With Just A Hint Of Mayhem

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

Heartsink – Fulford Arms, York – Sunday 8th August 2021 August 10, 2021

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 11:14 pm
Tags: , , , , ,

After such a long period deprived of gigs thanks to Covid this was my second in three days. I have listened a lot to Heartsink, but this was to be the first time that I saw them live, in the headline slot too. But more of them later, there were also three fine support acts. The evening kicked off with Friday Night Lights, to me they are pop punk with a much heavier and classic punk undercurrent. They have some great songs and the shared lead/ counterpoint vocals add real depth. My one small criticism is that they felt a little under rehearsed. But to be fair that is probably the case for many bands after the last 18 months we have lived through. I bought their CD, for a quid, now that is a bargain. On top of that the CD has some cracking tunes too.

Friday Night Lights

Next up were Covent, the name means Church or Monastery apparently. This lot are very heavy with an added dash of prog rock thrown into the mix. The lead singe has a brilliantly gruff vocal which conveys emotion really well. The drummer could give Animal (from the Muppets) and Keith Moon a run for their money. The break down on “Colour Drain” shows a softer, more soulful side to Covent. They also win the evenings best beard award which I award to the bass player in honour of the late, great Dusty Hill.

Covent

Shark Bait from Leeds were next and what a supremely tight band they are. Some amazing songs with a heavy take on kitchen sink dramas in the lyrics. “Drip”, about a leak in a crap house they shared in Doncaster, is a particularly good example of this. The front man/ lead vocalist is clearly also a great entertainer who really understands the crowd. The cover of Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” was an inspired and exceptional choice of a cover. It was everything a cover version should be, very different and not just some bland boy band facsimile. The rhythm is an absolute powerhouse, the bass player even makes the full Lemmy pose when playing. How the fuck have I not come across this band before now?

Finally it was time for Heartsink, playing their first gig since March 2020. Badge this lot as just another pop punk band at your peril. Sure they have a lot of pop punk elements but they are so much broader and deeper than that. The acoustic tune was very special. This band has definitely not reached their peak but they are clearly on a very fast trajectory to get there. It is seeing bands like this, who are clearly having fun, which makes me realise how much I have missed gigs during these awful Covid times. All the bands on the bill tonight were very god and some were very tough acts to follow. But I reckon Heartsink smashed it, although Shark Bait were a very close second.

If you have enjoyed this article feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;

Facebook

Twitter

EMail

Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch.

 

Tommyrot – York Vaults – York – Friday 6th August 2021 August 9, 2021

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 6:27 pm
Tags: , , , , , , ,

This was my first proper non-seated gig for 18 months and it felt great, a little weird, but great nonetheless. First on stage were Where’s Slater? These guys formed while at York University and on their social media they say that they “could be defined as a band, we prefer ‘search party'”. Personally I reckon they are a good band, I have no evidence to say how good a search party they are though. Although I think they were missing two band members so maybe they aren’t ready to be a search party just yet. Anyway they played a barnstorming set the forefront of which was the great vocals from their singer who has a touch of Kurt Cobain spliced with a pinch of Jim Morrison. They did some great covers including Nirvana and Queens Of The Stone Age. But the highlight for me was their quirky and brilliant cover of XTC’s “Making Plans For Nigel”.

Where’s Slater?

Unfortunately YouVee were unable to make it so their last minute stand in was Leeds band Flat Moon. The hit the stage like they owned it. The drummer is one of the finest that I have heard in a long while. That added to booming and choppy bass and Billy Whizz funky guitar made a sound like Parliament/ Funkadelic fronted by Nile Rogers but with a deep rock vibe. Their cover of the James Brown classic “Sex Machine” was off the scale and through the stratosphere. I loved the way they had so much fun with it, even changing it briefly to a funky love song about a washing machine! One of their own compositions, “Demise” I think was late night jazz club in style, and my good mate Eddie Parkinson remarked that the band could do a great take on the theme tune to any Pink Panther remake. Their Hendrix cover was hard heavy and oozed funky blues. So if George Clinton had P-Funk I reckon Flat Moon have F-Punk with their funk sounds supported by a punk attitude. I am now a huge Flat Moon fan!

