The Von Bondies 20th Anniversary Tour

The Von Bondies 20th Anniversary Tour
This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the birth of The Von Bondies, a key band in the American garage-rock movement that spread its way across the globe in the early 2000s. Formed in Detroit by singer/guitarist Jason Stollsteimer during an aborted stint at university, he rooted the band’s sound in the youthful energy of punk and the emotional rawness of the blues. “If somehow it had been possible for Jason and me to have had a baby instead of a band when we first started out,” says Donny Blum, longtime drummer of the band, “that baby would now legally be able to drink.”

In celebration, the Von Bondies are getting together to play a string of dates in the UK this summer, their first shows in a decade. “We’re doing the UK first because England was the first country that really embraced us,” says Stollsteimer. Indeed, those early UK shows would lead to dozens of festival slots—playing Glastonbury as well as Reading and Leeds Festival two separate years—in addition to appearances on Later with Jools Holland and a couple of Peel Sessions at the BBC. The band’s major-label debut ‘Pawn Shoppe Heart’ spawned the single ‘C’mon C’mon’, a ubiquitous part of the soundtrack to young Britons’ rowdy Saturday nights out.

This summer’s eight-show tour will take the band around the UK from Birmingham to Brighton, including stops in London and Glasgow. “I think it’s a great time to do this,” says Blum. “We’ve always known that at some point we were going to do more shows. Especially with the world on fire the way it is now, we want to do it before it all burns down”.
Full dates here, tickets go on sale on Friday 31st January.
Thu 14 May – The O2 Institute – Birmingham – TICKETS
Fri 15 May – The Wardrobe – Leeds – TICKETS
Sat 16 May – DSCVR Festival – Leicester – TICKETS
Sun 17 May – O2 Academy Islington – TICKETS
Tue 19 May – The Fleece – Bristol – TICKETS
Wed 20 May – King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut – Glasgow – TICKETS
Thu 21 May – Gorilla – Manchester – TICKETS
Fri 22 May – Concorde 2 – Brighton – TICKETS
LISTEN TO ‘THE VON BONDIES LIVE FAVOURITES’ PLAYLIST HERE

RPM at the movies – ‘Melody Makers’ & ‘Come On Feel The Noize’

RPM at the movies – ‘Melody Makers’ & ‘Come On Feel The Noize’

 Melody Makers – ‘The Bible Of Rock And Roll’ (MVD Visuals)

Ah, the good old days when you got all your music news from the magazine stand or your local record shop.  There weren’t many to pick from Me I was a Sounds man myself but I did also check Melody Maker and NME before the glossy mags took over like Kerrang.  Digital kids won’t have a clue what I’m on about unless they watch films like this – The award-winning film takes you behind the scenes to explore the myths, honour the legends and reveal the incredible stories and never-before-seen photographs of rock giants like Jagger, Bowie, Elton John, Bob Dylan, Zepplin, Hendrix, The Kinks etc etc.

This tell-all documentary reveals anecdotes and unpublished photos from the world’s most influential music publication, Melody Maker magazine, with its intimate access to legendary rock bands of the day and all the goings-on and shenanigans you daydreamed about.  In biographies and autobiographies, stories and folklore were perpetuated or dismissed in the pages of Melody Maker and the writers who lived to tell the tales of what people look back fondly on the Golden Age of music.

At the heart of this film is Melody Maker’s head photographer, Barrie Wentzell, who takes us along on an intimate journey with his colleagues into the world of rock icons. These journalists, with cameras in hand, had free rein and were creatively involved with the artists, something unheard of today and it’s hard to imagine some of the scenes they describe.

The film captures the story behind the magazine’s rise and fall, showing first-hand how the artists, the record companies and journalists came to move a generation. The magazine was the go-to for many for decades during its time, now this movie is a “must-see” for musicians, music fans and it would seem history buffs alike.  Pop culture of a bygone era that can never be recaptured from the people who created the news and became part of the fabric of the music.  Cool film.

