Tek is best known for his stint as Radio Birdman guitarist and songwriter but he’s been a prolific solo artist over the last few years with an excellent output of fantastic Garage Rock n Roll which is exactly what you get with ‘Long Before Day’. The 2020 co-release with James Williamson was a masterclass in how to play Rock n Roll.

Thirteen tracks of honest good time Rock n Roll with guitars at the forefront and opener ‘Taking One For The Team’ has a cool slide ahead of the overdriven six-string – with a strong melody it reminds me of a garage rock version of Neil Young and Crazy Horse when they turn the amps up and jam. It’s an album that’s got a loose vibe.

The album meanders through the rivers of rock n roll stopping off at various tributaries offering different takes on the subject, from countrified rock that tells a story like ‘Ballad Of Chief Joseph’ the band kicks back on the moody ‘Speak Of Ice’ that has a sleepy quality as it creeps around the blues tempo and structure. If you’re willing to invest in the songs then sit back and float downstream and let the Teks take you on a fantastic journey. The quality of the songs is the key to this record with ‘Home’ just a few notches up in tempo from the previous tune with the acoustic guitar adding an earthy layer.

The title track is a mellow acoustic introduction that rolls through the speakers. ‘Truck n Roll’ shifts a few gears and blows off a few cobwebs and you get the impression that there are no egos at play here just a guy who loves his music and wherever the breeze takes him, it’s all about the music.

If I was looking to offer up a favourite track it might well be ‘Close To You’ another chilled song that would have fitted in spectacularly well on a playlist that included Chuck Prophet, Neil Young, and maybe some acoustic Johnny Thunders around the ‘Hurt Me’ recordings.

IF you want the louder end of the spectrum then look no further than the uptempo ‘Rear View Mirror’ but there’s magic sprinkled all over this album from the soulful ‘You Cry’ or ‘Mother Earth’ or the album closer sees the reflective Tek contemplate ‘Where’. A hugely impressive album that probably won’t get the respect and attention it thoroughly deserves except for places like RPM Online because we just know.

An absolute winner of an album for many reasons – the playing is from the heart and has a boundless soul. Tek isn’t afraid to venture into territories that people possibly won’t expect and doesn’t just rip it up with a garage Rock wham bang thank you man it’s so much better than that. It’s a no-brainer and it might just be the most well-rounded offering from all of Teks solo records. Buy it!

Buy Here

Author: Dom Daley

REBELLION FESTIVAL PRESENTS R-FEST

A NEW OUTDOOR FESTIVAL IN FRONT OF BLACKPOOL TOWER TO TAKE PLACE AUGUST 4-7, 2022, IN ADDITION TO REBELLION AT THE WINTER GARDENS

R-FEST OFFERING FREE TICKETS TO NHS WORKERS!

Rebellion Festival, the largest punk and alternative festival in the world, is returning in 2022 even bigger and better with the launch of new outdoor event R-FEST – the festival within a festival.

Taking place this coming 4th to 7th of August 2022, in addition to Rebellion Festival at its annual home the Winter Gardens, R-FEST will be located slap bang in front of Blackpool Tower on the promenade, directly down from the Winter Gardens.

Although the country and government might have stopped clapping for the NHS, R-Fest want to show their gratitude for everything they did during the pandemic and continue to do, by offering one hundred tickets per day to the wonderful NHS workers.

If you’re an NHS key worker and fancy coming along for a day of music, food and sunshine all you’ll need to do is visit the Winter Gardens box office on Victoria Street, Blackpool this Wednesday 3rd August (12pm – 9pm) and show your NHS ID card to receive a free ticket for the R-Fest day of your choosing.

T&Cs apply: only one ticket per NHS ID can be given for free, though you may be able to purchase additional tickets from the box office. Up to 100 tickets available for each day of the festival – Thursday 4th to Sunday 7th August.

Note: this is a goodwill promotion and as such refunds cannot be issued for existing ticket holders.

The full line-up for R-Fest is.

