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Hellsingland Underground – A Hundred Years Is Nothing (Wild Kingdom)

Hellsingland Underground – A Hundred Years Is Nothing (Wild Kingdom)

Hellsingland Underground has come a long way from the breezy, southern rock epic anthems they used to base their sound around. Upon listening to the first moments of the new single ‘Carnival Beyond the Hills’ from their new album, A Hundred Years is Nothing, it’s clear to see some things have changed since those earlier days.

By all accounts, the band has not had an easy time over the years, and with this struggle, changes have come. Gone have the long, winding guitar parts which cut through their earlier work with such fluid ease. They have been replaced here with lighter, sometimes poppier tones deeply embedded in a largely atmospheric production. Existing fans should welcome the development. The change is both stark and refreshing.

Hellsingland Underground has always written anthemic music, songs which build sometimes deeper, sometimes bigger. And that is something that is still retained in the new record. But while it certainly worked for them before, the musical direction on this album makes it seem less of a struggle, and something far more natural. Dropping reliance on the tired, overdone southern rock sound has seemingly opened them up to a far more contemporary and creative space.

Songs such as ‘Strangelands’ and ‘Rainbow’s Gold’ are light, atmospheric ballads which seem to be exploring the width and depth of their songwriting capabilities. ‘Criminal Summer’, is a piano-based epic (the piano is often dominant on the album) which makes use of atmosphere as the tempo shifts, taking a song that is perhaps reminiscent of Supertramp, but making it wholly contemporary to today’s sounds. Other highlights include ‘I Win You Lose, I Guess’ with its catchy chorus, and the country-esque ‘Pig Farm’.

Sometimes they dip back into their bluesy roots, and it works brilliantly on ‘The Blessing and the Curse’. ‘Elephant’ too, takes the sound back to previous releases. But these are welcome additions to a refreshingly varied release. It’s a record that’s not afraid to experiment, that flirts with one sound after another. It’s certainly a complete record and one that sounds free from earlier constraints of style.

buy Here

Author: Craggy Collyde

 

The Wildhearts – ‘Diagnosis’ Mini Album (Graphite Records)

The Wildhearts – ‘Diagnosis’ Mini Album (Graphite Records)

Hey Wildhearts fans, are you feeling lucky right now?  With a critically acclaimed album in the bag, half their discography remastered and available on vinyl, and more live action than a Pornhub subscription can give you, The Wildhearts are giving their fans everything they desire and more. Did I mention the excellent solo album Ginger just dropped in the middle of all this action? It’s called ‘Headzapoppin’, you should buy it right now.

Well, if your bank account has recovered, even just a little bit, do you think you can handle splashing out a bit more? Because Ginger and co seem to think you can!  How about a six track mini album with 5 brand new songs to back up lead track ‘Diagnosis’, one of the most well received songs from the recent ‘Renaissance Men’ long player. You can even purchase this beast on 10” splatter vinyl if you are that way inclined. Are you salivating yet?

 

If you are reading this then you have probably heard ‘Diagnosis’ more times than you’ve had hot dinners already, it’s a keeper! The building AC/DC riffage that blasts into a gargantuan diatribe, aimed at a system that has fucked so many over. Totally relatable to those who struggle, from the heart of a writer who is struggling more than most of us can imagine. With the anthemic “You’re not an animal” refrain, it has already become a live favourite and it just had to be a single.

 

But let’s concentrate on the new songs shall we.

 

‘God Damn’ sees CJ take lead vocals for a power pop-tastic three and a half minute earworm that wouldn’t sound out of place on one of his own solo albums. Chugging guitars and sneering vocals lead the way. With a signature slow/fast  rifforama section, and enough time signature changes than most metal bands manage on a whole album, it’s an epic burst of sleazy noise, something The Wildhearts do so well. Guaranteed to hit the spot, is there a song more aptly titled right now?

With magnificent, urgent drums from Rich Battersby and killer hooks aplenty, ‘A Song About Drinking’ is a 2 minute incendiary burst of noise. Anthemic gang vocalisin’, fist pumping “woah-woahs” and punky melodies aplenty, all the boxes are ticked. What’s not to like here?

