Then Comes Silence/Aux Animaux – Bristol, Zed Alley – 19th February 2023

Then Comes Silence/Aux Animaux – Bristol, Zed Alley – 19<sup>th</sup> February 2023

Following my recent enforced 3-month layoff from attending live shows I really wanted something special to usher in my 43rd year of going to see bands, so, after finishing off 2022 with the symphonic goth pomp of the Death Songbook, what could be more suitable than a night in the company of Swedish goth rockers Then Comes Silence, playing the final night of a short two date UK jaunt in conjunction with the Reptile club.

It’s the fact that this was going to be a dedicated goth night that really got me excited about a trip over the Severn estuary, with the promise of a night spent drenched in dry ice chicken dancing  my way into the wee small hours instantly taking me back to my days of going to see the likes of The Cramps, Alien Sex Fiend and Sigue Sigue Sputnik in the mid-eighties, when going to watch a band was just as much about meeting the characters that attended the shows (in fact its how I first met RPM’s main man Dominic Daley) as it was as seeing the bands themselves. But would there be a goth youth here in the 2020s to help keep the flame alive I wondered?

Entering Zed Alley I really need not have worried as with the mandatory dry ice lapping under the door was already a reassuring sign, once past security I immediately felt exactly how I did back in (what some might consider to be) the scene’s heyday, albeit these days I myself feel more like how Colin Robinson (grown up version not the child entertainer version) must have felt when walking into Nadja’s nightclub. Reptile DJ Vade Retro is blasting out an eclectic selection of electro tunes via the club’s excellent sound system, and yes indeed the next generation of goths are all present and correct and enjoying the ambience (and very reasonably priced libations) of the club itself.

Of course, it’s the live bands we’re all here to see tonight and Aux Animaux provides the kind of Nice Inch Nails to Bowie baton pass that occurred when those two giants once toured the US together, by which I mean the Swedish hauntwave star sets the scene perfectly for what is to follow by providing a kind of Danielle Dax meets Bjork by way of the (song)book of the dead set of ambient theremin driven electro tunes, something that holds the audience in perfect reverence throughout. The fact that this is an artiste singing over backing tracks would probably have most classic rock heads foaming at the mouth, but to a goth audience this is all par for the course and the reaction Aux Animaux receives come the end of her short set is one of total respect.

Something I have long since held for tonight’s headliners Then Comes Silence, the Stockholm-based gothic post-punk rockers, ever since I first heard their ‘III – Nyctophilian’ album all the way back in 2015. This is my first time seeing them live though as their intended 2020 UK tour (which included a Cardiff date) in support of their excellent ‘Machine’ album got blown out by the Covid pandemic, but having lost guitarist Mattias Ruejas ahead of a US tour towards the end of 2022 I was hoping by high expectations for tonight really weren’t about to be dashed after all.

Hitting the venue’s tiny but (for a trio) perfectly sized stage with ‘Flashing Pangs of Love’ from the band’s 2017 ‘Blood’ was certainly a surprise as I was half expecting them to open with the number that actually followed it, ‘Tickets To Funerals’, from last year’s amazing ‘Hunger’ album, but what this did was allow the sound to level out, and for the backing tracks used on certain songa (like on the latter) to really cut through and make a difference to the overall sound.

Singer/bassist Alex Svenson is also the man in control of the box of electronic gadgets and whilst he is a man of few words between songs he’s someone who lets the songs do all the talking with the likes of ‘Apocalypse Flare’, ‘Chain’ and ‘Worm’ all sounding totally imperious here tonight. The ‘Eighties’ (excuse the intended pun) Killing Joke influence I’ve mentioned in previous RPM reviews is also huge tonight thanks to guitarist Hugo Zombie, someone who literally doesn’t stop moving even when things slow down for an epic Bunnymen-esque rendition of ‘Mercury’ whilst turbo-riffing his way through the likes of ‘We Lose The Night’ and possibly my all-time favourite track by the band, ‘Rise To The Bait’.

When drummer Jonas Fransson (who is also Mr Aux Animaux) has some unexpected trouble with his snare stand it actually acts as a natural comfort break for a few (myself included) and the sounds that emanate from the remaining two members helping plug the inevitable gap evokes memories of Cronos’ bass solo during the Seventh Date of Hell tour, yup even when they are messing around these guys exude an air of doom and melancholic cool many can only dream of conjuring up.

As with all great gigs though they all unfortunately have to end, and after an intense ‘We Lose The Night’ its left to ‘Warm Like Blood’ and the epic ‘The Dead Cry For No One’ to send us off into the cold night air with just the echo of ‘Bella Lugosi’s Dead’ still ringing in our ears as DJ Vade continued the party well into the witching hour.

Gigs like this really don’t come along that often that’s for sure, tonight was something very special indeed, and reading just hours later that Reptile may now not be moving forward in 2023 due to a variety of reasons involving their current London haunt, it makes me truly sad to hear this. Let’s hope that after 15 years of promoting bands and club nights like tonight this really isn’t the end for them, because as tonight proved goth is very much still a musical force to be reckoned with and is also one that seemingly never grows old. Timeless stuff indeed!

