With Just A Hint Of Mayhem

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

Vagabond Fulford – Arms, York – Wednesday 8th October 2025 October 18, 2025

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 9:21 pm
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York band Vagabond invited me to review their recent gig at the Fulford Arms after I reviewed their support slot for Asylum at this same venue back in December. Back then I said this about them “This band has great potential and my advice is ditch the Oasis cover and get some more original songs.” They promised not to do an Oasis cover, did they keep that promise? Read on and find out! The show was presented by Warren Records of Hull.

First up it was Culture Clash from Hull. They were raucous, loud and frankly fucking ace. They are in possession of some great riffs and excellent songs, some of those reminded me of early Manic Street Preachers. But they weren’t just full speed punks, they had 99% of the crowd sitting on the floor for a delightful slow number. To be fair at that point the punters probably needed a rest after some monumentally mental moshing. Kai from the band also makes comics and bought a copy of his latest, Mr. Zombie. It is weird, wonderful and simply bloody good!

The second band on the bill were also from Hull, they are called Sovereigns. They emanated a real 70s prog rock vibe early in their set. Then they moved onto some rather special pop rock songs which simply made you want to dance, especially their current single “Do You Wanna”.

Vagabond were clearly fired up for this headline show, they exploded into a fiery set . They were rambunctious, brash, roaring, strident and were clearly having fun. They displayed a degree of arrogance, which frankly stems from them being absolutely on the button and on fire. They played a set of their own songs and clearly they are growing into a great band. At times I even sensed some shades of Motorhead style thrash. They appear to draw inspiration from bands like the Sex Pistols, Blink 182 and early Clash. I am also pleased to say that they kept their promise and didn’t even go near Oasis, and nor did they need to. They won Jorvik Radio’s Battle of the Bands earlier this year. Vagabond are most definitely a band to watch and they could be huge in 2026. You heard it here first, possibly!

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Gene – Network, Sheffield – Thursday 2nd October 2025 October 16, 2025

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 8:11 pm
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When did music become a nostalgia fest? Probably sometime in the last 40 years birthed by Live Aid I guess. Now we are presented with opportunities to celebrate the anniversaries of classic albums on a regular basis. Usually 10 years, 20 years, 25 years, 30 years, 50 years and more. Then there is the cash in of former huge bands coming back together to squeeze every last drop out of their fan base, often with that most ridiculous development of dynamic ticket pricing. Yes I’m speaking to you Oasis. The press, radio, TV and social media are full of these anniversaries and reunions and it seems there is no slow down in the frequency. But while a part of me finds the whole nostalgia worship thing a little crass I am a part of it and I am one of those people that will purchase anniversary album releases and box sets from my favourite artists, notably David Bowie. (More of him later!)and the occasional reunion tour ticket. Not Oasis, but definitely Gene, who are my favourite 90s band. I never expected them to get back together but I was excited when thy did and I simply had to get a ticket! I finally managed to get one for the Sheffield show, the second gig of their reunion shows. So yes, in spite of my negativity and misgivings I am well and truly on board the nostalgia train!

The evening was opened by a wonderfully skilled and chilled set from two members of Danny and the Champions of the World, billed as Champs Acoustic Duo. Their short set warmed up the crowd perfectly. The highlight for me was “(Never Stop Building) That Old Space Rocket”. When Matt, Kev, Steve and Martin took the stage it was almost as if they had never been away. The keyboard player was none other than the Style Council’s keys maestro Mick Talbot. They opened with a thumping singalong “London, Can You Wait” from their first album, followed swiftly by 1994 single “Be My Light, Be My Guide”. Two songs in and the crowd was lapping it up. The energy stepped up even more for a monumental take on “We Could Be Kings” a 1997 UK top 20 hit. Experiencing Gene in a live environment again made me remember just how many great songs they had. The pre encores set was a stonking nineteen songs with many, many highlights. That part of the set closed with a towering triptych of “Haunted By You”, “Olympian” and “For The Dead”. By this time it seemed that the whole crowd were emotionally drained, it had been a special night, but did we have the passion for more, of course we did!

