The latest release from Bristol noise mongers Grand Collapse is an important one. The anger being expressed here is a direct response to the Black Lives Matters protests in their home city last summer, where the statue of the 17th century slave trader Edward Colston ended up in the harbour after protesters pushed it in. The album was written at a time where civil unrest around the world was extremely high. The eleven tracks on the album are all short, sharp shocks to the system (the entire album clocks in at just over twenty-six minutes), with a message to the world that discrimination of any kind can no longer be tolerated.
The production from Lewis Johns is crystal clear and the musicianship is superb. Drummer Glenn Tew plays an absolute blinder. The cover art is excellent with depictions of martyrdom of eras that have long outstayed their welcome. The band’s sound harks back to the nineties hardcore (think Scratch the Surface era Sick of It All and you won’t be far away). It’s not an easy listen by any means, but it’s an essential one.
The band are back out there touring very shortly, I for one will be checking them out. You should do the same!
Known as “rock n’ roll’s secret weapon”, band leader and frontman Kris ‘Fingers’ Rodgers has been a recording & touring sideman in top touring garage rock and power pop acts like The Connection, Scott Sorry, The New Trocaderos, Bullet Proof Lovers, and Kurt Baker Band for years but hes also more than that he’s a fully fledged solo artist or rather moved his stool out front, centre and headed up his own beat combo the Dirty Gems.
Born and raised a half-hour from the band’s home base of Portland, Maine, Kris Rodgers already had one full-length album and several EPs with The Dirty Gems under his belt before beginning work on ‘Still Dirty’ in 2019 (pre pandemic right). Recording commenced in bassist Ryan Halliburton’s basement, known as The Wreck Room. Along with guitarist Tom Hall and drummer Craig Sala, the four longtime bandmates tracked the bulk of the album right there. Drums and vocals for the nine original songs were re-recorded at two additional studios in Maine, and the energetic cover of Elton John’s “Take Me To The Pilot” was cut live in a pro studio environment.
Unlike previous releases where Rodgers wrote the original material himself, a more collaborative aproach was taken for this record I guess to show its a unit, a band in every sense of the word.
Having already been given the acolade of Stevie Van Zandt’s number one Coolest Song of the year.the time had come to add a little more history. Starting this tour off in funky town, with the vocoder and funky bass with added dueling jazzy solos Kris sings like hes wearing a cheshire cat smile on his face and this little ray of easy coast sunshine is up and running. The songs keep coming and the smile gets wider as the party has started and the songs keep coming, ‘I Can Still Feel It’ rattles its two left feet into the more laid back ‘Can’t Give It’ with its cool shuffle on the backbeat of course its great musicianship and theres breathing space for all the players.
They can Rock out on ‘Don’t Look Back’ and they can kick back on the dreamy ‘Across The Galaxy’ sure its got middle of the road American Radio mainlined but why not? The Elton cover is a no brainer for this band as they effortlessly nail it. But wait another change of pace with the peacock strut of ‘I’m Your Man’ – jees they get smooth for the jazzy shuffle of ‘Tortuga’ – nice!
Signing off this record theres the baladlike piano intro of ‘See You Later’. Its not for everyone and people might raise an eyebrow as to how its found its way onto RPM Online but we don’t give a damn about all that genre jazz we like to champion great musicians and whist this record is a ray of sunshine the nex trelease could easily be a slice of down n dirty garage rock n roll thats the beauty of this business and talen like Rodgers and his Dirty Gems. Fire up the BBQ and invite the famiy over and someone hit repeat and bring on the sunshine.
Well, here’s an unexpected contender for the album of the year lists. Legendary Hanoi Rocks bassist Sami Yaffa wrote a bunch of songs in his tenure with the New York Dolls and the Michael Monroe band, but a lot of these ideas didn’t quite fit the rock n’ roll shaped hole for those bands. Drawing on his multi-cultural musical influences, Sami has spent the last few years creating his first solo album with the help of his childhood friend and drummer Janne Haavisto. The bulk of the album was co-written with fellow Monroes compadre Rich Jones, who lends guitar duties, along with Timo Kaltio (Cheap and Nasty), Christian Martucci (Stone Sour) and Rane Raitsikka (Smack).
