Two For Tuesday

Two For Tuesday

Ahead of a run of UK live shows this December, Slyder Smith & The Oblivion Kids have released a heart pounding cover version of the iconic 80s hit, ‘The NeverEnding Story’.

The song is accompanied by a new music video, with band performance filmed by Wills Audio at the famous Buckley Tivoli theatre and transformed into a fun concept video with additional footage & editing by producer Darren Stockford paying homage to the bombastic 80’s era.

The band will be spreading their grit, glamour, emotion and possibly some glitter across venues across the UK throughout December:

03 Dec – SHEFFIELD – Winters Rocks Festival
04 Dec – NEWCASTLE – Trillians
16 Dec – BRIDGWATER – Cobblestones  (w/ L.A. Maybe) 
20 Dec – LONDON – The Water Rats // *CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR*

To celebrate the release of their new single ‘The NeverEnding Story’, Slyder and his band of merry men role into town with a cast of London Royalty.
Tickets are on sale NOW: https://www.wegottickets.com/event/554172

Shelter – new single by Beyond The Lamplight and Frank Turner

Lead singers of Larry and his Flask, Ian Cook and Andrew Carew, continue the fun and songwriting alliance together in their new project Beyond The Lamplight. A new iteration of the time-tested sound that fans have grown to love. Soaring harmonies meld with deft lyricism and lightning-fast banjo-picking all against a double-time backbeat to form a quintessential electric barn burner.

“Shelter” is a song about loving another who has created a guarded existence from the outside world. A story about coaxing someone out of their shell that they hide inside of. Sharing your own strength with that person in hopes to bring them out of their shelter; their shield against the anxieties and stresses of life. Trying to show them the beauty of not only the world but also the beauty in themselves. British punk singer/songwriter Frank Turner was happy to sing guests parts in both the hook and the bridge of the first single of the new album:

“Frank’s a longtime friend. We got really close with him and the Sleeping Souls over the course of several tours throughout the years with Larry and his Flask. When I sat down and wrote Shelter it just kind of all came flowing out in one big stream. When I finished and listened back to it, I could just hear him singing it so clearly in my head. The melody just lent itself to his voice and style. So I got a hold of him and asked if he’d be into being a part of it and he was super stoked to lend his voice to the song. He banged it out in a day or so at his studio and that’s what’s on the record.   It really elevated the song from a listener perspective. Having the back and forth from me to him. Playing off of each other. Total magic.” – Ian Cook, Lead Singer of Beyond the Lamplight


Having worked with Xtra Mile Records & Silver Sprocket Records with Larry And His Flask, Beyond the Lamplight quickly found a home with Flail Records. The album “Don’t forget to leave it all behind” will be out in the first half of 2023!

Ferocious Dog – Too Late 2022

Ferocious Dog – Too Late 2022

FEROCIOUS DOG unveils a brand-new video, Too Late 2022 And announce deluxe 2 CD reissue of their debut album, plus a unique live show in York with an orchestra 

“I wrote this song many years ago for someone I was close to at the time. It was her childhood story” explains Dan Booth.

“It’s great that we could put a new twist on it. It’s far more relevant now to how we sound live and I love that the legendary Al Scott decided to mix and master the song.” 

On 1st April 2023 Ferocious Dog release a deluxe remastered version of their self titled album on Graphite Records. Mixed and mastered by Al Scott the album will be available as a double CD; the second CD will include a number of live tracks from the bands O2 Academy Leeds show from 2022. 

To coincide with the release Ferocious Dog will play a unique show with a full orchestra at the Barbican in York on Friday 1st April;  the two hour set will include the band playing the entire debut album.

Thought provoking and politically charged lyrics, seamlessly combining with dynamic and eclectic music – Ferocious Dog seem to have the knack of evolving their sound enough to pique your interest, without losing any of the sound or attitude that made you fall in love with them in the first place.

To preorder / pre stream Ferocious Dog (Remastered)go to: https://linktr.ee/FerociousDog

There are number of tickets for the Barbican gig that can be purchased as a bundle with the re-released album.

