Some chump pipes up every few years with the “rock n roll is dead” nonsense. As usual, you have to know where to look. And we at RPM have been championing Black Bombers for some time now. With their latest upcoming album ‘Vive La Revolution’, they have potentially one of the best albums of 2024.
With the added sonic muscle of Steve Crittall on guitar, ‘No Pity’ is righteously furious. The band are energised and focused, the mid-song breakdown is perfectly timed. ‘Everything Is Ruined’ comes across like a feral Buzzcocks, I keep hitting ‘play’ on this one. ‘Pretty Boy’ nails a primitive, hypnotic riff, and ‘Loose Lips’ is a snappy two minutes that shows their poppier side.
‘Last Bite’ is epic, and ‘Good Times Gone’ shows their contemporaries how to do it, there’s no shortage of great tunes here. The Bombers take the garage rock blueprint and inject some excitement and enthusiasm into it. You could even imagine Birchy smiling. Almost.
‘What Do You See?’ proves they can do something more delicate without losing their identity, before ‘The Price’ ramps things up again. ‘Sometimes’ is the last original Bombers tune, and no slouch, before they batter one of my favourite Bowie tunes. Yes, ‘Boys Keep Swinging’ emerges bruised and glorious, sounds like Steve enjoyed letting rip.
I’ve preordered, obviously. Alan, Darren, Dave and Steve should be rightfully proud of this, their best release yet. If you get the chance, go see them a.s.a.p. Vive la révolution!
Fast-rising Italian punks SMALLTOWN TIGERS have announced a new album and UK tour.
The girls from Rimini have had a had a successful year-and-a-bit with two tours with The Damned and a bunch of well-received summer shows, and start 2024 with the long-awaited follow-up to 2020’s Five Things debut mini-album.
The 10-track Crush On You, produced once again by Stiv Cantarelli and Robi Villa – alias blues-punk duo JD Hangover – and mastered by Detroit garage-punk professor Jim Diamond, is set for release on 9 February through Area Pirata.
Sat 10 Feb – Prince Albert, Brighton Sun 11 Feb – Lady Luck, Canterbury Wed 14 Feb – Twenty-One, Southend-on-Sea Thurs 15 Feb – Bird’s Nest, Deptford, London Fri 16 Feb – Spinning Top, Stockport Sat 17 Feb – The Hive, Rotherham Sun 18 Feb –The Vaults, York (matinee 3pm)
As previously announced, the Tigers will also be playing the three Stone Valley Festivals in Hertfordshire (24-26 May), Notts (21-23 June) and Durham (9-11 Aug).
“99 Miles to Pasadena” is the fifth video to be released from singles off Dumb & in Love, following the title track, “Family Memories,” “California,” and “Any Other Way.”
Although currently settled in Washington, DC, Suzi is a California native through and through, and she wrote “99 Miles to Pasadena” while running laps around the city’s legendary venue The Rose Bowl, which shows up in the video.
As for the video itself, it was animated by Tommy Keeling, and viewers of a certain age will instantly recognize the loving nods to the classic cartoons of Hanna-Barbera…particularly the comic book band with “long tails and ears for hats.”
“Josie & The Pussycats is my ultimate fave!” enthuses Suzi. “Tommy made my Archie dreams come true!!!!”
Viewers will find it impossible not to share Suzi’s boundless enthusiasm while watching this undeniably fun video for this catchy, poppy rock ’n roll song “baked in the California sunshine.”
After the incredible response to her first two EPs on Pirates Press Records, the anticipation for the release of the much-anticipated full-length by Suzi Moon reached a fever pitch, and the finished product did not disappoint! Originally from Southern California, but relocated to Washington DC, Moon and her band put together an incredible debut album that is well worth the wait! Recorded and produced by Davey Warsop (Sharp/Shock, Suedehead) they are an eclectic set of catchy as f*** songs that the band immediately took on the road, where they were received by wild crowds worldwide.