Drawing on his love of The Clash and The Rolling Stones, Sami’s aim was to create a diverse album that draws on the versatility of those bands, yet still beats with the punk rock heart of a talent who has played with the likes of Joan Jett, Demolition 23, Jetboy, Smack, Johnny Thunders…need I go on?
‘The Innermost Journey To Your Outermost Mind’ is a groove heavy album in many ways. With sonically seductive bass, urgent beats and low slung riffage, first single ‘The Last Time’ was an energetic taster for the album a few months back. With an instant, killer chorus it is the sort of song that imbeds itself in the brain and certainly demands your full attention. It’s a good taster of what this album delivers, but there is so much more and a few curveballs to boot.
Of the more, let’s say, signature rock n’ roll on offer, ‘Fortunate One’ sounds like classic 90’s-era Iggy Pop, and the anthemic pogo-inciting ‘Selling Me Shit’ and ‘Germinator’ knock heads with The Monroes, coming on like UK Subs meets Duff McKagan’s Loaded. All are littered with bursts of sax and crazy harmonica solos, adding much to the cool factor. It doesn’t mention in the press release who actually plays on what, but we all know a singer who plays a mean sax and harmonica, don’t we?
But it’s when Sami thinks outside the box that things get really exciting for me. His diverse influences come to the fore on the likes of ‘Rotten Roots’ and ‘You Give Me Fever’. With a hypnotic bassline that grooves an almighty aural path, the former sees Sami deliver a heavy Finnish drawl over a contemporary reggae roots song that mixes up the sounds of Gorillaz, The Clash and The Levellers with great success. The latter takes things down and visits Toots and The Maytals territory for a low down, dub heavy party, the ultimate pressure drop.
Elsewhere, ‘Look Ahead’ is an upbeat gypsy drinking anthem that sees Sami explore his Mad Jauna days. With an Urban Voodoo Machine/The King Blues feel, this is the perfect sound of the underground. The reggae groove and bursts of trumpet give bohemian vibes and full-on gypsy outlaw charm. ‘I Can’t Stand It’ has a bluesy, Jack White guitar riff and raspy, 40-a-day vocals that bring to mind Tom Waits.
Of course, you can’t have an album from an ex-Hanoi member without a bit of Johnny Thunders-esque balladry, and ‘Down At St Joes’ is full of sentiment, retrospection and heartfelt goodness. But album closer, ‘Cancel The End Of The World’ is an epic 6 minute plus epilogue. I never thought I would be referencing Hanoi Rocks and Pink Floyd in the same song, but that’s the vibe I get from this sentimental journey, so go figure. It ends things on a high.
‘The Innermost Journey To Your Outermost Mind’ fits perfectly alongside the discography of a musician who has held down the bottom end on some of my favourite albums and was part of a classic band who have influenced several more of my favourite bands through the years.
The debut long player from Sami Yaffa offers a few surprises and a contemporary twist on rock n’ roll as we know it. Seriously, a case of ‘always the bridesmaid, never the bride’ has now been vanquished, as the bass player steps out from the shadows of his past bands, takes to the microphone and delivers one of the most outstanding albums of the year.
Fat Wreck Chords and singer-songwriter Joey Cape, frontman of iconic punk band Lagwagon has had a lockdown more eventful than most. A reflective album that was written during a year that saw him lose his father, separate from his wife of 20 years, contract COVID, and move back in with his parents as a result of a livelihood lost, ‘A Good Year To Forget’ is a warm and beautiful record make no mistake about it. What a challenging 12 months for any human let alone being able to unravel it all inside your head and get it down on tape in songs that make sense.
Leading the collection is ‘It Could Be Real,’ a song written from the perspective of a disenchanted single person—a person who has experienced the highs and lows of multiple failed relationships. A song that sets the tone of the record and encapsulates everything that’s excellent about this record. Cape channels his best Neil Young and Ron Sexsmith and a beautiful yet heartbreaking story unfolds but is intended to be light and tongue-in-cheek.
