The Cult, The Alarm, The Mission, Lili Refrain – Cardiff Castle 04.07.23

The Cult, The Alarm, The Mission, Lili Refrain – Cardiff Castle 04.07.23

A more spectacular setting for a Rock n Roll show you won’t find. Set inside the grounds of Cardiff Castle it’s a great place to watch live music. The date is Tuesday the 4th of July and one epic lineup of three of my favourite bands are gathered together for a show. I’ve had the privilege of seeing these three bands as a collective mass of well over three figures. Stretching back to the ‘Love’ days for tonight’s headliners and seeing them on several continents as it goes. I’ve seen some remarkable performances as well as the odd indifferent one it must be said. So, let it rain down, no, quite literally let it rain.

As I made my way through the gates the skies opened and we managed to get drenched for the first time. As Lili Refrain took to the stage for her performance which has to be said, is an acquired taste, she works her magic with loops, a floor tom, and telecaster. It’s certainly captivating as she weaves her way through her 30-minute set winning over new admirers looking for some ambient vibes. She also set the tone by looking delighted to be there rain or shine.

Next up, The Mission. I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing them at a recent show in Barcelona as well as reading the second installment of Wayne’s new autobiography. So believe me when I say that their addition to the lineup was a majestic announcment in my house. So Even if it was at the ungodly hour of before 7 pm when they took to the stage. Goths out in the wild before sundown? What sun I hear you say wasn’t it pissing down. Daylight and we’re treated to the intro of ‘Tower Of Strength’. Not a place any self-respecting Goth would be other than under such exceptional circumstances.

The Gods however held the sun back and instead decided to drench the audience just as the band took the stage. Opening with the big hitter that is ‘Tower Of Strength’ set us up nicely for what was to come over the next forty-five minutes. If I was to say I didn’t notice it was pissing down would be a bit of a fib but I couldn’t care any less as ‘Beyond The Pale’ collided into ‘Met-Amor-phsis’ before ‘Severina’ gave us a breather. Hussey and the band have been on the road for a while and looked and sounded locked in and battle ready and understanding that when playing for an audience, possibly made up of other bands’ fans (obviously there’s a decent cross-over tonight) its important to give em something they might know and a reminder that, Bloody Hell these are pretty bloody good at this Rock n roll lark.

With the clock ticking it was time to smash it out of the grounds with a hattrick of ‘Butterfly On A Wheel’, ‘Wastelands’, and finishing off with the punchy ‘Deliverance’ and just as they were hitting their stride it was adios amigos. Now that’s a way to take a short and sweet set early doors and lay down the gauntlet to the rest. Now follow that. See you in the Roundhouse in October – Can’t wait.

With the unenviable task of following a short sharp set from The Mission, Mike Peters and The Alarm seem up for the challenge, and whilst you’d think it was a no-brainer playing in Wales it’s not a foregone conclusion that someone elses audience will “get you”. Starting their set with ‘Coming Home’ there were no vocals or guitars in the PA and the rain had thrown a spanner in the works it would seem, what a bummer. Never undeterred the band carried on as you’d expect. Next up they went with their biggest hitter or at least a track that most people (unless they lived under a rock for the last 40 years) would at least be familiar with. Now I’m all for trying new things and I’ve seen Peters enough times to know he does like to rework old songs but not sure this was the place to do it, even if the vocals and guitar were restored I think it would have been better to just pile into the song as most would know it. A lost opportunity? Maybe, Who knows considering they only have 45 minutes to impress but that’s just my take on it.

Next up was ‘Warriors’ which offered something more aggressive and something with a bit of grunt that would grab the attention of the soaked masses, lifted from their recent(ish) ‘War’ album. It got the crowd involved with its rattling rhythm and tempo and sound problems seemed to have been sorted so nothing to distract the band further, just what the crowd needed.

‘Where Were You Hiding’ went down a treat and might have been responsible for the weather Gods being stirred again and the heavens opened once more. Some recent songs from ‘Sigma’ and ‘Equals’ were aired which is great for people like me who are happy to hear newer material pepper the set but for the casual fan there to see The Headliners maybe it was time to bang out a greatest hits set and do it with plenty of punch. But hey, I only want the best for the bands I love and I do love the Alarm. Peters was manouvering his way across the stage making full use of the four mics even if they were all set at different volumes and the sound guys seemed slow to react. Keeping the engineers on their toes is always nice.

As we headed into the final third of the set it was a great choice to play ‘Superchannel’ a song I’ve always loved and maybe one to open with it has a great energy and helped pick the soaked crowd up with some good crowd interaction. It was the home straight as ‘The Stand’ preceded the opening piece of ‘Spirit of 76’ which made way for the apt ‘Rain In The Summertime’ which then segwayed back into ‘Spirit’ and that was that over way too quickly but that’s outdoor events for you. I thought they could have run wth the Weather theme maybe included ‘Raindown’, ‘Two Rivers’, ‘Howling Wind’, ‘Only The Thunder’, ‘Sold Me Down The River’, there are several more water or rain based songs I never realised and ended with ‘Rescue Me’ ok I’ll get me coat (I wish I had).

