Italian rockers Bravata released their debut album ‘Pray for Today’ in May 2020 – as with so many bands, a very unfortunate time to release an album. However, the result is an accomplished, catchy collection of songs.
The Lecce-based band seem to effortlessly mix 70s American rock and roll with British-style Brit pop and beat, perhaps most notable in the song ‘Magpie’. There’s as much to remind me a little of New York Dolls as there is Suede, but the delivery is certainly not as hard as either. Offering up well-crafted songs with a laid back delivery, the album chimes easily from one song to the next, making each one a delightful pill to swallow.
It’s an easy album to get hooked on. While it’s punk rock and roll that drives it, it’s heavily layered with pop melodies and harmonies. The garage-infused title track is about as hard as it gets, whereas ‘I Don’t Know’ has a great The Cure-esque lead guitar hook and multiple harmonies. ‘Generate’ carries a bit of a darker sounds and definitely a highlight on the album.
Bravata traverse a lot of complementary genres to achieve these thoroughly enjoyable 10 tracks. They certainly do know how to craft a decent song or two.
New York rock ‘n’ rollers The Shrieks are led by Italian/Venezuelan shrieker Luis Accorsi. After treading the beer & sweat drenched boards of CBGB’S fronting he likes of Manslaughter and Cracked Latin, Luis teamed up with producer Raphael Sepulveda to channel big guitars and even bigger choruses in The Flux Machine. Their masterful ‘Louder’ album came out in 2016 and is well worth checking out if you dig arena rock from the likes of Velvet Revolver and My Chemical Romance.
Fast forward a few years and The Flux Machine have evolved into The Shrieks, and following last year’s ‘Toxygen’ album, Accorsi returns with a new bunch of cool cats and some even cooler tunes to digest.
Opener ‘ T.Rex’ carries a ramshackle sound straight from the heart of Johnny Thunders. From the retro guitar riff that sounds like a car horn, to the junkie-like vocal drawl, it exudes the sounds of the streets (or should I say the gutters) of 70’s New York City.
Yeah, you could say The Shrieks shake it loose with the best of ‘em! It’s Lo-fi garage rock to the max on the likes of ‘Love Or Lust’ and the ultra cool and funky ‘Give Love’, where Luis channels Iggy to a soundtrack of soulful backing vocals and Hammond organ runs. Yeah, this is quality stuff.
The edgy title track is ‘Ballad Of Dwight Fry’s funky, punky older brother. A full on Alice meets Iggy run through that lyrically deals with mental health issues. A posthumous tribute to his friend Joe, who worked as a caregiver in a hospital. The singer takes on the roll of doctor, reeling off a list of drug dosing instructions for some hapless patient, over Strokes-like guitar stabs before breaking into a wah-wah infused jam out. Its dark, its quirky and its damn fine too.
‘Notre Dame Is Burning’ takes things down with acoustic countrified vibes and spoken word, poetic vocalisin’. Just lay back and chillax, as the singer takes us on a heady, tripped-out ride to question life, death and everything. As it builds, the vocal harmonies transport us into Pink Floyd territories. Spoken word seems to be a bit of a thang for our man Luis, as it pops up at various places to great effect.
The Shrieks mix it up nicely veering between retro, garage rock, bluesy jams and laid back, countrified sentiment. At all times sounding like the soundtrack to a Starsky & Hutch episode.
The funky ‘Collision’ with its scratchy, wah-wah guitars and pumping NY groove, is a cool tune for sure. Elsewhere, the mournful guitars and tinkling of the ivories add depth to the almost jammed out, countrified ballad that is ‘Let Me Go’. Country style slide guitar and soul sister backing vocals take the more upbeat rock ‘n’ roller ‘Lie To Me’ further into Rolling Stones territory.
Closer ‘Legs’ is a classic rock blues jam of the highest order. Coming on like a young Steven Tyler shrieking over a bad ass Sabbath riff, Luis delivers his most schizophrenic vocal performance as he descends, seemingly into madness for the duration of the song.
The Shrieks deliver a solid rock ‘n’ roll record that harks back to a different time. Eclectic and diverse in its own way ‘Ode To Joe’ soaks up 70’s rock nostalgia to great effect. A heady melting pot of what made The New York Dolls, Lou Reed, The Stones and Iggy so damn exciting, and why they still remain a great influence on great rock ‘n’ roll bands today.