The time Joey Cape spent with his parents over the past year didn’t just allow him to reconnect with them; it also afforded him time to write songs. Because recording studios were shutting down everywhere due to COVID, Cape got creative and turned the “cabana-type thing” he was living in into a home recording studio. “I just decided that if I was going to make a record like this, I should make it in full isolation,” he says. “I have a Murphy bed, so every morning I’d push up the bed, pull out the studio stuff, have some coffee or tea, get out my little chair and off I went.” Despite Cape’s isolation while writing ‘A Good Year To Forget’ His fans will hear much more than just a voice, guitar and bass on this record. Indeed, he ended up playing a lot of instruments when recording the album, including electric and lap steel guitars, piano, mandolin and drums. A real solo album to be fair.
‘A Good Year To Forget’ Finds the positive in the negatives to become a record of pure triumphant beauty and that’s on a serious level. I was interested to hear the record but as the songs were unfolding and I listened to the lyrics and the emotion in the vocals tied into the excellent arrangments I fell in love with what I was hearing and it really did reach out to me.
These 12 songs, especially on the wistful “The Poetry Of Our Mistakes” and the forlorn-yet-somehow-uplifting “Saturday Night Fever.” Don’t really do anything other than tell their stories but in such an empathetic way it’s hard not to get lost in the emotion of the complete record. ‘Come Home’, a song inspired directly by the words his mother had spoken on the phone, is a beautifully melancholic, folky tune
If you think you had a bad pandemic then spare a second for Joey his has been a real shit sandwich but hopefully, this can act as some cathartic experience and he can heal through his songs I know music can soothe the savage beast in us all and this beautiful record can inspire and help heal. Take a trip with Joey Cape it might not be what you expect but these beautiful songs need to be heard.
There is a lot to be angry with in the world today, particularly the last 14 months, 2 weeks, and 6 days…… But hey! Who’s counting? Although, saying that, sometimes the things that you really want might actually be there if you just reach out and grab them (no this isn’t pyramided selling). Do you want Raw Power? You got it! Do you want something Young, Loud & Snotty? You got it! Do you need something raging with the strength of a bag of amphetimin to keep you up with Lemmy on a weekend binge? You got that too! If Iron Lizards are ‘Hungry For Action’, all I can say is that it must be a pandemic in itself as I too have picked the metallic reptile’s insatiable appetite.
The record kicks off with lead single ‘It’s About Time’; I don’t know what the speed limit is in France but the pace of the tracklisting is relentless and I am here for every breakneck second of it! The seamless, relentless, and hi-octane from song to song with powerful garage punk laced riffs, the pneumatic rhythm section, all combined with the vocal delivery of James William Oesterburg giving a sermon on the mount. This rock’n’roll Jim, but not as we know it.
Four songs in we’re finally given the chance to catch our collective breath in the form of the incendiary breakdown towards the end of the ironically titled ‘no escape’. Effortlessly guiding us into the next track ‘obey/annihilate’; the band really displays its chops here in the form of their songwriting sensibilities, showing the fire and intensity of previous material but with an overall more grandiose setting and effects. From this, we’re lead even further down the genre rabbit hole with ‘death ride’, Cramped to the rafters with Lux Interior swagger.
‘Confusion blues’ takes us back on the straight and narrow of speed laced Punk’n’Roll, barely giving the punters a chance to recoup their cognitive thoughts of a world that doesn’t beat to the drum of Iron Lizard’s brutal yet beautiful onslaught.
You may have gathered whilst reading that I’m quite fond of this record, do yourselves, your friends, and your family a favour; buy this record, keep your eye on potential tour dates, and basically spend your time and money on this band. They definitely deserve it.
