Swiss garage-psyche rockers The Jackets are back with their fifth album, ‘Intuition’.
Recorded by another garage legend, Jim Diamond, here are ten new songs of the quality you’d expect from all those involved.
‘Crossing Streets’ is a groovy, slightly sinister tune. It even reminds me of The Banshees in places, a pleasant surprise. ‘Ours Forever’ gives The Fuzztones a run for their money, you’ll be throwing some dubious dance moves to this one, resistance is useless.
‘Gambling Town’ is like the soundtrack to a long lost 60s beat flick, shimmering fuzz and a tune to match. Their songwriting has upped a gear throughout. ‘Coco Loco’ has an insistent bass line that should fill the dance floors of sweaty clubs. ‘Can’t Take It Back’ strips things back a little, but is no less infectious, while ‘Lies’ shows how powerful a primal riff can still be, when handled properly. Once again, this isn’t easy to do; it’s been done a million times before, keeping it fresh is always a challenge.
‘Intuition’ has the beat that will be familiar these days to listeners of The Courettes, who are currently taking a different direction, while The Jackets are refining their garage roots. Plenty of room for both, and I love both bands.
‘One Step Ahead’, while remaining garage rock, reminds me of Graham Coxon’s best solo moments.
‘Masterplan’ comes on like ‘Radar Love’, before letting rip in their customary style. The Jackets have produced their best album to date, so, if this is your thing (and it should be), it will be one of your favourites this year.
The release of the star-studded tribute album ‘Silver Patron Saints : The Songs Of Jesse Malin’ on 20th September was accompanied by tickets going on sale for a special benefit concert in London at Islington Assembly Hall on 1st May 2025. With that show selling out almost immediately, an additional date has been announced for the following evening at The Garage venue close by, with tickets available from 11am on 4th October HERE. Both shows will feature a variety of guests.
“I have a really special connection to London, as it was the first place that truly embraced me when my first album came out and it is always very meaningful to play there,” says Malin. “I am blown away by the response to the first show, so we decided to add a second night. It will be a bit difficult to get there and get around this time, but I miss London so am excited to play two shows in May. I am also very grateful for all the support through the years.”
The New York City-based rock singer-songwriter suffered a rare spinal stroke in May 2023 that left him paralysed from the waist down. Both a tribute and benefit album, ‘Silver Patron Saints: The Songs Of Jesse Malin’ contains 27 choice cover versions of songs written by Malin from across his career, with all proceeds from it going to his Sweet Relief Musicians Fund and helping pay for his ongoing rehabilitation.
Formed in the mid ‘80s in London, the Quireboys quickly established themselves on the thriving rock’n’roll scene of Soho, Camden and beyond. Always a great live band, they perfected their style and sold out the legendary Marquee Club and many other venues around the country, long before they made their first record.
When Parlophone/EMI Records released their debut album ‘A Bit Of What You Fancy’ on January 29th 1990 it went on to climb to the dizzy heights of number 2 on the UK National chart. The album featured many of the songs they had been performing live for some time. ‘A Bit Of What You Fancy’ is revered to this day. The second album ‘Bitter, Sweet And Twisted’ followed in 1993, after which the band entered a hiatus.
Now in 2024, the Quireboys the band have come full circle with their highly anticipated new album ‘Wardour Street’ and original members Spike, Nigel, Chris and Rudy (augmented by old friend and multi-instrumentalist Willie Dowling) have kept true to their promise of making new Quireboys music after the sad passing of their best mate Guy Bailey.
Stepping in on guitar is another of their oldest friends, the legendary Luke Morley from Thunder. Luke also produced the album.
The album consists of 11 new original songs that hark back to that famous Quireboys rock’n’roll sound. The album features the singles ‘Jeeze Louise’, ‘Raining Whiskey’ featuring Frankie Miller and the brand new single ‘I Think I Got It Wrong Again’, which is set for release on September 27th.
“The new single ‘I Think I Got It Wrong Again’ is Quireboys at their very best with our classic backing vocals, rock ‘n roll guitar and honky tonk piano. Just wait for it to kick in!” says singer Spike.
This is indeed timeless Quireboys getting back to their sing-along, rock ‘n roll best.
A message from Spike; “To our friends and fans, old and new, thanks for your amazing support. See you on tour and at the bar in a town near you!”