 

Buy ‘Melody Makers’ Here

 

‘Come On Feel The Noize’ – ‘The Story Of How Rock Became Metal’ (MVD Visuals) A tale as old as time (or so it would seem) Rock morphing into Metal and bands and players who became iconic immortals of the music biz.  This exclusive, long-lost live material from rock’s most iconic bands &artists, as well as all-new original interviews with the living legends themselves:

This film is your access-all-areas backstage pass to Heavy Metal and Hard Rock history. Delve into the rich history of Heavy Metal: from its scandalous origins in the 1960s to its heyday in the 1980s, from its glam phase in the 1970s to its indestructible present in 2017. A backstage pass into the history of how Rock became Heavy Metal. There might be some excellent journeys available on youtube plotting the history of the scene but this is a decent blanket thrown over the scene for an hour and a half.  Interesting and amusing some have aged like fine wine and others not so much (being polite)

If you lived through the 70s and 80s then it’s hard to imagine how quickly music has changed over the years and how there is still a place for Metal and Heavy Rock as portrayed in this film. The usual acts such as Hendrix, Deep Purple and  Zeppelin are discussed obviously. it does cover The blues, punk, and other scenes.

Come On Feel The Noize: Isn’t just about that journey of the usual suspects such as Twisted Sister, Motley Crue and Poison but the whole scene of music that sprouted up everywhere.  It’s well told, well documented, and the interviews are interesting for the hour and a half. Some of those interviewed are megastars like Ozzy, Dee Snider, Nikki Sixx, Biff Byford and others! It’s not all old school as Ghost get coverage as well.  One for old rockers to enjoy as well as one to give the grandkids to show them what it was like and why you pick up the metal compilation in the supermarket.  Its never too late to feel the Noize and this might well relight the flame for anyone who turned up the Rock.

Buy ‘Come On Feel The Noize’ Here

Gorilla Riot – ‘Peach’ (Off Yer Rocka)

Gorilla Riot – ‘Peach’ (Off Yer Rocka)

Up and coming rockers Gorilla Riot have finally unleashed their full-length debut. They have garnered a significant amount of press over the years for a new band showcasing how solid their songs and marketing have been. I have enjoyed what I heard from the band in the past, but this was the first time I really dug my teeth into their songs. With a fusion of modern hard rock, some grunge, and the songwriting of classic rock, they have clearly found a sound that would be as comfortable on modern radio as it would be on the classic rock stations or stations catering to bands from the ’90s. They also have crafted their own sound and avoid being a watered-down version of something you have already heard.

Kicking things off with instrumental ‘Riders I’ allows the band to slowly bring you into the record with the expanding guitar riff burrowing into your memory. ‘Riders II’ follows with the band combining the likes of Black Sabbath, Brother Cane, and the more classic rock feeling period of Corrosion of Conformity. The beat here gets the headbanging and with the band featuring three guitars, there will never be a shortage of guitar… or air guitar if you are like me.   The vocal delivery of Arjun Bhishma suits the music perfectly as it carries power and a bluesy register. A hard-driving blues riff carries ‘Still Doing Time’ forward with the chorus slowing it down a notch to deliver a killer vocal hook. Cry of Love from the ’90s comes to mind here if they were heavier with James Degnen (bass) and Dave Thomas (drums) laying down the perfect foundation and groove. ‘Mind Your Head’ features some excellent guitar work by Bhishma, Liam Henry, and Charly T. The chorus takes on a more laid back hypnotic approach, but the song doesn’t quite carry the initial momentum of the album for me.

‘Half Cut’ gets the momentum going for me again with the heavy riff and beat getting the headbanging again. This is a stoner anthem in waiting as the groove gets plenty of space in the song to wrap its way around your brain. The guitar solo cuts through the rhythm and builds into the perfect end of the song. The mix on the album allows the lead guitar in ‘Young Guns’ to sit right on top of the rhythm guitar and really provide a lot of texture to these songs. This would sound perfectly at home on modern rock radio but can also pull in the classic rock listeners. The chorus works so well in part because of the musical hook as well as the vocal hook.

