2024 marks the 30th anniversary of that fleeting period of British guitar music we remember as the 'New Wave Of New Wave'. Christened by the NME, it was a loud, chaotic, punky, and exciting but short-lived scene which laid the groundwork for the fledgling 'Britpop' movement that overtook and overshadowed it. Britpop has had countless books, TV documentaries and podcasts dedicated to it, but NWONW has been largely forgotten by the general public (that's if they even knew about it in the first place), which is a pity as some great music came out of it.

Probably the most iconic NWONW band is/was S*M*A*S*H. Hailing from the otherwise overlooked home counties commuter town of Welwyn Garden City, S*M*A*S*H combined those twin pillars of a cool band - they sounded brilliant and they had an instantly recognisable look. S*M*A*S*H's frontman, a certain Mr. Ed Borrie, was very much the face of NWONW, he adorned the front covers of the weekly music press (yes, there were weekly music papers… ask your parents if you're under the age of 30!) on multiple occasions. Ed was portrayed by journalists and photographers as an 'angry young man' (on one cover he was seen wielding an assault rifle, another saw him pulling the pin of a hand grenade with his teeth!), but nothing could be further from the truth. Ed is thoughtful, considerate and passionately political - an all-round good bloke.

It was always a mystery to me as a fan that S*M*A*S*H didn’t transition to bigger levels of fame and success. Other early NWONW acts included Shed Seven and Echobelly who both went on to rack up Top 40 hits and many TV appearances between them. But, wait! S*M*A*S*H have one great accolade and that's their ground-breaking appearance on the BBC’s flagship music show 'Top Of The Pops' performing “Shame” which wasn't even out as a single (it was released on an EP) and therefore technically ineligible for the show, but ToTP's producer Ric Blaxill bent the rules to have them on, such was the buzz about S*M*A*S*H at the time. This was unprecedented.

So here we are thirty years later and Ed is still making music - good music, valid music, topical music. The weekly music press and ToTP are long gone and S*M*A*S*H are on what feels like a permanent hiatus. But Ed is still going strong and here is a new set of songs that S*M*A*S*H fans will feel carry on the important work of the band. “The Ballad Of Michelle Money And Doug Barrow (Too Long In Paris)” is classic Ed Borrie songwriting, he’s the master of the topical political protest song - think back to 1994’s visceral “(I Want To) Kill Somebody” when Ed rebuked the Tory MPs of the time in no uncertain terms.

Well, here in 2024, there’s no shortage of targets and Michelle Mone won’t be surprised to find herself in the crosshairs for her dodgy dealings. The Sacklers' pharmaceutical company Purdue and its complicity in the USA’s opioid epidemic are taken to task in “Killing US With The 80s”.

The main difference, when comparing these songs with S*M*A*S*H's songs from the 90’s, is that the sound Ed achieves now is far richer and more layered - making the material here (and on his other solo releases) a far smoother and more luxurious aural experience.

It’s great to have new music from Ed, he’s a talented, hard-working and honest artist and, in the current mess that humanity has got itself into, we could do with more people like him. You get the feeling Ed isn’t too worried about his lack of superstar status though. After all, he’s an artist not a celebrity, a musician of integrity and that’s important, right? But, citing the title of the song he sang on that game-changing episode of ToTP, it’s a SHAME he doesn’t get the recognition he so very much deserves.

Enjoy these new songs and let’s hope there’s more to come from Ed soon.