Having snuck into my Top 10 albums of 2022 with ‘Damn Right!’, Dr Feelgood produced the goods against the odds. A great album of 11 new songs that live up to the band’s name. So, it seemed like the right moment to ask returning guitarist Gordon Russell for an interview on all things Feelgood. He very kindly took the time to answer my questions. Read on…
Hi Martin.
Thanks for the good album review and it’s a pleasure to do this. Here we go
How did you come to rejoin the band?
I think things had stagnated for a few years in the band. Same show, no new album or even new songs so they were looking for a change.The pandemic was a good time for the guys to turn things around so they asked me if I’d like to rejoin, I was delighted of course
How does it differ, playing with Phil and Kevin now, than the first time around? The live clips on YouTube seem to be joyous. I live in France and hope to catch one of your gigs here later this year. I often replaced Steve when he took his holidays, so we have played together quite a bit over the years. But it’s no different than before. Phi and Kevin are the best rhythm section and we all still have good energy, so it works. Yes, we have lots of fun onstage which makes it fun for the audience to watch too. We will be playing in France later this year. Dates are still to be announced but yes do come and see us.
Robert Kane does a great job of doing his own thing, rather than emulating Lee. No disrespect to anyone else, but the two of you seem to have clicked with the songwriting on ‘Damn Right!’. As I said in my album review, the songs show influences from Wilko and Gypie while keeping your style of playing. It sounds like Feelgood, not a tribute, which was a very pleasant shock for me! How did the two of you approach writing? Had you already written some ideas before rejoining the band? Glad you like our album. Robert and I started writing as soon as I was back in. We didn’t plan to record so soon, but it was just a natural thing to do, and it worked immediately. As most songwriters will tell you there is no set way to write songs. But with us, sometimes Robert would send lyrics my way to complete songs and sometimes I would send him riffs or ideas to finish. We had a similar vision so it all came together quickly.
Are there already some songs for another album, or are you just enjoying the gigs at the moment? The band certainly doesn’t look like slowing down. We’re not thinking about another album at the moment but I always have new riffs and song ideas. So I’m sure they’ll come out when needed.We certainly do enjoy touring and playing so while people keep coming to our shows we’ll keep doing it. All the shows we’ve done so far this year have been sold out which is great!
The end of ‘Last Call’ is lovely, the band were obviously loving playing it together. Was most of the album recorded essentially live? Last Call is 100% live! We did that one evening after dinner in one take. It was a magic moment. We recorded all the songs in 4 days! And Dave Bronze our producer mixed it in two days
a couple of weeks later. So pretty quick work. All the rhythm tracks, eg bass, drums and rhythm guitar are completely live. Robert added the vocals and harmonica after and I added the guitar solos after too. I did most of the solos in one take because I wanted them to sound live and be in the moment. Also Dave our producer wouldn’t let me do them again. Ha (laughs)
In preparation for the gigs, did you listen to ‘Doctor’s Orders’ again? If so, how did it sound? I still enjoy it, even if the band at the time felt that some of the rough edges got lost in the mix. Not really. I didn’t like it at the time because as you say, we thought it a bit too clean. But when I listen back to it now (that’s very occasionally) I think it’s a good album. Some fun songs there.
How does playing with Robert differ from playing with Lee? Both very different but both excellent frontmen and very easy to work with.
Can you tell us about your guitar and amp set-up? Does it differ when in the studio? Pretty much the same. Live I use a G&L ASAT deluxe as my main guitar. I do a few numbers on slide guitar where I use my very old Burns Trisonic. I also have a Fender Telecaster standing by as a spare. The amplifier I’m using at the moment is a Fender Hot Rod Deville 2×12. I also have Fender Hot Rod Deville 4×10 which comes out occasionally. I have a small pedal board which consists of a Boss Stage Tuner, A Boss Blues Driver for solos and a TC Electronic analogue delay which is on for a couple of the more bluesy songs. For the album, I used my 2 stage guitars on everything. Although it was the Fender Telecaster for the solo on Mary Ann. The amplifier I used on every song was a Vox AC 30 except for the song Put Your Money where Your Mouth Is, which is a borrowed Orange amp. Hardly any effects recording except a tremolo for the song I Need a Doctor and a fuzz box for Mary Ann. That’s it really. Quite basic.
