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Slade – ‘Feel The Noize – The Singlez Box’ (BMG)

Slade – ‘Feel The Noize – The Singlez Box’ (BMG)

The first album I ever owned was ‘Sladest’ the 1973 released compilation album by Slade. It came with a second hand cassette recorder my mother picked up for me for my 7th birthday and as such it left a truly indelible mark on my life.

Of the ten 7” singles featured here in this soon to be released box set from BMG the A sides of the first six singles were all featured on ‘Sladest’, so there’s no way I could feel anything other than total delight when listening to the likes of ‘Coz I Love You’ and ‘Gudbuy T’Jane’ and the only thing that kind of disappoints me is that the likes of ‘Look What You Dun’ and ‘Get Down And Get With It’ aren’t included too.

Still you can’t have everything I suppose, its just that after the lavish ‘When Slade Rocked The World’ LP box set released by Salvo back in 2015 which contained a cornucopia of wonderful Slade ephemera from the 1971 -1975 era the fact that nine of the ten singles contained within this set also draw from the same period I do have a real sense of deja-vu when revisiting these songs so soon after, and again if you are going to focus on this period and not include the seismic ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’ single then you do start to wonder what BMG are really trying to achieve with this release.

The answer I guess lies in the fact that those nine singles all come housed in internationally released picture sleeves, complete (where applicable) with non-album B sides; songs like the acoustic stomp of ‘My Life Is Natural’, the Kinks-y pop of ‘Kill ‘Em At The Hot Club Tonite’ and the simply superb ‘Wonderin’ Y’, a song Noel Gallagher must have heard many times over when composing most of the ‘(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?’ album.  Once again though these tracks have all been released previously on the expanded Salvo versions of the corresponding Slade albums, so it really does boil down to the fact that if you are a Slade completist if the tenth “promo only” 7” of ‘Night Starvation’ is really worth the admission price for this set?

Look, I’ll admit I’ve already pre-ordered a copy of ‘Feel The Noize’, but if you are something of a more casual fan there are certainly much more cost-effective ways of getting these songs. You just won’t have the pic sleeves or the (ahem) flip-top box.

Slade’s music is timeless, and (largely) faultless, they are THE BAND I go to whenever I lose faith in life, plus as I once got caught with me trousers down by Noddy Holder at an Ozzy gig in Birmingham Odeon I do feel like we connected that day. Oh and please remember Slade are for life not just for Christmas, but there’s certainly nothing stopping you adding this box set to your Christmas list.

Buy it Here

Author: Johnny Hayward

THE LIBERTINES – The Albion Rooms (Margate) – Bars & Recording Studio opening 31st August 2019

THE LIBERTINES – The Albion Rooms (Margate) – Bars & Recording Studio opening 31st August 2019
The Libertines are tickled to finally unveil the ‘First Phase’ of ‘The Albion Rooms’, their vision to convert a five-story ten-room Victorian building overlooking the sea in Margate into a den of artistry (and occasional iniquity), with the opening of two bars and a recording studio at 1:00 pm on Saturday, August 31st.
The downstairs bar is ‘The Waste Land,’(as in the T.S Eliot poem, written two doors down from ‘The Albion Rooms,’ whilst Eliot was recuperating from a nervous breakdown), will be open to the public all year round. ‘The Waste Land’ will be a home for international and local artists to perform poetry / live music and exhibit art. The Upstairs bar will initially be open to the public before becoming a private bar and lounge space for the studio and residents. For the first month both bars will only be open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The state of the art recording studio is available for viewing and bookings.
The Libertines acquired the keys to the ‘Albion Rooms,’ 31 Eastern Esplanade Margate CT9 2HL, in September 2017. Carl Barât “it might be a while before we challenge The Savoy or The Grand Budapest in the hotel stakes, but we’ve put a lot of love into this. Meanwhile, it’s a colourful and inspiring home for the Libertines and I look forward to the Albion Rooms becoming our very own Warholian Factory.”
The ‘Second Phase,’ the opening of ‘The Albion Rooms’ hotel and restaurant, is scheduled for early 2020 and will feature seven individually decorated rooms, including rooms themed by each member of The Libertines. The restaurant will feature local and guest chefs from across the globe to create distinctive and unique eating opportunities. Once completed ‘The Albion Rooms’ will be utilised as a functioning guest house, installation art space and residential studio. 
Carl Barât and Peter Doherty play two sold-out acoustic shows at London’s Hackney Empire on Thursday 5th and Friday 6th September, as part of Somewhere Festival.  The Libertines also play the following shows in the UK and Europe this autumn and winter:
OCTOBER
27th Sunday Paris Olympia
28th Monday Zurich X-Tra
NOVEMBER
2nd Saturday Cologne Carlswerk SOLD OUT
4th Monday Munich Tonhalle
5th Tuesday Berlin Columbiahalle
17th Sunday Luxembourg Den Atelier
18th Monday Brussels Cirque Royale
20th Wednesday Utrecht Tivoli Vrendenburg
21st ThursdayUtrechtTivoli Vredenburg
DECEMBER
3rd Tuesday Bournemouth  O2 Academy
4th Wednesday Leeds  O2 Academy  SOLD OUT
6th Friday     Dundee  Caird Hall  SOLD OUT
7th Saturday Glasgow  Barrowland Ballroom  SOLD OUT
8th Sunday Glasgow Barrowland Ballroom  SOLD OUT
10th Tuesday   Manchester  O2 Victoria Warehouse  SOLD OUT
11th Wednesday Manchester O2 Victoria Warehouse
12th Thursday  Nottingham  Rock City  SOLD OUT
14th Saturday Birmingham  O2 Academy  SOLD OUT
15th Sunday Birmingham O2 Academy
16th Monday    Bristol  O2 Academy  SOLD OUT
18th Wednesday London  O2 Academy Brixton  SOLD OUT
19th Thursday London O2 Academy Brixton