RICKY RAT- “She Feels Like a Good Thing” b/w “Born in Detroit (I-94 Recordings) Ricky has teamed up with his Rat Pack members Laura Mendoza (bass) and Joe Leone (drums) for 2 new studio tracks. The “A” side is a brand new original and the “B” side is a cover of the classic “Born in Detroit” (The Rockets). The amazing Jimmie Bones guests on piano on this barnstormer. A good time slice of Rock and Roll sees Ricky do what he does best just cruising down this Rock and Roll freeway kicking up the dust with some punk rock n roll with a catchy chorus and gang vocals that sound like one of those memorable nights out.
The B side is worth the money for this 45 alone. Ripping it up with some cool as fuck piano licks to give the feel good kick this bit o boogie woogie needs. Class!
Preorders are available at I-94Recordings.com (they will ship out August 20th).
Delusions Of Grandeur – EP (Savage Magic Records) is the result of a bunch of mates from two different countries, recording songs remotely, to help kill the boredom of Lockdown 1.0.
It is not a band, there will be no gigs. It is a one off, 4 track 7” of songs that would have otherwise been left to rot on Austin’s hard drive if Mel hadn’t suggested that they should try recording them and see what happened.
Blah blah Hip Priests, blah blah Bitch Queens. It doesn’t sound particularly like either but it’s fast, bangin’ and has loads of guitar solos! That’s a pretty succinct press release and right on the money to be fair. Obviously, Mel’s vocals would point to the Bitch Queens comparison but the solos are pure hear n aid bliss wig out for guitarists especially on ‘Drinking My Life Away’. One for the collectors of these bands involved but that would be doing these tunes a disservice because they are proper bangers and that’s why you should buy this record. Respect the Rock!
Chuck Norris Experiment – ‘This Will Leave A Mark’ (Transubstans Records / Ghost Highway Recordings) is taken from the upcoming album with the same name, which will be released on September 17. The single is released on all streaming services and download platforms! Spotify / YouTube
A clean sharp stab of high octane Action Rock from Sweden’s finest most uncompromising rockers giving fans and newcomers a nice little taster of what’s to come from Chuck and the gang.
Confused – ‘I Want A Beer’ (Confused Records) Get the WD 40 ready for those double bass pedals and heads down wait for the starting gun and Go! Hardcore as fuck Confused go for it. M.O.D., Agnostic Front, D.R.I.paved the way for this to come crashing the party. Brutal. RIOT PRE-SAVE URL:www.tinyurl.com/getriot Website / Facebook
Brian McCarty & the Jen-U-Wine Faux Diamond Band “Hamtramck Jukebox” b/w “A Place in the Sun” (I-94 Recordings) Brand new single from Brian McCarty. The “A’ side pays tribute to Lili Karwowksi and her bar Lili’s 21 which was the hangout/hometown bar for the gang back in the day.
He was the vocalist and founding member of Detroit’s glam punk Trash Brats (1987-2002) and has been consistently putting out solo releases for the last 20+ years. A wonderfully sunny rocker with a tip of the hat to Detroit rockers whilst the flip side is a bright and breezy tip of the hat to Stevie Wonder with a rocking version of the song “A Place in the Sun”. A blast from start to finish and a real ray of sunshine and hope in difficult times. check it out! Here
FRVITS ‘Stupid Era’ (Slovenly Recordings) A banging six tracks spread over a 7″ EP is VFM if ever I saw it. This debut EP from Montreal’s first and only Dot Matrix Rock’n’Roll Band FRVITS. It’s thunderous hardcore space punk (or so they say). It is ferocious to be fair, Fronted by Shit Vicious on a radioactive vox, and featuring Wind of Change (associate of PRIORS & DUCHESS SAYS), Krispy Karl, Alexander Ortiz, and Blag Dahlia/Jesus (DWARVES) with a vocal appearance on the penultimate track “Abortion Hoops.” This one is tough, fun, and as abstract as a frvit salad served in a urinal. Head fucked!
Kris Rodgers and the Dirty Gems – Take Me To The Pilot’ (Wicked Cool Records) Kris Rodgers & The Dirty Gems’ upcoming album, Still Dirty, which was released in July on Wicked Cool Records.
