With Just A Hint Of Mayhem

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

Faux Pas – Fulford Arms, York 28th February 2019 March 8, 2019

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 9:49 pm
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Does anyone not love the Fulford Arms? You don’t well come and see me and let me educate you. This place is an awesome small, intimate venue where a fabulous range of great acts play. On top of all that the staff are a fab bunch too! Tonight the headliners in a show promoted by Under The Influence were the rather fabulous Faux Pas. But more about them later, first to take the stage were Pura Vida (my research tells me that this means pure life or simple life in Costa Rica) a northern powerhouse of a band from Yorkshire. It is just over a year since I last saw them play live and they are still incredibly difficult to pin down to a single genre. Tonight I had a great post punk vibe from them sprinkled with some Factory Records fairy dust. Some of the guitar work was reminiscent of John Squire at his Stone Roses peak they also performed an excellent cover of the Cure’s “Love Song” and they have some great self penned songs too. If you set out to not like this band you would fail, so don’t even try immerse yourself in a pure and simple life with the music of Pura Vida.

Next were the staggeringly talented Lost Trends from York. Why the hell are this band not absolutely huge? They had a few months sabbatical but they are back with a bang that could be measured in megatons or on the Richter Scale. Their new EP ‘Time’ is a finely honed gem. Not many bands are able to combine the indie style with hard-hitting funky dance floor anthems while maintaining a punky attitude. One of the many things that I love about Lost Trends is that wherever they are on the bill and whoever else is playing they rock the stage as though they are the headliners, they never hold back. They treated the crowd to a towering version of “Time” which is a tune you have to move to, Peter Knaggs guitar on this track alone would run the Edge close. The highlight of their set for me was a floor shaking attack of one of their slightly older songs “DJ”. This is perhaps the fifth time I have seen them live and I hope it won’t be long before that runs in to double figures.

Now for the electrifying headliners Faux Pas, I first saw them late last year when their single “Shame” had just been released. They have a never-ending supply of power and energy. Ru Cowl is perhaps one of the finest front men around at the moment. While his image may draw on a punk ethos he is a complete original. The summer dress, badly applied lipstick and the word RUNT scrawled across his chest can only be pulled off by someone with courage and of course talent. Without talent it would be all image, but FauxPas have talent in abundance. Apparently the literal translation of Faux Pas from French to English is ‘false step’, as for Faux Pas the band there is nothing false about them, they are most definitely ‘4 Real’. This show is part of a tour to promote their current single “TV Made Me Paranoid”. The song builds from a slow almost menacing start into something akin to Placebo on steroids. If they are playing your town make sure you’re there, that’s an order!

 

“Road On Which We Travel” – Reatha Pitman March 2, 2019

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 4:15 pm
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When I was a kid and into my teenage years I really couldn’t bring myself to like country and western music, largely because my parents were fans and frankly liking what your parents liked really wasn’t cool. However as I have grown older I find myself becoming much more of a country and western fan, just to add another genre to my already eclectic taste. Largely this came about through what Rick Rubin did with Johnny Cash and rediscovering Willie Nelson, Billie Jo Spears (my Dad loved “Blanket On The Ground”) and particularly Roseanne Cash. Well now there’s a new country singer on the block, her name is Reatha Pitman and she released a fabulous debut country driven EP late last year called “Road On Which We Travel”. 

It keeps very close to traditional country and western in both stylistic delivery and indeed subject matter. These songs are directly from Reatha’s life and her heart. She writes her own songs and you can sense the sometimes delicate balance between happiness and hurt. The EP kicks off with “Hittin’ The Road” which I think is about leaving a cheating partner. It suggests someone who is confident in her decision to leave the ‘love rat’ protagonist.  “Daddy’s Little Girl” for me shows a woman who loves her Daddy with the unconditional love that often exists in a relationship between a child and their father or mother. I understand that feeling because I had that strong bond with my father and I still do with my mother. I love the flow and lyrics of “Darlin’ He’s Yours” which on first listen seems like a mild put down of a previous lover who has left, but it packs a mighty horseshoe encased in its velvet glove delivery. This is a classy début and it bodes incredibly well for the album that Reatha is working on which will hopefully see release later this year.

