ALT BLK ERA are going stratospheric with epic headline shows and a support slot with Tom Morello. On top of that, they have fired up the solid fuel boosters and released their best single so far. “My Drummer’s Girlfriend” is full of pop-driven punk licks and a gorgeous vocal delivery which reminds me of the Tuts and Kate Nash. Those riffs are mesmeric and stitch their way into your brain easily. I am not sure I am a fan of the potentially insane, drug-fuelled titular girlfriend in this story, but I am a huge fan of this infectious, electric firecracker of a tune from the magical and magnificent ALT BLK ERA.
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Here is the Mayhem chart for December 2023. Regular readers will know the chart is based on my Spotify listening habits over the last month. The chart remains contemporary-ish, rather than just an oldies chart However, the top three “Legacy” artists are Elvis Costello, Kate Bush, and Bobby Darin, and surprisingly David Bowie is not in the top 3. There is a top ten artists chart and a top 5 songs chart. There is the usual eclectic mix of artists, including three who were in the top ten last month (ALT BLK ERA, Delilah Bon, and tiLLie). In fact, this is now the fifth month in a row that ALT BLK ERA has featured in the artist’s top ten. Only two of the top five songs are by artists which feature in the top ten artist chart. Those two are Rebecca Ferguson and Jazmin Bean. girli and UGLY CLUB remain in the song top five from last month with UGLY CLUB moving up from 5 to 2 and girli moving from 3 to the summit! In case you are interested the top three Christmas tunes for December were “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” by Darlene Love, “Christmas Time (Don’t Let The Bells End)” by the Darkness, and “Proper Christmas” by the Krackpots. So without further ado here are those charts! Click on the header of the song chart for the playlist on Spotify.
MAYHEM ARTIST CHART DECEMBER 2023
1 Jazmin Bean 2 Rebecca Ferguson 3 Poppy 4 100 gecs 5 Yussef Dayes 6 tiLLie 7 HANDSHAKE IN SPACE 8 Scott Bradlee’s Post-Modern Jukebox 9 Delilah Bon 10 ALT BLK ERA
MAYHEM SONG CHART DECEMBER 2023
1 Nothing Hurts Like A Girl – girli 2 What’s Wrong – UGLY CLUB 3 Digging For Gold – Rebecca Ferguson 4 Terrified – Jazmin Bean 5 SAOKO – Rosalía
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Well, here we are at the end of our journey through Mayhem’s 12 Days Of Christmas for 2023. Regular readers will know that this year I have used the series to showcase artists featured in Spotify’s Misfits 2.0 playlist. Some of them I discovered via Misfits 2.0, others I was already a huge fan of. Today’s post features the obscenely talented Delilah Bon, probably my favourite living artist. Since “Devil” in July 2020 she has released some stunning songs plus a great EP, ‘Ready To Kill’ and a self-titled debut album that blew away the competition in 2021. I believe that we might see her sophomore album in 2024, I certainly hope so.
Delilah Bon is the alter ego of Lauren Tate of Hands Off Gretel. In her approach to life, her attitude, and especially her music she stands up for women and girls and the whole LGBTQ+ community and frankly she is an inspirational icon for anyone who dares to be different. She has had a great year with a trio of classic singles, “I Wish A Bitch Would”, “Brat” and the magnificent “Witch”. She enlisted the help of ALT BLK ERA on the latter, another act that featured in this year’s 12 Days of Christmas posts. In addition, I have also showcased WARGASM, Royal and the Serpent, Poppy, Girli, tiLLie, 100 gecs, Casseyette, FKA Rayne, Scene Queen, and Jazmin Bean. Delilah Bon has played some excellent support slots this year for Scene Queen and Shaka Ponk. Earlier this year she performed “War On Women” on French TV’s biggest music programme Taratata. In her music she embraces hip-hop, punk, rap, and metal. If you do not have Delilah Bon in your life yet, why the hell not?
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It is halfway house for this year’s Mayhem’s 12 Days of Christmas series which features artists that I have discovered via Spotify’s Misfits 2.0 playlist or artists that I love who have appeared on it. Day 6 features the magnificent ALT BLK ERA. I heard them for the first time quite a while ago and then had the opportunity to see them headline the BBC Introducing Stage at Leeds Festival in August. I was also honoured to get to interview them at Leeds too. Nyrobi and Chaya, if you’re up for a longer interview in 2024, let me know. ALT BLK ERA have released some stunning singles since 2022 and this culminated in their awesome EP ‘Freak Show’ which came out in September. They also worked on a brilliant collaboration with one of my favourite living artists, Delilah Bon on the monumental track “Witch”. They have recently been nominated for a MOBO award. I believe that ALT BLK ERA has the potential to be huge. Get listening to them now, that’s an order!
