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Ash – Sin City, Swansea 16.11.25

Ash – Sin City, Swansea 16.11.25

It’s been a while since I last saw Ash live, which happened to be this very venue on their A to Z tour, even though they played support just down the road in the Arena, but as support to The Darkness. The middle of November, and it’s barely jumper weather outside, but in the packed, large room of Sin City, it’s like a sauna as the band takes to the sticky stage to rock the house for the next ninety minutes. The band walks onstage to the triumphant strains of ‘Zarathustra’ before launching into the new album’s Graham Coxon co-written single ‘Fun People’, which, to be fair, is met with the enthusiasm of their greatest hits, which is nice and gives the band energy right from the off.

In a bold move, the band play eight songs from the new album ‘AD Astra’, which, to be fair, is an excellent album, and the band sounds like they’re loving handing over the opening part of the set with so many new songs Tims guitar sounds crisp and front and centre even when using the tapes for the keys and effects the focus is on the threepiece who are tight as a pack of rizlas tonight. ‘A Life Less Ordinary’ is the first of the “Hits” to be offered up to the very appreciative audience. The previous records ‘Race The Night’ gets its title track aired before ‘Arcadia’ makes an appearance. Then it’s big hitter mixed with New track mixed with deep cuts as the brand new shiny songs mix in very nicely with the old staple tracks like ‘Goldfinger’ , ‘Shining Light’, followed by the awesome ‘Oh Yeah’ makes for a stunning one two of the finest power pop alternative rock thing the UK has offered in many decades.

I’m still scratching my head as to the purpose of covering the Harry Belafonte track, but hey, if they like it, who am I to disagree but it was welcome to get on track with a glut of bangers from the ‘1977’ album as the minutes flew by, it was ‘Jack Names The Planets’ from ‘Trailer’ first to warm the pit up a bit (is it really that long ago when this was released) a real time capule of a song when Ash seemed like mainstays on the music shows of terestrial TV and MTV, it still sounded vibrant and fresh with that Bass rumble sounding massive.

Tim returned to the stage alone for a run-through ‘My Favourite Ghost’ before the other pair returned for a belter of a hat-trick to finish off another superb set from Downpatrick’s favourite sons ‘Kung Fu’, ‘Girl From Mars’ and ‘Bun Baby Burn’ are exactly what an encore should sound like. That was a mightily quick hour and a half, and once again a beaming Ash came, saw and conquered.

If you do get the chance to catch the band on this tour, let me tell you they are on form, and if it’s half as good as tonight, then you won’t be disappointed. Same time next year please guys.

Author: Dom Daley

Ash

Graham Bonnet Band- ‘Lost In Hollywood Again’ (Live) [Frontiers Records]

Graham Bonnet Band- ‘Lost In Hollywood Again’ (Live) [Frontiers Records]

What can you say about one of the most legendary voices of Rock that hasn’t been said before – not much, but I will say that Graham Bonnet and his band, the imaginatively monickered Graham Bonnet Band, are soon to be releasing a new live album that celebrates and commemorates Graham’s voice as one of the most recognisable in rock. Up there with Ronnie James Dio and only a few others. This album is a touching, yet relevant showcase of what the 77-year-old singer can do.

Recorded back in August 2024, at the famous Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles, the Graham Bonnet Band rocked and rolled, and it has all been captured here on this the Lost In Hollywood Again album.

Opening with ‘Eyes of the World’, then straight into ‘All Night Long’ – you know that this band mean business and for the 16 song setlist – prove that class doesn’t age and only gets better with time.

‘Love’s No Friend’, ‘Making Love’ and ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’ are up next, while many would keep the hits until last – Graham and band acerbate a confidence that is rarely seen these days.

Now would be a great time to introduce the band that is captured live here – Obviously, you know Graham Bonnet on the vocals, but the band, who are made up of Conrado Pesinato on guitars, Beth-Ami Heavenstone on bass, Alessandro Bertoni on the Keyboards and Francis Cassol on drums. This band have clearly reinvigorated Graham, and the audience must have been in their oils as the music washed over them.

