Day 4 of Mayhem’s 12 Days of Christmas series for 2023 features girli, another fabulous artist I discovered thanks to Spotify’s Misfits 2.0 playlist. girli made it into the Mayhem Charts top ten last month. I have said before that the argument about the atrocious way Spotify treats artists will be covered in the new year. But for me, Misfits 2.0 has helped to expose some great artists, including girli. She has released music since 2015, including a collection of fabulous singles and a debut album ‘Odd One Out’ in 2019. “Nothing Hurts Like A Girl” is close to being a perfect pop single. If you like electro, sharp pop, classy punk, rap and hooks worth their weight in gold then look no further than Amelia Toomey a.k.a girli. She has even recorded with one of my favourite bands, the Tuts, who sadly are no longer together. Get some girli in your ears and in your life, you will not regret it.
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Day 3 of Mayhem’s 12 Days of Christmas features Poppy or Moriah Rose Pereira to her family. She was born on my 36th birthday back in 1995 in Boston, Massachusetts. She came to prominence as a YouTube viral sensation, an android who made some excellent and cutting commentary on modern culture back in 2014. Then she signed her first record deal in 2017 and has since produced some stunning metal/ industrial music. She has so far released five albums, the third one, ‘I Disagree’ went to number one in the UK rock chart. Get Poppy‘s music in your life now!
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Here we are at day 2 of Mayhem’s 12 Days of Christmas for 2023 and it is another act I discovered via Spotify’s Misfits 2.0 playlists. Today we feature American singer-songwriter Royal and the Serpent a.k.a. Ryan Jillian Santiago. Apparently Royal and the Serpent translates to Me and my ego. Since 2019 she has released a fantastic selection of eclectic and stunning singles and has supported a diverse set of artists including Demi Lovato and Fall Out Boy. She made it into the US Alternative and Rock Charts top 20 in 2020 with “Overwhelmed”. Check out the video for that tune and some other excellent tracks below.
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The Mayhem 12 Days of Christmas feature hasn’t been around for a while, so I am reinstating it for 2023. It is not always Christmas-themed, sometimes, like this year it is an opportunity to showcase some great sounds. This year does have a theme though, Spotify gets so many things wrong, like not paying artists fairly, but that argument is for another day. One thing I believe that the greedy streaming service with the green logo has got right is its Misfits 2.0 playlist. The 12 Days of Christmas tunes will feature 12 acts I have discovered via Misfits 2.0 or some favourite acts featured on the said playlist. The Mayhem 12 Days of Christmas series for 2023 will culminate in a playlist at some point.
Day 1 features London’s WARGASM, a band formed 2018 by Sam Matlock and Milkie Way. They draw on electro, punk, definitely the Prodigy, and even pure pop. But they are very much out there in a space that could only be filled by WARGASM! Check out some of their ace tunes in the videos below.
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I know a lot of people don’t like the end-of-the-year list craze, but I do, so the Mayhem Albums Of The Year feature is back for 2023! I tried to keep it to a top ten, but I failed miserably, so it is a top twenty. Is your favourite included, or conversely, is your least favourite one of my favourites? There are a lot of big artists on the list, because whilst I focus on newer and smaller artists, I still listen to the big ones, what can I say, I just bloody love good music! I am not going to write a piece on every album and artist included, but I would love to hear your choices for 2023. So here it comes, the Mayhem top 20 albums of 2023!
Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd – Lana Del Rey
Black Rainbows – Corinne Bailey Rae
Heavy Heavy – Young Fathers
Chaos For The Fly – Grian Chatten
Drop Cherries – Billie Marten
The Ballad of Darren – Blur
Seven Psalms – Paul Simon
UK GRIM – Sleaford Mods
Smile – Skindred
Fata Morgan – Liz Davinci
The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons – The Hives
Vertiginous Drops – Carol Hodge
Venom – WARGASM
Chronicles of a Diamond – Black Pumas
Black Classical Music – Yussef Dayes
1989 (Taylor’s Version) – Taylor Swift
Things Lost – Suncharms
Stories From a Rock n Roll Heart – Lucinda Williams
CACTI – Billy Nomates
10,000 gecs – 100 gecs
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The Mayhem Monthly charts return for the fourth month in a row (I probably need to stop opening with that line soon, right?) Regular readers know the chart is based on my Spotify listening habits over the last month. The chart is still contemporary-ish, or it would be just an oldies chart The top three “Legacy” artists are David Bowie (no surprise there!), Mott The Hoople, and Donny Hathaway. There is a top ten artists chart and a top 5 songs chart. There is the usual eclectic mix of artists including three that were in the top ten last month (ALT BLK ERA, Delilah Bon, and Scene Queen). In fact, this is the fourth month in a row that ALT BLK ERA have featured in the artist top ten. Apart from UGLY CLUB at number five, the top five songs are all by artists that feature in the top ten artist chart. Just like Delilah Bon last month tiLLie does the double, she is at the top of both charts! So without further ado here are those charts! Click on the header of the song chart for the playlist on Spotify.