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The Mayhem Monthly charts return for the fourth month in a row (I probably need to stop opening with that line soon, right?) Regular readers know the chart is based on my Spotify listening habits over the last month. The chart is still contemporary-ish, or it would be just an oldies chart The top three “Legacy” artists are David Bowie (no surprise there!), Mott The Hoople, and Donny Hathaway. There is a top ten artists chart and a top 5 songs chart. There is the usual eclectic mix of artists including three that were in the top ten last month (ALT BLK ERA, Delilah Bon, and Scene Queen). In fact, this is the fourth month in a row that ALT BLK ERA have featured in the artist top ten. Apart from UGLY CLUB at number five, the top five songs are all by artists that feature in the top ten artist chart. Just like Delilah Bon last month tiLLie does the double, she is at the top of both charts! So without further ado here are those charts! Click on the header of the song chart for the playlist on Spotify.
MAYHEM ARTIST CHART NOVEMBER 2023 1 tiLLie 2 DJ Yoda 3 Scene Queen 4 Billie Marten 5 Rosalía 6 ALT BLK ERA 7 Delilah Bon 8 girli 9 Shaka Ponk 10 Emyln
MAYHEM SONG CHART NOVEMBER 2023 1 bLeSs uR hEaRt – tiLLie 2 I Can’t Get My Head Around You (Audiotree Live Version)- Billie Marten 3 Nothing Hurts Like A Girl – girli 4 Witch – Delilah Bon featuring ALT BLK ERA 5 What’s Wrong – UGLY CLUB
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The Mayhem Monthly charts return for the third month in a row. Regular readers know the chart is based on my Spotify listening habits over the last month. The chart remains contemporaryish, otherwise, it might be filled with classic artists all the time and that would be boring, right? The top three “Legacy” artists are David Bowie, Nick Drake, and Sam Cooke. There is a top ten artists chart and a top 5 songs chart. As expected there is quite an eclectic mix of artists including two that were in the top ten last month (ALT BLK ERA and Ren). In fact this is the third month in a row that ALT BLK ERA have featured in the artist top ten. The top five songs features three artists who also appear in the artist top ten, that is the Delilah Bon, ALT BLK ERA and Black Pumas. Delilah Bon does the double, she is at the top of both charts, with excellent support from ALT BLK ERA! So without further ado here are those charts! Click on the header of the song chart for the playlist on Spotify.
MAYHEM ARTIST CHART OCTOBER 2023 1Delilah Bon 2 DJ Shadow 3 The Streets 4 Ren 5 ALT BLK ERA 6 Poppy 7 Ashnikko 8 Scene Queen 9 Wargasm 10 Black Pumas
MAYHEM SONG CHART OCTOBER 2023 1 Witch – Delilah Bon featuring ALT BLK ERA 2 Last Train To Selby – PERCY 3 Alive – The Apocalypse Disco 4 More Than A Love Song – Black Pumas 5 Your Mind’s Closed – Offbeat
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The release of a new Delilah Bon track is always a big event for me. Delilah Bon (super alter ego of Lauren Tate) is by far one of the world’s most talented and passionate performers today. The new song is “Witch” and it stems from Delilah researching the Salem Witch Trials some months ago. After a few listens, it feels like a song that parallels the infamous witch trials with the misogyny that is so prevalent today. The power, anger, and passion are full-on and that is one of the things that makes it such a great track. Can this be the springboard to burning misogyny at the stake and heating things up so much that the glass ceiling will start to melt? Let’s hope so. Delilah Bon is at her very best here and this, in my opinion, is her best single to date. I have said that before and every time she throws something even better to the world. Not only is Delilah at peak performance but she is supported by none other than the rather amazing ALT BLK ERA. If ever a match was made in music heaven it is this one. Get “Witch” in your ears and on your playlists now! Tell your mates, everyone needs to listen to this.
