Forty years of The Godfathers is certainly something to celebrate, so what better than founder Peter Coyne picking songs from their last three albums and releasing them in one fine compilation. 2013 saw ‘Jukebox Fury’ arrive some eighteen years after its predecessor from the studio. It was a mere four years between that and ‘A Big Bad Beautiful Noise’ and then five between that and ‘Alpha Beta Gamma Delta’. To be fair, Coyne had recruited a fine band to take on these songs throughout the trilogy, and the revolving door saw some of the UK’s finest musicians plug in and crank out songs such as ‘I Can’t Sleep Tonight’, ‘I Hate The 21st Century and ‘Primitive Man’. The songs stand up to the band’s seminal ‘Birth School Work Death’ album that, in fairness, is the go-to LP of The Godfathers (which still stands up in 2025, no doubt about that).
If I had to pick a favourite from the three albums, I’d have to go for the rawness of ‘A Big Bad Beautiful Noise’ and the standout tracks such as ‘You Don’t Love Me’ dripping with a sweet and sour sound of the raw guitars and the lush backing vocals behind Coynes belligerant vocal style sitting proudly on top of a terrific song. Follow that up with the pulsating ‘Till My Heart Stops Beating’ being driven by the throbbing bassline it’s a throwback but with a really solid production.
To be fair, all three are well represented, and whilst there are subtle differences in the playing the songs stand tall, and if you’ve not been up to speed with The Godfathers, then this is perfect before you dive in on all three. I’m told this is the first retrospective before a live compilation later this year, before next year’s new studio album, so exciting times ahead for the Godfathers and releases I’ll look forward to hearing. Be kind to yourself and catch up with The Godfathers, it’s loud Rock n Roll as it should be played – With attitude and a bucketful of great tunes. Buy It!
I must admit to having a bit of a love/hate relationship with The Darkness. Seen as the metal band it’s ok to like by the Radio 1 listeners 20 years ago, but ostracised by the rock community for being the band it’s uncool to like.
As with many bands of their ilk, The Darkness have done the sex, drugs and rock n’ roll to the max, and are still here to tell the tale. 20 years down the road, they remain top songwriters, a fully entertaining live band and they’ve gone a long way to prove they are more than just a novelty act.
The power pop induced goodness of recent singles ‘The Longest Kiss’ and ‘I Hate Myself’ prove Justin Hawkins is doing something right and certainly piqued my interest in the run up to the release of their 8th album ‘Dreams On Toast’. The former sounds like Jellyfish jamming with ELO, the latter a 70’s styled glam stomper, they are both excellent earworms up there with the best singles released so far this year.
But what about the rest of the album, pray tell? Well, Justin Hawkins is a man who is always ready to embrace the theatrical side of rock n’ roll; he gets the humour and the utterly ridiculous nature of the more flamboyant avenues of rock’s past. It wouldn’t be The Darkness any other way, right kids? I mean, who would open their album with a dumb-ass pastiche to 80’s metal, filled with cliched lyrics and second-hand Ratt riffs? ‘Rock And Roll Party Cowboy’ is exactly that. A bit of a weird album opener if you ask me, but it is a grower.
But The Darkness ain’t a one-trick pony. The band are mixing it up, and the surprising strengths of ‘Dreams On Toast’ lie in its diversity.
Yes, there’s the generic balls to the wall rock of ‘Mortal Dread’ and ‘Walking On Fire’, both punchy as fuck and full of heavy, AC/DC riffage. Yet, at the other end of the spectrum we have a countrified ode to male bottom burps whilst shagging, cunningly titled ‘Hot On My Tail’, and the folk inspired ‘Cold Hearted Woman’. Both emit feelings of sentiment, but Justin’s clever tongue-in-cheek lyricism remind you not to get too sentimental.
Elsewhere, the piano-led ‘Don’t Need Sunshine’ closes side 1 and channels those classic Queen meets ELO vibes with a soulful melody and sweet, multilayered vocals. It’s 70s rock balladry at its finest.
Side 2 sees another curveball in the shape of ‘The Battle For Gadget Land’. Here, the band deliver indie style stabbing guitars and urgent beats before a breakdown with a camp, spoken word section that takes us into Tim Curry/Danny Elfman territory.