THURSDAY 4th AUGUST: Levellers, Hawkwind, Misty in Roots, Dreadzone, Ferocious Dog, Beans on Toast, Millie Manders and the Shut Up

FRIDAY 5th AUGUST: The Stranglers, The Undertones, The Skids, From the Jam, Toyah, Jilted John, The Vapors

SATURDAY 6th AUGUST: Gary Numan, Peter Hook & the Light, Pop Will Eat Itself, Spear of Destiny, The Wedding Present, Primitives, Pete Bentham & the Dinner Ladies

SUNDAY 7th AUGUST: Squeeze, Billy Bragg, Tom Robinson Band, Hollie Cook, Buzzcocks, Altered Images, I, Doris

R-FEST will quickly establish itself as the North West’s premier music festival and Rebellion Festival look forward to welcoming many fans that could be experiencing one of their events for the first time. We’re sure they will be welcomed by the Rebellion Family and soon realise why Blackpool is such a special place for our summer gatherings.

R-FEST is a standalone festival and day tickets are available at £50 per day. However, if you are a REBELLION weekend or REBELLION day ticket holder your ticket will get into R-FEST Free Of Charge!

R-FEST is all ages and there is re-entry available.

Rebellion Festival also looks forward to hosting the best punk from around the world in 2022 with the likes of Sham 69, Bad Religion, Circle Jerks, Cock Sparrer and Stiff Little Fingers confirmed to play the Winter Gardens August 4th-7th 2022.

Tickets for Saturday R-FEST are available HERE:

Rebellion Day & Weekend Tickets gets you in to R-FEST and the Winter Gardens full festival and are on sale HERE:

Head to www.rebellionfestivals.com/r-fest for all info and tickets.  

In an age of playlists where music has seemingly become a throwaway, background commodity to the multi-faceted lives of many, a 70 plus minute prog rock odyssey, recorded on a long-discarded format favoured by 70’s rock giants, seems as out of time and out of place as a Commodore 64 in 2022. But Texas based alt rock legends …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead have never been ones to buckle and follow trends, preferring to experiment and do what the fuck they like, regardless of what is going on around them.

2020 should have seen the core duo of Conrad Keely and Jason Reece touring latest album ‘X: The Godless Void And Other Stories’ with a brand-new 5-piece line up, but Covid had other ideas. Following months of doing nothing, Keely decided to write a new album, and the band retreated to a rehearsal studio/barn in their native Austin, Texas with their new 6-piece line up, to do things on their own terms with no interference or pressure to deliver. They set up 2 drum kits, 3 guitar stations and a bank of keyboards to record an album in quadrophonic surround sound. The fruits of their labour is their 11th studio album and it is called ‘Bleed Here Now’.

Inspired by ‘Behind The Music’ and ‘Classic Album’ documentaries featuring their favourite 70’s artists, …Trail Of The Dead have crafted a 22 track, 73-minute rock album that features multi-layered vocals, swathes of cinematic strings and organs, cleverly thought-out arrangements and melodies aplenty.

Following a couple of trademark atmospheric intros that set the scene, first song proper ‘Field Songs’ is a euphoric offering of guitar and piano. Both upbeat and melodic, it harks back to classic TOD material. ‘Penny Candle’ with its bombastic drums and effect-ridden guitars, carries the melodic feel through and seems the perfect backdrop for Conrad’s wailing alt rock vocals.

‘No Confidence’ is a full-on rock monster, riding on a Zep-like riff and a killer rhythm. Energetic and invigorating in equal parts, it brings to mind ‘Worlds Apart’ to my ears. The odd wavering, vocal effect gives it an unnerving feel that may have you checking your speakers to make sure they are not broken. The ensuing tribal gang vocal section takes us out of classic rock, further afield than alt rock, yet with our feet firmly planted in …Trail Of Dead territory.

The segues do what it says on the tin and bleed into one another, giving the feel of one whole body of music, a trip if you will, into the mind of Keely and Reece during the pandemic days and months. From the subtle and dreamy, to the cinematic and the in your face, it certainly piques the interest and keeps the listener coming back for more.

The fast and furious ‘Kill Everyone’ could be the only lead vocal cameo this time around from Jason Reece. It may only last 1 minute and 22 seconds, but it showcases the frenetic live punk energy the band are capable of.

Yet, ‘Bleed Here Now’ certainly seems more like Conrad’s baby this time around. With multi-layered, dreamy vocals and mournful piano chords ‘Golden Sail’ is a proggy, space rock odyssey. The breakdown and the ensuing, galloping space rock mid-section is as trippy as you like. Every listen brings new, trance like noises that hypnotize, enrapture and take the listener to another realm.

