Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard/ Dead Shed Jokers-Priory sessions – Abergavenny 26/10/19

Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard/ Dead Shed Jokers-Priory sessions – Abergavenny 26/10/19

Before I write another word, you might have noticed (if your from the local area) I’m a headliner missing, no Henry’s Funeral Shoe who were said headliner, yours truly made the conscious decision to abstain, having already seen them any number of times, what drew me tonight were the opening two bands.

Openers Dead Shed Jokers have to me released the LP of the year in All the Seasons, produced by ex Tortoise Corpse’s Tim Hamill in his studio down in far West Wales, which you can pick up on Band camp (Sadly the Corpse have long since necrosed, but if you fancy listening to some absolutely stunning technical thrash, dig deep into the metal graveyard), in fact its not just me who’s been raving about this release, I think every mag that’s reviewed it has been stunned by how good a record it is, and I hope this is the one that drags them kicking and screaming out of the underground, I mean its even trending as I write in HMV in Cardiff.

Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard, I had heard nothing but good things about live. And coming off the back of a tour slot with Miles Kane, recent Radio 1 coverage and a feature in NME, these are another Welsh band going places, shows how vibrant and diverse Welsh music is at present.

Opening to a more than half full priory the Dead Shed Jokers proceeded to tear the place a new one, no compromise and with only playing songs from the new LP, the band absolutely nailed it. Live the music takes on a whole new dimension, it’s complexities driving rather than slowing things down, when you watch the band, influences flick through your mind but ultimately what you are listening to is so unique the influences pale into insignificance, this is 100% original and I love the refusal to bend or re-shape the sound for the mass market.
Now I have to say after reviewing All the seasons I didn’t realize how much of a monster Dreams of North Korea was going to be live, you could have picked my jaw up off the floor. The only shame about tonight’s performance was it was too short!! Fact!

Now talk about rock music on the other end of the spectrum, as Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard kicked in their set I found myself transported back to the ’70s, frontman Tom very definitely channelling his inner Bowie drawing down early days Jagger when preening was par for the course, and recalling classic Glitter band, Bolan, Wizzard et al. And for the whole duration of the set, the band got tighter and tighter with the crowd expanding more and more, dancing and smiling taking over en masse with tracks like Late night city, Love forever and double denim hop, bringing the stomps.

Two bands, one pushing a totally new direction for rock music, the other caught on the revivalist train each relevant now and today, showing how strong rock music in Wales currently is, it doesn’t get much better for a Saturday nites entertainment.

Author: Nev Brooks

Mike Peters (the Alarm) Hurricane of  Change –Clarence Hall Crickhowell 19/10/19

Mike Peters (the Alarm) Hurricane of  Change –Clarence Hall Crickhowell 19/10/19

It’s not unusual for me to spend a Saturday evening travelling to a gig, but a gig less than 20 minutes away, what a bonus! Pity my Brains main man Jamie Richards is developing quite a schizophrenic personality (gig wise at least) with the Pity my Brain alter ego Woodfired summit (check em out on facebook ) putting on this little shindig led by the Alarm’s main man Mike Peters. Now I have to admit never having heard of the venue itself and with Crickhowell being such a tiny place I initially spent a bit of time wondering where the Hell have they put a concert venue? Directions sorted and a real pleasant surprise that it could, in fact, hold about 300. That’s for a seated gig, which this started out as.

 

Settling in front and centre you had the feeling that this had the potential to be a bit special, and finding out that there were going to be two hour-long sets tonight the first Act being called Downstream (Eye of the hurricane) and the second act Upstream (Change) with the additional encore made up of crowd faves and requests. What I couldn’t imagine at the beginning was that the songs from both seminal albums weren’t going to be just stripped back acoustica, but totally reworked and re-interpreted, adding in the fact that the albums had been torn apart, reset mixed up to supply a narrative, a story if you like that runs throughout, then add in some addition work again placed in order but all the while building the story.

 

Looking around the rapidly filling venue seeing the Alarm flags draped over the upstairs balcony, picking up the hint of anticipation from the crowd, it was time to strap in and at 7.30 exactly we began, one man, kick bass drum, harmonica and electric acoustic.

Opening with a spoken word intro picked up by Mike and we’re into “A New South Wales” sounding nothing like I’ve ever heard it presented before, the sparse backdrop, minimal lighting bringing the focus onto Mike Peters, the voice as strong as ever.

 

This is no simple rerun of the aforementioned albums, and in Act 1 the songs that really stood out were “Ghost’s of Rebecca”, “The Ballad of Randolph Turpin” and “Irish sea”, fitting so well, they could/should have taken their place on Eye of the Hurricane?.

 

I think at this point there are a couple of strands of the story starting to come together, a story steeped in Welsh Tradition and History, moving into the industrial revolution, before becoming about one mans life, and what keeps him moving forward, never losing touch with his heartland, the place of his birth. The man’s legacy as imagined becoming ever entwined with his own cultural identity.

