You may have listened to my recent interview with Carol Hodge, if not then click here to give it a spin. Carol has written a truly beautiful song which for me goes some way to really capturing how many of us are feeling in these strange and often dark days of Covid-19, it is called “A Song For You”, take a look at the rather excellent video. The video is either enhanced or marred by an appearance from me, personally, I think enhanced but I will leave you to be the judge of that. I am on fleetingly at around the 59-second mark. But it is a clever video for a stunning emotional song. You can also buy Carol’s brilliant new album “Savage Purge”, just click here, you know you want to! As a bonus, just to tempt you, I have included the video for “Stop Worrying Baby” from that very album! That one was shot and completed just before lock down. If you have not listened to Carol before, then you really should, it is simply pure classy music!
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One of our ace writers Tom also has his own blog, Scruffy Theory, and recently he has posted some great investigative stuff about a gig that Pink Floyd allegedly played at the Folk Hall in New Earswick in York back in 1967. It has been difficult to find much evidence about the gig online, but Tom has found his inner bloodhound and donned his deerstalker hat to discover more. Is it true or not? Read Tom’s rather interesting posts (in sequence) to find out! If you know anything about this gig feel free to get in touch.
Recently I had the honour and pleasure of being interviewed by Graeme Smith of the York Calling blog and podcast. It is out now as episode 1 of series 2. Give it a listen, give it a like and let me Graeme and me know what you think.
I have created a new Spotify Playlist this time the focus is on early 70s glam rock. But I have expanded it to include many big pop hits from 1970 through 1974 that just so happened to coincide with glam. It would be fair to say that there are some guilty pleasures in there and even a few songs that I don’t particularly like. Give it a spin, but it is designed for shuffle play! I should warn you that there are ten hours of tunes here 🙂 It is called ‘Billy Does Glam & other early 70s pop. Click here to feel the noize and get ballroom blitzed! let me know if you think I have missed your favourite. The 70s soul, funk and disco was deliberately left out as that is included in another playlist (see below)
So put on your best dancing pants and go for it!
Here are all my other playlists. Feel free to share them!
If you want to suggest ant tracks to be added then let me know!
Billy’s Barbecue Belters – this started as a nice backdrop to a summer barbecue that has, thanks to some musical brain farts, grown to a whopping 461 songs that helped shape my life in some way!
FACK TRUMP! – largely political and mostly protest songs
SASH Gig 3rd January 2020 – this was the music played before and between all the bands at the first gig, I ever promoted back in January. Big thanks once again to Lost Trends, My Wonderful Daze, and the Receivers – all of whom feature on this playlist. Probably more of a brain dump from me is this one!
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Here are a few playlists that I have created on Spotify over the past few years. They might help you get through the lockdown and take your mind off these very strange days! Feel free to share them!
If you want to suggest ant tracks to be added then let me know!
Billy’s Barbecue Belters – this started as a nice backdrop to a summer barbecue that has, thanks to some musical brain farts, grown to a whopping 461 songs that helped shape my life in some way!
FACK TRUMP! – largely political and mostly protest songs
SASH Gig 3rd January 2020 – this was the music played before and between all the bands at the first gig, I ever promoted back in January. Big thanks once again to Lost Trends, My Wonderful Daze, and the Receivers – all of whom feature on this playlist. Probably more of a brain dump from me is this one!
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There was I just randomly searching for stuff as part of researching a different blog post and up pops this. A great cover of David Bowie’s “I’m Afraid Of Americans” by Dweezil Zappa. While Dweezil doesn’t take it too far from Bowie’s original it is still a pretty good cover of one of the Dame’s best later-period songs. Bowie released it as a single with plenty of remixes (from Photek and Nine Inch Nails) and it was included on the 1997 album ‘Earthling’. Although it did make an appearance on the ‘Showgirls’ soundtrack a little earlier than that. What do you think of Dweezil’s take on the song?
