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Bam Ross Joins The Quireboys on US & Australian Tour

Bam Ross Joins The Quireboys on US & Australian Tour

Legendary drummer Bam Ross of Dogs D’Amour fame has joined The Quireboys for the US and Australian legs of their Amazing Disgrace World Tour.  We can think of no better man to have on the sticks while the lads visit some iconic locations including Hollywood, Las Vegas, New York, Salt Lake City, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide.

Due to public demand, further dates have been added to the extensive US tour, with the band now stopping in Merriam Kansas, Corpus Christi Texas, Jefferson New Orleans Louisiana, W Dundee Illinois and Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.

In addition, VIP Meet and Greets are now available which will give unprecedented access to the band during soundcheck. The package also includes a souvenir laminate, signed poster and photo opportunities.  These are available to order now from:

https://www.offyerrocka.com/product/the-quireboys-us-tour-vip-meet-n-greet

The US and Australian tour schedule in full :

8th – 13th Feb 2020 MONSTERS OF ROCK CRUISE – Florida
14th Feb 2020 The Boardwalk, Orangevale, USA
15th Feb 2020 Whisky A Go Go, Hollywood, USA
16th Feb 2020 The Parish @ House of Blues, Anaheim, USA
20th Feb 2020 Adelaide, The Gov, AUS
21st Feb 2020 Marrickville – Factory Theatre, AUS
22nd Feb 2020 St Kilda – Prince Bandroom, AUS
23rd Feb 2020 Newstead – The Triffid, AUS
5th March 2020 Vamp’d, Las Vegas, NV, USA
6th March 2020 Liquid Joes, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
7th March 2020 The Venue, Denver, CO, USA
8th March 2020 Aftershock, Merriam, KS, USA
11th March 2020 Warehouse Live, Houston, TX, USA
12th March 2020 Rich’s Billiards, Corpus Christi, TX, USA
13th March 2020 Your Mom’s Place, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
14th March 2020 The Rail Club, Ft Worth, TX, USA
15th March 2020 Southport Hall, Jefferson, LA, USA
17th March 2020 Diamond Music Hall, St Peters, MO, USA
18th March 2020 Rochaus, W Dundee, IL, USA
19th March 2020 Token Lounge, Westland, MI, USA
20th March 2020 Peecox, Erlanger, KY, USA
21st March 2020 The Odeon Concert Hall, Cleveland, OH, USA
22nd March 2020 Hard Rock Café, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
25th March 2020 The Kingsland, Brooklyn, NY, USA
26th March 2020 Jewel Nightclub, Manchester, NH, USA
27th March 2020 Debonair Music Hall, Teaneck, NJ, USA
28th March 2020 Vault Music Hall, New Bedford, MA, USA

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Gone But Not Forgotten – Joe Strummer

Gone But Not Forgotten – Joe Strummer

Born John Graham Mellor  on 21 August 1952 in Ankara Turkey to a Scottish mother and Diplomat Father. John had a mixed bag as a kid being shipped off to Boarding School paid for by the state due to his fathers job he spent the next seven years at Boarding school alleging he rarely saw his parents due to his fathers job.

Mellor changed his name in the mid ’70s from Woody (after Woody Guthrie) changing it to Strummer as a way of self deprecation as to his style in the band 101ers .  Upon his insistence the name stuck and how different would the history books have looked no Joe Strummer instead Woody Mellor!

Early ’76 saw an unknown band called The Sex Pistols support the 101ers at the Nashville Rooms, shortly after he was approached by Bernie Rhodes and Mick Jones to join their band that also included Keith Levine, Terry Chimes and Paul Simonon.  It was Paul who named the band just before their July Debut in Sheffield supporting The Pistols and as they say the rest is history.

When the Clash broke up after a whirlwind decade of chaos and destruction and some very high highs and ultimately low lows. After a luke warm solo career and getting dropped by Sony, Strummer spent some time producing the likes of The Pogues and playing a bunch of shows with them as a repecement for Shane McGowan before he put together the Mescaleros.

