The wonderful and super talented singer songwriter that is Molly Rymer has a new release. It features a couple of different versions of “Say The Same” which was originally included on her ‘All You Can Eat’ EP from October last year. The first is a spacious and stripped back acoustic version in which every emotion is palpable. The lyrics deal with toxic relationships and karma and those deep dark words suit the pared down instrumentation perfectly. This is a live recorded version which was created with the help of the mightily talented Fin Vallance.
The second take was recorded live at Mollie’s inaugural headline show at Oporto in Leeds last year. Sadly I was unable to make that gig. At its very essence “Say The Same” is a beautifully constructed pop song with some delicious folk overtones. This was Molly with a full band made up of Angus Bates on drums, Joe Wilkes on double bass, Luca Vitale on cello Sam Cooper and Gabbie Clarke supplying backing vocals. Overlaying it all is Molly’s ethereal, soulful vocal performance. While the song seems dark from a lyrical perspective Molly really seems to be enjoying performing it. The Tasting Menu collection is rounded of with the track in the form of its original release from last years EP. Get this collection into your life, it really is a bewitching and wonderful collection of takes of a beautiful track.
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Sleuth Gang are a fucking awesome live band and with every release they prove that they are fucking awesome in the studio too. New single “Safe Bet” is their best yet, it deserves some live festival exposure. Reading/ Leeds are you listening? It has their signature three pronged vocal attack and an incessant heavy groove with riffs that could power a Saturn V rocket. I bloody love this track!
The video is superb. It has the band introduced to a sparse, bored and almost silent crowd at a Working Men’s Club by a wonderfully camp drag queen before they go on to perform “Safe Bet”. So many videos these days are dull and generic, this one is neither dull nor generic!
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York’s Drop Dead McPhee are back with a delightful new single. It reminded me of a classy acoustic style indie band spliced with the Byrds. Vocally it is their best yet and shows that they have an ability to move in any style or genre. There is a bonus B Side too, “Opposite Day” which has a great early 70s McGuiness Flint style vibe. These boys certainly know how to write a decent hook!
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I must confess that until my good friend and colleague introduced me to the music of Leo Middea I had no idea who he was. Eva had discovered that he was playing a gig in York and having heard some of Leo’s songs on Spotify I jumped along with my wife Catherine (a.k.a. Catwoman) at joining Eva and Mollie (another colleague) at the Basement in York last month. Leo has a huge following across the world and exceeds 150,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. He has released four well thought of and wonderfully sounding albums and was the first Brazilian artist to reach the finals of the renowned “Festival da Canção” in Portugal. He also received an invite from Portugal’s Prime Minister to perform at the celebration of the Bicentenary of Brazil’s Independence. Middea is Brazilian, born in Rio De Janeiro, and currently lives in Europe, spending his time in Lisbon and Barcelona. In 2024 he finished third in the contest to select Portugal’s entry for the Eurovision Song Contest with his song “Doce Mistério”. Still relatively young, at 30 years old you have to wonder how much bigger he can become in the music world.
The set in York, which was part of a reasonably extensive 12 date UK tour, was both intimate and inclusive. Armed with just his acoustic guitar and ethereal and mesmerising voice he captivated the audience from the first note. He is abundantly talented and overflows with charisma and energy. The audience, many of whom were Brazilian or Portuguese, mostly sang along to every song. Me being one of the small band of people that are monolingual did my best but obviously didn’t know the words, although joining in with the non-linguistic vocal hooks was easy. The music has a gorgeous Latin feel and could be used to samba to. It is folk based but 21st century style rather than old school and leans nicely to a joyful funky jazz sound. Leo’s guitar playing is rooted in a kind of classical Spanish style and he shows expertise and prowess with his instrument. All of his songs are in Portuguese, apart from one which is his only attempt to write in English to date. But regardless of language I believe his songs show that music is truly universal. Leo’s songs are simply great pieces of music and he is one of the finest performers I have seen recently. If you get a chance to see him live then do it! You will not be disappointed. If you are anywhere near Montreux next month Leo Middea is playing a set at the world famous jazz festival on 6th July.
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It is always sad when a great band decides to go their separate ways, especially one as good as York’s Everything After Midnight. But this parting last year was clearly amicable as Steph and Jacob from the band are now performing as After Midnight and the rest of the band turned up to show their support at the duos debut gig in York last month. Sadly the talented support act, Kitty VR was unwell and unable to play. However we were treated to two sets, one by Steph and Jacob as After Midnight followed by another from the pair with friends. It was great to hear so many great songs from the Everything After Midnight catalogue. “Still Sleeping” was the best of the night for me. But the cover of “There Are Worse Things I Could Do”, Stockard Channing’s key song moment in the 1978 blockbuster movie, ‘Grease’ ran a very close second. I should add that this venue is incredible, a bakery and cafe by day and a gig paradise by night. A bit like a super hero with a secret identity. But most importantly it was great to see at least some of Everything after Midnight back on stage. If the pair of them go solo what happens to the name? Will one be called Midnight and the other one After?
