John J. Presley announces UK headline tour dates for February 2024

<strong>John J. Presley announces UK headline tour dates for February 2024</strong>

John J. Presley announces UK headline tour dates for February 2024

Tickets available HERE:


New album ‘Chaos and Calypso’ due October 20th via God Unknown Records

Album launch show confirmed for October 18th at Third Man Records, Blue Basement in Soho, London. Tickets HERE:

Pre-order the album HERE:

Listen to new single ‘Silhouettes’ HERE:

“This is so good, a brooding, bluesy work out which would sound quite good in a Peaky Blinders-esque epic, perhaps we should also pass that on to that nice Cillian Murphy fellow…” Steve Lamacq, BBC6 Music

“What a return, sounding so good…superb stuff.” John Kennedy, Radio X

“Beauty in the songwriting, with John J. Presley displaying Nick Cave-esque levels of vocal intensity.” CLASH

“A ferocious, belly-deep sound, but somehow tender with it.” The Guardian (Laura Barton)

Brighton based multi-instrumentalist John J. Presley returns with a new album ‘Chaos and Calypso’, due October 20th via God Unknown Records. Following a period of activity in May of this year, John broke a three-year hiatus with the brooding, hypnotic single ‘Sinnerman’ (a collaboration with friend Laura-Marty Carter from Blood Red Shoes), and live shows with Radiohead’s Philip Selway and Gaz Coombes (Supergrass).

‘Chaos and Calypso’ features the first new music from Presley since his debut album ‘As The Night Draws In’ in 2019 and the vinyl only lockdown release ‘Albany Sessions’, which were both released to great acclaim. Presley’s music is hard to categorize but that is its strength – from folk blues noir moments to tasteful post rock walls of sound, – classic songwriting to improvised, experimental moments, Presley is constantly creating a tapestry that will engage, challenge, and inspire.

A diary piece that echoes a period of ill health, of spiralling vertigo and misdiagnoses, ‘Chaos and Calypso’ shows Presley’s trademark guitar tone in full effect with enough space in the mix to weave in a new palette of textures from drum machines and synths throughout. Presley plays guitar, bass and pedal steel on the new record and is an in-demand player too – Nadine Shah, Duke Garwood, Laura-Mary Carter, Juanita Stein and Smoke Fairies have all had him join their line ups.

Finally free of the confines of the studio, Presley is ready to bring ‘Chaos and Calypso’ to life in venues across the UK and following a special album launch show at Third Man in London on October 18th, will undertake a headline UK tour in February 2024.

Tickets are available HERE:

Full dates below:

18th October Third Man, London (special album launch show)

31st October The Prince Albert, Brighton

2024

1st February Edge of the Wedge, Portsmouth

4th February Strings Bar and Venue, Isle of Wight

9th February Ramsgate Music Hall, Ramsgate

22nd February Adelphi, Hull

23rd February The Golden Lion, Todmorden

24th February Le Pub, Newport

25th February Hare and Hounds, Birmingham

‘Chaos and Calypso’ album launch show confirmed for October 18th at Third Man Records, Blue Basement in Soho, London. Tickets HERE:

Pre-order ‘Chaos and Calypso’ HERE:

Follow John J. Presley online:

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BANDCAMP

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

Philip Seth Campbell – ‘City Lights’ (Assai Records)

Philip Seth Campbell – ‘City Lights’ (Assai Records)

The former frontman of The Temperance Movement returns after a tumultuous period in his life with a solo album that has been decades in the making. Musical differences and personal issues saw the gravelly-throated singer leave not only The Temperance Movement in 2020, but also last year he parted ways with The Byson Family, the band he left to form and concentrate on.

But following a series of acoustic shows and a recent EP release, Philip has exorcised whatever demons he was carrying and is back stronger than ever with his debut long player.

Seeking redemption and filled with retrospection ‘City Lights’ is a journey of a storyteller who explores new territories while tipping his worn and tattered hat towards his past glories throughout its 12-track length. There’s a self-assured confidence and a sense of rejuvenation to leading track and first single ‘Magical West’ that sees Philip shed the heavy rock and americana leanings of his previous bands and embrace a more commercial and eclectic direction. Upbeat and euphoric in equal measures, it has a Springsteen style power and delivery with a rousing chorus that will excite the listener and induce goosebumps as well as repeated plays.

