On the day they begin the WA leg of their I’m Sorry Sir, That Riff’s Been Taken tour, The Hard-Ons have released a new single and video from the album.

The “Needles & Pins” 7″ single will be released on coloured vinyl as a strictly limited edition of 300 – 100 in hot pink, 100 in clear teal and 100 in black. It features the exclusive non-album B-side “Spider Tree” (an out-take from the album) and will be available from the band at the shows as well as on the Cheersquad Records & Tapes Bandcamp page and from select retailers.. 

Of the new single and video, Hard-Ons co-founder and bassplayer Ray Ahn has said “The Hard-Ons are in love with the music and beauty of pop. We wanted Mike Foxall, the director to capture the sentiment and tenderness of the melody – all the while showing some light-hearted humour… ” 

Guitarist and fellow co-founder Blackie adds, “People usually scoff (politely Emoji) when I insist we’re a pop band .. SEE!!”

The WA dates follow the band’s recent AIR Awards ‘Best Independent Rock Album Award’ nomination for I’m Sorry Sir, That Riff’s Been Taken, and the group’s much-viewed surprise APRA Awards performance of “Know Your Product” in tribute to The Saints’ Chris Bailey.  

The Hard-Ons’ new album I’m Sorry Sir, That Riff’s Been Taken is out now via Cheersquad Records & Tapes. (Distributed by Magnetic South)

https://cheersquadrecordstapes.bandcamp.com/album/im-sorry-sir-that-riff-s-been-taken

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Hip Pries four stringer noise bringer eases back with his debut EP. this is the first video to accompany the EP that we reviewed several weeks ago. The video features Lee relaxing in his downtime from day job duties and cutting up the dance floor at the Wigan Pier.

released on Lux Noise records. Available in the UK from https://leeloveaffair.bandcamp.com

Europe from Lux Noise https://lux-noise.bandcamp.com/

USA from Spaghetty Town https://spaghettytownrecords.bigcarte…

Back in 1974 when Leo Sayer famously sang “Well I’m a one-man band, nobody knows nor understands” he could very well have been referring to Australian-born but now Brighton-based psych space cadet Dez Dare, albeit he was almost four decades too early.

Not that time really bothers Dez, that’s more of an abstract constraint in his world, where music, art and mind expansion blend into one, and ‘Ulysses Trash’ (his second full album to date) is a melting pot of thirteen tracks that take you on a musical roller coaster ride quite unlike any other.  

Totally DIY, with Dare playing/recording everything on the album, the production is shot through with the associated garage rock feel you get with such recordings, and there’s an underlying feeling of early Sub Pop within the acid-soaked grooves of ‘They Scream, My Head Is So Full I Can’t Dream’ and this is something that continues through the likes of the wonderfully titled ‘Bloody Sea, Holy Fuck’ and perhaps my fave track on the record ‘1.9.8.5’ which features a spiraling space rock riff over which Dare riffs his spoken word lyric before wrapping it all up in a Stooges-like chorus to die for.

I actually think if some of this stuff had been released a couple of years earlier you may even have found a track cropping up on ‘A Better Dystopia’ Monster Magnet’s covers album that paid tribute to obscure (yet great) garage rock music through the ages.

In fact, if you discovered fantastic bands like Table Scraps from that record then I highly recommend you check out ‘Ulysses Trash’ when its released on August 19th on CD and download via the Bandcamp link below.

‘Ulysses Trash’ is the soundtrack to the fourth dimension baby! Can you dig it???

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Author: Johnny Hayward

Coming across like a down-under Devitto era Buzzcocks meets AC/DC old Skool the Chats do anything other than getting Fucked on this their second offering of Aussie punk rock.

