Famous for his live collaborations with childhood buddy Aphex Twin, Luke Vibert has paved his own way through the electronic music scene, pioneering the “drill+bass” sub genre operating under various guises such as Plug, Wagon Christ and the unforgettable Amen Andrews. Luke played in various punk bands in his teenage years and formed a close bond with Bad Sam vocalist Dean Beddis, then singer with Newport’s Cowboy Killers. When Dean sent Luke songs from the new Bad Sam album, Luke didn’t take much time in responding with this killer post-punk jungle anthem. Bad Sam is the joint partnership of Dean Beddis and Newport compatriot Dub War’s Richard Glover. Their third album Trauma is out November 28th.
ZEKE ANNOUNCES NEW SINGLE – ‘PETERBILT’ ON NOVEMBER 28 VIA HOUND GAWD!
Short. Fast. Loud. No compromise.
With their new 7″ single “Peterbilt”, ZEKE unleash an adrenaline rush only they can deliver. Since forming in Seattle in 1992, ZEKE have defined speed rock: an unrelenting mix of hardcore punk, rock ’n’ roll swagger, and breakneck fury.
The two tracks, “Peterbilt” and “From The Ashes”, are nothing short of a frontal assault—razor-sharp riffs, relentless drumming, rumbling bass, and the feral snarl of frontman Blind Marky Felchtone. Every second hits like a strike, every note is pure velocity. This is rock ’n’ roll in the red.
Led by founding members Blind Marky Felchtone (vocals, guitar) and Donny Paycheck (drums), alongside Jason Freeman (bass) and Jeff Hiatt (guitar), ZEKE channel their explosive live energy straight into vinyl. In less than three minutes, they deliver the kind of sonic intensity most bands can’t capture across a whole album. “Peterbilt” is uncompromising, high-octane punk rock—raw, direct, and unapologetically loud. Essential listening for anyone who craves speed, aggression, and attitude.
ZEKE are back—faster, louder, and more ferocious than ever.
The tracks are not available on streaming platforms.
Tour Dates
18.03.2026 – NL – Eindhoven – Effenaar
19.03.2026 – DE – Saarbrücken – Studio 30
20.03.2026 – BE – Aalst – St-Annazaal
21.03.2026 – GR – Athens – An Club
23.03.2026 – DE – Köln – Volta Club
24.03.2026 – tba
26.03.2026 – tba
27.03.2026 – ES – Vitoria-Gasteiz – Jimmy Jazz
28.03.2026 – ES – Madird – Gruta 77
29.03.2026 – PT – Lisbon – Republica da Musica
30.03.2026 – ES – Jerez de la Frontera – La Guarida
Thirty years ago, Stomp Records kicked off in Montreal with a simple mission: to give Canada’s independent punk and ska bands a home, a voice, and a way to reach beyond their own city limits. It was an ambitious idea for a couple of musicians with no business plan and even less money, a plan that should’ve crashed harder than a tour van on bald tires in a prairie blizzard. Instead, it helped ignite a national movement and built one of Canada’s longest-running and most influential independent labels. From day one, Stomp Records wasn’t just releasing records, it was building culture. In the pre-internet era, Canadian punk and ska scenes were thriving in isolation, each city a bubble. Stomp burst those bubbles, uniting bands from coast to coast, creating touring circuits, and turning hometown heroes into cross-country road warriors. “This label is built on community, creativity, and helping each other get our shot,” says Stomp co-founder Matt Collyer. “We’re still here because the fans show up, the bands work their asses off, and we love every minute of doing this.”
Throughout the late 90s and early 2000s, Stomp helped define the next wave of Canadian punk and ska, not by chasing trends but by championing artists with grit, conviction, and personality. They supported small scenes through compilation series (The All-Skanadian Club) and got in the van with bands — literally and figuratively — helping develop careers from the bar circuit to international festival stages. As trends shifted and the music industry free-fell into the Napster era, most indie labels folded. Stomp didn’t. They embraced digital early, built a full-service ecosystem of booking, management, and publicity, and widened their sonic scope to reflect the beautifully messy realities of underground music. Punk, ska, rockabilly, hardcore, folk-punk, skate-punk, bagpipes, brass, blood, sweat. if it had guts and a pulse of rebellion, Stomp gave it a home.
