I had the absolute joy of interviewing the fabulous Glasgow rock band Anchor Lane at the Leeds Festival last Sunday. It was shortly after they opened the final day in style with a barnstorming set on the Festival Republic Stage.
Click here to give it a listen and let me know what you think. If you cannot listen on Buzzsprout click here and choose your favourite stream/ podcast service. Spotify is always the last to update!.
The interview was for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem and Soundsphere Magazine.
All photos by John Hayhurst of Snapagig.com
If you have enjoyed this article, feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, EMail. Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch.
I had the honour and pleasure of interviewing the magnificent ALT BLK ERA at the Leeds Festival last Saturday. It was just a few hours before they headlined the BBC Introducing Stage with a stonkingly good set! Their new EP ‘Freak Show’ is out tomorrow, it will be an absolute belter!
Click here to give it a listen and let me know what you think. If you cannot listen on Buzzsprout click here and choose your favourite stream/ podcast service. Spotify is always the last to update!. The interview was for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem and Soundsphere Magazine.
All photos by John Hayhurst of Snapagig.com
If you have enjoyed this article, feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, EMail. Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch.
I was lucky enough to interview ace Reading band the Amazons after their storming set at the Leeds Festival last Friday. Click here to give it a listen on Buzzsprout and let me know what you think. If you cannot listen on Buzzsprout click here and choose your favourite stream/ podcast service. Spotify is always the last to update!. The interview was for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem and Soundsphere Magazine.
All photos by John Hayhurst of Snapagig.com
If you have enjoyed this article, feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, EMail. Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch.
This is it then, the final day of Leeds Festival for 2023. What will we get to see before the sun finally sets today? read on to find out! The Festival Republic Stage was my first stop for Glasgow’s Anchor Lane. Heavy, loud, and magnificent, a bit of Royal Blood and a lot of British classic heavy rock. The band is tight and skilful. How they make such a great and deep sound without a bass I have no idea, but they do! The vocalist knows how to rock, and his stage presence and audience involvement are better than many of the so-called bigger acts! I also had the opportunity to interview the band. That will be published soon.
Anchor Lane
After that, it was a trek through a major downpour for Baby Queen on Main Stage East, it was as though the heavens had opened just in line with the start of her set. But that did not deter her hardcore fans who sang along to every word. Baby Queen reminds me of Self Esteem, with maybe some Kate Nash influence in there too. She is a wonderfully engaging artist who really shows empathy and care toward her fans. The band is incredibly tight and the vocal harmonies from the guitarist add an extra level to each song. The tunes are all full of perfect hooks and Baby Queen has great pop sensibility too. The highlight for me today was “Buzzkill”. In a previous Baby Queen review, I said “If Cyndi Lauper and Kate Nash adopted a daughter and raised her together, I believe that daughter would become Baby Queen”. I stand by that description!
Holly Humberstone played a beautiful set on the Main Stage East in advance of her new album ‘Paint My Bedroom Black’ which is due out in October. She managed to hold off the rain and “Superbloodmoon” had us all bouncing around! Easy Life were on the Main Stage West and played some blissful summery pop and funked-up disco with some jazz tones. Some elements of Bruno Mars and Bran Van 3000. They took a risk singing a song about rain, but they pulled it off and it stayed dry for their set. Next, it was a quick run over to the Festival Republic Stage for Scouse punks High Vis. This was full-on hardcore punk with passion, power, anger, and energy in abundance. Great message songs in their set as well.
My first visit to the BBC Introducing Stage today was for a Leeds band with a French name, L’Objectif. Lots of cool laidback soulful soft rock tunes with emotion and passion turned up to eleven. But when they rocked out, they had a feel of Matt Bellamy in the vocal department. Inhaler played the Main Stage East. What do you need to do as a rock star if your dad is Bono? Probably not sound like his band. Inhaler are exceptionally good, but I cannot shake the young U2 vibe, maybe they will grow on me. Zand took over the Festival Republic Stage and made it their own. They play what they describe as ‘ugly pop’. That is quite an apt description, the sound is jagged, harsh, electric, and so, so good. Zand’s performance was monstrously majestic and reminded me of Peaches with whom they have previously toured.
