I repeat my humblest of apologies to the creators of the iconic NOW music compilation series of tri-annual releases. Their compilations began in 1983. I posted and compiled the first WOW That’s What I Call Mayhem collection back in March 2024. Volumes 2, 3 and 4 followed in August and September. Volume 5 was was issued in January this year with Volume 6 appearing very soon after in February! So after a few months wait you must be ready for volume 7, right? I certainly hope so, because here it is! This includes the third 20 singles we reviewed in 2025 in another wonderfully maniacal eclectic playlist for your listening pleasure! With 76 minutes of music, click the Spotify link below and lose yourself in the music!
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Here is the Mayhem chart for April 2025, rather tardy I know, but better late than never right? Regular readers know the chart is based on my streaming listening habits. These are gathered over the last month by obscurify.com. My taste in music remains 99% more obscure than the rest of the UK! The chart remains contemporary-ish (but if a classic artist releases something new they might feature in the chart). However, last month’s top three “Legacy” artists were David Bowie, Max Romeo and the Isley Brothers. Obscurify also suggests the most obscure artists I have listened to for March and they are Liz Davinci, Dead Rat Society and Kindelan. Bowie, Liz Davinci and Kindelan have retained their positions from last month.
Millie Manders and the Shutup are the top artist for April’ up from number three in March . Millie and the gang are the only artist in the artist chart remaining from last month. The artist chart, I am pleased to say, is made up of 70% female or female fronted acts. These include Lexi Jones, Emma-Jean Thackray, Litany, Greentea Peng and the amazingly talented abs! Three artists feature in both the artist chart and the song chart; Cassyette (7 – artist, 2 – song), Dead Rat Society (4 – artist, 4 – song) and Apollo Junction (10 – artist, 5 – song). One of Mayhem’s favourite bands tops the song chart with cracking current single “Take Down”, yes it is one of York’s finest bands, Lost Trends! So without further ado here are those charts in full! Click on the Spotify link below to listen to the famous (or infamous) five! Nearly fifteen minutes of great music!
Mayhem Artist Chart April 2025
1 Millie Manders and the Shutup 2 Abs 3 Lexi Jones 4 Dead Rat Society 5 Greentea Peng 6 Litany 7 Cassyette 8 James and the Cold Gun 9 Emma-Jean Thackray 10 Apollo Junction
Mayhem Song Chart April 2025
1 Take Down – Lost Trends 2 This World Fucking Sucks – Cassyette 3 Elephant – Neckbreakers 4 The Night – Dead Rat Society 5 Settle Down – Apollo Junction
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Apollo Junction seem to have an ability to up the ante with every release and there new single takes their talents up yet another notch. “Settle Down” is dripping with humongous hooks and pumped with pop passion. The AP lads are joined on this song by Briana Corrigan, formerly of the Beautiful South and a wonderfully talented solo artist. The band are extremely proud that Briana chose to sing on the song. The track has a slightly gentler feel than some of their more recent releases and is the vanguard of their next album which is due out this summer. In my view the song ponders a nostalgic reminiscence of a sunny sky blue past we remember but will never get back. For me this is accentuated with lyrics like “Here’s a thought are we ever gonna get away. In this town faces never change. We were born to streets that already knew our name“. That last line really resonates with my memories of my own early life. You need this track in your life!
Jamie, the band’s lead singer had this to say about the tune “This song means so much to us as a band and we feel it really shows a brand new side to what we can do, having Briana’s voice on it was something that we suggested very early on, but never imaged that we would make that happen! She sounds incredible on it and we are very very grateful to her for choosing to sing with us“. Briana also had something to say about the new release ““Settle Down” is a song that I just had to sing on, I travelled from Ireland over to the band’s studio in Yorkshire and we spent a wonderful day together recording and hanging out. I am a big fan and firmly believe that this song and the album they (Apollo Junction) are making is something very special. I am sure that my fanbase and theirs will really love what we have done together“. This has certainly raised excitement levels for the new album for me, how about you?
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I send my continued humble apologies to the creators of the iconic NOW series. Their compilations began in 1983. I posted and compiled the first WOW That’s What I Call Mayhem collection back in March 2024. Volumes 2, 3 and 4 followed in August and September. So you must be ready for volume 5, right? I certainly hope so, because here it is! This includes the last 20 singles we reviewed in 2024 in another maniacal eclectic playlist for your listening pleasure! With nearly 70 minutes of music, click the Spotify link below and lose yourself in the music!