That fearless curation brought countless Canadian subcultural staples into the world: The Real McKenzies, Wine Lips, The Dreadnoughts, The Flatliners, The Creepshow, The Anti-Queens, Brutal Youth, Belvedere, Bedouin Soundclash, Raygun Cowboys, PKEW PKEW PKEW, The Sainte-Catherines, Down By Law, Snuff… and many more who continue to fill rooms and make noise worldwide. It has never been a smooth ride. Along the way there have been industry collapses, floods, robberies, broken bones, car jackings, even literal Nazi attacks. Somehow, through all of that, a few Juno nominations, a win, and accidental gold and platinum plaques still ended up on their walls.“The odds were stacked against us from day one,” says long-time Stomp partner Mike Magee. “Luckily Stomp Records didn’t, and still doesn’t, give one single flying f*ck about the odds.”
Three decades in, the mission hasn’t changed: artists first, community always, and a stubborn refusal to water anything down. And the stats speak for themselves: nearly 300 releases with distribution in over 190 countries, artists who’ve earned Juno recognition, and alumni who have gone on to perform in Simple Plan, Walk Off The Earth, Kings of Leon, The Stills, Patrick Watson and Broken Social Scene among a long list of others.
To celebrate surviving 30 wild years, and because they love any excuse for a loud night out, they’re celebrating with a nationwide run of absolute blowout shows. A toast to every late-night drive, every curb-side gear load, every sweaty pit, and every fan who ever found belonging in the chaos.
30TH ANNIVERSARY SHOWS
Nov 21 – Vancouver – The Rickshaw Theatre
The Real McKenzies, The Planet Smashers, Raygun Cowboys – Tickets
Dec 11 – Toronto – Lee’s Palace
The Dreadnoughts, The Creepshow, The Filthy Radicals – Tickets
Dec 13 – Ottawa – Overflow Brewing
The Dreadnoughts, The Creepshow, The Filthy Radicals – Tickets
After a Summer and Autumn touring Europe, The Godfathers kickstart 2026 with a trio of UK dates and a brand new single.
The band hit the European festival circuit for shows in Croatia, Portugal, Germany, Austria and Greece, sharing stages with the likes of the Sex Pistols, The Damned, Sisters Of Mercy and The Stranglers along the way.
They’ve also found time to record two new songs, their first new material since the release of their highly praised 2022 album Alpha Beta Gamma Delta.
Set for release on 6th February and featuring guest contributions on synthesiser and guitar from Devo’s Josh Hager, the double A-side single has been described by The Godfathers’ frontman and founder Peter Coyne as “exciting, finger on the pulse rock and roll social commentary – another sonic leap forward for the group.”
The Godfathers will follow the release with their annual Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre concert at the iconic 100 Club in London as well as gigs in Leeds and Edinburgh. Full dates are…
Celebrating their fiftieth year of playing this Rock n Roll game, the mighty Cheap Trick ain’t done yet, and with this, their latest offering, ‘All Washed Up’, is a tongue-in-cheek title because on the evidence herein, they are on fire and sounding as hungry as the day they first broke out of Rockford. From the opening few bars of the title track, you kinda know exactly what you’re in for. The band sounds vibrant and kicking it with the energy coming from the engine room, which is now driven by Rick’s son Daxx, who is proving to be a real power house and driving the music on, adding a ton of x factor to proceedings.
To be fair they are on fire here and turning everything up to 11 they’re rockin hard. by the time you get to the third track, Nielsen has decided that he wants to show everyone hes lost none of his fire and love for loud guitars as he rinses ever last drop out of how ever many necks he feels like swinging around these days. Hell, they are right on it for ‘Bet It All’ with the musicianship being put to the test and throwing down the gauntlet to anyone within earshot. I remember when Aerosmith returned decades ago after ‘Done With Mirrors’ and every man and his dog wanted to champion the band for their hunger and quality, well, this reminds me a lot of the spirit captured in these here tracks. Even the first slower ballad-like track, ‘The Best Thing’ (of course it’s called that and with slushy tempo and dreamy solo it’s built for American Radio if that’s still a thing.
