Grape have released a rather fab Christmas song. It starts out with a lovely, unassuming jolly vibe and then the magnificent hook and full band come crashing in perfectly after 70 seconds. But not only is it a good song it is raising money for St Mungo’s, a charity whose purpose is to end homelessness and rebuild lives after homelessness. Grape is a veritable supergroup made up of members of Alt-J, Gang Of Youths and Tellison. You can stream the track for free, but why would you do that when for just £1.50 you can download it and contribute to a great charity. Check out more details on Bandcamp here. Alternatively you can donate direct to St. Mungo’s here. If you can spare even the smallest amount it will help a great cause.
Gus Unger-Hamilton who is a member of Alt-J and also a St Mungo’s ambassador said this about the release “I am extremely proud to be an ambassador for St Mungo’s and, as Londoners, we in GRAPE all feel an acute desire to help people sleeping rough as much as we can. With this song’s lyrical themes of a difficult life in the process of being rebuilt at Christmas, it felt like a no-brainer to release this song in support of the charity.”
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This would be the sixth time that I have seen Absolute Bowie perform since my first experience back in 2017. Regular readers will know that I have never been a huge fan of covers bands, however there are always exceptions and Absolute Bowie are not just the exception they are exceptional. I have seen two other Bowie tributes, David Live, is slightly closer to the Dame vocally and the Bowie Contingent are better than all the competition musically. However John O’Neill’s Absolute Bowie blow everyone away for entertainment value. You get the costumes, the costume changes, the make up, a superb very tight band and the huge talent and charisma of O’Neill himself. Tonight’s set once again began with a Ziggy Fest with the main man making all the right Ziggy moves and rocking through some seventies classics.
The band kicked off with a wonderfully dark take of “The Man Who Sold The World” and delivered some classic audience sing along moments with “Starman”, “All The Young Dudes”, “Changes” and “Rock n Roll Suicide”. The latter was apparently included after many requests from fans online. Did no one request “The Laughing Gnome”? 🙂 The band wigged out and showed just how good a rock band they are as they stormed through an extended instrumental work out on “Moonage Daydream” while O’Neill took time out for a costume change. The band behind O’Neill are Andy Marr on guitar, Telegram Sam on bass, Danny Mattin on keyboards and Alex Face on drums.
For the second set they returned without the 70s wigs and glitter while O’Neill sported a jacket that kind of took us back to the 1974 American tour and he performed “Cracked Actor” and “Fame” back to back with an immense and superb sonic assault. After he dropped that jacket we were transported to the superstar pomp of the Serious Moonlight period. Inevitably “China Girl” and “Let’s Dance” were given an airing, but for me the stand out song of the second set was a hauntingly good “Ashes To Ashes”. The band returned for the now obligatory encore and stepped up another gear and set the scene with a fine take on “Space Oddity” before raising the roof with the double punch of “Heroes” and “Rebel Rebel”. If, like me, you are a Bowie fan with an aversion to Bowie tribute acts just put away you negativity, put on your red shoes and dance the blues to the magnificent Absolute Bowie!
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While I love seeing bands that I know and love again and again I equally love seeing artists that I have never seen before. This show at the fabulous Fulford Arms had three bands that I had never seen before. First up it was Eldermother who are a wonderful combination of harp, cello and dark heavenly ethereal vocals. They opened with a haunting, mesmerising cover of Radiohead’s “Street Spirit (Fade Out)”. Their original songs chase perfection and in most cases achieve it. Particularly “Water Wings” which apparently comes from a defunct Folk/ Black Metal project. I certainly hope that project is “refunct” <sic> one day! The working of a WB Yeats poem to music was magnificent. There was another simply spine-tingling cover. If you thought that the Johnny Cash version of the Nine Inch Nails classic “Hurt” was emotional then think again. The cover of “Hurt” by Eldermother brought me to my knees as it ripped at my heart, absolutely stunning.
Luna Cult Club took to the stage next. I feel that if Bjork was to die, and I hope she doesn’t, she would come back and haunt us in a most wondrous way through the music of Luna Cult Club. If the early Human League had been possessed by the screaming souls of every woman killed at the Witch Trials of the 1600’s then “Being Boiled” would have sounded more like Luna Cult Club than Mr. Oakey and pals. Luna Cult Club are Stygian dark goth electro in both appearance and sound. This is formed from both skill levels and musical prowess. The veiled shadowy look of the two female singers was eerie and hypnotic. Meanwhile the synth, keyboard musical maestro reminded me very much of a young Brian Eno.
