Royal Republic proudly presents the video for our 4th single of Club Majesty “Like A Lover”. The video was shot in Berlin but the footage was almost completely lost due to a technical malfunction. However, through the miracle of technically skilled people (and money), we were able to salvage much of the footage.
Thanks to the amazing dancers. Our friend and constant director Leo Åkesson and all the crew who worked tirelessly through the entire night to make this video happen.
While the song is a little bit of a departure for us musically, somehow it always felt very natural to us. We hope it does for you too.
You wait a while for one then a few come together isn’t that whats always said? It seemed like that waiting for a new Waterboys record and no it’s not ‘The whole of the moon’ or ‘fisherman’s blues’ revisited. This is Mike Scott kicking over quite a few genres in one go from rockin’ out (the title Track and opener) to a bit of post-punk (London Mick) to some smooth pop (Right Side Of Heartbreak) to …ah wait n see.
Rewind to the opener and some raw reckless rock n roll and not for a while have I been this excited to hear what Scott has come up with and this is excellent. As is ‘London Mick’ as Scott regales us with tales of The Clash and Mick Jones. Vibrant and a fine piece of writing and as always Scott has a great tale to tell.
‘In My Time On Earth’ is Dylan if Dylan could still sing. An achingly beautiful song that builds but not to such grande epic proportions but to a gentle raised voice rather than a shout. This album ebbs and flows and the epic ‘Ladbroke Grove Symphony’ is classic Waterboys with a great arrangement then, you’re hit by the funk of ‘Take Me There I Will Follow You’ and from the scratches and backing vocals and Rap, this is a departure and one hell of a curveball nothing new for the Waterboys as there have been dalliances with different genres on previous albums ‘If I Was Your Boyfriend’ off the last album was slightly funky in a Stones ‘Miss You’ kinda way.. I’m not saying I’m against taking a departure – he’s not the first to mix things up but I don’t think I like the song regardless – there I’ve said it. I can pass on this one.
The curveballs keep coming as we go down synth wormholes that again lose me momentarily. To be fair the second half of this record seems to have fallen off a cliff for me which is a real disappointment as it started out oh so well. No, I’m quite partial to a bit of Beck and Eels and I can get it when a songwriter wants to push back some boundaries and I get the Prince thing but first and foremost the songs have to draw you in an so far that’s not happening. Sure the first half of the record was an easy reel in for me but I’ struggling right through side two up until the melancholy ‘Piper At The Gates of Dawn’ all ten minutes of it. Much like the last studio album, I felt a little out of step and it never did really click with me not even the Scatman tune.
There is a CD version with a bonus disc where Scott really gets to fuck with the listener. ‘Where The Action Is’ get the full Primal Scream treatment and I did raise a smirk on ‘London Mick’ with the introduction – I won’t Spoil it for you. In fact, the whole second Cd is a homage to symbol or Prince maybe the Celtic Prince as Scott will call himself in future as he vanishes in a puff of experimental smoke as this will truly test his fanbase who might be looking for him to grow older gracefully that doesn’t sound like it happening any day soon and I salute Scott for that.
Nick Knox, the drummer with the Cramps from 1977 until 1991, died at the age of 60, (born Nicholas George Stephanoff; March 26, 1953).
He was the band’s longest-serving drummer and appeared on their biggest selling albums including 1986’s ‘A Date With Elvis’. Knox died of Cardiogenic shock (which is a condition in which your heart suddenly can’t pump enough blood to meet your body’s needs) on 15th June 2018.
Knox played drums for proto-punks the Electric Eels before joining Lux Interior and Poison Ivy Rorschach in the Cramps. He played on ‘A Date With Elvis’ – which was the band’s most commercially successful album. It followed 1980’s ‘Songs the Lord Taught Us’ and 1981 follow-up ‘Psychedelic Jungle’. Knox’s final recording was, 1990’s ‘Stay Sick!’ before his departure. The band extensively toured Europe under Knox’s watch and hes regarded as being the glue that pulled the Cramps sound together.
