The Boys – ‘Power Cut’ (Last Exit Music)

The Boys – ‘Power Cut’ (Last Exit Music)

The first time the album has been released on vinyl and will be available on three different limited edition
vinyl’s – White, Gold and Red & Black Splattered vinyl.

The album, originally released in 1996, features four original members of The Boys – Matt Dangerfield,
Casino Steel, Duncan ‘Kid’ Reid & Honest John Plain along ex Berne Torme drummer Mark Harrison and Die Toten Hosen frontman/singer Campino. The album includes sleeve notes from Campino & Matt Dangerfield along with full lyrics and several never-before-seen photos from the recording sessions. There has been a resurgence in Boys’ releases recently what with To Hell and Odds And Sods getting pressed and selling out it makes sense for this beauty to finally get pressed on wax. Along with Mattless Boys, it’s some of the finest Boys-related curio out there and the quality of sound and of course the music is second to none. Sure the staple classics are here like opener ‘See You Later’ ‘Brickfield Nights’ ‘Soda Pressing’ but the hidden gems are the likes of ‘Gabrielle’ which in its stripped back form is an absolute stone cold classic and the delivery is emotional from the deft piano fills to the sparce drum fills its a beautiful song and takes on a new life.

I always loved the artwork and the cheeky Black and white kickabout it sort of summed up The Boys and this particular release. Anyone lucky enough to catch the band playing an acoustic set at Rebellion even the final Duncan Reid set from some years ago will get the picture of just how good these songs are plugged or unplugged a great song will stand tall whatever form. An emotional ‘Brickfield’ takes me right back to those unplugged Blackpool nights.

If you are lucky enough to hold a copy on its rightful format (12″ of wax) then cherish one of England’s finest ever bands stripped back delivering the goods – Its a real joy to hear especially loud and after a few glasses of plonk. Those big sweeping chords of ‘First Time’ or the raw aggression of ‘Sick On You’ is a beautiful thing.

When I was planning to review this release I put the songs on my phone to play whilst out riding my bike on a crisp morning I pulled over along the local canal and just sat and listened to the whole album from top to bottom day dreaming and admiring just how bloody good these songs are. ‘Heroine’ had me wiping a bead of sweat from my cheek It wasn’t a tear honest.

The only problem I have with this is it was recorded back in 96 and therefore doesn’t have any of the more recent ‘Punk Rock Menopause’ tunes given the same treatment then it could have been a double album covering all points of their legacy. As a stand alone LP ‘Power Cut’ is a must own LP Long Live The Boys and all who’ve sailed within. Easily one of my favourite ever acoustic albums, perfectly captured, perfectly executed.

Website

Last Exit Music

Author: Dom Daley

Demons My Friends – ‘Demons Seem to Gather’

Demons My Friends – ‘Demons Seem to Gather’

Hailing from Austin, Texas and Mexico City, Demons My Friends arrive on the scene with an eight song full length debut album that has been demanding repeated plays. The band describes their sound as stoner/ doom, but the stoner side comes out much more to my ears because I think of super slow and long songs when I think of doom. First song I heard by the band this summer reminded me of an old band from the California desert, but I will get to that in a bit. As metal debuts go, this is one of the best you will hear this year.

Some fuzz introduces us to the powerful ‘The Tower Falls’ and finds the band combining a hard groove with a simple but effective vocal hook at the end of the chorus. Musically, this one isn’t too far away from Pepper-era Corrosion of Conformity, and, while the song stretches out over 5 minutes, it doesn’t feel that long. ‘Bring the Night’ serves as a de-facto title track as it is drawn from the lyrics here. The mellower verses give way to ripping guitars that slice through the mix in the chorus. Increasing the tempo at the guitar solo creates a great sense of dynamics, especially as the song transitions back into its original groove for the outro.

‘Inner Slay’ begins with the bass and some guitar deep in the mix. This is one spot where I can see the doom influence in the band as they don’t rush things too quickly. The rhythm really drives this song with the clean lead vocals and harmonies on the chorus providing us a look back in time a bit when this was more representative of the metal genre, without sounding stale or dated. The band provide lots of opportunities to headbang and throw your fist in the air. ‘Ghosts of You’ is the song I referred to in my introduction which has a guitar tone that reminds me of ‘Sky Valley’ era Kyuss. The guitar riffs wrap around the bass and drums to create a hypnotic groove with this song remaining my favorite on the album so far. The layered vocals in the chorus provide it with a commercial angle but balance it with some aggro vocals there as well.