Author: Johnny Hayward

https://thencomessilence.eu/

https://thencomessilence.bandcamp.com/merch

https://www.facebook.com/thencomessilence/

https://www.facebook.com/auxanimaux/

THE HIP PRIESTS Reveal Details Of  ‘Roden House Blues’

THE HIP PRIESTS Reveal Details Of  ‘Roden House Blues’

The details of their new album Roden House Blues, due out May 5th, via The Sign Records. Stream their most recent single “Chasing Death” HERE. 

“The finest Rock N’ Roll band in the UK” – Eddie Spaghetti, Supersuckers

Since their inception in 2006, THE HIP PRIESTS have released a mighty thirty 7” singles, four albums, two compilations and three EPs by various independent labels from all over Europe & the USA. Fiercely independent and tirelessly driven, the ‘Priests have preached their high energy sermon of misanthropy, hate and contempt across numerous tours of the UK, Europe and USA and made countless rapturously received festival appearances.

Gaining a richly deserved reputation as a white-hot live band, the last few years have seen the band’s popularity increasing further with them regularly playing alongside kindred spirits such as THE HELLACOPTERS, GLUECIFER, THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE ZUGLY, NEW BOMB TURKS, DWARVES and ZEKE at both festivals and in clubs. Rave reviews pour in for every release, ranging from ‘a band on top of their game & steps ahead of any of their UK contemporaries’ to ‘if you’re in any doubt about how good these bad boys are then you need locking up’. After 16 years some bands would be taking it easy but in spite of a global pandemic, there was no let-up in their determination and activity. Their fifth, and by far their best full-length album – Roden House Blues – was written, rehearsed, and recorded during this period and will be released May 5th, 2023, via The Sign Records.

Rehearsed, recorded and mixed between the numerous U.K lockdowns in Roden House, one of Nottingham’s former lace factories where the Priests have their own space, and which spawned the album title. This is no Mississippi Blues but perhaps it makes more sense than you think: Howling laments, loss, self-reflection and revelation – alongside some recurring Priests lyrical themes: negativity, nihilism, rage and revolution. After 2019’s Stand for Nothing the band were unsure whether they’d do another album – However, global lockdown inadvertently led to a renewed passion and realization that, like Jagger said, ’what can a poor boy do’ – especially when feeling more lost in a world that increasingly resembles a dumpster fire. A few dozen demos were scrutinized of which, through a stricter than ever group consensus, 14 were recorded but then honed down, razor sharp, into the tightest collection of 11 low-fat, lean and mean banging tunes that could fit into 30 minutes.

11 glorious tracks of High Energy R’n’R, anthemic, adrenalised, sweaty, singalong, life-affirming Rock and Roll. Huge Choruses, colossal dual guitar riffarama, more hooks than a fishing shop, and one hell of an attitude. Punk? Garage Rock? Scandi Rock? Just know this…. They ARE THE HIP PRIESTS and YOU are NOT.

Play Loud or just don’t fuckin’ bother.

Roden House Blues is released on May the 5th and will be available on all streaming platforms, CD, and in three color variants on vinyl; (1) black vinyl, (2) solid turquoise vinyl with solid white splatter, solid black splatter, and solid blue splatter, and (3) transparent/clear vinyl with transparent yellow splatter and transparent pink splatter.

Connect with THE HIP PRIESTS

https://thehippriests.com/
https://www.facebook.com/thehippriests/
https://thehippriests1.bandcamp.com/
https://twitter.com/thehippriests
https://www.instagram.com/thehippriests/

Two For Tuesday

Two For Tuesday

Buy Here

The Fine Art of Self Destruction came out at a time before punk rockers were picking up acoustic guitars and doing singer/songwriter songs. I wouldn’t want it to be lost that at that time very few people were mixing Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska and punk rock or any of that. You either liked one or the other. I believe liking the Rolling Stones was a sin in my circle of friends at this time. The internet hadn’t been there to absolve us of such sins yet.

There were a few people who liked these mixes of genres and took in everything instead of shunning things. They took it all in and received the transmissions that spoke to their hearts rather than thinking of what was allowed or safe. One of these was a guy who once set fire to bars in the Lower East Side, had things tied inside his dreadlocked hair, and fronted one of the wildest punk rock bands since The New York Dolls… And then says he has a singer/songwriter record coming? Mercy on our souls…

The Fine Art of Self Destruction opened up a new room in Jesse Malin’s world. And maybe, unknowingly at the time, opened up doors for many others who would follow in the future, myself included.

Jesse Malin and Ryan Adams were two of the first people in the forefront of showing that you could sing songs on records in a new way for punk rockers. The songs on The Fine Art of Self Destruction were punk in spirit yet broken and delicate in execution. These are beautiful songs about people in an in between, nocturnal world who “moved to Brooklyn”, back when that meant something, and people who “come so hard but their songs are so slow.” Those were the people I knew. That was a lot of people. And they felt like they were my songs, not that I wrote them, or could’ve, but that they belonged to me in my world. Jesse put those characters in songs that could sit with you on the drives next to Nebraska and Closing Time when you drove home at night.