Anyway, a set that was dogged by technical issues like when James Guitar just fell out of the mix for no reason that must have played a factor in the performance, but from the audience’s view, I found it frustrating. However, not a band that’s easily deterred they gave their all under trying circumstances. Had they stopped to sort out their issues it would have cut the set list which nobody wanted but them is the breaks at gigs like this.

Now if the Rain could fuck off for the rest of the evening I’d be very grateful, soaked to the skin I wasn’t going anywhere, thank you kindly.

Now, I saw The Cult play support to Alice Cooper and I have to admit it I found that particular performance a bit lackluster, a performance that seemed a little phoned in I believe is the term used. Maybe due to it being at the tail end of a huge North American tour where they played the same set night after night and ‘Sonic Temple’ heavy.

So, on that recent experience, I had dampened my expectations as I didn’t want to get carried away. I’ve seen The Cult over many years in several countries from America to Europe and a lot of shows from every tour, from the Marquee on Charing Cross Road to Wembley Arena or Fields at festivals. they’ve played a million places and rocked them all and to be fair they always pull me back in just when I think we’re done. I know they have it in their locker to dazzle as they’ve done so many times so the odd off night is alright.

The rain seems to have finished and the dark skies have drifted so it was time for The Cult and opening the set with the monster that is ‘Rise’ sort of set the tone for the next hour and a half. A crystal clear sound that was significantly louder than the other bands and the benefit of it going dark by the time they hit a wicked ‘King Contrary Man’ it was obvious to everyone inside the castle grounds that The Cult mean business and this set was so far from a phoned in tired set it seemed crazy that I could ever doubt them.

I also have to admit that one of my least favourite records by the band is ‘Sonic Temple’ I guess the early years were part of my impressionable youth and the likes of ‘Born Into This’ and ‘The Cult’ albums don’t get near enough airtime live or kudos from critics and fans alike. so seeing that ‘Sonic’ was kept to a minimum with the obvious big hitters in attendance I was delighted. The ‘Electric’ tracks sounded huge and it has to be said Astbury sounded better than he has live for decades, you’d possibly have to go back to the ‘Love’ era to hear him singing so well, and he seemed in a really happy place as he prowled the stage apron engaging with the crowd and sending out hugely positive vibes.

Whoever decided on the setlist should take a bow – it played into the very best of Billy Duffy who pulled all the shapes as the notes flew from his fretboard like cascading waterfalls ‘Aphrodisiac Jacket’ was a prowling beast bristling with energy and following ‘The Riff-a-rama of ‘The Witch’ this was turning into an epic night and showing why The Cult can still draw massive outdoor crowds.

With a new album in tow, they slid ‘Vendetta X’ and ‘Mirror’ in seamlessly. There was even time for the brilliant ‘Spiritwalker’ to ricochet off the castle walls before the home straight of the big hitters as the apt ‘Rain’ preceded ‘She Sells Sanctuary’ before leaving the stage for a well-deserved ovation.

For a thoroughly deserved encore of ‘Peace Dog’ the air guitarists in attendance tuned up and were pleased with the performance before finally setting the stage alight with a full tilt ‘Love Removal Machine’ and then they were gone. They’ve always been good to South Wales have the Cult from their debut show in Swansea all those years ago to this their biggest show on this epic performance in a Castle The Cult came, saw, and conquered, oh, and Rocked like fuck, Tonight the Cult left everyone in attendance in no doubt that they were the kings of this particular Castle and rightly so. What a line up, What a day, Fan-bloody-tastic!

Author: Dom Daley

James and the Cold Gun ‘James and the Cold Gun’ (Loosegroove Records)

James and the Cold Gun ‘James and the Cold Gun’ (Loosegroove Records)

Vital, cathartic, and essential are some of first words that come to mind when I think of James and the Cold Gun. They first came to my attention last year when I saw they were signed to Loosegroove Records, who has released some great music over the years and is owned by Stone Gossard and Regan Hagar. I checked out their ‘False Start’ EP, which I also reviewed here, and immediately bought everything I could by the band. James and the Cold Gun were formed by James Joseph (ex-Holding Absence) and James Biss (ex-Frown Upon) and rotated through some other band members before settling into what is hopefully a now permanent line-up. Their debut full length has been on the way since late 2022 with the release of hard rocking first video ‘Chewing Glass’ and is finally arriving. This has been my most anticipated album of the year, and it lives up to my high hopes by a wide margin.

The aforementioned ‘Chewing Glass’ kicks off the album and already feels like a classic that has been permanently etched into my brain due to repeated playing for the last 7 plus months. The door closing at the beginning welcomes the album as a lone electric guitar and James Joseph’s vocals set the tone for what is to come. Slowly more guitars and the rest of the band crash down the door and lay waste to everything with the chorus refrain of ‘I’m spitting blood; I’m chewing glass’ providing hope and inspiration in the darkest moments. ‘Something to Say’ follows and was the only prerelease song that didn’t initially grab me in my soul. It has grown on me immensely and works amazingly within the context of the album. The bouncing approach to the verses allows each word to stand apart and then the break in the drums at the first chorus brings the vocals to the forefront. The band channels some of the best parts of rock music over the past three decades and injects it with their own style and approach. This song could have appeared in the 90’s and would still be getting played on the radio today.