Kicking off the flipside of the album, ‘Make Them Pay’ provides a vicious riff and groove, while also changing the lead vocal approach to almost an aggressive chant. Lyrically, this song takes no prisoners and comes in as the shortest song on the album at just over 3 minutes. The transition to the final bit of the song again shows a band interested in creating dynamics. The other shorter song follows in ‘Fire Mountain’ with the band sounding more akin to a modern metal band with clean vocals than doom metal. The rhythm section again delivers in providing a pulverizing song that sets up a well-done guitar solo to lead into a final chorus.

Turning up the stoner feel and again tapping into a Corrosion of Conformity like feel, ‘Your Bones’ comes in like a thundering herd but gives way to a verse that puts the spotlight on the vocals. The vocals and feel of the chorus though again serve as a counterpoint with an aggro feel. The band did a great job setting up the running order of the songs here as the album has a natural flow. Final song ‘We are the Resistance’ wraps things up with a mellow introduction and, to me, the most doom inspired song on the album with it reminding me a little bit of Paradise Lost a la ‘One Second’ or ‘Draconian Times’ era. It serves as a great way to finish the album as the song continues to build to its finale.

Hopefully, this album finds its way in front of many listeners so the band can continue to build a following. I hate it when new bands create an excellent album like this and then end up disappearing so give them a listen and a follow if you like what you hear. This album will be in my upper echelon of 2023 metal albums at the end of the year.    

‘Demons Seem to Gather’ is available now.

Facebook

Bandcamp

‘Make Them Pay’ video-  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84u94nlvVfI

Author: Gerald Stansbury

Singles Club – September

Singles Club – September

Cyanide Pills – ‘Hope Your Having Fun’ (Damaged Goods) Another day another single lifted from the epic new long player from Leeds Leeds Leeds finest Cyanide Pills. ‘Hope Your Having Fun’ is from the album and the usual punchy power poppin snotty bop n roll dished up by these fine gentlemen this one comes on coloured wax and exclusive non album track B side in the shape of the raw riff-a-rama of ‘Don’t Tell Me Everythings Alright’ which is weird in a way because everythign is alright when there a new Cyanide Pills record to look out for but under Tory rule and the divvys who still vote for em then Cyanide Pills have always got material to write about and it keeps em honest and delivering quality tunes. Record of the week? Hell Yeah! I love Cyanide Pills even though they don’t play in south Wales. Buy it!

https://cyanidepills.com/ https://www.facebook.com/cyanidepillsuk /https://www.instagram.com/cyanidepillsuk/ /https://cyanidepills.keekmerch.com

The Uppers – ‘Manic Melodies’ (Spaghetty Town Records) Spaghetty Town Records are amassing quite the catalogue of top notch records. The latest off the production line are St. Louis/U.S.A. rockers The UPPERS. Its their second record after their 2020 “Get down with…” 7″ (NO FRONT TEETH/BOULEVARD TRASH) release. This has four tracks kicking off with the superb hooky ‘Stimulation’ ITs snotty bedfellow to the likes of The Briefs, The Boys, Exploding Hearts and such likes. Sugar sweet melodies played quickly and full of memorable melodies all covered in sweet bubblegum guitar riffs n classic drum licks. Superb stuff. Can’t wait fo ra full length LP if this is what they’re capable of – Simply, Buy IT!

Jonesy – ‘Doppelgangbangers’ (Heavy Medication Records) Not to be confused with the 70’s UK proggers with the same name, this Jonesy hails from Montreal and plays dirty, hormone-driven, catchy-as-hell bubblegum punk. While the first album fell on the Ramones/Dictators/Real Kids side of the punk spectrum, these four new songs throw some Slade and 70’s riff rawk into the mix while retaining all the pervy fun and un-PC humor that’s an integral part of the band’s modus operandi. It’s ten inches of sleazy pleasure centered around girls, cats, rock & roll and girls. You might need penicillin after listening to it!

Black Spiders – ‘Destroyer’ (Spinefarm Records) Hard Rockin mofos who are currently on tour have released a video for the track ‘Destroyer’ with a heavy as hell riff that has a Bass rumble thats like a fuckin anvil being dragged through your speakers its that low slung and heavy.

The Dictators – ‘Thank You And Have A Nice Day’ (self Release) First new material from the handsomeless Dictators is a Rockin swaggering bit of boogie woogie with plenty of groove and predictably a really decent tune. Sadly thats it the other three songs might well be freakin classics from these proto punks but I was expecting a couple of new tunes at least. ‘Avenue A’ is a stone cold classic as is the ‘Savage Beat’ still with HDM vocals and ‘I live For Girls And Cars’ is sleazy Rock n Roll rounding off a decent reminder that The Dictators still have it.

Duff McKagan – Longfeather (The World Is Flat) After the mellow and dark corners of his last solo album this single from ‘Lighthouse’ is more uptempo and, well, rockin. Duff has turned into a really accomplished writer and his vocals have grown to be a real force in his own right. This is excellent rock n roll from the GnR four stringer and if this is a sign of whats to come the album should be another really impressive piece of work.

