Royal Republic proudly presents ”Fireman & Dancer”, the newest and arguably sexiest member in our armada of relentless moodboosters! Packed with guitar-riffs the size of Mount Everest, pow-pow-pounding rhythms and lyrics that make Dr. Feelgood himself sweat bullets – it is your solution to, well, everything!
Fireman & Dancer is the first song out of the gate from the forthcoming full-length album ”Club Majesty” – scheduled for release on May 31st 2019.
Pre-Order of ”Club Majesty” – PRE ORDER Royal Republic are also happy to announce our joining forces with the amazingly talented people at Arising Empire / Nuclear Blast!
Already picking up admirers such as BBC Radio 6 and BBC introducing I Am Lono sound like the real deal with a cold as steel exterior yet it just covers a boiling hot center borrowing from masters of the dark post-punk synth rockers like The Cure and The Mission there is also a healthy amount of pop via the likes of Japan and Bauhaus.
You have the heaving thump of the bass guitar on the sparse ‘Lovers’ with its mechanical drum thud and bass throb it has the echoey vocals and synth layering the song until after the chorus when it soars as the guitar takes over. Huge sounding record and to be fair a really impressive track too.
Let’s not jump the gun here and rewind to the opener ‘America’. There is a real familiarity to this one – sounds like a dark Visage (if I might be so bold). I love the bands I’ve mentioned in my introduction and there are shades of all of them in this for sure and ‘America’ reminds me of the post 90’s period Bowie. Call it art rock or post-punk synth pop I couldn’t care less its captured superbly and the moody ‘Abigail’ sounds huge and should rightfully turn heads as people will sit up and take notice. The production and songwriting is excellent with the songs being really well arranged and none of them outstay their welcome with just the right amount of Guitars and Synth and great vocals throughout. In fact, Mr. Hussey could do a lot worse than check these out and maybe take them on tour with him, his audience would love this.
Available on 10″ vinyl maybe its time to embrace your dark side and get a headful of I Am Lono you might be very pleasantly surprised.
It might just be the new way in which old Rockers like to do things as Backstreet Girls knock out a brand new track via digital platforms. ‘Angel Face’ is released today from the Oslo Rockers and is the first new music from the band since ‘Don’t Mess With My Rock And Roll’ came out in 2017.
The La Guns are in the house and this time they look and sound happy as pigs in shit and that my friends is reflected in the music. Now I won’t ever shy away from letting people know how much I love hearing Phil Lewis sing and that goes way back when he was in Girl right through the mighty Torme and into LA Guns who for me were never really part of the heart of cock rock or hair metal although they’ve picked up the flag and ran with it through their career no doubt about it. The La Guns have always been a bit more than that. they always had a certain spirit about them for me that’s a flame that burns bright inside Mr. Lewis’ heart always has always will no doubt.
I wouldn’t want to speak for the band but when they did the cuts CD way back they opened up their heart and having Queen alongside Generation X and Hanoi Rocks confirmed for me that my judgment was right. I’ve not always loved everything they’ve done not at all but I’ve always been drawn back and like an old friend hoping that they still have that spark and can deliver and feeling smug when I can nod my head that the LA Guns are in the house and they’re as good as they ever were and that’s also better than most of their competition and pretty much all the so-called hair metal or cock rock bands. There was always something about seeing that logo that gets the blood pumping and with this being their 30th year together it feels like they have their mojo intact and are chomping at the bit playing constantly and honing their tunes to reach this point so as the metaphorical needle drops I get ready to dive head first into the new long player ‘ The Devil You Know’.
Kicking off with the lead track ‘Rage’ is everything you want to hear a great big dirty stinking riff that’s biting and snarling and sounds like a band that’s hungry as fuck! great vocal too. Woohoo! LA Guns are in the house boy! They weren’t joking when they said they were going to capture Zepplin and The Hellacopters in a bottle and shake it up.
The next few tracks are upbeat and varied just like LA Guns of old sure Tracii is playing like his life depends on it but it does sound like he’s playing off the rest of the band and the rhythm is solid and tight and on the grinding title track they have groove for sure. ‘Needle To The Bone’ has a great ‘guns melody and I’m a sucker for those gang vocals. ‘Going High’ is certainly in that Zepplin riff ballpark it sounds huge. ‘Gone Honey’ clocks in just under six minutes but takes the listener on an epic journey and I’m all ears as Lewis tells his story on top of some really cool riff-a-rama. More than a touch of old Alice Cooper here.
