To celebrate the 6th anniversary of The Boys critically acclaimed album “Punk Rock Menopause” as well as the album track “I’m A Believer” passing a quarter of a million plays on Spotify, Action Records will release a Special Limited Edition yellow & black marbled vinyl copy on 20 June 2020. The release is strictly limited to 100 individually numbered copies. This Limited Edition will also come with a free mp3 download of the whole album.
Action Records will also release “Punk Rock Menopause” on regular black vinyl, the original black vinyl release having been unavailable for four years.
On its release “Punk Rock Menopause” became The Boys first new studio album for 33 years and featured original founder members and creative core of Matt Dangerfield, Casino Steel and Honest John Plain. The album is packed with 13 iconic songs bearing the band’s classic trademark blistering guitars, hard-edged melodies, killer hooks and layered harmonies.
“If you love music, give this album a home. This Menopause is red hot!” – Rice Cooker
“Matt Dangerfield, Casino Steel, and Honest John Plain, the writing nucleus of arguably the greatest punk-pop-power-pop band of all time, are back!” – Audio Ammunition
“Comeback Album of the Year!” – Soundtrack 4 Life
“Album title of the year” – Classic Rock
“Ringing guitars, booming drums & bass, punk swagger and grit, mixed with pure pop melodies, vocal harmonies and most importantly great songs – A scorcher!” – Nippertown
“Power chord riffs, harmonies and titanic choruses were always this outfit’s stock in trade and they’re not about to skimp on them now” – Vive Le Rock
“It’s absolutely great, everything you’d expect from The Boys” – Bucket List
“With the opening chords of ‘1976’ you recognise that distinctive guitar sound and when the vocals start, it takes you right back to the glory days of 1978. One catchy song after another, full of simple effective melodies, lovely harmony vocals, great chugging guitar and winning vocals” – Punky Gibbon
“The Boys are indeed back in town, and it sounds better than ever” – New Noise Magazine
As an ex-Bedfordian, I have a soft spot for the local rockabilly boys The Broadway Twisters. It’s a tough musical niche to do well, and they really do excel at what they do. Fans of The Urban Voodoo Machine will know Twisters main man Adrian Stranik from regular stints with Paul-Ronney Angel’s gang. He’s been fine-tuning the Twisters for a few years, since the end of his previous band, The Silver Brazilians. So, if you dig the scene, let’s jump in…
‘Night Tripper’ sets the pace, and should get you up and bopping. It could, in the best way imaginable, be 1956. Fast and lean. ‘Fender Car Disaster’ is John Lee Hooker on amphetamines, ‘You Give Me Nothing’ is as good as three chords gets; they are clearly loving every minute of it. ‘Girl With A Gretsch’ adds a touch of Mr Cash via Bill Mann’s bass.
‘The Madness Of Suzuki Seijun’, with accompanying video, gives a taste of their style. ‘Probably North Street’ features harmonica from another UVM buddy, Long John, and keeps it’s cool while name checking Milton Keynes. ‘TV Times’ slows things marginally, and Adrian shows us his best Cliff Gallup licks. ‘Any Dope Can Pull A Gun’, previously a live favourite by The Silver Brazilians, with added keyboards by producer Nick Mailing, is an absolute belter. ‘Crack, Baby’ is another familiar song from the many times I’ve seen the band. And, their take on The Urban Voodoo Machine’s ‘Cheers For The Tears’ is furious. Put simply, if you love Sun Records, Gene Vincent, The Stray Cats, Gretsch guitars, Johnny Cash, you need to listen to this album. Go, daddio!