It wasn’t until the late ’90s that they put out their first album  ‘Rock Art and the X-Ray Style’.  After touring heavily Strummer headed straight back into the studio to record its follow up ‘Global A Go-Go’ for Hellcat Records. After heading back out on tour on  the 15th of November 2002, Strummer and the Mescaleros played a benefit show for striking fire fighters in London, at the Acton Town Hall. Mick Jones was in the audience, and joined the band on stage during the Clash’s ‘Bankrobber’. An encore followed with Jones playing guitar and singing on ‘White Riot’ and ‘London’s Burning’. This performance marked the first time since 1983 that Strummer and Jones had performed together on the same stage stage.  the news that fans had been waiting for seemed like it might become a reality with The Clash reforming and heading out on tour. Strummer’s final gigs were  Liverpool Academy on 22 November 2002, yet his final performance, just two weeks before his death, was in a small club venue ‘The Palace’ in Bridgwater, Somerset, near his home.

Heartbreakingly, Strummer died suddenly on 22 December 2002 in his home at Broomfield in Somerset, the victim of an undiagnosed congenital heart defect.  Strummer was cremated, and his ashes were given to his family. Strummer was instrumental in setting up Future Forests (since rechristened the Carbon Neutral Company), dedicated to planting trees in various parts of the world to combat global warming. Strummer was the first artist to make the recording, pressing and distribution of his records carbon neutral through the planting of trees. In his remembrance, Strummer’s friends and family have established the Strummerville Foundation for the promotion of new music, which holds an annual festival with the same name.

At the time of his death, Strummer was working on another Mescaleros album, which was released posthumously in October 2003 under the title ‘Streetcore’. It was discovered following Strummer’s death that he was an archivist of his own work, having barns full of writings and tapes. Over 20,000 items were stored in the Joe Strummer archive and on 28 September 2018, a 32-song compilation album titled ‘Joe Strummer 001’ was released. The album, which was overseen by Strummer’s widow, Lucinda, and producer Robert Gordon McHarg III, features 32 songs, 12 of which have never been released. The set spans Strummer’s career from the 101ers to the Mescaleros and features some unheard demos from the Clash following the departure of Mick Jones, along with an unreleased song recorded by Jones and Strummer in 1986. The set also features two of Strummer’s final recordings and is one of the best box sets available not just for Strummer or Clash completists its well worth getting hold of..  Joe Strummer will never be forgotten and will always be held up as one of the true musical geniuses and pioneers.  He was responsible for writing and recording some of the best song to come out of the punk scene in the ’70s and always came across as one of the good guys and he’s sadly missed today its hard to believe hes been gone seventeen years.  RIP Strummer you legend.

THE QUIREBOYS RELEASE 35 & LIVE SPECIAL EDITION DVD AND CD BOX SET

THE QUIREBOYS RELEASE 35 & LIVE SPECIAL EDITION DVD AND CD BOX SET

Due to overwhelming demand, the new digital album of 35 & Live, along with the film recorded and released on Amazon Prime Video will now be released as a very limited special edition full length DVD on one side and the audio CD on the other.

The Quireboys record label Off Yer Rocka Recordings has been inundated with requests for a physical disc of the rockers for a keepsake. Jonni Davis, CEO of Off Yer Rocka said “We knew this would be a special reaction for the bands 35th Anniversary show and the gig itself was amazing but we never envisaged such a demand for the DVD and CD which just shows the love and support for The Quireboys is growing”.

This special DVD/CD is available for pre-order via OYR website and will be dispatched at the end of January 2020. There will be a limited run of just 500 copies available worldwide.

 

PreOrder Here

Mark Lanegan Band/The Membranes – Bristol, SWX – 11th December 2019

Mark Lanegan Band/The Membranes – Bristol, SWX – 11th December 2019

It’s time for my final gig of the year (well reviewing wise anyway) and I can think of no better way of wrapping up an excellent year of live music than by spending a few hours in the company of one of the acts behind one of the best albums of 2019, The Mark Lanegan Band

 

I also have something of a confession to make too as whilst I’ve been an admirer of John Robb’s work for quite some time now (via both his writing and his time spent fronting the awesome Goldblade) I’ve never actually seen his first band The Membranes live before, in fact I’ve only ever heard the odd track by them before tonight. As a result, and true to RPM form, brother Brooks and I are in Bristol’s SWX venue very early doors to make amends for this fact, and as it transpires boy are we glad we did.

