If Spotify is good for anything, it’s that, just occasionally, the logarithm recommends an artist that you’ve never heard of but suits your tastes almost perfectly. Et voila, this is how I first heard of Fleur.
If you also love garage rock, 60s pop of the French variety, Françoise Hardy and the more recent likes of The Courettes and Fabienne Del Sol, you’re in for a treat.
With two albums of laid-back 60s-influenced pop under her belt, this time round Fleur has set free her inner ‘Yé-Yé’ girl and the results are magnificent. All ten songs were written by Mark ten Hoor, of The Kryng, who certainly has an ear for the genre. However, Fleur is more than “une poupée” (puppet/doll). She inhabits these songs, making them her own, along with her image. You have heard it before, but rarely done this well.
I’d already heard ‘Tu Es Un Être Parfait’, on repeat, which is the perfect introduction for the album as a whole. It’s irresistible. The title track has more of The Troggs about it, suitably savage and abrupt.
Don’t worry if you don’t understand a word, just immerse yourself in the tunes and your world will become immeasurably more groovy.
In fact, I was a little surprised to realise that Fleur hails from the Netherlands, so perfect is her approach to the French language and culture. ‘L’amour!’ is sultry in a way that evokes the wonderful Emanuela and The Hillbilly Moon Explosion, which will give you some idea of the standard being set.
‘T’as Tort’ could easily be a rare Françoise Hardy song from 1965, while ‘Ta Faute’ ups the tempo and the fuzz to get the place swinging. There really is nothing to fault, the playing and production are exactly what the songs need to make them shine. ‘Tu N’es Rien’ adds the Stooges one-finger piano motif.
‘Je T’en Prie’ harks back to her previous, mellower albums, but also sits naturally amongst the harder edged tunes. A dreamy number. ‘Nous Continuerons À Marcher Ensemble’ lets rip, and your hips should follow. Consult your doctor if this is not the case. I’m running out of superlatives. This album has been lovingly created, the quality never drops. As a francophone, I also love the way she pronounces the lyrics clearly, so that I can understand everything.
‘J’en Perds La Tête’ would please Jacques Dutronc, sans doute. Another one to swing your pants to.
And with ‘Je Sais Ce Que Tu Veux’, it’s over too soon. After one listen, I ordered the vinyl, a rare thing for me. Available on LP, CD and cassette via Harry Records/Soundflat, get on over to Fleur’s Bandcamp page. It’s nearly Christmas, et tu le mérites.
Not my favourite venue in this thriving musically diverse city and tonight it looks to have been massively oversold to the point of it being quite uncomfortable and the fact the drunkest knob always manages to stand in my personal space but its been five years since I last saw Amyl And The Sniffers that time was in a pub just up the road where about 100 people witnessed a band on the rise, destined for great things with an infectious way about them that was both innocent and ruthless and to be fair they had the chops then and a pocketful of tunes in Amys Daisy dukes. Fast forward five years and a couple of albums as well as about a bazillion live shows Amyl And The Sniffers are well deserving of the fever pitch that greets them when the lights drop and they bounce on stage and being seventy minutes of no-nonsense punk rock that’s infectious and they now have even more worthy tunes to put out there.
‘Doing In Me Head’ opens the set and the pit which pretty much is the whole of the floor in the O2 goes ape shit. There is very little time for small talk and the band kicks straight into most of their excellent new album ‘Cartoon Darkness’ as well as some of their fine back catalogue. ‘Some Mutts’ is a killer tune and the band who are clearly in sync from all the live shows they’ve played since the pandemic. Amy Talor is a ball of energy not standing still for a second patrolling every inch of the stage and beaming with ‘pinch me’ childlike enthusiasm that says fuck you to the haters and join me for those on board. I get that they’re not for everyone but their force is undeniable and I did think to myself that they won’t be playing these sized venues next time it’ll be the arenas of the circuit no doubt about it and they’re putting in the graft to make that happen as well.
Songs like ‘Security’ and ‘Knifey’ (which was a welcome change of pace) sit really well in the set alongside the tracks off the new album which they pretty much play in its entirety which is a bold move for any band and as headliners they have to play longer than forty-five minutes or do they?
