Three piece from London and the band consisted of Zarb (vocals/bass), P.Nut (guitars), Jik (drums) and they signed to Rot Records, home to many of the UK's gnarliest (and worst) punk bands, the single from Animal Farm sounds like it could have been recorded anywhere between 1977 and 1979. Model Soldier, their sole release, is melodic, mid-paced, cleanly (almost slickly) produced, with easily decipherable vocals (P Nut has a touch of Colin Newman's campy/sarcastic delivery) and none-too-brilliant but certainly acceptable lyrics. Somehow, in spite of its ordinariness, it's a great record. Animal Farm also issued a demo tape in 1983, including such fine material as 'Social Degeneration' and 'Lies', and big things were expected from them, but after the single and tracks on a handful of Rot compilations, they vanished. A review: "for some reason, ANIMAL FARM sound like a punkish band from the '79 era (e.g., the SHAPES). They have a certain quirky melodic quality, a clever wit, and a cleaner guitar sound than one normally finds today. "Model Soldier" is a sarcastic look at enlistees; the flip seems to be a continuation of the Jilted John/Julie story." (Jeff Bale, MMR #14, June 1984) The farmers can also be found on numerous interesting compilations, good luck.
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