Dinosaur Jr. are “still making excellent records for new listeners and older ones who made the band part of their lives” (Wall Street Journal). Today, they release Emptiness at the Sinclair, an album that captures the essence of why the band has been such a staple in live music for decades. Recorded live at The Sinclair in Boston, Dinosaur Jr. play many tracks drawn from Sweep It Into Space, released earlier this year on Jagjaguwar, plus classics like ‘Just Like Heaven‘, ‘Start Choppin‘ and ‘Freak Scene‘. 

Listen to Emptiness at the Sinclair in full here: https://dinosaurjr.jagjag.co/emptiness-at-the-sinclair

Lou Barlow elaborates: “It was odd going back to Harvard Square for the Sinclair show, lots of closed shops, less car and foot traffic, my first time back in a big-city since it all went down. I had lived in Boston for about 10 years from the late 80’s-90’s and the bustling square was a common destination to look for records and meet with friends. The empty pandemic feel spooked me.

“Playing for a livestream is like pushing a rock up a hill trying to recreate the vibe of a real show. The isolation of the last year had made me nervous about performing again, especially in the context of Dinosaur Jr. where I typically rely on the energy of our crowd. Playing to an invisible audience and a real-time sparsely populated room of people doing their jobs (running lights, sound and staring at screens) was something different and, again, weird.

“Despite all my lockdown doubts once we started playing things clicked. My mind didn’t highjack me and it quickly began to feel like a real show. Having a few decent gigs on the Sinclair stage before, it began to feel familiar and, for lack of a better word, friendly.  It will be much more of a relief to get back on tour but, this Sinclair show was a good band-aid, so to speak.“

Dinosaur Jr.’s European tour begins in Dublin on March 27th at Vicar Street and run through April 13th where it culminates at Berlin‘s Columbiahalle before a return in June for dates at Barcelona and Porto‘s Primavera Sound festivals respectively. Tickets are on sale now.

UK/EU Tour Dates:

Mar 27th | Dublin, IE @ Vicar Street
Mar 28th | Manchester, UK @ O2 Ritz Manchester
Mar 30th | Hull, UK @ Asylum
Mar 31st | Glasgow, UK @ QMU
Apr 2nd | London, UK @ O2 Academy Brixton
Apr 3rd | Amsterdam, NL @ Melkweg
Apr 5th | Antwerp, BE @ Trix
Apr 6th | Hamburg, DE @ Markthalle Hamburg
Apr 7th | Cologne, DE @ Carlswerk Victoria
Apr 9th | Lausanne, CH @ Les Docks
Apr 10th | Paris, FR @ Le Trabendo
Apr 12th | Munich, DE @ Muffathalle
Apr 13th | Berlin, DE @ Columbiahalle
June 2nd | Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound
June 11th | Porto, PT @ NOS Primavera Sound Festival

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What comes to mind for you when you think of Motorhead? For me the name conjures up all sorts of images and sounds. Greasy, loud, metal, punk, rock n roll, warpig, ugly, Rickenbacker bass guitars, plane shaped lighting rigs, Jack Daniels, warts, the Young Ones, huge double bass drum kits, bullet belts, Strongbow and absolute coolness defined. The worldwide cultural importance of Motorhead as a brand is probably stronger than ever with celebrities being papped wearing Motorhead shirts, and every metal band of any stature stating Motorhead as a huge influence. Metallica’s Lars Ulrich was the head of Motorhead’s fan club back in the 80s. I can guarantee that if you go to any metal gig you will see the immortal image of the warpig (or snaggletooth as it’s also known), on a shirt, battle vest or inked on a body.

Motorhead are one of my favourite bands ever, (I even have a Motorhead tattoo). The band have been a mainstay throughout my life, they first battered my senses as a thirteen-year-old flicking through my mate’s older brothers record collection and finding Ace of Spades. After spinning that particular black circle, I was hooked and did my best to digest as much of their music as possible. My go to album at that time was a compilation – No Remorse, which contains one of my all time favourite Motorhead songs Killed by Death, a fuckin’ barnstormer that stills sounds amazing today.

