Tickets available from www.myticket.co.uk on Friday 25th June at 10am.
Gatherers of the World, Killing Joke are delighted to announce their first UK tour in over three years, 2022’s Honour The Fire tour.
The fire is that which brings us all together. And after this dreadful pandemic this tour will be like no other.
One great mosh pit!“ -promises Jaz Coleman
The fire in our hearts that has sustained and protected us for over 40 years, never goes out.
It is our privilege to Honour The Fire and celebrate the white heat purification by sound. Join with us in a fearless leap through the sacred flames, into the unknown….let’s create the future we all desire, by sonically destroying the one we don’t” – Youth
Killing Joke’s 10 date tour will start at the Tramshed in Cardiff on Monday, 28th March, before concluding in London at Eventim Apollo Hammersmith on Saturday 9th April.
Very much music as ritual – raw, uncompromising and precisely-targeted lyrically; Jaz Coleman, Geordie, Youth & Big Paul, the original Killing Joke personnel show no signs of mellowing.
With collective nostrils flared and righteous anger carried torch-high, Killing Joke continue to take their music of resistance to fresh levels…
The full list of ‘Honour The Fire’ UK 2022 shows.
March 2022
28th Mon Cardiff Tramshed
29th Tue Nottingham Rock City
31st Thu Bristol O2 Academy
April 2022
1st Fri Liverpool O2 Academy
2nd Sat Birmingham O2 Institute
4th Mon Manchester Albert Hall
5th Tue Newcastle Boiler Shop
6th Wed Glasgow Barrowland
8th Fri Leeds O2 Academy
9th Sat Lodon Eventim Apollo Hammersmith
Tickets available from www.myticket.co.uk on Friday 25th June at 10am.

Unlucky for some this compilation has thirteen unreleased tracks from Swiss underground punk and garage rock bands.  If you’re hip and on it, most of these bands will be familiar to you or if you’re an avid reader of RPM Online there will be some familiar names but in the time-honoured tradition of compilations, there are always unpacked gems lurking that will (hopefully) set off a wormhole of discovery into a band or labels catalogue of releases some of which are quite expensive.

Right, that’s that but what about the tunes? A lot of these bands will be known internationally which is often the case that they do well outside of their own country and might have a cult underground following back home so to speak but the beauty of a compilation is the voyage of discovery or the bonus of that exclusive unreleased gem from a band you love this album offers all that and more.  up first are Nasty Rumours a band we’ve reviewed before offering up a rapid Ramones inspired sound that will indeed drive you insane.  It’s pogo punk rock – something they do rather well it has to be said.  Fans of The Briefs, The Boys and obviously The Ramones need to hear these chaps and a great way to kick off this album its sharp, quick, melodic and a lot of fun!

A band that should need no introductions on RPM is Bitch Queens who’ve long been championed around here a band who just seem to get better with every record are up next with ‘The Apocalypse’.  An anthemic slice of hard Rockin, rifftastic Rock n Roll that benefits from being played loud with the big gang vocals on the chorus its a welcome addition to the bands superb catalogue of records worth it for the opening two tracks alone.

Hang on make that opening three tracks as Bad Mojos come steaming in with ‘Weekend Warrior’ which sounds like a fuckin’ runaway train steaming towards a bunch of fluffy kittens and if you blink it’s over you missed it.  Top top tune!

 

With some genres I’ve never even heard of these Punks and Garagerockers turn in a very impressive collection. The Delilahs ‘Wheels’ is polished and anthemic as you hit the chorus and another really impressive song is unfolding. I’d only previously heard them when they did a split with Bitch Queens and I loved their contribution to that as well.

 

Its fair to say that when you scratch the surface there are a whole bunch of excellent bands all over this spinning ball and this compilation shines a light on what Switzerland has to offer.  Tight Finks remind me of a punky Levellers whereas my first introduction to Uberyou sees them as a competent mob of punk rockers as they knock out ‘How Lonely’.