Getting the second half of the album started, ‘Help the Guilty’ is one of my early favorites from the album. The band is perfectly willing to take their time and give the awesome riff plenty of space with the middle section of the song turning into a quiet section with some tremendous guitar work before slowly building back into the monster. The band strikes the perfect balance and executes this brilliantly. ‘Reckless Till Death’ continues to showcase the band’s strength as the up-tempo blues gives way to an excellent catchy chorus. Gorilla Riot clearly put a lot of work into their songwriting and take the time to get things just like how they want them. A doomy riff opens ‘Black Heart Woman’ before it transitions into a heavy slower riff that could shake a mountain. The chorus is fairly simpler but delivers because of the musical muscle underneath it.  My favorite moment is when the song’s tempo suddenly increases and the guitar solo gets time to shine before one final chorus ends the song.

Starting the last quarter of the album, ‘Prayer for Suckers’ feels a little more laid back with the vocals reminding me a bit of Alice in Chains. The guitar solo really gets a showcase in the mix with this song being another of my early favorites. ‘Beat Your Bite’ shows the band’s ability to exercise restraint and let a song slowly build. This serves as another highlight from the album and would be another made for radio single other than its near six-minute length, but it would be a crime to edit out one second of the song. Ending the album with ‘Chuggin,’ Gorilla Riot end with a hard-hitting song that makes sure everything has been leveled by the end of this journey.

Gorilla Riot has crafted a full-length debut that connects with me and will receive many plays in the years to come. They have clearly spent a lot of time on crafting their songs, and, while the songs maybe a little longer on average, there is no fat on the bones here. I would not be surprised to see them start crossing over to the mainstream, and it would be a case of the masses getting it right behind these guys. ‘Peach’ might not be the first word that comes to mind for this kind of band, but they have delivered a killer album.

Buy ‘Peach’ Here

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Author: Gerald Stansbury

 

Destination Lonely – Nervous Breakdown (Voodoo Rhythm Records)

Destination Lonely – Nervous Breakdown (Voodoo Rhythm Records)

I don’t ever recollect reviewing a band hailing from Bordeaux then, I kid you not.  Not one but two different labels got in touch on the same day about their respective bands and low and behold they both hail from that very same city. Unspectacular I know but one of those strange coincidences. I never had the South Of France down as a hotbed of cool garage rock and roll but on today’s evidence, I might have to scratch the surface a little harder so please excuse my ignorance but Destination Lonely and I only just acquainted ourselves and now we dance cheek to cheek with their wonderful retro-influenced garage Rock and Roll as a soundtrack.

 

You won’t get diddley squat indication of who or what Destination Lonely sound like or look like at all from the artwork that’s for sure. But, once the needle drops you’ll begin to lose yourself as the reverb kicks in and those sweet electric guitars begin to howl.  They leave a couple of markers as to where they are at and covering The Troggs and The Stooges isn’t so much a suggestion as to where they’re at but dropping a bomb down a mine shaft and announcing your here. right from the off there’s an air of nasty about the groove and the solo on opener ‘Lovin” is exquisite. I’m curious as to why the would choose to make a video for the first cover on the record and not make one for one of their own tunes but I will say their interpretation is excellent.

A lot of the vibe they give off reminds me of Gallon Drunk and the mysterious edge they exude. Their cover of ‘Ann’ sounds more like the Doors than Iggy and co (well the first 30 seconds anyway) I’m sure they’ll take that.  ‘Out Of Your Head’ is a fantastic groovy thang with the full force fuzz guitar right in your grill. If that sounds like something you can get down with then check it out.

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Author: Dom Daley

Humanist – ‘Humanist’ (Ignition Records)

Humanist – ‘Humanist’ (Ignition Records)

My first thoughts on receiving this baby in my inbox was who are what is the Humanist? Digging into the press release I have a great surprise in that its Rob Marshall, a huge influence on the superb ‘Gargoyles’ LP from Mark Lanegan.

Mark Lanegan is one of the guest vocalists on this beauty as is Dave Gahan, as is RPM fave Jim Jones, as is Mark Gardner (Ride), David Holmes (Portishead) John Robb (The Membranes) and a whole host of others, this just raises the excitement level and you start to get a feel without hearing anything that it’s going to be dark, broody, edgy and industrial, fuzzed-out and in your face.

