If Spotify is good for anything, it’s that, just occasionally, the logarithm recommends an artist that you’ve never heard of but suits your tastes almost perfectly. Et voila, this is how I first heard of Fleur.
If you also love garage rock, 60s pop of the French variety, Françoise Hardy and the more recent likes of The Courettes and Fabienne Del Sol, you’re in for a treat.
With two albums of laid-back 60s-influenced pop under her belt, this time round Fleur has set free her inner ‘Yé-Yé’ girl and the results are magnificent. All ten songs were written by Mark ten Hoor, of The Kryng, who certainly has an ear for the genre. However, Fleur is more than “une poupée” (puppet/doll). She inhabits these songs, making them her own, along with her image. You have heard it before, but rarely done this well.
I’d already heard ‘Tu Es Un Être Parfait’, on repeat, which is the perfect introduction for the album as a whole. It’s irresistible. The title track has more of The Troggs about it, suitably savage and abrupt.
Don’t worry if you don’t understand a word, just immerse yourself in the tunes and your world will become immeasurably more groovy.
In fact, I was a little surprised to realise that Fleur hails from the Netherlands, so perfect is her approach to the French language and culture. ‘L’amour!’ is sultry in a way that evokes the wonderful Emanuela and The Hillbilly Moon Explosion, which will give you some idea of the standard being set.
‘T’as Tort’ could easily be a rare Françoise Hardy song from 1965, while ‘Ta Faute’ ups the tempo and the fuzz to get the place swinging. There really is nothing to fault, the playing and production are exactly what the songs need to make them shine. ‘Tu N’es Rien’ adds the Stooges one-finger piano motif.
‘Je T’en Prie’ harks back to her previous, mellower albums, but also sits naturally amongst the harder edged tunes. A dreamy number. ‘Nous Continuerons À Marcher Ensemble’ lets rip, and your hips should follow. Consult your doctor if this is not the case. I’m running out of superlatives. This album has been lovingly created, the quality never drops. As a francophone, I also love the way she pronounces the lyrics clearly, so that I can understand everything.
‘J’en Perds La Tête’ would please Jacques Dutronc, sans doute. Another one to swing your pants to.
And with ‘Je Sais Ce Que Tu Veux’, it’s over too soon. After one listen, I ordered the vinyl, a rare thing for me. Available on LP, CD and cassette via Harry Records/Soundflat, get on over to Fleur’s Bandcamp page. It’s nearly Christmas, et tu le mérites.
To mark the 20th ANNIVERSARY of the label this year, SISTER 9 are proud to present a special LTD Edition 4 CD Set, which tells the story of Rhys Bloodjoy’s first band — lo-fi/post-punk/scuzz-rock label-founders, DOLIUM. Now take a deep breath and settle down comfortably because this is a mammoth journey in time with a whopping seventy-plus tracks on offer.
In their early days, Dolium caused quite a buzz on the UK underground music scene; first in 1999/2000 with their sonic assault on the city of Sheffield – and then some years later, when their 2004 DIY debut single (and the label’s first ever release under the name of Parlour 9) quickly caught the attention of BBC radio legend, John Peel.
The rest, as they say, is history…
To be fair this is a pretty epic collection and the style and production varies throughout the mammoth seventy plus tracks. from singles and BBC Sessions to unreleased albums worth of material the journey and discover is fascinating and rewarding. To have the band’s entire discography (all newly remastered by Rhys Bloodjoy in the S9 Studio), plus many unheard recordings, including their long-lost, unreleased third album, Brother Transistor is a real winner.
The story is presented in a striking full colour booklet, featuring art and photography, as well as extensive sleeve notes by the band and their management, plus one or two surprises! This is a real labour of love and a massive pat on the back for whoever did this painstaking research – excellent job.
To say they are a well kept secret is something of an understatement so I urge you to not let this pass you by. Get involved and jump on board there is something in here for everyone as the band had their own style but also touched upon many others in the process. The gothic undertones of the unreleased album also comes wrapped in a big glossy sheen that could have cut through and the Joy Division with a smile comparisons chime through as well on tracks like ‘VD On The Radio’ more in the vocal than the music.
The ‘Future In Hands’ is like a goth dark ‘My Sherona’ and I’m scratching my head as to how I’d never heard of them. Maybe I should expect the punk police to give me the five o’clock knock and reprimand me for not having my ear to the ground wide enough. I’m making up time for that now officer.
