With Just A Hint Of Mayhem

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

Asylum – Fulford Arms, York – Wednesday 26th February 2025 March 4, 2025

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 8:58 pm
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The volume of gigs so far for 2025 is simmering nicely. This was a bill with three bands and only one, the headliners Asylum, that I have seen before. First on stage were Rejected Reality a classic power trio playing punky power pop seething with emotion. The band were tight and played off each other really well. A huge shout out to the drummer who smashed it like a boss! The vocalist has a great range of emotions that fit like a glove with the bands ace original songs. Their Billie Eilish cover was brave, bombastic and brilliant. I am not sure which alternate reality rejected this band but in my opinion they are more than welcome in this reality!

All photos of Rejected Reality by Mia Scudds: @mfshots

Drop Dead McPhee were up next. They are another trio with some real rock finesse. They reminded me occasionally of Nick Lowe, particularly from the Brinsley Schwarz days. They also offered some fine slices of later period Fleetwood Mac in some songs, particularly the Mick Fleetwoodesque drumming. Their vocals and harmonies were divine. All three of them seemed to be having a great time on stage and that, for me, always adds an extra level to some already great songs. I don’t believe that any of them are called McPhee but I am also confident that they are all very much alive! Drop Dead McPhee are definitely a band to watch out for. They will appear in these pages again very soon!

All photos of Drop Dead McPhee by Mia Scudds: @mfshots

I last saw the headliners, Asylum back in December last year and they were good then. They are even better now. This was another absolute banging, funky, heavy and fun set from the band. Like the earlier bands Asylum seemed to be having a great time. If ever a band was able to easily defy being dropped into a genre box then Asylum do that really well. “Trombone Alone” has a jazz element thanks to said trombone. Meanwhile “Move Along Down The Line” is a controlled and chaotic punky classic. At times they sound like the Kinks in their full 60s pomp. Then you can hear a Clash influence in “It’s All An Illusion”. The new song continues in a Clash vein evidenced by some thundering Paul Simenon style bass playing and even more added trombone. The crowd were completely enthralled by Asylum. This is the only Asylum you need in your life and with them there is no need to wear a strait jacket or live in a padded cell, unless that kind of thing floats your boat! Get some Asylum in your life now!

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Catch! – Fulford Arms, York – Monday 24th February 2025

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 6:56 pm
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I try to never pass up the chance to see a band or artist that I have never seen before, so this was an easy choice. There were four bands on the bill, none of which I had seen before. This was another gig put together by the delightful human known as Simon P for Northern Radar. I have been going to Northern Radar gigs for many years now and Mr. P has never let me down with the bands and singers he puts on. Did that change with this gig? Read on to find out!

The first to take the stage was the Expression, vocally they made me think of Lene Lovich and Siouxse Sioux to name just two. The band were as tight as hell with a dark post punk feel to their sound. Their original songs were good and show a potential for greatness with perhaps a little more work. The cover of the Stone Roses “I Wanna Be Adored” was superb, but the Mazzy Star cover was an absolutely sublime highlight. They closed their set and nailed their grunge credentials to the wall with an immense cover of Nirvana’s “Heart Shaped Box”. This was a great set to kick the night off.

Next up it was the Fruity Pebbles, a band largely born from the remnants of some Huntington School 6th Form bands from recent years. A truly eclectic range of covers which ranged from Abba to Chappell Roan via Stevie Wonder, Amy Winehouse and others. Their original tune “Smooth” is a neat, summery, jazzy pop song which is likely to get better and better the more they play it. They showed their chops as a great band, once again very tight. But it was the brass section that showed themselves to be tighter than the proverbial duck’s arse. Front man Oscar, who wasn’t meant to be fronting this set, is a true trouper and a born performer. If he is not working in music or entertainment in the future then frankly the world is fucked! The Fruity Pebbles know how to party and they party hard!

Strip were next and they are full of effervescent pop punk energy. While their originals were good their covers were truly stunning, especially the bombastic opener, a fiery run through of Green Day’s “American Idiot”. Who knew that song would still be so relevant now, some twenty years later. Strip delivered perhaps the best mosh fest of the night. This lot are fucking good indeed!