Safety Pins MAgazine split. UK Subs/The Mistakes (T&M Records) Always an enjoyable read and always giving away a cool seven inch vinyl record and this issue is the turn of a pair of UK Subs demos and one off the brand new Mistakes album which we reviewed a few weeks back. The Subs demos are of ‘Shes Not There’ and ‘Brand New Age’ two cracking songs and two well collectable versions. Two previously unheard rare Subs demo tracks rescued and restored from a Pete Davies tape then given to T&M. ‘She’s Not There’ has Charlie Harper sharing the singing duties with Paul Slack on this ultra-rare take…

The Speedways – ‘Triple Platinum’ (Snap!! Records, Hurrah Musica & Beluga Records)

The Speedways – ‘Triple Platinum’ (Snap!! Records, Hurrah Musica & Beluga Records)

Now, it could be said that a band releasing a compilation of their three studio albums, which includes four re-recorded songs, sounds a bit suspect. But, hold your horses, because you can always trust The Speedways. While this album is aimed at a fresh audience in the States and elsewhere, for the uninitiated, it’s a perfect introduction to the Kings of UK power pop.

For a start, their debut album ‘Just Another Regular Summer’ was written and almost entirely played/recorded by Matt Julian, after which he found a solid band line-up with Mauro, Adrian and Kris. Hence, four tunes re-recorded as a band with a fair few gigs under their belt. ‘In Common With You’ is still one of my favourites, and while I love the original recording, the 2023 version gives you what you’d hear at the gigs, a fleshed-out sound. ‘Seen Better Days’ also benefits from added keyboards and hand claps, and ‘Tonight You’ll Find Love’ now sounds radio ready. ‘Just Another Regular Summer’ has clearer backing vocals and more gloss, but doesn’t lose it’s charm.

The ever reliable Jez Leather has also used his production skills to brighten up four songs from ‘Radio Sounds’; ‘Kisses Are History’, being a near perfect pop song, is a joy to hear again, melancholy and beautiful. ‘In A World Without Love…’ and ‘Number Seven’ are already etched into my memory, whilst ‘The Day I Call You Mine’ should be in every record collection, exquisite stuff.

All this plus four songs from the recent ‘Talk Of The Town’, of which ‘Shoulda Known’ is another case of “I wish I’d written that one” syndrome. I really hope this wins them yet more followers around the world. There are a few, great bands playing similar music at the moment, but The Speedways are still ahead of the pack.

The Speedways Big Cartel Shop

Beluga Records

Bandcamp

Author: Martin Chamarette

Autogramm become a four piece with new album and tour dates in the pipeline

Autogramm become a four piece with new album and tour dates in the pipeline

Seattle music scene stalwart Lars Swenson (Catheters / Bread & Butter) has joined international new wave power poppers Autogramm. Swenson has been in the studio with the band recording some exciting new releases scheduled for Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 and is also preparing for US and European tours in the new year with the band. 

Pic: Dave Paterson

Autogramm is a synth-driven, power pop quartet from Seattle, Chicago, and Vancouver that draws influences from the likes of The Cars, The Go-Go’s, Gary Numan, 20/20, and Devo. This new wave inspired band is a departure from their other various projects (Black Mountain, Destroyer, Spun Out, Black Halos, Catheters), but they have already graced the pages of international press like Under the Radar, Consequence of Sound, Louder Than War and Exclaim! Their last album No Rules charted for five months at college radio in both the US and Canada. The single “Mantra” also saw rotation on SXM’s The Verge, Rodney on the Rock, and Little Steven’s Underground Garage

Bandcamp:https://autogramm.bandcamp.com/releases

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

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

Twitter:https://twitter.com/Autogrammband

Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/artist/1Yq0GO9ZFd9aK9iKEVNe6D

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM-YkwLUwK8r5UDgRgTnlog

Maggot Heart – ‘Hunger’ (Svart Records)

Maggot Heart – ‘Hunger’ (Svart Records)

Ex-Beastmilk/Grave Pleasures guitarist Linnéa Olsson originally started Maggot Heart with two ex-members of (her then touring buddies) In Solitude (drummer Uno Bruniusson and bassist Gottfrid Åhman), and now seven years on from her/their debut ‘City Girls’ EP they find themselves within the bosom of Svart Records eclectic roster of bands.

‘Hunger’, is the name of their third album to date, and I’m not exactly sure how I’ve missed out on them until now, but better late than never eh? That’s because ‘Hunger’ is not only one of the most exciting records I’ve heard this year, but it also means I’ve not got their two previous records (‘Dusk to Dusk’ and ‘Mercy Machine’) to discover too. Now, that’s a result in my book!

