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MAURO & THE MOB – New single and live shows

MAURO & THE MOB – New single and live shows

MAURO & THE MOB

‘What Have I Got To Lose’ c/w ‘Don’t Look Now’

Label: Snap! Records

Release date: 21 September 2026

Available now on BANDCAMP and SPOTIFY

 Ex-Speedways guitar-slinger returns with new solo project!

Former lead guitarist with UK powerpop favourites The Speedways, Mauro Venegas announces his first solo single, album and dates.

With a bulging CV to his credit as the capital’s go-to pop/rock guitarist – breaking cover with noughties artpunks The Rocks and Jonny Cola & The A-Grades before three years with The Godfathers plus stints in Duncan Reid’s Big Heads and Desperate Measures – Mauro played a key role in establishing the Speedways’ reputation, built on three studio albums, a swathe of international touring and hosting five increments of the annual Pump It Up! powerpop weekender, before departing the band last year.

“I was getting restless in The Speedways and wanted to explore new musical territory,” he says.  “I feel like if you stand still musically, you go backwards, and that wasn’t for me. Most of the acts I admire (Bowie, Prince, Clash, Dexys) took risks and got out of their comfort zone. I wanted to make a more adventurous album, so as well as full-throttle rock’n’roll, you’ll get rousing soul stompers, moody postpunk and midnight confessionals – songs to make you sad, songs to give you hope, songs to blast in your car or to absorb in a darkened room.”

Since then, all eyes (and ears) have been on what Mauro would do next. Well. The wait is finally over!!!

Credited to Mauro & The Mob, new single ‘What Have I Got To Lose’ c/w ‘Don’t Look Now’ finds Mauro taking centre-stage on lead vocals and guitar, joined by Rachel Stamp’s David Ryder Prangley on bass, and drummer Steve Grainger (Chelsea, DeRellas, Last Great Dreamers).

Speaking of the new single, he says, “Trying to write a song on one chord, in the same way as New Wave classics like ‘Big Boys’ by Elvis Costello and ‘Whole Wide World’ by Wreckless Eric…  Bit of a cheeky Bowie lift going on in the chorus but no one seems to have noticed it yet! Lyrically it’s about the dangers and frustrations of falling into patterns of destructive behaviour.”

Mauro’s currently preparing live dates for the Autumn as well as some dates in Europe in the New Year, where he’ll be joined by the musicians on the single plus his old A-Grades bandmate Simon Drowner. The as yet untitled debut album – due in the New Year – promises a diverse array of guests: “It’s basically a solo project with a collective of musicians/friends helping me out!”

Mauro & The Mob will be launching the project with a special show at London’s Aces & Eights on 2nd October.

They’ll also be opening for The Briefs and The Cyanide Pills at The Lexington on 11th November.

Like the man says, what has he got to lose?

FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM

Pat Todd & The Rank Outsiders – ‘I’ll Dream Alone’ (Hound Gawd! Records)

Pat Todd & The Rank Outsiders – ‘I’ll Dream Alone’ (Hound Gawd! Records)

I’ll Dream Alone’ is the ninth studio album from Pat Todd & his Rank Outsiders, a guy who should be a household name in raw roots rock n roll if the world were fair and just and rock ‘ n ‘ roll music was rightly appreciated by those who tune in a /or drop out. For those who don’t know or care, I’m going to let you know that once you’re done listening to this bad boy, you’ll need to investigate the LAzy Cowgirls because that’s where Pat and some of his Rank Outsiders hail from, along with the LA Guns, it would seem. They play real, roots, raw rock n roll; it’s as simple as that. There isn’t a magic formula, just some guys who write and perform to the best blueprint there is. It’s loud and infectious and always produced really well, which should appeal to anyone with a sympathetic ear for the good stuff. On this here record, they’ve poured twelve chunks of that good stuff onto the wax and kick it off with the lead single ‘Desire Has Left Town,’ a foot on the monitor wedge, head-down slab of no-nonsense boogie-woogie with a subtle hook on the chorus that leans into the guitar break that is of classic vintage, and the subtle shift in gear and tempo is majestic. If you’re not punching the air when the song fades away, I’d call a medic.

