I have never been a huge fan of Robbie Williams. But having been to see the Robbie biopic this afternoon at the behest of my wonderful wife Catherine (a.k.a Catwoman) I might have to shift my opinion a little. It is a strange film. Robbie is depicted by a CGI chimpanzee. Jonno Davies portrays him in a motion picture performance. He also voices the character along with Robbie Williams himself. The narration also comes from Williams. Given Robbie Williams’ clear involvement, the film seems very open. It provides an honest take on what fame can do to an individual. The chimpanzee is the only non human cast member and for me that is what really makes this movie work. It covers failed relationships, addiction, depression, suicidal thoughts, the dark side of success and death. All the human characters receive some affection and sympathy. However, original Take That manager Nigel Martin Smith gets some well deserved flak.
The scene in which Robbie hears of the death of his beloved Nan and the subsequent funeral is heartbreaking. The use of “Angels” to soundtrack that moment is poignant and tear jerking. I have always disliked that song. However, I may have to change my view after that scene! Spoiler alert, but the moment Williams confronts his demons and slays them in the Knebworth crowd is incredibly powerful. Who knew that a CGI monkey could tap such reserves of emotion and vulnerability. I have to admit that this film has made me check out a few more Robbie songs. I particularly like the new single which plays over the closing credits, “Forbidden Road”. Lyrically it is stunning, although on some parts the music sounds very similar to Jim Croce’s “I Got A Name”. Even if you are not a Robbie fan, this film is worth seeing.
I have championed many of Kunt and the Gangs releases over the tears. In particular when trying to help them get a Christmas number one. Notably “Boris Johnson Is Still A Fucking Cunt” at Chrimbo 2021. That song eventually reached number 5 in the UK chart. Wayne Clements from Basildon is Kunt and the Gang. He is also the Kunts, although with the latter he does have a band of other kunts with him. The support, unsurprisingly, was Kunt and the Gang. Essentially a solo slot by Wayne backed by some rather nifty backing tracks. There were some hilarious tunes. Notably, “Santa’s Sack” was bloody hilarious. “The Ballad Of Captain Tom” rightly rips the old bloke’s family a new one! He was ably supported by Gordon The Gopher as Little Kunt was AWOL.
The second set was Kunt backed by his band of kuntish punky stalwarts. All the hits were there. These included “Boris Johnson Is A Fucking Cunt.” Other hits were “Scrap The Monarchy,” “Bum The Runner,” and “Prince Andrew Is A Sweaty Nonce.” Then there were some other Kunt classics; “Paul Steven’s Party” (probably the best song of the night), “Gentleman’s Wash”, “Sausage Roll Cunt” (a wonderful dig at Ladbaby), “The Wrong Ian Watkins” (poor old H from Steps!), “Fuck Sticks”, and “Bangers And Mash”. We also heard one of the songs from the controversial film ‘Shannon Matthews The Musical The Movie’. The song was “Shannon Ain’t Dead”. Thanks to that song and the film there were some protests planned at the venue. However, the protesters never materialised. Perhaps it was due to the weather or because they had not realised this was a matinee gig. Sadly, that would have been fun.
This was a good gig. Kunt is generally very funny and incredibly irreverent. However, I was left with the feeling that it was heading towards being a bit same old, same old. But an enjoyable night nonetheless!
This is the first, and last, singles round up for 2024. We have reviewed many other singles this year, but all individually. This post draws together five of the best that we missed in the run up to Chrimbo!
“Shake The Slack” – Avalanche Party – some dirty garage blues. It has a punky psychedelic dance edge. This music comes from the finest band on the planet. This chorus will rock the fuck out of every venue they play next year!
“Hunt You Down” – ALT BLK ERA – this starts off with a deliciously dark vibe. It builds into something that would make Depeche Mode jealous. Every time I say that a new track from ALT BLK ERA is their best, they take it as a challenge. They push themselves to create something even better. This is their best yet and the album will be a contender for album of the year next year. I would love to hear a dance remix of “Hunt You Down”. The “hunt you down” chant towards the end of the track is intoxicating
“Not The President” – Delilah Bon – When Delilah is angry, she is a force of nature. While musically this is quite acoustic and almost soft, the lyrics are aimed at the orange moron in the USA. Vocally it is reminiscent of Pink but within even more passion! When Delilah stands up for the downtrodden, persecuted and ignored the world is a better place. Be more Delilah!
“Let’s control it” – HANDSHAKE IN SPACE – a truly uplifting electronic dance anthem. This is 21st Century disco in it’s most perfect form.