The early demos show how a band grew and were raging with creativity whilst they found their feet and niche. ‘Anaesthetic To Numb The Pain’ is a great study point. Theres a real charm to the demos compared to the studio suss of the album material. The underground crass like crossover of ‘Tattooed on it’.
Seventy six songs is some product and playing catch up is a well of musical depths that I’m more than happy to drop my bucket in. Join me and discover Dolium its pretty bloody good.
INFO: CD1: “Kisses Fractures” (2005 Debut Album) + Bonus Tracks & “Teenagers EP” (2006) | CD2: “Hellhounds On The Prowl” (2008 Second Album) + Bonus Tracks & “El Vampiro Attack! EP” (2008) | CD3: “Brother Transistor” (Unreleased Third Album) + Bonus Tracks | CD4: “66.6 Miles And The F-Machine” (Early 4-Track Demos) + Rarities (1998-2003)
*** NOTE: A FREE SECRET BONUS ALBUM (20 TRACKS!) featuring a selection of demos, out-takes, rehearsal room recordings, live tracks and other rarities not included in the Box Set will also be accessible from within the sleeve notes of every CD purchase!
On November 15th The Silverlites proudly release their self-titled debut album on Sunyata Records distributed by Sony Music.
You might think so what who are these new kids on the block? Well, They might be a new band but wet behind the ears they most certainly are not. In the great traditions of a supergroup, This quartet includes Peter Buck (R.E.M.), Rich Robinson (The Black Crowes), Barrett Martin (Screaming Trees and Mad Season) and Joseph Arthur, a singer-songwriter who was first discovered by Peter Gabriel.
You’re gently eased into the world of Silverlites with ‘Still Don’t Know You’ which in a predominantly acoustic affair before the cool tones of an electric guitar fall in like rainfall on a misty evening. Sitting comfortably? ‘Forever And A Day’ has a dreamy Bowie-esk feel to it as it drifts in on a cool shuffle courtesy of Barrett Martin. Putting the supreme relaxed structure of the music as the interplay of the electric and acoustic guitars takes hold of the earworm that’s settling in nicely maybe its Arthurs vocals that are soothing and sounding like a hushed Scott Weiland to my ears.
The gentle laid back mood continues until the first single chimes in with a cool swagger, ‘Don’t Go Don’t Stay’ is the work of a band comfortable in their own skin who need to prove nothing and can therefore concentrate on making the best music they can together as a band. Excellent single and song that showcases their individual talents and their collective cool.
The Silverlites initial spark happened in 2015, when Barrett and Rich played together in the backing band for a tribute to Led Zeppelin guitarist, Jimmy Page. 4 years later, in 2019, Rich called Barrett to see if he was interested in assembling a new band that could create equally adventurous music. That’s when Barrett called Peter Buck, a long-time friend and collaborator, and Peter called Joseph Arthur, whom Peter had also worked with. The Silverlites debut album was recorded during the pandemic years between 2019-2021 in a series of recording stages.
It began with Barrett recording Rich and Peter in a hotel room in Nashville when they took out their acoustic guitars to write the initial songs. Barrett literally ran down to the local music store, bought a portable recording rig, set it up in the hotel room, and started recording these initial basic tracks. The following year, in 2020, the band recorded overdubs and vocal arrangements from the Nashville sessions, and they also recorded a few more new songs at Jack Endino’s studio in Seattle, WA. Barrett then collected, organized, and edited all the final overdubs and prepared 18 songs for mixing.
Final mixing happened in New York City in the summer of 2021 with Barrett, Joe, and mixing engineer Daniel Sanint. When it came time to sequence this huge initial offering, the band had differing opinions, so Barrett sent the mixes to his former bandmate, Mark Lanegan, singer of the Screaming Trees. Mark loved the songs so much that he offered to create the sequence you now hear, which includes the 12 song album, and a 6 song EP.
The album was delayed for release because of everyone’s incredibly busy touring schedules post-pandemic, but now the album is ready to be heard by everyone. The band has decided to release 2 singles in early October and early November, and then the full album will be released on November 15th, followed by the additional 6 song EP in March of 2025.