For those of you like me who are perhaps unaware of their music, The Membranes kick out a kind of gothic post punk jam that only has Robb’s trademark creepers and haircut in common with those turbo-charged garage punk rockers Goldblade. Oh and ‘blade guitarist Peter Byrchmore whose been in the band since they reformed back in 2009, who mangles the six strings along with 80s Membranes guitarist Nick Brown, and creating a kind of Reeves Gabrels meets Robert Fripp six string sonic assault between them. Goldblade drummer Rob Haynes has along been along for the ride since the reunion but he’s missing from these European dates with Mike Simii providing the backbeat over some tripped-out samples and keyboards from the enigmatic Amelia Chain who also chips in with some kooky Ofra Haza style backing vocal too.

Having been on the road with Lanegan since early November The Membranes really have got their allotted 30 minute stage time down to a fine art, slotting in tracks from their recent ‘What Nature Gives​.​.​.​Nature Takes Away’ album like the throbbing ‘Black Is The Colour’ alongside the likes of ‘The Graveyard’ and ‘Dark Energy’ from their 2016 album ‘Dark Matter/Dark Energy’ with the always moving frontman (and here bassist) Robb cutting a very different figure here from the one he commands in Goldblade. At times it’s almost like someone has taken Shaun Ryder and somehow channelled the spirit of Phil Lynott through him (albeit correcting Lynott’s above the belt bass height failure). It really shouldn’t work, but by God it does, and as soon as the band wrap up their six song set with ‘Myths and Legends’ I find myself immediately rushing to the front of the stage to buy a copy of the band’s new album. (Robb having previously voiced on social media his uneasiness with the percentage certain venues were demanding for the band to sell their merch choosing to sell his wares from the photo pit.) So, I think we can say that’s mission accomplished as I certainly wasn’t alone in the rush for the new album.

 

If Alanis Morissette is looking to update her examples of irony for her 2020 tour then she need look no further than the fact that tonight RPM has a photo pass for this show, and for anyone who knows Mark Lanegan shows you’ll already get where I’m coming from, as its near impossible to take any decent photos, other than silhouettes, due to his penchant for blue and red backlighting, so as a result instead of making his way to the photo pit as Lanegan and band amble onto the stage just before 9pm Grandmaster Flash (aka Nev Brooks) instead steps into the mosh pit alongside me and gets ready to let the whole experience melt his brain as we have done on so many previous occasions in the company of Lanegan and Co.

Tonight though turns out to be unlike any other Mark Lanegan Band show we’ve ever attended, as by the time we reach ‘Emperor’ towards the end of tonight’s ninety minute main set people really have started something resembling a mosh pit, and earlier during ‘Penthouse High’ you better believe me when I say we were just a strobe light and a few glow sticks away from this being a regular club night at SWX.

 

This is the sound of Mark Lanegan Band in 2019 though folks, and with ‘Somebody’s Knocking’ featuring high in my RPM Albums of the Year list I really wouldn’t want it any other way. In the past when I’ve lost my cool with people around talking through the more melancholic moments of Lanegan’s shows tonight the chances of that happening are reduced to just one or two songs (with ‘One Hundred Days’ also getting one of the loudest shouts of the night and thankfully absolute silence around me) and everywhere else it’s very much the electro gothic sound that dominates his latest album that drives proceedings.

 

Lanegan himself seems to be loving every minute of it too, taking the time to address the audience after just one song and that banter (albeit brief) continuing pretty much for the rest of the night. Me, I’m totally lost in the moment, the sound enrapturing me and making me feel that there really is a force for good in the world after all. Plus when older songs like ‘Hit The City’ and ‘The Gravediggers Song’ pop up alongside the (I think) nine songs aired from ‘Somebody’s Knocking’ it all kind of falls into place as the true band sound & vision Lanegan has been working on for many a year now. There are times tonight where you could strip away the rock schtick and I could just as easily be watching Jeffrey Lee Pierce as I could Astrud Gilberto, the vocal key changes are at times totally sublime, and if you don’t see this then please just take one listen to ‘Dark Disco Jag’ live and tell me I’m wrong.  This track alone conjures up images of what Kraftwerk might sound like jamming Burt Bacharach, and is truly inspirational.

 

Closing the main set out with the mandatory ‘Death Trip To Tulsa’ before returning for a double whammy encore of  ‘Harbourview Hospital’ and (the ‘Thousand Miles Of Midnight’ version of) ‘The Killing Season’ Lanegan is soon out front on his merch table signing things for his faithful with no hint of paid meet and greet bollocks anywhere to be seen, and that right there is what makes this guy (as well as his music) so God damned punk rock. This is a singer who not only turned his back on an easy pay cheque with QOTSA but continues to stick his middle finger up to anything that is considered conventional in the rock n roll world, and I simply can’t help but love him for it.

