Senser – ‘Sonic Dissidence’ (Imprint Music)

Senser – ‘Sonic Dissidence’ (Imprint Music)

It’s been twelve years since they dished up ‘To The Capsule’, fifteen years since ‘How To Do Battle’ and thirty-plus years since they stormed to providence with ‘Stacked Up’. Tough times call for bands like Senser to rise from the ashes and start lobbing musical Molotov cocktails. Mixing their trip hop, hip hop with metal and a whole heap of experimental rhythms and easter delights oh and a social conscience.

Senser should stay in the annals of history if they can’t walk the walk and talk the talk, and with ‘Sonic Dissidence’, it’s fair to say they still have the fever and that fire in the belly; otherwise, what’s the point? Kicking off the new album with the grunt of ‘Ryot Pump’, it’s a headfuck of noise from the guitars groovin’ away like they’re primed from the depths of Hell married with some superb rhythmic drumming like Jane’s Addiction used to do, and the vocal attack of Haitham and Kerstin is exactly what you want to hear from Senser in 2025.

Without a pause for breath, ‘Optimus’ is like a tank ploughing through buildings on the prowl. With tweeks and scratches, walking you through the side step. The hypnotic chorus is a real earworm.

I’d say ‘Old World’ is a slice of classic-sounding Senser with a brutal riff weaving around the dual vocals as Haytham raps and Kirsten sings her lush melody to the chorus. In a weird way, I always find Senser records dark and end-of-days-like like but they always leave me hopeful and uplifted and remind me that I’m on the right side of history as well. With tracks like the beligerant ‘Full Bodied Rebellion’ followed by the smooth adjit trip hop of ‘End Of Days’, then ‘Already Dead’, it’s no wonder I’m contradicting myself with my thoughts on the record. But it’s a journey and one I’m more than happy to take.

By the time you’re deep into the album, there is no escape, and ‘Bleak Division’ might just be the best so far. The lyrics are spot on, and the riff is like cycling into a brick wall face-first, but getting back on and keeping going. The band are on fire and married with the scratching and Public Enemy tweaks its fantastic stuff.

The album really takes hold, and instead of resting on their laurels or going into autopilot, ‘Air Loom’ is Haigh’s time to shine, and boy, does she deliver. The penultimate offering is an old school thrash banger; ‘Harbinger’ could be Exodus at their finest. If that doesn’t satisfy your needs, there’s still time to exhale as ‘Carrier Wave’ is the multi-sensory room come down to take this album home, and at the hands of Andy Brook at the desk, the sound is a complete sonic assault. The music landscape is a better place with new music from Senser now, don’t leave it so long next time, please, guys. Buy It! They head out on tour later this month as well

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Author: Dom Daley

Supersuckers – ‘Liquor, Women, Drugs & Killing’ (Hard Charger Records)

Supersuckers – ‘Liquor, Women, Drugs & Killing’ (Hard Charger Records)

When the title dropped, it was game over. Of course, this was going to be a killer album packed with cowpunk goodness, wicked solos, awesome licks and tricks and lyrics that would make me smile, smirk and howl. Twelfth studio album deep in almost four decades, I swear, as soon as the needle drops and ‘Maybe I’m just messing with you’ kicks me square in the temple, I’m hooked. Great tempo, familiar lick and gritty spaghetti vocals that hit the bullseye right from the get-go.

What next for these supersuckers? Well, how about a melodic mid-tempo rocker? Again, it’s a great hook for number two, and this one hits you between the eyes. Is it legal for a band to be this far into their rocky rockin’ career and still make records that sound this fuckin’ monsterously good? Already I’m punching the air and firing off my guns all at once, can I get a hell yeah! And a yee haw! Those supersuckers are killing it. If you ain’t digging this, then listen to Eddie when he says Go fuck yourself. Me I’m all in and loving life and loving the new long player from Supersuckers so all that’s gone to shit in the world, there are pockets of sunlight filtering through the cracks, and music can be one. Always with a great turn of phrase and married it to some memorable earworm guitar playing, it’s a comfort and the lifeblood to hear records this badass.

