RICKY RAT- “She Feels Like a Good Thing” b/w “Born in Detroit (I-94 Recordings) Ricky has teamed up with his Rat Pack members Laura Mendoza (bass) and Joe Leone (drums) for 2 new studio tracks. The “A” side is a brand new original and the “B” side is a cover of the classic “Born in Detroit” (The Rockets). The amazing Jimmie Bones guests on piano on this barnstormer. A good time slice of Rock and Roll sees Ricky do what he does best just cruising down this Rock and Roll freeway kicking up the dust with some punk rock n roll with a catchy chorus and gang vocals that sound like one of those memorable nights out.
The B side is worth the money for this 45 alone. Ripping it up with some cool as fuck piano licks to give the feel good kick this bit o boogie woogie needs. Class!
Preorders are available at I-94Recordings.com (they will ship out August 20th).
Delusions Of Grandeur – EP (Savage Magic Records) is the result of a bunch of mates from two different countries, recording songs remotely, to help kill the boredom of Lockdown 1.0.
It is not a band, there will be no gigs. It is a one off, 4 track 7” of songs that would have otherwise been left to rot on Austin’s hard drive if Mel hadn’t suggested that they should try recording them and see what happened.
Blah blah Hip Priests, blah blah Bitch Queens. It doesn’t sound particularly like either but it’s fast, bangin’ and has loads of guitar solos! That’s a pretty succinct press release and right on the money to be fair. Obviously, Mel’s vocals would point to the Bitch Queens comparison but the solos are pure hear n aid bliss wig out for guitarists especially on ‘Drinking My Life Away’. One for the collectors of these bands involved but that would be doing these tunes a disservice because they are proper bangers and that’s why you should buy this record. Respect the Rock!
PRE-ORDERS shipping from USA! <—click here
PRE-ORDERS shipping from UK! <—click here
Chuck Norris Experiment – ‘This Will Leave A Mark’ (Transubstans Records / Ghost Highway Recordings) is taken from the upcoming album with the same name, which will be released on September 17. The single is released on all streaming services and download platforms! Spotify / YouTube
A clean sharp stab of high octane Action Rock from Sweden’s finest most uncompromising rockers giving fans and newcomers a nice little taster of what’s to come from Chuck and the gang.
Confused – ‘I Want A Beer’ (Confused Records) Get the WD 40 ready for those double bass pedals and heads down wait for the starting gun and Go! Hardcore as fuck Confused go for it. M.O.D., Agnostic Front, D.R.I.paved the way for this to come crashing the party. Brutal. RIOT PRE-SAVE URL: www.tinyurl.com/getriot
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Brian McCarty & the Jen-U-Wine Faux Diamond Band “Hamtramck Jukebox” b/w “A Place in the Sun” (I-94 Recordings) Brand new single from Brian McCarty. The “A’ side pays tribute to Lili Karwowksi and her bar Lili’s 21 which was the hangout/hometown bar for the gang back in the day.
He was the vocalist and founding member of Detroit’s glam punk Trash Brats (1987-2002) and has been consistently putting out solo releases for the last 20+ years. A wonderfully sunny rocker with a tip of the hat to Detroit rockers whilst the flip side is a bright and breezy tip of the hat to Stevie Wonder with a rocking version of the song “A Place in the Sun”. A blast from start to finish and a real ray of sunshine and hope in difficult times. check it out! Here
FRVITS ‘Stupid Era’ (Slovenly Recordings) A banging six tracks spread over a 7″ EP is VFM if ever I saw it. This debut EP from Montreal’s first and only Dot Matrix Rock’n’Roll Band FRVITS. It’s thunderous hardcore space punk (or so they say). It is ferocious to be fair, Fronted by Shit Vicious on a radioactive vox, and featuring Wind of Change (associate of PRIORS & DUCHESS SAYS), Krispy Karl, Alexander Ortiz, and Blag Dahlia/Jesus (DWARVES) with a vocal appearance on the penultimate track “Abortion Hoops.” This one is tough, fun, and as abstract as a frvit salad served in a urinal. Head fucked!