Dumb & In Luv was actually written and mostly recorded before the release of her EPs – but she wanted to spend more time working on it to be able to present a cohesive collection of songs. When asked about the album, Moon says “These songs are a bit warmer and power-pop than my previous releases. They’ve been baked in the California sunshine, like the song ‘99 Miles To Pasadena,’ which I wrote while running laps around the Rose Bowl. I picked songs that fit together nicely but also offer a lot of variation, so you’re getting more of a full ride with this album than you did with the EPs!”
She continues, “The ten tracks on Dumb & In Luv represent growth and the human condition. Themes of love, loss, heartache, hope, and celebration are all ones that I have written about before and will certainly revisit again and again. My first EP, Call The Shots, had a straightforward punk ’n roll sound, my second EP, Animal, was a bit more melodic, and Dumb & In Luv is really a mix of those two styles, seeped in the influence of all those great California bands that influenced me while I was growing up, like Social Distortion, Rancid, Green Day, and Sugarcult.”
With a stellar rock & roll pedigree, reaching back to when Moon started touring at the young age of 15, she has established herself as a ferocious punk truth teller with both a distinctive personal style and a fiercely untamed stage presence.
Suzi Moon’s effortless channeling of classic ’77 punk rock spirit with a modern twist continues to evolve and grow. The response to her first two releases was fantastic, though not surprising – with support from Little Steven’s Underground Garage and the likes of Iggy Pop singing her praises on the BBC!
Her fanbase has grown immensely over the past few years, and the release of her LP has been one of the biggest things propelling her forward.
Suzi’s electrifying live show is not to be missed, and has made her a favorite at festivals like Xtreme Fest, Rebellion, Punk Rock Bowling, and Punk in the Park (just to name a few), gigs with legendary acts like The Damned, and tours with the likes of Agent Orange, The Briefs, Ravagers, and more! We can’t wait to see what the future will bring for the unstoppable force that is Suzi Moon!.
As 2023 draws to a close it seems right that I find myself somewhere waiting for The Wonder Stuff to rock up and rock out with some anniversary shenanigans or other and tonight it just so happens to be a celebration for their fourth album ‘Construction For The Modern Idiot’. Now, where the fuck did those decades go? Thirty years and counting and one thing is some of us are still here (always a good thing) and again Milo seems to be in great spirits and the Milo of the past few years is a refreshing youngish man and it was commented how nice it is to be nice and Milo looks like he’s having a ball a disposition he’s had for quite a few tours now and we like it.
Anyway, a Late substitution for this evening in the Empire is Dodgy frontman with a wonderful full head of hair and a lovely smile and a fistful of happy-go-lucky songs that are befitting of a man from the midlands with such an engaging smile (must be something in the air round that way). Armed with an acoustic guitar and a few tales he did a sterling job of warming up the quickly filling Empire with some classic Dodgy like ‘Staying Out For The Summer’, ‘In A Room’, ‘Grassman’ and ‘Good Enough’. His voice sounded strong but in a flash, his job was done.
Just before nine the house lights go off and the band move purposefully to their starting blocks and ‘Construction’ begins. The magnificent ‘Change Every Light Bulb’ is the sound of the charge as every track off the much’ underrated ‘Construction For The Modern Idiot’ unfolds and as good as it is to always hear ‘On The Ropes’ or the brutal ‘I Wish Them All Dead’ its also a joy to hear ‘Storm Drain’ or ‘Hush’ in all their glory and boy did they sound good. By the time we reach ‘Sing The Absurd’ it’s a realisation that we’re almost done for the entire album. The introductions are short and sweet and we’re left with a few well-placed B sides like ‘Burger Standing’ and ‘I Think I Must Have Something Really Useful To Say’ before Milo takes the band off for a sneaky smoke and then some more of a best of set. However, if you ask me you’d need another two-plus hours to whip through the remaining “Best Of” set so the second portion begins with a sprightly ‘Ooh She Said’ and a rapid bounce-a-thon ‘No For The 13th Time’ it was like the old days with everybody warmed up it’s like the decades hadn’t passed and to be quite frank there will be a lot of people who might have some regrets come the morning but living for the moment this is like the eight-legged grooves are certainly on manoeuvres. ‘Mission Drive’ is followed by ‘Caught In My Shadow’ and then ‘Size Of A Cow’ wraps up the ‘Never Loved Elvis’ tracks and everyone is beaming (including Milo)
Erika who once again looks splendid in her golden gown moves her bow to signify its ‘Golden Green’ time as ‘Hup’ makes an appearance. Some of the usual suspects are then wheeled out closing the second set with a faultless ‘Give Give Give Me More More More’.