Let’s ease back a little and not get overexcited; it’s a marathon, not a sprint, so let’s get a shuffle on as ‘Unsolved Problems’ eases into my head and I can’t shift it. Gentle earworms are dangerous, like audio crack, be careful kids. On another point, whilst I remember, Eddie sounds magnificent on this record after his health issues, he sounds stronger than ever and sings like a seasoned pro, bloody marvellous.

Don’t become complacent or feel lulled into a false sense of security because Eddy and the boys turn it up and remind us it’s time to put it down.

The record ebbs and flows as we relax a little and Eddie whispers sweet nothings in our ear, and he explains how he tried to write a song. And boy did he write a song, in fact, he’s written a whole bunch of em right here right now. The playing on a Supersuckers record has never been this focused has it? At times it’s blistering, and I love the tone of those acoustic guitars on ‘Meaningful Song’, proving that these boys can turn their hand to whatever they like and pull it off.

If you’re umming and ahring, then stop right now. Buy this record because the Supersuckers are on fire and on this evidence are as good, if not better than ever. They don’t need to write another ‘Born With A Tail’ or ‘Pretty Fucked Up’, been there done that.  What you get for your hard-earned is eleven tunes of varying degrees of awesome, be it cowpunk shuffle, acoustic porch torches, or rock out with your cock out. Supersuckers do it better than most and leave a bloody awesome-looking trail of destruction behind them, and we can revisit this particular crime scene anytime we want. Now put that there song ‘Volunteer’ back on, grab a beer (and one for yourself) and turn it up. Hell, there’s even a stonkin take on Lee Harvey Oswald’s ‘Rocket 69’ (that reminds me to play that most excellent ‘Blastranaut’ album just because I can, and it fits right in amongst all this awesomeness.

Edward Carlyle Daly III, “Metal” Marty Chandler (guitar), and Christopher “Chango” von Streicher (drums) take a bow, you motherfuckers are trippin good, and I urge anyone who loves rock n roll to buy this motherfuckin’ record.

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Witchdoktors ‘Before The War’ from ‘IZZATSO’

Witchdoktors ‘Before The War’ from ‘IZZATSO’

WITCHDOKTORS TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM ‘IZZATSO?’ OCTOBER 31ST VIA BOMBER MUSIC

Limited 12’’ Vinyl & CD available for pre-order from Bandcamp HERE & Bomber Music HERE

 Pre-order HERE

London based WitchDoktors have been tearing up the UK live-scene across three decades, earning their reputation as one of the UK’s most enduring and electrifying garage punk rock’n’`roll bands. Described by UK Rock’n’Roll Magazine as “the missing link between rockabilly, blues, 1970s prime-time punk and 1960s garage,” their sound is a riotous blend of snarling guitars, infectious hooks, and raw energy.

Their incendiary live shows led to a six-year residency at London’s legendary 12 Bar Club, cementing their status as cult favourites on the UK rock’n’roll circuit. Over the years, they’ve shared stages with punk and rock icons including Ruts DC, Fleshtones, The Godfathers, Nashville Pussy, Revillos, The Wingmen, Steve Marriot, Dr Feelgood, The Damned and PIL etc.

Continuing their long-term UK collaboration with Bomber Music, 2025 sees the launch of their sixth LP ‘Izzatso?’. Somewhat appropriately, this release (on vinyl, CD and all major universal Digital Platforms) is set to drop on the ‘all-hallows eve’ – i.e. Halloween 31st October 2025. Featuring 11 bludgeoning tracks, WitchDoktors songwriting has evolved and branched into new territory in their continuing journey along the dirty road of rock’n’roll and whilst their roots are planted firmly in their upbringing that feasted on Punk, Glam, & Trash there is a bitter twist of Country/Americana thrown in for good measure!