Some interest and irony in seeing climate change denier Marvin Lee Aday a.k.a Meatloaf taking part in Veganuary, especially as he has rejected calls to change his name to Veganloaf or Nutloaf. But to each their own, right? Anyway, Meatloaf has been big on vegetables before, well at least his music has; Sussex University used his ‘Bat Out Of Hell’ in a study in 2000 to see if rock music helped vegetables grow faster. Well, guess what, apparently it did make them grow faster. Let me have all the Meatloaf vegetable song title puns you’ve got! I’ll start with “Two Out Of Pea Ain’t Bad”!
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Today, had he been alive the Dame a.k.a David Bowie would have been 73. Incidentally he had the same birthday as Elvis Presley. The King would have been 85 today. So as a little celebration of Bowie’s birthday how about we kick off with a song that he allegedly wanted Elvis to record; “Golden Years”.
Enjoy the videos and if you’re attending Absolute Bowie at the Crescent in York on 17th January, I’ll see you there! Let me also tantalise and tease you with another Bowie event that I am planning, it will be in York in the next few months. All will be revealed soon! Love on ya xxx
This is not really a review in the truest sense, more of a little tale as to how, as With Just A Hint Of Mayhem, I promoted my first gig. The idea gelled quite a while ago, I had wanted to do something to celebrate my own 60th birthday (1st January 2019) and the tenth birthday of my With Just A Hint Of Mayhem blog (9th February 2019). But for various reasons I took a lot longer to get things moving so, in reality, I suppose the gig celebrates my 61st birthday (January 1st, 2020) and the blogs eleventh anniversary next month (9th February 2020). One decision I made early was that this first, and possibly only, gig would be for charity. Mostly because I felt that if it went belly up then people might be more forgiving. I chose SASH as it is a charity close to my heart for far more reasons than I have time to go into here. SASH is a youth homelessness charity that works across York, North and East Yorkshire. They provide invaluable help to young people aged 16-25 who are facing homelessness.
The Receivers – Picture-Copyright – Charlie Kirkpatrick
After that all I had to decide was which bands I wanted on the bill, easy peasy, right? Well not quite, one band I was keen to have play agreed to be there and then had to pull out for logistical reasons, sadly the band broke up towards the end of last year too. So that left three out of four to secure for the night. A year ago I said to Rusty, the singer from Lost Trends that I was planning a charity gig, with no prompting he said: “we’re in!” With a stern straight face, I replied: “I haven’t asked you yet!” But obviously Lost Trends then became the first band to be pencilled in. Would I be able to secure the next two bands? Well, that part wasn’t too difficult and from initial conversations, it was clear that the Receivers and My Wonderful Daze were very keen to help and to play at the Crescent on 3rd January. After some advice from people who know their stuff (thank you Joe Coates and Simon Pattinson) I dropped my original wish of four bands on the bill to three. So now all was set and I embarked on a social media campaign of promotion. I was concerned that upfront ticket sales were low, but everyone kept telling me that there would be plenty of walk-ins on the night. Thankfully all those people were right and we had I think something like 80 – 90 people there on the night.
My Wonderful Daze – Picture-Copyright – Charlie Kirkpatrick
The running order was decided by online vote after the Receivers chose to open the show (they have a number of headline gigs coming up). In a close-fought vote, Lost Trends pipped My Wonderful Daze to the headline spot. So it would be doors open at 7:30, the Receivers at 8, My Wonderful Daze at 9 and Lost Trends at 10. I wanted to be there for all the preparation so I arrived at the Crescent at 4pm, before any of the bands ready and waiting to witness the soundchecks. Even that was exciting for me and by then I was running on pure grade adrenaline. All three bands were on top form at soundcheck aided and abetted by ace soundman Stu Bellis. The team at the Crescent were superb and I learned a lot from them for next time (yes I am sure there will be more from me!). Suddenly it was time for the doors to open and I stood by the ticket table waiting for the punters to flood in! It was more of a trickle at first but a relentless trickle which continued at quite a pace for the next hour or so.