I love their attitude but it does overshadow the songs and in Declan, they have a guy who seems to be of the school of Malcolm Young where it’s about the song and not the player. In Bryce Wilson and Kevin Romer, they have a rock-solid rhythm section that is tight and is driving this juggernaut onward and upwards. Standout tracks for me from the new record were ‘Pigs’ and by the time they hit ‘U Should Not Be Doing That’ and ‘Jerkin’, they were on fire and had the crowd eating out of the palm of their hands. they briefly left the stage before being returning with an olden yet golden ‘GFY’ which was charming before signing off with an impressive ‘Big Attraction’ finale of ‘Balaclava Boogie’ and they were gone.
All in all an impressive night’s work from Australia’s hottest property who are heading right for the top and there isn’t anything that is going to stop them. It’s been a pleasure seeing them go from strength to strength and hope they don’t change or lose that attitude and joie de vivre that has brought them this far. Good on ya you crazy potty-mouthed kids.
On November 15th The Silverlites proudly release their self-titled debut album on Sunyata Records distributed by Sony Music.
You might think so what who are these new kids on the block? Well, They might be a new band but wet behind the ears they most certainly are not. In the great traditions of a supergroup, This quartet includes Peter Buck (R.E.M.), Rich Robinson (The Black Crowes), Barrett Martin (Screaming Trees and Mad Season) and Joseph Arthur, a singer-songwriter who was first discovered by Peter Gabriel.
You’re gently eased into the world of Silverlites with ‘Still Don’t Know You’ which in a predominantly acoustic affair before the cool tones of an electric guitar fall in like rainfall on a misty evening. Sitting comfortably? ‘Forever And A Day’ has a dreamy Bowie-esk feel to it as it drifts in on a cool shuffle courtesy of Barrett Martin. Putting the supreme relaxed structure of the music as the interplay of the electric and acoustic guitars takes hold of the earworm that’s settling in nicely maybe its Arthurs vocals that are soothing and sounding like a hushed Scott Weiland to my ears.
The gentle laid back mood continues until the first single chimes in with a cool swagger, ‘Don’t Go Don’t Stay’ is the work of a band comfortable in their own skin who need to prove nothing and can therefore concentrate on making the best music they can together as a band. Excellent single and song that showcases their individual talents and their collective cool.
The Silverlites initial spark happened in 2015, when Barrett and Rich played together in the backing band for a tribute to Led Zeppelin guitarist, Jimmy Page. 4 years later, in 2019, Rich called Barrett to see if he was interested in assembling a new band that could create equally adventurous music. That’s when Barrett called Peter Buck, a long-time friend and collaborator, and Peter called Joseph Arthur, whom Peter had also worked with. The Silverlites debut album was recorded during the pandemic years between 2019-2021 in a series of recording stages.
It began with Barrett recording Rich and Peter in a hotel room in Nashville when they took out their acoustic guitars to write the initial songs. Barrett literally ran down to the local music store, bought a portable recording rig, set it up in the hotel room, and started recording these initial basic tracks. The following year, in 2020, the band recorded overdubs and vocal arrangements from the Nashville sessions, and they also recorded a few more new songs at Jack Endino’s studio in Seattle, WA. Barrett then collected, organized, and edited all the final overdubs and prepared 18 songs for mixing.
Final mixing happened in New York City in the summer of 2021 with Barrett, Joe, and mixing engineer Daniel Sanint. When it came time to sequence this huge initial offering, the band had differing opinions, so Barrett sent the mixes to his former bandmate, Mark Lanegan, singer of the Screaming Trees. Mark loved the songs so much that he offered to create the sequence you now hear, which includes the 12 song album, and a 6 song EP.
The album was delayed for release because of everyone’s incredibly busy touring schedules post-pandemic, but now the album is ready to be heard by everyone. The band has decided to release 2 singles in early October and early November, and then the full album will be released on November 15th, followed by the additional 6 song EP in March of 2025.