 

If we hadn’t already submitted our gigs of the year list to RPM HQ tonight would have cruised into the top three with some ease, I just wish this every night could be like this, albeit maybe a little more well lit.

 

See you down the front in 2020!!!

 

Author: Johnny Hayward

 

Skid Row / The Quireboys / Crashdiet / Hollowstar – The Tramshed, Cardiff – December 4th 2019

Skid Row / The Quireboys / Crashdiet / Hollowstar – The Tramshed, Cardiff – December 4th 2019

It’s a cold Wednesday night at the start of December. You’d think by now people would be winding down for the big, fat man in red to come and empty his… ahem… sack of goodies, but no. Cardiff is alive tonight and ready to rock. For the first time in a long time, there was a long queue outside the venue. I haven’t seen a smaller gig venue with a queue for quite some time.

I got there just as Hollowstar were launching into their final song, which was a shame. I really wanted to catch their set but traffic and the newly extended 50mph zone in Port Talbot aren’t a good mixture when coupled with an early starting gig! After all, there are 4 bands to get through here.

Second on the bill are Swedish sleaze meisters Crashdiet. I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for Crashdiet. I loved their first album with Dave Leppard on vocals. Admittedly, I was never a huge fan of much they put out beyond that, but I’ve caught the band live a few times but never been as blown away as I was at the sound of their first album.

Tonight, they are here promoting their new album Rust with a new singer in tow (Fourth singer in five albums!), but boy, do they deliver. Hard hitting, headbanging, big haired rock and roll is back with a vengeance. Or at least it was for the short time they tore up the stage. The new singer Gabriel has brought a new fire to the band. New songs like ‘Rust’ sounded perfect alongside old favourites like ‘Riot in Everyone’ and ‘Breaking the Chains’.

Main support tonight are the UK’s finest blues rock and roll exports. You know them, you love them, you’ve seen them 10 times already this year because they are the hardest touring band in the world… ladies and gentlemen, The Quireboys.

Can the Quireboys play a bad show? Probably… Have I seen them play a bad show in the 10 or so times I’ve seen them? Not a chance. I saw them perform in Swansea in mid-November to a tiny crowd and they nailed it. Tonight, the room is full, beer cups are in the air and it’s party time and Spike really comes alive. You can see he’s at home on the big stage, and so he should be. They deserve gigs of this size.

Their set is full of all the usual suspects from ‘7 o’Clock’ to ‘Mona Lisa Smiled’ to ‘This is Rock and Roll’. They’ve got so many tracks to get the room bouncing that it’s probably hard to pick a setlist this short. Spike stated at one point that while he loves a good chin wag between songs, tonight he had to be kept on a tight leash as they had to get through as many songs as they could in a short time.

A few new songs made an appearance in the set, after all, they have a new album they are currently promoting. Original ‘Black Eyed Sons’ and ‘Sinners Serenade’ have all the swagger of a Quireboys classic.

9:30pm arrives, the lights go down and The Ramones ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’ comes blaring over the PA. It’s time for the main event. Now, I should admit that Skid Row certainly aren’t my favourite band but tonight they really captivated me. From start to finish the band were firing on all cylinders and having a great time doing it. I’ve actually seen them a few times in recent years and always thought they sounded great but tonight they seemed to have an extra spark under them.

The set was littered with 80s mega hit after 80s mega hit. Opening with Makin’ a Mess was a nice change. I lose track of how many times I’ve seen them open with Slave to the Grind. Big Guns, Piece of Me, Livin’ on a Chain Gang, that’s a pretty hard and heavy first 4. The majority of the set it high octane, high energy with only a few slower moments for the usual suspects 18 and Life and I Remember You.

Skid Row have plenty of albums under their belt and they choose a diverse setlist that covers every era of the band. ZP Theart showing the crowd just why he’s the man for the job. He sings the old songs in vocal ranges unheard since Sebastian Bach fronted the band. ZP is known already for his soaring vocal style from his days with Dragonforce but Skid Row is a different animal and he shows the crowd that rock and roll is alive and well as he pours a bottle of Jack Daniels over himself and the crowd.