The Black Futures – Never Not Nothing (Music For Nations)

The Black Futures – Never Not Nothing (Music For Nations)

party music for the demise of the human race.  Hold onto that happy thought that came from one of this dynamic duo who once kidnapped a fleet of execs and subjected them to their world vision and immediately had every tom dick and harry begging to sign them which in this day and age is no easy task.  they have friends in high places as Space produces Idles and his able co-pilot Vibes are behind this headfuck slice of rock and roll.

The pair have absorbed their journey (and what a journey its been thus far) and poured every last drop into their music its fascinating – often compelling but never boring ‘ Never Not Nothing’ is what it is and maybe you should tune in turn on and drop out the Black Futures have go tit going on and from the opening heave of ‘Body & Soul’ it an intriguing journey as the pair involve their special guests such as Bobby Gillespie (no surprise that the Futures would collaborate with him there are large parts of the Screams in what Black Futures do.  A really impressive opener engages the listener as you move a little closer to the speakers (but not too close mind it could be dangerous)

Its like a headfuck of Suicide meets primal Scream meets Prodigy meets a heap of other influences that pile in when you least expect them to. Industrial electro-punks, krautrock, wooshing synths and wild vocals its got Idles danger and unpredictability a plenty on ‘Gutters’. whereas ‘Karma You Dig’ lulls you into a false sense of security before kicking you swiftly between the legs as it builds with menace.

‘Love’ could be Nine Inch Nails and to be fair there is a lot of Trent influence happening but its mixed with some of the more experimental Bowie if I might be so bold. ‘Trance’ will play with your head but then so much of this will do that to be fair.

 

I’m not sure how long I will play this album but when it’s playing I really enjoyed its uncontrollable edginess songs like ‘youthman’ would sound amazing live either in a huge field or in the tight confines of a small club.  Interesting album and enjoyable it has to be said. some really bleak sounds mixed with some really warm songs it will fuck with your senses and that’s always good fun.

 

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Author: Dom Daley

Buy NNN Here

Arcane Ghosts Rage With Friends at a Canada Day House Party in New Music Video “Rooftops”

Arcane Ghosts Rage With Friends at a Canada Day House Party in New Music Video “Rooftops”

Originally conceived over a couple of beers in the heart of university town Kitchener-Waterloo, Brampton based Arcane Ghosts combines raw emotion and math skills to create a post-hardcore meets pop-punk sound that should strike a chord with fans of Dance Gavin Dance, I The Mighty and Movements. After releasing their first EP in 2017, Arcane Ghosts went on to support Rarity, Heavy Hearts, and Certainty, and play Blackout Fest 2017 with The Creepshow and illScarlett. Their newest EP, ‘Human Interference’, is now available on all platforms.