The band returned for two three song encores the first was a monumentally powerful trio of songs that kick arse on a good day, here they kicked the planet’s arse! Those three tunes were “You’ll Never Walk Again”, “Sick, Sober And Sorry” and a tumultuous “Fighting Fit”. Encore two was very slightly more subdued kicking off with “I Can’t Help Myself”, followed by “Somewhere In The World”. But what a perfect choice the final song was, “Who Said This Was The End?” I sincerely hope this is not the end for such a great band, there are five more dates to come in 2026. Will there be new music? Who knows, but let’s keep our fingers crossed. Honestly it doesn’t feel like the Gene story has arrived at the last page yet.

Before this gig I had seen Gene ten times and I truly believed that it would stay at ten, but then the band reformed, so now I have seen them eleven times, so far. I have only seen three acts more times than I have seen Gene; David Bowie (13), Frank Turner (14) and Avalanche Party (15). See I told you Bowie would get another mention, but the question is will Gene move up my personal gig table, there is clearly a strong chance now! This stands as one of the finest gigs I have ever attended and one that I never thought would happen. Just a final note on the nostalgia thing, I went home with two signed vinyl albums and two t shirts!

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“Justin’s Funeral” – Hand Gestures October 12, 2025

Filed under: Review,Single — justwilliam1959 @ 8:02 pm
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With a title that names someone’s funeral this new song from Brooklyn’s Hand Gestures was never going to be a supremely happy musical ride, but in many ways it is. I have always seen a funeral as a celebration of someone’s life. I believe that the titular Justin’s life is being celebrated and is particularly clear in the line “I guess that Justin gets to crowd surf for one more night“. The framing of “teenage moments that shaped me” gives it a narrative quality that many listeners can relate to, especially if they have their own past regrets or pivotal adolescent experiences. This is a delicate and gorgeously ambient lo-fi track which took me back to some of the softer moments from Mark Everett.

This is the latest single from their forthcoming self titled album which is out on 31st October on Campers’ Rule Records. On the strength of this one song, and a sneaky listen to some of their other stuff I now count myself as a fan of Hand Gestures.

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‘Lost In Good Intentions’ – Fishing 4 Compliments

Filed under: Album,Review — justwilliam1959 @ 3:05 pm
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Back in July Eileen Wattam, front woman and lead singer of fabulous Huddersfield band Fishing 4 Compliments sent me the bands new album, ‘Lost In Good Intentions’. I have listened to it quite a bit and it gets better every time. We featured the band in the Mayhem Virgins series in August, check that out here. It was released officially earlier this month and the world is a better place as a result. I have heard them described as a folk band, while they use some folk styling they are so much more than that. In fact they would be hard to place firmly into any specific genre box. Album opener “Hard To Please” has a Buckingham Nicks later Fleetwood Mac vibe to it with Wattam sounding like Jacqui Abbott at times. This is a wonderful pop rock song with hooks and harmonies aplenty. “Empty Eyes” also has a Fleetwood Mac feel, but adds a vocal which reminded me of Eddie Reader. Eileen seems to be able to draw on every emotion with her gorgeous voice.

There is an ardent and earnest folk rock feel to “Ghosts” with a vein of psychedelia that Traffic used to do so well. This is a song that genuinely haunts your head, but in a good way. Probably my favourite track at the moment. “If I Had” showcases the clarity of the Dunwells production perfectly. It has some infectious jangly guitar and a really emotive performance from Eileen Wattam. If you like an acoustic led ballad then “Secret Room” might be perfect for you. The lyrics are quite dark and might relate to toxic relationships. The light acoustic sound is slowly built up with strings which give it a cinematic feel. If Clare Grogan had fronted Aztec Camera back in the 80s they might have created a song like the magnificent “Make A Million”. Try and listen to this song and not sing, or at least hum along to it. The rock side of the band is strong on “Feeling Lucky” which leaves me with a smile every time I hear it.

The instrumentation is quite sparse on “Hand To Reach You” and the guitar sound is wonderfully Knopfleresque. Wattam sounds at her most vulnerable of this moody, brooding masterpiece. “Listen More” and “How You Amaze Me” round of a great album really well with some strong folk channels swinging through both. ‘Lost In Good Intentions’ really is a great album and the title is quite apt in my opinion as the band state their intent with passion and fire. If you love good music then get your ears around Fishing 4 Compliments right now! I can’t wait to see them live now!