THE Q-TIPS – ‘There Are Those Who Drill Violently!’ EP (Slovenly Records) Prepare your ears and numb your minds, puny humans. The Kids of the Drill Hole, known officially as Munich’s THE Q-TIPS, are here to scrub your auditory canals, getting rid of the grime and re-contaminating ‘em with their 2nd EP “There Are Those Who Drill Violently.” For their Slovenly debut, sequencer Ms. Juliette and programmer Mr. Brotzeit kick four cuts of crunchy and negative synth-punk screamers hysterically down your hear-holes. The sincerity of tracks llike “Full of Hate” and “Shut Your Face” is as real as you are stupid, but the humor never gets lost in translation.
Indonesian Junk – ‘She Stands There’ (Rum Bar Records) Inspired choice of cover for a single. Didn’t see this one coming as the kings of sloppy loud dead boys glam-punk crowd Indonesian Junk do justice to the mighty Degeneration legacy by knocking out a blisteringly good take on this banger.
If you have to ask who Dgen were then their work here is done. Killer band does killer cover who’d have thunk it? Hooray to the Junkos you’ve done good here and we tip our hat to you guys tipping the hat to those guys. Good times!
Ryan Hamilton – ‘Permanent Holiday’ (Wicked Cool Records) ‘Permanent Holiday’ is the 8th track from Ryan’s 1221 project, where every 12th of the month, a new track is released, culminating in a full-length album at the end of the year. This one is like a huge ray of sunshine the feel-good hit of the summer. A song about escapism and this never-ending pandemic or a hopeful future where the new normal rocks. This might just be the tonic for that time.
KOMBI KILLERS – ‘ScuMo’ (Riot Records) oi oi heads down and lace up those docs. Brisbane’s old-school punk rockers KOMBI KILLERS have released their new single ‘ScuMo’ through Riot Records, and it is available on all digital platforms! blink and it’s done. no compromise and boot boy punk. Not for the faint-hearted.
This music reviewing lark is easy when the media you get sent for review is as consistently badass as the output from Albany ne’er-do-wells, The Erotics. I’ve been throwing the longhorns in the band’s direction for the majority of its 20+ years of decibel debauchery and, happily, it seems like there is little chance of this runaway musical muscle car slowing down any time soon.
With infamous producer Don Fury (Agnostic Front, Madball, Sick Of It All) once again at the controls of an Erotics release, ‘Ride It To Death!’ is a five-track extended player that pushes every button required by fans of the band’s back catalogue whilst also managing, somehow, to up the aural ante. Just like the rat rod that graces the band photography on this new EP, this is a straightforward rock ‘n’ roll framework embellished with all manner of crypt-cool accessories, thereby fashioning something unique and dastardly desirable. That, my friends, is The Erotics.
Opening track, ‘When The Wolves Are Howlin’, is a pure Eighties throwback that circles around a surprisingly melodic riff before transforming into a typical fang-in-cheek Erotics horror-drenched stormer that is guaranteed to appear on the soundtrack to a lycanthropic B-movie before the sun rises. You won’t be surprised to read that second track, ‘Scream Like A Demon’, doesn’t stray far from the wrong side of the tracks; infectious, biting guitar work strutting around a typically dark, despicable theme.
The EP’s title track is a full-throttle, high-octane, scuzzed-up workout that is part classic KISS, part classic Aerosmith, by way of Death Race 2000. This is akin to prime Eighties stadium rock… if the stadium was created by John Carpenter circa ‘Escape From New York’. It’s the EP’s fourth track, though, that might just be the standout cut. ‘Bless Your Heart’ is a swaggering rock ‘n’ roller that echoes The Dogs D’Amour at their raucous best; Mike Trash (who is in fine voice throughout this whole EP) channelling Tyla and in doing so fronting one of the band’s finest tunes of recent times. That said, there isn’t the slightest whiff of a weak track on this five-tracker; closer ‘Can I Sit Next To You Girl’ another hook-smeared exercise in effortless, retro-fuelled sleaze rock ‘n’ roll that is as wicked as it is darkly life-affirming. Yes, we need bands like The Erotics – some people haven’t realised it yet (fuck me, they’ve had enough time!), but as long as us cool kids have then this spinning rock doesn’t seem like such a bad place to be stuck on.