The DeRellas – ‘Inner City Rock ‘N’ Roll’ (Rockaway Records) produced at Perry Vale Studios by the legendary Pat Collier. Set in a world of isolation, this is a frantic underworld of Trash as The DeRellas set their time machine for the Bowery and a table booked next to the Dolls and Bowie. Its brash and the most in your face dirty punk n Roll the band has ever sounded and its a gas gas gas! Timmy and Luca dish up an appetizing dish of Inner City Rock ‘N’ Roll its a dash of glamour in a seedy dark nighttime world thats just been set on fire and this is the soundtrack blairing across the city. The new album ‘Something’s Got To Give’ will be out at the end of 2020. so until then this will be Available on download at iTunes, Amazon, Spotify etc.,
Stevie R. Pearce & The Hooligans – ‘Rip It Out’ (Self Release) Rip it out for Rock and Roll! Stevie R Pearce & The Hooligans are in the house kids and they’re locked and loaded with a truck full of huuuge Riffs as this lead track set to be released later this month testify being locked up has fueled the fire of a beast of a band who are ready to Rock. Big stomping Riff with a super steady rhythm pounding away as Stevie swings from hushed vocal verses to the soaring chorus. Rock is not dead and a global pandemic can’t stop this juggernaut. Get ready kids its a coming! Pissed off and ready to let you ‘ave it!
Volcanova – ‘Sushi Sam’ (The Sign) Volcanova released an interesting and amusing music video for the single “Sushi Sam”, the first taste of their upcoming album “Radical Waves” out August 21st. Facebook
R.M.F.C. – ‘Reader’ (Anti Fade Records) R.M.F.C. (or Rock Music Fan Club) is the brainchild of 18-year-old Buz Clatworthy, who writes, performs and records all of the group’s output himself in his bedroom in South-east NSW.
The project began in late 2018 after showing a friend a demo, in which they encouraged a proper release. A hypnotic rhythm rattles along, an extremely listenable tune that has a great raw guitar hanging in tune by a thread but as the Buzzcocks type tune also hums with a sweet keyboard. Not an instant hit to be fair but worth investing in for sure.
Nico Bones – ‘Cheatin Heart’ (Dead Beat Records/ Wanda Records). We occasionally miss a great release and for that, we can only beg your forgiveness. Originally released late 2019 this Cali based bunch of punks showed up on our radar when Dead Beat picked it up and put it out in this month’s releases. Nico Bones plays a blend of American Rock ‘n Roll influenced by the sleazy original punks like the Heartbreakers, Dead Boys, and the New York Dolls. The first song sounds like an upbeat Ramones outtake circa 1976… rambunctious and rockin’. They follow it up with 3 more cheatin love songs with snotty vocals, supercharged leads, and catchy melodies that sit somewhere between Johnny Thunders, Stiv Bators, Sonny Vincent, and Jeff Dahl. Facebook / Bandcamp
The Hip Priests – ‘ZFG 2020’ (Shitpark Records) Nothing new going on you say? well, you might be half right but this is the 2020s latest line up of The Hip Priests taking to task one of their finest songs, ‘Zero Fucks Given’. What was already an absolute banger of a tune one of their finest I don’t mind admitting. Is it possible to love a track more? possibly. This sounds huge and I mean colossal huge but not production huge. It always had that Stooges groove but I’m sure if Iggy were to hear this he’d doff his cap and prob ask if he could cover it on his next album and bow out on top. In recognition of what was built on the Stooges foundations this raw pissed off anthem is still a fuckin’ beast. On the flipside is ‘Social Hand Grenade’ taken from the bands last album ‘Stand For Nothing’ and it seems and sounds more apt with every passing day. One of the albums standout tracks (on an outstanding album it has to be said) With a limited number of these available you have to be quick to jump on this one as the gang of believers grows with every passing day. One day they will blow up and explode on the wider public. Shit Islands finest are back in the groove. Facebook
Mäsh – I Don’t Want You’ (WandaRecords) Facebook /Bandcamp Alright let’s go! a sloppy twelve-bar Quolian riff gets proceedings off to a flier and by the second verse they’re running through the Chuck Berry guitar lick 101 handbook and we’re down with that all the way. The song fizzes like a good un and is catchy as hell. Love the breakdown all it needed was more handclaps and possibly some cowbell and it might have become the blueprint for all future punk rock n roll sleazy singles but we also understand you don’t want to shoot your wad early doors and keeping something in reserve is cool. The B Side ‘Whisper’ is like a really good Diamond Dogs tune I’m sure Sulo would be down with these cats as they shake their shit on another top tune. Rock and Roll can’t always be serious or dark sometimes its fun and living in the moment and Mäsh have got it going on and even double denim is cool as fuck just like this singe is.!