The songs have been road-tested and recorded at the same Californian studio the last two albums have, so they must be comfortable as the good times pour through the speakers ‘Ambition Street’ starts like they’ve found the Johnny Thunders / Chuck Berry mainline from the next life, as that bass line walks as the finest heartbreakers’ basslines did whilst rampaging like the bastard child of ‘Mama Kin’.

The pace is a little bit measured on ‘We’re Outta Time’ compared to the openers, but it’s still as cool as a polar bear sitting on a fox’s glacier mint. Hell, it’s got handclaps and woohoo’s. ‘Mediocre Hearts’ is almost horizontal in its late night smokey grab your gal slow dance number, but it’s got a sweet harmonica solo in the middle of a wonderful, lazy tempo.

The tempo is picked up again as shots are fired and the backbeat gets the blood pumping before ‘The Last of Me’ starts a punch-up to end side one in fine style.

Replenish your glass because side two kicks off with ‘Blood And Gunpowder’, and that’s followed by ‘Night Beat’, dedicated to Randy Stone, with a thumping rhythm that drives the song on before Pat takes a breather and Guitarist Nick Alexander jumps onto the mic and delivers some cool licks and vocals. If you want some wholesome roots Americana, then ‘Can’t Get Arrested In This Town’ will have your cup overflowing. It’s Green On Red Dan Baird countrified balladeering with more of that sweet gob iron wheezing in all the right places, making it one hell of a song.

As the album slides to its natural end, the penultimate rocker is ‘The World Don’t Need You’ that kicks up some dust before the title track throws some petrol on proceedings and crashes and burns with one of the album’s finest rockers that also has some awesome keyboard flourishes adding to the chaos and final hurrah. It’s always a great day to review a Pat Todd And The Rank Outsiders record because you just know you’re gonna get an honest record full of fine tunes, well written, well recorded and bloody well delivered – if you love yourself some Rock n Roll, then grab ‘I’ll Dream Alone’ and get on board. Buy It!

Buy Here

Author: Dom Daley

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Then Comes Silence release second single ahead of new Album

Then Comes Silence release second single ahead of new Album

Stockholm post-punk trio Then Comes Silence presents ‘Remaker Redeemer’, the second single from their forthcoming ‘Requiem Ballroom’ album, due in November via Metropolis Records. The music video, filmed by Damon Zurawski of Future Legends Films, captures the song perfectly, descending into the space between death and rebirth, where the final journey into darkness becomes a passage toward transformation, renewal and the possibility of another world.

Then Comes Silence has also just launched their European tour, which runs throughout September and October, bringing them to venues and like-minded music lovers in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy and Czech Republic, before returning home to Sweden for the final show on this leg.

A tightly focused trio since 2022, Then Comes Silence was formed in 2012 by vocalist-bassist Alex Svenson in 2012. Drummer Jonas Fransson and guitarist Hugo Zombie, round out the band in its most direct, powerful and uncompromising form. One of the leading names on today’s goth, post-punk and darkwave scene, they are driven by a fascination with horror, the occult and the raw intensity of underground music, having forged a distinctive sound and a devoted international following.

The ‘Requiem Ballroom’ album itself is divided into two parts: ‘Ballroom’ was mixed by Jon Bordon (Nicole Sabouné, Melody Club, The Exploding Boy) and the ‘Requiem’ half was mixed by Tom van Heesch (Rammstein, Apocalyptica, Backyard Babies). Svante Forsbäck / Chartmakers (Rammstein, Amaranthe, Ville Valo, The Rasmus, Apocalyptica) assumed mastering duties.

“‘Remaker Redeemer’ introduces the second part of the album ‘Requiem Ballroom’. It’s about new life, and being reborn with the old sins washed away. A kind of cleansing, a fresh start, and the feeling of beginning again. The choice of instruments and sound on this track is a way to explore something different this time,” says Alex Svenson.