After retiring from The Band Knox didn’t surface until he appeared on stage with The Pagans in 2003and it wouldn’t be until 2017 when he was credited as “senior advisor” to the Cleveland-based punk band Archie And The Bunkers in 2017.
After his passing Knox had some wonderful testimonials from his peers such as his predecessor Miriam Linna, the Cramps’ drummer Knox replaced, She Said she’d visited Knox in the intensive care unit in Cleveland. She added, “I thank God that Nicky was a friend of mine. He was one of the kindest, funniest, most amazing human beings ever and I was very lucky to have been in his orbit.”
On his passing Former guitarist Kid Congo Powers tweeted, “Nick Knox Coolest of the cool. R.I.P. Glad to have played to your boss Beat. Meet you on the mystery plane.”
On a happier note RPM favourite, Noddy Holder was born on this very day in 1946. Noddy went on to front The UK’s most successful singles band of the ’70s scoring 17 consecutive top 20 hits and six No.1’s impressive legacy by anyone’s standards. Neville John Holder was born in Walsall, West Midlands. Sadly Holder isn’t interested in joining his ex-bandmates for any shows and prefers to spend his time hosting radio shows and acting. What would we give to hear him belt out a Slade tune with Jim, Dave, and Don. We can but hope, anyway, Happy Birthday Noddy.
Also sharing his birthday on this day is current Wonder Stuff Bass player Mark Gemini Thwaite (born 1965) ordinarily known as a guitarist of the six-string variety Mark is standing in on Bass for shits and giggles according to Hunt and on the recent tour the band has never sounded so good largly down to the fantastic musicians in the current line up.
The list of artists Thwaite has recorded and toured with is incredible – The Mission, Tricky, Peter Murphy, New Disease, Spear of Destiny, Theatre of Hate, Mob Research (with Paul Raven of Killing Joke), Canadian band National Velvet and he recorded with Gary Numan, Al Jourgensen of Ministry, Revolting Cocks, Roger Daltrey of the Who, P.J. Harvey, Alanis Morissette, Primitive Race(with Chuck Mosley of Faith No More), Ricky Warwick of The Almighty, Ginger Wildheart, Stan Lee of Marvel Comics, Franz Treichler of The Young Gods, The Wonder Stuff, Ashton Nyte of The Awakening, Burton C. Bell of Fear Factory, Laurence “Lol” Tolhurst and Porl Thompson of The Cure and Ville Valo of Finnish band HIM. And breath; Mark has kept himself busy to say the least and landed himself some exceptional jobs with a whole variety of cool bands. Happy Birthday, Mark!
I’ll put my cards on the table here and admit that when I heard there was a new Subs album coming out I got excited then when I heard it was more covers I wasn’t too bothered. Subversions was a pretty decent effort and there were some great takes on there but, when I saw the tracklist for this I think I was half way through reading and I found I was reading through my fingers and gasping at some of the suggestions. However, I have a varied taste and it would be boring if they happened to take on songs you would, or could, associate with the band. So I waited for my copy to arrive and would make my mind up yay or Nay after I’d heard the interpretations.
OK here goes, nothing ventured nothing gained I guess. First up is ‘Diversion’ and a jolly uptempo ditty it is too they give it a right good seeing to so I guess I can sit back and relax – for the time being. Once again Pat Collier has done a sterling job on capturing the band and pulling out a fantastic live feel where everything is crystal clear and super vibrant. I guess ‘White Light White Heat’ isn’t too much of a stretch and then that riff chimes in as they take on Led Zepplin and ‘Immigrants Song’ and if for hearing Alvin’s bass playing alone this is a resounding success. Now I obviously know who Led Zepplin are and I have heard them many times before but I can’t say I’ve heard them covered by a punk rock band and sounding so good. I often joke that Zepplin had a great drummer and a few tidy riffs I might be joking I might not but quite why they get so many column inches is baffling to me but this is one of their better tunes and this version is very well delivered and has exceptional qualities.
