Liz Davinci’s new single “Dynamite” showcases everything that she is good at. It is a pure slice of piano-led baroque pop with a happy melody and a dark feel in the lyrics. Vocally Liz pulls off a sound so gorgeous it not only makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end it keeps them in that position for long after the song has ended. The Tori Amos influence is in there as is the invisible, unconscious Kate Bush stylings, but this time around I also felt Lene Lovich, Hazel O’Connor, and even a softer Toyah Wilcox. This track is perhaps the best Liz Davinci track to date. The B-Side “Underscore” is sublime and sultry and feels almost Stygian in its dark, deep depths. Liz is no stranger to these pages, and we love her music over here at Mayhem Towers. As a harbinger of her new album, these tracks herald something that will be damned good!
If you have enjoyed this article, feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, EMail. Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch.
Mortimer Nyx has just dropped a contender for single of the year. It’s orchestral, riff-laden, haunting, melodious, other-worldly, and frankly alien sound probes deep into your inner psyche absorbing your id and everything about you before injecting you with an overdose of endorphins. Is this the best opening lines of a song ever? “The devil will lead me in tomorrow, The dawn will greet my sins with sorrow. In a mask of a thousand lies. The laughing face will dogmatize. When my deafened cries fall to heaven the mourning bell rings. Broken, aching hateful pieces of the losers happiness. Shattered thinly on the veil of my piercing screams” Mournful, hurting, horrific and yet strangely beautiful at the same time. This is what great music sounds like! I need more Mortimer Nyx in my life and even if you don’t realise it yet, so do you! Mortimer’s social profiles say “Creator of worlds. Rebellious revolutionary of sound“, I cannot argue with that statement!
If you have enjoyed this article, feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, EMail. Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch.
Melbourne’s Drunk Mums has just released a new album full of first-class punk and garage firepower. proceedings are kicked off with “New Australia” which is a perfect blueprint for the album, full of anger, angst, and huge punky riffs with a wonderful Ramones feel. “Slippn’ Up” could have arrived here in the 21st Century via a punk time machine from 1977. It has elements of the Clash and the Damned. If Status Quo had been fed Lemmy levels of speed they might have sounded like Drunk Mums do on “Mutant”. If the New York Dolls came back from the dead to record with Iggy Pop, then the Drunk Mums “Bet On Black” was written just for that occasion. Drunk Mums keep their punk credentials to the fore on “Apocalypse” but they incorporate a filthy and gorgeous dark glam vibe. “Livin’ At Night” showcases everything that is great about Drunk Mums but adds a layer of 1970s classic rock. The punk fun continues with the high-octane “Magazines” which could be like a more punky Jonathan Richman. Do you need a Saturday night party anthem? You do? Then look no further than the Drunk Mums blasting out “Saturday”. Play it alongside Elton’s “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting” and the Bay City Rollers “Saturday Night”, now that would be an absolute mental party! All the expletives on this album have been saved for the final two tracks, starting with the epic and warped “Not My Dad” and followed by the album’s closer “From The Hip”. These two are probably my favourite tracks from the record right now. Check it out, this is considerably classy classic punk!
If you have enjoyed this article, feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, EMail. Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch.
Dark Miles is the former lead singer of the now long-gone band MOSH from Portugal. Dark Miles is actually Pedro Lima (a.k.a Pete Miles) and hot on the heels of the dark and deep song “Your Heart Is An Empty Street” (released in January) is his immense new song “When The Lights Go Out”. The new track has the makings of a long-lasting epic anthem. His voice is full of power and soul. The song is about freedom and equality and being a decent human. I can hear Depeche Mode, Mansun, Chris Cornell, Iggy Pop, Pearl Jam, Mark Lanegan, and even a shot of 90s Bowie in this gorgeous and classy new offering from Dark Miles. The video is stark, hard-hitting, and thought-provoking. It also made me incredibly angry at the world we have made. It is also age-restricted so you will have to watch it on YouTube, but make sure you do watch it.
Miles said of the song, which was recorded during the covid pandemic, “It was a period where we found ourselves deprived of some elementary freedoms, and consequently rediscovered how fragile these freedoms are,” he added that “whether in what we feel, in what we do, in what we want and in what we are, this freedom is constantly put to the test, particularly in the times we live in, in which the nightmare of war has once again stripped many people of their human dignity.” Check this song out, I think you will love it, I do!
If you have enjoyed this article, feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, EMail. Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch.