Finally it was the turn of Catch! to hit the stage. They are a York Uni band that are talented purveyors of melodic pop rock with an undercurrent of prog in some songs. They have an additional vein of classic 90s bands like Republica and Elastica running through a number of their songs too. Overall they have a wealth of close to awesome songs in their cannon. Sadly by the time Catch! arrived on stage the crowd had shrunk a little. Why do so many people up and leave after “their” band has played? But who cares, Catch! truly captivated everyone who chose to stay. The vocals were perfect as was the more than tidy rhythm section. A special mention to the lead guitarist who never dropped below stunning with his magnificent arsenal of riffs and solos. Party driven fun made the moshing last a long while and the A Simple Plan cover was anthemic and delightful. Apologies in advance for the bad Dad joke/ pun, but you really need to catch Catch! soon! Click here to check out their latest EP on Spotify.

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Under The Covers With Mayhem – Chapter 13 March 3, 2025

Filed under: Under The Covers With Mayhem — justwilliam1959 @ 10:15 pm
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Here comes Under The Covers With Mayhem Chapter 13, featuring the iconic reggae band the Paragons with Roslyn Sweat and their take on the Beatles (Paul McCartney) song “Blackbird”. Their version is titled “Blackbird Singing” and I think it came out in 1974 on the Treasure Isle label. The band formed in Jamaica the 1960s. Many of you might not realise, but Blondie’s huge 1980 hit “The Tide Is High” was originally by the Paragons. Atomic Kitten also took the song into the charts in 2002. My favourite Paragons track is probably “Wear You To The Ball”. John Holt, who went on to massive solo success in the 70s was once the band’s lead vocalist. He also wrote “The Tide Is High”. Reggaefied covers of classic songs are often good, but I believe that this cover of “Blackbird” is stunning. What do you think?

Constant readers know that my ideal cover version has a different slant from the original rather than just a facsimile-style cover. So the generic boy bands are probably never likely to feature, but you never know, right? Feel free to recommend any songs that you think should be included in Under The Covers With Mayhem. I want to stay clear of the mainstream ideally, but off-the-wall covers by major artists might work too 🙂 Finally and at last there is a playlist that collects all the Under The Covers With Mayhem tracks together. Currently fifteen songs and 58 and a half minutes of music. Check it out below.

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‘Hope I Get Old Before I Die: Why Rock Stars Never Retire’ – David Hepworth

Filed under: Book,Review — justwilliam1959 @ 8:45 pm
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David Hepworth is a talented, world class music journalist. He began his career in journalism writing for the NME and Sounds (two of the classic UK music “inkies”). He joined Smash Hits magazine in 1979, and having turned it around financially and made it profitable, became its editor. He was behind the launch of a number of very successful music related magazines including, two of my favourites, Q (1986) and Mojo (1993). He has written for the UK newspaper The Guardian. He was a presenter of the long running BBC music show The Old Grey Whistle Test. He has been on other TV productions too, more of that later. Hepworth has also written some great books about music and the social history associated with it. I have read many of them; ‘Never a Dull Moment: 1971 The Year That Rock Exploded’ (2016), ‘Uncommon People: The Rise and Fall of the Rock Stars 1955-1994’ (2017), ‘A Fabulous Creation: How the LP Saved Our Lives’ (2019), and ‘Overpaid, Oversexed and Over There: How a Few Skinny Brits with Bad Teeth Rocked America’ (2020)

Now he has a new book, ‘Hope I Get Old Before I Die: Why Rock Stars Never Retire’. This is a tome that describes rock music’s third act. This is the sense that rock and roll never died, as predicted in the fifties and early sixties, but neither did so many of the young people (mostly men) that played a part in rock’s continued longevity. Back in 1965 when a 21 year old Roger Daltrey sang a 20 year old Pete Townshend’s classic line, “I hope I die before I get old” in the Who’s biggest hit single in the 60s, “My Generation” who might have guessed that they would still be performing the song in the 21st century. Daltrey is now 81 and Townshend is 79. Hepworth was one of the anchor’s of the broadcast of Live Aid in 1985. Hepworth’s new book begins at Live Aid with the sight of Paul McCartney closing the British leg of the show. Macca was seen as the grand old man of rock. Back then he was just 43. Now, 25 years into the 21st century we have many rock stars that are way beyond pensionable age. This is definitely not something most of us imagined back in the 60s and 70s. As a result many rock stars have become a part of the establishment with many receiving knighthoods and other royal honours.

I have loved all the books by David Hepworth that I have read so far, especially this new one. I love his take on the world of music and his immense depth of knowledge of the subject. Many times I have pondered on the fact that rock stars are living to ripe old ages and still performing and producing new music. In some cases this music is the finest of their long careers. Will today’s younger rock stars last as long as the rock ‘n’ roll pension brigade? I suspect that they will and I think Mr. Hepworth believes the same. In fact he talks of the possibility of technology giving rock stars a kind of immortality. Take a look at Abba Voyage for example. If you love great music, great music writing and if you have ever pondered about how rock stars are getting so old you will love this book! Click on Diversion Books to find a place to buy it for yourself!