You can see why they broke the flow of the songs into the EP and the 12-track LP. It’s a lot of music to get through and the beauty of these supergroup projects is to create something that is outside of their wheelhouse I guess and that is certainly achieved here. There are times I’m thinking of Neil Young with the keys and acoustic combinations but the laid-back restrained percussive drums take it somewhere different, especially on the excellent ‘No Time’ and the countrified ‘Dark And Magic Skies’. The production is massive and adds a grande and confident feel to the songs and songs like ‘Looking For A Friend’ it’s easy to see how Mark Lanigan was so impressed and wanted to be involved in some capacity.
The penultimate track on the LP is ‘No More’ which is the loudest track on offer and a nice contrast to the more laid back acoustic stuff. This will have intrigue and appeal to fans of their day job bands for sure and some will love it whilst others not so much but isn’t that the beauty of creating music? Me, I find it really impressive and very enjoyable now where did I leave those Josticks and my paisley rug? Catch you later you crazy kids, peace out!
The CD will be released with six more songs on January 10th.
The third and final volume of the fascinating and exquisitely well-written life and times of Alvin Gibbs and what a trilogy it has been. With a Foreword by Gaye Black of The Adverts, it contains 37 Chapters, In excess of 130,000 words over 352 pages. It also has a comprehensive updated Alvin Gibbs discography and bibliography, furnished with photos and memorabilia from Alvin’s personal archive. Anyone who has read the previous two volumes will be well up to date with how this pans out and probably (like me) has read the book from cover to cover in as quick a turnaround as possible.
If you’re curious and new to this trilogy then keep with me you’re in for a fascinating journey told by the man himself in a thoroughly engaging and superbly written style. Alvin isn’t just one of the best bass players out there, nor a pretty decent songwriter to boot but he’s well educated and knows how to engage people with his fine use of the English language. I’d love to have the man’s style, swagger and Bass skills, Are you still with me? Good.
The downside to all of this is this is the third and final offering, (or so we’re told) maybe, who knows life is for living and Alvin is certainly doing that at a rate to put musicians more than half his age to shame. This story of Alvin Gibbs and (mostly) the UK Subs isn’t over by a long chalk they might have gone part-time or entered the period of retiring the band on the touring front but shit, they’re still one of the best punk rock bands out there treading the boards and releasing records.
I’m fascinated to read the passages about the social chaos tour of the USA and how Chas and Garratt do their own merch and don’t share with Gibbs and Gizz and how shambolic touring sometimes is and wonder how people like Gibbs puts himself through this time after time for the love of the music and it being a way of life. It’s often a shambolic process and the amount of times I found myself asking why go through it again just for the music. The subsequent tour of Europe and the occasional admission that Elton…sorry OG Chas is not a businessman or a very well-organised tour manager (who knew eh?).
The darker sad passage regaling the Marquee show with Roberts back in the fold is captivating and sad and such a shame. But I did chuckle at Alvin’s CBGB story about losing his rag with Wylie and finances raising their ugly head over a smallish amount of greenback. some people eh? Who needs enemies when your bandmates are happy to take money out of your pocket? I’m giggling thinking about Chas the backseat driver and picturing them almost having to thumb it to a show. Pure Spinal Tap stuff and a scenario you can see our Subs doing.
The Misfits stories are great and warming to read I also know of my own Jerry Only tales where he’s gone beyond for fans. Whilst the Subs merry go round of players makes me sad to read and I think attending Rebellion over the last decade or so and seeing how the more stable lineups and more professionally run act the band were Or at least appeared to be who would have known eh? However, how highly they are regarded is heartwarming and I would imagine a lot of that is down to Gibbs and his constant pursuit for the Subs to seem more professional and be taken seriously. It might be alarming to see the paltry amounts the band were paid for touring and if it weren’t for the love of the music they probably would be a mere footnote in the pantheon of punk rather than over the last two decades proving that they deserve to be remembered for being a great live band and also their last four albums particularly a top-notch recording band as well. Alvin’s flea clang made me laugh out loud but to be honest, Alvin was 100% right.
The passages about him obtaining his degree from OU is impressive and inspiring and so un-punk rock to the point of it being the most punk rock thing possible and something that will make the punk rock police’s heads collectively spin and explode.