‘Could It Be Just Like The First Time’ starts with the chorus refrain. I feel like I’ve heard it before, and you will too, but Ginger always has that knack right? This is the one out of the five that will imbed itself in your subconscious, grab on tight and refuse to leave.

I wonder if bassist Danny McCormack had a hand in ‘That’s My Girl’? It sure has a rumbling Yo-Yo’s feel to it. Distorted power chords rule with a catchy chorus to boot. It’s all leather jackets, greased back hair and attitude.

Uneasy on the ears and not for the fainthearted, closing song ‘LOCAC’ is a wall of distortion and disjointed riffage that would not sound out of place on ‘Endless Nameless’ or even a Mutation album come to think of it. Brutal heaviness that could possibly make your ears bleed at the right sound level.

 

It’s well known in certain circles that The Wildhearts are the kings of the b sides. How many bands have (or even could) release an album of non-album tracks that can stand tall against their best albums? Oasis have one, anyone else? Well, The Wildhearts could release 3, that is the quality I’m talking about.

And that same quality overflows on this mini album that clocks in at just over 20 minutes. Short, sharp and no fucking about. That seems to be Ginger’s outlook for The Wildhearts in 2019 and who are we to argue? As he has just released the perfect companion to ‘Renaissance Men’ and given his fan base yet another essential release before the year draws to a close.

Buy Diagnosis Here 

Author: Ben Hughes

 

Subhumans – Crisis Point (Pirates Press)

Subhumans – Crisis Point (Pirates Press)

The first new record from Lucas and his Subhumans in a while (Twelve Years?) and with the current global situation its not like Lucas has had writers block or lacking the inspiration.  Everywhere you look there’s a meltdown – climate change, government leaders lying, despots taking over, smiling, lying and cheating yet it seems OK to the public. Nobody loses their jobs its all fair game. Summed up nicely on ‘Fear & Confusion’. A more polished sounding record that their last outing ‘Internal Riot’ but it every bit as sharp and relevant.

To be fair Subhumans have always released intelligent records their Anarcho leanings have always been dressed really well in big riffs, tight time changes and some sharp as fuck punk rock. ‘Crisis Point’ seems apt as Lucas starts the war cry with the flurry of opening punches on ‘Terrorist In Waiting’ great lyrics (as usual) thunderous drumming and riffs raining down on the listener with an energy and excitement that sets the album up really well.

throughout the albums eleven tracks the ebb and flow is excellent.  I love the attitude on ‘Atom Screen War’ emanating from the riff as it pounds away but it’s nicely pinned by the bass thats rumbling away underneath.  To be fair the sound is reminiscent of the last few UK Subs albums. ‘Follow The Leader’ takes that edginess up a notch as the album has warmed up and is really taking flight. Strange land has the feel and sound the band had back in the ’80s with that flange riff and repetitive beat its a really good tune and one that shows how bloody good a band Subhumans are.

Its no good looking for a weakness because there isn’t one.  Its a really consistent album its focused and as you’d imagine thought provoking with excellent lyrics and a great production. ‘Crisis Point’ is ticking all the boxes whats not to like? If you want fast no nonsense heads down punk rock then Subhumans do that ‘Poison’ if you want intricate musicianship Subhumans can do that for you, if you want lyrics that are well constructed and thought provoking to prick your conscience subhumans can do that. They were a big part of that early ’80s punk explosion and are still going strong along with the Subs,  they always turned in better records than Crass and Conflict in my humble opinion and this record is proof that they are as relevant now as they always were. ‘Crisis Point’ can cover all your modern punk rock needs as well as you old school punks wondering if Dick has still got it.  Of course he has. My advice is get hold of ‘Crisis Point’ now and get on board its never too late. Buy it!

Pick up a Copy Here 

Author: Dom Daley

 

Gone But Not Forgotten – Bryn Merrick

Gone But Not Forgotten – Bryn Merrick

Bryn Merrick was a member of Cardiff-based punk band Victimize long before he joined the Damned. He joined The Damned where he survived as bass player from 1983 to ’89. He’d replaced Paul Gray, who had left for UFO. Merrick’s first release with the Damned was the single “Thanks for the Night” b/w “Nasty”. As bassist on the bands most commercial and commercially successful albums  ‘Phantasmagoria’ and ‘Anything’ Bryn had arrived in the big time. 