As we are flying through the albums eleven tracks I have to say that whilst it’s no bullshit Rock n Roll I’m loving it and it sounds fresh and there is a tonne of energy captured throughout the record. This album is coming out swinging and this is up there with their best – I kid you not. Without a ballad in sight, we reach the penultimate cut for something even remotely slow or balladlike although the title might give you a glimpse into how this is heading ‘Another Season In Hell’ is pissed off and spitting feathers along the same lines as ‘Over The Edge’ if you’re looking for a pointer, Lewis delivers a magnificent vocal and turns the clock back and shows his peers how to belt out a passionate vocal and then for Guns to set fire to his fretboard – was that really over six minutes long? an epic slice of driving hard rock n roll to end the album proper but wait they turn up the amps one more time and let rip with ‘Boom’.
To be fair I enjoyed that more than I thought I was going to and without the slightest hesitation I’d recommend it to anyone who ever bought an LA Guns record and thought their best was long behind them because this is right up there with the first couple. If this is Cock Rock then I’m fuckin’ having me some because maybe it is better ‘The Devil You Know’ if the devil you know is this good. Turn it up!
MUCH ACCLAIMED UK PUNK OUTFIT RESURGE WITH NEW SINGLE!
‘Sink’ is released today
EIGHT DAYS produce radiating melodic hardcore woven around crushing rhythms and towering vocals. Evoking the guile and power of Rise Against, Pianos Become The Teeth, Black Peaks and Comeback Kid, this South London quartet are primed to break through to the upper echelons of the UK scene.
EIGHT DAYS originally made waves in 2016 for their debut EP, ‘More To Life’. The record rallied support from Kerrang! Radio, Pure Grain Audio, and Alt Corner. However, internal changes within the group disrupted their ascendance. The band took some time out, regrouped with new members and then triumphantly returned with a stunning single, Stray, at the end of last year. The single received extensive acclaim and backing from Kerrang Radio, Punktastic, New Noise Magazine, Moshville, and Maximum Volume Music.
EIGHT DAYS will now up the ante even further with their new single, ‘Sink’. Accompanied by a nifty concept video, this track is the band’s best work to date. The band comment about the creation of the single: “Recording ‘Sink’ was great, it was the second new song we’d done so it was good to feel at home with the process. Lyrically it’s about hitting rock bottom, hence the name. The most meaningful songs come from real situations you face in life and this song’s lyrics surfaced from a recent low point. Writing songs about these situations isn’t all doom and gloom though, getting to play them live is a real outlet.”
Look out for the melodic hardcorers as they plan to tour extensively. With further releases in the pipeline, EIGHT DAYS are sure to be one of the break-out bands of 2019.
The Get Up Kids today announced their first full-length album in eight years, ‘Problems’ – produced by Grammy Award-winner Peter Katis (Kurt Vile, The National) – will be released May 10th on Big Scary Monsters. The first video from the album is ‘Satellite’ watch it below.
‘Problems’ is now available for pre-order HERE. The band today also announced two shows at this year’s SXSW:
The band also play at SXSW: 3/13 – Austin, TX – The Mohawk – Polyvinyl Record Co. / Double Double Whammy / Big Scary Monsters + Friends Showcase (11:45 PM) Facebook
Problems examines everything from a life-changing loss to loneliness to the inevitable anxiety of existing in 2019. But by sustaining the essence of their sound – anthemic choruses with sing-along-ready melodies -The Get Up Kids highlight those troubles as a shared experience, giving way to unbreakable solidarity. And at the heart of Problems is an invaluable element the band’s embodied since their 1997 debut Four Minute Mile: a penetrating lyricism that’s both acutely introspective and indelibly resonant.
The follow-up to 2018’s acclaimed EP, Kicker, Problems came to life in Bridgeport, Connecticut, with the band – Matt Pryor, Jim Suptic (guitars/vocals), Rob Pope (bass), Ryan Pope (drums), and James Dewees (keys) – holing up together for a three-week span. Working with Katis, The Get Up Kids took a characteristically riff-driven yet decidedly pop-minded approach to song structure, while also allowing themselves a new sense of creative freedom.
