With Just A Hint Of Mayhem

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

“Fortune” – Dead Chic October 19, 2024

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 6:41 am
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Dead Chic is a collaboration between Damien Felix (Catfish) and Andy Balcon (Heymoonshaker). They used to run into each other while touring with their respective bands, spoke about collaborating, and finally came together in 2020. Why did they get together? Based on their new single “Fortune” clearly to make awesome rock music. The meaty, explosive percussion sound opens and drives the song, making it hard to ignore. That mountainous drum sound is created by Rémi Ferbus. Balcon’s vocal talents are immense and as a listener, you are drawn into this track as though he is a dark, but ultimately good, preacher sermonising on what life as a human in huge cities is like and how we can, and sometimes fail to cope with it. The guitar soundscapes from Felix are immense and soulful. “Fortune” is a taster for their new album, ‘Serenades & Damnation’, which is out next month. This song, which has a hopeful mood, deserves to be huge. Make it so good people of the world!

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On This Day The Spice Girls Have A Scanty, Silky Secret (Is it Posh’s Secret?)! October 18, 2024

Filed under: On This Day — justwilliam1959 @ 10:00 pm
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On the 18th October 2007, the Spice Girls US record label announced that their forthcoming greatest hits album would be made available exclusively at the lingerie chain Victoria’s Secret shops in the US two months ahead of other outlets. That’s pants that is! This was eleven years after “Wannabe” hit number one in almost every country across the world and that was the first of six consecutive UK number ones. Incidentally, 600,000 copies of the Greatest Hits album were sold via the world-famous lingerie chain, but none of those counted toward a chart placing. So the album limped to number 93 in the USA, It hit number two in the UK and reached the chart summit in Australia!

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“Behelit” – Slaughter To Prevail

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 9:29 pm
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Do you like metal? Do you like metal with orchestration? Do you like harmonious growly metal vocals? If you answered yes to all of these questions you will fucking love “Behelit”, the new single from Slaughter To Prevail. The colossal meaty riffs punch you into a screaming bloody mess and the pummeling bass and drums mesmerise you into further submission. “Behelit” will occupy your soul and never let you go! This is a truly epic tune. The Russian band of mighty metallers control an extensive arsenal of metal sounds. All are showcased in this song. A Behelit is a significant and mysterious artifact with powerful and dark properties in the manga series “Berserk” by Kentaro Miura.

Frontman Alex Terrible said this of the track “I don’t usually watch anime, it’s not for me, but ‘Berserk’ is different. Guts, the main character, he is not like any other warrior. His determination to become the strongest fighter—this is something to respect. But what really gets to me is how he is shown—ruthless, unstoppable, yet with some hidden vulnerability, like you never know what he will do next. Guts is not just fighting enemies; he is battling demons from another world, trying to save humanity from things beyond understanding. What’s interesting is, he doesn’t think of himself as a hero—many times, it seems like he even hates the responsibility of protecting others. But still, his honor makes him continue, driven by something much deeper than just glory. His huge sword is like a symbol of his strength—it’s almost like a metaphor for life. We all have our burdens to carry, and it’s on us to deal with them the best way we can. Actually, my Kid of Darkness character, I take a lot from Guts. There is something very strong, very real in how Guts fights, and I want to show this. Kid of Darkness, it is not only about being brutal—it is about fight inside, like you carry heavy things you never ask for, but still you face them. Guts, he never gives up, even when everything around him is bad, this is what I feel close to. This way of thinking, it is what I try to do in my life, on stage and not on stage too.” Get this magnificent slice of metal into your life right now!

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“Ballad 3 (Jamaica ’59)” – HerOrangeCoat

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 4:29 pm
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HerOrangeCoat’s new single, “Ballad 3 (Jamaica ’59)”, is out and it is the third instalment toward her EP ‘Ballads for this Age’. This one is my favourite so far, it flows like a river enriched with Joni Mitchell’s essence. The music is understated, but excellent, and Georgia’s voice is spectacular and perfect. It has folk, jazz, and soft rock entwined throughout. Like the previous two songs in the collection, it feels very personal. The EP is due out next month and I believe it will be something special indeed!

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“John Coltrane’s Moscow Skyscraper” – Avalanche Party

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 2:33 pm
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The new Avalanche Party song has arrived and as with all recent singles, it makes me think that their long-awaited sophomore album could easily become the album of the year. It is called “John Coltrane’s Moscow Skyscraper”. It starts in an almost chilled, subdued way and then transforms into an absolute monster as it moves to a mountainous, manic, maniacal conclusion. This is 100% psych-metal with a slight hint of LCD Sound System, but much, much darker. Jordan’s voice sounds like it might be careering up from the depths of hell and the sound might be the band smashing Satan into tiny pieces. Probably the best Avalanche Party single this year, and probably one of their best ever too. The video is spectacular too.