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I love a good music related autobiography, but I love a great one even more. Mike Batt‘s autobiography, ‘The Closest Thing To Crazy – My Life Of Musical Adventures’, is out now in paperback and it is a truly great read. I put this up there with my favourite musical tale of life ‘Rod : The Autobiography’. Mike Batt has had a career full of stellar highs and Stygian lows and he has come through it all and continues to produce some great music. I am sure that many casual music fans will think of Mike as the bloke behind the Wombles incredible collection of hit songs. They would be right, however he has achieved so much more than that. He has worked with such a talented range of people in the rock and pop world, including David Essex, Art Garfunkel, Family, Roger Daltrey, Cliff Richard, Captain Sensible, Hawkwind, Olly Murs, Justin Hayward and the Kursaal Flyers.
His song writing credits would come close to filling a book in their own right. How about “Bright Eyes” (Art Garfunkel) and “A Winter’s Tale” (David Essex) for starters. He also produced one of my all time favourite singles, “Little Does She Know” by the Kursaal Flyers. But it doesn’t stop there he is a renowned classical conductor and composer who has worked with some of the world’s biggest and most respected orchestras. He has helped break Vanessa Mae and Katie Melua into the mainstream, effectively launching their careers.
He is the man who created a fabulous musical odyssey from Lewis Carroll’s nonsense long poem “The Hunting Of The Snark”. The recording of these songs from the 80s have stood the test of time perfectly, and if it wasn’t for the perhaps jealous bunch of bastards that call themselves theatre critics the stage musical version might well have been a huge success. For me what shines through in this book is Mike’s positivity, even in the face of adversity. Although he has faced some incredibly hard times dealing with the black dog of depression. Now in his eighth decade he is showing no signs of slowing down either.
As a teenager I felt that the Wombles songs just weren’t cool enough for me, but as I got older I realised that I probably wasn’t cool enough for the Wombles. Every Wombles hit has aged incredibly well in my opinion. Particularly “Remember You’re A Womble”. That one sits perfectly in any glam rock playlist from 73-74. I have listened to a massive range of Mike’s work while reading the book. The Wombles of course, but also ‘The Hunting Of The Snark’ and his solo work, I loved delving back into his early solo albums ‘Schizophonia’ (1977) and ‘Caravans’ (1979).
He is a man who once said no to the Queen and still received a very special honour from her. You will find more details of those escapades in the book! He has been a board member on the BPI, the PRS and the Ivors. The world of music is most definitely better off with people like Mike Batt in it. This book is testament to his grit, determination, creativity and talent.
I have followed some of Mike’s activities on social media and as in the book his sense of humour shines through there too. His profile description on Twitter is classy and amusing. “Artist/Singer/Songwriter/Producer/Composer/Director etc. I’ve conducted more orchestras than you can shake a stick at“. There are way too many wonderful anecdotes in the book to mention. But a couple of Womble ones spring to mind. His Mum hand made all the Wombles costumes and he and his wife once dressed as wombles to go to a party at Rod Stewart’s where they serenaded the guests with Christmas carols. Also the piece about not knowing how to do coke at another Rod Stewart party made me chuckle out loud.
If you read just one autobiography this year I strongly recommend that you make it Mike’s book ‘The Closest Thing To Crazy’. You will not regret it! It is an easy read and I finished it in two days, so I suppose Mike can add writer to his long list of credits now! You can order the book from Amazon, just click here! Also I had a wonderful chat with Mike about the book earlier today. The audio of that conversation will be appearing here very soon!
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Every so often an album comes along that grabs you by the (metaphorical) balls and doesn’t let them free until you submit to its masterful musical charms. ‘Reflecting Light And Causing Chaos’ by Dead Rat Society is such an album. It burst into the atmosphere on 2nd May like a comet seeking to plough a hole from one side of our planet to the other and it has been on constant rotation here at Mayhem Towers. Dead Rat Society are based in London and blend so much into their glowing musical palette; Grunge, Punk, Metal, HipHop and EDM and probably more. They have started to pick up a lot of Radio play, particularly from John Kennedy of Radio X. He played their single “Girls” six times and gave it the X-Posure ‘Big One’ and they appeared on a coveted spot on his ‘The Remedy Night’ on March 25 this year. Dead Rat Society are Ed Harris (Vox, Guitar, Keys, Songwriter, Lyrics), Ben Potter (DJ, Producer, Songwriter), Connor Firmston (Bass) and Will Piney (Drums). Apparently the band began as a bit of a musical joke which experimented with influences from Prog Rock and old school horror films.
