Noose – ‘Life’ (Self Release)

Noose – ‘Life’ (Self Release)

East Midlands-based punks Noose are here with a new record that’s full of life and energy that’s got a whole bunch of appeal from the sprightly opener with sing-along gang vocals on the chorus ‘Taking The Piss’ is direct and punchy. It’s got a great warm production and a fine introduction.

The energy is something that continues through the songs on offer as are the sing a long choruses. There’s a familiarity about the chorus of ‘Julie Andrews’ it’s got a similar structure to Dirtbox Disco with the join-in after only a few plays. Gotta love a handclap and on the ‘Weekend’ they kick things off. Its got some foot stomping glam rock going on in the melody but good glam rock (old school not the 80s kind).

The band signs off with ‘Monstrocity’ and then they’re gone. All round a very impressive introduction to the work of Noose and their catchy, hook heavy hard rockin punk rock n roll. Get some and join the cool kids!

There’s a great feel good vibe happening on this record its certainly got some bounce and energy in the uptempo tunes ‘She Gets Me’ being a great example. These guys would have made for good sparring partners for a Wildhearts tour with their energy and style it’s certainyl got the Rock factor wrapped up with a bit of added edge and there are sing a long choruses everywhere. ‘Bet She’s Thinking’ is bright and rapid with a cool breakdown on the verse before everyone joins in on the chorus. Andrew Cragg does a splendid job on songwriting and being the vocalist and guitar player he has his hands full getting a band together to keep up with him.

I particularly like ‘Gotta Gun’ for the attitude and a punch from the rhythm section that makes for a really good tune. Before the band signs off they have ‘Heartbreaker’ that pretty much carries the flag for the album and one they’ve made the lyric video for its not my favourite track on the album but it certainly gives you an insight as to what to expect.

The vibrant ‘Monstrocity’ rattles along at pace firing off all that is left in the tank and their work here is done. Punchy, hook-laden, punk rock n roll motherfuckers! now go get some and join the cool kids rockin out like their life depends on it.

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Author: Dom Daley

Steve Hackett Foxtrot at Fifty and Hackett Highlights – St David’s Hall Cardiff – 10/09/2022

Steve Hackett Foxtrot at Fifty and Hackett Highlights – St David’s Hall Cardiff – 10/09/2022

This was a strange week all round, uncertainty if the show would go ahead as a result of events in Scotland and my regular chauffeur pulling out. The gig was given the go ahead and I decided to take my 23 year old son ( thus ensuring I wouldn’t be the youngest in the audience). I have been accused of “child abuse” for making him listen to Angelwitch albums on the school run, now I was going to subject this pop punk loving drummer to prog epics over twenty minutes long.

I could see him enjoying the second half even if he didn’t know this Genesis album the vocals would keep him interested but the first hour of mostly instrumental Hackett highlights would be a tougher sell. My saving grace was as a musician he could marvel at the band and boy what a band. Ace of Wands opened the show then it got dark with the Devil’s Cathedral with Nad Sylvan singing the tale of the rogue understudy, Everyday sounded more Genesis style then A Tower Struck Down with its ominous doom brought us back down to earth. Camino Royal was a highlight then the musical section from Shadow Of The Hierophant brought the first half to a close. A thumbs up from my Green Day boy so things are looking up for the second half.

A half-hour interval for us older gentlemen with dodgy prostates was welcome then the main event begins. Like many mid fifty-year-olds my introduction to Genesis came via Marillion and I know it has been said a million times the clues are there. As an avid listener of Tommy Vance, his end-of-year list regularly featured Suppers Ready in the top three but it took me a few years of Grendel before I was ready to tackle it.

New backdrop lots of dry ice and Nad like an overlooking angel resplendent in a long black coat and red eyes( a simple but effective trick of two penlights with red bulbs ) heralded Watcher Of The Skies, swiftly followed by the I’ve always thought underrated Time Table which was one of the many highlights.

