The second announcement for Rebellion 2020 this week sees a return for The Boys who will play two sets at Rebellion 2020, one electric and one acoustic. Anyone lucky enough to catch them last time in the Opera house for their acoustic set will testify how brilliant it was and how well their songs were transferred to the acoustic styling.
If you feel, as I do, that ‘Tenderness’ is one of the best albums of the year, then this European tour (including just three UK dates) from Duff McKagan is an essential event. Why? Well, the band that Shooter Jennings has behind him, the cool cats who helped lay down the album, are a fuckin’ machine! These guys are so tight live you couldn’t wedge a sheet of paper between them.
Imagine The Band, The Stones at their peak, or even early 90’s The Black Crowes. It’s no coincidence that Duff hooked up with his long time friend Shooter and his band to sprinkle magic on a rootsy, laid back record full of emotion, and for want of a better word… tenderness.
On this tour, the band will be doing 2 sets every night. I’ve seen them do this before, at an album release show for Hellbound Glory at The Whisky-A-Go-Go a couple of years ago. First, they are opening with Shooter, then a full set with Duff. Who knows if they will do this again? This could be the only tour these guys do, and even though the tickets were a hefty £40, I felt it was an experience that I could not miss.
Academy 3 apparently holds 950 punters, although it certainly looks smaller. It is dark, rectangular and has a great atmosphere. You could call this an intimate show for a man who has been playing stadiums with Guns n’ Roses. But for Shooter Jennings and his band, this is probably about average.
The band open with ‘Bound Ta Git Down’, a boogie-woogie, barroom blast. The ever cool Shooter, shades permanently glued to his head, tinkles some ivories as his band jam out behind him.
The likes of ‘Denim & Diamonds’ and the epic ‘All This Could’ve Been Yours’ build on piano and mournful fiddle courtesy of Aubrey Richmond. You almost forget that bad ass bassist Ted Russell Kamp and guitarist John Schreffler Jr are there until it’s time for the guitar solo, then the pair take centre stage to shine. The rhythm section of Russell Kamp and powerhouse drummer Jamie Douglass are surely one of the best in the business and keep it all together. Pure, laid back 70’s rock ‘n’ roll at its finest, these songs are far removed from the rootsy, country that Shooter may well be known for.
The Guns n’ Roses fan base lap it up. Maybe the band intentionally chose a more rock ‘n’ roll based set for this tour, but the likes of ‘Steady At The Wheel’ and the grungy, riff heavy ‘Don’t Feed The Animals’ certainly bring the rock tonight. Aubrey and Shooter bring the sentiment and duet on a few of the more balladic numbers, but hell, this band are even better than I remember them being a couple of years back.
It’s packed by the time the band return to the stage with Duff at the helm. Dressed in black shirt and jeans, his tousled blonde hair framing his weathered face to perfection, Duff looks every inch the LA rock star. He plays a low slung acoustic for the majority of the set. As Shooter plays the opening piano chords to Gn’R’s ‘You Aint The First’ Duff asks us of we are ready to sing. The response is a resounding yes!
Having never seen him with Loaded live, I must say being the frontman comes naturally to Duff. He cracks jokes and swigs from a flask between songs. Laid bare on these emotionally charged tunes, his gravelly tones are spot on.
The ebb and flow of the set is perfect. A carefully chosen set mixes up mainly album cuts with ‘Use Your Illusions’ era Guns tunes and a few choice covers. The sound is fantastic; we can hear every word, every breath.
The countrified, hickey ‘Breaking Rocks’ is suitably ramshackle, Shooter takes a verse and shares vocals harmonies on the chorus, lap steel guitar and fiddle give a proper authentic feel.