“Death is generally regarded, across many cultures, as the final blackout where nothing follows. Yet in another sense, death can also serve as a metaphor for change and transformation. To take the next step, change is inevitable.”

Then Comes Silence earlier released ‘Judgement Day’, a driving anthem that embraces failure, reckless choices and the thrill of living without regrets, embracing a final celebration before the inevitable reckoning. The vivid behind-the-scenes documentary by Marzipan Moonlight offers a glimpse into the video’s creation and the thriving spirit of Stockholm’s goth community.

With the German post-punk scene their second home, Then Comes Silence has toured relentlessly for years. Continually expanding their geographic reach, they have cemented their reputation as one of the scene’s hardest working bands. With several releases through Metropolis Records, they have further strengthening their international presence. Their impending eighth album follows ‘Trickery’ (2024) and ‘Hunger’ (2022), jointly released by Metropolis and Nexilis Records / Schubert Music.

With dark atmospheres, driving rhythms, razor-sharp hooks and explosive performances, Then Comes Silence continue to push forward. They have earned their place at the forefront of the modern gothic rock and post-punk movement, proving themselves to be a vital contemporary live acts with frequent touring across North America, Latin America and Europe.

Then Comes Silence have shared the stage with acts such as The Fields of the Nephilim, Clan of Xymox, The Chameleons, A Place To Bury Strangers, Pink Turns Blue and The Bellwether Syndicate, while appearing at many of Europe’s premier alternative festivals, including M’era Luna, Wave-Gotik-Treffen, Amphi Festival, Castle Party, Tomorrow’s Ghosts Festival and W-Festival.

On September 11, ‘Remaker Redeemer’ is out everywhere, including Apple Music, Spotify and Bandcamp, where their latest ‘Trickery’ album is available on vinyl and CD. The ‘Requiem Ballroom” album will be released on November 20. Concert tickets can be obtained at https://linktr.ee/tcsontour

LIVE DATES

SEP. 14 –  Paris, France @ Le Chinois
SEP. 15 –  Rezé, France @ Cold Crash
SEP. 16 –  Lyon, France @ Rock N’Eat
SEP. 17 –  Marseille, France @ Le Molotov
SEP. 18 –  Torino, Italy @ Ziggy Club
SEP. 19 –  Castelfranco Veneto, Italy @ Sale Improve
SEP. 20 –  Hlavní Město Praha, Czechia @ Subzero
OCT. 24 –  Stockholm, Sweden @ Kollektivet Livet

Keep up with Then Comes Silence
Website | Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok | Apple Music | Spotify | BandsInTown | Press contact

Echo & The Bunnymen – ‘Apples For Isaac’ (BMG Music)

Echo & The Bunnymen – ‘Apples For Isaac’ (BMG Music)

The Bunnymen seem to have been around forever and continue to trudge the circuits, plying their brand of post-punk goodness, and McCulloch doesn’t seem to age. With this the band bazillionth release they’ve continued to evolve and turn out great guitar pop, with Apples containing eleven intriguing and enthralling tunes weaving their way into your noggin and leaving their mark, beginning with the vibrant ‘Take Me By The Hand’ that has the superb, inventive guitar work of Will Sergeant at the forefront of this record, the band’s first in over a decade. It also features much-missed Blondie sticksman Clem Burke adding his considerable talent to proceedings, driving this record on with his flair and style.

This seems to be grittier than previous offerings. Sure, there are some subtle strings dotted around the record, but it seems more guitar- and bass-driven, with the first single ‘Brussels Is Haunted’ lighting the way with its sprightly tempo, throbbing bass line and riff-based guitar breaks whilst Ian peels away the years with his distinctive tone and delivery. It’s nestled next to the gentler ‘I’ll Be Your Sunshine’ with those aforementioned lush strings layering the tune.

