Wicked Cool Records are proud to announce the release of ‘Wasted Times’ the debut single by Ginger Wildheart & The Sinners.
“Wasted Times is pure rock n roll, peppered with country touches, while the lyrics have an honesty traditionally found in folk music and It’s just a good time song played by a killer band.” exclaims Ginger Widlheart.
Ginger Wildheart & The Sinners were formed in August 2019 when Ginger joined forces with Neil Ivison and Nick Lyndon from the band Stone Mountain Sinners. The line up was completed with drummer Shane Dixon (Tri-City Fanfare) and as Ginger explains “I actually met the band at the studio where we recorded the debut album. We hadn’t even rehearsed prior to setting up in the live room of the studio. Wasted Times was the first song we played together.” Wasted Times is taken from their forthcoming album recorded at Mwnci studios in Pembrokeshire, Wales, with Dave Draper producing.
To celebrate the release Ginger Wildheart & The Sinners play 7 UK shows in June, starting Friday 3rd at Oran Mor in Glasgow and concluding at Esquires in Bedford on Sunday 19th.
Despite the turmoil in which we find ourselves, Ginger with his Sinners gives us all hope. ‘Wasted Times’, backed with a live version of ‘The Words Are Gonna Have To Wait’, is available to stream/purchasehere
A lot has been written about this here three-LP edition of the Clash’s ‘Combat Rock’ originally released in 1982 and the last to feature the classic line up however the album whilst containing a few stand-out tracks never hit the dizzy heights of its previous releases.
With an incredible 17 show residency at New York’s Bond’s Casino in the bag, the band set about rehearsing at The People’s Hall in the Latimer Road area of London thereafter they headed to Asia for a tour where the artwork was shot by the band’s photographer Pennie Smith as it goes. This release of ‘Combat Rock’ includes unheard, rare, and early versions of tracks spread out over two albums and the original ‘Combat Rock’ however the final side is blank! Nada, nuffink not even an etching of ‘Know Your Rights’ Which left me feeling a little cheated. I might be being a bit fussy here but it could have contained a side of the best tracks from Bonds as a live side which might have been sufficient but nothing?
Anyway, I digress. Whilst having many a discussion about what constitutes a classic album and especially a classic Clash album nobody ever says ‘Combat Rock’ that I’m sure however when you drop the needle on side one and that familiar Echo of Strummers clanging reverb-laden guitar kicks in and his equally reverb-laden vocal introduces ‘Know Your Rites’ with “This is a public service…announcement – With guitars!”. I still get quite excited when the track sparks to life with Strummer’s rasping vocal as he rattles off your rites. It’s hypnotic and captivating to this day from the shots that fire off Jones’s guitar to the snap of the Heddon snare ‘Know Your Rights’ is a great tune and those rites still stand up to this day shame our government has no respect for them anymore. Strummer would spin in his grave I’m sure of that.
After the turn down leftfield, that was ‘Sandonista’ with all its headfuckery and musical veins that pumped life into a sprawling record that to this day has me scratching my head as to whether it’s a work of genius or the band is fucking with me different days offer different answers.
From the tweaks and funk of ‘Rock The Casbah’ Strummer was penning some fantastic lyrics and the band still had some fire inside them that they were able to express onto vinyl. They weren’t the same band who had led a generation into revolt at the tail end of the 70s they were indeed older and wiser. They’d seen the world and what was on offer and had soaked it up like a sponge. The dub and NYC had left a big impression on the band from hip hop to pop art and the sprawling metropolis that was Manhatten was a long way from London. ‘Red Angel Dragnet’ was all of this inspiration bleeding out onto the tape.
One of my favourite Clash songs is the magnificent ‘Straight To Hell’ from its rhythmic, atmospheric arrangement to Strummer’s vocal delivery and some brilliant lyrics it still sends chills down my spine. I always liked the bands changing image and the cool London urchins in their suits of London Calling had gone as had the Westwood fatigues of the spraypaint slogans and in were a united military mad max look and I vividly look back on seeing the ‘Rock The Casbah’ video and liking it from the great big ghetto blasters to the berets and camo fatigues and Strummers Taxi Driver haircut. The Clash were still cooler than most and that’s a fact!