‘City Lights’ is an album filled with unexpected directions that take you on a definite journey. The liberating ‘Hasta Luego’ is a tale of eloping to Mexico, and you are with him on the road as he invites you to “get away through LA and San Diego”. Sound wise, with urgent beats and stabs of keys it builds like Hothouse Flowers to a rousing chorus worthy of Butch Walker.

The mellower, more soulful moments such as ‘Revelation’ and ‘Break The Curse’ nod their heads to Van Morrison with gospel-tinged backing vocals, brass and stabs of piano to accompany the stunning vocal delivery.

The needle drops on side two for the funky title track with a blast of horns, crisp drum beats and gospel harmonies, coming on like an outtake from The Black Crowes sophomore long player meets Paolo Nutini, and that ain’t a bad place to be. But if there is any one song that would be a showcase for Phil’s vocal prowess on this album, I would probably go for the celebration that is ‘Soul Fire’. The performance here exudes confidence, power and depth and just seems to flow perfectly. A killer guitar solo adds some fire. It’s worth noting that considering he plays most of the instruments and self-produced this album, it has a very ‘live in the studio’, full band sound.

Elsewhere, ‘Silent Symphony’ mixes up americana and soul with sweeping strings and gospel backing to create a heart-wrenching, cinematic soundscape. And that is something that continues on the honest and confessional ‘Sober Boy’.

He may have left TTM to get away from the screamers, but closer ‘Gut City Blues’ leaves us with a reminder of his past. Killer riffs and even more killer vocals give us a whiff of AC/DC meets Ike & Tina goodness, plus the addition of founding TTM guitarist Luke Potashnick, who turns of to lay down a tasty solo. A glorious rocker that is sure to be a live favourite when he hits the road later this year.

While I was saddened when he left TTM and The Byson Family, Philip Seth Campbell has risen like a phoenix from the flames and delivered an album that exceeds all expectations. ‘City Lights’ is an instantly familiar album that is hard to not fall in love with from the very first listen. With enough rockers, ballads and ravers to satiate his fanbase, it exudes the confidence and charisma of a songwriter who has been around the block and has lived to tell the tale.

Buy Here

Author: Ben Hughes

Christmas ‘Eff It Up’ in style Video

Christmas ‘Eff It Up’ in style Video

After the start of the pandemic and Brexit, Christmas were perhaps the first punk band back on tour in the UK in 2021. To capture the experiences on video, the band captured the tour in a small clip in 2022. Enjoy ‘Fuck It Up’ from the current album ‘Hot Nights In Saint Vandal’ (released in 2020 on Kidnap Music and TNS Records) you can watch the band from the ferry to Quadrophenia Alley!

Buy Christmas Merch Here

C.O.F.F.I.N – ‘Australia Stops’ (Bad Vibrations)

C.O.F.F.I.N – ‘Australia Stops’ (Bad Vibrations)

If you prefer the US re-dubbed version of Mad Max, George Miller’s 1979 post-apocalyptic vision of the future, then hit the homepage button now, because C.O.F.F.I.N are about as Australian as every millimetre of Mick “Two Fingers” Simpson’s beer belly. Just take one look at the front cover of ‘Australia Stops’, the band’s fifth album to date, and there’s no disputing these madmen from the Northern Beaches of Sydney really do suffer for their art. I mean who has a mullet in 2023? Well, other than the members of Rough Gutts, obviously. (Ha!)

Yeah, these four guys are like a Cosmic Psychos and Asteroid B-612 jam band playing Bea Smith’s birthday bash at Boggo Road Jail, that’s how bloody Australian they are, and they sound totally bloody bonza too! Just take one listen to the album’s opening track (and lead video) ‘Give Me A Bite’ and tell me I’m wrong.  The opening guitar licks of this track slap you straight across the face before vocalist and drummer Ben Portnoy (no relation…I hope) literally spits the song’s lyrics in it too. There’s something very Hip Priests-like about the “spit in my wounds” refrain too, and that’s certainly no bad thing, eh pop pickers? 

