Black Devil Byrds- Interview with Nev Brooks

Black Devil Byrds- Interview with Nev Brooks

You might not have picked up on the Black Devil Byrds yet, they might not yet have appeared on your radar, do yourself a favour and start digging around, I think your going to be knocked sideways.

The Black Devil BYRDS released the debut album ‘Dead And In Prison’ in November 2017. The album, recorded in Prague at Golden Hive studio in 2016, is raw: as the band says, “a deliberate move away from the modern-day, now-standard, “corporate” recording process;” it was recorded on tape with NO clicks and in an as-live-as-it-could-be way! Late night sessions and a low fi feel were the order of the project”.

 

The tracks were recorded while the band were touring and playing festival dates in the Czech Republic the group headed up by Long John on Vocals, Guitar and Harmonicas, included long time side kicks: Jules Fly Haffegee on Bass, Rob Poyton Keys, John O’Neil Saxophone, Mark Gilligan Clarinet and Mark Wheeler Drums with additional percussion from Lee Morley.

 

I caught up with Lead Vocalist Long John, to talk the Blues and hear about the new LP scheduled for release this year

Hi Long John, thanks for taking the time out to talk to us here at RPM, especially when your just about to jet out to L.A. on music related business, for starters tell us a bit about your background/influences?

Yes, I am jetting back to L.A for the launch of the New Black Devil Byrds single ‘Letter to the President’. The record company are having a shindig for the event.. My heart and soul though are in America, I love the country and the people can be amazing. I have lived worked and traveled in the US for many years it’s a huge influence on my music and poetry writing. You get the best of the best and the very worst of the worst in the USA. 370 Million people in one place. Bound to be trouble sometimes…

 

I played a few tracks from your earlier LP ‘Dead and in Prison’ on a radio program called the ‘Rock and Roll circus’ when it came out and loved the almost Cajun Blues feel ala Dr John/ maybe hinting at Tom Waits, the raw intensity that sits behind the music. For people who have never heard The Black Devil Byrds, how would you describe the sound?

Yes that’s some good ingredients right there! I never intended to sound like waits or Dr John but they are inevitable influences on so many artist. I have seen myself as a Blues musician for many years but now I feel my music is starting to take a more soulful direction. I want soul and I want a message!

 

(If you want to do yourself a favour and pick up a copy of the first LP you can get it right Here)

Your just about to launch a new single “Letter to the president”, produced by Paul Ronney Angel, how did you manage to keep him out of the studio and behind the mixing desk, once his harmonica duties were covered?

Paul Ronney Angel’s been a soul brother to me for some years now. I have great respect for his music and as a performer, his band The Urban Voodoo Machine really are amazing. (I couldn’t agree more N.B.) He joined the Black Devil Byrds on our short tour in Prague a year or so ago and he really liked some of the tracks we were doing .He kept an eye on the new album and I asked him if he would like to do something on one of the tracks .He put some real hoodoo magic down with harmonicas and vocals and re inspired our efforts on this Black Devil Byrds project.  Paul had mentioned to Johnny Sting Ray he would like to produce a mix of Letter to the president. So we sent over the tracks from the studio in Prague to Space Eko, Alex McGowan’s studio in East London. I didn’t know what we would get back but when it arrived back with us Paul and Alex had really stripped it down and put an edge on things. Paul Rooney Angel is a very talented guy and has a very professional approach he is now producing the whole album.. Watch this space..

After hearing the single, I can absolutely say its gonna launch the Black Devil Byrds into the must watch bands of 2019/20 category) Its out on July 4th.

You’ve also dragged in Johnny Stingray to play on the new stuff, pulling him away from The Bad Idea Factory studio, to provide vocals and guitar are either of them going to be joining the band in the live setting?

Johnny is a great musician. Trouble is he’s and even greater artist so his guitar playing talents get over looked. He joined us on tour last your in Czech Republic and again for the recording sessions at Golden Hive in Prague last year.  We had a lot of fun in the studio and Johnny did a great feed back version of the Star Spangled Banner… we had to use it. Its featured more on the Alex Limburg (Hipster) Remix, which is a sister, release to the Radio Edit.

Tell us a little bit about the single, my understanding is it came from an initial poem you had written?