Another point apart from the rhythm section and lead breaks sounding fantastic, a special mention to the amazing vocals courtesy of Robin Zander, who is pealing back the years. I’m not even sure a guy of his years should be allowed to possess a voice that bloody good; it might be illegal these days.
Throughout the eleven songs that unmistakable Cheap Trick power pop is there for all to hear, of course, it is its part of them like a gas or the lifeblood that courses through their veins, it’s always there. ‘Twelve Gates’ is a great example of the old dog and new tricks, it’s power pop gold. Hang on, ‘Bad Blood’ is even more Cheap Trick with a fantastic melody and a thick edge on the Bass, whilst Nielsen is having the time of his life all over this record. Even the parts where they might be cruising, Rick has something fire up his sleeve just so you don’t get complacent.
Finally, I’d just like to say that when they turn it up, they really do capture some magic, and whilst the production is slick and thick, it’s when they up the RPM that they hit the dizzy heights on ‘All Washed Up’, and those are the songs that take this to the next level.
To produce a product this good, this deep into a career, is nothing short of remarkable. I’ll even forgive them the skiffle and jazzy outro of ‘Wham Boom Bang’, they’ve earned it because Cheap Trick are still the cats whiskers and this is the mutts nuts now wham boom bang that one and buy this album!
On a depressingly cold and wet night, Nottingham’s Rock n Rollas Continental Lovers brought the glamour and the tunes for a rock n roll support slot that kicked the backside of many a band. It was a pleasure to catch Nottingham’s finest at the early onstage time of seven thirty, but it was showtime, and the chaps from the East Midlands didn’t disappoint and proceeded to shake their shit and put on a down n dirty sleazy showcase that was exactly what the rock n roll doctor ordered.
Opening up a show can be a tricky proposition, but when you have the tunes on board and the unmistakable look of a rock n roll band, you can be sure as hell that they can walk the walk and talk the talk. With a swagger and a cheeky smile, Joe, Ben, Kerri and Ace had great on-stage chemistry and looked like they were true believers, hashing out some dirty Rock n Roll handed down by the good and the great, a smidge of Thunders and his Heartbreakers, the undeniable Ragged Glory of The Dogs D’Amour and that swagger I mentioned of Stiv Bators and his lords. No denim jeans, or Nike running shoes with a high street T Shirt for these boys, it’s Rock n Roll SLippers and Leather jackets all the way, baby just like Baby Jesus intended Rock n Roll bands to look and sound. Playing a relatively short but very sweet set, there were plenty of tunes from the band’s most excellent CD and even time for some new tunes. ‘Tape Deck’ is snotty, and ‘St Joan’ adds some dirt to the snot as we all hail the first Lady of Rock n Roll. The band move around when they deliver the punches, and Joe holds court centre stage whilst Ace Carlton pours petrol on the drums in the engine room, whilst giving those drums a good seeing to. They burn through the songs quickly, and the standouts happened to be the single ‘Wedding Song’ and a special mention for ‘The Girl’ power pop at its finest, delivered in style.
Joe has always written great tunes, but with the Continental Lovers, he’s found his sweet spot, and the rest of the band gives sparkle and dirt to the power pop, making it sound glorious.
Easily as good as any of the bands marauding across the US of A, like The Poison Boys and Ravagers. It’s refreshing to see and hear a band that looks like they know how it’s done and, more importantly, sound like they know how it’s done. Borrowing from the good and the great, it’s satisfying that Dirty power pop is in such good hands. I look forward to seeing them again and hearing the new songs in the studio. Get on it, boys n girls, that is if you want a great time and top tunes from a band who love to rock n roll.
British punk band Grade 2 share their blistering new single “Cut Throat”,a hard-edged anthem about perseverance in a world that never lets up. Fueled by fierce guitars and a pounding rhythm section, the track captures the sound of a band fighting to stay one step ahead while the world tries to drag them down.
“Cut Throat is about a world that takes more than it gives,” the band explains. “It’s a commentary on striving for more in situations where most people are out for themselves. It’s personal perseverance in a time that feels so empty and cold.”