 

The Monsters go hell for leather on ‘Gimme Germs’ creating their own circle pit and helping spread the disease at great volume – get fit and jump in as they blast their way through one and a half minutes of sweet noise. Lombego Surfers have a crisp overdriven guitar sound that’s swirling around and around towards their homage to Jimmy Page for the solo and it’s a two-fingered salute and off they go.

 

Here Hare Here go for the early 70s garage thump of ‘Chez Liam’ and deliver it really well a band who’ve so far alluded my ears but not anymore.  Great stuff.  It seems fitting that Monofones are up next with their hypnotic ‘Rich Bitch’ that thunders along at a frantic pace – kicking and screaming into the quirky Wolf Wolf who get groovy with ‘Black Hole’.

 

With only a couple of bangers left we receive The Lovers and their ‘Punjab Punk Rock’ which is a more reckless punk n roll building up to an exquisite solo before falling off the edge of a cliff with its abrupt ending which is a shame as I was really enjoying it.  With the whole shebang being wound up by Uristier and ‘Influencer’ being sung in their native tongue its another variant on the rock and roll disease spreading across borders with compilations as good as this one.

Getting jabbed can wait stay in and get your rocks off to this sweet record with something for everyone it’s well worth locking yourself down for.

 

Buy Here  / Bandcamp

Author: Dom Daley

The ‘Salvador Dali of rock n roll’ is back. Was it really only last year that David Ryder Prangley released ‘Black Magic And True Love’? I’ve played it so regularly, it seems like it must be longer. From Rachel Stamp to Sister Witch and all points in between, he’s cast a singular figure. “He puts the glam in Mid-Glamorgan”, as Simon Price said. David Ryder Prangley remains outside of time, and his music is all the better for it. He should, of course, be famous, and filthy rich. Nevertheless, he is a star.

 

‘In The Palace Of Dead Stars’ croons darkly, an apparent homage to an old Star Trek episode. Oddly, I watched them all again recently, so this seems to fit the mood. ‘Hello’ is the first single, you may have seen the video already. While not perhaps an obvious choice for a single, it could only be D.R.P, the guitars sounding as sleazy as ever.

 

‘Sweet Heartbreaker’ is a brazen chunk of 70s riffage. I’ve never really liked KISS, but this was how I thought they should sound, if they were actually as good as they think they are. Now THIS is a single.

An underrated guitarist, for sure, I love his choice of tones throughout the album. And an underrated songwriter, as ‘Never Grow Up’ proves his versatility. The light touch on the piano, a beautiful tune.

 

‘Saint David Of The Bleeding Heart’ reads like a lament to the artist’s doomed soul, complete with a towering solo. ‘Song For A Witch’ is, er, self explanatory and suitably ethereal. ‘Dreaming Spires And Crystal Steeples’ could easily have been a Tyrannosaurus Rex title, but sounds more like one of Donovan’s more inspired moments. “Flutey as fuck”, I believe our Mr Hayward would say. A compliment, of course.

 

‘Heart Full Of Love, Head Full Of Poison’ brings back the raunch, and I can forgive D.R.P for nicking his own lyrics here (see ‘Captain Sugar’). It would be a great double A-side with ‘Black Magic…’ for some hip-shaking glam stomping. ‘Hey Stargazer’ ends things on a gentler note, a piano led song of sci-fi visions, but once again with a beautiful solo.

 

This is certainly a similar album to ‘Black Magic…’, which is hardly surprising, but, if anything, the choice of track list is better, with light and shade, and I might even prefer it. Given that ‘Black Magic…’ was one of last year’s best albums (based on how many times I’ve played it), that’s quite a surprise. I’m really pleased that I preordered it. July is looking up…

Buy it Here

David Ryder Prangley plays live – 15th Aug at Lexington?

 

Author: Martin Chamarette

Seeing as Spaghetty Town released one of if not the best EP so far in 2021 we thought we’d bring you a few other of their releases via the medium of video and first up is The Stripp with ‘the Rising Tide’ which you can pre order Here

 

Next is a classic from Baltimore’s finest and out in September heres Ravagers with ‘Down That Road’.

