I have been lucky enough to see young York music funsters the Unnamed Band a couple of times and each time they showed a lot of promise. Their delivery of some great classic rock cover versions were ace and their self penned songs were good but needed a bit of polish. Well they have had the polish out and “Don’t You Know” is so well buffed that it screams to be heard! If you love a hard driving funky rock song then look no further. If the Unnamed Band ever need a name, on the strength of this release, I would name them the Fucking Good Band!
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One of York’s finest bands, Lost Trends, don’t release new stuff very often. But when they do it is always fucking good! New single “Takedown” is no exception it explodes into action from the first note. At times it sounds like the Killer’s with a harder edge. Rusty’s voice is better than it has ever been weaving from Brandon Flowers to David Byrne via John Lydon. Pete’s guitar screams like a banshee newly released from its chains. Drum and bass rumble like the after shock of an atom bomb. You need to play “Takedown” loud on repeat until you convince the neighbours to play it too.
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Apollo Junction seem to have an ability to up the ante with every release and there new single takes their talents up yet another notch. “Settle Down” is dripping with humongous hooks and pumped with pop passion. The AP lads are joined on this song by Briana Corrigan, formerly of the Beautiful South and a wonderfully talented solo artist. The band are extremely proud that Briana chose to sing on the song. The track has a slightly gentler feel than some of their more recent releases and is the vanguard of their next album which is due out this summer. In my view the song ponders a nostalgic reminiscence of a sunny sky blue past we remember but will never get back. For me this is accentuated with lyrics like “Here’s a thought are we ever gonna get away. In this town faces never change. We were born to streets that already knew our name“. That last line really resonates with my memories of my own early life. You need this track in your life!
Jamie, the band’s lead singer had this to say about the tune “This song means so much to us as a band and we feel it really shows a brand new side to what we can do, having Briana’s voice on it was something that we suggested very early on, but never imaged that we would make that happen! She sounds incredible on it and we are very very grateful to her for choosing to sing with us“. Briana also had something to say about the new release ““Settle Down” is a song that I just had to sing on, I travelled from Ireland over to the band’s studio in Yorkshire and we spent a wonderful day together recording and hanging out. I am a big fan and firmly believe that this song and the album they (Apollo Junction) are making is something very special. I am sure that my fanbase and theirs will really love what we have done together“. This has certainly raised excitement levels for the new album for me, how about you?
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There is so much ignorance and apathy regarding climate change and environmental collapse. We should be thankful that some people are speaking up about it rather loudly. Industry Standard‘s new single “BLAIR!” highlights lead singer Gaby’s stress, worry, fear and concern about our planet. It is a powerful call to arms as Gaby repeats the songs mantra “Is She Gonna Make It“. The song is an absolute fucking cracker, and I am not talking about a cheap firecracker. I am talking of a cracker so explosive it would have sent Katy Perry and her Blue Origin pals beyond the known universe. Now that is a good thing right? Especially for the environment!
The band are the aforementioned lead singer Gaby (Gabriella Gonzalez) and three punk powerhouse musical henchmen: Phillip Stakem who knows a great riff, Oliver Jackson whose bass playing could start an earthquake and Tim Sketchley who plays his drums so hard I hear that Elvis heard them in his secret base on the moon! I reckon if you love Scene Queen and Casseyette you will adore Industry Standard. The video, directed by Ben Garnet, is a dark Barbie bad bimbo apocalyptic cartoon horror film and it is so very good in the way it communicates a serious message and entertains in parallel. The song actually appeared a few months ago, but you lot mostly ignored it. To mangle the great Liam Neeson’s line from ‘Taken’ (2008), “If you don’t ignore it this time and play it loads that’ll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you do ignore it again, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kick your sorry ass” You have been warned!