Finally it was time for Dead Space Chamber Music. They are described as “a gothic / experimental / doom group. They reinterpret historical material, taking forms and melodies that are hundreds of years old and shape-shifting them into new and varied contemporary works. Incorporating improvisation and use of ‘found sounds’, and with vocals spanning medieval Middle English, Latin and Welsh, they blend elements of dark ambient, post-industrial, avant-classical, sacred chant and dark-folk in their powerful and atmospheric music.” It is impossible to disagree with that summary. On stage they convey a delightfully wonderful weirdness and I can honestly say that I don’t believe that I have ever heard anything quite like the sounds that they produce and let’s face it I have been on the planet for fucking years! If someone ever wants to do a decent remake of British folk horror classic ‘The Wicker Man’ (not like that atrocious Nicholas Cage remake) then Dead Space Chamber Music should be given a free reign to write and record the soundtrack. This band give you deep, dark, and we are talking very dark, folk with gothic incantations and post witchcraft incantations. If Stevie Nicks took a full gothic turn after appearing in ‘American Horror Story’ she might have ridden this kind of supernaturally driven soundwave. The use of a bow on the cymbals gave some very different percussive tones (and in Jimmy Page style), as did the dropping of small pebbles (well at least I think that is what it was) onto a metal tray. I also felt that from a voice perspective and in some of the songs they sounded like a reincarnated Jefferson Airplane but with a 21st Century vibe. In my dreams I forsee a Dead Space Chamber Music collaboration with Yoko Ono. Can anyone make that happen? I would definitely see Dead Space Chamber Music again. You need to check them out!
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Palindrones formed in 2020 during Covid lockdowns. Jamie and Karen used their songwriting to remain connected despite being on opposite sides of London. The newly released video to the song “Abraxas”, from their current album ‘Chapter Two: The Slender Blade’, is a dazzling spectacle that celebrates an outstanding song. The track goes from 0 to 100 in seconds and in the immense percussive moments it feels like dark drum and bass at warp speed. This is world class synthed up goth pop. It has a joyous melody that fights for space with some souped up dark sounds. The joy emerges triumphant as this song makes you dance and smile. The video features the duo and they are overlaid with a psychedelic kaleidoscopic cartoon projection that might have transported itself from Haight-Ashbury at the height of the first summer of love.
The word Abraxas has a number of meanings but in the context of this magnificent song from Palindrones it made me think of the symbolic concept in the psychological work of Carl Jung. In Jung’s theories Abraxas symbolizes the chaotic and unified totality of the Self, representing the individuation process. The journey to integrate both the conscious and unconscious parts of oneself to achieve a whole and true Self. This song is pure, beautiful, unified chaos and my true self loves it! The song will be released as a double A-side single called “Abraxas & The Brightling Star” on 5th December.
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bOydestiNy is a widely acclaimed American singer, rapper, producer and songwriter based in Miami. It is the stage name or alter ego of Michael Anthony Thorton. He is a multi-instrumentalist and former keyboardist for Pieces of a Dream. He has performed with true musical legends including Bill Withers, and Patti LaBelle. The new single out on 20th November it is called “I Need Your Lovin'” and it is the fourth single from 2024 album ‘Love Is Forever’. It is a sultry, seductive and sexy slab of smooth jack swing soul with an undercurrent of Prince. It combines soul, funk, hip hop, jazz, R&B and pop into a melting pot of tasty music. This 2025 version upgrades the album version into something that would sound incredible in a night club and smooth and memorable on the radio. The gorgeously incessant chorus vocal hook never lets you go and you will find yourself singing it in your head long after the track has finished. Or even as I did, singing out loud while I was cooking dinner tonight. bOydestiNy had this to say about the new release “It’s about the moment you know you’re in trouble – when beauty disarms logic and you can’t fight what you feel“. Give this funky track a spin, you won’t regret it.