Bryn made his TV debut on the set of the Young Ones where the band performed the fantastic single ‘Nasty’ still with the Captain on board but, it would seem not for long before he fell overboard. Bryn played the two dates at Finsbury park under the circus tent for the bands Tenth Anniversary Tea Party celebrations and was then featured on the Old Gray Whistle Test recording in Denmark where the band had a pretty decent feature.  The band had never had it so good at that period and after the success of ‘Grimly Fiendish’ and subsequent singles around the album there were high budget videos recorded as well as plenty of sold out shows. The high point of this period had to be the bands cover of ‘Eloise’ which saw them hit the top three in the UK singles chart. The band managed to stay a stable entity for several years thanks in no small part to the inclusion of Jugg and Merrick although stable might be a poor choice of word seeing as the tomfoolery and high jinx would continue a plenty with Merrick complaining of being set alight by Scabies as well as trashing the set of Rock the Dock in Liverpool on a promo performance of Anything ahead of the album release.

They rode the success as they pushed on with the more commercially accessible ‘Anything’ album the band was playing to big crowds every night and with Bryn and Roman occupying the guitar department the band seemed to be doing well but something was indeed rotten in the heart of Denmark and the band imploded after a time of inactivity and sitting around waiting for something to happen which did but this time it was without Jugg and Merrick. who bowed out when the ‘Light At The End Of The Tunnel’ was released at the tail end of the ’80s.  It was fun whilst it lasted and Bryn enjoyed the trappings of success and the fast living of Proper tour busses and half decent hotels.

With the return of Captain several years later Bryn only became newsworth in Damned circles due to his health issues and one we hoped he would win.It was during the making of the movie ‘Don’t You Wish That We Were Dead’ it became apparent that both Bryn and Paul were being treated in the same place by the same Doctor.  Sadly the last time I saw Bryn was during a questions and answers session when the film had a screening in Cardiff Chapter Arts Centre where both Paul and Bryn were present with the film maker and seemingly in good spirits taking candidly about their time in the band.  Sadly Bryn never fully recovered from his diagnosis and on this day in 2015 he lost his battle with the disease.

His time in the Damned will be fondly remembered by many fans and I personally loved following the band around during that period at some pretty amazing shows.  Bryn was a character and filled some pretty hefty shoes in The Damned from Captain, Algy and Paul He last played with the band at a show at Cardiff Point where the Damned had 4 bass players on stage at the same time not something you see every day.  Captain, Paul, Stu and Bryn it was great to see but I think there were a couple up there who’d had a sherry or two but it was fun to be there for that.  Bryn sadly lost his battle on this day in 2015 but not before signing off Facebook with,”Goodbye, Signing out for a while”.  Gone But Not Forgotten Rest in peace Bryn Nos Da for now.

THE WILDHEARTS & BACKYARD BABIES announce co-headline UK & German 2020 tours

THE WILDHEARTS & BACKYARD BABIES announce co-headline UK & German 2020 tours
The Wildhearts and the Backyard Babies announce a 7 date co-headline UK tour, with The Wildhearts closing and CKY opening. The UK tour starts at the O2 Academy in Newcastle on Tuesday 28th  January and concludes at O2 Institute in Birmingham on Tuesday  4th February. Tickets go on sale on Friday 13th. Preceding the UK dates, The Wildhearts are also playing 4 shows in Germany with the Backyard Babies & The Bones.

 

“I’m surprised we haven’t done this already but it’s finally happening a tour with The Backyard Babies. Its gonna be full-on and we are sharing a bus, what could possibly go wrong? Come out and see us, dance, drink, sing and have your faces torn off… ROCK! ” – CJ Wildheart.