This brings us to the 11-minute album centerpiece ‘Taken By The Hand’. A fuzzy wall of guitars contrasts nicely with Conrad’s wailing vocals and stark use of space in the verses, before the guitars crank things up again. Guitar solos wail, before another time change that gives way to the tribal beats of 2 kits in unison that battle with layered, effect-ridden guitars, building and creating drama in the most epic of ways.

The influence of the likes of Rush and Yes are prevalent on the likes of ‘Protest Streets’. Chanting vocals befitting a monastery of monks, a folky, acoustic outro featuring female vocals that travel the Enya/Kate Bush trail. This leads us nicely to the duet with Amanda Palmer that is ‘Millenium Actress’. The juxtaposition of the two lead vocals works well over the orchestral instrumentation, as the song builds over regimental drums and soaring strings.

In 900 words I can only really scratch the surface of this album. The proof is in the pudding so to speak, but from the opening ‘Our Epic Attempts’ to the closing epilogue of ‘Calm As The Valley’, …And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead certainly take the listener on a journey like no other.

As immersive as it is refreshing, ‘Bleed Here Now’ is a grandiose, 73-minute rock masterpiece that gives more with each listen. But you have to give it the time it deserves to reap the rewards. As much thought and effort has gone into the sequencing as it has the writing and recording of the music. It plays out as one piece of music, one whole body of work, the many segues leaving you unsure where one track ends and another begins. Like a book, it becomes an exciting aural adventure with many twists and turns through its cleverly designed arrangements and glorious musical interludes.

As powerful as their first three albums and more ambitious than mid-career highlights such as ‘Worlds Apart’ and ‘Tao Of The Dead’, ‘Bleed Here Now’ is Conrad Keely’s ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’, his ‘Melancholy & The Infinite Sadness’, and it could turn out to be …Trail Of The Dead’s finest moment.

Buy Here

Author: Ben Hughes

They’ll be celebrating in the streets of Llansanfrith or something like that but one man band Iselder or should that read Golfid has seen fit to release his debut EP mini album call it what you wish again this summer and to be fair it’s a welcome addition to my collection of acrid Black Celtic Metal.

I first came across Iselder when I heard ‘Metel Du Gwir’ during lockdown and was fascinated by his bilingual approach to the Black Metal genre. Sure, it’s not for everyone but it will appeal to those who love a bit of blackest Metal and those who have a passing interest in Wales for me being interested in both it was a no-brainer. So, I applied the corpse paint went down into the basement, and supped from the chalice as Beelzebub was summoned by some bone crunchingly loud Black Fucking Metal.

The album kicks off with a bleak Sabbath-inspired low end of ‘08.54’ where Golfid explains he is not a terrorist but I’m already in as he dabbles in the darker side of independence and for the next five minutes this indy-inspired blackness washes over me. ‘Freedom’ it’s a no-brainer lyrically as the solid thumping pounding song rides off into the sunset.

The songs pretty much hover around the four-minute mark and whilst Golfid has the bestial growl – it’s not the cookie monster of a lot of the scenes indecipherable which serves his lyrical imagery well, especially on the previously mentioned ‘Metal Du Gwir’ album. The titles are in welsh but the lyrics aren’t which in itself is interesting. It’s the early Mayhem slay on the heavily distorted guitar riffs that twist and turn. The pace might well be slightly one-dimensional but it doesn’t detract from the songs.

‘Butchers Apron’ lays out his feelings on the lie of the land in the UK and if you weren’t aware that there was indeed a Black Metal scene here in Wales you can now rectify that. It’s a fine line to treat when dealing with Black Metal and its politics and sure this is a heavily political artist we’re dealing with. Pride in where you come from is one thing and Iselder lays his cards on the table on album closer ‘Cymru Am Byth’ Whilst I can’t see him taking the stage at the World Cup or being involved with the Countries song for the World Cup and there are no ‘Yma Oh Hyd’ songs here I like what Iselder do and its another fine addition to a scene that needed representing from these shores.