Joe Jacksons snappy ‘One More Time’ is afforded similar respect as the Subs do justice with a decent interpretation but it’s not as much of a stretch from the original. Vanilla Fudge ‘Season Of The Witch’ is up next and again kudos to Charlie’s vocals as the band really turn up a few stones to find songs to cover and take ownership of. Put this one down as one I didn’t see coming but quite enjoyed, in fact, its the ones I was having the sweats over are turning out to be the ones I’m most impressed with.
OK so Alvin toured with Iggy and not the stooges so one of the more predictable covers and an absolute stone-cold classic and one you just knew they would slay and could never fuck up – obviously they don’t disappoint and knock it right out of the park.
Side two kicks off in style with a thunderous take on ‘This Is Rock And Roll’ originally from The Kids closely followed by a suitably sloppy ‘My Generation’ that gives the rhythm section of the Subs a chance to stretch their legs with some awesome solo breaks. Take a bow Alvin and Jamie – sensational work. I bet nobody saw the Subs tip the hat to Tom Petty and the other Heartbreakers on ‘You Wreck Me’ and what a ball this one is. As a band the Subs show just how versatile they can be and taking on a song like this and take ownership of the track is a real testament to just how good these boys are.
As we head into the home straight there are three big uns starting with the Neil Young anthem that is ‘Rockin In The Free World’ and rolling it round in the dirt and giving it some right yob treatment on the chorus is a joy to hear. We know what the Subs are good at and this is them purring like an illite sports car – sure its easy to cover a song like this but you still have to do the right job on it and Straughan owns the solo by leaving it understated rather than running riot over it. and the Riff is meaty which is nice. Great song great cover. Now the song I feared most but to be fair the rest of the album is so bloody good I’m not bothered how ‘We Will Rock You Sounds’ but once the band stretch their legs and rock the shit out of it I’m chuffed to report that Charlie might not be Freddie he gives it a right seeing to. what was I worried about The subs fuckin’ smash it so by the time ‘The Last Time’ chimes in I knew they’d do the Stones justice so finishing on a real high. I can safely say that when anyone askes what does the Subs sound like doing Queen I can say without any irony or piss taking they do it very well and treat a cover with respect and a challenge check it out. All thats left to say is I hope it’s not the Last time and there are more more more to come. Long live the UK Subs. Buy it!
I was overjoyed when through my letterbox popped the remastered double cd version of the classic Wildhearts self-titled album (otherwise known as the White album).
Before we get into this sonic beast of an album I want to point out how lovingly packaged this reissue is.
Round Records is Ginger’s own label and in fairness to us Wildhearts fans we would be happy with a newly remastered White album but in this day of digital downloads, Ginger and his team have gone out of their way to give us something special and boy do they deliver. This double cd book edition features great inside comments from the band on the making of the white album and also has stunning pictures which make this a must-have.
Right onto the music and kicking us off is the nearly 9 minute opener ‘Rooting For The Bad Guy’ which just blasts out of the speakers with a heavy riff, pounding drums and driving bass with ginger’s great gruff vocals shouting out and leading us into a gorgeous harmonic chorus with great backing vocals from Cj and Scott.
Next up is ‘The Sweetest Song’ which is a tale of a woman who has ruined a relationship and starts off with another ginger shouty vocals then goes into a stunning band sang “Na, na, na” chorus.
‘The New Flesh’ was a single off the album and is yet another earworm with some great call to arms lyrics of troubled times which sadly in the years since this album has been released are still as relevant as ever.
“Slaughtered Authors” starts off with the driving bass of Scott Sorry with the drums of Ritch Battersby joining the party before Ginger and Cj complete the line-up. This gem of a track starts off in a slightly more relaxed mode and then builds up to a great band sung chorus. This track is another over the eight-minute mark but with its great instrumental passages when it finishes leaves you still wanting more.