Flat Moon

Pleasure Centre from Sacrbados were next and at the start I thought they sounded a bit proggy, but I mean that in a good way. I think the band have great potential but I don’t think they are quite there yet, not for me at least. The guitarist and the drummer are extremely bloody good at what they do. I felt the vocals were mixed a little low down tonight, which was a shame as it felt like the singer had a good voice, which was more apparent standing near the stage. and I need to explore some of the bands recorded output to get a better feel for them. I mentioned Prog earlier but maybe they are a bit shoegazey too. A hard band to put into a specific genre box.

Pleasure Centre

Finally it was time for Tommyrot who formed while at the Access Creative College in York. I have reviewed a few of their singles before and everyone of them has been great. They are a truly eclectic band who looked like they were having great fun while they were on stage. I once described them as “Weird, wacky, wayward, waggish, witty, wonky, whimsical, wonderfully eclectic, stylistic nut jobs” and having finally seen them live I stand by every word of that. They transfer their recorded work to the live environment incredibly well. The highlight for me was my favourite Tommyrot song “Drugs”, even if you don’t do drugs you need to do that song and you need to become a Tommyrot fan!

Tommyrot
Drummer Rhys focussing really hard while hand writing the Tommyrot set lists!

If you have enjoyed this article feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;

Facebook

Twitter

EMail

Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch.

 

Access Creative College York Showcase – York Vaults – Thursday 24th June 2021 August 8, 2021

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 1:55 pm
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

I attended this rather wonderful gig more than a month ago and it may well be my final socially distanced gig. I certainly hope so! Why is the review so late? Well I only went and lost my note pad, but now it is back and here comes that long overdue review. The show highlighted the immense talent that exists and is nurtured by the Access Creative College in York. First up was Kieran of excellent local band Tommyrot. He is a talented, idiosyncratic and original songwriter and performer who at times reminded me of Jonathan Richman in his prime. The ‘sad song’ was something special and the penultimate tune was a proper happy take on life even though, as we all know, life isn’t perfect. Kieran was joined by another member of Tommyrot, Felix for the final song.

The mega talented singer songwriter Ruby Addy took the stage next armed with just a keyboard and a heavenly voice. She brought a late night, smoky, New York City jazz club vibe to proceedings. Is anything more exceptional and extraordinarily stunning as Ruby’s songs? Well I can only think of one thing more exceptional and that is Ruby’s voice! Could anyone write a more heartbreaking song than “Lady Jane”? Possibly but not many could achieve that level of sadness in a song. Ruby played her gorgeous and ethereal new single “St Philomena” and that performance convinced me that I had seen the future of torch singers and that future is named Ruby Addy! Just to prove how multi talented she is Ruby was joined by her friend and fellow student Dyl and the pair performed some rather excellent children’s songs which they had written and for this part they are called Pickleshark. There was “An Agitated Shrew Sounds Like A Digeridoo”, who knew that? Along with a song about Tom The Lizard. I love the line “I know I’m a lizard, but I wish I was a cool guy”! It won’t only be kids who fall in love with these songs.

The rather excellent Alice Simmons was next and this was pretty much the same set as I saw her do at the Centre For Early Music for the Songs Under Skies series of shows. But that does not take anything away from it. Alice was again on top form vocally and her guitar work shines. But once again I have to mention the talented Tim Downie who provided some stunning funky fretwork, particularly on the cover of “No Diggity”. On paper and acoustic cover of that song should not work, but Alice and Tim take it not just to another level, but also in a completely and refreshingly new direction! “Bridges” and “Black Coffee” were particular stand outs for me.

Michelle Jade graced the stage next with more great guitar accompaniment from the talented Mr Dowie. I heard their soundcheck earlier of and I was quite excited as that included “Freefalling” and I was right to be excited Michelle performed a stunning cover of the classic Tom Petty tune. Apparently she used the John Mayer arrangement, which was new to me. Michelle performed some of her original songs along with a few more covers. Her original tunes showcase that she has a great future while the covers amplify and enhance that raw talent. The Shinedown cover was very special indeed. She has an incredibly powerful voice, I am definitely a fan!