‘GET FUCKED’ opens with ‘6L GTR’, a takedown of a speed-crazed status-symbol driver – a critique piqued when Eamon spotted the titular license plate in an airport carpark. It’s an album that shows the band’s maturity from the off on this here 13 high-velocity punk tracks. To be fair they’ve hardly matured and started writing prog whilst playing a flute one-legged on a toadstool. This bad boy rips from start to finish, as they’d say down under. Lyrically it covers topics from panic attacks, junkies, prison breaks, the price of smokes, surf mafia, and being drunk in every pub in Brisbane amongst other heady big ticket topics.

There’s a rumor that Opener ‘6L GTR’ saw Eamon Sandwith nick a bit of Dave Lee Roth which was taken out of the tune after management got a knockback from Diamond Dave but hey ho them is the breaks they should have just done it and send double D the V sign with a sue us if you want letter. The non-PC album title came from a brainstorming session (imagine that one folks?) where Matt Boggis said imagine how funny it would be if kids go to the record store and ask for Get Fucked from the salesperson. Yeah pretty funny slinging it on yer Christmas list from your nan to pick up. But hey this isn’t Roxy Music or Genesis or some high-brow prog This is working-class Aussie punk rock yer Fuckers!

Anyway, where were we? Oh yeah, thirteen songs. The first single and album opener down The Chats have got sharper and tighter that’s for sure and all that touring has paid off for sure. Most of the album is your usual Australian HC one and a half minutes of rage then boom! but there are a couple of tracks that tickle the four-minute mark which in itself is almost Maiden-esque pro in length rather than Ron Jeremy Length in the puns and goofiness stakes. so good on ’em for that.

‘Struck By Lightening’ is a warning to take cover in storms maybe go inside and put this on the earbuds – thundering along with a rapid verse with sloppy doo wap backing vocals and a cautionary tale. the solo is majestic to be fair as the song hammers along. ‘Boggo Breakout’ is punk as fuck from the vacant riff to the snotty vocals it’s another banger and benefits from volume and multiple plays. ‘Southport Superman’ is just a heads-down race to the finish line in true punk as fuck style. ‘Panic Attack’ is more restrained from the intro with a military slap on the snare and pluck on the bass before Josh joins in with his Shelly meets Diggle meets the Undertones wall of punk rock guitars lifts the song up.

The first of the long songs is the excellent ‘ The Price Of Smokes’ which is about the economic cost of living stuff where the band thrust the cost of living to the forefront. It’s a cool bass and drum intro where they lock in and take this baby to the bridge then drop her off gently. An excellent song that asks the important questions of the day. Sidestep from the heads down crank it up that had preceded it, (See I said The Chats had moved on and matured). Oh hang on ‘Dead On Site’ is a razor-sharp riff delivering exactly what The Chats fans are clamoring for. Punchy, full throttle, punk rock mixed with some fine Angus Young inspired old school solos – magical stuff!

‘Paid Late’ is a fine slice of Smash and Grab punk rock before the let’s go to the pub banger that is ‘I’ve Been Drunk In Every Pub In Brisbane’. If I’m honest this album has added elements of Rock and old-school hard rock, even when they speed up proceedings it’s a great crossover full of energy and street punk rock n roll. Their no longer on Smoko their running the gaff. There’s no acoustic ballad but there’s lots of loud guitars. I think one of my favourite tracks is ‘Emperor Of The Beach’ with its cock sure riff that tips the hat to the daddy of tone Steve Jones and is a thumper of a track. The band signs off this second album with the punky ‘Getting Better’ and so they are. God bless these noisy cunts from down under for they’ve taught this old dog a few tricks on this album and tightened up the loose ends of the debut and thrown in a few curve balls but above all delivered a fantastic record that I’m thoroughly enjoying

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Author: Dom Daley

Lee Love Affair – EP (Lux Noise Records) A man that doesn’t need any introduction other than to say Brother Lee Love has gone Rogue on those Hip Priests and knocked up a four-track EP and got Lux Noise to snap it up and release the bad boy.

