30 May 2017 // A review by Paul Goddard
I was really looking forward to this album. I love punk and with a name like EbolaBabies, it was pretty clear that this set of songs should be right up my street. In fact, the band has termed their music "scrap metal". I like their attitude, if you are going to be pigeon-holed by other people why not get in there first and do it yourself.

Ok, so let's get into the music. The album starts with a tongue in cheek version of the NZ National Anthem complete with sheep noises. It made me smile and it is short enough not to get too annoying. Reminds me of something that Deja Voodoo would come up with and there are other tracks on this album in a similar vein.

The first thing that stands out is Jason White's vocals. This man really does sound like he has rocks rattling around in the back of his throat. Songs like Caravan Lovers and Gimp Man (yep sense of humour still intact) are reminiscent of bands like UK Subs or some of the Oi' bands of the early eighties.

This music isn't pretty or clever and with lyrics like "I have seen some funny shit, some fucking weird shit, ping pong balls and shit" (Gimp Man) it's clear that Ebola Babies aren't aiming for the politically motivated, activist punk crowd.

By this point I was hoping for a bit more energy and Red Light District picks up the pace with a clever use of samples and backing vocals, it is the stand out track for me. The rest of the album is much of the same really.

These guys have a formula and they seem to be sticking to it. Ebola Babies don't kick, spit and scream they chug along doing their own thing and that's ultimately what didn't work for me. I wanted a bit more buzz, a bit of the energy that was hinted at in Red Light District. A bit of variation. Music needs to make you feel something - I want to love it or hate it and in the end, I wasn't doing either.

Great attitude, great name, stand out voice and looking at the live footage from recent gigs, I think that is where you should check out these songs. Go and see them live.

The Sex Pistols had one, Cockney Rejects had one, Sham 69 had one, so when a band was being put together that was going to channel the sounds and ethics of these bastions of the punk scene, the only thing that made sense was having three guitarists. But no widdly widdly solos or fancy duets, this is all about plugging in, riffing hard and creating a whole new form of punk which they call 'Scrap Metal'.

Jason originally started the band four years ago as the drummer, and after a few changes he moved to guitar and was joined by Graham on bass. Jon joined as a second guitarist, but when the drummer left he swapped six strings for a drum seat. Talk about musical chairs! They stayed as a trio for a while, but it wasn't delivering the power they wanted so in stepped Kev, who has been a mate of Graham's for twenty-five years. He added another dimension to the sound, but it still wasn't what they were striving for, and it was with the arrival of Ants in late 2015, who brought a heavier vibe, that things felt right. With three guitars, they punish the ears in an assault on the senses.

They had trouble finding a name that suited them, and worked under the moniker Red Light District for a while after the song of the same name, but then they discovered that there was a Dutch jazz band using it. It wasn't until Graham heard a report on the radio about a woman who gave birth to a baby born with Ebola that they knew what name they were to use.

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