Finally how about the brand new video from Chubby & The Gang?  Coming Up Tough it is then.  West London 5-piece Chubby and the Gang have detailed their much-anticipated second album – The Mutt’s Nuts out August 27th via Partisan – and shared its first single with accompanying music video. ‘Coming Up Tough‘ is part snapshot of modern London, part punk rager about government failure and the school-to-prison pipeline. It comes from frontman Charlie Manning Walker (aka Chubby Charles)’s own experience with one of his family members.

On 18th June The Wildhearts released a brand new single ‘Remember These Days‘ before their appearance at the Download Pilot Festival on Sunday.
Remember These Days‘ is the first single taken from the album ’21st Century Love Songs’, out September 3rd  2021 via Graphite Records

Sometimes inspiration strikes at exactly the right point in time, Ginger explains “I was sitting blind drunk one afternoon, looking at a picture of me and CJ on stage having a great old time. It had been a year since we’d played live and I started to miss it even more. So I started writing this song.
I never write while drunk. I’ve probably my done it half a dozen times in my life. But the picture got me all emotional, thinking about how much fun we used to have, even in the ‘bad old days’. 
It made me want to document these times because who knows, maybe we’ll look back on these times and remember only the good things?”
To purchase / stream ‘Remember These Days’ go  https://ffm.to/rememberthesedays
With The Wildhearts classic line up of Ginger, CJ, Ritchie and Danny still holding strong this creatively brilliant band who helped change the landscape of British rock through the 90’s are showing no sign of slowing down.
21st Century Love Songs is the follow up to Renaissance Men, their highest charting album since 1994’s P.H.U.Q, which debuted at number 11
To celebrate the release of  21st Century Love Songs’ The Wildhearts play an 18 date UK tour. The tour will start in Cardiff on Friday 3rd September and concludes in Southampton on Saturday 25th September.
Their incendiary live performances over the last few years have seen the band’s popularity hit new heights as The Wildhearts continue to cement their reputation and legacy as one of the best bands the UK has ever produced.
Live 2021 dates in full 
Festivals
June 
20 Sun Download Pilot Festival
July
17 Sat Ramblin Man Fair, Maidstone
25 Sun Steelhouse Festival, Ebbw Vale
29 Thu Wacken Open Air 2021, Wacken, Germany
30 Fri Rock and Blues Custom Show, Derby
31 Sat Cleethorpes Rocks, Cleethorpes
August
13 Fri Bloodstock
21 Sat Razernij Festival, Antwerp, Belgium
Headline Tour 
September 
3 Fri Tramshed, Cardiff
4 Sat SWX, Bristol
5 Sun Phoenix, Exeter
6 Mon Cheese & Grain, Frome
8 Wed Academy 2, Manchester
9 Thu Electric Ballroom, London
10 Fri Waterfront, Norwich
11 Sat Chalk, Brighton
12 Sun Madding Crowd, Bournemouth
15 Wed KKs Steel Mill, Wolverhampton
16 Thu Guildhall, Gloucester
17 Fri Boiler Shop, Newcastle
18 Sat Stylus, Leeds
20 Mon Mac Arts, Galashiels
21 Tue Tolbooth, Stirling
22 Wed The Lemon Tree, Aberdeen
24 Fri Foundry, Sheffield
25 Sat Engine Rooms, Southampton
October
1 Fri Great British Alternative Festival, Skegness
2 Sat MK11, Milton Keynes
15 Fri Roadmender, Northampton
16 Sat Cornwall Rocks, Cornwall
November 
5 Fri MMH Radio 10 Year Birthday Bash, Birmingham
11 Thu Hedworth Hall, South Shields
12 Fri Monsterfest,  Inverness
To purchase tickets please go Here
http://www.thewildhearts.com/
https://www.facebook.com/TheWildhearts

Former front man of Minneapolis boneshakers The Rockford Mules is back with his first full solo album since 2012’s ‘The Ballad of a Winter Beard’. Following the Mules’ final record in 2010, ‘Ma, They Broke Me’, Erik Tasa’s solo record was a far mellower and introspective offering, employing acoustic melodies and haunting vocals to create a powerful and atmospheric 7 songs in just over 20 minutes. For the new album ‘Murky’, the folk balladeer has happily returned to this formula, this time under the name Mudfoot Barker.

