You never forget your first encounter with Motorhead. I vividly remember mine; I was around 12 years old and I had been regularly raiding my mate’s older brother’s vinyl collection. I had already been turned into a metalhead after blasting his copy of UFO’s classic live album ‘Strangers in the Night’ over and over and had my Dio virginity taken by Rainbow’s ‘Rising’ and his pristine copy of ‘Holy Diver’. I was flicking through to see what else would grab my attention when I came across his copy of ‘Ace of Spades’. I assumed they must be some sort of mad Mexican bandits judging by the cover with Lemmy and the boys resplendent with bullet belts, guns, and cowboy hats in the hot desert. (I was gutted when I found out years later that the photo was taken in High Barnet, London). Anyway, I feverishly took the LP out of its sleeve and put it on my mother’s crap hi-fi system. The opening bars of the title track was enough to have the speakers flapping, the neighbours complaining and this teenage scribe’s metal morphosis was complete.

 

This time in Motorhead’s history was to prove to be their most successful, ‘Ace of Spades’ reached number four on the UK album chart, and the ensuing ‘Ace Up Your Sleeve’ tour was their most lucrative to date, taking Bronze label-mates Girlschool out with them as support. This tour was documented in the loudest possible way with the release in 1981 of one of the best live albums ever recorded: ‘No Sleep ‘Til Hammersmith’. Confusingly, the album wasn’t recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon as many people think but was made up from material recorded at the Newcastle City Hall and the Leeds Queen’s Hall in 1981. The album’s title came from a mural painted on one of the band’s tour trucks. It was the band’s only number one in the UK and showcased a band at the peak of their deafening powers. The line-up of Lemmy, ‘Fast’ Eddie Clarke, and Phil ‘Philthy Animal’ Taylor is the most revered for good reason, the chemistry on stage is palpable and every track is performed as if their lives depended on it. It literally rips out of the speakers. I loved it as a spotty teenager, and I love it even more now.

 

 

This 40th-anniversary release of ‘No Sleep’ is hot on the heels of last year’s fantastic ‘Ace of Spades’ anniversary release. There’s so much here for Motorheadbangers to get their teeth into with the deluxe editions. You can choose from a remastered double CD or triple LP set, both come with bonus tracks, soundcheck recordings, and the previously unreleased Newcastle City Hall concert in its entirety. You also get hard books with the story of the album and brand-new photos, posters, a tour pass, and loads of other goodies.

 

 

There’s also the option of a four-CD box set with all three concerts that make up ‘No Sleep’ here in all their eardrum demolishing glory. Seventy-one tracks in total! The new remaster sounds incredible and you get all the thunderous bass runs, amphetamine-induced double kick drum mania, and full-throttle guitar riffs in crystal clear sound. The soundcheck recordings are a delight to behold, make sure you check them out!

40 years is a long time, give this reissue all the attention it deserves, turn it up as loud as you possibly can (fuck the neighbours), pour yourself a JD and Coke, and plunge yourself (Motor) headfirst into the audible delight that is ‘No Sleep ‘Til Hammersmith’. It’s what Lemmy and the boys would have wanted. We all miss you. RIP.

Buy Here

Author: Kenny Kendrick

SWITCHFOOT ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM

‘INTERROBANG’,

OUT VIA FANTASY RECORDS ON AUGUST 20

PRE-ORDER INTERROBANG HERE

 

 

GRAMMY Award-winning rock band Switchfoot confirmed their new album interrobang will be released on August 20th, 2021 via Fantasy Records. interrobang is the follow up to 2018’s Native Tongue and last year’s Covers EP. The band also shared the sparkling new track, ‘Fluorescent’, the second song from interrobang, following the recently
released “i need you (to be wrong).”