For a final encore and much deserved I might add Milo announces that this is definitely the last fuckin time we will get to hear ‘Dizzy’ but he said that last week. ‘Unbearable’ only leaves a magnificent ‘Ten Trenches Deep’ and we are now definitely done. Sadly no time for ‘Good Night Though’ which would have been the cherry on the icing on the cake for me but that can happen next time, right Milo? A triumphant return to the Empire and a magnificent set that paid respects to a much-underrated album that is ‘Construction For The Modern Idiot’ I only wish is we could do this all again in the not-too-distant future. Tonight the Wonder Stuff were once again dishing out the Wonderful Stuff. I know it’s only rock n roll but boy do I like it. Have I said it was magnificent? Well, it was.
The video for the track “Born Losers”. sees Autogramm’s tongue-in-cheek brand of video making, “Born Losers” was shot and directed by Tyler McLeod on location at Sasquatch Mountain Resort in British Columbia. The video features a sasquatch, an epic backflip on skis, Kokanee beer and a banana on a shrimp platter. “Born Losers” is a song about being an outsider and finding your place in the world. The encouraging refrain of the song tells the listener, “We’re all born losers until someone lets us win, we’re all just outsiders until somebody lets us in.” The music video reinforces this narrative by portraying a story of acceptance among friends in a hilariously silly plot. Their new album ‘Music That Humans Can Play’ is available now from Stomp Records in North America and Beluga Records in Europe.
“The song came from nowhere and everything. It was a breath and a call to be held,” says Joe Talbot, “The only words or singing that came from our sessions with Nigel and I needed it, truly. All is love.”
“Grace” is a relatively slowburner by IDLES’ standards, as it takes the time to amplify the tension before detonating with a life-affirming crescendo. “No god, no king, I said love is the thing,” sings Joe Talbot, delivering IDLES’ new manifesto of love triumphing over nihilism with arguably his most soulful (yet still slightly menacing) vocal to date. As with the rest of the upcoming album, “Grace” was produced by Nigel Godrich (Radiohead, The Smile, Beck), Kenny Beats (Denzel Curry, Vince Staples, Benee) and the band’s Mark Bowen.
Extending an explosive run of unerringly stirring albums, ‘TANGK’ is this band’s most ambitious and striking record yet, and is available to pre-order HERE. Set to be released via Partisan Records, it follows IDLES’ 2021 album ‘CRAWLER’ which led to their first two GRAMMY Award nominations.
As they began to lay the groundwork for ‘TANGK’, “Dancer” announced IDLES’ return in style, a track which blended their kinetic intensity with a new-found lascivious playfulness and was further spotlighted with guest backing vocals from LCD Soundsystem duo James Murphy and Nancy Whang.
Additionally, IDLES’ 2024 world tour has kept on expanding, including a newly announced North American tour, plus UK tour legs in July and then November / December.
See all tour dates below and visit Idlesband.com for more information.
JULY 2024 – JUST ADDED 12th – Cardiff, Castle 13th – Halifax, The Piece Hall 20th – Margate, Margate Summer Series 21st – Cornwall, The Wyldes
NOVEMBER 2024 – JUST ADDED 17th – Belfast, Telegraph 23rd – Glasgow, OVO Hydro 24th – Newcastle, O2 City Hall 25th – Nottingham, Rock City 29th – London, Alexandra Palace
DECEMBER 2024 – JUST ADDED 1st – Brighton, The Brighton Centre 3rd – Birmingham, O2 Academy 6th – Manchester, O2 Apollo 7th – Manchester, O2 Apollo
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IDLES – NEW ALBUM: ‘TANGK’ – OUT 16 FEB 2024. PRE-SAVE HERE LISTEN TO NEW SINGLE “GRACE” HERE
Among the most popular and enduring British hard rock bands of the past 25 years, Thunder are to launch two previously unreleased live albums on January 26, 2024, on earMUSIC.