Yes most of my songs are written as poems which can be hard to transpose sometimes. I’m influenced greatly by the Beat poets of the late 60S. Ginsburg, Bukowski it’s incredible. We don’t read poetry so much any more and its powerful stuff. Trumps a great subject matter and it was important to me to say something. It’s not a slander song it all factual and simply a protest to his roller coaster approach to global harmony.

 

It’s coming out as a precursor for a new LP have you got a title and a potential release date yet?

The album will be our later in the year. We are still thinking on the title.

 

Tell us a little bit about the new LP?

It’s a message album. And the tracks, which we are still working on, have titles such as Syria, Meet My Maker, and a remix of Dead and in Prison… Dark and Soulful with a message you can keep in your hearts!

Any plans in place yet for some UK/European live dates?

It’s funny as I was taking a year off in 2019. Things run over. But yes we will be supporting Jim Jones and the Righteous Minds in Bedford October 5th. And plan to tour and promote the album with a few festival dates for 2020…

 

Let us know when your playing and we’ll drop in to catch up and listen. Are you listening to anything new at the moment, anything you’d recommend?

Bob Dylan.. Rolling Thunder.. amazing..

 

Absolutely one to check out people, cheers for taking the time out to chat to us, can’t wait to catch you guys live and looking forward to the new LP coming out

Thanks Neville for the interview….

 

If you like your Blues with an edge, verging on the Dr. John, dark, Cajun at times at other times raw and emotional with a real undercurrent this LP is for you.

 

If you’re a fan of real music played with passion you have arrived at the right place, get listening to the Black Devil Byrds.

 

Facebook

Author: Nev Brooks

 

Gone but not forgotten – Würzel

Gone but not forgotten – Würzel

Würzel was born Michael Richard Burston on 23 October 1949.  He joined Motörhead in 1984 and played up until 1995, playing on eight albums including two live albums. Würzel died at the age of 61, following heart complications.

He joined the same time as another unknown guitarist from Wales entered the Motorhead ranks a certain Phil Campbell. Lemmy obviously liked them both so offered them the job and the iconic three-piece had now become a four piece making their debut as a band on The Young Ones on 14 February 1984 Valentines Day.

After leaving the ranks of Motorhead Würzel released a solo EP in 87 as well as some dodgy Jazz-Rock instrumentals.  On this day in 2011, Lemmys bass technician reported that Würzel had died. The cause of death was CardioMyopathy.  Before passing, Würzel was working on new material with his band, ‘Leader of Down’. The following day, Lemmy dedicated Motörhead’s performance at Sonisphere Festival to his memory.

His recording contribution with Motorhead shouldn’t be underestimated playing on some of the bands best albums  they ever did such as – No Remorse (Compilation, 1984), Orgasmatron (1986), Rock ‘n’ Roll (1987), Nö Sleep at All (Live album, 1988), The Birthday Party (Live album, 1990), 1916 (1991), March ör Die (1992), Bastards (1993), Sacrifice (1995), BBC Live & In-Session (Live album, 2005).

He earned the nickname “Würzel ” as a soldier because of his West Country roots and disheveled appearance, which led his fellow recruits (when he was a soldier prior to joining Motorhead) to compare him with the TV character Worzel Gummidge.  Lemmy described him as “nearly a basket case” in his 2002 autobiography – encouraged him to add an umlaut to his name rather than go by his birth name, in line with the spelling of the band’s name besides putting Ü is like the Ö in the band name and way more metal. Würzel became the jester and a perfect counterfoil to Lemmy’s sterner image.  Lemmy recalled a time when he lived up to his chaotic jester-like lifestyle when he ran into Bill Wyman at a London venue and almost knocked him out such was his level of excitement. Lemmy recounted,  “Würzel ran down there, all excited, and, just as he comes to the bottom, Bill Wyman comes along, and he hits him full-on and lands him flat on his back … Great start to the evening, you know? ‘Hello, Bill, I’ve always been a fan of yours. Oh sorry, have I knocked you out?’ ”

Despite leaving the band he did remain friends with Lemmy and made several guest appearances at shows up until his untimely death including Guilfest in ’09.  Rest in peace Würzel.

 

Rosalie Cunningham-Rosalie Cunningham (Cherry Red)

Rosalie Cunningham-Rosalie Cunningham (Cherry Red)

I was really not sure what to expect with this one, a solo offering coming from the front-woman of Purson Rosalie Cunningham,  but as opening track  ‘Ride on my bike” opens up I’m thinking early 60’s maybe 70’s psychedelia “ala” Barrett era Pink Floyd, maybe a hint of the Chocolate watch band, but definitely not what I expected. The vocals themselves, almost (I said almost) entering Jefferson Airplane territory.