Bringing us right up to date and we have been given another Motorhead compilation album – Everything Louder Forever. As we all know there have been countless Motorhead compilations thrown out there over the years, the quality ranging from poor to pretty good. I have to say that Everything Louder Forever is the most comprehensive to date covering every incarnation of the band. They are all here in their deafening glory, of course you get the standards – Ace of Spades, Overkill, Bomber, Orgasmatron, The Chase is Better than the Catch, Iron Fist, Killed by Death.

 You also get bangers like Burner, I am the Sword, Brotherhood of Man, Overnight Sensation, We Are Motorhead, and the heart felt 1916, Lemmy’s lyrics were always a highlight for me and always felt he was underrated as a lyricist. Their throwaway cover of the Sex Pistols God Save the Queen didn’t need to be here, and there are a few tracks that really should have been included such as – Metropolis, We Are the Road Crew and Damage Case, but I guess there’s always going to be tracks missing that people love when you have a back catalogue as extensive as Motorhead’s.

That being said, this is a fantastic compilation and a great place to start if you’ve never been exposed to the wondrous world of the Motorheadbanger. 42 tracks spread over a Deluxe 4LP foldout edition plus 2LP and 2CD formats.

They were Motorhead and they played Rock N Roll!! Thanks for the music guys.

Buy Here

Author: Kenny Kendrick

When the first Volume of the Alvin Gibbs story came out during lockdown I was delighted to sit out on the patio and absorb his wonderful words as fast as I could and reading that it would be spread out over several books was even better news.

Now I make no secret of my admiration for the guy’s musical talent I also have waxed lyrically about how good his books are especially when I first read ‘Neighbourhood Threat’ about his time spent as the bass player on the Iggy Pop Instinct tour alongside Andy McCoy. I absolutely loved that tour and the shows I saw and would put ‘Live At The Channel’ right at the top of my favourite live albums ever. The energy the band had was spectacular and reading Alvin’s account from inside the beast was a joy, the excesses, and musical highs were wonderfully described by someone who knew exactly how to attack such a tome. When he spoke about his memories and getting it all down on paper as it should be was something I was always going to look forward to.

His “Clang!” moments of meetings and dalliances with some of Rock and Pops royalty is almost on every page of this fast-paced memoir so much so that Alvin must have a sore back picking up all those “Clangs” – meetings with Everly Brothers, Working with Steve Jones, Iggy, chats with Bowie to name a few, it’s all in there and the period of Alvin returning to the UK with Cheap & Nasty coincided with my moving to London and chasing my dreams with the soundtrack and backdrop of London town in the early 90s and attending many of the shows Alvin alludes to in this volume of his life.

If you read the first book then you’ll know what to expect and this should be a no-brainer if this Autobiography is new to you then jump in you won’t regret it. One of the most talented people of his genre Alvin plays like a giant and writes like a pro. With the benefit of hindsight Alvin is respectful to the people he fondly writes about and some of his antics he rightly goes into detail but never excuses them but does explain them and that matters. The pace is excellent, his use of the English Language is second to none, and (I wish I could write with his style and panache) Often with a smile and a cheeky grin you turn the pages and get the feeling that you are right there by his side as he indulges us often in great detail and it’s the small attention to detail that gives the pages their beating heart. I didn’t think it was possible to give this man any more respect than I already do but again I doff my hat to him and his skills and give me volume three asap, please! Two just isn’t enough. volume 2 of Alvin’s work is a cautionary tale of the indulgences of the business but also a window into a world most of us can only dream about living – Book of the year? Hell yeah! 83-94, for the most part, Alvin lived the dream and when he wasn’t he was still on some bizarre journey as his downtime was spent with some real corpses not just of the Rock and Roll variety.

In a life that seemed to be a series of sliding door moments and opportunities that were too good to resist Alvin has seized his moments and grasped the nettle and held on for dear life it would seem, it’s an amazing journey and as far as Rock and Roll autobiographies go this is, without doubt, one of the finest (Again) bring-on volume three, I can’t wait.

Buy Here

Author: Dom Daley

When Paul Cook asked former Loyalties/Yo-Yo’s man Tom Spencer to fill in for Steve Jones and front The Professionals for a celebratory gig back in 2015, I wager he never guessed the band would be releasing their second comeback album and be a touring band nearly 6 years later.