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‘An Anarchy Of Demons’ – Charlie Harper October 11, 2025

Filed under: Book,Review — justwilliam1959 @ 8:36 pm
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Punk icon Charlie Harper published a long awaited autobiography last month on Earth Island Books. The rather excellent foreword is by Lars Frederiksen (of Rancid), and the cover art is by Steve Dann. It details his long and colourful life against a supremely well put together social history of the UK music scene and the formation and development of punk rock. Even if you are not a UK Subs fan, but simply a music fan or punk fan you will love this book. Charlie regularly fires both barrels and rarely pulls his punches this memoir is often brutally honest. The details of so many UK Subs gigs are included. If there is anything missing it is perhaps more information about the UK Subs songs and how they were created, maybe he has saved that for another book.

Charlie is not a music historian but he knows his own story intimately and all the many things that were happening around him. The birth of rock ‘n’ roll, the sixties, the rise of punk (and its continued development) are all stars of the book. There are some wonderful vignettes, I particularly loved the piece on Rod Stewart giving Charlie a harmonica lesson in a London club in the sixties. Harper gives a fantastic and at times forensic insight into the UK Subs history. Studio stories, gig tales, highs and sometimes rather deep lows. The carousel of UK Subs members is extensively detailed. Charlie’s early life and memories of Britain’s cultural history starting at the tail end of World War Two help to explain to a small degree how punk came to be. I believe that Charlie being older than many of his punk peers makes him more authentic, he really does “mean it, man!”

The book includes many previously unseen photographs from Charlie’s life. This adds even more authenticity, which enhances the volume perfectly. There is no definitive or strict timeline to the UK Subs gigs that are covered, but for me this adds to the charm of the book. It stands at just shy of 480 pages, although mostly doesn’t feel too long. This is helped by having some really short chapters, there are nearly 140. Some might say it could be edited a little more, but then it wouldn’t capture the ragged edges of punk, the UK Subs and Charlie nearly so well. Treat yourself to this tale of a life well lived!

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“None The Wiser” – Ava Renn September 21, 2025

Filed under: Review,Single — justwilliam1959 @ 3:19 pm
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The second single from Ava Renn’s debut album ‘Lightning Child’ is called “None The Wiser” and is a glorious dark, bluesy, garage, warped pop song. In simple terms the phrase ‘none the wiser’ means “to not understand something, even though it has been explained.” But as far as Ava Renn’s new song goes I completely understand that it is an absolute cracker of a song and deserves to be heard. To my ears there are elements of Meredith Brooks and Alannah Myles in Renn’s delivery. But this is a million miles from any kind of copy, Ava Renn will become a musical force to be reckoned with after her album is released in November! Get on the Ava Renn journey now, you will not regret it!

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“Girls With Gills” – Chloe Moriondo September 16, 2025

Filed under: Review,Single — justwilliam1959 @ 10:17 pm
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“Girls With Gills” is a masterpiece of weird electro pop from American singer-songwriter Chloe Moriondo. If Lady Gaga had a secret daughter then she might well be Chloe Moriondo. Back in the days when the pop charts really mattered this song would be number one for weeks!

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“Woman Of Faces” – Celeste

Filed under: Review,Single — justwilliam1959 @ 9:50 pm
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Celeste received the Rising Star of 2020 Brit Award five years ago. Since then she has cut a wonderfully original furrow in the music world. She has the vocal dexterity and range of Ella Fitzgerald and the open-hearted emotional soul that Amy Winehouse had. “Woman Of Faces” makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. The orchestration is expansive, cinematic and heavenly. This song is the title of her new album which is due out in November, based on this track it will be stunning!

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“A Comet For Joshua” – Nick Hudson

Filed under: Review,Single — justwilliam1959 @ 8:52 pm
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If you like Jeff Buckley and Rufus Wainwright then I think that you will declare undying love for Nick Hudson’s new single “A Comet For Joshua”. Nick is also known as the front man of the Academy Of The Sun, but his solo work, including the new song, is impeccable and sublime.

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“Hotmail” – Teenage Tom Petties

Filed under: Review,Single — justwilliam1959 @ 7:33 pm
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Teenage Tom Petties return with a great new single, “Hotmail”, out now on Safe Suburban Home Records. It is classic Teenage Tom Petties lo-fi garage rock that feels like Beck Hansen took over the controls of Weezer and made a song. I am off to listen to this again while I check my Hotmail inbox! Forget your emails and check out this great song!

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