Utilita Live from the Drive In are thrilled to announce the addition of REEF featuring Andy Taylor (Duran Duran/The Power Station) to play a special Drive-In tour this August and September.
Reef frontman Gary Stringer says, “We love playing live but at the moment that up close and personal mode of show is on hold and who knows for how long? We all felt like this was the perfect opportunity for us to get back out there with our instruments and do what we do best.
“I’m really excited about this from a performance perspective and think it’s a great opportunity for fans to escape the confines of lockdown for a night in a safe environment, drink cider and rock out with us. Plus we have a couple of brand new songs that we are all really excited about and cannot wait to play.”
Reef will be joined by former Duran Duran / The Power Station guitarist Andy Taylor, so expect a few choice Andy Taylor numbers in the set too. Plus, to round things off for this special run of dates, the band will also be joined by virtuoso drummer Luke Bullen (Bryan Ferry / Joe Strummer / Chris Squire), capping off one very special line up.
Reef will also be releasing a very special vinyl edition of their debut album Replenish on September 25th to celebrate its 25th anniversary.
For tickets, venues, dates and more info head Here
Kool name that to be fair. How was I ever not going to open the file with a name as good as that? But hey don’t even bother searching for their Facebook profile or their Instagram pics of them with cats and dogs n booze n birds coz you know it’s not ever there right? Right!
Sixteen snotty fucked off punk rock tracks for your delectation with minimal mix, no autotune, no studio trickery just blistering stabs of short and sweet punk rock that’s what Kool & The Gang Bangers offer at the altar of Punk Rock.
‘Night Of The Living Deadbeats’ is the Ramones playing Dead Boys it’s as simple as that kids and if you’re looking for the ray of sunshine I guess you won’t find it on ‘Hate Your Guts’ or ‘This City Sucks’ nor are you finding a rainbow on the snotty ‘Full Of Shit’. However, you can pogo and you can chew on the inside of your gums whilst shaking your head along to the beat, that’ll comfort you.
These Swedish punks have got a natty line in raw riffola and catchy lyrics but it’ll take a few plays to tune into the lyrics so low down in the mix they are on times but that’s perfect for the attitude and it doesn’t take a lot of concentration to get into each song seeing as almost everyone is under one and a half minutes from start to finish ‘Drag Me Around’ even has a spot on guitar solo. But wait ‘Rats Crawl Back’ tips over the two-minute barrier almost the perfect TOTP length but that’s never going to happen (mores the pity). Hang up the phone reminds me of when The Hives kicked off with a good hook over a repetitive riff ‘cept this is far more punk rock.
’15 Minutes Of Pain’ starts on the bass and to be honest I wasn’t even sure there was one on there previously such was the raw lo-fi racket being kicked up. The album saves the best til last as ‘I Hate The World’ wraps up proceedings. I might leave it an hour before hitting repeat I might go out and pick some flowers or run through a field just to prove that it’s not all bad maybe I’ll cwtch a puppy or feed some birds then when I’ve had a tit full of being nice I’ll play some more ‘Feel Bad Music’. Maybe you should too.
The year 2020 will be forever imprinted in our memories as the year live music stopped. An abrupt and dramatic halt which saw band cancelling shows whilst on the road and postponing entire tours to the following year.
Aside from the bands themselves, the covid-19 pandemic affected and continues to affect tour crews. And at this point perennial punk rockers STIFF LITTLE FINGERS show their support and respect their road members with an incredible initiative. The band launched an exclusive limited edition “Crew Support” t-shirt which is available through the band website here. 100% of profits from the sales will be given to their road crew to help them during these unprecedented times until they can get back on the road.
Jake Burns comments: “Three dates into the usual U.K. March tour, the coronavirus impacted not just that, but the whole world. Initially, we thought this would keep us off the road for a couple of months at most. However, as we all know now, SLF will not be playing any shows until 2021 at the earliest. Obviously that is a blow to us as we now face a year with no real income, but we are not the only four impacted by this. Our tireless road crew also has an uncertain year ahead. When SLF aren’t touring these guys work with other bands. But when NOBODY is touring…well, you can work that one out. So we came up with this great looking t-shirt to raise some much-needed cash for them to help during the pandemic. It’s a variation on both the “SLF 2020 Vision Tour” and “SLF Barrowland” shirts and features the crew on the front. Every penny of profit will go to the crew members and you get a smart looking and unique shirt. Win-win!”