The video finds the guys and their friends having the time of their lives at a backyard Canada Day rager, the band tells Substream that the song itself is actually about something entirely different, explaining, “Rooftops is about that show where nothing is going right. Whether it’s you’re out of tune, or off time, or your bass player is playing the wrong part, everyone’s been there.”

Arcane Ghosts will be playing a show in New Market, Ontario on September 22 at Big Daddy’s Bar and Grill.

 

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Perry Farrell – Kind Heaven (BMG)

Perry Farrell – Kind Heaven (BMG)

Having followed Perry career from the debut Janes Addiction album on XXX that blew my tiny mind through the barren years of pretty average Later Day Janes albums to his return to making half-decent music with Porno For Pyros and Satellite Party to his eclectic solo career.  Farrell is probably better-known for his involvement in Lollapalooza and that hide behind the sofa cringefest reality TV show he and his Mrs did on satellite tv. But some of us remember him as the unique and captivating frontman to one of the finest bands of the late 80s. Fast forward to 2019 and has Mr. Farrell totally lost the plot of has he regained some of the street cred he once owned? Seeing as his last solo album was almost two decades ago has music left him behind or has he left me behind?

Firstly ‘Kind Heaven’ has just your nine songs lasting a shade over half an hour it begins with ‘(Red, White And Blue) Cheerfulness’ which is a mid-tempo romp that has a guitar lick that reminds me of Alice Cooper and Farrells instantly recognisable vocal is as strong as it ever was but the song sort of doesn’t make a statement of intent nor is it utterly bereft of quality its just it sort of enters the room unobtrusively and sits at the back rather than entering the ether with a fanfare maybe the second track which is much more of a classic Janes Addiction groove-driven (with bells and whistles) ‘Pirate Punk Politician’ is decent without being amazing but played at volume the production is as clear as the deep blue sea and at last ‘Kind Heaven ‘ is in the house!

‘Snakes Have Many Hips’ is a jazzy number and mashes up pop with some fancy samples never being afraid to push the envelope Farrell is quite happy to throw everything into his music including the kitchen sink and on ‘Medicine Girl’ he does just that.  With a cool industrial groove, it’s catchy and a decent tune but don’t ask me what he’s on about I don’t even go there.  I guess the thing to do with a Perry Farrell record is to not look too deeply into what’s going on and to just accept it for what it is its none of his previous projects but its all of them he absorb what’s going on like a sponge and spills it all over his own record its a head fuck and I guess that’s part of what he’s trying to do.  Empty the content of his mind on a record is no easy task but to make sense of it might be just as complex.  It’s not all for me but there are songs I really like.

 

‘One’ is like some 80s new romantic disco number and I just can’t get my noggin around that one and whilst there are no end of special guests from Foo Fighters and Cars and Soundgarden band members its Farrells wife who pops up most offering her sugar-sweet vocals to proceedings and she features heavily on this one. ‘Where Have You Been All My Life’ is a melting pot but largely lift music might be tidy if you’re off your tits in a field but at home looking for some music to play its wide of the mark.

To be fair its pretty much like the last few Janes albums and falls short of the real quality we know Farrell possesses maybe he’s still looking for his mojo or he needs to reconnect with his young and hungry self but fans looking to see what hes up to these days might want to stand back and take a deep breath because there is no Caught stealing or 3 days going on here at all maybe Farrell has moved on and now moves in totally different circles which is a shame – Maybe next time? Maybe.

Buy ‘Kind Heaven’ Here

Author: Dom Daley

Queen Zee – ‘S/T’

Queen Zee – ‘S/T’

Released back in February to much critical acclaim, the debut self-titled album from Scouser proto-punks Queen Zee passed us by at RPM simply because…well, no one sent us a copy! With renewed interest following a stellar performance at Rebellion and an upcoming tour with Skunk Anansie, we dug in, and we dug in deep.

So, we may be late to the party, but the late-comers get to smoke weed with the punks in the kitchen, while the straight kids try to get off with the beauty queens on the sofa…or maybe that’s just my teenage flashbacks! Anyway I digress, this album is a soundtrack for the outsiders, the outcasts and the kids who just wanna raise a middle finger to the ones who try to bring them down.

 

“I’m alone, I’m alone, I’m a loner” snarls singer Zee on album opener ‘Loner’. Delivered straight from the crotch, part Iggy and part Ziggy, it’s an anthemic, glam-slam slice of noise. This is as trashy and as cool as it gets kids. Sometimes a song just hits you from the first bar and ‘Loner’ is one of those songs. My interest is piqued and it doesn’t diminish for the next thirty minutes or so.