‘Hijacked’ has a thumping Bassline driving the song with the minimal chorus whilst Will meanders and weaves his guitar chops in the available quiet, filling every space with a rush of energy. Great Stuff. There seems to be an uplifting, upbeat feel to the album, with a few shaded areas where classic echo-drenched vocals fill the void, ‘An Unstoppable Force’ being a great example of a classic Bunnymen slower song. It’s a very hopeful-sounding record, ‘The Light That Surrounds You’ sounds youthful and like something that could have been written around the ‘Porcupine’ days. There’s an innocence about it that is both charming and engaging.

Bring on the dancing horns for ‘Lab Rat Ran’ which has the sound of a top live song in a packed uni hall. The other thing I should mention is that this album has the feel that it’s stacked with potential singles all over the place so many songs that would, in days gone by, have ruled the singles charts. Great songwriters never lose it, and the Bunnymen have a pair of em. Great song and great saxophone blasting out. ‘Asimov’ has a grunt about the Bassline driving it on, and it’s only then I notice this is track number ten on the album it’s flown by. Leaving only the kiss-off of ‘We Prayed In The Dark’, a more leisurely song that’s doing its own victory lap to close off a rather splendid album. I always hope for a great record from bands who have grown older with me, but like The Mary Chain, The Bunnymen seem to have delivered a real diamond when not many would have given them the accolade they probably deserve.

If you’ve ever thrown yourself around to ‘The Cutter’ or marvelled at ‘Dancing Horses’, then you’d be foolish to pass this latest offering by. Echo And The Bunnymen have delivered one of 2026’s finest alternative records, no question about it. Buy it!

Buy Here

Author: Dom Daley

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Swervedriver – 35th Anniversary Expanded Debut

Swervedriver – 35th Anniversary Expanded Debut

RELEASE A NEWLY EXPANDED 35TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION OF THEIR

INFLUENTIAL DEBUT ALBUM ‘RAISE’ ON OCTOBER 2ND – PRE-ORDER HERE

NORTH AMERICAN HEADLINE TOUR IS UNDERWAY – UK SHOWS START IN OCTOBER

“Heart-racing, horizon-bound psych-punk… the connective tissue between UK shoegaze and American alt-rock after grunge.” – Pitchfork, The Best 50 Shoegaze Albums of All Time

Swervedriver made an instant impact with their 1991 debut album ‘Raise’, a cult classic which infused the UK’s shoegaze scene with the furious intensity of American alt-rock and grunge. As new audiences discover the thrills of the ‘90s alternative scene, Swervedriver now announce that they will release an expanded double-vinyl 35th anniversary edition of ‘Raise’ on October 2nd.

The original album has been remastered, giving the supercharged attack of favourites such as ‘Rave Down’, ‘Son of Mustang Ford’ and ‘Sandblasted’ a fresh sheen. Now expanded to two discs, it also features two tracks from a limited 7” single that was packaged with the original ‘Raise’ vinyl. It is completed with bonus tracks that featured on the 2008 reissue. The tracks ‘Surf Twang’ and ‘Deep Twang’ have been digitised and remixed by vocalist/guitarist Adam Franklin, while the sleevenotes were compiled by the original bassist Adi Vines.

The double-vinyl set will be pressed on Neon Swirl and Blue Skies and is now available to pre-order HERE.

Adam Franklin says, “When we walk out on stage to perform the songs from Raise it feels like the songs have our back. It’s like four men with nine henchmen, with Sci Flyer as the leader of the gang”.

After ‘Raise’, Swervedriver continued to earn critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic with the albums ‘Mezcal Head’, ‘Ejector Seat Reservation’ and ‘99th Dream’ as well as touring with the likes of Soundgarden and Smashing Pumpkins. After their original run ended in 1998, they returned at Coachella in 2008, setting the path for the release of the albums ‘I Wasn’t Born To Lose You’ (2015) and ‘Future Ruins’ (2019). 2025 saw them release a new EP, ‘The World’s Fair’, and play their first shows in six years with a North American tour.

