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The Chats/The Chisel/Guantanamo Baywatch – Cardiff Tramshed 22.05.23

The Chats/The Chisel/Guantanamo Baywatch – Cardiff Tramshed 22.05.23

What a time to be alive, it’s a school night and the Tramshed is packed to the rafters for some hot, sweaty, punk rock. First up tonight is the trio with the most amusing band name Guantanamo Baywatch with their take on Surf Rock. With a swift half hour to impress they get straight down to business with. Not a lot of singing throughout the set but they did turn in an impressive rendition of ‘Diana’ by Paul Anka the last time I heard a band do that was The Misfits and it was an altogether different experience and version. Anyway not being at all familiar with the band and their set it tended to pass in a bit of a blur they sounded tight and looked like they were having a great time as a lot of people were in the room for the opening band which was great to see and they went down well.

Next up was the full-throttle zero fucks given The Chisel. Right from the off it was ‘Unlawful Execution’ that set the tone for the next thirty minutes. Some incendiary hardcore as Cal prowls the stage like a caged tiger. Song after song it’s uncompromising, uncomfortable and brutal and if you let it get inside your head it can be an explosive yet joyous experience. The adrenalin of frontman Cal is mainlined through the audience as he prowls the stage drawing every sinew of rage, energy and speed out of his band and pouring it over the packed-out audience who are in early to catch some Chisel. They didn’t disappoint that has to be said and after my last experience of seeing them was at Rebellion Festival where the sound let the band down and simply couldn’t cope with their sound however, tonight The Tramshed more than coped and was right on the money, The Chisel deserved a crisp clear sound and got it and it only added to the ferocity of the songs from the epic ‘Retaliation’ album.

From Charlie and Luke the noise was immense it was an avalanche of sharp-in-your-face punk rock as most of ‘Retaliation’ was blasted out they also had time for a new one that was pure rage and a great peek into whats to come. The Chisel came, saw and conquered. It might be time for a headline tour to come back to South Wales and bring a new album and song with them the Chisel did not disappoint.

What can you say about The Chats that hasn’t already been said? They play faster and faster with every tour they do and for that hour they are on stage they give every last drop of blood sweat and tears no doubt about it they leave everything on stage. Like the delinquent bastard kids of the dysfunctional Ramones that they left down under The Chats take the Ramones work ethic of playing the songs, playing them faster, saying very little, playing a bit harder, drinking some beer then getting the fuck outta dodge.

The madness began as the band steamrollered through ‘Nambored’ into ‘Billy Backwash’s Day’ and they were burnign through songs with a feroscious apetite and the packed room were well up for it as bodies were flying over the barrier at a rapid pace.

It wasn’t until the epic ‘Emperor Of The Beach’ was played that you could even call it a breather. the band’s finest song was done and dusted and it was back through the gears and away to go. ‘Stinker’ and ‘Panic Attack’ were also standouts and the sharp riffs flying off Josh’s fretboard have taken the band to the next level they are tighter and the songs sound beefed up to fuck. In this kind of form, the Chats are a match for anyone on the punk circuit. ‘Ticket Inspector’ sounds like they were paying attention when Da Bruddas played ‘Warthog’. These boys are a product of where they come from and sing about it keeping it real. So what if it’s goofy, puerile, and childish these kids are keeping it real. Sure, at times (well, all the time) they look like they’ve been dragged through the bins out the back of a jumble sale, it’s what makes them sell out venues the other side of the world from where they’ve come, and they will have a fit if they didn’t bring their own smokes to shit island because if they think they are expensive down under wait til you see the UK prices! ‘The Price Of Smokes’ is indeed going up again five times the speed. The hour has just flown by and we’ve reached the end of a furious yet epic set that was thoroughly enjoyable and tight as a part of soaking Rizlas in the back pocket of your cut-off denim. So a writhing, heaving, mess of bodies leaves the Tramshed with beaming smiles and ringing ears.

Long may the Chats grow and grow. They play fast as fuck everything is turbocharged so a ninety-minute set is condensed into fifty-five minutes of pure unadulterated punk as fuck noise. They have tightened up and that’s a lot to do with the awesome guitar work that has taken The Chats to the next level. next year they can come back and play some more speed punk but I think we’re gonna need a bigger venue. More people out on a school night watching some superb punk rock is the best, most life affirming activity out there and the soundtrack is fantastic, now do what they say and Get Fucked! Loved it, absolutely loved it!