 

Next up “Fuck love” again drifts down the route of Psychedelia and I’m starting to get a bit of a prog vibe the discord, offsetting the vocals, is a bit too technical for my taste’s, in fact, it’s lost me I’m finding this challenging to say the least.

 

There’s a carny-style intro to “House of the glass red” and I think I’m rapidly disappearing down the rabbit hole, the Alice in Wonderland vibe which is so dependent on the substance consumed has left me in a strange place, surrounded by imagery I’m at complete odds with.

 

Next up “Dethroning the party queen” again tracks the carny trail, almost Mickey mouse controlling the sweeping brushes ala Fantasia, the sound and vocals rising and falling and I’m starting to think if at the outset the music was designed to create an environment where we vanish into a world of individual psychedelic fairy tails then I’m getting it, but fck it’s not an easy listen.

 

Next up “Nobody Hears” begins with an almost Jazz Piano intro before a harmonium comes through and a more medieval sound appears (as if by magic), I’m not sure if you could call this prog it really is all over the place, it’s so far out there I’m grasping at straws, trying to grab links to try to understand what I’m listening to and ending up thinking about Mr. Benn!!!!! Isn’t it amazing where music takes your mind?

 

At this point I’m smiling to myself, I’ve given up being constructive and am off with the fairies bouncing along the yellow brick road to the emerald city “Riddles and Games” is actually playing but by this time my fragile mind has lost the plot completely and I’m barely hanging in there. Then “Butterflies” starts and I’m into Thames-men era Spinal Tap and off again lost in my own little world.

 

I have to say at this point I’m really not the right person to review this, I just don’t get this genre at all, its all elves, pixies, Unicorns and abstract fairy tails (purely a personal opinion) I’m not even going to go into “Rumpelstiltskin” sorry  “A yarn from a wheel”. Absolutely not for me but I’m sure it will appeal to any lover of Prog and as if by magic over to you DD!!!!!

Buy Rosalie Cummingham: Here

Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown – ‘Truth And Lies’

Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown – ‘Truth And Lies’

Looking in from the outside, it’s easy to be skeptical of Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown. The young Nashville based band seemingly came from nowhere, bagged a record deal and toured the world supporting AC/DC and Guns n’ Roses in arenas, after just one, low key album release. A dream for any young band, but not every young band can get that kind of breaks. It takes more than having a guitar prodigy fronting your band and the son of Aerosmith’s Brad Whitford backing him up on rhythm guitar to bag the sort of tours these guys have been getting on…doesn’t it?

When you are lauded by the likes of BB King and Jeff Beck it must be hard to keep your head out of the clouds, but Tyler Bryant and his band have kept grounded and paid their dues like any other rock ‘n’ roll band, through sheer hard work and determination to put on the best show they can.

Fair play, it turns out these guys got those tours on their live performance alone and not on who they know. Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown have paid their dues in the clubs and if you have been lucky enough to catch them live, you will know you can’t fake that sort of energy, or stage that quality of performance.

But to stay alive in this musical climate, being a great live band is not enough, you’ve got to have something special to keep people’s attention and you have to have the songs to back it up.

 

Which brings us to Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown’s third full-length album ‘Truth And Lies’. Recorded in Williamsburg, NY by producer Joel Hamilton (The Black Keys, Tom Waits), ‘Truth And Lies’ is a heady mix of 80’s and 90’s bluesy hard rock, following the same stadium-sized path as its self-titled predecessor.

But for me, the band have never captured the energy of their live show, and on record, they come across as a country-tinged Bon Jovi, and funnily enough if you had told me this was the lost album between ‘These Days’ and ‘Crush’ I would surely believe you!

Yes, back in the mid 90’s when rock music was a bit edgy and bands were taking risks, ‘Truth and Lies’ would have fitted in just nicely. It has a grungy feel to a lot of the straight out rockers. For example, album opener ‘Shock & Awe’ rides on a sludgy, Jerry Cantrell like riff and a stadium-sized chorus that fits the bill. It’s a great track that sets the scene. The trouble is, that scene is a little bit staid and a whole bit generic.