Like an explosion of Garage Rock and Roll through the medium of Northern Soul as the guitars then bass line kicks in on ‘Hold Me Down’ a big rumbling hip swinging foot twisting slab of is kicking through my speakers. It’s Detroit Baby but UK Style. What a choon this is. Of course, it isn’t a wall of noise like the day job but it’s got swing and a catchy chorus and weighs in like equal measures of International Noise Conspiracy and some of that 80s alternative underground post-punk rock n roll courtesy of the likes of 60 ft Dolls. ‘Better Man’ has a choppy dry electric guitar riff that is a straight-down-the-line Rock n Rolla heading to the chorus with some sweet guitar licks along the way – excellent stuff.

‘Real Cool Time’ is of course self-explanatory the clue is in the title garage rock, it’s got the beating heart of Ann Arbour and a honking rhythm of Detroit. Wrapping up this four-track dalliance is ‘AAA’ which has some “Greebo” scene going on with yet another strong melody and some wicked playing, all that’s missing is some honking horns and that one-finger piano roll and this would be perfect. EP of the month? Fucking right it is

The Penetrators – ‘Skateboard Girl’ (code 213 records) Another fantastic 7″ this time from New Yorks The Penetrators. With a laid back New York Groove thats handed down from Lou Reed and David Johannsen this single has it going on from the NYC licks to the sweet handclaps The Penetrators have penned a super summer seven inch. Claiming to be the kings of Basement Rock wont be too far away from the truth if they keep releasign records this good. Check out the dynamic duo on Facebook

Scumbag Millionaires – ‘So Long’ (Screaming Crow Records) From Gothenburg, Sweden, Scumbag Millionaire have offered up a killer track for Screaming Crow Records Action Rock Jukebox 45 series. These dirty bastards took ABBA’s 70’s hit “So Long” and injected it with a whole heap of Scumbag Rock n Fuckin’ Roll and a little attitude and a heap of swing. It’s given a make under not over and sounds terrific. The B side is their own “Gluehead!” which just about makes this the record of the week in my eyes. A fantastic slab of wax and just what a 45 should be. What a killer 45rpm, it’s even a large holed 7″ pressed on regular black vinyl and limited orange vinyl with a custom 45 adapter,  sticker, and jukebox title card. YES, these are made to go on a 45 playing jukebox!. Beautiful workScumbags and those at Screaming Crow – Top of the class!

RMBLR – ‘Breakin’ It Off’ (Self Release) RMBLR are one of those bands that have pedigree and history that dictates that it’s impossible to release a bad record. This new track was released without fanfare via Bandcamp and just oozes quality. What else can I say? It’s a banger of a Rock and Roll tune and RMBLR just get “IT” whatever “IT” is.

You’ll be singing along before the end of the first chorus and fist punching the air in your cut-off battle jacket wondering where the party is. It’s only Rock and Roll and I like it RMBLR just delivers…again Check it out Here

Andy McCoy – ‘Take Me I’m Yours’ (Cleopatra Records) Lifted from his brand new covers album Andy takes on this classic Squeeze track and being one of the finer tracks off the album, He nails it McCoy style. It maintains the original groove and melody but Andy gives it the McCoy treatment and twists it before draping it as only he can. It’s a grower of a tune and discarding the video that is a bit bizarre but so McCoy it’s well worth checking out ‘Jukebox Junkies’ is exactly that full of mystery, intrigue, and quality from one of the undergrounds greatest ever talents

Tropical Fuck Storm – ‘Ann’ (Joyful Noise Rexcordings) What a twisted take on The Stooges but the video is pure genius. Lifted from the EP. Bassist Fiona Kitschin steps up to the microphone on a cover that swaps Ron Asheton‘s scorching guitar part for a deranged sound collage of guitar freakouts, siren noises, and electronics. The EP also has a Talking Heads cover to twist your mellon. Will the EP be up their with their satanic slumber party who knows but covering the Stooges is a great starting point.