If you love country music then you must check this lady out. Even if you don’t consider yourself a country fan give it a listen, you might be very, pleasantly surprised! Click here to find the EP on Spotify. Reatha lives in Long Beach, MS on the beach and performs locally along the Mississippi Gulf Coast and into Alabama and Louisiana. I recently interviewed Reatha via Skype, look out for that on this blog very soon. I can tell you that she is delightful, eloquent and in possession of a great sense of humour. She is clearly very passionate about her music too. Bob Harris if you’re reading this you need to check out Reatha for your BBC Radio 2 show!

 

“Unrealities” – Dying Habit February 20, 2019

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 1:42 pm
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Dying Habit are a hidden gem of a band from Bangor in North Wales. They are very new to me but they have been around since 2014. On the strength of their current single “Unrealities” they have the talent to go on to much bigger things. Vocalist Nathan Jones has a unique style which perfectly suits the emotion and passion bared in the song. Guitarist Alan Hart sounds very much on the top of his game mixing softer sweeping tones with some much harder riffs. the rhythm section of bassist Steve Allen and drummer Mark Jones complete a band that really seem to have their shit together. Dying Habit are very much an easy habit to get into. Like some of their influences; Therapy? and the Smashing Pumpkins they tackle many of the issues that  face society today, notably mental health. “Unrealities” I believe is about controlling your inner demons and not letting them impact on others. Dying Habit are a powerful band with an even more powerful message, trust me you NEED this band in your life!

 

“Dissident” – Black Lakes February 19, 2019

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 8:41 pm
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Black Lakes are a very, very heavy band hailing from South Wales and South West England. If you like your riffs heavy and your rock hard this band is definitely for you. Their new single “Dissident” envelopes you in a magnificent cocoon of sublime melodic metal music with a menacing undertone. Vocalist Will S Preston is among the best rock vocalists that I have heard in recent years. The Panzer like sonic attack of guitarists Scott Bradshaw and James Rowlands climbs through your skull to bounce round in your brain for hours after listening. Meanwhile Lee Harris and Dafydd Fuller drive the tune so hard that their instruments might have been forged in Mordor.

“Dissident” originally saw the light of day last year as part of a powerful three track EP ‘The Divide’ along with the title track, “The Divide” and “Ghosts (Of Our Memories)”. The latter is much softer and, excuse the pun, almost haunting in the way the voices wash over you. Black Lakes write some great tunes, but they are more than just a typical metal band, their music has passion and emotion in abundance. I understand that these tracks were produced by Romesh Dodangoda  who has worked with Bring Me The Horizon, Motorhead and Bullet for my Valentine to name just a few. Trust me it just takes one listen and you will be hooked. I need to see this band live and I want to hear much more from them. Black Lakes prove that British Rock is very much alive and kicking!

 

“Time” EP – Lost Trends February 18, 2019

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 9:49 pm
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Those cheeky Lost Trends chappies are back after a bit of a sabbatical. They were definitely missed, but oh boy are they back with a bang in the shape of their new EP “Time”. Click here to check it out on Spotify. It features four exciting slabs of dance infused rock; “Time”, “Everything”, “Things You Could Be” and “Stay The Same”. Back in those heady days of the late 80s and early 90s when Clubs were king and illegal raves were prolific these tracks would have been mammoth hits and probably each the subject of a 12 inch single with extended dance remixes by the likes of Paul Oakenfold, Underworld, the Chemical Brothers and Andrew Weatherall to name just a few! The title track is for me the finest tune from a great selection. It has a powerful funk vibe and uses uplifting jangly guitars to the max. I would challenge even the most sedentary of people not to dance to this, you will fail! In a parallel universe this would be hogging the airwaves and it should be in this universe too. Rusty’s vocals are on top form in “Everything” which makes me think of what Radiohead or Muse might sound like if they went full on disco. There is no let up on the wonderful sonic attack from a band totally on top of their game. “Things You Could Be” reminds me of the best U2 remixes with some guitar work that I believe the Edge would be proud of. “Stay The Same” rounds this EP off perfectly and these tracks showcase a band that I reckon are now fully equipped to take on a Festival set. Can we at least get them on the BBC Introducing Stage at Reading/ Leeds? They have the ability to bring the house down. It is so good to have Lost Trends back!