PizzaTramp / Incision – ‘Split’ (Self Release) Imagine being bludgeoned to death by a blunt weapon but quite enjoying it as long as it doesn’t hurt too much and doesn’t last more than 3 minutes. That what this Split is like. Repeatedly smashed on the head by a few guitars and a bass drum pedal and some throat-clearing its not painful though and it’s quick but like I say its enjoyable. Two songs each and Pizzatramp win by virtue of being Welsh and their two songs last a progtastic four minutes but fair play to Incision ‘Jennifer Anniston’ is fuckin’ brutal. Buy Here
Wonk Unit – ‘Summer Time/You’re Sick’ (Plasterer Records) Laugh I nearly went to Ethiopia. Fair play to Alex and the gang this is a fuckin hoot. One of if not the most surreal and barmy summers ever now has a soundtrack. Maybe inspired by the likes of Blue doing ‘Girls and Boys’. Part dance euro-pop trash but obviously with a huge dollop of Wonkiness. “Sexy boys sexy girls touch yourself” had me holing I have to be fair. but once it’s in yer noggin’ it’s not leaving any day soon. To cleanse the palate for many is the classic slice of Wonk with ‘You’re Sick’ bringing up the rear. With a steady beat and familiar caustic guitar riff-a-ram Wonk Unit knock it out of the park as they say in ‘merica Buy Here
Godfathers – ‘I’m Not Your Slave’ (Self Release) The Godfathers’ brand new, double A-side – ‘I’m Not Your Slave’ & ‘Wild And Free’ Available in limited edition, clear red vinyl single & also limited edition 4 track CD that features the 2 songs, plus demo versions of both songs unavailable in any other format!! pre-order NOW only from Here This release is for the 35th anniversary of the band’s existence. From the iconic debut to this, there has always been a recognisable sound with crisp, driving guitars and a tight rhythm section and its pleasing to say ‘I’m Not Your Slave’ has all the hallmarks of a classic Godfathers tune. The other side is a steady anthem in the shape of ‘Wild & Free’ following a healthy linage of rockers with attitude from the gang vocals in the chorus to Coyne’s spoken vocals its got groove but I tip my hat to the guitar soloing that’s on display here. Interesting times as the next chapter of The Godfathers unfolds.
The Mercy Kills – ‘Alone’ (Golden Robot Records) Melbourne’s THE MERCY KILLS release their newly remastered single ‘Alone’. The track is taken from their debut album ‘Happy To Kill You’ and has been remastered and re-released as a single for those reaching out digitally in COVID-19 isolation. The message is simple, “You can’t make it alone!” Mixing up the influences of the likes of L7 from the Grunge heyday along with something more rock such as Faster Pussycat with attitude born from the likes of The Ramones. Facebook
The Dust Coda – ‘Early Days – Raw & Unplugged’ (Self Release) In this almost surreal pandemic world, the band decided to brush the dust off some old recordings and release a collection of four acoustic tracks, which will give fans an intimate listening experience. This EP further unveils The Dust Coda calm soothing acoustic works. Each song as gentle as the previous with an almost Southern rock warmth akin to the lighter workings of The Black Crowes sound and style. Throughout the EP mellow guitar riffs combined with the gritty vocals are the key elements setting the scene for an intense acoustic journey. Electricity was used to power a guitar but not a lot. Chill out in the sun and socially distance kids this retro southern rock will do the job. Facebook
Larkin Poe – ‘Back Down South’ ( ) Featuring guest appearance from fellow Nashville musician Tyler Bryant this is another slice of Southern Roots-Rock with some really strong vocals all round and with subtle swirling Hammond thrown into the mix it’s not just about the cotton-picking guitar licking as it approaches the crossroads from the fuzzy slide, these sisters have got it going on with a tune thats got an air of extreme confidence it never breaks out remaining laid back right to the bitter end. Taken from the forthcoming album ‘Self Made Man’ this will only add to the expectations of the long player.