Next up was another talented woman with a great voice, Lily Honey. Her delivery has a clarity that is on a par with Karen Carpenter. She opened with a song called “Now You’re Gone”, at least that is what I think it was called. I think it is a break up tune and it has the makings of an epic. Lily also treated us to an unfinished song which she only started writing a few days before this gig. It is an emotionally charged, yearning love song and I loved it. Lily’s choice of covers was smart and the highlight of those for me was Baby Queen’s “These Drugs”. She proved how broad her talent is by closing with a few house tracks, including a cover of Monica’s “Shoulda Known Better”. Lily’s hosue vocals have a lilting, lamenting feel of Tracey Thorn about them and that makes these tracks very special. She played a song, written during lockdown, and released last year called “Leaving All My Love” which I think is awesome. This whole gig was a magnificent showcase for the Access Creative College in York, which is clearly oozing with supremely talented people. A big shout out to the sound guy too, another student and this was his first big gig manning the sound desk, great job!

If you have enjoyed this article feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;

Facebook

Twitter

EMail

Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch.

 

Sunflower Thieves and Epilogues – Songs Under Skies – National Centre For Early Music (NCEM), York – Wednesday 16th June 2021 July 5, 2021

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 11:45 pm
Tags: , , , , , , ,

This was the final show of 5 of the second series of Songs Under Skies (the last was September 2020) in the grounds of the iconic and frankly gorgeous York venue the National Centre For Early Music (NCEM). Tonight we had even more local talent proving once again that York and Yorkshire bloody rock it! Before it all started though, I had the opportunity for a long chat with the supremely talented Laura Kindelan. I am definitely looking to more music from her! (No pressure Laura!) First up was Epilogues a.k.a. Mikey who regular readers will have spotted on these pages before. By his own admission Mikey writes many sad songs, but he does fill them with truly stupendous lyrics. His second song of the evening was “Sixteen” from his new EP released a few months back, yes it was a sad song, but truly beautiful too. “The Gap” was absolute epic Epilogues, even with what Mikey referred to as a nightmare chord. I loved “Two Weeks” which I believe is about a broken relationship. Mikey gave us some idiosyncratic ad libs while tuning his guitar, including the line “and the crowd went mild”. I may have to borrow that in the future. My favourite song from this set was a new one, “I’m Just Glad That You Stayed”.

Next up were an act that I had not seen or heard before, Sunflower Thieves. They are purveyors of perfectly matched voices and heavenly harmonies. They kicked off their set with the sublime “Don’t mind The Weather” which was released as a single this year. It is the perfect song for a beautiful, balmy summer evening. They played a couple of new songs, apologies if I got the titles wrong. “34 Days” and “Going Out With You”. The latter has an early 70s US West Coast coffee bar vibe. It would have fitted perfectly in an acoustic afternoon session at the Troubadour in Los Angeles back in the day. I adore “Hide And Seek” which is about being carefree and being nostalgic for childhood. It evoked many wonderful carefree and youthful memories for me. They played a tune that they wrote with the multi talented Sam Griffiths of the Howl And The Hum, but I missed the title, but it was probably my favourite of the whole night. I also really love “Heavyweight” a song about social anxiety, which I suppose couldn’t be more topical right now. I definitely want to hear more from the Sunflower Thieves and I am sure that I will!

If you have enjoyed this article feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;

Facebook

Twitter

EMail

Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch.

 

Alice Simmons and Zak Ford – Songs Under Skies – National Centre For Early Music (NCEM), York – Tuesday 15th June 2021 June 22, 2021

