1994 was a very good year for music. Everything was a bit edgy back then. Alternative was king, Grunge had killed hair metal and in turn was dying a death. Nu Metal and Industrial sounds were on the rise with Korn and NIN, Green Day and Rancid were spearheading a punk movement for the MTV generation and over in the UK Oasis were making waves, while The Wildhearts and Terrorvison were regularly seen bouncing around on Top Of The Pops.

Bands had to adapt to survive and those that did survive released arguably the best albums of their careers. From Manic Street Preachers and King’s X to Motley Crue and Warrior Soul, all with varying degrees of success but all had one thing in common and that is: those albums stand the test of time nearly 30 years on. And of course, Michael Monroe was in that mix as well with a band called Demolition 23.

Following the ill-fated Jerusalem Slim project with Steve Stevens, Michael Monroe went back to his roots, collaborated with Little Steven and wrote a punk rock album in the spirit of ‘77. Pulling in Hanoi Rocks bassist Sami Yaffa, Star Star guitar slinger Jay Hening and session drummer Jimmy Clarke, what started as a covers band jamming with friends, turned into a serious project.

Recorded in 5 days at Power Station Studios in New York City, produced and largely written by Little Steven along with Monroe and his first wife Jude Wilder, the eponymous 10 track album was a throwback to the Hanoi days and a tribute in spirit to lost friends and heroes such as Stiv Bators, Johnny Thunders and Charlie Harper.

To be honest, the production job back then was pretty spot on and you would have to play the original back-to-back with the remaster to spot the differences. But I’m pleased to say it sounds as crisp, fresh and damn right essential as it did back in 1994.

I always loved Monroe’s thought-provoking lyrics and album opener ‘Nothin’s Alright’ has always been a favourite. From the roaring, 3 chord riffage to the cool lyricism, each verse a love letter to the past 3 decades (at the time), it channeled the much-needed gap between the Sex Pistols raw energy and Hanoi’s penchant for a catchy tune.

The following ‘Hammersmith Palais’ again, is a retrospective look to times and places that are long gone. A theme that has continued through Monroe’s lyrics to this day. A punked up blast with an anthemic “oi-oi” chorus that is an instant earworm. It’s about as British punk as you can get, which is quite a thing considering its Finnish/USA writing heritage! 

A killer one-two as good as any album before it, and a pair of songs that remain constants in Michael Monroe’s live set to this day. Demolition 23 sound energized, fresh and vital in 2022.

As Demolition 23 was initially a covers band, it makes sense that a few of those tunes they jammed would feature. The Dead Boys ‘Ain’t Nothin’ To Do’ and UK Subs ‘Endangered Species’ are suitably raucous and filled with attitude. But its Johnny Thunders ramshackle ‘I Wanna Be Loved’ that blows the cobwebs off, even by today’s standards. Hening’s guitar tone is perfection and the vocal delivery has enough spit and venom to better the original. It’s a glorious blast that the band make their own.

‘Scum Lives On’ was originally on the Jerusalem Slim album. The Demolition 23 version is rawer and more in tune with the punk attitude. Even the dumb ass, tongue in cheek ‘Same Shit, Different Day’ sounds vital.

The emotive ‘You Crucified Me’ showcases the Van Zandt/Monroe ability to pen radio-friendly hit singles, and you probably forgot how good it was until you listen to this remaster. It sounds like it was recorded last week, not a lifetime ago.

The included demos of ‘Hammersmith Palais’, ‘Dysfunctional’ and ‘Scum Lives On’ are curiosos and don’t vary too much from the originals, but surely must be a testament to the fact that these 10 songs were the full recorded legacy of one of the greatest forgotten bands of the 90’s.

Of course, good things never last. Hening was replaced by Nasty Suicide on guitar by the time they started touring, but he left in March 1995 and the band folded soon after. Hening tragically passed away not long after and while Sami continues to play in Michael Monroe’s solo band, as far as I am aware Demolition 23 have only reformed once for Monroe’s 60th birthday bash in Helsinki recently.

