KING’S X EUROPEAN TOUR CANCELLED DUE TO FAMILY EMERGENCY

KING’S X EUROPEAN TOUR CANCELLED DUE TO FAMILY EMERGENCY

It is with our deepest apologies that we must announce that due to a family emergency, King’s X will be cancelling their upcoming European Tour, including their appearance at the Veruno Prog Rock Festival in Italy.

We are truly heartbroken that we will not be able to see all of our European fans, as we have been clamouring for these dates since we announced them. We would like the fans and all those concerned to know the band is ok, please respect the band’s privacy and please give them some time. We are doing everything in our power to reschedule the tour for 2020. (More news to come).

Tickets will remain valid for the new dates or refunds can be obtained from the point of sale.  ]

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans” – JL

Die A Legend – Winning (Loyal Blood Records)

Die A Legend – Winning (Loyal Blood Records)

Sometimes, Just sometimes Hardcore is like heaven sent ear candy and the moment the chaos and brutality hit the ether it just resonates with you. Well, Die A Legend just did that to me.  I wasn’t in the mood for some loud, uncompromising hardcore pounding my peace and quiet but it did and I just sat back and marveled at its beauty.

The last time that happened to me was when I stumbled across Fireburn and they kicked the shit out of my ears as well. Funnily enough Bloodclot! did the same.  Now I don’t profess to be a hardcore connoisseur but I am very partial to some Pizzatramp and I also read that these guys toured with The Good The Bad And The Zugly so my attention was immediately grabbed because I love those guys.

Die A Legend is known among hardcore connoisseurs as Norway’s best-kept secret. The band started making noise back in 2011, rivaling bands within the infamous scene that was ‘Tromsø Hardcore’ – and released their critically acclaimed self-titled debut album in 2012.

In September, the Tromsø-based trio is back with their first release in six years,  A hardcore and contemporary commentary on the state of things right here right now.  From the opening strains of ‘Liars’ this bass throbbing heaving mass of hardcore riffs is straight down the line hardcore from the slow heaving intro before the vocal yelp in and the pace is raised towards the chorus where the gang vocals join in before falling back to the heaving riff-a-rama.

‘Bloodthurst’ is off like a sprinter being chased over hurdles by a pack of rabid dogs. The band is taking no prisoners at all and just dropping their heads and going for it! Harcore of the finest quality you should check this out if you know what’s good for you.  Pizzatramp, Clowns and Die A Legend should tour it would be lethal. Hardcore mana from heaven – get some!

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Author: Dom Daley

LAUREN TATE – ‘WHAT ABOUT THE KIDS’

LAUREN TATE – ‘WHAT ABOUT THE KIDS’

Pisces baby born 1997, Lauren Tate is a singer-songwriter, producer, director and artist from South Yorkshire, England. Growing up the eldest of three, Tate was a secondary school dropout, writing and self producing music from her bedroom from the age of 15. Delving into many musical genres, singing both hard-rock/grunge-punk in her current band Hands Off Gretel, Tate most recently stripped back to a softer, raw Americana sad-pop sound with her first solo album in 5 years, ‘Songs for Sad Girls’.

‘Songs for Sad Girls’ will be released on 20th September on her own label Trash Queen Records (UK), Tate recorded and self-produced 11 of the 14 tracks in her home studio.

“I planned to get my album produced by someone when I could afford it, but there was a certain magic and honesty captured in my recordings that I knew would really move people. My lyrics are honest and brutal with songs about domestic abuse, body image, feminism and fear of dying. I wanted it to sound like a girl writing in her diary, unapologetic and imperfect like real girls are.”

​

‘What About the Kids’ is the 2nd single from the debut album and is released today, alongside a new music video directed by Lauren. ”The song is from a child’s point of view speaking to her father addressing gun violence in America. I wanted the song to highlight issues around gun control and the importance of children’s future in a world where nobody is listening to them. I wrote this song to sing for those that won’t ever get the chance to do so.”

Lauren not only self-produced and recorded all instruments on her debut album she designed all the album artwork and merchandise too. Described by BBC Introducing presenter Christian Carlisle as a ‘One Woman Record label’.

Pre-order the album Here

For fans of: P!nk, Sia, Lana Del Rey, Janis Joplin, Courtney Love, Soko,

PJ Harvey, Lorde, Amy Winehouse, Fiona Apple, Amanda Palmer + Joss Stone

Find Lauren Tate online at:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Buy it Here

Author: Johnny Hayward

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

 

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Author: Dom Daley

Buy NNN Here

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

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

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

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

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

 

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Perry Farrell – Kind Heaven (BMG)

Perry Farrell – Kind Heaven (BMG)

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

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

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

 

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

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

Buy ‘Kind Heaven’ Here

Author: Dom Daley

Queen Zee – ‘S/T’

Queen Zee – ‘S/T’

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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Buy Queen Zee Here

Author: Ben Hughes

SMALLTOWN TIGERS announce the release of their debut single

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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