Cookie, Spencer and bassist Toshi return with the recently released ‘SNAFU’ and true to their punk rock credentials, it’s not as yet available on streaming sites and can only be purchased from the band or at gigs. Punk rock is alive and well, kids.

Joining The Professionals on their merry jaunt are Desperate Measures, a band formed by vocalist Eugene Butcher in Christchurch, New Zealand back sometime in the 80’s. The short-lived band only had a few releases before disbanding, but the singer is back and currently based in the UK with a new line-up including former Glitterati and current Rich Ragany axe slinger Gaff, Ricky Mcguire from UK Subs/The Men They Couldn’t Hang and former Done Lying Down drummer James Sherry.

Showcasing songs from the newly released EP entitled ‘Rinsed’, Desperate Measures are a perfect opener for a punk legend. Their brand of punk n’ roll is high energy, with memorable hooks and enough low slung riffage to thrill. Looking like yer dad’s rocking best mate, Butcher commands the stage giving all he’s got, while livewire guitar player Gaff is a mass of black hair and ultra-cool leather. The songs shine through. ‘Scars and Memories’ with its cool as you like Stooges riff and garage rock vibes is the closest thing to Lords Of The New Church I’ve heard in many years, and single ‘Flowers At Your Door’ with its gothic ‘Sisters meets The Misson’ vibes is a set highlight. They close their set with a solid version of The Stooges ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’ which fits the vibe of the band perfectly, and is delivered with the same raw and ramshackle coolness that the original did.

They go down well with a sparse, yet growing crowd and I’d urge you to check out their EP and catch a live show when they drag their skinny-jeaned arses to town near you. Great stuff.

The Sex Pistols have quite a legacy, and as expected, a show featuring a member of the iconic punk legends is going to draw a crowd of 50-something, ex-punks reliving their youth. But The Professionals 2021 are more than just a nostalgia act, they always were a bit more rock n’ roll than their snarling and spitting former band. While Jonesy is sadly not involved in the new incarnation, frontman Tom Spencer is a more than able replacement. Joined tonight by his former Loyalties and current Michael Monroe guitar slinger Rich Jones, and band roadie turned band bassist Toshi, The Professionals deliver a high energy set of rock n’ roll covering the band’s entire career.

The Cook and Jones penned classics ‘Payola’ and ‘123’ bookend a killer set and showcase the power-pop direction that the duo took after the demise of The Pistols. Tom Spencer’s cheeky, cockney charm, raspy vocals, and empowered stage presence fit the bill perfectly, and Rich Jones just looks happy to be back playing live shows again. Hell, he flew all the way over from Canada to do these shows!

The new material shines through. Tracks from the critically acclaimed ‘What In The World’ go down well and have the crowd singing as much as the classics tonight. The likes of ‘Going Going Gone’, ‘Rewind’ and ‘Monkeys’ all get an airing, and now sound as classic as…the classics. It’s all cool riffs, chanting backing vocals, and killer choruses, what more could a good punk ask for?

It just goes to show that the Cook/Spencer penned tunes can stand tall up against the Cook/Jones ones.

A few tunes from the newly released‘ SNAFU’ have found their way into the set on this run. Album opener ‘Easily Lead’ and ‘Mashes’ sound great and Cookie introduces the killer single ‘Spike Me Baby’ with the story of how he got spiked on his daughter’s pot-laced choccies.

Few drummers have a distinctive style such as Paul Cook and he is often overlooked as a drummer and a songwriter, even though he has the credentials. Tonight, he doesn’t miss a beat, which ain’t too shabby for a bloke in his 60’s! You’re wondering if they played any Pistols tunes right? Well, yeah, 2 carefully chosen songs fit the bill tonight. ‘Silly Thing’ is played mid-set and for me is the song of the night, a classic of my youth. And the encore sees local lad and Eureka Machines main man Chris Catalyst join the band for a killer extended ‘Stepping Stone’, that brings all the old punks down the front to pogo, and sends the energy levels to overload.

The Professionals breathe new life into a tried and tested formula. The new songs stand up to, and in some cases surpass, the band’s early legacy. In their current guise, the live band can hold their own against any of the young cats and probably show them a thing or two as well. With a charismatic frontman, a killer, groove-heavy drummer and a cast of seasoned musician mates (who all seem to have played with Ginger Wildheart at some point in time), they cannot really fail.