I don’t think without Jesse making that bold move of doing exactly what he wanted instead of what was expected that I would’ve been here doing what I do now. I think there are a lot of people who could say the same. It’s not that we never heard music like this, we just didn’t know “we” could do it too. You didn’t have to be Dylan, or Bruce, or Tom Waits. You could be a punk rocker who knew three chords and had a story to tell and that was enough.

I also believe that there was no better person to produce this record than Ryan Adams, even though he may have cheated by knowing five or six chords to our three, but he knew what needed to happen with this record. He was in tune and tapped into the spirit. There was a magic Jesse and Ryan both caught on The Fine Art… And I think we’re all better for it.

-Brian Fallon

Sister Morphine – ‘Ghosts Of Heartbreak City’ (Big Egg Records)

Sister Morphine – ‘Ghosts Of Heartbreak City’ (Big Egg Records)

Back in the mists of time, sometime around 1994, I was gifted a second-hand t shirt (sleeves cut off, obviously). On the front was a cartoon dog and a cat with a baseball bat, in neon pink writing the band logo of some obscure, local glam band who had long since split up. That band were called Sister Morphine and on the back of that very same t shirt was the immortal phrase ‘SUCK MY JUBE!’. To this day I still have no idea what that means, and until recently what Sister Morphine actually sounded like, but I loved that t shirt and wore it to death. Turns out the singer of that very same band would be my boss/editor/sender of cool music during my time as a reviewer for the legendary Uber Rock website.

South Wales based Sister Morphine were regulars on the club circuit back in the late 80’s/early 90’s, supporting the likes of Last Of The Teenage Idols and Gunfire Dance. But sadly, the stars didn’t align and the band went their separate ways. Who would’ve guessed that Gaz Tidey, guitarists Jamesy & Jonesy, bassist Mike DeSouza and drummer Denley Slade would get the band back together during lockdown and record the debut album that they threatened to make back in those halcyon days of hairspray, fags and thunderbird wine.

So, while you and I were baking banana bread, drinking beer at 10am and watching Tiger King on Netflix, Sister Morphine were scouring their lofts for lost rehearsal tapes, to find the best versions of their beloved songs from a lifetime ago, to see if they really could resurrect Sister Morphine from the graveyard of empty bottles and claim their rightful place as the kings of Glunk Rock 2023!

But why should you care about lost songs recorded by a bunch of 50-somethings, written a lifetime ago? Well, it turns out Sister Morphine can knock out a few tunes, and bloody good ones at that! I must say I was pleasantly surprised when I heard the first single and title track ‘Ghosts Of Heartbreak City’. Who knew Mr. Tidey had such a sleazy vocal delivery that would stand up after all these years. With a voice that sits somewhere between Ricky Warwick and Zodiac Mindwarp, he takes the catchy melody by the scruff of the neck, over a tune that could be an AI generated mash up of The Dogs D’amour and The Quireboys. It’s a 70’s glam rock boogie of a tune and the perfect introduction to the party going on down at Heartbreak City!

Recorded at RedRock studios in Blackwood and produced by Lyndon Price of Welsh metal legends Wild Pussy, ‘Ghosts Of Heartbreak City’ is a 15-song blast of high-octane rock n’ roll that features regulars from their live sets, lost tracks from the archives and four brand new songs for you to devour.

Opener ‘Holy City Zoo’ has already been likened to Motorhead by those in the know, and references Bowie, Duran and Roxy Music. It’s a 2 minute & 22 second statement of intent, job done.

You want punky, low slung rock n’ roll with more attitude than Rocky on steroids? Then look no further than second track ‘Do You Wanna Get Wasted?’. Now that’s a song title any angst-filled youth of today can get on board with, right?  Good job it sounds like Zodiac Mindwarp jamming with Backyard Babies and Johnny Thunders then, innit!

The Scandinavian punk rock vibes continue on the likes of second single ‘Nothing Dirty In The Truth’ where the rousing verses and killer chorus showcase a band who really mean it. Elsewhere, ‘Black Hearts & Bruised Egos’ channels Circus Of Power and early Alice Cooper garage rock vibes to great effect.

What’s not to like here? I’m loving this album. Maybe it’s the nostalgia, or maybe I’m biased, but I’ll tell you one thing for certain, Sister Morphine have some killer tunes going on.

Lifting a page out of Tyla’s songbook, ‘Cry The Rain’ is a big tune about love gone bad, set to a Faces-lite rock n’ roll boogie, with some rousing backing vocals. Sava a place in your heart for this one. The hook-laden ‘8 Tracks & Zodiacs’ is another of the new songs, and a potential single for sure. A song about a girl, it has catchy 90’s brit rock vibes that sit well and is a serious earworm.

The strengths of this album lie in the songwriting, the diversity and the production. It’s all pretty high-octane stuff, but they do throw in a curve ball towards the end with the countrified blues of ‘Living With Snakes’. Acoustics, slide guitar and harmonica go a long way to show Sister Morphine ain’t one trick ponies. 

