Let the rock n roll ring out loud and proud. So Mala Vista are in the house with a new four-track EP that fires off with the title track like a band possessed, it rattles along as all the best punk n roll does. Leaning on the rapid Heartbreakers of the class of ’77, as the guitars riff like Motherfuckers, the bass is going off like his fingers are on fire. A great tune that sets the tone for what’s to follow.
‘Fixed On You’ is twelve bar on speed with Chuck Berry’s licks thrown into the mix, this isn’t a million miles from D4 at the peak of their powers. The flip side is, well, more of the same. Sweet sweet rock n roll with great attitude and snotty BV’s, what’s not to like with this being finished off with the most rapid rocker of the lot, ‘No Fools’, of which they obviously aren’t on this evidence. Don’t take my word for it, go get hold of it for yourself, it’s a killer 45. Buy Here
THE COMPULSIONS Drop a Vicious New Lyric Video, Torching AI-Era Pretenders and Industry-Manufactured Darlings
(New York, NY) — While the music industry stuffs its feeds with algorithm-approved pop-outs and label-built mascots, The Compulsions kick the door off its hinges with the lyric video for their forthcoming single, “Baby, Baby, Baby (Baby).” It’s a nasty little reminder that real danger still comes from humans—sweating, snarling, bleeding—down in the trenches.
From the first bar, Rob Carlyle sounds like he clawed his way out of a basement window—guitars rattling around him like chains in a hallway. There’s a primal, lived-in menace to his voice: part blues shaman, part alley prophet, all grit. The performance lands somewhere between a gravel-throated bluesman and a streetwise rock ’n’ roll hustler—an energy no machine can counterfeit, and no label incubator can manufacture.
The foundation was laid in early demo sessions with longtime creative partner and New York Blues Hall of Famer Hugh Pool, who built a drum loop that hits with the finality of a locked vault. Then Rob Clores (The Black Crowes, Spin Doctors) storms in and tears the hinges off the organ, turning the solo section into a fevered, resurrection-gone-wrong ritual. It’s blues and punk and lust and payback—all colliding at full speed.
Visually, the lyric video feels like a threat delivered after dark. Shot by Delissa Santos, the black-and-white footage captures Clores beating the hell out of the keys while Carlyle stalks in the background and Pool commands the board. Carlyle’s neon-pink handwritten titles slash across the frame like a warning note slid under a door.
In a moment when “artists” are being printed out of servers and overhyped by committees, “Baby, Baby, Baby (Baby)” is a violent reminder of what the real thing sounds like: raw nerve, crooked grin, blood under the fingernails. Music that isn’t here to charm you—it’s here to give you the reckoning you earned.
My Ruin are back, and they are not fucking around… After a decade-long break, their latest release, ‘Declaration of Resistance’ is a damning statement on the right-wing agenda that’s engulfing US politics (the UK is not far behind!). The album is ferocious and grabs you by the bollocks from the start. Opening track (and first single) Compromised pins you to the floor. Mick Murphy’s monstrous riff, combined with Tairrie B’s spitting vocals, set up the rest of the album perfectly. Declaration of Resistance is more than just an album, it’s an assault on fascism, hate, religious radicalism and the complicity of the Western world in genocide. It’s brutally honest, as heavy as fuck, and quite possibly the most important album of 2026…and it’s still 2025.
What does it sound like, I hear you ask… Think of Rage Against the Machine at their most powerful, add in some Biohazard, throw in some Public Enemy, and sprinkle on riffs that Tony Iommi would be proud of, and then you’re somewhere near the pummelling assault of My Ruin in 2025. Seriously, tracks like The Audacity burst out of the speakers with urgency. The production is perfect, every note and lyric snaps at your heels like a rabid dog. Murphy is one of those supremely talented individuals who can play any instrument. He plays guitar, bass and drums on the album. The drum sound is a breath of fresh air. The drums sound like drums, none of that processed, sampled bullshit. Call to the Void’s Jack Osborne duets with Tairrie B on the crushing True Allies. ‘Contempt’ bumps along with a Kyuss vibe, with lyrics focusing on the vile disregard for anything tasteful by the current US President.