‘Atom Tom’ is a great tune and even the weird dub-inspired dope-induced mish-mash of ‘Sean Flynn’ and ‘Ghetto Defendant’ are cinematic and experimental. ‘Inoculated City’ is a Big Audio Dynamite slice of pop from the guitar of Jones using the Glyn Jones samples no doubt. Not as strong a side as Side One but nevertheless a nice trip of a record I’ve not played in quite a while.
The real lure of this album probably isn’t going to be the remastered ‘Combat Rock’ but the other material not including the ‘Outside Bonds’ intro. Pfft I’m not sure why that took up five minutes of wax either. The funky ‘Radio Clash’ with alt lyrics is, however, exactly why I bought this record. Funky as fuck and from the slap bass to different lyrics its a window into a world we never thought possible.
‘Radio One’, ‘He Who Dares’, ‘Long Time Jerk’ is fascinating for Clash geeks no doubt about it. I love ‘Midnight To Stevens’ but the seven-plus minutes of ‘Sean Flynn’ almost fried my brain. All in all a right mixed bag is it worth the almost £50 price tag? Probably not it’s not in some fancy sleeve and the inner bag artwork is half decent and maybe I was expecting a bit more or a lot more I don’t know. It’s The Clash they are special and I couldn’t say no. Give it a listen on a streaming platform – you have a right. you also have a right to walk on by stay or go, but one thing you can’t deny is the Clash, as a unit, were formidable, adventurous and always up for a challenge to themselves and their fans. They follow their hearts and only dance to their own tune one thing I know for sure is there won’t be another of their kind not now not ever some have tried but all have failed.
Clash completists roll up and open your wallets this is something you must own. Oh, the poster is pretty cool as well. Buy Here
Been looking for a band to fill the void since Slayer called it a day? Look no further! After a fifteen-year hiatus, Indianapolis-based thrashers Demiricous have returned with a fucking monster of a metal album. Yes, that’s right, a METAL album. This is as metal as it gets, one minute it’s bouncing from Testament and Slayer-tinged riffage, and the next we are blasted with Biohazard-style gang vocals. The band is as tight as the proverbial duck’s backside, double bass drums aplenty, fast parts, slow parts, huge riffs, fantastic, clear as a bell production values, and memorable songs make for a hugely enjoyable listen.
Demiricous III opens with an apocalyptic piano intro, before Unconditional Hate slams into action with some Gary Holt style whammy bar acrobatics. The track is a good indicator of what’s to come. Terminal Future sounds like Seasons in the Abyss era Slayer with its crunching riffs and pummeling drums. The single Smoke Chaser is a master class in metal, think of Machine Head, Sepultura, Prong, Slayer, Testament, and Exodus giving birth to a bastardised offspring and you’re somewhere close. Superb stuff! I was pulling that metal face while listening, you know the one, where your eyes roll up into your head and you start gurning? We’ve all done it…haven’t we? Haha!
‘The Follow‘ starts off with stabbing riffs and cymbal chokes before more full-on thrash kicks its way out of the speakers. Fuck the Fire settles into more of a double bass groove, this is the track that gives me the Slayer vibes more than any other, love it! ‘Chaotic Lethal‘ delves into more of a black metal style, while the brilliantly titled ‘Merciless Slut Cult’ starts with a sample of someone telling how much he hates people before we are back into breakneck speed thrashing, some Fear Factory style staccato riffing and double kick that gets your head banging. ‘Choke’ offers up more crunch than a share bag of Doritos, and the album closes with the epic nine-minute ‘Faith Crime’ which has more twists and turns than a go on the Waltzers at Barry Island.
A superb album from start to finish with amazing performances from every band member. It’s so refreshing to hear that there are bands that can take over from the old guards that are diminishing slowly but surely. Now, go and buy this, turn it up and piss off your neighbours like real metal fans are supposed to do!
SINGLE LAUNCH SHOW LONDON WATER RATS MAY 20TH THIS FRIDAY! TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE HERE:The Duel and Seven Days and Doesn’t Die are along for the ride!