With only a limited release in 1994 on CD, this is an album that has been crying out for the vinyl remaster treatment for years. It remains a lost classic and hopefully, this remaster will give it the distribution and worldwide regard that this long-lost classic album truly deserves. An essential purchase folks.

Buy Here

Author: Ben Hughes

South Wales has always been well known for producing serious talent. If you think back to the 90s, bands like Dub War, Flyscreen, 60-foot dolls, and of course Stereophonics and the Manics put South Wales on the musical map. We then had the likes of the Blackout, the Guns, Ruby Cruiser, Kids in Glass Houses etc who were also very successful.  Now we have established acts like Bullet For My Valentine, Skindred, Phil Campbell & the Bastard Sons, and brand-new talent such as Florence Black and Those Damn Crows flying the Welsh flag around the world.

The latest of the Welsh dragons climbing the ladder are Valhalla Awaits. The band consists of ex members of The Blackout, Revoker, and the considerable vocal talents of Buffalo Summer frontman Andrew Hunt.

They have been gracing the stages of the summer festivals in recent months and they really are a force to be reckoned with live. After seeing the guys open proceedings at this year’s Steelhouse festival, I can confirm that Valhalla Awaits are the real deal. No egos or drama or fancy stage shows, just full-on heads down, stripped back riffage with a wonderful sense of melody that sets them apart from many of their contemporaries.

The guys are ready to drop their second EP Reckoning on an unprepared audience. I really hope you are ready to immerse yourself in the experience of this short, sharp collection of crushing tunes. Grab a cuppa, maybe a round of toast, put your headphones on and crank it up. The EP opens up with the first single Skin & Bone, a grungy, greasy, groovy number with a Machine Head tinged riff. Drummer ‘Snoz’ Lawrence plays a blinder here with some tasteful fills and he grooves along like a freight train.

Next up we have Rolling Thunder which is a more up-tempo affair with a massive chorus, I get a definite Alter Bridge vibe from this track. Some tasty guitar work helps to build the song along with Hunt’s velvety tones. The songs are more than heavy enough to satisfy the most hardened headbanger while never compromising melody. Where Do We Go? has an Alice In Chains feel to the vocal arrangement with another ear worm of a chorus. Guitarists Rhys Carter and Chris Green work incredibly well together, and there’s an air of confidence within the band that manifests strongly in the material found here on this EP.

The final of the four tracks Inside the Sun is my favourite by far, more crunchy riffs and superb soaring vocals melt into an extremely catchy chorus. The songs are well crafted, and the production is superb. The only downside is that there are only four tracks! Hurry up with an album boys!

If you haven’t already, check out Valhalla Awaits. If you’re a fan of any of the bands that I’ve mentioned above, you won’t be disappointed.

Reckoning is available on all streaming services on October 28th. You know what to do!

Linktree

Facebook

Author: Kenny Kendrick

Power Grab is the ninth studio album from terrace rock legends the Cockney Rejects. Pre Order Here Bosh!

Having created the ‘Street punk’ phenomenon with their EMI released debut album ‘Greatest Hits Volume One’ in 1979 and its eponymous follow up, ‘Greatest Hits Volume Two’ in 1980, the band shifted direction to their preferred hard rock leanings with the Pete Way produced ‘The Wild Ones’ in 1982, to much critical acclaim. After the ‘Lethal’ album in 1990 the band called it a day, exhausted by the ‘Hooligan Rock’ accusations and the lack of live work. In 1999 they enlisted new bass player Tony ‘Van’ Frater and drummer Andrew Laing, and now a touring tour de force they played to ecstatic audiences all over the world and released several albums right until Tony’s untimely death in 2015.

After much soul searching, the band recruited former bass player Vinny Riordan (from the band’s classic first line-up) and powerhouse drummer Joe Perry Sansome (from Reigning Days) and the boys hit the road again, to even more rabid response than before. Then came covid, and like many thousands of bands the world over, they reluctantly had to down tools. Never a band to rest on their laurels, Mick and Jeff began to write, and the band spent long weekends in the studio with producer Kevin Poree creating their finest, and possibly last, studio album, ‘Power Grab.’