 

As we moved through Act 1 standouts also included “Rain in the Summertime” “Only love can set me free” and “One step closer to home”

 

Moving into Act 2 opening with “Where a town once stood” there’s a very different feel, heavier more raw almost bluesy and for me the nite really took off with stunning versions of “Sold me down the river”, “Prison without bars”, “Scarlet” and “Devolution working mans blues”, within the narrative I think a point of realization for the narrator, a sense of where they are and struggles defeated and struggles to come.  Fair play this is Mike Peters putting himself out there, raw emotional and in your face.

 

But to my one gripe of the evening, when an artist is pouring out their soul, SHUT THE FUCK UP OR LEAVE THE VENUE!!!! I never get why people pay to get pissed and talk all through an acoustic performance, go home and settle in with your Strongbow watch the X factor where your knowledge of music can be espoused without annoying other people who likewise have paid to see said artist. Perhaps we could give promoters a licence to cull the idiots.  Rant over !!!!

 

Coming back for the encore we get “Strength”, “Spirit of 76”, “Blaze of Glory” and two requests “The Majority” and “Bells of Rhymney”, by this time very few in the venue are still seated!!!!

 

It’s back to the alter ego with Pity my Brains 5th party coming up at Clwb Ifor Bach, on the 9th of November. Here’s to many more years of musical diversity and perhaps promoters being given the power to do something about the idiots more interested in getting pissed and talking rather than listening to music.

Author: Nev Brooks

Facebook

Website

Love Hope & Strength

 

 

 

 

Dead Shed Jokers—All the Seasons (Pity My Brain)

Dead Shed Jokers—All the Seasons (Pity My Brain)

Where do I start, I think I’ve followed Dead Shed Jokers right from the beginning, reviewing just about everything they’ve ever done, listening to the ideas shift and develop release by release, caught them live a number of times, always amazed at the live intensity, but always thought what if they could focus the live intensity into a non live production?

 

Welcome to ‘All the Seasons’, which does exactly that, the Monster that is ‘Phantom Pains’, comes screaming out of the speakers an intense sonic maelstrom, a howl of anguish that most bands can only dream of, it pins you back in the chair and I would hazard a guess that it becomes a live set opener, a real statement of intent.

 

Next up ‘Feel some more’ leads me into memories of ‘Masters of Reality’, but its something quite different, a subtle shift, bursting with creativity, but retaining focus, the voice becomes just another instrument, trading time with the guitar, but what holds you is the rock-solid drum beat, holding all the parts together, the centre of the storm.

 

Third track in ‘Dreams of North Korea’ takes it into a different dimension, the vocal acrobatics, dropping and bending around the instruments, before we get hit with the heaviest guitar riff I’ve heard in a while, but all the time held in place with that drum beat.

 

‘All the seasons’ again takes the music in a very different direction, the picked guitar, underpinning the vocal, there’s a real sense of menace behind it, this is probably developing into one of my favourite tracks on the LP.

 

‘Aesopica *15’ is all over the place and Christ do you need a set of speakers to pick up all the little subtleties, this is a seriously clever track, on first listen it’s everywhere, but as you the listener allow yourself to be drawn in you start to pick up on all the threads that are entwining and twisting around each other.

 

‘Feel Today’ opens up with almost a classic rock riff, before the band dispel any hopes of a run of the mill rock track, I don’t think the guys would have it in them to not push their musical boundaries. At this point I’m lost in the music it draws you in, and have to take a breath and just admire what I’m listening too.

 

This is 100% the LP that will tear The Dead Shed Jokers out of the underground, it’s too good not to, there’s nothing out there quite like it and with that refusal to bend, change or allow the music to be changed by narrow minded perceptions to what music should sound like this band are going places, as the initial press is showing.

 

764 weaves its way from the sub-conscious to the conscious, immersing you in the sound, again drawing you in, while You’re a Thief has almost a 60’s feel to the beginning before that heavily overdriven guitar knocks you for six it ebbs and flows, rolling over you, before pulling itself away leaving you listening for where it’s going next.

 

Spanner in the Works alongside Phantom Pains brings the intensity back to the fore the guitar kicking up a storm, the vocal gymnastics taking the music in all sorts of directions, at times leading, at times acceding to the other instruments, there’s almost a Janes Addiction at their best feel to it, I suppose the Dead Shed Jokers version of Mountain Song.

 

Finally because seasons come to an end or even a new beginning, from Spring, through Summer into Autumn then Winter we have Enough is as good as a feast, this is I think a Pink Floyd Wall era Howl of Anguish, given an upgrade, in a modern world the processors are running at full capacity, its not one individuals story, but the story of a society that is withdrawing into itself, blocking out the carnage.

