Just over a week ago I had the opportunity to cover Live At Leeds In The City 2024 for those cool, weird and wonderful folks at Soundsphere and The Modern Record click on each to read the review which was written by me with some rather excellent additional pieces from Rock Photographer Extraordinaire, John Hayhurst. Simon Pattinson, working with York Mix, joined us for the ride, and what a ride it was this year! We witnessed close to twenty bands between us. My personal favourites were Neckbreakers and Avalanche Party. Were you there? Who were your favourite acts of the day? There are some ace photographs in both of the above links all by John Hayhurst apart from an Avalanche Party pic by Lucy Joy Pembroke. (All her four fabulous Avalanche Party pics are in the collection below!)
Avalanche Party by Lucy Joy PembrokeAvalanche Party by Lucy Joy PembrokeJoe and Glen of Avalanche Party by Lucy Joy PembertonTom from the Blinders guest with Avalanche Party by Lucy Joy PembertonHungry by John HayhurstGravy by John HayhurstCasisdead by John HayhurstMarika Hackman by John HayhurstRuby Duff by John HayhurstEnglish Teacher by John Hayhurst
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It is a while since the mighty Not Now Norman have featured on these pages, but with a new album hitting the streets very soon it is that time! The album is out on 29th November and is called ‘Go HARD or Go HOME’. It kicks off with the rather strange and at times scary (well you try listening to it through your headphones in the dark) “Norminius Sanctus”. It has a dark, monastic feel that would be perfect to soundtrack the opening credits of a Hammer Horror film. The title track starts a full on metal assault with epic scale AC/ DC style riffs that support Taylor-Grace’s pitch perfect rock vocal. At times she sounds like Joan Jett on steroids with some Ozzy Osbourne vocal chords spliced into her own voice box. The current single “Feral” is next and it has a great 80s rock hair metal feel to it with some hooks that Madonna in her prime would have been incredibly envious of. “WHO I AM” is another single and it has riffs forged in rock heaven and drumming that could smash mountains and vocally this is one of my favourite tracks on the album. If you love prog style power ballads you are going to find yourself in a relationship with “Family Photo”. This will be the next single released on the same day as the album. Taylor-Grace says this about it “This track is one of the toughest I’ve written. When I was born, a relative disowned me for being a girl. I’ve heard people praise this person highly to me, saying ‘they’re still your relative’ when they’ve never deserved it. I didn’t realise how it affected me until I started writing it. It’s for all those people who have been disowned for reasons they can’t control.” I have been on this planet a long while and it baffles the hell out of me that people with these kind of opinions actually exist.
The emotion in “Mama” is palpable and Taylor produces perhaps her finest vocal performance to date. It is huge in sound and cinematic in ambition. The band prove their funky skills on “Midnight Sun” the guitar work and drumming makes you want to move. It also has an early 70s rock vibe, like Medicine Head on speed. The rock just don’t stop on this brilliant set of songs as “Mister Know It All” takes things up another gear with a stellar, rip-roaring riff rampage. Everyone knows a Mister Know It All, right? I certainly do. There is a great blues mood on “King Of A Wasted Land” which has an occasional but wonderfully haunting vocal double track from Taylor-Grace. The guitar solo toward the end of the track is one of the best on the album. I am not totally certain who this is directed at, but my take is King Charles III, or any one of the recent UK Prime Ministers. It doesn’t matter to me I despise all of them. Just when you thought an album could get no heavier this one hits you with the titanic tower of metal that is “Bad Liar”. I was transported back to early Suzi Quatro with “Why Don’t You Like Me?”, particularly the chorus refrain which I doubt I could shake from my brain even if I wanted to. The punkiest sound on the album is probably “Green Light” which evokes Motorhead playing with Girlschool, a roaring tiger of a song. I have heard many great and interesting covers before, and Not Now Norman’s take on Britney’s “Toxic” is phenomenal. It retains the pop tropes of the original but give it a hugely harder rock edge.
This sophomore album from Not Now Norman hits all the spots perfectly and scratches music itches that you never knew you had. Am I disappointed with anything about this release? Yes, that it is about to be released just when I thought I had completed my top 20 albums of the year list! Now I need to go away and have a rethink, yes this album is THAT good!
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Back in September we reviewed amilost’s single “Tiny War” and now the talented Norwegian/ Scottish duo have a fabulous new single, “Haunted”, which hit the streets a few weeks ago. It has a wonderful pop mentality in its ethereal wide synth based cinematic sweep. The vocals soar an the chorus stays with you for ages, dare I say that it haunts you? amilost had this to say about the track “Haunted is about that person you can’t quite shake out of your head. It’s about feeling like you had control over the situation, but realising you were in-deeper than you thought and that in fact – the other person has a hold on you instead.” This is an act that I am confident will feature again on these pages, I love them.
