With Just A Hint Of Mayhem

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

Erotic Secrets Of Pompeii – Fulford Arms, York – Thursday 9th March 2023 March 19, 2023

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 10:42 pm
Tags: , , , , ,

This was another show from the Northern Radar stalwart Simon Pattinson, he has never let me down with any of the lineups he has created so far. Would this gig be the first letdown? Read on to find out good people. First up was one of York’s finest young bands, City Snakes (look out for an interview with them here very soon). They were a relatively last-minute addition to the bill after the mighty Sun King had to drop out due to illness. and I have seen them in that position before. It never deters them in the slightest and I always feel that they play every gig as if they were headliners and they always look like they are having megatons of fun. This was an incendiary set to kick off the proceedings at the marvellous Fulford Arms. City Snakes get better every time that I see them. The rhythm section could be parachuted into the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and I think it would be hard to spot the change. “Spin Me Round”, “Paranoia” and “Mayfly” are awesome songs but the new single “Black And White” tops those with its fabulous blues-infused garage punk vibe. Get City Snakes in your life now!

Next, it was the turn of Black Skies, a band who have up to now played just a handful of gigs, although for me they sound like they have been playing together for years. They sound a little grungier, heavier, and probably better than Reef. There are also some slivers of the Spin Doctors in there too. They have some staggeringly good songs, notably “Soul” and “Reason”. Their drummer has all of Dave Grohl’s finest tropes and is clearly a key element of Black Skies’ engine room. One particular highlight in a great set was their smoky, heavy, swampy take on Nina Simone’s “Feelin’ Good”. This version problem took back ownership of the song after Matt Bellamy’s somewhat histrionic and over-the-top take on the tune.

I love the name of headliners Erotic Secrets Of Pompeii and until this gig, I had never heard of or seen them before. How can I tell you exactly what they are like? Well, I will attempt to do that by borrowing one of Rod Serling’s opening narrations from the original Twilight Zone TV series. “You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension – a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You’re moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You’ve just crossed over into the Twilight Zone“. Believe me, that sums up this great band really well. Imagine a laboratory that stores the DNA of thousands of rock stars. A lab assistant, unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, spills the vials containing Jim Morrison, Richard Jobson, Gary Numan, and Ian Curtis. The cleaner then accidentally blends them all in the dustpan and creates the Erotic Secrets Of Pompeii frontman. The band behind him could be a reincarnation of Bowie’s Isolar 2 touring band from 1978 but with Robert Fripp and Tom Verlaine added on guitar. Erotic Secrets Of Pompeii are a truly and wonderfully different band and one that is perfect for this century and this sad, mad world that we live in.

If you have enjoyed this article feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

EMail

Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch.

 

Mayhem Singles Round Up Part 3 2023 March 4, 2023

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 12:55 pm
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

You wait ages for a Mayhem singles round-up and then three arrive in just over two weeks! Here is the third for 2023, it includes a massive fourteen songs that have been passed on to me or recommended during the previous few weeks and months, there are some amazing tracks. It features three bands that have appeared on Mayhem’s pages before. All three are from York, proving that the music scene in my fabulous adopted city is thriving. 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.

“Rebellion” – Skylights

The angriest track yet from York’s Skylights, also perhaps their punkiest song to date. So it is their punkiest yet, and their angriest yet, but is it their best yet? I certainly believe it is! A band firing on all cylinders and absolutely on fire! Turnbull’s guitar work on “Rebellion” is sensational!

“Black And White” – City Snakes

These lads are taking the fast track from a good band to a great band. This is an incredibly accomplished tune and it is superbly produced. Bass, guitar, drums, and most definitely vocals are turned up to 11. A great tip of the hat to classic rock. You need to see this band live.