Before I do sign off I can’t help but think in this day and age where everything is on hand in an instant a thousand people pack out a great venue yet so few of these kids here tonight would go and see bands like The Chats, like the Chisel all over the country in smaller venues with cheaper merch and lighter ticket prices (often free) It was a joy to be in a packed venue on a school night but in order to see more nights like this people need to get out there and see what else is also on – support live music and support punk rock, thank you!

Author: Dom Daley

Ming City Rockers Interview Exclusive

Ming City Rockers Interview Exclusive

I think its fair to say that a band from Oop Norf over on the East Coast to be more precise have just delivered their finest body of work to date in the shape of the fantastic ‘Lime’, and when looking at who we could interview Ming City Rockers were right at the top of our list. they’ve always delivered fantastic tunes and they’re a band we’ve followed and reviewed from their inseption wayyy back in the old Uber Rock days so it was a no brainer for us here at RPM Online and when we reached out to the Mingers we were delighted when they said yeah!

So, sit out in the sunshine, pour yourself a glass of fizz put on your shades for here is our exchange with the wonderful Ming City Rockers.

Do you have a thing for fruity titles to albums? How come?

We sure do. What we do is secret.

You’ve slimmed the band down to a three-piece, was this a decision out of necessity or did it just happen that way?

Kinda both, during the plague of 2020, our bass player lived in Manchester so he couldn’t really get together with us to write anything. So, we started working on the album as a 3 piece and kinda just kept it that way. 

We play really well together right now, so we’re probs gonna keep it this way, we’re better than we’ve ever been. It’s harder to sound good with just 3 of us so we had to get better. It’s made our song writing better too. 

I thought that ‘Lime’ is the band’s finest piece to date, can you tell us how the album came together?

Yours is a question with many answers. Most of it was written during lockdown, and we recorded most of it in our living room. 

The overall mental health of the band was questionable to say the least, and we had no idea what we were doing. The album had a budget of about £75. Still can’t believe the album actually got finished. 

We recorded it over the course of last year. We used Cornerstone Studio in Grimsby to record the drums and we had to do it in bits coz we were absolutely skint. We recorded everything else in our flat and Clancey mixed and produced it. It was really challenging and way harder than we thought it was gonna be, but it worked out really well. We’re gonna do the next one ourselves too. 

A lot of people have told us they think it’s our best album, that means so much to us.

Is it fair to say there were big plans for ‘Lemon’ that for one reason or another didn’t quite pan out (using a big producer) length of time to get it made etc How do you look back on that time?

We actually wrote and recorded it like 5 months after our first album came out, it was the record label that waited ages to put it out, you’d have to ask them as to why. 

Fondley, good times. 

You’ve played some sporadic dates since ‘Lime’ was released, are there any plans for a UK tour or further afield maybe Europe?

Yeah, we’re kinda concentrating on writing and recording our next album now though, so they’ll probs be with the release of that. We really want to play in Europe again, but it’s really complicated these days with Brexit and whatnot. We used to do like 30 date tours there a few years ago, but it’s scary to book that now, knowing we might get turned away at the border.  

What about pressing the new album on vinyl?  What with the resurgence in record collectors is it something you plan to do?  what with the cost and time it takes can we expect a press on lime wax?

We really want to, yeah at some point. Don’t hold your breath though. 

What are your immediate plans for the rest of 2023?

We’ve pretty much finished writing the next album, we’re gonna record it this summer and then release it later this year, hopefully. We learned a lot from recording LIME ourselves, so really looking forward to the next album. It is also fruit themed. 

Buy Ming City Rockers Here

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Rancid – ‘Devil In Disguise’ Video

Rancid – ‘Devil In Disguise’ Video

Rancid deliver a warning to us all with new single and accompanying music video, “Devil In

Disguise.” Ahead of their new album ‘Tomorrow Never Comes’ out on June 2nd, they pair melodic riffs and a galloping rhythm with gruff sing-along vocals that carry a message of self-preservation.

