What do you know about Ruts DC? What do you want to know about Ruts DC? It’s nearly fifty years since the two sevens clashed. In a little over fifty more years, they will clash again. Roughly around the time they last clashed the Ruts were hot wiring barbed wire guitar, passionate poetry and rhythm weaponry together somewhere in a London that probably does not exist anymore. Splicing heat haze dub thinking to the energy flash of punk close to the big bang of late twentieth century culture. Open to ideas. Committed to ideals.
Some band’s sound punk. Some look punk. Some even look and sound punk. And some, simply, are punk. Without turning this into a game or statistics, Ruts DC were early challengers to the misunderstood notion that punk was a somewhat luddite dogma wherein complexity, creative exploration and musical prowess were considered a shameful affectation. Ruts DC songs moved with a precise muscularity and carried lyrics of eloquent and graceful rage. No two-chord thrash with shouting over the top. Go back. Listen to everything. From the very beginning to now, with the forthcoming release of new album ‘Counterculture?’, the much-anticipated follow-up to 2016’s incendiary ‘Music Must Destroy’ album, due this November 11th via their own Sosumi Recordings.
Counterculture. Now is the time. Was there ever an age with more reason to rebel? Counterculture. Do not think you can simply buy a way in. To Counter; to push against, to oppose and redress. By being a spectator, you are NOT a part of the counterculture.
“Counterculture? For us, it never went away,” says bassist and vocalist John ‘Segs’ Jennings. “We’ve always been on the outside and still are. It’s ok to be a freak. That’s why The Ruts started in the first place. If it’s still inside you, it’s time to light that flame again. Get to know what you don’t know. Come and borrow my lighter.”
Today, we get to hear the first taste of the new album in the title track and new single ‘Counterculture’. Drums and Bass building the defence wall. Guitar and whatever else lobbed in stun/attack mode. That is Ruts DC. That is all you really need to know.
See Ruts DC live in the UK November & December 2022 on the ‘Faces In The Sky / Counterculture’ tour at the following dates:
Formed in 2017 and with a self-titled long player released back in 2019, London 3-piece power pop sensations More Kicks return with their sophomore album ‘Punch Drunk’ on Stardumb Records. And they promise a heavier, more expansive sound with an album born of frustration, anger and heartbreak during lockdown. Consisting of James Sullivan (Sulli) on vocals/guitar, Kris Hood on drums and Paolo Mantovani on bass, the band continue their campaign for world domination with an explosion of fuzzy guitars and pop sensibilities.
While the lush, choral harmonies that introduce opener ‘Hurts Like Hell’ may bring to mind indie folk darlings Fleet Foxes in a Nashville church, the sound of More Kicks has two size 9’s firmly planted somewhere in a London garage.
Recorded live in the studio onto 2” tape (as with the debut album), they barely breach the 3-minute barrier for their melodic, power pop ditties that resemble the sound of Mega City 4 jamming Buzzcocks and Sonics cover tunes. Current single ‘Terminal Love’ is a fine example of how this band mix indie beats, jangly guitars and melodic goodness to great effect. Lyrically dealing with a relationship that has run its course, it’s a remarkably upbeat ditty with a chorus that will ring around your skull for days, and a vocal that sounds like Paul Heaton banging out an Undertones tune. More Kicks are sure onto a winner methinks.
With its ‘My Sharona’ riff, ‘Animal’ was the lead track from an EP that preceded this album release. It is delivered with a primal statement of intent; the refrain builds nicely as fuzzy guitars accompany a passionate vocal. With just enough powerhouse drums, bouncing bass and shouty, gang vocals, the high energy ‘Good Enough’ is a blast from start to finish. It even has a Wildhearts-esque chuggy guitar bit thrown in for good measure. There’s a definite Senseless Things/MC4 thang going on here, which can only be a good thing in my book.
Yeah, like fellow London reprobates The Speedways, it seems More Kicks are the kings of lo-fi power pop. Potential radio hits flow left, right and center over the course of this 12-track album. It is short, sweet and to the point. Feedback and a bass drum build to a frantic beat that introduces the punky ‘In Love’, a song that takes us back to late 70’s punk and new wave. Distorted power chords, crashing drums and killer gang vocals drive the primal feel of ‘Come Home’.
They tone down and tug at the heartstrings momentarily. The picked chords, echoey vocals and sweet melody of ‘Got Lucky’ come over almost like a nursery rhyme, with the rhythm section playing a bare bones accompaniment, just enough to give it some depth. Elsewhere, with just a reverb-soaked guitar as accompaniment, Sulli delivers the raw and emotive ‘Phoney Middle-Aged Art’, its short length leaving you wanting more.
Mixing up the garage rock sounds of the late 60’s & 70’s with definite 90’s indie rock leanings, More Kicks have produced a fine follow up to their debut album. ‘Punch Drunk’ is 12 tracks of raw, power pop goodness, written during a time of emotional change and forced isolation. Like we always say, bad times bring out the best in a songwriter and ‘Punch Drunk’ is a testament to that.
Rob has once again drafted in a whole bunch of musicians to enhance his latest album and like London busses, Rob lays low for decades then boom! two albums in quick succession. This time Rob takes the songs down a darker route with a more Gothic punk rock sound that bares a passing resemblance to the likes of Andrew Eldrich and his Sisters Of Mercy or perhaps a little Iggy DNA circa Bla Bla Bla for good measure.
There are eleven tunes and as the title suggests a few with Rocket in the title which bookends the record and to be fair two of the album’s finest moments with the finale being my personal pick of the pops with its excellent Stooges like saxophone honking up the sound and giving an added dimension to what Rob does.
Some of the playing is fantastic and Rob giving over the solos to different players is an excellent idea because having someone else’s vision and interpretation on the music add to the tapestry in nothing but a positive way with opener ‘Rocket Ship To You’ being a great example.
‘Red Beans And Gasoline’ fucks with ‘Johnny B Goode’ & ‘House Of The Rising Sun’, ‘Richard Jewel’ has a great dark swirling rhythm with yet more great guitar playing, Abaad Behram take a bow.
As we reach the meat of the record ‘Rock N Roll Ralphs and the Joie de vivre rock n rolla that is ‘Rip Van Winkle ’85’ turn up the dial to eleven and if you’re getting album fatigue these will no doubt chase it away. There is no time nor room on this record for a ballad but the tempo has dropped a tad for ‘Ink Blue Smoke’ where images of Iggy are possible through the haze with some rather splendid slide chops cutting through and adding another texture.
All in all Rob has again delivered an excellent album that turns up sonic treats in different places on each play. Go check it out and have a blast (off) grooving through the ether to some tasty tunes. Keep em coming Mr Moss its been a blast!
Fifty years of Cock Sparrer. Who would have thought that possible back in 1972? Perhaps not the five teenagers who helped form the band in East London, and most certainly not Sparrer’s newest member (of 30 some years), guitarist Daryl Smith, who just happened to be born the very same year.
It only feels like yesterday that I was holding my copy of ’40 Years’ the Captain Oi! released compilation of hits and deep cuts that got put out for their, err…. fortieth Anniversary, and therein also probably lies the “eureka” moment regarding tonight’s event. The concept of the evening being a well thought out affair, with Sparrer basically supporting themselves with a set of “rarely” or in some cases “never before” played songs taken from across their expansive back catalogue, with the guys also promising a few surprises along the way.
Originally intended as a one-off date, tonight’s show sold out so quickly that the band also added a second night on the Friday due to the fact that almost 70% of the original night’s tickets were sold to fans outside the UK, and the band didn’t want to see any of their UK ‘family’ missing out. Talk about giving the fans what they want, eh?
So, arriving in Camden just after what would have been full-time on any normal Saturday afternoon for a few pre-gig drinkies with some old London based mates the thing that immediately strikes me is just how many different accents are audible within our chosen boozer. There are people from all four corners of the UK and from what I can pick out from the constant excited chatter, most of the rest of the world is here too. The band’s legions of fans having assembled to raise a glass at one very special birthday party, and in turn celebrate the music of the undisputed champions of streetpunk, Cock Sparrer.
Although in saying this, I’ve always felt a little uneasy about labelling Cock Sparrer as just simply streetpunk, simply because, as their first set would soon prove, they are a band that really does transcend genres, and if you want proof of that just Google some of the tracks, I’m about to mention…you might just be in for a surprise…pretty much like all of us were tonight.
Getting into the Roundhouse with ample time to get a great vantage point (and by that, I mean one that’s close enough to the front for me not to require a week off work on the sick recovering) the lights soon dim and up goes the intro tape, which for the first set is the band’s cover of ‘Back Home’, a song which immediately hits the mark with the terrace hardened faction of the band’s fan base. What follows next though is probably the biggest curveball I’ve ever seen the band throw, as tonight it’s left to frontman Colin McFaull to step out alone and sing the often requested ‘Out On An Island’, the closing track from their seminal Shock Troops’ album, and I swear you could hear a pin drop if it wasn’t for the Roundhouse choir of skins, punks and just about every other demographic you can think of who join in come the chorus. Something that continues throughout both sets tonight.
Flanked by video screens that immediately spring into life as the band join their singer on stage, the story of Sparrer is retold by all five band members along with Will Murray, their legendary road manager (and sixth member) from their second single for Decca, their cover of the Rolling Stones’ ‘We Love You’ (a song drummer Steve Bruce swore he would never play live again), through to one of the finest songs the band have ever written in the shape of ‘One By One’ from their 2017 studio album ‘Forever’. We get deep cuts such as ‘I Need A Witness’, ‘Bats Out’ and the rather wonderful ‘Battersea Bardot’ all given a well-deserved run out, complete with the added help of the Cockettes (namely James Bragg on guitar and backing vocals and Jet Baker on keyboards and backing vocals).
It’s this phenomenal sounding Sparrer line up that takes me back to my comment at the top about not wanting to pigeonhole the band, as these tracks as diverse as they all are, all have one thing in common and that is the top-quality songwriting that has been prevalent throughout the band’s entire career. Something that is once again hammered home during the 30-minute beer break between sets, where the audience is treated to a variety of different cover versions of Sparrer tunes albeit delivered in styles you would never have thought possible.
However, doing the seemingly impossible is something the band have always excelled at, and as bassist Steve Burgess so rightly says during one of his talking head segments tonight; “for a band who never made Top of the Pops back in the day we certainly seem to have topped a lot of bills all around the world this past 30 years or so.”
And as their 2nd set of the night that showcases the band’s “greatest hits” illustrates, whilst record sales might mean absolutely nothing to the band, when it comes to writing top class anthems that touch your very soul, they really are world leaders. Be it a Poundshop Slade or a punk rock Chas & Dave (terms Daryl Smith uses as complements when describing their sound earlier in the show) the simple fact is there must be at least three or maybe even four generations of fans here tonight standing shoulder to shoulder screaming along to the likes of ‘Riot Squad’ and Runnin’ Riot’, and that alone speaks volumes. Plus, let’s not forget the very high percentage of (suicide) girls in attendance here too, something I know the band themselves are very proud of. We are their family, and tonight we’re all here to celebrate the magic of Cock Sparrer.
Granted I could have done without the pic of guitarist Mickey Beaufoy in white budgie smugglers that was flashed up on the video screens during ‘Because You’re Young’, but this retina-burning image was more than made up for by a pic of Colin with an 80s perm that has me roaring with laugher. This pictorial homage to days gone by perfectly illustrates that whilst they treat their songwriting and gigs very seriously indeed, the lads are certainly not afraid to stop and have a giggle at themselves.
Closing things out as only Sparrer can with ‘England Belongs to Me’ and ‘We’re Coming Back’ the latter complete with a KISS style ticker tape finale. I just hope that Colin’s earlier comment (prior to them playing new track ‘Take It On The Chin’) that maybe next year we’ll get an all-new Sparrer studio album, comes to fruition, as by the sounds of that tune there’s still plenty of tunes left in the ole boys yet. Until then though I think it’s safe to say we’ll have one hell of a live album to look forward to, as tonight was being multi-cam recorded, and I for one can’t wait to relive the magic of this most special of occasions all over again.
Iconic British Bands Plot First Ever Co-Headlining Tour For November;Coast-to-coast tour includes stops in Vancouver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Austin, Boston, New York City, Toronto + more
Two of the UK’s most enduring and influential bands have announced a joint headline tour of North America for November. Suede (known as ‘The London Suede’ In North America) and Manic Street Preachers both rose to prominence in the early 90s on the back of indisputably brilliant debut albums – 1992’s Generation Terrorists and 1993’s Suede – and electrifying live shows. Over the course of the next several years they would grow from punk rock youthquakers to arena-filing rock stars, earning their positions as national treasures in the pantheon of British music. Their first ever co-headlining tour kicks off in Vancouver, Canada on November 3rd.
Beloved by music fans on both sides of the Atlantic, Suede took a hiatus to work on other projects between 2002 and 2013, returning with the acclaimed Bloodsports album, while Manic Street Preachers continued to record together, releasing a string of hit albums, but rarely visiting the USA and Canada. Recognized as two of the most iconic bands of their generation this double headline tour is a rare and unmissable treat for music fans.
Suede and the Manics will be performing songs from their full catalogue, giving North American audiences a unique chance to experience fiercely loved classics from the last 30 years. Suede release their ninth album, Autofiction, on September 16th on BMG. They last performed in the US at Coachella in 2011. Manic Street Preachers released their fourteenth studio album, the UK #1 The Ultra Vivid Lament, last year. They last toured North America in April 2015.
Band presales: Wednesday, September 14 at 10AM local – Thursday, September 15 at 10PM local
General onsale: Friday September 16 at 10AM local
Suede’s Brett Anderson says, “I can’t think of a band I’d rather share a stage with than the Manic Street Preachers. They have long been an inspiration to us, and I know there are thousands of Suede fans who feel the same. It’s nearly 30 years since we last played together and I think these shows are going to be something really special.”
Manic Street Preachers added, “We first toured with Suede in 1994 when we played with them all across Europe. Back then, it always felt like both our bands shared a certain kind of kinship, both aesthetically and historically. It still feels that way now, nearly three decades later.”
“This joint tour feels like a fantastic opportunity for both our sets of fans to share an amazing live experience. And to do this in the USA and Canada in 2022 makes it even more special as our tours there are so rare these days. We truly can’t wait.”
Tour Dates
NOV 3: VANCOUVER, Canada @ PNE FORUM (Suede close) NOV 5: SEATTLE, WA @ NEPTUNE THEATRE (Manic Street Preachers close) NOV 7: SAN FRANCISCO, CA @ THE WARFIELD (Suede close) NOV 9: ANAHEIM, CA @ HOUSE OF BLUES (Manic Street Preachers close) NOV 10: LOS ANGELES, CA @ THE PALLADIUM (Suede close) NOV 13: AUSTIN, TX @ ACL LIVE AT THE MOODY THEATER (Manic Street Preachers close) NOV 16: CHICAGO, IL @ AUDITORIUM THEATER (Suede close) NOV 18: SILVER SPRING, MD @ THE FILLMORE (Manic Street Preachers close) NOV 19: PHILADELPHIA, PA @ THE MET (Suede close) NOV 21: BROOKLYN, NY @ KINGS THEATRE (Manic Street Preachers close) NOV 22: BOSTON, MA @ THE ORPHEUM (Suede close) NOV 24: TORONTO, Canada @ MASSEY HALL (Manic Street Preachers close)
Here we are on day 2, sadly the beginning of the end of this lovely weekend. Sunday has hit some like a ton of bricks, the academy is not quite full of the lust for life today. Thank the lord for the Bank Holiday tomorrow or there could be tears before bedtime and some of these lovely makeup jobs would be ruined.
I kick off the day over at the second stage with Tremendous. Equal parts power pop to glam rock, easing us into a hungover Sunday afternoon. Our singer/guitarist frontman is clearly a great songwriter, hints of Wreckless Eric and even at times a tiny bit of Paul Westerberg. My criticism is he over extends himself, especially with trying to do lead guitar parts. Expand to a quartet, get some backing vocals in the mix and do these fantastic songs justice! I head to the main stage to see what all the fuss is about with Confess. Without question these guys know what their audience is after, and that’s definitely a wake up call for Saturday night’s escapades. They effortlessly connect with the crowd and make a clear statement that they are ready to be headliners and ascend the bill. As slick as they are, for me they were lacking in charm to win me over completely.
Back over at the second stage if you want to talk about charm, Mercury Riots have it in spades! It’s gotta be five o’clock somewhere and we’re 51 minutes into drinking time here, a party is about to break out and this band is going to become the talk of the weekend. Bringing a good ole boy spirit and a much sought after Southern Rock swagger meets bar room boogie action, these guys know every trick in the book and use them well. Those who caught this hot act today will certainly spread the word and those who missed out will be bowing their heads.
The buzz I have just experienced sadly doesn’t carry over to the main stage. Electric Boys just aren’t igniting any enthusiasm in Sheffield tonight. They have the tunes and play them well. The audience seems to be willing and waiting to connect, but for whatever reason no one seems to be getting out of second gear.
As the evening goes on we hit what many in the crowd are considering to be the true headliner of the day, Pretty Boy Floyd. They treat us to pretty much the entirety of their 1989 debut, Leather Boyz With Electric Toyz. No one in the audience seems to be complaining one bit. The show is effortless, the only gaff being an overzealous member of the audience trying to have off with frontman, Steve ‘sex’ Summers’ bottle of Jack Daniels. Don’t worry he got it back. The lads of PBF spend the rest of the evening at the merch desk, tirelessly talking to fans, taking photos, giving autographs and selling out of their merch too. Good for them. If the line to meet the Floyd boys is anything to go by, HRH should be booking them as a straight up headliner.
As the stage guys start twanging acoustic guitars in preparation for the final act, it serves as a siren for a lot of today’s punters and causes a mass exodus. Without introduction or fanfare Eric Martin abruptly kicks into his set earlier than scheduled. Mr Big’s frontman is definitely making it seem that he feels out of place on this bill. The first part of the set he is primarily diving into songs headfirst, barely an introduction or a passing comment to the crowd. He eventually warms up to the occasion, makes some fond comments about his and the band’s legacy and actually seems to be enjoying himself by stark comparison to earlier on. Eric even makes a touching dedication to Mr Big’s now deceased drummer, Pat Torpey. Overall I think both Eric and the crowd had reservations about this being featured on the bill, and that is on the promoter more than anything. On paper an acoustic set to finish off a Sunday night looks dire and does not inspire. It wasn’t as bad as anticipated thankfully, by the end when the hits were cracked out (‘to be with you’ & ‘dancin’ with my devils’) there is a genuine feeling of nostalgia in the air and everyone is having a good time.
There we have it, HRH Sleaze V is put to bed for another year. Definitely a fun event if you leave your preconceptions at home and embrace the passion and nostalgia surrounding you. With the bill already announced for next year’s 6th installment things already look like they are going to get ‘naughty, naughty’.
Diamond Head are of seminal importance to heavy metal music, and their debut album Lightning To The Nations is a key influence on the genre. “We wrote instinctively,” explains co-founding member and riff lord Brian Tatler “we had an undeniably unique sound. Four young lads, each with an element that, when combined, produced an alloy that was our own heavy metal sound.”
Lightning To The Nations (The White Album) [Remastered 2021] is the ultimate version of this ultimate album, which is set for release via Silver Lining Music on 30th September 2022. The release will feature not only the original album from ¼ inch master tapes which Lars Ulrich helped Brian Tatler retrieve back in 1990, but also alternative mixes of classic cuts “Lightning To The Nations”, “The Prince”, “Sucking My Love”, “Am I Evil?” and “Sweet And Innocent” never publicly released (or heard) before. There is also brand-new cover artwork based on an idea Brian Tatler had, to show a character referred to as ‘The Lightning God’.
“In 1990 as a celebration of the tenth anniversary of the NWOBHM, Lars Ulrich and Geoff Barton compiled the double album ‘New Wave of British Heavy Metal ‘79 Revisited’ which came out on Phonogram Records. It was Lars who made it his business to track down wherever possible the original master tapes because all he had were the old, often scratched singles,” recalls Brian. “He told me that he would often call up members of the bands they wanted to feature on the album and the confused guy on the other end of the phone would assume it was wind-up. ‘Who? Lars Ulrich? From Metallica? Fuck off!’ When Lars called me, I explained that the original ¼ inch masters for ‘Lightning To The Nations’ hadn’t been seen since they were sent by our old manager to a guy called Horgi at Woolfe Records years back. Apparently Horgi didn’t return the tapes, so Lars dispatched someone from Metallica’s German label to pay the guy a visit… The tapes were duly returned and after Phonogram had finished with them, Lars made sure they came home to me. I still have them stored safely.”
The original tapes were first quite literally baked (a process which allows degraded tape to be returned to playable quality), then restored and digitized before Diamond Head frontman Rasmus ‘Ras’ BomAndersen remastered the tracks, ending up with a pristine edition of the original recordings and the recently discovered alternative mixes. Pure treasure for all fans of both Diamond Head and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, the restored masters are supplemented by a set of bonus tracks originally recorded in 1980s. Rounding-out this ultimate edition are a set of deep and detailed notes on both the era and each song by Brian Tatler.
“I don’t really know what inspired ‘Lightning to the Nations’, says Tatler in his notes. “I can’t think of any other song by any other band that sounds like it and that’s a hell of a claim. Sean got the title from a painting he had seen in an art book somewhere and thought it would make a good title for a song. Once we had the song and it became track one, side one, it seemed like a good album title too. It’s still in the live set after forty-years.”
Later this year, Diamond Head will embark on a string of shows when they will be joining Saxon as special guests for the European and UK dates on their Seize The Day world tour.
EUROPE: 2 October – FRANCE – Paris, Trianon 3 October – NETHERLANDS – Tilburg, 013 4 October – GERMANY – Hannover, Capitol 6 October – GERMANY – Berlin, Admiralspalast 7 October – GERMANY – Munich, Muffathalle 8 October – GERMANY – Offenbach, Capitol 10 October – ITALY – Milan, Alcatraz 11 October – SWITZERLAND – Pratteln Z7 12 October – BELGIUM – Antwerp, Trix 13 October – NETHERLANDS – Haarlem, Patronaat 15 October – DENMARK – Aarhus, Train 17 October – SWEDEN – Gothenburg, Pustervik 18 October – NORWAY – Oslo, Rockefeller 19 October – DENMARK – Copenhagen, Amager Bio 21 October – NETHERLANDS – Zwolle, Hedon 22 October – FRANCE – Metz, La Bam 23 October – SWITZERLAND – Lausanne, Les Docks
UK: 11 November – Ipswich, Regent Theatre 12 November – Southampton O2 Guildhall 13 November – Bexhill, De La Warr Pavilion 14 November – Cardiff, St. David’s Hall 15 November – Bath, Forum 16 November – Cambridge, Corn Exchange 18 November – Newcastle, O2 City Hall 19 November – Blackburn, King George’s Hall 20 November – Aberdeen, Music Hall 21 November – Glasgow, Barrowland 22 November – Hull, City Hall 23 November – York, Barbican 25 November – Leicester, De Montfort Hall 26 November – London, Roundhouse For EU tickets visit: https://www.saxon747.com/tour For UK tickets visit: https://myticket.co.uk/artists/saxon
One of the first reviews I did for RPM online was for the self-titled Smith/Kotzen album that was released in March 2021. A great album it is too! Fast forward to November last year and the boys released an EP called Better Days which was a limited edition 12” vinyl for Record Store Day. This was more of the same blues driven rock with the edge that you would expect from two of metal’s most prestigious guitarists.
Fans weren’t too happy about it being a vinyl/streaming only release though. Worry not Smith/Kotzen fans…your prayers have been answered! Here we have a CD/digital release of Better Days along with five live tracks that were recorded on the US and UK legs of their whistle stop tours at the beginning of 2022, hence the …And Nights added to the title. Clever, eh?
For the purposes of this review, I’ll just concentrate on the live material. You really get the feeling of being there at the intimate venues that the tracks were recorded at, and the songs really come alive with a sense of urgency and a slightly faster pace. No doubt pushed on with adrenaline which is a trademark of most great live recordings. (Go and listen to Maiden’s Live After Death to see what I mean). The whole band, which are completed by Julia Lage on bass and drummer Bruno Valerde, sound fantastic. Some extended guitar theatrics are thrown in (obviously) which really add to the songs. The highlight for me is the track Scars from the debut. It takes on a life of its own live, a big fat groove along with some Hendrix inspired guitar work. You Don’t Know Me plods along nicely with some nice cymbal work from Valerde. Final track Running closes the mini live album nicely, Julia Lage really shows her prowess here.
This is a nice little package for fans and shows that the guys really do think about the content they are releasing to ensure there’s something for everyone. Tidy stuff!
Seeing as today’s review of The final Vibrators album sees the curtain come down on one of the finest bands to emerge from the late 70s who made great records right up til they called time on an impressive recording history we thought it seems fitting to pay tribute to the band with three awesome tunes captured on tape starting with a version of ‘Baby Baby’ recorded in Germany.
Second out is a TOTP appearance with the rather splendid ‘Automatic Lover’
Finally whilst not the original lineup but one that had the licks coming courtesy of the incredible Darrell Bath.
If you’re going to bow out after almost half a century then you might as well go out windmilling slinging out banger after banger and no sign of going out with a whimper at all. It might have gone under the radar a little or rather slipping out of the party without fanfare which is unfair really because Knox and the band have endured and managed to leave behind them a fantastic catalogue of albums and singles and recent output has also been worthy of carrying the name and produced some of the bands best offerings. Every time I think this is it and maybe the latest album will be the death knell and they go and dish up an album full of excellent tunes. over twenty full-length albums, a heap of live recordings, eps, singles, compilations, and a whole lot more besides. You can add ‘Fall into the sky’ to the illustrious list and the band can bow out with their heads held high and bursting with pride.
What you have here is quintessentially a Vibrators album – it’s classic – it’s a fuckin’ Rock and Roll record – no reinventing the wheel, no drop in standards, no bullshit just fourteen tunes with melody, distorted guitars and a band who bloody-well know what to do with it. From the opening hard rocker ‘The Owl And The Kangaroo’ you know all the vital components are present and raring to go. ‘He’s A Psycho’ continues with an agressive punch then ‘Burning Me Up’ wraps up an impressive triple threat to open up the album. They might not have been ‘Whips And Fur’ or ‘Baby Baby’ but they have the upper eshelons of Vibrators tunes happening.
The pace drops but the quality reains for ‘Battlefield’ and ‘Rock My World’. But then we have ‘Dry Down Under’ which is amazing with its Bowie-like melody and vocal delivery and the Rono guitar break is exquisite. To be fair I thought ‘Mars Casino’ was excellent and had they bowed out there and then – then so be it. This however is next level. The title track closes out side one of the album and with Knox’s vocal sounding warm and engaging the ebow howling on the solo is a great arrangement and send the song soaring with a really warm yet raw guitar chord sequence chopping out the rhythm.
Side two begins with the measured ‘Tomorrow’ before getting in a more rapid frame of mind with the groovy ‘Devils Playground’ where they certainly show “the Kids” a thing or two in delivery of a great Rocker. ‘Love Changes’ is one of those Knox melodies that enters your head on a subtle melody then the riff twists and turns towards the chorus before laying back down. Theres a familiarity with some of the riffs but theres no denying they have energy and with the usual great production sound fresh and vibrant especially on ‘Part Of Your World’ before we reach the end of The Vibrators road and ‘So Long’ is a teary acoustic number which might have been predictable and a check of the rear view mirror of a career that had its ups and downs but is going out in style. You can’t stop time we know that but bowing out with your head held high isn’t something a lot of bands do and havign the grace to know when to go shows their class. Thanks for the music guys its been a blast and this set of songs will be as cherrished as ‘Pure Mania’ is. My advice is buy it, its a time capsule of class songs by a class band. Goodnight Vibrators its been a pleasure and never a chore.
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