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This is the 23rd entry in the Mayhem Virgins series where we showcase artists that have never featured in these pages before. This time it is the turn of a new band that I chanced upon at the Brudenell Social Club as a part of Leeds Live In The City last Saturday. They are called NECKBREAKERS and I knew nothing about them at all when my good friend and I Simon P wandered into the venue Community Room on Saturday evening. Based on the name I had assumed they might be a hard core metal band, but I was oh so wrong on that score. The band was formed in 2023 by three siblings; Max, Georgie and Ebony Palmer. Lead vocalist Ebony has just turned 19 years old, this is only remarkable because they play with a barrelful of maturity and skill. The band name derives from a nasty accident that befell Georgie during Fresher’s Week at University a few years ago. She broke her neck and was apparently incredibly lucky that it didn’t turn out worse. Max is the eldest of the siblings and had played in a number of bands before forming NECKBREAKERS with his sisters. The band now live in North London but grew up in Welwyn in Hertfordshire. There have been a few top musicians that have come from that area; Alesha Dixon (of Misteeq and solo fame) and Mat Osman (Suede bassist) to name just a couple.
NECKBREAKERS at the Brudenell Social Club Community Room, Saturday 16th November 2024
NECKBREAKERS self released their first single “Waiting On Your Call” in April 2024 and expect to be releasing more songs next year while getting in plenty more live shows. As for their live performance on Saturday night, to say we were blown away would be an understatement. They played with passion, power, soul, emotion and huge energy and they exuded confidence in everything they did. My review of that set will be published soon. But here is a highlight “Their harmonies could split a million atoms, and their songs are so perfectly formed for a young band. Imagine a universe where the Mamas and Papas sing heavenly harmonies for a first-class metal band and then turn up your expectations to the stratosphere. Even then you might not understand just how good NECKBREAKERS are.” I have heard it on good authority that they are very hard working band and that much is clear from that performance in Leeds. Earlier this year according to a paper published in the journal Nature Astronomy, scientists found what could be the brightest known object in the universe: a quasar produced by a massive and voracious black hole. It’s estimated to be emitting light that’s 500 trillion times more intense than Earth’s sun. Well that is the kind of bright future I predict for NECKBREAKERS!
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The last time I saw Delilah Bon live was just over two years ago, also at the Key Club in Leeds. In the time since that gig she has achieved so much. Supported Scene Queen and Shaka Ponk, appeared on prime time French TV, played Download, Reading and Leeds Festivals, released her second album (that ought to be in many of the best albums of 2024 lists), collaborated with ALT BLK ERA and so many other things. Delilah Bon really does grow in stature and confidence with everything she does. This show in Leeds was very near the end of a sold out European and UK tour which began in September. Was this gig good? Regular readers will already know the answer to that question. But before I tell you let me talk about the magnificent support act tiLLie.
She is an American artist with a similar presence and attitude to Delilah. tiLLie has made a few appearances in the pages of Mayhem, including reaching number one in the Mayhem Chart a year ago. She describes her music as Nightmare Pop and that is hard to disagree with. Radio 1’s Jack Saunders called tiLLie “a maverick artist born from the gates of Hell.” Having heard her and now experienced her live, Jack is clearly spot on! Tonight we were all taken on a wacky, weird, wonderfully wondrous walk through the tiLLieverse and it felt good. She kicked off with an attack on myopic, incel keyboard warriors with “mOmS bAsEmeNt”. Has there ever been a song like “jeLLiefish aPocaLypsE”? I don’t think so and that is why it stands above so many other tracks from her peers. We were also treated to a few more tracks from the ‘tiLLieverse’ EP. But my highlight of the set was “bLeSs uR hEaRt” which blends anger, sarcasm and a powerful take down of the MAGA Christian fundamentalists. You need some tiLLie in your life. She has some great merch too, click here to buy some 🙂
So what was Delilah Bon like? Absolutely on fire is how she was, this was a stunning tour de force of a gig. It is clear that Delilah cares hugely about her followers, fans and every marginalised and abused person in the world. She is a phenomenal champion for the LGBTQ+ community as well. She is in simple terms a wonderful human being. The show started off in a high gear and kept adding more. Early on we got a classic performance of “Grown Ass Men” and “Chiquitita”, the latter dedicated to all the older women. There was a song added to the set that I don’t think has been performed on this tour so far, a towering take on “Homework”. If the audience thought Delilah was playing in top gear, they were blown away for the last part of the set. Brat Punk Riot Grrl rage was in full flow on stage and in the crowd. We were treated to “War On Women”, “Epstein”, “I Wish A Bitch Would” and “Dead Men Don’t Rape”. The latter had everyone in the room screaming the chorus, including this old white bloke. That song has a power that not many songs can handle. “Dead men Don’t Rape” might be a perfect end to a Delilah Bon set, but Delilah knows best, so after that “Evil Hate Filled Female” and “Maverick” truly brought the house down. This wasn’t just a gig, this wasn’t just a show, this was a statement of intent from one of the most talented and passionate artists on the planet right now. Planet Bon Bon is where it’s at, fire your rocket boosters and get here! Delilah Bon has lit a fuse of hope for the lost, forgotten, abused among us, she holds a torch for the disadvantaged and all of those that are simply different. It is up to us to help keep all those flames burning higher, fiercer and stronger.