Onslaught – ‘Religioussuicide’ (AFM Records) U.K. Thrashers present their new single ‘Religiousuicide’, The song is taken from the upcoming album ‘Generation Antichrist’, which will be released in August. ‘Religiousuicide’ marks the debut of new vocalist Dave Garnett who recently replaced long term frontman Sy Keeler. They’re not reinventing the wheel here kids its Thrash Metal as we know it and its exercised to perfection from the rumbling gutwrenching bass to the pneumatic drumming Dave Garnett settles in nicely as the guitars buzz around the speakers towards the dueling solo. thrashtastic and you know it dives bombs rapid tapping, frantic double bass its all here present and correct and it also has the gang vocals – job done.
Dead Horse – ‘Night’ The first cut from Londoners Dead Horse EP released next month. Dead Horse formed in 2019 when former Love Buzzard frontman Kevin Lennon (bass/vox) returned to London from Brighton, meeting up with long time bandmates (Rumour Mill/Kids From K Hole) Duncan Clark (drums) and Josh Kemp (guitar) via a mutual interest in garage rock/punk, old and new. Facebook
“How do you define success? If you let somebody else define what success is, you’re a sucker. I’m no sucker.”
Chuck Prophet started out as a post-punk California kid who helped kick-start the alt-country genre when he joined Dan Stuart’s Green On Red, then making a name for themselves as part of the so-called Paisley Underground alongside bands like The Dream Syndicate and The Bangles. While Green On Red established a reputation for self-destruction illuminated by flashes of brilliance in the studio and on festival stages around Europe in the late 1980s, Prophet simultaneously immersed himself in roots music and forged a solo career via backroom and basement venues across his adopted home of San Francisco. He has emerged as one of the most respected musicians of his generation, admired for his talents as a songwriter, guitarist, vocalist, and live performer. He has worked with the likes of Tony Visconti and Warren Zevon, and his songs have been performed by artists as diverse as Bruce Springsteen and Solomon Burke.
Those who know him through his social-media presence or his live shows are well aware that no one tells a story quite like Chuck Prophet; here, his voice rings clearly from the first page to the last as he gives his perspective on writing, recording, and performing, and talks candidly about his struggles and remarkable recovery from years of addiction. As Prophet’s official archivist, author Stevie Simkin draws on over a hundred hours of interviews with his subject, as well as contributions from fellow musicians, producers, friends, and associates, and unique access to unreleased songs and live recordings and scores of previously unseen photographs. Time and again, Simkin puts the reader in the room with Chuck as he talks, or in the studio as he plays, and the live experience is captured from both sides of the stage monitors.
An exciting rock’n’roll odyssey, What Makes The Monkey Dance… is essential reading for every fan of this phenomenal artist, but also for anyone with an interest in alternative music during a period seismic change, offering a fascinating portrait of how a true artist has managed to carve out a career at the sharp end of a notoriously ruthless industry.
I guess if someone were to mention one of the bands in a cluster of quality Southern Rock bands it would be a good bet that Warner E Hodges big assed grin will have shared a stage with them at some point and has long been the sparring partner of class act Dan Baird
The album opens up in sprightly fashion with an out and out twelve-bar rocker in the shape of ‘Preaching To The Choir’ call it what you like Alt-Country, countrified Rock and Roll or American to me it’s just some straight down the line honesty to Goodness Rock and Roll. It has to have swing, it has to roll as well as rock and it has to have a hook. that to me sounds like a pretty decent blueprint to start writing songs from and it stood Hodges in good stead previously be it with his foils in Baird or Jason.