PSYCH-PUNK DUO THE LOVELY EGGS ANNOUNCE NEW SINGLE ‘LONG STEM CARNATIONS’ TO BE RELEASED
The Lovely Eggs will release brand new single ‘Long Stem Carnations’ on Friday July 10 on Egg Records. The track, taken from their number one selling album ‘I am Moron’ will be released on limited-edition coloured 7” vinyl. Backed by brand new B side ‘The Voyage’, ‘Long Stem Carnations’ was inspired by the Mars One programme, a global project which aims to establish a permanent human settlement on Mars. Applicants are offered a one-way ticket- never to see earth again. This fascinated Lovely Eggs Holly and David who drew parallels between this mission and their own isolation as a band. ‘Long Stem Carnations’ is a funeral march for society’s outcasts and freaks. It’s an existential voyage in cosmic form. “Is there an internal self-destruct button that cannot be destroyed?” said Holly. “We are all the pilots of our own ship. You’ve just got to remember it’s important to try and hang on and see the mission through.”
‘I am Moron’, bears the fruit of The Lovely Eggs second collaboration with Grammy award winning producer Dave Fridmann (Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev, Mogwai, MGMT, Tame Impala) at his studio in upstate New York. It captures the zeitgeist of post Brexit Britain and mysteriously seems to point towards the unimaginable future we’re now living in. Many songs on the album are about isolation and living a new way in a different world. When The Lovely Eggs made ‘I am Moron’ it was like they had a crystal ball.
Sonically, the album brings with it a mix of heavy psych, pop and strangeness. Some songs flicker between an earthly realism and the otherworldly loneliness of a one-way space mission.
Upon its release ‘I am Moron’ went straight to Number One in the UK Independent Album Charts. It also took the Number One spot in the UK vinyl charts as well as the UK Independent Album Breakers Chart.
“This is an absolute gutter for us but with little direction from the government, we don’t want to put people’s safety and lives at risk. We imagine that even by autumn even if gigs CAN happen, they’ll be very different to the usual Lovely Eggs experience and we don’t want that! We want the normal Egg-shaped chaos that you’ve come to expect from a Lovely Eggs gig. So, we’ve taken the decision to postpone our touring until next year. All tickets for the old shows originally scheduled for April and rescheduled for July are now valid for the new shows in February. In the cases where we have seen a venue change/upgrade the tickets for the original show in that city remain valid. Our shows at O2 Ritz in Manchester and Heaven in London have been rescheduled to May. We really hope people hang onto their tickets, not get refunds and join us next year. We live to tour and tour to live. This is our life and our livelihood. Once this shitstorm is over. We want a party like no other!! Looking forward to seeing you all next year!”
The Lovely Eggs are willfully independent. With NINE BBC 6 music sessions under their belt, as well as sessions for Radio One and Radio X, they have enjoyed huge support from UK radio. And they continue to sell out gigs across the UK without the help of management, booking agent or record label support.
They have produced six albums. Fifth album “This is Eggland” saw their first encounter with Dave Fridmann as producer/mixer after Holly left a drunken message on his studio answerphone asking him to work with them. Dave got back in touch with them a year later and Eggland was born. It was released in February 2018 to critical acclaim, was added to the 6 music Playlist and announced by HMV as one of their Top 50 Albums of the year.
With observational and often surreal lyrics about life The Lovely Eggs have a powerful raw sound that creates the sonic illusion of a band twice their size and have become known for their ferocious yet joyous live performances. They’re undoubtedly the most real band in Britain, operating in a world when true authenticity is hard to find.
The Lovely Eggs are one of the most exciting, innovative and genuine bands of the Great British Underground. Welcome to their world. Welcome To Eggland!
Catch the band live at the following dates in February 2021:
With their neck-snapping rhythm section and adventurous beats; garage punk-infiltrated broken guitars; vocals that veer from searing emotional drama to camp self-parody; and frenetic experimentation entwined with pristine pop hooks – it is impossible to pin a genre on LibraLibra. But it’s not hard to pinpoint the feeling that permeates their music: the feeling that, whatever you’re feeling, it’s ok. It’s enough. You are enough. You are ok.
Returning amidst this crazy messed-up world we currently inhabit, LibraLibra’s dayglo explosions of colour and sound have never felt more vital and needed. On August 14th, the Brighton based band will release a new EP titled ‘Hail Mary’ via their own LibraLibra Records, that features the first results of their recent work with production luminary SPACE. Fresh from birthing two of the most impactful British albums of the last few years with Idles, SPACE was immediately taken with LibraLibra’s vibrant world and invited them into their studio to develop the tracks for the EP.
“SPACE really challenged us on who we are and what we want to say”, says singer and lyricist Beth Cannon. “He delved into asking what kind of world or vision we want to create – what kind of message we are trying to send to the world and our audience.”
Alongside Cannon, LibraLibra are producer and drummer Joe Caple, guitarist Dan Martell, and bassist and keys player Guy Jones. For these four strong characters with passion, musical chops and creativity to spare, SPACE’s insightful perspective and mentorship helped them to identify and double down on their collective identity – turning an exciting musical proposition into a creative force on overdrive, a machine with a mission.
Today we get to hear the first ripe fruits of these sessions in ‘Juicy Lucy’ – a strutting, high-energy blast of righteous indignation that takes aim at perfect life, body beautiful celebrity obsession and the feelings of inadequacy they can generate.
“Have you ever been so utterly disgusted with yourself and you begin to obsess over who you could be?” asks Beth. “You latch on to the media crazed celebrity idols bullshit. You’re young, naive, a slave to their every whim, their perfection, their beauty. They ooze sex appeal, they are heavenly, other worldly – you are a mere mortal, stuck in your flabby stretch mark ridden skin. You want nothing more than to know this star, be side by side, touch it, feel it, consume it, be it. It’s your obsession.”
“The ‘Juicy Lucy’ video is the brainchild of our wonderful friend and director Jay Bartlett,” continues Beth. “The whole concept of the song itself is about obsession and escapism – despising being in your own skin and wanting to be someone else so badly you start to fixate, obsess upon another worldly being, you would even resort to attempting to consume them if it meant some of their radiance might rub off on to your own mundane and wretched being. Jay heard the track and immediately could picture a scene where then band have assumed the identity of wealthy middle-class family, but why, how or when is intentionally left for the viewer to piece together.”
Gaining heavy grassroots support including BBC Introducing, Radio X, Amazing Radio, The 405 and Les InRocks, LibraLibra’s early single releases showcased eclectic influences – from The Knife to Death Grips to Madonna via Tears for Fears and Bowie – alongside a rapacious hunger for new sounds and rhythms. With the release of their first EP in 2020, this attention-grabbing band lift the lid on the musical spoils of their SPACE sessions, freshly galvanised for an exciting new phase.
And the very moment it’s possible, LibraLibra will be right back onstage where they belong, bringing their flamboyant, in-your-face misfit pop to the masses.
Litterbug come from the North West of England – to those who are unfamiliar with the city of Blackpool its regarded by many as Vegas of the North but with a bit less glamour and glitz. Its a pretty shitty city (in the nicest possible way of course) and the fact that a gritty band of ’77 oiks peddling punk rock, would rock up to RPM with an album in their paw and be ever so polite and request we give it a listen is always a good enough reason for us to do just that. Its not much to ask and so here we are presented with a record bulging with tunes of a rather nice brand of noisy – in yer face punk rock.
Litterbug has been together for over a decade and indeed they brings the noise. I’d suggest they might have more in common with the ‘Machine Gun Etiquette’ era Damned rather than the sprawling energy of the ’77 first wave and they also tap into the more aggressive stateside punk to my refined ears anyway. This sixteen-track album ‘Abstract Melodies Saying Terrible Things’ is a follow up to 2017’s ‘Your Perception is Not My Reality’ and 2018’s ‘Countdown to Schadenfreude’ EP. (The latters 4 songs are featured as bonus tracks on the cd version of ‘Abstract Melodies’ which is nice).
The band is tight as a pair of Rizlas in a sweaty back pocket and it none more evident than the sprightly ‘Guinea Pigs’ that meanders its tightly knit rhythm around a very decent tune. The mix is in yer grill and packs a punch, mixing the Steve Diggle type Buzzcocks songs with a thumping bass sound. It’s a formula that’s prevalent on ‘Getting Fined’ as well. There might not be a lot of variety throughout the record as the songs are quite one-paced but the band prefers the blunt instrument to the more intricate surgeons knife perhaps and there’s nothing wrong with that but with most tunes taking up a mere two minutes plus of your time they never outstay their welcome and I’m sure after a skinful they’d be great to throw yourself around a dancefloor to.