At a whopping 850 million catalog streams to date, fans and critics alike seem to agree that Rancid’s brand of high-impact, no-frills punk still flows abundantly in their blood, while easily translating to a modern audience. Now embarking on their tenth full-length effort, this is evident throughout ‘Tomorrow Never Comes’. Produced by longtime collaborator, Brett Gurewitz, its sixteen blistering tracks barely make the two-and-a-half-minute mark, boasting the same gritty, straightforward punk-with-a-purpose that the world just can’t get enough of.

Rancid Tour Dates

6/2 – Rimini, Italy – Slam Dunk

6/3 – Ljubljana, Slovenia – Media Center Cvetlicarna *

6/4 – Linz, Austria – SBAM Festival

6/6 – Warsaw, Poland – Letnia Scena Progresji *

6/8 – Hyvinkaa, Finland – Rockfest

6/9 – Solvesborg, Sweden – Sweden Rock Festival

6/10 – Stockholm, Sweden – Annexet *

6/12 – Berlin, Germany- Columbiahalle *

6/13 – Wiesbaden, Germany – Schlachthof *

6/15 – Vitoria, Spain – Azkena Rock

6/16 – Clisson, France – Hellfest

6/17 – Dessel, Belgium – Graspop

6/20 – London, UK – OVO Arena Wembley**

6/21 – Manchester, UK – O2 Victoria Warehouse *

6/23 – Ysselsteyn, Netherlands – Jera On Air Festival

6/24 – Munster, Germany – Vainstream Rockfest

6/25 – Tabor, Czech Republic – Mighty Sounds Festival

* w/ The Bronx, Grade 2
** w/The Bronx, Grade 2 & The Skints

FOR MORE INFO ON RANCID VISIT:

WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK

Johnny Thunders: In Cold Blood Updated & Revised Biography

Johnny Thunders: In Cold Blood Updated & Revised Biography

Johnny Thunders: In Cold Blood

The Official Biography: Revised & Updated Edition

A brand-new edition of a classic of rock’n’roll literature—the official biography of legendary New York Dolls and Heartbreakers guitarist Johnny Thunders. Revised, updated, and republished to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Dolls’ landmark debut album, in the week of what would have been Johnny’s 71st birthday.

‘A cautionary tale about creating a myth and living it out on behalf of others. All the glory and sadness of Johnny Thunders’ short life is in this book. God bless him.’ BOBBY GILLESPIE

‘In Cold Blood. The title says it all. Johnny Thunders inspired us in many ways—not all good, as any band member with junkie business at hand can attest—but his carefully attended elegance of dress, the way he commanded the stage, his sensitive songwriting, and most of all his reckless guitar playing (in defiance of his gentle personality) lives on in the heart of every guitar hero and rock fan.’ CHRISSIE HYNDE

‘Nina knew Johnny and has observed his life with fandom, understanding, compassion, and detachment. She is more than qualified to capture its dynamics in her well-chosen words and a series of illuminating interviews.’ MIKE SCOTT, from his foreword to this book

Johnny Thunders: In Cold Blood is the definitive portrait of the condemned man of rock’n’roll, from the baptism of fire and tragedy that was The New York Dolls, through the junkie punk years of The Heartbreakers, to his sudden and mysterious death in 1991. It is an unflinching account of a unique guitarist whose drug problems often overshadowed his considerable style and talent, but whose unquestionable influence on glam, punk, and more still resonates today.

Nina Antonia discovered Johnny Thunders and The New York Dolls as a teenager and spent her formative years as a dedicated fan before starting work on this book in her twenties. Then, when Johnny and his manager read her early drafts, they decided she should make it an authorised biography, granting her unique access to Johnny’s life. As such, it begins by painting a historical portrait of Thunders and his early life and work before shifting into the present tense as Nina vividly describes her own experiences with Johnny and his associates.

First published in 1987, Johnny Thunders: In Cold Blood has been kept alive over the years by an audience that isn’t always catered for. Johnny is the voice of the disenfranchised; he is every gifted son or daughter who went off the rails. Like Jesse James or James Dean, he couldn’t come in from the badlands of rock’n’roll; he wouldn’t kowtow to the establishment. This revised and updated edition adds a new closing chapter, bringing Thunders’ legacy up to date, as well as new photographs and a foreword by Mike Scott of The Waterboys.