Think aa side of DC (as in the Angus variety in the clarity of that six-string punch) and a dollop of that rock-solid backbeat but being open and willing to go wherever the song dictates. there is some exquisite playing on the fine ‘Last Train Outta Town’ as you might expect.
The pace is changed up for ‘The Magician’ where you get to waltz a little closer to that country twang that you now is in his heart. I will add here that Hodges has a fair set of pipes on him and he might have hidden that particular talent under a bushel when working with his pals but he can wail kids – yeehaw!
I do like the strut of ‘Where You Gone’ and the band sound like they’re having a ball in keeping that rhythm on a tight leash. The record bounces from tempo to tempo but within a style, you’d expect and I’m sure if you know Warner’s work you’re going to find plenty here to make you smile and know you’ve spent your money wisely. Oh, and I love the saxophone on ‘Higher Ground’ it sounds great on one of these boogie-woogie tunes and makes you wonder why it doesn’t feature more often. On that note the honkin’ harmonica cuts through ‘Don’t Bring Me Down’ and I must say its the kinda song I like best. Uptempo, with a dash of attitude and some rollicking guitar playing.
Which only leaves the token acoustic strum at the end of the record. It’s ok I guess – traditional, minimalist cliched lyrics but don’t let me put you off because of one song. This record is really good and as far as debut records go it does seem kinda funny calling it a debut album but the Warner E Hodges band know exactly how to do the countified Rock and Roll loudly and do it really well you know it makes sense and it does Just Feels Right.
Italian rockers Bravata released their debut album ‘Pray for Today’ in May 2020 – as with so many bands, a very unfortunate time to release an album. However, the result is an accomplished, catchy collection of songs.
The Lecce-based band seem to effortlessly mix 70s American rock and roll with British-style Brit pop and beat, perhaps most notable in the song ‘Magpie’. There’s as much to remind me a little of New York Dolls as there is Suede, but the delivery is certainly not as hard as either. Offering up well-crafted songs with a laid back delivery, the album chimes easily from one song to the next, making each one a delightful pill to swallow.
It’s an easy album to get hooked on. While it’s punk rock and roll that drives it, it’s heavily layered with pop melodies and harmonies. The garage-infused title track is about as hard as it gets, whereas ‘I Don’t Know’ has a great The Cure-esque lead guitar hook and multiple harmonies. ‘Generate’ carries a bit of a darker sounds and definitely a highlight on the album.
Bravata traverse a lot of complementary genres to achieve these thoroughly enjoyable 10 tracks. They certainly do know how to craft a decent song or two.
New York rock ‘n’ rollers The Shrieks are led by Italian/Venezuelan shrieker Luis Accorsi. After treading the beer & sweat drenched boards of CBGB’S fronting he likes of Manslaughter and Cracked Latin, Luis teamed up with producer Raphael Sepulveda to channel big guitars and even bigger choruses in The Flux Machine. Their masterful ‘Louder’ album came out in 2016 and is well worth checking out if you dig arena rock from the likes of Velvet Revolver and My Chemical Romance.
Fast forward a few years and The Flux Machine have evolved into The Shrieks, and following last year’s ‘Toxygen’ album, Accorsi returns with a new bunch of cool cats and some even cooler tunes to digest.
Opener ‘ T.Rex’ carries a ramshackle sound straight from the heart of Johnny Thunders. From the retro guitar riff that sounds like a car horn, to the junkie-like vocal drawl, it exudes the sounds of the streets (or should I say the gutters) of 70’s New York City.
Yeah, you could say The Shrieks shake it loose with the best of ‘em! It’s Lo-fi garage rock to the max on the likes of ‘Love Or Lust’ and the ultra cool and funky ‘Give Love’, where Luis channels Iggy to a soundtrack of soulful backing vocals and Hammond organ runs. Yeah, this is quality stuff.
