I continue to send my humblest of apologies to the creators of the iconic NOW music compilation series of tri-annual releases. Their compilations began in 1983. I posted and compiled the first WOW That’s What I Call Mayhem collection back in March 2024. Volumes 2, 3 and 4 followed in August and September. Volume 5 was put together and posted in early January this year! So you must be ready for volume 6, right? I certainly hope so, because here it is! This includes the first 20 singles we reviewed in 2025 in another wonderfully maniacal eclectic playlist for your listening pleasure! With 70 minutes of music, click the Spotify link below and lose yourself in the music!
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On February 17th 1978 Kate Bush released her debut studio album ‘The Kick Inside’ which included her UK Number 1 hit, “Wuthering Heights”. That song was the first time a female singer-songwriter topped the UK charts with a self-penned song. She was still only 19 years old and had written some of the songs when she was only 13. The album’s second single, “The Man With The Child in His Eyes”, reached Number 6 in the UK. The album made it to number 3 in the UK and number 1 in the Netherlands. It also reached the top 5 in Australia, France, New Zealand and Norway. “Moving” and “Them Heavy People” were issued as singles in some territories, but both failed to have any serious action in the charts. The latter made it to number 21 in the Netherlands. Kate appeared on the iconic US TV show ‘Saturday Night Live’ in December 1978. But sadly this did not help and the album failed to make the Billboard top 200. But who cares, Kate went on to achieve so much and yes, eventually even the Americans took to her!
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On February 14th 1977 US singer songwriter Janis Ian received 461 Valentine’s day cards after indicating in the lyrics of her song ‘At Seventeen’, she had never received any. The particular line from the song which produced this rather kind gesture was “To those of us who knew the pain of valentines that never came“. 461 cards is a lot, but obviously I receive thousands every year. It really is hard being this handsome and charming!
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Here is the Mayhem chart for January 2025. Regular readers know the chart is based on my Spotify listening habits. These are gathered over the last month by obscurify.com. After a slight blip last month my taste in music is now apparently 99% more obscure than the rest of the UK! The chart remains contemporary-ish (but if a classic artist releases something new they might feature in the chart). However, last month’s top three “Legacy” artists were David Bowie, Linda Ronstadt and Bill Withers. Obscurify also suggests the most obscure artists I have listened to for January and they are Liz Davinci, Jackie’s Boy and Herorangecoat. Last month Herorangecoat also made it to number eight in the artist chart. For the first time in months Delilah Bon has not made it into the chart since we restarted it more than a year ago. But another Mayhem chart regular, ALT BLK ERA sit at number two in the artist chart. Party Nails is the number one artist for January following the release of her wonderful album ‘Pillow Talk’ in that month. Top of the song chart for January is a firm favourite here at Mayhem Towers and someone we have championed for a long while. It is the supremely talented Kindelan with her latest offering “Drowning The Killer”. So without further ado here are those charts in full! Click on the Spotify link below to listen to the famous (or infamous) five!
Mayhem Artist Chart January 2025
1 Party Nails 2 ALT BLK ERA 3 Lambrini Girls 4 The Apocalypse Disco 5 Robo 6 Lola Young 7 abs 8 Herorangecoat 9 Brògeal 10 Used To Be Apes
Mayhem Song Chart January 2025
1 Drowning The Killer – Kindelan 2 Manhattan – Pennine Suite 3 Safe & Sound – Pip Lewis 4 A New Dream – Gregory Darling and Julian Lennon 5 Vice – Rizzle Kicks
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‘Becoming Led Zeppelin’ is the first authorised documentary of the globe straddling rock monster that Led Zeppelin became. It ends in 1970 with a triumphant homeland gig at the Royal Albert Hall just a few weeks after the release of ‘Led Zeppelin II’. I suspect that some hardcore fans will likely be disappointed that the film ends then. But in my opinion it stops at the point just before they came the huge rock ‘n’ roll behemoth that flew around the world on the infamous Boeing 720 named the Starship. The film works in a slow building chronological order with some great interview footage with all three remaining members as they are now. There is also some clear and touching audio of a previously unheard interview with John Bonham. The reaction of Page, Jones and Plant as they hear it for the first time is quite moving.
It has some great footage of the band playing live on a Danish TV show on their first tour, this was when they were still called the New Yardbirds. All of the band felt quite good that they were able to develop the Led Zep sound away from the spotlight of the UK music press. Jimmy Page and worked on thousands of sessions for a wide range of artists and some of those were featured. Notably Shirley Bassey with “Goldfinger” and Lulu with “To Sir With Love”. Page also enthused about seeing Lonnie Donegan for the first time and recognising that this was the spark that lit his rock ‘n’ roll flame. Robert Plant was gushing in his praise for Little Richard saying that this was the moment that rock music was injected into him, never to leave.