‘Wardour Street’ will be released October 11th via Cadiz Music. Pre-order HERE:
With this being my second time in this magnificent city in the last eighteen months and my second time in club Razzmatazz and by coincidence my second time seeing The Mission here anyone would have thought I’d planned it.
As part of this year’s D-Tour tour, the club is less crowded than last time (thankfully I might add today it was 29 degrees and we all know Wayne isn’t keen on AC) but maybe Barcelona playing at home and kicking off roughly the same time has something to do with that as well as two other bands headlining different rooms in this complex on a Wednesday night always warms my heart but can be a bit chaotic. The last few years have turned up some pretty amazing Mission performances post Simon, Wayne, Craig and Alex being The Mission. I think the first I saw was a warm-up in Cardiff which set the bar pretty high and then they just got better and better. Hoping tonight will be another in this glorious run. There are songs I wish they’d still have in the set from the first time I saw them when they played the New Ocean Club in Cardiff right up to the post covid reset but regardless of what’s in the setlist, I’m always a happy chappy when I see them.
Taking the stage and kicking off with a full on ‘Wastelands’ is a majestic thing and one of those goosebumps moments for me and looking back I’m so lucky to still feel like that all these decades after that first time. As the ticker tape fills the air it’s an opening salvo of ‘Wasteland’, ‘Beyond The Pale’ and ‘Into The Blue’, the band sounds tight and right on it despite Wayne on the tea and full of cold, the venue is cooking and the crowd is in fine voice. The band peeling back the years, Alex has given them a most welcome injection of power and a finesse on the lighter moments as well as kicking their collective backsides when needed.
We we treated to a new song that was really well received, ‘Kindness Is A Weapon’ which is hopefully the sign of a new record for the not-to-distant future. They weave their magic as ‘Raisin Cain’, ‘Dance On Glass’ and ‘Hungry as the Hunter’ touch with the early albums but the atmosphere is once again raising the bar and my decision to once again return to Catalonia to see The Mission looks like being a fantastic choice.
Tonight’s main set is drawn to a close with ‘Afterglow’, ‘Kingdom Come’ and a brilliant ‘Deliverance’. Tonight’s set flew by as the band eased through the gears sounding like a well oiled machine and looking like they were having the best of times as well and enjoying tonights crowd interaction.
We reached the encore beginning with ‘Wake’ followed by the Neil Young cover ‘Like A Hurricane’ which was stonking and a song I always forget how well the band deliver it. I always thought it was one of the best covers they did along with ‘Dancing Barefoot’ especially from the early days the encore was brought to an end with the brooding ‘Swan Song’ that enabled everyone to get even more energy into themselves for the inevitable second encore.
With just enough time for a much-deserved second encore, it’s ‘Butterfly On A Wheel’ and the audience was bloody loud before they threw in a very impressive ‘Never Let Me Down Again’ from the Depeche Mode songbook and Wayne declaring that we weren’t expecting that, well, he was right but it sounded superb. The curtain was finally brought down with a memorable and powerful ‘Tower Of Strength’ complete with Craig giving the security a piece of his mind when they intervened with the human tower, Thankfully it was all sorted and didn’t sour the evening and we all left with shit eating grins having witnessed another unbelievably good Mission performance Did I mention it was a balmy night outside with almost thirty-degree temperatures God knows how hot it was in Razzmataz but I do know I’d like to do this again next year please if that’s ok seeing as the UK weather is so…Well, shit this made a great break and a new tour and album would be just the medicine, Gods Own Medicine if you like. Gracias amegos same time same place next year if you please.
A band I first became aware of when I worked in London in the ’90s I heard a single that mixed up some abrasive flavours full of easter rhythms and much heavier Western rock, these East London upstarts were making music on their own terms and were forging a brave and interesting path all of their own and with lyrics that made you take notice of what they had to say. The last I heard was via their ‘Tank’ album and they were still kicking up a Shit storm being unpredictable and powerful.
Fast forward a couple of decades and once again they appear on my radar and to be fair they’ve lost none of the youthful energy perhaps stinging it with a more mature and measured accents. They’ve most notably roped in some big hitters here to help achieve a wide-ranging melting pot of alternative music most notably Iggy for a full-on take of ‘No Fun’, this isn’t the only helping hand but for me, it’s the most enjoyable but not the most diverse. That goes to Stewart Lee whose spoken words get chopped for yet more heavy content, Sinéad O’Connor singing on ‘1000 Mirrors’ its a heavy dub tinged with a sense of sadness but played with volume its a powerful tune.