Things get even weirder on closer ‘Weekend In Rome’, a song that aims to conjure cinematic soundscapes but falls short of the mark.
If you dig falsetto vocals, twin guitar harmonies, tongue in cheek lyricism and general bad-assery, go buy a Steel Panther album! Failing that, give the new Darkness long player a go, it has all that and more. A diverse album that is all over the place, but it sort of works. At just over 30 minutes long, it never outstays its welcome and begs to be played again and again.
Is it the best album of the year? No. Is it the funniest album of the year? Possibly. Is it the funniest and best Darkness album for years? Definitely.
In the quarter of a century that the Teenage Cancer Trust has been putting on concerts at the Royal Albert Hall, over 300 bands have played over 132 shows, helping raise over £ 34 million for the charity. Cancer is something that unfortunately will pretty much affect all our lives in some way during our time on this planet and even though tonight I’m ultimately here to see Frank Carter fronting the Sex Pistols it’s why I also don’t mind breaking my ceiling limit for a gig ticket to in turn maybe help someone through their battle with this horrible group of diseases.
Anyway, once through the doors tonight my immediate take on the event and venue is they are both very impressive indeed, everyone from the door staff to the people collecting money for the charity are all happy to have a spot of playful banter and I’m in and out of the merch section (t-shirts ranging between £20-£30) with a handful of booty in double quick time. Given that this event sold out pretty much on the day the tickets were released, we managed to pick up a couple last minute, in the second-tier boxes, and I must say that the service afforded at this level is not too dissimilar to that at a Riu hotel, exceptional.
Everything runs like clockwork at these events too, and as such, bang on 7:30 after a brief introduction from a duo of Absolute Radio DJs I get to sample The Molotovs for the very first time. Not to be confused with the band of the same name singed to Fierce Panda back in the noughties, this lot are formed around the brother/sister duo of Mathew on guitar and vocals and Issey Carts on bass and specialise in the type of spikey late ‘70s mod revival choons that made The Jam household names. By the amount of Molotovs shirts visible here tonight they’ve certainly made a big impression in a relatively short space of time, and with debut single ‘More More More’ only hitting the shelves this week, it’s extraordinary to see some fans already mouthing every word to the likes of ‘Johnny Don’t Be Scared’ (I’m not, ouch) and ‘Today’s Gonna Be Our Day’ which bookend their short, sharp set. There’s even time to give Bowie’s ‘Suffragette City’ a mod makeover, much to my travelling companion’s chagrin (Mrs H is something of a Bowie purist), but it fits right in with the band’s own material, so kudos to them for making the song their own. Expect to see The Molotovs everywhere during the rest of 2025.
“I didn’t think they’d put that up,” laughs Kid Kapichi frontman Jack Wilson as he seems genuinely surprised that the band’s ‘kissing’ Putin/Trump backdrop is glaring out from the huge video screen hung up directly in front of the Albert Hall’s monumental grand organ. The Hastings four piece are certainly not afraid to wear their politics on their sleeves, and out on the road promoting their eclectic third album ‘There Goes The Neighbourhood’ they are right at the forefront of a movement of young UK bands eager to speak their minds when it comes to subjects like Brexit, racism and austerity. The guys waste no time kicking up a racket either, ploughing straight into the likes of ‘Artillery’, ‘Can EU Hear Me’ and ‘Rob The Supermarket’, along with the tune that first introduced me to the band, ‘New England’. Sadly, there’s no Bob Vylan on hand to guest on the mid-section tonight, but Dumb Bhoys Fishing Club add their own twist to proceedings in fine fashion. Kid Kapichi are one of those great British bands that straddle genres and defy being labelled with a genre, one minute they are heavy as Black Sabbath, the next the chorus has you singing your head off like you are watching Blur and it’s all topped off with a frontman who comes from the Terry Hall school of cool too. I’ve waited a long time to see Kid Kapichi live and the lads certainly did not disappoint. I just need to witness them in a headline capacity now.
Talking of which, before we get to our headliners tonight there’s a reminder of the great work that the Teenage Cancer Trust does for young people around the UK via a short film looking at their fantastic work, with some of the patients featured in the film then joining the Absolute Radio DJs on stage for a gigantic selfie with the Albert Hall audience this simply reinforces why, outside of the music itself, many are here tonight, to make this event a total sell out.