Pic credit Per-Ake Warn
New Zealand born, London-based rockers Desperate Measures follow their mini-album ‘Rinsed’ on Easy Action Records and a full UK tour with Paul Cook’s post-Pistols rockers The Professionals at the end of last year, with a brand-new single today titled ‘Thinking Of England.’
Recorded once again with Andy Brook (who has produced, engineered, and toured with the like of Status Quo, Ginger Wildheart, Wonk Unit, Hayseed Dixie…) at The Brook Studios in Wallington, Surrey, ‘Thinking Of England’ is the first glimpse of Desperate Measures’ debut full-length album due early 2023.
‘Thinking Of England’ is a high-energy, charging power-pop eruption that guitarist Michael Gaffney says is “about leaving a bad situation, whether it be physically or mentally, trying to find light at the end of the tunnel and staying hopeful, realising that you might be fucked now, but it’s not always going to be that way.”
WooHoo! A brand new set of recordings courtesy of JJ & The Real Jerks had this scribe jumping for joy and when they featured on the Rock and Roll Manifesto single EP that got released a while back I was delighted only to find out this long player was in the works. This crazy rock we live on kinda reverting back to some sort of happy place after all the turmoil of the past few years.
It’s simple, I love loud guitars, and can’t get enough of ’em especially when they come wrapped in excellent melodies and arrangments that ooze class then all squeezed onto plastic that we can spin to our hearts content. Welcome to the world where JJ & The Real Jerks are that band.
A tonne of Energy, Saxophone, Electric Guitars, bass and drums all chewed up and captured with understanding and love for what they do. It’s a time-honored format – nothing too complicated. Tip the hat to the good and the great that went before them and paved the way so some could follow. Drain a few beers get the vibe going and then kicked down the door and just rocked the fuck out.
‘Mess You Up’ begins with a rapid beat and thumping bass line then JJ enters the fray before we zoom off with a hack and slash slice of punk rock n roll old school. It’s got the right amount of energy and lip curling bubblegum chewing vocals – pouring out the lyrics that pick up the gauntlet and not so much run with it but blaze the path and keep the cycle of punk n roll turning. JJ & The Real Jerks do this as good if not better than most. Tunes? Hell yeah! ‘Dead In The Water’ is cool as fuck. Nothin’ groundbreaking but thats not their MO, they just wanna rock n roll to the best of their ability and leave a bunch of great tunes that rock like a bastard and the result my friends is a resounding Job Done! The chorus on ‘Dead In The Water’ is easy even if you’re wasted just so long as you’re not dead in the water you can join in. turn up the stereo and let it out..
‘Lost Souls Pub’ is a killer tune. JJ sings with such authority of course I’m gonna join you in the pub get the beers in I’m there and the sax punching in is awesome. My only complaint is there are only eight tracks on offer because I want more, more, more!
‘Ten Cent Beer Night’ continues the party. Then, the title track rolls in on some cool slide Geetar and a chilled backbeat before the fist-pumping gang vocals get involved. This is anthemic Rock n Roll kids but not in some cheesy way it’s the bastard sons of the Dolls and The Dictators and all those bands who cruised around knowing they were out of step with what was the ‘flavour of the month’ but did it because its what was in their soul, it’s all they knew. This is a bunch of tunes that deserve to be heard and those of us lucky enough to tune in and get it will have records to turn to forever just like the bands that helped shape JJ & The Real Jerks like The Humpers, The Dragons, sure some Johnny Thunders meets Hanoi meets Buzzcocks with a twist of X-Ray Spex and Supersuckers (at their evil powers best).
JJ & The Real Jerks understands what it takes to whip up some magical music and then get it pressed on wax. Hell, they close with the epic smoulderingly cool as fuck ‘Sinking Feeling’ which deserves to be heard so I’ll leave you with this – I know it’s only Rock n Roll baby but I love it! Welcome back JJ we’ve missed ya! Now people get out and buy this record it’s a Banger!
