Tyrannosaurus Alan

Tyrannosaurus Alan

Tyrannosaurus Alan is a punk and ska group from Medway, United Kingdom. The band mixes punk, ska and hip-hop elements, with horns, bass, drums, guitar and vocals forming its core sound. Its songs include politically charged material, and its live performances are described as high-energy and loud.

Background

The group comes from Medway and presents itself as a band that plays any venue it can get into, touring in a battered old van called Pam. It describes a life of travelling, sleeping wherever there is space and eating whatever it can afford. The band also states that it has played many gigs, including a large number it treats humorously as an exaggerated total.

Style and sound

Its music combines punk with ska, and also draws on hip-hop. The band uses brass alongside a standard rock lineup, and its songs move between rap-led sections and anthem-like passages. Its material is associated with the energy of acts such as Sonic Boom Six and Rage Against the Machine, and its sound is also compared with groups including Reel Big Fish, Madness, The Clash, The Streets, Gorillaz and The Specials.

Reception

Descriptions of the band emphasise the force of its live shows, its politically driven lyrics and the crowd reaction it provokes. One live review singles out the song “Bombard the BBC” as an example of the band’s aggressive delivery and ska undertone.