‘Infinite Connection’ has a doomy and dreamy atmosphere; this sounds so good in my headphones. More superb guitar work from Murphy here. ‘Fragile Like A Bomb’ blends hip hop and metal effortlessly. There is so much going on that you need a few listens to really appreciate the effort that has gone into the making of this record. ‘HHRL’ is my favourite song on the album, a down-tuned belter of a riff with more thought-provoking lyrics from Tairrie B. HHRL stands for Hitler Hated Red Lipstick – “but I fucking love it!” she screams.
‘Dark Eyes of London’ is another full-on riff-driven track, there really isn’t a weak song on the album. It’s just banger after banger. Lady Liberty is told from the perspective of Lady Liberty herself. Tairrie B mostly speaks the lyrics until she changes tack to screaming “WHY?” Why indeed…. Lady Liberty rots away as Sacred Reich said back in 1990… nothing much has changed. Muzzle Velocity is an epic track; Murphy plays a blinder here. More chugging riffs and powerhouse drumming…excellent stuff. Truth or Consequences ends the album in style with another powerhouse riff and some fantastic tribal drumming. We also get treated to a fantastic cover of L7’s ‘Shitlist’, which totally fits the vibe of the album.
To summarise, ‘Declaration of Resistance’ does exactly what it says on the tin. Extremely powerful music backed up with the most honest and relevant lyrical content. Some bands say they are not political and that it would alienate their fan base if they wore their politics on their sleeve. I say EVERYTHING is political and we should all be shouting from the rooftops as our humanity is being eroded before our eyes. My Ruin are not scared to show their colours. They speak the truth.
TURNT UP IN EUROPE 2026- Here we go! Another European excursion.
Ravagers are looking forward to playing Sweden and Norway for the first time, along with all the usual spots in Germany, Belgium, France, and Spain. Sorry UK. They still haven’t gotten any offers to play over there, but who knows?.. to be continued!
Celebrity Telethon shares the third and final single ahead of their upcoming self-titled record! ‘Undercover’ springs from the murky waters of protopunk (New York Dolls, Velvet Underground, and Flamin’ Groovies all come to mind) with a distinctly DIY home-recorded patina. Roughly hewn overdriven guitars, dungeon-like reverb and crackling vocals offset the song’s pop sensibilities in a manner not unlike Wreckless Eric’s homespun production style. Come to think of it, the tune’s marriage of pub rockin’ R&B (the riff calls to mind James Brown’s “I Got You”) and the chiming freakbeat jangle of the Kinks would have been right at home on Stiff Records’ early roster. However, according to The Gizmos’ Eddie Flowers in his liner notes, “This ain’t no retro fashion show.”
“Undercover” arrives on the heels of two prior singles, Rock ‘N’ Roll Matinee and Skin Flicks, which both appeared with accompanying music videos co-directed by the band and Mark Habegger. The noir-tinged single art was designed by the EMMY-winning animator Dan Riba, well known for his directorial work on Batman: The Animated Series, Freakazoid!, and Justice League.
The full Celebrity Telethon album is available for preorder now and will be released digitally and on vinyl December 31st. The tracklist runs the gamut from sleazy punk, garage-inflected roots rock, and even moments of no-wave chaos. Jo Dog Almeida from The Dogs D’Amour makes a slide guitar appearance on the Jacobites-indebted “Latkes & Brisket” while Mike Wilcox (veteran guitarist who’s collaborated with Dave Vanian and Sylvain Sylvain, among others) guests on multiple tracks.
The band is celebrating with two release shows, in Hollywood and their native Portland, OR. The Los Angeles show is a New Year’s Eve bash at The Roxy with soul legend Swamp Dogg, Tom Kenny & The Hi Seas (yes, THAT Tom Kenny, the voice of SpongeBob), and DJ Lance Rock (of Yo Gabba Gabba fame). On January 10th, the Portland release show at The Six Below Midnight will feature recently reformed ‘90s garage rockers The Statics, Suprr Powrr (featuring Seattle underground hero Rob Vasquez), and danceable art punks Dirt Twins.