One complaint – five tracks just aren’t enough! In this form I want a fifteen track Erotics record – keep everything crossed for the near future. Summing up, the only people who claim to love rock ‘n’ roll yet don’t like The Erotics would have to be either allergic to truly cool bands or someone with an agenda – like a reviewer who developed a grudge against the band for pathetic reasons at some shitty festival, and, let’s be honest, who cares about their opinions anyway? Long live The Erotics!
One of those long-awaited lockdown albums is finally upon us. Jack and Wayne have to deal with a lineup change and lockdown mania gnawing away at their mental health it was always going to be music that could set them free and focus their attention and with the pandemic may be a chance to gather their thoughts and be where they needed to be. So they set about creating Their next album ‘Love No Less Than A Queen’. An epic journey with an epic record.
Was it really 2017 when ‘Swansea To Hornsey’ came out? Wow, time flys I guess, fast forward four years (and the compilation ‘Pick a Pocket’), Three flaming years!
After the opener ‘Gotta Do More Gotta Be More’ has twisted your melon with its psychedelic twisted groove you know you’re in for a ride. It’s like hitting the Kingsway in a stolen punto with the Lewis boys doing 90. But rather than soaring a Cobain like acoustic drags you towards a drum loop but you’re carried on a great safe melody from Jones as the chorus hits and we’re off.
‘The Misadventures Of Lord Billy Bilo’ is sandwiched on either side of two absolute belters with ‘Oh Lover’ and ‘No Love No Kisses’ is the sound of a cheeky grin from the classroom clown who likes to play the joker card at every opportunity so as to not pin him down to what’s really going on, hell, its only Rock and Roll amigos it’s not like anyone has to die. The album has barely started and already we’ve been taken on an album masterclass of twisted beauty where pop meets rock via an indie alternative groove where Jack Jones works his poetry and lyrics as the musical backdrop ebbs and flows.
Jack does what he wants and what pleases him and I like that aspect of Trampolene the others trust him and assist in whatever way. He’s not dancing to anyone’s tune and finding his way into any specific genre or trend. The band sways from Britpop to grunge with effortless ease. The opener is like what Cobain would be coming up with if he hadn’t checked out. The band operates along the same lines as a Bobby Gilespie fucks with people’s heads on Primal Scream records or Burgess does when he makes a Charlatans album. There is also a heady dose of Velvet undergrounds and their bohemian New York scene for good measure.
‘Remember’ sees Jones veer down a Morrissey route but Morrisey never sounded this good. ‘Uncle Brians Abbertoir’ is another gentle interlude that Jones gets by with a little help from his friends and some great observations listed as a stream of conciseness.
The Single ‘Shoot The Lights’ plays with 80s pop-rock and succeeds in being a real grower with a chorus Jones will happily let the audience have lift off with live. There’s a haze around this album with moments of real clarity where you think you’ve struck pop genius and moments of utter chaos and confusion but all in a good way. The gentle wheeze of ‘Lighter Than Paper’ is the work of someone feeling vulnerable yet strong in the ability to pen great songs that will resonate over time and the album will get better and better on repeated listening. An album with depth and throwaway pop in equal measures is a gift and one that will work on several levels depending on the listener’s mood
With ‘Perfect View’ there’s a triumphant knowledge that this album is rather bloody good. Come along for the ride my friend there’s plenty of room in the back, it’s genuine quality that exudes happiness and hope. The treated lick of ‘Born Again’ is a joy as it builds into a heaving ball of volume and sweat before dropping back into the groove.
The album ends with another poem ‘Come Join Me In Life’ so much to say and saying it so well come on join us down the front and bounce around to Trampolene and their class sounds, come on while you still have a chance put on your trainers and lets join the dance.