Conceived during COVID and then delayed by the sad passing of their longtime collaborator and legendary recording engineer Pat Collier, ‘Izzatso?’ is a call in this age of misinformation to question everything. Echoing the sentiment of the late great Joe Strummer ‘see through the veils of bullshit or spins on stories or propaganda and to think for yourself.”

From incendiary opener ‘Lightning Strike’, an apocalyptic vision of the impact of climate change, featuring slide guitar by Leigh Heggarty (Ruts DC) to the twisted Mexicans of LP closer ‘Kicking the Can’, the band expertly explore a range of musical styles from their collective DNA. Written by longtime songwriting partners and lifelong friends Andy Last (vocals/guitar) and Tony Major (guitar/vocals), the songs explore and challenge the pressing social and environmental issues of our time. With killer melodies and thought-provoking lyrics, ‘Izzatso?’ strikes a poignant balance between reflection and hope in these often-difficult times.

Fans, followers and future devotees of this rousing band can now sample the album with the soaring, anthemic ‘Before The War’ single, which perfectly encapsulates the album’s life-affirming sounds and words.

“It’s a Post Covid PTSD hitting home like the scarred and broken minds of a victim of ‘active service’”, explains vocalist and guitarist Andy Last. “The masses subjected to ‘the beast’ created by the few. Cannon fodder all over again. Death and Destruction without a thought for the individual. Will we ever learn? Sign-up, Serve Up, mission completed, contract terminated and now it’s someone else’s problem. here’s your plastic medal and a shoe box to live in. Whatever happened to the sparkle in those beautiful eyes?”

The ‘Izzatso?’ album once again sees our beloved WitchDoktors in yet another collaboration with Producer/Mixer Tim Palmer who provided both sonic consultancy and steer from his villainous lair in ‘62 Studios, Austin TX to the rough mixes that Pat Collier started producing with the band at Perry Vale Studios, London UK before his sad departure. Coupled with more recent recordings made by the band with Grant Strang at the controls at Silver Shark Studios in South London, the entire album had morphed into a monster production that the band were proud to take the next step with. WitchDoktors looked Stateside again and forged a new relationship with Sterling Sound in Nashville TN, calling on the Mastering skills of Justin Shturtz to finalise this latest masterpiece. 

With the decades of chaos behind them (and no signs of slowing down!), WitchDoktors remain a vital force in British punk! Legends!? Well….almost eh! With this latest offering they should be, quite rightfully, well-assured of attracting further accolades for their ever-expanding Hall Of Fame and giving a nod and a wink to the further doses of the rock’n’roll recognition they will gratefully suck-up! All hail the might of WitchDoktors because they just refuse to lie down!

And yes….it’s WitchDoktors with a fukin’ K!’

LP to be available on 12” Vinyl LP (coloured & splatter), CD and all digital platforms.

Catch WitchDoktors live at the following dates:

November:

Fri 14th – The Steamboat, Ipswich

Sat 15th – The Anchor, Wingham, Kent

Fri 28th – The Old Barn, Milton Arms, Portsmouth

Sat 29th – 100 Club, Oxford Street, London

Sun 30th – Prince Albert, Brighton

December

Fri 12th – Johnny’s Bar, Watford

Sat 13th – Frog & Fiddle, Cheltenham

Feb 2026

Fri 13th – 100 Club, Oxford Street, London

WitchDoktors are:

Andy Last – Vocals & Guitar

Tony Major – Guitar & Vocals

Joe Colfar – Drums & Vocals

Lee Page – Bass & Vocals

Find WitchDoktors online at:

WEBSITE

FACEBOOK

INSTAGRAM

Former Fast Eddy frontman, Micah Morris,  serves up his first solo offering

Former Fast Eddy frontman, Micah Morris,  serves up his first solo offering

Mile high rocker Micah Morris has had his hands in the international punk rock n’ roll circuit for a long time. From his family roots in the Austin, Texas music scene, to his humble beginnings playing in a punk band in the mountains of Colorado, to busking on the 16th Street Mall, to his first Denver band Six Shooter, and on to the prolific band Fast Eddy, Morris continues to push forward into new territory with his music.