You can see why they broke the flow of the songs into the EP and the 12-track LP. It’s a lot of music to get through and the beauty of these supergroup projects is to create something that is outside of their wheelhouse I guess and that is certainly achieved here. There are times I’m thinking of Neil Young with the keys and acoustic combinations but the laid-back restrained percussive drums take it somewhere different, especially on the excellent ‘No Time’ and the countrified ‘Dark And Magic Skies’. The production is massive and adds a grande and confident feel to the songs and songs like ‘Looking For A Friend’ it’s easy to see how Mark Lanigan was so impressed and wanted to be involved in some capacity.
The penultimate track on the LP is ‘No More’ which is the loudest track on offer and a nice contrast to the more laid back acoustic stuff. This will have intrigue and appeal to fans of their day job bands for sure and some will love it whilst others not so much but isn’t that the beauty of creating music? Me, I find it really impressive and very enjoyable now where did I leave those Josticks and my paisley rug? Catch you later you crazy kids, peace out!
The CD will be released with six more songs on January 10th.
The Party Punk Darlings of Madrid, AmyJo Doh & The Spangles, release their new album, Spangle Landia, through Strap Originals on Friday 8th November on Red Vinyl, CD and digital download. It is available to order Here. A new single, Rock n’ Roll, is released the same day.
AmyJo Doh says of Rock n’ Roll: “This was originally called ‘Despedida Rock N Roll’… for me personally this is a goodbye to the past. The old fears and shadows and the parts of that person that no longer serve us. Whatever you are saying goodbye to, let’s give them a good squeeze, thank them for the lessons learned and then kiss them goodbye! No hard feelings! Just a lot of love, and of course…. A lotta LOTTA rock and roll!”
The video for Rock n’ Roll, directed by Pablo Lopez, is a performance video with the song’s narrative brought to life by Spanish actress Raquel Saiz. Rock n’ Roll is the second single along with Arise to be lifted from the album.
In true Spangle style, the album brings together various EPs and members of the extended Spangle family, yet the energy and message remain coherent. It’s an eclectic mix of great songs which explore themes of love, rebellion, personal freedom, …and Jamón. The band remains unapologetically versatile. As AmyJo says, “Punk is not a musical style, it’s an attitude…..Every song is a universe in its own right.”
AmyJo Doh & The Spangles have toured with The Libertines and Peter Doherty and will be announcing tour dates and festival appearances shortly. In the meantime, they will be playing the following shows in Spain:
NOVEMBER
16th Madrid – Vermut en FunHouse DECEMBER
13th Madrid – Sala Siroco FEBRUARY
20th Madrid – La Corriente MARCH
1st Zaragoza – Sala Creedence
21st Valencia – Sala Black Note
AmyJo Doh & The Spangles were formed in 2016 and inhabiting the beautiful, sometimes grubby streets of Madrid, they have quickly become a force to be reckoned within the underground scene. Led by the dynamic AmyJo Doherty, Peter Doherty’s older and on occasions, wiser sister, they released their debut album, Calle de Spangles, in 2018 and have since carved out a unique space for themselves with their eclectic sound and captivating stage presence. AmyJo’s music is an exciting blend of punk, rock, and indie, infused with her distinctive voice and powerful lyrics.
AmyJo Doh & The Spangles’ message is a joyful one and they want to share it live and LOUD! So, listen to the album, buy it, sing it, and share it; but whatever you do, don’t miss their show when it comes to town. It’s an experience you won’t want to miss.
The Spangles are: AmyJo Doherty (vocals) David Lancho (guitar) German Moderno (bass) Matty Tyack (drums)
“There ain’t no future, Halle-fuckin-lujah!” Spits Ally Dickaty two songs into the magnificent new opus from Macclesfield duo The Virginmarys. That diatribe sums up the frustration, the anger and the pent-up aggression of not just a small-town northern band, but the collective of a whole generation who face an uncertain future in 2024.
Right now feels like a time where bands with something to say will shine. Rubbing shoulders with the likes of Ren, Delilah Bon and Bob Vylan, The Virginmarys join a whole host of artists who are pissed off and shouting from the rooftops social/political commentary, tackling the subject paths others fear to tread.