For those who have been waiting a long 9 years for a follow up, ‘Murky’ is in fact reminiscent of the its predecessor in many ways – beautifully crafted, melodious and mysterious. The sheer beauty of the title track opens up yet another collection of late-night, whiskey-sipping acoustic folk. It’s a sound so descriptive you can almost see it – delicate tones warmly blending into one another, a voice full of warmth, stories of time gone by; all helped on by the atmospheric production of another ex-Mules man, Ryan Rud.

From the magic of ‘Whiskey Witching Hour’ to the tingling charm of ‘Between the Ditches’, the chorus of ‘My June’ to the lonely road song of ‘Long Setting Low’, ‘Murky’ is an album that illustrates a myriad of portraits within a desperately short 7 songs. While acting as something like a follow up to ‘The Ballad of Winter Beard’, it’s certainly not a conclusion. I just hope we don’t have to wait for another 9 years to get one.

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Author: Craggy Collyde

 

Somewhere between The Hold Steady and The Replacements or Soul Asylum and Husker Du with just enough rough assed Buffalo Tom slung in for good measure.  Vancouver’s Needles/Pins dish up a tasty din. With some sumptuous melodies wrapped in barbed wire overdrive and last orders vocals, this album just keeps giving, play after play.  Subtle yet thoroughly addictive.  Released via Dirt Cult Records . Ahead of the release Needles//Pins revealed the lead single ‘A Rather Strained Apologetic‘ and already I was sold but it was merely a glimpse into what was to come.  Sometimes you just want a record to not be clever or sing songs about everybody’s pandemic or chuck in a token ballad Needles//Pins are that band from top to bottom they just wanna cut some rug and just turn the amps up and rock out.

 

This isn’t Needles//Pins’ first time out mind it’s their fourth album. From the surging rush of opener ‘Woe Is Us’ this record just oozes class.  ‘Of Things Best Left To Chance’ is like a Nirvana melody on top of a steady beat whilst the guitars go all Bob Stinson and Westerberg at their best.  It’s a really unapologetic album that’s just kicking back and dishing out top tunes aplenty and if you’re in then cool, jump on board. If it’s not polished enough then just move on.  ‘Winnipeg ‘03’ has a cool organ honking away in the background just enough to layer a rather splendid melody on the vocals that screams warm beer on a hot afternoon.

 

‘Gleamer’ is a smouldering monster that builds over its short existence and those backing vocals are caveman-like and primal as the song just fades away into the distance. Splendid stuff.  the songs are all pretty much under three minutes and a lot of them are sub-two minutes which is just long enough ‘I Was Just Underjoted If That’s A Word’ is a great example as the song build to a cacophony of primal screams on top of swirling organs and a steady pounding beat that falls away to make room for the uptempo ‘Baleful’ and ‘Grow’ before signing off with the anthemic closer ‘The Tyranny Of Comforts’, then were done.  dust yourself down take a throat sweet catch forty winks then go back in for another swing but this time turn it up some more.

The raw vocal delivery is the perfect ying for the power-pop yang and it’s all tied together beautifully by the rough you up guitar tones.  This is something of an onion album (no it doesn’t make you weep) its got layers and layers going on and the next is more interesting as the last.  Top tunes thats a given, Top Bloody Tunes!

 

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Author: Dom Daley

This one has been hotly anticipated for quite some time.  Up there with fellow Baltimore rockers Ravagers, (former bandmate) Tuk Smith and several other exponents of dirty punk rock. With attitude soaked dangerous Rock and Fuckin Roll! RMBLR is the real deal.  With this EP they’ve stepped up to the plate and delivered the goods.  Sorry for the spoiler but this is one hell of an EP and the only complaint I’ve got is the fact it’s just an EP and not a double album because I just can’t get enough of it.