As Shooter plays the piano refrain to ‘Tenderness’, Duff explains the idea behind the songs with passion and creates a feeling of camaraderie with his audience. It’s a beautiful moment and the crowd are deadly silent as he sings the verses, just with piano accompaniment, his voice on the edge of breaking, the vulnerability shining through. At that very moment, this gig has become the gig of the year for me. In this setting, with this band, these songs give so much. I must admit to being blown away. “C’mon Manchester!” Duff shouts as we sing the chorus in unison, the euphoria builds to a crescendo. So, so good.
I mentioned the ebb and flow. The Stonesy rock ‘n’ roll vibes of ‘Chip Away’ follows , Hammond organs play out as Duff dedicates ‘Feel’ to Scott Wieland, Chris Cornell, Prince… the list of lost friends goes on. The band plays to perfection. Never overplaying they are there to back up Duff and his acoustic, to add colour and flair to the songs where needed. As before, you forget the bassist and guitarist are actually there, until they come stage front for a solo.
“Some friends of mine from Seattle wrote this song” sparks up Duff before breaking into Mad Season’s ‘River Of Deceit’. That opening little riff he trades with John is sublime, and the feel of the song fits the set perfectly. He gets some crowd participation going too. Duff straps on a telecaster and they take things right up with ‘Dust n Bones’. High energy rock ‘n’ roll, just what the doctor ordered, we sing every word and it sounds utterly fantastic. A killer solo and the crowd out-singing a cortisone-fuelled McKagan makes it a highlight.
Elsewhere this evening, ‘Last September’ and ‘Parkland’ are truly moving and about as relevant as you can get. Chillingly, Duff changes the words in ‘Parkland’ to include the most recent shootings, one that happened just a few days ago. The Clash’s ‘Clampdown’ is suitably ace, and the following ‘Dead Horse’ is downright amazing. Aubrey gets stage front to take the second verse, it’s chaotic. I’ve never heard it live before, I feel privileged.
It’s a rollercoaster of a set to be fair. The more fragile moments of ‘Tenderness’ are played out perfectly and when the band rock out, they are on fire. A final one-two and the band bows out. ‘Don’t Look Behind You’ sounds beautiful, full of sentiment, just like the goddamn record! And the closing cover of Mark Lanegan’s ‘Deepest Shade’ sees our hero take off his guitar, jump into the pit and scale the barrier to get up close and personal with those at the front.
I knew tonight was going to be good, but I never imagined it would be this good. What I expected to be a laid back, acoustic affair turned out to be a full on rock ‘n’ roll show by a band who play like they have been on the road for years.
While ‘Tenderness’ is one of those ‘late night, stoner’ sort of albums rather than a ‘blast at full volume in the car’ sort of albums, it transfers very well in a live environment with a full band. Good songs are good songs, and coming from the heart and from the soul, Duff has an album full of them.
The tour may have just begun but Duff McKagan and his band have the camaraderie of a well seasoned touring band already. £40 well spent I say.
Author: Ben Hughes
A brand new movie about the untold story of Reagan-era guerrilla desert happenings now recognized as the inspirations for Burning Man, Lollapalooza, and Coachella including Sonic Youth, Minutemen, Meat Puppets, Swans, Einstürzende Neubauten, Redd Kross and more.
what a great captivating movie. With unique footage taken from the ideas inception this documentary takes you through a journey of discovery of how the desert festivals came about how they began with their mystery tours taking Californians out into the desert and how they powered up the sound systems and time on time it grew into what we have today with the travelling circus tours of Lollapalooza.
Man how hip were these cats? from the get go they had some of the best bands and performers on board and seeing the likes of Perry Farrell photographed at the first one and no doubt went on to inspire the Janes Addiction frontman to front his own festival. The talking heads of Thurston Moore and Farrell are crucial and interesting but its the stories from the likes of Redd Kross that make me smile with the innocence and spirit of adventure.
Imagine buying a ticket for a show meeting up at a rendezvous point then getting on a school bus to be driven out of southern California for three plus hours into the dessert for to be met with guys blowing up metal drums or explosions and hearing some cool as fuck music from the likes of Minutemen or Sonic Youth. We take it for granted these days and some even go Glamping at their festival of choice but None hold the energy or excitement of what they captured on these grainy films way back in the early ’80s.