The album opens with “The Night” a wonderfully warped clarion call for what is to follow. It is like the Prodigy but in a much darker universe than this, the constant siren drone starts off giving harsh undertones before it becomes a part of you. I love the inclusion of a piece of the Star Wars Imperial March (Darth Vader’s Theme), subtle and perfect. Lyrically this bunch are like 21st century Beat Poets, the line “You’re a lowercase phrase hanging with the capital” speaks volumes in just a few words. “Can You Feel It Your Face” follows and it has a jolly happyish synth riff coupled with a vocal that is haunted with anguish. One of the vocal hooks asks “are we the last of our race”. Sadly I fear that we are, but Dead Rat Society will be featured heavily on my Armageddon playlist. The band are not brand new to With Just A Hint Of Mayhem, we reviewed their single “Come With Me On A Spaceship” back in January and that song is the third track on the album. Back then I said that I think we should all get on their spaceship and zoom to Planet Dead Rat! Lyrically it is pertinent and amusing. I particularly love “Have you tried looking outside?..everything is really Fucked“. This is electro punk garage hiphop and that is just for starters. They also incorporate some wonderful voice samples. Well they may not be samples, but either way they work. Ed from the band said this of the track “The song is mainly about inviting someone to let loose, pull away from the drudgery of modern life and relax for a bit. Away from all the lame shit. Escapism through and through by any means necessary!” I stand by every word I said back then!
In a strange coincidence, for me anyway, “Needed The Sun” opens with what sounds a little like the bass opening of the northern soul classic “The Night” by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Well a loose coincidence but it does share a title with this Dead Rat Society album, right. Anyway “Needed The Sun” has a gorgeous obsidian dark jazz feel to it. It is also hard to ignore a song that opens with “I’m a fuck But I hide it well“. On “Immaculate Vibes” I sensed a Scroobius Pip influence coupled with a Sleaford Mods feel. After a few listens I think “Shoplifters Welcome” might be my favourite track on the album. It has an insistent jagged electro feel throughout and a lyric that venomously spits anger. It also boasts words that IDLES might be proud of. The band go into an almost ballad type mood on “Leave With Care” where the emotion and pain is almost palpable. I feel that I am almost suffering with them. Not many bands or artists can pull off such a great modern blues feel as Dead Rat Society do on “Little Victories”. It reminded me of the best of Iggy Pop and Nick Cave.
“Bounce Back” is a great track that in my opinion is begging for a great dance remix, maybe by Rizzle Kicks? Of all the tracks here I feel that this one ought to be all over the radio. It is funky, catchy and seeps into your mind and stays there rent free. The album closes with “Dream River” which washes over you with dreamy calm, like a tranced out Stone Roses, but with much better vocals. The only negative comment I have is that it is way too short at less than 30 minutes, but then again, fuck it, just play the damned thing twice. Sum 41 once called an album ‘All Killer No Filler’ and that phrase describes ‘Reflecting Light And Causing Chaos’ by Dead Rat Society perfectly. Can I add that the album cover is probably the best use of a baby on a cover since Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’ back in 1994. Honestly You are an absolute fuckwit if you listen to this and don’t rush onto Dead Rat Society’s spaceship and blast them into your life. If you don’t then I suspect that your brain might be missing!
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VHS Vegas is a brand-new band from York, well technically I suppose they are a York supergroup drawn from the ashes of three of York’s finest bands, City Snakes, Mayfire and Hærtstrings. Their upcoming new single, “On My Mind” harks back to the finest jangly indie rock of the Britpop era reminiscent of bands like Cast and Dodgy. The music is high on a happy vibe while the lyrics sit on the darker side of melancholy. It is danceable and could set the student disco alight. If it gets plenty radio play (and it should) it might even be something that your postman whistles! The playing is close to perfect in every department, in particular the bass which drives the track with an unassuming but commanding presence.
I don’t know how the band came up with their name, but I believe VHS Vegas is a phrase that refers to creating a video editing effect in VEGAS Pro software that imitates the look and feel of a VHS video. This includes simulating the artifacts and imperfections of a VHS tape, like noise, distortion, and even glitches. Well, that might be true but this VHS Vegas sounds glitchless and perfect with any noise and distortion being their to enhance some great sounds. Archie, Ewan, Hamish and Luke are VHS Vegas, and they will in your ears and your venues soon! “On My Mind” is not out yet, but when it is you will listen to it, that is an order!
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I have not reviewed a Sleuth Gang gig until now. Although this was the fourth time I have seen them. I was one of the judges for the Fulford Arms Battle Of The Bands contest last year so saw them in the heat, the semi final and the final. But before I talk of the Gang known as Sleuth let me tell you about the two support acts. First up was Mooseknuckle from Leeds, they play some hard driven metal driven punk and it is so good it would be impossible to ignore even if you were ordered to. The singer prowls around his front of stage mic stand like a caged panther and what a fucking awesome punk rock voice he has. Stu, the guitarist, shows some great guitar god shapes and his riffs are immense. Meanwhile new drummer Elliot knows how to attack the drums with sublime style. This is the first time that I have seen Mooseknuckle, it won’t be the last!