BILLY IDOL RETURNS WITH FIRST NEW RELEASE IN SEVEN YEARS
‘THE ROADSIDE’EP OUT 17TH SEPTEMBER ON DARK HORSE RECORDS
2021 TOUR DATES CONFIRMED
Billy Idol is set to release ‘The Roadside’ EP, his first new material in nearly seven years, on 17th September via Dark Horse Records. Produced by Butch Walker (Green Day, Weezer) and featuring Idol’s longtime lead guitarist and co-writer Steve Stevens, ‘The Roadside’ was conceived, recorded and mixed almost entirely under the shadow of the pandemic. The lead single ‘Bitter Taste’ and accompanying video directed by Steven Sebring (Patti Smith, Jack White) can be seen and heard below.
The lead single ‘Bitter Taste’ features some of Idol’s most introspective and confessional lyrics ever, as he confronts death, rebirth and his personal growth in the thirty-one years since his near-fatal 1990 motorcycle accident. “I think everyone has been feeling more reflective (during the pandemic). So, it seemed quite logical and natural to write something about my motorcycle accident,” Idol explains. “Certainly, the motorcycle accident was the catharsis, the wake-up moment. A little bit of me got left on that roadside. But it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing in the end; it was a wake-up call. Maybe on that roadside I left behind the irreverent youthful Billy and opened the door for a more attentive father and a more sensitive musician.”
To celebrate the forthcoming release, Idol is planning a run of 2021 tour dates. The shows include headline performances at New York’s Capitol Theatre and Las Vegas’ Cosmopolitan, as well as an appearance at the Sea.Hear.Now Festival in Asbury Park, NJ. Just recently, Idol appeared alongside Miley Cyrus during her headlining performance at Lollapalooza. See below for the full tour schedule.
For forty-five years, Billy Idol has been one of the faces and voices of rock’n’roll, with an artistic resumé to match the brilliant light of the image. As the camera-ready frontman for Generation X Idol emerged with three albums that made positivity, emotional depth, and high pop synonymous with punk rock. In 1982, Idol embarked on a remarkable transatlantic/trans-genre solo career that integrated clubland throb, wide-screen depth and drama, rockabilly desperation, the bold and simple lines of punk, and rock’n’roll decadence.
‘The Roadside’is Idol’s first release on the newly relaunched Dark Horse Records, a label initially created in 1974 by George Harrison and now led by Dhani Harrison and David Zonshine. Other artists currently on Dark Horse include George Harrison himself, Joe Strummer and Ravi Shankar. “I couldn’t be more excited to welcome Billy Idol to the Dark Horse Records family. Billy is a legend and his music couldn’t fit the Dark Horse persona any better. I’ve loved his music throughout my whole life so to be able to give this new music a home on our historic label is a massive honour,” says Dhani Harrison.
BILLY IDOL LIVE
August 12––Airway Heights, WA––Northern Quest Resort
August 15––Tulalip, WA–– Tulalip Resort Casino
August 17––Manson, WA––Deep Water Amphitheater
August 19––Saratoga, CA––Mountain Winery
August 21––Napa, CA––Oxbow Riverstage
September 4––Palmer, AK––Alaska Sate Fair
September 18––West Springfield, MA––The Big E
September 19––Asbury Park, NJ––Sea.Hear.Now Festival
September 22––Post Chester, NY––The Capitol Theatre
September 24––Roanoke, VA––Elmwood Park
September 25––Charles Town, WV––Hollywood Casino
October 16-17––Las Vegas, NV––The Cosmopolitan
October 22-23––Las Vegas, NV––The Cosmopolitan
The latest release from Bristol noise mongers Grand Collapse is an important one. The anger being expressed here is a direct response to the Black Lives Matters protests in their home city last summer, where the statue of the 17th century slave trader Edward Colston ended up in the harbour after protesters pushed it in. The album was written at a time where civil unrest around the world was extremely high. The eleven tracks on the album are all short, sharp shocks to the system (the entire album clocks in at just over twenty-six minutes), with a message to the world that discrimination of any kind can no longer be tolerated.
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