For a band who came close to throwing in the towel a few years back, The Virginmarys sound invigorated and ready to take on the world with ‘The House Beyond the Fires’, their fourth album, produced by Ally and go-to-guy Dave Draper.
The picked chords and sweeping strings of cinematic opener ‘White Knuckle Ride’ creates atmosphere in the same way ‘Ends Don’t Mend’ closed the debut album ‘King Of Conflict’ over a decade ago. Intentionally or not, maybe The Virginmarys have come full circle in that time? Sonically at least the duo retain all the fire and energy of a band on their first record. The big riffs, melodies and powerhouse beats remain as solid as the friendship of singer/guitarist Ally Dickaty and drummer Danny Dolan.
‘The House Beyond the Fires’ is a viscous snarling beast from beginning to end. The singles released in the lead up shine strong on first listen. ‘Northwest Coast’ with its stabbing power chords and bombastic drums is full of northern grit and bleak desperation, like a band teetering on the edge, pulling the pin from a musical hand-grenade with their teeth. It’s glorious.
Second single and second track on the album ‘There Ain’t No Future’ is quite possibly the best rock song of the year. If MTV was still a music channel, that striking video would be on heavy rotation, it’s a song that should be a standard on rock radio right now. Punchy as fuck, both lyrically and musically. And most recently ‘When The Light’s Go Down’, with its hi hat count and crunchy riff is about as AC/DC as you get in 2024, but the infectious melody and songwriting suss of Ally takes it to a different place entirely. The duo weave their sonic tapestry to great effect, creating dark atmospheres with urgent rhythms, effect-ridden guitars and clever use of space.
Elsewhere, ‘You’re A Killer’ is dark and edgy, punky goodness, ‘Trippin’ New York City’ is a funky curveball with killer dynamics and guitars that are sloppy as fuck, right up my street.
The intensity builds song after song culminating mid-album with the acerbic ‘Lies Lies Lies’ a brutal assault on the senses that just makes you wanna turn it up and turn it on.
Ally is one of those songwriters that has a knack of creating imagery in his songs and putting you in a certain mind frame, ‘Where Are You Now’ is a tune that does just that. The loud/quiet/loud formula is delivered with passion, emotion and angst in equal measures. The epic ‘Dance To The City’ then veers towards Trail Of Dead territory, before closer ‘Urban Seagull’ throws one last curveball.
‘The House Beyond The Fires’ is dedicated to Danny’s father Tommy who passed away last year. He was a big inspiration to Ally in his songwriting and the boys have done him proud.
Equal parts emotive and raging, passionate and powerful, The Virginmarys have delivered a masterpiece with ‘The House Beyond The Fires’. A modern rock record that is up there with the best albums this year. Essential listening.
Rock’n’roll revivalists Split Dogs are doing things the old way and the best way. This is not a band content to sit behind laptop screens, fifteen second viral videos or digital marketing campaigns to spread their noise. No, Split Dogs are true road warriors, almost physically incapable of turning down a gig, they’ve spent the last few months playing every conceivable stage, space and venue to spread the word as they approach the release of their second album ‘Here To Destroy’, due for release February 28th via Venn Records.
And it’s working. The reputation for their own firebrand of frenzied, high-voltage rock ‘n’ roll is spreading fast and wide throughout the punk rock community and beyond and Split Dogs gigs are fast becoming eagerly anticipated events.
Today, the band follow previous singles ‘And What?’ and ‘Monster Truck’ with a brand new two-minute killer titled ‘Precious Stones.’
“The song shines a spotlight on the people that imply false authority in society based on their job title or financial position,” explains guitarist Mil Martinez. “From the obvious traffic wardens all the way up to entitled yoga instructors, nothing burns worse than being falsely reprimanded by another adult so they can attempt to assume dominance over you.”
Musically ‘Precious Stones’ drives along at a storming rate, building in power as it progresses, with singer Harry Atkins the architect of the intensity. The accompanying video conveys just that. Focused solely on Harry’s face, it’s an unflinching, uncompromising experience.
“The precious stones video was all about intensity, and hard intent,” continues Mil. “There’s no escape, feeling like it’s just you in the room and Harry has you cornered. Relentlessly demanding that you answer the question ‘why does it burn?’
