The Singles Club – Extra-time Summer Sizzles On

The Singles Club – Extra-time Summer Sizzles On

Hot on the heels of Junes summer sizzlers we had a bunch of other contenders for inclusion.  So, it only seemed fair to reconvene the Singles Club this weekend and hit the 45 RPM switch and drop the needle for some new singles from the superb to the very good through the downright weird or catchy but none dull or not worth inclusion.  Welcome one and all round two of the June singles Club…

 

The Sensible Gray Cells – ‘So Long’ (Damaged Goods) This bad boy dropped out of nowhere.  I knew they were recording a follow up to the magnificent debut album and then a scuppered tour then this.  Fuckin’ champion it is too. A rollicking Who like anthem (handclaps as well) ‘So Long’ is a belter  Welcome back gents, I can’t wait to hear the album now.  In direct contrast, the humour of the characters involved asks a very pertinent question on the B Side and they’re right.  What is the fuckin point of any of em?  Never mind just Andrew.  Damned fans should be all over this and if its a good representation of the long-player then bring it on I can’t fuckin’ wait.  Facebook / Pre Orders Here

 

 

 

Chuck Norris Experiment / Sator – ‘Split’ (Ghost Highway Records)  Not heard from CNE in a while and I love a bit of Sator and what they offer so was pleased to see they did a split on the most excellent Ghost Highway Records.  Opening up is a right sharp shooting ‘Turning Me Inside Out’ from CNE.  Its tight, loud, and fast! everything you want from one of the finest Swedish exports currently making noise. Then a second more laid back groove as ‘One Hand On The Hip’ is a sleazy example of the versatility of the band who can easily excel in the full-tilt rockers as well as chilling with the acoustics and now it seems keeping it short and sweet as well. As for the Sator offering ‘Feathered Remedy’ is up first and the band give it some wellie and it sounds like a runaway steam train rattling down a hill with a great chorus. Wrapping up this bad boy is ‘A Song For You’ which is a glamorous romp in all its sub one minute glory.  Buy it before they’re all gone its a banger. CNE Facebook

 

 

Spaghetti & Mayer- ‘Shits Fucked’ (Acetate Records) Eddie Spaghetti & Frank Meyer from the awesome Supersuckers and Street Walkin’ Cheetahs respectively put on their shit kickers and kick some shit.  Its got a stolen Stooges riff, some rollicking’ barroom piano and a bunch of profanities what’s not to like?  It’s a veritable top rock n roll tune by numbers and hits the spot.  Only available from Acetate Records direct download it’s the best buck-fifty you’ll spend this pandemic that’s for sure.  Get on it kids and turn it up! Now, how about a whole long-player from the two imagine if that were a goer and it sounded as good as this track? Fuck me sideways I’ll take some of that

Buy Here

 

 

Jerry Lehane – ‘Kiss My Tattoo’ (Rumbar Records) Taken from his EP Dogmatics man Jerry Lehane releases this mighty fine slice of energetic rock and roll with the emphasis on Rock! from the gutsy solo to the punchy tempo this is like listening to a gang of brothers cruising towards a rumble knowing they will get the job done.  Excellent single and well worth checking out. Get on it Here

 

 

 

 

 

Dirty Streets – ‘On The Way’ (Alive Records)  Like a throwback to a time when long hair and bellbottoms were the thang and three-piece bands were where it’s at.  Dirty Streets jam their thang and lean heavily on the dirty blues from Cream to Led Zep and the likes of Free especially on ‘Can’t Go Back’ from its classic guitar break its like Humble Pie and paul Kosoff never roamed the earth.  they hit their groove and stay on it.  from the hushed laid back summer tune ‘On The Way’ through the hedonistic rock out of ‘Can’t Go Back’ to the jig is up White boy blues of ‘Walk A Mile In My Shoes’ which for me is the pick of the three and quite reminiscent of a certain Georgia Brotherhood band who shook their money maker. The album is eagerly anticipated and is available next month.  Website /  Facebook

 

Brian Ray – ‘I Ain’t Superstitious’ / ‘Spell Breaker’ (Wicked Cool Records)  Gia Ciambotti take a bow lady.  Why did you ask? well take a listen to that voice she can sing the living hell out of that song.  whilst its a cover of a classic the vocals take it to another level.  that and the neon green and black splatter on that wax. The flip side features the Wicked Cool recording artist Michael Des Barres. Spell Breaker is a cool smouldering track again a great vocal performance from Des Barres on a slab of dark pop-rock with added sparkle on that production of the co written song between Barres and Ray.

