With Just A Hint Of Mayhem

Music reviews, gig reviews, fun trivia and extra added random stuff!

“Nureyev Said It Best” – Avalanche Party August 24, 2024

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 2:43 pm
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Every new Avalanche Party single makes me more excited for their sophomore album due later this year. “Nureyev Said It Best” is a huge tune. It has dance, it has rock, it has psych, it has funk and so much more. It kicks off with mountainous drumming from Kane which seems to be influenced by native American and African Burundi drums. This band sounds like no other right now, Jordan’s vocal take here is perhaps his best yet. Jared’s guitar work feels like it has travelled here from the 1970s and he has then turned it into a 21st Century master class in axe-manship. The whole track is cinematic in scope and it rocks like an absolute bastard. Get into this track now, that’s an order!

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‘Rebel Girl – My Life As A Feminist Punk’ – Kathleen Hanna

Filed under: Book,Review — justwilliam1959 @ 2:16 pm
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I have described music autobiographies as brutally honest before, but I don’t think I have ever read one this fierce in its candour. At times it feels like Hanna is exposing all her open life wounds. She talks of abuse, rape, misogyny, confidence, and how Riotgrrrl came to be. She is very clear that Riotgrrrl was not perfect but it did open doors for many women and girls to think differently about life and playing music. The abuse she suffered including rape might have finished many people but she came out the other side much stronger. Obviously, she speaks a lot about her career in music with Bikini Kill, Le Tigre, and the Julie Ruin. I have subsequently rediscovered much of that since reading the book and it has aged well. Kathleen Hanna is a hugely talented musician and the book shows her to be a wonderful human being who, unlike many of us, is aware of her flaws and turns them into strengths. Even the little anecdotes and trivia are interesting, particularly her not left for Kurt Cobain which said that “Kurt smells like teen spirit”. Whatever happened to that phrase? If you read no other autobiographies please read this one.

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“Mooie Ogen” – Patty Lou August 22, 2024

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 12:59 pm
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Dutch Singer-songwriter and Producer Patty Lou has appeared on these pages before. She is based in Amsterdam and has just released a new single. It is sung in Dutch, but thanks to Google Translate I believe it is a song about overcoming sadness in love and then finding love again in a kind of love rebirth. The title “Mooie Ogen” I believe translates as beautiful eyes. The music has a lilting, swaying Caribbean-style dance beat that would be perfect for a beach party. Patty Lou‘s vocal performance is a superb take on sublime pop. The language really doesn’t matter, this is a great song whichever language or dialect it might be performed in. This all proves just how universal music can be. It is wreathed in emotion and musically it oozes happiness. This song deserves to be a huge hit and I hope it is!

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“Where Flowers Grow” – ORKID August 21, 2024

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 10:17 pm
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Swedish future pop powerhouse launched a new single on the world last month and it is deeply sublime and incredibly infectious. The driving slow groove sinks its roots into you like it was always a part of your being. This deserves to be a gigantic hit it is the epitome of perfect, gorgeous summer pop! The song first came to life after ORKID visited her mother’s grave. She says of the track, “My mom’s grave is the one place where I feel closest to her and can sense her presence. Even though she’s the one lying beneath the earth, it feels like a huge part of me is also buried with her. We wanted this song to resonate with anyone who deeply misses someone. “Where flowers grow” can symbolise a person or a place, but at its heart, the song is about not being alone in that longing.” You might not know it, but you need this song in your life!

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PJ Harvey – The Piece Hall, Halifax – Tuesday 20th August 2024

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 9:30 pm
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Thanks to those marvellous people at The Modern Record I was given the opportunity to see and review PJ Harvey at the Piece Hall in Halifax. Click here to check out my review. All photographs by John Hayhurst.

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“Hot Mess” – Johnny Hunter August 20, 2024

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 11:32 am
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Aussie punks Johnny Hunter smash it with their new single “Hot Mess”, this is hard-rocking 21st-century punk at its best. It draws on classic 70s punk and some of today’s heavier sounds like Frank Carter and Soft Play. It was produced by Jesse F. Keeler (Death From Above 1979, MSTRKRFT). The band has said a lot about the song’s birth throes.