Still fronted by founder members Adam Franklin and Jimmy Hartridge (guitar), Swervedriver now feature Mick Quinn (bass, also of Supergrass) and Mikey Jones (drums). They have just commenced a North American headline tour, with UK shows to follow in October, causing a buzz that has already seen shows in London and Leeds sell out, Their UK dates are listed below, please see HERE for remaining tickets and a list of all North American gigs.

OCTOBER

23rd – London, Village Underground (NEW DATE)

24th – London, Village Underground (SOLD OUT)

27th – Bristol, The Fleece

29th – Oxford, O2 Academy

30th – Leeds, Brudenell Social Club (SOLD OUT)

NOVEMBER

2nd – Glasgow, Oran Mor

4th – Belfast, Limelight

5th – Dublin, Whelans

Tracklist:

LP1: Original Album

Side One 

  1. ‘Sci-Flyer’
  2. ‘Pile-Up’
  3. ‘Son Of Mustang Ford’
  4. ‘Deep Seat’

Side Two

  1. ‘Rave Down’              
  2. ‘Sunset’               
  3. ‘Feel So Real’
  4. ‘Sandblasted’
  5. ‘Lead Me Where You Dare…’

     

LP2: Bonus Material             

Side Three        

  1. ‘Flawed’ 
  2. ‘Out’
  3. ‘Laze It Up’
  4. ‘Hands’

                        

Side Four                        

  1. ‘Andalucia’
  2. ‘Over’
  3. ‘Surf Twang’
  4. ‘Deep Twang’

Follow Swervedriver:
Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram

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Ghost Highway & Chaputa Records Spooky Comp

Ghost Highway & Chaputa Records Spooky Comp

Hey folks!!
Check out this awesome “Halloween“ compilation from our friends at Chaputa Records & Ghost Highway Recordings! Make sure to grab a copy!
Have a fantastic weekend!

THE HAUNTED JUKEBOX

A Ghost Highway / Chaputa! Creepy Compilation.

14 spooky tracks from the garage and beyond!

A creepy collection of fuzz, twang, pounding drums and strange stories — made for late nights, battered jukeboxes and playing way too loud.

Release date: October 16, 2026

Pre-Order from: Chaputa! Records / Ghost Highway Recordings



A-SIDE

The Boatsmen — Nightmare! Nightmare!

The Chuck Norris Experiment — Night Of The Demon

Crater Snakes — I Like To Die

Jake Starr & The Delicious Fullness — Deviled Eggs

The Langhorns — The Mummy’s Groove

The Maharajas — Trick Or Torture

Märvel — He’s Back


B-SIDE

Thee Montgomery Wards — Vivienne’s Web

The Mourning After — Spring Heeled Jack

The Oxys — Melody Lee

The Riptide Rats — Bone Dancer

Sator — Basement Noise

Scumbag Millionaire — Burn You Down

Upploppet — He Will Be Back

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Split Dogs race back with new single ‘Speed Demon’ – out now via Venn Records

Split Dogs race back with new single ‘Speed Demon’ – out now via Venn Records

New album ‘Nice N’ Rough’ set for release September 25th via Venn Records

Pre-order HERE:

Record shop instore tour starts this month

EU tour with Canadian rockers Danko Jones confirmed for October

“The sound of trouble.” Iggy Pop BBC 6MUSIC

“As a listener you are left with an unshakable feeling that this is the type of record British music has needed for some time.” CLASH

“Irrepressible, irresistible – their essential manual for street level rock thrills.” Kerrang!

Set to release their stomping new album ‘Nice N’ Rough’ on September 25th via Venn Records, Split Dogs are a band with their collective feet permanently pressed hard on the accelerator pedal, racing back with new single ‘Speed Demon’. Already notorious for their heroic approach to touring, it’s only right that ‘Speed Demon’ was born on the road, as singer Harry Martinez explains…

“We documented a lot of our European tour last year, so decided to use that footage to create a tour diary style music video. The song is our love letter to life on the road —something we, as a band, have always loved doing.