In conjunction with the book’s publication, Jungle Records will releaseThe L.A.M.F. Demo Sessions digitally together for the first time on July 14th. The album brings together four sets of studio demo sessions for The Heartbreakers’ classic 1977 album – two from 1976 in New York, two from 1977 in London. For more information, visit www.jungle-records.net.

Nina Antonia is an author and journalist who has contributed to Uncut, Mojo, Classic Rock, and Record Collector. Since Johnny Thunders: In Cold Blood was first published in 1987, she has written biographies of The New York Dolls and Peter Perrett of The Only Ones and edited the diaries of The Libertines’ Pete Doherty. She has appeared on BBC Radio One and 6 Music, performed at spoken-word events, held a retrospective at the Barbican, and lectured on glam at the Tate Liverpool. She has also featured in various documentaries, including Danny Garcia’s poignant film Looking For Johnny. Johnny himself called her ‘the smartest chick I ever met’.

Pre Order Here

The Urban Voodoo Machine – Hebden Bridge Trades Club – 20th May 2023

The Urban Voodoo Machine – Hebden Bridge Trades Club – 20<sup>th</sup> May 2023

With a formidable reputation and a high energy, fun-packed live show, London collective The Urban Voodoo Machine are currently celebrating 20 years as a band with shows throughout this year and I’m sure I heard rumours of an upcoming live album somewhere along the line, but don’t quote me, you would have to ask their ringleader Mr. Paul-Ronney Angel for more information on that one.

They were celebrating 10 years as a band when I first saw them live, and they are still celebrating. That’s a long-ass party by anyone’s standards, but P-R Angel’s standards are very high.

With no support act tonight, The Urban Voodoo Machine take to the sold-out Trades Club stage bang on 9pm and they are firing on all cylinders from the word go. Now, in my experience every UVM show has a different dynamic, this is part of what makes them so exciting and fresh. You usually get the core 7-piece band, but the additional members vary depending who is available to tour. There could be fiddle players, someone on a washboard or a whole brass section if you’re lucky. The more the merrier and it all adds to the crazy, carnival-themed chaos that goes down every time they play.

Tonight, P-R’s faithful sidekick Lucifire is missing on sax appeal, general circus style introductions and entertainment, so its left to the frontman to bring the entertainment to the max, which of course he is more than capable of doing.

The on-stage Paul-Ronney Angel persona is equal parts drunken pirate, mariachi musician and Mexican bandit. He’s Charlie Chaplin in technicolour, he’s Harold Lloyd minus the stunts, well there are stunts, but they involve a hat, a microphone stand and a very, very sweaty headscarf (if you know… you know!).

The stellar instrumental ‘Theme From The Urban Voodoo Machine’ gets the crowd warmed up quickly and a triple assault on the senses from the new album follows in quick succession. ‘Empty Plastic Cup’, ‘Living In Fear’ and ‘Johnny Foreigner’ all have that classic bourbon-soaked, gypsy blues bop n’ stroll sound that the band have been playing for all these years. With killer choruses and thought-provoking lyricism from the pen of our illustrious leader, it’s a carefully honed live show that gives the appearance of falling apart at any moment, but the tight and energised band are never gonna fall off the tracks, not until the show is over anyway.

Clutching a wine glass filled with god-knows-what, our ringleader for the night entertains with the perfect mix of slapstick humour and punk rock attitude. Some songs are jammed out, others are rearranged slightly and it’s all good. Raucous drinking songs like ‘Love Song 666’ and ‘Goodbye To Another Year’ incite crowd singalongs and much dancing. Accordion player Slim, drummers Jary & J-Roni-Mo and guitarist Tony Diavolo all help with the crowd interaction and although it’s a more straight rock n’ roll show than a circus sideshow tonight, they still make the majority of other bands look as dull as dishwater.

Highlights for me tonight would be a spiritual ‘Help Me Jesus’ and a sombre and emotive encore with P-R Angel on an acoustic guitar and Slim on piano doing Tom Jones ‘Green Green Grass Of Home’ dedicated to P-R’s father.

