‘Second hand band’ is the latest offering from Aussie hard rockers Avalanche. The Sydney based four piece have been around for two years, and have built up a strong following in their native Oz and even have their own music festival! I know!
The band have their tongues very firmly in cheek and sound ever so slightly like that other well-known Australian rock band, yes them, the ones with a lightning bolt in their logo. They aren’t afraid to show their influences on their sleeve and let’s be honest, it hasn’t done much harm to Airbourne’s career. It does get a little too close to the mark on occasion though, with the riffs sounding almost identical to a few AC/DC numbers. Being influenced and downright plagiarism are completely different things!
Opening track ‘Killer Instinct’ bounces along nicely with some shouty bits and a great widdly guitar solo from lead guitarist Veronica ‘V’ Campbell and a frenetic, full on rock n roll ending. Next up we have the title track which tells us the bands story so far, including lyrics about ‘wanting to blow them all away’ and they admit that they are pretty much re hashing everything that came before them. After listening to the lyrics to this I start to enjoy the band more. They don’t give a fuck that they sound like other bands, and they are obviously having a great time. The production of the EP is crystal clear with plenty of bottom end to boot.
‘Get Back (To Fuckwit City)’ is ‘If You Want Blood (You Got It)’ played slightly differently lol. More great lyrics with plenty of puns here make it a standout track. Vocalist/bassist Steven Campbell (yes, they are married) barks out the words with gusto and his better half cranks out more fine solo work. ‘Spit in My Mouth’ starts off with a nice build up before we are off into full on AC/DC territory again (think ‘Riff Raff’ and you won’t be far off). Drummer Ryan ‘ADHD’ Roma deserves a mention here, his solid grooves propel the band along superbly.
‘Down in the Gutter’ has a more Ramones-like feel to it with a more up-tempo groove before dropping down into an extended jam. There’s more solid guitar work from Campbell and rhythm guitarist Arthur Divis on display here. Final track ‘Permanent Ink’ closes the EP in style with another barnstormer.
Avalanche aren’t going to change the world and they certainly aren’t doing anything new, but they sound like they are having a blast, and I would bet that they are a great band to catch live with a few beers at your local dive. Don’t over analyse them, just bang your head, stamp your feet, and enjoy a burst of good old (new) fashioned rock n roll!
British Heavy Metal legends Saxon will deliver a full-roar-fun-down set of covers with their latest album Inspirations, which drops a brand new 11 track release featuring some of the superb classic rock songs that influenced Biff Byford & the band.
Set for release on March 19th2021, via Silver Lining Music, Inspirations gets things rolling with the release of Saxon’s crunching take on The Rolling Stones’ ‘Paint It Black’. Biff Byford comments: “Loved this band since I first saw them and heard them. I liked the Beatles, but the Stones appealed to my rebel side; their iconic look… so many great songs, such a great attitude in the music!”
Inspirations was recorded at Brockfield Hall near York in the UK, which was built in 1804 and holds the largest collection of paintings by Yorkshire’s impressionist artists – the Staithes Group.
For Byford, recording Inspirations all together within such a rich historical environment was a major ingredient of the project. “The warmth and feel of Inspirations had so much to do with being together in this magnificent place and doing it ‘old-school’ style,” Byford explains. “This is how many bands back in the day -including some of the ones covered here- made such great albums, so it just felt really good to be able to do this somewhere like Brockfield Hall.” The results speak for themselves.
From the super-charged melodic romp of The Beatles’ ‘Paperback Writer’ to their freeway mad take on Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Stone Free’, Saxonshow their love and appreciation with a series of faithful, raw and ready tributes. Maintaining a firm eye on the old school way using Marshall cabs, Marshall amps, real drums and produced by Biff Byford with Jacky Lehmann recording and mixing, Saxon approach the likes of Motörhead’s ‘Bomber’ (with added whistle!),AC/DC’s ‘Problem Child’, Black Sabbath’s ‘Evil Woman’ and a raucous Deep Purple’s ‘Speed King’ with refreshingly warm, unfiltered, “vintage” sounding renditions.