And what an album it is. It’s the culmination of 43 years on the road and in the studio (“it’s a microcosm of everything we have learned and loved since 1979,” says guitarist Mick Geggus) resulting in the most cohesive work they have ever done. From their fledgling Punk days to their Rock heyday, it’s all here; the hooks, heartfelt lyrics, searing guitar work and thunderous rhythm section, all in one package. From the gentle, acoustic intro to the blistering Punk snarl of the opener, ‘We were never bothered’ through the mighty title track, to the closer ‘MUG’, there isn’t any filler here- in fact the band jettisoned some six songs to make this collection the most vibrant and vital thing they have ever created.

“It’s 40+ years rolled into one. It’s the culmination of evolution. Everything is on this album” states drummer Joe Sansome.

At the end of 2023 the Cockney Rejects will be retiring from the touring scene. They will leave behind a legacy matched by very few of their contemporaries. Catch them while you still can. And listen to ‘Power Grab’- It’s what Rock ‘N ’Roll SHOULD sound like. The caged beast. And something so alive it hurts. If this indeed is going to be their swansong, they couldn’t go out on a bigger high.

Find the Cockney Rejects Here Bosh!

We all know about Skid Row’s past. I’m not going over old roads that’s been run over a million times because there are way too many potholes to avoid. All we need to focus on is the fact that Skid Row have put out their strongest album since the Slave to the Grind days. New vocalist Erik Gronwall has stamped himself all over the album and this means that there is a huge step up in quality. I really can’t emphasise enough how good he is.

This new opus is called The Gang’s All Here and the album cover with the five band members sporting matching stars and stripes leather jackets, shows a united front (well, back actually) and it really feels that Skid Row will at last lose the Sebastian Bach shaped shadow that has loomed over them for so long. The current line up of Dave Sabo, Rachel Bolan, Scotti Hill, Gronwall, and drummer Rob Hammersmith really are a juggernaut of classic metal. The album really gels as a whole and the crystal-clear production from Nick Raskulinecz ensures that the songs leap from the speakers with a newfound energy that the other incarnations of Skid Row have struggled to achieve.

The album opens with Hell or Highwater, it’s a perfect introduction with ex H.E.A.T. man Gronwall spitting out the lyrics and hitting some incredible high notes. The band really seem to have a new lease of life, there are crunchy, heavy riffs everywhere with more hooks than Leatherface’s butchering room. The title track gives a cheeky nod to Tricky Little Vicky who first appeared in the band’s 1989 song Rattlesnake Shake. Not Dead Yet is an up-tempo affair with another ear worm of a chorus, the band sound like they are having the time of their lives here, a real highlight of the album. I can imagine beaming smiles all round during the recording process.

Time Bomb is a down tuned monster with an absolute beast of a riff that Iommi would be proud of. Resurrected sounds like a band that have been just that. They really have been born again with this line up, strong songs, superb performances, and a real throwback to when the band were at their best. Nowhere Fast is another barnstormer with some great guitar work from Sabo and Hill. The album closes with World on Fire which is no doubt a hint to the last few years we have all experienced, as well as the environmental disasters that seem to be more and more frequent.

I really think that this incarnation of the band will be the most successful since the Bach heydays. Miss this album at your peril. The band are touring the UK and Europe from Oct 19th and judging by a few YouTube punters videos that I checked out before sitting down to review this album, they will be a force to be reckoned with live.

Sebastian who?

Buy Here

Author: Kenny Kendrick

The explosive new project from the warped musical mind of rock’n’roll evangelist Jim Jones kicks up several gears!

Following their rapturously received shows across the UK and EuropeJim Jones All Stars have announced details of their debut single and live dates including a special Halloween hometown gig.

‘It’s Your Voodoo Working’ – originally recorded by Charles Sheffield – is released on 7th October via Ako-Lite Records and will be available via all major download and streaming services. Recorded earlier this year at Memphis Magnetic Studios in Memphis, Tennessee, this thick slice of greasy R’n’B is fuelled by grinding rhythms, rude horns and augmented by guest vocalist Nicki Hill.