Catch Dr Feelgood on the road at a town near you soon. Dates are regularly added on their Facebook page
I rarely venture out to academy size gigs these days, not for lack of wanting I hasten to add, it just seems most of the bands I’m interested in play smaller more intimate venues. But after catching The Interrupters last summer, it sure reminded me of a lot of the rock shows I used to attend back in the day at academy size, and who doesn’t like a full-on rock show?
So, with Black Star Riders coming into town promoting their highly acclaimed new album ‘Wrong Side Of Paradise’, and bringing with them not only the Michael Monroe band but also Phil Campbell & The Dirty Bastards, well it would be a shame to miss this.
I wouldn’t say I’m a massive Motörhead fan, but Phil Campbell once came to my flat and I made him a cup of tea, but that’s another story. Anyway, Phil Campbell & The Bastard Sons are not Motörhead, but in the same way as Black Star Riders they channel the spirit of the band that came before them. What The Bastard Sons are though, is a full-on, old school hard rock band, and a good one at that. The sole non-Campbell onstage, new singer Joel Peters, works the crowd like a pro tonight. A larger-than-life personality with a larger-than-life voice, he splits the crowd for audience participation, mixing up originals like ‘We’re The Bastards’ and ‘Get On Your Knees’ with Motörhead classics like ‘Going To Brazil’ and ‘Born To Raise Hell’, the band are mightily impressive. The rhythm section is tight, the guitar tone fantastic and Phil must be proud having his sons up there keeping the spirit of Motörhead alive for fans and the younger generation.
The biggest cheer of their set goes up as bassist Tyla thumps out ‘that’ bass line. They were always gonna end with ‘Ace Of Spades’, right? The crowd go wild, and so they should.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen Michael Monroe support anybody before, and I’ve never seen him do such a short set. This band don’t do bad shows, never give less than 100% onstage. The opening salvo of ‘One Man Gang’ and ‘I Live Too Fast To Die Young’ works a treat. The die-hards down the front know the words and the uninitiated are getting a shock treatment in high energy rock n’ roll. The Finnish Iggy Pop is on fire and the usual onstage chaos surrounds the whirlwind vocalist, who as ever is mesmerizing to watch, as he gets tangled up in microphone cables, does the splits and climbs the rigging. He swings the mic stand precariously close to guitarist Steve Conte’s head, but its all in a day’s work for the Michael Monroe band.
Older singles ‘Last Train To Tokyo’ and ’78’ go down well and get the crowd singing them back to the livewire singer as he bounds about the stage. If this is mainly a Black Star Riders fanbase tonight, I would say the band have won them over by now. And any who are not convinced may be shedding a tear by the time they finish the Hanoi Rocks classic ‘Don’t You Ever Leave Me.
‘Ballad Of The Lower East Side’ is arguably the strongest song in the band’s solo discography and it sounds killer live, yet as Michael climbs the rigging for the second time, the power is cut and the band stop playing mid-song! Seems the 02 don’t like rock stars climbing on their equipment. Funnily enough, the last time I saw this band, at The Brudenell up the road, there was an actual power cut on the equipment on the exact same song. What are the chances of that?
The band shrug it off and launch into ‘Motorvatin’ to get things back on track. ‘Dead, Jail Or Rock N Roll’ and ‘Up Around The Bend’ end a killer set that didn’t exactly go to plan, but rock n roll’s like that sometimes. I like it when a band has to work for it and I pity any band who has to follow The Monroes night after night.