Wolf Rd – ‘Burn All Of Your Bridges’ Noisy shouty kids mixing up melodic metal and hardcore sludgy riffs. Might be good in a tiny club at ear shattering volume but in my liounge on a laptop it just doesn’t cut through to be fair its got tones of Chester Benningtons Linkin Park tip but its not for everyone but it does have an energy. Make your own mind up. Chicago noise bringers can be found on Facebook Here

Belushi Speed Ball – ‘Magic Conch’ (sonaBlast Records) Great name for a band and releasing it on Nintendo 64 sort of tells you where this arty goofy combo are coming from with their super fast punk rock with full on goofyness and wacko solos from the Berkley school of music speed licks – check out the video and it should all make sense or not either way its made the cut

THE GASÖLINES – ‘Rum Runner 500’ (Speed Club Records) described as high octane rockers is just about on the money. Loud guitars oily injection fueled Rock n Roll. The song is well constructed and I’m sure the guy live it like they love it and walk the walk. If they have some variety in the songwriting then they could be onto a winner with it. I look forward to what they serve up on this evidence.

As a follow up to their debut album ‘Rum Runner 500’ is the perfect take on Cars, booze and hellraising whats not to like? Facebook

Gun – ‘Word Up’ (Cherry Red Records) Glaswegian rockers GUN are back with their latest release from the forthcoming album, ‘The Calton Songs’ and finally it’s the turn of ‘Word Up’ TODAY, 28 July. So tell all the boys and girls, Tell your brother, your sister, And mama too…  This massive track was originally covered by GUN in 1994, winning an MTV Europe Music Award for Best Cover and featuring on the Top 5 album ‘Swagger’. The song itself is of course a retooled version of the evergreen Cameo hit from 1986, but now in 2022 it has been reimagined and revived and sounds amazing. This new version is a totally different beast to the one that the fans know. The track now also boasts the vocal talents of  Beverley Skeete & The Sisterhood [ Noel Gallagher, The Chemical Brothers, Mick Jagger] and The Selecter provide some phenomenal Brass. The band are describing it as the ‘Word Up Summer Jam’ and it has all the energy that implies!

Dead City Ruins – ‘The Sorcerer’ (AFM Records) Melbourne’s DEAD CITY RUINS new single & video ‘The Sorcerer’, lifted from their new album ‘Shockwave’ out on 19th August. Its a big phat slice of Rock hailing back to the likes of Zepplin and Sabbath influences with big grooves and musicianship.

Liquids recorded this album with the help of Erik Nervous. Then Erik mixed, mastered and released it via his label Nail Biter Records. It is distributed by Drunken Sailor Records (for the UK) and Australia’s finest Computer Human Records. In the United States the record is available from Violent Pest Records and is limited colour pressing. That should be all the background you need when investigating this album.

Ok Ok maybe not all the info you need to make an informed choice but its like the seal of quality. Liquids’ Mat Williams seemed like one of those creative punk rockers who was going to release what he wrote and as often as the weeds grow in my yard. Prolific is another word you could useif you kept your ear to the ground but don’t take your eye off social media or you’ll miss a release. Two albums (one a double) and a whole lot besides were pumped out of Indiana between 2015-18. You know the drill hardcore, Ramones pop, A splash of Devo, and more but that gives you the gist. I guess I’d align with Alex Wonk for quality of output maybe even more prolific Then it went quiet. then after several years of nowt, it was a new album last year this fucker but this has some added junk in the trunk and on vinyl. Twenty-seven tracks to be precise. Sure it’s Lo-Fi it’s not going to be high fidelity half-speed remastering but to be fair most of the songs only last under a minute with a couple barely stretching out over two FFS! Hell, how did I miss this even as a digital release it’s got a cover of Meat Loaf ‘Bat Out Of Hell’ that is almost prog length reaching out over three minutes although I’m sure Meat would have liked this version much better than his bloated anthem. It reminds me of The Briefs goofing around, Genius? Hell Yeah!