The edgy title track is ‘Ballad Of Dwight Fry’s funky, punky older brother. A full on Alice meets Iggy run through that lyrically deals with mental health issues. A posthumous tribute to his friend Joe, who worked as a caregiver in a hospital. The singer takes on the roll of doctor, reeling off a list of drug dosing instructions for some hapless patient, over Strokes-like guitar stabs before breaking into a wah-wah infused jam out. Its dark, its quirky and its damn fine too.
‘Notre Dame Is Burning’ takes things down with acoustic countrified vibes and spoken word, poetic vocalisin’. Just lay back and chillax, as the singer takes us on a heady, tripped-out ride to question life, death and everything. As it builds, the vocal harmonies transport us into Pink Floyd territories. Spoken word seems to be a bit of a thang for our man Luis, as it pops up at various places to great effect.
The Shrieks mix it up nicely veering between retro, garage rock, bluesy jams and laid back, countrified sentiment. At all times sounding like the soundtrack to a Starsky & Hutch episode.
The funky ‘Collision’ with its scratchy, wah-wah guitars and pumping NY groove, is a cool tune for sure. Elsewhere, the mournful guitars and tinkling of the ivories add depth to the almost jammed out, countrified ballad that is ‘Let Me Go’. Country style slide guitar and soul sister backing vocals take the more upbeat rock ‘n’ roller ‘Lie To Me’ further into Rolling Stones territory.
Closer ‘Legs’ is a classic rock blues jam of the highest order. Coming on like a young Steven Tyler shrieking over a bad ass Sabbath riff, Luis delivers his most schizophrenic vocal performance as he descends, seemingly into madness for the duration of the song.
The Shrieks deliver a solid rock ‘n’ roll record that harks back to a different time. Eclectic and diverse in its own way ‘Ode To Joe’ soaks up 70’s rock nostalgia to great effect. A heady melting pot of what made The New York Dolls, Lou Reed, The Stones and Iggy so damn exciting, and why they still remain a great influence on great rock ‘n’ roll bands today.
PSYCH-PUNK DUO THE LOVELY EGGS ANNOUNCE NEW SINGLE ‘LONG STEM CARNATIONS’ TO BE RELEASED
The Lovely Eggs will release brand new single ‘Long Stem Carnations’ on Friday July 10 on Egg Records. The track, taken from their number one selling album ‘I am Moron’ will be released on limited-edition coloured 7” vinyl. Backed by brand new B side ‘The Voyage’, ‘Long Stem Carnations’ was inspired by the Mars One programme, a global project which aims to establish a permanent human settlement on Mars. Applicants are offered a one-way ticket- never to see earth again. This fascinated Lovely Eggs Holly and David who drew parallels between this mission and their own isolation as a band. ‘Long Stem Carnations’ is a funeral march for society’s outcasts and freaks. It’s an existential voyage in cosmic form. “Is there an internal self-destruct button that cannot be destroyed?” said Holly. “We are all the pilots of our own ship. You’ve just got to remember it’s important to try and hang on and see the mission through.”
‘I am Moron’, bears the fruit of The Lovely Eggs second collaboration with Grammy award winning producer Dave Fridmann (Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev, Mogwai, MGMT, Tame Impala) at his studio in upstate New York. It captures the zeitgeist of post Brexit Britain and mysteriously seems to point towards the unimaginable future we’re now living in. Many songs on the album are about isolation and living a new way in a different world. When The Lovely Eggs made ‘I am Moron’ it was like they had a crystal ball.
Sonically, the album brings with it a mix of heavy psych, pop and strangeness. Some songs flicker between an earthly realism and the otherworldly loneliness of a one-way space mission.
Upon its release ‘I am Moron’ went straight to Number One in the UK Independent Album Charts. It also took the Number One spot in the UK vinyl charts as well as the UK Independent Album Breakers Chart.