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This was the fifth time that I have witnessed Millie Manders and the Shutup live. How good were they this time? I will tell you later, first you need to read about the excellent support acts. As usual Millie herself was in the audience to witness both support acts. First up was Wrex, a band from Brighton that have featured on these pages before (we reviewed their single “Take A Walk” last summer). They hit us with a humongous sonic assault which blew me and the rest of the crowd away, obviously in a good way. They are in possession of some incredibly powerful songs and set closer “Paradise” was definitely a highlight for me. How can they make so much noise with just three people? One of the two singers Mae Seaton at times prowled the stage like a caged lion and then smashed the bars into oblivion with megatons of passion and punk power. I love this band!
Next up it was Sally Pepper who I first saw at this very venue around two years ago. Sally was supposed to be on stage first, but she was delayed thanks to cyclists on the M6 motorway! Anyway thankfully she got to York safely eventually. Sally has gone electric since I last saw her and at this gig she was supported by the uber-talented Harrison Rimmer on drums. This powered up her already ace songs into something even more special, especially “Clickbait”. Sally is not just a talented singer songwriter she is also a supremely skilled and at times very funny raconteur. I bloody loved this set. I need to see Sally play live more often.
Finally it was time for Millie Manders and the Shutup to take the stage. For me they are still one of the best live bands in the UK, and possibly beyond these shores too. Millie is a perfect front woman and her energy, passion and performance never falters. She fires the crowd up beautifully and invites audience participation throughout the set. This heat a peak with the excellent singalong during “Rebound”. On the songs where her vocal borders on spoken I can detect an influence of Scroobius Pip in her words and delivery. There was not a single lull in this awesome set. “Me Too” was incredibly powerful and came with a warning that this kind of shit will not go away soon. The most fiery and electrifying moment for me was “Can I Get Off”. Millie received a rapturous reception when she called for freedom for Palestine, Yemen, Sudan and all oppressed countries. If you have not yet witnessed Millie Manders and the Shutup at a gig then you have to put that right in 2025! There are a few more dates left on the ‘Choose The Bear’ tour.
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Do you remember that wonderful band Holy Moly and the Crackers? You do? Well the band are no more but front woman Ruth Lyon has now embarked on a solo career. I was lucky enough to catch her live at the fabulous Fulford Arms in York last week. But before I tell you about Ruth and her band I need to clue you in on the rather splendid support artist, Sara Wolff. She is a very talented Norwegian troubadour. She writes and sings sublime, sad (mostly), story songs. I could chill to her gorgeous sounds with a late night cold wine or on a sunny day with a pint or two. You need to check her out.
Ruth Lyon throws her wonderful vocals over the sublime sounds created by a band that perform with the skill and panache of a 21st Century Blockheads. Their musical vibes are soulful, jazzy and gloriously gorgeous. Ruth’s voice has the clarity of crystal glass tapped with metal and sounds like it communicates with just you as it entices you into her world which I reckon is almost certainly a better world than this one. A lot of the tracks played in this show will be included on her debut solo album which is scheduled for a June release. “Books” which is a tale of book hoarding which many of us can relate to is wonderful. “Wicker Man” is stunning and Ruth set some homework by asking us all to watch the “Wicker Man” video. I did and I love it! “Flood” is magnificent and I love the main lyrical hook “all I am is a bag of bones”. That line also features on the Ruth Lyon tote bag on the merch table. The new single is “Perfect” and frankly it is.
The emotion in Ruth’s songs and her voice is palpable and almost sentient. “Hill” sums that feeling up perfectly and as the lady herself said that the song is for anyone who has ever had their heart broken. So that is all of us, right? Ruth’s banter with her audience was delightfully entertaining. She said that she challenged herself to include words in songs that are hardly seen, or never seen, in lyrics. Hence Encyclopaedia in “Books” and Car Boot Sale in “Dust”. Her new album will be mega, so get listening to some Ruth Lyon NOW!