You also get Radiohead, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Primal Scream playing with your senses, and Chuck D and his public enemy chop shop of ‘Black Steel’, a tune I’ve not played for a while. Although it might not hit as hard as the original, it’s still an awesome version.
It all fits perfectly well in true ADF style not playing by anyone else’s rules besides their own, decades on they’re still going strong and mixing it up into the 21st century. Sure there are artists outside my comfort zone and who I’ve never heard of contributing but that’s the beauty of records like this from one track to the next you won’t have a clue and if a song doesn’t float your boat the next will.
Expand your mind and dive into some alternative, subversive mash-ups musically, but remember to always play ADF loud. You have been warned.
Hands up who’s ever seen Terrorvision do a bad show? Didn’t think so, but can anyone tell me the last time they gave less than 100% live? I’m waiting….
Bradford’s finest export are the only band I’ve seen share a stage with The Wildhearts and come off the better band on the night, and I’m a big Wildhearts fan. Well, the Brit Rock survivors are back with their first album in a decade, it’s called ‘We Are Not Robots’, and it’s a bit of a banger. The band are rolling into Leeds for a (sort of) hometown show in celebration. Did I fancy it? Well, it’s certainly worth braving the shitty Leeds traffic on a damp and dreary Tuesday evening that’s for sure.
I’ve never been to Project House before. Run by the guys of The Brudenell apparently, it’s a bigger venue to cater for bigger bands, I guess. A 1000-capacity venue that has the feel of a warehouse gig. It’s spacious and has a cool vibe, perfect for RPM faves The Bar Stool Preachers to warm things up. Opening with a killer one-two of ‘Call Me On The Way Home’ and ‘All Turned Blue’ from last year’s ‘Above The Static’ album is a masterstroke, and frontman Tom McFaul has the Terrorvision crowd eating out of the palm of his hand from the off. The whole band are energetic from the first note until the last chord rings out. Tim especially, makes full use of the stage space and gets the crowd involved as much as possible. The room is pretty full by the time they hit ‘Flatlined’, and getting the crowd to chant the “woah woah” refrain is the perfect way to win over those who are not yet converted.
An exceptional live band flying the flag high and defiantly for British live rock music, proving that there is more to live music in the UK than Oasis and Coldplay stadium shows.
The last time I saw these two bands together was at Bradford St George’s Hall last year. That night I was in the rafters, tonight I’m four rows deep from the front of the stage. For me it makes such a difference to the feel of a gig. To be ‘in it’, to see the smiles on the band’s faces as they play, to see the sweat drip from their skin and just witness how they interact with each other on stage, this is my happy place.
Terrorvision have a strong greatest hits set that flows into double figures and they play them all and more tonight. As guitarist Mark Yates plays that opening riff to ‘Discotheque Wreck’ the place prepares to erupt, and erupt we do. Frontman Tony Wright, is all over the stage like a ball of energy, to his left bassist Leigh Marklew sports sportwear & shades and gurns like a loon for the entire set, to his right the effortlessly cool Mark flexes his tattooed and toned frame as he pulls all the cool guitar hero poses. With the addition of Milly Evans on keys, Chris Bussey on drums and a 2-piece horn section, the band are now bolstered to a 7-piece. Last time out they were all dressed in pink and black, tonight the theme is powder blue and white to match the album art.
Talking of the new album, there are new songs to be played, and punked-up single ‘The Night That Lemmy Died’ is next up, while a bit of a departure for the band it fits nicely and goes down well, not as well as the following ‘Alice. What’s The Matter?’ though, which sounds phenomenal. They then take us right back in time with ‘My House’, to great cheers. I remember first hearing this song in a club in Swansea when it was released, not knowing who the band was, and it always takes me back to that night when I hear it, that’s the power of music folks! Four high energy songs in, and Tony is sweating like a smackhead with a giro, you wonder whether he’ll make it through the set, but the boys only getting started.
You would be forgiven if you forgot how good ‘Still The Rhythm’ and ‘New Policy One’ are, or how ‘Josephine’, with its killer spaghetti western riff shoulda been the big hit off of ‘Shaving Peaches’, but the Terrorvision massive haven’t and show their appreciation in spades.
Newbies ‘Baby Blue’ and ‘You Gotta Want To Be Happy’ prove the band still have a knack for penning a catchy tune or two and they stand up well against the likes of ‘Middleman’, ‘Perserverance’ and ‘Celebrity Hit List’ tonight.
Set closer ‘Pretend Best Friend’ has the trumpets to the fore, the guitars to 11 and the energy levels off the scale, the band then return for a one song encore. It’s here where I’m thinking wtf haven’t they played? They’ve surely played all their aces, but then that iconic “doo-wop” refrain leads us into rock n’ roll ‘Oblivion ‘one more time, and those who feel they haven’t quite sweated enough get to do it one more time before the band bid farewell to Carly Simon’s ‘Nobody Does It Better’. And that is quite a fitting exit.
‘SUBLIME DESTRUCTION’ IS OUT NOW VIA CADIZ MUSIC – ORDER THE ALBUM HERE:
“A level of skilled musicianship far exceeding the Fisher-Price punk of your average contemporary outfits.”Classic Rock 8/10
“Furious punk-infused rock ‘n’ roll with huge choruses. 12 tracks that prove the sulphate spirit never dies.” Daily Mirror Newspaper
Fresh from a UK tour with Australian punk legends the Cosmic Pyschos, and two sold out shows in Finland, New Zealand/London punk ‘n’ rollers Desperate Measures are primed to release a fifth single from their acclaimed ‘Sublime Destruction’ album, released via Cadiz Music earlier this year.
Titled ‘Untouchable’, the song finds Desperate Measures easing their feet a little off the accelerator pedals for a track that loses none of its intensity, despite its slower pace.
“‘Untouchable’ is a bit different for us. It was the last song we wrote for the album, and I guess it has shades of the Psychedelic Furs or Lords Of The New Church about it. Basically, it’s a ballsy, dark love song,” says singer Eugene.
Desperate Measures are busy working on new material for an EP release later this year and will be ripping up stages up and down the country for the rest of 2024. Look out!
I think it was a certain Ginger Wildheart who first bought The Lemon Twigs to my attention, and it was not long before their 3rd studio album ‘Songs For The General Public’ was in my hands and on my turntable. There’s been two more studio albums since then and the Long Island power pop band, led by brothers Michael and Brian D’Addario have been top of my “bands I wanna see live” list for quite some time.
On the road promoting their latest long player ‘A Dream Is All We Know’, tickets were purchased the minute I spied a Leeds date at my favourite venue.
The Brudenell date has been long sold out, and it is already busy as the unpronounceable Tchotchke take to the stage. A 3 piece, all girl band with a drummer who happens to be the lead singer. With their 3-part harmonies, pop sensibilities and cool song dynamics they fit the bill like a glove. I’m sold after just a couple of tunes to be honest.
Thye have one album out, it happens to be produced by the D’Addario brothers and their melancholy and dreamy pop music comes across like a mix of The Shangri-Las meets Sleeper. Yep, 60’s girl group meets Brit Pop, its all jangly guitars, lush vocals and laid-back melodies that stick in your brain.
I don’t know any of their songs but I’ll tell you one thing, I don’t think a support band has ever left such an impression on me before. Their album has got to be my next purchase.
I’ve been looking forward to seeing The Lemon Twigs for what seems like an age. They open with ‘Golden Years’ and it’s all jangly guitars, lush vocals and smiles from the off. With skinny t shirts, perfect hair and even more perfect harmonies, the D’Addario brothers are on it from the word go. Leaning heavily on the latest album and its predecessor ‘Everything Harmony’, it’s pretty much a dream set with a few obscure covers thrown in for good measure. The first highlight follows a version of ‘Transparent Day’ by The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band. My two favourite tunes from the new album are played together: ‘Church Bells’ is a glorious power pop ode that could’ve been penned by McCartney in the early 70’s, and the following ‘If You And I Are Not Wise’ sounds more like the Byrds than anything in recent history. Emotive, transcendent and fulfilling, I could go home happy right now, but there’s more to come.
The boys switch instruments throughout the set and take lead vocals on the songs they have written. ‘I Wanna Prove To You’ is another highlight, with Brian playing bass and Michael bashing the kit like Keith Moon, drummer Reza Matin takes on guitar duties and bassist Danny Ayala plays keyboards. It just goes a long way to show what accomplished musicians this whole band are.
The atmosphere is electric in the room tonight as we witness magic on the stage. ‘They Don’t Know How To Fall In Place’ is killer and ‘Peppermint Roses’ is a new album favourite that is just as good live. The main set ends with the Beach Boys-esque ‘How Can I Love Her More’ before Brian returns with just an acoustic guitar to play 3 songs solo. His beautiful rendition of ‘Corner Of My Eye’ captivates the whole room, did I actually hear a pin drop? New song ‘Joy’ gets an airing, and ‘When Winter Comes Around’ is as emotive and possibly even more beautiful than the album version.
The full band return for a run through of The Beach Boys ‘You’re So Good To Me’ before ending on a high with a rocker. ‘Rock On Over and Over’ is as 70’s glam rock as you can get, T Rex meets Elton John for the win! What a finale.
I knew The Lemon Twigs were going to be good, but I wasn’t expecting them to be this good. The combination of perfectly executed pop songs delivered with an energetic performance, mixed with great sound and lights, by a band who are tight and look like they are really enjoying themselves. The benchmark gig of the year by far.
Six years since their previous album, The Peawees are back with 11 corking new tunes of power pop goodness. Admittedly, I am more familiar with guitarist Dario Persi’s band, Radio Days, and while there are similarities between the two groups, Radio Days are a blast of sunshine while The Peawees sometimes have a darker edge to their melodies. That said, both bands have a pile of strong songs, proving once again that Italian bands currently have the upper hand, with the exception of The Speedways.
From ‘Banana Tree’ onwards, there are tunes to get you grooving, nodding or punching the air. This is a slinky number for the dance floor, as is first single ‘The Wolf’ (see video). ‘Drive’ is a radio friendly anthem, once heard, never forgotten. Simple, but very effective. And that’s what The Peawees specialise in; like Radio Days, they make familiar melodies sound fresh and exciting. ‘Plastic Bullets’ adds keyboards and a “woah, woah” refrain. It’s here that they sound most like The Speedways, as high a compliment as I can give. Two minutes fly by, and you’ll be playing it again.
‘Lost In The Middle’ has that hint of menace that John Reis does so well, currently my favourite track. ‘She Cries As She Kills’ is another slice of power pop, complete with handclaps. The production is excellent throughout, the guitars have just the right amount of crunch, without overshadowing the vocals. ‘Who’s The Enemy’ will get you swinging your pants, with a Beatlesque chord sequence. It’s infectious stuff. What can I add? The title track shares some DNA with Radio Days, no bad thing, obviously. With this album, they’re two of my favourite bands. Speaking of which, ‘You’ll Never Be Mine Again’ sees the band duetting with The Detroit Cobras. While the inimitable Rachel is sorely missed, fair play, it’s a beautiful song. If the above mentioned bands are your thing, you really need this album in your life.
Lo-Fi Garage rock baby! The Shitdels started as Jordan Wayne’s bedroom project with his wife, Katelyn, shortly after they moved to Nashville from Memphis in 2015. A handful of the songs were leftover from Wayne’s Memphis garage/psych band The Blackberries (aka Whoa, Blackberries or just Blackberries) and the rest were kind of written/recorded in that vein. It’s fuzzy and the vocals sound like they were recorded in a bucket using a pair of headphones for a mic but that aside it’s a whole heap of fuzzy fun and songs like the swinging groovy ‘Hold On’ have a tonne of charm and the melodies are infectious.
It’s authentic and has the ingredients such as the honking Farfisa Organ adding layers to the already chaotic sound but in a Fuzztones kinda way it all adds to the charm of what they’re trying to achieve.
The record isn’t going to overtax your brain because the average song length is about two minutes and the pace and tempo goes from swinging to groovy baby in the eblink of an eye its psychedelic and fuzzy and the backbeat are grooving all over the place. the Lo-Fi production creates a feeling of claustrophobia and chaos but the melodies are often sooo pop like ‘Electric Cars’ its a punk rock Devo on acid.
‘All I Wanted Was You’ sounds like it’s hanging on by a thread but has a tonne of charm. it sounds like they left the faders open for a bunch of mics that weren’t being used but thought fuck it it adds warmth. The record is gone in the blink of an eye and the band works best on the faster buzz saw tracks such as the title track that races with an insanely hypnotic melody.
To be fair it’s a real good album and when played loudly its a real buzz and you can get into the sound and feel of the record it is raw as fuck and that is part of the appeal and charm. Get involved in some real authentic garage fuzz rock and on that note add The Shitdels to the top of your list.
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