“This is an absolute gutter for us but with little direction from the government, we don’t want to put people’s safety and lives at risk. We imagine that even by autumn even if gigs CAN happen, they’ll be very different to the usual Lovely Eggs experience and we don’t want that! We want the normal Egg-shaped chaos that you’ve come to expect from a Lovely Eggs gig. So, we’ve taken the decision to postpone our touring until next year. All tickets for the old shows originally scheduled for April and rescheduled for July are now valid for the new shows in February. In the cases where we have seen a venue change/upgrade the tickets for the original show in that city remain valid. Our shows at O2 Ritz in Manchester and Heaven in London have been rescheduled to May. We really hope people hang onto their tickets, not get refunds and join us next year. We live to tour and tour to live. This is our life and our livelihood. Once this shitstorm is over. We want a party like no other!! Looking forward to seeing you all next year!”
The Lovely Eggs are willfully independent. With NINE BBC 6 music sessions under their belt, as well as sessions for Radio One and Radio X, they have enjoyed huge support from UK radio. And they continue to sell out gigs across the UK without the help of management, booking agent or record label support.
They have produced six albums. Fifth album “This is Eggland” saw their first encounter with Dave Fridmann as producer/mixer after Holly left a drunken message on his studio answerphone asking him to work with them. Dave got back in touch with them a year later and Eggland was born. It was released in February 2018 to critical acclaim, was added to the 6 music Playlist and announced by HMV as one of their Top 50 Albums of the year.
With observational and often surreal lyrics about life The Lovely Eggs have a powerful raw sound that creates the sonic illusion of a band twice their size and have become known for their ferocious yet joyous live performances. They’re undoubtedly the most real band in Britain, operating in a world when true authenticity is hard to find.
The Lovely Eggs are one of the most exciting, innovative and genuine bands of the Great British Underground. Welcome to their world. Welcome To Eggland!
Catch the band live at the following dates in February 2021:
With their neck-snapping rhythm section and adventurous beats; garage punk-infiltrated broken guitars; vocals that veer from searing emotional drama to camp self-parody; and frenetic experimentation entwined with pristine pop hooks – it is impossible to pin a genre on LibraLibra. But it’s not hard to pinpoint the feeling that permeates their music: the feeling that, whatever you’re feeling, it’s ok. It’s enough. You are enough. You are ok.
Returning amidst this crazy messed-up world we currently inhabit, LibraLibra’s dayglo explosions of colour and sound have never felt more vital and needed. On August 14th, the Brighton based band will release a new EP titled ‘Hail Mary’ via their own LibraLibra Records, that features the first results of their recent work with production luminary SPACE. Fresh from birthing two of the most impactful British albums of the last few years with Idles, SPACE was immediately taken with LibraLibra’s vibrant world and invited them into their studio to develop the tracks for the EP.
“SPACE really challenged us on who we are and what we want to say”, says singer and lyricist Beth Cannon. “He delved into asking what kind of world or vision we want to create – what kind of message we are trying to send to the world and our audience.”
Alongside Cannon, LibraLibra are producer and drummer Joe Caple, guitarist Dan Martell, and bassist and keys player Guy Jones. For these four strong characters with passion, musical chops and creativity to spare, SPACE’s insightful perspective and mentorship helped them to identify and double down on their collective identity – turning an exciting musical proposition into a creative force on overdrive, a machine with a mission.
Today we get to hear the first ripe fruits of these sessions in ‘Juicy Lucy’ – a strutting, high-energy blast of righteous indignation that takes aim at perfect life, body beautiful celebrity obsession and the feelings of inadequacy they can generate.
“Have you ever been so utterly disgusted with yourself and you begin to obsess over who you could be?” asks Beth. “You latch on to the media crazed celebrity idols bullshit. You’re young, naive, a slave to their every whim, their perfection, their beauty. They ooze sex appeal, they are heavenly, other worldly – you are a mere mortal, stuck in your flabby stretch mark ridden skin. You want nothing more than to know this star, be side by side, touch it, feel it, consume it, be it. It’s your obsession.”
