Meryl Streek
Stories They Don’t Teach You At School
Venn Records
Vinyl | CD | DL
Released 9 October 2026
★★★★★ 5/5
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Three albums in after this one and Meryl is not letting it lie down. He’s covered corrupt landlords, child death on 796, nightclub nightmares, dodgy deaths and suicides, you name it. He doesn’t stop here on his quest for justice through punk sound and lyrics in his own genuine way. Wayne AF Carey reviews yet again a guy who needs to be fucking heard…
The thing about Meryl Streek is he doesn’t do things by halves. The videos have always been top quality, which look like they’ve been done by a pro, his lyrics are astounding realistic stories and he keeps true to his morals. His first venture into his own sermonic world of twats and bastards is a testament to his true aim in this shit business. His live performances are second to none and unlike anything you’ll witness and can compare to in this arena of punks trying to prove how loud and great they are. It’s the real deal. The only problem I’ve ever had is the punk guitar part in Death To The Landlord which was well too low in the mix and should have been a crunching bit of sound that sounded a bit limp. Who the fuck am I to criticise though? Shoot me if I’m wrong…
Introducing track Welcome is the same biting fare from the angry bastard who means it. A scathing news report from the Meryl. Rotten Fruit is pure punk mania with a manic beat and samples with pure venom to follow. And when you get the master from Crass – Steve Ignorant involved you know it’s the fuckin’ business. The bollocks. Rags To Riches starts with a great bass line and a funky bastard with the intelligent line ‘And if you’re gonna do it wrong, at least pretend you’re doing it right’. Council Estates is a brutal stab at the quality of life of the working classes which my mate Rum Lad touches on a regular basis. Another piece of important punk from the voice of reason that MS likes to push our way to great effect with some effective samples.
Depression is just a fast as fuck fucker with a banjo flirting with a rock guitar and the masterful lyrics from the punk upstart who packs a punch. “It’s never too late to become someone better…” Kelly is a grim bastard touching on an alleged suicide covered up by the Gardai. A tragic story that Meryl Streek likes to expose in his songs and tales of corruption that he tries to make people aware of. Why he is an important artist who doesn’t give a fuck about showing us the truth about blatant disregard for innocent people being washed away by violence to the innocent. Be The Hammer is a personal song and the mellowist number I’ve heard from MS yet. A close look at people who struggle with the trials and tribulations of life. I hear this and see the issues I had on my journey through shit periods. It’s a moody bastard and a personal look at struggles we all go through.
The Chancer is a funky mellow bastard that doesn’t name a certain pleb that MS knows and most people in Ireland will. A great swirling guitar riff that burns into a great tune and Streek’s caustic lyrics. It’s a fuckin’ belter as usual and keeps the theme of the housing issue in Ireland. The Phill Jupitus outro just shows that MS is getting to the wider audience that we at LTW knew he’d hit from the start. Housing For All is a fast as fuck number that tries to get across his message about the shit storm of the housing issue which incorporates audio from Derelict Ireland campaigners Frank O’Connor and Jude Sherry. Incendiary stuff. Bullet is probably the best track I’ve heard since Death To The Landlord. The lyrics are the just all hate hate hate. Having a pop at every person who’s a wanker on the planet. Believe me there’s loads of em and Meryl covers the majority. Gallows guitarist Laurent ‘Lags’ Barnard joins forces with Adebisi Shank bassist Vinny McCreit to make this a fuck off tune. Life Is Not A Rehearsal is a poignant track about people you’ve lost in your life, a theme that MS has covered on all his excellent albums. A mention of the great Phil Lynott but not straying away from the actual theme of his lyrics. The album concludes with a three-minute spoken word piece by Frankie McNamara, the viral creator behind ‘Meditations for the Anxious Mind’. He sounds like Mr Mackey from South Park mkay but that’s just me having a laugh at the end of another great album from Meryl Streek.
There are not many people out there who can try to get a message out there like MS at the moment. Seriously. Tune in and listen. Get the message. He’s the best punk poet on the planet and he won’t change the world or the Irish government but with your backing might get somewhere with his potent message to all the ignorant bastards curling under their quilts wishing the problems away. Respect from me anyway…
Get him on at Louder Than War Festival with Molly Vulpyne!!!
Album available here: https://www.piccadillyrecords.com/168159/Meryl-Streek-Stories-They-Dont-Teach-You-At-School-Venn-Records?LTW
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