Tune in tonight Friday 11th December 17:00 GMT to see the brand new Magnificent Seven video by film-maker Don Letts, featuring the band performing the song live on The Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder (a late-night New York chat show) cut with previously unseen film of the group in and around New York and during their legendary 17-night residency at Bond’s International Casino, near Times Square.
There’ll be a Q + A with Don Letts at the same time! Click Here for Youtube Link
I came across the band purely by accident on one of your typical ‘social media’ conglomerates. Merely described as a “straightforward punk number”, normally I would move on with such an uninspiring description but decided to give it a click all the same. Being so impressed with the track ‘headlong’ I quickly discovered that this is the first track off their debut album and I am yet to be dissatisfied taking a chance on the ominous description. A very mature sounding punk record, Bob Mould Husker Du era guitars with stark post-punk vocals.
THE RETURN OF THE FUTURAMA FESTIVAL EASTER 2021 – A UTOPIAN FESTIVAL FOR DYSTOPIAN TIMES
THE LEGENDARY 2-DAY POST-PUNK FESTIVAL RETURNS TO LIVERPOOL APRIL 3-4, 2021
SECOND WAVE OF BANDS ANNOUNCED!
HEAVEN 17 ARE SATURDAY NIGHT HEADLINERS WHEN THEY PRESENT ‘THE FUTURAMA YEARS 1979 -1983’
TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM SEE TICKETS HERE:
Futurama, the legendary post-punk festival is back after 40 years and takes place at the Invisible Wind factory / Make Arts Centre and Ten Streets Social in Liverpool over two days, 3rd and 4th of April 2021.
With promising news on the horizon regarding the vaccine roll out this week, the Futurama Festival’ has announced a second wave of bands to play the influential festival in Liverpool next Easter.
Undoubtedly one of the most famous electronic & synth bands of all time, Heaven 17 had hit after hit back in the 80’s with their incredible albums ‘Penthouse and Pavement’ and ‘The Luxury Gap’. This extraordinary success means their gigs are as popular as ever and they consistently sell out shows in the UK and abroad. The original Human League split in 1980, when Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh left to set up their BEF production company and recruited Glenn Gregory to help create “music of quality and distinction”. Taking their name from the disco in Clockwork Orange, Heaven 17 had immediate success with hits such as ‘At the height of the fighting’, ‘Fascist Groove Thang’ and ‘I’m your money’. ‘Penthouse and Pavement’ would become a landmark album that defined the 1980’s.
For their unique performance at the Futurama, Martyn and Glenn will perform a Heaven 17 set and will also revisit some of those classic early Human League songs. By re-imagining them and keeping the original spirit, they hope to recreate the futuristic ambience and immersive atmosphere of the early days. As Martyn says he ” loved the wider theme of dystopian science fiction that the Futurama touched upon and he always envisaged the Human League growing up in a science fiction noisescape”. Human League were scheduled to play the original Futurama in 1979 but for one reason or another, it sadly never happened.
As well as Heaven 17’s back catalogue, Martyn Ware can call on the astonishing early records of the Human League. The first Human League albums ‘Reproduction’ and ‘Travelogue’ were two of the most influential synth albums of all time. It cannot be underestimated how important the sound of young Sheffield 78 -83 became in post punk Britain with the Human League, Cabaret Voltaire, Clock DVA and Vice Versa (Later ABC) leading the way. They were the first wave of British bands to mix machines and electronic noise. Their music reflected their environments, the urban decay and industrial decline of this period. A bleak but beautiful soundtrack.
“Heaven 17 are really looking forward to the Futurama show, it holds so many fantastic musical memories for us both as performers and audience, states Glenn Gregory. “It’s fantastic that we have the chance to be a part of the future of Futurama”
“Brothers, sisters don’t just sit there on your ass!” Join us as we fix this historic error and go back to the Futurama with Heaven 17
Peter Hook and The Light are the Sunday night headliners and will be performing the ‘life changing’ Joy Division set from the 1979 Futurama in Leeds for the first time in 40 years. Another world first for the return of the Futurama in 2021. Peter Hook and the Light as well as the historical set will back it up with all the classics that they have delivered across the world in recent years to such acclaim. Two very special headliners for the return of the Futurama. They are joined by legendary Factory band Section 25 and the Expelaires who played the first Futurama in Leeds in 1979.
The AF Gang have confirmed their first acts for their All Is Love / Goth Kitchen stages with up-and-coming London punks Chubby And The Gang who have just signed to Partisan Records (Idles, Fontaines DC, Laura Marling) and TV Priest who have just signed to legendary American label Sub Pop. Other bands they’ve picked are Genn, The Pleasure Dome, Ditz & Frauds who the AF Gang have been championing for some time.
