It’s shaping up to be another busy year for New Zealand born, London based rockers Desperate Measures. Following 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, Desperate Measures have started recording their debut full length album, due early 2023. Working 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, Desperate Measures have completed work on a new single titled ‘Thinking Of England’ that lyrically captures the yearning to escape from a place or a situation you might not want to be.
The single will be released in time for the Queens Jubilee on June 3rd. Desperate Measures will play a single launch show at London’s Water Rats Theatre on May 20th to coincide. Says Eugene Butcher, “we’ll be showcasing a few songs from our forthcoming album, plus the new single which has just happened to coincide with the Queens Jubilee. And we’ve got The Duel and Seven Days and Doesn’t Die along for the ride so expect a right Royal knees up!”
Eel Men – ‘Are You There God Its Me’ (NFT Records) Jangly jarring guitars over a good melody is always going to be a single to grab the attention. This one is backed by a metronomic robotic backbeat and guitar lick that is part Devo and part Kraftwerk and a spoonful of Buzzcocks for good measure. There that’s the yardstick to aim for three classic bands thrown into the punk rock melting pot and out pops the Eel Men
Kurt Baker – ‘Keep It Tight’ (Wicked Cool Records) It’s fair to say that this cover of the Single Bullet theory song is held dear by Mr Baker so much so he burnt a cdr of the song from vinyl and ended up covering it here. Coolest song in the world by underground garage sounds about right. Kurt Baker should be huge I guess those of us in the know will just have to hold on to that secret until the rest of the world catch up with us and Bakers genius. until then Keep it tight kids
Delusions Of Grandeur – ‘Self Titled’ (Self Released) Lockdown blues got to some Hip Priests and a couple of Bitch Queens and out birthed Delusions Of Grandeur. A noisy (obviously) chug through four blistering tracks of tunes that if the backyard Babies wanted to get back into the groove they should listen to. With guitar licks sparking off the wheels of this Punk and Roll beauty as the EP opens with the bashful ‘Drinking My Life Away’ with some gang vocals on the chorus as these gents trade licks. Sing-a-long drinkathon. Nice. ‘Shits Fucked’ is sped-up snarled punk n roll that just about summed up the past 18 months rather nicely.
If you ever loved the really early ‘Get some Action Now’ era Hellacopters and hankered after some Dragons meets a healthy dose of Gluecifer then this is a no-brainer. With a nod to some spicey Motorhead on the closing track which is never a bad place to be. Excellent EP from top to bottom. Four track 7″ available on gold, white or black vinyl – Buy It Here
Steve Conte – ‘Flyin’ (Wicked Cool Record) with a cool acoustic song Conte is Flyin. The latest track off the upcoming album, ‘Bronx Cheer’ its a song in the mould of The Faces balladeering meets classic early Black Crowes. Steve says of ‘Flyin’, “This one goes back to 1994. We jammed on this in my rehearsal studio very organically and I came up with the lyrics later. I did a few demos of it over the years and it never left my consciousness.” The lyrics focus on perseverance and how, “in the face of adversity, disappointment and trauma, a person of strong will can keep going for their dreams.” Whilst the track has a wonderful sound from the acoustic to the earthy Drum sound and the snap of the snare it showcases Conte’s vocals really well and the track has a really earthy sound. It’s all about light and shade it doesn’t always have t be full-tilt rock and roll. Great tune. You can pre order the album Here
Billy Idol – ‘The Roadside’ EP (Dark Horse Records) Four tracks of vital idol with opener ‘Rita Hayworth’ with his familiar snarl and curled lip vocal it’s glossy and has that Idol pound on the rhythm and slick gang vocals on the chorus. What’s not to like? it is what it is.
Seconds out and the King Rocker cranks up the laid-back acoustic guitar for ‘Bitter Taste’ it’s a reflective side of Idol and one he’s used to good effect on his last couple of records. ‘U Don’t Have To Kiss Me Like That’ sees a pop beat and some female vocals puncturing the wall of sound It’s a big sound and made for the American market and another side of Idol he’s used to great effect throughout his career. To be fair he could write this stuff in his sleep. Drum machine at the ready as he goes for the reflective cool sound on the EP closer which to be fair is a decent tune and his vocals sound really good but I’d have prefered an album please Billy rather than an EP.