Some of the jerking rhythms are like a sped-up Undertones ‘Nobody Likes You’ is like a fucked-up Scooby Doo tune The Briefs meets NomeansNo at times and some of these songs are so rapid that even some speed metal bands would bow down with respect. ‘Life Of Oi’ is a pair of 18-holers moon stomping all about the place. The covers don’t end there as ‘Strutter’ is taken to school and given a proper punk rock makeover even Gene would raise an eyebrow for. The four bonus tracks are also all killer and no filler. A hot mess of an album that I can’t recommend highly enough. It’s punk rock baby but not of this earth what a top top record! Buy it!

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Author: Dom Daley

In an age of playlists where music has seemingly become a throwaway, background commodity to the multi-faceted lives of many, a 70 plus minute prog rock odyssey, recorded on a long-discarded format favoured by 70’s rock giants, seems as out of time and out of place as a Commodore 64 in 2022. But Texas based alt rock legends …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead have never been ones to buckle and follow trends, preferring to experiment and do what the fuck they like, regardless of what is going on around them.

2020 should have seen the core duo of Conrad Keely and Jason Reece touring latest album ‘X: The Godless Void And Other Stories’ with a brand-new 5-piece line up, but Covid had other ideas. Following months of doing nothing, Keely decided to write a new album, and the band retreated to a rehearsal studio/barn in their native Austin, Texas with their new 6-piece line up, to do things on their own terms with no interference or pressure to deliver. They set up 2 drum kits, 3 guitar stations and a bank of keyboards to record an album in quadrophonic surround sound. The fruits of their labour is their 11th studio album and it is called ‘Bleed Here Now’.

Inspired by ‘Behind The Music’ and ‘Classic Album’ documentaries featuring their favourite 70’s artists, …Trail Of The Dead have crafted a 22 track, 73-minute rock album that features multi-layered vocals, swathes of cinematic strings and organs, cleverly thought-out arrangements and melodies aplenty.

Following a couple of trademark atmospheric intros that set the scene, first song proper ‘Field Songs’ is a euphoric offering of guitar and piano. Both upbeat and melodic, it harks back to classic TOD material. ‘Penny Candle’ with its bombastic drums and effect-ridden guitars, carries the melodic feel through and seems the perfect backdrop for Conrad’s wailing alt rock vocals.

‘No Confidence’ is a full-on rock monster, riding on a Zep-like riff and a killer rhythm. Energetic and invigorating in equal parts, it brings to mind ‘Worlds Apart’ to my ears. The odd wavering, vocal effect gives it an unnerving feel that may have you checking your speakers to make sure they are not broken. The ensuing tribal gang vocal section takes us out of classic rock, further afield than alt rock, yet with our feet firmly planted in …Trail Of Dead territory.

The segues do what it says on the tin and bleed into one another, giving the feel of one whole body of music, a trip if you will, into the mind of Keely and Reece during the pandemic days and months. From the subtle and dreamy, to the cinematic and the in your face, it certainly piques the interest and keeps the listener coming back for more.

The fast and furious ‘Kill Everyone’ could be the only lead vocal cameo this time around from Jason Reece. It may only last 1 minute and 22 seconds, but it showcases the frenetic live punk energy the band are capable of.

Yet, ‘Bleed Here Now’ certainly seems more like Conrad’s baby this time around. With multi-layered, dreamy vocals and mournful piano chords ‘Golden Sail’ is a proggy, space rock odyssey. The breakdown and the ensuing, galloping space rock mid-section is as trippy as you like. Every listen brings new, trance like noises that hypnotize, enrapture and take the listener to another realm.

This brings us to the 11-minute album centerpiece ‘Taken By The Hand’. A fuzzy wall of guitars contrasts nicely with Conrad’s wailing vocals and stark use of space in the verses, before the guitars crank things up again. Guitar solos wail, before another time change that gives way to the tribal beats of 2 kits in unison that battle with layered, effect-ridden guitars, building and creating drama in the most epic of ways.