‘All the Wrong Places’ turns back up the tempo and spills out of the stereo in a surge of adrenalin with another amazing hook. If you’ve ever enjoyed the likes of RFTC or the Hives, this song should immediately appeal to you. It leads into the slower but still rocking ‘Bittersweet’ where the band provide a lot of space in the verses, but the guitar and bass are irresistible underneath the vocals. This song should be getting played on stereos and on computers all over the world. The rhythm work of Peter Smith (bass) and Jack Wrench (drums) is locked into a great groove here. This one has a chorus that burrows into your brain without you realizing it. ‘Headlights’ contains a chaotic start recalling early ‘Rated R’ era Queens of the Stone Age with Joseph providing primal sounding vocals that fit the song perfectly. It leads into one of the other early singles, the hook filled ‘My Silhouette.’ This one maintains the up-tempo edge and has one of my favorite choruses of the year. The triple guitar attack of Joseph, Biss, and Jynx is used brilliantly throughout the album but especially here.

Starting the back half of the album with the acoustic led ‘Grey Through the Same Lens’ recalls the late Mark Lanegan with some bluesy electric guitar tastefully added as the song progresses. Joseph’s vocals bleed from his soul here with the ‘I’m a bottle lost at sea’ lyric jumping out of the speakers. It sets the stage perfectly for the contrast that comes with the raging ‘Saccharine.’ This is the band at their most untamed but still contains a great hook. On their EP, ‘Plug Me In’ was one of the songs that provided me with a lot of catharsis for getting out all the negative energy in me, and this one creates a very similar feeling. I am pretty sure I can feel my vocal cords tearing when I try to sing along. ‘Alone Again’ was an early song the band did and have redone it brilliantly here. The three guitars all have space to add to the musical tapestry.

‘Cheating on the Sun’ was also an old bandcamp single that has been given a fresh set of paint here and again channels some Queens of the Stone Age type feel. Joseph’s vocals here tap into some great high notes and remind me that this band has developed their own sound but never feel like they are repeating themselves. Closing out the album is their epic ‘Three Years’ which approaches the six-minute mark. They give themselves more room to breathe here throughout the verses with the triple guitar approach being applied perfectly. As the song progresses, we can feel the emotion building and building in the music and the tone of the vocals. It’s a perfect closer for the album. 

As far as debut albums go, this one is perfect for me, but I will go further and say this is one of the best albums you will hear this year. They have managed to create their own sound and really craft an album where the songs complement one another to give the album a flow and dynamics. I could go on and on about how great this album is, but I recommend you go purchase it now and hear it for yourself. Album of the year contender? Most definitely!!

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Author: Gerald Stansbury

Cancer Bats/Grove Street – Le Pub, Newport – 3rd July 2023

Cancer Bats/Grove Street – Le Pub, Newport – 3<sup>rd</sup> July 2023

The last time I can remember a band playing two sets in the same Welsh venue on the same night because the first gig sold out in nano seconds, was when Electric Six added a matinee show to their scheduled Barfly appearance just as ‘Danger! High Voltage’ exploded all over the nations’ music video channels (remember those) around about 20 years ago. Tonight, though that’s exactly what Canadian punk metallers Cancer Bats are doing for their most intimate (and obviously sold out) show/s on Welsh soil since their days of them also playing that same legendary (and sadly long since closed) downstairs bar in the heart of Cardiff city centre.

“Up close and personal” is always going to be the order of proceedings for the hundred or so of us lucky souls who managed to snap up a ticket for one (or perhaps even both) of tonight’s shows, and with the prospect of a two-band double slam dunk ahead of them it’s totally understandable that Le Pub need to run a tight ship here tonight.

So, it’s at 7:45 precisely that Southampton hardcore crossover outfit Grove Street are let off the leash with their own brand of metal meets hardcore by way of a hint of rap, and I can’t help but have a smile on my face that stretches from Town to George St bridge. That’s because there’s tonnes of chugging metal riffage to keep the headbangers happy, lashings of double time aggression to kick off the first circle pit of the night and yes that really is a lyric lift from Grandmaster Flash in the middle of ‘Lessons of The Past’. Grove Street look like they weren’t even born when some of tonight’s audience would have been first launching themselves off the nearby Newport Centre’s stage to the likes of Nuclear Assault, Dark Angel, and Sepultura, but the young guns can hold their heads high knowing that their performance tonight had more than one of my mates yelling in my ear that they reminded them of Suicidal Tendencies. I shall certainly be keeping an eye out for the band’s debut album ‘The Path To Righteousness’ when it’s released in September. 

“The best thing about being Welsh has surely got to be you have a dragon on your flag” quips Cancer Bats frontman Liam Cormier mid set during the briefest of moments of between song respite, before adding “tonight we are going double fucking dragon on you guys, so who is with me?”

It’s been quite some time since I’ve crossed paths with Cancer Bats on the live front it’s certainly the first time I’ve seen them since guitarist Scott Middleton left their ranks, and Covid break aside I’m not exactly sure why. It’s great to see that nothing has really changed in that time though, Cormier is still the consummate showman cajoling, teasing, and maybe even terrorising the audience in equal parts, whilst his trio of bandmates literally pummel our senses into a mush thanks to their ridiculously heavy and indeed LOUD sound, and these guys do it night after night, and yes of course, twice nightly if need be.