We often say there’s something in the water in Sweden, with their glut of great, noisy bands with hooks aplenty. See also Australia. But I think of Wales in the same way. 60 Foot Dolls, The Sick Livers and Deathtraps, plus many others, have a habit of penning earworms that hit hard.
Just as you start making your Christmas list, Deathtraps release the third and final instalment in their ‘666’ EP collection. That makes 18 bangers, spread over 3 CDs. As expected, there’s no time to waste, no chaff, straight in with ‘People Like You’, and the chant of “people like you need people like me” is essentially Motörhead head-butting The Hives.
‘The One That Got Away’ has a poppier edge. “You can be my poster girl, I can be your dirty secret”, is like a Jonesy riff, as is ‘Freak Out’. A lot of bands try and fail at this stuff, but you can trust the boys to pull it off (ooer, e.t.c).
‘I Used To Read The NME’ manages to resurrect the line “do you wanna be in my gang?” without causing any trauma. ‘Pop Song Singalong’ is as catchy as Dirtbox Disco used to be, and ‘Kissy Face (Feel Bad Hit Of The Summer)’ is over four minutes long, but there’ll be no flute workouts here! “Sun’s out, scum’s out…” sets the tone.
So, head on over to Bandcamp for a listen. You can even order all 3 EPs if you missed out. The perfect stocking filler. Rock, actually recorded in a garage. Remember, it’s not available in the shops, so get your order in now.
CELEBRATING 50 YEARS IN MUSICWITH A CAREER-SPANNING RETROSPECTIVE SET
MANCHESTER ACADEMY, 4TH JUNE 2026
+ VERY SPECIAL GUESTS BUZZCOCKS
Next summer, Peter Hook & The Light will celebrate 50 years of music with a special set at Manchester Academy, spanning his work with Joy Division, New Order, Monaco and more.
On the 4th June 1976, Pete Shelley and Howard Devoto brought The Sex Pistols to Manchester for the first time for a night at the Lesser Free Trade Hall. The show attracted a modest crowd, with around 40 people in attendance, but amongst them were a disproportionate number of future legends of the Manchester scene. Future members of The Smiths and The Fall, Factory Records’ Tony Wilson, punk poet John Cooper Clarke, genius producer Martin Hannett and somewhere amongst that crowd was a young Peter Hook, with his friend & soon-to-be Joy Division bandmate Bernard Sumner.
Energised by the punk performance, Hook set out to buy a bass guitar the very next day. He went on to play in some of the most influential and iconic bands in British music history, pioneering post-punk with Joy Division before moving into more synth-driven soundscapes with New Order. Now, five decades on, Hook is set to celebrate the anniversary of that pivotal night with a special show in the city that shaped him.
On 4th June 2026, 50 years to the day since The Sex Pistols changed the Manchester music scene forever, Peter Hook & The Light are set to perform a retrospective set spanning his lengthy career at the Academy. Playing choice picks from his time in Warsaw, Joy Division, New Order, Revenge, Monaco, and Freebass, it’s a night not to be missed by fans of Hook and his wide-spanning, widely-influential projects. “On the evening of the 4th June 1976 my life changed forever,” shares Hooky, “I hope on the evening of 4th June 2026 yours will too.”
Hook will be joined by very special guests Buzzcocks, who were instrumental in putting the Sex Pistols on all those years ago. Since that night, the Buzzcocks have carved out their own place in British music history with hits like “Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve)”, “What Do I Get?’ and “Harmony In My Head”, winning audiences over with their catchy punk songwriting and lovesick lyrics. Next June, they support Hook and celebrate their own 50-year anniversary in the process.
Pre-sale tickets for the show go on sale on Wednesday 3rd December here, while general on-sale kicks off on Friday 5th December. Tickets will be available here.
