Futurama, the legendary post-punk, and electronic music festival, originally due to return in 2020 and delayed twice due to the pandemic, is now set to finally take place Easter Weekend 2022 April 16th – 17th in Liverpool.
There has, nevertheless, been some unavoidable line-up changes to the event due to re-scheduling issues. Futurama was unable to offer a headline slot on a workable day for original headliners Heaven 17, so sadly they have had to withdraw from the event. However, Futurama are pleased to announce that New Model Army are now the new headliners for the Saturday with very special guests The Skids as main support.
New Model Army played the 5th Futurama in Leeds in 1983 and it makes perfect sense to headline nearly 40 years later. New Model Army have had an outstanding career and they are just about to embark on a 40th Anniversary Tour in November that takes in Glasgow, Nottingham Rock City and London Roundhouse. One of the best live bands on the circuit, they have a huge and loyal following and they will put an amazing show as headliners at the Futurama.
Likewise with The Skids, who since coming back together in 2016 have been wowing audiences with their brilliant and passionate live shows. The Skids didn’t play the Futuramas but Richard Jobson’s Armour Show also played Futurama 5 at the Queen’s Hall in 1983. Although, starting out as a punk band in 1977 many of their 80’s songs had a post punk feel and even though they were only together 5 years, they made four cracking albums together and had countless hits between 1979 and 1981.
“I have a strong and fond memory of playing the Futurama festival with the Armory Show back in 1983,” recalls frontman Richard Jobson. “It was exactly the kind of event we should have been playing and in the right company such as Death Cult and Killing Joke (Youth is now our producer). I feel the same kind of excitement today having been asked to return with the reformed Skids. It’s Rock’n’roll dystopia made cool in a way that JG Ballard would have approved of. Can’t wait”
New Model Army and The Skids make a formidable Saturday evening in Liverpool.
Owing to the pandemic and the postponements means the Futurama has lost a few bands to new gigging commitments which is completely understandable, and we wish them well.
FUTURAMA FESTIVAL IN LIVERPOOL TAKES PLACE OVER THE EASTER WEEKEND 16TH / 17TH APRIL 2022 HOSTED BY VIVE LE ROCK AND LOUDER THAN WAR
Tickers are now on sale at £99.00 for the weekend and £49.50 for Saturday and Sunday on SEETICKETS HERE:
FULL LINE UP
SATURDAY APRIL 16TH
HEADLINERS
NEW MODEL ARMY
VERY SPECIAL GUESTS
THE SKIDS
A CERTAIN RATIO / CLOCK DVA / BALAAM & THE ANGEL / SPIZZ ENERGI / HEAVY LUNGS / JOHN / SECTION 25 / EVIL BLIZZARD /IST IST / GIRLS IN SYNTHESIS / WE ARE NOT DEVO / THE DSM IV / DITZ / EXPELAIRES / PETE BENTHAM & THE DINNER LADIES / GRANDMAS HOUSE / FRAUDS / LIBRALIBRA
US rockers Anti – Mortem consist of members of Texas Hippie Coalition and Sign of Lies. This self-titled EP marks eight years since their last release of a bunch of singles. Here we have eight tracks full of spit and venom, and the sound is very much entrenched in the White Zombie, Corrosion of Conformity and Prong of the 90s. Crunchy riffs, screaming vocals and stabbing double bass drum flurries are very much the staple here. The bands logo doesn’t really sit with their sound though. I expected more of a Black Stone Cherry kind of vibe, but they are certainly not of that ilk.
The songs are short, tight, and straight to the point. With song titles like ‘STFU (Shut the Fuck Up)’, ‘Yeah Right’ and ‘Money’, Anti – Mortem attempt to address some of modern society’s issues and the lyrics are on point with their current themes.
An enjoyable listen with some interesting dynamics, the production values are great, the EP sounds relevant and old school at the same time. Check em out!
‘Slade In Flame’, the third release in the series, will be released on red and yellow splatter vinyl.