I’ll also rather awkwardly admit that I’ve yet to add a copy of the band’s current album ‘Psychic Jailbreak’ to my Cancer Bats’ collection, but as one of the highlights in tonight’s set just happens to be ‘Radiate’ that album’s opener, I’ll most certainly be putting this matter to right first thing tomorrow.

The Cancer Bats I first fell in love though has always possessed the near perfect blend of stoner groove and punk rock attitude and there’s a point tonight where towards the end of their hour long set they unleash, ‘Hail Destroyer’, (their cover of) ‘Sabotage’, Bricks and Mortar’ and ‘Lucifer’s Rocking Chair’ all in quick succession and it feels like I’ve been swept up in some maelstrom of heavy metal excellence. It’s the near perfect way to get those with tickets all salivating for the band’s second set, but sadly I’m not one of those.  So, at 9:45 exactly, I’m out the venue doors and on my way home green with envy for those lucky enough to be sticking around for the band’s late-night set.

Nights like these are very special indeed, make sure you take the time to experience them whilst you still can.  

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Author: Johnny ‘Double Dragon’ Hayward

Dirt Box Disco – ‘Rokapokalips’ (Avenue Recordz)

Dirt Box Disco – ‘Rokapokalips’ (Avenue Recordz)

When you begin your musical career by releasing a debut record as genre defining as ‘Appetite For Destruction’ or The Stone Roses’ ‘Self-Titled’ album you’re always going to get people asking if the new one is as good as that record. Dirt Box Disco have that very same albatross hanging around their necks too as their debut ‘Legends’ is easily one of the best UK punk rock records of all time in my book, yet somehow, they’ve managed to dodge that metaphorical debut bullet, largely because they have consistently released strong follow up records ever since that astounding album first appeared back in 2012.

Here in 2023 with the imminent release of the band’s eighth studio album, ‘Rokapokalips’ what strikes me now, perhaps more than ever, about the “almost veteran” Dirt Box Disco, is that (to my ears at least) they have more than just a proclivity for atrocious spelling in common with a certain 70s/80s rock band from the Black Country known as Slade.

Okay granted the opening word from singer/guitarist’s Spunk Volcano masked mouth to introduce ‘# Bollocks’ is never going to be viewed in the same endearing way as Noddy’s immortal “Baby, baby, baby” holler, but there is just something about this all new ten track record from the Dirt Box gang that immediately makes me think of Slade’s early 80s renaissance, and I’m not exactly sure quite what it is.

Perhaps it’s the fact that the band (by their own workaholic standards) have been a bit quiet of late, or that whilst the terrible musical chemical laboratory experiment that helped create Dirt Box Disco will forever be embedded within the band’s musical DNA, here on ‘Rokapokalips’ they’ve broadened their sound palette to include a touch of ska during the verses of ‘Kill The Music’ (just like Slade embraced the Celtic jig to once again attain chart success) and in ‘Land Of Hope & Glory’ Spunk, Maff, Danny and Chris have a song that could very easily sit on a Cockney Rejects or Cock Sparrer album (and Slade were of course as equally at home playing to punks and skinheads as they were heavy rockers back in the day).

Granted these are only very tenuous links though, largely used to bring an album you’ve yet to hear fully to life and I should add that this is still very much the Dirt Box Disco we all know and love, albeit there are just enough new things going on to keep us all thinking, whilst also singing along, and of course smiling, as one listen to ‘Up The Dirtbox’ (fnarr, fnarr) will no doubt prove.

After the knockout punch that was ‘TV Sex Show’ the band’s 2020 debut Weab-less record, it was always going to be tough to follow the likes of the glorious ‘Unstoppable’ and anthemic ‘Barebones’ where the band had sounded revitalised, but when you have the songwriting machine that is Spunk Volcano revving his engine and penning such instantly memorable tunes as this album’s title track, the insanely hummable ‘Cinderella’s Motorhead Tattoo’ and ‘I Don’t Wanna Go Without You’ (yup I had to read it more than once too) you’re never going to be a shortage of amazing songs with which to fill your next record. Just give top sing-a-long-a-Dirtbox ‘Happy Pills’ a play and tell me I’m wrong. It’s a song chock full of the band’s trademark “Woah Oh” gang vocals, albeit here the underlying lyrical theme does appear to be a little darker than usual.

For those of you who have pre-ordered ‘Rokapokalips’ from Avenue Recordz directly you should be getting your CDs and LPs anytime soon, and for everybody else the album is being released on July 21st, but you can also hit THIS LINK and get the masked menaces to send you your copy pronto!

And remember, “We’re strong, together we are stronger, and we don’t quit, Dirt Box Disco Armageddon, Rokapokalips”

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Author: Johnny Hayward

SLIP~ons – Heavy Machinery [Official Video]

SLIP~ons – Heavy Machinery [Official Video]

What do you get when you combine two Canadian music legends into one guitar-heavy, power-pop unit that strives to sound like Minneapolis in the 90’s? You get SLIP~ons! They come by their brand of rock honestly, with Brock Pytel of The Doughboys on guitar and Brian Minato of Sarah McLachlan on bass. Add to the mix Rob “Shockk” Matharu of The Spitfires on guitar, and Shane Wilson on drums and you’ve got a rock ‘n’ roll quartet with a vibe not unlike The Lemonheads, Hüsker Dü, Ash, The Replacements or Dinosaur Jr. 