Born from the frustration of seeing music become commodified and soulless, vocalist Harry Atkins and guitarist Mil Martinez had the idea to form a band as far back as 2015, with the name ‘Split Dogs’ pulled from the classic zombie film ‘Return of the Living Dead’.
In South London, a young Martinez would hear Status Quo, Bachman Turner Overdrive and Dire Straits on the car radio while his father drove him to school. At home he would invade his older brothers’ record collection which leaned towards the harder sounds of punk and heavy metal. Meanwhile in the Black Country, Harry’s mother instilled a love of Northern Soul, Slade and rock’n’roll, with stories of nights out at Club Lafayette and family singalongs at home. According to Martinez, “Our sound is a culmination of all those early influences and, to be honest, it really shows.”
It wasn’t until 2022 that Split Dogs officially arrived on the scene with bass player Suez Boyle joining the band in 2023. Already a prominent figure in the queer punk scene, Suez played the first ever Rebellion Festival at the tender age of 16 with her band The Walking Abortions. Up until that point, drummer Chris Hugall, an old friend of Martinez and former member of ska punks Mouthwash (signed to Rancid’s label Hellcat back in the day), was only on hand to help design artwork. It wasn’t until 2024 Hugall joined the band full-time cementing the current line-up.
The raucous live shows and infectious lyrics saw the four-piece make a name for themselves among the punks of Bristol, a scene that has always welcomed LGBTQ+ and marginalised people. As word spread, so did the gigging, and soon enough Split Dogs were playing to sold out rooms in mainland Europe, eventually grabbing the attention of UK label Venn Records (Gallows, Bob Vylan, High Vis).
‘Here to Destroy’ was recorded over three days at Middle Farm Studios by producer Peter Miles. All tracks were laid straight to a 16-track reel-to-reel tape machine, no autotune, no effects pedals, no computers. To add to the music’s authenticity, the album was recorded live, with Harry singing along in a vocal booth. No cutting and pasting, just nailing takes. According to Martinez, “It was a blast! We fully immersed ourselves, sleeping in a small apartment below the studio, cooking meals and listening to Pete’s extensive record collection”.
As the album title makes clear, Split Dogs are here to destroy, but they’re also here to rebuild and remind us of music’s essence. “We’re not beholden to the digital age, we don’t want to get famous on social media, we just want to show the world that rock’n’roll is alive and well”.
Split Dogs are:
Harry Atkins – vocals (they/them)
Mil Martinez – guitar (he/him)
Chris Hugall – drums (he/him)
Suez Boyle – bass (she/her)
Catch Split Dogs live at the following dates:
05/11 Exchange Bristol w/Zeke 06/11 Water Rats, London w/Desperate Measures 16/11 Phoenix, Exeter w/Sham 69 6/12 Railway inn, Redditch 7/12 Workman’s Cellar, Dublin 20/12 King Arther, Glastonbury 21/12 Cavern, Exeter w/GBH 29/12 Electric Bar, Bath
When Janes Addiction first imploded Perry and Stephen Perkins formed Porno For Pyros and managed to release a couple of albums in the mid-nineties. I have to admit the first album had some very high moments but a couple of lulls and more so on the second album the highs were replaced by even more lows. I guess it’s why the band fizzled out. However, after RSD we now have Rocktober, and it would seem a whole host of reissues and so forth in the month of October so when I saw the Porno For Pyros release I had to check it out and indulge myself and reacquaint myself with the band. Firstly looking to see if ‘Packin .25’ was here but alas it’s not which is a shame but having dropped the needle on side one and ‘Pets’ breaks out I remember how good this song was. I have a faint memory of seeing the band play some enormadome with Velvet Revolver or was that Satellite Party even? Who knows (not me seemingly).