“We wanted to do an album based on our influences, the songs and bands that inspired us to write what we did and still do,” continues Byford, “and it was also interesting to see what my voice could do as I haven’t sung many of these songs before.”
Byford does, indeed, take on some new vocal challenges, which he duly smashes on the likes of Thin Lizzy’s ‘The Rocker’. The net result is that whether cranking up a heavyweight take on Led Zeppelin‘s ‘Immigrant Song’ or throwing down AC/DC’s ‘Problem Child’, Saxondoes a supreme job of entertaining both themselves and their audience throughout Inspirations.
“We didn’t want to change any of the songs too much, just play them more like Saxon,” concludes Byford, “and we also think it’s very important to have -and share with the fans- some fun in these dark times.”
You want even more proof of the validity behind that statement? Wrap your ears around their sparkling take on Toto’s ‘Hold The Line’ and consider Saxon’s Inspirations a mission accomplished. Saxon’s Inspirations is available on Vinyl, CD, digital formats and limited edition D2C products; to pre-order go Here
I had the pleasure of reviewing the original unearthed Sleazy glam rock n rollers many years ago after these tapes had been unearthed and dusted down from the bowels of some DC studio. Sure there is a healthy mid to late ’70s Stones going on but these cats did a great line in sleazy Rock and roll not a million miles from the Lords and Hanoi as well as a few another top tier Punk n Rollers.
I’ll confess to not playing this CD for a while and when this cropped up with bonus songs I gave it another spin and wondered why the hell I’ve not pulled this out from time to time to go for a spin. Songs like ‘True Romance’ were a match for early Dogs D’Amour and the Lords meets Hanoi jonesing on the Mid to late ’70s Stones still sounds exciting.
The Factory burned like a roman candle, then disappeared into the night. The Washington D.C. opened for Iggy Pop, The Ramones, Public Image, Ltd. and Johnny Thunders, in the late ’80s and gained a lot of fans.
Led by Vance Bockis it was Unfortunate that outside influences got the best of them and The Factory broke up in 1992 without formally releasing anything more than a track on a compilation LP. Until this that is. To be fair ‘Ecstacy’ is perfect Lords meets Hanoi from that James jangle crossed with the saxophone its a great tune.
Growing up in DC, Acetate Records president Rick Ballard was a fan of the band and he held on to their demo for the last 20 years. He recently found the band online and immediately contacted them to discuss a release – the master tapes were located, cleaned up and mastered.
‘That Girl That I Want’ is a belter. Pure sleazy Punk n roll with some top horn honking over a great Thunders like rolling riff. The band gets a little funky on ‘Love To Dance’ which could have easily fallen off The Second Lords Album But the band really excels when they cut loose and just strut their stuff. The last two tracks being excellent cases to ram home my point especially ‘Six Feet Down’ with its dirty riff but it ain’t over quite yet as the bonus material that’s been unearthed is a trio of live tracks kicking off with a belting take on the Dolls classic ‘Chatterbox’ when a band gets it they just get it and effortlessly sizzle. ‘Sweet Jane’ is the perfect LES anthem for these DC rockers to pour into the speakers and a jolly fine job they do of it as well. Then to wind it all up they throw in a live rendition of their own ‘Misfortunate Son’ wrapping up a really awesome thirteen. If any of the bands I’ve mentioned in the same company as The Factory then you should down tools and clock in and give this long lost band a new lease of life and this really impressive record a second chance. You know what to do kids…I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – Buy it!
Heres a couple of right bangers recently released we thought it was fair to give these a good airing again. Enjoy The Bar Stool Preachers & The Urban Voodoo Machine & ending with a brand new one from the daddies of em all The Rolling Stones.
I’ll put my cards on the table here and admit that when I heard there was a new Subs album coming out I got excited then when I heard it was more covers I wasn’t too bothered. Subversions was a pretty decent effort and there were some great takes on there but, when I saw the tracklist for this I think I was half way through reading and I found I was reading through my fingers and gasping at some of the suggestions. However, I have a varied taste and it would be boring if they happened to take on songs you would, or could, associate with the band. So I waited for my copy to arrive and would make my mind up yay or Nay after I’d heard the interpretations.