The influence of the likes of Rush and Yes are prevalent on the likes of ‘Protest Streets’. Chanting vocals befitting a monastery of monks, a folky, acoustic outro featuring female vocals that travel the Enya/Kate Bush trail. This leads us nicely to the duet with Amanda Palmer that is ‘Millenium Actress’. The juxtaposition of the two lead vocals works well over the orchestral instrumentation, as the song builds over regimental drums and soaring strings.

In 900 words I can only really scratch the surface of this album. The proof is in the pudding so to speak, but from the opening ‘Our Epic Attempts’ to the closing epilogue of ‘Calm As The Valley’, …And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead certainly take the listener on a journey like no other.

As immersive as it is refreshing, ‘Bleed Here Now’ is a grandiose, 73-minute rock masterpiece that gives more with each listen. But you have to give it the time it deserves to reap the rewards. As much thought and effort has gone into the sequencing as it has the writing and recording of the music. It plays out as one piece of music, one whole body of work, the many segues leaving you unsure where one track ends and another begins. Like a book, it becomes an exciting aural adventure with many twists and turns through its cleverly designed arrangements and glorious musical interludes.

As powerful as their first three albums and more ambitious than mid-career highlights such as ‘Worlds Apart’ and ‘Tao Of The Dead’, ‘Bleed Here Now’ is Conrad Keely’s ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’, his ‘Melancholy & The Infinite Sadness’, and it could turn out to be …Trail Of The Dead’s finest moment.

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Author: Ben Hughes

Released October 7th on Wicked Cool Records & 10 date October UK Tour  

Ginger Wildheart & The Sinners are proud to announce the release of their debut album on October 7th  on Wicked CoolRecords.
Their self-titled album is an energetic album that celebrates rock’n’roll and as Ginger explains it is in “the spirit of the music that we all collectively love, from childhood to the present day. Little Feat, The Allman Brothers, Wilco, The Band, Creedence, The Jayhawks, Lone Justice, Jason & the Scorchers, Georgia Satellites, Status Quo, The Stones…from roots country to rock n roll and Americana.
The uplifting new single Lately, Always is about a dream “Not necessarily one that will come true but enough to have something to look forward to, especially when times seem a little hopeless.

Ginger Wildheart & The Sinners were formed in August 2019 when Ginger joined forces with Neil Ivison and Nick Lyndon from the band Stone Mountain Sinners. The lineup was completed with drummer Shane Dixon (Tri-City Fanfare) and as Ginger explains “Me and The Sinners met for the very first time in the studio, in preparation for recording an album together. We figured out that if we can’t get along with each other then the music would be ultimately worthless. So we went to the pub and got drunk together. The next morning the music started flowing with ease. This is the sound of friendship.
Their self-titled album was recorded at Mwnci studios in Pembrokeshire, Wales, with Dave Draper producing.
The album kicks off with their first single Wasted Times, which sets the tone for an album of pure rock n roll, peppered with country touches.  The listener will find a further seven original songs, including Lately, Always plus two covers: Dirty Water by Status Quo and Six Years Gone by Georgia Satellites’, the first song Ginger wanted to play with the band back when this was just an idea. “I became a bit obsessed with the song while in LA for Lemmy’s funeral, and carried it around in my heart from then until we all congregated at the studio.” 
There is a refreshingly familiar sound to every one of the songs on the album and it is a masterclass in how to write melodies that pull the heartstrings.
Despite the turmoil in which we find ourselves, Ginger with his Sinners give us all hope. Get with it or get out.
Ginger Wildheart & The Sinners essential debut album will be available digitally, on CD, and limited edition “Seaside Swirl” 12” vinyl. To pre order / pre stream Here