Having recently seen the band perform live supporting The Mission I spent a few days wondering where I’d seen them before (probably due to brain fog, age and the bands inactivity over the last few decades) and then it came flooding back. “Back in the day”, Salvation played that fateful evening of legend (in my house) supporting The Lords Of The New Church when Stiv wore that T Shirt and fired the band on stage. Anyway moving on some thirty years! (ah that brain fog) I find myself listening to this here live album and it sent memories flooding back from that fateful night. To be fair the songs sounded great when I saw them recently, even with the help of the rhythm section in a box it was a decent support on that Mission tour.
Songs like ‘Debris’ and ‘All And More’ sound great and sparked a flick through my record collection knowing I had at least one of their studio albums, and so it was, ‘Sass’ an album that is well represented here with ‘Paint It Rose’ having a great rolling Cult-like riff that leads this upbeat number.
This live recording captures a band that clearly loves the music they play, and to be fair, The songs have dated really well seeing as they’ve not been played for an age. From the opener ‘The Answer’, with it’s vibrant tempo. It’s something many bands, who to be fair, haven’t played a great deal over the past thirty years don’t quite capture. I’ve always liked that big overdriven guitar sound and having strong melodies always helps.
There are eleven tracks on this CD and a twelve-page booklet to accompany it. Sure fans of The Cult, Mission, and Sisters will be all over this and it’s a no-brainer if you caught any of the band’s recent shows some of these songs will be familiar anyway but Rock fans looking for a new “old band” who had a whole bunch of top tunes – dive in!
‘The Shining’ is a burst of energy before ‘Pearl Necklace’ then raises the bar. I’d love to hear what the band are currently creating studio-wise and see if they can still capture a sound that brings back such good memories. Finishing off with the vibrant ‘Why Lie?’ with its glugging bassline and rolling guitar lick it’s a great set ender.
Go seek Salvation in this live snapshot that contains some really good driven hard rock meets Goth that is delivered really well by a band who clearly still loves music.
Malmö is the place The OhNos are the band. 2017 was when they released their first album ‘Sounds From The Basement’ after they dipped their collective toes in the murky pool of shark-infested Rock n Roll waters that we know and love. you might be forgiven for thinking (such is their confident swagger) that they’ve been at this pop-punk lark for a lot longer. Signing to Beluga Records is most definitely a seal of quality and points to the fact they don’t sign and release rubbish records so be safe in the knowledge ‘Waving From Hades’ is well worth getting your mitts on.
The album struts into life with the title track and easy to see why it was picked for a video, with its catchy hook and familiar-sounding melody. It’s catchy and will ease you into this album like a ray of early morning sunshine but be careful it might get darker. And so it turns down an altogether more punchy alley with ‘Final Call’. Rattling out of the speakers with fists windmilling and some great thrashing guitars raining down on you, it’s always a beautiful thing.
‘Trouble On Legs’ has got swagger and some fierce Backing Vocals. Once the ‘Light’ gets going it’s a swirling mass of snare drum and guitars being rinsing within an inch of their life. Narrowly avoiding chaos.
‘Message’ has shades of PJ Harvey which is never a bad place to find yourself oh and I love those BV’s. ‘Kiss The Boots’ has the tone of prime-time Steve Diggle and is easy to see why it was picked to be a single, Damn, you pick anything off this record there are so many great tunes at every turn. There is some great arrangement going on on ‘Desert Dreams’ which ebbs and flows really well.
‘Tommy Gun’ (no not a cover) has a great melody and guitar lick that gets inside your ear and burrows into your brain, complete with groovy breakdown before heading down the pop-punk route. Before they sign off they offer up ‘Stop’ with its punchy verse juddering towards the chorus. They then sign off with a big grinding ‘NGBG’ like Sonic Youth covering some T Rex. ‘NGBG’ (as far as I know) is a Swedish street festival native to Malmö. All in all an excellent album with variety, attitude, great arrangements, and an album that most certainly rocks but with an eye on the pop and being able to carry all that off with consummate ease. Check this album out!