OK here goes, nothing ventured nothing gained I guess. First up is ‘Diversion’ and a jolly uptempo ditty it is too they give it a right good seeing to so I guess I can sit back and relax – for the time being. Once again Pat Collier has done a sterling job on capturing the band and pulling out a fantastic live feel where everything is crystal clear and super vibrant. I guess ‘White Light White Heat’ isn’t too much of a stretch and then that riff chimes in as they take on Led Zepplin and ‘Immigrants Song’ and if for hearing Alvin’s bass playing alone this is a resounding success. Now I obviously know who Led Zepplin are and I have heard them many times before but I can’t say I’ve heard them covered by a punk rock band and sounding so good. I often joke that Zepplin had a great drummer and a few tidy riffs I might be joking I might not but quite why they get so many column inches is baffling to me but this is one of their better tunes and this version is very well delivered and has exceptional qualities.
Joe Jacksons snappy ‘One More Time’ is afforded similar respect as the Subs do justice with a decent interpretation but it’s not as much of a stretch from the original. Vanilla Fudge ‘Season Of The Witch’ is up next and again kudos to Charlie’s vocals as the band really turn up a few stones to find songs to cover and take ownership of. Put this one down as one I didn’t see coming but quite enjoyed, in fact, its the ones I was having the sweats over are turning out to be the ones I’m most impressed with.
OK so Alvin toured with Iggy and not the stooges so one of the more predictable covers and an absolute stone-cold classic and one you just knew they would slay and could never fuck up – obviously they don’t disappoint and knock it right out of the park.
Side two kicks off in style with a thunderous take on ‘This Is Rock And Roll’ originally from The Kids closely followed by a suitably sloppy ‘My Generation’ that gives the rhythm section of the Subs a chance to stretch their legs with some awesome solo breaks. Take a bow Alvin and Jamie – sensational work. I bet nobody saw the Subs tip the hat to Tom Petty and the other Heartbreakers on ‘You Wreck Me’ and what a ball this one is. As a band the Subs show just how versatile they can be and taking on a song like this and take ownership of the track is a real testament to just how good these boys are.
As we head into the home straight there are three big uns starting with the Neil Young anthem that is ‘Rockin In The Free World’ and rolling it round in the dirt and giving it some right yob treatment on the chorus is a joy to hear. We know what the Subs are good at and this is them purring like an illite sports car – sure its easy to cover a song like this but you still have to do the right job on it and Straughan owns the solo by leaving it understated rather than running riot over it. and the Riff is meaty which is nice. Great song great cover. Now the song I feared most but to be fair the rest of the album is so bloody good I’m not bothered how ‘We Will Rock You Sounds’ but once the band stretch their legs and rock the shit out of it I’m chuffed to report that Charlie might not be Freddie he gives it a right seeing to. what was I worried about The subs fuckin’ smash it so by the time ‘The Last Time’ chimes in I knew they’d do the Stones justice so finishing on a real high. I can safely say that when anyone askes what does the Subs sound like doing Queen I can say without any irony or piss taking they do it very well and treat a cover with respect and a challenge check it out. All thats left to say is I hope it’s not the Last time and there are more more more to come. Long live the UK Subs. Buy it!
David Bowie took ‘Diamond Dogs’ out on tour around shit Island on this day back in 1974. The cover art features Bowie as a striking half-man, half-dog grotesque painted by Belgian artist Guy Peellaert. It was controversial as the full painting clearly showed the hybrid’s genitalia. A few copies of this original cover made their way into circulation at the time of release but hey anything goes in 2019 so if you want to see the originally intended artwork then here it is!
That was the ’70s and any excuse to show a bit of Bowie is good enough for us. Moving into the Naughties and on this day Velvet Revolver released a fine debut album ‘Contraband’ which spawned the hits ‘Fall To Pieces’ and ‘Slither’. the band made up of Slash, Matt Sorum and Duff McKagan, along with Scott Weiland and Dave Kushner.