The first release in this beautifully presented re-issues collection ‘Slayed? debuted at #7 in the Official Vinyl Charts and the final release will be ‘Slade Alive!’.Slade’s first soundtrack album and fifth studio album ‘Slade In Flame’, includes the singles ‘Far Far Away’ and ‘How does it Feel’. Originally released on 29th November 1974, the album entered the UK album chart at #6 and it was certified gold by the BPI in February 1975. Slade’s seminal film was hailed as ‘the Citizen Kane of British pop movies” by Mark Kermode, BBC.
‘Slade In Flame’ follows the release of Slade’s third and fourth studio albums ‘Slayed?’, and ‘Old New Borrowed And Blue’. ‘Slayed?’ features ten songs including Number One single, ‘Mama Weer All Crazee Now’ and ‘Gudbuy T’Jane’ which reached Number two in the charts. While ‘Old New Borrowed And Blue’, features the singles ‘My Friend Stan’ and ‘Everyday’ and The Times to retrospectively state: “This is joyous, unshackled and unpretentious stuff that reminds you how they rattled off six No.1’s.”
Pictures By Barry Plummer
Slade are without doubt one of the most exciting bands to come out of Great Britain and were unstoppable throughout the Seventies becoming one of the biggest bands; releasing six smash hits albums, including three UK Number Ones, a run of 17 consecutive Top 20 singles and their hits provided a soundtrack to the Glam Generation. To pre-order ‘Slade In Flame’, go to: https://slade.lnk.to/sladeinflamePRTo order ‘Old New Borrowed And Blue’ go to: https://slade.lnk.to/onbabPR To order ‘Slayed?’ go to: https://slade.lnk.to/slayedPR
long-awaited 8th studio album. Nine years on from the release of their last outing Loud Like Love, Never Let Me Go is confirmed for release on 25th March 2022. Also announced today is a new track from the album, ‘Surrounded By Spies’, along with a 2022 headline UK / IE tour dates.
Pre-order Never Let Me Go and access ticket pre-sale here.
In September, Placebo resurfaced from a long hibernation to release their first single in five years – and first from the new album – ‘Beautiful James’. A joyous and celebratory song, it came quietly loaded with antagonism for the increasingly prominent, ignorant, factions that have come to litter modern conversation. As Brian Molko commented at the time, “If the song serves to irritate the squares and the uptight, so gleefully be it.”
As great masters in cataloguing the human condition, Placebo’s unique way of examining both its flaws and beauty finds fertile ground in 2021. Crawling out of the pandemic into a landscape of intolerance, division, tech-saturation and imminent eco-catastrophe, theirs is a voice that has rarely felt more significant to contemporary discourse, and more appropriate to sing these stories to the world. Within the magnetic slow-burn of new track ‘Surrounded By Spies’ no punches are pulled in confronting the erosion of civil liberties, as Brian Molko’s deft lyrical delivery is married to a creeping sense of claustrophobia that fittingly makes the walls feel as though they are closing in from all around.
Brian Molko comments:
“I began writing the lyrics when I discovered my neighbours were spying on me on behalf of parties with a nefarious agenda. I then began to ponder the countless ways in which our privacy has been eroded and stolen since the introduction of worldwide CCTV cameras that now employ racist facial recognition technologies; the rise of the internet and the cellphone, which has turned practically every user into a paparazzo and spectators in their own lives, and how we have mostly all offered up personal information to enormous multinationals whose sole intent is to exploit us.
I used the cut-up technique invented by William S Burroughs and popularized in modern song by David Bowie. It’s a true story told through a lens of paranoia, complete disgust for modern society’s values and the deification of surveillance capitalism. The narrator is at the end of their tether, hopeless and afraid, completely at odds with our newfound progress and the god of money.”