After a long run of obstacles, SLIP~ons have finally been able to announce their debut EP Heavy Machinery (mixed by Dave Ogilvie of Skinny Puppy fame). It took some effort for the band to get there with serious health concerns, the global pandemic and demos which just weren’t finding the band’s live vibe. Reflecting on the process bassist Minato said, “I think the songs on this EP are sonically and musically the closest we’ve come so far to representing who and what we are as a band. The songwriting, singing and playing and the arrangements have definitely pushed us forward as a group in a really awesome way. I’m very  happy with the way the record has turned out. The artwork for the EP is also totally fantastic and  I recommend picking up a copy on vinyl.” 

The album was masterfully recorded at both Monarch and Vertical Studios in Vancouver by Olivia Quan (RIP). Unfortunately, part of the process was marked by tragedy. Pytel recalls, “Olivia passed away maybe a week or ten days after our last overdub session. I think I learned  about it via an Instagram post from Monarch/Tom Dobrzanski, and obviously it was a shock. I mean, she was only 25 and the picture of vibrant creative health. We all feel like this recording is the first to really accurately sound like us, and Olivia was a big part of making that happen. Her technical skills were flawless and effortless, and she was always calm and positive.” In an unrelated twist of bad luck, Pytel explains, “a week or two after Ronan Chris Murphy finished our masters, a huge tree fell on his house and destroyed his studio.”

Heavy Machinery is marked by Pytel’s signature gravelly vocals and tongue-in-cheek lyrics paired with slamming backbeats, punchy guitars and rolling bass lines that drive the melodies. Sparse but poignant gang vocals round out the sound and add an interesting depth to the songs. Looking at the EP as a whole, Pytel shares “Lyrically, some of the songs were about working through loss. Soldier, Don’t Say Goodbye’, Heavy Machinery and Mosquito came together a short while after Ken Chinn (a.k.a. Mr. Chi Pig) died, and I, personally, was going through a rough breakup and feeling super vulnerable. Soldier is maybe the angry approach, while the title track is maybe a bit more nostalgic. I kinda think of it as a love song, since it’s probably the closest I’ve ever come to that. The mosquito thing was a metaphor for problems that just keep on you, no matter what you do.” 

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Superkarma – release new album 20 years later

Superkarma – release new album 20 years later

Indie rockers release self-titled debut album after 20 year wait

Out August 4th via Glass Mile Records/Forte Distribution

Pre-order the album HERE:

The end of the nineties was nigh. Britpop mania was over, and the Y2K bug was about to wreak global damage at the turn of the new Millennium. Remember that?

In Milton Keynes a quartet of musicians were diligently crafting in the rehearsal room and didn’t care much about bugs or anything else. They were consumed by their creations; harnessing the best bits of an exploded genre, and giving their songs a brash, experimental indie rock edge. It was all sounding exciting.

The band (frontman Daniel Binks, guitarist Jamie Paul Morris, bassist Steven Sciberras and drummer Ben Hallett) soon took their sounds out of the rehearsal space and into the live, cutting their teeth on the London circuit and making their mark at select festivals in the low countries.

They found favour with those dates, and their musical musings landed them an extended stay at top-flight studio, Great Linford Manor (PJ Harvey, The Charlatans, PiL, Skunk Anansie) with esteemed producer Tony Platt (AC/DC, Bob Marley and Sparks). Everything should have been magnificent, and very nearly was, until band friction during the recording process led to the session unravelling. Instead of the promised robust release, an acrimonious split left the project unfinished and gathering dust.

Those tracks might well still be sitting on the shelf today, were it not for the devastating loss of guitarist Jamie in 2019. His untimely death reopened lines of communication between the remaining members, and where there had been discontent, there was a realisation that they had unfinished business, and the band have reconvened to deal with it.

“We decided we would finish the album as a tribute to Jamie and feel that even after all this time the music still has its own place out there in the musical void,” said Ben, “Once finally released others might stumble across it and appreciate what we made. It just took a while.”

The listener will journey from the raw jagged post-punk guitars that air with You Could Be My Heroine through the anthemic swagger of tracks The Way It Is and Calmer Coaster, to the delicately poised acoustic of My Own Advice, perfect for showcasing the range and fragility of Daniel’s voice, and the epic melancholic flower powered finale of I Remember You.

It took two decades and a tragic turn of events to re-ignite the flame, but in these ‘Karma’ times the band have made good on their promise from years ago. “I was pleasantly surprised when revisiting these songs at how fresh and punchy they still feel. We were able to give them a bit of a facelift in terms of the sound, but the raw energy needed little in the way of encouragement,” said Tony Platt, who was back for the production process, “I guess the band were somewhat ahead of their time!”

Preview their 2nd single ‘The Way It Is’ HERE – a song that bassist Steve Sciberras explains, “It’s an open book. When you find yourself face to face with tragedy and loss, sometimes the only thing left is hope and love. I guess that’s just the way it is.” This sense of loss is reflected perfectly in the songs sad yet ultimately uplifting mood.

This is an album that would have been ahead of its time but is most definitely a release for the here and now. Supakarma will be available as a strictly limited-edition vinyl (300 copies) release and available on all streaming platforms through Forte Distribution on August 4th.

