yet another menacing bass line before the songs explodes into a searing mass of anger and energy as the full force of MC16 unfolds around our ears. It’s very much a hard hitting take on the current phenomena of data paranoia as Quinn outlines, “Ground Control is basically what the internet has become. People are told not to trust the government, don’t trust mass media, don’t trust the police, doctors, even each other and we should question anything they say or just call it a lie. However, if it’s a complete stranger posting something online then we are told to believe it as it must be true, no smoke without fire and all that.”
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Can’t Get No Fun opens with a cacophonous roll of drums and a thunderous bass line as the largely spoken word narrative tackling neighbourhood unrest wrestles with a reggae styled beat which melds seamlessly with highly charged punk-infused chorus lines. Vivid memories of seeing The Clash performing Police And Thieves flash across my mind as I listen.
OHternative bristles with intensity as the pummelling grooves crash and burn over what could have been if our lives had taken a different course, whilst Data Donors explodes with jarring guitar runs and hard-hitting vocals riddled with fear and frustration as technology driven data paranoia is in danger of overwhelming the landscape. As Duffy elaborates, “Some of us are blood donors, some liver donors or whatever else but the fact is we are all data donors whether we like it or not. In fact, our data is more sought after than any of our human body parts.”
Six songs in and its already clear that MC16 are pulling no punches as their high energy yet deeply entrenched challenge to the society that surrounds them, and the establishment that governs it all, gathers momentum. This continues through Tourist which challenges the British penchant for the package holiday, invading foreign spaces seemingly with little consideration for local custom or language. Polytechnic also offers a deeply sceptical view of the worth of this now archaic seat of learning which may not have been what it was all cracked up to be back in the day. As Duffy observes, “Polytechnic was once the beacon of learning but who is learning the most and applying their knowledge the best? Scammers, criminals, corrupt public officials and politicians. I don’t want to leave this world knowing I gave more money to scammers than charities!”
More hard-edged rhythms and snarling vocals follow through Bricks and Martyrs which offers some recognition that we create the world we now live in and ultimately, we are the masters of our own destiny, whilst also acknowledging that we all get dealt different cards from the pack that life shuffles for us. Workers 40 closes the album with a bold and brash statement of support for the coal workers from Thatcher’s time back in the 80s, acknowledging the 40th anniversary of the miner’s strike, and those very dark times when so many people lost both their jobs and the hope they had for the future, as well as so many communities being destroyed.
Through Machine Code, MC16 have delivered a savage sonic attack on the senses which has absorbed all the cultural challenges that surround them in the urban jungle of life. With a sound which harks back to some of the classic influences that emerged from the darkened edges of the subversive underground back in the 70s, MC16 have honed a classic reggae-infused punk sound steeped in angular rhythms, jagged guitars, thundering bass lines and powerhouse drumming, all enveloped within inciteful and street-wise narratives.
It might well have taken five years to get here, but Machine Code is an outstanding debut album which will surely stand the test of time. As a band who recognise the power of music to challenge, confront, question and entertain, Machine Code ticks every single box as a fearsome statement of intent and a challenge to authority. Accept no substitutes, punk ain’t dead yet and is positively alive and kicking right here, right now in the hands of MC16.
You can pre-order the album here.
You can find MC16 on Facebook, X (Twitter) and Bandcamp.
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All words by Ian Corbridge. You can find more of his writing at his author profile here.
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