We have a wonderful history every bit as mysterious as the Norwegians who rule this scene and when Golfid gets a band together I’m windmilling down the street of Llansanfrith and punching the air to ‘Fe godwn ni eto’ and the whole of this Red, White and Green Black Metal Massacre. Di Yawn Iselder

Get it Here

Released October 7th on Wicked Cool Records & 10 date October UK Tour  

Ginger Wildheart & The Sinners are proud to announce the release of their debut album on October 7th  on Wicked CoolRecords.
Their self-titled album is an energetic album that celebrates rock’n’roll and as Ginger explains it is in “the spirit of the music that we all collectively love, from childhood to the present day. Little Feat, The Allman Brothers, Wilco, The Band, Creedence, The Jayhawks, Lone Justice, Jason & the Scorchers, Georgia Satellites, Status Quo, The Stones…from roots country to rock n roll and Americana.
The uplifting new single Lately, Always is about a dream “Not necessarily one that will come true but enough to have something to look forward to, especially when times seem a little hopeless.

Ginger Wildheart & The Sinners were formed in August 2019 when Ginger joined forces with Neil Ivison and Nick Lyndon from the band Stone Mountain Sinners. The lineup was completed with drummer Shane Dixon (Tri-City Fanfare) and as Ginger explains “Me and The Sinners met for the very first time in the studio, in preparation for recording an album together. We figured out that if we can’t get along with each other then the music would be ultimately worthless. So we went to the pub and got drunk together. The next morning the music started flowing with ease. This is the sound of friendship.
Their self-titled album was recorded at Mwnci studios in Pembrokeshire, Wales, with Dave Draper producing.
The album kicks off with their first single Wasted Times, which sets the tone for an album of pure rock n roll, peppered with country touches.  The listener will find a further seven original songs, including Lately, Always plus two covers: Dirty Water by Status Quo and Six Years Gone by Georgia Satellites’, the first song Ginger wanted to play with the band back when this was just an idea. “I became a bit obsessed with the song while in LA for Lemmy’s funeral, and carried it around in my heart from then until we all congregated at the studio.” 
There is a refreshingly familiar sound to every one of the songs on the album and it is a masterclass in how to write melodies that pull the heartstrings.
Despite the turmoil in which we find ourselves, Ginger with his Sinners give us all hope. Get with it or get out.
Ginger Wildheart & The Sinners essential debut album will be available digitally, on CD, and limited edition “Seaside Swirl” 12” vinyl. To pre order / pre stream Here

To celebrate the release of the Ginger Wildheart & The Sinners album the band will be playing ten UK shows, starting at Bannermans in Edinburgh on 18th October and finishing on 30th October at The Hare & Hounds in Birmingham. Tickets available from Monday 1st August at https://www.facebook.com/gingersinners

Ginger Wildheart & The Sinners UK October 2022 tour 

18th Edinburgh, Bannermans

19th Newcastle, Riverside 

20th Huddersfield, The Parish 

22nd Cardiff,  The Globe 

23rd Plymouth, The Juntion 

25th London, Bush Hall 

26th Norwich, Brickmakers 

27th Portsmouth, Wedgewood Rooms 

29th Chester, Live Rooms

30th Birmingham, Hare & Hounds 

Tickets available from Monday 1st August at Here

OFF! ANNOUNCE FREE LSD, THEIR FIRST ALBUM IN EIGHT YEARS

PUNK SUPERGROUP WITH MEMBERS OF CIRCLE JERKS, THUNDERCAT, …AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD, AND MORE TO UNLEASH FREE LSD VIA FAT POSSUM ON 30TH SEPT, PRE-ORDER NOW

OFF!, the punk think tank helmed by Keith Morris (ex-Black FlagCircle Jerks) and Dimitri Coats (ex-Burning Brides), have just announced that their first new full-length in eight years is slated for a 30th September release from Fat Possum, followed by a full tour of the US (see full dates below). FREE LSD effectively hits reset on the band, as the injection of new energy into their signature high-anxiety sound bonfires via new drummer Justin Brown (ThundercatFlying LotusHerbie Hancock) and bassist AutryFulbright II (…And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead) pushes the concept of punk into another frenetic dimension. The effect is palpable and volatile, adding a new swing to the music’s incendiary thrust; perhaps most evident on album cornerstone “War Above Los Angeles,” shared today alongside a cinematic music video starring David Yow (Jesus Lizard), Don Nguyn, Chloe Dykstra, James Duval, D.H. Peligro (Dead Kennedys), and more.