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 9:36 pm
Tags: , , , , , ,

This was show 4 of 5 of the second series of Songs Under Skies (the last was September 2020) in the grounds of the iconic York venue the National Centre For Early Music (NCEM). Tonight it was the turn of some musical talent that help showcase just what a wonderful hotbed of music York actually is. First to take the tiny stage was Zak Ford who has featured on this blog before as a solo artist and also as vocalist for This House Is Haunted. This was apparently his first gig in two years thanks to Covid. His first song, which I think was called “Use A Light” was very Jeff Buckleyesque in style and delivery. On his next song he unleashed some sublime guitar work which was reminiscent of Jonny Greenwood in one of his more mellow moments. I love “Healing Place”, it is a yearning, proto ballad with an underlying happy vibe. One of my favourite Zak Ford songs is “My Body” and tonight’s rendition maintained the songs haunting beauty. Zak did Bon Iver proud with a sublime cover of “Hey Ma”. Like many musicians Zak has continued to write and he played us a lovely tune called “Hopes And Fears” which he wrote in a very positive frame of mind during the first lockdown last year. I am looking forward to seeing Zak play live again, either solo or as a part of This House Is Haunted.

Next up is another artist who has been featured in these pages before, Alice Simmons. A very talented singer songwriter and performer who I believe has the talent and potential to go a long way. I spoke to Alice earlier in the evening and understandably she was nervous, as almost every artist probably is after a year or more of not being able to perform. But on stage there was not even a hint of nerves from Alice as she glided through a wonderful set with support from the guitar maestro known as Tim Downie. “Bridges” is a plaintive ballad over which Alice’s smoky vocal glides over the tune like a banished angel seeking a return to heaven. Next up was a stunning cover of James Brown’s “It’s Man’s Man’s World” which in the hands of a female vocalist transforms into a feminist anthem. Alice was on top form for this, she has a Winehouse sized talent. She readily admits that she writes mostly sad songs and maybe there is some truth in that, but when they have the depth and quality of the sublime, lilting ballad “State Of Mind” I don’t really mind at all. But for all the sad songs Alice is most definitely a happy person. Alice ran through a great cover of Paolo Nutini’s “Candy”, a song I must confess that I am not very familiar with, but she made it her own. Perhaps my favourite of Alice’s original songs is “Black Coffee”, it has depression, desolation and despair, proving again that she does write sad songs, but oh so very well. She closed her set with an inspired choice of cover, the 25 year old Blackstreet smash “No Diggity”. Alice performed the song like it was made for her, but the real star for this finale was the incredibly funky acoustic guitar sounds from Tim Downie. I recommend you explore both of tonights incredibly talented artists further, you will not be disappointed!

If you have enjoyed this article feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;

Facebook

Twitter

EMail

Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch.

 

Katy J Pearson – The Crescent, York – Saturday 5th June 2021

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 9:29 pm
Tags: , , , , ,

This Covid bastard has been hanging around too long, but we will get to the other side. Anyway there is still the occasional socially distanced gig to attend and this was one of those, from the wonderful Joe Coates of Please Please You. This would be my first experience of Katy J Pearson. But before that it was the turn of support act Elkyn. I have seen Elkyn, a.k.a. Joey perform before and I have also previously reviewed a couple of Elkyn singles. I am most definitely an Elkyn fan and I was looking forward to this set. However I was somewhat disappointed, there was a real lack of clarity on the vocals, particularly on the bottom end. It felt like the sound wasn’t mixed well for Joey’s voice. Did he get a sound check? Was he singing too close to the microphone? Was it just where I was sitting? I don’t think it was the latter because the sound for Katy J Pearson was great. I don’t know what it was, but I really felt for him, the crowd, as expected, were very polite. But overall I felt it didn’t really work. So sorry Joey, this is simply my opinion and I remain a fan. The next time will work better I am sure! But regardless of my opinion do check out Elkyn’s music, some other reviews of the night paint a very different picture. (If you want to check out my previous reviews of Elkyn click here, here and here!)

As I said I knew next to nothing about Katy J Pearson, other than she is from the West Country. This date was among a number that were lined up to continue to promote her rather excellent album ‘Return’. If you like US West Coast country rock from the early 70s, or Americana and alt. country nowadays then I reckon you will love Katy J Pearson. She has the slightly warped pop sensibility that Nick Lowe possessed in abundance. On the first song she rocked like a folk rock Clare Grogan. I suspect that for some her voice might be a little Marmite, in that you’ll probably love it or hate it. Personally I love it! “Beautiful Soul” was definitely a highlight for me, a stunningly gorgeous song. “Tonight” also has the makings of a great classic. The US West Coast vibe was most apparent on “Hey You” where Katy channelled Linda Ronstadt with a small vein of Imelda May. The band were incredibly tight and really seemed to be enjoying themselves. Give her album a listen and catch her live when you get the chance.