I must admit that when the band released their ‘Children In Finland Fighting In Norway’ (think about it) album a few back, I was already balls deep into a playlist featuring the likes of Stiff Richards, Private Function and Civic, so that record’s dozen tracks kind of passed me by, but here in 2023 with no such distractions to take my (bonk) eye off the C.O.F.F.I.N shaped prize, I’m all about the mullet maaaaan.

‘Cut You Off’ reminds me of just how great Airbourne used to be before they recorded the same album four times over, mixing the Rose Tattoo riffage with Motorhead attitude to absolute perfection. ‘City Sun’ meanwhile appears to be an ode to a man with the head of a horse, so I’m always going to love it aren’t I?

‘Keep It Dark’ and ‘Lovers Leash’ quickly follow and continue this four to the floor approach before ‘Beasts’ chugs its harp beating black heart past the record’s midway point, and I can’t help but think of Stevie Young’s old band Starfighters and their classic debut album every time I hear this one.   

For the second half of ‘Australia Stops’ the album’s title track introduces us to a further five song knuckle sandwich of punch drunk rock ‘n’ roll, the highlight of which (for me anyway) is the blistering one – two of ‘Through The Sewer’ and ‘Faceless’ a fine duo of tunes for the children of Generation Z to truly lose their shit over, just like they have been to the likes of Amyl & The Sniffers and The Chats.

Hotter than a rollin’ dice, C.O.F.F.I.N will hopefully be back soon to rule the roads of the UK (they did a run of shows back at the start of the summer) and promote ‘Australia Stops’ to the max, In the meantime we can all get excited about this mighty fine record hitting the record shop racks on September 15th.

Play it loud folks, PLAY IT LOUD!

You can pre-order ‘Australia Stops’ via the following link; http://coffin.lnk.to/AustraliaStops

Social links: Facebook / Instagram

Author: Johnny Hayward

The Hangmen – ‘Stories To Tell’ (Acetate Records)

The Hangmen – ‘Stories To Tell’ (Acetate Records)

I always get excited when I hear news trickling through the grapevine that Californias Bryan Smalls has assembled The Hangmen to record some new music and when I got the PR to say ‘Stories To Tell’ was indeed done and in the can, I couldn’t wait to get me some.

Getting straight to business, ‘Broken Heartland gets ‘Stories To Tell’ off to a flier with its solid tempo and some cool slide driving this Rocker onward and upwards. With some really nice solo work. With very little fanfare it’s on with the show and always a band who simply let the music do their talking. As far as openers go this is a thumper, no messing about just good honest Rock n Roll with a decent hook sweet playing and a melody on the chorus that locks in to your good vibe receptors of your brain making this addictive and oh so sweet.

Play on. With a nice round ten tracks on offer Smalls laid back exterior and style is no more aparent than ‘Midnight Riders’ with its widescreen vision as the sun drops out of the sky its such a quality tune. You’ve gotta love the melody as it battles with the music for what grabs you most but this is where The Hangmen sit best for me – it sounds effortlessly cool as you’re drawn in. They turn up the amps for ‘Last Time I Saw You’ as the riff chimes the band are rockin out here just cruising through the gears.

Another shift in tempo sees the laid back ‘On The Outside’ go country roots rock. The acoustic guitars are out and its time to sip a beer on the porch whilst the Rock n Roll eases back. Four songs deep and four sides to The Hangmen painting broad strokes with a thread throughout thats totally recognisable which isn’t easy to do. That Hangmen tone is what captures your attention. It’s raw as a seeping wound but sweet as honey, ‘Sinister Purpose’ hangs its melody on a big riff thats classic and modern but always quality. The cowbell is out on ‘Bayou Moon’ as Smalls leads his troops down a Stones rabit hole that oozes class. As the groove takes hold I’m gazing into the sky hoping we can all get some of this ‘Bayou Moon’. In fact The Stones are lurking in the DNA of Stories To Tell as the acoustic rocker of ‘Behind The Wheel’ will testify.