“A lot of the video features footage from Freak Show in Essen,” continues Harry. “We’ve played there a few times, first on the “Here to Destroy Europe” tour and most recently during our German tour. It is one of our favourite places in the world—beautiful, full of heart, and somewhere that needs to be seen to be believed. Massive thanks to the owners, Benny and Ela, for their unwavering love of fast rock ‘n’ roll, counterculture, and each other.”

2026 has already seen Split Dogs complete their own UK headline tour, before multiple festival appearances, a headline German tour in July, a string of instore performances in September (ticket link HERE) and an EU tour with Canadian rockers Danko Jones in October. This all comes off the back of a massive tour with Gogol Bordello in 2025 and gigs with Bad Nerves, Teen Mortgage and many others.

New album ‘Nice N’ Rough’ was recorded at The Station House, a recording studio based in a repurposed Victorian police station in Leeds, Split Dogs quickly discovered the studio also boasts one of the country’s finest VHS collections. Fuelled with classics like ‘Heavy Metal’, ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’, and a Tina Turner live tape, the Bristol based four-piece went to work capturing their sophomore album, ‘Nice N’ Rough’, with producer Jonah Falco (High Vis, Rifle, and drummer of Canadian punks Fucked Up) and engineer James Atkinson (formerly of seminal hardcore band Voorhees). 

The result is thirteen thumping tracks featuring lightning-fast guitar licks, raspy hooks and cues from greats like Plasmatics, New York Dolls, Motörhead and The Stooges. Front-person Harry Martinez delivers a larger-than-life, undeniable rock ‘n’ roll performance, injecting the band’s reputable live energy straight into the vocal booth. 

Catch Split Dogs live at the following dates in 2026:

INSTORE PERFORMANCES
25-Sep-2026 UK Leeds Crash Records
26-Sep-2026 UK Glasgow Blitzkrieg
27-Sep-2026 UK Liverpool Rough Trade
28-Sep-2026 UK Coventry Just Dropped in
29-Sep-2026 UK Bristol Rough Trade
30-Sep-2026 UK Nottingham Rough Trade
01-Oct-2026 UK Rough Trade East

TOUR W/ DANKO JONES

12-Oct-2026 GER Potsdam Waschhaus
13-Oct-2026 GER Nurnberg Löwensaal
14-Oct-2026 AT Wien Flex
15-Oct-2026 HU Budapest A38
16-Oct-2026 ROM Bucharest Quantic
17-Oct-2026 Bulg Sofia   Pirotska 5 Event Center
19-Oct-2026 ROM Cluj Form Space
21-Oct-2026 Cro Zagreb Vintage Industrial Bar
22-Oct-2026 Slov Ljubljana Kino Siska
23-Oct-2026 AT Salzburg Rockhouse
24-Oct-2026 CH Rubingen Muhle Hunzinken
25-Oct-2026 CH Zurich Dynamo
27-Oct-2026 GER Oberhausen Turbinenhalle 2
28-Oct-2026 B Ghent Handelsbeurs
29-Oct-2026 GER Frankfurt Batschkapp
30-Oct-2026 NL Haarlem Patronaat
31-Oct-2026 NL Tilburg Next Stage
01-Nov-2026 NL Leuwaarden Neusoorn

SPAIN HEADLINE TOUR

24-Nov-2026 Barcelona, Upload

25-Nov-2026 Zaragoza, Rock & Blues

26-Nov-2026 Madrid, Nazca

27-Nov-2026 Avilés, Factoría Cultural

28-Nov-2026 Vitoria-Gastiez

Find Split Dogs online HERE:

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The March Violets –  1980’s MOVIE TRACKS reissue and new UK tour

The March Violets –  1980’s MOVIE TRACKS reissue and new UK tour

The March Violets have part two of their ‘Unnatural History’ UK tour coming up, following on from their 80’s album Natural History reissue.  Next is the coming re-release of Turn to The Sky b/w Miss Amanda Jones.