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On This Day The Who Took A Bet On MTV! February 27, 2025

Filed under: On This Day — justwilliam1959 @ 10:40 pm
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On February 28th 1981 the Who released their first single since the death of drummer, Keith Moon, who died in 1978. Former Faces and Small Faces drummer Kenney Jones, took Moon’s place behind the drums. The song was called “You Better You Bet”. The single peaked at Number 9 in the UK and Number 18 in the US. MTV was launched on 1st August 1981, “You Better You Bet” was the fourth video played on the channel.

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“Peace” – Dr Pushkin

Filed under: Review,Single — justwilliam1959 @ 10:19 pm
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Austin, TX via Bolgatanga in Ghana uber talented hip-hop artist Dr. Pushkin has just released a new single featuring Isolirium and Ataman Nikita. The release precedes his SXSW performance on March 12th. The track includes a great blend of Ghanian Kologo guitar with some great Hip-Hop and R & B beats. The lyrics seek hope but also highlight the tough journey that finding peace will take. It is an inspirational tune and I love it, especially the vocal interplay between Dr. Pushkin and Ataman Nikita! Pushkin cites 2Pac and Nas as key influences and I can hear that throughout this wonderful song. the lyrics take some perfect and well primed shots at those in power. Get “Peace” in your ears and your life now!

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Roberta Flack RIP

Filed under: Obituary — justwilliam1959 @ 9:48 pm
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Many of you may know by now that the music world has lost another monumental talent with the passing of Roberta Flack. Her biggest hits were “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”, “Killing Me Softly With His Song”, and “Feel Like Makin’ Love”. In 1972, 1973 and 1974 respectively. All three of those songs went to number one on the US Billboard chart. Meanwhile they only, sadly, reached 14, 6 and 34 in the UK chart. “Killing Me Softly with His Song” was written in collaboration with singer songwriter Lori Lieberman and was born of a poem she wrote after experiencing a strong reaction to the Don McLean song “Empty Chairs.” Roberta Flack first heard the song during a flight. She performed it for the first time live when supporting Marvin Gaye who told her she had to record a version before playing it live again. Her recording of the Ewan MacColl song “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” didn’t sell particularly well until Clint Eastwood chose it to be a major part of the soundtrack to his 1971 film ‘Play Misty For Me’.

In 1972 she reached the peak of the Billboard US R & B chart with one of her many collaborations, this one with Donny Hathaway, “Where Is The Love”. Another duet with the late, great Mr Hathaway was “The Closer I Get To You” from 1978 which also made the top of the US R & B chart. Apart from Donny Hathaway Roberta also recorded with Peabo Bryson, Maxi Priest, Sadao Wantanabe, Howard Hewett and Les McCann. Flack was also an incredibly talented interpretative singer and made some great versions of songs by the Beatles, Leonard Cohen and Marvin Gaye to name just some. Roberta lived next door to John and Yoko in the Dakota Building in New York for a while. She took up piano aged 9 and eventually won a scholarship to Howard University in Washington DC. She was taken ill on stage in 2018 and then in 2022 it was announced that she was suffering from Motor Neurone Disease. She passed away on 24th February 2025, just two weeks after her 88th birthday. Roberta was born Roberta Cleopatra Flack and like her namesake in that middle name she was a true Queen of Music. My thoughts are with her family, friends and fans. RIP Roberta Flack.

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Gwen McCrae – RIP February 25, 2025

Filed under: Obituary — justwilliam1959 @ 10:46 pm
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Supremely talented soul singer Gwen McCrae passed away recently aged 81. Gwen was a prominent singer and performer for many years after working as a duo with her then husband George McCrae. Singer Betty Wright helped the pair get a recording contract with TK Records in 1967. Gwen followed her husband’s huge 1974 hit “Rock Your Baby” with one of her own in 1975, that song was the absolute classic of 70s funk and soul, “Rockin’ Chair”. It made it to the top of the US R & B charts. She had a few more minor hits, including “Funky Sensation” and “Keep The Fire Burning” in the early 80s. Her songs have been sampled by a number of artists including Lady Gaga, Cassius and Madlib. Gwen had been suffering with poor health for a while. In June 2012, after performing on stage in England, she had a stroke which resulted in paralysis on the left side of her body and the inability to walk. The world has lost a great talent. Rest in Peace Gwen McCrae, the undisputed Queen of Rare Groove. My thoughts are with her family, friends and fans.