However, up next – poses the age-old question of the live album and should guitar/keyboard/drums solos should be included. I’m of the opinion that they should, as it gives the listener the time for a toilet break, just like they do in the live setting. Wasting no time, the band kick straight into ‘Lazy’ and then ‘Imposter’. Which again only highlights how good a voice Graham still possesses.

The closing gambit of this live album is another lesson in Rock N Roll greatness. How can anyone argue that the following cluster of songs is nothing short of brilliance – ‘Night Games’, ‘Into The Night’, Assault Attack’, Too Young To Die, Too Drunk To Live’ and ‘Lost In Hollywood’.

While albums like this will undoubtedly gain the artist some new fans, it is clearly a love letter to the OG fans and a record that deserves to be heard and played loud.

Buy Here

Author: Dave Prince

Saxon – U.D.O. – Cardiff University Great Hall. 16.11.25

Saxon – U.D.O. – Cardiff University Great Hall. 16.11.25

The mighty Saxon’s Hell, Fire and Steel tour has been rolling through the UK. The final date is here in Cardiff; there’s a definite chill in the air as I queue to get in with the rest of the sold-out denim and leather-clad audience. By the time I get in, U.D.O. have already started their set. I catch most of the opening track – ‘Balls to the Wall’ (complete with giant inflatable balls), and I’m reminded of how much I love that song. I find myself headbanging (gently these days!) along to the monstrous riff and groove. Udo Dirkschneider is looking good for a 73-year-old, and his voice sounds like it always has. He has assembled a fantastic band, they play the Accept classics with flair, and we get a top selection of tracks, including the so bad it’s good – ‘London Leather Boys’, ‘Turn Me On’, and of course, they finish the set with a solid version of the proto thrash metal classic – ‘Fast as a Shark’. The audience gives U.D.O. a rapturous ovation, and we wait for Saxon to take the stage.

Yes, yes, I know you all know my love for Saxon. They were, after all, my introduction to the world of heavy metal back in 1986 when I was a young, impressionable 13-year-old. My mate in school brought me a tape of the compilation album ‘Strong Arm Metal’ and that was it! I’ve been a metal head ever since. It’s hard to believe that the band are as relevant now as they were then. The band have consistently released quality albums, some of their latest efforts are up there with the classic stuff.  They have weathered many storms in their long career. Drummer Nigel Glockler suffered a brain injury back in 2014, and vocalist Biff Byford recovered from a heart attack in 2019, and more recently has had treatment for prostate cancer. Not that you would know any of this when you see and hear their performance tonight!

The unmistakable tones of Brian Blessed blast through the PA as the intro to Saxon’s latest album – ‘Hell, Fire and Damnation’ is played. The curtain drops and the riff to the album’s title track kicks off the show with style. Biff is on fine form vocally; he genuinely sounds better now than he ever has. For a man of 74 years of age, he puts many younger vocalists to shame. The first half of their set includes the standards – ‘Power and the Glory’, ‘Never Surrender’, ‘Backs to the Wall’, ‘Heavy Metal Thunder’ and ‘Dallas 1 pm’. We also get some newer tracks that have also become classic Saxon – Sacrifice and Madame Guillotine.

The video screen behind the band is used to great effect, with images to highlight the songs. The guitar duo of long-time member Doug Scarratt and new boy, Diamond Head legend Brian Tatler, works perfectly. They play for the song, no unnecessary showboating, just tasteful playing. Their twin lead attack is a joy to behold. Bassist Nibbs Carter shows no sign of slowing down; he’s like a shirtless Tasmanian devil. Headbanging furiously, saluting the crowd with horns aloft, he’s a focal point of the band. Nice to see him using a Rickenbacker for part of the set too – a nod to their old friend Lemmy? A special mention must go to drummer Nigel Glockler, at 72 years of age, he is still a force to be reckoned with. He doesn’t miss a beat; his thunderous attacking of the drums really is something special. Saxon have a real affinity with Wales, Biff tells us stories of the band playing in South Wales when the band first started out, “the Rhondda valleys!” he shouts in a pretty good Welsh accent!