Planet X, Liverpool’s infamous goth and punk club have Balaam & The Angel headlining its stage with Dr Diablo & the Rodent Show, Peter Bentham & The Dinner Ladies, Feather Trade,
the Gentle Scars, Three from Above & The Webb supporting. Also, confirmed are Girls in Synthesis, Ist Ist, Dream Nails, Liines, Gravves, Klamp, Coughin Vicars & Deh-Yey. All in all, it’s shaping up to be one of the best line-ups of every year.
As promoter Marc Jones, says ‘fingers crossed, the timing could be perfect, we all desperately need something to look forward to after one of the hardest and most difficult years ever! 2020 has seen the festival and live gig circuit decimated by the pandemic. It could one of the first festivals post Covid restrictions and it would be a real boost to the Liverpool music scene and the independent venues involved and perhaps a real starting point for and hopefully a much better year in 2021″
New Early Bird December from SEE tickets HERE: 1st payment 7th December with subsequent payments in Jan, Feb and March 2021
There will be a last wave of bands to be announced in January when day splits and full stage line ups will be announced.
Other acts confirmed to appear include Theatre Of Hate, Warmduscher, The Chameleons, The Blinders, The Lovely Eggs, Spizz Energi, Imperial Wax, Just Mustard, Membranes, Evil Blizzard, Sink Ya Teeth, John, Heavy Lungs, We Are Not Devo, DSM IV, Bob Vylan, Billy NoMates, Witch Fever, Tokky Horror, Pozi, Crows, St Agnes, LibraLibra, Courting, Crawlers and Joe & Shitboys, with the world’s biggest rock ‘n’ roll and punk magazine Vive Le Rock and respected website Louder Than War hosting the main stages.
For more info head to: futuramafestival.com
Buzzcocks are a band that needs no introduction but in case you’ve been living under a rock let me enlighten you a bit. Buzzcocks have been around for over 40 years and have written tunes that have inspired many a generation to pick up guitars as well as advertising execs looking to sell their products.
They were there in the original explosion of the 70s punk scene and the famous Manchester Free Trade Hall Pistols show. Their music has proved to be timeless as well as being too diverse to just put them in one category or genre they were more than just another punk band.
There have been a few lineup changes over the years but the core of the band has always been the two singer-songwriter mavericks that are Pete Shelley and Steve Diggle.
When Cherry Red announced that they were releasing the Buzzcocks “Late for the train” box set which consists of 6 live CDs it had this reviewer salivating as being under 40 I wasn’t even born when this great band started out and sadly as the great Pete Shelley tragically passed away in 2018 and still to my great shame had not got around to seeing them live.
So this 6 cd live set that takes in the reformation years of 1989 – 2016 was something I desperately wanted to hear and I was not disappointed with the sets and quality offered in the set.
CD 1 is taken from a live show in Birmingham 1989 and is a great set with such classics as ‘I Don’t Mind’, ‘Promises’ and ‘What Do I Get?’ and is just a fantastic show full of the energy the band oozes live.
CD2 is a live show from Worcester in ’93 and the gig starts off with Pete saying we have a new album out and the band launch into ‘TTT’ which is taken from the ‘Trade Test Transmissions’ album and this is a belter of a track. Elsewhere we are treated to high octane versions of other tracks off the new album and it shows that for a band that hadn’t released anything in over 20 years these songs are instant classics and sound great next to old favourites like ‘I Don’t Mind’ (again) and ‘Fast Cars’.
Moving on to CD3 and we see the band head over the channel to perform live in Paris with tapes from 1995 and captures the band in rip-roaring form and has some nice deep cuts such as ‘Libertine Angel’ and ‘Strange Thing’ that sit comfortably with the usual fan favourites such as ‘Orgasm Addict’ and ‘Ever Fallen In Love (with someone you shouldn’t)’.
CD4 is the historic show from Finsbury park in 1996 where history repeated itself as the Buzzers supported the Sex Pistols and also a live BBC session from the same time period.
Oh, how I wish I had a time machine to see what must have been a phenomenal event. The Sex Pistols and Buzzcocks on one bill it’s just a gig that dreams are made of and judging by the live performance on this cd the Buzzcocks are on top energetic form as soon as ‘You Say You Don’t Love Me’ comes blasting out it just sounds so raw and you can really imagine being there.
The BBC session is a nice added bonus and as it’s from 2003 we get great versions of ‘Jerk’ and ‘Driving You Insane’ from the self titled album that was released that year rather than just duplicating the old classics.
CD5 is an outing from London in 2006 and for this reviewer, this my favourite disc from the boxset as with a whopping 28 tracks it really is a stunning gig from start to finish and the tracklist is a fan dream with everything covered from hits to deep cuts with high energy versions of ‘Autonomy’, ‘Promises’, ‘Operator’s Manual’ and we even have ‘Soul On A Rock’ off ‘Modern’ making an appearance this is an essential live document of a band firing on all cylinders and covering all corners of the bands repertoire.