Reading the blurb and looking into the Marshal background we find that

“Rob formed his first real band in the year 2000: Lyca Sleep spun a dreamy, languorous psychedelica, and toured extensively with South, The Warlocks and Engineers. Later Lyca Sleep morphed into Exit Calm: “This band reclaim the guitar band as something to have faith in again,” wrote Mojo, They released two critically acclaimed albums, played festivals including Glastonbury, V and Leeds/Reading. Big tour supports with Echo and The Bunnymen, Doves and The Music followed. After extensive tours in Europe and Japan, they split in 2015, and Rob found himself without a band, a stranger in rough-around-the-edges, bohemian Hastings on England’s South Coast.”

 

But what does it actually sound like? After working through the industrial confusion, definitely designed that way of the intro we start to drop the tone the repetitive beats and electronic runs not unlike the last Lanegan LP, and as that unmistakable voice hits us, and as “Kingdom” kicks in your going into some dark places, the fuzzed-out industrial edge pushing it up another gear, before the plaintive harmonica draws you into a post-apocalyptic blues setting, this is seriously good stuff! We’re sticking with Lanegan for the next up “Beast of the nation” and in fairness, it floors you from the off, everything I love in industrial stylings, and it sits to me as one of the strongest things Lanegan has recorded.

 

Next up we hand over to Dave Gahan (Depeche Mode), with “Shock Collar”  a different distinctive vibe but absolutely vital you really can’t describe it as Industrial, perhaps post electronic? It definitely takes electronica into all sorts of new areas. My smile is just getting bigger and bigger. Another change of Collaborator and “Lie Down” takes things into a darker more laid back place, hinting to me at Martin Gresch but also drawing on the Depeche Mode pallet.

“Ring of Truth” slows things down, lowering the bass, the repetitive beats drawing you in before the softly spoken lyrics wash over you as the soundscapes build and build in the background, this is a great track!!!!

 

Back with Lanegan, upfront and to the fore this is the upbeat Lanegan sound that permeated the last LP and live performance, but “Skull” is anything but upbeat after such a strong start you wonder if things are going to drift but fair play John Robb  “English Ghosts “ is potentially the best track on the LP, a dark industrial gothic masterpiece. How do you follow that? By changing sound and direction obviously!!! There’s’ a fuzzed-out 60”s psych feel to “In my arms again” before it shifts through the gears draggin the 60’s up to date. “ When the lights go out” featuring Mark Gardiner of Ride maintains the blissed-out “90’s sound of the ride era before “Truly to late” takes it in another direction with Ilse Marie providing a very different slant to what almost drifts into Cocteau twins territory.  “How’re you holding up” maintains the 60’s vibe and then we’re into “Mortal eyes” again shifting and uncoiling in a multitude of electronic directions, weaving its way into the subconscious, again one of many standouts on this LP, ‘Shoot kill” again is a bit of a blinder, Jim Jones bringing the garage rock grunge to electronica, hinting at exterminator style Primal Scream with a punk rock attitude thrown in for good measure!!! And way too soon we’re into the Lanegan led closer “Gospel”

 All in all, what a great LP to start the reviewing year, I’d potentially say it’s going to be there or there about’s for my LP of the year come year ends listings!!! Who said Rock and Roll is Dead, it’s getting more eclectic and interesting every year.

Buy ‘Humanist’ Here

Author: Nev Brooks

Rainy Days & Mondays

Rainy Days & Mondays

Not letting the grass grow. Hands off Gretel are about to release a new EP.  Heres the new video for ‘Milk’.

second out round two.  Our favourite Black metal legends Midnight. ‘Fucking Speed And Darkness’. Ave it!

The brand new 69 Eyes video folks? of course.

As an extra treat, this cold and damp morning here’s the brand new video from those mysterious garage punks Dboy. now on yer way

Giuda/Hard Wax/BullyBones – Bristol, Louisiana – 19th January 2020

Giuda/Hard Wax/BullyBones – Bristol, Louisiana – 19th January 2020

We’re just over three weeks into 2020 and tonight I’m ticking off gig number three just 24 hours after a BellRays show that will probably end up in my gigs of the year by heading across the Severn estuary for a night of bovver rock courtesy of Italian stallions Giuda and UK (angelic?) upstarts Hard Wax.