Then we get to the part of the set that everyone has been waiting for – the seminal album ‘Wheels of Steel’ played in its entirety. Biff introduces ‘Motorcycle Man’ by taking us down memory lane, he asks us what the first thing we all heard when we dropped the needle on the LP for the first time… That’s right, the roar of a bike tearing up the tarmac. They kick into the track with gusto! The audience goes nuts and sings every word. This is a real treat for all of us in the room. We get to hear deep cuts like Freeway Mad and Street Fighting Gang as well as standards – 747 (Strangers in the Night), Wheels of Steel and See the Light Shining. The highlight for me, though, is hearing ‘Machine Gun’ live for the first time. The bomb effect at the end of the track clears out everyone’s bowels… amazing! ‘Suzie Hold On’ sounds great too (even though it’s my least favourite on the album). There’s a lovely moment where someone hands Biff their beloved vinyl copy of ‘Wheels of Steel’ and he pulls out a Sharpie from his pocket, signs it and hands it back. Biff tells us that a new album is in the works and we should expect it sometime in 2026. No slowing down for these guys!

We get an encore of ‘Denim and Leather’, some of the audience throw their battle jackets on stage and the band wear them, Biff signs them all while the guys in the band are still wearing them! The final tracks of the night are ‘Strong Arm of the Law’ and the fantastic ‘Princess of the Night’. What a set, what a band. There are smiles of appreciation on every face. Saxon more than delivered tonight. Long live the Barnsley big teasers!   

Author: Kenny Kendrick

Johnny Thunder’s & Wayne Kramer’s -‘Gang War’ – (Jungle Records)

Johnny Thunder’s & Wayne Kramer’s -‘Gang War’ – (Jungle Records)

RSD 2025 Black Friday release of this live performance from Toronto and Boston, and now Max’s Kansas City is the sound of a freakin juggernaught of a band. After Thunders released ‘So Alone’ he hooked up with the newly released from Jail Kramer who served two years for Coke offenses they toured the USA and Canada with the view to making a record but it never happened but live they were at thei rbest and Previously only available on ropey bootleg, it’s now had a bit of spit and polish lovingly done by team Jungle records, and with a cool innersleeve bio courtesy of Nina Antonio, some of Kramer’s interpretations are so good on tunes like ‘ Endless Party’, leaving Thunders to concentrate on the vocals (ok ok loosely concentrate). ‘I’ll Go Crazy’ is out of Thunder’s wheelhouse, but he pulls it off just in range whilst Kramer sets his fretboard on fire.

Songs like the thunderous ‘Hey Thanks’ are role reversals with Thunder’s lighting up the speakers with his BVs and sloppy solos. Barely held together, this band had the potential to be devastating but for no particular reason, they were never made to gel in a studio and work out their differences, with Johnny claiming it was the age gap (yeah right) Hell, on ‘Just Because I’m White’ the familiar Thunders howling screachign feedback is present and made me smile remembering the feeling when it bellowed through the speakers.

Johnny’s introduction for ‘Ten Commandments Of Love’ and his inter-song banter would see him cancelled in a nanosecond in 2025, the band, however, are on fire and I’m sure if Bob Dylan ever heard their version of ‘Like A Rolling Stone’ he’d approve. The funky version almost calypso ‘Endless Party’ sounds like a lot of fun. Johnny sounds relaxed on ‘Do You Love Me’.

I often wonder what lies on the cutting room floor and attics of various labels and producers out there, never to be unearthed, so I’m always pleased to see stuff come to light, regardless of how many years later it is, and these rough live recordings from NYC are exactly that, cooked up after being in some loft for decades. On his patch, Thunders seems to have sped up the band and sounds right up for it on opener ‘London Boys’. They’ve cleaned the recording up as well as possible, but it’s more about the overall picture than audio clarity. Gang War on paper was an awesome idea that was never brought to reality like it should have. Who knows who could have made this work and its mores the pity it only ever brushed success and is the footnote of two stunning resumes and giants of Rock n Roll in their own rights. I’m glad to have these wax documents to put on from time to time and daydream of what might have been, and be glad we had them for a short while.