‘Bi-Polar Baby’ is another in a long line of classic Wildhearts tracks with it’s beautifully arranged pop melody wrapped up in bone-crunching guitars.
Ending this album is the other single off the album the pounding ‘Destroy all monsters’ which is a tale of a man spurned by a woman and brings the original White album to a fantastic end.
Now after this emotional rollercoaster of an album has come to an end if like this reviewer you want more (and you will) slip in disc 2.
Right out of the speakers is the awesome track titled ‘Borderline’ which was available as a download off the band’s website many moons ago and is a song worthy of being included on any Wildhearts album with it’s catchy melody which immediately gets in the listeners head and stays.
Other highlights on this bonus disc are ‘Oh Bonita’ and ‘Unbroken’ which were extras on the Japanese version of the white album and the ‘New Flesh’ single which will just show the quality of this bands music that even songs that didn’t originally make the album are songs which are pure class in their own right.
With cd versions and vinyl versions available, this caters to every Wildhearts fans needs and is a must buy.
What a time to be a Wildhearts fan. The new album ‘Renaissance Men’ recently out then we are treated to a remastered White Album and ‘Live In The Studio’ and to top it all off ‘Chutzpah! Complete with extras’.
It’s hard to believe that Chutzpah! Was released 10 years ago, wow where has the time gone?
Well, what you get here is this newly remastered version including the Chutzpah Jnr! A release which originally was just sold at Wildhearts concerts so the tracklisting on this new version is 18 songs with both albums combined.
The album kicks off with the short blast of punk rock energy that is ¡Chutzpah! Jnr which draws the listener straight in.
Right on its heels is the frantic “The Jackson Whites” with its sledgehammer of a riff that makes you want to jump up and down and as per usual we have that awesome ear candy of a chorus that only Ginger can wright.
Up next is this reviewers personal fav track off the album titled ‘You Are Proof That Not All Women Are Insane’ with it’s “whoa whoa” chanted backing vocal chorus and the great lyric “ok, so her music and movies are bland these days it’s enough to get a 9 out of 10” which is something we can all relate too.
Another highlight is the Scott Sorry sung ‘The Only One’ which slightly slows the pace down but still has the crunching guitars.
‘You Took The Sunshine From New York’ is a song with a gorgeous melody and great storytelling lyrics.
‘Some Days Just Fucking Suck’ which was originally on Chutzpah Jnr! Is a great song with a deep lyrical meaning which brings to the listener’s attention the everyday hardship of people who suffer from mental illness but also has the positive meaning in the chorus that is “don’t try suicide everything will be alright”
‘People Who Died’ is a song originally done by the Jim Carroll band and here The Wildhearts take the song and bring fresh energy to it with their version and yet again we are treated to the raspy lead vocals of Mr, Scott Sorry.
The album finishes with the title track ‘Chutzpah’ which is another slab of relentless riffing with its shouty fast-paced bridge and then slows down for a great chorus and is a perfect end to this great album.
If having Chutzpah! And Chutzpah Jnr! On the same disc isn’t enough, this version also comes with the added disc of demos which is always interesting to hear and also another disc of unseen footage captured from the Scott Sorry years which adds up to tremendous value for money.
Get your corpse paint on paint your nails and hope that that’s a fog filling up the room and not your house on fire.
I’m reliably informed that The Venus Fly Trap which has had a new lease of life from the late ’80s were born from ATTRITION, ISAWS, RELIGIOUS OVERDOSE, WHERES LISSE? & TEMPEST. Hatched in the mid-’80s it wasn’t for a few years that this album was originally released mixing electronic with a dark Goth mood sort of Depeche Mode with guitars or the Sisters with that snappy Alesis drum machine snare sound. Songs like ‘(I Get) Flowers’ are total ’80s Goth and its a sound that hasn’t really dated that well. There are some decent melodies here like the aforementioned tune and I like the riff but was never a bit fan of that Soft Cell snare.