It’s impossible to leave a show by this band disappointed. The Urban Voodoo Machine drip entertainment from every pore, night after night, gig after gig, and tonight was no different. 20 years down the line it is never too late to join the celebrations. If they roll into a town near you this year, I highly recommend The Urban Voodoo Machine live experience, it’s the soundtrack to the craziest party you have ever been to and for me they remain the best kept secret on the UK music scene.

Author: Ben Hughes

Dinosaur Jr. Announce London & New York dates

Dinosaur Jr. Announce London & New York dates

ANNOUNCE WHERE YOU BEEN 30th ANNIVERSARY SHOWS IN LONDON & BROOKLYN

FOUR SHOWS IN LONDON ON NOV 12th-15th
@ THE GARAGE

SEVEN SHOWS IN BROOKLYN ON DEC 1st-3rd & 5th-8th
@ MUSIC HALL OF WILLIAMSBURG

Today, Dinosaur Jr. announce four shows at London’s Garage and seven shows at Brooklyn’s Music Hall of Williamsburg to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their sixth studio album, Where You Been. Dinosaur Jr.’s second album to be made with a major label was originally released in 1993 at the height of the grunge moment in rock, and its temporal trajectory hit #50 on the Billboard charts.  

In the decades since the release of Dinosaur Jr.’s quintessential album, it has become clear that their sound – once hailed as a sort of almost-tamed noise – is/was/always-has-been fully functioning pop music of a sort. The subsequent generations of bands who grew up breathing Dino’s fumes managed to tinker around with the edges of their original post-hardcore song forms enough for listeners to realise there had always been melodies at the center of everything they did. What Dinosaur Jr. produce is nothing but a beautiful new version of the rock continuum – riff, power, beat and longing, created with an eye on the infinite future.

In 2023, now 30 years since release, the original trio of J Mascis, Lou Barlow and Murph firmly reunited will perform this iconic album in its entirety over a 4-night span in London in November and a 7-night span in Brooklyn, NY in December. The band will invite a spattering of guests and friends to sit in each night to celebrate this music along with a set comprising the trio’s thunderous catalog each night. Tickets will be available via pre-sale tomorrow, and general on-sale will be this Thursday, May 25th.

For more information and tickets, please visit www.dinosaurjr.com

Tour Dates:

(Where You Been 30th anniversary shows in bold)

Jun 3rd | McGill, NV – Shellraiser Festival *
Jul 6th | Milwaukee, WI – Summerfest *
Jul 21st | Washington, DC – The Anthem ^
Jul 22nd | Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE ^
Jul 23rd | Philadelphia, PA – Franklin Music Hall ^
Jul 25th | Toronto, ON – Rebel ^
Jul 27th | Louisville, KY – Iroquois Amphitheatre ^
Jul 28th | Sterling Heights, MI – Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre ^
Jul 29th | Chicago, IL – Radius ^
Jul 30th | Indianapolis, IN – Egyptian Room ^
Jul 31st | Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium ^
Aug 2nd | Saint Paul, MN – Palace Theatre ^
Aug 3rd | Cedar Rapids, IA – McGrath Amphitheatre ^
Aug 4th | Wichita, KS – Wave ^
Aug 5th | Denver, CO – The Fillmore Auditorium ^
Aug 27th | Tisbury, MA – Beach Road Weekend *
Sep 9th | Raleigh, NC – Hopscotch Music Festival *
Sep 16th | Wyndham, NY – Cave Mountain Catskills Music Festival *
Sep 30th | Memphis, TN – Memphis Music Festival *
Nov 12th | London, UK – The Garage 
Nov 13th | London, UK – The Garage 
Nov 14th | London, UK – The Garage 
Nov 15th | London, UK – The Garage 
Dec 1st | Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
Dec 2nd | Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
Dec 3rd | Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
Dec 5th | Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
Dec 6th | Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
Dec 7th | Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
Dec 8th | Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg

* = festival appearance

^ = w/ special guests Clutch and Red Fang

Photo credit: Cara Totman 

Jim Jones All Stars/US – Newport, Le Pub – 20th May 2023

Jim Jones All Stars/US – Newport, Le Pub – 20<sup>th</sup> May 2023

Making our way through the wretched hive of scum and villainy gathered on the streets of Mos Ei… sorry I of course meant…Newport, on route to entering our favourite local cantina bar, Le Pub, I’d perhaps be forgiven for thinking I’d actually stepped back in time, to a film set not from the 1970s, but in fact the 1960s and that scene in ‘Blow Up’ where David Hemmings walks in on the Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page version of Yardbirds rippin’ through a rough as they come version of ‘Train Kept A-Rollin’’. That’s because Finland’s finest rabble rousers US are in the house tonight opening proceedings for Jim Jones All Stars, and they are making an immediate (and very positive) impression on those of us in the sweaty confines of Le Pub early doors.

Having recently completed a set of UK shows in support of the fast rising His Lordship, US are not only a band seemingly out of time, but also out of this world, their music falling somewhere between garage rock and out and out old school R&B, with the Helsinki 5 piece not only winning the sharpest dressers in Newport award tonight, but also truly sounding like the real deal too. I could say they remind me of The Strypes, as they look as young as those Irish lads did in their early years, but no, these lads actually remind me of The Sonics, and that’s a world of difference in my book.

US are playing a series of UK shows this summer including a run of 5 shows at this year’s Glastonbury Festival, make sure you catch ‘em while you can, as these guys are going to be going places. 

Having witnessed Jim Jones during his time fronting revolutionary psych punks Thee Hypnotics (first time around and the brief pre-Covid reunion), along with his roustabout Revue years and those most Righteous of Minds days, my most recent encounter with the singer/guitarist was at this year’s Vive Le Rock Awards in London where he briefly put a spell on us all fronting the house pick up band the Vive Le Rockers.

Why do I mention this? Well, simply because the 8-piece band that now makes up the collective known as the Jim Jones All Stars is like the perfect sum of all those already great parts…but (as some welly wearing comedian used to say) there’s more. Much, much more.

I’m not sure exactly what it is, but there’s times tonight where the All Stars sound like they could be Stax or Sun (oh and let’s not forget Bell either) Records recording artistes, there’s just so much soul emanating from the stage, and that extra little touch of class that the dual saxophones bring to proceedings is nothing short of musical genius.

For their hour on stage (which literally felt like it was over in the blink of an eye) we get reinventions of classic Revue tracks like ‘Cement Mixer’, ‘Burning Your House Down’, ‘The Princess And The Frog’, along with a truly off the scale ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Psychosis’ plus there’s a seismic rendition of the Righteous Minds’ ‘Satan’s Got His Heart Set On You’ along for safe measure, something that very well might just have woken up any dozing Rontos chained up outside. (Jeez, I never do any Star Wars references and that’s two in one review). Plus of course there’s the All Stars very own anthem in the making, the hip shaking, ‘Gimme The Grease’, which really is a sign of truly great things to come.

Whilst a lot of the other bars in Newport would see cover bands playing in them tonight, I will bet my mortgage on the fact that none of those bands will have covered both ‘Run Run Run’ by The Velvet Underground, and ‘Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey’ by The Beatles. Unfortunately, there’s no space in the set tonight for the band’s version Of ‘Human Fly’, aired during their inaugural live shows, but I’m more than happy to trade that in for the All Stars’ rendition of Thee Hypnotics’ ‘Shakedown’ that closes things out tonight. Wow! That really is all I can say, apart from this is how I always wanted to hear this song delivered live, and like the wise old sage stood by me during the show shouted in my ear, it really did “sound like The Stooges in their prime”.

With the clock ticking down to the dreaded night club early load out, there was just enough time for a whirlwind run through of the Revue’s ‘512’ before we were all being ushered out into the main bar and ultimately out into the maybe not quite as cold as usual Newport night air.

This long since sold out show will surely feature on many of its (very lucky) attendees’ gigs of the year list, and after seeing Jim Jones perform with all those aforementioned bands, I feel he’s really hit on something very magical indeed with the Jim Jones All Stars. 

This is without question his finest hour yet, truly exceptional stuff!