MAYHEM ARTIST CHART NOVEMBER 2023 1 tiLLie 2 DJ Yoda 3 Scene Queen 4 Billie Marten 5 Rosalía 6 ALT BLK ERA 7 Delilah Bon 8 girli 9 Shaka Ponk 10 Emyln
MAYHEM SONG CHART NOVEMBER 2023 1 bLeSs uR hEaRt – tiLLie 2 I Can’t Get My Head Around You (Audiotree Live Version)- Billie Marten 3 Nothing Hurts Like A Girl – girli 4 Witch – Delilah Bon featuring ALT BLK ERA 5 What’s Wrong – UGLY CLUB
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Having reviewed their album a few weeks back I was keen to see the Exceptional Mr. Hyde in action. Were they any good? Read on to find out, but first, let me tell you about the three support acts. First on stage was Beck Stacey. Beck gave us dark, bluesy folk with the voice of an angel. At this point let’s not forget that Lucifer was once a fallen angel. Working with that kind of theme I believe that Beck’s tunes would make the perfect soundtrack for a classic British Folk horror film along the lines of ‘The Wicker Man’. A perfect candidate would be the rather splendid “Red”. There were many highs in this wonderful set, particularly “Devil Town” and the gorgeous rendition of Townes van Zandt’s “Our Mother The Mountain”. Hearing Bek’s set strengthens my argument for never missing a support act. Beck Stacey was 100% ace!
Debdepan followed Beck Stacey onto the small and intimate Fulford Arms stage. I am not sure about the name, but the music is rather wonderful. This is Riot Grrrl meets Goth with the addition of slightly slower-paced New Order-style drums. Lead singer Chelsea’s voice is reminiscent of Siouxse Sioux and Patti Smith. Debdepan provided the perfect tunes to chill out after a hard, loud heavy metal gig. Based on this set I bloody love Debdepan. The final track had some weird, warped jazz tones in it and for me was one of the best songs of the night. But “The Goat” was my favourite track of Debdepan‘s set.
Feather Trade offer passionate, soulful, powerful rock vocals which reminded me of early U2, back in the days when they were still a bit edgy, and I am not talking about their guitarist. This was definitelythere in their new single “A Ready Defense” which includes a fabulous marching drum pattern a bit like U2’s “Sunday Bloody Sunday”. This was a stunning set from a stupendous band on top of their game and on peak form. Musicaaly that lack almost nothing. Emotional, soaring vocals, drums that are a hair’s width away from 100% perfection. Bass sounds that could bring down Olympus Mons, the highest mountain in our solar system. On top of all that their songs are overlaid with guitar sounds that could draw tears from the hardest of hearts, well unless that heart belomgs to a Tory MP! But fuck those scummy Conservatives, they have no hearts anyway. Feather Trade is a band that you need in your life!
Finally it was time for the Exceptional Mr. Hyde, this set was one of a number of dates that the band have put together to promote their new album ‘The Inevitable Rise Of…..’. I reviewed the album a litlle while ago and said “It is an album that bears repeated listening, and with each spin, it seems to build more power”. They have a great punk attitude and a mix of too many genres to mention, but fuck that mix works well! Bass and guitar work was exceptionally good. The band were missing their keyboard player, but the recorded parts worked well. They also don’t have a drummer, but the prerecorded drums (or drum machine) are mountainous. The srum sound on “Crash Land” stands in good comparison to the drum and bass style on Bowie’s ‘Earthling’ from 1997. The Exceptional Mr. Hyde blasted into their set with the song that opens the album, “Burn” and it was something very special indeed. A song about the earth and the environment, “She Cries” showed more care and conviction than any politician ever has. The ended the evening with a sonic explosion called “Solemn Power”. This was a great set showcasing a brilliant album!
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It is ages since I last saw the SoapGirls. Were they still as good and still as controversial? Read on to find out, but first I need to tell you about the rather spiffing support bands. Proceedings were kicked off by York’s Kiss Kiss Kill with a very heavy, feedback-fuelled barnstormer of a set. Does anyone remember the early 80s and the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM)? There must be a New NWOBHM with Kiss Kiss Kill as its vanguard and torchbearer. But their sound is not just metal, they also showcased their punk and pop sensibilities. The band was firing on every cylinder, but a special mention of the exquisite vocals from Gemma-Louise a.k.a. lil Miss. It was like a perfect splice of Suzi Quatro and Girlschool. The new Kiss Kiss Kill single “Bad Bitch” is spectacular.
Next, it was the turn of Lavire from Lincoln. This is a city that has given the world quite a few very talented musicians and songwriters, particularly Bernie Taupin, Rod Temperton, Iain Matthews, and more recently Holly Humberstone. Talking of NWOBHM Lavire would be a major part of a New NWOBHeavierHM. But again this lot is much more than just metal. Chloé’s vocals might have been forged in the mountains high above Asgard, while Aaron’s guitar riffs could split a planet in two. Check out their new EP ‘No Truth To Tell, Part 2’ it is bloody brilliant!
The SoapGirls possess power, passion and, absolutely everything else you need from a great band. They sound like Beth Ditto fronting a full-on punk band but with oodles of SoapGirls originality. “Wasted” was a huge highlight for me. The SoapGirls “mean it maaan”, probably more than the Sex Pistols ever did. Given the SoapGirls‘ stance on female empowerment, I was a little disappointed, but sadly not surprised that it was a predominantly male crowd. The band’s protagonists sisters Noemie and Camille Debray are Riot Grrrl, Girl Power, feminism and so much more writ loud. If you need a band that actually matters and cares about what matters to you then look no further than the SoapGirls.
All pictures and videos were found online. If any of them are yours please let me know and I am happy to credit you or remove pictures and videos.
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