They try to create the mood with ‘Morphine’ but having that low-fi guitar fuzz that sounds like its barely in tune is a throwback to bands like Joy Division. I wouldn’t mind betting vocalist Alex was a fan of Ian Curtis and the way the band would construct their songs. The time really shows through on this reissue although I do like that bass line on ‘Ruby Red’ coming across as Dave Vanian fronting the Sisters its a good tune and the arrangement is great regardless of what decade it is.
Is that a Roland Jupiter I hear tweaking and whirling away on ‘Desolation Railway’ what a fantastic lyric and title. I guess what comes around goes around and it would seem about time fo ran 80’s synth / Goth crossover reunion where the Mode meets Eldrich meets pop meets the modern age kinda thing – how glorious would that be? With today’s technical advances in sound, this record would sound absolutely huge and songs like this would fill cathedrals.
‘Catalyst’ is like a dark Goth ‘House Of The Rising Sun’ from the mind of Nick Cave. It’s not that I dislike it at all because I don’t and there are some good songs on offer but the cliches of the time that haven’t stood the test of time and they weigh heavily. Maybe played loudly I’d like ‘How The Mighty’ because I love The Mission and like the Mish, ‘Violins & Violence’ is trying new things and that’s cool and we all like the Kennedy mystery and this is better than Saxons ‘Dallas 1 PM’ for covering that topic.
Maybe this would have been better left and be one of those albums you stumble across and hail as a long lost treasure or maybe I wide of the mark and it’s just me. Yeah, that’ll be it. It’s just me.
On this day in 1951 Bun E. Carlos (drummer for Cheap Trick) is born Brad Carlson in Rockford, Illinois. Bun E was the band’s chief setlister and archivist, and kept recordings of all the band’s shows, some of which have been released under the title ‘Bun E’s Bootlegs’.
Bun E’s band Cheap Trick released their debut album way back in ’77 But it wasn’t until ‘In Color’ the bands sophomore release that things really took off. The first place to go crazy for cheap Trick was Japan where they always had a huge mutual love and respect namely their iconic ‘Cheap Trick at Budokan’.
they managed to break into the US Top 10 in 1979 with ‘I Want You to Want Me’ and over a decade later they managed to take ‘The Flame’ to the number one spot in ’88.
Cheap Trick has always had a rabid following but their general popularity has always been a bit up and down over the decades but being able to boast sales in excess of 20 million albums is no mean feat. The band has toured the world many many times, playing over 5,000 shows. Even though Bun E has been replaced for almost a decade after initially needing time off after back surgery he was replaced by Nielsons Son Daxx. His contribution is huge and that archive must be something to behold to this day. Carlos had to sue his former bandmates several years ago and things got messy as he was countersued and so it began. However, in 2016 the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on April 8, and the band was introduced and Zander, Nielsen, Petersson, and Carlos all in attendance; performed ‘I Want You to Want Me’, ‘Dream Police’, ‘Surrender’ and ‘Ain’t That a Shame’ so not all bad. Happy Birthday Bun E!
Now Lemmy’s gone whos gonna move in next door and kill yer lawn? After the Nuclear Holocaust, there are only cockroaches crawling the globe, there will be a bar somewhere in shitville and there will be a band playing and that band will be The Erotics! “Can’t be killed by conventional weapons” their unwavering commitment to sleazy rock n roll is admirable and Mike Trash is persistent (you have to give him that for sure) and a formidable force with easily their strongest set of tunes to date along with the Prophets Of Addiction these guys have been flying the flag for sleazy down and dirty punk n roll stateside for as long as I can remember and they do it so well.