Ferocious Dog tour dates:

2022

November 

Thu 17th The Globe  Cardiff

Fri  18th Assembly Leamington Spa

December 

Fri  16th Compass Cafe* Blackpool 

Sat 17th Compass Cafe* Blackpool 

Fri 30th Picturedrome Holmfrith

2023

January 

Wed 4th Barnoldswick*

Thu 5th Barnoldswick*

Sun 29th Beat The Streets 2023 Nottingham 

March

Thu 9th Knust   Hamburg  Germany

Sat 11th Backstage Halle  Munich  Germany 

Mon 13th Gebäude 9 Cologne Germany 

Tue 14th Colos Aschaffenburg  Germany

Thu 16th Little Devil  Tilburg Netherlands 

Fri  17th Melkweg Amsterdam  Netherlands

Sun 19th Luxor Live  Arnhem  Netherlands 

Mon 20th O’Sullivans Backstage By The Mill Paris  France 

Sat 25th Corporation  Sheffield 

Sun 26th Scarborough Punk Festival Scarborough 

April 

Fri 1st Barbican  York 

Sat 22nd Dogfest  Boston

Fri 28th Old Fire Station  Carlisle

Sat 29th Northern Kin Festival  Durham 

June

Fri 2nd The Georgian Theatre Stockton-on-tees

Sat 3rd Manchester Academy Manchester 

16th/17th Sign Of The Times Church End 

* Ferocious Dog 3 piece

Tickets available from: https://www.ferociousdog.co.uk/events

Therapy? – Sin City, Swansea 20.11.22

Therapy? – Sin City, Swansea 20.11.22

After announcing that this tour was going to be a trip back in time for both venues they’ve not played in a while (Crooked Timber Tour for Sin City) and playing songs from right back in the early days of Therapy? This was going to be a deep dive for the loyal hardcore and a wander through some tracks they’ve not visited for many a year. Excited? you should be.

Opening the set with 1990s debut self-financed single ‘Meat Abstract‘ was indeed taking this shit right back to birth. Therapy? live are a wall of sound and a bundle of energy. They play their fucked-up hybrid of alternative punk rock n metal with as much energy and drive as they’ve always had – theirs is an energy an enthusiasm for what they love and live they always have passion and play the classics with the same energy as new material and songs they’ve played a million times or more.

They’ve done the greatest hits tour and they’ve been out and played new material from new albums but this one seemed to fly by as the band smiled and smirked throughout the ninety plus minutes they were on stage for. ‘Wreck It Like Beckett‘ made way for ‘The Ten Year Plan‘ and an epic ‘Tides‘. The band could never be accused of going through the motions because ‘Safe‘ had two false starts mainly due to Andy having guitar problems. The banter was kept to a minimum but when there was interaction it was amusing and heartfelt. Therapy? have always been grounded and speak sense, and in tough times like now we need bands like Therapy? to offer hope and positivity when all around is turning to shit.

‘Crooked Timber‘ was brutal, and it was on their ‘Crooked Timber‘ tour they last played in this very venue. When Andy announced how humbled they were that so many people turned up on a Sunday night during a cost of living crisis and pre-Christmas post pandemic I get the feeling those words are heartfelt and well-intended and it’s fair to say that those in attendance loved what they’d just see and heard and ‘Stop It Your Killing Me‘ ended the main set to rapturous applause. Call it the fake encore or false encore, whatever it is you call it these days. Signing off with an epic, thumping bass rumbling ‘Teethgrinder‘ and crowd enthused ‘Potatoe Junkie‘ left big smiles all around on stage and off until Andy played the riff of the Manics ‘La Tristesse Durera (Scream to a Sigh)’, a killing joke cover, ‘Breaking The Law‘ for Michael and a few bars of Rush for Birthday boy Neil. Therapy? were on fire.

Finishing the set with the triple threat of the quite brilliant ‘Knives‘, ‘Nowhere‘ and closer ‘Screamarger‘. It felt funny leaving so soon but over ninty minutes flew by – The came they saw, and they turned in another brilliant performance – Therapy? are on fire and if you get the chance to cross their path on this current run then do so – you won’t regret it.

Author: Dom Daley

The Prophets Of Addiction release animated video and some great news

The Prophets Of Addiction release animated video and some great news

PROPHETS OF ADDICTION’s fourth album sees Sanders and company (guitarists G.G Sleaze, Tchad Drats, Terry Bratsch and drummer Wayne “The Stoke” Stokley going back towards the glam, punk and roots the band is most closely associated with. “I’ve always wanted to do a dark powerful acoustic record with a message and I think we achieved that with our last record. Now with a very strong lineup that is ready to move forward it’s time to get back to rocking,” remarks Sanders. The new release is expected to hit stores in the second quarter of 2023.

Los Angeles based label Cleopatra Records sign POA to a seven year deal. When searching for a home for the new release Leslie Sanders wanted a place that “gets it” and felt Brian and his label Cleopatra Records was the best place. He has always kept it “real” and is a fan of music and the scene.

The band enlisted the services of Lonny Paul Johnson to create the animated piece. “We felt an animated video captured the whole theme of the song and something I always wanted to do and this was the perfect fit,” states POA main man Lesli Sanders.