Next up it was Dharma Hounds all the way from Essex. They don’t just wear their social conscience and politics on their sleeves they are clearly impassioned and driven by it. This is a band that this currently shitty world needs. The songs from their current EP are fucking awesome, particularly the title track “Nah”. They play punk like they were born to it, but they can do so much more too. They threw in some great skanking sounds with a cover of the Pioneers 1969 UK number 21 hit “Long Shot Kick De Bucket”. That part reminded of a couple of of punk bands that knew their way around reggae and ska, the Clash and the Members. The singer sings some outstanding punk vocals and in the slower almost spoken moments he sounded like Scroobius Pip. I had never heard of Dharma Hounds before this gig, now I am definitely a fan!
I has been an honour to be a judge at the Fulford Arms Battle of the Bands contest these past few years and in awarding the Judge’s Wildcard to Sleuth Gang after the semi finals there was no doubt that this was the band that blew me and my fellow judges away. As you know they went on to win it last year with a blistering set. Now they are back at the scene of their triumph to headline the Fulford Arms. What are they like? Imagine the Beastie Boys backed by Led Zeppelin with Liam Howlett producing. This was a towering set even by a band who appear to set their own musical standards so high. There were three tracks from their debut EP ‘Initiation’. Of those it was “Pity Party” that had the crowd eating out of the band’s hands. Their cover of the Prodigy’s “Omen” had an electrifying and mesmerising outing. Every song was a highlight, but if I had to pick one that stood out from the rest it would probably be a single that they released in February, “Grit Your Teeth”. If this band does not yet have your attention please tell me why not. You need to rectify this right now. Sleuth Gang will get bigger and better and I reckon they will be around for a very long while. They remain authentic, “for real” and as punk as fuck! Whose gang? SLEUTH GANG!!!!
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I first saw Holy Holy back in 2019 when they played the Barbican in York. Sadly that is now just over six years since then. But I was not going to miss this Leeds show. 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 (in fact the last surviving Spider) 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 Bowie legacy alive through people who were there and were a part of the whole Bowie phenomenon. The current tour poster sums it up as ‘A Celebration Of Bowie’ and that is just what it is.
While it wasn’t a sell out there was quite a big crowd and unusually I don’t think I was the oldest punter in the room. There was no support and the crowd was most definitely ready for the band. As they took the stage cheers erupted all around me. The set focused on the Ziggy years with just a handful of later songs making an appearance, notably “Heroes” and “Ashes To Ashes”. The latter had Visconti playing in a fine slap bass style, which is not his usual method. Glenn Gregory’s voice suits the material well and he was having a great time. He said plenty of times that he felt so lucky to be doing this. Glenn did not put a foot wrong his voice was perfect on every song but for me it transcended perfection on “Lady Grinning Soul”, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide” and “Life On Mars”.
Woody’s drumming has not dimmed with age he is like a Duracell Bunny metronomic miracle and for me is still one of the best living drummers. The band were tight and clearly well rehearsed. Apart from Visconti, Woodmansey and Gregory the band has some hugely talented musicians. Guitarist James Stevenson nailed Mick Ronson’s almost untouchable playing from those heady Ziggy years. Janette Mason comes close to matching Mike Garson’s style of playing, particularly on the ‘Aladdin Sane’ songs “Lady Grinning Soul” and “Time”. Meanwhile Jessica Lee Morgan contributed some great 12-string guitar, stunning saxophone and backing vocals.
It was Glenn Gregory’s birthday and he was presented with a cake which was topped with rocket (the leaf vegetable, not a spaceship or the Guardians Of The Galaxy character). After the band and the audience sang Happy Birthday to him he passed it to a lucky fan in the front row. But I heard later that the cake was returned to Glenn. The band closed with a mountainous “Moonage Daydream” before returning for an encore. The first song in the encore was Bowie’s 2013 single “Where Are We Now”. Gregory recounted a story of singing happy birthday via phone from David Bowie from the stage of a Holy Holy show in New York in 2016. From that high he was stunned when he heard just a few hours later that Bowie had passed away. It was a truly heartfelt and soulful rendition of a later years Bowie classic. Tony Visconti then described his first meeting with David in the late 60s and Woody talked about life with the Spiders. He said that Bowie was in the stars but he Mick and Trevor were proper grounded Yorkshiremen. David could also pull off a very good Yorkshire accent. After that rather entertaining interlude Holy Holy smashed it rocking out to “Rebel Rebel”. This was an incredible gig and I hope to see Holy Holy again soon. There are still five dates left on this tour, get yourself to one of them if you can!
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