South Londoner Jessica Wilde’s new song “Here Right Now” challenges our enslavement to electronic devices meaning that we miss out on so much that is here right now and in the moment. It is a summery, jazzy, funky tune with elements of P-Funk, Lizzo, and the Average White Band. Her vocal performance is top-drawer and with oodles of class. The song has a hook that just won’t let you go….. ever!
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Sissy Misfit’s “TOY” is a track of dark, industrial. metal dance fusion. A perfect soundtrack for the school goth disco. It is like AI finally gained real intelligence and made a banging, weird, and wonderful song! The tune and the accompanying video explore the underlying darkness of being an object of desire. Sissy Misfit says of the video “It’s all a nod to creation, pop culture, and MTV”. The video has a hint of David Lynch taken into even deeper weirdness and darker darkness. It is the third single released from her forthcoming album ‘EXXXOSKELETON’ due out on 7th June.
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East LA rockers have a spectacularly good new single out, it is called “Pretty Pictures”. It feels like a heavenly slice of chilled power pop magic with great 80s vibes and an emphasis on some opulent, elegant, sumptuous pop. This is a perfect anthem for summer. Singer/guitarist Miguel Angel Estrada says, ““Pretty Pictures” was brought together by scrap compositions and one guitar riff. While I was writing the main guitar riff, I wanted to do something a bit challenging, I was having trouble playing it until I eventually got it down, that’s when I knew I had a good part. I intended this song to be upbeat and poppy, but I think the most interesting part of the song is the second verse which is a completely different vibe giving Spanish lyrics & 80’s synths. The song was brought together beautifully that it quickly became one of the band’s favorite songs.” The video is spectacularly good too. Get this song onto your summer playlists now!
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Leeds-based electronic artist NikNak has shared a new single ‘Pandora’s Box’ via Matthew Herbert’s Accidental Records. The single features British-Jamaican vocalist AGAAMA. It is a chilled drum and bass-style tune that might have emanated from a pure and divine parallel universe. The vocal is like Bjork singing in the sacred halls of Asgard and finding the perfect acoustics. NikNak proudly refers to herself as “a self-proclaimed nerd and advocate for diversity“, now that sits very well with me. Of the song NikNak says “The track is about breaking free from AI, the heaviness of being human, and the conflicts we face with technology. I really love AGAAMA’s voice and have been wanting to work with her for a while now. We spent some time together in the studio, coming up with ideas about the concept and the track’s lyrical content, and listening to Florence and the Machine for inspiration. This is probably the poppiest track I’ve ever made and it was so much fun working with AGAAMA on this.” Get this tune in your ears now and check out NikNak’s new album ‘Ireti’. The video for the track is stunning and evokes some classic sci-fi films and tropes. You can also catch her live;
NikNak Tour Dates:
DJ sets unless otherwise noted
= Ireti live
May 20 – Ireti Bandcamp Listening Party (Join here)
May 23, 24, 25, 26, 28 – Leeds Art Gallery – Inner Ireti immersive installation at Leeds Jazz Festival (DJ set and artist talk at 1pm on May 23)
May 25 – Leeds, Headrow House
May 31st – Birmingham, Centrala,
June 6 – Newcastle, Cobalt Studios *
June 29 – Brighton, Fortune Of War
August 30 – Belgium, Meakusma Festival *
Sept 7 – Utrecht, Gaudemaus Festival
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This is the 24th song in the Play It Again Mayhem series, which began in 2020. Check out the previous entries along with this new one in the Play It Again Mayhem Spotify Playlist click here to take a listen! This is another ’70s song, of which there have been 16 so far. This time it is the turn of “Rock-a-Doodle-Doo” by the late, great, Linda Lewis. It was her first chart hit, reaching number 15 in the UK in 1973. Linda wrote the song and produced it with Jim Cregan who has worked with many artists including Rod Stewart and Steve Harley. Lewis had a five-octave range in her voice and in addition to her own music produced some stunning performances as a backing singer for many artists including; David Bowie, Al Kooper, Cat Stevens, Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel, Rick Wakeman, Rod Stewart, Joan Armatrading and Jamiroquai. Her contribution to Bowie’s “Panic In Detroit” on the ‘Alladin Sane’ album was immeasurable and a major part of the track! In my opinion “Rock-a-Doodle-Doo” is one of rock and pop music’s most overlooked tracks, check it out now people! The song always makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, I still absolutely love it! I recall that I had a huge teenage crush on Linda when this song came out, I would definitely have given up my lunch for her if she had given me the eye!
