September 2025 Press Release (PDF)
https://smorg.aflip.in/b66b522b8e.html#page/28
A fantastic review by Steve Thomas-Green!
Definitely one album that should be on your to buy list. 9/10
Punchdrunk Saints are their name and playing high octane rock n roll is their game!.
You know what? Sometimes, you just need to strip everything back. No corpse paint, no blast beats, no Satanic invocations screamed through a throat shredded by ice and despair — just a cold drink, a busted speaker, and a record that sounds like it’s been marinated in cigarette smoke and cheap bourbon. That’s exactly what the self-titled debut from Punchdrunk Saints delivers.
Dom Daley, RPM Online 23/10/25
It’s not all full tilt ROCK as the reflective ‘Days Of Our Lives’ will testify. With a great hook, it’s made for radio and in another time and place, this would be massive. As far as modern Rock albums go, Punchdrunk Saints have picked up a thing or two along the way. Choruses that hit hard riffs that hit harder and the odd gentler machine gun hand, knowing when to blast off and when to relax and kick back.
There’s a lot in the pipeline as you can imagine. And they’re great guys and they’re really laid back. And they’re younger than me, which is good. Well, I’m sure everyone’s younger than me. So, you sort of feed off their energy as well. It’s a pleasure being in a band with them. If somebody gives us a chance and we can get out there and give it our all, 45 minutes or whatever, we’d be grateful for the chance.
Good friends of mine, Dennis Stratton and Dave Edwards, suggested a singer named Mark Salmon. He hadn’t really done it before, just a couple of wedding bands. I took him in the studio, and he was fucking great. He’s this six-foot-five guy with a lovely voice who can also really belt it out. We’ve also got a guy called Tim Atkinson on bass now. They’re great, laid back, and younger than me, which is good.
CD review by Jim Roland, October 24th 2025
It won’t be too much of a surprise to Rejects’ fans and others that Geggus has ditched the punk and embraced hard rock once more. More traditional rock sounds were embraced by the Rejects as far back as their Pete Way-produced album ‘The Wild Ones’ in 1982, and there were certainly a few rock stormers on the last Cockney Rejects album ‘Power Grab’ in 2022.
Gavin Brown from Echoes and Dust has a chat with Micky Geggus…
“I think pretty much. It took its time to make, obviously, because I was coming out of the Cockney Rejects. I’ve always wanted to do this kind of thing. I did it back in 1982 and with an album called Wild Ones with the Rejects, but obviously people weren’t quite ready for that at the time. it’s just a long lasting wish fulfillment with this one. So yeah, I want it to be our statement and manifesto, and hopefully we’ll carry on in very much the same vein.”
Christmas has really come early. Punchdrunk Saints feature former Cockney Rejects guitarist Micky Geggus who has a real interest in hard rock. Back in 1982 the Rejects recorded a solid hard rock album called ‘The Wild Ones’ which was produced by UFO’s Pete Way. It’s full of beefy hard rock tunes with a mean muscular production. The Rejects followed that record with ‘Quiet Storm’ which was a homage to the likes of Humble Pie before they came back with the rockier ‘Lethal’ and now we have this debut from Punchdrunk Saints and boy what a follow up!
Get Ready to ROCK!–Album review: PUNCHDRUNK SAINTS – S/t–Get Ready to ROCK!
In 2023 The Cockney Rejects’ guitarist and founder, Micky Geggus, after much soul searching, decided to leave the band that he created in 1979. Along with original Rejects’ bassist, Vinny Riordan, Mick decided to embark upon a project that encompassed his first love: hard, heavy, and at the same time, melodic, rock.
They added drummer, Reg Downer, and acting on a tip from guitarist friends, Dennis Stratton (who adds backing vocals on the album) and Dave Edwards, he recruited vocalist Marc Salmon. This was the line-up that recorded this debut album, however, since then the band have since changed line-up as neither Vinny nor Reg could commit to the band long-term. They were replaced by drummer Chris Nedzynski and bass player Tim Atkinson (Leader of the Down).
Rich Davenport from Vive Le Rock magazine (issue 120) talks to former Cockney Reject Micky Geggus about his new band, Punchdrunk Saints.
“I’m very excited, it’s a lovely sense of freedom. It’s really fun, and I’m enjoying writing tunes again for the first time in a long time. We’re working on stuff now, drip-feeding singles and I’m looking forward to the new horizon. I thought my time in rock’n’roll was done, but the old beast never gets away from you. It can’t. It’s in you until you die.”
Music with Garry Bushell, Daily Mirror & Daily Express. Album Releases 11th July 2025.
“An explosive debut from the East London combo who marry hard rock riffs with street-punk energy to deliver hi-octane rock’n’roll. As well as hard-hitters like Holy Mother, there’s a Creedence cover (Fortunate Son) and ballads…Meaty hooks abound.”
8/10. Fistful of Metal (Issue 20), Rich Davenport.
“New discovery Marc Salmon sings with an assured blend of melody and grit over ten all-killer-no-filler hard rockers, welding pugnacious AC/DC-style riffs (‘Over You’, ‘Days Of Our Lives’), and thunderous Sabbathy grooves (‘Holy Mother’, ‘Your Time Is Done’), to radio-ready choruses. Throw in a gusty reworking of CCR’s ‘Fortunate Son’, and you’re onto a winner.”
9/10 Rock Hard, Vol. 459, Matthias Mader.
(German Rock magazine 31/08/2025)
“Last year, founding members Mick Geggus (g) and Vince Riordan (b) said goodbye to the Cockney Rejects, which singer Jeff “Stinky” Turner keeps alive with a different line-up. The reason? Mick Geggus, in particular, wanted to finally devote himself to his first great love: hard rock. Anyone who liked “The Wild Ones” by the Rejects will love the Punchdrunk Saints. It starts with ‘Holy Mother,’ which harks back to early Danzig. Even better is ‘I Wanna Know What It’s Like,’ which is a cross between Demolition 23 and Rose Tattoo, while ‘Days Of Our Lives’ resembles an East London answer to Social Distortion. Geggus and Riordan are bursting with joy and spread a fun that is infectious. They inherited their sense for spot-on melodies from the Rejects. The guitar tone, in particular, remains unmistakable. The riffing of ‘Prayer For Tomorrow’ is so tight that Metallica would turn green with envy. ‘Dirty Dreams’ injects another dose of Brit-glam in the style of Sweet. Also terrific: the CCR cover ‘Fortunate Son.’ The veil of silence should only be drawn over the AOR-suited ballad ‘I Know How To Find You.’ I’m thrilled!”