In a year of strong releases (especially in the world of goth tinged music), declaring that ‘Hunger’ is one of the most exciting records I’ve heard to date is either a pretty bold, or dumb, statement to make, but after repeated listens there is always something new that grabs my attention and hooks me back in, and not unlike her old Sonic Ritual band mate (and now label buddy) Henrik Palm’s solo releases for Svart there is no single genre of music that you can pin Maggot Heart’s sound on, which in a world jam packed full of bands called Black Whisk(e)y Rivers or whatever, is what makes the record’s eight tracks so God damn exhilarating.

It’s the thunderous bass of Olivia Airey (who joined the band pre ‘Mercy Machine’) that propels the record into the stratosphere as Olsson rages “you are what you eat” and opener ‘Scandinavian Hunger’ flies off on some kind of off-kilter Voivod meets solo Henrik Palm three-minute musical maelstrom.

By contrast ‘Nil By Mouth’, whilst retaining that early days Ghost vibe that Palm brought to their music also has a poke in the eye simplicity about it. This is exceptional stuff and I’m amazed this wasn’t released as the album’s lead single instead of the far more “challenging” ‘Looking Back At You’, but then that’s the very essence of Maggot Heart I guess, nothing about this record is what you would expect, and if you want further proof of this just give the horn drenched ‘LBD’ a listen. It gives me goosebumps every time I hear that intro and when the brass section crops up again towards the end of the tune it’s almost like Nile Rodgers has been given a call to work his remix magic on this six minute plus giant.

That credit though must be afforded to Ben Greenberg and in particular the space his mix affords the musicians during tracks like ‘Archer’(something akin to PJ Harvey around the time of ‘To Bring You My Love’) and then also capturing the unyielding nature of the aforementioned ‘Looking Back At You’ whilst somehow still managing to retain a perfect balance across the record’s thirty seven plus runtime. This really is something that deserves a special mention.

Of the tunes themselves, it’s impossible for me to single out a favourite, but the one that instantly made me smile from ear to ear is ‘This Shadow’, a tune that has that distinctive Beastmilk guitar chime all over it and it could very easily sit alongside any of the tracks from that band’s classic ‘Climax’ record.

Hunger’s final duo of tunes ‘Concrete Soup’ and ‘Parasite’ pretty much square the creative circle on a record chock full of experimentation as Olsson, Bruniusson and Airey lock into some kind of gothic space rock groove that could easily be termed “progressive” (ahem), but here the trio never once lose the focus of their song. So, Maggot Heart are progressive without ever being prog if that’s at all possible?

Whatever your own take on ‘Hunger’ will be there is no arguing that this is indeed a unique record in an age when they are few and far between. It’s one that (as I said at the top of this review) defies genre pigeonholing and it is as fearless a record as you’ll hear anywhere in 2023.

If RPM actually scored records, ‘Hunger’ would be a ten out of ten without question.

‘Hunger’ is released via Svart Records on 29th September and is available to pre-order via Bandcamp HERE (you can also stream three songs here if you want to listen to the album) and from Svart Records HERE.

https://www.instagram.com/maggotxheart/

https://linktr.ee/maggothearthunger

Author: Johnny Hayward

Slade – ‘Alive! At Reading (Live)’ (BMG)

Slade – ‘Alive! At Reading (Live)’ (BMG)

Right at the top of their powers, Slade were a formidable live Rock n Roll band and one you most certainly wouldn’t want to follow on stage at a festival, like, Reading when it used to be a proper festival mixing styles and nationalities it certainly turned in some iconic performances throughout its original incarnation and one I can certainly remember reading about and hearing was Slades appearance.

Released on splatter vinyl, fans who’ve been paying attention will notice its another beauty and the sleeve is worth the price alone, absolutely outstanding picture that captures a Rock and Roll band in full flight and a dazzling spectacle of the times. Slade were unstoppable throughout the seventies becoming one of Europe’s biggest bands let alone the UK, releasing six smash hit albums, including three UK No-1, a run of 17 consecutive Top 20 singles which is an outstanding achievement that often gets overlooked.

This was first released on CD in the 2022 boxset ‘All the World Is A Stage’, The bands legendary 1980 performance at Reading festival and includes some of those smash hits like the anthemic ‘Cum On Feel The Noise’, ‘Mama Weer All Crazee Now’, ‘Get Down and Get With It’ and ‘Born to Be Wild’ closes an absolute barnstorming performance along with ‘the racaus ‘When I’m Dancing I Ain’t Fighting’.