The rockier tunes are solid enough but don’t really grab the attention. The likes of ‘On To The Next’, ‘Eye To Eye’ and ‘Panic Button’ are blues-rock by numbers and not particularly inspiring or memorable. The annoying thing is, I know these tunes will absolutely crush when they play them live.

 

For me, this band truly shine when they take things down a notch. The heartfelt ‘Out There’ with its lone, finger-picked acoustic guitar and sentimental lyricism is a beautiful piece of music. With Eastern vibes and a sense of yearning, this is a top track that hits the spot. And ‘Judgement Day’ is the piece de resistance of ‘Truth and Lies’. Drummer Caleb’s simple beats and the haunting effects back up Tyler’s raspy vocal, his lone, finger-picked acoustic guitar complimenting just perfectly. A sweet, slide solo and swampy vibes make this a stand out track.

 

You could say The Shakedown are at their best when they are just kicking back and playing the blues. The southern rock vibes of ‘Trouble’ sit well and ‘The Ride’ is a ZZ Top inspired piece of blues-rock that flows along nicely. A jaw-dropping, yet understated piece of soloing from the frontman makes this a bit of a showstopper.

 

I get the sense that this album is make or break for Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown. They are young, hungry and they look the part, as with their previous albums, their fan base will adore ‘Truth and Lies’ and I’m sure it’ll gain them plenty more. But, I don’t think they really have the songs and that’s what counts above all else.

Already the competition is high for album releases this year, and for me ‘Truth & Lies’ is an average album from a truly exceptional live band.

 

Facebook

Buy Truth And Lies Here

Author: Ben Hughes

The Mission’s Wayne Hussey announces ‘Salad Daze’ UK tour

The Mission’s Wayne Hussey announces ‘Salad Daze’ UK tour

The Mission’s Wayne Hussey announces ‘Salad Daze’ UK tour with dark ethereal wonder Evi Vine

Order tour tickets Here
Order ‘Salad Daze’ book Here

Wayne Hussey, best known as the frontman for UK alternative rock legends The Mission, has announced UK dates with London-based dark ethereal artist Evi Vine, as part of his European tour this coming autumn. Hussey will be touring in support of his long-awaited autobiography ‘Salad Daze’. Evi Vine is supporting her new album ‘Black Light White Dark’.

Evi Vine contributed backing vocals on The Mission’s 2016 album ‘Another Fall From Grace’, which hit the UK top-40 album chart. In 2016-17, she toured with Wayne Hussey and The Mission as featured vocalist for their 30th Anniversary Tour.

Wayne Hussey’s book ‘Salad Daze’ was published on May 23 by Omnibus Press, chronicling Wayne’s life from childhood to his days with The Mission. A confessional, engaging and explicit account of life in the eye of rock’s storm conveyed with warmth, humour and laugh-out-loud moments, each chapter is accompanied by a specially curated playlist (via YouTube and Spotify) featuring artists as diverse as Elvis, Radiohead, Suicide, Frank Sinatra, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, David Bowie, Television, T-Rex, Cigarettes After Sex, Iggy Pop, and Telly Savalas.

“My autobiography was recently published and, to celebrate, I’m going out on a mammoth tour of Europe. Having been in solitary confinement and chained to a desk for the last year or so I thought it was time to go and make some music and be a little sociable with the world. Hence, I’m playing 50 plus shows in just over two months visiting the UK, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Holland, Belgium, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, Greece, & Sweden,” says Wayne Hussey.

“It’ll either kill me or make a man of me at last. For the UK shows, I am delighted to have Evi Vine as my very special guest. Evi, who recently released a third solo album ‘Black White Light Dark’, sang onstage with The Mission in 2016-17 on our ‘Another Fall From Grace’ tour. I am also hoping to persuade Evi to maybe join me onstage each night to sing a few songs together. It was always one of the highlights of the Mission show for me when Evi and I got to perform one acoustic song, I always looked forward to that moment.”

Born in Bristol and raised as a Mormon, Wayne had his epiphany as a young boy while watching Marc Bolan and T-Rex on Top Of The Pops. Seeing his destiny in a blinding flash of glitter, mascara and dark curls, he decided he was going to be a rock star. After moving to Liverpool, Wayne eventually gained recognition and notoriety as the lead singer and principal songwriter in The Mission after putting in time as a guitarist with Sisters Of Mercy, Dead Or Alive, and Pauline Murray’s Invisible Girls.