Says Jim Jones: “Exciting times! This will be first blood for both Jim Jones All Stars and Ako-Lite Records – and ‘It’s Your Voodoo Working’ is the perfect addition to any Halloween playlist.”

To celebrate the release of ‘It’s Your Voodoo Working’Jim Jones All Stars will play a special Halloween show at the Walthamstow Trades Hall in London on Saturday, 29th October. This is the band’s first indoor London headline show since February. With a license extension and after party until 1amJim Jones All Stars will be joined by variety of special guests. The full line up will be announced soon.

Speaking of the gig, Jim Jones says: “It feels great to be back on home turf. The last London show sold out well in advance, so this time we’ve got a bigger venue. It’s a Saturday night and with buses and tubes running well after closing, this is going to be one hell of a Halloween!

“This is the one you’ve been waiting for!”

Jim Jones All Stars also play The Golden Lion in Bristol on 14th October.

October dates

14 – Bristol, The Golden Lion

https://www.headfirstbristol.co.uk/whats-on/the-golden-lion/fri-14-oct-the-jim-jones-all-stars-79872

29 – London, Walthamstow Trades Hall

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/jim-jones-all-stars-halloween-special-tickets-427270616917

Take a bite of some dirty and catchy rock n’ roll scrapped off of the streets of the Bowery, images come rushing through of Richard Hell and the Voidoids and a whole assortment of legendry names who paved the way for others to absorb and follow dishing up their own tasty treats.

Songs about life, love, loss booze, women what you’ve had and what you want Lorne Behrman has been there and done that and now he’s released his own record stuffed full of rock n roll. Lets take a trip.

LORNE, previously played in The Dimestore Haloes, L.E.S. Stitches, The Dead Tricks and most recently The Sweet Things, This long player follows LORNE’s acclaimed 2021 four-song EP ‘When I Hit The Floor’,

‘A LITTLE MIDNIGHT’ reaks of Noo Yawk cool from the album’s opener through the cocksure strut of ‘Harlem River Serenade’ with its johnny B Goode licks and Lou style narrated vocals on the verse its a real earworm that has you craving more and more.

The story-like delivery of the lyrics is cool and none more so than ‘I Can Burn You Down’ that draws Soprano-like imagery of Lorne driving by the Hudson with a thumping from the trunk of his Cadillac with some nasty punk rock tunes bursting out of the stereo. The bass rumble laying down the groove on top of the solid drum beat it’s a top tune.

‘Monday Morning’ has a keyboard wheeze as the beat skips on with some excellent power pop storytelling its a burst of carefree rock n roll like a throwback to when Rod the mod was Atlantic Crossing but if Lou Reed was doing the vocals. As we reach the midpoint the mood drops to a crawl as the smokey ‘Well, I Can’t Hold You’ punches through as the backing vocals punch you in the guts on this slow burner – a fantastic change of gears and another side of the same coin is flipped.

As we head into side two ‘A Little Midnight’ has us back on the Rock n roll it’s like a slab of dark pop with a underpayed melody right up to the guitar solo and we drop back into the chorus and everything’s ok its hustling and just getting by with a heap of cool and not a single fuck given.

‘You won’t Live In The Past’ is a ballad that got some excellent arranging from the liquid shape-shifting guitar soloing to the hushed vocals and the cool BV’s taking you away to some dreamy place from the past. The record takes a more laid-back approach for a few tunes taking me back to some Green On Red comparisons especially on ‘Black Cars’ which is an epic smoldering journey that paints some great images with the lyrics that worked really well with the whole feel of the song. The album then closes out on a dreamy laid back ‘Further On Down The Road’ I get the same vibes when I heard Lou Reeds ‘New York’ album a great way to end a really enjoyable walk on the wild side where the soundtrack is provided by Lorne Behrman and his pocketbook of Rock n Roll stories. My advice would be to pick this up and enjoy it because songs of redemption and reclamation might be personal, but the messages in Rock n Roll are for everyone and its a universal language we can all understand and appreciate and this is a fantastic soundtrack to help you further on down that rocky road.