Formed in 2002 when Slash and Duff played a benefit concert for Randy Castillo, who died of cancer. Stone Temple Pilots had split up, so the Guns N Roses pair pulled in Scott Weiland as lead singer although it was rumoured that Marc from Peckham Cowboys was also auditioned the line up was completed by Sorum (also in GnR) and second guitarist Dave Kushner.
During the recording of the album, Weiland was ordered by the court to attend rehab and as part of the deal, he was able to record at several hours at a time in order to complete the album.
Whilst on the subject of high maintenance band members on this day in ’69 the Stones officially parted company with Brian Jones who said he was leaving the band to play his “kind of music” his departure was barely a month old before he was found dead in his pool.
Finally Happy Birthdays to Greg Ginn – Born today in 1954 in Arizona. Ginn also owns the independent record label, SST, originally begun as an electronics company called Solid State Tuners when he was only 12 years old. Don’t know if its a well-known fact but Ginn is the older brother of artist Raymond Ginn, who is better known using by the name Raymond Pettibon (He of the OFF! album covers and the iconic Black Flag four-bar logo)
Another iconic musician who pioneered the new romantic scene Happy Birthday Nick Rhodes (born today in 1962) who came to prominence out of the post-punk scene that morphed into new romantics playing keyboards or synths in Duran Duran.
Born Nicholas James Bates who helped start the band in the late ’70s in Birmingham whilst DJing at the Rum Runner club in the city center. It was there he met the other members of the band who were also employed at the club. Rhodes went on to international superstardom with Duran. He also had a successful career with Arcadia which he formed with LeBon and Roger Taylor whilst the other two went off to Rock out with Power Station and the duranies went on hietus.
Rhodes always the artier one went on to become an accomplished photographer as well as several successful side projects but he always came back to Duran Duran. Happy Birthdays Greg and Nick.
Remastered • Unreleased tracks • 30th-anniversary • Various formats
BMG will reissue Keith Richards‘ 1988 solo album Talk Is Cheap as a six-disc super 30th anniversary super deluxe edition in March.
The audio has been remastered by original producer Steve Jordan and this set comes with six unreleased bonus tracks featuring Mick Taylor, Bootsy Collins, & Johnnie Johnson. The super deluxe is a big box that comes wrapped in “Fender replica guitar case material” and the six discs in the box are as follows:
Remastered Talk Is Cheap on vinyl
Unreleased bonus tracks on vinyl
Remastered Talk Is Cheap on CD
Unreleased bonus tracks on CD
Seven-inch single of ‘Take It So Hard’ b/w ‘I Could Have Stood You Up’
Seven-inch single of ‘No Mistake’ / ‘It Means A Lot’
In addition to that audio, this box delivers an 80-page hardcover book with an Anthony DeCurtis essay featuring a new Keith interview, as well as the usual ‘rare and unseen’ photos from personal archives. This set also throws in ‘stuff’ like tour laminates, lyric sheets, reproduction Talk Is Cheap playback invite, guitar pick and two posters.
A two-CD deluxe is also available with album and bonus tracks, and a standard remastered vinyl edition is also available. An ‘indies-only’ RED VINYL exclusive edition is also being marketed.
Wow, what a year it was for these New York Rock n Rollers. Two original albums that set the bar to be fair and then this year to follow it up so soon with album number one with a rebadge and a new set of clothes so to speak. To make it clear this is recordings Gorden Lawrence wrote in his folk’s basement when he was 17 years old and they were recorded using one microphone on a steady diet of ‘Raw Power’ (Iggy) and ‘Exile On Main Street’ (Stones). To be fair if you’re 17 years old and getting into music that’s about as good a starting point as any – no its a better starting point than many and if you want to have reference points then those two can only lead to good things oh and some booze, drugs, and girls for good measure. Wow, you go for it guys.
Just because it was recorded as I say using the one mic doesn’t mean it’s going to be a hipster nightmare and sound so abominable that only fools would listen (or the aforementioned hipsters) from the opening Crash, Bang Wallop, of ‘(I’m Your) Other Man’ you can instantly tell that ‘Raw Power’ and ‘Exile’ were the perfect choice to go make a cellar recording of some Rock n Roll songs you have penned with its groove and almost hypnotic rhythm the production values don’t matter I’m sure we’ve all heard albums recorded using tens of thousands of pounds of pro tools and kit and don’t have a fraction of the heart and soul that a record like this has and that’s a fact.