Pre-order the album HERE:

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Iggy & The Stooges – ‘The Truth Is In The Sound We Make’

Iggy & The Stooges – ‘The Truth Is In The Sound We Make’

IGGY AND THE STOOGES are the subject of a lavish new coffee-table book.

Clocking in at 300 pages, ‘The Truth Is In The Sound We Make’ and features many rare and unseen photos as well as previously unpublished fan pics covering the Detroit legends’ concerts and recording sessions from 1967 to 1974 – so no solo Iggy and no latterday reunion pics. The text features a complete listing of Stooges shows and recording sessions collated by author Per Nilsen.

Published by Wintergarden Books, the sister company of Easy Action Records, the label behind many Stooges rarities, the 14” x 11” The Truth Is In The Sound We Make is presented in a limited print run of 800 copies, with a super-limited edition bundle of 150 numbered copies, including two high-definition 8×10 live shots, a high grade art print, poster and bookmark.

UNSPECIFIED – CIRCA 1970: Photo of Iggy Pop Photo by Tom Copi/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Limited edition bundle https://easyaction.co.uk/product/the-stooges-the-truth-is-in-the-sound-we-make-coffee-table-de-luxe-book-hand-numbered-1-100/

Regular edition https://easyaction.co.uk/product/the-stooges-the-truth-is-in-the-noise-we-make-book/

Tommy Stinson’s Cowboys in The Campfire – ‘wronger’ (Icons Creating Evil Arts)

Tommy Stinson’s Cowboys in The Campfire – ‘wronger’ (Icons Creating Evil Arts)

Tommy Stinson Should need no introduction however there might well be a whole generation who’ve not had the chance to appreciate the genius of his work be it as an integral member of The Replacements or his solo work, Perfect, Bash & Pop or as a member of Guns N Roses or Soul Asylum. His catalogue of work is extensive as its magnificent and has stretched over four decades. is a revered American musician who has enjoyed a significant four-decade-plus career. He’s appeared on recordings by the Old 97’s, Moth, and BT, plus played bass on Puff Daddy’s ‘It’s All About the Benjamins (Rock Remix)’. There you go kids go look that lot up and then bow down at his feet.

Stinson’s latest venture is Cowboys in the Campfire. A duo with Chip Roberts, their debut album ‘Wronger’ is Americana as apple pie or a star-spangled banner, and whilst he’s dabbled at various points it’s always been fleeting. This bad boy is on a well-trodden trail on horseback with his buddy and they’re suckin’ on cigars and twanging them strings be it Ukulele, pedal steel, or yeehaw, sorry I mean guitar. The very first song, ‘Here We Go Again’, sets the tone; Stinson is on ukulele, singing about the ardors of creativity, while horns swell and the only hint of percussion is from the tapping of feet by the musicians in the room. Toss another log on that there fire boy.

An obvious hanging post would be some Steve Earle and of course, Johnny Cash it’s broad and passionate from the rough ‘n’ ready rockabilly of ‘That’s It’ its a thigh slapping salamander stick thumping banger. ‘We Ain’t’, is authentic and heartfelt, and that’s what draws you in. Other songs such as ‘Schemes’, ‘Souls’ and lead single ‘Dream’ prove the man’s genius at this here songwriting thang be it punk rock or pop and some country has got the whole shooting match sorted. what an ace pop songwriter Stinson still is. If this is the best ten songs he had then his work here is done and he knows it’s nailed.

The genesis of Cowboys in the Campfire actually dates back over a decade. Roberts is the uncle of one of Stinson’s exes and was previously a gun-for-hire guitar slinger. “We’ve been really good friends and writing partners pretty much since we met, writing rock tunes to ballads or country or Americana,” explains Stinson. Neither expected their association to become a going musical concern, but the mid-2010s saw a Guns N’ Roses hiatus prior to Stinson venturing into Replacements and Bash & Pop reunions, so things got a little more serious. “We thought, ‘Let’s go play some shows and fuck around.’ I took some songs he and I had written together, some of my solo stuff, some covers, some other stuff of mine he plays.”

‘Schemes’ is a lush ballad with a swirling organ and a gently picked guitar with a tear-jerking vocal melody superbly delivered. Hell, they could have headed to Memphis and locked themselves away in an office out the back of Sun Studio and worked 9 to 5 to get these done and the living breathing proof would have to be ‘Fall Apart Together’. After only having the briefest time together listening to this I’m sure some Stinson fans will be disappointed it’s not a full-throttled rocker but given time to get used to it I’m sure they’ll appreciate its songwriting genius or if they’re sad about it they can listen to the tear-jerking ‘Hey Man’.

By the time we get to ‘We Ain’t,’ the guys in the band are cooking and there’s plenty of meat on the bone with some lovely twanging going down over the solid acoustic chords. As the album moves gracefully to its finale with ‘Souls’ via some wonderful hazy slide guitar.

This really impressive record waves goodbye with the poptastic ‘Dreams’ with its late-night vocal and honking guitar its signs off in style, with a doffed stetson and a cowboy shirt it’s so long from Tommoy and the gang until next time just don’t take another decade unless you fancy doing another Bash & Pop or pretty please Replacements, but this will more than do. Now throw some ribs on that campfire and let’s do this again.