From the mean streets of Baltimore, RMBLR have been around the blocks and eagle-eyed music fans will need no introduction to bands that paved the way for RMBLR like The Heart Attacks well RMBLR has rock and roll in their DNA and coursing through their veins is the responsibility to turn it up and rock the fuck out and boy do these cats bring the tunes to the party.  Kicking off with the epic ‘Machine Gun’. Rat tat-tat goes the lyrics being spat out on top of some loose rock and roll as the band kicks out the jams.  It’s a fantastic introduction as to what’s coming over the next twenty or so minutes. Snotty, Hell yeah! of course it is.

Rushing in on the back of that is ‘Hurricane Kiss’ again its uptempo, gang vocals snarled out with a whirling rhythm and sweet guitar lick.  Certainly one to chant along to but please be careful not to spill your beer as you windmill franticly.

 

The record is sent into overdrive with the piano tonking ‘Main Muscle’.  Don’t believe me check out the track in the video below and then tell me that the band don’t hit the bullseye. From the rapid 12 bar riff to that one-fingered piano thump to the earworm vocal melody right through to the classic Faces like solo.  It’s absolutely all killer no filler.  With only six tracks there’s no time to slow things down or take a breather or chuck in an album track its literally one after the other rap round the head send you dizzy Rockers of the very highest standard.  There’s some cool as slide guitar work happening on the excellent  ‘Tal’m Bout’.

With time to throw in a bit of boogie in the shape of ‘Move Over’ there’s just time for vinyl only track ‘Get Ghost’ and these half dozen shots of Rock and Roll will leave you begging for more. RMBLR have finally entered the game and can’t keep their poker face on any longer its shit or bust time and for an opening offering, they’ve only gone and hit the jackpot and set the bar exceptionally high.  Now, all we need is for venues to open up and get these gents over to Europe to share the noise and kick some ass.

If you’re looking to spend some dosh on a new band you might not have heard of then I’m suggesting you hit the links and take the plunge, you will not regret one second of owning this EP.  It’s got attitude, it’s got confidence, it’s got tunes (boy has it got tunes), power pop, old school hard rock, punk rock spit n pogo, handclaps, iggy and the stooges one finger barroom piano, some Faces swagger what more do you want?  – it’s a must-have record if you have any sort of taste but be quick this will sell out fast! snooze you lose!

 

Buy it Here (Wanda Europe) or Here (Spaghetty Town Records USA)

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Author: Dom Daley

Brand new album from living legend Sonny Vincent (Testors/The Limit). Vincent’s new album “Snake Pit Therapy” is raw, real-deal blazing Protopunk with lashings of Psychedelia and Hard Rock, all taken to the edge with Sonny’s Vincent’s secret weapons, the naked aggression in his passionate voice and his trademark caustic guitar. 15 tracks of electrifying shock-treatment, with catchy, primal screams and searing melody, “Snake Pit Therapy” is just what the doctor ordered. Songs like “The End of Light” and “Never Tired” with their heart-ripped open choruses are visceral, vital and urgent.

Pre Order Here

Vincent’s new album “Snake Pit Therapy” is raw, real-deal blazing Protopunk with lashings of Psychedelia and Hard Rock, all taken to the edge with Sonny’s Vincent’s secret weapons, the naked aggression in his passionate voice and his trademark caustic guitar. If there is an honesty which runs through the bones in “Snake Pit Therapy” it’s because Sonny Vincent’s life and antics are more than legend, they are real, as documented in his recent book bearing the same title as this very album. In and out of homes for bad kids, committed to the Psych Ward for observation and forcibly conscripted into a tour of duty in Vietnam courtesy of the U.S. Marine Corp, Sonny Vincent’s experience of wild and tough living has awarded his songs hardness with humanity. Sincerity without mawkishness, “Snake Pit Therapy” is a glorious testament to real Rock ‘n’ Roll.

15 tracks of electrifying shock-treatment, with catchy, primal screams and searing melody, “Snake Pit Therapy” is just what the doctor ordered. Songs like “The End of Light” and “Never Tired” with their heart-ripped open choruses are visceral, vital and urgent. Sonny Vincent has venom in his fangs, and his song-writing is razor sharp.