All the photographs and videos were found on line if one of them is yours and you would like me to credit you or remove it please let me know!

If you have enjoyed this article feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;

Facebook

Twitter

EMail

Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch.

 

The Howl And The Hum – York Minster – Tuesday 25th May 2021 June 4, 2021

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 4:00 pm
Tags: , , , , , ,

With proper gigs still a few weeks away I guess I will take live streams and socially distanced shows just to get my music fix. This particular show was of great interest to me for a number of reasons. The Howl And The Hum are a great band from my adopted city, York, their debut album is stunning and the venue was York’s truly iconic Minster. That building was completed around 550 years ago, even if I added my age to the combined age of the band it wouldn’t even come close to that number! Apparently the whole idea of the band playing the Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York a.k.a York Minster, began as a joke. Initial suggestions were for the band to drop from the rafters or arrive via jet packs. I guess health and safety rules sadly put paid to that!

Sam Griffiths the Howl And The Hum’s venerable front man, nicely decked out in a cowboy style shirt adorned with skulls and roses, kicked off with a solo rendition of “Hostages”. He sounded like Thom Yorke playing to a tiny audience in an intimate venue. Well if you don’t count those of us watching via the stream it was a small, and I am sure very happy audience. Even watching via the live stream, which unlike Live At Worthy Farm was truly live and not “as live”, I could sense this was a very special show. The sort that people will speak of in reverential hushed tones for many, many years. Griffiths’ vocals were heavenly throughout, perhaps none more so than on “Remedy To Rust”. He was joined by a string section for this tune and I was also entranced by the Neil Young vibes that showed strongly. One of my favourites of the whole set was “A Hotel Song” which deals with suffering existential crises in hotel rooms. This was followed by “Until I Found A Rose” on which the celestial strings enhanced the song to levels even higher than the venue roof.

“Hall Of Fame” deals with the fall out and complexities of a faded, but perhaps not ended relationship. A tune that oozes sadness in a way that not many songs are able to. A lament that would moisten the tear ducts of anyone with even half a heart. For “Terrorforming” we were treated to stunningly beautiful choral support from a women’s choir led by Gina Walters. The song has become one of my most favourite tracks ever. It never fails to instil in me huge confidence and love for life, while at the same time shines a light on the inevitable fact that I now have less years left on this planet than I have spent on it so far. Is that what was intended for these lyrics? I have no idea, but that is how deeply it gets to me! Drummer Jack Williams joined Griffiths and guitarist Conor Hirons for a great run through of one of the Howl And The Hum’s classics, “The Only Boy Racer Left On the Island”. Next “Sweet Fading Silver” built towards a magnificent crescendo before a beautiful melancholy close. Sam Griffiths dedicated a new song, “Thumbs Up” to the bands bass player Bradley Blackwell who sadly missed the gig as he was unwell, I really feel for him, but this band will play huge gigs one day and he will be there for them. Does this song have the only lyric that has ever mentioned ‘Predator 2’? Either way it is a great song and once again I was reminded of Thom Yorke in Sam Griffiths incredible vocal style. I believe that even people who claim to have never heard, or heard of, the Howl And The Hum will know the song they closed the set with. It was “Godmanchester Chinese Bridge” and this was a full on mountainous performance with the band, strings, choir and pretty much everything but the kitchen sink! This is almost certainly the greatest live streamed gig ever! We really need a physical, especially vinyl, release of this monumental gig!

None of the videos are from the gig, but enjoy them anyway. Also click here if you want to see the show, it is only available for a very short time (until 23:59 UK time Sunday 6th June, and it will cost you hardly anything, just £5!

All the photographs and videos were found on line if one of them is yours and you would like me to credit you or remove it please let me know!

If you have enjoyed this article feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;

Facebook

Twitter

EMail

Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch.