To celebrate the release of the Ginger Wildheart & The Sinners album the band will be playing ten UK shows, starting at Bannermans in Edinburgh on 18th October and finishing on 30th October at The Hare & Hounds in Birmingham. Tickets available from Monday 1st August at https://www.facebook.com/gingersinners

Ginger Wildheart & The Sinners UK October 2022 tour 

18th Edinburgh, Bannermans

19th Newcastle, Riverside 

20th Huddersfield, The Parish 

22nd Cardiff,  The Globe 

23rd Plymouth, The Juntion 

25th London, Bush Hall 

26th Norwich, Brickmakers 

27th Portsmouth, Wedgewood Rooms 

29th Chester, Live Rooms

30th Birmingham, Hare & Hounds 

Tickets available from Monday 1st August at Here

DARK HORSE RECORDS CELEBRATES JOE STRUMMER WITH ‘JOE STRUMMER 002: THE MESCALEROS YEARS’ 

TO HONOUR WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THELEGENDARY ARTIST’S 70TH BIRTHDAY

FIRST-EVER COMPREHENSIVE COLLECTION OF STRUMMER’S WORK WITH THE MESCALEROS

NEW BOX SET INCLUDES PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED TRACKS, DEMOS & OUTTAKES, ALONGSIDE REMASTERED EDITIONS OF THE COMPLETE MESCALEROS CATALOGUE, EXCLUSIVE NEW INTERVIEWS, NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN IMAGES AND MUCH MORE

‘JOE STRUMMER 002: THE MESCALEROS YEARS’ ARRIVES VIA DARK HORSE RECORDS ON 16TH SEPTEMBER

PRE-ORDER HERE

Dark Horse Records is celebrating what would have been Joe Strummer’s 70th birthday on 21st August with ‘Joe Strummer 002: The Mescaleros Years’, the first-ever comprehensive collection highlighting his work with his post-Clash band, The Mescaleros. The collection includes remastered editions of all three of the band’s studio albums, plus 15 rare and unreleased tracks spanning the first demos Joe wrote for the Mescaleros, as well as ‘Ocean Of Dreams’, featuring Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols on guitar, and outtakes of several tracks of Joe’s final recordings with the band. This richly curated boxset was executive produced by Joe’s widow Lucinda Tait and produced by David Zonshine and features exclusive new interviews with Joe’s friends, collaborators and Mescaleros band mates, plus never-before-seen handwritten notes, lyrics, and drawings by Strummer taken from the Joe Strummer Archive. The release arrives on 16th September on 4 CD w/72-page book and 7 LP w/32-page book, special edition packaging and exclusive 12”x12” art print. The first track from the collection, the previously unreleased version of ‘The Road To Rock ‘N’ Roll (Demo)’ is available to stream NOW. The video for the song was created using Joe’s drawings and handwritten lyrics found in the Strummer archive.

While best known as the front man for The Clash, Strummer produced some of the most exciting work of his career with The Mescaleros. Strummer said during this period: “All that’s happening for me now is just a chancer’s bluff. I learned that fame is an illusion and everything about it is just a joke. I’m far more dangerous now, because I don’t care at all.” Joe Strummer 002: The Mescaleros Years highlights this intense period of creativity from 1999-2002, collecting for the first time such extraordinary albums as Rock Art and the X-Ray Style (1999), Global A Go-Go (2001), and the posthumous Streetcore (2003), along with Vibes Compass, a brand-new compilation of 15 B-sides and rarities, including early demos of some of the first tracks Joe wrote for the Mescaleros such as ‘The Road To Rock ‘N’ Roll’, ‘X-Ray Style’, ‘Techno D-Day’, as well as the previously unreleased ‘Secret Agent Man’ and the original recordings from Joe’s last ever sessions, including outtakes of ‘Get Down Moses’, ‘Coma Girl’ and the song ‘Fantastic’. All albums are remastered by three-time GRAMMY® Award-winning engineer Paul Hicks (The Beatles, John Lennon, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie) especially for the release and are packaged with extensive new liner notes, unreleased images, and four reproduction lyric sheets and chord charts from the Strummer archive.  