 

“This will be a badass tour. We’ve been talking about touring with The Wildhearts since the early 2000s. Finally, it happens! If you don’t like loud guitars, great songs, amazing riffs, and High energy Rock N’ Roll music….  Well, just don’t buy a ticket.” – Dregen / Backyard Babies.
“CKY is beyond stoked to return to the UK with the legendary Backyard Babies and The Wildhearts! The rock and roll runs deep on this batch of shows. Don’t miss it!” – Jess Margera / CKY.
The Wildhearts & Backyard Babies tour dates
January 2020
Thu 23th Tante Ju,  Dresden  DE
Fri 24th Wizemann Stuttgart  DE
Sat 25th Live Music Hall Cologne  DE
Sun  26th Batschkapp Frankfurt  DE
Tue 28th O2 Academy Newcastle
Wed 29th Limelight Belfast
Thu 30th  QMU Glasgow
Fri 31st O2 Ritz Manchester
February 2020
Sat 1st  O2 Forum Kentish Town London
Mon 3rd  Tramshed Cardiff
Tue 4th  O2 Institute Birmingham
The Wildhearts are also proud to announce the release of the Diagnosis mini album on October 4th through Graphite Records. This six track mini album, features five brand new songs and is released as a limited edition special white vinyl with pale blue powder splatter 10’’ (to look like a pill) and as a regular black vinyl 10” and CD.  All 3 physical formats will also include an exclusive bespoke inner gatefold comic strip illustrated by the award winning Hunt Emerson, who last worked with the band on the Earth Vs’ cover and their classic logo.
The Diagnosis mini album follows the success of Renaissance Men, their first full-length studio album in 10 years, which gave the band’s classic line up of Ginger, CJ, Ritchie and Danny, their highest chart entry since 1994’s P.H.U.Q, when it debuted at number 11.
“Well fuck me we dropped our first new album in 10 years back in May and blow me down if we didn’t drop a humdinger of an album full of monster riffs and razor sweet melodies. Well, we’ve not only gone back in to the studio to record 5 new songs that will be released as the Diagnosis mini album in October, we’re hitting the road too. We have some great supports confirmed already, The Professionals and Janus Stark and I know there are some other amazing bands to be added to the rest of the tour.  
You’re going to love the new mini album and the surprises we have on there and the tour is going to be one you should not miss. You can’t keep a good band down.” – C.J Wildheart.
The lead track Diagnosis is about “mental health institutions and the medical health profession in this country, and about how it’s letting people down. How the system is broken, and how the suicide rate is not getting any less. 
Depression and mental illness isn’t an issue that attacks any one type of person. Whether you’re homeless or if you’re rich,  this illness is taking people out on a regular basis. The government has pulled most of the funding into mental health research, and as a result people are still ignorant about it.
Education is everything. And the more people talk about depression, the more need there’ll be for education, and the more people will want educating about an issue that doesn’t just affect the people suffering from it, but it affects everyone around them. 
And when someone is in a desperate position and their hope is taken away, then they’re at the mercy of an illness that wants them dead. There’s nothing more important in the world than education on mental health issues.” – Ginger Wildheart
To coincide with the release of Diagnosis, The Wildhearts’ play a10 date UK tour. This tour will start in Brighton at the Concorde 2 on Saturday 5th October and concludes at Booking Hall in Dover on Tuesday 22nd October.
“Can’t wait to get back out on tour. I’m one of those people that could live in a tour bus” – Ginger Wildheart

 

Creatively brilliant, The Wildhearts play a distinctive fusion of hard rock, perfectly complimented by contemporary melodies. With a career spanning 30 years The Wildhearts helped change the landscape of British rock through the 90’s, and to this day they haven’t shown any sign of slowing down. Miss these shows at your peril.
The Wildhearts Renaissance Men tour part 2
with special guests The Professionals+, Ferocious Dog^ and Janus Stark* on selected shows
October 2019
Sat     5th         Concorde 2 Brighton +*
Sun    6th         Sub 89 Reading +*
Mon   7th         Live Rooms           Chester +*
Tue    8th         Welly Hull +*
Thur   10th      Picturedrome Holmfirth
Tue    15th      Junction Cambridge ^*
Wed   16th      Komedia Bath *
Thur   17th      Engine Room Southampton
Mon   21st    KK’s Steel Mill Wolverhampton
Tue    22nd     Booking Hall Dover
November 2019
Fri 29th TivoliBuckley
European shows 
October 2019
Fri 11th      Helsinki             Virgin Oil and Co. Finland
Sat  12th     Stockholm        Fryhuset              Sweden
Sun  13th  Oslo  Pa Bryn Norway   Sold Out
Thu 24th      Amsterdam        Q Factory          Netherlands
Fri  25th      Essen                Turock Germany
Sat 26th      Paris                 Backstage France
Sun 27th      Ooestende         Manuscript Belgium
November 2019
Sat 30th      Madrid Sala Spain
Tickets and ticket bundles with new album pre-orders are available Here 