With a title track being a mid paced mid day rocker stretching itself out building to the chorus its just classic Hangmen and if you get it you’ll dig it and admire their class. Its a very impressive album with variety and moments left right and centre that purr with quality from the rockin opener to the almost baladlike ‘Runnin Kind’ that brings the curtain down on this excellent album. Don’t take my word for it. Head out there and pick up a copy or if you’re modern and like to stream then get on and pre save it so you can also marvel in the majesty that is the most excellent Hangmen. Winner!

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Author: Dom Daley

Marc Valentine Returns With New Single ‘Jinx of Finchley Road’ On Wicked Cool Records

Marc Valentine Returns With New Single ‘Jinx of Finchley Road’ On Wicked Cool Records

Marc Valentine, the unmistakably British singer-songwriter whose powerpop-fueled debut album was released last year to critical acclaim, returns with ‘Jinx Of Finchley Road’ – a digital single scheduled for release through Little Steven’s Wicked Cool Records.

Produced by Dave Draper (The Wildhearts, Ryan Hamilton, The Professionals), the song hints at nefarious and uncanny happenings in North London. Nostalgia and mystery meet in a basement full of hooks to create a single that sounds as if it was
plucked from the charts during the glory days of Britpop.

Having honed his craft over four albums with cult pop-rockers Last Great Dreamers, Valentine launched a solo career in 2022, his album ‘Future Obscure’ delighting fans and picking up praise from an array of publications.

‘Jinx Of Finchley Road’ marks his return to the spotlight, which looks set to grow even brighter through 2024.

Upcoming live dates 

Friday 15 September – Trillians, Newcastle 

Saturday 16 September – Fulford Arms, York

All links to buy and hear Marc Here

Website /Insta /Facebook

Diamond Dogs – ‘About The Hardest Nut To Crack’ (Wild Kingdom)

Diamond Dogs – ‘About The Hardest Nut To Crack’ (Wild Kingdom)

Sweden’s finest purveyors of honky tonk flavoured rock n’ roll return with a new long player, just over 18 months after the luscious double album offering ‘Slap Bang Blue Rendezvous’ hit the shelves.

It seems nothing can keep Sulo and the boys from delivering good time rock n’ roll like the last 6 decades of musical innovation never happened. The Faces meets The Stones is a good rut to be stuck in and we wouldn’t want it any other way, not when the songs are this good.

Written and recorded over an 8-day period and recorded in old school analogue, ‘About The Hardest Nut To Crack’ sees the Swedish band in fine form from the word go.

12 bar boogie blues is the name of the game with opener ‘Get A Rock n Roll Record’ and the message is as simple as the three-chord progression it rides on.

Next up ‘Blight The Life’ is one of those life affirming, instantly familiar Sulo melodies. You’ve know you’ve heard it before, but you’re not quite sure where. Was it Rod, Jagger or Monroe? Who knows, or even cares as a mournful fiddle leads us down an emotive road, one we love to frequent again and again.

The low-slung rock n’ roll of ‘Wring It Out’ has plenty of Faces swagger and it’s a raucous party that Sulo and the boys are jamming, with gospel-tinged backing vocals, stabs of keys and a certain boogie-woogie swagger.

There are earworms aplenty on offer. The likes of ‘Gurus and Gangsters’ and ‘Desiree, Yet Another Lonely Mile’ are pure euphoric nostalgia, and about as 70’s as listening to the top 40 run down whilst scoffing a Sunday roast. Songs that groove in a certain way and insist you turn up that dial and dance like no one is watching. 

Sulo’s reflective lyricism recalls the good times and the tight musicianship but loose delivery backs it all up in just the right way. The banjo action on ‘Old Timer’ gives a rustic, partisan feel that sits well with the low-slung guitars and gravelly vocals. The sloppy, but perfectly delivered solo as worn and weathered as the vintage gear it is played on.

The glam slam, foot-stomping closer ‘Rising From The Ruins Of Rock n Roll’ sees the band sign off by telling us to spin them records one more time and not to forget the reason they (and we) do this thing they call rock n’ roll anyway.