For a brief period, Cardiff turned into a dingy rock and roll club in LA. Skid Row took the crowd on a trip back to when the beer was flowing, the rock was loud and the roll was louder.

They may be over 50 now, but these youths can still get wild.

Author: Leigh Fuge

 

Strange Unit – Strange Unit (Self Release)

Strange Unit – Strange Unit (Self Release)
“Strange Unit: A tale where Big Black took the greatest hits album from 90’s baldies Black (Francis) and Corgan (Billy), and physically ate them, creating a case of acid reflux being involuntarily regurgitated into the public domain as a multicolored, textual mess that is rightly disgusting and mesmerising in equal measures.” Mmm, fair summary I spose.  Scott Lee Andrews is all or nothing and when he does his music its never going to conform or come from inside the box that a given. From the opening salvo of ‘Ghandi Warhole’ you just know for the next twenty-five minutes you might need some protection from the sonic assault, some headgear and maybe a gumshield as the feedback howls and the guitar creepy crawls inside your head after you’ve had the initial tap from that snare drum that’s slapping away.  It’s already too late and you should begin to feel your heartbeat quicken as Scott screams it’s like Blare Witch the audio assault. He’s got a ‘sick sense’ we’re in and it’s definitely happening. ‘Chew’ is like an angry slice of Sigue Sigue Sputnik if they had been serious punk rock pioneers and genuinely a bit bonkers. The guitar lick that’s holding this together is viscous and the chorus is taking root inside your head its the soundtrack to what’s going on behind Travis Bickle’s eyes it’s intense but wholely enjoyable.
Go over and turn up the speakers as much as you can for the grinding ‘Learn To Luv It’ ‘Sick Sense’ is tasty as it creepy crawls through the verse only to explode at the chorus it’s like an industrial headfuck with huge guitar riffs filling all available space. I thought for a brief moment ‘victimology’ was going to chill out in a David Bowie sort of way but how wrong was I?  Chalk and cheese it would seem as Scott rants over the albums most full-on track thus far. Oh hang on a minute ‘Tattoo’ is up and it’s like anxiety audio sprinting like a hunted man.  Make no mistake Scott is as punk as fuck – He dances to his own beat and the music that comes out of his head won’t appeal to everyone but it will to some and when it does engage it all makes sense and plays out like a fuckin’ symphony other times its terrifying but you could never accuse him of being boring.  ‘Everything Ends’ would encapsulate all of that in its blistering almost five minutes and then silence… Go for a walk have a lie down in a darkened room then do it all again – go on you’ll enjoy it Let Strange Unit shine a light into your life and fuck you right up.  Don’t be safe be adventurous, be open-minded and saddle up this beast of a record and take it for a ride you never know what you’re going to get and depending on your mood the sounds and songs will change he’s clever like that is Scott.  Bloody show-off!
DIGITAL (ALL LINKS): https://fanlink.to/STRANGEUNIT
Author: Dom Daley

The Authorised Biography Of Brian James – John Wombat (Amazon fulfilment)

The Authorised Biography Of Brian James – John Wombat (Amazon fulfilment)

Until recently you’d have thought punk rock was invented by Malcolm McLaren and Bernie Rhodes and that’s about it nobody else was involved and the history books also tend to gloss over the real nuts and bolts and the details that really matter but those who know really do know.  Punk wasn’t invented by chancers or clothes shop owners it was invented by kids on both sides of the Atlantic who felt forgotten and lost and had something to rally against and one of the biggest magnets of the scene happens to have been one Brian James.  From the gushing introduction from Henry Rollins something of a punk rock fact nurd who actually puts things into perspective.  James deserves respect and with respect has carved one hell of a catalogue of work and reinvented himself several times and was a success every time.  I’m delighted to have this book in my hands and feast on the details and exquisite picture catalogue Wombat has amassed.

Brian was a visionary and someone people wanted to be around as this book will testify sure he borrowed heavily from the likes of Richards and Ashton and those Mc5s but he didn’t just copy them he went away and created a new sound and style that exploded for a brief second in time and the ripples are still being felt in and around our little corner of the world where music matters and not just being the first to this or that Brian made records that mattered and was above all life-changing and life-affirming.  This biography tells Brian’s story from dingy basements to where he is today still creating and everything in between.