I love the banter and Noddys Brummie drawl as he introduces songs like ‘Wheels Ain’t Coming Down’. The frenzied medley of ‘Something Else’ and ‘Pistol Packin Mama’ will have the listener daydreaming about the size of that crowd all going fuckin mental and how it was everyone for themselves as the band mesmerized a field of smelly denim and platforms. ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ makes me giggle but the singing of ‘Merry Christmas Everybody’ is an absolute hoot.

Remember kids this is pre-internet and mobile phones but their 70s heyday was disappearing in the rearview mirror but this last-minute slot (replacing Ozzy) turned that around and gave the band a second wind. Slade lovers or casual curious music fans would find this live document a firm favourite in any collection. This is a fine example of how to rock a festival audience. Sublime! Full Poke!

Buy Here

Ambrose Slade – ‘Beginnings’ (BMG)

Interesting part of these Slade rereleases is this pre Slade album as the title would suggest the begginings of the band and love it or loath it its deserving of its place as a catalogue of what came before their rise to the top of the Glam Rock table as kingpins of the genre and rightly so. ‘Genesis’ opens with its swirling psycadelic hypnotic bass riff on whats a bizzare instrumental opener.

Most of the songs here are other peoples tunes which I guess was pretty common in the final knockings of the 60s whilst only three are original songs. ‘Everybody’s Next One’ is a Steppenwolf song from their debut record but has Slade sounding more like a Who wannabe band. Other weird covers would have to be the Zappa ‘Ain’t Got No Heart’ even if does have a good energy to the rhythm. Justin Hayward’s ‘Fly Me High’ rolls along with its carefree chorus with a really interesting vocal peeking through. The ballad of Marvin Gaye ‘If This World Was Mine’ sees Holder push his vocal range to its limits is interesting to say the least. To wrap up this fascinating release they obviously take on a rarer Beatles song before the familiar ‘Born To Be Wild’ which is not unknown to even casual Slade fans but having two Stepenwolf songs not on a Stepenwolf album does look a bi tweird even now but hey it is what it is and this is a great take on a classic and that bass line is top drawer as is the thumping rhythm that went on to prove to be an absolute power house of a pairing.

The album closes with a galloping version of ‘Journey To The Centre Of Your Mind’ a song I’ve heard covered twice this excellent take and of course the Ramones version both crackers. Enjoy this one for sure but if you’re on a budget then I’d highly recommend the live one first its all killer for sure.

Buy Ambrose Slade Here

Mad Macca joins forces with Pat Todd for some live shows down under

Mad Macca joins forces with Pat Todd for some live shows down under

MAD MACKA OF THE COSMIC PSYCHOS & THE ONYAS AND LOS ANGELES ROCK’N’ROLL/PUNK LEGEND PAT TODD OF PAT TODD & THE RANKOUTSIDERS AND THE LAZY COWGIRLS TO JOIN FORCES FOR ACOUSTIC DATES IN AUSTRALIA

ANNOUNCEMENT FOLLOWS THE NEWS THAT PAT TODD WOULD APPEAR AT RIVER ROCKS FESTIVAL IN GEELONG IN NOVEMBER AND THE COSMIC PSYCHOS‘ 40TH ANNIVERSARY WEEKEND IN CASTLEMAINE IN DECEMBER

NEW PAT TODD & THE RANKOUTSIDERS New single “ALL WE HAVE TO SHOW” OUT NOW, is taken from the forthcoming new album ‘Sons Of The City Ditch’ , OUT OCTOBER 13 ON DOG MEAT RECORDS

“Pat Todd is a true American Original.  Raw, real and passionate – that’s what I think of when I hear the name, Pat Todd.” – Eddie Spaghetti, The Supersuckers

“Pat Todd is the most sincere Rock ‘n’ Roll singer/songwriter on the planet. He makes the rest of us look like a bunch of fakers.” – Blaine Cartwright, Nashville Pussy/Nine Pound Hammer

“So many great songs, so many great records, so many great gigs… PAT TODD is and always was, a rock’n’roll LIFER.” – Mad Macka, Cosmic Psychos, Onyas etc

PAT TODD & THE RANKOUTSIDERS’ SONS OF THE CITY DITCH IS OUT OCTOBER 13 ON DOG MEAT RECORDS. IT WILL BE RELEASED ON LP (BLACK VINYL & LTD ED RED VINYL), CD, AND DIGITALLY.