Turn to The Sky was their final single in 1986, on a major following a series of indie chart-topping singles.  The band, by then featuring late period singer Cleo Murray, were soon hired to feature in the John Hughes 1987 cult teen movie Some Kind of Wonderful (his follow-up to Pretty in Pink).  As well as performing in the film, spending two weeks on the Hollywood set, producer Stephen Hague remade the single and recorded a new track – Miss Amanda Jones, a Rolling Stones cover.  Stones-obsessed Hughes had given that name to a lead character. 

Unavailable for some while, it’s the Stephen Hague movie version being reissued, together with Miss Amanda Jones, both previously only available on the album soundtrack.

In June and July, The March Violets (Rosie Garland, Tom Ashton and Matt Thorpe) played 14 UK dates in support of the ‘Natural History’ album reissue.  As well as tracks from that 1980’s catalogue, they also perform songs from their 2024 album ‘Crocodile Promises’ – and they’ve another album half-completed.  Now they have second series of dates across the UK and beyond, as follows: –        Oct 27   Prague, Czechia, Lucerna Music Bar
        Oct 31   Whitby, Tomorrow’s Ghosts Festival, Pavilion Theatre
        Nov 1    Newcastle-on-Tyne, The Cluny
        Nov 3    Edinburgh, Speakeasy
        Nov 5    Derby, The Hairy Dog
        Nov 6    Huddersfield, Amped
        Nov 8    Bedford, Esquires
        Nov 10  London, New Cross Inn
        Nov 11  Brighton, Komedia
                    followed up by:
        Feb 6 ’27 Sao Paulo, Brazil, Wave Festival

Turn to The Sky b/w Miss Amanda Jones is available on digital services from September 18 2026.

Preview here:  https://promo.theorchard.com/s2wZ4OX3P5wJVyQC8GJ6  (not for public)

More info, merch and ticket links:  www.marchvioletsband.co.uk

—
www.jungle-records.com ~ ~ ~ www.facebook.com/JungleRecords

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DOWN SILVER STREETS – A Tribute To Sudden Soundtrack and Kusworth

DOWN SILVER STREETS – A Tribute To Sudden Soundtrack and Kusworth

A tribute to Nikki Sudden, Epic Soundtracks & Dave Kusworth

by Mark Mulholland, Joe Armstrong & Stéphane Doucerain

Ports Of Call Music CD/LP/DL

Release date 6 November 2026

The seminal West Midlands post-punk band Swell Maps was founded in the mid-1970s by brothers Adrian Nicholas Godfrey and Kevin Paul Godfrey, alias Nikki Sudden and Epic Soundtracks. Championed by John Peel, they have since been cited as an influence by many, including the likes of REM, Sonic Youth, Pavement, Blur, Stereolab and Dinosaur Jr. Beginning with 1977’s ‘Read About Seymour’, they released a string of highly original singles and a brace of albums, A Trip To Marineville and Jane From Occupied Europe, drawn on a melting pot of influences from glam to krautrock and fully locking into punk’s DIY aesthetic.

Splitting in 1980, Nikki and Epic would team up with guitarist and songwriter Dave Kusworth of semi-legendary Birmingham bands TV Eye and The Subterranean Hawks to create The Jacobites. All three would go on to enjoy solo careers and various other bands and projects: Epic with Crime and The City Solution and These Immortal Souls, Dave with The Bounty Hunters and the Dogs D’Amour, while Nikki collaborated with members of REM, The Birthday Party, the Faces, the Stones and The Waterboys. Epic died in London, aged 38, in 1997, and Nikki in New York at the age of 49 in March 2006, while Dave passed away in Birmingham, aged 60, in 2020.

Down Silver Streets is a collection of songs by Nikki, Dave and Epic recorded by three musicians who played extensively with Nikki and Dave in the 90s and 2000s: Scottish singer-songwriters Mark Mulholland and Joe Armstrong and French drummer Stéphane Doucerain, with guitars that jangle and chime, sublime vocal harmonies, lush organ and keys, melodic and rhythmic bass, held together by supple and inventive drums.

