A packed out club, sweaty drunk young people awaiting some punk rock hot off the press from Aberavon – it must be Shunko time. Heavily influenced by the lofi punk rock spewing out of the Southern Hemisphere The Shunkos have taken their lad culture and fast food obsession to the next level. ‘Meal Deal’,’Uni Mate’ and songs about bus wankers and late-night kebabs are sung back at the band by an enthusiastic audience of nerdowells intent on having a good time all of the time. It was quickly turned into a sweaty heaving mass of bodies as the band plowed on at 100 miles an hour duly held together by the Ryan boys in the rhythm section.
Frontman Mal should be called (Maladjusted) has taken control of his building site humour and spits out the words like he’s been doing this all his miserable life ‘Beer & Gear’, ‘Chippy Tea’ sounds like a one way trip to A & E but he’ll have a shed (Dermans Shed) full of new lyrics along the way.
It’s clear The Chats, Amyl And The Sniffers, Chubby & The Gang and other such punks are the go-to inspiration for these punks who also inject some surf punk into their sound and bounce around harder and faster as the songs dictate. They need to get out there and play with the likes of Pizzatramp, Slugfest and Wonk Unit it would see them go from Boys to Men and put their punk rock credentials to the test. One thing for sure is the more they play the tighter they sound and the better they get and the new songs are proof of that. Get that CD released and get out there and show the world that South Wales can do hardcore punk with the best of them.
The fact nobody under the age of 25 looked remotely grossed out as Mal took a slug of beer from someone’s sweaty slip-on van told you everything about what to expect on a shunkos night out, ‘Whats In The Box’ and ‘Big Bertha’ sounded like these ‘Little Bastards’ are on the right track to perfecting the new punk scene out of South Wales . Songs about bus rides, meal deals, favourite Currys, young lust, having a good time makes for a top Saturday night out these party animals are all about living in the moment and under such troubled times maybe now is the right time for a party, and the Shunkos are exactly what the doctor ordered for a good time, all the time. Go see em if they turn up in your town and don’t be afraid to throw yourself around just don’t lose your shoe or the singer (cough cough) will use it as his drinking horn ‘punk as fuck’ – ripper!
Author: Dom Daley (oldest in attendance by about 30 years)
The last time I crossed paths with Ryan Hamilton was November 2019 at his annual Holiday Hoedown in Nottingham. He had short hair, hell, I had short hair! It seems a lifetime ago now, a time when Corona was just a beer and wearing a mask in a bank would’ve got you arrested.
These are trying times for us all, including our favourite Texan troubadour, but things are getting better right? Recording and releasing the ‘1221’ album over a 12-month period in lockdown has kept him sane and kept his fanbase interested, and now a return to the UK for his first live dates since the world changed appears to excite him as much as his fans.
3 dates billed as a co-headline tour with London singer/songwriter Emily Capell will see the singer play The Hyde Park Book Club in Leeds, bookended by sold out shows in Newcastle and London.
It’s my first visit to the Hyde Park Book Club, and it’s a great little venue. From the outside it looks like a supermarket, yet inside, with a small reasonably priced bar, homemade sausage rolls and cakes for sale, it has a homely atmosphere and surely the ultimate den for the student population to come and hang out, drink, and catch up on assignments. Down a precarious set of stairs, we find the basement venue. If dimly lit and void of people, it would seem the perfect ‘kill room’ for Joe Goldberg from the popular Netflix show ‘You’. But tonight, it will be the stage for 3 talented musicians.
With a shock of pink hair, an acoustic guitar and a powerful set of pipes, Brighton songstress Gina Larner warms up the crowd with an enjoyable set of folk-tinged pop ditties. Her tones sit nicely somewhere between Kate Nash and Amy Macdonald, she apologizes for chatting too much, has a cool song about daytime whisky drinking. It’s fun, she has a likeable presence, and the songs stand up to the test. A perfect opener.
We bought tickets, we turned up and we assumed one would headline and one would support. So, it was a surprise to see Ryan Hamilton and Emily Capell take to the stage together and announce a song for song face/off. I knew little of Emily’s music before tonight. I avoided researching as I wanted to view her as a new artist free of any expectations. Of course, being a big fan of Ryan Hamilton, I wasn’t expecting her to be able to compete, and in this case, boy was I wrong…oh so very wrong!