I know the saying is what goes on tour stays on tour but we all must have wondered what it might be really like behind the scenes and nobody has done the job of telling tales out of school better than this trilogy of books. A life dedicated to the pursuits of Rock n Roll and getting to do that with some of the best and having three volumes of stories to tell is brilliant and the fact it’s so well written is a bonus. it’s like sitting in a pub and letting your mate Alvin tell his truth whilst you supply him with quality red wine. There have clearly been some huge highs as well as plenty of lows but life is for living and Alvin Gibbs has certainly done it and bought the T-shirt (probably off Charlie) as they say. What a fascinating read – Just in time for Christmas. Buy It!
Well, the night finally arrived half hoping it was a twisted joke and a massive prank but alas it wasn’t to be and true to their word The Hip Priests were about to pull the plug on their Ten Legged Rock Machine and sign off with a doubleheader in London and Nottingham. A sold-out Black Heart was the venue hosting the slow death of garage punk rock as we’ve known it for the last eighteen years and thankfully it was a sell-out as the faithful gathered to witness was to be a bitter night as we said goodbye in style to shit Islands finest most uncompromising exponents of loud zero fucks given, bastards sons and torch bearers of Lemmy, Ron Ashton and the MC5s just louder snivelling limey misfits.
I can’t remember how many times I’ve seen them over the years and all the lineups I’ve witnessed from Garry in his vest with Lee Love and his pork pie hat to skintight Tim, Lee and Austin playing slugfest without Von Cruz to another Slugfest which might well have been Von Cruz first gig or near enough where they potentially were never to be seen again after joining Ketamine Jesus’ cult to the ill fated Rebellion booking then covid to tonight and the farewell to the believers and zero fucks given to the haters or those who chose to not invest time or effort in the music..those who know know and we are the ones better off for giving a shit about this travelling circus of outsiders who just so happened to play some fucking awesome Garage punk rock n roll loudly.
Anyway on with the show. First up tonight were the former Bitch Queens Mel and Harry now fronting the hybrid rock n tecno Eurotrash by the name of the New Saints who played an impressive hardcore set of intense digital beats n techno tweaks mixed with Mels less Paul and Harry on vocals. Now it’s early days and I’d not heard many songs yet but this was half of Bitch Queens who rocked like fuck so whilst getting acquainted with the new direction I’m sure there will be more RPM column inches dedicated to these cut-off-wearing reprobates. If you’re looking for a reference point maybe a distorted hybrid of classic Alice Cooper meets Depeche Mode playing Turbonegro on Creaming Jesus’ stereo in between some Leather nun offcuts (imagine that whilst tripping your tits off) you might be heading in the right direction ‘No Hope’ is a banger.
They were followed by long-time stage sharers who happen to have some new music in the off but didn’t bring any to flog (the lazy sods). Flash House play an uncompromising brand of Motorhead meets Zeke meets The Hip Priests meets a dozen other noisy motherfuckers with a hard-rockin’ Roy Wood on lead guitar and vocals which is fantastic if you get it and I do. As the place got busy and the temperature got higher their wall of noise got more intense and it was great to hear the band after several years off the scene in fact the last time I might have been in the same venue as them was the pipeline supporting The Hip Priests at Deathtime Assembly and they haven’t changed a bit and nor should they. The world needs more Flash House. ‘Three Wise Monkeys’ is still a fuckin brutal killer track any day of the week.
Thankfully I found the air con and didn’t feel like I was about to crash and burn and turn into a puddle of sweat just in time for Sweden’s Scumbag Millionaire to take the compact confines of The Black Heart stage. The audience squeezed closer as the Swedes turned in a really impressive hard rockin’ piano tonkin set of killer high voltage rock n roll. I even took some real cash money (remember that?) to pick up some wax goodies from the merch booth but alas they also forgot to put copies of their records in with their y fronts n snakeskin boots ho hum it’s import taxes and high postage then because they’ve released some killer records over the years and this was a first time tonight for me and popping my Scumbag virginity was a sweet thing and they were every bit as impressive as I’d hoped they’d be.
With a sweaty packed out room they hammered out the keys and rocked like a beast and I only hope it’s not the last time I get to see them hit these shores. With a catalogue almost as impressive as tonight’s headliners There was so much to choose from and their set flew by as the band played faster and harder knowing that time was of the essence but if you’re going to have top-notch support bands then this line-up tonight was truly spectacular and very much appreciated and the audience was totally into Swedens finest. So until next time that’ll do very nicely it was like going back to when ‘Supershitty’ and ‘Total 13′ were forces to be reckoned with and the added keyboards were excellent. A top headline rockin’ band is Scumbag Millionaire you should check them out!