Get Em Out By Friday as always was masterful but Can Utility and the Coastliners I’ve always not taken to and tonight was no exception. Steve was left alone with an acoustic for the sublimely beautiful Horizons then it was time for the behemoth that is Suppers Ready. It was everything it should be overblown, pretentious, and a lot of fun I must admit I had something in my eye at the end of it.

Set list FM is my go-to cheat and the opening night of the tour in my fellow Welsh City of Swansea had Firth of Fifth and The Knife as encores, we got the former which with its sweeping keys and Steve’s magnificent arpeggios (check me out with technical terms ) was my favourite part of the evening but unfortunately instead of the stabbing staccato (and again) of The Knife we got a trio of Myopia/slogans/Los Endos very good but I had Jack Knife envy.

A fantastic night not every day you convert a twenty-three-year-old pop-punk drummer into a prog fiend now he will want Tales From Topographic Oceans but that may be a step to far even for me.

Author: Chris Phillips BGFM

Osees – ‘A Foul Form’ (Castle Face)

Osees – ‘A Foul Form’ (Castle Face)

Album number bazillion in about two decades has brought us to this point. John Dwyer’s projects have been numerous and bastardised forms of the name Osses, Thee Osees, the Osees etc. In fact, it’s album number twenty-six and it’s a roller coaster rip-snorting ride of epic proportions. Imagine scummy, crusty hardcore, jazz (steady on folks), krautrock, experimental all thrown in the washing machine that is Dwyer’s mind.

‘funeral Solution’ begins with some cyber static before the charge begins. Razor blade guitars thrashing like the Dead Kennedys never hit a note and Dwyer ranting like he’s been locked away in Fritzels basement oh that’s where he recorded the drums as well by the sounds of it. Halfway through the repetitive hacking of the cyber feedback and rampant breakbeats rumble on.

‘Frock Block’ screams in, barely hanging on by a thread it hammers on a riff and a scream for 90 seconds. Perfect. If you haven’t worked out what’s happening here then look out your mind is about to be fucked. Twenty-two minutes of battery-licking shocks that you know you shouldn’t do but can’t help yourself.

‘Too Late For Suicide’ bucks the trend momentarily and goes for a slower fling around your head. It’s got elements of when the beastie boys went hardcore and must have recorded some demos. It’s hardcore baby but there’s more going on here – Dwyer is fucking with your head for sure there’s Beck and Pavement as well as bad brains and Crass.

The title track is like Charlie Harper fighting to break through in 82 with Discharge at the helm. Some great song titles which I’m sure the songs were built around like the full throttle of ‘Scum Show’ and ‘Fucking Kill Me’ is Keith Morris and OFF! or Circle Jerks fucked up uncle having a go.

‘Perm Act’ is like the Banshees jamming with Jello on an audition for the next batman comic book flick – head fucked and an attack or observation of bad cops. All very hardcore and on point (to use an ‘orrible term)

It’s fucked up and fun and I’ve no doubt the next album won’t be anything of the sort but this bad boy is ace.

There’s even time for a cover to sign off in the shape of the thumping ‘Sacrifice’ by British anarcho-punks Rudimentary Peni. Strange choice but then everything about this record is strange but boy is it good! Check it out it’ll fuck you up and you will enjoy it.

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Author: Dom Daley

Ginger Wildheart & The Sinners – ‘Ginger Wildheart & The Sinners’ (Wicked Cool Records)

Ginger Wildheart & The Sinners – ‘Ginger Wildheart & The Sinners’ (Wicked Cool Records)

The long-awaited Ginger Wildheart & The Sinners debut album is finally here, 3 years after The Wildhearts main man formed the country-tinged project with guitarist Neil Ivison and bassist Nick Lyndon of Stone Mountain Sinners. Picking up drummer Shane Dixon along the way, the band retreated to Mwnci studios in the heart of West Wales with Dave Draper at the helm and recorded an album that finally sees the light of day, 2 years after it was mixed.

With a release on Little Steven’s Wicked Cool Records label, the home of RPM faves such as Jesse Malin, Ryan Hamilton and Prima Donna, we expect very good things from Ginger and his boys.