Maybe we have a band who can triumph where others have failed and truly ignite the touch paper and start a rock ‘n’ roll revolution for Generation Z (or should that be Generation Zee?)

Apparently, Zee is flying the flag for trans artists. Now, I couldn’t care less if their singer is a boy, a girl or a freakin unicorn! What I do care is that Zee rocks, and lo and behold Zee does rock!

‘Lucy Fur’ is a high energy blast of noise with enough glitter and stack heeled strut to entice a theatre full of Rocky Horror enthusiasts and enough raw guitar power to draw in the hardest of punks. ‘Sissy Fists’ is a darker, heavier beast altogether. Riding on a brooding bassline and urgent beats, it drips cool from every pore as Zee screams into the mic. This is a fight song pure and simple. Talking of fight songs ‘Idle Crown’ comes on like ‘Mechanical Animals’ era Marilyn Manson, and that is a sound for sore ears if ever there was one.

A small, Liverpool-based band who are just finding their feet, but sound like they are ready to take on the world, Queen Zee have an element of danger to their sound, like Manson did, like Iggy did like The Lee Harvey Oswald Band did. I get the feeling this band is living it. Yeah, I do believe Queen Zee are 4 real!

“You fuck like a porno movie” Zee drawls in the best Bowie/Manson hybrid I’ve heard in years. The song is called ‘Porno’, don’t play it in front of your mum! Their high energy pump and grind sound is perfect space-age punk rock, the likes of ‘Victim Age’ and ‘Boy’ are fiery, angst-ridden bursts of energy.

The tongue-in-cheek lyricism of closer ‘I Hate Your New Boyfriend’ is cool before it veers off on a sort of extended reprise as Zee rants over the noisy, repetitive riff the band jam out.

 

Defiantly political and openly queer, Queen Zee are a band who blend sleazy, punk rock sounds with socially aware lyricism, tackling homophobia and transphobia amongst other issues. They dare to raise a fist and yell and tell everyone who will listen that being different is ok. At times they are sleazy and throwaway, at other times they are deadly serious and they sound fresh as fuck in this fucked up world we live in.

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Buy Queen Zee Here

Author: Ben Hughes

SMALLTOWN TIGERS announce the release of their debut single

SMALLTOWN TIGERS announce the release of their debut single
Fast-rising garage-punks SMALLTOWN TIGERS announce the release of their debut single, along with their first ever UK dates.

The band, from the east coast Italian city of Rimini, came together last year, cutting their teeth on the local squat scene before clinching the support slot on a tour with visiting New Yorkers Baby Shakes.

Working with noted blues-punk musician Stiv Cantarelli (Silent Strangers, J.D. Hangover, The A.C.C.) in the production chair, the girls laid down eight original songs, later having the tracks mastered for release by legendary Detroit producer Jim Diamond (White Stripes, Dirtbombs, Sonics).

Signing to one of Europe’s leading garage-punk labels Area Pirata, the trio – Valli (bass/vocals), Monty (guitar) and Serena (drums) – are set to release their debut mini-album in the New Year. It will be preceded, on Friday 27 September, by the digital single ‘Just Friends’.

Smalltown Tigers hit the UK in October for their first ever overseas dates, playing four gigs in three days, including an appearance at female punk collective Loud Women’s 4th Birthday Party at the Hope & Anchor in Islington. Full dates are…

Thurs 10 Oct – The Railway Hotel, Southend-on-Sea

Fri 11 Oct – The Shacklewell Arms, Dalston, London (Garageland Club)

Sat 12 Oct – The Hope & Anchor, Islington, London (Loud Women 4th Birthday – onstage 5pm)

Sat 12 Oct – Biddle Bros, Clapton, London (onstage 10pm)

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Dinosaur Jr – Green Mind/ Where You Been/ Without A Sound/ Hand It Over (Cherry Red Records)

Dinosaur Jr – Green Mind/ Where You Been/ Without A Sound/ Hand It Over (Cherry Red Records)

Considered something of a maverick and not known for his interview sparkle J Mascis is some guitar player and songwriter.  He’s been fairly consistent for several decades now and that’s no mean feat.  through some choppy waters and more style changes this industry moves fast and if you stand still you will get left behind or trampled underfoot unless that is you are at the top of the pile and Dinosaur Jr were certainly that mainly due to this quartet of exemplary releases that dovetailed a new musical wind that blew away plenty of cobwebs  and ushered in the likes of Dinosaur Jr and let them just put the music out and perform it without turning everything into a circus and put simply let the music do the talking and boy, did these albums talk.