While ‘Ghosts Of Heartbreak City’ has one foot planted firmly in the past, it brings a classic sound smack up to date for 2023 with a great production. Full of rock n’ roll nostalgia and clever tongue-in-cheek lyricism, we get sleazy punk rock, 70’s boogie rock and countrified goodness all wrapped up in one cool little package.

If Sister Morphine’s only ambition was to realize their dream of releasing a debut album that could stand tall with the artists of their era, then they have easily succeeded. But I feel they have surpassed those ambitions by taking the music to places their teenage selves could never imagine. ‘Ghosts Of Heartbreak City’ is a pretty unique album, in that it has been recorded by a bunch of 50 somethings, yet it has the energy and sonics of a band half their age. And you know what? I’ll be happy to file that shiny new CD in the rack, somewhere between Shotgun Messiah and Skid Row, where it should have sat for the last 30 years.

Buy Here

Facebook

Author: Ben Hughes

UFO – ‘Walk On Water’ & ‘Werewolves Of London’ (Cleopatra Records)

UFO – ‘Walk On Water’ & ‘Werewolves Of London’ (Cleopatra Records)

Originally released via Zero Records in Japan back in 1995 ‘Walk On Water’ marked the reunification of what many fans refer to as the “classic” UFO line up of singer Phil Mogg, bassist Pete Way, drummer Andy Parker, keyboardist/guitarist Paul Raymond along with the mercurial talents of guitarist Michael Schenker.

Bringing back producer Ron Nevison to the fold (he had worked with the line up on their influential ‘Lights Out’ and ‘Obsession’ albums) to help re-capture the magic of the band is perhaps the secret behind why ‘Walk On Water’ worked so well and the two Mike Varney produced albums that followed it perhaps didn’t. 

There’s a real vibrancy to Schenker’s playing throughout ‘Walk On Water’s’ eight new studio tracks the guitarist dishing out some fine crunchy riffage over which Mogg’s vocals truly soar, especially on songs like ‘Venus’ and ‘Pushed To the Limit’ both of which would figure in the resulting tour in support of the record (sadly though not the splendid Way/Mogg penned rocker ‘Knock Knock’).

A tour which is captured on ‘Werewolves Of London’, a semi-official 2CD set originally released via Zoom Club Records in 2008, and according to the original sleeve notes, sourced via Pete Way, probably for a couple of Special Brews and a curry, knowing the man. Recorded at Wolverhampton Civic Hall on February 10th 1996 (jeez I was 31 the day before) whilst the band at this point had replaced Andy Parker with Simon Wright (as the former found it impossible to tour due to family commitments) they still sound bang on the button across the 15 track set list. A set list that would feature the usual crowd pleasers such as ‘Natural Thing’, ‘Love To Love’, ‘Only You Can Rock Me’ and ‘Rock Bottom’ alongside three ‘Walk On Water’ tunes (‘A Self Made Man’ in addition to the two I’ve already mentioned), whilst for the UFO purists out there there’s a sublime ‘Electric Phase’ along with a stunning ‘One More For The Rodeo’ to really get excited about.

For what is essentially a straight from the mixing desk recording (something Paul Raymond confirmed within the original CD’s sleeve notes) this a fantastic (albeit slightly flawed) live recording, in fact it’s one that I would rank up there alongside ‘Strangers In The Night’ just because it isn’t as perfect as that record. Once again Schenker sounds absolutely spellbinding in his six string delivery with the finely tuned Mogg as always as cryptic/succinct with his between song banter. Then again, we surely wouldn’t want it any other way, would we?

Listening to both releases once again all these years on, and whilst its great to hear the guys back together and writing some cracking new material on ‘Walk On Water’, I can’t help but think there’s a little something missing from the record when compared to those  aforementioned late 70s UFO albums, and the fact the original CD came with two bonus re-recorded versions of ‘Doctor Doctor’ and ‘Lights Out’ (along with a spoken word track ‘Message For Japan’ not included in this reissue), probably spoke volumes for what would happen over the next couple of years as the band once again struggled to function as a working unit. Something you can just sense is already happening within the grooves of ‘Werewolves of London’.

With both title’s having been out of print for some years it’s now Cleopatra’s turn to give both titles an all-new audience both on CD, and now for the first time ever on glorious looking (and eye wateringly expensive) coloured vinyl pressings. ‘Walk On Water’s’ eight track album complemented by the re-recorded bonus tracks as an additional 7” EP, complete with all new cover art, whilst ‘Werewolves Of London’ gets a kind of ‘Strangers In The Night’ cover art makeover and comes complete with a 17″ x 22″ poster of the band!