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Author: Dom Daley

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Dog Day Afternoon, Crystal Palace Park, London 01.07.23

Dog Day Afternoon, Crystal Palace Park, London 01.07.23

What a weekend to be in the big smoke. Pulp in finsbury Park, Def Leps and Mutley spew in Wembley Stadium, Pride and Iggy in The Palace (Crystal Palace that is), Oh and The Dirty Strangers in Kilburn. I arrived just in time to join the snaking queue halfway round sarf of the river but to be fair it moved quickly and bag check was smooth amist all the horror stories of recent events at this venue. Now I could rant all day about the vendors charging an arm and a leg for refreshments and the coast of a 99 or screwball would have my nan turning in her grave but I wont. I chose to be here and whilst I don’t like big outdoor shows where you know youre heading for a good fleecing I don’t really now what the answer is – I could stay away but then I’d be cutting my nose off to spite my face and I wanted to see some bands I probably wont ever get the chance to see again so it is what it is. Oh and I wont mention the cost of merch these days or a poster for £30 so lets get on with the show.

First up today in the baking heat of the SE19 summer sun are Brighton punks Lambrini Girls, a trio the mainstream press has already called Iggy Pop’s favourite new band, and you can immediately see why Mr Osterberg would like them as guitarist/singer ploughs straight into the crowd as the band unleash their very own brand of ‘Big Dick Energy’. The only problem with doing this on such a big stage/large scale event being that apart from the front six rows (who will probably all be there to see you already) no one else in the audience really knows what the hell is going on even with onstage cameras present. So, whilst some get to experience the danger up close and personal, me, I’m left waiting for the inevitable TikTok videos to emerge. Next!

Buzzcocks, My first-time post-Pete, and whilst I grew up loving these songs I was too young for the early days of Buzzcocks I did catch the reunion shows and beyond which is still 30-plus years. I thought they hit a particular high on the pre covid renaissance they were enjoying especially at Rebellion where they properly understood how to do festivals and cram your best into an hour or so. On this day I thought Diggle did particularly well with Pete’s vocals, and whilst there is an inevitable Pete-sized hole it was great to hear those classic Buzzcocks songs perforating the Sarf London air once again. With a dozen songs crammed in from the opener ‘What Do I Get?’ through the groovy ‘Why Can’t I Touch It’ it was my favourite Buzzcocks songs that touched my heart once again, ‘Promises’ and the set closer of ‘Harmony In My Head’ via ‘Ever Fallen In Love’ – Whilst I was happy for Steve to get such warm and rapturous applause I did let my mind wander and that Shelley void was so apparent but I’m sure he’d have looked down and been pleased for his old mates to still be carrying the torch loudly and with such passion and conviction. Easily some of the genre’s finest songs right there in the warm Capitol sunshineeee.

Right thick and fast it is as Rusty Egan spins a few discs before SLF join the party and to be fair they brought their A-game and threw out a set of bangers from start to finish. Burns announced early doors that he wasn’t going to rabbit on and instead was going to play as many songs as possible and true to his words it was something of a best of from ‘Tin Soldiers’ into ‘Nobody’s Hero’ and ‘Roots Radical’ there couldn’t have been anyone inside the park who could be disappointed with that hattrick of tunes.

With a cover of the Specials ‘Doesn’t Make It Alright’ placed in the middle of the set it was heads down and off we go as they peeled back the years for ‘At The Edge’ before signing off with a triumphant trio in ‘Gotta Getaway’, ‘Suspect Device’ and finally the anthemic ‘Alternative Ulster’ and their work was done. A crowd that could only have been happy with that set as they were rightly applauded off the stage.

Next up was the set from Generation Sex that a lot of people had high hopes for and when the four gentlemen ambled onto the stage and kicked off with ‘Pretty Vacant’ I thought Cook was his rock solid best and hasn’t aged for about 30 years. Stoking the fire in the engine room throughout the dozen songs. It was a delight to see a slimmed down Jonesy cranking out those riffs on his trusty Les Paul I have to say after ‘Ready Steady Go’ and ‘Wild Youth’ by the end of the set I thought it was the Gen X tunes that ruled the day. Idol singing from a teleprompter seemed a little unnesasery and it was distracting him from what he does best. It might have been nerves or wanting to give it his best, but, I wanted Idol to own the stage and prowl around snarling, sneering and fist punching his way through the tunes but he seemed a little held back which was a shame, thats just my feelings. Anyway, The band weren’t the tightest but who cares? It was a joy to hear those songs, be it ‘Black Leather’ or ‘Kiss Me Deadly’.

After a weird ‘Silly Thing’ maybe Jonesy should have taken the vocals it would have made sense. The highlight of the set for me was a stonking ‘King Rocker’ which to be fair obviously Idol was more comfortable singing his own songs and signing off with ‘Your Generation’ it was then Jonesy finally, got to crank out his signiture Chugg on ‘My Way’ through what has to be said was a crystal clear PA. All in all I was well happy with the set and great to see Jonesy looking and sounding so good. it was what it was punk rock royalty having a blast and kicking out some tunes they wrote many many moons ago. Under rehersed? so what. Sloppy? Fuckin’ right ! Quality? Absolutely.