Every step that Apollo Junction takes seems to take them two steps forward, and the new single “Falling” is no exception. It is an anthemic masterpiece perfectly suited to drift across festival fields and draw more new fans into the Apollo Junction family. “Falling” is sublime pop with some orchestrations and riffs that might have been crafted in rock heaven. There are shades of U2 vocally in the underlying guitar sounds, but these boys are not copyists, they are truly original! I love this band, and I love this track. The video, filmed at the Piece Hall in Halifax is rather good too! If you haven’t got Apollo Junction in your life yet then what the hell is keeping you?
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Here comes the fifth Mayhem Singles Round-Up for 2023, it includes eleven songs that have been passed on to me or recommended during the previous few weeks and months, there are some really brilliant tracks. It features four acts that have appeared on Mayhem’s pages before. Three of those bands are from Yorkshire, and I think one of the new to Mayhem artists is too. Let me know what you think of this great collection of tunes! You will find a YouTube link to each song in the title (or a link to the audio of the track) and a link to the artist’s website or one of their social media pages when you click the artist’s name. You can also find the link to a Spotify playlist of all these songs by clicking here.
Perhaps their rockiest track to date and it makes me even more excited for the new album. Harmonies and hooks made in heaven and a chorus that hangs out in your head for ages.
Who would have guessed that such a stunning band would arise from the ashes of the Receivers, but Pennine Suite have released an absolute classic of a tune with “M.O.W.O.” I can’t wait to hear this at a gig. It has screaming guitars, magnificent vocals, and wonderfully weird keys at the intro and outro. I bloody love this song!
This is a song that I discovered by a great alignment of chance, my wife was out walking our dog Ziggy along the River Foss close to where we live in York and came across Janita filming a music video, for this very song! It is a fabulous slice of modern R&B with magnificent pop sensibilities and a touch of early Joan Armatrading. I know absolutely nothing about Janita, other than she is a great singer and this is a fabulous tune!
This lot aren’t big on writing bios for their socials, this is probably because they focus more on creating fantastic dark pop-rock songs with an old-school emo vein just like this.
Monad is Tel Aviv musician Eshchar Nachmany and with this track, he has unleashed a rock-tinged slab of almost manic EDM. I bloody love this, especially the gorgeous orchestral overtones.
This is a jaunty, poppy, and yet dark break-up song, following hot on the heels of the rather fantastic “Keep Her”. One listen and I was hooked, after the second listen I was addicted! Erin’s album is out later this month and I reckon it will be bloody good!
Fred is the former guitarist/ keyboard player from Noah and the Whale and with this tune, he shows he has a knack for producing great music. It has a sad, lament style, a 70s US West Coast vibe, and is simply a stunningly good rock ballad.
I am quite a fan of Kunt and the Gang and all their associated outlets; the Kunts, Krown Jewels, and others. Now that Aussie Paedo Rolf Harris is dead, why not celebrate with this wonderfully irreverent little ditty from Kunt and the Gang. If you are easily offended perhaps don’t play it. If you are a Rolf Harris fan, can I simply ask what the fuck are you doing here?
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I think it’s time for another Mayhem singles round-up, don’t you? Here comes the fourth for 2023, it includes a baker’s dozen of tunes that have been passed on to me or recommended during the previous few weeks and months, there are some rather spiffing tracks.
It features many artists and bands that have appeared on Mayhem’s pages before. There are also four great cover versions in this collection. There are new tracks from Avalanche Party, Apollo Junction, Vaquelin and Liz Davinci who I think all have new albums coming out sometime this year. Judging from their latest offerings, choosing Mayhem’s album of the year for 2023 will be very difficult! Let me know what you think of this great collection of tunes!
You will find a YouTube link to each song in the title (or a link to the audio of the track) and a link to the artist’s website or one of their social media pages when you click the artist’s name. You can also find the link to a Spotify playlist of all these songs by clicking here.
Ain’t no party like an Avalanche Party and the AP boys are back with what is most definitely a tune for partying to. You probably wouldn’t play this at a work event! I sense an Amazing Snakeheads influence in this fast-paced, frenzied, frenetic, funky, feral, fest of a song. The band all seem to be in top form, especially Kane’s drumming. This is the first single from their upcoming sophomore album, ‘Der Traum Über Alles’. The video is very classy indeed.
The Apollo Junction lads are back with another offering that will feature on their third album, due out later this year. For the first minute, it is soft, acoustic, mellow, and pensive. Then the sound continues to build with an almost drone-like guitar sound underpinning it. It finally builds to an immense orchestral-sounding, epic finish. The harmonies are superb and I can imagine this sound echoing across festival fields for years to come. Possibly my favourite Apollo Junction song so far.
This is a fine slab of fuzzy, dirty, electric blues. If you are not doing the Grayston Boogie by the end of the track then frankly you should seek medical help. The video has a few fleeting tips as to how to boogie in a Grayston way!