Brimming with child-like imagination and a futuristic mindset, Switchfoot reaches a bold new creative peak on interrobang, the 12 th full-length album of the multi-platinum selling rock band’s 20+ year career. Working with producer Tony Berg (Paul McCartney, Phoebe Bridgers, Andrew Bird) at both Sound City studio in Van Nuys, CA and the band’s own studio in Carlsbad, CA, Switchfoot: Jon Foreman, Tim Foreman, Chad Butler, Jerome Fontamillas, and Drew Shirley recorded the album in a burst of pent-up mid-pandemic creativity throughout last year and into
2021. Fearlessly marrying 60’s experimentalism and synth-driven new wave swagger, the band pushed past its comfort zones and retooled its sound.

“More than ever, we want our music to be a bridge, reaching out with melody and lyrics to sing an honest song for anyone who’s got ears to hear,” says Switchfoot frontman Jon Foreman. “interrobang is an album that celebrates the journey, even when the arrival is unsure. interrobang is the sound of joy and pain, faith and doubt against the backdrop of the strangest, most difficult year we’ve ever experienced.”  An absorbing series of sharply drawn short stories underscored by a dizzying array of textures both vintage and modern, interrobang’s themes of alienation and self-reflection are amplified by the record’s inventive use of density and dynamics. Credit veteran mixer Tchad Blake (Arctic Monkeys, Fiona Apple) with aiding the album’s three-dimensional sound.  Interro is derived from interrogation point, the technical name for the question mark and bang is printer slang for the exclamation point. Seeking freedom from the broken promises and failed expectations of 21 st century America, on interrobang Switchfoot takes the listener on a twisty, surprising technicolor ride, all the while asking hard questions with eyes wide open.

Consistently underrated, The Boys remain one of the best bands of their generation. I have to thank my mate Charley here, as I’d never heard of them until he played me ‘Alternative Chartbusters’ in about 1988. Always a man of impeccable taste. This compilation album sees previously unreleased songs, original mixes and live/acoustic versions, so let’s dive in.

 

‘See You Later’ is a pleasantly hectic original mix from ’79, and ‘Terminal Love’ is an original mix, their first with a producer. Certainly tighter, but never knowingly slick. Radio-friendly in the best way. ‘You Can Give It’, written by Matt Dangerfield’s brother Albert, recorded in ’78, was previously on the ‘Odds And Sods’ compilation, but certainly deserves wider recognition.

 

‘I Love Me’, with Kid on lead vocals, is the original recording from the ‘Junk’ sessions, and ‘Rue Morgue’ is another original mix, sounding punchy and energetic. ‘Walk My Dog’ was recorded in ’80 at the Marquee studios for the session that saw ‘You Better Move On’ chosen as the single.

 

Their recent ‘Punk Rock Menopause’ album gets included with ‘Punk Rock Girl’, not really sounding out of place on here. ‘Waiting For The Lady’ is the original ’79 mix, rather than the one chosen for ‘To Hell With The Boys’. To my ears it sounds great, so who knows what the difference was. The mighty ‘Brickfield Nights’ is represented here in acoustic form from ’96, to fine effect.

 

‘Jimmy Brown’ is from the Marquee ’80 session, complete with Marquee receptionist on backing vocals, ‘Flies’ is from the ’78 Rockfield session, while a brisk ‘T.C.P’ was recorded live in China from 2015. If you don’t have any of The Boys’ albums yet, this is a good place to start. Though, be warned, it can be addictive, and you may be asking the vinyl fairy for some extra funds.

 

To buy go Here

Gutterwail Records

Author: Martin Chamarette

 

With his Portland based band The Cry on hiatus, singer/songwriter Tommy Ray has been busy channeling his music into various projects over the last couple of years. Following an album release from his street punk side project The Decayed, and his most excellent 2020 long player ‘First Hits Free’, Tommy wastes no time delivering his sophomore solo album ‘Handful Of Hits’ to the rock n’ roll world.

Seen as a companion album to the aforementioned ‘First Hits Free’, this new collection of songs is as honest, gritty and 4 real as you wanna get.

 

So what does our leather clad, feather-haired rock n’ roll singer offer this time around?  Well, these are simple songs from the heart, with themes that cover his ongoing mental health struggles, and the trials and tribulations of modern life, and how to lose the girl you wanna love.