PLACEBO UK + IE 2022 HEADLINE TOUR DATES
NOVEMBER Fri 18 – Portsmouth – Guildhall Sat 19 – Brighton – Brighton Centre Mon 21 – Liverpool – Eventim Olympia Tue 22 – Manchester – O2 Victoria Warehouse Thu 24 – Cardiff – Motorpoint Arena Sat 26 – London – O2 Brixton Academy Sun 27 – London – O2 Brixton Academy Tue 29 – Leicester – De Montford Hall Wed 30 – Leeds – O2 Academy Leeds
DECEMBER Fri 2 – Newcastle – O2 City Hall Sat 3 – Glasgow – O2 Academy Glasgow Mon 5 – Dublin – 3 Arena Wed 7 – Cambridge – Corn Exchange Thu 8 – Birmingham – O2 Academy 1
Having just completed a run of US shows with Rancid, along with the recording of his first album as guitarist with The Last Resort punkaholic Lars Frederiksen has somehow managed to squeeze a few more hours into his rock ‘n’ roll day to finally deliver his debut solo release, the six track EP ‘To Victory’.
Inspired by a pre-lockdown sold out solo show in Oakland, ‘To Victory’ is a continuation of that show’s format and as such is very much in the style of one of Frederiksen’s heroes, Billy Bragg. It’s a one-man-gang kind of release, with the track listing featuring two songs each from The Old Firm Casuals and Lars Frederiksen & The Bastards all reworked to fit the stripped-down solo format along with a couple of choice cover versions making for a very interesting listen indeed.
It’s back to 2016’s ‘Butcher’s Banquet’ EP originally recorded by The Old Firm Casuals for ‘God And Guns’ to get the acoustic party started and here devoid of any drums the track still somehow pounds along at a fair old pace, and yeah whilst I may long for a drummer to help the track fully kick in, the piano and bass touches that complement the arrangement really do work well within the context of this project.
Likewise, ‘Army of Zombies’ originally from Lars Frederiksen & The Bastards self-titled 2001 released album, which also works particularly well due to a truly magical sprinkling of organ and piano which lifts the track out of merely sounding like a very well recorded acoustic demo up into a whole new sonic universe come the chorus.
Of the two cover versions on offer Lars’ version of UK Subs ‘Tomorrow’s Girl’ is the one that makes absolute sense (seeing as Lars was briefly in the band back in the early nineties) and here for the first time on the EP the song is driven by Lars’ trusty Gibson SG. Something that continues into the monster chug of ‘Motherland’, originally from The Old Firm Casual’s 2019 released ‘Holger Danske’ album. Now, I’ve always thought Frederiksen had more than a hint of Paul Stanley in his voice on the chorus of the original of this track and here it’s even more evident. Surely Lars would never admit to being a KISS fan though, right?
Err wrong, because the second of the covers is actually a mighty fine rendition of ‘Comin’ Home’ originally from that band’s 1974 classic ‘Hotter Than Hell’ album, albeit here it’s got more in common with the version the shock rockers did for their 1995 MTV Unplugged show. It’s certainly the bravest of song choices on ‘To Victory’ and may even win Lars some new fans in the process.
Returning to the electric guitar for an EP closing run through of Lars Frederiksen & The Bastards’ ‘Skunx’, I can’t help but think that having recorded a beefed-up cover of Billy Bragg’s ‘To Have And Have Not’ on their self-titled debut album this version of ‘Skunx’ could actually be Bragg’s payback cover if he were ever up to the challenge.
Released via Pirates Press on 19th November on vinyl, CD, cassette and online ‘To Victory’ is something that seriously has the legs to run as a whole new concept for Lars Frederiksen outside of that solo pre-lockdown gig that started all of this, just him, his guitar and a whole lot of stories certainly makes for an interesting proposition indeed.
Denim and leather-clad Texas rockers Killer Hearts are still riding high from their debut LP release “Skintight Electric” are now hitting the road to spread the gospel of rock and roll. They’ve also released a video directed by Seyla Hossaini. The concept for the video, rock and roll women, a night on the town and getting up to no good, with Killer Hearts “Dynamite Tramp” playing the soundtrack! It’s a throwback to the early days of MTV when we had to stay up late to see the rock and roll videos.
Killer Hearts debut full-length “Skintight Electric” is out now on all streaming and download platforms. Vinyl can be purchased in the US from Spaghetty Town Records and in Europe from Dragstrip Riot Records.