Author: Ben Hughes

The Slackers – ‘Windowland’ (Pirates Press Records)  This incredible semi-transparent printed one-sided 12” is limited and absolutely going to fly off the shelves once people start seeing them in person! Grab one fast before it’s too late!! A horn honking slice of prime time Ska from the Slackers.  ‘Windowland’ has got such a cool laid back vibe going on it’s almost horizontal. The B Side is more of the same with a super cool laid back vibe on ‘I Almost Lost You’ but by a hairs breadth, ‘Windowland’ has it.

 

 

 

 

The Dilrods – ‘One Nation Under Rod’ (Self Release)  four track EP kicking off with the snotty ‘Smash You Up’ like a late-night stagger home from a jolly good night out is followed up with the swagger of ‘Raw Meat’ with its tip-top groove sounding like its been given a kickin’ but it’s still got a swagger and an attitude that it doesn’t much give two fucks. ‘Bondo’ is another bruiser like a street fighter it’s coming out swinging.  Another top release from The Dilrods that leaves you wanting more as ‘Out To Sea’ is a right banger to sign off with like a vintage long lost Stooges romp its got quality running right through it and is well worth picking up even if this is only digital for now it’s a must-have quartet of tunes that clock in at under ten minutes.  Get Here

 

 

Smashed Gladys – ‘Bleed For Me’ (Golden Robot Records)   Another of the previously unreleased demos for the third Smashed Gladys record that brings you what might have been.  Sally Kato (RIP) delivers another sleazy rock n roll performance on an otherwise standard rocker from the East Coast rockers.  that doesn’t sound much like a cowbell more like the side of a whisky tumbler.  some nice guitar breaks you can tell it’s still a demo.

Listen/Buy ‘Bleed for Me’ HERE

 

 

 

 

 

The Dirty Denims – ‘Even When I’m Wrong I’m Right’ (Self Release)  Huge sounding slab of high energy rock and roll as the band release this live take via streaming services.  With a filthy bass sound that can bulldoze buildings it’s a ripper of a tune.  You can also catch the band on tour through November in Spain   Tuesday, November 02, 2021 La Ley Seca Zaragoza  Wednesday, November 03, 2021 Dabadaba Donosti  Thursday, November 04, 2021 Mardi Gras A coruna  Friday, November 05, 2021 Lestrato fest Ourense  Saturday, November 06, 2021 Casino Sarria Sunday, November 07, 2021 Niagara Santander,  November 12th: MTC – Cologne (DE)
/w Black Sheriff + Stacy Crowne More info the FB-event,   November 20th: Muziekcafé – Helmond (NL)
/w X Raiders Get your tickets now  More info in the FB-event

November 26th: The Other Side – Peer (BE) Get your tickets now More to be announced

 

Bitch Queens – ‘Con Man Contraband’ (Lux Noise Records) Never made a bad record – Fact! Bitch Queens are back with a high octane thumper that builds and builds and breaks new ground as the band stretch their boundaries and like a punch to the temple it hits the spot as a taster for the new record thats coming.  Absolute banger! how these cats aren’t fucking huge God only knows.    Album (out 5.11.21) still up for preorder here:
Shop: http://bitchqueens.bandcamp.com/merch

 

Ryan Hamilton – ‘Do The Damage’ (Wicked Cool Records)  1221 Album Project. 10 months & 10 songs into this crazy idea… and only 2 more to go. but what a song to sign off October with. A really punchy upbear rocker. Part Tom Robinson part Quo boogie-woogie but with a big fat smile punched all over the track.  Get hold of this record as soon as it’s released it’s a right Bobbie dazzler as they say somewhere or other.  With variety and some top songwriting and this might just be the track that’s the cherry on the icing on the cake get it on kids it’s anthemic and rockin’ with a big chorus with some Van Halen esque keys for good measure.  Here

 

 

Steve Conte – ‘Flyin’ (Wicked Cool Records)  The latest video lifting a track off the new Steve Conte solo record sees Steve knock out an acoustic driven trip back to the Faces heyday with what amounts to his best ever vocal performance that will give you goosebumps.  