Through the years, The Get Up Kids have purposely pushed themselves toward previously unexplored songwriting material. “I’m 41 now, I could never write a song like when I was 19 – all those ‘I miss my girlfriend’ kind of songs” Suptic says. “It’s always important to us to write about wherever we are right now.” As shown on Problems, the resulting output both preserves the beloved spirit of The Get Up Kids and creates an entirely new context for their music. “A big part of the reason why we started writing new songs in the first place is that we have things we want to say about this moment in time,” says Pryor. “We’re still so connected to our past and where this all came from – it’s definitely a celebration of the fact that we still get to do this.”
The Get Up Kids also play Slam Dunk North on 25th May and Slam Dunk South on 26th May
ALL-STAR LINE-UP ANNOUNCED FOR 2ND VIVE LE ROCK AWARDS MARCH 27th AT LONDON’S 02 ACADEMY
THE STRANGLERS CONFIRMED TO HEADLINE!
Today, the AEG Vive Le Rock Awards can reveal that the headline act this year will be Guildford rock legends The Stranglers, who will be attending to pick up an award and to perform a very special set!
Killing Joke and Lee Thompson from Madness are now also confirmed to pick up awards. These join ‘70s glam rock queen Suzi Quatro, Glen Matlock and Friends, Ed Tudor-Pole and Steve Diggle/Pauline Murray’s Pete Shelley (Buzzcocks) tribute to play, alongside the final solo performance of Barrie Masters (Eddie And The Hot Rods).
Wednesday March 27th sees the second AEG Vive Le Rock Awards taking place at London’s O2 Academy. Following an internet-breaking debut in 2018 with a special performance from The Damned and Friends, Shakin’ Stevens and more, this year’s AEG Vive Le Rock promises an all-star line-up of performers and legendary presenters gathered under one roof for one night only.
‘70s icon Suzi Quatro will be joining us as she celebrates the release of her brand new album ‘No Control’. Glen Matlock and Friends will be tearing the house down with an exclusive hit-packed set and there will be a very special tribute to the Buzzcocks’ Pete Shelley courtesy of Steve Diggle and Pauline Murray.
Not only that, but we will be bringing you the ultimate final solo performance from Barrie Masters of Eddie And The Hot Rods and also our top secret extra special headline band which we will be revealing online in the days running up to the awards.
The night will be compered by Ed Tudor-Pole, who will also be performing a clutch of his classic songs.
Tickets are strictly limited for this unique show and are available now via Ticketmaster.co.uk. There are also a limited number of special VIP tickets for purchase, which include a glass of prosecco on arrival, a pre-awards party and mixing with the stars, a Vive Le Rock annual, a limited edition 2019 Vive Le Rock Awards T-shirt and after-awards party access.
In a world of beige bands and radio stations that force feed the masses with bland, manufactured music that has nothing to say, alternative rock is well and truly underground.
We need rock stars, we need larger than life characters. We need songwriters and performers that do have something to say and are prepared to deliver the goods. More than ever grassroots, DIY bands need our help as it’s a freakin’ jungle out there, a day to day struggle for a band to stay alive.
The recent PledgeMusic debacle has not helped matters. Being fucked over by the very platform you have put trust in to get your music direct to your fan base is possibly the worst thing that could have happened to Hands Off Gretel, at the most important time of their career.
The band is out of pocket and the fans are out of pocket. But where there’s a will there’s a way. The world needs to hear this album and with the help of their fans, Hands Off Gretel have maybe succeeded in being even more independent than they ever dreamed of.
The title of Hands Off Gretel’s sophomore album says a lot about the attitude of their singer, chief songwriter and resident art co-ordinator Lauren Tate. Planning world domination from her bedroom in South Yorkshire since she could probably hold a crayon, this girl has ambition and she knows what she wants. Hours and hours listening to Hole, The Distillers and Pink. Creating artwork, writing lyrics and dreaming that one day she will show those who bullied and those who put her down that she could succeed…that she could be somebody.
While their debut album ‘Burn The Beauty Queen’ was a lo-fi, grunge obsessed ride, Hands Off Gretel have taken things up a notch with ‘I Want The World’. The hooks are more instant, the choruses stick like glue and the guitars are even more furious than before.
The change was evident in the first single and album opener ‘Kiss Me Girl’. An ode to lesbian desire, with a killer hook that adds a commercial element to Lauren’s inner Brody Dalle. It’s a game-changer of a song that takes their post-grunge/alt 90’s sound to another level. It’s the blueprint for their new sound and the perfect anthem for angst-ridden teens who feel alienated from the world.