Buy it Here

 

 

The Owen Guns – ‘Fuck Cyclists’ (Riot Records) Australian Hardcore Punk act THE OWEN GUNS have released their first single & video ‘F**k Cyclists’ for Riot Records (Part of the Golden Robot Global Entertainment Group).  ‘F**k Cyclists’ is a short blast of punk rock born out of the frustration of frequently being stuck behind cyclists on narrow country roads. Straight to the point, it pulls no punches.

THE OWEN GUNS would like to point out that they don’t condone acts of violence towards those Lycra clad irritants, no matter how tempting.

Stream/buy ‘F**k Cyclists’ HERE

The Rellies – ‘Isabella Is Annoying’ (Damaged Goods Records) The Rellies are brothers and songwriters Ryan (13yo) guitar and vocals and Riley (11yo) Bass and Vocals as well as Jarlath (11) on drums and Aiden (12) on guitar. All met in Sydney’s infamous suburb of Kings Cross. What were these young ones doing in such an area? Learning music of course – ha ha. The band has been playing together for around three years. Songwriters Ryan and Riley like to argue a lot at rehearsal but actually love nothing more than to grab their vintage guitars and play songs by their favourite band, The Beatles. Aiden & Jarlath seem happy to do whatever. The Rellies play a mix of indie, garage-punk and rock.

Their greatest achievement is becoming part of the Damaged Goods family and playing live at Sydney venues like The Oxford Arts Factory and El Rocco. Don’t question Damaged Goods Records for they’ve released Cyanide Pills and Thee Spivs previously so they know what they’re doing besides when this enters your head you’ll be annoying everyone you know with the sound of The Rellies.

Fur – ‘Grow Up’  Like a mash-up of Weezer, Green Day and the anti folk club ruled by the likes of Crazy & The Brains this is twisted pop at its finest.

Fontaines D.C. – ‘I Don’t Belong’ (Partisan Records) “I Don’t Belong” taken from the forthcoming album out 31st July on Partisan Records. Pre-order / Pre-save the album: Here

Jailbirds – Watery Grave’ (Golden Robot Records)  Drawing their influences from the obvious (Sabbath) and the not so obvious Jailbirds are loud and they play ROCK! They come from Canada and its big riffs, big vocals and big production on this new single.  Check out the video below.

Tom Wardle – ‘Secrets’  Power-Pop tastic.  Big hook, Big solos & bigger production but sadly no big hair. Tom had praise from high places Namely Rolling Stone Magazine for his last single ‘Jacqueline’ and on this evidence that’s not going to stop any time soon. This power-pop rocker just gets bigger as the song motors along.  The recipe isn’t a secret it’s just born out of hard work and talent (obviously) The only downside is the inspiration behind the song.  The least said about the tricky trees the better but at least Tom supports his local team which we can get behind. check out the video and

Supersuckers – ‘Play That Rock ‘N’ Roll’ (Steamhammer/SPV)

Supersuckers – ‘Play That Rock ‘N’ Roll’ (Steamhammer/SPV)

When I first discovered Supersuckers back in 1999 (yup I admit I was a tad late to the game) via their inspirational ‘The Evil Powers of Rock N Roll’ album I really did believe that Eddie Spaghetti and the boys were like something approaching the second coming. They were an integral part of a hugely important and influential underground scene, and along with bands like Backyard Babies, Turbonegro, Toilet Boys, Nashville Pussy and Gluecifer, Supersuckers became one of those “go to bands” for those of us eager for a dose of proper punk rock ‘n’ roll music.