Cutters – ‘Midnight Bus’ (Self Release) A cover of Betty McQuade’s 1961 hit ‘Midnight Bus’ sees Australian Punks give the tune a bloody good tuning to be fair. There is no question in my mind that the most impressive new records are coming from down under where there seems to be a hell of a lot of great bands currently kicking the shit out of instruments all over the continent.
Cutters are right up there with the finest exports from Oz now get over to Bandcamp and check em out you might just fall in love with these punks. Their mini lp ‘Australian War Crimes’ is a fuckin belter! Here
Junkyard – ‘Lifer’ (Acetate Records) ‘Lifer’ backed by ‘Last Of A Dying Breed’ sees these Californian Rockers come out swinging. It’s hard-rocking licks with a thumping great rhythm section what were you expecting? If this was a new AC/DC track people would be hailing it as the second coming. These guys are veterans of the hard rock scene and still have energy and a pocket full of tunes that cut it. Never meant to reinvent the wheel just borrow it for the Hog their riding with this as the theme tune for burning rubber on the highway.
The Professionals – ‘Spike Me Baby’ lifted from the new album ‘SNAFU’ is Tom Spencer throwing his Loyalties tip into the Professionals jar and knocking out the best of both worlds. Sure it’s not Jonesy but it has his blessing and once you’re over that it’s a really good song and why wouldn’t it be. Its familiar has a rock-solid beat courtesy of Mr. Cook and a decent melody with some sweet guitar licks to boot. If you’re wondering yes the album is rather good as well some excellent tunes on offer
Jackson Reid Briggs – ‘Fear/Move’ (Legless Records) Jackson Reid Briggs is back with a 4 track EP of punk/soul belters. Jackson got together with two mates a few days after the initial lockdown in Melbourne, Australia ended in November 2020. Noone except Jackson had heard the tracks yet but they smashed them out in a few hours in a storage unit. Coming on like a ragged US Bombs its class punk rock n Roll.
From the opener ‘Fear’ through ‘The Chase’ which happens to be the pick of the four on offer here. ‘Move’ is a blast of ‘on the hoof’ punk rock with a swirling keyboard mixing up some great gang vocals and spat out lyrics. ‘Monster’ closes off this EP in grand style with a great thumping beat and chanted chorus with a cool guitar lick and some splendid handclaps. Fantastic four to be fair and well worth checking out. Buy Here
Remember when the post-Pistols band put together by Paul Cook and Steve Jones returned with the glorious ‘What In The World’, their first new music for 35 years? That was 4 years ago now, and while they have lost former 3 Colours Red guitarist Chris McCormack and bassist Paul Meyers from the line-up along the way, drummer Cook and Jonesy replacement Tom Spencer have kept themselves busy during these crazy times by enlisting everyone’s favourite go-to back up bassist Toshi JC Ogawa to the fold. They have released a trio of lockdown EP’s and recorded a spanking new album entitled ‘SNAFU’ with contributions from the likes of Billy Duffy and Phil Collen.
‘What In The World’ could be classed as a debut album really. With Jonesy only there in spirit (give or take a few guitar licks) and former Loyalties/Yo-Yo’s frontman Tom Spencer at the helm, it was a modern twist on The Professionals of old, yet it still contained a good deal of rock n’ roll swagger, and more importantly some good fucking songs. A handful of tours and festival dates helped established the band as frontrunners and The Professionals took the sound of ‘77 crashing into the 21st century.
So, now it comes to the tricky second album syndrome, and it’s time to see if the boys have the minerals. ‘SNAFU’ is an old army term that stands for ‘situation normal, all fucked up’. This is a term that not only fits with these tumultuous times we live in, but also sums up the dark humour and the tongue-in-cheek lyrical content of this album. Take recent single ‘Spike Me Baby’ for example. A song written about Cookie’s high times after accidently eating some of his daughter’s pot-laced chocolate. With urgent drums, a high energy feel and a radio friendly melody, it’s a surefire winner. Tom’s raspy voice is perfectly matched by some killer gang vocals in a chorus that sticks to the brain like punk rock toffee. And then there’s ‘M’Ashes’ a tale of the time Cookie transported the ashes Of Jonesy’s mother from London to L.A. All delivered in the best possible taste to a pop punk, post-Pistols rock n’ roll soundtrack.