Remember this is pre internet, pre mobile phone, pre satellite link up pre saturation and copy cat events this was the real deal a hidden underclass of art and music that was thriving and I guess the inevitable happened as more became aware and more wanted in the festival moved and changed its a fascinating insight and a really enjoyable flick through time.
The film makes you smile at the DIY of rock and roll and how anything is possible and art can and will make a difference. If you love the music its a bonus but if you just like a really well shot and captivating subject then its a no brainer. Get the popcorn in sit back relax and enjoy ‘Desolation Center’
Author: Dom Daley
There are just 1000 of these beauties in existence and you’ll be able to get your hands on a copy when they hit the road on their 11-date UK tour. Some will also be available from select independent record stores.
So check the tour dates below, get yourself some tickets and together we’ll Get Down and Get With It!
Jim Jones and the Righteous Mind play:
SEPTEMBER
19 – York, Fulford Arms
20 – Manchester, Night & Day
21 – London, The Garage
22 – Bristol, The Exchange
26 – Norwich, Waterfront
27 – Brighton, Green Door [SOLD OUT]
28 – Cardiff, Clwb Ifor Bach
29 – Southampton, Joiners
OCTOBER
03 – Southend, The Railway Hotel
04 – Hastings, The Piper
05 – Bedford, Esquires
Green Day announced world tour dates today and the ones already confirmed are listed at the link along with a couple of new tracks off their soon to be released new album ‘Father Of All Motherfuckers’. they head out around Europe followed by the United States June 2020 the dates announced so far are at the link as well as pre-sale dates – Tour Dates & Pre Sales Here
Those New Green Day songs are on the tour playlist
Spotify playlist with new Green Day tracks
Feb 7th is the release date of that new album Pre Orders Here
Joseph Anthony Pereira born September 10, 1950. Otherwise known as Joe ‘Fuckin’ Perry. One half of the Toxic Twins and also regarded as the go to player along with Keith Richards for a whole generation of bands that followed in the footsteps of Aerosmith through the ’80s and beyond.
Perry was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts to an accountant father and school teacher mother. Early on Pereira wanted to be a marine Biologist and it wasn’t until he failed to get the grades needed and his parents moving him into boarding school yet still Young Joseph couldn’t get the grades (due to him having ADHD) which wasn’t diagnosed until much later on in his life. He slipped in School and leaned towards Rock and Roll. Only a short few years ago Perry talked about his condition and how it was both a curse and a blessing when it came to learning the guitar.
It was whilst he was away he discovered music in a big way influencing him from all the different cultures he was now being exposed to. His earliest memory of Rock and Roll was seeing the Beatles on TV and being blown away. He had picked up the guitar at the young age of ten but was left handed learning to play it right handed. It was here that this kid learned to play Hendrix, The Kinks, The Who and the Yardbirds that would go on to shape this kid and the style he would adapt. He went from wanting to work as a biologist to being a Rock and Roller.
It was Tom Hamilton that he met first and jammed with in their band called the Jam Band. It was later when Kramer, Tyler and Whitford joined did they morph into Aerosmith. As a band in the early years were just dismissed locally as a Stones rip off.
The rest as they say is history from that debut album featuring the iconic ballad of ‘Dream On’ and the excellent musicianship and seemingly telepathic chemistry between the band they would go on to become one of the most well known Rock and Roll bands of the 21st century. It wasn’t all plain sailing for the Boston band as the Toxic Twins became just as well known for their hard partying and wild adherence to the well trodden path of Sex, drugs and rock and roll. Things were going so well for the band to begin with it was after ‘Rocks’ was released and all the trappings of success did they begin to stumble and cracks began to appear.