Today’s not-so-secret set was another appearance by Baby Queen, this time on the BBC Introducing Stage. It was short, punchy, and fun. The crowd was super excited and frankly, they were right. It was an impressive set. I love “We Can Be Anything” and I had not appreciated until now how the “open your mind” refrain sounds like the experimental sound of George Harrison in the sixties. Does it sound like that to you or was it the dope fog I walked through earlier today? Mothica a.k.a. McKenzie Ellis played a storming set on the Festival Republic Stage and thrilled the crowd to the max. This set and her Reading set earlier this weekend was the first time she had ever played in the UK. On the strength of this she will be back. The music is different and very original and yet at the same time evokes an eclectic understanding of music history.
Lucia and the Best Boys
Lucia and the Best Boys were next on the BBC Introducing Stage. They are from Glasgow and are like an alt.Texas. Lucia has a voice every bit as good as Sharleen Spiteri and she put on a striking performance. Their first album is out in September. keep an eye out for it. Pixey, a.k.a Elizabeth Sinead Hillesdon from Ormskirk, was the headline act on the BBC Introducing Stage Sunday night. Her sound feels like a slick 21st Century Motown crossed with the fun and the impeccable pop displayed in Junior Senior’s “Move Your Feet” from 2002. Slaves changed their name back in 2022 and are now known as Soft Play. In contrast to their new name, they played it as hard as hell on the Festival Republic Stage bringing a colossal cacophony of loud, mountainous modern metal.
The 1975 were chosen once again to be the super sub after replacing Rage Against The Machine last year they are here to replace Lewis Capaldi in 2023. Are they conspiratorially nobbling headline acts to ensure that they get the gig? What are the odds on them doing the same thing next year? It was a perfunctory set from a band that first established themselves more than ten years ago. I doubt that it will go down in history as one of the best-ever headline sets, but it was OK. Matty Healy won over some new local fans when he claimed that the band had been exiled from Manchester and that the Leeds Festival was now a hometown gig for them.
KennyHoopla rocked the Festival Republic Stage to its foundations, well at least to its deep-rooted tent ropes. This was easily one of the best sets of the weekend for me an undoubtedly the most energetic. Hoopla ran, leapt, spun, and jumped around the stage like the Duracell Bunny powered by a nuclear reactor. He climbed high up one of the girder-like tent supports at one point and overcame some radio mic issues by prowling around the stage like Iggy Pop on speed-infused Viagra. His band is incredible, especially the guitarist. The highlight, and there were many to choose from in his 9-song set was the electrifying performance of his 2020 US hit “How Will I Rest in Peace if I’m Buried by a Highway?”. This guy is something special.
The mysterious and enigmatic masked rockers Sleep Token followed KennyHoopla onto the Festival Republic Stage. I know that the whole masked thing has been done so well before by Slipknot, but Sleep Token add another deep layer of intrigue, spookiness, and weirdness. The good thing is that it is not just a mask gimmick thing, they are a great band with some stunningly good songs. Opener “Chokehold” and “The Summoning” were my favourites. Hardly any details are known about the band other than they come from London. The lead singer is known as Vessel and the band members use Roman numerals as names; II, III, and IV. Overall, it was a thrilling theatrical show. The festival was closed by Las Vegas band, the Killers 20 years after their first big hit “Mr. Brightside”. This was the band’s second headline slot ate Reading and Leeds having previously had the honour in 2008. Their set was everything we have come to expect from a Killers gig, all the hits and a few deeper cuts and some snazzy showmanship by Brandon Flowers. A Killers show has become a Brandon Flowers show as many of the original band no longer tour. But that did not matter to a very fired-up crowd. The three-song encore included “Human” and naturally, “Mr Brightside”. The only thing that was missing was an Elvis-style announcement at the end that said, “Brandon Flowers has left the building”. Well, that is it for 2023 at the Leeds Festival, we will see you in 2024!
All photos by John Hayhurst of Snapagig.com
If you have enjoyed this article, feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, EMail. Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch.
Kicking off things on Main Stage West it was Lil Tjay who, for reasons currently unknown, failed to turn up yesterday. He is clearly a good rapper, and his DJ had some great beats and, MC skills. But the bottom line for me was I felt that Lil Tjay has all the stage presence of a used tissue. Also, was he lip-syncing at times? Maybe he was just having an off day! Next on the Main Stage East, it was superb Leeds band Yard Act who were accompanied on stage by a bunch of mannequins dressed in trench coats, who turned out to be dancers. This band is so refreshing, every bit as good as the Blockheads with some Talking Heads influence. Vocalist James Smith is just a one-off with perhaps some Mike Skinner and Ian Dury influence. A momentous set from a band who will headline this festival one day. After that, it was a dash back to Main Stage West for the god-like genius that is Frank Turner, along with his Sleeping Souls. I always feel positive and emotional when I see Frank play live. He is one of the most passionate performers in rock and this was a truly formidable set. Too many highlights to mention but “Photosynthesis” and “I Still Believe” were special indeed.