A new Diamond Dogs record is always cause for a celebration, and ‘The Hardest Nut To Crack’ does exactly what you would expect. Naysayers may argue that Sulo and the boys are doing nothing new and shock horror, may even be classed as ‘generic’, but you know what? Sometimes I want something familiar, something that doesn’t stray from the path and delivers exactly what I expect it to, and the Diamond Dogs do it every time. Get this rock n’ roll record, play it loud and spread the word. 

PRE-ORDER: https://orcd.co/hardest-nut-to-crack

Author: Ben Hughes

WEB:
http://www.facebook.com/everylittlecrack
https://wildkingdom.se/artists/diamond-dogs/

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Baltimore’s Ravagers release 10 year anniversary edition of their debut  EP

Baltimore’s Ravagers release 10 year anniversary edition of their debut  EP

(Atlanta, GA) Has it been 10 years of Ravagers already?!  Those rabid Baltimore rockers are back with a 10 year anniversary release of their debut EP “Livin In Oblivion”.  Originally pressed in 2013 on Virginia’s Cricket Cemetery Records, “Living In Oblivion” has been long out of print and we all agreed it needed to be back out there.  No more paying exorbitant discogs prices anymore.  Also, this EP has some Ravagers classics, that are also live staples, like “Suicide Bomber” and “Cold Heat”.  These tracks set the tone for Ravagers follow up releases “Natural Instinct” (2015) and “Badlands” (2022).

“Livin In Oblivion” was produced in 2013 by longtime friend of the band and guitarist Matt Gabs (Biters/Fishnet Stalkers), who later joins the Ravagers, first appearing on their latest release “Badlands” (2022).  The 2023 release comes with original art and insert.  It was also remixed and remastered by “Badlands” producer Dan Dixon.  The vinyl is available now in the US from Spaghetty Town Records and is available on all major streaming and download outlets.

Ravagers “Livin In Oblivion” 2023 Bandcamp
Ravagers Spotify

Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros – Live At Acton Town Hall (Dark Horse Records)

Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros – Live At Acton Town Hall (Dark Horse Records)

First released as a limited run for RSD this iconic and memorable show is captured for the masses on vinyl and streaming with exceptional sound compared to the ropey less than perfect bootlegs that were available.

Recorded on November 15, 2002, the concert was a benefit for striking firefighters and would be one of Joe’s last performances (he passed away a month later). The performance features a three-song reunion with Strummer’s former bandmate from The Clash, Mick Jones, who reunited on stage for the first time in almost twenty years. When I first dropped the needle on this I was awash with emotion as I heard Strummer’s voice and it weighed heavily on my mind for a while just thinking about how I’d never hear his voice again nor get the chance to see him perform. Man I loved the Clash and I loved his solo output listened to more than most in my collection over the years and hearing his mid-song banter here is emotional. Dropping the C Bomb on Simonon and Topper before ‘Police And Thieves’ makes me smile even after hearing it for the umpteenth time. The band Strummer had put together under the Mescaleros banner were always loose yet tight and usually nailed the songs, even the old Clash classics when they opened that particular war chest.

It has to be said that the remastering and production on this official version is exceptional and every instrument has its space when played loudly through a good set of monitors or headphones it’s exceptional what you can hear spilling out. If it’s overdubbed later on I know not but frankly, I don’t care either – it’s a moment in time and one tinged with sadness and glory. the Clash penned some of their generation’s finest tunes no question and Strummer’s solo output isn’t too shabby either but I guess this release is all about the reunion however fleeting and brief. I’m glad it happened and they got to share this moment together and that it was captured for everyone to enjoy.

‘Johnny Appleseed’ and ‘Coma Girl’ sit very nicely alongside ‘Police On My Back’ and ‘I Fought The Law’ but truth be told I’d have paid £30 just for the encore with Jones ‘Bank Robber’, ‘White Riot’ and the appropriate ‘Londons Burning’ are killer, no doubt about it sloppy but oh so sweet. Rest In Peace Joe your body is sorely missed but your soul lives on and on. Buy It!

Buy Here

Author: Dom Daley