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band – ‘Sherry Darling’ Lifted from a November issue of the No Nukes DVD this is prime time Springsteen and his band. Not often we review Springsteen but this is knockout stuff. NYC to Jersey in two new releases. East Coast is rocking it on RPM The No Nukes is coming out on CD LP and DVD. Pre-order the film and live album here: brucespringsteen.lnk.to/NoNukes

Bitch Queens return with their follow up to the excellent ‘City of Class’ and continue to release well crafted albums that maintain high quality. They don’t tend to break out of the hard rock laced with punk attitude and catchiness category ( or is it punk rock with attitude and hard rock elements) that they have mined for several years. If you have liked the past couple of albums, this one is a no-brainer to purchase, and, if you have not heard them, start your journey here and enjoy a trip through their back catalog as well.

 

‘Burn It Down’ surges to life with an urgency that packs every second of its two minutes with vitality. The chorus doesn’t mess around and presents a simple refrain to immediately bring the listener into the album. The short breakdown in the song provides just enough of a break to create an impact when the hook comes back around for good measure. Slowing the tempo for ‘Con Man Contraband’ creates some dynamics as the verse then is given more power with the screaming vocals. A slithery guitar riff weaves its way through the song as the chorus is more subtle than the opener. Within the confines of the band’s sound is where they have expanded what they do as opposed to genre jumping. Sampling a warning announcement, they launch into ‘The Apocalypse’ and continue to ease just a little off the throttle here to create impactful moments. This is another chorus destined to be stuck in your head, and I like that we get the chorus before the first verse. The slow down at the end of the song fits perfectly too.

 

‘Don’t Be That Dude’ feels like a throwback to the mid to late 90’s a la Turbonegro, Supersuckers, Gluecifer, etc. It is catchy with lots of levity and will be one that will likely irritate you as you sing it in your head later. The title track provides an immediate switch with a balls to the wall race to the end of its frantic 40 second runtime. The band then immediately goes back to their super catchy hard rock with ‘The Worst Thing’ to close the first half of the album. It’s not a far reach from the Backyard Babies but contains a bit more exuberance and punkiness than BB have done for a while.

 

Kicking off the back half of the record, ‘Brainwash Radio’ is a solid classic Bitch Queens song with a large hook, excellent production, and made for air guitar riffs. This is the kind of song that should be getting played to death on the radio. The guitar to open ‘FU Emily’ provides more twists in the dynamics of the album. The song serves as a bit of a ballad here but is laced with so much attitude that it feels incredibly sinister and extremely catchy. ‘Ignorance is Bliss’ ups the tempo considerably and will either have your fist in the air or head banging in no time. This again highlights one of the greatest qualities of the band. They create albums that have a flow and take the listener on a journey. When the record ends, you want back on the roller coaster.

 

The final quarter pole of the album kicks off with ‘A Good Day to Forget’ which continues the hard rocking excellence. The chorus provides some moments to start singing immediately, but it is not one that will get boring. The guitar solo after the second chorus serves the song perfectly. ‘This is How We Roll in 2020’ provides another scream along moment as we recall the misery of the 2020 world. I don’t think someone could sit still during the song. Closing out the album, ‘Sugar Balls’ takes a step somewhat out of the ordinary but still sounds just like the Bitch Queens. The intensity builds up during the song to serve as the perfect ride out into the sunset moment for the album.

The Bitch Queens entered my world with the awesome ‘L.O.V.E.’ album back in 2017. I went backwards to catch up with their back catalog and have now been a fan since the start for their two most recent albums. If catchy hard rock laced with punk venom sounds like your thing, grab this new album and then start making your way through their back catalog too. You will not regret it.

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Author: Gerald Stansbury

Wow, it’s hard to believe it’s been 14 years since Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue fame released the first Sixx: A.M. record, boy does time fly when you’re having fun or so they say.

Sixx: A.M’s first album was the menacingly titled ‘The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack’ and it was released to accompany the book of the same name.  So what we have now is the latest Sixx: A.M. release titled ‘Hits’ which is the musical accompaniment to Nikki’s latest book “The First 21 How I Became Nikki Sixx”.  The album kicks off with ‘Life Is Beautiful” and ‘This Is Gonna Hurt’ and these are hard-hitting yet melodic tracks with deep meaningful lyrics to accompany the music.