This self-titled, debut long player is a 10-track affair that takes a trip down a dusty, country road, taking in a choice cover or two along the way. Opening track and first single ‘Wasted Times’ is a perfect introduction to the good time, southern rock n’ roll that The Sinners deliver. There are catchy melodies aplenty, lush harmonies for miles and a killer chorus that refuses to leave your brain. It instantly sounds like an old time classic. You wanted the boys to start big? Well, they delivered!

It seems trading his Les Paul for a Telecaster and sharing lead vocals was exactly the therapy Ginger needed after the headfuck that The Wildhearts has been for him the past few years. There’s a sense of camaraderie here, and the immediate reaction I get from this album is how remarkably upbeat, positive and fun it is. I mean, 3 songs into this album there is a tune called ‘Footprints In The Sand’ that is so uplifting it gave me goosebumps by the first chorus. I presumed it was a cover, but it’s not. With Neil taking lead vocals over dampened chords, it sounds like a classic Springsteen track, or a John Cougar Mellencamp tune, but it’s not. With a rousing, building chorus over ringing chords, you will swear you know it already. It’s the sort of anthemic, Americana I adore, and I think you will too.

‘Work In Progress’ has more southern boogie than a Georgia Satellites album, but with that certain Ginger trademark song structure. And just when you think you have the song sussed, in comes some crazy-ass female vocals that take us into Black Oak Arkansas territory. But who is the mysterious Ruby Starr impersonator? We need to know.

With no press blurb or details I have no idea who writes what regarding the original tunes, but Wildheart and Ivison wear their influences on their sleeves and covers-wise they give us a couple of classic album tracks you may or may not be aware of. The band tackle the aforementioned Georgia Satellites ‘Six Years Gone’. The faithful reworking is perfectly executed and they make it their own. But with Neil taking lead vocals again, Status Quo’s ‘Dirty Water’ is turned into the euphoric, country rock classic you never knew you needed in your life.

Elsewhere, the beautiful, acoustic balladry of ‘Breakout’ is up there with some of the frontman’s finest reflective moments. The likes of ‘If You Find Yourself In London Town’ and ‘Geordie In Wonderland’ come to mind. Full of lush harmonies and a sense of longing and regret that could well bring a tear to your eye by the end.

They finish the album with a tongue-in-cheek comedy tune that nods its head to The Wurzels. There’s a ‘live in the studio’ feel that sees all the albums’ singers take a verse. With a great gang vocal sing-a-long, and a fade out to raucous clapping and cheering, it seems the perfect way for The Sinners to bow out.

With a good deal of country twang, a whole heap of glorious melody and an overall sense of fun, Ginger Wildheart & The Sinners have delivered a debut album that is a much-needed ray of sunshine in these strange and dark times. Guaranteed to leave a smile on your face and a sense of contentment within, this album is proof that music is the greatest mood changer out there.

With the follow-up album already recorded and the band touring in October, it seems the future of the UK Americana/roots music scene is firmly in their hands.

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Author: Ben Hughes

Gunfire Dance – ‘Witness To The Crime’ (Easy Action Records)

Gunfire Dance – ‘Witness To The Crime’ (Easy Action Records)

If it were possible to go back in time and spend a few days doing something cool apart from watching The Damned at the Hope and Anchor, the Dolls hit up Manhatten. Stop Hanoi Rocks getting on that airplane to the US, I’d head back to old London Town in the early 90s when I used to frequent Soho when it had some character left. I’d head over to the Marquee club and catch some great bands before it all dissolved into dust.

An LP just landed on my doorstep that; if the world was a just and deserving place An LP record that should have been made and one that should have propelled a band from Birmingham into the limelight where they would have shone brightest. ‘Witness To The Crime’ cements the notion I’ve kept for many years that after Hanoi and the Lords had left town and The Dogs D’Amour had burnt their candle from both ends, Thunders was having his last hoorah with his oddballs. The single band left in the underground that coulda, shoulda, woulda was Gunfire Fucking Dance! The first time I saw them supporting at the Marquee I was mesmerised I’d found a band I knew I could love because they had the look and the presence to devastate and above all they had the tunes. They weren’t a Dolls cover band they weren’t hipsters going through the motions or London posers, Gunfire Dance were the real deal. Sure I heard large elements of The Lords and some Hanoi and Bounty Hunters and Thunders and his Heartbreakers, for sure. They were all in this melting pot from the Midlands but they had a danger a frontman that was more Jagger at Hyde Park than Axl on the strip and with the Lords now fucked off there was a hole that needed filling.

Fast forward a few decades and another band that fell by the wayside, they had it all but cest la vie they barely scratched the surface they were too cool and punk for Sounds, not metal for Kerrang! not hip enough for NME and Melody Maker it was a travesty that a band that had songs as good as were on their demo tape they sold at shows or the singles they had pressed but never made it to a full-blown LP. I remember the songs they’ve stayed with me from the shows and I played the cassette tape until it died. Fast forward a time when social media made the world a small place and you could find out the minute details of bands and people you never got to meet or find out what happened to those bands.

There was a CD released that turned out to be like Rockin horse shite ‘Archway Of Thorns’ and in recent years momentum was growing for the songs to be pressed on wax and become the vinyl hipsters they should’ve been. Post-pandemic and that time has arrived (hit the fanfare and drum roll) Ladies and Gentlemen Easy Action have done the decent thing and pulled together twleve of their finest tracks and finally a friggin album from Gunfire Dance.

It’s always been a plan to front-load an album with your best tunes to grab the listener and quite often the record fizzles out after the opening salvo. ‘Witness To The Crime’ begins with an opening hattrick of gargantuan proportions ‘Blue’ is a reckless beast from the vocal chant of ‘BLUE!’ that was like a sonic punch to the nose that would daze you as the thump of Birchy’s bass line is thunderous and when its joined by the runaway train that is his fellow rhythm section tub thumper Ozzie who rides the drums like trying to harness and tame the four horses of the apocalypse whilst Wards guitar scuffs and squeals like a demon being banished from the studio speakers it’s a truly magnificent opener by anyone’s standard. To follow it up with the magnificent ‘Bliss Street’ that oozes cool It’s got a punk rock beating heart but it’s Rock n Roll and the chorus if that’s what it is – is genius. Then, ‘Bird Doggin” is a howling, badass, sleazy run through the backwaters of Rock n Roll with its Steve Jonesesque run up and down the neck of both bass and guitar, it’s fuckin huge! And all these years later I must have played these songs hundreds if not a thousand times I’m still not bored of hearing them and being able to drop the needle on them makes me feel good, finally, Gunfire Dance get the sound and platform they deserve imortalised on wax. It’s never too late to pay tribute to greatness and I know I’m not alone as there are many people out there who witnessed the Crimes of Gunfire Dance but in truth, the only crime was that Gunfire Dance isn’t a household name in rock n Roll Circles and people don’t talk about them looking back on a time when the world needed genuine rock n roll pirates who had the chops. they were there and this record is the evidence.

When I said frontloading a record was a thing this is proof that it wouldn’t have happened to these cats as ‘Easy Come’ is a howling whirlwind of noise and sounds elevated on vinyl – maybe my mind is playing tricks with me but this sounds even more magnificent. The sleeve notes wrap the band up far better than I could even if I do like pouring superlatives on great records (in my opinion) but hell if I don’t who will? Fuck it, I’m not ashamed or embarrassed to say this is easily – head and shoulders the reissue of the year by a country mile it’s not strictly a new record but hell it sounds mighty fresh maybe Ant has cut a deal with old nick and some black magic has been sprinkled over the mix.

I’ve written this review after a few cold ones after a day of watching my football team win and looking for a distraction from the TV and gray Britain’s current cloud of Royal shenanigans so it comes as a perfect shot in the arm or should that be ears?

Side one closes out with the strut of ‘Pretty As Sin’ that indeed has all the wah scuffs I need on my records and some pretty mean floor tom thumping and I love the bridge as it soars along with the guitars that are being rinsed within an inch of its life.