Right the time has come and some are emotional and some are playing it down but everyone will admit to being a little excited as to how this is going to unfold and how this machine will be terminated and the life support switched off. As I mentioned in my introduction I’ve been fortunate enough to have witnessed the band quite early in their journey and through many changes, especially the spinal tap like drummer situation and the amount of time we thought this is it the ladder has been dropped and the ascension to fame and fortune is around the next bend, as the fairly decent people of shit island catch up but alas, its all taken its toll and the latest EP, ‘We Become Nothing’ pressed on 10″ wax is to be the final nail in a bulging coffin of zero fuck given.
I wasn’t really bothered what tonight’s set consisted of or if any former members would get up n play I just wanted to have a good time and see the band kick ass and go out on top form still giving zero fucks but leaving a good-looking corpse. From the early songs dished out from ‘The Best Revenge’ through ‘Sha Na Nihilist’ followed by a breakneck version of ‘Gang Of One’ they weren’t messing about and tonight was already shaping up to be something special.
It was ironic that Von Cruz had trouble with the mic for ‘Zero Fucks Given’ but it didn’t matter at all it sounded great and the Spasm Gang were in fine voice anyway. I have to admit by the time they broke into ‘No Time’ they seemed to step it up a gear and this was one of those special moments you get from time to time and the full ten-minute marathon was more like a sprint with the minutes flying by and another memorable moment watching the Hip Priest was just locked in. Truly spectacular I’m glad I spent three figures on train fares and an overnight stay in a shitty over priced London Hotel I wouldn’t want to miss this for anything.
By the time we reached ‘Young Savage’ and Austin and Lee had said their goodbyes it did get a little emotional and there was still time to take it back and give it one last shot I know a room in Camden where the entire audience would be delighted with that choice.
We were done the band shuffled off the compact stage only to return and knock out ‘Sonic Reproducer’ and finally they went nuclear one last time for me on ‘Juiced’ and that was it Ronnie Spector filled the PA with her and Joey Ramones cover of ‘Can’t Put Your Arms Around A Memory’ and it was done we filed out of the sweaty upstairs room one last time and all disappeared into the smokey Camden Night air knowing we’d seen shit Islands mother fucker superiors one last time. They came they saw and they fuckin delivered time after time. It’s been emotional gentlemen now all please fuck off and make more music with other people and never ever darken our venues again with The Black Denim Blitz.
Eighteen years is a fuckin life sentence, there have been Spasm Gang members who didn’t make it and they were remembered with some fitting words, this little gang grew into a much larger gang it wasn’t of one but many but we were all united by one, one great underappreciated, noisy, fast, obnoxious, uncompromising, DIY, punk rock band Rest In Peace You Hip Priests – you beautiful bastards. Long Live The Mother fuckin’ Hip Priests! It was emotional and we shared some great times that can never be taken away but we still have the music. Play it loud and play it often brothers and sisters we were the lucky ones just remember that.
OK, kids let’s go for a ride. Strap yourselves in and wear your glad rags oh and bring a bottle. Twelve tracks of pure garage punk rock 100% proof. Highly inflammable and intoxicating. ‘Johnny’ is first up and as the tune sets the tone it creepy crawls into your ear and away we go.
‘Dallas Texas’ is like one of those bull rides in a pub in Benidorm as the music gets louder you spin around and around out of control but having the best of times and you don’t know why but as the beat gets faster and louder you’re enjoying it more. Hold on to your chaps because ‘Motorbike’ is a snare-rolling motherfucker over a scratched overdriven guitar and a howling good time. Like taking a load of drugs and trying to maintain dignity and appear sane and sober but inside you’re dancing like a crazy fucker and Thee Headshrinkers are making you do that.
The music twists and turns down dark alleys and all without the aid of a safety bat. ‘Derivative’ is exactly what it says on the tin. With a dank echoing guitar lick that is not second-hand but bought and sold over and over but tied into a Cramps echo and deadpan vocal it’s a real buzz and the solo is mesmerizing.