Lost Trends – Picture-Copyright – Charlie Kirkpatrick
Before the bands came on Matt Messias told the crowd about all the great work that SASH do to help prevent youth homelessness. Every band played like they were headliners which made it a blistering night of fabulous music. The Receivers played crowdpleasers like “Saturday” and showcased a couple of new songs. Guitarist Alex had some instrument issues towards the end of their set but improvised with some maniacal Bez dancing. Flowers a.k.a. Chloe the obscenely talented frontwoman of My Wonderful Daze had an awful cold but did not let that deter her or the band from pulling off an incendiary set. The crowd had been up for a party and were wearing their bopping shoes and dancing trousers and showing their best moves all night. That culminated in the whole room grooving to those famous indie dance punkateers Lost Trends. It was a great night of punk, funk, psych, indie, metal, glam, and ROCK. It was LOUD and I loved it. Everyone that I spoke to loved it too. All three bands looked to be having great fun on stage as well. The Receivers and My Wonderful Daze offered much of their merch sales to SASH. I know that Lost Trends would have done the same but they are currently “the band with no merch”! So thanks to all the paying punters (many of whom gave their change to the charity), merch sales, all the bands turning down a rider and a discount on the venue hire fee we raised more than £400 for SASH. That is beyond my wildest expectations and it will fund 21 safe nights sleep to young people facing homelessness in our community. I cannot thank you all enough for what you helped us achieve. With Just A Hint Of Mayhem will definitely be doing more gigs!
Matt & Bill – Picture-Copyright – Charlie Kirkpatrick
As a postscript, there was an after-party of sorts at the Priory for shameless Karaoke. But while there were some true legends made into the early hours via Abba songs, Cyndi Lauper tunes and a couple of the Dame’s greatest hits, what went on at the Priory stays at the Priory. Although if you would like to pay me a fiver which I will give to SASH I will tell you as much as I can remember!
All the photos apart from the gig poster were taken by Charlie Kirkpatrick of Kirkpatrick Photography please do not share or use without permission. You can find Kirkpatrick Photography here and on Facebook. There are a few more excellent pictures from Charlie just below the following public service announcement, including some great crowd shots. I recognise quite a few of those punters! Incidentally, the gig poster was designed and made by me! The videos were all found on YouTube if one of them is yours and you would like a credit or for me to remove it please let me know.
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Well, that’s nearly it for 2019. The world has gone even crazier, but underneath all the chaos there is and hopefully will always be great music. So along with almost every other publication, website and blog I have compiled my top ten albums of 2019. It was a tough choice and putting them into a sequence has been even tougher, especially the top 2 which have switched places a lot. I would love to hear about your favourite albums of the year.
’24 Carat Diamond Trephine’ – Avalanche Party – Possibly the best debut album in rock history.
‘Ghosteen’ – Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – is it possible to get more gut-wrenching and thought-provoking emotion in one album.
‘End Of Suffering’ – Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes – As a fan of Frank since his Gallows days I believe that this is his finest moment…. so far!
‘I Want The World’ – Hands Off Gretel – Easily one of the most exciting and exhilarating live bands to emerge in the last couple of years.
‘Renaissance Men’ – The Wildhearts – This band is well and truly back, not just with a bang but with a mega explosion.
‘Encore’ – The Specials – Who believed that the Specials had a new album in them, let alone one this good?
‘Nothing Great About Britain’ – Slowthai – no one has summed up what the UK is like now much better than Slowthai did on this stunning release.
‘When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?’ – Billie Eilish
‘Tough Crowd’ – Nervus – Better than their last album and probably not as good as their next, this band gets better and better!
‘Kind Heaven’ – Perry Farrell – an eclectic mix of styles that perhaps only someone of Perry’s talents could pull off. This was one of my most listened to albums on Spotify this year apparently.
I would also like to take the opportunity to say thank you for reading and following this site, you inspire me to continue. Finally always remember those that are less fortunate than you, homeless people and those suffering in silence. Remember the people it would be easier to forget. It is ok to be not ok. “In a world that has decided that it’s going to lose its mind Be more kind, my friends, try to be more kind” (Frank Turner). I hope that 2020 is a great year for you and however it pans out look out for each other.
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With Just A Hint Of Mayhem 