Author: Johnny Hayward

Two for Tuesday

Two for Tuesday

First up this Sunny Tuesday is this blistering slice of Sleazy Punk n Roll from the wonderful Poison Boys. ‘Steamroller’ is the first new song from the band ahead of album number three due soon (hopefully)

New Golem Dance Cult Video. From the album “Legend of the Bleeding Heart”. Looking at the World through the eyes of a Dog! Bite the hand that feed and revolt against the master!

The new full length album, “Legend of the Bleeding Heart” will be released May 23rd 2023 and can already be pre-ordered Here get in touch with them via facebook:Here

R.I.P. Algy Ward

R.I.P. Algy Ward

The sad news has reached us that one of his generation’s most iconic and influential musicians has passed away. the private man that was Alasdair Mackie “Algy” Ward is thought to have passed away in Hospital last Wednesday after a long illness. His contribution to music should never be underestimated. Having played with the iconic Australian punk rockers The Saints when he played on their single in 77 ‘This Perfect Day’ and also playing on the classic ‘Eternally Yours’ and its follow-up album before being replaced in the band it was in 79 he joined the mighty Damned.

Ward played on their iconic, classic post-James era album ‘Machine Gun Etiquette’. His formidable bass line intro on ‘Love Song’ cemented the album as many fans’ favourite thanks in no small part to his driving, take no prisoners, sound that fit in with the band’s MO at the time. Wards Lemmy-inspired attack made the album’s core sound and the second phase of the band’s many different genre-changing periods. His time however, didn’t last too long after internal wranglings and The Damned being The Damned, Algy left and went on to form the much underrated NWOBHM bands, Tank.

Tank was at the sharp end of NWOBHM and in 82 they released their iconic album ‘Filth Hounds of Hades’ again the band went through many lineup changes but did manage to make five albums of metal/punk but due to a lack of commercial success and the old faithful internal disputes then band fell apart and by the end of the 80s Algy wasn’t seen or heard of performing until the late 90s when he reformed Tank with Bruce Bisland on drums, and Tucker and Evans on guitars when they released one more LP ‘Still At War’ (of course they were) the band limped on into the naughties making several albums before Ward teamed up with fellow metal/punk legend Evo to record an EP ‘Damned Unto Death’ then his final record was released in 2018 the eighth studio album ‘Sturmpanzer’ and so it was done.

Rest In Peace Algy, that iconic intro on ‘Love Song’ will forever be etched into my brain where Algy with his leather jacket, cheeky grin and thumpingly effortlessly cool bass line led the way on one of the best albums ever made on this spinning rock. Alasdair Mackie “Algy” Ward your work here is done may you rest in peace.

Black Adidas Interview Exclusive

Black Adidas Interview Exclusive

Earlier this year we became aware of the socal band Black Adidas and were blown away by their latest album. We caught up with the man with a plan Courtney and got the lowdown on all things Black Adidas… (Review Here)

Can you give us a brief overview of Black Adidas when you started? where the name came from? whos involved? 

Black Adidas started in about 2017 as essentially my solo project.  I had been demoing most of the tracks off the first record for a band I was playing bass in.  Had a hard time getting them to want to record the songs, so I figured I’d just go into the studio and do it myself, and that became Black Adidas.  The idea was that it was going to be whatever songs were coming into my head, and not filtered out because of whatever sound or style they sort of fit into.  I just wanted a record of good songs that sounded great, and let the world I guess decide if they liked it.  

At the time, it was just me playing most of the instruments and singing, but of course I’m a terrible drummer, so I had a friend of mine come in and lay that down.  As the album got more complete, I had a few other musicians and friends come in on some of the tracks, like a horn section and piano for Play What We Know.  When the record was done, I self released it, and got a few musicians together to do a tour to promote it.  I didn’t really have many plans beyond those shows, but by the end of it, I was feeling pretty good about the sound and the reaction to us, so we kept going, playing shows, and then eventually going back into the studio.  And that (over a few years and a pandemic) led us to the new record.  

Why Black Adidas? Band names are tough to come up with, so when something works, you just go with it and try not to stress, ha.  I used to wear (and still do) this Black Adidas tracksuit that my wife hated. At the time, say 10 years ago, it was not as fashionable (at least in southern california) as they are now.  A friend I was out with one of these tracksuit nights just said that should be the name of my new record,  Black Adidas, and that was that.  