Black Star Riders have that unenviable task, and while Ricky Warwick doesn’t possess the maniacal stage presence of Michael Monroe, he is one of the last of a dying breed of classic rock frontmen who are still out there doing it and doing it well. A 10-year anniversary for any band these days is something to celebrate, and Black Star Riders have morphed into quite the classic rock band now.
With original members drummer Jimmy Degrasso, bassist Robbie Crane and the Richard Branson of rock n’ roll Scott Gorham back in the fold for this tour, tickets have flown out, and the 02 is buzzing with anticipation as the band break into newbie ‘Pay Dirt’. In a leather jacket, his hair greased back and a Les Paul swinging from his hips, Ricky Warwick looks mean, moody and healthy, and his gritty voice is as powerful as it ever was back in The Almighty days. With the ever-smiling Wayward Sons guitarist Sam Wood by his side (who looks uncannily like a young Scott Gorham) the band sound impressive too.
The first half of the set weighs heavily on the new album. The single ‘Better Than Saturday Night’ is a killer highlight, ‘Riding Out the Storm’ and the title track ‘Wrong Side Of Beautiful’ showcase Warwick’s songwriting ability and suggests this album could go down as their strongest effort. They even breathe new life into their cover of The Osmonds ‘Crazy Horses.
Ricky introduces Scott Gorham to great cheers and the 71-year-old Thin Lizzy guitarist joins Black Star Riders for the rest of the set. The likes of ‘All Hell’s Breaking Loose’, ‘Testify Or Say Goodbye’ and ‘Bound For Glory’ all hit the spot and are welcomed like old friends to a crowd of a certain age. The spirit of Thin Lizzy seems omnipresent and of course a couple of choice songs get aired tonight. Phil Campbell joins them for ‘Don’t Believe A Word’ and a sublime ‘Jailbreak’ comes later in the set and understandably gets the biggest reaction of the night.
While the first half of the set was strong, I felt the latter half suffered and felt ploddy and a bit so-so. Only the addition of the Lizzy covers lifted thing for me. Hey, but I’m just nit-picking, really.
Big academy rock shows are always an event and tonight was no different. 3 bands who are well suited, all channelling the sprits of the bands who came before them, yet all with strong material that sets them apart from the legacy of those classic bands. And whether you’re a fan of Motörhead, Hanoi Rocks or Thin Lizzy, all had great new things to offer, as well as dipping into the past.
But finding out The Academy takes 25% of profits from the band’s merch and the fact that a pint and a G&T cost £17 reminds me why I favour the smaller shows these days.
Gothenburg Action Rockers have cobbled together a double album’s worth of B-side and other non-album-work and those already in the know will be aware that the band simply don’t do bad songs so it is like having another studio record – or two to be fair. They’ve selected 16 tracks for this release, which was not an easy task, considering the number of releases since the birth of Scumbag Millionaire in 2014. The fact it’s nonsense free, zero fucks given record speaks volumes. No CDs, No limited editions on splatter, no cassette tapes – precisely zero Bullshit!
The Scumbags do love a record much like a lot of their peers and big hitters in this scene they’ve done loads of splits on 7″ with many of their equals and some of the genre’s big hitters. It’s great to see lots of those songs here and seeing as most are on long-since sold-out records it’s a chance for many to hear these songs for the first time.
Sixteen tracks of Rock solid Action Rock. In the old days a single would be the lead track of an album and maybe a couple of live cuts or an unfinished demo or remix but a lot of bands that respect the format of the 7″ don’t just pad it out and you often find absolute gems wedged onto a 7″ and bands like Scumbag Millionaire tend to drop singles throughout the year that aren’t just promo for a new album and that’s where compilations like this come in handy especially when the singles sell out in the blink of an eye and you can’t find a copy for love nor money. Well, this bad boy kicks off with the piano tinkling barnstormer that is ‘No Speed No Punk’ an absolute tour de force that the sound of a freight train steaming through your front door and devastating everything in its path but with added piano for texture, beautiful.