“Superhero” is the first single and video from the forthcoming, as yet untitled, PROPHETS OF ADDICTION album. The band is currently in the midst of working on this new release with longtime producer Phil Soussan (bassist for Ozzy Osbourne, Beggars and Thieves, Billy Idol, Vince Neil, Rod Stewart and others) at Blue Cat Studios in Las Vegas, NV.


PROPHETS OF ADDICTION ON THE WEB:
https://prophetsofaddiction.com/
www.facebook.com/theprophetsofaddiction

Kevin K – ‘Cadallac Man’ (Vicious Kitten Records)

Kevin K – ‘Cadallac Man’ (Vicious Kitten Records)

Go back a couple of years – 2020 to be precise. The world was being locked-down. Kevin K was also having to deal with the passing of his father a future with no financial certainty and the very real prospect of homelessness.

The pandemic hit bands and artists who needed to be out on the road to make a living hardest its where they got by be it America or this side of the pond on mainland Europe.

Kevin did what many others did and sat at home writing and writing and doing a little more writing – waiting for the day they could venture out further than their local food store. Luckily for Kevin the songs found their way out and he was the conduit for what fell from the skies.

Pandemic eased and a chance to let the world have the songs that would be ‘Cadillac Man’. Enough tunes for two albums A huge body of work that pays homage to his idols like Johnny Thunders, the Stones and Ramones Hell he even pays tribute to Da Bruthers with the tune ‘No Ramones’. Kevin K chips in with an earthy organic album that’s pressed on CD and not vinyl Uses a drum machine and home recordings. Now I’m not at ease with the drum machine its quite the early Alesis drum machine sound rather than some of the new home recording like drum tracks but Kevin isn’t someone who sounds like he embraces modern tech and would go for the warm analogue sound anyway but don’t let it detract from the songs which is what Kevin K does well. Hes a musician and a songwriter first and foremost.

It’s power pop n Rock n Roll no tricks or smart arse studio saucery its all about the songs.



The one thing I would say is this album is more Stonesy than previous offerings and the Exile vibe shines through. I’m sure Kevin K would be familiar with Exile and all it stands for and has tried to capture the feel and vibe.

KEVIN K plays every instrument on every song which is cool and considering this is his thirty third album hes come up trumps on the songwriting front and fair play to him. Using open G like Keif Richards Kevin had to reinvent himself and learning how the five string open G works has been the guiding light for these songs.

There are songs about growing up (‘Pendleton’), NYC (‘Village Girl’, ‘1989’). There are songs about loss (‘I Miss You’, ‘Tear Drops Don’t Stop’, ‘You Let Me Down’), songs about lockdowns and the weird world we live in (‘No Respect’, ‘Dum Days’, ‘Zombie Heat’), and hopelessness (‘Start Me Down’).

Fans who’ve been with Kevin K forever or more recently over the past few decades are gonna love the songs on this record and there will be those who are discovering him recently and will have the daunting prospect of delving into his catalogue. One thing for sure is the twenty songs on offer are enough to keep you delving in or playing from top to bottom A post pandemic world where Kevin K is making albums is a good place to be and I do hope he continues to hold the traditions handed down to him from the good and greats and runs and passes on the baton. Keep on Rockin and Rollin Mr K you Rolls Royce.
.

Buy Here

Author: Dom Daley

Headswim – ‘Flood’ (Trapped Animal / Cargo)

Headswim – ‘Flood’ (Trapped Animal / Cargo)

When Grunge broke big in the 90s the UK joined the party with bands like Headswim who might not have gained as much media coverage as say Bush who also came from the UK but Headswim had a big part to play in the scene in the early to mid 90s. More than just a UK Grunge band they had a decent stab at topping the alt scene as well with huge selling bedfellows like ‘The Bends’ coming out. There was certainly an element of that in their sound as well maybe more so after ‘Flood’ was birthed in to the world.

The Band released two albums, ‘Flood’ and a few years later they followed it up with ‘Despite Yourself’. Trapped Animal Records have been given the honour of reissuing ‘Flood’, repackaged, with a bonus disc covering some additional pieces. With a dark and anthemic sound ‘Flood’ captured the hearts of the UK scene Sure they took their lead from the likes of Pearl Jam Headswim stood on their own two feet and if you need reminding of how good they were then this is the perfect reissue.

Maybe the bands problem was they were not Grunge enough nor were they heavy enough to head swim down an Alice In Chains route and they weren’t Britpop enough either and fallign between several stools can be tough but it does happen.