A friend of mine commented recently that there could possibly be more people in the Albert Hall when you go to see Sex Pistols with Frank Carter than saw the Sex Pistols back in the whole of 1976/77, and you know what, he’s probably not far off the mark. So for all the “there’s no Pistols without Johnny,” and “I saw them back in ’77” (yeah right) rhetoric that seems to make social media such a toxic and divisive place these days, when you look at the demographic of tonight’s crowd, for every one of those keyboard warriors there’s an army of younger people who weren’t just not born when ‘Never Mind The Bollocks’ was released, but also not born when ‘Orchestra Of Wolves’ was released, just waiting to snap up a ticket for tonight’s headliners in their place. The mix of young and old is something that is certainly not lost on Frank Carter as he enters the mosh pit for the first time tonight, the frontman urging the crowd to create the largest circle pit the Albert Hall has ever seen (I’d guess its possibly the first its ever seen too) during a mid-set ‘Silly Thing’, whilst making sure the audience leave just enough room for his “ego” (his words, not mine) at the very eye of the storm.
Look, if I’m totally honest I miss John Lydon fronting the Pistols just as much as the next person, but for the band to function here in 2025 Paul Cook, Steve Jones and Glen Matlock needed a shot of something different to make them smile and enjoy their Pistols legacy once more, and in Frank Carter they have found their man. From opener ‘Holidays In The Sun’ through to the euphoric show closing ‘Anarchy In The UK’, the bloke doesn’t stand still for a second, he might be dressed like he’s up on a charge and just off to court, but the ear to ear grin on his face when he spits out the lyrics to the likes of deeper ‘Bollocks’ cuts like ‘Seventeen’ and ‘New York’ along with single B-sides ‘Satellite’ and ‘No Fun’ speaks volumes about his love of the band he’s honoured to now be a part of.
‘Pretty Vacant’ sees Carter take his first of many trips into the audience (like he’s always done in all the bands he’s fronted) whilst his crowd walking/standing technique during a ferocious ‘Bodies’ (“this is my favourite song” he declares) is up there with an in his prime Iggy Pop, make no mistake. Which rather conveniently brings me back to ‘No Fun’ and the band introductions segment where each member of the band got their chance to shine, and Steve Jones chooses to play out a series of feedback Morse code notes, laughing his head off in the process. That’s the spirit within the Sex Pistols right now, and it’s rather wonderful to witness it. Then, via a tale of admiration for the guitarist, Carter coaxes Jonesy into admitting that this is his first time inside the Albert Hall, and he’s headlining the place in front of over 5,000 people. Who said you can’t still be winning at things in life even when you are almost seventy years of age, eh?
If I could have had a version of ‘Submission’ added to the set list too it would have rounded off a perfect night, and whereas I was perhaps looking at this gig as drawing a line under all matters Sex Pistols it’s got me looking at some of their other shows now too.
All in all then tonight was another fantastic success for everyone involved, it even made the nightmare detour laden road trip back to Wales seem worthwhile. Motorways? Who needs them eh? God save the Sex Pistols and God save the Teenage Cancer Trust.
Heading outta Portland, this isn’t the first rodeo for these cheeky monkeys. Anyone whos been paying the slightest of attentions will know we’ve long been admirers of Lovesores, Scott ‘Deluxe’ Drake, and a bunch of other cool projects like the Humpers and Vice Principles well they are all now consigned to the history books because The Guerrilla Teens is where its at right here right now and ‘Monkeys PAw’ is their latest offering to the Rock n Roll Gods of all things punk rock n roll and Garage Rock in all the fine traditions of turning up those amps and cranking out some damn fine Rock n Roll at ear splitting levels and turning out insanely catchy ditties that are as addictive as a crack sandwich. They might just be Portland’s finest export to the world, and as the artwork says, it’s Real and Magic!
The Guerrilla Teens don’t over-exert themselves nor do they break new ground, but what they do is pour out their collective rock n roll hearts into the music they make and pour it all over these here digital airwaves and into our ears and for that we should all be grateful. From the first airing of ‘I Cyclopse’ you know what to expect and you also know Guerrilla Teens won’t let you down or keep you hanging. Well, let me introduce you to ten fine slabs of loud Rock n Roll, it’s got swing, and there is no finer example than ‘My Hometown’ where they just kick out the jams around a whole chunk of Chuck Berry licks and take the sucker home swinging from tree to tree with a cool melody and a big cheeky grin – wonderful stuff.