The making of ‘Led Zeppelin’, the first album was predominantly down to Jimmy Page. Particularly in respect of production and sequencing. Page was accompanied by the band’s manager Peter Grant on a trip to the USA to meet with Jerry Wexler and sign with Atlantic Records. Page was insistent that the band would only make albums and not release singles. They started to take off in the USA when they were picked up by album heavy FM stations who played side one and then after a short message from their sponsors flipped the album and played the whole of side two. The footage from some of the US festivals from 1968 and 1969 is stunning. A lot of the clips are interspersed with news reel to add social commentary that includes the Nigerian civil war, the election of Richard Nixon and the Apollo 11 moon landing.
Some of my favourite parts of the film were Robert Plant speaking about raising his game to become a lyricist. Alongside that is the detail that Jimmy Page goes into when he talks about the creation of ‘Whole Lotta Love’ the opening track on ‘Led Zeppelin II’. The mid section warped psychedelic breakdown and the fading of the instruments, particularly the drums from one speaker to another was not just some clever use of music and the studio. It was also a plan to make it very difficult to release the song as a single. There are plenty of things to take away from this rather wonderful film. If I had to pick one it is being reminded of just how great a drummer John Bonham was. If you are a Led Zeppelin fan you will, I am sure, see this film. But if you are just a fan of great rock music you should definitely find the time to see it. I am not sure it will work as well on a TV screen as it does on the big screen. But however you access it you will enjoy it!
This is not in the film!
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Gunnersbury Park in west London is now established as one of the capital’s favourite outdoor venues and plays host to a series of day shows offering an eclectic mix of music genres and incredible acts in August 2025. Those already confirmed include shows with Khruangbin, The Libertines, PAWSA and Martin Garrix. Now the iconic masters of alt.rock, the Smashing Pumpkins have confirmed that they will be headlining the venue on Sunday 10th August 2025. The Smashing Pumpkins formed nearly 37 years ago in Chicago and since then they have sold in excess of 30 million albums across the world. The have also received two Grammys, seven MTA VMAs and an American Music Award.
Their back catalogue never goes out of style and includes a raft of classic albums such as their debut, the platinum ‘Gish’ (1991), the quadruple-platinum ‘Siamese Dream’ (1993), the diamond-certified ‘Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness’ (1995), the platinum ‘Adore’ (1998), and the gold ‘Machina/The Machines of God’ (2000). The band released their eleventh full-length double album ‘CYR’ (2020), creating another evolution in sound, and more recently, ‘ATUM’ (2023), the sequel to 1995’s ‘Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness’ and 2000’s ‘Machina/Machine of God’. The band’s 2024 album, ‘Aghori Mhori Mei’, written in the immediate aftermath of ‘ATUM’, sees a return to form for original members Billy Corgan, Jimmy Chamberlin, and James Iha, and reaches back through the musical tendrils of time to the band’s early canon; where guitars, bass, drums, and spiking vocals ruled. My favourite Smashing Pumpkins album is ‘Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness’. What is yours?
The support announced so far looks epic and there will be more to come. Skunk Anansie are a hugely talented British band formed in 1994. Their songs detail their experiences of living in Britain during the last thirty years. They are one hell of a spectacular live band. Not only are they back but they are giving the world new music. Current single “An Artist Is An Artist” is a wonderful slice of spiky, punky new-wave gorgeousness! The second confirmed support act is the hugely talented London band White Lies who hit the world with guitars blazing in 2009. Their first album ‘To Lose My Life’ hit the top of the UK album charts in 2009. They have now released six albums in total and continue to grow and remain one of the finest British guitar bands to emerge in this century.
Pink Turns Blue are a classy European band who took their name from a Hüsker Dü song. They have been around a long while and they have just released the third single, “Dancing With Ghosts”, from their forthcoming album ‘Black Swan’. The album is slated for release on 28th February. The song has dark overtones reminiscent of Joy Division and a real goth feel in the chorus. The chorus seeps into your head like an unseen gas, then it stays there as you become one with the song. It is a song that is as close to perfect as it is possible to get. I love it. The lyrics deal with toxic relationships and the ‘ghosts’ that remain, in some cases long after the relationship is over.
Pink Turns Blue on stage – picture by Daniela Vorndran
The band consists of Mic Jogwer (vocals, guitar), Paul Richter (drums) and Luca Sammuri (bass). The band began in a still separated Germany towards the end of the Cold War and say they have been inspired by the likes of the Chameleons, Joy Division and goth music. Singer Mic Jogwer said this of the new single. “An exclamation to escape a complicated relationship, “Dancing With Ghosts” is a song about our difficulty of breaking out of an unhealthy bond. Some last a lifetime – and are not good for us at all. They suck all our energy, never give, always take. And whatever we do, it’s never right and never good enough. And since it’s often our best friend, mother, or sister, it feels like we owe them something, but every time we try to do something good for them, we just feel miserable and used. There is no easy way out, because whatever we do, we lose. These spirits will haunt us forever unless we challenge them and eventually manage to leave them behind. We’re Dancing With Ghosts.” I have no idea how I have not come across this great band before. But I will definitely be checking out their back catalogue in the coming weeks!
They have an extensive run of dates in 2025 in Germany, Belgium, the USA and the UK. If you can get to one of them, I reckon you should!