The accompanying video, directed by Jason Link, with live footage by Flo Ehlich, strips everything back to black-and-white stills taken from the band’s live shows: sweat, motion, and flash-frozen defiance. It’s raw, unvarnished, and perfectly mirrors the spirit of the track—no gloss, no polish, just truth in the moment.
Grade 2 have announced a string of UK headline shows for March and April 2026, alongside their upcoming summer festival appearances. The first dates are listed below, with more to follow soon.
Tickets for the UK tour go on sale this Friday at 10am via Tickets.
UK Headline Dates:
March 28 – The Bodega Social Club, Nottingham
March 29 – The Key Club, Leeds
March 30 – The Deaf Institute, Manchester
March 31 – The Garage Attic, Glasgow
April 1 – Exchange, Bristol
April 3 – O2 Academy Islington, London
April 4 – Strings, Isle of Wight
Festival Appearances:
June 18 – Graspop Metal Meeting Festival, Dessel (BE)
June 20 – Letzigrund Stadion, Zurich (CH) supporting Die Toten Hosen
Those in the know have been enjoying Davey and the lads leaning further and further into their 80s Goth tinged influences for some time now. No redundant modern catch-all Post Punk labelling here. AFI will always be the real deal. Stark guitars married with lush synths, balancing the brighter moments with the crucial doom and gloom. You’d think Steve Lilleywhite and Flood were behind the desk.
Following upon 2012’s tremendous Bodies was never going to be a simple exercise. Which in itself was also a love letter to 80s counter culture and dark aesthetics. But Silver Bleeds the Black Sun is right up there, shoulder to shoulder.
Opening with the galloping Bunnymen-esque “the Bird of Prey”, urgent, dreamy and anthemic all at once. “Behind the Clock” is a much different animal all together, heavier and pummeling, but with a groove so infectious it’s devastating when it ends. “Holy Visions” is a dancier number, exquisite guitars, the sound landing somewhere between A Flock of Seagulls and Ministry.
Although some of the styles and influences on the record can be quite apparent, this does not make what AFI are doing redundant or generic. It still has a twist uniquely their own and a distinct signature as well as the fingerprints of all the impactful artists when creating the sound to the record without being too obvious or unoriginal.
Credit as always, needs to be given to guitarist Jade Puget. A game changer for the band’s output since joining and always helping raise the game record after record. “Ash Speck in a Green Eye” offers up sublime guitar lines and a fast paced rhythm akin to overlooked 80s outfit the Sound. Leading on to the rapid “Voidward, I Bend Back”, the dark textured guitar is married to a rattling bass that takes command of your very being.
It’s a record that gets better and better with every listen. Being rounded out with the dark and brooding “A World Unmade”. With the slow and pensively (almost) spoken word vocals, reminiscent of The The’s Matt Johnson. Final track “Nooneunderground” is a screeching Deathrock anthem, at times giving the odd Punk Rock nod to their past. Just when you thought it was safe to pack away the Halloween decorations.
Another stellar record from a band that simply refuses to be pigeonholed. Thirty years into their career, they are constantly adapting and adding new facets to how they are perceived.
State the fuckin obvious. Them Cosmic Psychos always did things their own way with a cheeky nod and a grin and a tune penned for beer money to supplement the farming game, but d’you know what they quickly found out they were bloody good at it. They might well have peaked when they penned ‘Nice Day To Go To The Pub’ not like they had writers block or anything they just wrote about what they saw ever fuckin day be it nice day to go to the pub or a tale about Fuckwit City they always wrapped the lyrics in huge fuckin riffs with plenty of cowshit and snot to compensate for the manly smell of beer n bellies so why not finally put pen to paper and title this one what they really wanted to call their records.
Leading the way for decades treading paths so the scamps in The Chats or Amyl and her sniffers could follow. Giving those C.O.F.F.I.N. boys the confidence to do it like they wanna or making things ok for the civics and stiff Richards of the world to follow, thereafter the Cosmic Psychos have been there, done it and worn out the beer n piss stained t shirt.