Swansea on a beautiful sunny May evening is a great place to be. The historic Patti Pavilion is where I was heading to see the legendary Geoff Tate perform not just Queensryche’s 1986 album Rage For Order in its entirety, but also their most successful album, 1990s Empire. Much has been said over recent years regarding the seemingly never-ending drama regarding Queensryche and ex-members. It does seem, however, that Tate has settled into his stride with his current band and is more than happy to be a legacy act. The number of punters wandering around wearing Queensryche T-shirts gives you a good idea of the demographic here tonight.
Before we get to the main event, we had a short but impressive set from openers Mark Daly & the Ravens. Mixing up a blend of southern rock with some Alice In Chains tinged tunes, Daly puts in an energetic performance. The sparse but appreciative audience thoroughly enjoys what they see and hear. Definitely, someone to keep an eye on.
By the time we are presented with Tate’s entrance, the room fills up considerably and there is an air of anticipation. I’ve been checking out some YouTube videos of recent performances and it seemed like Tate has been firing on all cylinders vocally. Taking to the stage with the classic ‘Walk In the Shadows’, when Tate strolls casually up to the microphone and nails that initial scream, everyone in attendance goes nuts. Snazzily dressed and looking the picture of health, Tate has the audience in the palm of his hand from the get-go. The band works their way through Rage For Order’s tracks and there is only a noticeable lull from the audience when lesser-known songs such as Neue Regel and London are being played. A fantastic rendition of ‘I Will Remember’ closes the first act with style.
After an extended break, the band returns to the stage while the intro to ‘Best I Can’ blasts through the PA. Rapturous applause from the crowd pushes the energy of the band and yet again, Tate is nailing it. For a man in his sixties to be singing this well is no mean feat. Tate gets his saxophone out for ‘The Thin Line’ and the band seems to be having the time of their lives. Scottish guitarist Kieran Robertson gets a great reaction from the crowd every time he sticks his tongue out and nails his parts with gusto. Crowd favourite ‘Jet City Woman’ goes down a storm as does ‘Another Rainy Night’ and ‘Empire’ in its full-blown glory. The sound mix tends to be a little muddy in places and drummer Daniel Laverde is obviously a very capable and talented drummer, but as a drummer myself I don’t like the fact that Daniel is using electronic drums. They just look naff, Queensryche’s original drummer Scott Rockenfield was renowned for the huge drum kits that he used, and it just doesn’t work visually for me in a hard rock/metal setting. Just my opinion of course.
‘Silent Lucidity’ sounds amazing as always. You forget how great that song is and looking around at the crowd singing every word is goosebump enticing. Tate is a master at keeping everyone in attendance entertained, even his anecdote about having to go grocery shopping for the first time in his life due to Covid canceling all his tour plans is very funny. After ‘Anybody Listening?’ the band leaves the stage to more rabid applause, shouts, and screams for more. They return for an encore of ‘Last Time in Paris’ and ‘Take Hold of the Flame’. The band has played for around two and a half hours, Tate is certainly giving his loyal fan base value for money. He is happy to press the flesh with the many fans who are front of stage trying to get a reaction from their hero. He seems genuinely over the moon to back out playing live.
The voice is well and truly alive and well. Go and see Geoff Tate if you get the chance, you won’t be disappointed, but you will be thoroughly entertained.
Trapped Animal Records is proud to announce the return of 90’s legends Headswim, with a reissue of their seminal psych-grunge masterpiece, ‘Flood’, on October 7th. Released on double vinyl and double CD, this deluxe re-issue will feature previously unreleased BBC sessions, studio B sides, and experiments by the band and their mad scientist friends on disc two!
To celebrate the release, Headswim’s original lineup will be performing Flood in its entirety at The Camden Underworld on Friday, October 7th. This will be the Headswim’s first performance in over two decades!
“If you’d told me 28 years ago that in 2022 Headswim would be performing the entirety of their debut LP at The Camden Underworld, I’d have eaten my hat. Pass the salt.” exclaimed Clovis Taylor.
To pre-order Flood #Reduxon three different double vinyl formats, double CD and download go to headswim.co.uk
There are also bundles available and tickets for the Underworld.
Recent Comments