‘Handful Of Hits’ is a solo album in every respect. Tommy wrote everything, played everything and self-produced this album. And what a gloriously ramshackle collection of songs we have here. Going by his “Don’t bore us, get to the chorus” mantra, Tommy references The Exploding Hearts, Ramones and The Beach Boys as influences in his songwriting, and his love of 3-minute pop songs is always evident. You see Tommy Ray has a knack for penning a melody or two and understands the fine art of a catchy chorus.

 

Opener ‘In Love Again’ is a jangly, power pop anthem straight outta ‘77. It has an instant chorus and a sense of immediacy to it. There’s a sense of euphoria that goes perfectly with the lyrical theme of falling in love feeling like the first time every time.

The honest lyricism throughout the album is to the point. Getting laid (sometimes failing) and getting fucked up (never seeming to fail at that one!). You see like Johnny Thunders before him, Tommy Ray exudes the self-destruction blues, but you can tell he is just a soppy romantic at heart.

Rebelling with teenage kicks and trying to win the girl that is out of your league are the order of the day. The likes of ‘Closer To You’ and lead single ‘No, No, No, No’ are testament to that.

Tommy channels the likes of Hanoi Rocks and the New York Dolls to perfection on the likes of ‘On My Wall’, a Johnny Thunders inspired tale of wasting days and wasted love. Again, on the punky ‘Loser’s Anthem’ and the ode to one-night stands that is ‘Beer, Wine and Whiskey’. Urgent beats, one finger piano prowess and glam rock goodness are the order of the day.

 

‘Feel The Pain’ is killer power pop fodder, make no mistake. This is the sorta thing Tommy knocked out in The Cry day after day, no problemo. Instant, catchy and euphoric, this is a radio friendly hit that should be. You will be singing along wondering how you lived without this song in your life. Likewise, ‘Always Running’ will make you realise you needed someone to mash up the glorious retro sound of The Knack and XTC into one 3-minute pop song. We end with Tommy running from the law on ‘I Didn’t Do It’, one glitter boot stomping in front of the other. He tells us he didn’t do it in his wicked vocal drawl to an accompaniment of bombastic drums and handclaps and general 70’s retro glam rock vibes all over, what’s not to like here?

 

With a DIY ethos, power pop sensibilities and a punk rock attitude, Tommy Ray delivers another fine collection of songs that will fit nicely in your record collection alongside your heroes and possibly some of his too.

If songs about chasing love and getting fucked up from a guy who looks and sounds like he’s been dragged through the hedge of life backwards in his creepers, then look no further than ‘Handful Of Hits’. Like I said, a gloriously, ramshackle collection of tunes available on vinyl from the Bandcamp link below. Go fill yer boots!

Buy Beluga Records

Buy Here

Author: Ben Hughes

 

Tickets available from www.myticket.co.uk on Friday 25th June at 10am.
Gatherers of the World, Killing Joke are delighted to announce their first UK tour in over three years, 2022’s Honour The Fire tour.
The fire is that which brings us all together. And after this dreadful pandemic this tour will be like no other.
One great mosh pit!“ -promises Jaz Coleman
The fire in our hearts that has sustained and protected us for over 40 years, never goes out.
It is our privilege to Honour The Fire and celebrate the white heat purification by sound. Join with us in a fearless leap through the sacred flames, into the unknown….let’s create the future we all desire, by sonically destroying the one we don’t” – Youth
Killing Joke’s 10 date tour will start at the Tramshed in Cardiff on Monday, 28th March, before concluding in London at Eventim Apollo Hammersmith on Saturday 9th April.
Very much music as ritual – raw, uncompromising and precisely-targeted lyrically; Jaz Coleman, Geordie, Youth & Big Paul, the original Killing Joke personnel show no signs of mellowing.
With collective nostrils flared and righteous anger carried torch-high, Killing Joke continue to take their music of resistance to fresh levels…
The full list of ‘Honour The Fire’ UK 2022 shows.
March 2022
28th Mon Cardiff Tramshed
29th Tue Nottingham Rock City
31st Thu Bristol O2 Academy
April 2022
1st Fri Liverpool O2 Academy
2nd Sat Birmingham O2 Institute
4th Mon Manchester Albert Hall
5th Tue Newcastle Boiler Shop
6th Wed Glasgow Barrowland
8th Fri Leeds O2 Academy
9th Sat Lodon Eventim Apollo Hammersmith
Tickets available from www.myticket.co.uk on Friday 25th June at 10am.