Wonk Unit release video for new single ‘Cyclists’

Wonk Unit release video for new single ‘Cyclists’

Wonk Unit, the unique punk phenomenon born out of the South London town of Croydon, return with a new single ‘Cyclists’ that furthers the bands inimitable take on punk rock, and finds them this time taking aim at selfish cyclists.

“Last Summer on route to a festival on some country lane we were unfortunate enough to get stuck behind two cyclists, yes two abreast,” explains frontman Alex Johnson. “Did they care about the motorcade snaking behind them? Cause not! Go read the highway code – two abreast is cool but ONLY IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS. DO NOT OBSTRUCT THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC. It’s the rules. So, I was tapping my hands on the dashboard when the funk took hold. “Cyclists riding 2 abreast blocking traffic, blocking traffic”. Then I did some rapping (but thankfully that never made it onto the single.) After about three months the cyclists decided to fix a puncture and we made it to the festival. By then the song was already a Wonk winner in the van! We jammed it in soundcheck and was a hit in our set later that night. The end.”

The end result is just over two-minutes of uniquely additive wonk genius that once ingested, is almost impossible to get out of your system. In short, you’ll be humming this for weeks. That combined with a video that perfectly captures the songs frustrations and message, and we have another winning wonk track to add to the bands vast catalogue.

The band are now on their ninth album, curate ‘Wonkfest’, their own successful festival and are fuelled by their own super-proactive DIY ethos and individual sound, artwork and imagery.

The roots of Wonk Unit stretch back to 1992 with a band called The Flying Medallions who were young, dumb and up for fun, courting chaos and controversy at a time when punk was very much dead in the UK. Wonk Unit formed in 2005 and have since created their own ever-expanding peerless world of sound, colour, art and friendship. A creation that is inclusive to all…unless you ride two abreast in front of them when they’re trying to get to a festival, that is.

Get off the road and honk if you wonk!

Track available Here:

Find Wonk Unit and feature live dates Here:

https://wonkunit.com/tour-dates/

The Boys announced for two sets at Rebellion 2020

The Boys announced for two sets at Rebellion 2020

The second announcement for Rebellion 2020 this week sees a return for The Boys who will play two sets at Rebellion 2020, one electric and one acoustic. Anyone lucky enough to catch them last time in the Opera house for their acoustic set will testify how brilliant it was and how well their songs were transferred to the acoustic styling.

Duff McKagan/Shooter Jennings – Manchester, Academy 3 – 1st September 2019

Duff McKagan/Shooter Jennings – Manchester, Academy 3 – 1st September 2019

If you feel, as I do, that ‘Tenderness’ is one of the best albums of the year, then this European tour (including just three UK dates) from Duff McKagan is an essential event. Why? Well, the band that Shooter Jennings has behind him, the cool cats who helped lay down the album, are a fuckin’ machine! These guys are so tight live you couldn’t wedge a sheet of paper between them.

Imagine The Band, The Stones at their peak, or even early 90’s The Black Crowes. It’s no coincidence that Duff hooked up with his long time friend Shooter and his band to sprinkle magic on a rootsy, laid back record full of emotion, and for want of a better word… tenderness.

On this tour, the band will be doing 2 sets every night. I’ve seen them do this before, at an album release show for Hellbound Glory at The Whisky-A-Go-Go a couple of years ago. First, they are opening with Shooter, then a full set with Duff. Who knows if they will do this again? This could be the only tour these guys do, and even though the tickets were a hefty £40, I felt it was an experience that I could not miss.