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Kris Rodgers and the Dirty Gems – Take Me To The Pilot’ (Wicked Cool Records) Kris Rodgers & The Dirty Gems’ upcoming album, Still Dirty, which was released in July on Wicked Cool Records.
THE Q-TIPS – ‘There Are Those Who Drill Violently!’ EP (Slovenly Records) Prepare your ears and numb your minds, puny humans. The Kids of the Drill Hole, known officially as Munich’s THE Q-TIPS, are here to scrub your auditory canals, getting rid of the grime and re-contaminating ‘em with their 2nd EP “There Are Those Who Drill Violently.” For their Slovenly debut, sequencer Ms. Juliette and programmer Mr. Brotzeit kick four cuts of crunchy and negative synth-punk screamers hysterically down your hear-holes. The sincerity of tracks llike “Full of Hate” and “Shut Your Face” is as real as you are stupid, but the humor never gets lost in translation.
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Indonesian Junk – ‘She Stands There’ (Rum Bar Records) Inspired choice of cover for a single. Didn’t see this one coming as the kings of sloppy loud dead boys glam-punk crowd Indonesian Junk do justice to the mighty Degeneration legacy by knocking out a blisteringly good take on this banger.If you have to ask who Dgen were then their work here is done. Killer band does killer cover who’d have thunk it? Hooray to the Junkos you’ve done good here and we tip our hat to you guys tipping the hat to those guys. Good times!
Ryan Hamilton – ‘Permanent Holiday’ (Wicked Cool Records) ‘Permanent Holiday’ is the 8th track from Ryan’s 1221 project, where every 12th of the month, a new track is released, culminating in a full-length album at the end of the year. This one is like a huge ray of sunshine the feel-good hit of the summer. A song about escapism and this never-ending pandemic or a hopeful future where the new normal rocks. This might just be the tonic for that time.
KOMBI KILLERS – ‘ScuMo’ (Riot Records) oi oi heads down and lace up those docs. Brisbane’s old-school punk rockers KOMBI KILLERS have released their new single ‘ScuMo’ through Riot Records, and it is available on all digital platforms! blink and it’s done. no compromise and boot boy punk. Not for the faint-hearted.
This music reviewing lark is easy when the media you get sent for review is as consistently badass as the output from Albany ne’er-do-wells, The Erotics. I’ve been throwing the longhorns in the band’s direction for the majority of its 20+ years of decibel debauchery and, happily, it seems like there is little chance of this runaway musical muscle car slowing down any time soon.
With infamous producer Don Fury (Agnostic Front, Madball, Sick Of It All) once again at the controls of an Erotics release, ‘Ride It To Death!’ is a five-track extended player that pushes every button required by fans of the band’s back catalogue whilst also managing, somehow, to up the aural ante. Just like the rat rod that graces the band photography on this new EP, this is a straightforward rock ‘n’ roll framework embellished with all manner of crypt-cool accessories, thereby fashioning something unique and dastardly desirable. That, my friends, is The Erotics.
Opening track, ‘When The Wolves Are Howlin’, is a pure Eighties throwback that circles around a surprisingly melodic riff before transforming into a typical fang-in-cheek Erotics horror-drenched stormer that is guaranteed to appear on the soundtrack to a lycanthropic B-movie before the sun rises. You won’t be surprised to read that second track, ‘Scream Like A Demon’, doesn’t stray far from the wrong side of the tracks; infectious, biting guitar work strutting around a typically dark, despicable theme.