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Delilah Bon is on fire on her new single, “Evil, Hate Filled Female”. When Alicia Keys sang these lines in “Girl On Fire”; “Looks like a girl, but she’s a flame. So bright, she can burn your eyes. Better look the other way. You can try, but you’ll never forget her name” was she predicting the birth and rise of Delilah Bon? I like to think so! Delilah is an artist that really does get better and better with each release. Just when you think maybe she can equal the last song, she returns and reaches new magnificent heights. In my mind, the new album is already a contender for album of the year, even though I have heard only a handful of songs from it. Delilah has been (and still is) a bad-ass bitch, the devil, a witch, and now she is an evil, hate filled female!
“Evil, Hate Filled Female” is an anthemic metal masterpiece with buckets of punked-up funk underlying it. Some of the drum fills sound like a full-on machine gun attack. Meanwhile, Delilah’s words spit more venom than an Inland Taipan. If Delilah’s anger and passion could be bottled it would power the planet for ages. She unleashes her deepest rock growl on this track and it will scare the living fuck out of misogynists, homophobes, and all haters! The metal riffs are more metal than most metal bands could even hope to achieve. The “la la la” hooks were so obviously created in pop heaven. Some of music in the verses has a warped far-eastern horror film soundtrack feel to it. If you have not yet opened your life up to Delilah Bon, why the fuck not? Listen to her now, become a Bon Bon too, that is an order!
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Brandon Ambrose is a 23-year-old music artist from London. Based on his latest single “Keep Me Breathing” he is very much the tortured artist and most definitely for real. The lyrics deal with his own struggle with addiction and how he finally found redemption. These words are brutally honest and pull no punches. It is a magnificent track and will be played regularly by me in the coming months. Stylistically I sensed some Sam Fender, Jake Bugg, Just Jack and perhaps digging a bit deeper the Red Hot Chilli peppers too. While the subject is dark the song gets into your head via some great hooks and melodies
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I first saw Jah Wobble playing his thunderous bass in the early days of Public Image Ltd at the Rainbow in London on December 26th, 1978. While I have followed his music career and prolific output with great interest I am embarrassed to say that I have not witnessed him in a live environment since then. Well until this Pocklington show. what are more than 45 years among friends right? This was my first visit to the Pocklington Arts Centre and what an awesome venue it is! I had a tiny problem when getting there in that I wasn’t showing on the press list. The staff, and the band, sorted it out in a matter of minutes. The staff were interested and attentive all night and the band sent a message saying thy hoped that I would enjoy the show. Did I enjoy it? Just read on to find out, but regular readers probably already know the answer to that question.
There were two 1 hour sets scheduled with a break/ intermission between them. It is apparent from the off that Wobble is a really witty raconteur as he regaled us with some fabulous tales. If you want proof of just how good a raconteur he is, check out my review of his book here. This was to be his first gig wearing spectacles, he bought said eyewear using a “plan” and spoke about everything (cars, dentists, opticians, etc.) being on a “plan”. He floated an idea of a “plan” for Invaders of the Heart, Fifty grand, and then everything after that is free, seems like a good deal doesn’t it? In opening set 1 Wobble said that there would be no set list, just chaos, a very old-school punk attitude. There were many highlights during that first hour. “Becoming More Like God” was an inspiring, transcendental masterpiece. I love Jah Wobble’s take on older Public Image material. He makes the song “Public Image” his own and follows it with a dub version where the bass can be felt in your chest. Truly spectacular and it retains the sentiment of the original while being so far removed musically. The extended funky jazz jam at the end of “Visions Of You” was stunning. Another old PiL tune, “Poptones” got a stylish introduction with Wobble doing his best Laurence Olivier vibe with the “Now is the winter of our discontent” speech from William Shakespeare’s ‘Richard III’.