“Jackie The Know It All” – The Corsairs

This is the follow-up to last year’s classy single “B-Side” and it is a tune that sticks with you. It has shades of everything from the Kooks, the Pigeon Detectives, the Arctic Monkeys, and classic UK post-punk. All of that is rolled up with a first-class pop sensibility

“Soda & Lime” – Jonny Payne & The Thunder

This sounds like a classic US west coast song, but Jonny is based in Oxford in the UK. If you want a song that will make you feel good and have you singing along then put “Soda & Lime” on repeat. This will be added to my summer barbecue playlist.

“Time To Rest” – Juniper Nights

Soft acoustic style rock reminiscent of Travis at their peak. It has some dark jangly indie guitar but for me what really makes the track is the vocal performance, especially the harmonies.

“Talk To Me” – Fellow Robot

This lot is all the way from Long Beach, California. They claim to have started creating music to bring the character Fellow Robot to life through music. Fellow Robot is a 140-year-old robot who is the main character from the WIP novel ‘The Robot’s Guide to Music’ written by frontman Anthony Pedroza. I am more than happy to listen to fine rock music like this from a great band while I wait for the book to arrive. Their album is due in May and on the strength of “Talk To Me” it is definitely one to look forward to.

“After Midnight” – Ryan Brown

Ryan Brown is an abundantly talented teenage singer-songwriter from the USA. “After Midnight” is a hopeful pop song for these dark times and would give Taylor Swift a run for her money. Her backing harmonies and counterpoint vocals are haunting and add some real depth to a great tune.

“Harder Now (For Love)” – Senses

A great rumble of a tune, Senses from Coventry have aced it with this single. A bit 21st Century Small Faces with some Paul Weller thrown in, this is damned good.

“I Need You Tonight” – Short Wave Craft

A multilayered beauty of a tune with some excellent samples. If you like Moby, Portishead, Air, and others like that you will absolutely love this close-to-perfect track put together by Dominic Owen and Tom Carr. I could listen to this for hours, and I probably will.

“Made Me Happy” – Wesson

Some might say that not much great music has come out of Milton Keynes, if they do then point them straight to Wesson. This tune starts out like a 60s psych-folk track a la Traffic. But then it moves into a magnificent pop-rock song which sometimes has a hint of the 1970s Scottish band Pilot, particularly the guitar sound. The video, inspired by ‘Tron’ is fun too. <EDITOR – If any other Milton Keynes bands would like some coverage, do give us a shout. I am sure we could be wrong about MK music!>

“Outside Of Town” – M. Byrd

German singer-songwriter knows his way around a beautiful melody and some often dark lyrics, but there is a hopeful side to this track too. The song is about someone having to flee a war with their daughter. I can picture myself meditating life to this song, maybe while drinking a cold beer.

“Wendy” – Holly Henderson

This has a 60s girl group vibe and vocals that Rumer would be proud of. The instrumentation is classy and happy to step away at times from simple tones. A song that stays in your mind long after it is over. A real lesson in how to produce an uplifting and sometimes sad song. I will be playing Holly’s new album ‘The Walls’ now I think.

“Villain” – Alexa Dark

Alexa is Spanish/ American and was raised between Barcelona, Munich, London, Paris, and NYC. The influences from all of those places are apparent in this song which is expansive and cinematic, in both scope and ambition. “Villain” is more than worthy of being a Bond theme.

“Lost It” – Hanna Ögonsten

Swede Hanna Ögonsten’s Spotify bio says “I’m glad you found your way to my silly little music universe in this big cyberspace! Here you’ll find reflections and memories of mine dressed up in danceable alt-pop beats”. I think she is much better than silly and little, her universe is rather big and pretty smart. She is right in describing her work as danceable alt-pop beats though, and “Lost It” is a prime example of a song that is infectiously danceable and memorable. Check out her rather wonderful EP from last year, ‘Bby Boo, Ögonsten & You‘

If you have enjoyed this article feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

EMail

Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch.