Academy 3 apparently holds 950 punters, although it certainly looks smaller. It is dark, rectangular and has a great atmosphere. You could call this an intimate show for a man who has been playing stadiums with Guns n’ Roses. But for Shooter Jennings and his band, this is probably about average.

The band open with ‘Bound Ta Git Down’, a boogie-woogie, barroom blast. The ever cool Shooter, shades permanently glued to his head, tinkles some ivories as his band jam out behind him.

The likes of ‘Denim & Diamonds’ and the epic ‘All This Could’ve Been Yours’ build on piano and mournful fiddle courtesy of Aubrey Richmond. You almost forget that bad ass bassist Ted Russell Kamp and guitarist John Schreffler Jr are there until it’s time for the guitar solo, then the pair take centre stage to shine. The rhythm section of Russell Kamp and powerhouse drummer Jamie Douglass are surely one of the best in the business and keep it all together. Pure, laid back 70’s rock ‘n’ roll at its finest, these songs are far removed from the rootsy, country that Shooter may well be known for.

The Guns n’ Roses fan base lap it up. Maybe the band intentionally chose a more rock ‘n’ roll based set for this tour, but the likes of ‘Steady At The Wheel’ and the grungy, riff heavy ‘Don’t Feed The Animals’ certainly bring the rock tonight. Aubrey and Shooter bring the sentiment and duet on a few of the more balladic numbers, but hell, this band are even better than I remember them being a couple of years back.

 

It’s packed by the time the band return to the stage with Duff at the helm. Dressed in black shirt and jeans, his tousled blonde hair framing his weathered face to perfection, Duff looks every inch the LA rock star. He plays a low slung acoustic for the majority of the set. As Shooter plays the opening piano chords to Gn’R’s ‘You Aint The First’ Duff asks us of we are ready to sing. The response is a resounding yes!

Having never seen him with Loaded live, I must say being the frontman comes naturally to Duff. He cracks jokes and swigs from a flask between songs. Laid bare on these emotionally charged tunes, his gravelly tones are spot on.

The ebb and flow of the set is perfect. A carefully chosen set mixes up mainly album cuts with ‘Use Your Illusions’ era Guns tunes and a few choice covers. The sound is fantastic; we can hear every word, every breath.

The countrified, hickey ‘Breaking Rocks’ is suitably ramshackle, Shooter takes a verse and shares vocals harmonies on the chorus, lap steel guitar and fiddle give a proper authentic feel.

As Shooter plays the piano refrain to ‘Tenderness’, Duff explains the idea behind the songs with passion and creates a feeling of camaraderie with his audience. It’s a beautiful moment and the crowd are deadly silent as he sings the verses, just with piano accompaniment, his voice on the edge of breaking, the vulnerability shining through.  At that very moment, this gig has become the gig of the year for me. In this setting, with this band, these songs give so much. I must admit to being blown away. “C’mon Manchester!” Duff shouts as we sing the chorus in unison, the euphoria builds to a crescendo. So, so good.

I mentioned the ebb and flow. The Stonesy rock ‘n’ roll vibes of ‘Chip Away’ follows , Hammond organs play out as Duff dedicates ‘Feel’ to Scott Wieland, Chris Cornell, Prince… the list of lost friends goes on. The band plays to perfection. Never overplaying they are there to back up Duff and his acoustic, to add colour and flair to the songs where needed. As before, you forget the bassist and guitarist are actually there, until they come stage front for a solo.

“Some friends of mine from Seattle wrote this song” sparks up Duff before breaking into Mad Season’s ‘River Of Deceit’. That opening little riff he trades with John is sublime, and the feel of the song fits the set perfectly. He gets some crowd participation going too. Duff straps on a telecaster and they take things right up with ‘Dust n Bones’. High energy rock ‘n’ roll, just what the doctor ordered, we sing every word and it sounds utterly fantastic. A killer solo and the crowd out-singing a cortisone-fuelled McKagan makes it a highlight.

Elsewhere this evening, ‘Last September’ and ‘Parkland’ are truly moving and about as relevant as you can get. Chillingly, Duff changes the words in ‘Parkland’ to include the most recent shootings, one that happened just a few days ago. The Clash’s ‘Clampdown’ is suitably ace, and the following ‘Dead Horse’ is downright amazing. Aubrey gets stage front to take the second verse, it’s chaotic. I’ve never heard it live before, I feel privileged.