“The ‘Juicy Lucy’ video is the brainchild of our wonderful friend and director Jay Bartlett,” continues Beth. “The whole concept of the song itself is about obsession and escapism – despising being in your own skin and wanting to be someone else so badly you start to fixate, obsess upon another worldly being, you would even resort to attempting to consume them if it meant some of their radiance might rub off on to your own mundane and wretched being. Jay heard the track and immediately could picture a scene where then band have assumed the identity of wealthy middle-class family, but why, how or when is intentionally left for the viewer to piece together.”
Gaining heavy grassroots support including BBC Introducing, Radio X, Amazing Radio, The 405 and Les InRocks, LibraLibra’s early single releases showcased eclectic influences – from The Knife to Death Grips to Madonna via Tears for Fears and Bowie – alongside a rapacious hunger for new sounds and rhythms. With the release of their first EP in 2020, this attention-grabbing band lift the lid on the musical spoils of their SPACE sessions, freshly galvanised for an exciting new phase.
And the very moment it’s possible, LibraLibra will be right back onstage where they belong, bringing their flamboyant, in-your-face misfit pop to the masses.
Litterbug come from the North West of England – to those who are unfamiliar with the city of Blackpool its regarded by many as Vegas of the North but with a bit less glamour and glitz. Its a pretty shitty city (in the nicest possible way of course) and the fact that a gritty band of ’77 oiks peddling punk rock, would rock up to RPM with an album in their paw and be ever so polite and request we give it a listen is always a good enough reason for us to do just that. Its not much to ask and so here we are presented with a record bulging with tunes of a rather nice brand of noisy – in yer face punk rock.
Litterbug has been together for over a decade and indeed they brings the noise. I’d suggest they might have more in common with the ‘Machine Gun Etiquette’ era Damned rather than the sprawling energy of the ’77 first wave and they also tap into the more aggressive stateside punk to my refined ears anyway. This sixteen-track album ‘Abstract Melodies Saying Terrible Things’ is a follow up to 2017’s ‘Your Perception is Not My Reality’ and 2018’s ‘Countdown to Schadenfreude’ EP. (The latters 4 songs are featured as bonus tracks on the cd version of ‘Abstract Melodies’ which is nice).
The band is tight as a pair of Rizlas in a sweaty back pocket and it none more evident than the sprightly ‘Guinea Pigs’ that meanders its tightly knit rhythm around a very decent tune. The mix is in yer grill and packs a punch, mixing the Steve Diggle type Buzzcocks songs with a thumping bass sound. It’s a formula that’s prevalent on ‘Getting Fined’ as well. There might not be a lot of variety throughout the record as the songs are quite one-paced but the band prefers the blunt instrument to the more intricate surgeons knife perhaps and there’s nothing wrong with that but with most tunes taking up a mere two minutes plus of your time they never outstay their welcome and I’m sure after a skinful they’d be great to throw yourself around a dancefloor to.
As my resistance is running low the likes of ‘Sludge’ give me a little pick me up and I admit to being fond of a bit of ‘Straight Edge’ the band keeps the energy up even on album closer that paints a picture of the here and now maybe the ‘Pool is like the Bowery was back in the day and the Tache will be the new CB’s? I doubt it and to be fair that was a moment in time never to be repeated. So we just roll on and so will Litterbug as they continue to drop their waste all over the shop and continue to bash out their particular brand of Punk Rock ‘n’ Fuckin noisy Roll and good on ’em too.
To celebrate the 6th anniversary of The Boys critically acclaimed album “Punk Rock Menopause” as well as the album track “I’m A Believer” passing a quarter of a million plays on Spotify, Action Records will release a Special Limited Edition yellow & black marbled vinyl copy on 20 June 2020. The release is strictly limited to 100 individually numbered copies. This Limited Edition will also come with a free mp3 download of the whole album.
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