Most recently, both Wayne Hussey and Evi Vine have been collaborating with LA-based supergroup Beauty in Chaos, spearheaded by Michael Ciravolo and also involving members of The Cure, Ministry, Cheap Trick, King’s X, The Offspring, Van Halen, Marilyn Manson and Bauhaus, as well as Ice T, Tim Palmer and Rolan Bolan, among others.

The ‘Salad Daze’ Tour with Evi Vine kicks off in Nuneaton on August 26 and runs until November 8 at Stockholm’s Nalen Klubb. His final UK date is November 10, when Wayne appears at the Louder Than Words book festival in Manchester. Hussey will also be embarking on a full European solo tour this year in promotion of this book.

 

Keep up with Wayne Hussey / The Mission UK
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | iTunes | Spotify | Book order | Tour press contact |
Book press contact | Concert bookings contact

Keep up with Evi Vine
Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Big Cartel | Instagram | YouTube | Twitter | iTunes | Spotify

Rainy Days And Mondays

Rainy Days And Mondays

OK pop pickers here are three proper bangers for you that’ll guarantee to set your Monday off on the right foot.  Poison Boys ‘Tear Me Apart’ is taken from their stunning new long player out now on Dead Beat Records and we’re not joking when we tell you these boys are stunning.  You’d be a bit daft or Mumford and Son if you ignored them.

 

 

Next up is ‘Ship It In’ from those Rotten Foxes.  With a 7″ record on its way, this is some low down dirty punk rock n roll that we think you’d be pretty daft to ignore. Even if we don’t recommend thats where to dip your choccy biscuits

 

Finally, we’ll sign off with this classic that’s just had a 7″ piece of plastic made as the album gets a re-release with bonus tracks n stuff. Not only Kelly but I think we’ve all gone insane- take it away Duncan

 

Cheap Gunslingers ‘Cheap Gunslingers’ (Rum Bar Records)

Cheap Gunslingers ‘Cheap Gunslingers’ (Rum Bar Records)

Cheap Gunslingers introduce themselves as a band quite nicely on their debut album which prefers to ignore the past 40 years and channel a blend of glam, the Ramones, and ’77 punk to great effect. Many, many years ago, Jeff Dahl put out a series of compilations call the ‘Ultra Underground’ that would have served as a perfect place to find the Cheap Gunslingers. I did a quick review of Sal Canzonieri’s new ‘A Fistful More of Rock and Roll’ series as that would be another great place for these Gunslingers to be but did not see them listed on any of the upcoming volumes yet. Their songs are filled with trashy, fuzzy, addictive, familiar hooks that musically do not offer a lot of surprises, but the album is downright fun.

‘Record Store’ gets the party started with a beat and structure that reminds me of Joan Jett’s version of ‘Roadrunner,’ but the production is much more aligned with the early Ramones’ albums. The Chuck Berry infused guitars riffs cut with a nice touch of distortion added for some extra crunch. The chorus is simple and leads to some badly out of tune backup singing by me as I write this. It really serves as an ideal lead track for the album as it immediately pulls the listener in and leaves you wanting to know what they will do next. They maintain the momentum with ‘Good Time’ delivering just what the title says. Some tasteful ‘oohs’ in the background of the chorus provide another reason that this one sticks in the brain. ‘Defective’ serves up some straight ahead rock n roll but doesn’t hit the same heights with me that most of the other songs here do. ‘Three Chords’ comes in with the rhythm section laying down the beat, and the guitar solo serves up some well placed distortion. The hook is not fancy but works well and is designed for crowd participation. The first half of the album comes quickly to a close with ‘Run Girl’ bringing back the ‘oooh’s’ for backing vocals before the chorus gets stuck in your brain like gum on your shoe.  The break in the back half of the song really helps provide some dynamics to the song to take it to the next level.

‘Junky Friends’ was the first song I heard by the Cheap Gunslingers when I was seeing if I wanted to review the album, and it initially left me flat. It was enough to tell that the band were in my musical wheelhouse (or at least one of them), and I was curious enough to want to hear the whole album. With all that said, this song has continued to grow on me, and I really like it within the concept of the album. The opening riff and beat reminding me more of someone like the Heartbreakers with a similar production quality. It packs a little more punch than some of the other songs here. I have no doubt that I would prefer to hear this song live. ‘Please Kill Me’ brings a cool blues groove and one of the best choruses on the album. If the band make another video for the album, this would be my recommendation with the guitar riffs getting plenty of room in the mix here as well.