“Burning Up” – Blair Gilmour – Blair is reminiscent of Sam Fender on steroids. This song is a mountainous banger of a tune. I was hooked very early on. Now, I am so excited for whatever comes next from this extremely talented Scottish artist.
I seem to mention Christmas a lot in my posts, but I rarely post Christmas songs. So let me change that, at least for now. This one is too good to miss in my opinion. It has a great title, “Santa Claus Hates The Poor” and is brought to you by Mr. Strange. Who is, or are Mr. Strange? Well according to their Spotify bio this is them. “Profound idiocy. Mr. Strange are a four-piece Electro-Rock / Alternative / Art-Rock outfit from the Isle Of Wight (UK) that formed in 2006. Relentlessly weird and not really fitting in anywhere, this bunch of oddballs have a trademark fondness of switching up and twisting musical genre’s whenever the mood takes their fancy …which is often“.
If this doesn’t whet your appetite then check out their stated influences. “Oingo Boingo, Alice Cooper, Mr. Bungle, Gary Numan, Dr. Steel, Electric Six, Nine Inch Nails, Prince, David Bowie, Mushroomhead, XTC, Marilyn Manson, Queens of the Stone Age, Danny Elfman, PiG, Twiztid, Depeche Mode, Faith No More, Insane Clown Posse, and a whole host of New Wave / Post Punk bands from the late 70’s – early 80’s.” If that doesn’t make you want to listen then I am not sure what will! Check out the video for “Santa Claus Hates The Poor” below. On YouTube the song is described as “A dark and mean spirited Christmas song heavily inspired by the likes of Danny Elfman and the Cardiacs.” That is a pretty accurate description in my opinion. The song comes from a dark festive EP called ‘The Festive Misery EP’. The Spotify link for that is below, I think you’ll love it. I do! Does Santa Claus actually hate the poor? I don’t know but that is a strong hypothesis.
This was yet another show put together by Mr. Northern Radar, Simon Pattinson. He has never let me down yet, would this show change that? Read on to find out. First up was Vagabonds, a band that felt very much like a good school band. To put that into context I had been a judge at the school I work at Battle of the Bands contest the day before this show. They hit the ground running with a fiery cover of the Beastie Boys huge hit “Fight For Your Right”. The first original they played had the feel of early Sex Pistols recordings like the tracks on the ‘Spunk’ bootleg album. Soon after that Vagabonds chose to cover the Oasis song “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star” – NOOOOOOOOOOOO you don’t need Oasis songs in your set, you are so much better than that. The covers of Green Day, Blink 182, Kiss and the Sex Pistols were ace and closing with a raucous cover of Slade’s “Merry Christmas Everybody” was a master stroke. This band has great potential and my advice is ditch the Oasis cover and get some more original songs.
The second band to take the stage was the Double Yellows. Their originals were reminiscent of two bands that I have never been a huge fan of, the Pigeon Detectives and Scouting For Girls, however the saving grace is they the Double Yellows took a much deeper and effective post-punk direction. The band clearly brought a great following with them and they were all ready to party. Their fans seem to be mounting a campaign to bring the mullet back, yes really! Their bass player is incredibly talented with shades of Jah Wobble, Stanley Clarke and Mark King in his style. The have the swagger and confidence of a good rock band and just like the Vagabonds they have great potential, but again please ditch Oasis, the closing cover of “Supersonic” really wasn’t needed.
I find it shocking and sad that so many people come to a gig and fuck off after “their band” has played. Quite a lot of punters seemed to do just that after the Double Yellows. If you were among them you missed an absolute treat of a funky, heavy and fun set from Asylum. Musically this bunch were faultless and seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely. They whipped the crowd that remained into a minor, but absolute frenzy. Thankfully their set did not include an Oasis cover! This is the only Asylum you need in your life and with them there is no need to wear a strait jacket or live in a padded cell, unless that kind of thing floats your boat! Some of the punters who left earlier did return, somewhat rain soaked, later in the set. It was clear that Asylum came to bring a party to the Fulford Arms and they had one, they even threw in some Christmas songs! Once again Northern Radar pull off a great night, cheers Simon P!
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After teasing us with some sublime tracks over the last few months HerOrangeCoat has now released those songs along with a couple of new ones to form her 5-track EP ‘Ballads For This Age’. It kicks off with “Ballad 1 (Sorry)” a toweringly, transcendent and heavenly song. The emotion in her voice and the sparseness of the instruments made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, not in fear, but in awe of such a gorgeous piece of music. Apparently, the song is not a cry for help, but rather a resolute, resigned defeat. It speaks to the vast mental health emergency, whilst detailing HerOrangeCoat’s own personal journey with anxiety. Next comes “Ballad 2 (Skin Off My Back)”. It is a divinely dark slice of modern folk which feels like a deeply personal song and Georgia delivers it with controlled emotion and finesse. This is a majestic and heavenly tune.