 

Live At Worthy Farm – Saturday 22nd May 2021 June 3, 2021

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 7:28 pm
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I suppose this is a review of sorts, I mean I watched it “as live”, and that for me is the crux of the issue, not actually live, but “as live”. Maybe it should have been called ‘As Live At Worthy Farm’ On a positive note the lowering of some Covid restrictions meant that I was able to watch it with five mates round at my gaff 🙂 So thank you Simon, John, Paul, Pete and Rusty for helping to make it a great night! Maybe it was luck but we did not suffer any of the technical difficulties that thousands of other paying punters did. I am not sure who put the whole show together, but on paper the line up looked good and I love the way the sky got darker as the night went on.

The whole thing was kicked off with a blistering set from what seemed like a really fired up and ready for it Wolf Alice. They appeared to give it their all in the stone circle, despite the lack of a roaring crowd. “Don’t Delete The Kisses” was an incredibly powerful way to open the whole show. Meanwhile “The Last Man On Earth” was truly epic and suggests that the new album will be ace. The incredibly talented Michael Kiwanuka followed and his set was funky, jazzy and majestically soulful. Particular highlights were set openers “You Ain’t The Problem” and “Rolling” from his incredibly classy third album ‘Kiwanuka’ from 2019. Next to enter the Glasto site was George Ezra in very stripped back way, just him and a guitar walking around playing and singing, like a mobile busker. He played a few songs next to a raging fire and we thought maybe he was going to be sacrificed in a Wicker Man style, but don’t worry Ezra fans, he wasn’t! IDLES were bombastic and frankly hotter then Ezra’s fire. One of the few acts on the night to attack this vile UK government, “Reigns” is a great protest song. “Kill Them With Kindness” was another highlight for me. Their incendiary set was like a mini best of from their three albums to date. As a footnote it looked like they were playing in a warehouse full of strange junk, in fact it was filmed at Joe Rush’s “Carhenge” workshop!

HAIM were next and another of my highlights, the three sisters rocked the hell out of the Stone Circle. “Summer Girl” and “I Know Alone” were particular favourites of mine. When I have seen them in the past I was always mesmerised by the gurning antics of Este Haim, which sadly were not really evident in this performance. The next band, for me, are a bit Marmite, in that people seem to either love them or hate them, yes I am talking about Coldplay. personally I thought their first couple of albums were good, but they seem to have become a bit identikit and boring musically. Although they have great Glasto credentials, having headlined four times so far. They were filmed in front of the iconic Pyramid Stage, or at least a skeleton of it, with a stunningly good light show. The old songs were the winners for me, “Clocks”, “The Scientist” and especially “Fix You”. Next was Damon Albarn, an artist I really like, however I felt this set was a little self indulgent, although a long way from terrible. The crowd at my house went moderately wild in a socially distanced stylee when he played a couple of Blur songs, “Out Of Time” and “This Is A Low”. His set was a little underwhelming, however the thing that captivated us was the new Barnet sported by Mr Albarn, he has a mullet! Yes, seriously, a mullet! Damon, sort yourself out!

Rate My Mullet!

Jorja Smith is only 23 and yet her music has a beautiful maturity, she is a supremely talented singer songwriter with a fantastic voice. I love her ‘Be Right Back’ EP which came out in May. Her first big UK hit was “Blue Lights” and she opened her set with a powerhouse version of it. The Smile were the special guests and if you have not heard about them yet you really do need to crawl out from under your rock and scrub the moss off. Smile is Jonny Greenwood and Thom Yorke of Radiohead aided and abetted by Nigel Godrich and Sons of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner. Skinner’s jazz background perhaps carried the most influence on the music, which showcased that Radiohead can do pop, especially synth pop with a huge dollop of prog. I really hope the Smile record and release an album, it will be worth it for “We Don’t Know What Tomorrow Brings” a synth pop banger that the likes of Depeche Mode would salivate over. But the most outstanding tune for me was “You Will Never Work In Television Again” which is full to the brim of great melodies and hooks. They even managed to fit in an unreleased Radiohead tune, “Skating on the Surface”. The Smile pretty much capped the evening for me, plus I had consumed a hell of a lot of wine by then. So I don’t recall too much about Kano’s set (humble apologies to Kane Brett Robinson a.k.a. Kano). I do remember marvelling at how fast this guy can rap, he spits his words at almost superhuman speed! The whole event was closed by a, so I am told, marvellous DJ set from DJ Honey Dijon featuring Róisín Murphy. Sadly the wine had really done for me by then! I should also give a shout out to all the artists and poets who provided spoken word interludes PJ Harvey, Jarvis Cocker, Kae Tempest, Kurupt FM, Little Amal and Mr Glastonbury himself, Michael Eavis.