The lady with a beehive and a Gretsch guitar can certainly holds her own against the Texan with a cowboy hat and an acoustic, no problemo. Song for song and piss-take after piss-take, the duo have the room captivated for the entire set. If you have seen Ryan Hamilton bearing his soul with just an acoustic guitar, then you know what an intimate experience it can be. From the uplifting opener ‘Smarter’ to the ever cool ‘Never Should Have Moved To LA’ onto crowd favourite ‘Take It On Th Run’ (or ‘Take It Up The Bum’ as it was sung tonight) the songs are great as ever. But it’s the sadness of ‘Cheaters Never Change’ and the optimism of ‘This Is The Sound’ that really shine through tonight.
It’s by no means a sad show, and this is largely due to the comedy banter between the duo. Ryan and Emily work well together in this format, like they have been touring for months, not days. It’s like a brother/sister act of light-hearted one-upmanship that usually ends in Emily telling Ryan to sit down and shut up! Ryan’s fascination with the English language continues and Emily obliges by teaching him the meaning of words such as “skip”. Its comedy gold and maybe if the singing fails they could both have a career in stand-up!
Thye end the set as a duo tackling each other tunes and a great version of the Johnny Cash classic ‘Jackson’.
For me a great artist has to have the whole package, that certain sparkle. Well written songs, a good voice, charisma and the ability to captivate an audience. Ryan has already proven himself in that department, but to remember the hooks to songs the first time you hear then live is very rare for me, and listening to Emily’s album the morning after the show I remembered at least four of the songs she played. The likes of ‘No Worries’, ‘Ipso Calypso’ and ‘Who Killed Smiley Culture’ are quality tunes full of quirky, retro 60’s pop goodness, but with a contemporary edge. And to deliver them, out of her comfort zone, solo to an unfamiliar audience with such confidence is the sign of a star in the making.
Ryan Hamilton is an artist whose back catalogue straddles power pop and Americana with radio-friendly singles and lyrics that hit the heart and soul. His live performance, whether with a band or solo is always memorable. Emily Capell is a Clash loving, doo-wop delivering ball of quirky goodness with a killer voice and killer tunes. They live worlds apart and come from different cultures, but somehow, together they make magic and gel probably more than they realise. Let’s hope this is the start of a beautiful musical friendship and hopefully more gigs together. Ryan has already teased his return to these shores later this year, if he plays a show near you, do yourself a favour and check him out.
As the world and his wife are slowly creating a new normal and us rock n rollers are seeing shoots of recovery, Pete Stride & Honest John Plain celebrate by entering the Heritage charts with ‘Laugh At Me’ lifted from their album ‘New Guitar In Town’. You can play the song and album on streaming site Spotify Here. It still sounds as fresh as a daisy with the happy-go-lucky piano tinkling along with the great hook and melody you’d expect from these Rock and Rollers.
Originally recorded and produced by Sonny Bono “Laugh at Me” was Sonny Bono’s only hit song as a solo artist under the name Sonny back in 1965. Pete Stride from The Lurkers’ and John Plain of The Boys decided to play together and the result is the 1980 album ‘New Guitar in Town’. “Laugh At Me” is the only single from the album and was released in 1980.
A Hit on the UK Heritage Chart – www.heritagechart.co.uk
Alongside Honest John Plain on guitars/vocals & Pete Stride – guitars/vocals were Jack Black (The Boys) on drums, Mick Talbot (Merton Parkas/Style Council) on keyboards, Howard Wall (The Lurkers) – vocals, Pete ‘Plug’ Edwards (Lurkers roadie) on vocals/harmonica and Tony Bateman – bass/vocals.
The Single (and album) was given its first-ever digital release (on Spotify, i-tunes etc) this past January. Mike Read has started to play it on his breakfast show and it has just entered the UK Heritage Chart yesterday (Sunday 13 Feb) at Number 30.
Rockaway Records announce the release of the brand new single and video for ‘Underground LUV’ taken from The new album ‘Something’s Got to Give’.
Produced at Perry Vale Studios by the legendary Pat Collier. The band has never sounded better. ‘Underground LUV’ is set in a world of isolation, where subway dandies strut the streets, where passion ends in fashion in a Clockwork Orange dystopia, spray-painting life in dayglo pink and yellow. This is a song of defiance and hope, fear and LUV for the 21st Century. Underground LUV is available on download from www.derellas.com, Bandcamp, iTunes, Amazon, Spotify etc.,..
Rewind to early 1985. Having yet to play a gig, a fresh-faced, ragtag, band of friends found themselves in the BBC’s Maida Vale Studios recording their own John Peel session.