Also on the bill and opening proceedings tonight are local(ish) four piece BullyBones who take the stage looking like villains from a long lost episode of The Sweeney and specialise in a brand of 60’s garage rock perhaps more akin to last night’s headliner than tonight’s.  A sneaky cover of Gary Glitter’s ‘Do You Wanna Touch Me’ mid set though manages to win over pretty much anyone who wasn’t on the side of the BullyBones bad boys. Driven by the powerhouse rhythm section of drummer Owain Casey and bassist Illy Webster (who somehow manages to wear his Rickenbacker even higher than Joey DeMaio) guitarist Aaron Lee paints a very Pebbles-y picture over which singer Charlie Pullinger lays bare his Iggy meets Jack Daniels (as in Alan Lake’s character in Slade In Flame) soul.  The lads have a new 7” single due soon and I can’t help but wonder if it’s time to dig those old turtle neck sweaters out of the sideboard as we might be about to witness an all new Beat generation with BullyBones leading it.

Quickly swapping my Chelsea boots for some 14 eye oxblood Dr Marten’s and I’m all set up for Hard Wax to deliver some of their solid gold bovver rock anthems, having really enjoyed the band’s ‘This Is The Sound’ album released at the tail end of 2019.  Live, though what this still relatively “new” Hard Wax line up might be missing in both stage craft and attitude is thankfully made up for by those songs, with the highlights being the title track and ‘Have a Good Time’. It is, however, the tracks I’d not heard before, like ‘Bootboy Stomp’ and ‘Kings Of The Weekend’ that actually stand out, which makes me wonder why I’ve not yet ventured further into the band’s back catalogue?

A band I’ve very much been with from the start are tonight’s headliners Giuda, I remember when ‘Racey Roller’ first graced the deathdecks at Uber Rock Towers (as was) a full decade or so ago and it just made all of us stop in our tracks and ask “what the fuck is this?”  Very much a band out of time, I’ve witnessed the rock ‘n’ roll fever that the Italians have been spreading at festivals across Europe and at selected UK headline shows, but never before tonight at a gig within a half hour drive of my home and never before in a venue as tightly packed as Bristol’s Louisiana.

With the prospect of the band’s boot stomping anthems delivering the upstairs venue into the bar below I take up a place near the edge of the front few rows (which is refreshing to see is about 80% female) safe in the knowledge that if I’m going to re-enact the ‘Shake Your Foundations’ music video then I’m going down dancing, and from opener ‘Overdrive’ (with all its glorious and rather apt AC/DC overtones) for the next 60 minutes that’s pretty much what everyone does. There’s no time for chat it’s all about great music as the likes of ‘Back Home’ and ‘Born Under A Bad Sign’ whistle past our ears like rock ‘n’ roll rockets and I defy anyone to not have their thumbs in their belt loops for the likes of ‘Number Ten’ and ‘Teenage Rebel’. The only problem is it’s all over way too soon, and after a four song encore we’re left to all wander off down the banks of the River Avon all Warriors-like to the strains of Joe Walsh’s ‘In The City’ booming from the PA. Still as endings go that’s as near perfect as they come, I just wish nights like this could go on for E.V.A (Ouch).

Author: Johnny Hayward

 

The Hellfreaks – ‘God On The Run’ (Sunny Bastards Records)

The Hellfreaks – ‘God On The Run’ (Sunny Bastards Records)

Hungarian Nu Punks The Hellfreaks return with their fourth album ‘God On The Run’. Formed in 2009 the Budapest based band released 2 albums of cool psychobilly punk rock (‘Hell Sweet Hell’ and ‘Circus Of Shame’) before disbanding. After a period of ‘creative reinvention’ singer Shakey Sue returned with a whole new band and released the critically acclaimed ‘Astoria’ in 2016. This third Hellfreaks album saw the band leave their psychobilly roots for dust and head in a more hardcore punk rock direction that saw them gain comparisons to The Distillers and Hole. ‘Astoria’ took the band spitting and snarling across Europe and the US to a whole new fanbase.

2020 sees the band evolve yet again as they challenge themselves to reach new horizons with ‘God On The Run’.