“Shopping” is one of the most different and original songs that I have heard in quite a while. It sounds like someone put Blur, BA Robertson, Pulp, Talking Heads, and Yard Act in the same wash and they all blended together mixing colours and styles into something brand new. The song is an anti-celebration of the slow death of the UK High Street and the parallel rise of ridiculous and obscene levels of consumerism driven by those greedy online giants. Yes, Amazon and friends I am talking about you! The song quickly works into your head and refuses to come out. Welly is the frontman and obviously gives his name to the band too. Welly was born in Southampton and apparently showed no interest in music as a child, although he was allegedly obsessed with the same six songs on an iPod Shuffle that his father clipped to his school trousers every day! I would love to know what those six songs were! Based on “Shopping, ” Welly is probably an expert in the lyrical kitchen sink dramas of everyday life and has a voice on bigger issues. I can picture Welly being around for a very long while and a band that will adorn festival stages across the UK regularly. The video is ace and it looks like the band had a lot of fun making it at The Keiller Centre in Dundee.
If you have enjoyed this article, feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, EMail. Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch.
The first time I saw Goldie Lookin Chain was at the Reading Festival, I think in 2004, or thereabouts. They were full-on comedy rap and as entertaining as fuck. I have seen them a few times since at festivals. Some of the stuff they released in the first flush of their success was absolute genius that finely blended great rap with sharp, sublime comedy. So I was never going to pass up the opportunity to witness GLC in full flight once again, twenty years later. This time it was at the magnificent Crescent in York and the gig was a sell-out! Were GLC any good? I will tell you later, but first I must tell you about the wonderful support act, Marx. I am not talking about Karl Marx, just Marx. He is a passionate and talented rapper from Hull spitting tales of real life in his biting, cutting, perfectly formed ciphers. He dishes it out to landlords, Rishi Sunak, and a whole host of other bad guys in equal measure. If Eminem had been born twenty-five or thirty or so years later than he actually was and in Hull rather than Missouri USA he probably would have sounded like Marx. He delivers his lines perfectly and struts across the stage like he owns it, and tonight he did! The beats supplied by his DJ were stunning and fitted the tracks like a Saville Row suit. I particularly loved the Roy Ayers sample. “Rent Money” and “Student Loan” (at least I think they were the titles) were my highlights in a set full of them. I am definitely a fan of this bloke Marx now.
It is probably fair to say that in the current more politically correct climate, much of what GLC has done in the past might not be acceptable to some. While this is likely to be true I still find them fucking hilarious. It’s comedy and bloody good comedy at that! It was just 5/7 of the whole GLC crew, but that did not spoil the night one bit! The crowd was up for a fun night and that is what the GLC Crew gave us in abundance. A large contingent of the crowd came dressed for the occasion in garish tracksuits, including a delightful Greggs trackie number and plenty of heavy gold chains. Despite the invitation to get shitfaced later in the set some of the crowd were shitfaced on arrival, probably as it was Saint Paddy’s day. All the classic GLC tunes were on show; “Newport State of Mind (You’re Not From Newport)”, “Soap Bar”, “21 Ounces”, “Baneswell Express” and “You Knows I Loves You”. Talking of the latter is there a love song with a finer lyric than “To prove my love, I gotta tattoo, on my bollocks. I was gonna have your name but I only got initials ’cause I couldn’t stand the pain”? Smokey Robinson never managed to describe the pain of love so well in any of his songs, did he? But the biggest reaction and party vibes came with “Guns Don’t Kill People, Rappers Do” and “Your Missus Is a Nutter”. But frankly, nothing could compare with a wonderfully extended singalong of “Your Mother’s Got a Penis”. Is there a better way to end a getting shitfaced kind of night? probably not! I can confirm that Goldie Lookin Chain retains their hilariously filthy, Welsh comedy charm, you knows it!
I was actually there that day!
If you have enjoyed this article, feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, EMail. Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch.
Has the island of Anglesey ever produced a great rock band? Probably not, well at least until Dying Habit came along. This bunch is a mega powerhouse of a band. This is the fourth time they have been reviewed in the pages of WJAHOM (once in 2019 and twice in 2020) and we said good things about them back then. The new single “Celestial” is a brooding, slow-building, epic tune that showcases the individual talents of the band and the enormous and gorgeous noise they make together. Nathan Jones’s vocals are up there with some of the best rock singers and he conveys a range of emotions with apparent ease. The rhythm section of Mark Jones on drums and Daniel Garner on bass would enhance even the best bands. But the tour de force for me is the riff Tsunami produced by Alan Hart. The song encompasses everything from classy prog to sharp metal while weaving in the more rocky side of Traffic and maybe a few hints of Pearl Jam. The hooks are strong and the melody is divine. According to the band the song “explores consciousness, how we know nothing about the time we spend asleep other than the dreams and nightmares we experience“. “Celestial” deserves to be heard, listen to it now! If their new album, ‘The Chaos of Silence’, (due out later this year) is half as good as this tune it will be extraordinary.
If you have enjoyed this article, feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, EMail. Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch.