The first of the pair, “Live At Islington Academy”, captures the South London based band during the touring cycle of their eighth studio album, ‘Robert Johnson’s Tombstone’. The quintet had already completed a lengthy circuit of the UK in promotion of the record when they were contacted by Planet Rock Radio (UK) about the possibility of performing a set before a live audience at the station’s first annual Christmas Bash. As fun lovers of the most devoted kind, how could Thunder possibly say ‘no’?
A mere 800 lucky fans got the opportunity to see Thunder perform at the Planet Rock Christmas Party on December 19th, 2006. Hosted by Rob Birnie and Mark Jeeves, the event was a massive success as the band offered up a storming, surprise performance dominated by golden classics such as ‘River Of Pain’, ‘Low Life In High Places’, ‘You Can’t Keep A Good Man Down’, ‘Love Walked In’, ‘Backstreet Symphony’ and ‘I Love You More Than Rock ‘N’ Roll’, followed by a hot, sweaty encore of the hit single ‘Dirty Love’.
“From what I recall, no one in the audience seemed to have a clue that we would attend the party, let alone play, so they were all pretty shocked when we stepped on to the stage,” says frontman Danny Bowes. “It was boiling hot inside the venue, also freezing outside, and we worked them pretty hard. They looked pretty hot and sweaty when it was done. I reckon a fair few of the crowd must have caught colds on the way home.”
The second live album, “Live At Leeds” was a more official affair, recorded nine years later on March 3rd, 2015, as part of a three-date arena tour in support of ‘Wonder Days’, one of the finest studio records of Thunder’s career. In the pages of Classic Rock magazine, the late, great journalist Malcolm Dome declared: “‘Wonder Days’ a massive reminder that class is both timeless and incandescent.”
The resulting tour was shorter than the group’s traditional treks as it marked the first steps of public rehabilitation for Ben Matthews, the rhythm guitarist and keyboardist who was in recovery from throat cancer. Unsurprisingly, these shows were emotionally charged for both band and audience.
“My overriding memory of that night at the First Direct Arena in Leeds was mainly the look on Benny’s face when the audience reacted to him being back,” grins guitarist Luke Morley, who describes a first spell of his band stepping up to headline arenas in their homeland at last as “very satisfying”.
A 16-song set delivered a hatful of hits and no less than six numbers from ‘Wonder Days’, namely its title cut, ‘Black Water’, ‘Resurrection Day’, ‘Broken’, ‘The Thing I Want’ and ‘When The Music Played’.
Both concerts, “Live At Islington Academy” and “Live At Leeds”, stood as further evidence of Thunder’s prowess as live entertainers. And now at last you can re-live the experience.
On January 26, 2024, both concerts will become available on CD, Vinyl as well as digital download and streaming.
“From Europe with Rock: Brezno” – The Craggy Collyde Diaries
02.12.2023
Travelling to central Slovakia is a delight, especially when the country is lying under a vast expanse of snow. The drive through the mountains some way past Bratislava always fills me with an excitement that perhaps my Slovak compatriots don’t quite understand as they are well used to it by now. It is indeed particularly beautiful as the darkness begins to fall around us on the motorway towards Brezno.
We travel through some towns we’ve already stopped in this year, such as Banská Bystrica, before arriving in Brezno (the name deriving from the Slovak word for “birch”), a pretty little town but with very little going on this Saturday night. Soon we turn up at the legendary Bombura NKP club, our venue for this evening’s entertainment. The club is based in an old liquor factory that is still run by the same family as back in the First Republic (with a break during the communist period in between). It’s certainly one of the nicest places we’ve played this year, complete with an impressive Scalextric set-up in a room out the back. The venue is owned and run by a guy called Maroš Pavúk (that’s Maros Spider to English readers), and he does a good job of it, but the whole town is certainly quiet tonight.
A friend of Veronika’s who is from the area mentioned how the good days for rock clubs are past. It can be said for so many venues in the smaller towns of these republics, but there’s always someone here who will enjoy it. And it has to be said that despite the constant hard work and complications, turning up in a small town I’ve never been to, hanging out with friends and playing music we love is a magic all of its own.