And this is where Hands Off Gretel have a serious advantage. They appeal to a disenchanted youth, as they are still a part of that demographic. Lauren especially, while cute and diminutive, has a fire in her belly and can pen angst fuelled lyrics as well as her peers ever have. She has real stuff to write about. Kids will relate to her lyrics, girls will want to be her, boys will want to be with her. They are a poster band for the new generation.
The recent change shows a new confidence and self-assurance from a band who I have been watching evolve. With the recent addition of Becky Baldwin on bass, the band look and feel like a cohesive unit live. With two strong female characters and long-standing members Sean Bon (guitar) and Sam Hobbins (drums), it all just seems to have gelled.
Anyway, I digress. The previously released singles/videos were enough to whet the appetite with their No Doubt meets L7 vibes. ‘S.A.S.S’ is a dirt-smeared and groovy, dancefloor filler with a killer chorus. Exciting, sassy and cool as you like. The title track is a big middle finger to the naysayers. “I’m the rudest, I’m the cutest, I’m the one that hurts” she croons before exploding in a helium induced diatribe. With furious guitar work from Sean, it’s a song full of angst and fire. It could be their best work to date.
In total contrast, the following ‘Blame Myself’ is more commercial, slicker. In the verses, Lauren is sounding more like her heroine Pink than ever before. In a similar way, ‘It’s My Fault’ has that same pop suss, that great use of sugary sweet melodies. ‘Freaks Like Us’ is a cleverly penned anthem for a disenchanted youth, a song that demands you hold your lighter in the air.
This move towards a more commercial sound is a natural songwriting progression for a girl who has been finding her feet as a songwriter, not just a singer over the past couple of years.
The grungy vibes are omnipresent. With its guttural, screamo vibes, wah-wah infused guitars and pumping bass, ‘Milk’ is a mash-up of ‘Heart Shaped Box’ meets ‘Pretend We’re Dead’. And the hyper album closer ‘Rot (All The Good Things)’ is a final shot of adrenaline to the vein, as it has one of the most instant and memorable hooks you will hear this year.
Whether its shades of KatieJane Garside craziness, Pink’s spot on pop suss or the angst of Courtney Love and Brody Dalle, Lauren Tate’s vocals and melodies are the driving force behind one of the most exciting underground bands we have here in the UK. Punk infused angst with fuzzy guitars, loud/quiet nineties vibes, dreamy pop anthems with lush backing vocals. Yep, with the songs and the style to match, they got the whole package, baby!
In 2019 it’s fair to say rock stars are a dying breed, especially the female role models. You wanna know who has the balls to fit into Joan Jett’s leather jacket? Who has the “fuck you” attitude of Courtney or L7? Well, with a mass of two-tone dreads, khol smeared eyes and ruby red lips, a diminutive Yorkshire lass is happily being Alice In Grungeland every day of the week and it’ll take more than PledgeMusic to destroy Lauren Tate’s dreams of world domination. Are you man enough to follow her down the rabbit hole?
Peters heads out on epic winter tour around the UK and back again. Beginning on October 3rd 2019, The Alarm lead singer and songwriter Mike Peters, will present The Alarm – Hurricane of Change 30th Anniversary Acoustic Tour throughout the UK (see dates below), performing in many British towns that have never featured on previous tour itineraries!The tour will honour The Alarm’s late 1980’s trilogy of iconic album’s ‘Eye Of The Hurricane’, ‘Electric Folklore’ and ‘Change’, and will feature intimate acoustic arrangements of some of The Alarm’s most famous songs such as Rain In The Summertime (1987 – International Top 20 Hit), Sold Me Down The River (1989 – Number 1 Rock Song in the USA) and A New South Wales (1990 UK Top 40), alongside a host of Alarm standards as captured on the 1988 live album ‘Electric Folklore’ including ‘Spirit Of ’76’ and ‘Blaze Of Glory’.
“This tour presents a great opportunity to share The Alarm’s music in some new towns and many great new venues across the UK”, says Mike Peters. “The Alarm has always had a tremendous rapport with people from all over Britain, and this time I’ll be making the journey to some of those places whose people normally have to travel to hear our music. Along the way, I’m looking forward to playing in all kinds of auditoriums from theatres to churches, arts centers to music studios. I can’t wait.”
Tickets for the Hurricane Of Change Tour will go on sale this Friday, March 8th from 10 am UK Time.