AU CD & LP ORDERS HERE
UK CD & LP ORDERS HERE
US ORDERS HERE

PAT TODD & MAD MACKA ON TOUR
    Sun Nov 19 – Volta, Ballarat, Vic / Facebook Event / Tickets (Pat Todd Only)
Tue Nov 21 – Morts Brewing Co, Nambour, Qld / Facebook Event / Tickets
Wed Nov 22 – Foxy’s on Coolum, Qld / Facebook Event / Tickets
Thu Nov 23 – King Lears, Fortitude Valley, Qld  / Facebook Event / Tickets
Fri Nov 24 – The Metro, Adelaide SA / Facebook Event / Tickets
Sat Nov 25 – Golden Barley Hotel, Enmore NSW / Facebook Event  / FREE SHOW
Sat Nov 26 – Link and Pin, Woy Woy, NSW / Facebook Event  / FREE SHOW
Wed Nov 29 – Merri Creek Tavern, Northcote, VIC / Facebook Event / Tickets

The new PAT TODD & THE RANKOUTSIDERS’ album Sons of the City Ditch is highlighted as usual by Pat Todd’s fantastic songs. A prolific writer with an eye on life in the margins – whether they be in small towns or the big sprawling city he has called home for 40 years – Todd routinely hits the mark where youth and the advancement of age find common ground in alienation and willfulness. Pat knows that rock’n’roll is not necessarily a young person’s game, and nor is it a glamorous one; the name he gave this band accurately points to where he and they are coming from. New originals like the new single ‘All We Have To Show’, the horn-riffing rocker ‘Living In A World of Hurt’ and the raucous country-folk punker ‘Goodbye to the World’ are up there with anything he has ever written. And the band is a powerhouse – their strengths are evident in the way they handle choice covers of JEFF BECK’s 1967 hit ‘HI HO SILVER LINING’ and DAVID JOHANSEN’s 1978 heartbreaker ‘DONNA’.

PAT TODD will be touring Australia solo, appearing at Geelong’s River Rocks Festival and at the Cosmic Psychos 40th anniversary weekender in Castlemaine, and in a double-bill with MAD MACKA from The Cosmic Psychos and The Onyas in November and December 2023. 

AU CD & LP ORDERS HERE
UK CD & LP ORDERS HERE
US ORDERS HERE

Swm Festival Announce Final Names For 2023

Swm Festival Announce Final Names For 2023
SWN FESTIVAL

ANNOUNCE FINAL NAMES FOR 2023 EDITION

TAKING PLACE ACROSS CARDIFF – OCT 20th-22nd
49 NEW ACTS ANNOUNCED INCLUDE:
HAK BAKER
PICTURE PARLOUR
WILLIAM DOYLE
FLAMINGODS
TAPIR!
ZZZAHARA
OUR GIRL
ACID KLAUS
VIJI
THE UTOPIA STRONG

JOINING THE LIKES OF:
THE LAST DINNER PARTY, PIGSx7, SKINNY PELEMBE, BILL RYDER-JONES, MANDY INDIANA, BC CAMPLIGHT, DIVORCE, OPUS KINK, JESSICA WINTER, LYNKS, ETHAN P FLYNN, WESTERMAN & MOREDAY TICKETS + FINAL TIER WEEKEND TICKETS
ON-SALE NOW: 
https://swnfest.com/“There’s something for everyone at this charming festival – the only problem is deciding who to watch.” – The Guardian, 4/5

“Sŵn Festival is setting the benchmark for festival line-ups and really hammers in a ‘no more excuses’ approach when it comes to diversity on line-ups… A perfectly run event, glued together by beautiful, kind and community-driven people.” – Clash
Hot off the heels of the successes of its 2022 edition – and the announcement of their 20 For 23 highlighted artists earlier this year – Sŵn Festival today shares the latest and final batch of additions to complete the line-up for this year’s event, taking place across multiple venues in Cardiff from October 20th-22nd. An unmissable highlight of the live calendar, the award-winning tastemaker festival once again returns with a jam-packed bill full of established and upcoming artists, a celebration of the diverse, exciting nature of both British and Welsh music and beyond. It promises to be another year of nurturing the best local, national and international artists and offering a platform to bigger and better things.

Bringing the kitchen-sink realism of working-class life on the Isle of Dogs to the Welsh Capital is Hak Baker. The East London troubadour, with his street-level stories and confessionals of youthful nihilism and male vulnerability, has been described by Vice as “subverting what a British folk singer can be“. A vital, inimitable voice for those often denied one, Baker’s set promises to be a life-affirming wonder brought to you from the edge of armageddon.