Live Dates
4th June, 2026 – Manchester Academy (with Buzzcocks)
Wolfsbane, performing with their legendary original lineup, are proud to unveil a brand new video ahead of their three final headline shows to close out 2025.
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‘Live Faster‘ is a totally new re-recording of their debut album ‘Live Fast, Die Fast’.
With a huge desire to do justice to the new version whilst respecting the old one, ‘Live Faster’ is splendidly IN YOUR FACE and everything the band had hoped it would be. “We are so pleased with the way it has turned out.” – Blaze
Formed in Tamworth in 1984 after a couple of years with different drummers the line up of Blaze Bayley on vocals, Jase Edwards on guitar, Jeff Hateley on bass and Steve Danger on drums was established. This line up remains unchanged to this day. Gigging constantly anywhere that would have them Wolfsbane soon gained a reputation as one of the most incendiary live British Rock bands around, with an original sound fusing Hard Rock, Metal, Punk, Glam and Pop.
After receiving great reviews in Kerrang and Sounds magazines and support slots with King Diamond, Motorhead and Faith No More, Wolfsbane came to the attention of legendary record producer Rick Rubin, who signed them to his new Def American label. In 1989 their debut album ‘Live Fast Die Fast’ was released to rave reviews and included the (almost)hit single ‘I Like it Hot’. In 1990 Wolfsbane released the classic six track mini album All Hells Breaking Loose At Little Kathy Wilson’s Place. This was released to accompany a British and Irish tour supporting the mighty Iron Maiden! 91 saw the release of the ambitious and eclectic ‘Down Fall the Good Guys’ album, recorded at Abbey Road studios, produced by a young Brendon O’Brien and followed by the bands biggest and most successful British tour to date.
Wolfsbane toured across Europe, joining bands Motorhead, Anthrax and Public Enemy and Voivod in their tours, having excellent reactions and life changing escapades.
Wolfsbane then parted company with Def American and signed with the reactivated indie label Bronze Records. Their first release for Bronze was the raw raucous and legendary live album ‘Massive Noise Injection’, this was recorded on one sold out night at London’s Marquee club and captured Wolfsbane in all their unhinged glory and earned them a ten out of ten review in the NME!
Revitalised by the success of Massive Noise Injection, Wolfsbane recorded the eponymous stripped down, musically and lyrically hard hitting self titled album known as ‘The White Album’ but before it’s release Blaze Bayley left the band to replace Bruce Dickinson in Iron Maiden.
After a fourteen year hiatus, Wolfsbane reunited in 2007 at the Rock of Ages festival in Tamworth and then toured with the Wildhearts and Quireboys. In 2011 the reunion became permanent and Wolfsbane released their comeback album ‘Wolfsbane Save The World’ and this comeback was to last longer then the band had been together first time around.
This was followed by the ‘Rock’ ep and another live album ‘Wolfsbane Go Loco At The Asylum’ recorded in Birmingham.
In 2022 the band released the second full studio album of their now cemented comeback, the acclaimed ‘Genius’ album which epitomises the bands carefree attitude showing they will enjoy every minute of playing music together, with an infectiousness that can inspire others to do the same.
In 2025 Wolfsbane release ‘Live Faster ‘ a totally new re-recording of their debut album. It is a reclamation of the first album as the band would have wanted it.
Wolfsbane, still the same line up, are currently touring and played with The Almighty in November
‘Tis the season to be jolly and giving, so buckle up motherfuckers. The Gasölines are in da house, and they are burning down the house with some proper, greasy, low-down down dirty, loud, sweaty Rock n Fuckin Roll. There’s no time to fuck about, this has got the bells and whistles and is heading straight for the jugular. It is a rock and roll banger. Simple as that. Fast and furious and channelling the spirit of The Four Horsemen, The Hip Priests, Lemmy and Discharge and a whole ton of noisy fuckers who preceded them. Bristling with energy, and sweat and no doubt trucker caps on top of a whole lot of hair. Legs akimbo – biker boots on the monitor wedge and Rock!