 

The three tracks released prior to the album promise a more modern metal approach, with precision song dynamics, frantic beats and anthemic choruses aplenty. And while the band has gone for a heavier approach this time around, the melodies retain the pop/punk sensibilities that Shakey Sue has been delivering for the last decade.

Lead single ‘Men In Grey’ is a furious introduction and a statement of intent. Sue puts those lungs to work as Jozzy’s angular guitar riffage weaves sonic metal over the tight rhythm section of bassist Gabi and Bela on the drums. It’s a full on, modern metal assault on the senses. One thing’s for sure, in 2020 The Hellfreaks are gonna bang the head that doesn’t bang!

‘Red Sky’ is the sort of single that can give the likes of Halestorm a run for their money. Crunching guitars and high octane vocals battle for competition to unite the kids and have them chanting the memorable chorus. ‘Witches Heal’ follows the same format, a modern metal single with a stadium sized chorus, this one designed to bring out the inner witch and have you dancing underneath the stars like you just don’t care.

Frantic beats and precision rifforama create urgency with no let up. The likes of ‘Hello Sea’ and ‘As  Above’ show a band in their prime as songwriters and players, who have delivered an album that stands tall alongside their contemporaries.

With its tribal beat introduction, Maiden-esque backing vocals and handclap accompaniment ‘Adrenalized’ is surprisingly, one of the standout tracks on offer. It must surely be the next single.

Elsewhere, album closer ‘Tabby’ is almost industrial in feel, as Sue wails over a cinematic soundscape. The sleazy vocals are delivered nonchalantly as you like, Sunset Strip style, as jarring guitars fade in and out between the swathes of electronica. The whole song comes on like classic Garbage, Sue certainly channels her inner Shirley Manson to great effect here. Possibly the coolest cut on the goddamn record, I tell ya!

 

The thing that grabs me about The Hellfreaks is their ability to change and explore new horizons with each album. This shift in style keeps things fresh and does not allow the band to become stagnant or generic. Sure, they risk alienating their old school fanbase, but there is a whole hoard of teenage metal heads crying out for a bit of what Shakey Sue and her boys are offering this time around.

‘God On The Run’ is a strong album, a heady mix of punk and metal that should catapult the band to headline status and gain them fans and friends in all the right places.

Buy ‘God On The Run’ Here

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Author: Ben Hughes

 

 

 

 

POP CULTURE SCHLOCK at RPM: Exhibit H – Murder Falcon

POP CULTURE SCHLOCK at RPM: Exhibit H – Murder Falcon

 

POP CULTURE SCHLOCK at RPM: Exhibit H – Murder Falcon

Greetings, RPM-people! Thanks for checking out my latest Pop Culture Schlock column for RPMonline; a cool collectibles catchment area if ever there was one… and now in its second year!

With the mention of years comes a slightly belated Happy New Year wish from yours truly. 2020, eh? Proper science fiction that number is, right? But we got here when many didn’t so for that we have to raise a horned salute and treat every day like it harbours the opportunity for awesomeness.

It’s been over two decades since the day I got my first (now archaic) DVD player – multi-region, of course; I’m no savage – and that is further away from the present than when I got my first VCR was from that day: a scary thought if you can even make sense of it! The future of our past threatened us with tales of Moonbase Alpha being knocked out of orbit by a nuclear waste explosion and of blade runners tracking down replicants: the reality today is of a space force decked out in woodland camouflage and repulsive cunts, so escapism remains the ultimate luxury.

 

You all know about escapism, though, right? Your sanctuary, whether it be at a sweaty club gig losing yourself to the righteous sounds of a band never heard of by a listener of Planet Rock, or melting into a corner of your world surrounded by physical media? That’s reason for living right there, bruthas and sistas.

 

As you have probably figured out if you have checked out any of my previous seven columns for RPM, I have a physical media obsession. Streaming is basically Skynet in my world so, if you saw that shitty Terminator sequel at the tail-end of last year, you know how badly that is gonna end. And reading comic books on an app? Go and stand in the corner and re-evaluate your wannabe-cool life, ya monster! I still buy comics every week; still crack open the pages, flare open my nostrils, and smell that fucking glorious art on every page. It’s an addiction, I know. A money pit (sadly not the 1986 Tom Hanks movie that featured White Lion). But it is still one of the easiest and most rewarding collecting experiences. You get new, über-cool entertainment every week of the year that is instantly collectible, and, as stated previously, it smells frigging great. Also, it is metal… as proven below.

