Is ‘Loan Sharks’ the mighty Guana Batz’ best album? That’s as contentious a question as asking someone to define the difference between rockabilly and psychobilly. By this point in their career, forty years ago, the Batz were Klub Foot sensations and well established as psychobilly heroes, and their debut record, ‘Held Down..At Last!’ had already given us enduring favourites like ‘King Rat’ and ‘Please Give Me Something’. But it’s ‘Loan Sharks’ which has given them a combined two million streams on Spotify across its singles, and provided them with three of their top five tracks. Does it still Rock n Roll in 2026 though?

Let’s tackle the Big Song first: ‘Loan Sharks’ is the album that contained the rockabilly reinvention of Bruce Springsteen’s spooky little song, ‘I’m On Fire’. It’s almost straight Rock n Roll, with barely a hint of psycho aside from the sneer on Pip Hancox’s vocals, and a world apart from the dream-like original. There’s a reason why it’s become such a classic and probably their biggest song to date: it’s the most irrepressibly jolly form of Guana Batz.

‘Radio Sweetheart’, still a regular feature on setlists today with the reputation of the Batz’ most romantic song, is so simple but so effective. Listening today is a revelation as it feels crystal clear how this song’s path led to the pits and singalongs that we’re still seeing now at Batz shows. Then we’ve got their take on Chuck Berry’s ‘No Particular Place to Go’, and it’s a version just bursting with love and authenticity. They’re being so real on this recording, and the guitar and sax combo makes this incredibly immediate and contemporary.

It’s a contradiction that the ‘biggest’ tracks on ‘Loan Sharks’ are the ones that sound the least like the quinessential frantic Guana Batz that we know and love, but there’s a lot of their unmistakable style slotted in between the singles. ‘Slippin In’ is still absolutely ace, with a livewire energy and a breakneck speed, and ‘Life’s A Beach’ is endless twang, plus the tightly plotted ‘Loan Shark’ is deliciously claustrophobic. Nothing about this album feels forty years old, which might explain why it’s still such a big feature in their setlists now. It’s such an immediate record from start to finish, and so easy to get back into on a deeper re-listen.

Does it still Rock n Roll? Without a doubt. ‘Loan Sharks’ might be a little softer than their live shows but captures everything we dig about Guana Batz. It hasn’t aged a day, and that’s what makes ‘Loan Sharks’ so brilliant.

Kate Allvey

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