Brat punk superstar Delilah Bon has unleashed her new single “Maverick” on International Women’s Day. how many artists get better and better with every release, not many, but Delilah Bon certainly does. “Maverick” is another incendiary blend of rap and metal on which Delilah is in explosive form. Her first album was an absolute classic, as a pointer to the new album this track suggests that the album will be stunning. She uses her newest creation to celebrate womanhood, self-love, and self-worth. Once again misogynists will be pissed off, but who gives a fuck about them? Delilah has this to say about the new song “‘Maverick’ is a song about self-worth and reclaiming your confidence, reminding yourself that you belong in the rooms you don’t always feel welcomed in. It’s about looking yourself in the mirror and believing in your power without needing the approval of others.” As always Delilah is absolutely on point. Her fans, including me, will love “Maverick” and it will no doubt bring many more fans into the Bon Bon club. Incidentally the definition of maverick in my dictionary is “an unorthodox or independent-minded person“, Delilah Bon is clearly both of those!
Photo by Helen Tate
Delilah has some huge gigs and festivals in 2024, including playing the Avalanche Stage at Download. Then the new album will hit the world like an atom bomb later this year. As an advocate for women’s and LGBTQ+ rights and frankly, any put-down minority Delilah is more passionate and angry than most. But she channels all of that into her astounding music. Is the world really ready for Delilah Bon? I don’t know, but it better fucking had be because she is here to stay! The video for “Maverick” is something special too! Are the two Delilahs talking to each other through the mirror actually Lauren and Delilah? Who knows? But what a stunning film!
If you have enjoyed this article, feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, EMail. Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch.
“Super Concrete” is a mighty blast of post-punk pop punk rock which beats you into a bloody pulp until you are unable to ignore it. After that, it sits next to you and heals your wounds and wipes away your blood and tears. Huge gnarly riffs power the song over a finely tuned engine of a well-oiled rhythm section while the vocals add hooks forged in rock and pop heaven. Quiz Show is made up of Shudder To Think’s Chris Matthews and bassist Jesse Krakow, together with drummer Joe Billy, who replaces the original drummer Kevin March (Guided By Voices, The Dambuilders). Their EP ‘Flotsam’ is out later this month.
If you have enjoyed this article, feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, EMail. Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch.
In recent months the situation in Gaza has gotten worse and worse every day. What Hamas did on October 7th was vile and evil, but the Israeli government’s response has been thousands of times worse. Let’s not forget, that despite what much of the mainstream media is saying (or perhaps not saying), this war did not begin last October it has been going on for many years. More than 300,000 innocent Palestinian people, many of them children, have been killed and over 70,000 injured since October 7th. The Palestinian people are not Hamas in the same way that the Israeli people are not their government. In Palestine, countless neighbourhoods, towns and cities have been decimated, and most of the population has been displaced and left without food, clean drinking water, electricity and fuel. This is truly heartbreaking and the response of many countries across the globe leaves me ashamed to be human. The UK government, and many opposition MPs, have refused to back a ceasefire in Gaza even on humanitarian grounds and with a majority of the UK population in favour of a ceasefire.
I know that music cannot solve this problem, but maybe it can play a small part electronic label Human Endeavour (part of Ransom Note Records) has pulled together a wonderful compilation album to raise funds for two charities that are working incredibly hard in Gaza in awful conditions providing support and humanitarian aid. All proceeds from the album will be split equally between two charities, Medical Aid Palestine and War Child UK. A wide range of artists have donated their music to this cause with a smorgasbord of sounds that includes electro dance, Italo House electro, UK techno, chill, electronica, wonky electro, acid-baked dance, and some awesome Middle East vibes and flavours. Artists include D Twitch, Ambien Baby, Lisene, GoodMostlyBad, Jurango, Sofia El-Harifi and Azo. Every track is incredible, contributing artists have shown unequivocal support for the cause by providing some of their finest cuts. The gorgeous artwork for the cover was created by Jeena Ra.
The full track listing is below. Click here to purchase the album on Bandcamp
Jon Beige – Complète
C.A.R. – 19s
Malcolm & Glitter55 – Damâa (Instrumental)
Jurango – Burwood
Sofia El-Harifi – bayati beach
Azo – Peace on Planet Earth
Reda Saiarh – New Beat Against The Machine
Zillas On Acid – Sleep Mode
REES – Mystic Daze (Downtempo Mix)
JD Twitch – Question Authority
Kitsta – Glisten
Lisene – Hydrophonic
Ambien Baby – La Tia
Albino Sound – Bell Anklet
Nuevo Prohibido – Pantano Slurp
GoodMostlyBad – No Disco Just Disco
Jeena – Love Is Resistance
If you have enjoyed this article, feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, EMail. Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch.