I’d also throw the Dolls and VU into the mix at this point as ‘Milk’ has New Yawk Cool all over its laid back undertones but next up is the pure strut of ‘I Can’t Stop It’. Man, they must have been mainlining the spirit of Jagger and Richards on this bad boy. As the album progresses it swings from one influence to the other and ‘City Boy Blue’ taps up that Stooges groove as does the super fuzz wig out of ‘Genocide’ its got a tonne of fire inside the band that’s captured perfectly here no doubt about it. I’m also reminded a little of bands like The Jesus And Mary Chain here as well more with the spirit than actually sounding like them especially on ‘Don’t Walk Away’.
‘Bleach Blonde’ is the only non Lawrence penned song and is a more pop tune complete with loose chord changes and handclaps whilst ‘Run Away’ reminds me of one of those demos released by Kurt Cobain’s estate after his passing and they raided his vault.
‘Rich Cunt’ is a rapid smash and grab as you might imagine it to be. No finesse just turn up the amps and go for it play the solo like you feel it and don’t worry about hitting any bum notes it matters not. Then to close this thing off its the albums title track with all the Noo Yawk swagger of the Dolls at full tilt which sounds magnificent and a real attitude statement and as I listened I glanced down at the sleeve notes and read that the final sentence is that they don’t regret a single thing and so they shouldn’t. Its a piece of work as it is and had they messed with it it wouldn’t have captured that drive – that attitude – that raw emotion and inevitably wouldn’t have been half as good as what it is. Beechwood are demanding your attention and this is only going to enhance their reputation. Beechwood rock like fuck in the right way it is pure of heart and a band who you should be adding to your collection if you truly believe in Rock and Roll as I know you should. Trash and Glamour two of our favourite things – Buy it!
Terence Dale “Buffin” Griffin (24 October 1948 – 17 January 2016) Buffin was a founder member of Mott The Hoople and also famed producer of bands on the John Peel show between 81 and 94. Most famously he produced sessions for Nirvana, Pulp and the smashing pumpkins and also in his own right he noticeably produced Hanoi Rocks album ‘Back To Mystery City’.
As a founder member of Mott The Hoople Dale managed to attend the Hammersmith reunion shows back in 2009 but had been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimers so only played on the encores of the shows which were extended from three to five after an incredible demand although he didn’t feature at all in the warm-up shows the band did near Rockfield studios prior to the London gigs. his place was taken by Martin Chambers. Diagnosed at 58 he sadly passed away in his sleep back in 2016 at the young age of 67.
Rest In Peace Buffin 24 October 1948 – 17 January 2016
On a brighter note on this day in history, The Rolling Stones released their first EP, which included, ‘You Better Move On’, ‘Poison Ivy’, ‘Bye Bye Johnny’ and ‘Money’. It peaked at No.15 on the UK chart. Also by some coincidence, Happy Birthday today to Mick Taylor, Mick joined The Stonesin 1969 (aged 20), replacing Brian and left the Stones in 1974. He has appeared on some of the Stones’ classic albums and widely regarded as their finest period of songwriting including Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main St. Taylor has also worked with Bob Dylan, Mike Oldfield, Jack Bruce and Ronnie Wood.
Richards gave Taylor this fine appraisal when recording Its Only Rock And Roll’ during the Munich sessions, Richards confronted him and said, “Oi! Taylor! You’re playing too fuckin’ loud. I mean, you’re really good live, man, but you’re fucking useless in the studio. Lay out, play later, whatever.” Richards erased some of the tapes where Taylor had recorded guitar parts too.