03.10.19 ABERDARE Coliseum
04.10.19 FLEET The Harlington
05.10.19 COLCHESTER Arts Centre
11.10.19 HOLMFIRTH Picturedrome
12.10.19 SELBY Town Hall
19.10.19 CRICKHOWELL Clarence Hall
23.10.19 BROMSGROVE Artrix
24.10.19 SWINDON Arts Centre
25.10.19 KINGSKERSWELL Church
26.10.19 NEWBURY Arlington Arts
31.10.19 TRING The Court Theatre
01.11.19 NEWBRIDGE Memo
02.11.19 PORTSMOUTH Wedgewood Rooms
03.11.19 SHREWSBURY Theatre Severn
08.11.19 DERBY The Venue
09.11.19 DARWEN Library Theatre
14.11.19 BURY The Met
15.11.19 GATESHEAD The Sage Theatre
19.11.19 LIVERPOOL Epstein Theatre
20.11.19 LEEDS Brudenell
21.11.19 EDINBURGH The Caves
22.11.19 ABERDEEN The Lemon Tree
23.11.19 PERTH Joan Knight Studio
29.11.19 STOWMARKET John Peel Centre
30 years ago, as Mike Peters undertook a creative song-writing journey through the heart of his home country – Wales and across the UK, the Berlin Wall would fall and Europe itself, would plunge into a period of enormous and seismic change. Caught in the middle of this political maelstrom, Mike Peters and the Alarm recorded the albums ‘Eye of The Hurricane’ (1987), Electric Folklore (1988), and ‘Change’ (1989), each of which would, in their own way, capture the essence of these most turbulent times.
The Hurricane of Change tour will be performed solo with a first set dedicated to ‘Eye Of The Hurricane’ followed by a second performance of songs from the ‘Change’ album then a third set featuring music from The Alarm’s classic live recording ‘Electric Folklore”.
“I have always seen these three albums as an Alarm trilogy”, says Mike Peters. “A lot happened to the band and the world, during the writing and recording sessions from 1987-1990. As one decade bled into another, the themes of response and resolve to contend with uncertain times are running through the core of each and every album. Played together these songs tell their own story, and with the tumultuous times Europe and the World can expect to face in the coming months and years, are still as relevant today as when they were first written.”
Before a single note is played well before the disc is near the player the first thing you notice is how much has gone into the package of this CD. Like a little book it’s hardback and has page after page of pictures and lyrics which is not only impressive but shows that they’re people give a shit about their music and their attention to detail isn’t slapdashash but lovingly cared for which shows what beign passionate can do before a note is played.
Right that my introduction over. ‘When?’ is a fairly solid introduction its stright handsdown punk rock its nothing experimental or sub genre of a subgenre just good time honest punk rock. Now ‘I Love You’ is everythign the opener isn’t. whilst its got a bit of a skank happening and a groove or a rhythm that isn’t a million miles from Jaya The Cat if it were played by the Levellers if you can imagine that for a second?
As the album evolves the band gets their Jig on with some bouncy quick paced alternative punk rock as displayed on ‘Peace Or War’. Whilst ‘Cynical’ introduces some acoustic guitars to the mix and this is where the band works best for me. sure it’s in that Levellers ballpark or even a hint of New Model Army they get a little playful with their skanking ‘Mushrooms’. They entertain with a bit of Rock-a-billy on ‘Mr. I’m Alright Jack’ then back to the acoustic guitars for ‘My Own War’ which again displays their best work and the style I think really suits the band and works really well with the folk meets punk style.
There’s a lot of music to plough through with sixteen songs on offer and the songs tend to jump from style to style with Headsticks not wanting to be tied to one but for me they work best when performing the acoustic punk style rather than the rock of ‘Smoke And Mirrors’ but its no biggie not taking to one song or other with this much on offer. There is even time for some poetry with the excellent ‘Out Of Fashion’.
They could have warned me that they use a Bo-Jo tape on ‘Family Tree’ that almost caused me to bring up me dinner but I wholeheartedly agree with their sentiment. Then to follow it up with the best song on the album ‘All Of The Trees’ which reminds me of Tim Smith. I also had a moment where the flow of the record touches on some Strummer at times which is always welcome.
If there wasn’t enough bang for your buck they close the CD with the epic eleven minutes of extra time that is ‘Baboon Shepherd’ what a choon guys Baboon would be proud knowing that some cheeky monkeys from the North Of England penned a tune about him. STP know what a lot of people like and Headsticks I’m sure will fly out the door. Don’t keep em in the dark get on it.
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