The EP’s title track is a full-throttle, high-octane, scuzzed-up workout that is part classic KISS, part classic Aerosmith, by way of Death Race 2000. This is akin to prime Eighties stadium rock… if the stadium was created by John Carpenter circa ‘Escape From New York’. It’s the EP’s fourth track, though, that might just be the standout cut. ‘Bless Your Heart’ is a swaggering rock ‘n’ roller that echoes The Dogs D’Amour at their raucous best; Mike Trash (who is in fine voice throughout this whole EP) channelling Tyla and in doing so fronting one of the band’s finest tunes of recent times. That said, there isn’t the slightest whiff of a weak track on this five-tracker; closer ‘Can I Sit Next To You Girl’ another hook-smeared exercise in effortless, retro-fuelled sleaze rock ‘n’ roll that is as wicked as it is darkly life-affirming. Yes, we need bands like The Erotics – some people haven’t realised it yet (fuck me, they’ve had enough time!), but as long as us cool kids have then this spinning rock doesn’t seem like such a bad place to be stuck on.
One complaint – five tracks just aren’t enough! In this form I want a fifteen track Erotics record – keep everything crossed for the near future. Summing up, the only people who claim to love rock ‘n’ roll yet don’t like The Erotics would have to be either allergic to truly cool bands or someone with an agenda – like a reviewer who developed a grudge against the band for pathetic reasons at some shitty festival, and, let’s be honest, who cares about their opinions anyway? Long live The Erotics!
Buy It Here
Author: Gaz Tidey
One of those long-awaited lockdown albums is finally upon us. Jack and Wayne have to deal with a lineup change and lockdown mania gnawing away at their mental health it was always going to be music that could set them free and focus their attention and with the pandemic may be a chance to gather their thoughts and be where they needed to be. So they set about creating Their next album ‘Love No Less Than A Queen’. An epic journey with an epic record.
Was it really 2017 when ‘Swansea To Hornsey’ came out? Wow, time flys I guess, fast forward four years (and the compilation ‘Pick a Pocket’), Three flaming years!
After the opener ‘Gotta Do More Gotta Be More’ has twisted your melon with its psychedelic twisted groove you know you’re in for a ride. It’s like hitting the Kingsway in a stolen punto with the Lewis boys doing 90. But rather than soaring a Cobain like acoustic drags you towards a drum loop but you’re carried on a great safe melody from Jones as the chorus hits and we’re off.
‘The Misadventures Of Lord Billy Bilo’ is sandwiched on either side of two absolute belters with ‘Oh Lover’ and ‘No Love No Kisses’ is the sound of a cheeky grin from the classroom clown who likes to play the joker card at every opportunity so as to not pin him down to what’s really going on, hell, its only Rock and Roll amigos it’s not like anyone has to die. The album has barely started and already we’ve been taken on an album masterclass of twisted beauty where pop meets rock via an indie alternative groove where Jack Jones works his poetry and lyrics as the musical backdrop ebbs and flows.
Jack does what he wants and what pleases him and I like that aspect of Trampolene the others trust him and assist in whatever way. He’s not dancing to anyone’s tune and finding his way into any specific genre or trend. The band sways from Britpop to grunge with effortless ease. The opener is like what Cobain would be coming up with if he hadn’t checked out. The band operates along the same lines as a Bobby Gilespie fucks with people’s heads on Primal Scream records or Burgess does when he makes a Charlatans album. There is also a heady dose of Velvet undergrounds and their bohemian New York scene for good measure.
‘Remember’ sees Jones veer down a Morrissey route but Morrisey never sounded this good. ‘Uncle Brians Abbertoir’ is another gentle interlude that Jones gets by with a little help from his friends and some great observations listed as a stream of conciseness.
The Single ‘Shoot The Lights’ plays with 80s pop-rock and succeeds in being a real grower with a chorus Jones will happily let the audience have lift off with live. There’s a haze around this album with moments of real clarity where you think you’ve struck pop genius and moments of utter chaos and confusion but all in a good way. The gentle wheeze of ‘Lighter Than Paper’ is the work of someone feeling vulnerable yet strong in the ability to pen great songs that will resonate over time and the album will get better and better on repeated listening. An album with depth and throwaway pop in equal measures is a gift and one that will work on several levels depending on the listener’s mood
With ‘Perfect View’ there’s a triumphant knowledge that this album is rather bloody good. Come along for the ride my friend there’s plenty of room in the back, it’s genuine quality that exudes happiness and hope. The treated lick of ‘Born Again’ is a joy as it builds into a heaving ball of volume and sweat before dropping back into the groove.