The flame of the ’Walk On Water’ era of UFO certainly burned brightly, and yeah, oh so briefly it looked like the five guys might finally attain the levels of success they so justly deserved for all their hard work and stellar back catalogue, but UFO being UFO it just wasn’t to be, as once again the band started to slowly unravel, in some cases in truly spectacular fashion. Relive the magic (and not the misadventures) of those years via these quality reissues.

http://www.ufo-music.info/

https://www.facebook.com/UFOofficial/

https://ufoofficial.bandcamp.com/album/walk-on-water

Author: Johnny Werewolf Of Newport’ Hayward

Two For Tuesday from Tom

Two For Tuesday from Tom

February 2, 2023 — Take a deep breath. Everything’s okay – and it’s about to take a stratospheric upturn with former Cinderella frontman Tom Keifer #keiferband’s “A Different Light.”

Penned a decade ago by Tom and Savannah Keifer, the song truly gives meaning to the saying, “Good music has no expiration date.” The lyric etches a timeless message that’s as relevant, if not more so, today than it was ten years ago. A fan favorite upon the release of Keifer’s 2013 critically acclaimed THE WAY LIFE GOES, “A Different Light,” now with a brand new music video, is being released to commemorate the ten year anniversary of #keiferband and Keifer’s debut solo release.

The new video, produced and edited by Joshua Smith, features fan-shot live footage of the band from the first year on tour (2013) through the most recent tour in 2022. Opening in somber black-and-white profiles of suffering souls, Keifer’s sultry vocals reflect the troubles of those in despair as shimmering instrumental vibrations build into an iconic key change. Within the first minute, the viewer is graced with an exalted perspective, and a fully technicolor, changed world. The anthem and video wind between contemplative compassion and explosive enthusiasm, ultimately landing on a perspective of hope and array of smiles where “everybody shines.” 

 Courtesy of Tom Keifer

Keifer says, “‘A Different Light’’s lyric really struck a chord with people and we’ve had countless requests since its release for a music video. The fans have been right there with us over this ten-year journey capturing show after show on their phones. Including the live videos they shot in the video is our way of expressing gratitude and making them part of the ten year anniversary.”  

Tom Keifer remains a resilient, relevant figure in the rock world through constant reimagination and renewal. His story begins as the singer-songwriter, guitarist, and front man of hard rock heavyweights Cinderella. His signature voice and guitar, and bluesy, no-BS arena-shaking songwriting, were integral in moving 15 million records worldwide. Over the past decade, Keifer transitioned his talents to a solo career, enjoying continued success recording and touring with #keiferband. #keiferband is Tom Keifer, Savannah Keifer, Tony Higbee, Billy Mercer, Jarred Pope, Kory Myers, Tanya Davis. Two critically-acclaimed albums have been released to date: THE WAY LIFE GOES (2013) and RISE (2019). THE WAY LIFE GOES was praised by industry publications upon its release: Rolling Stone described the album as “14 blues howlers… [it] calls to mind Cinderella but with an even more rootsy undercurrent”; Guitar Player said, “Keifer flat-out knows how to play vibey guitar parts with ungodly tone…. this guy is singing better than ever to complement his great 6-string parts”; Vintage Guitar praised the album’s “killer blues-rock playing and tones, hooks galore, and strong songwriting”; and the Los Angeles Daily News commended that Keifer has “an amazing, raspy voice and a knack for writing songs that lodge themselves on the brain and refuse to leave for days.”

With the release of #keiferband’s “A Different Light” video, 2023 will commemorate ten years of incredible memories with their fans. The band will be celebrating the milestone this year on their “LIVE LOUD TOUR.” Plenty of high energy, eardrum-shattering shows are in the works for 2023. Tour dates will be announced in the coming weeks.

As the second video for our two for tuesday we visit Keifers ‘Rise’ video from a few years ago as a tribute to lip syncing from a man unfairly lumped in with the hair metal because Keifer was so much more than that’ Enjoy

www.TomKeifer.com

www.facebook.com/TomKeiferOfficial

www.twitter.com/TomKeiferMusic

www.instagram.com/TomKeiferofficial

www.youtube.com/user/TomKeifermusic

Grade 2 – ‘Grade 2’ (Hellcat Records)

Grade 2 – ‘Grade 2’ (Hellcat Records)

There was one album in particular that got me through the first Covid lockdown here in the UK, and that was ‘Graveyard Island’ the superb third album from Isle of Wight punk rocking skinheads Grade 2. Released at the tail end of 2019, it was a record that had initially passed me by, but once I discovered it (via a good friend who also resides on Graveyard Island) it was like a true beacon of punk rock hope shining through those darkest of days.

Fast forward to Rebellion 2022 and playing to a packed Pavilion audience Grade 2 then went and delivered one of the performances of the weekend, giving us an immediate sneak peak of the new album they already had up their sleeves (more of which in a second) to help kickstart a blistering set of older tunes that instantly had the audience in singalong punk rock heaven. They then turn up on the “hush hush” Pirates Press released Cock Sparrer tribute album, that snook out around Christmas time, and here the lads managed to take a Sparrer deep cut and truly make it sound like one of their own, which is no mean feat I’m sure you’ll agree. Reviewing that album for RPM (something you can read here)  I declared that 2023 really could be Grade 2’s year, so with their fourth album now cued up on my system and ready to play, what would the next 35 minutes have in store for me, and would the album actually live up to my high expectations?