I don’t want to tell Brians story (He’ll do that when he finally releases his autobiography) in the interim Wombat (who also has some excellent books on Johnny Thunders and Bryan Gregory & The Cramps) has gathered painstakingly some fantastic anecdotal memories and pictures to open up Brians world in music to the reader who if your a fan of all or many of Brians works you’ll find this a real treat. If you’re looking for the true embodiment of punk rock then you’ve found the holy grail Brian James is punk rock and as he said himself he didn’t do this for fame or fortune he did it because its the only thing he ever wanted to do and still is!  That warms the cockles of my heart and confirms what I’ve always known.  Brian James is a legend.

The book starts off right at the beginning and with a classic cowboy picture of James as a nipper and takes you through the various periods of his life – It’s not overly indulgent and keeps things brief but you do get a good picture of where he comes from and the man himself his first meeting with Johnny Thunders, Breaking up the Damned, the Pistols, Anarchy tour its all covered but just giving a brief outline and not reaching into minute details unlike many books on the subject of say the Anarchy Tour it was only a few weeks of one year move on people, please.

The book flows well and some of the pictures are fantastic as are a lot of the clips of tickets and bill posters that are reproduced which is really nice for us anoraks. The stuff around the Brains and Tanz Der Youth period then into Brians thoughts on touring with Iggy on ‘Soldiers’ and ‘New Values’ is great stuff but I wanted to get to the Lords stuff and it doesn’t disappoint with some fantastic pictures spread out over many pages then chapter seven and the Lords with some great insight from Dave (Treganna) and roadie and friend Ivor who knocked out one of the best quotes in the book when he is explaining that the band were forever on tour and they were indeed heady wild times and he’d tuned Brians guitars more times than Brian ever had Dave summary of recording ‘Like A Virgin’ is succinct and the picture taken from the photoshoot is hilarious. I could read about the Lords all day and night to me they were one of the magical bands in my lifetime and along with Hanoi Rocks will always hold a special place.

If you’re a fan then what’s not to like its an easy read and the pictures are great. John wombat has done a sterling job and pulled together a very readable book of one of my musical Heroes and on finishing this it’s only cemented my initial fanboy thoughts go to the link and click and pick up a copy you won’t regret it at all.  Now Mr. James get on with the autobiography this has only whet my appetite for more ramblings and pictures. buy it!

 

Buy ‘The authorised Biography Of Brian James’ Here

John Wombat

Richard Duguay Bad Juju (Self Release)

Richard Duguay Bad Juju (Self Release)

Ok kiddies roll up roll up a Rock and Roll show has just rolled into town and the medicine man is selling some ‘Bad Juju’. You wanna know what that ‘Bad Juju’ is well its a good dose of Rock and Roll.

Those of you paying attention  will know Richard Duguay received a platinum record for playing on Guns & Roses’ ‘Spaghetti Incident’, and has toured with GnR bass thing Duff McKegan, but it’s his new solo album ‘Bad Juju’ that’s tearing it up all over this here Internet.

Dr. Silver, an all-seeing shaman bent on finding salvation through wrecking-ball destruction of all that lies in his path. Experience a journey through hell and back with Dr. Silver as your guide in this apocalyptic 12- track musical story you won’t soon forget! or thats how the press kit goes. To be fair its not far off the mark Richard Duguay and co-writer Marc Floyd have crafted a gritty, dirty masterpiece that journeys through the good and the great of the 70s and beyond in American Rock and Roll.

Taking some great tips from early 70’s rock & some psychedelia, the songs move from big choruses to haunting melodies with some super cool story telling lyrics that ask questions.  ‘Bad JuJu’ takes a peek behind the curtain as civilisation is in Decline it doesn’t matter what side of the pond you’re on we all have 24 hour broadcasts and super fibre broadband to see whats going on from the desperation of the title track, ‘Bad Juju’ to the catchy ‘Dr. Silver’ coming to offer us all some salvation this is good – No make that damned good.

Yeah Alice Cooper is definitely an inspiration vocally and musically but thats a good thing make no mistake. ‘Death Defy’ starts as he means to go on and from that Garage Detroit rockin’ one finger piano plonk this is really good. ‘The Rain’ opens with a haunting acoustic pick even if you know whats coming but it doesn’t rock out with big power chords but more like a gentler pop sensible break out thats restrained before dropping back down gently.