If you’re not familiar with Scumbag Millionaire this might be a great place to jump in. It gives a fantastically rounded view of where they’re at and the quality of what they do. It’s often full tilt, no compromising hard rockin’ punk n roll. The songs are born from a steady diet of Motorhead, MC5, and Machine Gun Etiquette but with some fantastic harmonica or piano added to show there is more going on here than crash bang wallop. It’s scandi Rock with Hellacopters and Gluecifer but with more aggression songs like ‘Schizo’ are what Backyard Babies could have been. As a stand-alone album if you didn’t know it was B Sides and oddities you’d be floored at how fuckin’ good this album is. ‘I’m In Love’ is like being kicked by a horse and enjoying it.
The band said of this record that it was coming out on black vinyl, no CD no bullshit and boy did they deliver. This is the poster boy for all killer no filler and if you ever wanted to know what high energy hard Rockin was then this is where it’s at. I can’t wait for vol two at some point because they’ve done over twenty-five singles so this being the first sixteen there’s scope for more more more.
I love the reckless take on ‘Burning Police Cars’ and then following it with the punk as fuck ‘Calm Down’. As the record comes screeching to its final track you get the wonderful ‘Paul Stanley’ that’s the mid-pace with the huge Bass rumble and drum breakdown that deserves to be covered in beer as the pit turns into a heaving mess before the filthy Bass chug of ‘Leave Me Be’ is the penultimate call to arms of an amazingly good comp. leaving only ‘Rubber Legs’ to sing off lifted from their fine Iggy tribute they shared with The UK’s finest noise makers The Hip Priests.
If you’re still reading then you know what to do next, buy steal or borrow this album it’s essential!
Gyasi rose to the top of the pile when the album dropped and a whole load of RPM reviewers gave it the seal of approval at the end-of-year awards. Keeping the fire stoked it’s time for some more Glam slammin’ sleazy Retro Rock n Roll. ‘Baby Blue is a four-track EP crammed full of guitar-driven hedonistic Rock n Roll.
I love that they make no apology for their over-the-top showmanship and cocksure swagger. The lead track is one Bolan boogie woogie hip shaker in spangly spandex and more make-up than Bowie wore. That riff is familiar but boy is it good, no it’s great. No scratch that it’s fuckin great and the breakdown into the chorus is wonderful. It’s so unashamed of its inspiration and history, and I love thatit’s delivered this well.
The other three tracks on offer are all live cuts that show the band have the chops when out on the road. ‘Cheap High’ is badd ass like when Aerosmith were out there kicking up a storm in the late ’70s an air of mystery but don’t fuck with them because these cats can play. The sleazier ‘Tongue Tied’ with its rolling beat is one monster sleazy tune before signing off with ‘Sugar Mama’ and all it’s bombast and glory. I’d love to see these guys hit the UK with their live shows in some sweaty club at ear shattering volume it would be a glorious beast indeed. Please make it happen on the next album so until then this EP will do nicely thank you.
‘Bozo’ is the second single and video for Dez Dare’s upcoming album ‘Perseus War’ [out 17.Mar.23]. It delves into the murky underbelly of leadership, control and how the people who wield this power suffer a disconnect with reality and accountability (mostly…). Dez says… “Poor Bozo! The dishevelled leader who can’t get the people to understand he just can’t be fucked. It isn’t his problem, the plebs are so needy! Nanny always told him he was a good boy. Chin up mate.”
‘Perseus War’ is the 3rd album by Australian born, UK based artist Dez Dare. Leading on from 2022s ‘Ulysses Trash’, Dez presents 10 songs of dystopian indifference captured over 4 weeks in late 2022. Meant to be a companion EP to the last record, ideas spilled, riffs flowed, Perseus was born.
‘Ulysses Trash’ is a call to inaction, embracing the reality of the world around us and the place we have within it. ‘Perseus War’ is the violent struggle that the universe and all within it has to survive. The daily pressure of existence, the beauty in the destruction left by the way and the sweet solace of understanding we have no control.