While the new lineup brings an experimental flair to the table, catapulting their subterranean howl into the orbit of Sun Ra and The Stooges by way of Coats imbibing a number of songs with layers of electronics amid explosions of percussive virtuosity from Brown and bursts of guest saxophone from Jon Wahl (Claw Hammer), Morris sounds timeless as ever, unleashing torrents of no-nonsense screeds across 90 second furnace blasts like “Kill To Be Heard.” Speaking on the album’s distinctly revitalised sound, Morris states: “After making music for as long as I have, it was time to use a palette that includes lime green, turquoise, and magenta instead of the typical colours and shades that were involved in all of the other breakneck and car chase scenarios. Miles Davis with Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters as opposed to Milo Goes to College.”

The “War Above Los Angeles” video offers the first taste of the project’s broader multimedia ambitions: over the past couple of months the band has been shooting and editing a feature film, FREE LSD to accompany the record. Coats explains,“Since thinking of the album as a soundtrack to a weird sci-fi movie gave us permission to experiment, and the film explains, in a fantastical way, the creation of the album, they both go hand in hand as an overall art project.” OFF! is supercharged for takeoff in what has now been confirmed as humanity’s new year zero.

FOLLOW OFF!
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DARK HORSE RECORDS CELEBRATES JOE STRUMMER WITH ‘JOE STRUMMER 002: THE MESCALEROS YEARS’ 

TO HONOUR WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THELEGENDARY ARTIST’S 70TH BIRTHDAY

FIRST-EVER COMPREHENSIVE COLLECTION OF STRUMMER’S WORK WITH THE MESCALEROS

NEW BOX SET INCLUDES PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED TRACKS, DEMOS & OUTTAKES, ALONGSIDE REMASTERED EDITIONS OF THE COMPLETE MESCALEROS CATALOGUE, EXCLUSIVE NEW INTERVIEWS, NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN IMAGES AND MUCH MORE

‘JOE STRUMMER 002: THE MESCALEROS YEARS’ ARRIVES VIA DARK HORSE RECORDS ON 16TH SEPTEMBER

PRE-ORDER HERE

Dark Horse Records is celebrating what would have been Joe Strummer’s 70th birthday on 21st August with ‘Joe Strummer 002: The Mescaleros Years’, the first-ever comprehensive collection highlighting his work with his post-Clash band, The Mescaleros. The collection includes remastered editions of all three of the band’s studio albums, plus 15 rare and unreleased tracks spanning the first demos Joe wrote for the Mescaleros, as well as ‘Ocean Of Dreams’, featuring Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols on guitar, and outtakes of several tracks of Joe’s final recordings with the band. This richly curated boxset was executive produced by Joe’s widow Lucinda Tait and produced by David Zonshine and features exclusive new interviews with Joe’s friends, collaborators and Mescaleros band mates, plus never-before-seen handwritten notes, lyrics, and drawings by Strummer taken from the Joe Strummer Archive. The release arrives on 16th September on 4 CD w/72-page book and 7 LP w/32-page book, special edition packaging and exclusive 12”x12” art print. The first track from the collection, the previously unreleased version of ‘The Road To Rock ‘N’ Roll (Demo)’ is available to stream NOW. The video for the song was created using Joe’s drawings and handwritten lyrics found in the Strummer archive.

While best known as the front man for The Clash, Strummer produced some of the most exciting work of his career with The Mescaleros. Strummer said during this period: “All that’s happening for me now is just a chancer’s bluff. I learned that fame is an illusion and everything about it is just a joke. I’m far more dangerous now, because I don’t care at all.” Joe Strummer 002: The Mescaleros Years highlights this intense period of creativity from 1999-2002, collecting for the first time such extraordinary albums as Rock Art and the X-Ray Style (1999), Global A Go-Go (2001), and the posthumous Streetcore (2003), along with Vibes Compass, a brand-new compilation of 15 B-sides and rarities, including early demos of some of the first tracks Joe wrote for the Mescaleros such as ‘The Road To Rock ‘N’ Roll’, ‘X-Ray Style’, ‘Techno D-Day’, as well as the previously unreleased ‘Secret Agent Man’ and the original recordings from Joe’s last ever sessions, including outtakes of ‘Get Down Moses’, ‘Coma Girl’ and the song ‘Fantastic’. All albums are remastered by three-time GRAMMY® Award-winning engineer Paul Hicks (The Beatles, John Lennon, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie) especially for the release and are packaged with extensive new liner notes, unreleased images, and four reproduction lyric sheets and chord charts from the Strummer archive.  