At times this Rock n Roll lark is a simple beast that just requires you to follow your heart and go baby go. Thats what Thee Headshrinkers do. I love the grunt and bottom end of that bass chug and the guitars are just overdriven six strings with a little effect whilst the drummer is fighting to keep up the tempo and sounding like any minute he could keel over but doesn’t.
Let some good-time Proto Punk – Garage punk rock n roll into your life and loosen your strides and cut loose because records like this can set you free and restore your faith in Rock n Roll. It’s loose baby and it’s all about the songs and how good they can make you feel – even in shitty times.
The single ‘Sunday Driver’ is a total banger. At times the vocal reminds me of a more with it Mark E Smith which isn’t a bad thing at all. But don’t think that Sunday Driver is an outlier there are plenty of twists and turns here that are equally as banging. Now can I go and see these live and in a small sweaty dry ice filled dive bar I promise to bring my own skimask. There’s even a song entitled ‘Mutha Fucka With A Chainsaw’ which is nice. In fact Iggy should get these on the bill next summer for Ally Pally I’m sure they’ll pick him up and drive him around old London town it’ll be a perfect match. Buy It!
The second time I’ve seen The Allstars in the Earl Haig this year and about the umpteenth time I’ve seen Jim Jones in one guise or another and I keep going back and each time they seem to get better and better. With a new drummer Lawrence joining the All-Stars tonight for the first time you’d never have guessed and to be fair to him he grasped the opportunity with both hands (quite literally) and led from the..back.
In Allstars time-honoured fashion we begin proceedings with a quick instrumental right lets get you on your feet first few minutes then bosh! let’s go. Tonight we had several new songs as well as a romp through Jim’s back catalogue as well as plenty of covers both familiar and most welcome new additions to the repertoire. ‘
Its always a welcome sound hearing an impeccable ‘Human Fly’ and Jones does a sterling job honouring the sadly departed Lux but the real trump card of this lineup is the horns, never mind the honkingly good piano or the more traditional Bass, guitars and drums combo. the horn section is exceptional and hearing them literally tearing up songs like the epic and groovy Thee Hypnotic classic ‘Shakedown’ is a truly beautiful thing.
The hour and some when the band were on stage the near-capacity hall was having a blast as ‘Run Run Run’ honoured the Velvet Undergrounds whilst the revue tunes raised the temperature ‘Burning Your House Down’ is always a welcome romp as is the Righteous Minds ‘Satan Got His Heart Set On You’.
It’s the newer Allstar cover of the funky ‘Troglodyte’ that works up a sweat before ‘The Greatest Love’ eases the heart rate for five minutes whilst the band are put through their paces before having some ‘Rock n Roll Psychosis’ take us to the encore.
The briefest interlude is had before the band is called back to the stage and The Beatles ‘Me And My Monkey’ gets its collective groove on. The familiar ‘Big Bird’ slinks into view before we have one last hurrah and it’s done. Another night of awesome Rock n Roll courtesy of Jim Jones Allstars now let’s get off the road thank you very much and get this follow-up album in the can and in my gruby hands and then we can do this all again next year thank you very much. Jim Jones Allstars is an honest and fair reflection of what’s on offer. If there was a better show in town this midweek evening then I never knew about it and I was fully aware that Nick Cave was down the road but I’m confident I had the better deal Hell Yeah! another phenomenal night of Raw, unadulterated, top-class Rock n Roll.
The Party Punk Darlings of Madrid, AmyJo Doh & The Spangles, release their new album, Spangle Landia, through Strap Originals on Friday 8th November on Red Vinyl, CD and digital download. It is available to order Here. A new single, Rock n’ Roll, is released the same day.
AmyJo Doh says of Rock n’ Roll: “This was originally called ‘Despedida Rock N Roll’… for me personally this is a goodbye to the past. The old fears and shadows and the parts of that person that no longer serve us. Whatever you are saying goodbye to, let’s give them a good squeeze, thank them for the lessons learned and then kiss them goodbye! No hard feelings! Just a lot of love, and of course…. A lotta LOTTA rock and roll!”
The video for Rock n’ Roll, directed by Pablo Lopez, is a performance video with the song’s narrative brought to life by Spanish actress Raquel Saiz. Rock n’ Roll is the second single along with Arise to be lifted from the album.