The album offers only nine songs or ten to be exact but the tenth is a remix of ‘Pets’. your two from the debut album the opener and ‘Cursed Female’ which also sounds better than I remember from the early 90s. with the rest being made up of ‘100 Ways’ and ‘ Tahitian Moon’ from the band’s follow-up album ‘Good God’s Urge’ whilst the rest are pretty decent songs to be fair with the exception of ‘The Cable Guy’ soundtrack, the only duff track here, saying that it’s not total pap but just a bit… grey, ‘Satellite Of Love’ is a Lou Reed Classic. It’s Not as good as the original at all, not even close which might be why it passed me by back in the day.
A couple of digitally only releases pulled together here are also pretty decent songs but in the wake of the onstage Janes spat maybe Porno For Pyros isn’t quite done yet who knows unless Janes kisses and make up this could be the start of something who knows but to be fair this has a great flow to it and apart from the pretty grey version of Lou Reeds ‘Satellite Of Love’ well worth spending your pocket money on. Rocktober whatever next? Not a reunion it would seem after guitarist went to twitter to lay more heat on the beeagured frontman and his attitude and approach to music in general which were all deleted after the Janes spat. Pop stars eh whatever next one of them throws a tantrum?
Steve might get his fonts from his Wordsworth word processor and his drapes from Showaddywaddy but he gets his songs from his rock n roll beating heart. Oh, and he wears the best boots no question.
Joking aside Steve comes from a world that should have ruled the airwaves in the mid-eighties from Hanoi to the Lords to the Quireboys to the Throbs, sleazy rock n roll wasn’t hair bands they were genuine rockers writing soft songs for tough guys and living the dream twenty-four seven. Here Steve spills ten songs onto the digital airwaves made with style and an unwavering dedication to his beliefs. Steve is true to those roots and continues to fly the flag for punky sleaze n roll with plenty of the real Glam carved out of the likes of Stiv, Monroe and the Dolls.
The album opens with the sprightly rocker ‘Baby Don’t Cry’ and Steve wheezes a pretty mean gob iron to boot. Steve not only has his name in lights but pretty much does the heavy lifting from the drum programming to guitars, harmonica and vocals and no doubt tea-making duties as well. Steve has a distinct gravel n whisky vocals but holds onto some decent melodies throughout and also adheres to the rules of the old school in making sure the songs have a strong chorus and melody and then you can dress it however you like from the barroom guitars to the big boy solos ‘Baby Don’t Cry’ has got the jewson lot.
Steve does a decent lyric in reminiscing about the good old days and it’s a question I often ask about where have all those people who used to frequent the Buttz n Spike Club, st Moritz, the marquee a well as the clubs across the country that would sell out for shows from some sleazy mofos. Just where have all those “cool Kids” gone? They didn’t all get jobs cut their hair and have families did they?
There’s a good energy about ‘Live For Today’ and that twelve bar boogie is made for a cowboy booted foot on the monitor and lots of man hugging whilst the guitar player windmills those solos out like their shots from a bottle of jack that’s going out of fashion. Whilst Steve does the heavy lifting throughout the record he does get a heft amount of help throughout especially on the guest solos which helps add different flavours to the songs and I do like the harp throughout ‘Forgive And Forget’ is another with a standout chorus and embracing modern technologies on ‘Living In The Digital Age’ is probably a place the likes of Steve Vincent never anticipated but has embraced and used to his advantage knocking out a couple of solo albums that might never have seen the light of day otherwise.
I think Steve kept the best til last and a vibrant ‘Stop Messing My Heart Around’, the penultimate track, enhanced with the good old underused handclaps and late-night tempo the perfect set ender before the encore gets called for. That encore is the barroom honky tonk title track. Last orders boys n girls and get your dancing slippers on. Had this been on the new Quireboys album people would be saying they’ve turned the clock back to the early days and knocked out a banger but it’s not Spikes its Steves and the honkin’ Saxophone only elevates it further in my humble opinion. Good on ya Steve this is worth keeping on on its own, a slice of pure good-time rock n roll to warm the cockles of your heart. Now whisper it quietly but the best kept secret in Rock n Roll is zipping up his best Cuban-heeled Chelsea boots and he’s ready to rock, so join him and get involved you know you want to. Buy IT!
I do love a cover I’ll be honest and fess up from the off. Now sure I guess its all subjective and some bands have done killer covers that are better than the original but we all know that’s not always the case and a lot of the time its really hit or miss with bands either totally missing the point or just not getting it.