 

If you’re reading RPM then you’re already cool, I know this. You know your music, but you also strive to find new music that echoes the cool shit that is already in and will never leave your collection. With that in mind, this month’s featured Pop Culture Schlock item (I had to get there eventually!) is relatively new, but with a foot, a talon maybe, in the past…

Daniel Warren Johnson is a Chicago-based comic book writer and artist who created the Eisner-nominated Extremity series, the web comic Space-Mullet, and, the subject of this month’s column, Murder Falcon.

 

Released by Image Comics/Skybound (with the first issue dated October 2018), Murder Falcon is an eight-part comic book series that fuses the worlds of heavy metal and monsters – it’s fantastical… and it shreds!

 

Jake is a metal guitarist in a downward spiral. With a heartbreaker of a back story, the long-haired axe-wielder is without band and seemingly without hope. That six string hasn’t been picked up in a long time. Meanwhile, his city is being ravaged by monsters!

 

Magnum Khaos is the king of all hatred and fear who has fashioned a portal into another dimension; negative energy from human cruelty and anxiety is sucked into his dark world via the monstrous attacks that he has been planning for centuries. All hope, it would seem, is lost. But…

Jake’s guitar, gathering dust, is suddenly transformed and Murder Falcon, a monster-killing machine (with feathers) has travelled from The Heavy to the city to take down the Khaos creatures. He can only do so, however, when Jake plays his forgotten axe! Man, when he shreds Murder Falcon shreds… monster bodies! By getting the old band back together – the other members’ instruments similarly invoking badass battle mofos – maybe the Earth as we know it can be saved.

 

With similarities in serious content to I Kill Giants (and if you know that comic or subsequent spin-off movie then you’ll have a clue as to where the heartbreak comes into play here), Murder Falcon adds melancholy to the metal to great effect and, with superb artwork from Johnson coupled with eye-popping colours from Mike Spicer, this book comes highly recommended by my good self.

There is more to this than meets the eye, however. Y’see, every one of Murder Falcon’s eight issues came with a “Heavy Metal” variant cover by guest artists paying homage to classic album artwork. I have every one, of course and, to be honest, these are the reasons that I wanted to feature the comic in my collectables column.

 

Issue 1 came with a variant cover paying homage (via artwork and Murder Falcon logo) to Judas Priest’s ‘Painkiller’. Issue 2 took on Iron Maiden’s ‘Somewhere In Time’, while issue 3 went a little more left field with a homage to Bolt Thrower’s ‘War Master’. Pantera’s ‘Vulgar Display Of Power’ was the basis for issue 4’s variant, while it was all about the shred for issue 5 with Yngwie J. Malmsteen’s ‘Trilogy’ honoured. Issue 6 saw Megadeth’s ‘Rust In Peace’ feature, followed by issue 7 and its Dio – ‘Holy Diver’ tribute. The final issue, number 8, was a real ‘Shout At The Devil’, based on the second album from Mötley Crüe (yes, when they were still good), complete with logo umlauts.

If those “Heavy Metal” variant covers aren’t reason enough to have your digits scurrying to your secondary market seller of choice than I don’t know what else I can do for you. This is cool new shit based on cool old shit, and I know you guys love cool shit. If you don’t fancy searching for eight individual comic books but still think that Murder Falcon is for you, have no fear because a trade paperback/graphic novel that collects all eight issues was released last year and Amazon will deliver it to you TOMORROW… but they’ll probably leave it outside in the rain.

 

So, keep doing what you do, keep liking what you like, and I’ll catch you all again next month, possibly with less mention of Yngwie J. Malmsteen. Possibly.

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The Bellrays / Los Pepes / The Charlemagnes -Newport Le Pub 17.01.20

The Bellrays / Los Pepes / The Charlemagnes -Newport Le Pub 17.01.20

We often have a good moan on here about bands advertising UK tours and then post 4 dates in middle England or 6 dates with the token in Scotland.  Well, the Bellrays do it old school.  they take one of the finest bands out as tour openers and also throw in the excellent The Charlemagnes for good measure and then charge us less than fifteen pounds! yup, all that Rock and Roll for the price of three pints – what a bargain. Oh and they pop over the bridge (like they always do) and play in Wales.