By the time they came to record ‘Draw The Line’ in ’77 regardless of its multi platinum sales the pair of Toxic Twins were fighting and getting high alone and distancing themselves from the band dynamic they did manage to tour amidst a lot of reported chaos and mad nights the band released the iconic ‘Live Bootleg’ record with their excellent cover of the Beatles ‘Come Together’. in the late ’70s the band were headlining a tour that also boasted AC/DC, Van Halen, Ted Nugent and Foreigner but bad habits and taking your wife on tour reached breaking point as Perry and Hailtons respective wives got into a fracas over a glass of spilt milk it seemed to be the straw that broke the camels back and after a fight between Tyler and Perry the later decided that he was going to split even though the band were almost done recording ‘Night In The Ruts album. It was decided that Perrys parts would be finished by somebody else and the band would continue without their iconic guitarist. Perry went his own way with a buch of tunes finished and half finished and recorded his own project that would become his first solo album entitled ‘Let The Music Do The Talking’ who knows what the title was about? He then toured the Joe Perry Project and followed it up with ‘I’ve Got The Rock And Rolls Again’ again who knows whats behind a title?
Seemingly unable to keep the line up together Perry was to see his project dropped from Columbia Records. But it wasn’t for long and he soon had a new band and was signed to MCA who went on to release ‘Once A Rocker, Always A Rocker’ in ’83. Whilst his sales might have been dipping and never selling as well as his old bands releases Pery recruited his old partner in crime Brad Whitford to join his line up in ’83. I guess whilst being creative Perry missed the spark he had writing with someone as creative as Tyler and one needed the other to draw the best out of them. It was a meet up the following year with the other members of Aerosmith that sparked interest in a reunion and with the writing on the wall for his solo project maybe common sense prevailed and pride on all sides was swallowed and Geffen became involved with a new record deal which signaled a fresh start all round.
By the mid ’80s the band were back on the road and had a new album the much underrated ‘Done With Mirrors’ which spawned the Perry track ‘Let The Music Do The Talking’ which was a minor radio hit but whilst it might not have been the huge comeback some were expecting fans of the band were delighted with what they were hearing.
It was undoubtedly the rework of the classic ‘Smiths track ‘Walk This Way’ featuring Run-D.M.C that catapulted the band back into the mainstream front and center. their problems weren’t over yet as certain members of the band underwent rehab the landscape of music was changing and it was decided that some big name writers would be brought in to work with the band and commercially it would pay off as songs like ‘Love In An Elevator’,’Janies Got A Gun’, ‘Rag Doll’ and ‘Dude Looks Like A Lady’ would become MTV staples and with the videos being on heavy rotation the band couldn’t put a foot wrong. Perry and Tyler were indeed back in the saddle. a large focus was on the pair as they became hard rocks version of Jagger / Richards which worked for the pair until their old habits would creep back into the dynamic and the mid ’90s would be a testing time
Whilst personally I don’t think the band had written a great song for many years you couldn’t deny their success and Perry was instrumental (literally) in writing their first number one with ‘I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing’ which was used in the movie ‘Armageddon’ which starred Tylers daughter things had certainly moved on and it seemed they might be destined to be remembered for the ballads and their number one hit rather than their output from the ’70s.
Perry now has his name and face on a Disney roller Coaster has written a book and continues to write and play live as well as with Aerosmith he plays alongside his friends in the all star roadshow of Hollywood Vampires alongside legends like Alice Cooper and Johnny Depp. Even if his music doesn’t reach the standards we might expect he has earned his stripes and deserves to sit at the top table for guitar slingers who walk it like they talk it and has been there seen it and done it and we’re glad at RPM that hes still doing it – Happy Birthday Joe Fuckin Perry you rock and roll legend.