A brave choice to cover this one. No one could ever hope to emulate the original Amy Winehouse, so the Palava choose to take the song in a different direction. An immaculate blues rock vocal and some gritty, scuzzy garage rock style guitars. I have seen the band play this live and they do it well, but this recording is so very much better than that! I bloody love it!
This bunch is from Adelaide, Australia and this track is reminiscent of the softer side of Blink 182. It is a close-to-perfect amalgam of great pop punk and emo. A heartfelt tale of heartbreak. I am looking forward to hearing more from Sad Like You.
Is Liz Davinci descended from Leonardo? I don’t know, but she is certainly an incredibly talented artist. Vocally there are elements of Kate Bush, Suzanne Vega, and Marcella Detroit here. This tune is beautiful and almost baroque in its construction. I love the way that Liz is not afraid to use the space between the notes. This augers well for her forthcoming album ‘Fata Morgana’.
This is the second cover in this singles selection (there will be more) and it does what I think makes a perfect cover in that it isn’t a simple facsimile of the original. This is the first track to be released from the Easy All Stars forthcoming album of a reggae reimagining of Bowie’s ‘The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars’ album. This one works perfectly and bodes well for the album. The Dame’s rarely touched reggae, and when he did it was never particularly good in my opinion. But Easy All Stars with Steel Pulse show with absolute certainty that Bowie can work in a reggae style.
We have another cover in the singles round up. This time it is smoky, heavy, swampy, garage rock version on Nina Simone’s iconic classic “Feelin’ Good”. For me this version takes back ownership of the song from Muse after Matt Bellamy’s somewhat histrionic and over-the-top take on the tune from a few years ago.
Witch Of The East return with a fabulous new song. This is punk, post punk, electro, dance with a goth icing and a pinch of New Order. Based on this, if there is another Witch Of The East album in development it will be bloody wonderful.
Get into this band now, then when they break big you can impress your mates by saying you were there at the start. This song is full on rock with large shots of Yard Act and Sleaford Mods and a shady undercurrent of mounting anger. Go see them live as soon as you can!
Gemma, Danny and Aaron return with a stonking cover of Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game”. It feels like the Velvet Underground made the song originally back in the 60s and then Isaak covered it in 1989. OK, I know that isn’t true, right? This must be top of the list to be on the Twin Peaks soundtrack if there is ever another remake, prequel or sequel. I love that in the blurb to the video on YouTube the band state “Dear lovers, snoggers and nighttime doggers. We’ve recorded a cover of one of our favourites in light of the smoooochin’ season” that cracked me up, well the nighttime doggers bit anyway!
Another banging tune from Vaquelin, it kicks off like Led Zeppelin on Quaaludes and the vocals are classic 70s rock style with a dash of Bowie’s Tin Machine Style. The screaming lead guitar, particularly in the last part of the track is something Mick Ronson would be proud of. The second album from Vaquelin looks like it will be better than the first based on this tune!
The Undercover Hippy is an expert at protest tunes, because it is done in a very clever and subtle way. The reggae backing has shades of another great band, Captain Ska. This song questions the greed and or incompetence of our less than industrious leaders. We need more artists like this calling out the scummy liars in government.
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It has been way too long since our last singles round-up. So here is the first for 2023, it includes twelve songs that have been passed on to me or recommended during the previous few weeks and months, there are some really classy tracks here. This is quite a Yorkshire-centric list, but I have lived in Yorkshire since 2007, so why not? Let me know what you think of them! You will find a YouTube link to each song in the title and a link to the artists website or Spotify page if you click the artist name. You can also find the link to a Spotify playlist of all these songs by clicking here.
Feeling down? Feeling blue? I know exactly what you need to do! Just listen to “Chu Chi Face” by the frankly incomparable and obscenely talented Madam Misfit. This tune is a 21st Century (or 19th Century) take on the song originally featured in the 60s children’s classic film ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang‘. Madam Misfit does her Electro Swing Thing with it and takes it to another funderful dimension. Watch the video and if you are not smiling by the end of it get your face muscles looked at. The only gripe I have is the dunking of chocolate covered biscuits……why?
This has the feel of a classy chilled 80s synth track with a real 21st Century vibe. For me, this is HoneyTrap’s finest song to date. It was released as a single last year and is now a part of their recently released EP, ‘Fenêtre Forming’
York’s Pennine Suite are back with yet another great single. The way Nick and Louise’s vocals intertwine make this song linger in your head for ages, and I do mean that in a good way. If Bananarama did perfect jangly indie songs, this would be one of them.