“There’s so much great music that Joe left us in his archive,” says Joe’s widow and the executive producer, Lucinda Tait. “We started this work with ‘001’, so to focus on Joe’s work with The Mescaleros was the natural second step on ‘002’ because those songs he made with them just seemed to resonate so strongly and reinvigorated his connection with his audience at a level he hadn’t experienced since his days with The Clash.  “He was so excited to work with the Mescaleros and the reception he got from the press and fans was incredible, it gave him a whirlwind of energy and confidence and he was creatively fulfilled and happy.


 “His words are so beautiful and honest and together with the Mescaleros some fantastic tunes were created and to listen to some of the tunes recorded as outtakes for me was really special.” 2022 marks twenty years since the passing of the legendary Joe Strummer. Punk poet, musician, composer, actor, and style icon, Strummer spent his life smashing musical and cultural boundaries both as the singer of The Clash and as a solo artist. His songs sound as urgent and vital today as when they were written. Calling out social injustices and giving a voice to the struggles of the working class, Strummer’s politically charged lyrics struck a chord with legions of fans and the press alike, with Rolling Stone calling The Clash “the greatest rock & roll band in the world.” He famously once said, “Without people, you’re nothing.” Through his art, Joe Strummer played his part in shaping the musical landscape of the world and with it left an unrivalled and timeless legacy.

FOLLOW JOE STRUMMER

JOESTRUMMER.COM | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | YOUTUBETHE JOE STRUMMER FOUNDATION | DARK HORSE RECORDS

Paul Di’Anno is going to undergo major surgery in a month. Join the fans who helped him and buy the special WARHORSE ‘Beast Bundle’!

There is less than a month left until the major operation that should change the life of the legendary singer Paul Di’Anno. At the end of August in Zagreb, Croatia, Paul will undergo three operations, the most significant of which is one of the most difficult and complicated orthopedic operations; installation of custom-made bone, which extends from the thigh to the lower leg. According to the doctor’s observations, Paul should, after 7 years, get up from the wheelchair and start walking again in September 2022. Numerous fans around the world gathered to help him achieve this goal in various actions, which was preceded by eight months of treatment in Croatia. Likewise, Iron Maiden did not forget their singer from the first two albums and covered a huge part of the costs.

Paul founded his new band/project WARHORSE in Croatia and recorded the first songs. On that occasion, he released a special DVD single with two songs and a series of videos showing his treatment and progress in Croatia. All fans have the opportunity to receive a signed DVD single together with an event t-shirt from the Zagreb concert on May 21. Only 666 singles were released for this occasion, and less than 40 are left for sale. If you want to get this unusual bundle signed by Paul Di’Anno, hurry up, because all the sizes of the t-shirt are slowly disappearing and will only be available this month.

For those who don’t get to buy this special bundle, from August 1 at www.maidencroatia.com/riggs they will be able to buy a special t-shirt with an illustration made for Paul Di’Anno by the legendary Derek Riggs, the father of the famous monster Eddie.

For More Info click Here

Golden Robot Records is proud to announce the signing of influential rock band FASTER PUSSYCAT.

They are currently on the road with Tom Keifer and L.A. Guns for the North American tour ‘Sonic Slam’ plus a series of their own headlining shows across the USA and are elated to be teaming up with global powerhouse record label Golden Robot Records.

Originally formed during the mid ’80s glam rock era, Faster Pussycat have gone on to have a triumph of success with over 2 million plus albums sold worldwide and have accompanied some of rocks most distinguished names on tour such as Alice CooperOzzy Osbourne, Mötley CrüeGuns N’ Roses and Kiss.

Faster Pussycat has had the rock scene in an ongoing chokehold with over 260k listeners per month on a singular streaming platform – proving that not only are they still a prominent force, but they have also been able to successfully mold to the digital age and maintain stamina: no easy feat. 

Faster Pussycat, consisting of Taime Downe (Vocals), Sam ‘Bam’ Koltun (Guitar), Danny Nordahl (Bass), Chad Stewart (Drums) and latest addition to the band, Ronnie Simmons (Guitar), have expressed their excitement towards joining the eclectic roster at Golden Robot Records with vocalist Taime Downe stating,
“The band and I are over the moon to join the Golden Robot Records rock-n-roll family! We are super excited to release some of our badass new tunes globally – we know the label see our vision and supports the band and we feel completely at home here.