The Smile – part 1
byu/docinwestchester inradiohead

All the photographs and videos were found on line if one of them is yours and you would like me to credit you or remove it please let me know!

If you have enjoyed this article feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;

Facebook

Twitter

EMail

Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch.

 

With Just A Hint Of Mayhem – Singles Round-Up 2021 Part 5 May 23, 2021

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 5:22 pm
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

It’s very close to the end of May and this is our fifth singles round up of 2021.

There are ten quite different tunes from ten clearly talented bands and singers, one of whom (Arcade Fortress) have featured on With Just A Hint Of Mayhem before, but I am confident that all ten will appear here again in the future. This bunch come from Newcastle, West Midlands, Lincoln, Nashville (USA), Aberdeen, Coventry, the Netherlands and London. Inject this bunch of tunes into you as soon as possible. Click here to check out the Spotify playlist with all ten songs on it!

“Be My Saturday” – Sirocco

A very UK mid 90s vibe, the guitar screams perfectly and the vocals will drift across a festival field nicely! The tune also has a fine dose of psych too.

“Sunflower Girl” – Giant And The Georges

This instantly conjures up a feeling of summer for me. A delightful slice of jangly, happy indie with harmonies to die for! It left me with a huge smile and made me feel great!

“Uppercut” – Arcade Fortress

This is a tribute to Pembroke Boxing Club and I reckon it would be a great addition to a training playlist. We reviewed a previous single of theirs a couple of months back and found a Depeche Mode influence. But this shows their versatility as they come on like a resurrected Motorhead! This is pure unadulterated mosh food and I love it!

“Upside Down” – Gabe Baker

A fine portion of classy modern R & B which throws back to the best of Marvin Gaye vocally and the great use of strings (cellos I think) evokes Norman Whitfield’s production work for the Temptations. It is the kind of tune that you must sing along and dance to, I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the law! Another song that left me with a huge smile.

“Relay” – Lachlan

A haunting anthemic tune from this talented Scottish singer songwriter. It makes me want to hear more from him, tunes are infectious and stick with you long after they finish!

“Harder Now (For Love)” – Senses

A strong Stone Roses crossed with Kasabian feel musically, but very original as well. Vocals are evocative of Spiritualized and Inspiral Carpets. I reckon this bunch will be great live!

“Brainwashed” – Norquay

This is rock with soul and emotion. Mountainous riffs and awesome vocals. Apparently the song is about a good work colleague of Norquay’s who encountered two suicide bombers while out on a military operation. “NO where to run , NO where to hide, can’t escape a brainwashed suicide!!”

“Out Of Here” – Charlotte Spiral

This is a haunting piano driven piece with a sensuous and heavenly vocal. This would fit perfectly on the soundtrack of a David Lynch film. It is the first track on the new Charlotte Spiral EP, ‘New Light’. Incidentally the Charlotte Spiral is a figure skating move, I never knew that!

“Gonnie” – The Awkward

This is one hell of a feel good tune. Danceable, great hooks, excellent harmonies and counterpoint vocals. My only criticism is that at less than two minutes it is way too short, but I guess playing it on repeat would solve that in a way!

“Cheap Red Wine” – Muca & La Marquise

A very chilled and very dark haunting lament. There is clearly a relationship story here and it fits perfectly into this great tune. The production is first class, especially as the song builds to a real crescendo. It makes me want to check out more from Muca & La Marquise.

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.