 

Battle Of The Bands – Fulford Arms, York February 22, 2023

Filed under: News,Observation,Review — justwilliam1959 @ 7:38 pm
Tags: , , , , ,

The Fulford Arms Battle Of The Bands event for 2022 took place from 26th October to 2nd December last year with four heats followed by the final. The final featured the four heat winners; the White Roses (Heat 1), The Palava (Heat 2), The Rosettas (Heat 3) and City Snakes (Heat 4), and the judge’s wild card, I Tell Lies. It was an absolute honour to have been a judge for this magnificent contest. Obviously, as I was judging the contest I didn’t think it was fair for me to also review it. I would like to say a huge thank you to all my fellow judges and the fabulous team at the Fulford Arms who put the whole thing together. There were plenty of prizes for the winners and I am happy to offer a cheeky little extra prize for all five finalists if you’re interested. So White Roses, Palava, Rosettas, City Snakes and I Tell Lies. If you want to be interviewed by With Just A Hint Of Mayhem give me a shout!

Huge congratulations to the Palava who won on December 2nd last year. There is a video from each of the four heat winners below, including the Palava. Unfortunately, I could not locate a video from I Tell Lies, so click here to check them out on Spotify! The event was so successful that the Fulford Arms Battle Of The Bands for 2023 is even bigger. There will be six heats (the first is on 6th September), three semi-finals, and then the Grand Final on 22nd October. The poster above provides all the dates and details of how to enter. Who is up for it? I will be judging 9 of the 10 shows this time around. It would be great to see your band there, you know what to do! As a brief footnote, I enjoyed the event so much that I was a judge at a Battle Of The Bands contest at a local school, which also happens to be where I work now too!

If you have enjoyed this article feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

EMail

Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch.

 

The Palava – Fulford Arms, York – Saturday 13th August 2022 August 18, 2022

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 8:48 pm
Tags: , , , ,

This was my first gig in August, how did I almost miss the first two weeks? I have no idea but I am glad I came to this one at the fabulous Fulford Arms in York. The Palava were headliners and strangely this was the first time I had seen them, were they any good? You will have to read on to find out because first there were a few support bands. First up was a band with a simple yet brilliant name, Poundlad. They fuse punk, post-punk, and metal. Just when you think they are heading towards something formulative or derivative they surprise you. The members of PoundLad have many talents, the drummer is stunningly good with the energy of Keith Moon and the control of Charlie Watts. I also love the three guitars, no bass, riff assault. How many bands have written a song about a broken banister? Not many is my guess, but PoundLad has and it is damned good. They finished with a mad and manic cover of a Girls Aloud song. A great band indeed!

PoundLad

Next, it was City Snakes who were a late replacement for As Catie Goes. This was the third time that I have seen them and the first time without their ready-made audience of school/ college mates. They stormed it like they were headlining and absolutely smashed it, I reckon the sadly relatively small crowd was easily won over. City Snakes are shaping up to be a truly great British rock band. They have power, volume, an abundance of musical talent, and some great songs. Once again the drummer showed an obscene level of skill with the sticks. The band incorporates punk elements, funk elements (a la Red Hot Chili Peppers), and heavy rock (a la Def Leppard). This is a band that deserves to be huge and if they continue to progress the way they have since I first saw them back in February this year.

City Snakes

The third band to take the stage was Flash Daddy who gave us full-on rock ‘n’ roll all the way from Reims in France. These lads know how to rock and they rocked it fucking hard! There was a touch of Led Zeppelin, especially the Bonhamesque drums, the Black Crowes, the Kinks, and the Strokes. This was a truly magnificent set from a powerhouse of a band. They have some cracking tracks up on Spotify, check them out.

Flash Daddy

Finally, it was time for the Palava who gave us very funky punk with an infusion of 60s psychedelia and a pinch of 90s Indie. This is a supremely tight and well-rehearsed band and they seemed to be loving every moment on stage. The current single “What’s That Sound” is pretty darned good, but in a live environment it doesn’t just blow the cobwebs away, it fucking napalms them. The cover of the Amy Winehouse classic “Back To Black” which under their care became a banging rock anthem. Is there another rock band around that could do that with this song? I don’t think so. After one set from the Palava, I am most definitely a fan!