“Ballad 3 (Jamaica ’59)”, is my current favourite. It flows like a river enriched with Joni Mitchell’s essence. The music is understated, but excellent, and Georgia’s voice is spectacular and perfect. It has folk, jazz, and soft rock entwined throughout. Incidentally “Ballad 1 (Sorry)” and “Ballad 2 (Skin Off My Back)” made it into the Mayhem song chart hitting number 2 and number 1 respectively. HerOrangeCoat once again proves that she is not afraid to use the gaps between notes in the dark, mysterious “Ballad 4 (Second Nature)”. The simplicity draws you deep inside the song and then unveils its mesmerising complexity. The EP ends with a song that doesn’t have the Ballad prefix. It is, appropriately, entitled “Postscript” and the simple and beautiful harp sound carries you into an ethereal Valhalla of music. Georgia’s voice and backing vocal is emotional, soulful and glorious. This is a stunning EP and one which I will be playing often. You need this music in your life.
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#It is hard for me to believe that Echobelly formed 32 years ago, how can that be? How are the 90s more than 30 years ago? Anyway enough ramblings from this old bloke, earlier this week I had the privilege of witnessing Echobelly playing live for the first time since I saw them at the Old Trout in Windsor back in April 1994. That doesn’t account for a number of times I saw them at festivals though. Are they still good? You will have to read on to find out, first I need to give you the low down on the rather excellent support band Blue Violet.
Blue Violet – Photo taken by me using my very cheap android phone
Blue Violet released their debut album ‘Late Night Calls’ in 2022 and their sophomore release, ‘Faux Animaux’ is scheduled for early in 2025. They have been championed by some influential radio stations including BBC 6 Music whose Steve Lamacq described them as “a cocktail of Iain Banks and Jane Austen”. I can see where Steve was coming from having witnessed Blue Violet for the first time. If I was remaining on a literary comparison theme I might add Douglas Coupland. Their music has a dark and mysterious pop rock style and is loaded with great hooks. Vocally Sarah McGrigor and Sam Gotley where on top form in York. The material from the first album has a slightly electro feel, but they add a rockier element to it on stage. There were, I think, three songs from their debut album in the set; “Undercover”, Hard Rain” and “Asylum”. The stand out of those older songs was “Hard Rain” for me. one of their 2024 singles, “Imagine Me” seems like a stalking song and has some synth riffs that evoke the Sisters Of Mercy in a pop goth style or even Kylie applying loads of Kohl eye makeup and going full on Goth-Kylie. The highlight of a set full of peaks was probably current single “Fire”. Although I loved “Human After All” so much I bought the t-shirt! The band were incredibly tight and Sarah is a great performer who seems to love engaging with the crowd, she does that like she was born to it. I think the new album could be a classy collection of songs and having seen Blue Violet live and frankly, on fire, I am looking forward to new music from them.
Photo by Eddie P – The man who puts the Eddie into Vinyl Eddie!
Finally it was time for Echobelly, let me say up front that Sonya Madan has aged far better than I have, does she have a Dorian Gray style picture in her attic? Whether she has or not the music is the main point here and what a point it was. You could sense it was going to be a great night as soon as the opening bars for “I Can’t Imagine the World Without Me” from 1994’s debut album ‘Everyone’s Got One’. The crowd were excited for every song but the buzz went up a gear when the band hit us with “Car Fiction” four songs in. This is one of my favourite Echobelly songs and comes from their 1995 album ‘On’. The whole audience was bouncing for that and the next couple of songs. Mid set Sonya announced that the band would be taking it down a little, to be fair I needed a rest at that point. We were treated to gorgeous and perfect acoustic takes on “Insomniac” from 1994 and “Worms And Angels” from 1995. There was a huge singalong element to the set which might have peaked with the magnificent “Great Things”, what a great song that is!
Another Photo by Eddie P – The man who puts the Eddie into Vinyl Eddie!
The three song encore was immense and probably loosened the rafters on the Crescent’s roof. “King Of The Kerb” just smashed it with everyone in the band firing on all cylinders and turning everything up to 11. A little more introspection was on offer with “Giving It All” (originally a part of Glenn and Sonya’s side project Calm Of Zero) and finally we were hypnotised into total submission with “Dark Therapy”. Echobelly have been around a while and they will be around for a hell of a lot longer too. A great show!