 

‘Delilah Bon’ – Delilah Bon May 18, 2021

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 7:35 pm
Tags: , ,

Delilah Bon has crashed into a music industry that has not seen anything this fresh for a long time. She is like a rap rock comet that is laying waste to the world in the best way possible, with truly fucking awesome music. Many of you know that Delilah Bon is the alter ego of Lauren Tate, frontwoman of Hands Off Gretel. Delilah is like a wonderfully wicked cartoon that lives, she is a huge icon and role model for women and female empowerment everywhere. If you are a misogynistic arse then stop reading now! Although to be fair what the fuck is a misogynist doing reading my blog anyway? The tracks that Delilah has released over the past year or so have maintained a level of quality that many artists might kill for. All of her videos have been pretty ace too. Now it is time for her self-titled debut album to be unleashed on the world. I have been lucky enough to have had it spinning for a few weeks already. Delilah/ Lauren plays every note and sings/ raps every line, on top of that she produced it herself.

You may be familiar with a few of the tracks here, but for me, as a complete album it is already nailed on to be among the best albums of 2021, if not the very best. It kicks off with “Freak Of The Week” a track that explodes with the force of multiple megatons and a bass line that is so deep the vibrations rearrange your internal organs. Next up is the new single “Soul Sisters” and I reckon it is perhaps her greatest song to date. She uses the lyrics to tackle the negativity she faces from trolls and arseholes on the internet on a regular basis. Vocally this song goes beyond pure rap or rock and Delilah showcases her incredibly powerful voice and her ability to pull off the perfect hook. “Bad Attitude” is full of anger and venom and some supremely smart lyrical couplets, I particularly love “I do have a Sugar Daddy, Her name is myself and she gives me all the money”. If Eminem had been born in Yorkshire rather than Detroit and had he been a girl then “Where My Girls At” is definitely what he/ she might have sounded like. It is a powerful voice of support for all the girls who are afraid to go out or to dress how they want to. Were you ever bullied, belittled, or ignored at school? You were? Then “School” and “Red Dress” are songs for you. Delilah exposes the hypocrisy of all the people who gave her shit at school, including teachers, and who now what to know her.

“Chiquitita” uses a line from the Abba song of the same name “Chiquitita, you and I know”, but that is the only similarity. This is an explosive track that oozes anger and sticks in your head like an armour-clad leech. Perhaps Delilah’s most powerful attack on inherent and casual sexism that sadly still exists in this world is the stunning “Chop Dicks”. If you are male and this tune scares you then I suspect that you are on the wrong side of the argument. I totally support female empowerment and equality, for fuck’s sake we are in the 21st century! In “Homework” Delilah lashes out at the boys and men who expect nothing to change. Over a harsh and jarring beat, she raps with venom about the patriarchy and how many men just expect things to remain the same. She states her position clearly, “I’m an independent woman and I’m powerful”. Not that most of us need to hear that, Delilah/ Lauren is clearly independent, very powerful, a great role model for girls everywhere, and frankly an obscenely talented artist. Satan himself would be scared shitless by “Devil”. A song on which once again Delilah proves she can mix it with the best in the world of rap. Her ciphers and rhymes are clever, sassy, and classy. How about “If you’re burning down my castle then you know I’ll give you hell” for starters? The self-proclaimed Brat Punk tells it exactly like it is on “War On Women” in a world where it is not safe for women to walk the streets and world leaders telling women to cover up to reduce temptation. Imran Khan, we know where you are! She also uses her lyrics here to throw support behind the LGBTQ community alongside women. A true anthem for our times and a search for a better world. The album closes on an absolute high via “I Get A Feelin'”. I actually felt empty when the album finished, for no other reason than I needed to hear it again, buy this record, you really need Delilah Bon in your life, trust me! On a previous review of Delilah Bon, I said “Delilah Bon stands up for the freaks, the forgotten and the downtrodden, embrace her attitude and sass!” That stands even more now the album is here! As a footnote I would like to send a message to the people making the next Harley Quinn film, you need the soundtrack to be provided by Delilah Bon!

If you have enjoyed this article feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;

Facebook

Twitter

EMail

Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch.