These Arms Are Snakes – ‘Duct Tape & Shivering Crows’ (Suicide Squeeze Records)

These Arms Are Snakes – ‘Duct Tape & Shivering Crows’ (Suicide Squeeze Records)

When you get an album to review that describes the band behind it as being; “a combination of synth-infused noise rock, bad-trip psychedelia, flamboyant proto-metal boogie, and unhinged basement-show hardcore.” I will challenge anyone not to have their interest immediately piqued.

I mean, what the hell did These Arms Are Snakes actually sound like when their spark burned brightly, albeit briefly, back in the noughties?

Well, ‘Duct Tape & Shivering Crows’, a thirteen track retrospective of the Seattle band’s seven year career, is certainly as good a place as any to find out.

With a tracklisting that runs in reverse order and kicks off with one of the last tracks the band recorded in the shape of the spikey ‘Meet Your Mayor’, These Arms Are Snakes immediately have me thinking of bands like Drive Like Jehu, Burning Airlines and Wales’s very own Midasuno.  This is music that is never going to get played on mainstream radio, but then again what music worth writing about actually does?

For me, it’s when the keyboards kick in during the Snakes’ take on Lost Sounds’ ‘Energy Drink And The Long Walk Home’ and the shadows of the grossly overlooked The (International) Noise Conspiracy are cast long over proceedings that the band fully ignite adding their own unique stamp to the song, something they then proceed to do with their almost Fall-esque take on Nirvana’s ‘Heart Shaped Box’. Interesting stuff indeed.

For the slightly more adventurous of you out there, it’s the likes of ‘Old Paradise’ with it’s almost Voivod like time changes and the mosh pit adrenaline rush of ‘Payday Loans’ that literally explodes from the speakers after an initial semi-ambient intro, that should get you grinning from ear to ear.

Finishing the set off with four songs from the band’s very first demo, ‘Duct Tape & Shivering Crows’ is only missing an overpriced can of beer, a perma-sticky dancefloor and the stench from the toilets to make it feel like the perfect night out at Newport’s Legendary TJ’s back in the early noughties, and as ‘The Blue Rose’ delivers the album’s watermelon Bubblicious influenced final notes, I can close my eyes and almost feel like I’m right back there.

You can sample the magic for yourselves (and maybe even recreate your very own favourite long lost music venue too) when ‘Duct Tape & Shivering Crows’ is released via Suicide Squeeze Records on CD, cassette, digital formats, and 2xLP on April 15th 2022.

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Author: Johnny Hayward

FRANK BLACK AND THE CATHOLICS – THE COMPLETE STUDIO ALBUMS vinyl boxset for July release

FRANK BLACK AND THE CATHOLICS – THE COMPLETE STUDIO ALBUMS vinyl boxset for July release

FRANK BLACK AND THE CATHOLICS

THE COMPLETE STUDIO ALBUMS

vinyl box set  

released 8th July 2022 

On 8th July Demon release Frank Black and The Catholics – The Complete Studio Albums box set. This superb box set includes 3 albums never before available on vinyl. Between 1998 and 2003, Frank Black and co. released six albums under the ‘Frank Black And The Catholics’ moniker. All recorded live and direct to two-track tape, the albums are some of the most energised, raw, and essential of Frank Black’s career.

 
For almost two decades, the Catholics’ studio albums have been out of print or unavailable on vinyl. Now, Demon Records is proud to present ‘The Complete Studio Albums’ boxset featuring all six original releases expertly remastered from the original studio tapes and pressed on heavyweight 180g clear vinyl. 

Includes all six studio albums –

‘Frank Black And The Catholics’ (1998), ‘Pistolero’ (1999), ‘Dog In The Sand’ (2001) [first time on vinyl], ‘Black Letter Days’ (2002) [2LP, first time on vinyl] ‘Devil’s Workshop’ (2002) [first time on vinyl], and ‘Show Me Your Tears’ (2003). 

Each album is pressed on 180g clear vinyl and housed in printed inner sleeves along with outer sleeves featuring spot gloss detailing. All 80 tracks have been newly remastered from the original studio tapes by Phil Kinrade at Alchemy Mastering at AIR.

 
The albums are housed together in a rigid outer sleeve and accompanied by a 32-page booklet featuring new liner notes by Catholics producer/engineer Ben Mumphrey plus unseen and rare photographs by Steve Gullick. 

Pre Order Here

THE LOVELY EGGS HEAD OFF ON THEIR EASTER HOLIDAYS!

THE LOVELY EGGS HEAD OFF ON THEIR EASTER HOLIDAYS!

UK DATES CONFIRMED FOR APRIL, MAY AND JUNE

WITH SUPPORT FROM ROB AUTON, BUG CLUB, AND GWENIFER RAYMOND

TICKETS HERE

‘FRIED EGG’ 10” EP OUT APRIL 8TH FEATURING RARE SONGS AND LIVE RECORDINGS

NUMBER ONE SELLING NEW ALBUM ‘I AM MORON’ OUT NOW!

April 2022

Thurs 7th Castle and Falcon, Birmingham SOLD OUT

Fri 8th, Heaven, London

Sat 9th, Bedford Squires, Bedford NEW DATE

Sun 10th, Forum, Tunbridge Wells NEW DATE

Mon 11th Junction 2, Cambridge SOLD OUT

Tues 12th, The Waterfront, Norwich NEW DATE

Thurs 14th, The Black Prince, Northampton NEW DATE

Fri 15th, Pop Recs, Sunderland NEW DATE

Sat 16th, The Brudenell, Leeds SOLD OUT

Thurs 28th, Ulster Sports Club, Belfast

Fri 29th, The Workman’s Club, Dublin

Sat 30th, Dolan’s Pub, Limerick

May 2022

Thur 26th The Cluny, Newcastle SOLD OUT

Fri 27th Stereo, Glasgow SOLD OUT

Sat 28th The Mash House, Edinburgh SOLD OUT

Sun 29th The Crescent, York

Mon 30th Sub Rooms, Stroud

Tues 31st Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff

June 2022

Wed 1st, The Facebar, Reading

Thurs 2nd, The Fleece, Bristol NEW DATE

Fri 3rd, 02 Ritz, Manchester

The Lovely Eggs do not give up. Ever. The proudly independent Northern psychedelic punk rock duo have now, since the beginning of the pandemic, rescheduled the tour originally intended to promote the release in April 2020 of their ‘I Am Moron’ album, a staggering seven times. Now, they can finally return to the stage in full force, with a string of live shows to start this coming Easter.

The Lovely Eggs have a long tradition of touring in the school holiday period because, as parents of a young son, they are not prepared to leave him at home!

“Every time the school holidays hit, we head off on tour,” explains Holly. “Our lad is 9 now and we’ve been touring with him since he was 4 months old. It’s just something we have to do. When we decided to have a kid, we knew we didn’t want it to change our lifestyle. Everyone goes on about settling down and getting proper jobs when you have kids but that’s just nonsense. We knew we could do things differently. 

“Making music and touring and being in a band is fundamental to who we are. There was no way we could stop doing it. So, we bought a mini fridge for the van, and I expressed milk for when I was on stage and stored it in there. I sterilised bottles every night after the gig. We took a mate with us to babysit. Nine years on and we’re still at it. And our little lad loves it. He’s been round the world with us through the band and visited some amazing places. We’ll ask promoters to get stuff for him on our rider and he loves a kick about during soundcheck. The late nights and early mornings used to be a killer but no worse than some of the hangovers we used to have!

“As a woman I’m not having anyone tell me what I can and can’t do, or what stereotype I need to fit in with. This is our dysfunctional family and we bloody love it!”

Fiercely DIY, and yes, fiercely fierce, The Lovely Eggs have outlived most bands and continue to strive forward, with a dedicated audience that moves with them. Almost all of their tours always sell out and these dates will be no exception.

Joining them will be a three support acts that exist in the same world as the band’s eclectic, out-there sound: Rob Auton, Bug Club, and Gwenifer Raymond. Labelled ‘a genuine original’, Rob Auton Rob has written eight hit Edinburgh Fringe shows, which have led to nationwide tours and television/radio appearances. Bug Club are a trio currently turning heads, hearts, eyes and ears following the release of their debut EP ‘Launching Moondream One’ in early 2021 through Bingo Records. Finally, Gwenifer Raymond is a master songwriter, taking from the sounds of the Welsh Valleys and Appalachian Folk for an adventurous embrace of compositional tradition.

The Lovely Eggs are also due to release ‘Fried Egg’, a 10” EP that will be available from April 8th and features a selection of rare songs and live recordings that were originally available as a CDR release back in 2007. The release is limited to 1500 copies.

“This Egg EP was the very first collection of songs we released in 2007,” explains Holly. “We couldn’t afford to press vinyl back then so we put together our own CD-Rs at home which we would then sell at gigs. It included new songs at the time and live recordings, and we put it together to look like a fried egg in old joke shop packaging. Over lockdown our mate Phil, who runs a vinyl cutting business in Brighton called 3.45RPM, surprised us with a copy of it on vinyl which emulated the CD-R original. We loved it so much we decided to get it pressed so our fans could have a copy too. And here it is. “

The ‘Fried Egg’ 10” will be available here: thelovelyeggs.co.uk

The Mysterines – ‘Reeling’ (Fiction Records)

The Mysterines – ‘Reeling’ (Fiction Records)

The long awaited debut album from Merseyside titans in the making, The Mysterines! ‘Reeling’ is an apt title for the group, as anyone who has seen the band will know how effortlessly these guys reel off stellar material.


Kicking us all off with stomper ‘life is a bitch(but I like it so much)’ and followed up with the pummelling blow that is ‘Hung Up’. Already it’s clear that they have managed to recreate their live sound on this record, showcasing the power and intensity and losing nothing with any of the studio sheen.


Things slow down with the title track ‘reeling’ but with no loss of the intensity with the killer bass-led track. By the time we get to the previous single ‘Dangerous’, it’s practically a feeding frenzy for the listener, hitting Southern Gothic levels in terms of murder ballads, the delivery akin to PJ Harvey fronting Qotsa when they still sounded good.


My only criticism is at 13 tracks the record can seem a little bit long, but on the whole, the stronger material gives brooding shade and depth to the whole record making the whole event an experience to guarantee repeat listening.


Playling to packed out crowds on tour, big American festival dates in the diary, a top ten placing on the album charts (at time of writing), things are certainly looking up for the Mysterines and the future is very bright. 

Buy Here

Author: Dan Kasm

Swami John Reis – ‘Ride The Wild Night’ (Swami Records)

Swami John Reis – ‘Ride The Wild Night’ (Swami Records)

It was only the other day that I was listening to Rocket From The Crypt in the car. Shortly after, who should recommend the new solo album by Speedo/John Reis but our very own Mr Hayward. After listening on Spotify, I duly ordered the vinyl (no CD yet). It’s a no-brainer to any RFTC fans that this is a worthy purchase. From the first song, I was hooked. There’s a Liamesque delivery to the title track, but Mr Gallagher can’t hold a candle to these tunes. And, believe me, this album is packed with tunes.

‘I Ain’t Your Pawn’ struts like Jim Jones with guitar and piano hammering out the riff. It would be a shame if Reis didn’t play some gigs to support this release. ‘Do You Still Wanna Make Out?’, with its “shoo-wop” backing vocals and insistent rhythm would give Giuda a run for their money.

‘When I Kicked Him In The Face’ starts with a picked riff reminiscent of Elliott Smith, before launching into more familiar territory. ‘Days Of Auld Lang Syne’ ends side one with a breezy piano led tune with a reflective lyric.

‘I Hate My Neighbours In The Yellow House’ starts with a synth before the guitars kick in. While there’s a variety of songs here, it always sounds reassuringly like John Reis. ‘Vape In The Dark Alone’ is more akin to ‘Group Sounds’ with its sinister melody.

‘Rip From The Bone’ is killer, it makes you want to pick up the guitar and play along, head nodding. Simple and devastatingly effective. “We don’t see eye to eye, said the spider to the fly”. ‘We Broke The News’ is equally addictive, and ‘Keeper Of The Plains’ is a classy note to end on. As you’d expect. And it’s on transparent, mouthwash green vinyl. What are you waiting for?

Buy Here

Author: Martin Chamarette

Mike Peters – Town Hall, Rhyl. 11th & 12th March 2022.

Mike Peters – Town Hall, Rhyl. 11th & 12th March 2022.

It’s been a long time coming but it’s good to be back. Now, where have I heard that line before? Many moons ago the good people at The Alarm HQ had a plan to celebrate 40 years of The Alarm and Mike Peters by having a couple of shows on consecutive nights in Rhyl Town Hall the birthplace of The Gathering (a yearly weekend of all things Mike Peters & the Alarm for the past twenty-Five years) sadly due to Covid and the past few years of uncertainty the celebrations were put on hold with the Rhyl shows and one at St David’s Hall Cardiff getting shelved until further notice.

Initially, these three shows which sold out in a matter of minutes were put off due to the Global Pandemic. They were rearranged but again the Cardiff celebration was put off into the distant future of 2023 but thankfully the Rhyl weekender was upon us. The Gathering has seen several venue changes over the years and after the first two were in Rhyl it grew to something altogether bigger and was decamped further up the A55 to the seaside resort of Llandudno and the spacious Venue Cymru. After a few years of being in the prisoner of war camp that is the hell hole known as Pontins Prestatyn it made a welcome return to Llandudno before returning to its spiritual roots of Rhyl Town Hall and the compact surroundings of this forgotten seaside town and Peters hometown, a stone throw from where he was brought up. We took our seats as the doors opened and the stage set on the floor of the hall rather than the traditional raised stage it was deemed more intimate for the lucky few hundred who were gathered for what promised to be a mammoth run through forty years of music from Peters. No drums, Bass, electric guitar or piano just one man a few mics and a lifetime of music. Friday night and it’s the present running backwards to 2010 and Peters looks like a man who means business and it was headlong into the music with ‘Two Rivers’ from his latest studio album ‘Sigma’. There was to be a further twenty one songs dispatched from Peters before a welcome interval and an end to the first act it was a hectic flurry of songs from the excellent ‘Heroine’ to ‘Direct Action’ via ‘Coming Backwards’ and ‘Peace Now’ there wasn’t time for any introductions or stories just on with the show with a really impressive run through some deep cuts from his most recent decade.

It was Steven Tyler who once said “Let The music do the talking” and Mike Peters was certainly on top of his memo to play as many tunes as humanly possible. I’ve seen Mike Peters play live well over a hundred times and it’s often the deep cuts that excite me the most. Sure I love ’68 Guns’ and ‘Strength’ and ‘Spirit Of 76’ and ‘New South Wales’ but I love hearing my favourite artists create new music as well and keep pushing themselves especially when I’m on board the journey and tonight is proving to be some journey.

For me the 2000’s was a prolific time for Peters when he wrote some of his finest work be it The Poppyfield collective or the 2008 Counter Attack collective. The band he was working with were pushing him to be the best writer he possibly could be and it was paying dividends and us the fans were reaping the rewards. ‘Superchannel’ whilst being such a force electrically is still a powerhouse acoustically as tonight’s audience buys into the set. ‘My Town’, ‘Edward Henry Street’ and ‘Mercenery Skank’ are given some serious attention and the floor is a shaking.

With the twenty two song second half reaching a climax with the excellent single ‘Close’ followed by the controversial ruse of ’45 RPM’ it was the end of the first night and a really excellent night’s entertainment. To hold an audience for three and a half hours on a Friday night is some achievement but tonight Mike Peters did it with consummate ease and it seemed everyone was now well up for the Saturday night and a delve further into the catalogue.

I must admit I tend to opt out of the Saturdays daytime extravaganza but if you want to immerse yourself in all things Mike Peters they opened up the Hall for a film ’50 Days In Lockdown’ and Peters had time to pose for photos and sign records before a Q&A with the man took place. The team at the MPO do give fans access that many other bands wouldn’t dream of and after all is said and done, if you’ve travelled from afar or just down the road then it’s a pretty impressive experience.

Saturday night was upon us and the fresh breeze outside was forgotten come eight PM as Peters took to the stage for 1999 to 1992 and it was the same format as the previous night where there was no interaction between songs just on with the business of the music and ‘Flesh And Blood’s ‘House Of Commons’ brought memories of being in the studio at BBC in Cardiff whilst that particular album was being made and memories certainly did come flooding back. It was now the turn of ‘Rise’ ‘Feel Free’ and the time when Peters emerged from the fall out of the Alarm split and taking the poets on an exciting journey as ‘Back Into The System’, ‘Feel Free”, ‘My Calling’ and ‘Gone Elvis’ were played. As Peters played ‘Train A Comin’ you could have heard a pin drop as the entire audience was silent with respect for the music and the journey we were on it was awe inspiring and a real moment even after all these years of watching this man play many of these songs all over the country and beyond.

As we headed into the home straight and the beautiful nineteen eighties and when many of us began our love for these works and when Mike Peters entered most of our lives and record collections it is probably many of these songs we did a lot of first to and why they are held with such high regard in our lives and soundtrack so much of who and what we’ve become. It was a privilige to be part of such a great weekend. ‘Moments In Time’ from ‘Raw’ began a whirlwind blast through the original line ups repetoir as ‘Rocking In The Free World’ took my mind back to Brixton and the tanned fringed coat there was even an out of time run through ‘Merry Xmas War Is Over’ which brought a broad grin across Peters face ‘Rivers To Cross’ was a welcome old friend as was ‘Day The Raven Left The Tower’ and the first time I heard ‘Majority’ from the Marquee club came racing back to me, so many venues, so many memories. Inside the young man I once was – was smiling that I still have the opportunity to hear these songs live and have had the pleasure of doing so on so many occasions. The fact that tonight’s performance was four hours long sounds epic because it was epic. It flew by, I honestly thought that I’d have to go into training to get through it but as the songs were unfolding I didn’t want it to end and could do it all over again on any given weekend.

The encores went right back, predominantly featuring the ‘Declaration’ period songs with ’68 Guns’, ‘Where Were You Hiding’ sung with as much verve and energy as the day they were written it seemed. Then the second encore hit us with ‘The Stand’ and ‘Marching On’ hit with the realisation that we were reaching the end of an incredible evening of music. It only left ‘Up For Murder’ before finally bowing out with a raucous ‘The Stand’. Peters took the ovation he richly deserved and a couple of hundred people filed out into the cold North Wales night with yet more memories of a Gathering that was a while in the waiting but oh so well worth it when it arrived. Bring on 2023 and back to Llandudno for another Gathering and that much overdue performance in St David Hall Cardiff. Going out in a blaze of glory our hands were held up high! Brilliant life affirming rock and roll, I love it!

Author: Dom Daley

MPO HQ Tickets

CHEMICIDE – ‘Common Sense’ (PRC Music)

CHEMICIDE – ‘Common Sense’ (PRC Music)

Costa Rica based thrashers Chemicide have been around since 2011 and have released three albums and an EP. Their latest release ‘Common Sense’ has the sound and feel of an old-school thrash album. Echoes of early Sepultura, Kreator, Death Angel, Exodus, Forbidden, Nuclear Assault, with a bit of Morbid Angel thrown in. Not bad eh?

If, like me, you’re a fan of the bands I’ve mentioned above, then you could much worse than check out Chemicide. This really is like stepping back to 1989. All I need is my Cosmic drainpipe (black, of course) jeans, Hi-Tec basketball boots, and a baseball cap worn backward to complete the picture! Big riffs, fast parts, mosh parts, breakneck double bass drumming, shouty vocals and song titles like; ‘Self Destruct’, ‘Barred Existence’, and ‘Strike as One’ just add to the nostalgic charm of the album.

The production from Juan Pablo Calvo has that classic Scott Burns feel to it, very raw and punchy. It really is a thrasher’s delight and it’s very comforting to know that thrash metal is alive and well thanks to bands like Chemicide. Great job guys! Mosh it up!!

Buy Here

Author: Kenny Kendrick

Rainy Day & Mondays

Rainy Day & Mondays

First up today is the brand new video from Birmingham Garage rockers Black Bombers with their most excellent new single ‘Last Bite’. Released on April fools day through Easy Action Records there isn’t anything remotely funny about this slice of proto-punk, primitive Garage rock that goes straight for the jugular. Don’t delay kids because this one is backed by a most excellent version of the Damned classic ‘You Take My Money’.

This release comes as ‘UN-SCENE!’, Black Bombers’ drummer Dave Twist’s compilation album of Birmingham Post Punk, is receiving real acclaim and is already in short supply… 

The band have dates around the country in the coming weeks and play the DIE DAS DER benefit show for Ukraine on March 27th at the Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath Birmingham.

Pre-order here

To celebrate the Chats UK tour dates it seems fair to run with the video for their brand new single ‘Struck By Lightning’ Tour dates, tickets and merch available Here

Finally how about this banger to set your week up nicely. A track off her new EP out next week on pirates press Suzi Moon will release her second EP April 1st then the debut album this summer via pirates press. Check it out and pre order Here

Various Artists – ‘Post Punk Birmingham 1978-1982’ (Easy Action)

Various Artists – ‘Post Punk Birmingham 1978-1982’ (Easy Action)

First things first I’m looking at the artwork wondering what on earth it is and then after about a week I see the eggbox. It’s been like one of those early 90’s deep-sea pictures you have to stare at, or at least that’s what I felt like. Right onto ‘Un Scene’ and it’s important to document of 78-82 timeframe in England’s second city and how it was developing following the youf explosion of 76-77.

I guess considering Birmingham or the wider area of the middle part of England has generally been ignored or rather overlooked compared to the contribution to youth/pop culture of the 20th Century. the North West gave the world Merseybeat and Beatlemania then post-punk we had that jangly guitar of Icicle Works, Teardrop explodes, Pete Burns, The Bunnymen, and a whole load of other post-punk bands. Madchester (Still in the northwest) followed that with the whole Hacienda scene and Stone Roses. The East Midlands gave the world Two-Tone but what about Birmingham? Sure Slade was west midlands and the Duranies hailed from Brum in the wake of punk but once you scratch the surface there was a whole underground world of creative forces and this wonderful little time capsule offers up a small dark corner of Birmingham and shines a light on in with a very nice booklet documenting the featured bands with some fantastic pictures, live shots, band images, posters and magazine covers of the main protagonists of this featured record/CD.

Laid out over nineteen tracks this snapshot doesn’t always reach the dizzy quality of your modern recordings but often that’s the charm. No doubt these bands worked and played hard to scrape together the dosh to record these songs and it’s important that records like this exist. Maybe there’s a good reason why none of these bands achieved the same adoration some of the other midlands genres achieved but bands like Swell Maps, the Nightingales, Nikki Sudden and TV Eye had a modicum of success and remained firmly placed as underground heroes and icons.

Some of the live recordings are sort of tape deck quality and proper old school whereas other more notable inclusions such as Stephen Tin Tin Duffy’s The Hawkes have ‘Big Store’ included and Comedian Stewart Lees wonderful doc about The Nightingales sees them included with their new wave-like ‘Idiot Strength’. I guess it wouldn’t be complete without Swell Maps who see ‘Vertical Slum’ included. My personal favourite is obviously the inclusion of Nikki Sudden with ‘Channel Steamer’. But what really is the crowning glory is the booklet giving all the meat on the bone from Dave Twists’ own collection, with all the cuttings it’s a fascinating insight into a whole world that is captured in this wonderful time capsule (Besides Twist plays drums on a lot so as long as his memory is half decent his stories must be amazing). Stewart Lee says it perfectly as Birmingham in the UKs motor City and seeing as the likes of Dave Kusworth and John Taylors inclusion also here (Duranies take note), sudden and his brother are no longer with us and the recent passing of Dave Kusworth this is a wonderful artifact that serious fans need to absorb and marvel at what the cold concrete of England’s second city had going on beneath the city lights I implore you to hear and read this most excellent offering. buy it!

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Author: Dom Daley