“Hot Mess” was recorded above The Lord Gladstone Hotel in their Sydney hometown. Of the recording process, lead singer Nick Hutt said “Whenever we needed to go to the bathroom or for a smoke we had to push through crowds of people on their night out, from people hooking up to crying with their friends outside, to pairs of people coming out of cubicles so every time we were in the studio on the weekend we’d be flys on the wall for (and sometimes part of) this exhibition of what we could only describe as hot mess behaviour. We literally recorded the vocals whilst a massive DnB party played downstairs, I’m 95% sure that if you solo the raw stems of the vocal you can hear it in the background. This is the essence of the song, the whole feel, the drums, the lyrics, the mood all of it attested to recording music in the pub”.

the song was inspired by what bassist Dakota Fisher described as “a meth loop” which he describes as “clanging metal in a bathroom whilst dragging your teeth on the tiled floor“, the band initially explored an 808-driven beat. However, this direction felt too techno, leading them to pivot towards a more organic, LCD Soundsystem-inspired groove that producer Jesse helped refine. To capture a specific dancefloor energy, the band wrote the verse while Groove Armada’s “Shakin’ That Ass” was on repeat. Though they admit to only knowing one verse of the song, it provided the perfect foundation for their own track’s rhythmic delivery. Whilst the rest of the band then joined the party downstairs at the Lord Gladstone drummer Gerry Thompson (Gez) the band’s resident hardcore enthusiast, channelled his love of harmonics into the song’s wild energy. Instantly ripping the guitar part through a Big Muff pedal, he creates a layer of chaos that perfectly complements Dakota’s initial inspiration. Like me, you might be very pleased to learn that Johhny Hunter has permanently moved to the UK!

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“Wanna Be You” – Shehehe

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 11:00 am
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Shehehe have a fantastically fun new single out before their upcoming album. The song is called “Wanna Be You” and it has a magnificent late-70s punk vibe with hints of everything from Jilted John to the Ramones. Speaking of the Ramones, Shehehe was recently compared to da Bruddas in a recent review, “Shehehe, from Athens, GA, deliver a powerful sound that’s part rip-roarin’ rock ‘n’ roll, and equal part Ramones.” That wasn’t me saying it, but I agree 100%! Staying with the Ramones once again the band has said this of “Wanna Be You”, “It is a work of fiction about two characters from two great rock and roll songs, ‘Sheena Is A Punk Rocker’ by Ramones and ‘Allison Is Starting To Happen’ by The Lemonheads. If they met and became friends we think it would go a little somethin’ like this…” We need more songs bringing together characters from other songs, this is great! This really is a bouncy, tear-along feel-good hit, I love it!

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“Two Sips” – Revivalry August 19, 2024

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 10:18 pm
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Revivalry has become the youngest band to play the Main Stage at Kendal Calling and to cement their growing power they released a classy new song, “Two Sips” last week. It is a superpowered riff fest with some great vocals and harmonies and it overflows with sublime alt.rock, pop, and punk hooks. This bunch can go all the way and on the evidence of this single, they are more than ready for the journey. Here is the band explaining how “Two Sips” came to life. “It started with a riff, as it nearly always does. Ben brings that and everything follows from there. Because we are a 3-piece we use sonics around the bass instead of a rhythm guitar so Josh builds around the riff and Lewis sets the beat – the structure of the song tends to just build from here with all 3 of us in a room together. At times it can be painful, Ben is a perfectionist, Josh is keen to keep the flow of writing going and Lewis is pretty laid back – somewhere in the middle of that triangle is the sweet spot.” One of the best singles of the year in my humble opinion.

If you want to catch them live check out the dates below

23rd August, Victorious Festival (Seaside Stage), Portsmouth TICKETS

24th August, Camper Calling Festival, Warwickshire  TICKETS

31st August, The Imperial, Mexborough TICKETS

15th September, Garristonbury, Barnsley (SOLD OUT)

27th September, The Troubadour, London (supporting A.R.T) TICKETS

2nd November, The Leadmill, Sheffield, (supporting The Denabys) TICKETS

6th December, Deaf Institute Lodge, Manchester TICKETS

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“Pick Me Up” – The Search

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 4:41 pm
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Swedish band The Search released their new single “Pick Me Up” last week. It is packed full of emotion and has some gorgeous pop hooks. Vocally I am taken to a place where Aha might have taken a post-punk direction while under the influence of later period Roxy Music. “Pick Me Up” is anthemic, rocks along at a fast pace and stays in your head for ages. Apparently, the song is about rekindling the hope of second chances and healing in the aftermath of lost connections, exploring themes of reconciliation and the enduring quest for mutual understanding. It is taken from their forthcoming album, ‘Indulgence’.

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“The Shot” – The Giraffes

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 3:55 pm
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Brooklyn rock band the Giraffes have recently released a new single, “The Shot”, a precursor to their upcoming album (their eighth), ‘Cigarette’, scheduled for September 27th. The band says the album will be “a score for our current age of decay and disappointment, fear and fury, idiocy and hope”. “The Shot” is dark and brooding with some monstrous hooks and a kind of punky jazz feel. It has the sound of a band that really knows their stuff, but they have been around just shy of 30 years. After hearing this single I am really looking forward to the album!

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