A nice little mention of our show with X on the always enjoyable Victim of Time blog!

You’ll be playing both sides…of this single over and over! If this working class British accent is fake that makes this record twice as awesome. Or Oi!-some, though it’s Oi!-er in accent than execution (more post-punk wave-ish).

http://roctoberreviews.blogspot.com/2010/05/airfix-kits-playing-both-sides-bw.html

A  review of both 7″s that doesn’t actually mention the music at all!

Airfix Kits recently released these 2 7″ ep’s, and it wasn’t until i had both of them in my hands that i began to appreciate their aesthetic. Both of these records take a very “no frills” approach stylistically while displaying a subtle sense of humor about themselves. “Playing Both Sides” uses original photography for a literal depiction of the title track, while “Flex Time” uses found images to create tongue in cheek references to the working world. i really like that both records kept their layouts to strict 2 color pallets even though they were both CMYK printed, and that the A/B labels are exactly the same type lock ups….. have a look.

http://art4punks.blogspot.com/2010/05/airfix-kits.html

Two songs of wound-up, punky pop with a few unfinished edges from this Bay Area trio (ex-Giant Haystacks). Vocals here are the weak link, but their plaintive, hoarse use here, backed by their springloaded, slightly mod-ish delivery makes it seem like a modern update on Empire’s big, meaningful riffs for kids who’ve been bombed out of their minds on TV and the Internet since they’ve been born. Both songs work off of the same spirit of economy and short shocks well enough that these guys might have cornered a tiny scrap of the punk landscape for themselves. Fans of everything from Mission of Burma to the Jam could find something suitable to groove on within. (http://www.dirtnaprecs.com)
(Doug Mosurock)

dustedmagazine.com

AIRFIX KITS:
“Playing Both Sides” b/w “Leaving” and Flex Time: 7” EP
Ten years ago, I sneered at the idea of “singer songwriters,” casting them off into the Yacht Rock camp of Loggins and Messina or post-Wings McCartney. But, as in this often cicada-short lifespan of many punk bands, it’s a worthy enterprise tracing particular folks through their various bands, discovering which of their fingerprints were on the steering wheel of a particular musical conveyance. Airfix Kits emerge from the Giant Haystacks cocoon, vocally led by Allan, a British ex-patriot. The Airfix Kits shed many of the Haystacks’ Minutemen-isms. Charming noodling is replaced by tighter, bouncier songs. And the reason I’m intentionally covering two 7”s in the same review is that they have a nice “snapshots of a time” feel to them. The 7”s work great by themselves, but played one after another, it’s like several short stories—think of author Alan Sillitoe, if that helps—telling a larger one: of a man emotionally betrayed, a man trapped by his lack of ambition, a man who’s surrounded by friends making bad decisions. It’s reminiscent, in the best ways, of early Who, early Jam, and Gang Of Four: specific, but universal narratives played like actual lives are at stake… with a beat you can snap your fingers to. –Todd Taylor (Dirtnap, Deranged)

http://www.razorcake.org/site/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=22247

Airfix Kits live in Oakland but sound like a British band. This is partly because their singer, Allan McNaughton, is a Glaswegian ex-pat; but also because their songs are winningly jagged and calcified, the sound of the slow bleed from Wire and Gang Of Four circa their first LPs to the mid-80s Britshambles that John Robb just did a book about (Big Flame, Bogshed etc). The cover art to ‘Playing Both Sides’, their new seven on Dirtnap, is a photo of two youngsters leaning over their cans of Oranjeboom to get off with each other in a takeaway. ANY 11” PIZZA ONLY £2.90 tells you the location, and perhaps that of McNaughton’s head. His previous band, Giant Haystacks, sounded pretty similar to this minus the Oi-ish vocal backups; they were superb and if they had had even the slightest interest in ‘getting big’, it probably would have happened. Likewise Airfix Kits; I mean, post-punk is like totally over and McNaughton is probably sick of imbeciles in bars telling him his accent is really hot and just like the guy from Franz Ferdinand, but… he writes killer pop songs.

http://thequietus.com/articles/03730-new-column-the-best-in-punk-hardcore-review

I know what you’re thinking: they’re still going? Apparently so, if only online. This is what they said about the “Playing Both Sides” single:
Airfix Kits contribute two very tight pieces of guitar rock with snarled vocals and a cool, throwback vibe, ala Mission of Burma or Gang of Four. Both tracks have a similar sensibility, with the A side being a bit stronger. “Playing Both Sides” has a more memorable hook than the noisier, more angular “Leaving”. Both efforts come and go quickly, and if you are a fan of post punk’s first wave, you may want to check this out.