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Just over a week ago I had the opportunity to cover Live At Leeds In The City 2024 for those cool, weird and wonderful folks at Soundsphere and The Modern Record click on each to read the review which was written by me with some rather excellent additional pieces from Rock Photographer Extraordinaire, John Hayhurst. Simon Pattinson, working with York Mix, joined us for the ride, and what a ride it was this year! We witnessed close to twenty bands between us. My personal favourites were Neckbreakers and Avalanche Party. Were you there? Who were your favourite acts of the day? There are some ace photographs in both of the above links all by John Hayhurst apart from an Avalanche Party pic by Lucy Joy Pembroke. (All her four fabulous Avalanche Party pics are in the collection below!)
Avalanche Party by Lucy Joy PembrokeAvalanche Party by Lucy Joy PembrokeJoe and Glen of Avalanche Party by Lucy Joy PembertonTom from the Blinders guest with Avalanche Party by Lucy Joy PembertonHungry by John HayhurstGravy by John HayhurstCasisdead by John HayhurstMarika Hackman by John HayhurstRuby Duff by John HayhurstEnglish Teacher by John Hayhurst
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It is a while since the mighty Not Now Norman have featured on these pages, but with a new album hitting the streets very soon it is that time! The album is out on 29th November and is called ‘Go HARD or Go HOME’. It kicks off with the rather strange and at times scary (well you try listening to it through your headphones in the dark) “Norminius Sanctus”. It has a dark, monastic feel that would be perfect to soundtrack the opening credits of a Hammer Horror film. The title track starts a full on metal assault with epic scale AC/ DC style riffs that support Taylor-Grace’s pitch perfect rock vocal. At times she sounds like Joan Jett on steroids with some Ozzy Osbourne vocal chords spliced into her own voice box. The current single “Feral” is next and it has a great 80s rock hair metal feel to it with some hooks that Madonna in her prime would have been incredibly envious of. “WHO I AM” is another single and it has riffs forged in rock heaven and drumming that could smash mountains and vocally this is one of my favourite tracks on the album. If you love prog style power ballads you are going to find yourself in a relationship with “Family Photo”. This will be the next single released on the same day as the album. Taylor-Grace says this about it “This track is one of the toughest I’ve written. When I was born, a relative disowned me for being a girl. I’ve heard people praise this person highly to me, saying ‘they’re still your relative’ when they’ve never deserved it. I didn’t realise how it affected me until I started writing it. It’s for all those people who have been disowned for reasons they can’t control.” I have been on this planet a long while and it baffles the hell out of me that people with these kind of opinions actually exist.
The emotion in “Mama” is palpable and Taylor produces perhaps her finest vocal performance to date. It is huge in sound and cinematic in ambition. The band prove their funky skills on “Midnight Sun” the guitar work and drumming makes you want to move. It also has an early 70s rock vibe, like Medicine Head on speed. The rock just don’t stop on this brilliant set of songs as “Mister Know It All” takes things up another gear with a stellar, rip-roaring riff rampage. Everyone knows a Mister Know It All, right? I certainly do. There is a great blues mood on “King Of A Wasted Land” which has an occasional but wonderfully haunting vocal double track from Taylor-Grace. The guitar solo toward the end of the track is one of the best on the album. I am not totally certain who this is directed at, but my take is King Charles III, or any one of the recent UK Prime Ministers. It doesn’t matter to me I despise all of them. Just when you thought an album could get no heavier this one hits you with the titanic tower of metal that is “Bad Liar”. I was transported back to early Suzi Quatro with “Why Don’t You Like Me?”, particularly the chorus refrain which I doubt I could shake from my brain even if I wanted to. The punkiest sound on the album is probably “Green Light” which evokes Motorhead playing with Girlschool, a roaring tiger of a song. I have heard many great and interesting covers before, and Not Now Norman’s take on Britney’s “Toxic” is phenomenal. It retains the pop tropes of the original but give it a hugely harder rock edge.
This sophomore album from Not Now Norman hits all the spots perfectly and scratches music itches that you never knew you had. Am I disappointed with anything about this release? Yes, that it is about to be released just when I thought I had completed my top 20 albums of the year list! Now I need to go away and have a rethink, yes this album is THAT good!
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Back in September we reviewed amilost’s single “Tiny War” and now the talented Norwegian/ Scottish duo have a fabulous new single, “Haunted”, which hit the streets a few weeks ago. It has a wonderful pop mentality in its ethereal wide synth based cinematic sweep. The vocals soar an the chorus stays with you for ages, dare I say that it haunts you? amilost had this to say about the track “Haunted is about that person you can’t quite shake out of your head. It’s about feeling like you had control over the situation, but realising you were in-deeper than you thought and that in fact – the other person has a hold on you instead.” This is an act that I am confident will feature again on these pages, I love them.
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