Unlucky for some this compilation has thirteen unreleased tracks from Swiss underground punk and garage rock bands.  If you’re hip and on it, most of these bands will be familiar to you or if you’re an avid reader of RPM Online there will be some familiar names but in the time-honoured tradition of compilations, there are always unpacked gems lurking that will (hopefully) set off a wormhole of discovery into a band or labels catalogue of releases some of which are quite expensive.

Right, that’s that but what about the tunes? A lot of these bands will be known internationally which is often the case that they do well outside of their own country and might have a cult underground following back home so to speak but the beauty of a compilation is the voyage of discovery or the bonus of that exclusive unreleased gem from a band you love this album offers all that and more.  up first are Nasty Rumours a band we’ve reviewed before offering up a rapid Ramones inspired sound that will indeed drive you insane.  It’s pogo punk rock – something they do rather well it has to be said.  Fans of The Briefs, The Boys and obviously The Ramones need to hear these chaps and a great way to kick off this album its sharp, quick, melodic and a lot of fun!

A band that should need no introductions on RPM is Bitch Queens who’ve long been championed around here a band who just seem to get better with every record are up next with ‘The Apocalypse’.  An anthemic slice of hard Rockin, rifftastic Rock n Roll that benefits from being played loud with the big gang vocals on the chorus its a welcome addition to the bands superb catalogue of records worth it for the opening two tracks alone.

Hang on make that opening three tracks as Bad Mojos come steaming in with ‘Weekend Warrior’ which sounds like a fuckin’ runaway train steaming towards a bunch of fluffy kittens and if you blink it’s over you missed it.  Top top tune!

 

With some genres I’ve never even heard of these Punks and Garagerockers turn in a very impressive collection. The Delilahs ‘Wheels’ is polished and anthemic as you hit the chorus and another really impressive song is unfolding. I’d only previously heard them when they did a split with Bitch Queens and I loved their contribution to that as well.

 

Its fair to say that when you scratch the surface there are a whole bunch of excellent bands all over this spinning ball and this compilation shines a light on what Switzerland has to offer.  Tight Finks remind me of a punky Levellers whereas my first introduction to Uberyou sees them as a competent mob of punk rockers as they knock out ‘How Lonely’.

 

The Monsters go hell for leather on ‘Gimme Germs’ creating their own circle pit and helping spread the disease at great volume – get fit and jump in as they blast their way through one and a half minutes of sweet noise. Lombego Surfers have a crisp overdriven guitar sound that’s swirling around and around towards their homage to Jimmy Page for the solo and it’s a two-fingered salute and off they go.

 

Here Hare Here go for the early 70s garage thump of ‘Chez Liam’ and deliver it really well a band who’ve so far alluded my ears but not anymore.  Great stuff.  It seems fitting that Monofones are up next with their hypnotic ‘Rich Bitch’ that thunders along at a frantic pace – kicking and screaming into the quirky Wolf Wolf who get groovy with ‘Black Hole’.

 

With only a couple of bangers left we receive The Lovers and their ‘Punjab Punk Rock’ which is a more reckless punk n roll building up to an exquisite solo before falling off the edge of a cliff with its abrupt ending which is a shame as I was really enjoying it.  With the whole shebang being wound up by Uristier and ‘Influencer’ being sung in their native tongue its another variant on the rock and roll disease spreading across borders with compilations as good as this one.

Getting jabbed can wait stay in and get your rocks off to this sweet record with something for everyone it’s well worth locking yourself down for.