STIFF LITTLE FINGERS recently announced their 2021 March tour, full dates below:
The March 2020 dates only had 3 shows completed (Bristol, Cardiff and Birmingham) before the Covid 19 live show ban took hold and the remaining shows from this year’s tickets will remain valid for the 2021 dates. The band have added new Bristol, Cardiff & Birmingham dates with tickets available via the links below.
The full March 2021 schedule is as follows::
Thursday 4thMarch 2021 Bristol, O2 Academy Friday 5thMarch 2021 Cardiff, Great Hall Saturday 6thMarch 2021 Birmingham, O2 Academy Monday 8thMarch 2021 Portsmouth, Pyramids Tuesday 9thMarch 2021 Northampton, Roadmenders Wednesday 10thMarch 2021 Norwich, Waterfront Friday 12thMarch 2021 Newcastle, O2 Academy Saturday 13thMarch 2021 Leeds, O2 Academy Sunday 14thMarch 2021 Nottingham, Rock City Tuesday 16thMarch 2021 Troon, Concert Hall Wednesday 17thMarch 2021 Glasgow, Barrowland Friday 19thMarch 2021 Manchester, Academy Saturday 20thMarch 2021 London, Roundhouse
Tickets available from the following links:
Tour: Tickets
Make No Mistake I’ve got a lot of time for London Rockers Neon Animal and their first album had moments where they showed confidence and played like they had it going on and they could certainly be the next big thing and wouldn’t just be one of those bands where only a few remembered the name let alone any of their songs.
Album number two is here and ‘Make No Mistake’ is something of a giant leap for me and that hype and confidence might just be about to be realised and they now have the songs to go with the look and they are talking the talk and walking the walk.
There’s more to this record than being posers who site influences from the downright cool to the downright premier league of recording artists. It’s not a record of garagy punk rock there’s more going on here and the new Neon Animal is certainly a different beast this time around. It might well be heavier, dirtier, broader than the debut and throughout the albums nine new tracks its a more confident more expansive record that explores the time-honoured subject matter of sex, the drugs and the rock ’n’ roll. Sure it’s decadent but it’s quality.
Opening with a really strong track in the shape of ‘Rock and Roll War’ its a statement of intent and has the energy to make you sit up and listen. That heavier tag is evident on ‘Let’s Make The World Rock’ with its simple chorus and biting riff its the breakdown and into that thumping bass riff and solo that lifts this into something quite exciting and Rock and Roll needs that. Sure its got some garage Rock and Roll going on but it’s mixed with a punk rock bass and hard-rocking riff and it blends really well. There a polished edge to this record but its also rolling on a dirty stage floor and a great example of that is ‘Rock and Roll Suicide’ it’s restrained and is a really well-written song. Sure it’s not reinventing the wheel or anything but so what that’s for others because Neon Animal are about the here and now and we need some bands to just kick out the jams and ‘Rock and Roll Suicide’ is a real highlight, something you should be hearing on the radio in the middle of the day if there was any justice.
The band get their groove on with a straight-up groove rocker with ‘I Can Tell You Love Me’ man they make me blush it’s like overhearing a dirty conversation between two lusty teens and the mix of sleazy funk and rock is infectious, You won’t be hearing this on any radio station I know that!
The band introduce some big acoustic guitars for the sunshine of ‘Hello L.A’ a top-down get the beers in the fridge kinda Bowie influenced number. Something quite different from the rest of the louder songs but a very nice sidestep into something altogether more ’70s glam and who isn’t down with that?
The album closes with the dark ‘Broken Mirror’ it’s like a Soho late-night mini-opera from a bygone era as it twists and turns another quite different sidestep that is excellent and adds another flavour to this record that is growing and growing the more I play it. Had it been all riff-ola crash bang wallop then it would have been missing that x-factor but the gear shifts and twists and turns elevate this to something quite special. Neon Animal might just have arrived and have the tunes to mess with the big boys and throw a big sleazy-glam-garage-rock ripple in the stale pool of Rock and Roll ‘Make No Mistake’ is one hell of a statement piece and I give it my full support. Get on it kids this is most excellent.