I took time out to interview the wonderful ALT BLK ERA next, and more of them later. Then it was over to the Festival Republic Stage for the Last Dinner Party. They are the subject of quite a bit of hype, did they live up to it? I think they did, in bucketloads. Musically they evoke classic seventies sounds like 10cc, Supertramp, and even Queen. But vocally they are simply first class in both lead and harmonies. I would love to hear singer Abigail Morris take on a cover of the odd seventies classic, “See Me, Feel Me” by the Who, maybe. It was keyboard player Aurora’s birthday today and the whole crowd sang Happy Birthday to her. This was an impressive set, “Nothing Matters” was perfect. I caught a few songs from Seagulls on Main Stage West. I thought they were good. Inoffensive indie pop rock like the Pigeon Detectives and Scouting For Girls.
Mimi Webb was on Main Stage East next. She played a hit-packed pop-fuelled set which hit the spot for most people in the crowd. After a short break, I was back at Main Stage East for Wet Leg. I like some of their songs and they played well and were clearly enjoying themselves, I am guessing you know there is a “but” coming right? Yes, there is. Personally, apart from one or two songs I find them a little bland! I was wandering past the BBC Introducing Stage, and I spotted that Antony Szmierek was about to start. I discovered his music recently via the weird algorithms that Spotify has with a great tune called “The Words To Auld Lang Syne”. He played that and did a great Sugababes cover. The highlight for me was “Twist Forever”. Mr. Szmierek appears to be a teacher as a group of kids all around 16 years old rocked up with a “Mr. Szmierek” sign. One of my favourite sets of the day.
I said there would be more on ALT BLK ERA later and this is it. They headlined the BBC Introducing Stage and after overcoming a few issues during soundcheck they played a set the force and power of which could be measured using a seismograph. Supported by an extraordinarily good drummer and a guitarist who might well be called Mr. Riffage. Together they produce a gargantuan metal hybrid sound which is often like the Prodigy on steroids. There were rough edges, but this is a young band that I believe has many fabulous years ahead of them. They played the title track of their upcoming EP, “Freak Show” which sounds classy. The Arctic Monkeys cover was so different from the original that it was perfect. But the highlight was set closer “I’m Normally Like This”.
Next, it was a stroll across to Main Stage West for a thumping set from Foals. I have seen them a few times and they are an immensely good live band with phenomenally good songs. At their base, they are essentially a funk band with musical muscle who overlay those huge bassy beats with great rock guitar and vocals. They clearly have an affinity with the sound of James Murphy’s LCD Sound System. They opened with the 2021 single “Wake Me Up” which brought a tired audience to life. They followed with some of their finest songs from their increasing canon of work. I think “(summer sky)” was the top choice for me, especially as they played it just when the sun was about to set. Finally, it was time for the mighty Sam Fender to grace the Main Stage East. The crowd was awash with hundreds of Newcastle United shirts waiting for a triumphant headline set from their Geordie Prodigal Son. He gave Bramham Park what many are already calling a career-defining set while showing his love of the North by wearing an Angel Of The North t-shirt. The encore came with waves of love from an adoring crowd.
All photos by John Hayhurst of Snapagig.com
If you have enjoyed this article, feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, EMail. Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch.
Main Stage East was my first hit of the Friday, and it was a powerful set from Reading band the Amazons. I sense a lineage through the best of 60s and 70s British Rock from the Small Faces to Bad Company. Their recorded stuff is good, but the band takes it to another fabulous level when they play live. A perfect way to warm up the Friday crowd, although more audience interaction earlier in the set would have made it even better. On this basis, I think the next Amazons album will be classy indeed.