Buy Here or Bandcamp

Author: Dom Daley

Just reading the news about Mike Peters’s health fight with Leukemia and his recent pneumonia after his UK tour and all the complications that came with his latest scare. It was fantastic to read that he had been let out of hospital to further his recovery from home after a stay in Hospital. RPM would like to send our good wishes to Mike and his family and praise his medical team in North Wales and wherever else they may be across this globe who’ve offered help and advice that has helped him do what he does.

We all know Mike is a fighter and continues to move forward under whatever circumstances and extreme challenges that get thrown his way. I’m sure I speak on behalf of all the writers and readers at RPM Online in sending PMA and healing vibes down the interweb and he recovers to full health in the near future. PMA Mike!

Facebook / Website / LHS UK / LHS US

PUNKS LISTEN is the third in a series of ‘benefit books’ from the Hope Collective, Dublin’s punk/Do-It-Yourself group.

It is designed to raise funds for the Red Cross Ukraine Refugee appeal.

Inspired by the punk community, in 2017 the Hope Collective released a book to raise money for the Syrian refugees. Thanks to the people who wrote for the book, and the people who bought it, they were able to present €5,000 to the Red Cross Syrian Refugee appeal.

This was followed up in 2020 by a book to assist the NHS workers and patients during the Covid-19 pandemic. Again, thanks to the writers and the buyers, they were able to donate €10,000 to the NHS Charities Together Covid-19 appeal.

The new book is a collection of pieces of writing from musicians, writers, actors and music fans. They were asked to write about a record (or a gig) that was significant to them.

The book includes over 200 contributions from people including:

Amanda Palmer

Suggs (Madness)

Roddy Doyle (The Commitments)

Mike Scott (The Waterboys)

Gaye Black (The Adverts)

Henry Rollins

Andy Cairns (Therapy?)

Mike Watt (Minutemen)

Josephine Wiggs (The Breeders)

Kevin Godley (10cc)

Tim Burgess (The Charlatans)

Manda Rin (Bis)

Michael Murphy says:

“It’s been a really difficult and stressful few years for just about everybody. Sometimes we felt like it was all too much. What could people like us do to make a difference? What could we do to help the Ukrainian refugees?

We did a small thing – we contacted some of our favourite authors, musicians and music people. They did something that really mattered to us – they took time and wrote really moving pieces about their favourite records and gigs. When you put all of them together it’s a really meaningful collection. It proves that you can find help in surprising places when you reach out.”

Price: £15/€16

Available from: www.hopecollectiveireland.com

Always great to be back at the Manchester Ritz. No matter the sponsor attached to the venue you know always in for a special night in splendid surroundings. 


The Gulps
A riotous performance landing somewhere between the Rapture and the Icarus Line or perhaps a domesticated Mooney Suzuki. Either way it’s very fitting on night celebrating the year 2001. There is a bit of a flat start but once the sound engineer warms up their guitars we start hearing all the raw power they can muster. Definitely living up to all the praise these guys are receiving. I enjoyed it and so will you! 
Ash
The songs being played tonight soundtrack my formative teenage years. More often than not when I look back on my happier memories of watching a band on a main stage of a festival, it’s a warm summer’s day and Ash are playing with Charlotte in their number with the most enviable greatest hits set and absolutely killing it!


We are here tonight celebrating the album by the once quartet that made an indelible mark on the early 21st century and stabbed through the heart of the unstoppable beast that was Nu Metal. With a blade of sugary, sunshine, indie rock and distorted pop goodness. Long before the Strokes and the White Stripes, Ash brought guitar rock back to the teenagers bedroom. No turntables were in sight and it never sounded so good!


The evening is kicked off with the inevitable double stomp to the face of ‘walking barefoot’, it may be mid September but I can smell the freshly cut grass and all that good shit that comes with a nostalgic summer memory. I’m not always a fan of the “classic album revisited” setlists but tonight it doesn’t feel wooden. It feels honest and earnest.
From then on we blaze through the classics. ‘shining light’, ‘burn baby burn’, sadly ‘candy’ becomes the inevitable casualty where those in attendance need a piss/fag/drink or all of the above. Tbf every track from the album is a memorable number and gets a great showing tonight.