The signing is hardly a surprise to those who know Golden Robot Records President and Founder Mark Alexander-Erber with Alexander-Erber having his eye on the band for years before the signing came to fruition earlier this year.
“One of my all-time favourite signings is Faster Pussycat. They really fit in well to our Golden Robot Records family – they have been an integral part of the global rock scene for many years, and I’ve had the pleasure of listening to their new music which we will be releasing. I can tell you that they will be part of the worldwide music scene for many years to come based on the strength of their new music. There are exciting times ahead!” stated Alexander-Erber.

Tour Dates: 
22.07.22 – Melbourne, FL – King Center – TICKETS
23.07.22 – Ormand Beach, FL – Destination Daytona Complex – TICKETS
24.07.22 – Ft. Myers, FL – The Ranch Concert Hall – TICKETS
26.07.22 – Myrtle Beach, SC – The Brickhouse – TICKETS
27.07.22 – Charlotte, NC – Amos’ Southend – TICKETS
28.07.22 – Atlanta, GA – The Buckhead Theatre – TICKETS
29.07.22 – Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works – TICKETS
30.07.22 – Knoxville, TN – Bootlegger Harley – TICKETS
31.07.22 – Memphis, TN – Lafayette’s Music Room – TICKETS

For more tour dates CLICK HERE

SET FOR RELEASE 9TH SEPTEMBER 2022 VIA COLUMBIA RECORDS Here

Manic Street Preachers release a radically reimagined version of their 6th album ‘Know Your Enemy’ on 9th September 2022. The new version of the album has been entirely remixed and reconstructed to form two separate albums as originally planned. ‘Know Your Enemy’ will be available digitally and as a 3 CD bookset, double CD and double album.

This deluxe release includes two previously unheard ‘forgotten’ tracks: ‘Studies in Paralysis’ and ‘Rosebud’, which is available online today. Beginning all wiry and cracked, ‘Rosebud’ soon opens out into a stuttering Hammond organ riff, a pensive rhythm track and a lyric that regrets “most things I never finished”.

Following the success of 1998’s’ This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours’, Manic Street Preachers planned an ambitious follow-up to be released as two distinct albums: an aggressive, rapid fire return to their roots called ‘Solidarity’ and ‘Door To The River’, a more conciliatory, reflective collection. During the recording sessions, the trio got cold feet and settled on a single album that forced often conflicting ideas to sit side by side on the same record. ‘Know Your Enemy’ was launched in February 2001 with a show at Teatro Karl Marx in Havana in front of the Cuban leader and charted at No.2 in the UK the following week, going on to see over half a million copies worldwide. The singles taken from the album: ‘So Why So Sad’, ‘Found That Soul’, ‘Ocean Spray’ and ‘Let Robeson Sing’ all reached the Top 20.

Whilst going through the band’s archive to put together an anniversary version of ‘Know Your Enemy’, Nicky Wire found the original tapes of ‘Solidarity’ and ‘Door To The River’ that he’d made up in the studio during recording. When he put forward the idea of recreating those records, James Dean Bradfield agreed on the condition that he could remix the entire record with the band’s longtime studio partner Dave Eringa. The new mixes would bring a clarity to each record, losing extraneous studio effects and digital noise from the ‘Solidarity’ songs and stripping away unnecessary orchestration and embellishment from the tracks that made up ‘Door To The River’.

Author and long-term band collaborator Robin Turner explains in his expansive sleeve notes that this release is “the Director’s Cut of ‘Know Your Enemy’. The picture has been painstakingly restored, cleaned up, brightened. Although it doesn’t aim to replace the original, it most certainly enhances it.”

The vinyl edition ‘Know Your Enemy’ presents ‘Solidarity’ and ‘Door To The River’ in the same order as originally planned in 2000. Each of the CD packages features those records in full plus outtakes, unused mixes by Tom Lord-Alge and tracks featured on the original ‘Know Your Enemy’ that aren’t on the two restructured albums. All formats feature previously unseen photos from the recording sessions taken by regular collaborator Mitch Ikeda.

Manic Street Preachers’ last studio album ‘The Ultra Vivid Lament’ went to No.1 on release in September 2021. They followed its release with a headline tour of the UK. This year, they opened the BBC6 Music Festival in Cardiff and have headlined several UK festivals. Upcoming tour dates below. 

Know Your Enemy – September 9th – Columbia

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