Maybe now with some distance from the mid 90s the time is right for a resurgence purely on the musical terms it would be only fair wouldn’t it?

Anyway, be it discovering a new band or revisiting an old lost favourite this has its draw with a bonus disc with some added features, including tracks from Radio 1 Rock Show sessions and some deep cuts, b-sides and added extras. To be fair this has gone the extra mile as far as reissues go from the coloured wax to the heavyweight feel of the gatefold sleeve it’s a thing of real quality those BBC Rock show bonus cuts it’s a real labour of love and well worth shelling out for. A really good album now made even better. Buy it!

Buy Here

Author: Dom Daley

Trampolene – New single and TV appearance

Trampolene – New single and TV appearance

TRAMPOLENE release a new song, ‘Sort Me Out’, on November 25th, taken from their much anticipated fourth album, ‘Rules Of Love & War’, which will be released through the Strap Originals label on 17th March ’23,

Listen here   

TRAMPOLENE will be performing ‘Sort Me Out’ on Sky Sports’ fan favourite footie show, Soccer AM today.

‘Sort Me Out’ is the second track (along with ‘Thinking Again’ which featured in the BBC coverage of the World Cup) to be lifted from the forthcoming album ‘Rules Of Love & War’ which features 12 new TRAMPOLENE original songs and was produced by Mike Moore (Baxter Dury/Liam Gallagher), Richard Jackson (Super Furry Animals) & Jason Stafford (Albion Rooms). 

Says singer and boss Tramp Jack Jones: “Sort Me Out started as this slow desperate love song I wrote when I was 15.  I presented it to the boys recently, and they amped it up, sped it up, piled their life into it and it’s somehow turned into a bit of an indie anthem. Whenever we’ve played it live it seems to have brought the house down.”

Rules of Love & War will be available on CD, cassette, digital download and 12” black or red vinyl, as well as exclusive formats and signed items. Preorder the album here: https://lnk.fu.ga/trampolene_rulesoflovewar 

Fresh from opening and selling out the new Swansea Arena, TRAMPOLENE play a headline tour of the UK for April ’23 and six shows for Independent Venue Week in January and February. Tickets for all shows are available now from https://shops.ticketmasterpartners.com/trampolene & https://shops.ticketmasterpartners.com/trampolene-2023   

Tour dates for 2023

JANUARY

30th Monday Sheffield – Sidney & Matilda 

FEBRUARY

1st Wednesday Bedford – Esquires

2nd Thursday St Albans – The Horn

3rd Friday Cardiff – Clwb Ifor Bach

4th Saturday Milton Keynes – The Craufurd Arms

5th Sunday York – Fulford Arms

20th Monday Milan (Italy) – Dirty Mondays

APRIL

7th Friday  Glasgow – The Attic

8th  Saturday Newcastle – The Cluny 2

11th Tuesday Nottingham – Bodega

12th Wednesday Manchester – Yes

13th  Thursday Leeds – Brudenell Social club

14th Friday Bristol -Rough Trade

15th Saturday Swansea – Bunkhouse

20th Thursday  London – 100 Club

28/29/30  Liverpool – Sound City

https://www.trampolene.co.uk

https://www.youtube.com/user/trampoleneofficial/videos

https://www.facebook.com/trampoleneofficial

https://www.instagram.com/trampolene_band/

www.tiktok.com/@trampolene_band 

The Black Halos Return With New LP “How the Darkness Doubled” watch the video for ‘Better Days’

The Black Halos Return With New LP “How the Darkness Doubled” watch the video for ‘Better Days’

Review of ‘How The Darkness Doubled’ Here

Formed in the underbelly of the Vancouver punk music scene in 1994, the band was a sneering, snotty, slap in the face to the Seattle grunge scene. Their raucous live shows, particularly an electrifying performance at Seattle’s Rock Candy, garnered the attention of Sub Pop’s Jonathan Poneman, and they promptly signed to Sub Pop imprint Die Young Stay Pretty. They began touring relentlessly with label mates The Murder City Devils, and soon were sharing stages with big names like The Damned, DOA, L7, The Offspring, Social Distortion, and many more. Within a year of recording their self-titled debut album with Jack Endino (Nirvana, Soundgarden), the band was back in the studio with the legendary producer to record their seminal second album, The Violent Years. Released on Sub Pop in 2001, the album saw them reach new heights in sales and radio play, including a Top 20 single in Canada with “Some Things Never Fall”; the accompanying video saw regular rotation on both MTV in the United States and Much Music in Canada, helping push the album to the top of Canada’s Earshot Campus Radio Charts. With The Darkness Doubled, The Black Halos are set to reclaim their crown as Canada’s premiere export of high octane punk and glam.