Apr 04 Hamburg, Germany @ Fabrik Apr 05 Münster, Germany @ Gleis 22 Apr 11 Leipzig, Germany @ Moritzbastei Apr 12 Cologne, Germany @ GEBÄUDE 9 Apr 25 Stuttgart, Germany @ clubCANN Apr 26 Hannover, Germany @ Musikzentrum Hannover May 09 Rüsselsheim, Germany @ Das Rind May 10 Bochum, Germany @ Bahnhof Langendreer May 16 Bremen, Germany @ Tower Musikclub May 17 Berlin, Germany @ Lido May 23 Nuremberg, Germany @ Club Stereo May 24 Munich, Germany @ Hansa 39, Feirwerk Jun 28 Izegem, Belgium @ Cultuurhuis De Leest Aug 28 – Philadelphia PA @ Milkboy Aug 29 – Brooklyn NY @ AMOC – Brooklyn Made Aug 30 – Boston MA @ Sonia Aug 31 – Montreal QC @ Casa Del Popolo Sept 4 – Toronto ON @ Baby G Sept 5 – Detroit MI @ Smalls Sept 6 – Chicago IL @ Bottom Lounge Sept 7 – Columbus OH @ Rumba Sept 10 – Nashville TN @ East Room Sept 11 – Atlanta GA @ The Masquerade Sept 12 – Charlotte NC @ Snug Harbor Sept 13 – Orlando FL @ Conduit Sept 14 – Miami FL @ Gramps Oct 31 Whitby, UK – Whitby Pavilion Theatre
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York’s very own alternative rock gang continue to furrow their unique and mightily wonderful direction with their new EP ‘Modern Mirror’. The Bricks are Guy (Guitar), Gemma (Vox), Marc (Drums) and Paul (Bass). The title track and the first song on the EP, “Modern Mirror” is dark, sharp and oozes post punk energy with Gemma’s manic performance being bold enough to make punk priestess Siouxse jealous. I can feel some solid early Sex Pistols energy and anger seeping through “A Lie”. The incessant riffage is stunning. Gemma is famous (or maybe infamous) for giving a song a title that has nothing to do with the lyrical content, that is the case, I believe, with “Snake”. The track has a bluesy, languid, punk vibe and Gemma’s voice evoke the finest moments of Lene Lovich and Poly Styrene.
The music on every track is fiery and explosive, none more so than on “Icarus”. They even throw over some great cowbell here. This song needs to be a single. “Contraption” rocks along like a punky cartoon chase with a cutting few couplets, notably “nice try, you’re boring. Nice try, I’m yawning”. This is currently my favourite track on the EP. The instrumentation on “Meantime” would fit nicely on side one of Bowie’s ‘Low’ album from 1977. There really is no one quite like the Bricks at the moment. If he were still alive John Peel would fucking love them! The EP was recorded at The Stationhouse, Armley, Leeds by James Atkinson in July of last year. It was released at the end of November last year. If you haven’t already heard it, listen now! That is an unrefusable order!
CLICK HERE to give it a spin on Bandcamp. Listen to it, stream it, or better still download it for just £5.
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started my journey with the With Just A Hint Of Mayhem blog back on February 9th 2009. It started as just a few posts with me rattling on about some odd pieces of music trivia. Then it grew into me reviewing almost all gigs that I go to and then reviewing singles, albums and EPs. More recently I have reviewed a few music related books and films. I would like to thank every single one of you that has stayed with us, especially the real fans (I think there may be nearly ten now!). I owe a debt of gratitude to every one of you who sends me stuff to review, especially the artists themselves and all those rather nice PR people. I have also immensely enjoyed all the interviews with artists and other key music industry people that I have been lucky enough to do.
With Just A Hint Of Mayhem has enabled me to do some things that I never imagined that I would. I am now a regular judge for two great annual Battle Of The Bands contests. I was also able to do a history of music journalism lecture at York’s Access For Music College. Sadly it closed down shortly after, I certainly hope that wasn’t down to me. Back in 2009 I would have been pleased and excited if just a few friends and random people viewed the blog, but now we are up to nearly 1.9 million views across 227 countries (according to the WordPress classification of a country!). There are currently six countries where no one has ever ventured to With Just A Hint Of Mayhem from, that includes North Korea. I can’t see the latter changing soon. Also another huge thank you to all of you who have ever written reviews and articles for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem. Will I still be doing this in another sixteen years? I have no idea, I will be in my 80s by then. But as long as I am able I plan to keep going! Stick with us here at With Just A Hint Of Mayhem for the next part of the journey. To quote David Bowie “I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring.” Well I will at least do everything I can to make sure it’s not boring. Once again thank you and here is a sixteen related song to celebrate with (it is actually one of my favourite songs from the 70s!)
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On February 8th 1981 R.E.M. made their first ever-recording sessions at Bombay Studios in Smyrna, Georgia. Not India, obviously! The tracks they recorded that day included “Gardening At Night”, “Radio Free Europe” and “(Don’t Go Back To) Rockville.” None of these three recordings were hits. But the band rerecorded “Radio Free Europe” in 1983 and then it reached the heady heights of number 78 in the US Billboard chart.
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With Just A Hint Of Mayhem 