Making a colossal entrance into the music scene – and what will be an even greater entrance into the streets of Cardiff – is the widely-lauded Picture Parlour. Observing their ravenously watchable live set that is fast becoming one of the hottest tickets in their native London, you might wonder if you’ve found yourself back in July 1976 awaiting a neo-noir screening. Be prepared for an interlude of mini motion pictures that vow to lure audiences with the lyrics of a born thespian, accompanied by a generous dose of spellbinding guitar and sleazy bass lines.Joining them for this year’s line-up is Acid Klaus, the moniker of cultural agitator and electronic innovator Adrian Flanagan – the man behind the curtain of The Moonlandingz and Eccentronic Research Council, and many more trailblazing sounds born from the North of England. Acid Klaus’ performance celebrates the “conceptual, alter ego-driven spectacular” (Loud and Quiet) that is his second album, Step On My Travelator: The Imagined Career Trajectory of Superstar DJ & Dance-Pop Producer, Melvin Harris. It’s a phenomenal vortex of excess, hedonism and vampires of clubland culture, and in Cardiff it all awaits you. 

A firm favourite on the festival circuit across the UK and Europe, London quartet Flamingods are in town bringing with them their distinctive take on psychedelia, new wave, electronica and punk, blending in influences from their unique cultural heritages and a shared penchant for 70s British rock ‘n’ roll. As The Guardian aptly put it when writing about them recently: “prepare to be bombarded with bliss!”

William Doyle, fka East India Youth, comes to town with one of the most critically acclaimed back catalogues of the last decade in his pocket. From his 2014 Mercury-nominated debut album, Total Strife Forever, right through to his 2021 art-pop masterpiece Great Spans of Muddy Time, Doyle has been one of the most innovative sonic auteurs in British music in recent memory. Expect a suitably wondrous set from him in Cardiff.

Immensely charming, folk-tinged sextet – and recent Heavenly signings – Tapir! join in the festivities and promise to bring a touch of whimsy to proceedings, while LA’s Zzzahara – a frequent collaborator with Eyedress – will scratch the itch for anyone in need of reverb-laced break-up bangers. In the mood for some grunge-tinged dynamism? Brighton trio Our Girl have you covered. Psychedelic, motorik meanderings that clash with techno-tinged beats? You’ll be wanting to catch the inimitable The Utopia Strong. Alt-pop full of hefty guitar lines and infectious RnB energy, that’s as influenced by Fugazi as it is Frank Ocean? Rising Speedy Wunderground artist Viji might just be the one for you.

Today’s additions join an already jam-packed line-up that includes the abundantly hyped The Last Dinner Party, the one-man maelstrom that is Skinny Pelembe, British indie treasure Bill Ryder-Jones, brutally abrasive post-punk noire crew Mandy, Indiana, Manchester-via-New-Jersey auteur BC Camplight, filth-funk merchants Opus Kink, explorative Turkish-Sri Lankan experimental pop game-changer BODUR, Nottingham indie heavyweights and new Gravity/EMI signees Divorce, futuristic rock ‘n’ roll quintet Fat Dog, Dutch singer-songwriter Pip Blom, YALA! mainstay and much-loved indie staple Willie J Healey, and London mutant disco meets post-punk trio MADMADMAD.

Earlier this year, the festival announced their 20 For 23, in which Sŵn highlighted a selection of the country’s most promising newcomers in its first line-up reveal of the year.

Artists announced as part of 20 For 23 included pop disruptor Jessica Winter who crafts a world of gothic, dance-driven cabaret, the near-mythical Lynks whose your hook-up for ear-splitting bass with a queer punk ethos, subversive alt-pop visionary Ethan P. Flynn and the ever-fascinating Westerman, as well as hotly-tipped local talent including the romantic, driving post-punk of Slate and ascendant rapper Luke RV, a real gem at the centre of Wales’ burgeoning hip-hop scene.Speaking on the latest batch of names to join the 2023 edition of the festival, Sŵn head of music Adam Williams shares: “One thing that makes Sŵn so special and exciting to us is that we’re able to book the artists across the course of a full year. It means by wave three the focus is on those artists who have emerged in the past few months leading up to the festival like Viji, Picture Parlour, Trout and Flip Top Head. We also welcome better-known artists like Our Girl who make their long-awaited Sŵn Festival debut.”Keep your eyes peeled for more from Sŵn Festival as October approaches, but for now head to swnfest.com for more information and ticket pricing options. From today, single day tickets as well as two-day ticket bundles are available at the following prices: Friday – £20, Saturday – £40, Sunday – £30, Friday + Saturday – £55, Saturday + Sunday – £65. Early bird and tier one weekend tickets sold out before a single artist was announced, with tier two weekend tickets still on-sale.