“There’s so much great music that Joe left us in his archive,” says Joe’s widow and the executive producer, Lucinda Tait. “We started this work with ‘001’, so to focus on Joe’s work with The Mescaleros was the natural second step on ‘002’ because those songs he made with them just seemed to resonate so strongly and reinvigorated his connection with his audience at a level he hadn’t experienced since his days with The Clash.  “He was so excited to work with the Mescaleros and the reception he got from the press and fans was incredible, it gave him a whirlwind of energy and confidence and he was creatively fulfilled and happy.


 “His words are so beautiful and honest and together with the Mescaleros some fantastic tunes were created and to listen to some of the tunes recorded as outtakes for me was really special.” 2022 marks twenty years since the passing of the legendary Joe Strummer. Punk poet, musician, composer, actor, and style icon, Strummer spent his life smashing musical and cultural boundaries both as the singer of The Clash and as a solo artist. His songs sound as urgent and vital today as when they were written. Calling out social injustices and giving a voice to the struggles of the working class, Strummer’s politically charged lyrics struck a chord with legions of fans and the press alike, with Rolling Stone calling The Clash “the greatest rock & roll band in the world.” He famously once said, “Without people, you’re nothing.” Through his art, Joe Strummer played his part in shaping the musical landscape of the world and with it left an unrivalled and timeless legacy.

FOLLOW JOE STRUMMER

JOESTRUMMER.COM | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | YOUTUBETHE JOE STRUMMER FOUNDATION | DARK HORSE RECORDS

Legendary British rock & roll band The Godfathers return with an almighty bang on their highly-anticipated new album Alpha Beta Gamma Delta. Featuring thirteen tracks of new material, the album is described by the band’s lead singer and founder Peter Coyne as “a sonic tour de force” and is their first full-length studio release since the critically acclaimed A Big Bad Beautiful Noise in 2017.

Written and recorded during the course of the Covid pandemic, the album was produced by The Godfathers’ bassist (and former Damned member) Jon Priestley. Following on from the double A-side single I’m Not Your Slave / Wild And Free released in 2020, ‘Alpha Beta Gamma Delta’ is the first Godfathers’ album to feature the new line-up of Coyne, Priestley, ex-Heavy Drapes’ members Billy Duncanson (drums) and Richie Simpson (guitar) and guitarist Wayne Vermaak from The Great St Louis.

“Alpha Beta Gamma Delta is definitely one of the very best albums The Godfathers have ever made – it’s exciting, dark, dangerous contemporary rock & roll!” states Coyne. 

Originally formed in 1985 out of the ashes of The Sid Presley Experience, The Godfathers quickly earned a serious reputation for their electrifying brand of primal rock & roll and their incendiary live shows, aided and abetted by a string of classic radio hits and chart-bothering albums.

With numerous sold-out international tours and festival appearances to their credit, The Godfathers remain a consistent and reliable draw on the world’s stages and Alpha Beta Gamma Delta marks a thrilling new chapter in The Godfathers’ saga.

The album will be preceded by a 4-track EP entitled Midnight Rider on Friday 26th August, featuring two album tracks (Midnight Rider and OCD) plus two brand new and exclusive non-album tracks When The Cowards Fall and Fade Away.

The Godfathers will be announcing a full Autumn tour to coincide with the album’s release.

Alpha Beta Gamma Delta track listing:

Alpha Beta Gamma Delta / Bring On The Sunshine / You Gotta Wait / I Hate The 21st Century / OCD / Midnight Rider / Straight Down The Line / Lay That Money Down / Tonight / I’m Not Your Slave / There’s No Time / Dead In Los Angeles / I Despair  

The ‘Alpha Beta Gamma Delta’ album & ‘Midnight Rider’ EP can be pre-ordered Here