Finally CD6 is live sessions recorded for the BBC during the period of 1993 – 2016 and has great versions of ‘Do It’ and ‘Libertine Angel’ and as this covers recordings up to 2016 we are treated to live versions of ‘The Way’ and ‘People Are Strange Machines’ taken off what sadly would be the last Buzzcocks release to feature the late great Pete Shelley ‘The Way’.
I can’t really put into words how great this box set is not just the quality of the live recordings but the booklet has great sleeve notes from Steve Diggle and even has a section dedicated to fans recollections of their Buzzcocks concert memories.
Cherry Red have done it again with a stunning box set that is an essential purchase to any Buzzcocks fans collection. All for less than a round of drinks as well.
Buy ‘Late For The Train’ Here
members of Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Slash’s Snake Pit, Finn Brothers, Alice Cooper, Air & Beck – and all formerly of Jellyfish – reunite for 2nd EP with their first official UK release.
Roger Joseph Manning Jr., Tim Smith and Eric Dover are excited to announce their highly anticipated THREESOME VOL.2 EP, to be released 8th January 2021, will be their first on British indie label Lojinx. The first single, “Snollygoster Goon,” is out now.
Of “Snollygoster Goon” Eric Dover says “The music is Adderall-based, in theory, to reflect the absolute breakneck speed at which the corruption flourishes. A frenetic forensic foray into classic old-as-civilization themes involving greed, graft and corruption as applied to any political sphere. The snake oil salesman kissing babies, the saccharine unimaginative public image.”
The new release is, naturally, the follow-up to their debut EP, THREESOME VOL.1 – lauded by critics as “a masterpiece” – which was released in May 2020 in the US.
With song titles “Snollygoster Goon,” “The Dream That Took Me Over,” “Sovereignty Blues,” and “Do You Feel Better?” Manning, Smith, and Dover’s undeniable chemistry can once again be found throughout THREESOME VOL.2.
The songs formed from the same sessions that begun in 2017 offer a slinky and feisty landscape of temptation, freedom of thought, hope and dreams, and a shout out to all who game the systems. An edgy second round of soaring vocals, angular guitars, and pulsing drums, enveloped by timeless keyboard arrangements requires multiple listens to appreciate fully. Manning, Dover and Smith ruminate on the other 3 new songs:
“Do You Feel Better?” as told by Tim Smith:
A romp along the primrose path of temptations, internal and external, real or imagined, the tiny demons we dance with throughout our lives. A pulsing bass and hypnotic guitar rhythm plays like the backing band to a striptease you’ve sneaked into, and don’t know where to sit, but all are welcome!
Some things are more dangerous than others, of course, but this song is sort of a combination of letting your guard down, because of preconceived notions of what’s right or wrong, and justification of actions you think you understand to have under control. Who knows?
Experiences do give us perspective, and this song tries to play between the id and superego – a Screwtape letter demon, and an Angel of Mercy.
“Sovereignty Blues” as told by Roger Joseph Manning Jr.:
“Fears fire’s all they’re fanning, but I won’t light up their fuse.” A tale as old as humanity. Group control over another through the tried and true tactic of fear. And always partnered with a fatal dose of “divide and conquer.” But who’s actually pulling the levers and pushing the buttons of the propaganda machine behind the Wizard of Oz’ curtain of crowd control, so to speak? Irrelevant.
Ultimately, the perennial question for any person, provided they value sovereignty above all else, is: am I going to choose love over fear, peace over chaos, and God over the ego in any given moment? Everything can be taken from a man but one thing (to quote Viktor Frankl): “The last of the human freedoms, to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” And with that in mind, grab a torch, march to your own drum, and sing along!
“The Dream That Took Me Over” as told by Eric Dover:
You are driving without a destination lured by the wanderlust of your own making. You turn up the stereo volume and continue along, moonlight reflecting off the chrome of your vehicle.
We invite you to put the top down and take a ride into the inner dialectic of our conflicted protagonist as we answer the question: Is there equilibrium in the chaos or does science hold the key?
The first single from THREESOME VOL.1, “Lighthouse Spaceship,” has had nearly 100,000 plays on Spotify since its release in March with the vinyl release undergoing multiple re-pressings due to rabid demand.