 

Buy Here  / Bandcamp

Author: Dom Daley

The ‘Salvador Dali of rock n roll’ is back. Was it really only last year that David Ryder Prangley released ‘Black Magic And True Love’? I’ve played it so regularly, it seems like it must be longer. From Rachel Stamp to Sister Witch and all points in between, he’s cast a singular figure. “He puts the glam in Mid-Glamorgan”, as Simon Price said. David Ryder Prangley remains outside of time, and his music is all the better for it. He should, of course, be famous, and filthy rich. Nevertheless, he is a star.

 

‘In The Palace Of Dead Stars’ croons darkly, an apparent homage to an old Star Trek episode. Oddly, I watched them all again recently, so this seems to fit the mood. ‘Hello’ is the first single, you may have seen the video already. While not perhaps an obvious choice for a single, it could only be D.R.P, the guitars sounding as sleazy as ever.

 

‘Sweet Heartbreaker’ is a brazen chunk of 70s riffage. I’ve never really liked KISS, but this was how I thought they should sound, if they were actually as good as they think they are. Now THIS is a single.

An underrated guitarist, for sure, I love his choice of tones throughout the album. And an underrated songwriter, as ‘Never Grow Up’ proves his versatility. The light touch on the piano, a beautiful tune.

 

‘Saint David Of The Bleeding Heart’ reads like a lament to the artist’s doomed soul, complete with a towering solo. ‘Song For A Witch’ is, er, self explanatory and suitably ethereal. ‘Dreaming Spires And Crystal Steeples’ could easily have been a Tyrannosaurus Rex title, but sounds more like one of Donovan’s more inspired moments. “Flutey as fuck”, I believe our Mr Hayward would say. A compliment, of course.

 

‘Heart Full Of Love, Head Full Of Poison’ brings back the raunch, and I can forgive D.R.P for nicking his own lyrics here (see ‘Captain Sugar’). It would be a great double A-side with ‘Black Magic…’ for some hip-shaking glam stomping. ‘Hey Stargazer’ ends things on a gentler note, a piano led song of sci-fi visions, but once again with a beautiful solo.

 

This is certainly a similar album to ‘Black Magic…’, which is hardly surprising, but, if anything, the choice of track list is better, with light and shade, and I might even prefer it. Given that ‘Black Magic…’ was one of last year’s best albums (based on how many times I’ve played it), that’s quite a surprise. I’m really pleased that I preordered it. July is looking up…

Buy it Here

David Ryder Prangley plays live – 15th Aug at Lexington?

 

Author: Martin Chamarette

Seeing as Spaghetty Town released one of if not the best EP so far in 2021 we thought we’d bring you a few other of their releases via the medium of video and first up is The Stripp with ‘the Rising Tide’ which you can pre order Here

 

Next is a classic from Baltimore’s finest and out in September heres Ravagers with ‘Down That Road’.

Finally how about the brand new video from Chubby & The Gang?  Coming Up Tough it is then.  West London 5-piece Chubby and the Gang have detailed their much-anticipated second album – The Mutt’s Nuts out August 27th via Partisan – and shared its first single with accompanying music video. ‘Coming Up Tough‘ is part snapshot of modern London, part punk rager about government failure and the school-to-prison pipeline. It comes from frontman Charlie Manning Walker (aka Chubby Charles)’s own experience with one of his family members.

On 18th June The Wildhearts released a brand new single ‘Remember These Days‘ before their appearance at the Download Pilot Festival on Sunday.
Remember These Days‘ is the first single taken from the album ’21st Century Love Songs’, out September 3rd  2021 via Graphite Records

