About the Album#
Poets Of England is where The Vermin Poets hit their stride — a short, punchy record that packs twelve songs into under forty minutes without a wasted moment. Released in 2010 on Damaged Goods, the album channels the roughed-up energy of early garage punk through an English underground tradition, with Billy Childish’s guest bass on “Like Poets Often Do” underscoring the band’s lineage and lending the track a particular gravity. That song is a natural entry point: urgent, direct, and representative of everything the album does well.
Beyond that highlight, Poets Of England rewards the full listen. The arrangements are lean, the performances ragged in exactly the right way, and there is a wit running through the lyrics — from the blunt attack of “Baby Booming Bastards” to the slow-burning title track — that sets the band apart from straightforward revivalists. It is a record that earns its Damaged Goods imprint with conviction.
Tracklist
- 01 Spartan Dregg2:45
- 02 He's Taken His Eye Off the Sparrow3:16
- 03 Like Poets Often Do3:18
- 04 Baby Booming Bastards2:51
- 05 Grandfathery2:18
- 06 She's Got Ears2:44
- 07 Vermin Poets3:22
- 08 Arthur Was a Gun Runner2:46
- 09 Musical Pamphlet3:07
- 10 Poets of England3:11
- 11 A Cup of Deadly Cheer3:18
- 12 The Sun Was the Beginning of the Morning4:02