The band slow the beat down for ‘Water Table Line’ with the ‘Darklands’ era by Jesus and Mary Chain coming to mind musically (‘April Skies’) with perhaps some Velvet Underground type feel in the vocals. The biggest obstacle on this one is the song can feel a little monotonous due to its length at four and a half minutes. The extended guitar solo is very well done, but they could have trimmed this song down a bit elsewhere. ‘Off the Rails’ gets us back up at full speed and hits the sweet spot, bringing to mind Little Richard, Chuck Berry by way of Izzy Stradlin through a transistor radio. This one sits with my other favorites from the album and will be finding its way into my playlists for an extended period of time. Wrapping up the album is ‘Bars of the Song’ where the band incorporate elements of a 50’s rock ballad. This confessional is perfectly placed with the vocals dripping sincerity and bringing the album to a solid close.

Cheap Gunslingers could have easily come from decades ago, and I would not have been surprised if someone had told me this album was a re-release from the end of the 70’s or beginning of the 80’s. This album leaves me wanting to hear more from the band in the future as this clearly sets up expectations for them to deliver in the future. When this album hits the mark, which it does far more than it misses, it is a rocking good time and should be welcomed by a lot of people who love rock n roll.

‘Cheap Gunslingers’ is available now.

Facebook

Bandcamp

 

Author: Gerald Stansbury

 

‘No Man’s Land’ The New Frank Turner album details

‘No Man’s Land’ The New Frank Turner album details

Frank Turner is set to release his new album  ‘No Man’s Land’ in August.

Produced by Catherine Marks (Foals, The Big Moon) and due out August 16 via Xtra Mile/Polydor, ‘No Man’s Land’ is driven by the lives & legacies of 13 extraordinary women, previously marginalised by history. A self-confessed history nut, Turner began work on the project after learning about Jinny Bingham, a witch who lived in Camden in the 1600s.

Whilst there’s a couple of familiar names profiled on ‘No Man’s Land’ (incl. Godmother of rock’n’roll, Sister Rosetta Tharpe), the album shines a light on those overlooked by the mainstream – including Egyptian feminist activist Huda Sha’arawi, Dodge City dancehall dancer Dora Hand and the ‘Jazz Baroness’, Nica Rothschild.

Today, new track ‘Sister Rosetta’ arrives alongside the first episode in a new 13-part podcast series which Frank has created with production company Somethin’ Else, ‘Tales From No Man’s Land’, which unpicks the stories of each woman in conversation with various special guests, followed by an acoustic performance of each track.

Pre order Here

Stream episode 1 of ‘Tales From No Man’s Land’: Here

 

FRANK TURNER will be performing in the UK throughout the summer:
JULY
11th        2000 Trees Festival, Cheltenham
12th        Wasteland Festival, Newcastle
14th         Folk By The Oak Festival, Hatfield
AUGUST
3rd        Wickham Festival, Fareham
4th        Tunes in the Castle, Exeter
9th        Cropredy Festival, Cropredy
22nd        Cottingham Folk Festival (Solo Show)
25th        Greenbelt Festival, Kettering

 

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones/ Sonic Boom Six/Bar Stool Preachers Bristol O2 Academy

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones/ Sonic Boom Six/Bar Stool Preachers Bristol O2 Academy

Now I have to be honest, given the choice of sitting in a field with 125,000 of the hunter welly wearing brigade, swopping anecdotes about how much I’d always wanted to see Kylie, or worse still sitting at home watching the BBC sanitized version moaning about how I’d missed out on taking out a second mortgage to buy tickets in the faint hope there’d be someone there I liked, there was only ever going to be one winner tonight. Lets get Skanking to a night of Ska punk, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones bringing the party to the o2 in Bristol.