Next, it was Hot Milk on Main Stage West. They have an underlying pop-punk sound with some incredible metal injections and old-school punk. The crowd was properly up for this and would have moshed until the sun went down. To be fair many of them probably will! Next, it was the Snuts on the same stage they are purveyors of pop-infused, anthemic, indie rock songs that are perfect for a sunny festival afternoon. A quick dash to the Festival Republic Stage to catch the Royston Club. A bit like Pulp spliced with the Housemartins with an injection of heavier sounds. Some great hooks and yet more sounds for summer. My first visit to the BBC Introducing Stage allowed me to catch TWST, clearly someone who embraces the strange, but in a very good way. She is a great performer with a touch of Barbie, Madam Misfit, Gwen Stefani, and a Disney Princess with attitude. She has a gorgeous voice that works on proto-power ballads and some awesome dance bangers.
Don Broco played the Main Stage West and for me they get better and better every time I see them. This was a thunderous set from a fantastically talented band. The crowd went batshit crazy for them. I love their positive message and confidence. Huge shout out to the drummer, he is not only good with the sticks. He has a great voice too. The Festival Republic Stage was packed tight for Scottish sensation Dylan John Thomas. He has some delightful, devilish, dervish-style songs that are filled with electro-folk and alt.country stylings. I feel that Mr. Thomas has a great knowledge of the history of Scottish music from the battle hymns of Bannockburn to Andy Stewart, the Proclaimers, Big Country, and Franz Ferdinand. The Main Stage East played host to Rina Sawayama, and she put on a spectacular performance. She has some excellent funky, poppy, hook-laden tunes constructed with dance in mind. Janet Jackson fans and anyone with a pair of disco trousers will have loved this supremely confident set. The costume change where Rina changed into a dominatrix in her boudoir red vampish corset-style outfit with tassles and then gave a mild BDSM routine with a whip, a riding crop, and light bondage. Probably not one for the kids but entertaining nonetheless!
I made another visit to the BBC Introducing Stage, this time for Grandma’s House. This trio is punk with a hard-hitting, well-played sound with what feels like a DIY ethos. I felt some echoes of early White Stripes and oodles of riot grrrl vibes. A short hop across to the Radio Xtra Stage for Lost Girl, she was damned good. Tons of sublime dance and R&B sounds and some boundlessly, energetic, and stylish dancing from two stupendous and perfectly syncopated dancers. There were some fine beats from the DJ, which included some magical African-style percussion. Lost Girl was signed to a label when she was 17, she is now 23 and has not been able or allowed to release any music. So, she has left and is now independent. I am looking forward to new stuff from her.
I just managed to catch the last three songs from on the Main Stage East from Steve Lacy. He first came to prominence as the guitarist in the alternative R&B band The Internet from 2015. He is a talented guitarist and vocalist and somewhat Princelike in his style and performance. He closed with “Bad Habit” which was a US number and a UK top 10 hit last year. I am so glad I got to catch even a small part of his set. Imagine Dragons were on the Main Stage West next as one of the joint headliners. Personally, I think whoever closes the night is the real headliner. But to be fair to them they played like headliners. “Thunder” and “Follow You” were highlights for me. Finally, it was time for Billie Eilish, and it felt like everyone on site had converged on Main Stage East for her performance. Like many headliners, she has had her own stage constructed, a huge ramp. She put on a fabulous performance and as expected the crowd loved her. She was like a feminist alt.Barbie with a hugely colourful outfit.
All photos by John Hayhurst of Snapagig.com
If you have enjoyed this article, feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, EMail. Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch.
Last night was the now legendary Leeds Festival prequel or overture. Something that doesn’t happen at Reading. The Festival Republic Stage was the place to be, and we were treated to a whole bunch of bangers from some banging bands; BBY, Panic Shack, King No-One, and James Marriot. For us, I think Panic Shack just about shaded it with a loud, funky, punky set. Who was your favourite?
Photo of Panic Shack by ace rock photographer John Hayhurst of Snapagig
If you have enjoyed this article, feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, EMail. Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch.
This gig looked like another wonderfully fun-packed Northern Radar night with some great music and musicians. Was it that kind of night? Read on to find out. First on stage was Jonny Cole with a set full of covers, but not just the usual covers suspects. He bravely chose some relatively obscure and quite difficult songs for the early part of his set. Later there were some great audience singalongs with “Stuck In The Middle With You” and “Proud Mary”. Jonny brought his old guitar teacher on stage for a couple of songs, including a rollicking take on Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B Goode”.