As my resistance is running low the likes of ‘Sludge’ give me a little pick me up and I admit to being fond of a bit of ‘Straight Edge’ the band keeps the energy up even on album closer that paints a picture of the here and now maybe the ‘Pool is like the Bowery was back in the day and the Tache will be the new CB’s? I doubt it and to be fair that was a moment in time never to be repeated. So we just roll on and so will Litterbug as they continue to drop their waste all over the shop and continue to bash out their particular brand of Punk Rock ‘n’ Fuckin noisy Roll and good on ’em too.
Debut album from Thee MVPs recorded themselves and released themselves on their own label it’s easy to see how this Yorkshire hot pot filled to the brim with tasty tunes were weaned on a steady diet of SST and Dischord records have dedicated their time touring the guts out of the globe (pre-Pandemic of curse) and sharpening their repertoire of noisy, tuneful banger for us the general public and being the giving types this record just keeps giving and giving. Auteurism is alive and kicking and from the off ‘Ship Episode, Planet Episode’ is a fuckin’ buzz. Sit tight after the Dr. Who techno blip intro were off. It’s a rapid rush of noise as the flurry of drums kick in whilst the guitars try to keep up by thrashing away with reckless abandonment. The vocals are sort of tuneful but chanted in a monotonous way as to poke the listener on the temple just to grab your attention, boy its fair to say attention grabbed!
It’s fair to say it is10-tracks of subtle yet infectious riffs – driven grooves and plenty of heavy pounding. From the off it’s obvious there is a tonne of high energy being expelled here. A cheeky tongue in cheek lyric filters through each delivered with a cheeky smirk. Call it what you like indie hardcore garage/ garage-punk/ garage rock /whatever it is they call themselves its infectious and none more so than ‘A Song For Councillor’ which has a hint of The Hives in the riff and delivery but that’s it and the chorus gang chants are infectious pop but really really good.
The band said it took them six years to get to this point and I only hope it isn’t another six to get to the next because UK music needs bands like this kicking up a storm and making records that open new doors on each play like ‘You Ain’t It’ has a filthy heavy riff and grooves like a snake in a sack. In direct contrast then you have the measured funeral march of ‘HAL (Human Alianating Lifestyle)’ that strays into Janes Addiction territory and clocking in at a progbustin’ almost six minutes is a surprising treat.
I can see why they reference the likes of Hot Snakes for the sheer alternativeness of songs like ‘Super Contactable’ with its monotonous vocal or the pure venom in that Bass throb of ‘A Pining Replicant’ as it marches through the speakers with purpose. But wait they sign off with the epic ‘Funeral i & iii’ another six minutes – but don’t afraid kids its ok trust me. Hell, their blast off and track ten is the seven and a half minute ‘US Airway (Final Flight)’ that laid any fear I might have had festering away about a song that long. This isn’t Iron Maiden here kids this is like a punk rock psych headfuck using blunt instruments and doing it well and to be fair you don’t notice the length at all even when the guitars are duelling for speaker space.
Thee Debut Long player from Thee MVPs is a bonafide winner and something they’ve taken time getting right and making sure its of a very high standard. check em out ya crazy kids, you know you want to…
In this unusual 2020, Black Star Riders are back with a new single ‘Candidate For Heartbreak’,
Photo Credit: Robin Wielink
2020 shaped up to be a very different year to what we all expected. COVID-19 took us by surprise forced us to pause, rethink our way of life and observe an unprecedented scenario unraveling on the world’s stage. In this new “hibernated” society, the music industry showed its resilience: managing to keep itself alive, it created a sense of togetherness and an even stronger community, through brave songs, never afraid to bring the uncomfortable truths to the table.
Candidate For Heartbreak is Black Star Riders’ contribution to the worldwide reflection on society during these unparalleled times. Mr. Scott Gorham and Christian Martucci created the perfect soundscape, thanks to a sharp and memorable riff, which sets the scene for an intricate rock driven track. Ricky Warwick’s vocals perfectly represent the spirit of the lyrics: energetic anger, tinged with a hint of melancholy, towards a class of politicians who keep lying to the people; and a morbid system that keeps on failing and dividing.