It’s a rollercoaster of a set to be fair. The more fragile moments of ‘Tenderness’ are played out perfectly and when the band rock out, they are on fire. A final one-two and the band bows out. ‘Don’t Look Behind You’ sounds beautiful, full of sentiment, just like the goddamn record! And the closing cover of Mark Lanegan’s  ‘Deepest Shade’ sees our hero take off his guitar, jump into the pit and scale the barrier to get up close and personal with those at the front.

I knew tonight was going to be good, but I never imagined it would be this good. What I expected to be a laid back, acoustic affair turned out to be a full on rock ‘n’ roll show by a band who play like they have been on the road for years.

While ‘Tenderness’ is one of those ‘late night, stoner’ sort of albums rather than a ‘blast at full volume in the car’ sort of albums, it transfers very well in a live environment with a full band. Good songs are good songs, and coming from the heart and from the soul, Duff has an album full of them.

The tour may have just begun but Duff McKagan and his band have the camaraderie of a well seasoned touring band already. £40 well spent I say.

Author: Ben Hughes

RPM at The Movies – Desolation Center

RPM at The Movies – Desolation Center

A brand new movie about the untold story of Reagan-era guerrilla desert happenings now recognized as the inspirations for Burning Man, Lollapalooza, and Coachella including Sonic Youth, Minutemen, Meat Puppets, Swans, Einstürzende Neubauten, Redd Kross and more.

what a great captivating movie.  With unique footage taken from the ideas inception this documentary  takes you through a journey of discovery of how the desert festivals came about how they began with their mystery tours taking Californians out into the desert and how they powered up the sound systems and time on time it grew into what we have today with the travelling circus tours of Lollapalooza.

 

Man how hip were these cats? from the get go they had some of the best bands and performers on board and seeing the likes of Perry Farrell photographed at the first one and no doubt went on to inspire the Janes Addiction frontman to front his own festival.  The talking heads of Thurston Moore and Farrell are crucial and interesting but its the stories from the likes of Redd Kross that make me smile with the innocence and spirit of adventure.

Imagine buying a ticket for a show meeting up at a rendezvous point then getting on a school bus to be driven out of southern California for three plus hours into the dessert for to be met with guys blowing up metal drums or explosions and hearing some cool as fuck music from the likes of Minutemen or Sonic Youth.  We take it for granted these days and some even go Glamping at their festival of choice but None hold the energy or excitement of what they captured on these grainy films way back in the early ’80s.

Remember this is pre internet, pre mobile phone, pre satellite link up pre saturation and copy cat events this was the real deal a hidden underclass of art and music that was thriving and I guess the inevitable happened as more became aware and more wanted in the festival moved and changed  its a fascinating insight and a really enjoyable flick through time.

The film makes you smile at the DIY of rock and roll and how anything is possible and art can and will make a difference. If you love the music its a bonus but if you just like a really well shot and captivating subject then its a no brainer.  Get the popcorn in sit back relax and enjoy ‘Desolation Center’

Website

 

 

Author: Dom Daley

Jim Jones And The Righteous Mind set to release shocking Pink Single

Jim Jones And The Righteous Mind set to release shocking Pink Single

There are just 1000 of these beauties in existence and you’ll be able to get your hands on a copy when they hit the road on their 11-date UK tour. Some will also be available from select independent record stores.

So check the tour dates below, get yourself some tickets and together we’ll Get Down and Get With It!

Jim Jones and the Righteous Mind play:

SEPTEMBER

19 – York, Fulford Arms
20 – Manchester, Night & Day
21 – London, The Garage
22 – Bristol, The Exchange
26 – Norwich, Waterfront
27 – Brighton, Green Door [SOLD OUT]
28 – Cardiff, Clwb Ifor Bach
29 – Southampton, Joiners

OCTOBER

03 – Southend, The Railway Hotel
04 – Hastings, The Piper
05 – Bedford, Esquires

Get your tickets here