When face to face with a classic album with so many memorable singles it’s easy to overlook the album tracks. No issues in that department tonight, the long converted throng of the crowd is eating up track after track. Honorable mentions to ‘someday’ and ‘Nicole’. 


As if all 13 tracks of Free All Angels were not enough, here in Manchester we are treated to a most enviable encore. The classics are well represented, obviously to get all the hits in and the whole studio you would need a Springsteen length set and of course it is a school night. ‘numbskull’, ‘a life less ordinary’, ‘kung fu’ and ‘orpheus’ to name a few. Personally, I would have liked to have got a few B-sides from the era in (‘gabriel’ etc) but you can’t win them all. The night is finished off nicely with the always welcome ‘girl from Mars’ and gets the love from the crowd it so deserves. 
It’s been a cracking night to launch the vinyl reissue (don’t forget 1977 is also available!) and it’s always great to have Charlotte back with the lads even if only for a couple of gigs. Another great evening to go alongside all my other classic Ash memories. Nostalgia and satisfaction guaranteed.

Ash Website

Buy Ash records Here

Author: Dan Kasm

Back in 1982, Motorhead were riding a wave of success. After their seminal Ace of Spades album took them to the top of the heavy metal tree in 1980, they then scored a number one with one of the greatest live albums ever released – No Sleep ‘til Hammersmith in 1981.

How do you follow that? The pressure was on the three amigos to come up with another album. The recording of the album that would become Iron Fist began with Ace of Spades producer Vic Maile at the helm. As time went on though, the band decided that guitarist Fast Eddie Clarke should take over as producer (Clarke had recently produced Tank’s debut album).

 Clarke took over as producer reluctantly and the band holed themselves up in Morgan studios and Ramport studios in London. The album was released in March 82 and did reasonably well, getting to number six in the UK. Unfortunately, it was to be the last album with the ‘classic’ line up of Lemmy, Philthy Animal Taylor, and Clarke. The stage show of the tour became Spinal Tap esque with a giant fist that was meant to open up but it malfunctioned more than it functioned! Clarke left the band, and he was replaced by Brian Robertson (Thin Lizzy), that’s another story!

Jump forward 40 years and we have an anniversary edition of Iron Fist along with unreleased demo tracks and a full live concert from the Glasgow Apollo in 1982. The Iron Fist album was always a bit patchy, and you can tell that some of the tracks were simply thrown together. There are some great moments though, the title track is still as powerful as ever, Heart of Stone has always been a favourite of mine, and (Don’t Need) Religion grooves like a bastard! I always loved that album cover art too, that metal fist is umm.. metal as fuck! The band did look a bit daft with the whole leather, studs, and swords bit though. It was the eighties after all…

The demo tracks are an interesting listen with some alternative versions of tunes that ended up on the album. The band are as tight as a duck’s backside and it’s fantastic to hear in insight into the recording of the album. Lemmy Goes to the Pub is an early incantation of Heart of Stone and its alternative lyrics are hilarious! ‘You never buy a bastard drink’ ha ha…

It’s not surprising that the best part of this anniversary release is the live concert. It’s raw, rowdy, greasy, sloppy, and of course, fucking loud!! Motorhead always sounded better live, the production of the early albums was always a bit hit and miss, I suppose that’s what we love about them though… they certainly never conformed to any norms. All the classics are here, Bomber, Overkill, Ace of Spades, We Are the Road Crew, Capricorn.

The 40th anniversary release is being presented in new deluxe editions. There will be hardback book-packs in two CD and triple LP formats. The original album is remastered, and we get the story of the album and many previously unseen photos. There’s also a limited edition, blue and black swirl vinyl version of the original standalone album.

You know me!! Play it fucking louder than everything else!

Buy Here

Author: Kenny Kendrick