Burning with underground spirit, never standing still, Sonny Vincent is the ultimate undestroyable outsider, most recently exploding the airwaves with his new heavy Punk Metal band The Limit, featuring Bobby Liebling of Pentagram, and garnering glowing reviews worldwide. While playing with some of the genre’s most influential names during a career which has spanned over 3 decades and 28 albums without compromise, Vincent’s music remains die hard, high octane, high voltage and high class.

“Snake Pit Therapy” rocks with a heart-heavy passion, savage smarts, and tunes that can reunite you with your own bastard youth. Are you ready to get your head rearranged by a man whose music mixes irresistible melody with a powerful and raw sound that’s more potent than a cornered king cobra? If so, you’re in urgent need of “Snake Pit Therapy”!

10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF MOULDS MEMOIR ‘SEE A LITTLE LIGHT: THE TRAIL OF RAGE & MELODY’ WITH A READING AND SOLO PERFORMANCE OF ‘WISHING WELL’

On top of that Mould has shared a trailer for his fourth and final vinyl box Distortion: Live an 8LP set that includes live recordings from both his solo career and his band Sugar. This set will be released on July 16, 2021, through Demon Music Group.

“After three years of writing my 2011 autobiography, See A Little Light, I was ‘full speed ahead’ — no more looking back. But over the past few years, during the production of the Distortion reissue series, many of the people, places, and circumstances that fuelled those albums came back to life. Oddly, I didn’t see that coming!

“As for today: the book is ten years old, I’m thrilled that 30 years of my work has been re-released in so many configurations, and I’m very grateful to be able to take these songs and stories to the stage later this year — and hopefully many years to come. As time marches on, I’m learning to embrace my past, enjoy the moment, and still have hopes and dreams for the future.”

As on the previously released box sets in the Distortion collection, the fourth volume sees each album being mastered by Jeff Lipton and Maria Rice at Peerless Mastering in Boston and is presented with brand new artwork designed by illustrator Simon Marchner and pressed on 140g clear vinyl with unique splatter effects. This box set includes 4 live albums: Live At The Cabaret Metro, 1989 (first time on vinyl); the Sugar album The Joke Is Always On Us, SometimesLiveDog98 (first time on vinyl), and Live at ATP 2008 (first time on vinyl). In addition, the set includes a 28-page companion booklet featuring liner notes by journalist Keith Cameron; contributions from Bully’s Alicia Bognanno; rare photographs and memorabilia, and a bonus LP Distortion Plus: Live, which features live rarities including B-Sides and stand-out tracks from the Circle of Friends concert film.

Mould has also announced that Jason Narducy will open the solo portion of his Distortion and Blue Hearts! tour starting October 15th, 2021, in Bloomington, IL at Castle Theater. These solo dates are the second part of a tour that begins with his band — Narducy on bass and drummer Jon Wurster on September 16th at Paradise Rock Club in Boston.

Narducy has been the bass player in Bob Mould’s band since 2005. The Evanston, IL-based musician first gained renown in 1982, when at 11 years old, he formed the seminal punk rock band Verböten with his childhood friends in an Evanston basement. Narducy would later go on to front Verbow, releasing three albums with the band (one in its earliest incarnation as Jason & Alison). Since his days in Verbow, Narducy has gone on to tour with such acts as Robert Pollard and Telekinesis. Today, along with playing bass for Mould he performs the same role in Superchunk, and fronts Split Single, with whom he’s recorded three albums with a rotating cast of stellar musicians, including Jon Wurster, Spoon’s Britt DanielR.E.M.’s Mike Mills, and Wilco’s John Stirratt. Split Single’s new album, Amplificado, is out June 25th.

Discover more about the boxsets including full tracklistings and FAQs Here

The 8LP Distortion: Live boxset is released July 16th, 2021, via Demon Music Group. The 24CD Distortion: 1989-2019, 8LP Distortion: 1989-1995, 9LP Distortion: 1996-2007, 7LP Distortion 2008-2019 boxsets and Distortion: The Best of 1989-2019 2LP, 2CD and 4CD compilations are all available now

 

Pre-order Distortion: Live Here