Sweden’s boogie rock legends Diamond Dogs are back with the new single and music video ‘ALRIGHT BRUTUS I’M ON!’ The track is taken from the swedes upcoming double album ‘SLAP BANG BLUE RENDEZVOUS’, set for release on January 21.
Slap Bang Blue Rendezvous is a release for children of the 70’s. From the top it conjures up the spirits of the 70’s glam rock era. The warm atmosphere brings the air of the golden age, and the energy of the songs and performance give a promise of rock music for the new generation! Diamond Dogs leaves the listener feeling like they’ve been somewhere momma told them not to go, but knowing that they’ll soon be visiting again!
“This is my masterpiece, my White Album” as Tomas Skogsberg himself puts it. And we can only agree!
Hear Alright Brutus I’m On and pre-order the album: Here
Finally why not check out the new Jesse Malin video for ‘Dance With The System’ from Jesse Malin’s latest double album, ‘Sad and Beautiful World’, out now on Wicked Cool Records.
MILLIE MANDERS AND THE SHUTUP embark upon their biggest headline UK tour this autumn in delayed celebration of the release last year of their debut album TELLING TRUTHS, BREAKING TIES.
Having built extensive support from press and radio and an increasing loyalty amongst their audience, the band create cross-genre punk that, once heard, is impossible to ignore.
With lyrics that discuss weighty and imposing subjects – loss, betrayal, anxiety, heartbreak, bitterness, political unrest, and environmental catastrophe – alongside a constant questioning of social norms, the band’s raw punk fusion, fronted by Millie’s staggering vocal dexterity and a huge slice of pop appeal, mean the live shows never fail to create a sense of joy and exhilaration.
Wed 10 Preston ContinentalThu 11 Glasgow BroadcastFri 12 Newcastle Cluny 2Sat 13 Liverpool Arts Club LoftSun 14 York Fulford ArmsWed 17 Stafford RedrumThu 18 Cardiff MoonFri 19 Birmingham Institute 3Sat 20 Oxford Academy 2Sun 21 Southampton JoinersWed 24 Gloucester Dick WhittingtonThu 25 Bangor Blue Sky CafeFri 26 Sheffield Academy 2Sat 27 Manchester Star & GarterSun 28 Bristol Louisiana DECEMBER Thu 02 Cambridge Portland ArmsFri 03 Leicester Academy 2Sat 04 London Islington AcademyFri 10 Brighton BrunswickSat 11 High Wycombe PhoenixSun 12 Bedford EsquiresSat 18 Chelmsford Hotbox
Dead Men Walking is the long-time side project of Theatre Of Hate & Spear Of Destiny founder Kirk Brandon; an evolving collective of friends from the punk scene that over the years has seen its numbers swelled by the likes of Glen Matlock, Slim Jim Phantom, Mike Peters, Capt. Sensible, through to Pete Wylie, and Billy Duffy; the current and seemingly stable line up consists of Brandon, Jake Burns from Stiff Little Fingers and both Segs and Dave Ruffy from Ruts DC.
From 2001’s debut album, A few live recordings have been released, whilst ‘Graveyard Smashes Volume 1’ was the first studio recording, this was followed up in 2015 with ‘Easy Piracy’ coming out as the Jacktars minus Brandon – both releases being something of a rare find. ‘Freedom – It Ain’t On The Rise’ is Brandon at the wheel and Peters being dropped off a few stops back.
On this new release, we get thirteen tracks which include four new Brandon and Segs compositions specifically written for Dead Men Walking during the recent lockdown. With lockdown seeing bands have to take a new approach to recording and members having to phone in their parts or each individual recording their parts at Pat Collier’s Perry Vale Studio in South London and Jake Burns recording his contributions at his home studio in Chicago. The album was then mixed in Brixton by Greg ‘Wizard’ Fleming. This being the new way I guess.