This concept was first released as stand-alone 45s where the label put out one cover and one original on a real 7″ single with a big hole so it could be uploaded on a real jukebox it also came with the jukebox cut out for the listener to request the track when they dropped their money proper old school and a great concept to be fair. Then rope in some of your favourite current artists and the jobs a good un then wrap them all together and make a big splatter disc of them all and some. This is only volume one mind so who knows the possibilities are endless.
Side one track one is a thunderous Stacy Crowe taking on Golden Earings ‘Radar Love’ and giving it a shot of energy its fair to say it’s a rampant take – very good but not a song I’m too fond of if I’m being honest I remember The Alarm doing it way back in the mid-80s and I wasn’t keen then but yup its a staple on jukeboxes everywhere cool take. Their original track is ‘Dead Of Night’ and a guitar noodling rocker it is. Solid opener.
The Cheats cover is a Bay City Rollers number ‘Rock n Roll Love Letter’ and what a jolly good effort it is too. Sure they roughed it up but did keep its melody and chorus is killer which was always the point with the tartan rockers. Now their original is a rampant bruising ‘Cussin Crying Carrying on’ and what an energetic belter it is too. Black Sherriff then knock out ‘Centerfold’ by J Geils Band and it sounds like they had a blast something that shines through on their recording no question. ‘Johnnys Fight’ is more of the same to be fair with a stomping rocker with big riffs and anthemic vocals.
Someone had to do it and give Mean Gene more credits on his seasonal royalties and Dirty Denims ‘Rock And Roll All Night’ is note for note on the money. I’m happy to admit I just don’t get the Kiss love in and whilst I’ll happily admit they have plenty of bangers I fail to see the massive stadium attraction, especially after all these years but this is an impressive take and I’m sure Gene n Paul are grateful and would certainly put another coin in the jukebox to hear this again. The band’s original is a rampant ‘Better Believe It’ that boogie woogies out of the speakers in sprightly fashion and in keeping with the high standards set thus far.
Now we’re talking, Scumbag Millionaire gives Abba a good seeing to. ‘So Long’ might not be a song most of us would name when asked to name an Abba tune but this is a rollicking good time from the Scumbags. The original is ‘Gluehead’ and what a barnstorming noise this is. So we’ve reached the hottest core of the record as Scumbag Millionaire kick the shit out of the speakers with the album’s finest moment thus far. Stonkin’ loud rock n roll (try not to slip on the spilt beer mother fuckers).
Killer Hearts give an impressive account of themselves as they rough up UFOs ‘Doctor Doctor’ whilst tipping the hat to the UK rockers they also boogie like fuck. The original track is ‘Demolition Love’ and they push Scumbags pretty hard for the top spot with a hard rockin banger that’s sleazy and would be the most requested side in any dive bar jukebox but Barman hid the pool cues quickly.
The album is brought to an end with the inclusion of Hollywood Creepers taking on the power pop of the Knack and ‘Good Girls Don’t’ and in keeping with the high standards of this comp it’s done with care and love and a heap of respect. Leaving only their original to take this baby home and ‘I Wanna Feel Your Bite’ does a splendid job wrapping this up with a cool riff and even cooler chorus.
Man on this evidence I can’t wait fo volume two it’ll be a tough act to follow volume one because every one of these bands do killer originals and pretty mich the same over fo their chosen covers. Hell, go buy a jukebox and pick these up otherwise settle for the long player from Screaming Crow Records you know it makes sense. Buy It!
On this episode of the podcast, Chris & Dom say adios to former Maiden vocalist and Battlezone singer Paul Dianno and as a mark of respect we kick off the show wearing spandex and Gola hightops with studded wristbands and matching belts on top of our lee cooper denim battle vests, ‘Feel The Rock’ is the hymn of choice but only because it features members of the mighty Tokyo Blade so Rock in Peace Mr Dianno rest easy sir. Obviously we couldn’t play a maiden song that would seem weird even for us and I couldn’t find my cassette tape of the self titled Dianno album to play one of his pomp synth rock n roll tunes so Battlezone it is.