The album ends with another poem ‘Come Join Me In Life’ so much to say and saying it so well come on join us down the front and bounce around to Trampolene and their class sounds, come on while you still have a chance put on your trainers and lets join the dance.
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Author: Dom Daley
BILLY IDOL RETURNS WITH FIRST NEW RELEASE IN SEVEN YEARS
‘THE ROADSIDE’ EP OUT 17TH SEPTEMBER ON DARK HORSE RECORDS
2021 TOUR DATES CONFIRMED
Billy Idol is set to release ‘The Roadside’ EP, his first new material in nearly seven years, on 17th September via Dark Horse Records. Produced by Butch Walker (Green Day, Weezer) and featuring Idol’s longtime lead guitarist and co-writer Steve Stevens, ‘The Roadside’ was conceived, recorded and mixed almost entirely under the shadow of the pandemic. The lead single ‘Bitter Taste’ and accompanying video directed by Steven Sebring (Patti Smith, Jack White) can be seen and heard below.
Fans can pre-order ‘The Roadside’ HERE
The lead single ‘Bitter Taste’ features some of Idol’s most introspective and confessional lyrics ever, as he confronts death, rebirth and his personal growth in the thirty-one years since his near-fatal 1990 motorcycle accident. “I think everyone has been feeling more reflective (during the pandemic). So, it seemed quite logical and natural to write something about my motorcycle accident,” Idol explains. “Certainly, the motorcycle accident was the catharsis, the wake-up moment. A little bit of me got left on that roadside. But it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing in the end; it was a wake-up call. Maybe on that roadside I left behind the irreverent youthful Billy and opened the door for a more attentive father and a more sensitive musician.”
To celebrate the forthcoming release, Idol is planning a run of 2021 tour dates. The shows include headline performances at New York’s Capitol Theatre and Las Vegas’ Cosmopolitan, as well as an appearance at the Sea.Hear.Now Festival in Asbury Park, NJ. Just recently, Idol appeared alongside Miley Cyrus during her headlining performance at Lollapalooza. See below for the full tour schedule.
For forty-five years, Billy Idol has been one of the faces and voices of rock’n’roll, with an artistic resumé to match the brilliant light of the image. As the camera-ready frontman for Generation X Idol emerged with three albums that made positivity, emotional depth, and high pop synonymous with punk rock. In 1982, Idol embarked on a remarkable transatlantic/trans-genre solo career that integrated clubland throb, wide-screen depth and drama, rockabilly desperation, the bold and simple lines of punk, and rock’n’roll decadence.
‘The Roadside’ is Idol’s first release on the newly relaunched Dark Horse Records, a label initially created in 1974 by George Harrison and now led by Dhani Harrison and David Zonshine. Other artists currently on Dark Horse include George Harrison himself, Joe Strummer and Ravi Shankar. “I couldn’t be more excited to welcome Billy Idol to the Dark Horse Records family. Billy is a legend and his music couldn’t fit the Dark Horse persona any better. I’ve loved his music throughout my whole life so to be able to give this new music a home on our historic label is a massive honour,” says Dhani Harrison.
BILLY IDOL LIVE
August 12––Airway Heights, WA––Northern Quest Resort
August 15––Tulalip, WA–– Tulalip Resort Casino
August 17––Manson, WA––Deep Water Amphitheater
August 19––Saratoga, CA––Mountain Winery
August 21––Napa, CA––Oxbow Riverstage
September 4––Palmer, AK––Alaska Sate Fair
September 18––West Springfield, MA––The Big E
September 19––Asbury Park, NJ––Sea.Hear.Now Festival
September 22––Post Chester, NY––The Capitol Theatre
September 24––Roanoke, VA––Elmwood Park
September 25––Charles Town, WV––Hollywood Casino
October 16-17––Las Vegas, NV––The Cosmopolitan
October 22-23––Las Vegas, NV––The Cosmopolitan
August 15––Tulalip, WA–– Tulalip Resort Casino
August 17––Manson, WA––Deep Water Amphitheater
August 19––Saratoga, CA––Mountain Winery
August 21––Napa, CA––Oxbow Riverstage
September 4––Palmer, AK––Alaska Sate Fair
September 18––West Springfield, MA––The Big E
September 19––Asbury Park, NJ––Sea.Hear.Now Festival
September 22––Post Chester, NY––The Capitol Theatre
September 24––Roanoke, VA––Elmwood Park
September 25––Charles Town, WV––Hollywood Casino
October 16-17––Las Vegas, NV––The Cosmopolitan
October 22-23––Las Vegas, NV––The Cosmopolitan
October 26––Playa Mujeres, MX––The Sands Festival
17 long months since my last live gig. It’s been a long-time coming people, but live music is creeping back into our lives. And what better way to embrace the coming together of hundreds of music lovers than witnessing the new breed of rock’s chosen warriors, post lockdown in my favourite music venue the Brudenell Social Club.
In the wake of the BLM movement, Bob Vylan’s potent mix of noisy punk and grime was deemed too extreme for the music business, no record company would touch them, forcing the duo to self-release their debut EP ‘We Live Here’. Recorded in 2019, it’s an album of the times, and the themes of race hate, police brutality, angst and frustration are more relevant than ever.
But Bob Vylan have not had the chance to take this monster on the road, until now. This first headline tour is 14 dates across the UK, with two supports personally chosen by Bobby Vylan himself. This tour is part of the ‘Revive Live Tour’, in conjunction with The National Lottery. Basically, you buy a ticket and you can bring along a plus one, who can get in as long as they have a lottery ticket. A cool incentive to encourage people back to live shows.
Opener Zand warms things up nicely. Taking the laptop/singer duo format to weird new heights, Zand look and sound like the sort of band you would see in a bar during Blade Runner or Judge Dread. Breakbeats are triggered from a laptop by a girl whose face is obscured by an octopus wooly hat/mask combo. She twiddles knobs and her hair equal amounts, while doing awkward SoapGirls style dance moves. Stage front is Zand, the heavily tattooed, shaven headed singer in dayglo clothes croons dark electronic pop like some post-apocalyptic Shirley Manson.
Songs like ‘Freak’ and ‘Bald Bitch’ ooze confidence and empowerment from a non-binary artist who’s self-confessed ‘ugly pop’ is a step in the right direction.
Manchester’s Witch Fever are a headline act in the making. Their brand of post-punk, grunge-heavy rock is as mesmerizing and powerful as any band I have seen in recent years. Imagine L7, Killing Joke and Joy Division having a party in your basement and you’ll get somewhere close.
Diminutive singer Amy commands the stage and works the growing crowd like a pro. Whether she’s stage front hollering poetic missives like Patti Smith, crouched on her haunches on the precipice of the stage or down on the dancefloor amongst the soon to be new recruits of the church of Witch Fever, you won’t want to take your eyes off her.
The more than capable rhythm section hold the whole thing together, just. The hypnotic bass lines, the ferocious dirty riffs and the cool, hypnotic grooves are the what stand out. This band have songs that ebb and flow just right in the live environment.
It’s a dark and gothic tinged thrill of a set that could easily descend into crowd chaos in a smaller, hotter and tightly packed venue. Yet, here in a larger room, not yet filled to capacity, with the air con keeping things cool, Witch Fever bring some fire to the proceedings, and are certainly not out of their depth. The charismatic singer makes the most of her space and ends the set singing from the balcony between the bar and the dancefloor.
They look good, they sound good, and with an EP due for release before the end of the year, Witch Fever are certainly ones to watch.
“I heard you want your country back?…shut the fuck up!” sings Bobby Vylan with a union jack flag draped over his head, before launching himself into a frantic sold out Brudenell crowd, who then carry him above their heads for the entirety of ‘I Heard You Want Your Country Back’. It’s an image that will stay with me for a long time to come, an iconic moment in time that I hope someone captured with a camera. Behind him, drummer Bobbie pounds seven shades of shit out of his kit. We are just 2 songs into a 40-minute set, but who’s counting? With no guitars, other than samples triggered by the drummer, this is the new face of punk rock post pandemic. It’s ferocious and intense and it is called Bob Vylan.
Each song is a 2-minute burst of power and energy, delivered like a jack hammer to the senses, by a man in a boiler suit, with a mass of flailing dreads and eyes that could pierce a hole into your very soul, and the crowd lap it up. Bobby is not much over 6 feet tall, but on that stage, he was more like 10 feet tall! I have never seen one man dominate a stage that size with such ease and conviction.
The likes of ‘England’s Ending’ and ‘Northern Line’ are brutal live, the perfect and most relatable music right now for people to lose their inhibitions to and expel all their frustrations. I think the set lasted 40 minutes or so, but I wasn’t counting, as I was too busy watching the man give his all on that stage, and also avoiding the ensuing chaos created around me. Bobby split the crowd down the middle at one point to create a circle pit. Those in the know take two steps back before the younger and more energetic amongst us lose their shit for a moment in time. It is so good to witness scenes like this after so, so long.
For all the anger and riot-inciting lyrics, between songs Bobby seems a softie at heart. Cracking jokes, taking the piss out of his drummer and generally having a right laugh. The biggest cheers of the night are reserved for set closer ‘We Live Here’. If anyone (and there were plenty) had been reserving anything for a final bounce, then that opening riff was their calling. The place erupts one last time before Bobby invites everyone on his stage to join in a mass finale.
I couldn’t ask for a better return to doing what I love the most. Not only was tonight’s show part of a tour showcasing new and exciting UK talent, it will also probably be the gig of the year from an artist raging against the machine and breaking down musical and social barriers wherever he goes.
The t shirt at the merch stand stated “Bob Vylan Is Killing Punk Rock”, yet ironically, I truly believe Bob Vylan is the nearest thing to true punk rock in 2021. What he is preaching rings true and is so relatable to the growing hordes who are discovering just the tip of the iceberg of what this artist has to offer. Unchartered waters may lay ahead people, but they are exciting times nontheless.
Author: Ben Hughes
“Nuthin’ To Me is a classic “fuck you” song about running into an ex-lover and realizing that they no longer hold a place in your heart. In fact, you can’t remember why you fell in love with them in the first place. It is one of those tunes that wrote itself in 10 minutes, the words & melody came pouring out of me. The chorus was so direct & straight to the point that I felt like there was no reason to add extra lyrics. I said what I needed to say. Repeating the hook over and over again continues to be a cathartic and empowering mantra,” says Moon.
The video, which once again showcases Moon’s directorial and editing chops, highlights her love for old B horror movies & weird burlesque videos from the 60s. “Visually, I knew I wanted a black & white video to reflect the mood of the song. I definitely see a story in there, others may see something completely different. It’s up for interpretation! I hope that viewers enjoy the weird, wild ride,” Moon adds.
Since the release of her debut EP to rave reviews, Moon is finally getting ready to hit the road. Moon and her crew will be playing songs from her EP plus a few more surprises!
Catch SUZI MOON live:
09/09/2021 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fire
09/10/2021 – Brooklyn, NY – Our Wicked Lady
09/11/2021 – Artemas, PA – Four Quarters – Camp Punksylvania
Find SUZI MOON online:
https://www.instagram.com/thesuzimoon
Originally formed in Christchurch, New Zealand all the way back in 1981 (and hence the NZ part of their name), this 2021 version of Desperate Measures is much more London-centric with singer Eugene Butcher the only band member remaining from those formative years. With an interchangeable UK lineup allowing the band to play live over the years since Eugene relocated to Blighty, he has now assembled the band’s definitive line up, boasting ex-Glitterati and current Rich Ragany & The Digressions guitarist Gaff, ex-Done Lying Down and current Dealing With Damage drummer James Sherry along with ex-UK Subs bassist Ricky McGuire with which to write and record this six track mini-album.
The beefy chug of Gaff’s guitar heralds the arrival of opener ‘Scars & Memories’ a song very much honed by the post-Pistols sonic attack of The Professionals (a band they will soon be touring the UK with) and I must admit this is incendiary stuff from the Measures where you can almost feel Butcher’s breath on your face as his gravely Tyla-esque voice spits out the breakdown mid song.
Lead track, and one of the best “Fuck The System” terrace anthems you’ll hear anywhere this year, ‘The Rich-Tual’ is up next and this for me is the band’s defining moment to date, Gaff’s bandmate (and renowned producer) Andy Brook really capturing the Measures balls-out approach to songwriting, and trust me when I say you’ll be screaming the “Woah Oh” outro hook to this one long after your first listen.
After that initial ferocious hook laden opening 1-2 ‘Flowers At Your Door’ slows things down ever so slightly and features some magnificent vocal harmonies plus synth string swells that really give the song a kind of Steve Jones fronting the Lords Of The New Church vibe. So, if that sounds like your kind of thing you really do need to pre-order a copy of this mini album now via the link at the end of this review.
Of the two versions of ‘Lost Angels’ that feature on ‘Rinsed’ the 1988 demo version sits very much sits in the same sleazy back alley as early Dogs D’Amour or in fact the LOTNC whilst the 2021 ‘live in the studio’ reboot thrashes away like the band have been fuelled by 4 bottles of silver label Merrydown, relentlessly driven on by the tight as hell rhythm section of Sherry and McGuire, and whilst being the same song seems a world away from the original demo.
Finishing things off there’s a ‘live in the studio’ run-through of ‘Don’t Gimme No Lip Child’ (shortened here to ‘No Lip’) a 1964 R&B song initially covered as a B side by Dave Berry and then suitably ripped to shreds by the Sex Pistols and included on ‘The Great Rock N Roll Swindle’ album. Here the Measures cover that latter version of the song and in spite of it missing the explosive mid-section of the Pistols version (where Fatty Jones’ guitar literally explodes) it’s still a boisterous homage to Rotten and Co.
‘Rinsed’ is available on CD and 10” vinyl from Easy Action Records and is recommended for anyone who likes their punk rock delivered like a boot to the privates. “This really is great stuff!” (Said with a very squeaky voice after repeated listens.)
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Author: Johnny Hayward
I’m kicking off with this bad boy because I’ve heard the whole album and if there’s a better LP released in 2021 then I need to hear it. But, I think you’ll be forgiven for the error of your ways because ‘The Innermost Journey to Your Outermost Mind’ is an absolute banger and the best album of 2021.
Steve Conte also has a new album dontch know. Check out this little bit o boogie then pre-order the new album at this link – https://orcd.co/dogdaysofsummer
Californian rock band Switchfoot have announced their new album interrobang that will be released on August 20th, 2021 via Fantasy Records.
It’s the bands 12th album and is brimming with great songs that mix classic and alternative rock influences with a 60s pop sense of melody and big pop hooks.
“fluorescent” is from the new Switchfoot album, “interrobang” pre-order “interrobang” Here
1990 was a great year for the Quireboys. After years of slogging away on the UK club circuit, the dawn of a new decade saw the band not only make the leap to headlining theatres and delivering show stealing festival/support slots but also saw them release a gold-selling album that boasted 4 hit singles, and with ‘A Bit Of What You Fancy’ mainstream success appeared just a top five single away for Spike and the ‘boys.
Of course, hindsight is always a wonderful thing, and the veritable tsunami of “what ifs” that followed for the band could form the basis of multiple RPM features all of their own, but 30 years on when the 21st Century version of The Quireboys decided to re-record their debut it was never really about looking back but all about giving the dozen songs that make up the record a Gypsy Rock ‘N’ Roll makeover to capture how the band sounds right now.
So, for those of you who have always longed for the loose energy of those early Survival released singles and the Reading Festival bootlegs that were essential listening for those of us in the know in the late 80s, this could be your chance to finally get the debut album you so yearned for. For me though, I’ve always loved what the band along with George Tutko and Jim Cregan did with ‘A Bit Of What You Fancy’ first time around (‘Seven O’Clock’ shoehorned chorus aside that is), so let’s see what a Gypsy Rock ‘N’ Roll makeover has added to proceedings shall we?
Sequenced in its original running order the 30th Anniversary party version of ‘A Bit Of What You Fancy’ kicks of as it should with their honky tonk Top 40 smash ‘Seven O’Clock’ and yes the chorus is still very much where it has been for the past 30 years, but you know what, after all these years I wouldn’t want it any other way. This is the perfect album opener and wonderfully raucous stuff!
‘Man On the Loose’ is where things truly step up a gear as this tune is given a cowbell driven rocket up its arse, complete with soaring gospel backing vocals and some glorious two-handed piano work (if you know you know) from the always excellent Keith Weir. The Willie Dowling cowrite ‘Whippin’ Boy’ sounds positively reborn here too and given room to breathe the guitars of Guy Griffin and Paul Guerin smoulder.
Overdriven backing vocals aside ‘Sex Party’ will always be err a beast of a party tune, whilst one of my favourite tracks from the original album ‘Sweet Mary Anne’ has never sounded more like the track that would make the Quireboys the Rod Stewart & The Faces of my generation. And talking of Rod if he had recorded ‘I Don’t Love You Anymore’ on one of his albums I’m sure that Spike and the boys would now be living some kind of Brian Tatler royalty enriched highlife. That this song never went top 5 when released is still one of life’s great mysteries.
Virtually flipping the album over for what would have been side 2, ‘Hey You’ (the band’s biggest hit back in the day, charting at number 14) stays pretty damn close to the original version, and acoustic intro aside so does the swaggering giant that is ‘Misled’. ‘Long Time Comin’ meanwhile still struts and boogies hard, and thirty years ago it was Quireboys tunes like this that really opened the door for The Black Crowes to come steaming in and steal the band’s limelight whilst they were off trying to record album number two in the US.
‘Roses And Rings’ is yet another song that has The Faces influence written through it like a stick of seaside rock, and here with added fiddle I can just see John Peel kicking a football around to it on Top Of The Pops. ‘There She Goes Again’ and a wonderfully reworked ‘Take Me Home’ close the 30th Anniversary version of ‘A Bit Of What You Fancy’ out in true style, and if you have purchased the CD version of the album you’ll also have live versions of ‘Man On The Loose’ and ‘Mayfair’ left to enjoy. My one small gripe here is there is no place for ‘How Do You Feel?’ or ‘Pretty Girls’, two tracks that not only featured on the Japanese version of the 1990 album but also deserve a Gypsy Rock ‘N’ Roll makeover…ah well, you can always dream I suppose.
Available on CD right now and later this month on limited edition double 10” blue vinyl, The Quireboys aim to get back in the top ten with this 30th anniversary edition of ‘A Bit Of What You Fancy’ and I for one wish the ‘boys every success with the campaign. Get your copy now from the links below and make The Quireboys dreams come true.…
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Author: Johnny Hayward
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