The songs Morris has authored have already been acclaimed internationally, such as Fast Eddy’s 2022 release “Take a Look”, which earned the title of “Coolest Song in the World” on Sirius XM’s Little Steven’s Underground Garage.

As the latest generation of his family’s musical legacy, Morris is the cousin of The Monkees own Michael Nesmith. His father Gene Morris is an accomplished musician of the Austin, Texas scene who played with the likes of yacht rock legend Christopher Cross, critically acclaimed guitarist Eric Johnson, and various members of Stevie Ray Vaughn’s Double Trouble. His mother Anne Norman was a production assistant to Carole King in her later 70’s era of recording.

“Tortilla Soup” is the first single from his upcoming solo record performed under the moniker of MICAH AND THE MIRRORS.  This new release was recorded and produced by Dan Dixon (credits with Doobie Brothers, Zac Brown, Ravagers, Queers)  and produced by Randy Michael (The Booze, Solid State Radio) in Atlanta, Georgia. All songs were written by Morris himself.

The future is looking bright for MICAH AND THE MIRRORS as his new music will challenge the boundaries of his former works as a reflection of Morris’ musical journey thus far and also his illuminated path forward as a solo artist!

A message from Micah

There’s a lot to say about this, but first of all I’ll say that it’s been a long time coming. A lot has changed for me lately, and ultimately it has all led me to this. I’m finally putting out a solo album. The ability to explore my own mind, soul, and emotions in relation to my music unencumbered is something that I have needed to do since I first picked up an instrument. I feel like the time has finally come to chase that dream.

This may seem like a departure for some, but for me, it’s an arrival. I promise to deliver the most raw and real version of what I have to offer. I’ll do what I can to keep rock n’ roll alive, if for no one else, then at least for myself.

Live fast and prosper 

First release from Micah Morris’ solo project Micah and the Mirrors. Full length record coming in April 2026 on Spaghetty Town Records.

Lipstick Vibrators – ‘Falling Down’ (Wanda Records)

Lipstick Vibrators – ‘Falling Down’ (Wanda Records)

I know punk rock ‘n’ roll happens in cycles, and whilst you wait for a void to be filled when one band of reprobates falls, you tend to hear several bands rise to the surface, and there’s no time like the present for a sleazy band of rock ‘n’ rollers to kick down the door with some rampant, distorted, sleazy rock ‘n’ roll. Lipstick Vibrators hail from the Seine and have been peddling their rock and roll since 2006, give or take a few hiatuses, but their brand of self-styled “Savage Rock’n’Roll” is most welcome from the dark, dank underbelly of Paris.

This, their third long player, is full to the brim of reckless wild riffs pushing their amps to the limit as they hack and slash through the weeds of rock n roll. The opener is a perfect example of what they’re all about, whereas ‘Revolution Baby’ enters Hip Priests territory with a thumping Stooges engine powering the rhythm along with some sleazy vocals barked out of a distorted speaker spitting punk rock n roll all over the listener. It’s suitably aggressive and wild, which is exactly what the rock ‘n’ roll doctor ordered for these wild times. It’s drinking music baby, dark and dangerous and bloody loud!

What’s not to like about the thunderous intro of ‘Partners In Crime’? It’s like pure Scabies- and James-inspired noise, and we totally approve. ‘Vivid Dreams’ is giving me UK Subs vibes on the intro, and then all hell breaks loose after the choppy guitar interlude.

‘Two Fisted Drinker’ is a beautiful, reckless noise; this album just gets better and better. In fact, it’s so sweet it could eat itself. Twelve songs in thirty-five minutes from top to bottom are loaded with bangers. ‘Burning Inside’ is a savage beast before the full-throttle whiplash of ‘Workers’ cuts loose.

Before we’re done, there’s the ragged ‘Do The Pop’ something of a Cramps-meets-Ramones speed paying homage to those who paved the way in some uber-cool punk rock genres. The Johnny Thunders guitar breaks are most welcome over the solid backbeat.