Set 2 was another collection of mountainous highlights. “Every Man Is An Island” is an exotic, eastern-flavoured, excursion into the magic of music with the best guitar solo of the night. “The Socialist” was predominantly a funky jazz groove, but with added metal chords. “Careering” veered and careered in a sublime psychedelic direction. In his time Wobble has covered some great film music, “Get Carter” is impeccable and feels cinematic in the way the band plays it. How could anyone not love the dubby version of the Harry J classic “The Liquidator”, that was perhaps one of the best points of the second set for me, but there was some amazing competition. The little skit with Wobble referring to the bass guitar as the lion and therefore the king of the jungle was marvellously entertaining. Then he introduced each member of the band and referred to their instrument’s position in the jungle musical hierarchy. The guitar is the meerkat, the drums are the elephant and the keys are the snake!
What genre are the Invaders of the Heart? Are they post-punk, jazz, funk, groove, spoken word, reggae, dub, punk, world, avant-garde? They are every one of those and so much more. I will definitely not be leaving it 40-plus years before I see John Wardle playing live again. I also plan on returning to the Pocklington Arts Centre very soon!
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Francesca Faye is a talented British singer-songwriter who appears to effortlessly fuse great cloud EDM music with a pop talent that would make the likes of Madonna envious. Her voice oozes soulful emotion on her new single “Come Alive”. The track builds slowly and then kicks up the gears to become an absolutely anthemic dance banger with hooks that refuse to leave you. Get your glow sticks ready people this could be huge. Finally, can we give Francesca Faye a shot at Eurovision, please?
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Everyone knows Napoleon Solo and Han Solo, right? A lot of people also know Joe Solo, the supremely talented folk-punk troubadour, raconteur, agitator, and educator. Although, until very recently I knew hardly anything about Joe Solo until Dan Lucas a.k.a. Boss Caine introduced me to him. I was lucky enough to interview Joe a few weeks ago, click here to check that out. Given all that I thought that I should review his current album ‘Sledgehammer Songs’ which is something like his 20th, yes that is how long it has taken me to find his fabulous music!
The album finds Joe in great form channeling his anger and frustration with the world into song. The collection opens with “This Guitar Refuses To Apologise” which I believe Woody Guthrie would be proud of. “Raise Your Voices And Sing” featuring the People’s Chorus and “A Better Way” featuring the Commoners Choir are stunning and heartfelt songs that make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. The choir voices add a huge level of emotion to each of those tracks. There is a great ode to musical nostalgia called “On A 45” which is perhaps one of the best tunes ever written about the seven-inch 45 rpm record. Joe is supported by some great artists on some of these tunes. Jess Silk, Carol Hodge, and Boss Caine all feature on one song each while Rebekah Findlay appears on seven tracks! Carol adds some great keys and harmony vocals (along with Rebekah Findlay) to the gorgeous “Tie ‘Em To A Brick” a song about dealing with those darker feelings and how to move towards positivity. Boss Caine adds his “Barry White Of Country” (copyright Ginger Wildheart) style to the title track, another song that has support from Rebekah Findlay. All twelve tracks (fifteen if you add the three bonus tracks on the CD release) are perfect, but I still have a favourite, “The Last Miner” which features Rebekah Findlay and the Hatfield Brigade. It is a song about the sunset on the UK mining industry and doing everything possible to keep the sun and the spirit of those people alive. It is full of pathos, hope and so much emotion. The children’s choral voices at the end make it heavenly and ethereal. Get some Joe Solo in your life, you won’t regret it!
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