 

“Take Me Somewhere” – Skylights

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 1:07 pm
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Those Skylights boys sneaked out another song last month. It is called “Take Me Somewhere” and it is a driving little number that showcases some excellent riffing from guitar dynamo Turnbull overlaid on to the finely tuned and powerful engine of the rhythm section where Jonny Scarisbrick on bass and Drummer Myles Soley give it real welly to add some superb rock ‘n’ roll horsepower. The song is completed by some pedal to the metal soaring vocals from Rob Scarisbrick. These boys are firing on all cylinders and this song will drive its anthemic way into your head and parallel park there along with some of Skylights other great songs. I have heard a rough mix of another Skylights song recently and that is another humdinger, which makes me look forward to a début album whenever that might be. If you like your Indie Rock with a sharp punky attitude then you need this band in your life. They play a sell out gig this Friday, 22nd February at the 380 capacity Belgrave Music Hall & Canteen in Leeds. I’ll be there, will you?

 

 

“Places” – Ross Andrew February 16, 2019

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 6:47 am
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Ross Andrew from Birmingham in the UK is a relatively new name on the UK music scene, he is certainly very new to us at With Just A Hint Of Mayhem. He released his 4th single, “Places” yesterday, 15th February. Click here to listen to it on Spotify and here to find it on Apple. It was written by Ross and he handles vocals and guitar with some delightful piano from Diana Stone. The track was Recorded, mixed and produced by Alex Vine of AVR Music and mastered by Zac Zikis at Zikis Mastering. If you like your pop and rock on the softer acoustic side then you will love “Places”. The obvious comparison might be the likes of Ed Sheeran, but I see something much more retro like Clifford T Ward, albeit with a 21st century polish and a dash of modern Americana. On the strength of this release I would definitely like to hear more from Ross. He has had a few great support slots in recent months; Esther Turner, Blue Nation and as an opening act for Canadian indie folk band The Once. He is also the lead guitarist of a Birmingham based pop/ rock band The Fauna. You can find more from Ross on SoundCloud. This is definitely a singer to watch out for!

The brilliant photograph is by photographer is Dominic Edward, you can find him at instagram.com/dominicedwardmusic

 

Holy Holy – Barbican, York – Friday 8th February 2019 February 10, 2019

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 5:24 pm
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I had wanted to see Holy Holy for a long while but I have never been in the same place at the same time. But this time I made it! For those of you who are unaware Holy Holy is a band with the backbone of two David Bowie stalwarts; Mick ‘Woody’ Woodmansey a former Spider From Mars and Tony Visconti who produced many of the Dame’s albums and contributed bass on ‘The Man Who Sold The World’ The vocalist is Glenn Gregory off of Heaven 17. Are they a Bowie tribute act? Not in the wonderfully theatrical sense that Absolute Bowie are I see Holy Holy more as a band that is keeping the legacy alive through people who were there and were a part of the whole Bowie phenomenon. But more of Holy Holy in a bit, there is the support act to consider first and this was a solo acoustic set by none other than John Bramwell off of I Am Kloot. This was apparently his first support gig in sixteen years since I Am Kloot supported Turin Brakes. His between song chat was hilarious, John is a true raconteur who speaks eloquently and intelligently. That eloquence and intelligence is a strong part of his lyrics too. This was the first night of the tour and John regaled us with the fact that he had forgotten his guitar stands and that he had left his merch in the car. He also explained why he always talks to the audience while tuning his guitar, at a gig some years ago while tuning he overheard a comment from the audience where someone said “I don’t like this new one!” Bramwell is a very talented singer songwriter who knows his audience and wins people over with wit and very classy songs. I reckon he had quite a few new fans after tonight.