It’s not all crash bang wallop (almost but not quite). ‘Lockdown’ is a hypnotic rhythm and a more restrained charge with an emphasis on the groove and melody. Then, just to remind you what these cats are all about, they pull out all the stops for one last attack, and ‘Amphetamine’ is unleashed before we go back in for seconds. What a great record and a fine example of high-octane sleazy punk rock ‘n’ roll. Viva la Revolución, brothers. Go get a copy of this before it’s all gone.

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AUSTRALIAS MINI SKIRT RELEASE NEW SINGLE ‘BEEN A WHILE’

AUSTRALIAS MINI SKIRT RELEASE NEW SINGLE ‘BEEN A WHILE’

NEW ALBUM ‘ALL THAT WE KNOW’ TO BE RELEASED NOVEMBER 14TH VIA BAD VIBRATIONS

PRE-ORDER HERE:

Five long years since their debut album ‘Casino’ snuck into the ears of punk enthusiasts around the world, Mini Skirt’s second full length album, ‘All That We Know’, is now ready to hurl at the world. The Australian pub-punkers continue to deliver their brand of jagged, raw political Aussie grit, delving deeper and leaning harder into their signature blend of Australian punk, ‘All That We Know’ solidifies Mini Skirt’s position at the forefront of a socially inspired noisescape.

Following the release of their ‘Pottsville River’ single last month, Mini Skirt are ready to lob another molten musical grenade at an unsuspecting music world with ‘Been A While’ – a hypnotic, grinding garage disturbance that in just over two minutes, manages to sound like The Fall colliding headlong with Eddy Current Suppression Ring.

“This track was written probably four or so years ago in our first proper writing session for the album, we’d hired a hall out in the hills behind where we live and stayed there for a couple of nights in sleeping bags on the floor,” remembers frontman Jacob Boylan. “I’d just got back from a visit to where I grew up for a funeral and was rattled by the mindset of the mates I’d grown up with that were at the funeral. It’s a bit of a heavy one. I loved the tempo of what the lads put together and fit my headspace like a glove.”

All grit and no glamour, Mini Skirt’s noisy new body of work is underpinned by lyricist and visual artist Jacob Boylan, painting a picture of the modern social climate, every verse and chorus a well-crafted and concise assessment that has the listener replaying each line to be sure they don’t miss a word. This is, as always, laid on top of the dirty, driving guitar/bass tones and skin splitting drums that have helped Mini Skirt to develop their own sound in a heavily saturated and competitive corner of rock’n’roll. Paying homage to Australian pioneers such as X and Radio Birdman, Mini Skirt’s sound remains raw and honest. 

Hailing from Byron Bay in the Far North Coast of New South Wales, the four boys in Mini Skirt produce a timeless sound that’s rough as guts and truly ensconced in the essence of pub rock that captures the climate of current-day Australia. Things aren’t always picturesque and idyllic; the vocals are urgent and frustrated while the music has a rawness and melody, sonically painting a picture of the hope through the struggle.

‘All That We Know’ lands mixed and mastered by Mikey Young (Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Total Control) and is due to be self-released in Australia and via London-based label and gig promoters Bad Vibrations in the rest of the world.

Pre-order ‘All That We Know’ HERE:

The Wildhearts – December Tour and new video

The Wildhearts – December Tour and new video

https://thewildhearts.tmstor.es

The Wildhearts, fronted by the endlessly inventive Ginger Wildheart, are hitting the road for a brand new headline tour. 

Renowned as one of UK’s most fearless and prolific songwriters, Ginger and his band will bring their explosive live energy to venues across the country this December.

“I can’t wait to get this band onstage in front of people. I want to bring this line-up’s energy and spirit for audiences to take home with them.I’m so very excited to share this with everyone.

“We’re also playing some songs that we don’t get to play too often, so that always makes things even more fun.

“I’m honestly buzzing about getting back onstage again. I can’t fucking wait for this!”” 