Starting with ’91s classic ‘Green Mind‘. Originally coming out on Sire Records this was the dawn of a new musical era and with Mascis playing virtually everything on the record this version encapsulates the lot from that period pulling the ‘Wagon’ single and the subsequent non-album EP’s as well as live material from the period it also draws comprehensive sleeve notes from Mojo Magazines Keith Cameron who interviewed Mascis for these releases. ‘Green Mind’ lit the touchpaper and was most definitely something of a flag bearer for what was to follow.

The album still retains that freshness and wall of sound it had back in the early ’90s songs like ‘Puke + Cry’ and the title track was and still are awesome songs and have stood the test of time.  The real gold here is pulling together the EP’s tracks like the snarling ‘Pebbles + Weeds’ and the excellent ‘Not You Again’ and the Bowie cover of ‘Quicksand (Wagon Reprise)’ and the feedback riffola of ‘Whatever’s Cool With Me’. Whoever had the wherewithal to pull this together with the live recordings deserves a pay rise.

Disc two sees a previously unreleased live recording from Hollywood from the time the record originally came out that features tracks like ‘the Lung’ ‘Keep The Glove’ and ‘Blowing It’ and the brilliant ‘Freak Scene’ it’s loose and loud but for fans, it’s essential listening. The vinyl sees an edited down tracklist due to the length of the running order but essential in my humble opinion.

Buy Green Mind Here

 ‘Where You Been’ – was the band’s fifth record and quickly became the band biggest-selling record.  93 and the world were gripped by Grunge mania and Dinosaur Jr was considered something of a premier league player besides they hit the charts with the first single taken from the record and one of their finest ever tunes – ‘Start Choppin’ became a hit.  ‘Where You Been’ sold well over a quarter of a million copies when it came out thrusting the trio into the American top 10.  They were no longer an underground band with chart success in most record-buying communities.  Having been invited to record a session with John Peel those tracks are collected here on disc two along with another great sounding live recording taken in St Pauls way back in ’93.

I’d not played this album in a number of years but one play brought home how great tracks like the gentle ‘Goin’ Home’ sounds as does the epic ‘Not The Same’.they’ve again pulled in the B sides and other tracks like pulling in the Funky Homosapien track ‘Missing Link’ taken from the Judgement Night soundtrack. But its disc two that fans will be all over from those Peel sessions to the acoustic tracks taken from the Evening Sessions ‘Severed Lip’ and ‘Thumb’  before the eight tracks taken from St Pauls not the best sounding recordings but essential listening for fans. I have in my collection a strange fruit release of a Peel sessions that have more tracks on it but that’s not all here. Regardless another era-defining album that is an essential purchase.

Where You Been 

‘Without A Sound‘ came at a cost as long-time drummer Murph bailed on the band leaving Mascis to perform the album almost single handidly.  It did achieve further commercial success as this one reached #44 in the US album charts a new high and spawned a couple of big singles in the shape of the albums opening two tracks ‘Feel The Pain’ and the more accessible ‘I Don’t Think So’.

The band had never been so popular and ‘Without A Sound’ also saw them tour extensively in support of the record. I knew it had to happen but this album pulls in b sides and live recordings but four instrumentals is really reaching out to the anoraks amongst us I guess if you want to do an early 90s karaoke.

The second disc sees the band rock up in London with a really excellent sounding recording that kicks off with a blistering ‘Freak Scene’ closely followed by a brutal ‘Out there’ that make up five tracks that are getting their first-ever airing. it also houses a guitar players dream as the band performs a near ten minute ‘What Else Is New’.  To be fair there isn’t a great deal of repetition throughout these albums and considering they are made up of sessions and live material you don’t get a dozen takes of ‘Start Choppin’ or ‘the Wagon’ unlike many other reissues labels and bands put out.  A great deal of care and attention has gone into these and the quality shines through. As for the live shows included this London one is on another level.