With a top-notch production from go-to guy Dave Draper, these songs straddle a modern, punk rock approach, the style that the likes of the Michael Monroe band and Towers Of London took to heart. But most of all, and probably due to Spencer’s raspy vocals, it’s his former band The Loyalties that come to mind more than anybody else. The cheeky London charm, the low slung riffage and the power house drums of the man who was the backbeat for the Sex Pistols, this is a strong mix ladies and gents, and the songs are up to scratch.
The singles are obvious highlights, but the glorious ‘Never Say Never’ and ‘So Go No’ are full of the sort of punky attitude that will make you keep coming back for more. Elsewhere, ‘The Elegant Art (Of Falling Apart)’ could be a Michael Monroe album cut, the simple chord progression, the killer verse that builds to a memorable and overly cool gang vocal chorus, what’s not to like here? Then there’s ‘Only Human’, a song that has to be a future live favourite. Upbeat and euphoric, with a killer hook you will be repeating long after the song has faded. This is without doubt my favourite tune on the goddamn record.
I don’t think anyone expected The Professionals would be ‘a thing’ after they reunited for a celebratory show 6 years ago. Turns out Paul Cook and Tom Spencer are a great writing partnership, but surely even they couldn’t have imagined they would have two quality albums under their belts 6 years later. ‘SNAFU’ is a quality release that seals the deal for this modern incarnation of The Professionals. Not riding on the past or claiming to reinvent the wheel, Cook and Spencer have crafted 11 honest rock n’ roll songs that sit well in the discography and seal the legacy of the band.
Lead Track from The Professionals third EP release. Twenty Twenty Vision, the third EP from The Professionals’ 1, 2, 3 EPs 2020 series on Yellow 10″ Vinyl EP, from a limited edition of 500 and CDEP. This one features exclusive live ‘Join The Professionals’ and ‘Good Man Down’ Each 10″ record has exclusive tracks and comes on coloured vinyl all are limited editions. Get on it kids or pick up the bundle with signed print over Here.
Legendary Northern Irish punk rock act Stiff Little Fingers are delighted to announce a full UK tour in March 2020 – The 2020 Tour.
The tour will see the band play their 29th consecutive Glasgow Barrowland Ballroom St. Patrick’s Day show as part of their traditional March tour. The band also headline London’s Roundhouse to end the 13-date run.
All the dates will feature support from The Professionals and TV Smith. The Roundhouse show only will also feature a very special guest slot from the Neville Staple Band. With an iconic career of over 40 years, Stiff Little Fingers remain as vital as ever.
The full tour dates are as follows: Thursday 12thMarch 2020 Bristol, O2 Academy Friday 13thMarch 2020 Cardiff, Great Hall Saturday 14thMarch 2020 Birmingham, O2 Academy Monday 16thMarch 2020 Norwich, UEA Tuesday 17thMarch 2020 Glasgow, Barrowland Ballroom Thursday 19thMarch 2020 Troon, Concert Hall Friday 20thMarch 2020 Newcastle, O2 Academy Saturday 21stMarch 2020 Leeds, O2 Academy Monday 23rdMarch 2020 Northampton, Roadmenders Tuesday 24thMarch 2020 Nottingham, Rock City Thursday 26thMarch 2020 Portsmouth, Pyramids Friday 27thMarch 2020 Manchester, Academy Saturday 28thMarch 2020 London, Roundhouse
So, the next PROFESSIONALS chapter officially begins, to take the band into 2020.
6 new songs recorded during 2019, will be available to advance order from today (29th November).
The 3 EP’s will be released in January, February and March of the new year. Each EP will feature 2 new tracks plus two live recordings of older material. They’ll be available individually through Transistor Music on CD, limited edition vinyl and super limited edition colour vinyl, or as various bundles with exclusive T- shirts and signed posters. The new tracks are contenders for next year’s October released album, the follow up to the critically acclaimed ‘What In The World’. There’s also talk of adding guests to the new recordings before the release, taking advantage again of Paul Cook’s immense punk rock address book.
Studio time has been booked around the band’s tour with SLF and US dates, where further new material will be put down.