Dez Dare (aka Darren Smallman of BATTLE WORLDWIDE, Low Transit Industries, Thee Vinyl Creatures, The Sound Platform, Warped) grew up in Geelong, a port city located on Corio Bay and the Barwon River, in the state of Victoria, Australia where he became involved in the local punk and rock scene in 1990, playing in a band called Warped, sharing stages with the likes of Bored!, The 5678s, Fugazi, The Dirty Three and the Hard-ons, going on to play in multiple bands spewing out sludgy punk rock, drone riffage and noisy pop abundance. Darren was embedded in the scene, playing music, running labels (founding record label and touring company Low Transit Industries in 1999 working with bands such as The Essex Green, Lilys, Elf Power, Okkervil River, Of Montreal, Black Mountain, Trans Am) before moving to the UK in 2010 where he has operated ever since.
“I looked into the void to find solace (freedom to fight, freedom of mind)” is sung out in the opening line of ‘STOP. STOP. STOP. TALKING.’. Regardless of the viewpoint Dez is singing from, this is the underlying sentiment. You can only be truly free with acceptance. Accepting you for who you are, that we all one day will die, that humans are flawed and beautiful, that otters are the best animals. Let go. The void has it covered.
Continuing the very nice Slade back catalogue reissues on Splatter vinyl we have the mid-eighties pair of ‘The Amazing Kamakazi Syndrome’ and ‘Nobody’s Fools’ and I must say if there is a shortage of vinyl for pressing records blame BMG and Slade these records feel like 280gms never mind 180gms. Very impressive reproductions they are too and the splatters continue the line of releases.
First up is the mid-70s ‘Nobody’s Fools‘ which reminds me of heyday Mott The Hoople on the opener and title track. The band were untouchable for a period in the 70s with the impeccable melodies and playing to the one-of-a-kind Noddy Holder air raid siren vocals. This was the band’s sixth studio album and was – say, less riotous and hedonistic (even if it did have its moments) it was said that they moved away from their sound and fancied a tilt at the USA market with the more soulful backing vocals and bigger arrangments. It’s still a damn fine album with some great riffs and even though it doesn’t receive the recognition that the more classic albums did and does it’s unmistakable Slade. Spreading their wings maybe but ‘Do The Dirty’ is a rocker alright. I’ve not played this record for many years if I’m honest but I forgot how good some of the songs were. The Honking cotton-picking ‘Pack Up Your Troubles’ and the Lennon like ‘Do You Remember’. There was even some hip shaking in the shape of ‘Did Your Mama Ever Tell Ya’ to the funky ‘All The Worlds A Stage’. Slade still had no doubt about that.
Slade was still unstoppable midway through the seventies and rightly so. Three UK No-1, a run of 17 consecutive Top 20 singles and their hits are synonymous with the glam era.
With a jump of a decade, Slade had had their day (it’s fair to say) but whilst they weren’t dominating the singles charts and shipping platinum discs left right and centre they could still rock out and deliver a tune or two.
Take the opener ‘Slam The Hammer Down’ with its familiar Holder rasp at full tilt – Hill laid down some exquisite chops on that six-string. It might not have troubled the album charts but it still had two top-ten singles on it. the record was retitled for the North American market for some reason but it faired about the same there as well with the two singles hitting the US Billboard top 40.
The single ‘Run Run Away’ was a shift in sound with that fearsome mid-80s drum sound but a memorable riff and Noddy doing what Noddy has always done. Produced by Lea it was contemporary and of its time. Slade were still contenders and would go toe to toe with many of their hard rock contemporaries of the mid-80s – besides the album had that 80s big ballad in ‘My Oh My’. If you’d never heard of Slade (God bless the kids) and put this record on and asked what era – any half clued in muso would place it right in the middle of the decade of decadence – shoulder pads and big hair with that drum sound like its recorded in an aircraft hanger Slade could never be accused of not moving with the times – they did! Now get your lighters out and bang those heads Noddy and the boys are bringing the noize. Hell, they even dabbled in the dreaded MOR with ‘Cheap ‘n’ Nasty Luv’ but that aside it’s a wonderful trip down memory lane Slade style – Now turn it up!