Most people will be familiar with Ruts DC doing the acoustic thing after their Rebellion sets are some of the highlights of the festival of the entire weekend, so that transition from loud electric to a more subtle acoustic band not being such a stretch.
Both the mournful ‘Man Down’ and ‘Blame’ are new tracks, the former, a slower, brooding song but with the beating heart of their punk attitude as Brandon tells the guys story of being the Man Down. ‘Blame’ has Segs providing the vocal on this more bluesy number. The interaction of both guitar players Burns and Brandon is excellent throughout playing for the song and not interacting for the sake of it.
Brandon heads back to 1988’s ‘The Price You Pay’ album to revisit The Price. Arguably one of Brandon’s best songs and to have it interpreted by such talented musicians all looking from different angles pay dividends with Brandon’s howls never sounding so good.
‘Golden Boy’ was the Ruts DC ode to Malcolm Owen and was released on the bands ‘Music Must Destroy’ album, apparently a favourite of Kirk Brandon who insisted that it be included here; somehow this partnership has added extra emotion and a haunting string arrangement that compliments the vocals that sound like they could be a beat away from heartbreak the classical guitar break only adds to the heartbreak and drama making it such a monumental track. A beautiful highlight for sure.
‘Slave’ taken from Theatre Of Hate’s 2016 ‘Kinshi’ album, Is stripped back with an acoustic lick and minimal shaker and percussion before the backing vocals usher in a thicker arrangement. The whole album is given a kiss-off with each artist offering up a classic from their respected catalogues. The Ruts ‘Staring At The Rude Boys’ was almost a skiffle take but captivating and I found myself nodding in appreciation. Spear Of Destiny’s ‘Never Take Me Alive’ always one of the highlights at the countless DMW shows I’ve seen over the years. SLF’s ‘Wasted Life’ being something of a country-tinged vibe with the lyrics being poignant and the hushed tones of Burns vocal being spot on. Expect the unexpected being my advice on these classics. It’s like they’ve been given a lick of paint from the original owners but using different shades and tones. Of course you recognise them but shifting the focus a little is interesting. Not meant to upstage the originals (how could they) but they stand as a talking point and stand alone as worthy soundwaves.
A real melting pot of old and new borrowed and blue this Dead Men Walking is exceptional labour of love from four supremely talented artists. I love these collaborations and ‘Freedom It Ain’t On The Rise’ is a wonderful collection of songs that are arranged really well with thought , love and respect and that shines through.
Not sure if we have Covid and lockdowns to thank for this seeing the light of day but I’m glad these guys took the time and patience to work it out. Don’t be daft and pass this by you won’t regret investigating this release, not for a minute. It’s like a ray of sunshine streaming through a crisp morning haze.
Scott Sorry – ‘Black Dog Dancer’ (Generation X-Ray Records) The first new song from Scott Sorry in a while but there’s been a good reason for that as Scotts has been having his private fight that attacked his health and picked on the wrong guy. Having decided that the time was right to strap on the guitar again it’s with a huge shit-kicking grin that I’m delighted to feature this new song. those who are familiar with Scott’s previous offerings know only too well how fuckin’ hugely talented this guy is and when he lays down some music you just know it’s going to hunker down inside your ear and not allow anything to shift it for some time such is the quality of the earworms Sorry drops. It’s a track that has a huge heart and you get the feeling of optimism shining through on what I hope is only the beginning of what’s to come from Scott Sorry and his fantastic band. Play on dude because if you have more like ‘Black Dog Dancer’ then the world needs to hear it! Check it out here
Ciggie & The Darts – ‘Sessions #4’ (Pils Records) A cool label out of Québec Canada has a series of bands being championed and Ciggie & The Darts was recommended to RPM as a band we might like. Well, that’s on the button, what’s not to like from these noisy so and sos from Ottawa, Ontario?
Ciggie plays loud Rock and Roll and that’s what we’re about. Four tracks with attitude that get off to a flyer with the Action punk n roll of ‘The Moon Is High’ that rattles along with a big dirty riff supporting Ciggy as he spits out the vocals. The breakdown and solo is born out of love for early Motorhead which they hit that nail squarely on the head. Following on they get into a rapid groove on ‘Not Of This World’ and beat the living shit out of the song until it reaches a grizzly conclusion.