– Ginger Wildheart 

To celebrate the announcement, the band has released a video for “Kunce”, a track from their current, acclaimed studio album, Satanic Rites of The Wildhearts.

Produced by Jim Pinder (Bring Me The Horizon, While She Sleeps, Bullet For My Valentine) and mixed by Pinder and Carl Bown (Trivium, Machine Head), Satanic Rites Of The Wildhearts is a ferocious reminder of why The Wildhearts remain such a vital force in rock.

🎧 order the album here: https://thewildhearts.lnk.to/SROTW

For over three decades, The Wildhearts have been at the beating heart of the rock scene. Their incendiary live shows, packed with passion and chaos, have secured their reputation as one of the greatest bands of their generation. This tour promises to underline this fact – miss it at your peril.

The Wildhearts UK Tour December 2025

4th  Chester The Live Rooms

5th Preston Blitz

6th Pontypridd Muni Arts Centre

7th Torquay  Arena

9th Southend Chinnerys

10th Brighton  Concord2

11th London O2 Academy Islington

13th Bradford Nightrain

14th Nottingham Rescue Rooms

15th Newcastle NX

🎟 Tickets on sale here : https://www.thewildhearts.com/tour/

HOME FRONT – ‘Watch It Die’

HOME FRONT – ‘Watch It Die’

NEW ALBUM ‘WATCH IT DIE’ COMING 14TH NOVEMBER 2025 VIA LA VIDA ES UN MUS DISCOS

HOME FRONT holds on to a particular kind of passion. The sort of thing that guides you – like a climbing vine steadily blanketing your bests and worsts, cutting through changes and impasses; victory and loss. This passion, their drive, is what makes a record like Watch It Die, their latest full-length for La Vida Es Un Mus, feel just right. For decades the duo’s Graeme MacKinnon and Clint Frazier have embedded themselves in grass roots music making, community building, and the overpowering ebbs and flows of diy punk.  With Home Front, formed in 2020, they’ve given their lifetime of experience a chance to distil and then power into this musically omnipotent project which equally conjures textured Tangerine Dream sounds in a film montage, or the pummelling soundtrack to the first steps taken towards winning the fight of your life.

Its lead single “Light Sleeper” sends energy waves rattling through speakers with all the urgency and volume of post punk/new wave/street punk. The track is available alongside its video which features a cast of characters including Home Front touring members Brandi Strauss (bass), Ian Rowley (guitar), and Warren Oostlander (drums).

Home Front’s nod to influences and the themes of their lyrics are direct and detailed while maintaining enough creative distance to feel universal and unique. The production has again been bolstered by a team of long time confidants making a huge and unique record under the humble and hard working circumstances of remote pre-production and choosing to do their recording in home studios in their home town in Edmonton, Alberta.

The architecture of ‘Watch It Die’ is simple – 12 songs of danceable, hummable, rousing and honest music that only Home Front could make. The emotion of this LP is what solidifies these musical notions into meaningful art. “For us, ultimately, this is music that comes out of loss and heartbreak and failure, but I hope people have a good time listening to us. You can get rowdy, you can get emotional, you can do whatever you want, but maybe with all of that freedom, we all take a second to reflect on all our fallen brothers and sisters and friends who may have slipped away.”

On previous revered recordings Games of Power (2023) and Think of the Lie (2021), Frazier and MacKinnon gave us a snapshot of a cynical and alienating world. A place where hope was tempered by insignificance, exhaustion takes us, and where 2,000,000 voices screaming in unison can still go unheard. Watch It Die instead of asking us why and how we got here, struggling to cope with the sadness of a desperate world, brings us their “step forward” moment. A dose of optimism and ownership in the bleakest of times in which maybe it doesn’t have to feel so bad to be alone or desperate. Where the passage of time is not coloured by the nostalgia of a lost youth but more toward the celebration of wisdom earned. Watch it Die owns the ills it describes and catapults us alongside its creators who have the confidence and presence of mind to live beyond their limitations.