 

Fair play the Dead Shed Jokers have created an LP unlike anything out there, for me absolutely bang on, best thing I’ve heard this year, but give it a go yourself, get drawn into a world you didn’t know even existed. Can’t wait to pick up a copy of the vinyl version, which sources tell me is a rather immense coloured vinyl package.

Buy All The Seasons Here

Facebook

Author: Nev Brooks

 

 

Jim Jones & The Righteous Mind – Heavy Flames – Deathtraps – Jacs Aberdare 15.03.19

Jim Jones & The Righteous Mind – Heavy Flames – Deathtraps – Jacs Aberdare 15.03.19

Friday night it’s pissing down and we’re heading to some town in the middle of the Welsh valleys for what promises on paper to be one hell of a night out.  Once we navigate around the one-way system (Manhatten it isn’t) we still manage to fuck it up mind you but the Gods are with us and as we enter the venue Deathtraps are about ten seconds into their set and Loud it is.  To be fair I’ve seen these boys a few times lately and by a country mile, this was the tightest they’ve sounded and kudos to the sound man because he got their Garage punk action rock sound lock-in and wringing the shit out of the sweet spot.  With two albums in and another on the way, This three-piece are on fire and the people of Aberdare are in early and in fairness giving the band a healthy round of applause and their uncompromising set is going down really well (and so it should) With a well-balanced set of songs from both albums with ‘Teenage Knife Crime’ Going down particularly well and sounding huge.  Once again an enjoyable set but having a great mix helped and that not something you can always say about support bands.

Next up were local lads Heavy Flames at first they ambled onto the stage and looked like a bunch of misfits (maybe they are I’m not judging) but to be fair once they started playing their bluesy garage rock n roll sounded decent.  Of course, I didn’t have a clue what the songs were but they sounded alright and Bez on the harmonica was a nice touch to the sound.  Leading the band and patrolling the front of the dance floor the singer had an excellent voice and really belted out the numbers and to be fair pulled everything together.  I possibly wouldn’t go out of my way to see them but if they were on the bill I’d make sure I was there in time to catch them play. Which is something the locals obviously agreed with because the room was filling up nicely as Aberdare got down with their local band and really got behind them.

Jim Jones & The Righteous Mind has a brand new record out and tonight was the first night of the tour.  I’m always pleased to travel to this kind of venue because it would be so easy for a band as good as JJ&TRM to give somewhere like Jacs a swerve and just play your usual handful of big city shows to people who are generally spoilt or get more than their fair share of live gigs.  Well, tonight much like the last time they played south Wales in Ebbw Vale Jim Jones & The Righteous Mind really put on a show and for the next hour and some delivered life-affirming, high octane, earth-shaking rock and roll.

With a decent crowd intent on having a good time the band didn’t look or sound like a band on the first night of the tour as they burnt through the set list like a band possessed with hardly any mid-song banter Jim kept it tight and let the music do the talking and as they threw out songs from the debut album and the new ‘CollectiV’ they were going down a storm.

My trusty travelling companion was witnessing the power of a Jim Jones show for the first time and commented that Jim had the best Rock and Roll voice he had ever heard in a live setting and he was indeed correct and it was an intuitive observation as Brother Jim bellowed out his words of wisdom from his rock and roll altar.  Decked out in matching turtle necks the band were in danger of overheating such was the heat generated from their performance as the audience moved as one to songs like ‘Shazam’, ‘Killer Brainz’, or the magnificent ‘Satan’s Got His Heart Set On You’ Even songs off the first album like the epic ‘Til It’s All Gone’ or ‘Boil Yer Blood’ went down a storm. This band are on fire and whatever they play just sounds like dynamite easily one of the best live bands anywhere and tonight they weren’t going easy on Aberdare as they played until they couldn’t physically play anymore and the performance didn’t drop one single percent had they been playing the Albert Hall or Jacs it matters not because Jim Jones And The Righteous Mind are about the people and getting out there and doing it these guys walk the walk and Aberdare was lapping it up every second of it.

If you want Rock and Roll played with passion, conviction and a tonne of brilliant songs then hit up Jim Jones And The Righteous Mind because these lifers deliver every single time and not a second is wasted with insignificant guff because time is precious and ‘I Found Love’ its called Jim Jones And The Righteous Mind the time to Testify is now people sit up take note and jump on board. The Gospel of Rock and Roll was set on fire in Aberdare and I was a witness Now come back and play ‘Aldecide’ you must have forgotten to play it this time.  Simply stunning! now to spread the word and get people to join the CollectiV because the evil power of Rock and Roll is alive and well and with bands like this it’s in safe hands –  for now.

Facebook 

Author: Dom Daley

 

*Seeing is believing so this week we don’t just bring you the opening night of the tour but in a few days you can read what went down when Jim Jones & The Righteous Mind played the iconic 100Club London*