Just like during their aforementioned Rebellion slot ‘Judgement Day’ gets things off and running in fast and furious style, the bass of Sid Ryan rattling the speakers with its punchy bottom end and drummer Jacob Hull attacks his kit like the IOW’s very own Joey Castillo whilst it’s the almost Dick Dale like guitar work of Jack Chatfield that truly propels this 1 minute 32 second ball of sonic fury, and before you know it we’re into one of the album’s (many) highlights, the cowbell (yup punk rockers use cowbells too) tonking beauty that is ‘Fast Pace’. It’s on tunes like this where Grade 2 really stand out from the punk rock pack, ditching the speed for a more intense melody packed approach, in many ways they remind me of Newport’s very own 60 Foot Dolls. This is music meant to be danced to, and there’s even a Hammond organ solo that crops up mid song to seal the deal. Fantastic stuff!

Up next, ‘Under The Streetlight’ takes us back to ‘Murder Town’ complete with a doff of a cap to the band’s label masters Rancid, whilst ‘Doesn’t Matter Much Now’ is another bootboy terrace anthem in the making, very much like latter day Argy Bargy. Then there’s the early days Jam anger of ‘Midnight Ferry’ which switches the perils of missing the last tube home for the last boat home, and oh the delights of living on an island eh!  I must give a special mention here to the band’s ear for a melody, as this tune could very easily have been a contender back in the days when singles sold, instead of TikTok views, actually lead to artists becoming household names.

Having been one of the lead videos from the album ‘Brassic’ is the song that initially got me truly excited about this record, its jagged riff and instantly memorable chorus (complete with female backing vocals) knocking the tune well and truly out the park.

As the album reaches its midway point the tracks that fall either side, the Matt Freeman like 58 second blast of ‘Gaslight’ and the anthemic ‘Don’t Stand Alone’ complete with its (once again) glorious backing vocals, really are the perfect example of the two sides of the Grade 2 songwriting coin, and it’s at this almost perfect point I’m going to dip out and let you discover the rest of the album for yourselves, because you really do have to hear it.

I said it at the top of the review that I thought 2023 could very well be Grade 2’s year, and with a proper multi-date UK tour kicking off in just a few weeks’ time, along with dates with Rancid and The Bronx (now that is a one hell of line up) later in the year, it very well could be, it just needs you to get off your arses, buy those gig tickets and most importantly snap up copies of this 15-track Grade-A punk rock record. It’ll never be off your turntable, or out your CD player (you might even be constantly streaming this) come its February 17th release date.

What the hell are you waiting for?

Hit the links below to make it all happen!!!!

Buy Here

https://www.facebook.com/grade2iow

https://grade2official.co.uk/

Author: Johnny Hayward

The Gathering – Venue Cymru, Llandudno 27-28/01/23

The Gathering – Venue Cymru, Llandudno 27-28/01/23

Friday 27/01/23

It’s been a long time coming but it’s good to be back. Some fella used to sing that every night from a stage, somewhere back in time…oh yeah, Mike Peters of The Alarm.

It’s been a tough six months for Mr Peters and his family, after playing the final night of a rigorous and full UK tour back in mid ’22 he became seriously ill and has had the toughest battle with his health in a long line of tough battles, but Mike Peters being Mike Peters he soldiers on with the most incredible PMA you could imagine. Tonight (Friday acoustic in the round) began with a serious personal (Maybe a little too personal) video shown on the big screens of a bedside, fly on the wall, half an hour of the most uncomfortable footage of one of your heroes you could imagine. The most awful cough, tears, lung drains you name it. Not what I was expecting to be played on the big screen before a live show. It was tough for everyone present I’d imagine, watching the very private and personal fight to save Peters’s life. I’m not sure I was ready for the 21st-century – film everything – gets it online tiktokin’ or instagrammin’ – maybe I’m stuck in the old school and not down enough to appreciate this is how it is these days, who knows? it was what it was. The upshot is Mike looks fighting fit and the picture of health as he strides to the stage to an emotional performance that many thought would never take place, but here we were, gathered around the camoed out round stage to witness the return of one of rock musics most battle scared warriors, Don’t say team MPO aren’t inclusive and go the extra mile to let you in to their inner circle because that was it. Sharp intake of breath give your loved one a knowing squeeze and lets go!

I do know it came close to the wire if this weekend would be possible what with Covid putting the kibosh on the last few years and last year’s return to Rhyl acoustic Gathering. playing live is where Mikey boy is most comfortable and the place that makes him feel so alive it was emotional and massively appreciated as the audience sang ‘Walk Forever By My Side’ and a emotional Peters gathers his composure for the next few hours of Gathering 30.

It was a joy and a pleasure to see him in his natural environment looking healthy and raring to go for the next two hours or so as he blitzed through an incredible set of deep cuts from an unbelievably rich back catalogue.