In the past I was never a great fan of bands playing a whole album from start to finish at a gig, but I have grown to love it over the years. Tonight was a fabulous night with not just one Bowie album played in its entirety but two. First came ‘The Man Who Sold The World’ followed by ‘The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars’. It takes a good band to do these two LPs justice and this is a great band. Along with Woodmansey on drums, Visconti on bass and Gregory on vocals there are two guitarists; James Stevenson and Paul Cuddeford. Berenice Scott on keyboards and the multi instrumental Jessica Lee Morgan on acoustic guitar, saxophone, percussion and vocals. Glenn Gregory as the singer in this band is an inspired choice, he doesn’t try to be Bowie but he handles all the songs powerfully and tastefully. He certainly knows his rock god shapes and poses too. Hearing these two albums again in this environment made me think how fresh, new and different they must have sounded to fans back in 1970 and 1972 respectively. The explosive power and sheer bombast of set opener “Width Of A Circle” should have given Sabbath and Led Zep a run for their money but ‘The Man Who Sold The World’ album never really took off until after Ziggy Stardust exploded into being. The band really showed their full on hard rock credentials during this epic track and it set the scene for a great night. As a part of this blogs recent 10th birthday celebrations I posted my top ten Bowie songs, I did say that it changes regularly and after this Holy Holy gig I really need to find a space for the magnificent “All The Madmen”. When I first bought the album on cassette back in 1972 that was always my favourite song. Tonight all those teenage memories were brought to the fore again with an immaculate run through of this classic treatise on insanity where the only sane people are those in the asylums. Glenn Gregory and the band were firing on all cylinders for the first album of the evening and the crowd were singing along with most songs. Especially the title track and the “oh by jingo” refrain from “After All”. Obviously the first part of the show ended with “The Superman” on which Gregory’s vocals reached a new peak.

Now it was time for what many see as their favourite Bowie album, “The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars” to give it its full title. Incidentally my favourite Bowie album is ‘Diamond Dogs’. Woody Woodmansey’s understated drum sound on “Five Years” still sends shivers down my spine coupled with lyrics of hopelessness in a world that is dying. I don’t believe that Glenn Gregory quite captured the sheer emotion in Bowie’s delivery on the record but he still did a great job. “Moonage Daydream” was probably the point where many of the crowd left their seats to dance, that song blew the house down and I reckon Mick Ronson would have been more than satisfied with the guitar skills on display. As expected no one stayed quiet for “Starman” especially the “la la la” part. Interestingly, and perhaps to give Glenn Gregory a well deserved break, Jessica Lee Morgan (who is Tony Visconti’s daughter) sang “Lady Stardust”, this woman is incredibly talented. Has there ever been an album with a better closing four tracks than this? “Hang On To Yourself”, “Ziggy Stardust”, “Suffragette City” and “Rock ‘N’ Roll Suicide” tore the house down and put the roof into orbit. The only thing that could possibly have made that better would have been David Bowie actually being there. A spectacular band had just played two of Bowie’s finest albums, did they have anything left? Well yes they did, after a short break they were back for an encore. They kicked off their four song closing part with a wonderful surprise, not another hit from 1969 to 1973, but the beautiful and emotionally charged come back single from 2014, “Where Are We Now”. The band did not put a foot wrong and Glenn Gregory gave his finest vocal performance of the night, possibly not a dry eye in the house! This was followed by two classics from ‘Hunky Dory’, “Changes” and “Life On Mars”. The showed closed with the sing along sonic assault of “Rebel Rebel”. At the end Woody said a few words about being a part of this experience and being back in Yorkshire and then it was all over. It took me a while to come down from this high after getting home. I will definitely be seeing Holy Holy again!

Public Service Announcement: All photographs and videos were found on line. If any of them are yours and you would like a credit or for me to take them down please let me know.

 