Following my recent enforced 3-month layoff from attending live shows I really wanted something special to usher in my 43rd year of going to see bands, so, after finishing off 2022 with the symphonic goth pomp of the Death Songbook, what could be more suitable than a night in the company of Swedish goth rockers Then Comes Silence, playing the final night of a short two date UK jaunt in conjunction with the Reptile club.
It’s the fact that this was going to be a dedicated goth night that really got me excited about a trip over the Severn estuary, with the promise of a night spent drenched in dry ice chicken dancing my way into the wee small hours instantly taking me back to my days of going to see the likes of The Cramps, Alien Sex Fiend and Sigue Sigue Sputnik in the mid-eighties, when going to watch a band was just as much about meeting the characters that attended the shows (in fact its how I first met RPM’s main man Dominic Daley) as it was as seeing the bands themselves. But would there be a goth youth here in the 2020s to help keep the flame alive I wondered?
Entering Zed Alley I really need not have worried as with the mandatory dry ice lapping under the door was already a reassuring sign, once past security I immediately felt exactly how I did back in (what some might consider to be) the scene’s heyday, albeit these days I myself feel more like how Colin Robinson (grown up version not the child entertainer version) must have felt when walking into Nadja’s nightclub. Reptile DJ Vade Retro is blasting out an eclectic selection of electro tunes via the club’s excellent sound system, and yes indeed the next generation of goths are all present and correct and enjoying the ambience (and very reasonably priced libations) of the club itself.
Of course, it’s the live bands we’re all here to see tonight and Aux Animaux provides the kind of Nice Inch Nails to Bowie baton pass that occurred when those two giants once toured the US together, by which I mean the Swedish hauntwave star sets the scene perfectly for what is to follow by providing a kind of Danielle Dax meets Bjork by way of the (song)book of the dead set of ambient theremin driven electro tunes, something that holds the audience in perfect reverence throughout. The fact that this is an artiste singing over backing tracks would probably have most classic rock heads foaming at the mouth, but to a goth audience this is all par for the course and the reaction Aux Animaux receives come the end of her short set is one of total respect.
Something I have long since held for tonight’s headliners Then Comes Silence, the Stockholm-based gothic post-punk rockers, ever since I first heard their ‘III – Nyctophilian’ album all the way back in 2015. This is my first time seeing them live though as their intended 2020 UK tour (which included a Cardiff date) in support of their excellent ‘Machine’ album got blown out by the Covid pandemic, but having lost guitarist Mattias Ruejas ahead of a US tour towards the end of 2022 I was hoping by high expectations for tonight really weren’t about to be dashed after all.
Hitting the venue’s tiny but (for a trio) perfectly sized stage with ‘Flashing Pangs of Love’ from the band’s 2017 ‘Blood’ was certainly a surprise as I was half expecting them to open with the number that actually followed it, ‘Tickets To Funerals’, from last year’s amazing ‘Hunger’ album, but what this did was allow the sound to level out, and for the backing tracks used on certain songa (like on the latter) to really cut through and make a difference to the overall sound.
Singer/bassist Alex Svenson is also the man in control of the box of electronic gadgets and whilst he is a man of few words between songs he’s someone who lets the songs do all the talking with the likes of ‘Apocalypse Flare’, ‘Chain’ and ‘Worm’ all sounding totally imperious here tonight. The ‘Eighties’ (excuse the intended pun) Killing Joke influence I’ve mentioned in previous RPM reviews is also huge tonight thanks to guitarist Hugo Zombie, someone who literally doesn’t stop moving even when things slow down for an epic Bunnymen-esque rendition of ‘Mercury’ whilst turbo-riffing his way through the likes of ‘We Lose The Night’ and possibly my all-time favourite track by the band, ‘Rise To The Bait’.