Sŵn Festival is an award-winning multi-venue music festival based entirely in Cardiff’s city centre, which has been running since 2007. Since its inception, the festival has been focused on new music, emerging artists and homegrown acts.
Sŵn Festival – 2023 line-up (so far):Acid Klaus | Alaw | Alffa | Ani Glass | Artshawty | Baba Ali | Babymorocco | Banshi | BC Camplight | Bill Ryder-Jones | BODUR | Bonny Doon | Butch Kassidy | Car Boot Sale | CATTY | Cerys Hafana | Chilli Jesson | CHROMA | Cloth | Corella | Conchúr White | Crimewave | DasRADIAL | Death Cult Electric | Divorce | Elanor Moss | Ella Lockert | Ellur | Esther | Ethan P. Flynn | The Family Battenberg | Fat Dog | Ffenest | Flamingods | Flip Top Head | Frozemode | Getdown Services | Gillie | Grey FLX | Gwcci | Hak Baker | Half Happy | Hands Off | Hemes | Hex Girlfriend | Honesty | Hyll | The Itch | Jack Valero | Jasmine Jethwa | Jessica Winter | KEG | Lande Hekt | The Last Dinner Party | Living Body | Los Blancos | Luke RV | Lynks | MADMADMAD | Magugu | Malgola, No | Mandy, Indiana | Maria Uzor | Max Rad | Mercy Rose | Mickey Callisto | Minas | Moin | Monet | Morgan Harper-Jones | Murder Club | Muriel | The New Eves | New Wave Sound.Ent | Nookee | O. | Opus Kink | Oscar Browne | Oslo Twins | Our Girl | Pale Blue Eyes | Parisa Fouladi | Picture Parlour | Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs | Pip Blom | Rosie Alena | Safari Gold | Sage Todz | Salti | Shelf Lives | The Shunkos | Skinny Pelembe | Saloon Dion | Slaney Bay | Slate | Sleep Outside | Sophie Jamieson | Tapir! | Thord1s | Tiny Camels | Treeboy & Arc | Trout | The Tubs | TVAM | Twst | The Utopia Strong | Vanity Fairy | Viji | Waterpistol | Westerman | William Doyle | William The Conqueror | Willie J Healey | Y Dail | Ziyad Al-Samman | Zzzahara

Backstreet Girls – ‘In Lust We Trust’ (Indie Recordings)

Backstreet Girls – ‘In Lust We Trust’ (Indie Recordings)

Ok folks sit up pay attention set your volume control at a respectably loud setting and pour yourself a cold one before slipping this bad boy on the turntable. Backstreet Girls are in the house and they are showing no sign of mellowing out or slowing down. From the get-go the boogie is set on the max and this Norwegian powerhouse is up for the gig.

This is the band’s 16th studio record since their 1984 debut and with the motto of If it ain’t broke don’t fix it, they boogie n Roll the living shit out of these ten songs. ‘Beef Chop Suicide’ gets proceedings underway with that familiar Petter Baarli raw overdriven tone and whisky and no filter cigarette rasp of Bjørn Müllers cool vocals the song ushers in the album by blowing off the doors rather than gently easing the listener in. Hell, the full-fat production from Stamos Koliousis is perfect for the DC meets Stones tones these boys love to knock out. It’s bullshit free baby and they’re up for a good time and not a long time. ‘Waste Side Story’ is bruising but the thunderous shuffle of ‘Boogie Woman’ (of course that’s what it is called) is like being clubbed over the head by a Les Paul and the guitar break at the end kind of stops which is a bit weird I wanted it to continue my tennis racket wasn’t finished yet and I was looking to do a knee slide for a finale. Shit, that is one dirty tone Baarli is chopping up on ‘Too Cool For You’ as the band eases back for one sloppy dorty fucker of a song, and who isn’t going to dig that riff on the chorus before easing back into the verse, quality overload beware anyone feeling a little feeble this might be too tough for you.

Sure theres nothing original going on here nothing at all its just a cadalac of style with the best sounding stereo on the strip ‘Sister Satan’ is a brooding beast of a song cruising round impressing the shit out of any impressionable young man or woman. The quality of whats on offer is right up there and ‘Norma Jean’ is like Lemmy fronting Cheap Trick using AC/DC’s equipment to impress a particularly good-looking lady.

The next few tunes are all about that guitar tone with ‘Rocky Lee’ cooking up a bitches brew that’s made with equal parts gasolene and gunpowder the licks n fills are fantastic at volume and on headphones it’s like being in the room as the band strikes up a chord knowing exactly how damn good at this they are.

Before we’re done ‘Not Sorry At All’ is a blast of fist-pumping before ‘Doomday Hell’ is a purposeful thump on the drums and the gang vocals to close it out are spot on, so put on your shades, buckle up the leather trousers and pour another cold one Backstreet Girls are dishing up a Rockin good time (of course they are) and it’s fantastic to hear a band just rockin out because that’s what they love hearing and nobody is gonna tell them there is anything cooler than this. Top band, Top album, Top class. Buy yourself ‘In Lust We Trust’ and rock the fuck out – you’re worth it.

Buy Here

Author: Dom Daley