They don’t attempt anything outside of their comfort zone and generally just press the accelerator on cool tunes be it the cock sure strut of ‘Do Not Disturb’ or the insane groove of the title track ‘Monkeys Paw’ where Drake is the confident circus master calling the shots with his growl n sleazy style we all know and love him for.
These guys don’t grow old gracefully, they sound like they’re spoiling for a fight and ‘Bright As The Sun’ is sharp and the guitars are on fire as the rhythm is marching to war with a real swagger, an epic song found in the middle of the pack that’s swinging like the king of the jungle it is. But hell, hot on the heels is ‘Johnny On The Mainline’ with its rapid energy steaming down the track.
Hang on, ‘Sleepwalker’ is out of the traps with a menacing, brooding opening before sounding like a serial killer’s soundtrack, twisting and turning as the tempo raises but not too much before dropping back into the menacing groove towards the awesome solo that soars, taking the song somewhere special. But wait, the records on its last number,r how did that happen? ‘King Of The Savana’ takes this bad boy home and what a way to sign off. They might just have saved the best till last, borrowing a riff from here or there, the Teens get nasty with some coolly placed keys filling the sound out to the max on what might just turn out to be the Teens’ finest piece of music thus far. Who says Rock n Roll is dead, because on this evidence it’s alive and kicking, and on this planet of the apes, the Guerrilla Teens are kings of the jungle and indeed pride of the savanna. Don’t monkey around, just go get this record, it will improve your collection ten fold.
If you look up the definition of Power Pop in the dictionary, it simply says “Listen to Eureka Machines!” Ok, so I lied, it doesn’t say that, but it should. I can’t think of a band that deserves that title more…ok, I lied again, there may be a few come to think of it. But I digress, Chris Catalyst’s self-proclaimed “silly little band” from Leeds have a new album to plug, it’s their 6th and the first in 8 long years.
There’s something comforting and reassuring about the dawn of a new Eureka Machines album. You sorta know what you are going to get: sonically seductive earworms with layers of vocal harmonies, joyous compositions with a handful of choruses that will embed firmly in your brain, resisting the urge to be forgotten. It’s a tried and tested format that the band have been bouncing around since their inception, and it works.
With artwork that looks remarkably similar to Aerosmith’s ‘Permanent Vacation’, we dive right in with the opening title track. ‘Everything’ is an energetic song with big hooks and an even bigger production courtesy of go-to-guy Dave Draper. There are vocal harmonies in abundance and big, fat guitars to satiate the metalheads. What’s not to like here, are you smiling yet?
Next up ‘Back In The Back Of Beyond’ was the first single released at the tail end of 2024 and is a typical Chris Catalyst anthem that channels 90’s Brit Pop melodies to the max. That chorus will get you hook, line and sinker. Do anthems come any better in 2025 I wonder? ‘Black & White’ could be Silver Sun, it could be Honeycrack, it could even be Squeeze. It’s got an epic chorus section, a euphoric middle 8 and guitars…did I mention the guitars?
3 songs in and you could say I’m enjoying the ride. There seems to be a theme going on here, and that theme is ridiculously catchy choruses. But it seems Eureka Machine haven’t even got going yet, as the opening chorus refrain of ‘Canaries In The Coalmine’ is sublime. As instant as a cuppa soup and twice as tasty, I’ll wager you’ll be singing that hook for weeks, just like I have. A glorious song that demands its rightful place in amongst the Eureka’s greatest hits. It’s probably my favourite song right now.
‘If I’m Gonna Fight Myself, I’ll Never Win’ rocks with the proverbial urgency of a true rock n’ roll band on fire, and ‘Nature Nurture’ is a guitar-heavy monster full of “woah-woah” backing vocals and many twists and turns. This marks the halfway point of the album, and I’m not sure if side 2 will be able to compete.