Hot Breath released a live video a couple of weeks ago, recorded in The Bunker in the band’s hometown Gothenburg. The live video contains 4 hot live songs, ”What You Reap”, ”Still Not Dead”, ”Maniac” and ”Got It All” – all featured on Hot Breath’s debut, self-titled EP, released on The Sign Records in 2019.
For the release of the video, the band arranged a contest in which you can win hot merchandise from the band. This Thursday, Hot Breath will announce the winners of the competition, so make sure to participate now by following these easy steps:
Since their 2018 masterpiece ‘Here Come…’ Tommy and the gang have been knocking out their impressive Hooligan pop. I like that, I like that a lot and I like Tommy & The Commies a lot as well and they play Hooligan pop for sure, its a perfect genre for their sound and captures what it is they do to a tee.
‘Hurtin’ 4 Certain’ is their time capsule to the global lockdown and kicks the shit outta any blues one might have for normal life being put into quarantine for the time being. The opening track whilst the inevitable comparisons to Buzzcocks and The Jam ring out and so they should there is a real vintage Undertones clang happening here as well. It’s like Tommy has slipped on some magical snorkel jacket and in the pocket there’s a magical mixtape to those that paved the way back in the ’70s & ’80s. but if you’re going to start your EP off with intent then ‘Hurtin 4 Certain’ is a bloody barnstormer.
‘Impulse Action’ is a snotty pogo with a chorus you want to punch the air too and lace up your martins and turn up the volume this is a blast. From the Gatlin gun guitar chords being churned out the gang vocals are easy to remember and a lot of fun. ‘Power On Standby’ has a bit of a mod vibe about it imagine walking into a house party in Brighton in the ’60s and these goons are holding court in the backroom and ‘Power On Standby’ is churning the room as sweaty bodies cut loose. Great stuff! This EP is shaking off any cobwebs or misery a pandemic can leave after three months.
Finally taking this bad boy home is the juddering riffola of ‘One Arch Town’ and I’m hearing early gen X going on as the song unfolds towards the chorus it’s a beautiful thing hearing a bunch of hooligans kick up a shit storm of Rock and Roll like this. sure it’s nothing new and it’s not groundbreaking but you know what? Sometimes, it’s nice to just kick out the jams motherfuckers and this hooligan pop lark has got me a buzzin’ Check em out they deserve that much at least.
“If you’re to believe what you read, today’s San Francisco is under siege by predatory tech nerds and drones, plutocrats, wiz kids and opportunistic real estate developers. People have reacted in different ways to this onslaught. The Occupy Movement for one. You may have heard of people laying down in front of google buses in protest or smashing google glasses on the sidewalk.
There’s also the path of art… In 2012, I released Temple Beautiful – an open love letter to San Francisco and its history and characters. After two years of performing the songs across the U.S and the globe, in late 2013, my band and I delivered the 12 song cycle Temple Beautiful with a string octet (scored and conducted by Brad Jones) in our hometown of San Francisco.
We had one chance to get it right. And this film is a document of the twists and turns in the road that brought us to that one-night-only sold-out performance at the Great American Music Hall (Itself a former bordello and a deco SF institution).
The songs performed that night include characters like Willie Mays, martyred supervisor Harvey Milk, Cain & Abel porn kings Jim & Artie Mitchell, mythic oddball “Red Man,” preacher/Svengali Jim Jones, politician-turned assassin Dan White, and Emperor Norton, with cameos by Laffing Sal, Carol Doda, Bill Graham, and Fatty Arbuckle. Locations also play a key role, including the Castro and Mission Districts. One song is devoted to the White Night Riots, sparked by the light sentence received by the assassination of Milk and Mayor Moscone.
Some will have you believe that technology is the new culture. Then again, how can technology equate culture? Can Rock and Roll build community? Can songs connect people to the world? These are the questions explored in Strings In The Temple.”