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“Time Will Tell” – Hercules Morse

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 2:00 pm
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When I get an email from a band that has the subject “SpankyWanky New Music” I am always going to open it. So when I got such an email from Southampton band Hercules Morse, of course, I opened it. I was directed to the first song, “Time Will Tell”, to be released from their forthcoming EP ‘Enemy Ally’. The song is out now on Bandcamp and the EP is due out on 27th December. “Time Will Tell” is a jagged post-punk funky tune that made me think of XTC on a more metal trip, with perhaps an overlay of Foo Fighters and some input from Deaf School. It is overflowing with angular rhythms that make you want to move your feet. Steve, Harry, Paul, and Gizmo should be proud of this marvellous new tune and I am sure that they are. Click here to check out the new tune on Bandcamp.

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“Cold World” – Steve Hewitt

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 1:11 pm
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Edinburgh artist Steve Hewitt released a new single, “Cold World” today. It is a delicately softly spun tune with a hard message about life. All wrapped up in a fine alt. country style. Steve’s warm and honest vocal delivery makes the lyrics sink in deeply, and those words hit home really well. The lyric spotlights the darker side of our reality and human nature as Hewitt observes the pervasive existence of conflict, distorted moral values, betrayal, and personal suffering in the world today. The track is taken from his forthcoming crowdfunded sophomore album ‘Never Two Days The Same’.

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“Lunacy” – VICE VERA

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 11:52 am
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“Lunacy” is the second single from Manchester artist Tamsin Middleton, a.k.a. VICE VERA. For starters, I bloody love the name! As for the song, it is a wondrous and magical serving of sublime post-punk with elements of Siouxsie Sioux, Patti Smith, PJ Harvey, and Toyah. It kicks off with a dark, brooding feel before the drums kick in big time, and the music becomes more frenetic, frenzied, and fabulous. Tamsin’s voice oozes passion, compassion, and honesty. The vocal hook, particularly towards the end is impossible to resist and I found it spinning around inside my brain long after I had listened to the song. The cover is a stunning piece of art from Kim R Foster.

Photo by Kenny Brown

“Lunacy” was co-produced by VICE VERA and long-term collaborator Macclesfield-based music producer Neil Mykowski. It follows the first VICE VERA single, “Tourist,” from earlier this year. Tamsin had this to say about the single “This song is intensely personal, having been inspired by a conversation I once had with my father, while he was in the grip of addiction. It speaks to interconnectedness and the limitless universe both outside and inside each one of us“. While VICE VERA is relatively new to the music scene Tamsin has had a lot of great experience. She has played in many bands in the past 15 years (including LIINES, ILL, JD Meatyard, Mr Heart & AAAK) and supported Sleaford Mods, Pixies, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and The Fall among others. It would be hard to disagree with what Louder Than War said about VICE VERSA, they said “visceral lyrics that open your eyes and give that feeling you had when you first heard PJ Harvey.” There are a few VICE VERA dates coming up soon (see below), sadly I can’t make any of them, but if you can just do it!

DE RIDDERT, ROTTERDAM – 31/10/24
CAFE AVERECHT, UTRECHT – 2/11/24
THE EAGLE, SALFORD – 07/11/24 – [SINGLE LAUNCH]
THE TRADES CLUB, HEBDEN BRIDGE – 28/11/24 – [OPENING FOR BILLY NOMATES]

Follow VICE VERA on Bandcamp and Spotify to get a first listen to “Lunacy” when it hits the streets on 25th October! Give “Tourist” a listen while you are waiting, you will not be disappointed!

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On This Day Led Zep Got Fishy! October 16, 2024

Filed under: On This Day — justwilliam1959 @ 10:34 pm
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On 16th October 2010 Auburn University graduate student Justin Havird named a new species of fish, Lepidocephalichthys zeppelini, because the fish’s pectoral fin reminded him of the double-neck guitar used by Jimmy Page. He said, “I’m a big Led Zeppelin fan, and I was listening to them while I was working on the fish, and the structure that makes this species unique just reminded me of the guitar that Jimmy Page played“. Go on dear reader, you thought this was going to be about the mud shark incident when you read the title, didn’t you?

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Mayhem Gives You 12 Inches… Of Music! “Supernature” – Cerrone

Filed under: Mayhem Gives You 12 Inches — justwilliam1959 @ 10:10 pm
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This is the fifth in the Mayhem 12 Inch single series and I apologise again for the rather smutty, Carry On, double entendre, innuendo title for this feature. Can any of you constant readers think of a better title? But I am quite obviously talking about the 12-inch vinyl single. This series is now a playlist of my favourite 12-inch singles and remixes, many of which I used to own on vinyl. There are five songs so far and as they are extended versions that is more than 40 minutes of music! So far we have had “Do What You Wanna Do” by T-Connection from 1977, “Everybody’s Singin’ Love Songs” by Sweet Thunder, and “You + Me = Love” by the Undisputed Truth, Freeez with an 8-minute take on their huge hit “I.O.U.” from 1983. Now it is the turn of French musical genius Cerrone with a potent mix of his 1977 hit “Supernature” clocking in at just under 10 minutes. The lyrics were written by a young, but originally uncredited, Lene Lovich, and were based on the H.G. Wells novel ‘The Island Of Dr. Moreau’.

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