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On This Day Jimi Experienced Being Mobbed! February 24, 2025

Filed under: On This Day — justwilliam1959 @ 6:46 pm
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On 24th February 1969 the Jimi Hendrix Experience played their last ever British performance when they appeared at the Royal Albert Hall in London. I am not entirely sure why, but during the encore of “Purple Haze” and “Wild Child” the stage was invaded by fans, police, bouncers, floor managers and practically the entire audience. The entire audience? The Royal Albert Hall capacity is close to 6,000. How big is the fucking stage? Those were the days, right? Incidentally the support acts that night were Van Der Graaf Generator and Fat Mattress.

The full set list for the Jimi Hendrix Experience was:

  1. Lover Man
  2. Stone Free
  3. Hear My Train a Comin’
  4. I Don’t Live Today
  5. Red House
  6. Foxy Lady
  7. Sunshine of Your Love
  8. Bleeding Heart
  9. Fire
  10. Little Wing
  11. Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
  12. Room Full of Mirrors
    Encore:
  13. Purple Haze
  14. Wild Thing
  15. The Star-Spangled Banner

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GOO – Fulford Arms York – Saturday 8th February 2025 February 23, 2025

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 9:15 pm
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I am more than two weeks late with this post, humble apologies to everyone who played. But I am old school and write my notes in a paper notebook. Said notebook was misplaced, but now I have found it! This was to be the first time I had seen GOO and who would turn down the chance to see a band with such a great name? Certainly not me. But before I tell you about GOO, let me tell you about the first support band. They are a classy four piece band called Juku which according to my limited knowledge is a Japanese word meaning a school offering intensive education outside normal school hours. Juku are the new band formed by Dan and Naomi who are the duo that made the Snakerattlers such a great musical force. This is quite a change of direction for the Snakerattlers pair and they have created an immense new sound. I found them reminiscent of some of the finest 90s female fronted bands such as Lush and Elastica. I had to agree with Mr. Tuke on that point. Whilst they reminded me of those great 90s bands Juku have a much harder, punkier edge to them. I guess that the lack of interaction with the audience was deliberate, after all their socials are clear in their REJECT FAME message. It certainly added some mystique to a band that is hard, dark, deep and frankly simply fucking awesome! Such a great set despite Naomi suffering from a cold!

While the poster shows GOO as headliners they played second rather than last. This is done as a means of keeping punters in the venue when a band that is new to York plays at the Fully. What, sadly, often happens is that people come to see “their” band and then fuck off somewhere else and miss the headliners. Personally that kind of behaviour pisses me off, but hey if that’s what people want to do then fuck ’em! Keighley band GOO have endless, boundless energy and a bag, that might be deeper than Mary Poppins’ bottomless carpet bag, loaded with great songs. If you put Bis, Garbage and the Eels (when Mark Everett is in a happy mood) into a huge melting pot and then add some 21st century Beach Boy style harmonies then GOO would be the result if the pot was simmered over a light pop punk heat for an hour. The band were clearly having fun and smiling became infectious while listening to them. Later in their set they showed their versatility with a shift to a majestic post punk sound that evoked the sound of early and very raw Blondie. The lead guitarist has a latent talent for adding a gorgeous vein of classic rock vibes to the band’s sound. “Call In Sick” is wonderfully warped, weird and wacky with a chorus that I am still singing in my head two weeks after the gig!

Suspicious Liquid closed the show. They are a very talented York Uni band with an incredible guitarist in Danny Durie and vocalist Vanessa Toyn’s voice is spot on. Her singing made me think of what might happen if you spliced the voice of Siouxse Sioux and Dolly Parton and sent them in a psych punk direction. The vocal washed across the venue in a proggy, punky heavenly projection. Their cover of Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” was operatic and outstanding. Suspicious Liquid are often epic, cinematic , anthemic and at times mesmerising. I have one small criticism, on some of the earlier songs Stephen seemed to be playing a different tune. I am not sure whether that was a sound issue or not. The highlight for me was their amazing cover of Frank Zappa’s “Muffin Man”. I had heard them play this at last years Battle Of The Bands contest at this venue. Covering Zappa takes skill and guts and oh boy did they pull it off with this take of one of my favourite Zappa tunes. Their closing song (which might have been called “Shadow Boxing”) was spilling over with finely balanced emotion and had the whole band on their best form of the night. I felt that this was a set that began without a great spark, but they warmed up and by the end they had lit their own musical Olympic torch!

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