In true Spangle style, the album brings together various EPs and members of the extended Spangle family, yet the energy and message remain coherent. It’s an eclectic mix of great songs which explore themes of love, rebellion, personal freedom, …and Jamón. The band remains unapologetically versatile. As AmyJo says, “Punk is not a musical style, it’s an attitude…..Every song is a universe in its own right.”
AmyJo Doh & The Spangles have toured with The Libertines and Peter Doherty and will be announcing tour dates and festival appearances shortly. In the meantime, they will be playing the following shows in Spain:
NOVEMBER
16th Madrid – Vermut en FunHouse DECEMBER
13th Madrid – Sala Siroco FEBRUARY
20th Madrid – La Corriente MARCH
1st Zaragoza – Sala Creedence
21st Valencia – Sala Black Note
AmyJo Doh & The Spangles were formed in 2016 and inhabiting the beautiful, sometimes grubby streets of Madrid, they have quickly become a force to be reckoned within the underground scene. Led by the dynamic AmyJo Doherty, Peter Doherty’s older and on occasions, wiser sister, they released their debut album, Calle de Spangles, in 2018 and have since carved out a unique space for themselves with their eclectic sound and captivating stage presence. AmyJo’s music is an exciting blend of punk, rock, and indie, infused with her distinctive voice and powerful lyrics.
AmyJo Doh & The Spangles’ message is a joyful one and they want to share it live and LOUD! So, listen to the album, buy it, sing it, and share it; but whatever you do, don’t miss their show when it comes to town. It’s an experience you won’t want to miss.
The Spangles are: AmyJo Doherty (vocals) David Lancho (guitar) German Moderno (bass) Matty Tyack (drums)
Regular readers will need no introduction to Joe A Maddox and his merry men. Over the last couple of years, he’s been busy writing and developing his Continental Lovers from a project to a full band. In that respect, he shares some common ground with his ex-Breakdowns band mate Matt Julian, now of The Speedways.
One of the downsides of living in France is that I’m unlikely to see the Lovers boys on a stage any time soon. However, you lucky people can see them across the UK supporting Spike’s Quireboys and The Dogs D’amour in Nov/December, as well as performing some headline gigs.
Of the 13 tracks here, you may already be familiar with previous releases, such as ‘Tape Deck’ which well and truly kicks things off. “Take a C90 and put it in your tape deck..” There’s a hint of The Vapors, a whiff of 1979, which is fine by me. If they’d been around at the time, I’d probably have had ‘Continental Lovers’ scrawled on my pencil case.
‘St. Joan’ is their punchy tribute to Ms Jett, you can almost smell the black leather, while ‘Really Doesn’t Matter’ is two minutes of power pop that is reminiscent of early Cheap Trick and The Speedways, so, quite a treat. ‘Paraffin Lips’ and ‘Tattered Star’ have already done the rounds chez moi, short stabs that are fun to return to, but I’m really absorbed in the new songs, particularly ‘Connection’, which will give The Dogs D’amour a run for their money on the upcoming tour. With the legendary (round here) Willie Dowling providing keyboards and knob twiddling (in the studio), they’ve thrown everything at this tune; castanets, handclaps and a solo worthy of J D Bradfield, and it works in their favour.
‘Make Up Your Mind’ will keep Uncle Dom Daley happy in the cover version quota, a faithful take on the Stiv Bators classic. ‘Outta Sight’ throws a little Buzzcocks into the mix with the melody line solo. “These Lovers are outta sight” is their motto, young and full of it, as is only right. They also make the effort to look like a band, which people seem embarrassed to do nowadays. Flaunt it!
‘Wedding Song’ and ‘The Girl’ offer a more introspective, acoustic sound. Quality melancholy, with shades of Tom Petty. ‘Dale Arden’ is an ode to Flash Gordon’s paramour/heroine of the silver screen, another addictive tune, while ‘Let’s Go Out Tonight’ flys by in a blur of Ramones-style intent.
Available on digital platforms from 15th November, the CD is out on 13th December via Cadiz Music/Real Vision Records. Check their Facebook page for the upcoming tour dates, folks. These songs were made to be played live, so don’t miss out. You’re gonna love it.