Buy Without A Sound

 

 

‘Hand It Over’ The final reissue of the classic era Dinosaur Jr sees the band return in ’97 and many proclaiming that American alternative Rock is dead and buried but Mascis has other ideas.  With pretty much the same formula that has served him well he remained somewhat detached from all the drama that was Grunge. I remember putting the CD in the player and the moment ‘I Don’t Think’ broke out it was unmistakable Dinosaur Jr. ‘Never Bought It’ sailed close to a bit of alt prog with the flute but that’s all wiped away with the raw guitar of ‘Nothing’s Going On’. Mascis has an instantly recognizable vocal style but the sound has certainly evolved.

there are experimental moments with the horn on ‘I’m Insane’ but the title might be a declaration to explain the horn who knows?  All things change but some things stay the same, ‘Can’t We Move This Along’ has the familiar overdriven bonkers guitar work and the epic ‘Alone’ is right up there with Mascis finest pieces. ‘Getting Rough’ is cotton pickin bluegrass that I never saw coming. Whilst the album eases out with the gentle ‘Gotta Know’ its then the bonus material sees what was originally a bonus disc on the original release of tracks written for a Matt Dillon movie ‘Grace Of My Heart’.  ‘Take A Run At The Sun’ is a classic but the punk thrasher of ‘what We Do Is Secret’ is most welcome along with a couple of tracks live From ABC. To round things off and complete this delve into the majestic world of classic dinosaur Jr there are nine tracks recorded live in Stockholm Sweden.

so, in conclusion, it’s fair to say you are gonna need these and in for a penny in for a pound you might have to get the complete set of CD’s and LPs now I’m going to have to ask for a raise on my pocket money because I can’t pass these by.

Buy Hand It Over

Author: Dom Daley

The Hip Priests/Rotten Foxes/Flash House/Glitter Piss – Brighton, The Pipeline – 20th August 2019

The Hip Priests/Rotten Foxes/Flash House/Glitter Piss – Brighton, The Pipeline – 20th August 2019

Ah Brighton! I’ve not been here for a gig in almost a decade and to be honest walking the streets in the run-up to tonight’s show, not a lot has really changed in the intervening time. The city’s lively side streets still very much remind me of the London I once loved, long before money swept it’s streets clean of anything remotely interesting and its down one of these side streets that you will also find the new home for The Pipeline, one such victim of London’s transformation from cultural capital to capitalist culture.

Situated just a pebble’s throw from the beach on Little E Street, and right next to the alley where Steph and Jimmy had their “moment” in Quadrophenia, The Pipeline is a rock bar with a twist, because whilst it has a great jukebox and an upstairs pinball/live music room it also doubles as a vegan restaurant serving some mighty fine food indeed, and tonight it’s packed out well before 7 pm.

That’s because with an entry fee of just £5 this superb four-band bill has to be one of the bargains of the year for the more discerning music fan, and it appears Brighton has quite a few of those. Thing is with the upstairs room having only a 50 capacity (it makes the Chameleon in Nottingham look like Madison Square Garden) and there being no pre-sale tickets available, I do have to wonder if I will actually get in?

The cooling effect of the ink cross on the back of my hand certainly does my OCD the world of good and I can finally relax and enjoy myself but not before the pint of Estrella is quickly knocked out of my hand and  I’m thrust straight into the live-action via a frenzied pit ready for some Glitter Piss. This Brighton based five specialise in fast and furious urine-soaked punk rock with songs based around subjects like; losing it in work, dealing with STDs, losing it on vodka and of course partying and that’s what Brighton’s most clued-in music fans are here to do tonight.

With Rotten Foxes’ MacDaddy on guitar Glitter Piss are always going to have a small nod towards them sound-wise, but at times tonight the other band they really remind me of are The Ghost Of A Thousand, particularly around the time of their ‘New Hopes, New Demonstrations’ album and that’s not just because there’s a tall ginger bloke called Tom in both of the bands either.  Trust me when I say that if Glitter Piss can bottle this live energy and keep it together long enough to actually take their songs into a studio, we could very well be looking at the next “ones to watch” on the UK underground.

London’s Flash House are of course not only Slugfest veterans but long-time favourites here at RPM Towers so it’s no surprise to me that the stifling heat of The Pipeline only acts like fuel to Crusty, Mike, Matt and Harry as they take opener ‘Raising Cane’ and proceed to ram it down the throats of everyone in here tonight. ‘Yeti 69’ from the band’s recent split single with The Hip Priests sounds absolutely glorious alongside tracks from their now out of print ‘Brown Sauce’ album like ‘Three Wise Monkeys’ and ‘Domestic Hiss’, and finishing with a frenzied ‘Flash House’ I cannot help but imagine that the Lemmy picture the guys are playing in front of gives them a little knowing wink. Outstanding stuff once again, now give us the second album ya flash (house) fuckers.