When drummer Jonas Fransson (who is also Mr Aux Animaux) has some unexpected trouble with his snare stand it actually acts as a natural comfort break for a few (myself included) and the sounds that emanate from the remaining two members helping plug the inevitable gap evokes memories of Cronos’ bass solo during the Seventh Date of Hell tour, yup even when they are messing around these guys exude an air of doom and melancholic cool many can only dream of conjuring up.
As with all great gigs though they all unfortunately have to end, and after an intense ‘We Lose The Night’ its left to ‘Warm Like Blood’ and the epic ‘The Dead Cry For No One’ to send us off into the cold night air with just the echo of ‘Bella Lugosi’s Dead’ still ringing in our ears as DJ Vade continued the party well into the witching hour.
Gigs like this really don’t come along that often that’s for sure, tonight was something very special indeed, and reading just hours later that Reptile may now not be moving forward in 2023 due to a variety of reasons involving their current London haunt, it makes me truly sad to hear this. Let’s hope that after 15 years of promoting bands and club nights like tonight this really isn’t the end for them, because as tonight proved goth is very much still a musical force to be reckoned with and is also one that seemingly never grows old. Timeless stuff indeed!
Tease your hair back and paint those nails black. Close the curtains and turn the stereo up because today is a good day to embrace your inner Goth. Kepi Ghoulie leans on his favourite singers and bands and turns in a wonderful set of covers to celebrate their music…and why not? I adore some of the bands he’s chosen to cover – either a pretty straight tip of the hat or a twist on a classic it matters not if the end product stands up tall to the test.
Opening with the Bowie Classic ‘Heroes’ is a pretty ballsy move. Sure nobody is going to outdo the original we all know that but to turn in an anywhere close version is worth turning up and applauding and to be fair Kepi does just that.
When Ara Babajian of the Slackers approached Kepi about having an all-new challenge, Kepi jumped at the chance to work with his long-time friend and drummer hero! Bass player? B-face!!!! With a solid rhythm section secured, they started selecting songs that they loved! Selections by Nick Cave, Peter Murphy, Lou Reed, and Iggy Pop and of course Bowie and Bolan this is a win win for me. The record includes contributions from Ian Fowles (Aquabats, Gerard Way), Prima Donna’s Aaron Minton and Kevin Preston (also currently playing in Green Day), and several other friends, with artwork by artist Tom Neely. and there are some bangers like ‘Perfect Girl’ and ‘Happy When It Rains’ which actually sounds like the band are grinning from ear to ear through the grooves. Its a stellar line up and getting in the Prima Donna boys is a great move because we love those guys at RPM Online they’ve never made a dull record and know what they’re doing and add some love and attention to detail.
‘Take Care Of Me’ is a killer and the one thing you do notice is Kepi dives deep and doesn’t champion or lean on the big hitters which is obvious as he didn’t go for ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’ or ‘Lust For Life’ and to be fair he owns these covers and wipes them clean with his style. Sure ‘Heroes’ is an iconic Bowie song but why not dip into those greatest hits packages now and then?
the standouts for me have to be covering the Lords Of The New Church for a start and then hitting ‘Don’t Worry Children’; taking care of it is a joy to hear. I tip my hat to Kepi for this cover’s record it’s blown me away even the tracks by bands I’m not so familiar with like The Cars have given me a great appreciation for the artist and what makes him tick. Music is a broad church and knowing there are a thousand ways to interpret it is what keeps us coming back even when it’s borrowing someone else’s songs that you love and owning them.
My advice is absolutely to check this shit out its all killer and has absolutely no filler. Jesus and Mary Chain, Lords, Iggy, Bowie and Pete Murphy man these guys have been rooting through my collection. Oh, and of course it’s on purple vinyl. Now if you do happen to see any Goths outside not under an umbrella please send them home and make sure they have a copy of this record to keep them indoors
DADDY LONG LEGS, New York City’s most diabolical Rhythm & Blues street gang, have shared their new track “Silver Satin” from their upcoming and eagerly anticipated new album Street Sermons, to be released on March 17th via Yep Roc Records. The band are also thrilled to announce a full tour in May and June where they’ll be bringing their high-voltage street sermons to venues up and down the UK and Ireland.