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The Mayhem Monthly charts return for a second month. Regular readers know the chart is based on my Spotify listening habits over the last month. But I have kept it to contemporary/ contemporaryish artists. The top three “Legacy” artists are David Bowie, Paul Simon, and the Clash. There is a top ten artists chart and a top 5 songs chart. As expected there is quite an eclectic mix of artists including three that were in the top ten last month (ALT BLK ERA, Ren, and Anchor Lane). The top five songs features just one artist that also appears in the artist top ten, that is the Lambrini Girls who sit at the top of both charts this month! So without further ado here are those charts! Click on the header of the song chart for the playlist on Spotify.
MAYHEM ARTIST CHART SEPTEMBER 2023 1Lambrini Girls 2 Bleach Lab 3 Slayyyter 4 Taylor Acorn 5 Stuart Pearce 6 ALT BLK ERA 7 Ren 8 Anchor Lane 9 Hawksley Workman 10 Fall Out Boy
MAYHEM SONG CHART SEPTEMBER 2023 1 Boys In The Band – Lambrini Girls 2 Ripples In The Ether (Live) – Public Service Broadcasting 3 Perfect Picture – Hannah Diamond 4 Choices – Tennessee Holy Water 5 What Did I Say – Fendry
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Nottingham sisters Nyrobi and Chya a.k.a. ALT BLK ERA are rapidly becoming Mayhem favourites. This follows them being included in the Mayhem Virgins series, a review of their incredible BBC Introducing Stage headline set at this year’s Leeds Festival, a brief interview with them in a noisy press tent at Leeds in August, and an appearance in the Mayhem charts. Well in amongst all that action, they released their first EP, ‘Freak Show’ which contains five stupendous tracks, some of which have been heard before, along with some excellent new stuff. The opener “I’m Normally Like This” has been available for a while and is a sublime anthem for those who dare to be different. This is for all the misfits, the misplaced, the weirdos, and the oddities, We love you all! ALT BLK ERA is the perfect support act for Delilah Bon. Compatible tunes and parallel passion! “Misfits: SOLAR” has been out there a little while too and is another perfect ode to the outcasts and the unaccepted. This is your call to arms, embrace your originality and shout a big FUCK YOU to the world if they don’t accept who you are!
The title track “Freak Show” does exactly what it says on the tin and so much more. It has shades of full-on dark industrial rock, gorgeously twisted vocals, and hooks that stun you into submission and would not be out of place on the soundtrack to a Tim Burton movie. Perhaps a sequel to ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’. The alternative version of the previously mentioned “Misfits”, known as “Misfits: LUNAR” is the synth and string-laden take of the tune which oozes Gary Numan’s darkest moments and achieves a stygian dark mood that Trent Reznor would be proud of. The EP closes with “Oggy” which on paper should not really work, but on record, it is petrifying in its horrific, twisted beauty. As a live track, it is unsurpassable. That “oggy oggy oggy” chant possibly originates from Devonian Tin-miners’ wives or pasty sellers who apparently shouted it to their men, mostly miners. The firm response from any hungry miner was allegedly “Oi Oi Oi”. Is there a merch opportunity for ALT BLK ERA pasties? Maybe not, but pastry-covered meat treats aside, this is a monumentally fucking awesome EP. ALT BLK ERA has the potential to become planet-straddling huge rock stars!
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After a long sabbatical, the Mayhem Monthly charts are back, in a slightly revamped form. As regular readers will know, the chart is based on my Spotify listening habits over the last month. But I have kept it to contemporary artists. The top three “Legacy” artists are David Bowie, George Michael, and Alice Cooper. There is a top ten artists chart and a top 5 songs chart. As expected there is quite an eclectic mix of artists including five that I saw at the Leeds Festival last weekend. The top five songs are all by artists that feature in the artist top ten, including four that I saw at Leeds Festival. The two acts at the top have never appeared in previous incarnations of the chart. The number one artist is AL BLK ERA and the number one song was “How Will I Know” by the Amazons. So without further fuss here are those charts! Click on the header of the song chart for the playlist on Spotify.
MAYHEM ARTIST CHART AUGUST 2023 1ALT BLK ERA 2 The Amazons 3 AP Tobler 4 Mothica 5 Ren 6 The Streets 7 Anchor Lane 8 Public Image Limited 9 Antony Szmierek 10 Part Bat
MAYHEM SONG CHART AUGUST 2023 1 How Will I Know? – The Amazons 2 Misfits: SOLAR – ALT BLK ERA 3 The Words To Auld Lang Syne – Antony Szmierek 4 Sleepwalk – Mothica 5 Too Much Yayo – The Streets
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