Black Friday, for what it’s worth, this is your essential pick up, no doubt about it.

Johnny Thunders – ‘Que Sera Sera'(Jungle Records)

Johnny Thunders – ‘Que Sera Sera'(Jungle Records)

When Jungle said they were releasing a brand new 40th Anniversary edition of the classic ‘Que Sera Sera’ album, I was curious. Having such a small repertoire, or rather official output, Thunder’s always delivered exceptional records. This latest reimagined version of this fine record is well worth investigating, not just because of its shocking pink records, but there are hidden gems within.

Completely remixed and reimagined with the big claim that this is how it should have sounded (to be fair, they’re not wrong on this claim). Gone are the muddy mixes and replaced with crisp, vast widescreen takes. The second album is six previously unheard outtakes and live tracks. Remixed by the now departed Pat Collier, having revisited them because Johnny missed the original mix back in the day, so his guitars have been put in their rightful place – Front and centre and LOUD!

This fine package comes with a splendid overview from Nina Antonia with quotes from the people who were there, like Michael Monroe, who also added some exquisite sax on ‘Blame It On Mom’ and the majestic ‘Cool Operator’. The side I went to first had to be the brand new takes on side three, where you get a raw and vibrant version of ‘Blame It On Mom’ with an absolutely fire solo. Quite how ‘Take You Up Avenue D’ never made the original, I don’t know, with its slap funk Bass and wailing sax, it’s sleazy as hell and the embodiment of the place when this was recorded. ‘Short Lives’ is more of a guide jam with the vocal deep in the mix and Thunder’s unmistakable guitar right front and centre. And Johnny fucking up on ‘I Only Wrote This Song For You’ is classic. Bringing the studio takes to a close is the awesome ‘Cool Operator’ first take. They definitely nailed the final version that made the album way more funky than this pretty straight take. Lacking the swing and arrogance that elevates the original release. But to hear Johnny rip it up on guitar is a joy all by itself.

With your usual ensemble of legends who play on Thunder’s albums, this might have been his most creative with Tregenna, JC Carroll, Monroe, Suicide, Matlock and Wilco Johnson alongside his incredible band from the time this is how ‘Que Sera Sera’ was meant to be heard. From the iconic cover to the shocking pink vinyl, this might just be the definitive version. The real gold here is the unearthed Outtakes on side three of this record, worth it for these alone, as well as the excerpts from a live show in Northern France taking up side four. Johnny Thunders is still the greatest there ever was and will ever be. Cherish his archive and get on board with this lovingly preserved collection from people who give a fuck about his music and the search for perfection of how he should have and deserved to sound.

Having unearthed the live recordings, this is Thunders at his finest. Taken way too soon, he never realised his true potential, but the studio albums he did leave behind are lovingly preserved by the likes of Jungle, and apart from the punk police wagging their fingers, I’m all for hearing these unedited takes and alternative versions. Just buy it the guy was a genius.

Buy Here

Author: Dom Daley

*There is also a 12″ and 7″ test pressing available of ‘Short Lives’ and a mix of ‘Cool Operator’

Bad Sam team up with Luke Vibert for ‘Popcorn & Blood’

Bad Sam team up with Luke Vibert for ‘Popcorn & Blood’

Famous for his live collaborations with childhood buddy Aphex Twin, Luke Vibert has paved his own way through the electronic music scene, pioneering the “drill+bass” sub genre operating under various guises such as Plug, Wagon Christ and the unforgettable Amen Andrews.  Luke played in various punk bands in his teenage years and formed a close bond with Bad Sam vocalist Dean Beddis, then singer with Newport’s Cowboy Killers.  When Dean sent Luke songs from the new Bad Sam album, Luke didn’t take much time in responding with this killer post-punk jungle anthem.  Bad Sam is the joint partnership of Dean Beddis and Newport compatriot Dub War’s Richard Glover.  Their third album Trauma is out November 28th. 

Hound Gawd! set to unleash the new Zeke single

Hound Gawd! set to unleash the new Zeke single

ZEKE ANNOUNCES NEW SINGLE – ‘PETERBILT’ ON NOVEMBER 28 VIA HOUND GAWD!

Short. Fast. Loud. No compromise.

With their new 7″ single “Peterbilt”, ZEKE unleash an adrenaline rush only they can deliver. Since forming in Seattle in 1992, ZEKE have defined speed rock: an unrelenting mix of hardcore punk, rock ’n’ roll swagger, and breakneck fury.

The two tracks, “Peterbilt” and “From The Ashes”, are nothing short of a frontal assault—razor-sharp riffs, relentless drumming, rumbling bass, and the feral snarl of frontman Blind Marky Felchtone. Every second hits like a strike, every note is pure velocity. This is rock ’n’ roll in the red.

Led by founding members Blind Marky Felchtone (vocals, guitar) and Donny Paycheck (drums), alongside Jason Freeman (bass) and Jeff Hiatt (guitar), ZEKE channel their explosive live energy straight into vinyl. In less than three minutes, they deliver the kind of sonic intensity most bands can’t capture across a whole album. “Peterbilt” is uncompromising, high-octane punk rock—raw, direct, and unapologetically loud. Essential listening for anyone who craves speed, aggression, and attitude.

ZEKE are back—faster, louder, and more ferocious than ever.

The tracks are not available on streaming platforms.

Tour Dates

18.03.2026 – NL – Eindhoven – Effenaar

19.03.2026 – DE – Saarbrücken – Studio 30

20.03.2026 – BE – Aalst – St-Annazaal

21.03.2026 – GR – Athens – An Club

23.03.2026 – DE – Köln – Volta Club

24.03.2026 – tba

26.03.2026 – tba

27.03.2026 – ES – Vitoria-Gasteiz – Jimmy Jazz

28.03.2026 – ES – Madird – Gruta 77

29.03.2026 – PT – Lisbon – Republica da Musica

30.03.2026 – ES – Jerez de la Frontera – La Guarida

02.04.2026 – ES – Valencia – 16 Toneladas

03.04.2026 – ES – Barcelona – Upload

04.04.2026 – FR – Montpellier – Secret Place

05.04.2026 – FR – Marseille – Molotov

07.04.2026 – DE – Freiburg – Atlantik

08.04.2026 – DE – Wiesbaden – Schlachthof

09.04.2026 – DE – Düsseldorf – Pitcher

10.04.2026 – NL – Rotterdam – Baroeg

11.04.2026 – NL – Zwolle – Skroetfest

Montreal’s Stomp Records Marks 30 Years of Worldwide Punk Influence with Celebration Dates Across Canada

Montreal’s Stomp Records Marks 30 Years of Worldwide Punk Influence with Celebration Dates Across Canada

Thirty years ago, Stomp Records kicked off in Montreal with a simple mission: to give Canada’s independent punk and ska bands a home, a voice, and a way to reach beyond their own city limits. It was an ambitious idea for a couple of musicians with no business plan and even less money, a plan that should’ve crashed harder than a tour van on bald tires in a prairie blizzard. Instead, it helped ignite a national movement and built one of Canada’s longest-running and most influential independent labels. From day one, Stomp Records wasn’t just releasing records, it was building culture. In the pre-internet era, Canadian punk and ska scenes were thriving in isolation, each city a bubble. Stomp burst those bubbles, uniting bands from coast to coast, creating touring circuits, and turning hometown heroes into cross-country road warriors. “This label is built on community, creativity, and helping each other get our shot,” says Stomp co-founder Matt Collyer. “We’re still here because the fans show up, the bands work their asses off, and we love every minute of doing this.”