Rock’n’roll revivalists Split Dogs are doing things the old way and the best way. This is not a band content to sit behind laptop screens, fifteen second viral videos or digital marketing campaigns to spread their noise. No, Split Dogs are true road warriors, almost physically incapable of turning down a gig, they’ve spent the last few months playing every conceivable stage, space and venue to spread the word as they approach the release of their second album ‘Here To Destroy’, due for release February 28th via Venn Records.
And it’s working. The reputation for their own firebrand of frenzied, high-voltage rock ‘n’ roll is spreading fast and wide throughout the punk rock community and beyond and Split Dogs gigs are fast becoming eagerly anticipated events.
Today, the band follow previous singles ‘And What?’ and ‘Monster Truck’ with a brand new two-minute killer titled ‘Precious Stones.’
“The song shines a spotlight on the people that imply false authority in society based on their job title or financial position,” explains guitarist Mil Martinez. “From the obvious traffic wardens all the way up to entitled yoga instructors, nothing burns worse than being falsely reprimanded by another adult so they can attempt to assume dominance over you.”
Musically ‘Precious Stones’ drives along at a storming rate, building in power as it progresses, with singer Harry Atkins the architect of the intensity. The accompanying video conveys just that. Focused solely on Harry’s face, it’s an unflinching, uncompromising experience.
“The precious stones video was all about intensity, and hard intent,” continues Mil. “There’s no escape, feeling like it’s just you in the room and Harry has you cornered. Relentlessly demanding that you answer the question ‘why does it burn?’
Born from the frustration of seeing music become commodified and soulless, vocalist Harry Atkins and guitarist Mil Martinez had the idea to form a band as far back as 2015, with the name ‘Split Dogs’ pulled from the classic zombie film ‘Return of the Living Dead’.
In South London, a young Martinez would hear Status Quo, Bachman Turner Overdrive and Dire Straits on the car radio while his father drove him to school. At home he would invade his older brothers’ record collection which leaned towards the harder sounds of punk and heavy metal. Meanwhile in the Black Country, Harry’s mother instilled a love of Northern Soul, Slade and rock’n’roll, with stories of nights out at Club Lafayette and family singalongs at home. According to Martinez, “Our sound is a culmination of all those early influences and, to be honest, it really shows.”
It wasn’t until 2022 that Split Dogs officially arrived on the scene with bass player Suez Boyle joining the band in 2023. Already a prominent figure in the queer punk scene, Suez played the first ever Rebellion Festival at the tender age of 16 with her band The Walking Abortions. Up until that point, drummer Chris Hugall, an old friend of Martinez and former member of ska punks Mouthwash (signed to Rancid’s label Hellcat back in the day), was only on hand to help design artwork. It wasn’t until 2024 Hugall joined the band full-time cementing the current line-up.
The raucous live shows and infectious lyrics saw the four-piece make a name for themselves among the punks of Bristol, a scene that has always welcomed LGBTQ+ and marginalised people. As word spread, so did the gigging, and soon enough Split Dogs were playing to sold out rooms in mainland Europe, eventually grabbing the attention of UK label Venn Records (Gallows, Bob Vylan, High Vis).
‘Here to Destroy’ was recorded over three days at Middle Farm Studios by producer Peter Miles. All tracks were laid straight to a 16-track reel-to-reel tape machine, no autotune, no effects pedals, no computers. To add to the music’s authenticity, the album was recorded live, with Harry singing along in a vocal booth. No cutting and pasting, just nailing takes. According to Martinez, “It was a blast! We fully immersed ourselves, sleeping in a small apartment below the studio, cooking meals and listening to Pete’s extensive record collection”.
As the album title makes clear, Split Dogs are here to destroy, but they’re also here to rebuild and remind us of music’s essence. “We’re not beholden to the digital age, we don’t want to get famous on social media, we just want to show the world that rock’n’roll is alive and well”.
Split Dogs are:
Harry Atkins – vocals (they/them)
Mil Martinez – guitar (he/him)
Chris Hugall – drums (he/him)
Suez Boyle – bass (she/her)
Catch Split Dogs live at the following dates:
05/11 Exchange Bristol w/Zeke 06/11 Water Rats, London w/Desperate Measures 16/11 Phoenix, Exeter w/Sham 69 6/12 Railway inn, Redditch 7/12 Workman’s Cellar, Dublin 20/12 King Arther, Glastonbury 21/12 Cavern, Exeter w/GBH 29/12 Electric Bar, Bath
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