Next up, Blondie. With a catalogue of hits, every man woman, and child knows the words to bar none. To be fair they’ve been clocking the air miles pretty hard this summer with festival appearances a plenty as well as headline shows all over the place. so, it was expected they would turn in the most polished set of the day on what was icon Debbie Harry’s Seventy Eigth Birthday! Take that in for a minute, and appreciate her brilliance. singing songs that go back almost half a fuckin’ century and still delivering them live without a safety net. She could easily phone in the vocals but that’s not how she’s ever rolled. Her body of work is unrivaled by most other bands who’ve been in the game for years and no doubt soundtracked many in attendance youth and beyond. I’ve seen the debates about phoning in performances from the likes of Guns N Roses to Blondie to anyone over the age of Fifty but I think those people are way off piste after watching how hard the band hit it and knock out a fourteen-track greatest Hits set for the umpteenth time this summer all over Europe and beyond. She’s 78 so why would I expect her to sound like she was in her twenties how many people do? anyway that’s a debate that will rage on and I very much doubt she or anyone else on this bill gives two flying ducks about and rightly so. ‘One Way Or Another’ a punchy ‘Call Me’ through ‘Will Anything Happen’ via the awesome rap in ‘Rapture’ the minutes were flying by as Blondie we’re on fine form and when you see them live you realise how many fantastic songs they have at their disposal with four times as many that its not possible to perform.

With it being Debbies Birthday it seems crazy to think I’ve had many of these songs in my ears since I was in junior school. Call it nostalgia or Blondie Lite without Chris Stein and the other original players but mainly Chris it’s still a thoroughly entertaining set of absolute smashers played by a top-tier band from the youth youth youth flanking the incredible ms Harry via the iconic keyboard licks and that’s not forgetting new signing Glen Matlock and the machine that is Clem Burke who, as it goes still has the best feather cut barnet in Rock n Roll and an unrivaled stamina. Fan-Bloody-tastic set.

Right, the sun is setting in the distance and we shuffle closer towards the stage for what will most likely be the last time many of us get to see Iggy on a stage in the UK. Something I’ve probably been overthinking for weeks, days, and hours. I’ve seen many Iggy shows in many venues and have never ever been disappointed. My first was the Instinct tour which I’ve reminisced over way too many times right up to the last Stooges reunion which was another moment in time to savor such was its spectacular soundtrack. This seventy-six-year-old man I’m waiting on still has the exuberance of a child and the energy of a herd of wildebeests outsmarting a street-walking cheetah looking for a meal. As the PA sparks into life and the band emerges from the shadows the show begins before Iggy rushes on stage and instantly he’s lost his shirt as ‘Five Foot One’ bursts into life and collides with ‘TV Eye’. This is already sounding epic with the addition of the brass section that was taking these songs to places I’d never imagined.

‘Modern Day Rip Off’ was the first new song to get aired as the audience seemed to generate a liquid-like state as it moved and swayed to the rhythm as the brutal ‘Raw Power’ was only slowed in its tracks by ‘Gimme Danger’. Once again Iggy has assembled an incredible band and a special mention has to go to the rhythm section who absolutely nailed it sending shivers down my spine as the dry ice wafted into the darkening south London sky.

I suppose there have to be the expected songs played such as the ‘Passenger’ and ‘Lust For Life’ get aired before the first curve ball of ‘Endless Sea’ lets Iggy take five and perch himself on the wedge whilst he reenergizes for ‘Death Trip’. The set was motoring on and I was trying to savor every second whilst trying to shut out the age debate I had nagging in my head just as Iggy fell to the floor and began barking at the excited crowd which could only mean ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’ was up next again with the inclusion of the horns it was a stroke of genius before ‘Search And Destroy’ sent some insane.

Encore already? Damn, I don’t want this to end as Iggy hit the cruise button, and ‘Mass Production’ followed by the epic ‘Nightclubbing’ was dispatched. Hell, the clock was ticking to curfew so it was ‘Down On The Street’ followed by the sleazy giant that is ‘Loose’ and I think I had a spec of dust in my eye as I headed towards the exit to catch the finale of ‘Every Losers’ opening shot of Fuck You that this man has done for over fifty years. There seems little sign of him “taking it easy” and to think he’d phone in a performance is blasphemy ‘Frenzy’ was the best way to sign off a fantastic day of music from some of the genre’s finest bands, with a songbook that won’t be bettered anywhere in London over this manic weekend or any other to be fair Dog Day Afternoon was a spectacle I was proud to say I was there and if I never have the pleasure of seeing most of these performers again it was an absolute pleasure and never ever a chore.

Author: Johnny Hayward & Dominic Daley

The Conscience Pilate – ‘Army Of Devils’

The Conscience Pilate – ‘Army Of Devils’

‘Army of Devils’ marks the return of Toronto indie art rockers The Conscience Pilate to new music. After a 25-year hiatus, Edward Pond and Neil Leyton decided to reunite and immediately wrote “Army of Devils” over a bottle of Rioja. Their song title is ripped from the cover of a violent pulp-fiction action novel Edward owned as a kid.

‘Army of Devils’ is a song about not letting the demons in our head mess up the good things in our life, and how we sometimes wreck it a little anyway. Starting in the summer of 2023 The Conscience Pilate will release a new single each month, beginning with “Army of Devils”. It takes a village, so while Pond and Leyton remain the core of the band, many of their musical cohorts from across the years are stepping up to play drums, and guitars, record and pour synergy into this project.

D I S C O V E R

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