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An 8-disc box set – 7 x CDs + DVD – all of the Skydog label’s Iggy and the Stooges releases. Includes the infamous ‘Metallic KO’ ‘Stooges last live show’ issued in ‘76, plus the two full source shows. Rare studio and live collections ‘We Are Not Talking About Commercial Sh!t’ and ‘Wake Up, Suckers!’. A DVD of unique Iggy ‘Acoustics KO’ performances together with a studio ‘Acoustics KO’ CD. The 2003 Stooges reunion live album ‘Telluric Chaos’ recorded in Japan. Plus, additional EP tracks, together with a 48-page booklet and detailed notes by Iggy Pop biographer, Paul Trynka
When the riotous, confrontational ‘last ever’ Iggy & the Stooges gig Metallic KO was issued in 1976 on the French indie Skydog label, it heralded the punk movement and cemented Iggy’s position in it. Iggy’s career then took off, and a lengthy liaison between Skydog and Iggy Pop continued, with releases through and beyond the Stooges reunion 29 years later.
Here are all of the Skydog label’s Iggy releases, remastered, in a clam-shell box set containing seven CDs and a DVD – a fitting tribute to the label’s punk pioneer boss Marc Zermati, who passed away in June. Marc started Skydog in 1973, Europe’s first independent rock label, and in the same year that Metallic KO was released he organised the ‘First Punk Festival’ in Mont de Marsan. He worked closely with The Clash, Johnny Thunders, Wilko Johnson and Chrissie Hynde amongst many others.
Alongside Metallic KO the box includes the two Metallic KO source tape gigs, pitch-corrected after a tape speed fault was discovered; two collections of live and studio rare songs; unusual Iggy acoustic shows on DVD; a studio acoustic CD and the Stooges long-awaited 2003 live reunion in Tokyo. The 48-page booklet has notes by Paul Trynka, the Iggy Pop ‘Open Up and Bleed’ biographer and former Mojo editor, and rare and unseen photos.
Disc 1. Metallic KO (original album); 2. Metallic KO (1973 Michigan tape); 3. Metallic KO (1974 Michigan tape); 4. We Are Not Talking About Commercial Sh*t; 5. Wake Up Suckers; 6. Acoustics KO live NTSC DVD; 7. Acoustics KO studio CD; 8. Telluric Chaos – reformed Stooges live in Tokyo in 2003.
EP tracks are added as bonus tracks.
After a 17 year gap, the mythical beings that are The Network drop their second long-player. Who are they? What are they? Is a question we would all like to know but with only names like Fink, Van Gough, and Snoo to go on and a vague background they leave us guessing. What I do know is that they’ve dropped an album of pure quality so let’s pick out some highlights from this 25 track monster of a record.
“The Prophecy” kicks us off with a spoken word warning for mankind and launches into the chorus of “We’re right you’re wrong and we told you so” and lets us know that we should have listened to the band’s warning all those years ago.
“Theory of reality” is an urgent upbeat number and sets the tone for the rest of the album.
“Trans AM” is an atmospheric number with a great bass line running throughout the song.
“Asphyxia” is an instant earworm and its melody instantly lodges in the listener’s brain.
“Ivankkka is a nazi” is a contender for song of the year as it’s not only a great singalong number but the lyrics are brilliant with lines such as “Ivanka is a nazi, she’s in the KKK” and “She has a Gucci swastika and loves the NRA” it’s simply a great track.
“Flat Earth” is another gem of a song with the band telling us that if we think the world is round that we indeed are wrong.
“Degenerate” has a funky, new wave feel with some scratchy guitar and is another top tune.
“Carolina’s ultimate Netflix tweet” is a short blast of pure power-pop-punk goodness.
“Respirator” has a great keyboard opening and yet again the lyrics are great with lines such as “I used to be an anti-mask crusader but now I’m on a respirator” drawing on the recent events with covid 19 and people refusing to wear a mask for others safety.
“Cancer is the new black” has a great twangy guitar riff and an awesome drum track that keeps the album quality at an all-time high.
“Threat level midnight” is a fast punk number and instantly gets the listener’s foot-tapping to the beat.
The Network money money 2020 PT ll we told ya so! Is a triumphant return with great catchy songs with witty lyrics relating to recent times and is an album that with repeat plays the listener will find something new to enjoy.
Let’s hope The Network can bury the hatchet with their arch-nemesis Green Day wink wink to do a joint tour, now that would be something to look forward to once covid is under control.
Pick Up The Network Pt II Here
Author: Gareth Hotshot Hooper
IDLES have shared a new animated video for album highlight “Kill Them With Kindness”. The video, which was directed and designed by James Carbutt and animated by Pip Williamson, is taken from the band’s critically-acclaimed UK number one album “Ultra Mono“, which was released in September via Partisan Records.
Here’s another beaut from the brand new awesome live Wildhearts album get into some ‘Urge’
Finally, we have Kilfeather with a track off the excellent album ‘Island Of Lost Toys’
Ok so it isn’t Christmas In A Crackhouse but it’s the new old school wonk we love round here. Get an ear full of some classic Wonk Unit. Oof!
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