We then get the show rockin with a heap of new bands and tunes from the Discarded who bring us to ‘Testify’ before we rock it up with Ronnie Simmons & The Redback Spiders who dish up ‘Little Miss Understood’ featuring none other than Ritchie Ramone and Johnny Martin who play on the track and Johnny plays on the album thats due to be released pretty soon.
Before the debut EP is released the band head out on a tour of Australia in November.
We then play a track off the brand new album courtesy of Rowdy whose album is released on Drunken Sailor Records and one we highly recommend with their brand of bad boy boogie mixed with some sleazy punk n roll Rowdy released a really impressive debut album. The track we played is ‘Love To Lose’.
Described as Masked UK proto punk Garage Oddballs, Thee Headshrinkers is a band we simply couldn’t ignore so its with great pleasure we give this trio some love and drop their fantastic single ‘Sunday Driver’ for your listening pleasure.
The second airing of a track off the Mar*x album ‘Green Ginger Jive’ this one is ‘Louder’ and more 70s influenced Glam Rock for your listening pleasure.
Snarling Dogs is a new band from the US of A and armed with a devastating album this is ‘Highway Of Hurt’ from the self-titled debut. Another new band and new release courtesy of those great people at Drunken Sailor Records.
We head back in time then for a track off Pure Rubbish EP ‘Tejas Waste’ and the track ‘Maximum Boy’ quickly followed by Smash Fashion and the track Marionette from the ‘Big Cat Love’ album. Keep your eyes and ears peeled because we have an interview coming up to coincide with the release of Crymwav‘s new material. A couple of months ago I got to chat with Roger Deering about his life in music and more it’ll be spread over a couple of episodes because Rogers’ life has been something that we shouldn’t edit down as he tells it like it is and we coincide with some awesome music he’s been part of so keep your eyes and ears peeled for that.
Monet are a band from South Wales who have just completed their second album recording and are about to get busy. This no-barriers bunch of nutters mix up the likes of Mr Bungle and post punk with hard rock for some mind-blowing music and they have a new single out entitled ‘Violentist’ that will fuck with you ahead of the album release.
The Silverlites are a new band featuring REMs Peter Buck alongside Rich Robinson from Black Crowes as well as Barrett Martin from Screaming Trees and Joseph Arthur on vocals. The album is out digitally on November 15th whilst the CD is out in the new year and will feature a bonus six tracks.
Delving into the mists of time to bring you The Veins and a track from their ‘Hollywoodland’ album with th rocker ‘Walk Away’. Turn up your speakers because the excellent Headhunters are o next with the A side of their recent single ‘Hour x Hour’ which I’m sure you’ll agree is an absolute banger and hopefully the start of something.
Does anyone remember a side project from Texas Terri Bomb called The Vampire Junkies? Well, they did one CD EP and we air ‘Denmark Street’ which is a cracking punk n roll number and I only wish there was more music from Texas Terri Bomb who in my humble opinion never made a bad record and managed to turn in some memorable live shows as well. Would love to get her on for a chat at some point.
Another Drunken Sailor record is by a band called Loosey and the track is the excellent ‘Hardly See Me’. Hold on we haven’t played a cover! oh yeah, how about ‘Doctor Doctor’ by Killer Hearts off the Action Rock Jukebox. Killer cover of a killer song. Don’t believe us – check it out.
Anyone with an eye on new releases can’t help to notice that Amyl & The Sniffers have a new record and the latest single off ‘Cartoon Darkness’ is the potty-mouthed ‘Jerkin’ and if you have five minutes you might like to check out the accompanying video. We’ll say no more but Hotshot have clicked like and favourites these neerdowells from Down Under.
The penultimate song is the brand new offering from Crymwav and ‘Contagious’ by name and nature get an earful of this from Roger and his band and look out for that podcast special coming in November.
Finally, this week’s show is closed out by the magnificent Wyldlife and their new single ‘Fast Dreams’. That us done and dusted for another episode and we hope you like and subscribe to our little corner of the Rock n Roll universe so until the next episode – keep it RPM Online – Its a Revolution!
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