From the opening chords, you get the picture, it’s zero fucks given and let’s turn it up. Of course, you’re ‘Riding Shotgun’ on said opener, but they turn up the heat on a rampant ‘Devil Deuce’ as those guitars wail and drums sound like thunder.
It is pure middle-finger rock, these are just guys rockin’ out their dreams through Marshall amps and a whole heap of attitude. No time for niceties or autotuning, it’s all about the attitude and melody ‘Dead Man’s Hand’ has it all, from the stinking attitude to the subtle melody and gang vocals lending a hand. The band aren’t wrong when they describe it as an angry album, but there’s a lot to be pissed off about in the world today, but this isn’t one of them. I love ‘Bucking The Tiger’, the energy is full on, but the melody is there, and the playing is locked in. The riff is huge and dirty, filthy dirty and those floor toms sound like they were carved in the Grand Canyon.
The shake-up in the band’s ranks seems to have injected the right attitude into the band, and the chemistry is paying off more like sticking a bomb under their collective backsides. The tunes keep coming, and the tempo is relentless ‘Ace In The Whole’ is a runaway train of a song with Andreas pouring Gasoline on the fire. This isn’t an album for the faint-hearted or people looking to chill out unless breaking things and raising the temperature is your way of chillin, that is.
There are moments throughout this album that just hit you like a gutpunch, like ‘A Bomb Pinup’ is on fire! Everyone is locked in and literally singing from the same hymn sheet, and today’s sermon is Let’s Rock! It’s like C.O.F.F.I.N. on steroids, in fact, the more I play the album, the more I want to play the album and the final push from ‘Wreckin Ball’ is the best Hard Rockin snotty punk I’ve heard since the Hip Priests were a thing.
Does anyone remember The Four Horsemen? Well, this is like that minus the polished American southern boogie aspect and replacing it with grit, and sounds like they threw a petrol bomb into the studio ‘Speed Trap’ is the manifestation of that smouldering studio. There are ten tracks, one as good as the next and setting the blueprint for how to lay down this kind of zero fucks punk n roll, so go get an earful of The mother fuckin Gasölines
CO-PRODUCED BY NICK LAUNAY & ADAM “ATOM” GREENSPAN (NICK CAVE, GANG OF FOUR, YEAH YEAH YEAHS, IDLES)
UPLIFTING DANCEFLOOR SINGLE
“HATER LIQUIDATOR” OUT NOW+ NEW YEAR’S EVE SHOWS & NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
For ‘We Mean It, Man!’, Gogol Bordello collaborated with Nick Launay (Nick Cave, Gang of Four, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Amyl & The Sniffers, IDLES) and Adam “Atom” Greenspan (Amyl & The Sniffers, IDLES) to knock out twelve super-punchy, hook-laden songs, fusing Gogol Bordello’s raw energy with and boiled down song form with electronic layers, loops and gated-drum rhythms – a bold evolution of the experiments first explored on Gypsy Punks (produced by Steve Albini).
“No Time For Idiots” lands as a Strummer/Jones-esque riff-punk blast with a massive chorus payoff, while “Life Is Possible Again” channels sharp optimism against all odds. Their latest take on “Solidarity” again features Bernard Sumner on the Angelic Upstarts’ Solidarność-punk anthem.
Frontman Eugene Hütz says “Gogol Bordello has always been a cross-pollinator. And ‘We Mean It Man!’ brings all our original inspirations together more than any other: punk, gypsy music, hardcore, and techno. I conceived this album as a collaboration with one of my favorite producers of all time, Nick Launay, who’s been so much responsible for the flourishing of post-punk as a genre. In terms of boiled down multimedia collage this is the best Frankenstein we’ve done since Gypsy Punks. This is our post-punk groove revenge”.
Gogol Bordello recently performed at the World Forum for Democracy in Strasbourg, capping off their two month European tour with support acts Son Rompe Pera, Split Dogs & Puzzled Panther,who just released psychedelic Manchester-meets-New York EP ‘Fits of Serenity’.
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