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On November 14th 1969, “Sugar Sugar” by the Archies was halfway through its 8 week reign at the top of the British pop chart. Not only did the song mark the first No.1 hit by an animated cartoon band, but, after holding its position for eight weeks, it became the longest-running one-hit-wonder in the UK. It was written by veteran songwriter Jeff Barry and Canadian singer-songwriter Andy Kim. The latter went on to have a huge solo hit with “Rock Me Gently” in 1974. Ron Dante sang lead vocals, he was also the voice of bubblegum pop band the Cufflinks and he went on to produce Barry Manilow’s first nine albums. “Sugar Sugar” also spent four weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, and went to No.1 in many countries, including South Africa, Canada, Ireland, Belgium, Austria, Brazil, Sweden, Singapore, Denmark, Norway, Germany and Mexico. This single was also the first one that I ever bought.
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Baybe is a new artist to me and a true artist as she plays every instrument on her songs. She is involved in the production of her music and live shows. She also works on all her design and branding. She is based in Nashville, Tennessee, and has been playing in a range of genres and bands over the years. Apparently she started her musical journey as a voice-over artist for children’s dolls. Now that is delightfully weird, right? Her new single “Pretty Gay!” has a feel of Billie Eilish and tiLLie about it, but it is totally BAYBE, It is a dark song about relationships and the track haunts you for long after you listen to it. I love it, do you?
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In June, we reviewed the excellent single, “My Drummer’s Girlfriend” by the obscenely talented ALT BLK ERA. Just when you thought things could not get better for ALT BLK ERA, well at least until the release of their debut album in January, they work with none other than Wheatus on a new take of “My Drummer’s Girlfriend”. It loses none of the original excitement but it gains a slacker punk feel thanks to the delightful Wheatus gang! Check out all versions in the Spotify link below!
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Drop It First is a mega-talented melodic punk band from Quebec City, Canada. The band is made up of members of Our Darkest Days and Go Great Guns. They have just launched their first single “Where The Wind Blows” in advance of their debut album ‘Fundamentals’ which is scheduled to hit the streets on 17th January. The song is overflowing with hardcore emotion and describes dealing with grief and loss. It is anthemic and stares sorrow straight in the eyes and says I can live through you and reach the other side of the dark chasm of loss. The harmonies are huge and even the riffs ooze emotion. An obvious comparison might be Rise Against, but I hear a little Head Automatica here too. If the rest of the album is this good it could become a classic! the video is wonderfully dark and apocalyptic and I love it! The video is dedicated to two of the band members’ mothers who passed away in 2024, this makes it clear where the depth of this loss comes from. My own mother is still alive, but I will never forget losing my father back in 2001.
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On 12th November 1977 the Sex Pistols went to No.1 on the UK album chart with their debut LP ‘Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols’. The album was met with a hail of controversy upon its release. The first problem involved the allegedly ‘obscene’ name of the album, resulting in the prosecution of Chris Searle, the manager of the Nottingham Virgin record shop for having displayed it in a window. The album was banned by Boots (who sold records at the time), WH Smith, and Woolworths (which still existed at the time). Searle, the manager had been warned to cover up the word “bollocks” by the police but had gone back to displaying the records once they had left the shop. So, Searle was charged with contravening the Indecent Advertisement Act 1889 and found himself in front of three local magistrates on the 24th of November at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court.
Richard Branson, owner of Virgin brought in John Mortimer QC to defend. Mortimer is now probably best known for writing the Rumpole of the Bailey books. He had also defended Oz magazine in their famous 1971 obscenity trial, which was the longest obscenity trial in British history at the time. His trump card was Professor James Kinsley, head of English at the University of Nottingham. His evidence showed that “bollocks” was in fact an Old English term for “priest” and in the context of the album meant “nonsense”. Mortimer also pointed out that both The Guardian and Evening Standard had both referred to the album’s title and neither had been charged. The trial concluded with a statement from the magistrates “Much as my colleagues and I wholeheartedly deplore the vulgar exploitation of the worst instincts of human nature for the purchases of commercial profits by both you and your company, we must reluctantly find you not guilty of each of the four charges“. God save the Bollocks!
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