Jersey Beat

We got this nice review from Eric, King of the Gigabitches:

“Airfix Kits – Flextime. This was described to me as Minutemen meets Gang of Four, and I can see where that comes from. This EP is three excellent “post punk” songs that move along at a really fast clip. Flextime is an ode to a shitty job that let’s you come and go at your leisure and about how almost anything in your day is worth it for that freedom. I’ve never worked flextime but yeah it sounds pretty heavenly. There’s a strong pop element with clap percussion and background “la la la” that will have you happily bopping along at your current, non-flextime job. Rounding out the B-Side are 80s Aesthetic, which I took to be kind of ironic given their sound. The final track is 21 Hot Knives, a song built for screaming at the top of your lungs at concerts spilling beer over your hands as you dance around manically gripping a pint and smiling manically. I got my copy from Sorry State Records but it’s available directly from the band for $5. I’ve ordered the other EP they have and looking forward to it.”

Thanks Eric.

More reviews, this time from Maximum Rocknroll #321.

“Flex Time” EP
The AIRFIX KITS song “Flex Time” on their demo was one of the best I’d heard all year. It sounds slightly different on here; they slowed the pace and it sounds altogether looser. It’s not quite as great a listen as the demo version, but good. The two songs on the B-side are fantastic. AIRFIX KITS has some of the same members of GIANT HAYSTACKS, and this most resembles GIANT HAYSTACKS on the A Rebirth Of Our City EP, a record I really liked. I really like this record, too. Not as static or angular as some of GIANT HAYSTACKS’ WIRE-influence stuff–a bit poppier. Great. (P$) (Paul Lucich)

“Playing Both Sides/Leaving”
The Bay Area’s AIRFIX KITS, rising from the ashes of the sadly underappreciated GIANT HAYSTACKS, has finally delivered their vinyl debut in the form of two 7″ singles. This one, on the ever-reliable Dirtnap label, is the superior platter in this reporter’s opinion. The pair of tunes here are reminiscent of the HAYSTACKS, although less angular and more traditional. More JAM and less GANG OF FOUR, I suppose. The A-side lodges itself in your brain with the help of an exceptionally strong, choppy main riff-one of McNaughton’s best-while the flip delivers an almost surprising “na-na-na” chorus refrain. As for the lyrics… GIANT HAYSTACKS’ songs were often vague, and AIRFIX KITS has a similar approach. “Playing Both Sides” though, deals with stereotypical gender roles in a pretty ambiguous way: “She’s playing both sides / She’s messing with your mind.” I dunno, interpersonal relationships are complex and difficult, not really anything that can be summed up in a couple verses of a punk song, but for the audience’s sake, maybe this one could have benefitted from some clarification; otherwise it risks coming off as subtly sexist… (CS) (Chris Hubbard)

What’s wrong with being sexy???

We also made it onto quite a few of the staff top ten lists, but we can put that down to bribing our mates. Corruption is rife.
Incidentally the issue with the reviews in is the Photo Issue, and it’s well worth checking out. Ricky Adam, who took the pic on the cover of “Playing Both Sides”, has a page of punk pix.

The reviews are trickling in, here’s one from a Spanish blogger named TerminalPicnic:

Airfix Kits son el claro ejemplo que muestra como hacer algo semejante a una de las mejores bandas que habrá jamás (MINUTEMEN) sin ser un verdadero coñazo. 2 ex- GIANT HAYSTACKS tienen la culpa. Muy recomendable.

http://www.fotolog.com/terminalpicnic/58056858

My wife claims that this translates to something like:

Airfix Kits is a clear example of how to do something like one of the best bands that never was (Minutemen) without being a total drag. 2 Ex-Giant Haystacks are to blame. Highly recommended.