Wild Front – Fulford Arms, York – Tuesday 29th January 2019 February 7, 2019

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 12:36 am
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Another night of Northern Radar fun was upon us. some bands I have seen before and some that are new to me. This is often the case when the talented Mr Pattinson puts a show together. I have been to many, many Northern Radar shows and Simon has not let me down so far. Will this gig at the Fulford Arms be the exception to that rule? Read on to find out dear reader. I should mention that this was a very important night in many ways, we were celebrating Independent Venue Week and the Fulford Arms would be visited by real radio royalty, Steve Lamacq! A bit more about him later, let’s get to the bands first. Taking the stage first in an already rammed venue were the delightful Neon Salmon, a great band that I saw quite recently. This is the bunch that wear Kimonos and fairy lights and they do that with style. I get a sense of the fun side of Edwyn Collins with Neon Salmon and also the quintessentially eccentric British sound of Stackridge. The latter struck me early on and was perhaps quite pertinent given that the Salmon boys bravely, skilfully and very successfully covered “Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometimes”, a 1979 hit by the Korgis. Where is the pertinence in that? Well Any Davis and James warren were former members of Stackridge when they formed the Korgis. Neon salmon showed their skill at putting together jazz fused funky sounds with some supreme Flugelhorn overlay. On top of that you cannot deny that “Smoked Mackerel Cat” comes close to drowning in its awesomeness. They even had the audience moshing and crowd surfing, which is no mean feat in a small venue like the Fulford Arms. Get your arse of your sofa and take yourself along to see Neon Salmon, you will be properly entertained.

Cowgirl took to the stage next, they are hard bluesy with a whiff of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club about them. They have a perfect blend of garage punk and 60s slacker surf rock sounds. Vocally you can imagine this might be what Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground might sound like if they were much younger and were formed now. Since the show I have checked them out on-line “You’re Not There” and “She Picks Me Up” are great songs. I would pay to see Cowgirl again they have the perfect sound for a small, packed, sweaty venue like the Fulford Arms. Cowgirl are what the Kings Of Leon might have become if they still gave a shit!

There were four bands on tonight and the third of those was Flooded, now that is a somewhat risky name for a York band, but who cares they are a tight band that could use music to roll back a deluge. I believe that this former three-piece have added a new front man to their ranks and it was a great move as this dude has a fabulous voice. “Butterflies” is a stupendous and classy song, the crowd loved it. Flooded are a band that is abundant with wonderful contradictions; hard punky garage, jangly indie and some deceptively heavy riffage. Is it me getting older or are bands just getting younger? This lot is like a bunch of baby-faced Rock Assassins. You need some Flooded in your life.

Tonights headliners were Wild Front all the way from Southampton and Andy, Josh, Jack and Mike smashed it. Their songs are emotionally driven anthems which stick with you long after the gig high starts to fade. “Make You Feel” is like a Beach Boys Stone Roses coupling but with much better vocals. This is a band that knows their stuff the musicianship is 100% spot on and the soaring vocals and harmonies take you to wonderful places. Wild Front are destined for much greater things I am sure. This is truly beautiful music from an absolutely stunning band. All the bands tonight were very, very good but Wild Front were simply the classiest band on a very classy night.

So what about Steve Lamacq? Well I had a chance to chat with him briefly while he talked Mr Pattinson and me through his journey into music. He is a proper top bloke as, of course, is Simon Pattinson who put this show together. So yes it was another great show from Northern Radar at one of York’s best gig venues. Support your Independent Venues people, they are the real lifeblood of the music scene!

 

The music force is strong with these two!

Public Service Announcement – All the photographs, apart from the gig poster, were taken by me on my rather snazzy new Canon camera. All the videos were found on YouTube. If the video is yours and you would like a credit or for me to take it down please give me a shout.

 

EYEBALL – “Crawling Creatures” February 6, 2019

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 4:54 pm
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Trey McLamb, Myriam Martian, Brian Oaksford and Aaron Albrecht  are EYEBALL and they are from Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. Well maybe they are not actually from Raleigh, their Bio says that “EYEBALL is a collective of beings who combine their music with effects, noise, and feedback to venture beyond the astral realm of psychedelic neo-space rock.” Having listened to their new tune “Crawling Creatures” I don’t think that Bio goes anywhere near far enough. It is a sublime slice of weird, slacker drone and at times proggy and  shoegazey music. If you imagine that the Doors didn’t only name themselves after Aldous Huxley’s ‘The Doors Of Perception’ but that they actually opened those doors of perception and crawled right through into another somewhat warped parallel universe. Well if Jim Morrison and his gang had done that then they would have been transformed into EYEBALL. I have said on many occasions that just being weird is not enough, but being weird and incredibly talented is. EYEBALL are certainly weird and on the evidence provided by “Crawling Creatures” they are also supremely talented. I definitely want to hear more from this lot!