We have a 2020 vision and hope you’ll all be part of it.
Legendary Northern Irish punk rock act Stiff Little Fingers are delighted to announce a full UK tour in March 2020 – The 2020 Tour.
The tour will see the band play their 29th consecutive Glasgow Barrowland Ballroom St. Patrick’s Day show as part of their traditional March tour. The band also headline London’s Roundhouse to end the 13-date run.
All the dates will feature support from The Professionals and TV Smith.
The full tour dates are as follows: Thursday 12thMarch 2020 Bristol, O2 Academy Friday 13thMarch 2020 Cardiff, Great Hall Saturday 14thMarch 2020 Birmingham, O2 Academy Monday 16thMarch 2020 Norwich, UEA Tuesday 17thMarch 2020 Glasgow, Barrowland Ballroom Thursday 19thMarch 2020 Troon, Concert Hall Friday 20thMarch 2020 Newcastle, O2 Academy Saturday 21stMarch 2020 Leeds, O2 Academy Monday 23rdMarch 2020 Northampton, Roadmenders Tuesday 24thMarch 2020 Nottingham, Rock City Thursday 26thMarch 2020 Portsmouth, Pyramids Friday 27thMarch 2020 Manchester, Academy Saturday 28thMarch 2020 London, Roundhouse
In addition to the dates announcement Stiff Little Fingers have just put out two special ‘Virtual Reality’ videos filmed with a 360 degree camera attached to the drum kit, from this years “Putting the Fast In Belfast 3” show in August. This gives the user, via their mobile viewing device or computer, the option to view whatever part of the stage and or band member they so wish via movement of the viewing device or via a mouse or pointing tool. The two tracks are their iconic punk anthems “Alternative Ulster” and “Tin Soldiers”
Stiff Little Fingers have been incredibly active in recent years, playing some prestigious live shows, including three years of headline sold-out hometown performance in Belfast’s Custom House Square; London’s Hyde Park British Summer Time concert with Green Day; the 28th traditional St. Patrick’s Day sold-out show at Glasgow iconic venue Barrowland Ballroom.
In addition to the live performances, the past five years saw Stiff Little Fingers release two records: their tenth studio album “No Going Back” in 2014, which showcases a band at the height of their powers, still able to capture the heart of the listeners with relevant topics and honest sound, reaching #1 in the UK charts; and a live album “Best Served Loud – Live At The Barrowlands” in 2017, which immortalises Stiff Little Fingers’ epic performance at their annual St. Patrick’s Day show.
Formed in 1977 in Belfast Stiff Little Fingers were among the pioneers of punk rock. Joining ranks with the likes of The Clash, Sex Pistols, The Damned, Buzzcocks, and Undertones they brought in a new era of music and they’re still keeping that spirit alive 42 years on!
Well, we’re almost there folks its Sunday on our preview and by now there will be sore heads, aching limbs, sunburn, and ringing ears and aching jaws from having such a good time and laughter that’s usually how Sunday pans out but not necessarily in that order. By now you will have got the hang of how to best navigate your way through the Winter Garden and how best to avoid the heat and there will be some who are only now getting into the swing of things and only just warming up. We’ve already opened a book as to what state our friends Trigger Mcpoopshute will be in before they hit the introducing stage. I just hope Blackpool has enough Special Vat on tap because they will find it and the Karaoke bar. Anyway, I digress.
On with the show. first up will no doubt be a very early start for many as Hands Off Gretel hit the Empress Stage between 12:50pm – 1:30 pm. With their recent album and live shows, they’ve had plenty of praise around these parts and it’ll be great to catch them on such a big stage and big room compared to the tight confines of Clwb Ifor Bach. But wait, get your time warp daps on because there are more clashes than outside a Swansea v Cardiff derby. 1.55 also sees our mates the wonderful Kopek Millionaires return to the festival in the Opera House and hang on those Welsh herberts Trigger McPoopshute are also kicking up a shitstorm over on the introducing stage at 1.15 and if you shout loud enough I’m sure they’ll play ‘Sheep’ and my favourite ‘Skidmarks & Spencer’.