Throughout the late 90s and early 2000s, Stomp helped define the next wave of Canadian punk and ska, not by chasing trends but by championing artists with grit, conviction, and personality. They supported small scenes through compilation series (The All-Skanadian Club) and got in the van with bands — literally and figuratively — helping develop careers from the bar circuit to international festival stages. As trends shifted and the music industry free-fell into the Napster era, most indie labels folded. Stomp didn’t. They embraced digital early, built a full-service ecosystem of booking, management, and publicity, and widened their sonic scope to reflect the beautifully messy realities of underground music. Punk, ska, rockabilly, hardcore, folk-punk, skate-punk, bagpipes, brass, blood, sweat. if it had guts and a pulse of rebellion, Stomp gave it a home.

That fearless curation brought countless Canadian subcultural staples into the world: The Real McKenzies, Wine Lips, The Dreadnoughts, The Flatliners, The Creepshow, The Anti-Queens, Brutal Youth, Belvedere, Bedouin Soundclash, Raygun Cowboys, PKEW PKEW PKEW, The Sainte-Catherines, Down By Law, Snuff… and many more who continue to fill rooms and make noise worldwide. It has never been a smooth ride. Along the way there have been industry collapses, floods, robberies, broken bones, car jackings, even literal Nazi attacks. Somehow, through all of that, a few Juno nominations, a win, and accidental gold and platinum plaques still ended up on their walls.“The odds were stacked against us from day one,” says long-time Stomp partner Mike Magee. “Luckily Stomp Records didn’t, and still doesn’t, give one single flying f*ck about the odds.”

Order Stomp Records’ Music and Merchandise

Three decades in, the mission hasn’t changed: artists first, community always, and a stubborn refusal to water anything down. And the stats speak for themselves: nearly 300 releases with distribution in over 190 countries, artists who’ve earned Juno recognition, and alumni who have gone on to perform in Simple Plan, Walk Off The Earth, Kings of Leon, The Stills, Patrick Watson and Broken Social Scene among a long list of others.

To celebrate surviving 30 wild years, and because they love any excuse for a loud night out, they’re celebrating with a nationwide run of absolute blowout shows. A toast to every late-night drive, every curb-side gear load, every sweaty pit, and every fan who ever found belonging in the chaos.

30TH ANNIVERSARY SHOWS

Nov 21 – Vancouver – The Rickshaw Theatre

The Real McKenzies, The Planet Smashers, Raygun Cowboys – Tickets

Dec 11 – Toronto – Lee’s Palace

The Dreadnoughts, The Creepshow, The Filthy Radicals – Tickets

Dec 13 – Ottawa – Overflow Brewing

The Dreadnoughts, The Creepshow, The Filthy Radicals – Tickets

MONTREAL – DOWNTOWN VENUES

Dec 10th @ Turbo Haus

Capable, Doghouse Rose

FR: https://lepointdevente.com/billets/stp251210001

EN: https://thepointofsale.com/tickets/stp251210001

Dec 11th @ Turbo Haus

Dig It Up, Brutal Youth, Crossdog

FR: https://lepointdevente.com/billets/stp251211001 

EN: https://thepointofsale.com/tickets/stp251211001

Dec 12th @ Foufs

The Dreadnoughts, The Creepshow, PKEW PKEW PKEW, K-Man and the 45’s, The Penske File, The Fake Friends, Boids, The Filthy Radicals

FR: https://lepointdevente.com/billets/stp250923001

EN: https://thepointofsale.com/tickets/stp250923001

Dec 13th @ Club Soda

The Planet Smashers, The Flatliners, Wine Lips, The Anti-Queens, Crash Ton Rocks

FR: https://lepointdevente.com/billets/stp251213001

EN: https://thepointofsale.com/tickets/stp251213001

STOMP RECORDS ONLINE

INSTAGRAM | SPOTIFY | BANDCAMP | FACEBOOK | WEBSITE | TWITTER

THE GODFATHERS ANNOUNCE NEW MUSIC AND U.K. SHOWS!!!

THE GODFATHERS ANNOUNCE NEW MUSIC AND U.K. SHOWS!!!