‘I Really Like Beer’ is the culmination of a sober five minutes to complete what amounts to a stonking riff-heavy barnstormer all about one of their favourite life hacks – Beer. Of course, they could only come from the land down under, much like the other bands I mentioned, and lump in Grindhouse to that and drunk mums, hell, its only The Saints and Birdman who escape the idiot circus at this rate and The Cosmics are the daddies!
There’s a bluntness about this lot, they don’t do fancy, there’s no tunes about trendy fruit flavoured Beer, nor pouring it over Ice, it’s straight down the line, meat n tatoes Pub Punk from the wailing opener and title track, the tempo is set. Mad Macca is playing a blinder with his SG resting on his keg like gut the guys on fire.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, and their brand of thuggish punk rock is timeless and classic, and why would you want them to change anyways? It’s a sure-fire winner. There’s something quite poetic about twelve beer-soaked rockers, “You are the new age, I’m from the stone age”, so there’s a rousing middle finger right there, deal with it. ‘This Could Be The Greatest Beer Of My Life’ is a magic title, and the riff is up there with the best of em.
It’s not all crash bang wallop ‘Do It Again’ starts off with a cool run as bass and guitars lock in, and ‘Hey Mick Your Sick’ would give old Steve Jones a run for his money if he were to write for an album again, these boys could be his writing partners. ‘Have One More’ is so immature; ‘Spaghetti Weston’ is a classic play on words and the melody is supersnotty to the max, then we go out as we came in with ‘I Really Really Really Like Beer’ so lets fuck this off and go to the pub for a few sneaky looseners and hope they’ve go t ajukebox so we can crank out some Cosmic Psychos – Thirst work this writing lark is so all thats lef tis fo rme to tell you to buy this album you’ll reall reall reall like it!
Originally formed in the autumn of 2022 during the doldrums of the lockdown, the project N.E. Vains was originally called “The Vains” but expanded their name to avoid confusion with other groups. For the band’s four Americans, the N.E. stands for New England, and for the sole Canadian in the band, it means North Eastern. (Simple as that).
With the additional efforts of Shandy Lawnson (lead guitar), Bill Bates (bass) and Elvis Belushi (drums), Jeffrey Thunders (rhythm guitar), the collaboration put together a collection of 14 songs, three of which ended up on a split 7″ with Chinese Junk in 2023 on Big Neck Records (Buffalo N.Y.) and Brassneck Records (U.K). Tragically, Bates passed in 2023 and the split was dedicated to his incredible memory. With New Haven area rock musician and engineer, Scott Fitch, taking over on bass, the band have compiled their latest 11-track LP ‘Running Down Pylons’, Think wonderfully trashy rock n roll with the DNA mixture of The Dolls, The Misfits melodies equal parts punk n roll and wonderful sloppy junkshop hand me down rock n roll.
How can you not love ‘Through With It’ with its rapid rampage through some serious sloppy rock n roll with howling feedback and sloppy timing, it’s a glorious noise wrapped in a melody Sylvain would have loved, then turn up the amps when the engineer isn’t looking and hash out ‘Time For You’ and its danceable rhythm and ear-splitting guitar tones.
Hell, ‘My Ammunition’ is a riot on wax and the snotty ‘Pinched Nerve’ is exactly where The mighty Dead Boys would be today if Stiv and the boys crawled out of the gutter in 2025, fuckin glorious noise. I love Rock n Roll that makes me feel alive and on edge, and NE Vains do just that. The cacophony of guitars rampaging over the thuggish Bass and Drums is dangerous and exciting, and the heady mix of punk and cheap drugs can only make a good time cocktail to think this was created at a distance under isolation during the global pandemic is probably for the best because buildings would have been devastated had they had the freedom of seedy clubs and ropey PA systems.
The swan song is ‘Wrong Step’ with its dark, seedy back alley swagger, it’s a great sing-a-long to take this bad boy home. A wonderful tribute to their fallen brother and a record I can’t recommend highly enough. Put on your creepers and leather jacket and get out there, pick up a guitar and turn it up. NE Vains play Rock n Roll, they play it loud and they play i toh so good. Get in on it! NOW!
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