Sometimes inspiration strikes at exactly the right point in time, Ginger explains “I was sitting blind drunk one afternoon, looking at a picture of me and CJ on stage having a great old time. It had been a year since we’d played live and I started to miss it even more. So I started writing this song.
I never write while drunk. I’ve probably my done it half a dozen times in my life. But the picture got me all emotional, thinking about how much fun we used to have, even in the ‘bad old days’. 
It made me want to document these times because who knows, maybe we’ll look back on these times and remember only the good things?”
To purchase / stream ‘Remember These Days’ go  https://ffm.to/rememberthesedays
With The Wildhearts classic line up of Ginger, CJ, Ritchie and Danny still holding strong this creatively brilliant band who helped change the landscape of British rock through the 90’s are showing no sign of slowing down.
21st Century Love Songs is the follow up to Renaissance Men, their highest charting album since 1994’s P.H.U.Q, which debuted at number 11
To celebrate the release of  21st Century Love Songs’ The Wildhearts play an 18 date UK tour. The tour will start in Cardiff on Friday 3rd September and concludes in Southampton on Saturday 25th September.
Their incendiary live performances over the last few years have seen the band’s popularity hit new heights as The Wildhearts continue to cement their reputation and legacy as one of the best bands the UK has ever produced.
Live 2021 dates in full 
Festivals
June 
20 Sun Download Pilot Festival
July
17 Sat Ramblin Man Fair, Maidstone
25 Sun Steelhouse Festival, Ebbw Vale
29 Thu Wacken Open Air 2021, Wacken, Germany
30 Fri Rock and Blues Custom Show, Derby
31 Sat Cleethorpes Rocks, Cleethorpes
August
13 Fri Bloodstock
21 Sat Razernij Festival, Antwerp, Belgium
Headline Tour 
September 
3 Fri Tramshed, Cardiff
4 Sat SWX, Bristol
5 Sun Phoenix, Exeter
6 Mon Cheese & Grain, Frome
8 Wed Academy 2, Manchester
9 Thu Electric Ballroom, London
10 Fri Waterfront, Norwich
11 Sat Chalk, Brighton
12 Sun Madding Crowd, Bournemouth
15 Wed KKs Steel Mill, Wolverhampton
16 Thu Guildhall, Gloucester
17 Fri Boiler Shop, Newcastle
18 Sat Stylus, Leeds
20 Mon Mac Arts, Galashiels
21 Tue Tolbooth, Stirling
22 Wed The Lemon Tree, Aberdeen
24 Fri Foundry, Sheffield
25 Sat Engine Rooms, Southampton
October
1 Fri Great British Alternative Festival, Skegness
2 Sat MK11, Milton Keynes
15 Fri Roadmender, Northampton
16 Sat Cornwall Rocks, Cornwall
November 
5 Fri MMH Radio 10 Year Birthday Bash, Birmingham
11 Thu Hedworth Hall, South Shields
12 Fri Monsterfest,  Inverness
To purchase tickets please go Here
http://www.thewildhearts.com/
https://www.facebook.com/TheWildhearts

Former front man of Minneapolis boneshakers The Rockford Mules is back with his first full solo album since 2012’s ‘The Ballad of a Winter Beard’. Following the Mules’ final record in 2010, ‘Ma, They Broke Me’, Erik Tasa’s solo record was a far mellower and introspective offering, employing acoustic melodies and haunting vocals to create a powerful and atmospheric 7 songs in just over 20 minutes. For the new album ‘Murky’, the folk balladeer has happily returned to this formula, this time under the name Mudfoot Barker.

For those who have been waiting a long 9 years for a follow up, ‘Murky’ is in fact reminiscent of the its predecessor in many ways – beautifully crafted, melodious and mysterious. The sheer beauty of the title track opens up yet another collection of late-night, whiskey-sipping acoustic folk. It’s a sound so descriptive you can almost see it – delicate tones warmly blending into one another, a voice full of warmth, stories of time gone by; all helped on by the atmospheric production of another ex-Mules man, Ryan Rud.

From the magic of ‘Whiskey Witching Hour’ to the tingling charm of ‘Between the Ditches’, the chorus of ‘My June’ to the lonely road song of ‘Long Setting Low’, ‘Murky’ is an album that illustrates a myriad of portraits within a desperately short 7 songs. While acting as something like a follow up to ‘The Ballad of Winter Beard’, it’s certainly not a conclusion. I just hope we don’t have to wait for another 9 years to get one.

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Author: Craggy Collyde