Taylor responded by saying “I was a bit peeved about not getting credit for a couple of songs, but that wasn’t the whole reason [I left the band]. I guess I just felt like I had enough” Yeah right so you just leave The Stones and that’s it? He later said of his time in the band – “We used to fight and argue all the time. And one of the things I got angry about was that Mick had promised to give me some credit for some of the songs – and he didn’t. I believed I’d contributed enough. Let’s put it this way – without my contribution, those songs would not have existed. There’s not many but enough, things like “Sway” and “Moonlight Mile” on Sticky Fingers and a couple of others” Oh well your contribution was recognised by the fans for sure and with the power of hindsight I doubt the band would have existed had Mick Taylor not joined the band.
They must have made their peace because Taylor has joined the band on stage many times since so Happy Birthday Mick aged 70 Today!
Not Just your regular summer, no sir, this one is hot! and its only getting hotter!
June 2018
Whilst May was relatively quiet (slang) June was positively bristling with releases and live shows for the RPM crew and the beginning of the festival season was open. But we couldn’t mention June 2018 without a few tributes to fallen comrades in Rock and Roll.
Firstly, Heavy Drapes frontman Garry Alexander Borland passed away the first week after returning from Holland after a really successful show at Rebellion over there. Garry’s passing was a huge shock to people close to him obviously but his passing was also felt in the wider alternative community with his band on the verge of much bigger and better things what with the up and coming decent billing at Rebellion UK and their debut album ready to go so its only right we record this moment and pay tribute to Garry. May he rest in peace.
Another sad passing was that of DJ Fontana who was Elvis Presley’s drummer for many a year, Dominic Joseph Fontana was responsible for laying down the backbeat on almost 500 songs with the king which is no mean feat and a really impressive CV by any standard also it’s only right we recognise his contribution to music. Rest in Peace DJ.
Sadly a third influential musician passed away in June this year, none other than Nick Knox the second but longest-serving Cramps drummer. Nick joined the band from the Electric Eels and occupied the drum stool from 1977-1991, Knox toured with the band and appeared on some of the Cramps’ best recordings, ‘Songs The Lord Taught Us‘, ‘Psychedelic Jungle’ and ‘A Date With Elvis’. Rest In Peace Nick Knox the man behind Lux and the man behind the shades.
Sadly the fourth person to pass away in June was none other than West coast punk rock legend Steve Soto of The Adolescents. Steve was originally the bass player in Agent Orange back in ’79 he then served as bass player in the Adolescents until passing. the most recent album ‘Cropduster‘ being his final piece of work and easily one of 2018 finest albums. The band went on to tour the summer around Europe with stand-in player and dedicated the set each night to Steve where they had a backdrop replacing the band’s logo and replacing it with SOTO at Rebellion in August Tony Reflex dedicated the show to his bandmate in a touching speech and subsequent performance that was electric and memorable, Rest In Peace Steve 54 is way too young.
Right hopefully onto much happier matters for the month of June 2018. With Festival season in full swing Fraser headed to Download and watched The Bronx, The Hives and Turbonegro show the festivals other acts how Rock and Roll was meant to be delivered to the people. elsewhere it seemed like the world and his Mrs were off to see the Rolling Stones play some enormadome or should that be a field?
IT might have cost the GDP of some countries to get close enough to see the band measure up to the size of a subbutteo player but it has to be said nobody was disappointed in either the performance or the setlist the band was knocking out on this leg of the tour. Jagger was ever his peter pan like self careering from one side of the huge stage to the other like he was a child with more energy than most performers more than half his age and some.
Nev decided he’d bowl darn London way and take in what Camden Rocks had to offer. Basically, all the pubs of any note and the dive bars, as well as the more famous landmarks such as Dingwalls, Electric Ballroom etc throw, open their doors to live Rock and Roll for the day and if you have a wristband and there’s room at the inn then uh, you’re in! Just wear some comfortable shoes and a stage planner. You might just happen across your favourite new band or someone you’ve been meaning to catch and hey presto there they are. (Deep Breath time) This year Nev caught The Ramonas at the Dublin Castle – Dirty Thrills at The Underworld Talia Dean in Brew Dog then back to the underworld for Sonic Boom Six and some knees up skanking ska which went down rather well with Nev. It wouldn’t have been right had our roving scribe not caught Urban Voodoo Machine down at the lock where the place to be was indeed Dingwalls then to finish off a marathon of live entertainment it was Camden Assembly for some Ryan Hamilton & The Traitors before the Rifles was a curtain call for Mr Brooks but he wasn’t banking on bumping into Paul-Ronny Angel either so his night wasn’t quite over!