The next handful of tracks take in the best songs of the band’s discography so far and particular standouts are ‘Pray For Me’, ‘Stars’ and ‘Belly Of The Beast’.  Now, most Sixx: A.M. fans will have the above tracks on the band’s albums but with the hits collection we also get some new tracks with ‘The first 21’, ‘Penetrate’ and ‘Waiting All My Life’ and these are all quality additions to the Sixx: A.M. canyon with stunning melodies that instantly lodge in the listeners head and are sure to be stunning when performed live.

We also get a couple of fresh takes on two classic Sixx: A.M. tracks “skin” and “life is beautiful” which makes this collection even more special. So this record is a must-have for the casual as well as the die-hard fans of the band.

Stream and Buy Here

Author: Gareth ‘Hotshot’ Hooper

Toronto’s premiere buzz band, Wine Lips, have just released their latest, rock n roll bloodbath of a video for the single In the Clear. It’s their third, ferocious-freakout-single from their upcoming LP Mushroom Death Sex Bummer Party due out October 29th on Montreal’s Stomp Records. The video, which was Directed by Ciarán Downes, filmed by Jamie Gagain and edited by Ciarán Downes & Taylor Lucas is a tongue in cheek look at overreactions and self-diagnosis. Singer Cam Hilborn describes the video by saying, “We wanted to play off a person’s reaction to some bad news but in a very over exaggerated way. The video follows a clown who has just been given news that he is an expecting father on a parody of the Maury Show. The result is the clown having a complete meltdown and going on a killing spree”.

Order New Color Vinyl LP “Mushroom Death Sex Bummer Party”

https://winelips.bandcamp.com/album/mushroom-death-sex-bummer-party

Pre-Save “Mushroom Death Sex Bummer Party” on all Streaming Services

https://bfan.link/mushroom-death-sex-bummer-party

In the Clear highlights the rhythmic symmetry that drummer Aurora Evans and Cam Hilborn have perfected over the course of creating their acclaimed recording catalogue. Press have already been salivating over the new album with rave reviews for their teaser-single “Eyes”. Spotify, Indie 88, Exclaim! Magazine, and Brooklyn Vegan have all promoted the new album with keen anticipation. The new single In the Clear continues to deliver their ferocious brand of new school, inde-tinged garage rock. Commenting on the message behind the new single, Hilborn says, “In the Clear tells a story a few can likely relate to of feeling like a hypochondriac. When self diagnosis becomes alarming after researching symptoms on the world wide web and the results are of course interpreted to imply that death is around the corner. Then you work up enough courage to see the doctor only to have them tell you that you’re fine and that there was nothing to be worried about in the first place.”

NOVEMBER TOUR DATES 

 

NEW SINGLE ‘STABBED IN THE BACK’ OUT FRIDAY NOVEMBER 12th

 When Sheffield rock heroes Black Spiders announced their hiatus in 2017, no one in their right minds would have predicted that when the good times, big balls n’ riffs rockers did return, it would be in the middle of a global pandemic. But that is, of course, exactly what happened and in March of this year, Black Spiders unleashed their highly anticipated brand new self-titled album upon an eager, locked down, rock hungry audience.

 

Critically acclaimed and hungrily lapped up by the Black Spiders rock starved fans, the album put the band firmly back on the map of rock, the only piece missing from the jigsaw being the opportunity to take these pulsating new songs out onto the world’s stages where they belonged. With gigs scheduled to happen right after ‘Freedom Day’ in July, the band were scuppered once again and had to cancel the dates having fallen victim to the ‘ping-demic’. Thankfully, the Black Spiders were able to finally crank out their riffs at this year’s Bloodstock Festival for a triumphant set and are now primed to tour the UK in November and will be releasing a new single from the aforementioned album, the defiant ‘Stabbed In The Back’.

 

“Even before Julius Caesar made it popular, people have been getting ripped off, misrepresented, f**ked over and double-crossed, left, right and centre,” states guitarist and vocalist Pete Spiby. “It happens all the time and we are no strangers to this occurrence. You just have to find the strength to carry on and keep some dignity.”