When I stumbled across the recent album whilst on a deep dive in Bandcamp I was blown away and wanted to find out more about the band.  whilst it was fun checking out a new band to me it was also frustrating that I hadn’t checked you out sooner. Nobody’s fault, just so much music out there on this spinning rock. How cool is it when people across the other side of the globe find your music? 

It is very cool, especially when I see streams from different countries, or someone reaches out from say Germany and tells me how much they love the record or a particular song.  It really does let an artist know that their music is not only relevant but that it is universal, and at least for me, that inspires me and fuels me to continue to do it.  

Are you currently working on any new music we should know about?

Absolutely we are, and since the last record came out, we’ve got a new lineup that I’m so freaking stoked on.  We played out the record release shows for album 2 and just killed it.  We’ll start laying down demo tracks and doing some pre-production this summer and if all goes well, there will be a third record out next year.  I’m very excited.  I guess if you go through our instagram reels, you can maybe get a taste of a new song called Are We There Yet, recorded by a fan at one of the shows.  

What about touring with a band is that something you have plans for?

Yes, that is both something we’ve done, and that we’ll continue to do.  We sort of work in waves.  At my age, it really isn’t practical to have a band that is ready at a moment’s notice to play.  We don’t have a weekly rehearsal or band practice night.  When there is a good reason, we like to pull together as many shows as possible in different regions, rehearse up and then attack.  One of the great things about the LA area is we can play 2 weeks worth of shows within a 100 mile radius and feel like we’re touring across the country.  There is a ton of diversity and different scenes throughout the area, and it’s really great to see how we are treated and how the fans react in these different towns.  So we try to do a few regional tours and maybe once a year something bigger.  I would love to come out to the UK for a week, maybe when we put out the next LP.  We get really great support there, our UK distro (different kitchen) sold out of the last record super fast.  

It was tough tracking down a copy of your record which I did eventually and finding out there was a UK distro was cool and saved a bunch of money.  Can you give us some links where people can check you out and buy physical music or digital (it all helps right?) 

We are going to have to reach out to the label and try more out to the UK, when we do, it’ll likely be here 

I really hate to have individuals have to pay the giant shipping costs to get an LP direct from the States, but that’s an option Bandcamp Here

And we’re available on any digital service you can probably think of.  Our link tree is pretty up to date with that, but you can just search for us. We should pop up (Spotify, Apple Music, etc): linktr.ee/blackadidas

You pretty much played and recorded everything on your debut album and the follow-up right? Do you get the chance to play the songs live with a band at all? Do the songs change and evolve much with it being a one-man band pretty much?  What about collaborating with other writers maybe as a band is this something that would excite you?

Our evolution as a band has for sure been that it started with just me, and now we are beginning to resemble a more collaborative band.  That’s what I really wanted to begin with, but again, starting and mainting what we all think of as a “band” is really hard, and so I started by myself, and let the band just evolve in whatever way it was going to from there.  I still write all the songs, but I try to do less of the production and arranging of everything and let the individual musicians throw in their take.  And I would for sure love to work with others in the band, or from other bands on songwriting.  The last record did have one song on it, Home, that I wrote the music for but the lyrics were mostly written by the singer in my band from 20 years ago.  I resurrected an old one we had written together back then, as it was recently just popping back into my head after all that time.  I did have to change the key because his range was way above mine, ha.  

Going back to the last album you hooked up with Dirt Cult Records how did that come about?

Chris at Dirt Cult is one the coolest record owners out there, and he is super supportive of artists and extremely eclectic in his taste.  It’s the sort of label I would generally buy everything they put out knowing if he put it out, it was going to be stellar.  I had been sending him demos and recordings over the last few years, and just kinda kept in touch, hoping he’d be willing to release something or just tell me what he thinks of it.  Luckily, with the last record, he liked what I was doing and was willing to put it out.  I’m forever grateful for that, and the response has been pretty amazing.     

what next for Black Adidas in 2023? more recording – live shows – world domination?

All of the above, ha.  We’ll play some shows with the new songs, and get into the studio as soon as we can.  Like I said, if all goes well, we’ll bring a copy right to you in the UK!  

Pics: Eric Stoliker