So, flipping the virtual disc and dropping the needle, the emotive ‘Home’ gives a welcome breather from all the high energy goodness. It tugs in all the right places, a sense of yearning and a feeling of camaraderie is created, and all is well in the world. Elsewhere, ‘We Don’t Have Much But It’s Ours’ and ‘The Lovers And The Lost’ just sound like classic songs that have always been with you, and even closer ‘Beautiful Day’ with its extended, chorus refrain doesn’t outstay its welcome, it just sounds like a perfect reprise to end the album on a reflective, yet positive note.
While new albums usually need some time to bed in, it’s safe to say ‘Everything’ is one of Eureka Machines finest moments. It’s certainly up there with killer releases from The Wildhearts, Black Spiders and Ricky Warwick vying for Album Of The Year status so far this year. A homegrown band, who are also completely DIY, flying the flag for British rock music.
I urge you to pre-order this album on the format of your choice, not just because it is a brilliant and essential release, but also because Chris Catalyst will have boxes of them filling up his flat and he’ll need the space!
SUZI MOON TO RELEASE DISCOGRAPHY ALBUM FROM TURBULENT HEARTS COLORED VINYL 2xLP VIA PIRATES PRESS RECORDS RE-MASTERED BY MASS GIORGINI CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER
Washington, DC – March 21, 2025 – Fan-favorite punk rock ’n roller Suzi Moon is giving longtime fans – and new ones – a real treat with the double LP collection of her previous band, Turbulent Hearts: All Out, available NOW for pre-order via Pirates Press Records, her longtime label, with a release date of May 23rd. The video for the lead single “Crazy Girl” has been re-released, and is available now on streaming platforms.
In the rough and tumble world of rock & roll, there are many kinds of artists, and many kinds of fans. However, it takes a special kind of dedication to truly be considered a lifer; putting in the years, miles, blood, sweat, and tears of living and breathing for chasing your musical vision. Undeniably, Suzi Moon is a rock & roll lifer, and this new double LP collection of the recorded output of her band Turbulent Hearts is an essential chapter in the story of that life!
Aided and abetted by the rhythm section of bassist Mark Johnson and drummer Jay Skowronek, Suzi blazes her path as a songwriter and performer with the confidence of a self-made superstar. Suzi reflects fondly on the band and the time period they were together. “This was such a prolific songwriting period for me.” says Suzi. “I really found my voice with this band, and I could have never done the Suzi Moon band if I hadn’t done my time with the Turbulent Hearts.”
It is tempting to listen to these songs and pick out the trajectory that would lead Suzi to become a breakout solo act – and indeed, there is plenty of that to listen for – but perhaps these songs are best enjoyed as they were written: immediate, urgent, and in the moment…just like all the best rock & roll! “We started playing local shows. We said yes to every show we got offered. We were just happy to get onstage and play together. It wasn’t about getting famous or changing the world…it was about playing as fast and ferociously as possible, on a fun show with our friends’ bands.”
These songs have never sounded better. Legendary punk producer Mass Giorgini, who worked with Moon on all of her Pirates releases, stepped up to the plate once again to polish these songs & make them sound like a cohesive unit for this vinyl re-release. Even for those who had the original records, this is the definitive statement from the band. “Turbulent Hearts is a massive part of my story,” sums up Suzi. “I am thankful and excited to be working with my family at Pirates Press Records to finally unleash this collection of 20 songs that mean so much to me.”
Suzi Moon’s Turbulent Hearts: All Out is available from Pirates Press Records on 2×12” Smoke Vinyl: sides 1 & 2 on Milky Clear Vinyl with Black Smoke, side 3 & 4 on Blood Red with Black Smoke. It will be available everywhere fine records are sold May 23rd, 2025!
After starting off as a young teenager, Suzi spent years touring in the Long Beach punk band Civet (alongside her older sister Liza Graves) before stepping up to the center stage mic with Turbulent Hearts in 2014. She’d been writing her own songs since the age of 13, and she was ready.
The band made their mark in the mid- to late-2010s, and after they parted ways, Suzi moved on to the garage psych combo LA Machina and ultimately, recording under her own name. Across the four sides of Turbulent Hearts: All Out, the band’s entire recorded output – 4 EPs and change over the course of 7 years – is collected in one place for the first time for fans old and new to enjoy.
‘This is music as a force for change, seeking escape from the tyranny of conformist predictability.’ (David Erdos, International Times).