Ben went to Rambling Man Fair and enjoyed the performances of such heavyweight rockers as The Cult and also managed to catch RPM favourites Jim Jones and The Righteous Mind as well as the real mock rockers Steel Panth..Nah I can’t type it sorry folks I’d be doing RPM a disservice even mentioning them. anyway, Ben also managed to take in the large club gig of the month that was the triple-headed Britrock Must Be Destroyed touring carnival that featured a rotating line up of Reef, The Wildhearts, and Terrorvision. there were multiple dates to be fair and it was decided on the day how the running order would play out. I reckon each band made new fans on the night as reports were coming in of all three raising each others game and an excellent way to tour. The night Ben had in Leeds also saw Dodgy added to the lineup.
Our intrepid European correspondent or one of them Craggy got to see Repetitor live at Kabinet Muz, Brno I said Craggy got to see Repetitor in Brno…oh forget it he enjoyed it anyway said it was one of his highlights of the year to be fair.
Now with a sharp intake of breath June was positively overflowing with album releases that would bother top tens come the end of the year. Just a few of those contenders has to be The Interrupters with their ‘Fight The Good Fight’ that saw them leap up the rankings with a fantastic collection of tunes that was shaking up not just fans of the bands previous two albums but new music fans who heard one of the many potential hits on the radio or tv with the album set to just keep on selling and selling we are looking at the next big thing as they won’t be playing clubs for much longer.
Getting Tim Armstrong in to produce the record is a great move as the guy oozes class and knows his way around a ska-punk record and if he had a hand in any of the songwriting or arranging then boy pat yourselves on the back because the infectious ‘A Friend Like Me’, ‘Shes Kerosene’ and the awesome ‘Got Each Other’ are three reasons why this record will deservedly be in many ends of year top 3’s and rightly so..
Elsewhere June saw the release of London Towns Portuguese legends The Parkinson’s return with the LP ‘The Shape Of Nothing To Come’ that confirmed that these gentlemen still had it and it was a fine return to the fold in every way. Now expanded to a five piece you can take the boys out of punk rock but you can’t ever take the punk rock out of the boys and that boys and girls is a fact. the Parkinsons still have the chops.
Another couple of worthy mentions in the albums released in June has to be Smash Fashion and their ‘Rompus Pompous’. Which has gone down a right storm at RPM as they’ve really hit their stride on this one and joioning them would have to be Nottingham’s The Speedways with the fantastic slice of power pop that is ‘Just Another Regular Summer’ the brains behind the idea to write an album was Matt former guitarist of The Breakdowns he’s since formed a band after the success of the record and has played a number of shows and next year they’ve already planned some shows in Spain and London. It really is power pop perfection and a record we highly recommend.
The old school shouldn’t be forgotten either because June was also the month when the phrase you can’t teach an old dog new tricks was debunked because The Uk Subs once again released a new album ‘Subversions’ of some of their favourite songs by other people – sure a cover album. there might well be some you could see coming but there are others on the album that you would never have seen coming.
Over in NYC the birthplace of hardcore and home to some of the best bands around Madball made a new record they put out in June 2018 and the brutal ‘For The Cause’ was unleashed on the world and immediately felt at home with the RPM crew.
Finally a mention of records released in June this time for the magnificent London power poppin’ punk rockin’ Los Pepe who released their long playing Greatest Hits on Snap Records! it came with a CD of the album and they also got to knock out a single this month as well which was nice. Don’t get me started on singles that appeared this month because ther were plenty with my pick of the pack coming from the Randy Savages who were ‘Guilty Of Nuthin’ .
‘Second hand band’ is the latest offering from Aussie hard rockers Avalanche. The Sydney based four piece have been around for two years, and have built up a strong following in their native Oz and even have their own music festival! I know!
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