 

Fast forward two decades and after many ups and downs all the way Supersuckers are still thankfully very much a going concern. Granted frontman/bassist Eddie Spaghetti is the only remaining member from that ‘Evil Powers’ album, but just being able to write that is a huge positive in itself given his battle with stage 3 throat cancer just a few years ago.  Standing alongside Eddie since his return have been Marty Chandler on guitar and Chris Von Streicher and on 7th February 2020 they unleash their 13th studio album in the shape of ‘Play That Rock ‘N’ Roll’.

 

Those familiar with Supersuckers’ past two records (2015’s ‘Holding The Bag’ and 2018’s ‘Suck It’) might be wondering which path the band have wandered down to record ‘Play That Rock ‘N’ Roll’ given that the trio are as equally at home writing country tinged laments as they are penning skin shredding punk rock anthems, and when you also discover that this album was recorded in Willie Nelson’s Texas studio you of course might be forgiven for assuming it would be very much a set of songs soaked in Southern influences. But hold your horses right there folks because ‘Play That Rock ‘N’ Roll’ is very much a rock ‘n’ roll record, albeit its one that at times sees something of a shift in the Supersuckers sound that I for one was certainly not expecting.

 

So, of the dozen tracks included here two are cover versions. First up is a rocked-up version of Allen Toussaint’s boogie-tastic ‘A Certain Girl’ and then there’s a faithful retelling of Michael Monroe’s ‘Dead Jail Or Rock N Roll’. It’s the ten originals where the real sonic surprises lie though. Take lead lyric video and album opener ‘Ain’t Gonna Stop (Until I Stop It)’ for example, this track (along with ‘Deceptive Expectation’) really do sound so much like outtakes from ‘Tattooed Beat Messiah’ that I’m scouring the accompanying PR sheet half expecting to find a Manning co-write, and these new song writing influences don’t stop there either, as both ‘You Ain’t The Boss of Me’ and ‘That’s A Thing’ make me wonder if Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn might have somehow been tempted out of retirement for one last throw of the dice, and these tracks alone almost have me half tempted to dub this album ‘The Evil Powers of (other people’s) Rock N Roll’.

 

The Supersuckers sound of old is still very much still alive and well though, especially in the shape of the hook laden ‘Getting Into Each Other Pants’ and the furious ‘Bringing It Back’, whilst the swaggering ‘Play That Rock ‘N’ Roll’ sounds like its fallen straight off a New Orleans bar stool.  Elsewhere ‘Last Time Again’ bears all the hallmarks of the sonic overload I saw the band deliver live at Helldorado back in 2018, leaving the heavy as hell duo of ‘Die Alone’ and ‘Ain’t No Day’ to walk a line somewhere in between ‘Going Blind’ and ‘Metropolis’ in the deeper cut album track department.

 

Whilst ‘Play That Rock ‘N’ Roll’ might not be the career-defining album I was so hoping for its still very much a fresh shot in the arm to a Supersuckers sound that some less clued-in people are still to discover, and who knows perhaps the tip of the hat to ‘Tiger Feet’ that is ‘That’s A Thing’ might just be what’s needed to deliver the mainstream success the band so justly deserve.

Buy Play That Rock and Roll Here

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Author: Johnny Hayward

 

 

 

Supersuckers : ‘Evil Powers’? Hell Yeah!

Supersuckers : ‘Evil Powers’? Hell Yeah!

The Supersuckers 30th Anniversary Tour begins 11 November! Where the band will be performing the “Evil Powers of Rock ‘n’ Roll” album in its entirety along with hits and tunes from the new record “Suck It.”
Ticket info at supersuckers.com or on @bandsintown

 

They might have been Born With A Tail but ‘Suck It’ confirms they’ve lost none of that fire in their bellies & their continued adventures in Dirty Rock ‘n’ Roll is most welcome round these parts.

What possible reason do we need to show a youthful Spaghetti and co kicking up some dust on the classic ‘Born With A Tail’ anyway?  Buy tickets and look out for RPM’s review of ‘Suck It’ coming soon…

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