Having been aware of their music (and high taste in fashion) for a good few years it’s taken me ages to actually see Rotten Foxes live. Now, just as they are about to split up, I get to see them twice in the space of two weeks, talk about perfect timing eh? Bassist Jimi Dymond and singer Rusty Nails are visibly moved when I mention Dom Daley’s review of their recent Rebellion performance to them just prior to them going on stage tonight, such is the passion these four guys still have for their music with just a few gigs left before they split up. They promise me there’s still some new music left to come (more of this in a moment) and of course there’s still a handful of shows at which you can experience their whack ‘em and smack ‘em brand of death punk live for yourself.

Tonight though is made all the more special as it’s Rotten Foxes personal thank you to The Pipeline’s owner Thomas Evrenos, someone who has supported the band ever since The Pipeline moved to their city, and just as you would expect for such a special event the ceiling is dripping with sweat as the punk pop is ordered to be cut from the PA and the upstairs room goes totally fucking nuts to the likes of ‘Ship It In’ and ‘Make Me Pretty’ (both taken from the band’s recently released and totally essential ‘Arrive, Raise Hell, Leave’ EP). There’s a moment during the latter when I feel I might end up in the downstairs bar like some long-lost outtake from Carry On Abroad, such is the power of the mullet in the pit tonight.

‘Dehumanise’ is the double denim teaser new track aired and it’s a brutal beast too, one that we’ll hopefully get to hear properly once the one PC the band owns finally gets fixed and they can get the fourth EP up on Bandcamp. Like Dom said in his Rebellion review that a band as exciting as Rotten Foxes are calling it a day whilst the rock world is still overflowing with beige shite is truly a sad day indeed. Just make sure you get to see the band’s jail rat tattooed asses before they do finally call it a day in just a few weeks’ time.  Rotten Foxes I fucking salute you!

Fresh from touring across Europe and the UK with Electric Frankenstein and The Dwarves, The Hip Priests are the perfect headliners for tonight’s shenanigans as they are both very tight and very exciting right now (if you will excuse the Godawful pun). With just a simple line check between bands (I’m sensing a tight curfew is in place) “those fuckin’ boys” head straight into an opening trio of ‘Motherfucker Superior’, ‘Instant Delinquent’ and ‘Stand For Nothing’ sounding positively imperious.

Just prior to ‘Zero Fucks Given’ Austin and Nathan hang from an open upstairs window long enough to berate the locals, not man enough to finish the four-band bill, the singer taking a well-aimed gob at the plastic punks sitting below. Who said punk rock was dead eh?

Punk rock politics aside it’s the addition of Gentle Ben on second guitar that has proven to be something of an inspired move by the band as now they all lock into tracks like ‘Social Hand Grenade’ and ‘Deja FU’ from the excellent ‘Stand For Nothing’ album and simply don’t let up. It’s that added fifth dimension the band have always been looking for finally brought to life right in front of your naked steaming eyes, oh, and double denim nut huggers aside (worn as a tribute to Rotten Foxes), tonight really is The Hip Priests at their very best.

Returning for a two-song encore that sees various other band members join The Priests on stage for a mass pile on that ends with a run through the Foxes ‘Pints’ before the suitably titled ‘Wired Amped & Skulled’ brings things to a sweaty and bloody conclusion I stagger downstairs and out into the night feeling like I’ve just been sucker punched by Shawn Michaels, totally shocked and dazed by what has gone before. So much so in fact that I head straight back to my digs just to try to get my shit together. How very un-rock ‘n’ roll of me eh?

At £5 entry for a night of full contact rock ‘n’ roll this one has to be marked in time alongside my encounters with The Dogs D’Amour in Cardiff Square Club, Nirvana In Bristol Bierkeller and Gilbert The Alien in Cardiff Ice Rink (Yup I really did see him live) as one of those had to be there nights. Let’s hope it won’t be another 10 years before I get to go back to Brighton as I’ve a feeling The Pipeline will have a lot more nights like these in store for us very soon.

Author: Johnny Hayward