Front-man Ricky Warwick comments: “It’s a rocker! A Scott Gorham and Christian Martucci guitar onslaught. A song about the politics of dancing while the politicians dance around the truth!”
Mr. Scott Gorham further explains: “The song brings back memories of our time in the studio recording Another State of Grace. It was such a great and productive time. We all hope to be back playing to our fans real soon.”Guitarist Christian Martucci adds: “Christian Martucci: “This is a really fun song to jam. I love how the guitars drone around Ricky’s vocals, and the awesome groove from Chad and Robbie!”
Candidate For Heartbreakfirst appeared as a bonus track on the Digipack CD included with the box-set and limited to 1,000 copies, of the band’s latest record Another State Of Grace. The album reached#14 in the national chart and #1 in the rock chart. The record isa stunning collection of anthemic rock songs recorded at Sphere Studios in Burbank, California in February 2019 and produced & mixed by Jay Ruston (Stone Sour, Anthrax, Uriah Heep).
Unfortunately, Black Star Riders performance at Ramblin’ Man Fair 2020 has been cancelled, as the festival was forced to be postponed to July 2021.
UK Tour Dates 2020 Saturday 18thJuly 2020 – Ramblin’ Man Fair – Postponed
Saturday 29thAugust 2020 – Stone Dead Festival
Something for the Week sir? how about the brand new cartoon video from The Cutthroat Brothers? Of course here goes.
Next how about some Dizzy Reed and his Hookers & Blow jazz up the Stones classic ‘Rocks Off’
Finally this week we bring you the brand new video from Bullets & Octanes “Riot Riot N Roll” the band have released a new single and video for “Ain’t Gonna Be Your Dog”:
One of the best things about doing this website is hearing new music you possibly would never have come across if you’re not being sent emails, speaking to people who suggest a band they’ve come across or a band they’ve heard live somewhere around this beautiful globe. Besides during this lockdown whilst everything seems to have hit pause or slowed right down it has given us time to sniff out some great new bands and records getting released and one of those bands and records has to be this lot from Toulouse.
whilst that name didn’t exactly strike me as a grat name as soon as the sounds hit the ether I sat back and listened and inevitably turned it up, then turned it up a bit more. sure they use Rickenbackers and wear rollnecks and Winkel pickers because these cats play Garage Fuzzed up Rock and Roll and do it exceedingly well and it came as no surprise to find out they shared the stage with the likes of RPM favs The Lords Of Altamont and toured the States a few years ago with the likes of The Real Kids and were due to play with The Sonics. So they demand to be taken seriously.
The album was recorded and produced by Jim Diamond (White Stripes, Bellrays, The Sonics, The Fleshtones…) and they have that slightly reverbed production that’s raw and savage and has all that fuzzed up charm you want to hear from a Garage Rock record.
To see they shared a stage with the likes of The Lords Of Altamont will come as a good yardstick for people who’ve never come across the guys before because I’m reminded of them on songs like ‘No No No’ with its energy and sound. Another band I’m reminded of would be some of the earlier recordings from The Hip Priests they may not be as fast and certainly not as potty-mouthed but that attack is there on tracks like ‘Breaking Down’ and ‘Run Run Run’. They really get on a groove for a lot of the songs and tub thumpers like ‘Don’t Need You’ are more traditional garage maybe steering clear of that classic Hammond or Farfisa organ whirling would be too much for these punks whist with one Cuban heel in the garage the other is in snotty fuck you loud Rock and Roll the likes of MC5 peddled and that’s always going to go down well around here. You can lob in a grenade of Motorhead to proceedings but only when they were a three-piece with Philthy and Fast Eddy as ‘Don’t You Try’ will testify its a formidable racket when you turn up those amps and just go for it.
From top til the bottom, this is a pretty relentless record where you’ve not got a slowie just to break it up its full-tilt zero bullshit and the sleazy ‘Fall For You’ is a great groove to set up the finale on and that finale is the cliched ballad, Oh no it’s not. Of Course it isn’t ‘Gonna Get You’ is a fine sign off of energy being expelled before the smoke finally gets wafted from the speaker that will smoke long after this has finished. Take a break, lie down in a darkened room then get back on it. Turn it up and kick out those jams motherfuckers!
Italian rockers Bravata released their debut album ‘Pray for Today’ in May 2020 – as with so many bands, a very unfortunate time to release an album. However, the result is an accomplished, catchy collection of songs.
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