I love bands that produce great music and seem to get better with every release. This bodes incredibly well for album number three from one of Leeds’s finest bands. Instrumentally the band is on fire and Jamie’s vocal pulls out all the stops. This has left me dreaming of the finest alternative 80s hits!
Possibly the hookiest, catchiest rock song in ages. I love all the “whoa whoa” backing vocals. Expect to hear your postman whistling this tune! If you love this, and why wouldn’t you, check out the earlier release “Fun When You’re Winning“
Those Vaquelin boys are back with a really bluesy slab of classic rock. It has some softer-sounding moments, but even they have razor-sharp edges. The riffage is ace and can I hear strings low down in the mix or is that treated guitar. Album number two will be something very special indeed!
This is the latest release from Kindelan, following hot on the heels of the rather splendid, “The Other Side”, these tracks will eventually form an EP. “Hazel Frustration” is a song of relationships and heartbreak, Kindelan styles it in a wonderfully softer modern R & B style. I have been a fan for quite a while and she continues to get better with each release.
What a fabulous slice of heavy rock this is, filled with gargantuan riffs and softer moments that evoke the less hard side of Led Zeppelin. The vocals are outstanding.
This opens like a skilful take on peak New Order and moves on to draw on the likes of OMD and Eccho and the Bunnymen. A tremendously good pop scented rock track which is so joyful to listen to.
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Firstly, and if you saw my post from 3rd November you will know that this lack of posting is not through general laziness! So onto those Apollo Junction lads! Following on from the rather excellent pub crawl at the end of last year one of 2022’s highlights from Apollo Junction was to play in the highest pub in England, the Tan Hill Inn at Richmond, Yorkshire. The ticket price included a coach from Leeds, an acoustic set and an electric set, and a rather nifty commemorative t-shirt. On top of that, we will also receive a live CD of the event too. I love what Apollo Junction do, yes they make great music and they are becoming a stunningly good live act. But they also challenge the norm by doing gigs like this one in the Tan Hill Inn. As I write this they are also scheduled to play a set at a haunted house in Derbyshire in November!
The acoustic set was wonderfully intimate with the Apollo Junction fan family lapping up every part of it. The highlights for me were the acoustic take of “On The Ropes” where the boys threw in a snatch of the 70s classic “A Horse With No Name”. The band also does a section where each member gets a chance to sing and play a brief excerpt from one of their favourite songs. So we were treated to snippets of David Bowie, Bob Marley, and the Pogues to name just a few. The boys premiered two new songs, one of which will already be available by the time you read this, it is called “Perfect Plan” and you will hear a bit more about that if you continue reading. The acoustic set ended with a fabulous sing-along of the James 90s classic, “Sit Down”. Incidentally, fact fans, while the song was a big hit in 1991 the original was released in 1989!
The full electric set in the evening was truly spectacular and featured all the great songs, frankly, this band doesn’t have any poor songs. “Two Car Family” was magnificent. We also had the privilege of being part of the filming for the video for the new single “Perfect Plan” which is an absolute belter of a tune and suggests that the new album may even top last year’s ‘All In’. The boys mimed through “Perfect Plan” twice while we were a fully fired up and excited audience, but that would have been the case whether this was being filmed or not. I have not been to see Apollo Junction yet where the crowd was less than mega-excited. I was going to describe Apollo Junction after these two excellent sets as a band on top of their game and they are, however, I still think they will continue to get better and better and the new album, which hopefully will be with us early in 2023 will be something very special. It will probably be among the contenders for Mayhem’s album of the year 2023! I always leave an Apollo Junction show very happy and with a huge smile and I know many others in the AP fan family are the same!
All photos and the T-Shirt design are the work of the wonderfully talented Justin Leeming
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There has been a lack of posting lately on With Just A Hint Of Mayhem, although I don’t like to post personal stuff here. Well very rarely anyway. This lack of posting is because I have been trying to build back my mental health resilience, I have been suffering from anxiety and panic attacks. It has been a tough few months, but honestly, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I am pretty sure it isn’t a train coming in the other direction! Regular service will be resumed at some point, but in the meantime look out for a glut of reviews from the last few weeks, including; Apollo Junction, Delilah Bon, Tankus the Henge, Bodega, Millie Manders and the Shut Up, Live At Leeds and Woman to Woman (featuring Judy Tzuke, Beverly Craven, Julia Fordham, and Rumer). On top of that, there will be a Delilah Bon interview, but sadly a transcription as the audio didn’t record well. Other reviews and a catch-up of the Mayhem song and artist charts will also be posted soon for September and October. This post is accompanied by my favourite song ever, as it always helps me through bad times and adds light in a dark place! Remember, it really is ok to be not ok. If you are suffering please make sure you talk to someone.
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With Just A Hint Of Mayhem 