It’s just not fair because Pizzatramp will be causing offense and singing songs about Goths at 2 pm over at Club Casbah or whinging about having their fuckin’ backs being fucked and calling Bono names but I can guarantee they will be entertaining and totally crushing the room. Next up for me will be those filthy garage punk noise bringers Rotten Foxes again on the introducing stage where double denim hot pants will no doubt be the order of the day and songs about Danny Dyer will be belted out for the gathered masses. Around the same time, The Svetlanas will also be delivering the noise over in The Ballroom and they went down very well last year. You could stay put and chill because up next is the pop punk of Teenage Bottlerockets in the Empress. Or no doubt like many will head over to Club Casbah for your annual fix of Dirtbox Disco at 5.10 pm. If you haven’t had enough Hands Off Gretel frontwoman Lauren Tate will be putting on an Acoustic performance in Almost Acoustic but I’d imagine you’d have to get there early as it will be busy.
It’s still very early evening and hopefully, you should be just warming up by about now and pacing yourself. You’ll hopefully have just taken in a bunch of new bands on your radar and awaiting some more established bands who will be along later. There are a dozen bands playing the Introducing Stage on Sunday many of whom I’ll admit to not having heard but will always dip in because its stages like this where the future headliners might come from and who knows, your new favourite band. Isn’t that the beating heart of what Rebellion Festival is all about? You can stay in one venue all day long and come across a whole gambit of bands some you’ll love some you’ll know the name of but have never heard them and others will blow you away and all indoors under the same roof alongside friendly staff who make it such a special place to watch alternative music night after night after night. Anyway, I digress.
The Witchdoktors play their garage punk rock n roll just before Foreign Legion kicks in with their Oi! infused street punk. Weaving around the stages takes some skills that you should no doubt be a Jedi master at by this point so negotiating Conflict, DOA and then King Kurt will be a piece of piss right? Yeah right. and if you’re still in one piece The Motherchuffin’ Dwarves are taking the Casbah stage home tonight and will no doubt devastate what’s left of the audience. I see they’re down for a 55-minute set so it looks like they’re playing twice then kids 😉
Anyway back in the Empress the final curtain call sees CJ Ramone knock out a whole bunch of classics from 7 pm and lets face it he’s never let us down and his new solo album is a bit tasty as well so in fairness throw your laminated stage finder timetable out the window buy yourself a Dark Fruit and just follow your ears and you’ll be taken to a stage that will put a big smile on your face. The Professionals follow CJ then The Skids follow the Professionals but its top trumps time for me because the Damned close the festival that is as long as The Dwarves haven’t raised the Winter Gardens to the ground from the Casbah at the same chuffing time! it’ll be a flip of the coin no doubt or we will have to split review duties and by witching hour it will all be over – done and dusted. Back to our hotels and B&B’s with our pathetic bruised and beaten carcasses dissecting our weekend – our long lost weekend down the musical wormhole that is Rebellion festival. If you’re still in with a chance of going but can’t decide to take it from us you won’t regret it – not for a second (well that might be a lie – your legs might be saying otherwise) There is no other festival quite like it in the UK and we love being a part of it year after year. I’m packed and ready to rock n roll now where did I leave my kiss me quick hat?
The next wave of artists for Camden Rocks Festival 2019 is here! The multi-talented punk and folk singer-songwriter Frank Turner is joined by hitmakers The Wonder Stuff, Random Hand, Discharge, Richie Ramone, The Professionals, Eliza And The Bear, Sonic Boom Six, Area 11, Spunge, Shvpes and ninety other phenomenal bands across indie, rock, punk and metal announced.
They join the first wave of acts that includes Ash, Ratboy, New Model Army, Wheatus, Carl Barat, Ginger Wildheart, Milkteeth, Pretty Vicious, Raging Speedhorn, Angelic Upstarts, The Virginmarys, The Last Internationale, Bang Bang Romeo, Rews and many more.
This year Camden Rocks Festival is a two day event for the first time! Bringing you 400 artists across twenty grassroot venues in Camden Town.
Get out your microscopes and open up a spreadsheet to map out your days. If you were to ask us here obviously the star attractions of The Wonderstuff and Ash will have their fans but watching The Hip Priests, The Spangles or Rich Ragany & The Digressions is where the gold dust is. We’ll be doing our bit on the run-up to the event when we know venues and band times and let you know where we’ll be heading.
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