So there are cliches. Yup, shock horror they’re everywhere from the dirty riff to the paradiddles to the solo’s they’ve been done a million times over and some but when they’re being done by 100% committed lifers they resonate and there is an authenticity about it when Trash sings about ‘Dirty Little Secrets’ or ‘Stopdroproll’ he means it and I get that and I admire him for it. It’s in the delivery when they hit the drums with conviction and the riff is hit and not just played without a care in the world there is a difference and these boys hit every note like it’s their last. The lyrics sometimes veer into comedy but so what! Its entertainment, its theatre it’s FUN! and you have to agree that Trash and his gang are having fun – it’s convincing and it’s carefree and to hell with the critics and the cliches – Bring em on!
‘Nice Things’ should have accompanying horns honking over the top making it bigger – bolder more out there. So there are no horns who gives a fuck we can’t have nice things apparently. ‘Aint Talking To You’ is punk n roll in its purest form with a big dirty riff – turn it up mofos its what the band wants.
Hell there’s even time for you to get your lighters out as ‘Best Song’ is as smooth as Brett Michaels head under that bandana and sew on hair. But these cats aren’t leaving on a slowie no sir they get their groove on for one last hoorah! as ‘Pretty Little Bomb’ tips the cowboy hat to all those ladies who might be listening. So there you go grab a lug full of the Erotics – they’ve never sounded so on it.
Pat Todd And The Rank Outsiders don’t make bad records. Might as well get that out there from the start. So, ‘Past Came Calling’ is no exception then and I spose before I’d dropped the needle I knew this but that’s not going to make much sense to anyone as far as a review goes – I knew it was going to be choc-o-bloc with top tunes that followed the time honoured tradition of Rock and Rollers. Dan Baird, Jason and the Scorchers, Dr. Feelgood and Rockpile to namedrop a few fellow participants in the fine art of Rock and Roll. Pat and his Rank outsiders do like to kick up a shitstorm that’s a given but there is more to them than just Rockin’ out.
From the opening drum roll of ‘If Only I Could Fly Backwards In Time’ right through its rollicking verses and chorus to the cool as guitar lick that takes us back to the verse this is a quality opener that shows real intent. Recorded loud to be played loud as all good time Rock and Roll should be at its unkempt best. ‘The Ballad Of Crystal Valladares’ ain’t no Ballad though folks its a bad assed Rocker, built around a rolling guitar lick and some country-tinged melody played, it’s like the soundtrack to a getaway drive by. There’s no flash sound tricks or auto-tune going on here it’s just the sound of a kick-ass band cutting it up in a sweaty studio knowing that with every song they capture a little bit more magic than the last take.
The recording sounds like Mellencamp when he turned up the Les Paul Jr on ‘Whenever We Wanted’. With songs like ‘Run’ which sounds like they’ve been here before such is the comfortable nature of Todd’s songwriting, it’s classic in its arrangement and one of the best songs on the record.
Todd’s cowpunk roots come to the fore on ‘Down In Old Boerne’ with its acoustic guitar and honkin’ mouth organ. ‘The Ring The Bottle And The Gun’ is pure cowpunk as we position the hay bails as we pour the moonshine ready for the yea – haws!
With fourteen songs on offer and never a let up in the quality on offer its a no brainer if you’re considering picking up a copy of this record its impossible to be disappointed you go from the gob iron of ‘Had A Bad Night’ to the smooth laid back rhythm and blues of ‘any Other Way’ straight into the acoustic jam of ‘Idle Time’ whatever style Todd chooses to write in it’s of the highest order Now if The Supersuckers wrote an album this strong – people would be salivating over it.
‘Just Between You and Me’ is the sign off in the style of Ronnie Wood doing Dylan and it just dawned on me I’ve not mentioned How good Todd’s vocals are throughout -Oh I just have. Pick it up – do yourself a favour and whack up the volume you can thank me later. ‘The Past Came Calling’ is very much in the moment but I wouldn’t sit on it just go pick it up.
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