Despite being young, naive, and still learning their craft, right from the off The Rose of Avalanche were churning out finely tuned slabs of sleazy, guitar-driven goth rock that belied their age and experience. Peel loved them, and followed the session by placing the band’s first single “L.A. Rain” at number 26 in his 1985 Festive 50, above songs by The Cure, The Smiths and The Sisters of Mercy. Guitarist Glenn quipped “John Peel really liked us, but then again he also thought that Teenage Kicks by The Undertones was the greatest song ever written”
From there the bands next four singles dominated the UK Independent Charts. “Goddess” matched the chart-topping debut “L.A. Rain” and was named Single of The Week by Sounds, “Too Many Castles In The Sky” went Top 5, followed by “Velveteen” and “Always There”, with The Rose invited back to The BBC to record a second session, this time for Janice Long.
Head of Chapter 22, Dean Brown said:
“We are delighted to have Rose of Avalanche join our exciting roster of bands at Chapter 22 Records. They bring with them the heritage and swagger of the 1980’s and join a list of bands they know well from that time. The ‘’BBC Sessions’ sound fantastic and we can’t wait to bring them to you this autumn”
Available for the first time since the original radio broadcasts some 30 years ago, this album contains all the tracks from their two BBC sessions, capturing the excitement and creative force of a band on the cusp of hitting the big time.
Various rumours of a reunion surfaced over the intervening years, and in August 2019 the band finally announced it was reforming the original line up. The reaction to The Rose’s triumphant return was overwhelming, and history repeated itself with the band being offered headline gigs in the UK and Europe and confirmed as main support for the UK leg of The Mission’s upcoming UK Tour.
The band will play a handful of intimate gigs this November to promote the release of the album, and are looking forward to hitting the road with The Mission again in Spring 2022.
2022 Dates with The Mission
Thursday April 14th, Manchester, Ritz Friday April 15th, Newcastle, City Hall Saturday April 16th, Glasgow, Barrowlands Sunday April 17th, Leeds, O2 Academy Tuesday April 19th, Nottingham, Rock City Wednesday April 20th, Birmingham, O2 Academy Thursday April 21st, Bristol, O2 Academy Friday April 22nd, London, O2 Shepherds Bush Empire Saturday April 23rd, London, O2 Shepherds Bush Empire
The word legend gets thrown around quite a lot but when it comes to Slash it definitely is justified as you would have to have lived under a rock for years not to have heard of the guitar slingers feral rock’n’roll band Guns N’ Roses which launched the guitarist into the public eye all those years ago but Slash is no one-trick pony and has released quality music with his own bands Slash’s snakepit, Velvet revolver and now the Conspirators.
So let’s get stuck into album 4.
The album’s first track roars out of the speakers and is titled “The river is rising” and it’s got a killer riff that is an instant earworm.
Up next we have “Whatever gets you by” that starts off with a nice rhythmic drum pattern before bass and guitars come crashing in and Myles’s voice soars beautifully over the top and this is another gem of a track.
“C’est la vie” is a hypnotic track with an instantly catchy melody and infectious chorus that will surely make this a crowd favorite when played live.
“The path less followed” and “Actions speak louder than words” are both great rockers that keep the album flowing nicely.
“Spirit Love” is a standout with a middle eastern sounding riff that drags the listener in and as always Myles vocals are on top form.
Just when you think how can this album get any better “Fill My world” pops up and is this reviewers personal favorite off this great album as it’s reminiscent of that classic GNR song “Sweet child of mine” with a gorgeous melody but never falls into the rehash category and sounds so fresh and vibrant.
“April Fool” and “Call off the dogs” are rollicking rock songs that keep this fast-paced album rattling along.
All great things must come to an end and what a way to finish off this triumphant album with the stunning “Fall back to earth” which is nearly 6 and a half minutes of pure musical bliss with epic guitar heroics and vocal gymnastics.
Slash with Myles Kennedy and the conspirators can hold their collective heads up high as album ‘4’ is quality from start to finish and is an album that just gets better with every listen.
Desperate Measures launch album with exclusive NFT drop by LuchaCoinNFT.
Prepared By LuchaCoinNFT
DESPERATE MEASURES, the New Zealand-born, London-based, punk and rock four piece released their brand-new mini album ‘Rinsed’ on Easy Action records last October to critical acclaim. Containing six tracks of hard-hitting punk with a big helping of rock n’ roll, the album is available on 10” vinyl, CD and download. These recordings feature the new line-up of founder Eugene Butcher, former Glitterati and current Rich Ragany and The Digressions guitarist Gaff, Ricky McGuire of U.K SUBS and The Men They Couldn’t Hang, along with former K-Line/Done Lying Down drummer James Sherry.