Take a break have a cooldown and take a deep breath because side two literally kicks off with ‘Suit And Tie’ that has the Rat & Brian James treatment. I bet Brian couldn’t believe his luck stumbling across these boys who were firing tunes on all cylinders that had bits and pieces of his DNA running through them, especially the guitar breaks on ‘Suit And Tie’ and those Dolls and Stones “woo Hoos” are fabulous now as they were when I first heard them. Tell me you can sit still whilst ‘Make you Cry’ is grooving in the bands most Lords like number, it’s a heaving beast and I love the chorus with the gang vocals with Ant putting on his finest vocal performance on the record.

The band could slow things down as well if they wanted to it wasn’t always the end of days assault. ‘It Hurts’ is dark and gothic with a booming cathedral-like low end. As we head into the home straight it’s the magnificent ‘Burning Ambition’ declaring they were living on dreams and chasing after the sun. They should have burnt through the atmosphere and landed on the front pages of the shitty music press of the late 80s and early 90s for sure the breakdown is a mental beat and only gets better like a fine wine – dust it off and uncork it it’s vintage.

The most endearing memory I have is watching them tear it up in the marquee and hearing ‘Gimme Back My Heart’ and having the same satisfying warm feeling now as I did back them knowing that if they never break through I know I saw them and I loved them like they were playing Knebworth or Wembley nevermind the Marquee Charing Cross Road. they were special times and I was gutted when I heard of Ants passing and that selfishly I would never get to be in a room with a band who lit up my time in the big smoke like no other band whose performances and music gave me a buzz like I had seeing Hanoi rocks or the Lords or Johnny Thunder before them. it seems fitting that the record bows out with the magnificent brooding ‘Archway Of Thorns’. there was no room for ‘Darling’ Ann’ or their cover of The Kink’s ‘Till The End Of The Day’ oh I get it, they’ll be on the follow-up compilation of recently found live tracks and mop-up package wont it? A boy could dream.

‘Witness to The Crime’ brings the curtain down on a band I hold dear and hopefully gives them a chance to be heard by many new ears who never got to witness the crime and that crime is these boys never made TOTP nor private jets flying them to huge adoring crowds around the globe but hey ho life goes on, buy it play it loud and pass it on – Gunfire Dance – the best fuckin band you never saw or heard until now – thanks Easy Action for such a physical treat they needed this. My advice – just buy it!

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Author: Dom Daley

GARAGE ROCKERS NOSEBLEED ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM ‘DANCE WITH THE DEVIL’

GARAGE ROCKERS NOSEBLEED ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM ‘DANCE WITH THE DEVIL’

TO BE RELEASED NOVEMBER 11TH VIA TNSRECORDS – PRE-ORDER HERE:

Leeds garage rock ‘n rollers Nosebleed are setting up for the release of their second album ‘Dance with the Devil’, the follow up to 2018’s ‘Scratching Circles on Dancefloor’. Due for release this coming November 11th via TNSrecords, the album has been a long time coming, held back by lockdowns and delays, but they guarantee that the wait has been worth it.

Having already released the first single from the album ‘Make Up Your Mind’  to much acclaim in January 2021, the band have returned with a second offering from the album; the title track ‘Dance with the Devil’, alongside a new video to go with it.

“Like a lot of the album, the single is about breakups,” explains guitarist and vocalist Eliott Verity. “Between recording the music and the lyrics my life fell apart a little and I ended up re-writing the words to a lot of the songs. This one’s about that post breakup feeling of being torn about everything and wanting to give up and go feral, making some bad decisions for a little bit. We still wanted people to be able to dance to it though, despite what it was written about.”

‘Dance With The Devil’ wastes no time in getting to the root of what Nosebleed are all about, charging in with a pounding drum kick before the spluttering guitars explode into life and Nosebleed begin their sermon, fusing 50’s rock n’roll and 60s garage with a modern indie crunch.

The band will be on tour to promote the album in November 2022, heading to the length and breadth of Britain alongside their pals Janus Stark amongst others.

Nosebleed are a garage rock, three-piece from Leeds, England. Playing frantic rock n roll inspired anthems the band have toured non-stop since 2014 hitting venues and festivals across the UK and Europe. Known for their suited and booted stage presence, their live show has made waves, being discovered as “the best live band in the UK” by Shout Louder, taking them from sweaty toilet venues to the stages of Kendal Calling, Boomtown Fair, Bestival, Camp Bestival, Beatherder, Rebellion and Manchester Punk Festival and is a real sight to behold.

Pre-order the ‘Dance With The Devil’ album HERE:

Catch Nosebleed live at the following dates:

16TH SEPT – CONROYS BASEMENT – DUNDEE

17TH SEPT – RETRO BAR – MANCHESTER 

22ND SEPT – THE LADY LUCK – CANTERBURY

14TH OCT – MATCHSTICK PIEHOUSE – TILL THE FEST 2

22ND OCT – THE LOFT – SOUTHSEA 

17TH NOV – THE CROFTERS RIGHTS – BRISTOL

18TH NOV – THE OSTRICH INN PETERBOROUGH

19TH NOV – TAPESTRY ARTS – BRADFORD

20TH NOV – LITTLE BUILDINGS – NEWCASTLE

10TH DEC – THE ESCAPE BAR – SHEPHERDS BUSH

16TH DEC – THE FULFORD ARMS – YORK

Find Nosebleed online at:

FACEBOOK

INSTAGRAM

RUTS DC – ‘COUNTERCULTURE?’ TO BE RELEASED NOVEMBER 11TH

RUTS DC – ‘COUNTERCULTURE?’ TO BE RELEASED NOVEMBER 11TH

RUTS DC ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM ‘COUNTERCULTURE?’ TO BE RELEASED NOVEMBER 11TH VIA SOSUMI RECORDINGS

PRE-ORDER THE ALBUM HERE:

UK TOUR CONFIRMED FOR NOVEMBER/DECEMBER

What do you know about Ruts DC? What do you want to know about Ruts DC? It’s nearly fifty years since the two sevens clashed. In a little over fifty more years, they will clash again. Roughly around the time they last clashed the Ruts were hot wiring barbed wire guitar, passionate poetry and rhythm weaponry together somewhere in a London that probably does not exist anymore. Splicing heat haze dub thinking to the energy flash of punk close to the big bang of late twentieth century culture. Open to ideas. Committed to ideals.

Some band’s sound punk. Some look punk. Some even look and sound punk. And some, simply, are punk. Without turning this into a game or statistics, Ruts DC were early challengers to the misunderstood notion that punk was a somewhat luddite dogma wherein complexity, creative exploration and musical prowess were considered a shameful affectation. Ruts DC songs moved with a precise muscularity and carried lyrics of eloquent and graceful rage. No two-chord thrash with shouting over the top. Go back. Listen to everything. From the very beginning to now, with the forthcoming release of new album ‘Counterculture?’, the much-anticipated follow-up to 2016’s incendiary ‘Music Must Destroy’ album, due this November 11th via their own Sosumi Recordings.

Counterculture. Now is the time. Was there ever an age with more reason to rebel? Counterculture. Do not think you can simply buy a way in. To Counter; to push against, to oppose and redress. By being a spectator, you are NOT a part of the counterculture.

“Counterculture? For us, it never went away,” says bassist and vocalist John ‘Segs’ Jennings. “We’ve always been on the outside and still are. It’s ok to be a freak. That’s why The Ruts started in the first place. If it’s still inside you, it’s time to light that flame again. Get to know what you don’t know. Come and borrow my lighter.”

Today, we get to hear the first taste of the new album in the title track and new single ‘Counterculture’. Drums and Bass building the defence wall. Guitar and whatever else lobbed in stun/attack mode. That is Ruts DC. That is all you really need to know.

See Ruts DC live in the UK November & December 2022 on the ‘Faces In The Sky / Counterculture’ tour at the following dates:

18/11- Exeter Phoenix

19/11- Southampton Brook

20/11- Cardiff Globe 

21/11- Oxford O2 Academy

22/11- Stoke Sugarmill 

23/11- Glasgow St Lukes

26/11- Liverpool Arts Club

28/11- Sheffield O2 Academy 

29/11- Bristol Thekla

30/11- Nottingham Rescue Rooms

02/12- Birmingham Institute 

03/12- London Islington O2 Academy

Find Ruts DC online:

WEBSITE /FACEBOOK / TWITTER / INSTAGRAM

Rob Moss and Skin-Tight Skin – ‘Now With More Rockets’ (Self Release)

Rob Moss and Skin-Tight Skin – ‘Now With More Rockets’ (Self Release)

Rob has once again drafted in a whole bunch of musicians to enhance his latest album and like London busses, Rob lays low for decades then boom! two albums in quick succession. This time Rob takes the songs down a darker route with a more Gothic punk rock sound that bares a passing resemblance to the likes of Andrew Eldrich and his Sisters Of Mercy or perhaps a little Iggy DNA circa Bla Bla Bla for good measure.

There are eleven tunes and as the title suggests a few with Rocket in the title which bookends the record and to be fair two of the album’s finest moments with the finale being my personal pick of the pops with its excellent Stooges like saxophone honking up the sound and giving an added dimension to what Rob does.

Some of the playing is fantastic and Rob giving over the solos to different players is an excellent idea because having someone else’s vision and interpretation on the music add to the tapestry in nothing but a positive way with opener ‘Rocket Ship To You’ being a great example.

‘Red Beans And Gasoline’ fucks with ‘Johnny B Goode’ & ‘House Of The Rising Sun’, ‘Richard Jewel’ has a great dark swirling rhythm with yet more great guitar playing, Abaad Behram take a bow.

As we reach the meat of the record ‘Rock N Roll Ralphs and the Joie de vivre rock n rolla that is ‘Rip Van Winkle ’85’ turn up the dial to eleven and if you’re getting album fatigue these will no doubt chase it away. There is no time nor room on this record for a ballad but the tempo has dropped a tad for ‘Ink Blue Smoke’ where images of Iggy are possible through the haze with some rather splendid slide chops cutting through and adding another texture.

All in all Rob has again delivered an excellent album that turns up sonic treats in different places on each play. Go check it out and have a blast (off) grooving through the ether to some tasty tunes. Keep em coming Mr Moss its been a blast!

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Author: Dom Daley

MANIC STREET PREACHERS & SUEDE ANNOUNCE RARE TOUR OF NORTH AMERICA

MANIC STREET PREACHERS & SUEDE ANNOUNCE RARE TOUR OF NORTH AMERICA

Iconic British Bands Plot First Ever Co-Headlining Tour For November; Coast-to-coast tour includes stops in Vancouver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Austin, Boston, New York City, Toronto + more

Two of the UK’s most enduring and influential bands have announced a joint headline tour of North America for November. Suede (known as ‘The London Suede’ In North America) and Manic Street Preachers both rose to prominence in the early 90s on the back of indisputably brilliant debut albums  – 1992’s Generation Terrorists and 1993’s Suede – and electrifying live shows. Over the course of the next several years they would grow from punk rock youthquakers to arena-filing rock stars, earning their positions as national treasures in the pantheon of British music. Their first ever co-headlining tour kicks off in Vancouver, Canada on November 3rd.

Beloved by music fans on both sides of the Atlantic, Suede took a hiatus to work on other projects between 2002 and 2013, returning with the acclaimed Bloodsports album, while Manic Street Preachers continued to record together, releasing a string of hit albums, but rarely visiting the USA and Canada. Recognized as two of the most iconic bands of their generation this double headline tour is a rare and unmissable treat for music fans. 

Suede and the Manics will be performing songs from their full catalogue, giving North American audiences a unique chance to experience fiercely loved classics from the last 30 years. Suede release their ninth album, Autofiction, on September 16th on BMG. They last performed in the US at Coachella in 2011. Manic Street Preachers released their fourteenth studio album, the UK #1 The Ultra Vivid Lament, last year. They last toured North America in April 2015.