Buy Joe Perry Here
RPM favorites Clowns join Teenage Bottlerocket, Mean Jeans, and Jen Pop (The Bombpops) are currently tearing it up on the FAT Tour! TBR will be performing their latest effort, ‘Stay Rad!’. Mean Jeans released their second full-length on FAT, ‘Gigantic Sike’. Clowns hail from Australia and will support their debut FAT release, ‘Nature/Nurture’. Opening the show is Jen Pop from The Bombpops. If you would like a copy of any of the FAT bands on the tour, just holler. GET THERE!
Clowns Nature/Nurture’ album was reviewed by us HERE as was Men Jeans HERE
“Do they own us a performance? Yes They Do, Yes They Do”
A band that still divides opinion – Crass. The songs remain relevant as much now as when they were written. Steve Ignorant is going to be playing a full set of CRASS SONGS at Rebellion 2020. This is a set that many Rebellion Crew will be downing tools to make sure they catch! Tickets for 2020 are on sale NOW (still at the early bird prices). Plus you can buy with easy manageable monthly installments of just £18.
www.rebellionfestivals.com/shop
Crass have recently had their back catalogue reissued on vinyl through One Little Indian on coloured vinyl.
Formed by vocalist Hazel Jade in 2013, Elevation Falls has been a rising contender in the flourishing Irish Rock/Metal scene thanks to their captivating live shows and powerhouse rock song structures. A slew of live shows and tours followed in the UK and Europe as well as festival appearances including Electric Picnic in 2013 & 2014 (Ireland), Vantastival 2015 (Ireland), Knockanstockan (Ireland) 2015, UFO Festival 2016 (Croatia), Sunflower Festival 2015,2016,2018 (UK) and Hard Rock Rising Ireland winners 2016/2017. Having completed a successful German tour in March this year.
The band’s motto ‘Love & Roar’ perfectly sums up the sound of Elevation Falls. Having released their debut album, “What Will Be” in April 2018, various media platforms quickly picked up on the sprawling hard-rock fury, huge choruses, furious dueling guitar work and brimming energy leading to “Armies Rising’ being selected for the June covermount on Classic Rock Magazine alongside Halestorm and Weezer.
Now releasing a Brand New track with a devilish New Video off their upcoming EP ‘Demon’, they’re gearing up for the full release of their EP in January 2020.
Julien Temple’s acclaimed, award-winning documentary Oil City Confidential is available once more as a Tenth Anniversary special edition in exclusive limited Oil City tin with bonus DVD of Wilko Johnson – ‘Live At Koko, Camden Town, London, March 2013’.
This special edition deluxe tin includes:-
This is the story of Dr Feelgood, four men in cheap suits who crashed out of Canvey Island in the early ’70s, sandpapered the face of rock’n’roll, leaving all that came before a burnt-out ruin – four estuarine John-the-Baptists to Johnny Rotten’s anti-Christ. Taking London by storm, they sped through Europe and conquered the UK with No 1 chart success, before imploding just as punk was born and America beckoned with open arms. Contributions from members of The Clash, Blondie and The Sex Pistols join Dr Feelgood with collaborators Jools Holland and Alison Moyet to tell the story of Canvey, ’70s England and the greatest local band in the world.
Winner of the Mojo Vision Award 2010, Best Documentary at the Kermode Awards 2011 and Best International Film 2009 (Cult Award, Turin Film Festival).
‘A rip-roaring account of one of the best bands Britain ever produced by a film-maker who looks increasingly like our very finest rockumentarian’ – Mark Kermode, The Observer.
‘Nothing less than a master-class in musical hagiography, beautifully photographed, superbly edited and utterly involving’ – ***** Time Out.
‘I don’t think Julien Temple has ever made a film as good, and as purely insightful as this’ – ***** The Guardian.
(There is an option to buy a Tshirt for £5 (normally £15). These are for a limited time only and while stocks last…….if you are buying a Tshirt, please state which size you would like when ordering: Small, Medium, Large or XL (all these sizes are limited quantity/while stocks last…………..)
Order the Tin Here
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