Jablko Noci are the band joining us tonight. Fronted by twins and backed up by their uncle on the drums, their music can be described as rather alternative. It’s certainly a very alternative set, largely instrumental with lots of different sounds and tech, and it’s difficult to pin them town to any particular genre. They also have another band, Večerný Motýľ, that features our very own Veronika playing percussive instruments (this includes a triangle but no cowbell). It’s interesting to consider how we will follow them but, of course, it turns out fine. People in small towns know how to drink and have a good time. We decide to run through an alternative set ourselves, playing many songs we don’t often do live, including particularly “In the Shade of the Wild Oak Tree”, which gets one couple slow dancing like it’s a school disco in 1990.
It’s time to leave and go back to the accommodation, so we try to get the waitress to pour some beer into plastic bottles for us to take with us, only they’ve run out of beer. Tom’s hungry, but Brezno is one of those places – every kebab house and pizza place is closed before 12. Petrol station breakfast tomorrow, then.
Steelhouse Festival has added a further 8 acts to its 2024 bill. Taking place over the weekend of the 26th-28th of July, it will be the Welsh festival’s 13th edition. Joining the previously announced ‘BernieFest’ opening day line-up put together in celebration of the late-great Whitesnake guitarist, and long-time friend of the festival, Bernie Marsden are headliners Skindred, and also Mr. Big.Also heading to the Steelhouse Mountain are New York alt-blues duo The Last Internationale, Canadian rockers The Commoners and American blues-guitar powerhouse Jared James Nichols. James And The Cold Gun, Creeping Jean, and Zac & The New Men represent the very best in up-and coming UK talent.
Steelhouse organisers, Max and Mikey say, “We are absolutely buzzed to welcome the mighty Skindred back for their second SH headline set. They’re at the very top of their game – a UK number 2 album, a completely sold-out UK and European tour, appearances on international mega-bills and even Jools Holland! They’re now doing their own arena shows. Everyone knows of their incendiary live performances…People, get ready, The Newport Helicopter is landing on The Steelhouse Mountain!”
They go on to say, “And what do you say about Mr. Big? Incredible musicianship, huge hits in a career that spans decades. Individually they are, quite simply legends, collectively they have always been beyond belief. It’s an absolute honour to have them with us. Once again we are looking forward to hosting our visitors – old friends and new, musicians and fans – who come from far and wide to experience the festival on the mountain-top in Wales…We’re looking forward to welcoming you all…Iechyd da!”
With the first 1000 tickets selling out immediately, the event’s Stage 2 Earlybird Tickets are available now, but not for long. Last year was the biggest Steelhouse Festival ever, and the signs are that 2024 will be even better.
Over a decade has passed since the inaugural Steelhouse in 2011, and the Festival at the top of the mountain boasts not only the best views of any UK rock event but one of the most passionate, friendly and loyal followings. With a reputation for not only bringing in the biggest and best names from the international world of Rock, Steelhouse also understands the role it can play in throwing open its prestigious stage to the best of the new breed of bands. It all adds up to a compelling mix of classic and cutting edge Rock, old and new.
“So, once again let’s get ready to Rocio y Mynydd / Rock the Mountain!”
In February 1968 and March 1976, the Who performed shows in the same venue, almost ten years apart: San Francisco’s Winterland. Generally considered as two marginal years in the Who’s career, they are only apparently so. These two years represent a screen grab of the band taken in its purest form: live, and harder than ever, right before and right after the huge success the Who struggled to live with in the years between.
Winterland was the perfect setting to see the band live in the city that welcomed them as a second home, San Francisco. At the Who’s first Winterland show in February 1968, just a few hundred hippies turn up. In March 1976, the venue is crammed to capacity—5,000 tickets are sold. Still, as the Examiner noted, “The Who could have sold eight times as many,” since 43,000 requests for tickets were sent!
This all-access look at those two shows is a glimpse of what it was like to see the Who at Bill Graham’s legendary concert venue, and features firsthand accounts and previously unpublished photos by fans at the shows, as well as details the band behind the scenes and onstage.
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