Decked out in his now familiar fighting green Peters gets straight down to business as he whips out sizable chunks of songs from his repertoire playing songs like his life depends on it (it quite possibly does) as he veers from ‘Breed Apart’ and ‘Neutral’ from his more recent past through deep cuts such as the fantastic ‘Heroine’ thru the snotty (even acoustically) ‘Under Control’.

By the time he reached the majestic ‘Rise’ he seemed comfortable with proceedings and whilst there were scuffed chords and rearranged lyrics Peters was winning and the audience was on its best behaviour as you could have heard a surgical needle drop it was so respectfully quiet whilst the songs were being chased out of the speakers like a superhero gaining strength from the music pouring out of the man’s guitar and voice.

Possibly my fondest memories of previous Gatherings came around the time of ‘Rise’ and ‘Feel Free’ of aftershow parties in the Hydro Hotel at 2 AM where we got Clash songs from the ragged house band Peters could assemble but memories come flooding back as ‘Feel Free’ cracks to life leading to a run through ‘All Is Forgiven’ incredible, emotional and as fresh as the first time I heard these songs. It was then thoughts entered my head of that Brixton night as ‘Raw’ followed by ‘Sold Me Down The River’ its been some journey. I’ve been to every Gathering from Rhyl Town Hall to Pontins and its spiritual home o here in Llandudno and whilst I might not intake all they offer on Saturday and Sunday I wouldn’t miss it for the world and some people ask me how can you enjoy one man playing one guitar year after year after year but I would say that its one of the most enjoyable two nights I look forward to year after year and during the pandemic years it was miserable knowing that for a weekend in January, I wouldn’t be freezing my backside off walking down the seafront going to another night of Gathering entertainment if you’ve ever been you’ll know how good a weekend it is and what effort Peters puts into ever show he does under some challenging circumstances, to say the least.

Anyway, back on track, we marched on through some old-school Alarm classics, climaxing with the quite brilliant ‘Howling Wind’ followed by ‘We Are The Light’. As we entered the final furlong the old Alarm cover of ‘Bound For Glory’ was knocked out as Peters explained that during the staycations people would throw cover song challenges at him from the obvious ones to more obscure and quite frankly bizarre choices which lightened the mood and gave many present a raised eyebrow as a minimum. if all I Need Is The Air I Breathe wasn’t left of field enough how about George Michaels ‘Faith’ complete with a wiggle? no, you would have guessed that one well how about a flawless take on ‘Time Warp’! No, I didn’t think I’d hear an encore of covers like that, but hell, people were loving it, and it was another Gathering first. The night was drawn to a close as Peters’s two teenage sons were brought on stage to accompany him on an emotional run through ‘Wonderwall’ and a rousing finale of ‘One Guitar’ before everyone filed out of the venue with the thoughts running through their heads that everything was going to be alright, ok for the Saturday night main course of some more Rock and Roll but with drums and louder guitars – Bring It On!

Saturday 28/01/23

Tonight’s electric performance kicked off with a brand new track ‘Forwards’ more easing in than punching you square on the nose. To most established bands starting your set with a brand new track is terrifying and a big no-no but to Mike Peters its what he does and the fans who’ve been on the journey with him over the last few decades pretty much demand new material anywhere in the set because the history of Saturday nights at the Gathering have been some marathon performances and this one seems rather poignant considering the man’s health issues people (me included) are just glad to see him back on stage in any capacity and for any length.

It is the same stage set up as previous Gatherings pre-pandemic and the tour last year with his wife on keys tucked up on stage right next to Smileys drum kit with James Stevenson on Stage left whilst Peters patrols the main stage between four mics.

His voice sounds strong and the band sound locked in. as recent tunes ‘Fail’ skank in before the hard rock of the epic ‘Superchannel’ fills the either. With such a vast catalogue it’s always a tough call what he plays and what he leaves out. Sure there are staple Alarm songs he would find hard to leave out that pepper the set as it ebbs and flows from recent to vintage. there isn’t much time for talking and the band lets the music yap yap yap its way to another brand new song as ‘Are You Ready?’ hits the spot with its punchy mod rhythm as Peters puts his vocal cords to the test and they sound fine from my spot which must have been a relief not knowing if the punishment they would take over two nights after such a lay off would hold up. They did and some.

After a few more old and new with ‘Warriors’ being the pick of the newer songs blasted out with energy and verve Peters vanished from the main stage to take up his familiar position at the back of the venue to run through acoustic versions of ‘Its Alright’, the poignant ‘Without A Fight’ before ‘Breathe’ lit up the room. Peters then weaved his way through the audience to join the band back on the main stage for a rocked-up version of ‘Walk Forever By My Side’. The band then proceeded to run down memory lane with a superb bunch of picks from the earlier days of the band ‘Declaration’ heavy period of the set with ‘Shout At The Devil’, ‘The Deceiver’ and ‘Third Light’ pouring memories over me as my mind sped through sets from a time I’d almost forgotten where the band had the energy of a small army dropping sound bombs on the New Ocean Club to the Orange Box and every old school concert venue between. Good times then and good times now.