Canada’s legendary punk ‘n’ rollers The Black Halos have just released their anticipated new LP How the Darkness Doubled (November 25th on Stomp Records). How the Darkness doubled is the unofficial follow-up album to The Black Halos’ acclaimed 2001 release, The Violent Years. Original songwriting team Billy Hopeless, Rich Jones (guitarist with Michael Monroe, Ginger Wildheart, AMEN), and Jay Millette, have reunited, bringing new members John Kerns (The Age Of Electric) and Danni Action (ACIIDZ) into the fold. The album, recorded in Toronto and mixed by Dave Draper (The Wildhearts, The Professionals), is a return to form for the band. Guitarist Rich Jones explains “Reuniting with Billy and Jay for this new album brought my focus back to writing with a mindset that was pure, uncompromising Halos – as far as I’m concerned we’ve really achieved it. Having our friends John and Danni on board makes this feel like the strongest lineup that we’ve ever had and you can really hear it on this record. Additionally, Billy and I had always planned to call the third album How The Darkness Doubled. So it seemed natural to use that title now, 20 years later, for what I consider to be a spiritual follow-up to The Violent Years.” Following jammed-to-the-rafters shows at the Bovine during Toronto’s Canadian Music Week and two sold out nights in their hometown of Vancouver at the Rickshaw Theatre, the band is ready to win over a new generation of rock ‘n’ roll fans with their brand new album, ‘How the Darkness Doubled’. 

Buy from Bandcamp Here / Stream Here

The Black Halos were known for being tireless road warriors, playing to ever-growing audiences in clubs as they crisscrossed North America in a van (actually a series of nine vans) at festivals like Warped Tour, Edgefest, SXSW, CMJ, and The Kerrang Awards in the UK. Line-up changes followed as the band released two more albums on Century Media, touring Canada, the United States, and Europe extensively before coming to an abrupt end when their van, trailer, and equipment were stolen in Montreal at the start of their 2008 tour. With their latest release, How the Darkness Doubled, The Black Halos will be back on the road with tours across North America and Europe planned for 2023 and beyond. 

D I S C O V E R

Twitter: https://twitter.com/theblackhalos

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theblackhalos

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBlackHalos

Bandcamp: https://theblackhalos.bandcamp.com/album/how-the-darkness-doubled

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5hUckvxtUKCODb4zgGcAXL?si=AxrvbeXyTUuJSAjh-FyqnQ

DC Spectres – Vol 4 (Bootikirecords)

DC Spectres – Vol 4 (Bootikirecords)

As the bell tolls an eerie deathly silence is about to be shattered with some diabolical grunting bass and a shimmering blast of Garage Rock and Roll as it spews forth from the speakers with a creepy crawly menace as ‘Ms. Understanding’ hits the speakers. What a fantastic sounding opener that got an air of controlled chaos about it with the thumping Bass piercing through the guitars to grab the listener as it lurches with menace.

With eleven tracks packed onto this album, you better strap yourself in for a rocket ride of power and controlled aggression but with an overwhelming whiff of Garage rock n roll. ‘Bad Connection’ kicks ass right out of the blocks and I like this a lot already. The thrust and adrenalin continue at pace as ‘Shake You Down’ thunders in. ‘Inbred Respect’ has the beating heart of the Damned era ‘Machine Gun Ettiquete’ on its harder more punchy tunes like ‘Love Song’.

With a spoken intro ‘Action Volume’ turns up a bastardised ‘Iron Man’ on a fuzzed-out distorted electric guitar. The song sounds like a hell of a night out with its rolling rhythm before smashing out on the chorus. ‘Born To Die In 73’ is straight out 77 punk rock. Its the snotty distant cousin of early Damned, UK Subs and SLF and a real fist-pumping thumper. Guitars being rinsed, snare getting a thrashing and full-bodied rhythm – nice!

‘The Revolution Is Dead’ tells the story of Lennon’s assassination and why the future is/was bleak, but pop culture is alive and kicking and The Revolution might well be around the next corner who knows? Signing off with the super fuzz of ‘Lone Astronaut’ this has been a treat on the ears and brain food for the Garage Rock connoisseur.

There has always been great music and this DC Spectres album is a fantastic offering tipping the hat to what’s gone before and picking up that torch and running into the future with it hopefully inspiring others to play Rock n Roll – loud, hard, fast and with this much passion and a love of the fine art of the Garage band and what it means. Play on my friends Vol 4 is a mighty fine album that is worthy of being classed as All Killer no Filler! Buy it!

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