Following the release of ‘The Rich-Tual’, the stomping first single from the ‘Rinsed’ sessions released earlier this year came ‘Flowers At Your Door’. Channeling the dark energy of Iggy Pop, Lords Of The New Church and The Doors, ‘Flowers At Your Door’ is a brooding rocker that finds Desperate Measures shifting in new directions with their new line-up with excellent results. Never ones to stick to how things should be done, Desperate Measures decided to give their album a second press and create artwork that would set them apart from the status quo. So, it was only natural that lead vocalist, Eugene Butcher teamed up with Steve Kitchen, of Combination 13 design in Canada, for the series of striking cover designs now released as exclusive NFT designs through LuchaCoinNFT.
Says Butcher “We had a blast designing these NFT’s. They form a great set of brilliant designs and will really help the band go forward this year as we reach out to different spaces. Each album cover has been so much fun to work on and we’re really excited about what we’ve created. We really hope the fans will enjoy this ground-breaking, super-cool new innovation from Desperate Measures. View the Collection on Rarible.
Says Stevan Cvjetkovich of LuchaCoin“LuchaCoin is punk at its core, we’ve never been ones to stick to how things should be done. When we teamed up with Desperate Measures, we knew that we were on to something special. We can’t wait for fans to get their hands on them and for the success they’ll bring to the band.”
At a time when record sales are being squeezed, and after a pandemic where artists were hit hard with shows being postponed or canceled, these exciting new NFT designs will help fund this independent band and will go towards them touring in 2022.
The Desperate Measures mini album NFT project was supported in collaboration with Music: Desperate Measures, Graphic Artist: Combination 13, Ai Motion effects: Jeffery Lando & LuchaCoin NFT.
Brooklyn post-punk mainstays SAVAK have announced their fifth album, Human Error / Human Delight, which will be released on April 15, 2022, via Ernest Jenning Record Co. in conjunction with the band’s own Peculiar Works. The band have released the video for searing album opener “No Blues No Jazz” —
The band has also announced a run of U.S. tour dates beginning this March, which will see them performing at SXSW alongside stops in Boston, Philadelphia, Washington DC and more. See below for the full list of currently announced dates.
SAVAK is the two-headed beast of Sohrab Habibion and Michael Jaworski, with Matt Schulz on drums. Jaworski and Habibion have been sharing singing and songwriting duties since the band’s inception in 2015, both taking turns singing their songs while playing guitar and other various instruments. Though SAVAK’s members have done time in bands like Obits, Edsel, Holy Fuck and more, their current outfit feels like the true culmination of their songwriting powers.
Imagine Joy Division forming and releasing a record in 2022 with the primitive Bauhaus bass thump and cymbal snap on the hypnotic ‘Guillotine Blade’ Vocals like a tape recorder memo to self part spoken part sung in hushed tones whilst industry hammers away on some Dub tip. It’s dark, unnerving, cold and painting a hundred portraits in my mind ‘Down Her Cheek A Pearly Tear’ is like a primitive Bunnymen explosion mixing up some post-punk from the clashing acoustic chords to the drum rolls all building to the chaotic end – great stuff indeed.
‘Sense Of Occasion’ is like cold concrete written in Black & White playing out in a laid-back Dub echoing chamber never breaking out of the almost horizontal rhythm it sounds huge when turned up as the dry bass line rattles of the painted walls.
originally released as a limited cassette via Future Shock I’m glad Drunken Sailor pressed it on vinyl and it came across my horizon otherwise I’d never have had the pleasure. It’s dark and cold and intimidating and uneasy at times but in a way, all of that makes for a warm comforting record as well which is a strange juxtaposition and one that could really fuck with you but ultimately the song will win you over. ‘Fate In Disguise’ is as bleak as anything Joy Division ever recorded.
‘For The Tsarina’ had it been released forty years ago would have seen these guys compete with McCulloch and the likes of the Teardrop Explodes for column inches in melody maker and sounds and had Ian Brown sang on the closing track ‘The Creek At Sundown’ people would be raving about it. Nine tracks of modern, retro post-punk
Having released one of RPM’s favourite albums of last year, turbo-fuelled rhythm and blues punk combo Mad Daddy are back on the road in February and March. Currently recording new material for a potential spring EP and second album to follow, the Isle of Man rockers are looking forward to their first London gig, at the legendary St Moritz Club. If you’re anywhere near this list of dates, get down the front, support independent music, and you’re guaranteed a good time.
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