If its rockers your after it wont disappoint as Psychotic Garden’  will twist your melon sonically as there is a lot going on. ‘Dr. silver’ is a real standout track. ‘Firewalk Of Lies’ has a twisted melody much like something you could expect from someone like ginger Wildheart especially on the chorus. The title track wouldn’t be out of place on a Tom Waits album its twisted and bent out of shape as it tells its tale.

Richard doesn’t just play the songs it sounds like he lives them ‘Critical…Darling’ is a cool riff but its treated it sounds sharp right up to the break down. As we head on into the home straight and ‘Way Back Home’ you try and take in what you’ve just heard and decide your hooked and you head back down the meandering road to do it all again.

Retro Rock and Roll with a modern edge never sounded so good what a triumph ‘Bad Juju’ is

Buy ‘Bad Juju’ Here

Author: Dom Daley

Berlin Blackouts – Nastygram Sedation’ (Wanda Records)

Berlin Blackouts – Nastygram Sedation’ (Wanda Records)

End of the year is when album come out that tend to pile up as they come thick and fast and this year it’s easy for one or two to sneak under the radar and to my eternal shame ‘Nastygram Sedation’ is one that snook under and fell down the cracks but to be fair it was only by a few weeks and you can thank me later for reminding you about this little beauty.

 

With a bright production, this third long-player is their best not because its the most recent but they’ve managed to have gotten better each time which is pretty much the reason to make a new record anyway isn’t it? Sure they don’t stray from what it is they do (’77 Punk if you’re looking for something to hang it on)  but, the songs just seem more (dare I Say It) mature or better written, more professional whatever… You know what I mean. They’ve really nailed that snotty punk rock Steve Jones guitar Chug with some great pop sensible melodies and Bev has really come into his own with his vocals which is probably the main difference from record to record, he’s using his voice so well and varying it to great effect. take ‘Shut up You Slave’ for example. then, to follow it with a fantastic stomper ‘MSP’ again nothing new sound-wise (if it ain’t broke don’t fix it)  but a really energetic song with an easy chorus to get into.

It’s a record that bursting with energy all over the place the album’s opener is a prime example, a right proper slab of glam-punk if ever there was one.  If you listen closely you can hear Stiv tapping his foot in recognition of their efforts. Wherever you drop the needle there will be quality.  At the top of the record, you have the catchy ‘Dead Dogs Dancing In Your Eyes’ (Fuck Knows what its about? I’m not bothered its a top tune)

They go out with a bang as ‘We’ve Come to Destroy’ takes you home at a gallop as it thunders towards the finish line.  A fantastic way to end any year is with some good music and 2019 might not have been to everyone’s liking but rest assured if every album was as good as this bad boy then you’d say punk rock was in rude health and you would be absolutely bang on the money.  Top band – top album.

Buy ‘Nastygram Sedition’ Here

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Author: Dom Daley

Stevie R Pearce releases new video for ‘Rush Of Blood To The Head’ single.

Stevie R Pearce releases new video for ‘Rush Of Blood To The Head’ single.

UK hard rocker STEVIE R.PEARCE has released a new single & music video for “RUSH OF BLOOD TO THE HEAD” and the new LIVE ALBUM “GIVE ME EVERYTHING: LIVE IN BLACKPOOL”, which is out via CARGO RECORDS UK.

Following his critically acclaimed first album, The current Love/hate guitar Player offers the brand new track, a year after the album that gave us the anthems “BAD DAY” and “SET MY SOUL ON FIRE“. With the new original album due for release next year. WANT MORE? How about a raw power live album that knocks your head off.

Stevie Remarks on the Current state of Hooligans Affairs:

“Its been a Hell of a year, I’ve been everywhere from Edinburgh to Dallas Texas in my various musical pursuits and didn’t wanna sit on my hands too long before putting out something new, a year is probably too long, back in March I started working with Carl Donoghue again after nearly 5 years, from the Early Bullets days.. to do just one song like we used to… we could write a 5-minute song in 3 minutes back then…And still now..then the other songs flowed like gnarly Hostile Vodka so I had to stick with it… Rush of blood is probably the lightest song, but had this chorus that was stuck in my head for days.. I’m still writing from the eyeballs, the new album is coming from a much different place… I guess because the world is in a much different place. We are firing like a war beaten spitfire. The live album kind of came out of nowhere Paul had told me hed captured the set earlier this year at the Waterloo… so I jumped on it…its caught a great moment in time with Dave and Lewis… That show was memorable”

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