 

“It’s been and continues to be such a strange time, so we’re still getting used to being out and about,” continues Pete. “We set out to tour this album this year and we are determined to honour that. We are already back in the studio, recording towards our next release, so we need to get out there and play these songs while we can!”

 

Find Black Spiders online at:

 

FACEBOOK

INSTAGRAM

TWITTER

YOUTUBE

PATREON

 

 

James Sullivan was once a member of the wonderful Role Models and currently the guitarist and singer of the fabulous More Kicks, Suspect Parts and now it seems is also a rather splendidly capable solo artist.  I’m not sure what they put in the water of the bathroom pictured on the artwork for his debut solo outing but, it’s clear to me that James knows how to pen a pop song, and along with the facts we already knew that he has a splendid singing voice and fleet-fingered guitar talent this here solo record is pretty bloody impressive. He says it was intended to be “nothing”, but ended up being most everything is a modest way of putting it but when you let this record breath you will realise that it contains plenty of fantastic tunes and the raw, naked enthusiasm he has for the song rather than the over-produced product of a lot of today’s music, you will appreciate that to chisel away at the unsmooth edges of his songs would be to sanitise and dilute the passion that these songs flourish in.  

 

Quirky and sometimes beautiful turn of phrase or twist of a chord mashed in with a twisted drum pattern is what paints this rich tapestry of Rock and Roll, and some artists just ooze it and James is one of those talented people who write great songs.

 

It seems every record these days is prefaced with “with lockdown hitting” and doing something to stay sane.  James set himself the challenge of writing 10 songs in 10 days and recording them – with no intention of anyone ever hearing them. It was a move away from writing songs for his touring live band. He wanted to make something based entirely on instinct – trying out new styles and not thinking about anything for longer than a few minutes. Write it, record it, move on.

 

From fuzz induced alternative new wave meets power-pop of ‘Totally Bored’, then ‘Up To My Neck Again’ is wonderful from the opening Kinks like out of tune piano it a beautiful thing as is the lo-fi ’60s pop nuggets (‘It Won’t Do You Harm’) this record has an ebb and flow that feels like your living the experiment with him and as it unravels, enjoying more on every play as something else jumps out that makes you smile and helps pass the remembrance of long lockdowns with nothing to do other than try and remember what things used to be like and would they ever return.

 

The lead single ‘Lea Bridge’, a New York meets London retro journey through flickered film and four-track memories it has treated wall of sound saturated guitars and an organ with the spoken word account of a cross-town journey.  A strange opener and most definitely a left-field introduction. Like the ramblings of a journal from a beat poet emptying his brain onto tape.

 

It’s the “On the fly” practices that make this such an endearing journey,  we know his talents from his previous recordings but this is different and something altogether special and a real grower.  Impressive is the fact it’s one take – live to tape from start to finish without overdubs its one hell of an insight.  Stripped bare can be an intimidating place for a musician but the melody on ‘Won’t Do You Harm’ is exactly that,  Acoustic guitar, fantastic turn of phrase with a Bontempi keyboard and a shaker for cover,  it’s as bare as it gets and boy does it work.  It’s like getting into a rollercoaster without it being passed for health and safety but hey let’s take this chance.  There is a swagger on ‘You Kept My Heart Alive’ and I’d like to think of James sweeping his hair to one side on ‘Getaway’ like a post-punk Phil Oakey as the drum machine plods on through some insane levels of instrumentation but always managing to pull it back from that wall of eight-track noise.

 

The acoustic balladeering of ‘Man In Black’ is simple and quite beautiful for wiping it clean and just letting the melody and lyrics breathe.  There is a hint of Jarvis Cocker on ‘Get Our Sense Away’ and I’ve no clue as to what subliminal messaging is on the end of this recording but I’m not bothered because the xylophone solo whilst it might not be Crazy & The Brain standard it’s needed and it’s one hell of a wonderful recording I’ve just had the pleasure of playing over and over again.

 

The lyrics of Jagger spring to mind when he said he wished he stick a pen in his heart and spill it all over the stage well Sully has and his bravery and sense of adventure has paid dividends and I Know It’s Only Rock and Roll but I like It!  Yes, yes I Do!!

Buy Here

Author: Dom Daley