It’s the excellent Newport Le Pub where we find ourselves for this post-Christmas celebration and we’re reminded by Lisa Kekaula that this is the evening of the bands thirtieth year in existence and funnily enough the last time they were in this very venue it was the night of hers and Robert Vennum’s wedding anniversary. Anyway, before we get to the main course there are two very tasty appetizers ahead of us and the first course is  The Charlemagnes a four-piece from outta Sarf London but with an exotic past and existence. They’ve been here before but that was several years and maybe now is the time for some sleazy garage Rock and Roll.  they get down to business and then a string is broken but it doesn’t derail the band nor does them playing two songs at the same time hey nobody would have known but we appreciate the attention to detail and after a false start they regain composure and go again.  It’s not long before they are motoring through their material and boy does it sound good.  They have swagger and most importantly of all they have the tunes to back it up. the highlights from their brief but most enjoyable set were ‘(No) Pay Day (In the USA)’ and ‘Shellshock Shuffle’.  Sadly the set was over and off they went but they’d left a mark on those watching who couldn’t help but be impressed by The Charlemagnes.

Next up is the magnificent Los Pepes. A band bristling with energy and great songs. With four studio albums, a Greatest Hits compilation and a raft of 7″ singles under their collective belts it’s fair to say that Los Pepes don’t wait to be invited into the studio and Ben must sleep about half an hour a day such is his output because it seems that when they’re not playing somewhere in Europe they’re recording a new record. Now if you’ve not heard of Los Pepes until now there is a wealth of records for you to go and invest in before you settle down to kick yourself over and over for joining the party this late in the game. But, the fact you’re here now is good and better late than never.

It’s been a while since I last saw the band and there have been a few line-up changes but they move so fast it wouldn’t surprise me if they had a revolving door put in their tour van.  I’m sure it’s not easy keeping up the pace but tonight (their first show in Wales) they are on form as power through their set of motorhead using AC/DC’s amps playing power-pop  (that just about sums them up) oh and chucking songs out like prime time Dee Dee and da Brothers.  Hooks they’ve got em, Melodies got them too. Catchy body movers?  Of course, you can’t stand still because they can’t either.  If I had to pick a song then when they plowed through ‘Automatic’ and ‘The Trap’ but there were so many great songs in their repertoire it doesn’t matter what they play to be fair they could play the yellow pages and make it sound vital and exciting.

I was in power pop heaven as my ears were taking a pounding. The PA was shaking due to the volume they play at but if it’s too loud you’re too old. Los Pepes came, saw and conquered.  Now you’ve popped your cherry don’t leave it too long before heading back this way – Newport Loves you long time Los Pepes.

Onto the Bellrays.  To have such a strong pair of opening acts is quite refreshing that they want to offer as much VFM and are confident in themselves and their own catalogue of songs that they brave following Los Pepes. Anyway, the walls are beginning to sweat as Lisa gets on with the show and rock the house with ‘Bad Reaction’ from their last studio album and for the next hour and some the proceed to turn up the Rock and Roll quota with their soul meets garage meets Rock and punk attitude tunes all lead by the awesome vocals of Lisa Kekaula as she compares the finale of this rock and roll revue and not for one second throughout the bands faultless set do they drop the energy or delivery.  Sure you get the bluesy soulful funky workouts James Brown-style but we all need to catch out-breath. This band are relentlessly entertaining and have the songs in the bank.

The set was building and building and the three out front all took turns on vocals that lead to the finale of ‘Love And Hard Times’ and ‘Black Lightning’ after dipping into songs from all throughout their career their thirty-year career that is. All around were exhausted smiling faces after the perfect ending to a wonderful night of Rock and Roll and it has to be said how sharp and right on the money the sound was tonight.  Loud but never too loud and all three bands brought their best.

Always a good time watching The Bellrays and here’s to many more anniversaries held in the confines of Le Pub,  see you next time.

Author: Dom Daley