After a Summer and Autumn touring Europe, The Godfathers kickstart 2026 with a trio of UK dates and a brand new single.

The band hit the European festival circuit for shows in Croatia, Portugal, Germany, Austria and Greece, sharing stages with the likes of the Sex Pistols, The Damned, Sisters Of Mercy and The Stranglers along the way.

They’ve also found time to record two new songs, their first new material since the release of their highly praised 2022 album Alpha Beta Gamma Delta.

Set for release on 6th February and featuring guest contributions on synthesiser and guitar from Devo’s Josh Hager, the double A-side single has been described by The Godfathers’ frontman and founder Peter Coyne as “exciting, finger on the pulse rock and roll social commentary – another sonic leap forward for the group.”

The Godfathers will follow the release with their annual Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre concert at the iconic 100 Club in London as well as gigs in Leeds and Edinburgh. Full dates are…

Wed 11 February – EDINBURGH – Voodoo Rooms  (w/The Primevals) – Edinburgh Tickets

Thurs 12 February – LEEDS – Brudenell Social Club – Leeds Tickets

Fri 13 February – LONDON – 100 Club  (w/The Witchdoktors) – London Tickets

Tickets for all shows are available NOW!!

Website / Facebook / Instagram

Cheap Trick – ‘All Washed Up’ (BMG)

Cheap Trick – ‘All Washed Up’ (BMG)

Celebrating their fiftieth year of playing this Rock n Roll game, the mighty Cheap Trick ain’t done yet, and with this, their latest offering, ‘All Washed Up’, is a tongue-in-cheek title because on the evidence herein, they are on fire and sounding as hungry as the day they first broke out of Rockford. From the opening few bars of the title track, you kinda know exactly what you’re in for. The band sounds vibrant and kicking it with the energy coming from the engine room, which is now driven by Rick’s son Daxx, who is proving to be a real power house and driving the music on, adding a ton of x factor to proceedings.

To be fair they are on fire here and turning everything up to 11 they’re rockin hard. by the time you get to the third track, Nielsen has decided that he wants to show everyone hes lost none of his fire and love for loud guitars as he rinses ever last drop out of how ever many necks he feels like swinging around these days. Hell, they are right on it for ‘Bet It All’ with the musicianship being put to the test and throwing down the gauntlet to anyone within earshot. I remember when Aerosmith returned decades ago after ‘Done With Mirrors’ and every man and his dog wanted to champion the band for their hunger and quality, well, this reminds me a lot of the spirit captured in these here tracks. Even the first slower ballad-like track, ‘The Best Thing’ (of course it’s called that and with slushy tempo and dreamy solo it’s built for American Radio if that’s still a thing.

Another point apart from the rhythm section and lead breaks sounding fantastic, a special mention to the amazing vocals courtesy of Robin Zander, who is pealing back the years. I’m not even sure a guy of his years should be allowed to possess a voice that bloody good; it might be illegal these days.

Throughout the eleven songs that unmistakable Cheap Trick power pop is there for all to hear, of course, it is its part of them like a gas or the lifeblood that courses through their veins, it’s always there. ‘Twelve Gates’ is a great example of the old dog and new tricks, it’s power pop gold. Hang on, ‘Bad Blood’ is even more Cheap Trick with a fantastic melody and a thick edge on the Bass, whilst Nielsen is having the time of his life all over this record. Even the parts where they might be cruising, Rick has something fire up his sleeve just so you don’t get complacent.

Finally, I’d just like to say that when they turn it up, they really do capture some magic, and whilst the production is slick and thick, it’s when they up the RPM that they hit the dizzy heights on ‘All Washed Up’, and those are the songs that take this to the next level.

To produce a product this good, this deep into a career, is nothing short of remarkable. I’ll even forgive them the skiffle and jazzy outro of ‘Wham Boom Bang’, they’ve earned it because Cheap Trick are still the cats whiskers and this is the mutts nuts now wham boom bang that one and buy this album!

Buy Here

Author: Dom Daley