Watch It Die continues along the path of Games of Power, but it isn’t just a sequel. It is a road map of hope. MacKinnon and Frazier state, “For all of us in Home Front, ‘Watch It Die’ comes at a very transformative time. Geopolitically, musically and in our personal lives. With friends and close family members dying, to massive uncertainty around the world, this album encapsulates what it’s like for us to step into a ‘new world’ where all the old adages of ‘everything is gonna work out fine’ feel like a joke. We watch rich people get richer while the rest of us struggle just to get by. We watch colonisers kill without consequence, and in an age of information at our fingertips we watch people choosing to be ignorant to what’s going on around them. ‘Watch It Die’ speaks about our own humanity, a rebirth into a new world and how we can never go back to the way things were. We suffer for their dreams, but in saying that we must recognise the importance of our own community and look to energise them to build a better way of life. We have always been an anti-war, anti-genocide, pro-peace band. We are against crimes to human rights and all of those struggling through the horrors of imperialism. We stand with the people of Palestine and we stand with the Canadian Indigenous communities who struggle to uphold treaty rights as well as basic human rights like clean drinking water and generational trauma. One takeaway from our music is to make a safe space where our community can come together to air out grievances and find a better way to a new future.”

Pre-Order / Pre-Save Watch It Die

 The band will play two shows in LA later this year:

Sat Nov 22 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Paladium w/ Cock Sparrer, Dillinger Four and Castillo
Sun Nov 23 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Paladium w/ Cock Sparrer, Dillinger Four and Generacion Suicida



‘WATCH IT DIE’  WILL BE RELEASED 14TH NOVEMBER 2025 VIA LA VIDA ES UN MUS DISCOS

Robert Kane- ‘Blues Is Blues’ (Conquest Music)

Robert Kane- ‘Blues Is Blues’ (Conquest Music)

Life is full of surprises. It seems like just the other day I was reviewing ‘Damn Right’, the first Dr Feelgood album to contain all original songs, and damn fine it is too. That was an unexpected treat. And in March, I finally got to see the band live, in France, with Robert Kane in his element. Now, after an illustrious career, I’m listening to his debut solo album, ‘Blues Is Blues’.

 The blues can be a tricky one. Simple, yes. Easy, no. I freely admit that, as a young man, I really overdid my blues obsession, and, rhythm and blues aside, don’t listen to that much now. I am, inevitably, a bit of a snob, musically speaking. I like my blues rough, economical and from the heart. Thankfully, this was pretty much Robert’s instruction to the musicians involved in the recording.

So, we have 11 songs, mainly originals that he hadn’t previously recorded, but felt that they deserved to be heard. Every track was nailed on the first or second take, predominantly live, and this is partly why they really stand out. Lead single, ‘Halfway To Memphis’, hits out with some slide guitar and his wailing harmonica, which are also both present on ‘Heart Attack Baby’. A fine way to start. ‘Staying Home’ really pares things back, just a lone vocal and a picked guitar melody. Suitably mellow for the subject matter; “Life ain’t easy, but life is good. Gonna stay home and live the way I should”. I hear you.

‘How Many Times’ uses a refrain you will indeed have heard many times before, but we are dealing with a medium that generally uses three chords, so it shouldn’t be a surprise. What counts is that, when done properly, as here, that’s all you need. ‘Man Who’s Got The Blues’ broadens the blues palette, with some classy keyboard playing, yet never overplayed. Perfect for a smoky club.

‘Baby, Please Come Home’ is essentially a rewrite of ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’, and Robert’s version of ‘The Ballad Of Staggerlee’ has added some new verses to the blues classic. But, rawest of all is the album closer ‘Jawbone’. A lone vocal describes the mythical character, which could easily be a lost blues traditional. I’ve always said that Mr Brilleaux was the greatest white rhythm and blues singer ever. After 26 years and counting with Dr Feelgood, it’s clear that Mr Kane is a blues voice to be reckoned with. He is steeped in the music, assured in his place, and it’s a pleasure to hear.

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Author: Martin Chamarette