‘Drone Etiquette’ is the latest slice of power pop perfection from the Minnesota band The Persian Leaps, although the collective word “band” may be stretching it for this particular release, with all work being done this time by singer/guitarist Drew Forsberg alone.
I stumbled across this band by accident while searching for music to listen to in the throes of the pandemic. Their song ‘Lost Cause’ (from the album Smiling Lessons) appeared on a playlist in which my own band were also featured. There were really only two decent songs on it – ours and theirs. Actually, theirs wasn’t just decent, it was excellent, and I was instantly hooked. So, I emailed him and told him so.
For ‘Drone Etiquette’, what would usually be a collaborative effort has turned out to be a solitary development, for reasons outside of anyone’s control – it is actually written as a by-product to the last two restrictive, pandemic years. The songs are not about it exactly, but the one-man band nature of it reflects the frustration many of us have felt.
It’s certainly no less of a record for it, and as with the previous album, it’s a fine collection of sugary riffs and honey-soaked harmonies. As catchy as ever, this short album is undeniable power pop glory, delivered with a decisive punch. And it is frustration that has formed the basis of the record, which is no better expressed than in the opening song and single ‘When This Gets Out’. Here is a story about the horror of watching the now ex-president and ultra-capitalist Donald Trump get away with scandal after scandal, and hoping that surely the next one will be big enough to bring him down. Is there no scandal big enough these days?
Frustration and hopelessness are themes explored throughout, always accompanied by bright and sharp guitars and rhythms, culminating in the somewhat sarcastic ‘Keep Smiling’. The Soviet-style, propaganda-themed artwork is perhaps the perfect visual accompaniment to a record lamenting the factory line of enablers that will inevitably lead us all to a sorry end. So with that thought, go and listen to the new album ‘Drone Etiquette’, and just keep smiling.
A lot can happen in 10 years, I mean the fact that I’m sat here typing this review after having just done a Lateral Flow Test, largely to put my mind at rest, before going to a gig tomorrow night, would have sounded like it had been taken straight out of a work of fiction a decade ago. And I suppose if you’d told Exit_International frontman and bassist Scott Lee Andrews he’d soon be leaving his native Wales and be living in Australia just as the band were about to release their then debut album ‘Black Junk’ back in 2011, he’d probably have laughed you off the face of the planet.
One thing that time certainly cannot change though is the fact that Exit_International were totally unlike anyone else on the UK scene when they first emerged from the ashes of Midasuno and The Martini Henry Rifles just as the noughties entered the tenties (if such a term even exists).
I first encountered Exit_International in Cardiff’s (sadly) long lost Barfly venue supporting Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster and that night they totally blew my wig off. It wasn’t long before I was having ‘Sex W/ Strangers’ on a regular basis, reviewing the band live many times over for Uber Rock, and loving the fact that every encounter would deliver something new and give me something interesting to tell our readership. Be it the initial shock of watching a band without a guitarist (when everyone else seemed to be playing without a bassist), through to Scott, second bassist Fudge and drummer Adam playing in ill-fitting dresses one Halloween and showing way too much of their clackerbags every time they went full Steve Harris with the monitors. Or the fact that during two of the most memorable shows I saw them play, they not only played in the round but also on a totally makeshift backline and still managed to destroy all comers.
Exit_International always were about living in the moment (which I’m sure you will agree is kind of ironic given where they took their name from), so why am I so excited about owning a 10-year-old album once more, an album I had on the day of its initial release back on 17th September 2011? Well, perhaps it’s the fact it’s coming out on ultra-limited-edition coloured vinyl for the very first time, thanks to those wonderful people at Say Something Records? Or perhaps it’s the additional three bonus tracks (Japanese exclusives and B Sides from the era) that are tagged onto the tracklisting, oh and let’s not forget that Dave Draper has waved his sonic screwdriver over the original master tapes too. Thus, making this 10th Anniversary package a VERY attractive proposition indeed.
Pre-ordering the vinyl means you get an immediate download of the all-new 16 track version of ‘Black Junk 10’ as WAV files, so it’s that source from which this review is being based, but the first thing I had to do was go back to the original Carl Bevan (ex-60ft Dolls) produced CD, just to level the desk, so to speak.
The hi-hats that introduce the tenth anniversary version of ‘Glory Horn’ actually sound (to my ears at least) a little quieter than on the original expertly produced insanity, but as soon as the kick drum (literally) kicks in, the Dr Wooo tinkering becomes more than obvious, there’s certainly a much beefier aftertaste to ‘Sex W/ Strangers’ and the likes of ‘Sherman Fang’ and ‘Bowie’s Ghost’ sound so claustrophobic they could almost crack and break into the thousand disjointed pieces that make up the genius of Exit_International. Oh, and the bass sound midway through ‘Fang’ sounds like its Lemmy’s ghost Draper has been conjuring up on the ole studio Ouija soundboard, not Bowie’s.
I’ve always held the belief that a well thought out and executed remix can make an already established (and in this case excellent) album feel like a totally new record, and this has never been more applicable than with this reissue, as the re-touches, whilst subtle, are instantly effective, plus of course, with the three bonus tracks of ‘Lay To Waste’, ‘Black Junk’ and ‘Hex Lover’ being brought back into the fold, this means that without question this is now the definitive version of what was going on in the warped and fragile minds of Scott, Fudge and Adam a whole decade ago.
Look, in a world ravaged by division Exit_International, whilst musically always standing apart from much of the UK scene, were always about inclusion, they were the go-to place for (what society calls) the outcasts and the freaks to feel in control in a world they may have felt was way out of control, and sadly as is usually the case with such cult status bands, just as Exit_International looked like they might be breaking into the mainstream, largely via word of mouth, it was all over, and Scott was on a plane to Australia to start a new life.
Once Exit_International have touched your soul however, they never leave, and that’s why this 54 year old still connects with them, maybe even more so now than I did a decade ago, and its why the band themselves are already teasing a 2022 UK tour in support of this release. Don’t miss out on this VERY special band second time around because as Mrs. H just said “real class is timeless!”
HARDER, FASTER, BLACKER, JUNKER. ‘Black Junk 10’ is released on 17th September 2021, and you can own a copy by clicking Here
After 44 years of hearing only outtakes, remixes and mud … NOW IT REALLY SOUNDS LIKE A M.F.
FOUND IN AN ATTIC – a copy master of the original tape, without ‘mud’! This classic punk album, made in London by New York Dolls Johnny Thunders and Jerry Nolan’s new band the Heartbreakers, was always controversial – and not just for the acronym. Upon release on Track Records in 1977, it was universally condemned in the music press for having a ‘muddy mix’ – later found to be a mastering fault. When Track went bust the following year, manager Leee Black Childers managed to burgle the Track Records’ Carnaby Street office and liberated the tapes that belonged to him and the band – but he found everything except the master-tape.
Subsequent releases were remixed from the multi-tracks (‘Revisted’, 1984) or compiled from outtake mixes – the ‘lost ’77 mixes’ (1994) being the version most known since. A tweaked needle lift from vinyl for a ‘definitive’ box set removed a lot of the ‘mud’ but still didn’t achieve full clarity. Meanwhile, fans found that the 1977 cassette version didn’t have that infamous ‘mud’, nor did certain European vinyl matrixes.
Unexpectedly, in 2020 a chance meeting led Jungle to Daniel Secunda’s archives. Danny was an old-school music biz pioneer who became a Track Records director – and the Heartbreakers ‘L.A.M.F.’ co-producer. In amongst his archives stored in his attic were numerous tape boxes, including two with no artist name, marked: ‘Copy Master 12.7.77’. They turned out to be a crystal-clear ‘L.A.M.F.’, just as the band and producers intended it. Sadly, in August 2020 the Heartbreakers co-lead vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Walter passed away. He was the last of the Heartbreakers ‘L.A.M.F.’ line-up – Johnny Thunders died in 1991, Jerry Nolan in 1992, and Billy Rath in 2014. Walter’s punk memoir autobiography is published in paperback in June 2021, and his band The Waldos also get their album ‘Rent Party’ reissued on blue vinyl for Record Store Day’s RSD Drop2, followed by a CD reissue.
‘L.A.M.F. – the found ’77 masters’ was released on vinyl for Record Store Day 2021 RSD Drop2 on July 17 as a limited edition in transparent purple vinyl. It has an inner bag with new notes by Simon Wright, plus a 12″ poster of a Roberta Bayley cover outtake pic. A CD version will be released at the end of October.
An example: ‘It’s Not Enough’ – when choosing tracks for ‘the Lost mixes’ from the attempts at assorted studios, there were only two versions to choose from. One had vocals mixed far too high; the other very low. We went with the low vocals version – they almost fade away at one point. Now, we can hear the correctly balanced mix.
Tracks: Born To Lose, Baby Talk, All By Myself, I Wanna Be Loved, It’s Not Enough, Chinese Rocks, Get Off The Phone, Pirate Love, One Track Mind, I Love You, Goin’ Steady, Let Go, Can’t Keep My Eyes On You*, Do You Love Me*. Cat. no: TRACKLP77. *Includes two tracks originally released as single b-sides. Direct Metal Mastered from 24-bit transfers from analogue tape.
WHERE TO BUY? The vinyl has SOLD OUT so it’ll be difficult to find. Don’t pay stupid prices; there’ll be another pressing in summer 2022.
The CD edition – with a bonus disc of four demo sessions 1976-77 and a 32-page booklet in a hardback book – will be available to preorder our Direct Webstore around a month prior to the release date of November 5th 2021
Upon release in 1977, Johnny Thunders & the Heartbreakers’ L.A.M.F. had a mastering fault, widely condemned as a ‘muddy mix’. Track Records went bust and the master was lost – so subsequent releases were compiled from outtakes or re-mixes. Forty-four years later, the master has been found in the attic of producer Daniel Secunda, a crystal-clear 1977 ‘Copy Master’.
Now L.A.M.F. can at last be heard as the band and producers intended!
“Previously buried clarity enables the astounding live chemistry sparking between band-members to rear unfettered at full power … Nobody in love with this definitive NYC classic should hesitate to splash out” – Kris Needs, Classic Rock, 9/10 review.
First released as a much sought-after vinyl LP for RSD in July 2021, this CD version comes together with a bonus CD – ‘the L.A.M.F. demos, plus’; a 19-track collection of four demo sessions from 1976 – 77 and three tracks from Track singles. They are packaged in a hardcover 32-page book, with notes by Simon Wright and a 2012 interview with Walter Lure (the last of the LAMF Heartbreakers who sadly passed away in 2020), together with rarely-seen photos.
Right folks get on your blue suede shoes, slick back your hair and grease up your quiff as Brian Setzer is going to rock this town with his guitar twanging new album titled “Gotta have the rumble”.
The first cut is titled “Checkered Flag” and it draws the listener in with a killer groove and has Brian’s signature killer guitar playing all over it.
Next up we have “Smash up on highway one” and Brian is in fine voice and with a hypnotic guitar riff this song is a winner.
“Stack my money” and “The wrong side of the tracks” are pure quality and keep the album flowing along with instant foot tapping anthems.
“Drip Drop” is a slower paced number and has a doo wop feel to it with some stunning female backing vocals and is a truly stunning track.
Up next we have “The cat with 9 wives” and the pace is picked back up with Brian telling us the tale of his 9 wives now this would be too much for the average joe but the rock’n’roll legend that is Brian Setzer is more than cool enough to pull it off.
“Rockabilly Riot” is what it says on the tin. The song is filled with hooks that just don’t lodge in your brain; they smash you over the head and if your leg isn’t shaking along to the rhythm Elvis style then get your pulse checked as you might be dead.
“One bad habit” is another effortlessly cool track dripping with attitude and pure energy.
Closing out the album is the track “ Rockabilly Banjo” and what a way to finish this great album off with a killer chorus that immediately gets the listener singing along and yet again Brian is on top guitar slinger form.
Brian Setzer is a living legend who never fails to deliver quality tunes and “Gotta have the rumble” is an album that from start to finish is up there with his best work and will reward the listener with repeated spins.
Swansea Sound:a band that came into being during lockdown and decided that fast,loud, political indiepoppunk wasthe answer to being stuck indoors. Who needs introspection?
Hue Williams is reunited withPooh Sticks singing partner Amelia Fletcher (ex- Talulah Gosh, Heavenly).Rob Pursey (alsoex-Heavenly) and Ian Button (Wreckless Eric’s live collaborator) provide the noise.
Swansea Sound are the funny, angry, gleeful and savage past, present and future of indie. The band has played just one gig in real life – but there will be more in 2022.
On debut album ‘Live at the Rum Puncheon’, the opening track ‘Rock N Roll Void’catches you up on the past: a two-minute revision session to make sure you haven’t forgotten The Kinks, The Ramones, and the brief explosion of noise pollution that was C86 pop.
The second track‘I Sold My Soul on eBay’, also two minutes long, savages the corporate piracy of our digital present, where anyone can earnplenty of ‘likes’, but no-onegets paid any money.
Next,‘I’m OK When You’re Around’ is a love song to all the people Swansea Sound would like to meet in the future.People they’ve fallen in love with in digital chatrooms: new allies all over the world who are standing up to the digital giants and the shit-stirring racist trolls everyone’s forced to share the internet with.
Track 4: ‘The Pooh Sticks’.Hue pays tribute to his former self in an apparently sincere tribute to one of the great lost indie bands of the 90s. (No one else was going to do it.)We have all become our own archivists these days. We’ve all become our own covers bands...
This album whizzes by very quickly: you’re already near the end of Side One. Fourof the tracks have already been released as short-run singles on a variety of formats.‘Corporate Indie Band’ was cassette-only.‘I Sold My Soul on eBay’was a one-off lathe cut 7” single that got auctioned on eBay (with a £400 winning bid).‘Indies of the World’was a 7” single/cassette, which briefly hit the UK physical Top Ten chart, before selling out.
Most recently, ‘Swansea Sound’was released as a limited edition cassette/mini-CD on 1st September. This was the date, exactly one year ago when the much-treasured South Wales radio station, Swansea Sound, was re-branded by its new corporate owners and its old name became available. The song is a requiem for that lost radio station – a DJ describing his final day at work before his show is ‘rationalised’ –but it’s also a widerprotest about the culturally stultifying effect of corporatisation.
Some of the songs are reflexive – ‘Swansea Sound’ and ‘The Pooh Sticks’. Others are searching for hope – ‘Let It Happen’, ‘I’m OK When You’re Around’, ‘Pasadena’, ‘Angry Girl’. Whereas ‘Je Ne Sais Quoi’is pure pop throwaway fun. The othersongs are catchy too, they just happen to express sickness and a contempt for the state of things. ‘Corporate Indie Band’ is about agroup who have mortgaged their creativity to a major label and sold their identities to an online marketing team of public schoolboys. Freedom of Speechtakes a look at three contemporary ‘alternative’ music stars and considers how they’ve respondedto BLM, the pandemic and the rise of right-wing populism. ‘Like self-serving arseholes’, is the unfortunate answer. (You won’t struggle to work out who the three ‘alternative’stars are.) Backing vocals are provided by queer indie punk band The Crystal Furs (Portland, Oregon).
Swansea Sound took their name from a radio station, and they evenuse its abandoned logo. Something modern,acidic, and angry has taken up residence in a familiar, borrowed frame, just as it has in these indiepunk pop songs. You can throw yourself around to Swansea Sound like it’s 1986, but if you catch the lyrics you’ll remember you’re in 2021. Sorry about that.
The Rum Puncheon, a notorious pub in Swansea, closed down decades ago.
The sleeve is designed by Catrin Saran James. Amelia, Roband Ian also perform in The Catenary Wires.
ANNOUNCE ‘WORLDSERVICE@35’ UK TOUR
FOR LATE 2021TICKETS HERE
Rocking the music scene for over three decades, SPEAR OF DESTINY are not stopping. Today, they announce their ‘Worldservice@35’ tour, following their acclaimed lockdown album released last year. TICKETS HEREHard to believe we know but it is true, Kirk Brandon has now been leading SPEAR OF DESTINY for over 38 years.
Spear of Destiny were formed in 1983 after the demise of Kirk Brandon’s post punk iconic rockers THEATRE OF HATE. (Brandon had also, before TOH, been the main man in every punk rockers favourite band of that era The Pack)
The current line up of Spear is the longest serving to date and features Adrian Portas (New Model Army / Sex Gang Children), Craig Adams (Sisters of Mercy / The Cult / The Mission) and Phil Martini (Jim Jones and the Righteous Mind) on drums. During 2019 the line up was boasted by Saxophonist Clive Osborne who will be staying in the line up for 2021.
On April 6th 2018 SPEAR OF DESTINY released their 14th studio album “Tontine” The album was been fully funded from a private fan pre-sale. The album is officially released for Brandon’s own Eastersnow Recording Company label imprint and is available on CD, Vinyl and Download across Europe. US label Cleopatra Records will be handling the North American release.
Just before the lockdown of 2020/1 the band went into the studio and re-recorded perhaps their best known album, 1985’s WorldService. Eventually releasing the album to much critical acclaim in November 2020. The upcoming ‘WorldService @35’ UK Tour set will feature the album + b-sides in full and the show will be finished with a career spanning extended SOD encore.
WORLDSERVICE@35 TOUR DATES:
September
Wed 8th NORWICH Waterfront
Thur 9th NEWCASTLE The Cluny
Fri 10th DUNFERMLINE PJ Malloys
Sat 11th GLASGOW Oran Mor
Sun 12th NOTTINGHAM Rescue Rooms
Wed 15th EXETER Phoenix
Thur 16th BIRMINGHAM Hare & Hounds
Fri 17th BEDFORD Esquires
Sat 18th STOKE Underground
Sun 19th YORK The Cresent
Tue 21st LEEDS Brudenell Social
Wed 22nd DARWEN Library Theatre
Thur 23rd SOUTHEND The Venue @The Cricketers
Fri 24th LUTON Hat Factory
Sat 25th HULL The Welly
Sun 26th SOUTHAMPTON Joiners
Tues 28th BRISTOL The Fleece
Wed 29th GRIMSBY Yardbirds
Thur 30th MANCHESTER Club Academy
October
Fri 1st LONDON 229 THE CLUB
Sat 2nd LEICESTER The Musician
Sun 3rd SKEGNESS GB Alt Fest
Sat 9th WOLVERHAMPTON WW-XVIII @ KK’s Steelmill
Sun 10th WOLVERHAMPTON WW-XVIII @ KK’s Steelmill
“It’s been a long time since I rock and rolled,” as some wise sage once sang.
It’s been way too long in fact, however, over the months of no gigs, I got this thing in my head that I really wanted my return to watching live music to be something special. What about Brighton upstart ska punks The Bar Stool Preachers playing a mini-festival at a rugby club literally a few miles from my front door then? The fact that The Bar Stool Preachers were also the last band I saw live before lockdown really did bring the whole thing full circle, but it was the “how the hell are they playing there?” part of this proposition that really hooked me in. So, tickets were duly purchased (£8 for four bands…Bargoed) and I sat around counting down the days until I could once enjoy that familiar ringing in my ears (which I must admit is the part of gig going I really had not missed).
In the hours leading up to Flemfest (the only slight disappointment of the night proving to be that the superbly named mini-festival had not derived its moniker from any punk rock notoriety but actually a local chap whose birthday it was nicknamed Flem), it became clear that; 1) it was going to be held outside, 2) that the bill had been reduced to three bands with Sister Yellow pulling out, and 3) it was a sold out show. That special twist I wanted from my first gig just got even more special as watching any band outdoors in the rain in the summer can be a tough ask here in the UK, but in September it would test even the hardest gig goer…perhaps the Sisters had some inside information on the weekend forecast?
Thankfully the weather turns out to be brilliant on the day of the gig and as I walk down Tram Road on the outskirts of Blackwood, the general bustle of people, the strong smell of street food vans and other festival-y substances, plus the throb of live music gives me goosebumps, but the first thing that really hits me as I enter the site is just how an impressive a set up Pontllanfraith Rugby Club have going on here. The stage and sound are so far removed from the back of a truck type of events I’d grown up knowing and it’s like someone has brought Red Rocks to a south Wales valleys town, there’s even a wall running out from the centre of the stage acting like a crowd control barrier for some mini version of Download Festival. I bet I know someone who will be making use of that as the night progresses.
To the music then, and whilst I missed the start of Pigeon Wigs set, what I did catch was mightily impressive. The band having recently played at the nearby Green Man festival exude a kind of quirky pop/rock charm that has me thinking Dexy’s Midnight Runners one minute and The Lemon Twigs the next. They are most certainly a world away from my old days of gig going in Blackwood when most Welsh bands I encountered wanted to be The Alarm. Pigeon Wigs are most certainly a name to look out for, and just like Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard before them they could very soon have the power pop world at their feet.
Dactyl Terra are a band I’ve seen before, supporting Pulled Apart By Horses in Le Pub in Newport, although the band have changed a lot since I last saw them live. Granted they still play the same brand of space rock as they did back in 2019, but adding an extra band member means their sound has also added an extra jammed out dimension, so for a majority of the people over 50 in attendance who remember the rock years of Reading Festival Dactyl Terra are the near-perfect early evening festival band.
As the clock hits 9:30 the sun has completely disappeared from the night sky and through the minimalist stage lighting I can just about make out the silhouettes of another band making their way onto the stage, it becomes apparent it’s The Bar Stool Preachers when a fully skanking line check erupts from the venue’s excellent sound system, and before I can even catch a breath, we are off double quick time into a eighteen – yup that’s EIGHTEEN song headline set via ‘One Fool Down’. TJ and the lads obviously delighted to be playing live once again then rip through the likes of ‘Trickledown’ and ‘Looking Lost’, before new track (written about the state of the homeless situation here in the UK) ‘Two Dog Night’ gets let loose and proceeds to tear everyone a new one.
There’s a lot of angry bite in the 2021 version of The Bar Stool Preachers and the addition of Karl Smith (ex-Jaya The Cat) on guitar means the likes of ‘Start New’, ‘DLTDHYOTWO’ and ‘Raced Through Berlin’ all pack a beefier chug than ever before. That’s not to say that any of the old skank appeal is lost though.
Of the other new songs previously aired pre-lockdown there’s sadly no ‘Late Night Transmission’ tonight, but ‘State Of Emergency’ sounds imperious, and the previously Strokes-like genius of ‘Heart Attack’ has now morphed into an almost totally different piece of music called ‘Flatlined’. Likewise, ‘Love The Love’ has taken a similar brave songwriting curve that had some us singing ‘Lonely This Christmas’ over the doo-wop intro.
Closing things out with ‘8.6 Days (All The Broken Hearts)’ TJ finally slips into full rock star mode, daring to negotiate the stage divide wall to deliver the song’s unforgettable chorus and thus ensuring that everyone leaves with a mandatory Cheshire Cat grin. That’s before the lads return for a much-deserved encore of the prophetic ‘When The World Ends’ and the always uproarious ‘Bar Stool Preacher’, and just like that, my first gig in eighteen months is over. What a great gig it was too, with The Bar Stool Preachers coming away from it like all conquering heroes and making many new fans along the way.
Make sure you check them out on the rest of their dates this September and on their full UK tour this December, because The Bar Stool Preachers are no longer just very strong contenders but in fact world champions in waiting. GET ON IT!!!!!
Feeder announce new album ‘Torpedo’, along with its title track. ‘Torpedo’ is due for release on March 18th via Big Teeth Music. you can Listen to “Torpedo” here.
The celebrated, multi-platinum-selling, rock band Feeder have hit a resurgent run of three consecutive UK Top 10 albums with 2016’s All Bright Electric, the 2017 Best Of, and 2019’s Tallulah. Looking ahead to 2022, it is with some momentum that the band will release new album Torpedo into the world.
Momentum has been something in short supply for many artists over the last 18 months. For Feeder, the ensuing numbness of early-stage lockdowns inevitably led to an uncharacteristically uninspired period for the band and songwriter Grant Nicholas. Feeder, however, have always been masters of marrying the light and the dark – illuminating the shadowy corners of their world to uncover something poignant and uplifting – meaning it was not long before conditions became a perfect storm for inspiration’s lightning to strike, and two albums’ worth of music materialised.
New track “Torpedo” arrives in a flurry of heavy and direct guitars, which are soon joined by an out-of-nowhere chorus delivered in glorious technicolour. It takes its power from hope and optimism, Nicholas’ vocals breaking through the heaviness like a streak of sunlight cracking through a leaden sky. It is a song about bringing your world back into focus again, as he elaborates below.
“After the frustration of not being able to perform live I really wanted to come back with a bang and a classic heavier but melodic Feeder song. All the emotion and frustration just caused a creative wave. Dynamically and musically Torpedo felt like the obvious choice for us to drop first. The chorus has a thread of positivity that brings light to the darker verses.
We are really looking forward to going out on the road again and playing the new album material. This will be the heaviest Feeder set we’ve played in a while so can’t wait. We may revisit some heavier old school Feeder classics also and touch on some Renegades and All Bright electric stuff.”
Torpedo will be available on digital, CD and vinyl. Pre-order here.
Listen to “Torpedo” on DSPs here and watch the lyric video below.
Torpedo tour 2022
April
23 Bexhill, De La Warr Pavilion
24 Oxford, Academy
26 Southampton, Guildhall
27 Bristol, Academy
29 Manchester, Academy
30 Glasgow, Barrowlands
May
02 Newcastle, University
03 Nottingham, Rock City
05 Birmingham, Institute
06 London, Brixton Academy
The Boys released their new three-track EP/Single “I’m A Believer” on Friday (3 September), the band’s first new single for almost 20 years. Available as a Special Limited Edition Digipak CD it sold out immediately on release. A Limited Edition vinyl release of the single is currently being planned.
The EP/Single comprises:
1. I’m A Believer – New 2021 Single Version
(Steel/Dangerfield/Plain)
2. She’s The Reason – From the album “Punk Rock Menopause
(Steel/Dangerfield/Plain)
3. (There Ain’t No) Just One Beer – Previously Unreleased
(Steel/Dangerfield/Plain)
It is available now on all digital and streaming platforms. Download and stream – Spotify / Apple Music
Well, what’s the old saying “you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone”. For this reviewer that’s certainly been the case as due to the pandemic it’s been 18 months without live music and to say I’ve missed it would be a huge understatement.
So what better way to get back in the saddle than a live concert by the mighty Wildhearts.
The lads come on stage to a huge applause and BOOM it’s the sound I’ve been missing for so long, Ritch’s room shaking drums, Danny’s thunderous bass and the sonic assault of guitars that only Ginger and CJ can muster.
The band start as they mean to go on with a stunning rendition of ‘Diagnosis’ that has the band and audience coming together beautifully, all of us singing “you are not your diagnosis” as one.
Up next we have “Vanilla radio” followed by “Sick of drugs” and what a glorious racket we are being treated to.
Today is also a great day as The Wildhearts cracking new album ’21st-century love songs’ has been released and we get a rip-roaring version of new song ‘Remember These Days’ which if that isn’t special enough the guys manage to squeeze in an old favourite in the shape of the epic ‘splattermania’ in the middle breakdown before returning to finish the above-mentioned song, breathtaking.
It is physically impossible not to jump around to ‘Caffeine Bomb’ and then there is no rest as then the band launch into ‘The Revolution Will Be Televised’ at breakneck speed. ‘Dislocated’ was up next off ‘Renaissance Men’ which finds Ginger in great voice to be fair. Next the band aired another track off the new album in the shape of ‘Splitter’ and wow, what a riff! I knew it was going to be loud, brash and in your face punk’n roll. But this takes no prisoners, what a gem of a song this is going to be and a live favourite.
‘Let ‘Em Go’ is dedicated to people we can all let go of in our lives a sentiment not lost on people I’m sure and ‘Mazel Tov Cocktail’ they’re both numbers with huge choruses and are sung along to by tonight’s enthusiastic audience.
Old fan favourite ‘Caprice’ is next and sounds huge with its colossal riffs echoing around the Tramshed which is turning into a bit of a theme tonight the band keep rolling out those big riff guns. Is it really that time? The band walk off the stage before returning for the encore as ‘Inglorious’ with its many twists and turns is ushered in.
Time for a ‘Suckerpunch’ which has the audience again going for it before sadly it’s time for the swan song of the night, the classic ‘I Wanna Go Where The People Go’ brings this splendid evening to a close.
As a first concert back I couldn’t have asked for a better performance from such a great band. It was truly a magical night of loud music and great entertainment. All that is left to say is do yourselves a favour go and see the beast that is The Wildhearts live.
If the last 18 months has taught us anything it’s that you never know what is around the corner so please support live music.
‘Drone Etiquette’ is the latest slice of power pop perfection from the Minnesota band The Persian Leaps, although the collective word “band” may be stretching it for this particular release, with all work being done this time by singer/guitarist Drew Forsberg alone.
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