The group describes new single “Silver Satin” as an experience where “we take the listener on a trip through New York City’s underground rail system with a bottle in hand concealed by a brown paper bag. Lose yourself in a song dripping with tremolo and electric piano, but whatever you do, don’t fall asleep on the subway.” Street Sermons is currently available for pre-order here.
The band’s fourth studio album represents a wellspring of bottled-up feelings and emotions that need to be taken to the streets. Produced by Oakley Munson of the Black Lips at Old Soul Studios in Catskill, NY the band expands upon a sound that’s all their own and features guest appearances from Punk Rock legend Wreckless Eric providing backing vocals on “Nightmare” and “Silver Satin” and The Lovin’ Spoonful’s John Sebastian on “Ding-Ding Man,” In dark times DADDY LONG LEGS continue to shine their light everywhere they go, leaving a piece of themselves on stage every night because it’s in them and it’s got to come out.
DADDY LONG LEGS’ previous album, Lowdown Ways (Yep Roc, 2019), reached #4 on the Billboard Blues Chart. The band has received high praise from Rolling Stone Senior editor David Fricke, who calls DADDY LONG LEGS’ sound “Chicago blues fired at the moon played by the demented children of the Pretty Things” and No Depressionwho declared that “from the first note, this is clearly a record made by people who live and die for rock and roll.”
Over the last decade these gentlemen have burned down houses the world over with their explosive fire ceremony and have amassed a cult-like following all their own with a tough-to-beat reputation for being one of the finest live acts on the road today. Written and recorded against a backdrop of political tension, riots in the streets and a deeply uncertain future, Street Sermons is a testament to triumph over adversity.
Catch Daddy Long Legs live in the IE/UK in May and June at the following dates:
Taking a break from his recent Bob Dylan obsession (phew), Billy Childish returns to bring us more raucous garage rock in his inimitable style with CTMF. Seeing this upcoming release, I realised that I’d missed a CTMF album in 2021, ‘Where The Wild Purple Iris Grows’, so that was a double bonus for me!
This takes up where that previous album left off, with a hectic version of Richard Hell’s ‘Love Comes In Spurts’, the second time that Billy has covered the song, but it fits well here. As does the band’s take on Hendrix’s ‘Fire’, with Nurse Julie’s backing vocals adding something extra.
That aside, we have ten new songs, three of which are instrumentals. Normally, that might ring alarm bells, but with Billy and company, it’s a treat. ‘Walk Of The Sasquatch’ is particularly fine, with the publicity spiel of Billy quoting “the North Kent Sasquatch program has gone a little quiet of late, but I believe they are still trying to get Cobham Woods – nearby across the river – to be designated as a reserve, though of course this poses some danger to the public during the spring breeding season”. I think some people haven’t noticed his sense of humour.
The title track and ‘The Old, Long Bar’ are as good as any ‘Medway garage rock’ songs he’s ever written, with ‘Failure Not Success’ there is an autobiographical lyric, similar to those on the previous album; “at twelve years old, I walked the streets in my mother’s dress”.
There are some quieter moments, such as ‘Beneath The Flowers’ and ‘Becoming Unbecoming Me’, with its Velvets-like appeal. And even the reappearance of Mr Zimmerman with ‘Bob Dylan’s Got A Lot To Answer For’ can’t spoil proceedings; a list of potential pros and cons of Dylan’s influence on music, set to a ‘Stepping Stone’ riff. Masterful.
For us fans of Billy’s more abrasive tunes, this, like the previous ‘Where The Wild Purple Iris Grows’, is an essential purchase. An eccentric, a one-off, sometimes frustrating, always entertaining. We’re lucky to have him.
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