To be fair all four songs are quality and if you love loud guitars and well-crafted tunes then this one is a no brainer – check it out Here
Saxon -‘Carpe Diem’ (Silver Lining Music)The mighty Saxon are back in the room with a new single and album of the same name. Check out the video below and hit them up for pre orders Here
Biff is leading his troops through a full-throttle heavy rock ride that shows the band has not lost any of its class and display why they have managed to stay a headline act for so long. The long-player of the same name is due for release in Feb 2022 this will do the job of wetting the appetite.
The Dangereens – ‘Love Jive’ (Golden Robot Records)Montreal’s DANGEREENS recently released their first 2 singles ‘Thieves’ and ‘Streets Of Doom’ from their new label Golden Robot Records. They have now released the 3rd single. ‘Love Jive’, available on all digital platforms. After the hoot that was the debut album, it’s an exciting time for the band and this Thin Lizzy-inspired rocker with its meandering duel guitars it hits the spot for some late-night Rock and Roll that oozes quality and class, and the lap steel shows another string to their bow. Its another example of what this excellent band has to offer. Facebook
The Drippers – ‘Time ForSome Action’ (The Sign Records) Unashamed Action Rockers The Drippers are about to drop their second bombastic all-action second album but ahead of the December release they have a new lead single in the shape of the excellent ‘Time For Some Action’. If this review could be dialed up to eleven then this would be about the right time as they turn everything up and let loose with a rapid rocket ride of a tune and if this doesn’t wet the appetite for the album then I’d check you still have a pulse. Cracking song! FacebookBandcamp
Idles – ‘Car Crash’ (Partisan Records) The latest single and video released from Idles ahead of the album ‘Crawler’ that’s set to hit the shelves on the 12th when asked to describe the track Talbot says: “It’s the horrific, comedown hangover — waking up in the morning and realising the smashes, like, what the fuck am I doing with my life?”
Chesty Malone and the Slice ’em Ups – ‘Turn To Crime’ (Self Release) The latest 7″ from these Brooklyn punks is in yer face and pounding your head with their brand of Hardcore Punk that we always love hearing round these parts of HQ. The opening track is an adrenalin rush as the band head full-throttle through your speakers. Love it.
Side two is more laid back, but no less dripping with attitude and perhaps a little more menacing. Hell, it’s called ‘I Like Killing’ and apparently it’s their favourite thing to do, well, who knew? This is probably the soundtrack to their favourite past time which seems apt and to be fair If your gonna get snuffed out by some punk rockers then this isn’t a bad soundtrack to go out to.
Blue Carpet Band – ‘B Movie Boogie’ (Bomber Music) Now with added Demented Are Go members This latest spooktacular offering from Blue Carpet Band. . It’s frenzied, it’s electrifying, it’s primordial punk. This is the type of savage rock’n’roll you need in your life. new drummer and guitarist – Ant Thomas and Stan Standen from Welsh psychobilly legends Demented Are Go! With this vibrant new line-up, the band returned to the studio to record a new album, the first results of which can be heard on horrifying new single ‘B-Movie Boogie’
SAN QUENTIN – ‘Step Off’ (Golden Robot Records)San Quentin is a 5-piece band from Southend-on-Sea. ‘Step Off’ tells a story of the struggle to keep youth culture alive in an ever-changing world, where youth last only seconds. With big riffs and big chorus, San Quentin is confident of making a dent on the rock scene, and on this evidence, they have the chops to pull it off.