 

Walking in to the o2 about ten minutes to start, I’ll be honest I was just a little bit nervous for the Preachers, to say it was sparsely populated would be an understatement. Worries however were short lived, by the time the Bar Stool Preachers hit the stage we had a more than sizeable audience, vastly different to the last time I caught them in the Exchange. Right from the off you can see that the months on the road have sharpened things up, they sounded huge!!! You can’t help but dance, with Tom, the demented ringmaster presiding over the maelstrom of noise. Now I’ve followed the bar Stool Preachers since they were a twinkle in Tom’s eye, reviewed both their LP’s and watched them change and adapt and grow going from an out and out party band into a politically charged machine (The guys arrived from a guerilla gig outside No10) and the place exploded when a personal fave from Grazie Governo “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out” was dedicated to probably the most inept prime minister Britain has ever endured, that is until Boris rides in on his white charger, put in place by the fcking idiots who vote Tory!!!

As the band have grown in confidence the sound has developed, the message getting stronger and stronger, I turned to Johnny H and said “They’ve been listening to too much Steel Pulse” (How far off the mark am I TJ McFaul?) After all Ska came out of the dancehall, mutated into Roots Reggae and there isn’t a genre more politically charged. A rapidly swelling crowd got more and more into the band and the whole place, looking round had a huge smile on its face and no doubt some dodgy knees this morning, Trickle Down, One Fool Down, Bar stool preacher, set the tone, but the newer stuff played tonight has the potential to put them in the shade. I for one can’t wait to catch them in Clwb Ifor Bach on September 21st

 

Next up we had a band I’d caught live in Camden Underground Sonic Boom Six and in fairness at that gig they really brought the noise and the party it was mental, but tonight I’m not sure if that sound translated into a bigger venue, there was a definite struggle for an identity present and I wonder how much management have become involved? They just didn’t seem the same band, or maybe it was just down to the fact that the Bar Stool Preachers had blown my mind, but where the one band is pushing forward, the other seems to be changing direction and not quite sure which way to go.  Both bands loosely tied together by the word Ska.

Now The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are a band I caught way bag in the day and if memory serves me right they played the Cheap Sweaty fun’s 10th anniversary gig originally scheduled for Tj’s but displaced to The Irish club after a difficult personal circumstance for Tj’s owner John Sicolo.

 

They were Fckin awesome then and tonight watching them sober they haven’t changed a bit and the party atmosphere just grew and grew, we had skanking, we had dancing, we had crowd surfing everything a proper gig needs and it was relentless, the o2 getting hotter and hotter, going thermo-nuclear way before the end. Before you even realized we were an hour plus in and tracks like “Someday I suppose”, the cover of the Wailers “Simmer Down”, “the Rascal king”, “The Punchline” had all flown by. These guys are the consummate professionals and all nine of them, yup nine on one stage made movement look so effortless as they changed positions, danced off and brought the brass section to the fore. What a performance. Now if I had to pick a winner tonight it would have to be The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, they are a real heavyweight in the Ska punk division,  been there done it got the T-shirt, but there is a young contender from Brighton coming up through the ranks very quickly.

Great night did I miss Glastonbury? Not in a million fckin years and tonight for once sound was spot on for all the bands, happy days.

 

Author: Nev Brooks

Spotify Playlist for July

Spotify Playlist for July

Every month we will try to promote the bands who grace the pages of RPM Online and ask that if you do follow us on Spotify then please where possible try and support the bands by picking up their physical music as well as just streaming.  We appreciate its a great way to discover new music but bands make better records and earn more from you buying their physical products.

Support us and the bands by sharing this page on social media and following the playlist on Spotify

This month we’ve either reviewed – seen or reported on new music heading our way from some of our favourite artists and this month is no exception beginning with Manchester The Empty Page who has a new track out that we feature this month.

Then Poison Boys have just released their blistering debut album we reviewed here but the album isn’t on Spotify yet so we delved into their back catalogue for this months playlist. But buy the album its a belter (Here).

We also welcome back The Hives with their new single.

The living end were awesome supporting the mighty Stray Cats recently so we included one off their last studio album.

One of my favourite albums this year has been the much-anticipated solo record from Billy Liar.  One of my favourite tracks off the album is added to our playlist – simple – beautiful – ‘Independent People’ is awesome and one of the best tunes this month.

Supporting Billy at his album launch is Rich Ragany & The Digressions so why not include the fantastic ‘Your Distance’ from the superb ‘…Like We’ll Never Make It…’

There are also some superb tunes on our playlist from the likes of Duncan Reid, Joey Cape, Razorbats and more.  go check us out and spread the word.

 

Spotify Playlist