“If Bauhaus’ Peter Murphy fronted Future Days era Can” (Sean Kitchin, the Quietus)
When comparisons are made to Suicide, Bauhaus, Joy Division, Can, Gong, James Chance, you will know that Hastings’ Column258 tread the outer edges of formulaic rock+roll. They are a true experimental collective, combining spoken word + improvisation.
Maybe it’s the abundance of small venues accommodating free entry gigs and promoters like VWR and Freakz, that enables the East Sussex seaside town to develop a scene comparable to New Yorks late 70’s No Wave movement.
Column258 can count themselves as one the burgeoning scene’s protagonists. There live shows combine mischievous art-rock with a psychedelic atmosphere Blending analogue and digital: bluenote brass, korgs, screaming vocoders and hypnotic guitars with inventive song cycles. Multi-vocal looping, poems written on the back of gas bills and electric pinecones, the band exemplifies the unexpected.
Column258’s live foundations are in warehouse parties, roof top gigs and art galleries. It’s only been over this last year they started playing more traditional rock venues resulting in tightly honed performances through years of playing but considered” new players” to promoters and gig goers alike.
There’s no such thing as a “final version” with Column258’s material, so when the band were offered free access to studio space above a disused tool hire station in an industrial outreach of town, they decided that whatever they left with, that would be the album. Sometimes it’s the restriction that enables the art. The studio space was full of equipment accumulated by the owner over decades of salvage. The vocal shield, prominent on the record cover, was originally used by The Who. Well-rehearsed songs flowed between on-the-spot jams. Fine-tuned lyrics butted against headlines read from the newspapers gaffa taped to the studio ceiling. Mic’s crackled and affects boards sparked. This could easily have D I S A S T E R written all over it. But fortune favoured the foolish with the end recordings providing enough quality output to cover two albums.
This week, the band are offering up a taste of their work with a special video for the album’s opening track, ‘13th Floor’. It’s a true story, stranded high up in a tower block in Frankfurt’s Europa quarter; song describes escalating feelings of vertigo, claustrophobia and nausea, as the writer is stuck in a dark and filthy room with a chain-smoking poet/sculptor. The line about climbing into his BMW Messerschmitt micro car underscores the feelings of entrapment and the off the ceiling rage to escape.
Interloper (Workshop Sessions Vol 1) is late night listening; it’s for digesting and pondering if any of it was actually intentional or a simple glorious accident.
Ultrabomb, the powerhouse international supergroup, is excited to announce the addition of acclaimed guitarist Ryan Smith to its lineup. A veteran musician, songwriter, and producer, Smith brings a wealth of experience from his work with Soul Asylum, The Melismatics, Ryan and Pony, and collaborations with The Rembrandts and Mark Mallman.Ultrabomb’s pedigree speaks for itself. Bassist Greg Norton, a founding member of the legendary Hüsker Dü, has left an undeniable mark on punk rock, influencing generations of artists including The Pixies, Green Day, and Foo Fighters. Drummer Derek O’Brien, known for his foundational role in Social Distortion and work with Agent Orange, Adolescents, and DI, continues to shape the genre both on stage and in the studio.With the release of their sophomore album, Dying to Smile (2024, DC-Jam Records), Ultrabomb is forging ahead with electrifying energy. Smith’s dynamic presence and deep-rooted passion for punk and indie music make him a natural fit for the band’s high-intensity sound.“It’s always a pleasure to hear punk and indie royalty still sounding as great and vital as Ultrabomb sounds here.” – If It’s Too LoudUltrabomb is set to continue its mission of delivering raw, unrelenting rock to audiences worldwide. Stay tuned for tour dates and more updates.
Tour dates Ultrabomb w Dead Bob:
6/6 Ray’s Golden Lion, Richland WA 6/7 Airport Tavern Music Hall, Tacoma WA 6/8 Dante’s, Portland OR 6/10 The Dip Redding CA 6/11 Harlow’s, Sacramento CA all ages 6/13 Stork Club Oakland CA 6/17 Zebulon Los Angeles, CA
Wow, that there John Reis, he be on fire people releasing records like it’s going outta fashion. No writer’s block for Speedo the former Rocket From The Crypt fella.