 Get tickets at:

https://www.manicstreetpreachers.com/tour/https://www.suede.co.uk/#tour

 Band presales:  Wednesday, September 14 at 10AM local – Thursday, September 15 at 10PM local

General onsale: Friday September 16 at 10AM local

Suede’s Brett Anderson says, “I can’t think of a band I’d rather share a stage with than the Manic Street Preachers. They have long been an inspiration to us, and I know there are thousands of Suede fans who feel the same. It’s nearly 30 years since we last played together and I think these shows are going to be something really special.”

 Manic Street Preachers added, “We first toured with Suede in 1994 when we played with them all across Europe. Back then, it always felt like both our bands shared a certain kind of kinship, both aesthetically and historically. It still feels that way now, nearly three decades later.”

 “This joint tour feels like a fantastic opportunity for both our sets of fans to share an amazing live experience. And to do this in the USA and Canada in 2022 makes it even more special as our tours there are so rare these days. We truly can’t wait.” 

Tour Dates 

NOV 3: VANCOUVER, Canada @ PNE FORUM (Suede close)
NOV 5: SEATTLE, WA @ NEPTUNE THEATRE (Manic Street Preachers close)
NOV 7: SAN FRANCISCO, CA @ THE WARFIELD (Suede close)
NOV 9: ANAHEIM, CA @ HOUSE OF BLUES (Manic Street Preachers close)
NOV 10: LOS ANGELES, CA @ THE PALLADIUM (Suede close)
NOV 13: AUSTIN, TX @ ACL LIVE AT THE MOODY THEATER (Manic Street Preachers close)
NOV 16: CHICAGO, IL @ AUDITORIUM THEATER (Suede close)
NOV 18: SILVER SPRING, MD @ THE FILLMORE (Manic Street Preachers close)
NOV 19: PHILADELPHIA, PA @ THE MET (Suede close)
NOV 21: BROOKLYN, NY @ KINGS THEATRE (Manic Street Preachers close)
NOV 22: BOSTON, MA @ THE ORPHEUM (Suede close)
NOV 24: TORONTO, Canada @ MASSEY HALL (Manic Street Preachers close)

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Smith/Kotzen – ‘Better Days…And Nights’ (BMG)

Smith/Kotzen – ‘Better Days…And Nights’ (BMG)

One of the first reviews I did for RPM online was for the self-titled Smith/Kotzen album that was released in March 2021. A great album it is too! Fast forward to November last year and the boys released an EP called Better Days which was a limited edition 12” vinyl for Record Store Day. This was more of the same blues driven rock with the edge that you would expect from two of metal’s most prestigious guitarists.

Fans weren’t too happy about it being a vinyl/streaming only release though. Worry not Smith/Kotzen fans…your prayers have been answered! Here we have a CD/digital release of Better Days along with five live tracks that were recorded on the US and UK legs of their whistle stop tours at the beginning of 2022, hence the …And Nights added to the title. Clever, eh?

For the purposes of this review, I’ll just concentrate on the live material. You really get the feeling of being there at the intimate venues that the tracks were recorded at, and the songs really come alive with a sense of urgency and a slightly faster pace. No doubt pushed on with adrenaline which is a trademark of most great live recordings. (Go and listen to Maiden’s Live After Death to see what I mean). The whole band, which are completed by Julia Lage on bass and drummer Bruno Valerde, sound fantastic. Some extended guitar theatrics are thrown in (obviously) which really add to the songs. The highlight for me is the track Scars from the debut. It takes on a life of its own live, a big fat groove along with some Hendrix inspired guitar work. You Don’t Know Me plods along nicely with some nice cymbal work from Valerde. Final track Running closes the mini live album nicely, Julia Lage really shows her prowess here.

This is a nice little package for fans and shows that the guys really do think about the content they are releasing to ensure there’s something for everyone. Tidy stuff!

Buy Here

Author: Kenny Kendrick