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Iconic Manchester band the Inca Babies will soon be releasing an album that reimagines via rerecording some of their finest songs. It is called ‘Reincarnation’ and is out on 28th November. In advance they have released a two track single, “Two Rails To Nowhere” with the second track being the 1988 original featuring Inspiral Carpets stalwart Clint Boon. I love the new version, the instrumentation evokes the more chilled output from the KLF and Angelo Badalamenti’s work on the ‘Twin Peaks’ soundtrack. Vocally it sounds more like a countrified blues track about going to jail. Country but not set in the US deep south, but in Manchester. I think Nick Cave could make a great cover of this song. If Shane McGowan was still alive he could have done a great shared vocal on the track. Based on this and the previously released reincarnated version of “Candy Mountain” I reckon the album will be classy indeed.
Inca Babies front man Harry Stafford had this to say about “Two Rails To Nowhere”; “This was from our fourth album ‘Evil Hour’. On the original version, we managed to hire Clint Boon of the Inspiral Carpets to play Hammond organ for us. This is a song that was inspired by the trad country blues number ‘Midnight Special’, but somehow had more of a Gun Club vibe to it“. This single will be on rotation at Mayhem Towers for a while!
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To my knowledge, apart from perhaps Mura Masa the Channel Isles haven’t produced that many pop or rock stars. But Rich Allo who grew up in Jersey might be the one to change that. His new single “You” is a phenomenal track. It has a soft heartbeat pace and some cinematic ambition. All of this is overlaid and wonderfully finished with Rich’s ethereal, soulful, impassioned vocal. The song reminded me of George Michael and Bruce Hornsby.
Rich says that some of his key influences are Freddie Mercury, Keane, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen and U2. If he gets the airplay that I believe he deserves then maybe he and his music could stand alongside some of these artists one day. “You” has a cut glass clearness in its production which gives the song a glorious soundtrack sheen. The track encompasses fragility, strength, positivity and melancholy in equal measures. It is a song that inspires and makes you consider life and where you might fit in to the overall scheme of things. I love it!
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debdepan are Margate based female duo Chelsea Tolhurst and Grace Bontoft. They formed in March 2022 after writing together during the Covid lockdowns. They have have released a hauntingly, captivating emotional single called “Ghost”. It charts some deep, dark gothic waters with a pinch of baroque style. There is an air of depressive fragility in the verses and then a magnificent chorus that explodes through the darkness like a huge solar flare. The song is taken from their upcoming EP, ‘Lovers & Others’, which will be out on Silent Kid Records on 28th November. debdepan said this of the track “This song had to feel like a journey – slightly hopeful initially and slowly turning a little bit dark with insecurity coming in and then the chorus feeling like a total release of emotions. It needed a big fat pop chorus to juxtapose the dark and miserable verses. This song was recorded with Mike Collins and Mike had a wicked idea to layer a bunch of guitars in the middle 8 to really build some tension“. The video has Chelsea and Grace dressed as classic sheet covered ghosts and is a lot of fun! I just know that the new EP will be an instant classic when it arrives!
Portrait by Martin Perry @martinperrystudio
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If you love a gorgeously mellow blues style overlaid with a soulful emotional vocal then you will love “Sailboat In The Sky” the new single from Nathan Bryce and Loaded Dice. This is the product of a writing collaboration between Bryce and Candace Crockett. The song has a loping beat and provides an endless supply of endorphins. It is one of the best feel good songs I have heard for years. Some of the blues stylings made me think of Elvin Bishop. I know that I will be singing the chorus in my head, and maybe even out loud for weeks. Feeling down? Need a musical pick me up? Then listen to “Sailboat In The Sky” NOW!
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Your soundtrack for Armageddon just got loads better. The Apocalypse Disco return with their first release since their magnificent ‘Welcome To The Disco’ EP back in January. The new single is called “Bring On The Storm” and it is a booming bass driven techno dance floor anthem. No one would be surprised if the late, great Keith Flint would be resurrected if he heard this magnificent masterpiece and joined Ian and Robin with alacrity in this hard electro rave stomper. The song shouts back at the destruction and devastation that the metaphorical storm that is the world today with waves of positivity. “We can dance, even in the eye of the storm“, indeed we can, and we fucking should! This song will have the four horsemen of the apocalypse quaking in their plague boots and it will curdle their plans of pestilence! A huge welcome back to the Apocalypse Disco, we missed you and the world needs you! They will be playing at the Fulford Arms in York on 5th December. I will see you there!
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