Celebrating 55 years in the music business! Swami John Reis is back with his second LP in eight months. ‘Time To Let You Down’ is a raw live melody man on a mission, blasting out raw feral punk rock like its going out of fashion and going to be outlawed by the federal government for being a threat to the kids. This is eleven tracks full of proper tunes from your fist in the air songs, to the nodding head collection, right through to the shit kicking department. Reis isn’t fucking about here just cashing in and phoning in a record because he has to he’s doing it because he needs to release these rabid beasts.
The album opens with the rabid title track and it never looks back from there. Its a dash to the finish with tempos raised and the melodies dialed in to the max. There’s a raw anthemic vibe Reis has struck upon, and he’s mining the seam to the limit, something he’s done all his career to be fair, but this one is bristling with vibrancy and a joy in such troubled times. It’s punk rock, baby, but with the attitude comes a maturity in the melodies that are here to take it somewhere fresh and ‘Basement Envy’ is proof enough to me that this is one hell of a band and Reis knows it. Kick out the jams you bastards, but don’t forget the Beach Boys melodies. ‘Boomer Rang’ is like a chainsaw ripping through your speakers until the soothing keys tickle your lobes like the ultimate audio sweet and sour. The first single ‘Feed The Dogs’ is a brooding bruiser in comparison to its predecessors, but that’s the beauty of this record, it sounds like it’s got the lot.
Flip the record and buckle up, this might get dangerous. ‘Prince Of Parade’ might be your typical Reis kinda song with a thumping driving beat and so much harmony and melody it makes you sick. It’s noticeable that only a couple of songs stray over the three-minute mark because Reis knows what captures the attention in the 21st Century, and time waits for no man. Get in – out and get the job done and if you can’t get the point across in under three minutes, you’re message is wrong.
Have I mentioned the melodies? sure as shit I have and disciples already know this but if this is your introduction to the world Of John Reis then let me reiterate that the guy loves a melody and here is an album packed to the gills with em and ‘Kamen Rider Theme’ is one huge melody and the only thing Stinking on here is the amount of talent on offer. ‘Because I Stink’ is fun and that keyboard is hypnotic and pinching melodies and lyrics is always cool, one of my favourites so far has to be the brilliant ‘Cold Feet’ the groove they hit is addictive and mention has to go to old comrades from Hot Snakes who make contributions Jason Sinclair, Bed OF Nails Joey Guevara is on those synths and of course Reis does a smart job on the production as well. I expect the next one before Christmas, and if it’s half as good as this, then Swami John Reis might well have a couple of albums in the shakedown for album of the year – just buy it!
Isn’t it a treat when you discover a “new” band via online friends? Especially when they really tick your boxes. So, may I introduce you to punk pop duo, Human Toys? They seem to have quite a following here in France. I mentioned them to my bandmate Mickey, who already knew their stuff, typically a man of good taste.
If you get your kicks from short, snappy Ramones-style pop tunes, then look no further. Poupée, on vocals and theremin and Jon Von on guitar and vocals bring you 13 new songs that grab your attention as they fly by. 2025 seems to be the year of great, short albums, but, as ever, it’s quality over quantity/time. You just know that Dee Dee would approve of ‘Devil’s Night’ and ‘Emma Peel Explosion’. There’s no time to think before ‘Generation Shit’ takes off, not unlike Cyanide Pills, and throughout the theremin does what Pete Shelley did so well, adding simple, addictive melodies.
Another similarity to, say, ‘Rocket To Russia’, is that if you love one song, you’ll love them all. It’s been done to death, but it’s not easy to write short, catchy songs, and the Toys really have nailed it. In fact, there’s no chaff on this or their debut, ‘Spin To Win’, so I felt compelled to buy ‘At The Poor Cow’ on vinyl (no CD available). As it’s from the EU, I’m not clobbered with 14€ customs tax! Rant over.
‘Breakin’ The Law’ isn’t the Judas Priest song (sorry Mr Hayward), and whether it’s ‘Go, Go, Alco’ or ‘Human Zoo’, your feet will be itching to get bopping. It’s not big, it’s not clever, and it’s all the better for it. It’s pure fun with great tunes, and there is a hint of The Rezillos here and there. I don’t know if there’s bass when they play live, but there’s plenty on the record, allowing the likes of ‘I’m Sick Of You’ to have the required clout. If Spotify is good for anything, you can listen to it and then order the album. What are you waiting for?
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