Golem Dance Cult – ‘Nosferatu Waltz’ (Self Release) Heres is a new track from this pair of like-minded Europeans. Charles is based in London and Laur is based in France but share a love of mashing up different genres of music and making it work. Here’s an insight into the song from the pair –
Charles: I had this idea for a bass riff variation on Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker for a while so it flowed naturally from there. Inga Liljestrom lent us her amazing voice on this track and has a cameo at the end of the video. Laur: Werner Herzog’s “Nosferatu The Vampyre” was the first horror movie I ever watched when I was like 10. Once you go black you can never go back they say…Vampire music is in my blood…
The Melbies – Reboot Me (self release) Having just played with The Wildhearts they play a series of gigs including supporting The Vibrators. ‘Reboot Me’, finds the band in their best form yet. Amping up the fun and creativity whilst sticking true to their power riff roots. “We’re done licking our wounds from the pandemic. We’re now back performing, writing new music and supporting the scene of local bands around us. We miss our friends and miss the music scene, so out the traps we’ve come back more excited than ever and are looking forward to playing some amazing live performances. We’ve also got a bank of songs that we’re looking forward to publicly releasing.”
What we have here is the prolific frontman from The Pixies Black Francis releasing a tonne of music – 129 tracks to be precise and spread out over 9 CD’s and presented inside an impressive 12″ hardback book. It’s eight albums from a really prolific period in his career. Francis described the records as, “ a time when I felt free to write albums, or bodies of work, that were organised under the banner of a theme or unified concept… Some of the stories are incomplete or they mutate into each other. It is not always beginning, middle, and end with a moral (thank the gods!) Sometimes they are just flashes of the unexplained. ”
Some of the material is released for the very first time and everything has been remastered specifically for this release by Phil Kinrade at Alchemy Mastering at AIR. Also, the 40-page companion booklet features exclusive new artwork, along with an introduction and album-by-album liner notes by Black Francis himself. For fanboys and girls it’s an impressive tome, hell by anyone’s standard this is impressive.
‘Sv n F ng rs’ is a seven track mini album first released in 2007. For this album, Black Francis wrote around the idea of demigods, starting with Cú Chulainn of Eire, who apparently had seven fingers and seven toes on each hand and foot.
“It’s stripped down, minimal soloing, short, to the point, good for 20 minutes at a high rate of speed to get you the fuck out of town if only just.” – Black Francis.
Captured in 2008 on the ‘Bluefinger’ / ‘Svn Fngrs’ tour, ‘Live in Nijmegen’ features Black Francis backed by Jason Carter and Dan Schmid on ferocious performances of tracks such as ‘Threshold Apprehension’, ‘You Can’t Break A Heart And Have It’ and ‘Get Away Oil’.
In 2011 Francis teamed up with Reid Paley to record the album ‘Paley and Francis’ of mainly folk like tunes but with an edge. theres no thigh slapping happening here and the opening rough edges of ‘Curse’ is excellent and once Francis vocals hit the speakers theres an edge to proceedings. ‘On The Corner’ could be a jazzy outtake from a Tom Waites adventure. Definately a late night record and one that shows off another side of Black Francis thats for sure. A bit of Green On Red in places.
Also in 2011 Francis manged to record the album ‘The Golem’ is a soundtrack Francis wrote a few years earlier and released it at the San Francisco Film Festival released as a five disc set in 2010. it was rocked up and released in 2011 This version contains only the substantial songs, leaving out the reprises and themes that were included with the box set. I’ve never seen the film nor have I ever heard the full original five disc score so have nothing to compare it to but as a stand alone album this will very much do the balladeering of ‘The Flower Song’ is wonderful alongside the more traditional rock songs like ‘Bad News’. theres still a lot going on here as the sounds head out on a roller coaster ride and work on shuffle or as an evening set aside for a wander through the varied work of Francis.
“Every once in a while, the sound person or whoever manages to get a decent live recording in, and sometimes they luck out and the band plays pretty well, too. This is one of those nights”– Black Francis. Having all these records in one compact set with insightful liner notes is a joy. Wrapping up the resent pixies reissues and previous set of Frank Black and the Catholics collection these are good times for fans of Blacks work so dig deep and wrap up this fine body of work. all in all there is a lot of value for your money in this set and well worth investigating. My advice is to dive in people get yourself submerged in a sea of Black Francis the rewards are obvious from such a talented guy.
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