Next up it was the turn of the enigmatically named Moongate. There is no mystery, she saw the name on a house on her regular route to the recording studio. Most of her songs are relatively sad laments. Including the song about not being able to sleep, which while being sad was a great lullaby-style ballad and probably my favourite track from Moongate’s set. Her cover of Richard Hawley’s “Don’t Stare At The Sun” was fabulous. She was also joined by a full band for her last two songs, well not the actual band, but the music was on her Apple Mac. Those songs were great. The first one, “Midnight Air” was a moderately happy tune too.
Next, it was the turn of Lewis Ross Robson who struck me, via his style and manner as a kind of alt.folk Noel Gallagher. He has a collection of relatively downbeat tunes, but his lyrics are intricate and weave some great tales. I loved his voice. It has the feeling of someone who has really lived through the stories in his songs. In a couple of songs, I sensed the guitar stylings of Paul Simon in some of his sparser more stripped-back tracks.
Finally, it was time for the main attraction, all the way from Perth, Western Australia, Jordy Maxwell. He is a true raconteur and troubadour with some great tunes and wonderful stories to go with them. Some hilarious and some deeply poignant. One tale was about a huge Aussie bloke wearing sunglasses at night approaching Jordy some years ago after hearing the sublime song “See You Again” and telling Jordy that he was “cutting onions mate“. Apparently, it took Mr. Maxwell a few hours to figure out that the bloke had been crying. Having heard the song, I can understand why, it works on a deep emotional level. Jordy‘s great at self-deprecation, but without taking it too far. At one point he forgot some of the lyrics to “This Old Place” but seemed to get back on track by the medium of telling us more tales, sometimes using what he called his “weird chord”. When he was speaking about his Nan, I suspect there were only a few dry eyes left in the house. He played a little bit of John Denver’s “Take Me Home Country Roads”, one that Jonny Cole had played earlier.
At the start of his set, Jordy spilled his pint of Beavertown Neck Oil and within minutes five people had bought him a pint which were all lined up on stage with him, I don’t know if he eventually downed them all. But the fact that so many people responded to his lack of beer plight says how much of a great human being Jordy Maxwell is. This really was another wonderfully fun-packed Northern Radar night with some great music and musicians. It had the relaxed feel of a classy and chilled open mic night. Thanks to Simon P of Northern Radar for putting this on and to Lizzie, who “discovered” Jordy and persuaded Simon to bring him to York for a gig. This proves that behind every great man, there is always an even greater woman!
If you have enjoyed this article, feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, EMail. Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch.
It is nearly a year since our last Mayhem Virgins post, where we post artists and bands who have never featured on these pages before. This is the 19th in the series and it is dedicated to West Bridgford sisters, Nyrobi, and Chaya Beckett-Messam. Eagle-eyed readers will know that technically ALT BLK ERA have had a mention before, in my recent preview of this year’s Leeds Festival where I highlighted them as one to watch when they headline the BBC Introducing stage on Saturday. ALT BLK ERA‘s music will defy all your attempts to slot them into a specific genre box. Their sound has metal, punk, pop, electronic, rap, goth, alternative and maybe even emo. The band have said that they are influenced by the Prodigy and Ashnikko among others. I think Baby Metal, Delilah Bon, Bob Vylan and Skindred might play a part too.
I have always been a huge fan and admirer of bands and artists that have a true eclecticism in their sound and for me, ALT BLK ERA can bear comparison with the likes of David Bowie, Prince and, Kate Bush to name a few. In fact, Nyrobi and Chaya are around the age that Kate Bush first came to the attention of the music industry and listening to their music and watching their videos suggest to me that they are also in possession of that magnificent latent talent that Kate Bush showed in her early recordings. The band began during lockdown when their mother encouraged them to learn everything that they could about the music industry. In my opinion that was a very wise move. Eventually they joined the eNGine Room which is a government-funded artist development label that helps to nurture and develop young talent and provide them with experience and skills that will help them as they progress along their chosen musical and performing journey. They have been featured on the radio via BBC Introducing a few times, so it is quite appropriate and well-deserved that they will be heading the BBC Introducing Stage at Leeds and Reading this weekend. Tom Robinson described ALT BLK ERA as “Daring, adventurous and wildly original” on BBC Radio 6. Tom knows his stuff! I haven’t seen them perform yet, but I will experience that in just a few days and I am excited by the prospect. I imagine that their stage presence and live show will be off-the-scale special.