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Sally Pepper’s songs are powerful, meaningful message carriers that issue a clarion call to the masses. “Click Bait” in its original form a fabulous song. Now Sally has rerecorded it with some support from her bestie Millie Manders. The new version, entitled, “Clickbait Reissued”, is as punk as fuck and rocks out like a barely contained music cyclone. The song slams the press, particularly tabloids, and lays bare the lies and hypocrisy that continues to be reported as truth. The full lyrics are great but some highlights for me are “But the only thing to cause offence is your lack of fucking common sense” which is clearly aimed at the idiots and hate mongers that feed off the shit that gets published. Then there is the “You’re not racist ‘cos you’ve got a friend who’s black, But you think it’s safest if we just send them back“. which sums up everyone that I have ever heard start a sentence with “I’m not a racist but …..“. As long as the world has people like Sally Pepper and Millie Manders in it then there is hope! I will be seeing Millie Manders and the Shutup live at the Crescent in York tomorrow and one of the support acts is Sally Pepper. Will we see a fully charged live version of “Clickbait Reissued” performed by Sally, Millie and the Shutup? I certainly hope so. Incidentally is that the Shutup playing on the track?
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Two years ago I had an absolute blast witnessing Erotic Secrets Of Pompeii live for the first time, at the Fulford Arms in York. In my review of that night I used the opening narration from Rod Serling’s original Twilight Zone TV Series to try and give some flavour and explanation of what Erotic Secrets Of Pompeii are like. Having listened to their new single “Sing Medieval” I think Rod Serling’s words still sum them up perfectly. Those words are “You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension – a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You’re moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You’ve just crossed over into the Twilight Zone“
The new song is frantic and full of warped post punk angst and energy. The angular guitar riffs are a punky take on Tome Verlaine and Television. There is a 60s cinematic feel to the track and a sprinkle of the B-52s “Rock Lobster”. The lyrics might have been made by someone throwing all the violent parts of nursery rhymes and fairy tales into a blender and spewing them out in swirling staccato voice shots. Word pairings like “I am trickster, mischief maker” and the infectious “Here comes the chopper, to chop – to chop, chop off their head” refrain are like no other lyric and work incredibly well because of that. Thomas Hawtin’s voice and delivery is reminiscent of early Talking Heads when David Byrne’s voice was weird, jagged and other-worldly. The band are on fire in this frenetic journey through the darker parts of the world and its bloody history. Erotic Secrets Of Pompeii are a truly and wonderfully different band and one that is perfect for this century and this sad, mad world that we live in. “Speak Medieval” is simply another step to world domination by Erotic Secrets Of Pompeii.
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Those lovely folk at the Modern Record asked me to review Wardruna in York at the weekend. I am always up for experiencing something a bit different, so obviously I went! I have been going to gigs for many years now and I have never seen anything quite like Wardruna. My friend from work, Eva, joined me and she loved it too a brilliant surprise! Wardruna play traditional old Norse instruments and sing in old Norse language. Check out my review on the Modern Record by clicking the link below.
Los Angeles trio Winnetka Bowling League issued a deluxe edition of last years “This Is Life” single recorded with Dawes and Medium Build. This edition features the original song, a live version and an acoustic version. Sadly, the song passed me by last summer, but I am so glad I have found it now. It is a fragile, emotional track which seems to be a stream of consciousness reflection on life. The lyrics are both simple and cleverly complex at the same time. “Like maybe death is time redirected. And hate is just the love we’ve rejected” for me those lines are the work of a genius. Especially as it is in the same song as the line “From being so broke I did sex shit on Craigslist“. The song is a mesmerisingly mellow thought provoking ballad for our times. What does it actually mean? I have no idea, but I suspect it might mean something different to everyone that hears it. I love this song and I will now power my way through Winnetka Bowling League’s back catalogue. I suspect that they may appear in these pages again in the future.
As a footnote, I discovered the band from a post that they made on Instagram about the last show of their recent tour which ended in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. What they said on that post and in the show was “Trump’s tariffs on Canada mean it would cost us 25% to bring our OWN merch / tee shirts back to America tomorrow when the tour ends. We said fuck that and gave it away for free in Halifax. Love you Canada“. So yes as we suspected there are good Americans (Winnetka Bowling Club definitely are!). Not everyone is under the orange thumb of Donold and Sissy SpaceX! Viva la revolution!
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