– Chuck Prophet
That’s the background sorted and with a new imminent studio album, ‘The Land Time Forgot’ (review very soon) the former Green on Red man is still the hot ticket and as productive as ever making music that relevant and above all bloody good. Yep Roc has made available as a digital download this epic and quite beautiful performance containing some exquisite songs and overall performance. Chuck is one of those rare talents that never turned in a bad record. Sure some are a class apart like ‘Brother Aldo’ from his solo offerings or ‘Here Comes The Snakes’ from the old band but this is an accompanying piece for the album ‘Proper’ and with bells and whistles or should that be with strings and bells?
The title track is a honky tonkin’ Rock and Roll thing of beauty from the dirty slide guitar to the T rextasy strings and the handclaps and xylophone makes it something really special and sounds like the best of times being had by everyone and the fiddle players are really taking this home and from the generous round of applause, this audience is really witnessing something special. In direct contrast, a pin could be heard dropping on ‘Museum Of Broken Hearts’.
You get to appreciate just what a talent Prophet is on records like this as he turns his hand to several styles yet always maintains the Chuck Prophet vibe and whoever rallied the troops and did the arrangments here has really elevated this set to the next level. ‘White Night Big City’ is a cocky strut and can only be outdone by the impeccable cover of ‘Shake Some Action’ who’d have thought such an awesome Rock and Roll track would sound so cool with strings holding down the lead. Genius!
To wrap this bad boy up the softly sung balladeer that is Chuck Prophet leaves us with ‘No Other Love’ and I get lost in the moment as the strings wrap themselves around the slide guitar as Chuck hushes his lyrics the listener’s way and its not a tear in my eye just a spec of dust, honest. All that is left is the audience to give a huge round of applause before the record is done. Simply brilliant stuff and now I can’t wait for the new studio album which is coming so very very soon. Ladies and gentlemen get yerself some Chuck Prophet and do it now! You don’t need to take my word for it because Yup Roc has made the performance available on youtube (check it out below)
TAKEN FROM THEIR NEW STUDIO ALBUM THE AFFAIR OF THE POISONS DUE FOR RELEASE ON PEACEVILLE ON 9TH OCTOBER
Album pre-orders now available
Hellripper have released their debut single and animated lyric video for “Spectres Of The Blood Moon Sabbath” from the upcoming new studio album The Affair Of The Poisons scheduled for release on 9th October 2020 through Peaceville.
“Spectres of the Blood Moon Sabbath” sets the scene for the new album as its themesprimarily revolve around the dark & insidious underworld witchcraft and the occult, with some tracks being based on historical events. The single unfurls in an infernal storm of heavy blackened thrash. James McBain, Hellripper mainman comments “this was one of the first tracks written for the album and has a definite “rock ‘n’ roll” feel to it with its bouncy rhythm & a Motörhead or TANK vibe, and it is one of two songs on the album where Joseph (live guitarist) performed lead guitar”.
James, based in the Scottish Highlands, says of their forthcoming epic new album The Affair of the Poisons that “it contains the mixture of thrash/black/speed metal and punk that Hellripper has become known for, but this time I feel that the end result is more cohesive. Some of the tracks are more straight-forward while others contain some twists and parts that are new to the Hellripper sound. As always, the whole writing and recording process was done at home by myself, with a few friends of mine contributing some additional vocals and lead guitar parts. The album was mixed by myself and was mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege who did an amazing job.
Skadvaldur did an excellent job, as he always does, of creating a piece of artwork that both represents the album’s themes, as well as being a somewhat of a homage in style to the old B-horror movie posters that inspired a few of the album’s tracks.”
The Affair Of The Poisons will be released on CD, LP, cassette and digital through Peaceville on 9th October and is available to pre-order now HERE
The band has also announced that they will be touring later in the year to coincide with the album’s release, some headline shows in the UK plus as special guests to Cleveland based Black Rock ‘n’ Roll/Thrash legends Midnight.
Hellripper has been fast gaining a reputation for whipping up an infectious storm of blackened speed metal greatness in the spirit of old and are one of the most electrifying young, up & coming metal acts in the scene today.
Inspired by the likes of the old-school legends including Venom, Kreator, Sabbat [JPN] and Metallica, McBain formed Hellripper in 2014 and with the release of the debut EP The Manifestation of Evil shortly after, the band were already making a very clear mission statement… Total fucking mayhem!
Manic Street Preachers frontman James Dean Bradfield delivers the very first fruits of his second solo album due later this year.
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