I love that they have recorded tracks in what they describe as SOLAR and LUNAR styles. SOLAR tracks are piled high with monumental guitar riffage and rap that is not afraid to challenge the ciphers of the best rappers in the business. Meanwhile, the LUNAR tracks are infused with an air of darkness, menace and, raw emotion by the wonderful use of chilling synth-driven strings and ethereal harmonies. Their debut EP ‘Freak Show’ hits the world on 1st September, I suspect it might already be pencilled in for many of those best of 2023 lists. I have been listening to a lot of ALT BLK ERA tracks and every one of them is a future classic. Right now “Rockstar”, “Mosh Girl Summer” and the incendiary “I’m Normally Like This” are my favourites, but that will probably be different tomorrow. Get this band in your life NOW!
If you have enjoyed this article, feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, EMail. Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch.
Just over a year ago, I read and reviewed Adam Steiner’s intriguing, in-depth, and fabulous tome, ‘Into The Never – Nine Inch Nails And The Creation Of The Downward Spiral‘. It remains one of the best books examining a musician’s creative process and all the external influences that fed into that work. So obviously, as a massive Bowie fan, I was excited to hear that his next book would explore the creation of David Bowie’s ‘Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)’ album. That book is out in the USA and will be published in the UK in September 2023. In my head, I don’t recall ever seeing ‘Scary Monsters’ being the number one album in any online or magazine listings of Bowie’s greatest albums. To check that thought I did a little online research and discovered that it often featured at number 7, 8, 9, or 10 in most polls and listings. The exception to that was the Rough Trade blog from January 2022 where it hit the heady heights of number one!
Steiner writes in a really academic but very readable style and I love how he draws on the influences of Bowie’s experience and environment. This album was Bowie’s first real post-punk release, given that most people will see 1979’s ‘Lodger’ as the final part of the acclaimed Berlin Trilogy. ‘It’Scary Monsters’ was also an album that included Bowie’s first UK number-one single that wasn’t a rerelease. (“Space Oddity” went to number one after being reissued in 1975). This was also an album that came into the world just as Thatcher and Reagan were beginning the pomp of their right-wing takeover of the West. Was this album also the harbinger of the new romantics? Probably not, but as Steiner suggests, without Bowie there probably would not have been a new romantic movement, despite what a young Tony Hadley said, in the full flush of youthful arrogance. The major events in Bowie’s life following this album are also covered. In particular, his performance as John Merrick on Broadway in ‘The Elephant Man’ and the assassination of his friend John Lennon by Mark David Chapman.
Adam Steiner tackles the album one song at a time and covers each one with the same level of detail and enthusiasm rather than focusing on the most popular tracks. He includes some great insights and his thoughts have encouraged me to listen to the album with fresh ears. Given that I have heard the record so many times over the years that is no mean feat! I love the rather strange writing fragments that preceded each section which are often weird, often jarring, and all of them most definitely “turn and face the strange”. The book is seasoned nicely with comments and stories about the creation of the album from those who were there, including Tony Visconti and Robert Fripp to name just two. Steiner considers the primal scream aspects of Bowie’s vocal on “It’s No Game” which soars in an almost frightening style when set against the angular, industrial Fripp guitar tones.
Adam Steiner uses some odd, yet perfect reference points throughout. This includes the 1969 self-help book, “I’m OK—You’re OK” by Thomas Anthony Harris when discussing the lyrics to “Up The Hill Backwards”. He brings in the 1932 Tod Browning film “Freaks” when analysing the title track and adds parallels with Bowie’s 1980 Broadway performance in Elephant Man. The piece on John Lennon’s murderer is chilling but so in time with the dawn of the new decade. The description of how the music for “Ashes To Ashes” was created actually revealed something that I never knew before, and I am somewhat of a Bowie fanatic! I won’t tell you what I learned, you need to read the book. Obviously, Bowie fans will love this book, but if you’re not a fan do not be put off. It is a worthwhile read for all rock music fans and for anyone who likes a large dose of social history too! I don’t normally give a star rating, but if I did this would be a five stars out of five book.
It is out now in the US and will be out in the UK in September. Click here to order from Amazon in the US and here to order from Amazon UK. It is published by Rowman and Littlefield.
If you have enjoyed this article, feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, EMail. Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch.
With Just A Hint Of Mayhem 