Proceedings were halted during ‘Majority’ as someone needed medical attention minutes later the show was resumed and momentum was regained swiftly. We were now twenty songs plus into the set and it was showing no signs of stopping Peters looked fitter and stronger than I’d seen him for quite some time. The man is a machine and considering what he’s been through to want to get right back into the eye of the hurricane seems like madness but like many, I’m delighted he wants to go on – after all, what else is he supposed to do?

Back to the beginning and ‘Unsafe Building’ kicks off the final furlong and its heads down and go! ‘Knifedge’, ’68 Guns’, ‘Spirit Of 76′, Rescue Me’ all get a good seeing and it’s a swift encore before returning to beat out another five songs before the curtain finally gets dropped on what has been an emotional Gathering 30. With all the trials and tribulations that the Peters have been through over the last few decades let alone the last few years is nothing short of breathtaking and the fact they perform for almost five hours spread over two days and do it with a bazillion selfies, and questions with beaming smiles are heartwarming. When people tell you not to meet your heroes I roll my eyes and tell me bollocks. Mike Peters is a legend and once again turned in a memorable Gathering with a little help from his friends and some. An announcement about next year’s festivities is on hold but you can guarantee if I’m fit and healthy and if he’s fit and healthy then we’ll be doing this all again same time same place. Bring it on!

Website

Love Hope And Strength

Author: Dom Daley

The Hip Priests are chasing death

The Hip Priests are chasing death

‘Chasing Death’ from their forthcoming album ‘Roden House Blues’ – which will be released May 5th, 2023, via The Sign Records.

The song is, say the band “about self-destruction and self-sabotage. A story stuffed with vice and excess. A tale about one person’s journey, after buying a one-way ticket on the train wreck to end all train wrecks. The age-old colourful topics of sex, drugs and rock n roll. Is it autobiographical? Is it celebration or commiseration? Hero or Rock N Roll failure? Chasing death or embracing life? Crank it loud and make your own mind up.”

Since their inception in 2006, The Hip Priests have released a mighty thirty 7” singles, four albums, two compilations and three EPs by various independent labels from all over Europe & the USA. Fiercely independent and tirelessly driven, the ‘Priests have preached their high energy sermon of misanthropy, hate and contempt across numerous tours of the UK, Europe and USA and made countless rapturously received festival appearances.

picture credit is Ralph Barklam

Gaining a richly deserved reputation as a white-hot live band, the last few years have seen the band’s popularity increasing further with them regularly playing alongside kindred spirits such as The Hellacopters, Gluecifer, The Good the Bad and the Zugly, New Bomb Turks, Dwarves and Zeke at both festivals and in clubs. Rave reviews pour in for every release, ranging from ‘a band on top of their game & steps ahead of any of their UK contemporaries’ to ‘if you’re in any doubt about how good these bad boys are then you need locking up’. After 16 years some bands would be taking it easy but in spite of a global pandemic, there was no let-up in their determination and activity. Their fifth, and by far their best full-length album – ‘Roden House Blues’ – was written, rehearsed, and recorded during this period and will be released May 5th, 2023, via The Sign Records.

Today, The Hip Priests blast out a second offering ahead of the album’s release with new single ‘Chasing Death’, a song that is, say the band “about self-destruction and self-sabotage. A story stuffed with vice and excess. A tale about one person’s journey, after buying a one-way ticket on the train wreck to end all train wrecks. The age-old colourful topics of sex, drugs and rock n roll. Is it autobiographical? Is it celebration or commiseration? Hero or Rock N Roll failure? Chasing death or embracing life? Crank it loud and make your own mind up.”

The Hip Priests. Zero fucks n’ less success since 2006. The most prolific band you haven’t heard of. High energy sweaty sermons of misanthropy, disillusion (self) loathing and despair. Get ready to have your ears torn clean off.

FIND THE HIP PRIESTS ONLINE AT:

WEBSITE

FACEBOOK

BANDCAMP

TWITTER

INSTAGRAM

CATCH THE HIP PRIESTS LIVE AT THE FOLLOWING DATES:

February

Monday 27th Dragonfly Rock Cafe, Almeria

Tuesday 28th Sala Plant Baja, Granada

March

Wednesday 1st Fun House, Madrid

Thursday 2nd Salason, Cangas De Morazzo

Saturday 4th Hell Dorado, Vitoria

Sunday 5th El Sotana Rock Pub, Teruel

(With The Dangerfields)

Wednesday 22nd Bennigans, Derry

Thursday 23rd Áras Na Ngael, Galway

Friday 24th Fred Zeppelin’s, Cork

Saturday 25th Venue Tbc, Limerick

Sunday 26th Wild Duck, Dublin

Germany

(With Lucifer Star Machine)

April

Thursday 27th Sonic Ballroom, Cologne

Friday 28th Freakshow, Essen

Saturday 29th Zollkantine, Bremen

Sunday 30th Indra Musikclub, Hamburg

UK (With Bitch Queens)

May

Thursday 25th The Pipeline, Brighton

Friday 26th Hope And Anchor, London

Saturday 27th Nice And Sleazy, Morecambe