As a whole, the album provides a fresh take on familiar material, a possible entry point for newcomers and, above all, a reflective, heartfelt tribute to the three amigos.

Release show: 2 October – Gibney’s, Berlin

“In a previous incarnation, the bar was called Dezibel, which was a bar and concert venue that I was involved in creating with a bunch of friends in 1998,” Mark explains. “The first gig we put on there was Nikki – I remember him carrying in his gear while we were still screwing in plasterboard above the stage door – and he and Dave were regularly on the bill thereafter, so it seems like a suitable place for a release gig for the tribute album to them.”

Track Listing

Side 1

1. Midget Submarines (Nikki Sudden)

2. Silver Street (Nikki Sudden/Dave Kusworth)

3. When Angels Die (Nikki Sudden)

4. Aeroplane Blues (Nikki Sudden)

5. Something New Under the Sun (Epic Soundtracks)

Side 2

6. Kings and Queens (Dave Kusworth)

7. I Don’t Know (Epic Soundtracks)

8. The Last Bandit (Nikki Sudden)

9. Chelsea Embankment (Nikki Sudden)

10. Winter (Nikki Sudden)

Recorded by Mark Mulholland in France, Tunisia and Berlin.

Produced by Mark Mulholland. Mastered by John Rivers at Woodbine Street Studio, Leamington Spa, England

Ports of Call Music

Gary Marx – ‘Red Planet Blue’ ( Infrasons E.Y. Records)

Gary Marx – ‘Red Planet Blue’ ( Infrasons E.Y. Records)

Gary Marx is best known as the co-founder of The Sisters of Mercy, with singer Andrew Eldritch. Marx was there from day one. His trademark musical contributions provide many of the highlights on the Sisters’ early recordings. After parting ways, he went on to enjoy success with the band Ghost Dance, before they split in 1990. Since then, Marx has steered his own peculiar course as a solo artist, with this, his second offering, in which he comes full circle with 72 minutes of music, rounding off a symbolic coincidence. Marx never strays far from his influences from the 70s, the likes of Bolan and his T Rex and other glam rock luminaries who dominated the music scene for so many impressionable youngsters. This new album is spread over four sides of thick plastic, and while Gary alludes to each side having particular traits, he also points out it’s not in any way a concept album.

After the intro and soundscape of the opener, it’s more upbeat Roxy meets Bolan with the handclapping and whooping and hollering of ‘High Brighton Rock’. The album has a summer feel to it, with plenty of saxophone and swing, as the record is like a great big beaming smile, void of any baggage or stress and just wedged to bursting with top pop rock songs. Marx has a knack for knowing how to write sugar-sweet, rough-around-the-edges pop tunes in a similar vein to Nick Lowe and several other great songwriters.

There is a lot of music to get through, but just let it play and wash over you. On occasion, it dips a toe in pure pop like ‘Hang Up’, which reminds me of the lighter side of the Boomtown Rats. If modern kids wanted to know what it was like in the 70s diving into the TOTP albums and how it felt, then give em a blast of this bad boy. The title track begins with some cinematic spoken words before bursting out with a groove The Happy Mondays cooked up on a good day with a shuffle backbeat and some shakers for good measure.

There’s so much going on here as well; every play I hear another instrument that snuck in under the radar. ‘Next Stop’ sounds like a fucked up Tom Waits number if he escaped from his pain and wrapped himself in a feather boa and some stack heels. ‘Starsky And Hutch’ messed with my head like an early Depeche Mode song if they introduced distorted riffs n power chords. As it goes, I’m drawn to the last side of the album, where I think the songwriting is raised a notch or two and the album closes on a ballad that reminds me of the softer moments of a Julian Cope record. There is nothing not to like on this offering, and like I said earlier, you get a lot of bang for your buck and so many songs that keep vying for your attention over four sides of mighty fine music. Go on, treat your ears and squeeze into those sequined pants one more time and dance the night away to ‘Red Planet Blue’

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Author: Dom Daley