The Palava

All pictures, except the gig poster, were taken by me using my very cheap Chinese Android phone. The videos were found on YouTube. If the video is yours and you would like a credit or for it to be removed please let me know.

If you have enjoyed this article feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

EMail

Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch.

 

Fully Live Showcase #3 – Fulford Arms, York – Sunday 13th March 2022 March 17, 2022

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 12:12 pm
Tags: , , , , ,

This was the third Fully Live Showcase and I think the first that I have been able to make it to. It was originally scheduled to showcase four bands, but unfortunately New Age Vinyl had to pull out, hopefully, I will get to see them sometime soon. But that still left three bands on the bill, one of which I have seen before, so more of them later. A huge thank you to the Fully Arms team for pulling together such a great showcase! First on stage was Anthea Drive, a great band whose style brings some of the best 70s rock vibes into the 21st Century. Even before the arrival of new vocalist Michelle earlier this year Anthea Drive were very good but now they are stunningly good. Michelle took to the stage around three songs in after the lads had warmed up the crowd nicely. She adds an amazing new dimension and depth to the sound with her soaring voice and powerful stage presence. Michelle confided in me before she took to the stage that she was a little nervous, but that didn’t show at all, she and the band smashed it. The band is very tight and well-rehearsed and Michelle’s voice at times took me back to 70s rock a la Girlschool, Fanny, and even Suzi Quatro. Standouts for me were “Yes, I Want To Be A Ballerina” and the mountainous “Prisoner Of War”. I recommend you catch this band live as soon as you can, you will not be disappointed.

Anthea Drive

Next up was Doghouse Derelicts, I already liked them simply for the name. To be fair they were never going to be in the doghouse and they are most certainly not derelict. With at least three great singers in the band, their vocal harmonies were supremely well put together. At times I was reminded of Little Feat, Ronnie Lane, Free, and maybe the Eagles and I think that eclectic list of bands shows just how talented and versatile Doghouse Derelicts are. They know how to rock, they have soul and are simply a bloody brilliant rock band, I will definitely be looking out for more live shows from them. On top of that, they really seemed to be enjoying themselves too. Dave Budgen and Tim Hutton brought the band together some years ago while playing as part of the magnificent Dub Pistols. On stage, Tim Hutton was referred to as rock royalty and if you check out his cv that is probably true he has worked with so many music legends. Those legends include Afrika Bambaataa, Amy Winehouse, Dexy’s Midnight Runners, Dub Pistols, Fela Kuti, Groove Armada, Lee Perry, Liam Howlett, Mike Skinner, Paul Oakenfold, Professor Green, and Tony Allen to name just a few!

Doghouse Derelicts

The last band on tonight was the rather wonderful City Snakes who I saw for the first time just last month, also at the Fulford Arms. If you could store the energy that these lads (and their hardcore fans) produce I reckon you could light up the city of York for a month. Are City Snakes the solution to the current energy crisis? Possibly! They have shades of the best of British punk and new wave in their sound from the Clash and the Undertones with an extra dollop of US class via the Strokes. They also have a similar approach and swagger to early Arctic Monkeys. I previously described them as having that dirty glam sound that the New York Dolls were so good at, and they have it in buckets! But don’t take the mention of all these bands to mean that I think these boys are copyists, they most definitely are a spectacularly good fuzzed up, punked-up garage band in their own right. The whole band was on form but I want to give a particular shout-out to the rhythm section, they were on fire to an erupting Vesuvius level tonight. City Snakes know how to rock and they know how to party, if seeing them live isn’t on your bucket list then there is something wrong with you! I should mention their fans too, who shorn of t-shirts and with snakes drawn on their backs moshed like their lives depended on it! I don’t want to reduce their street cred, but I met one of the band’s Dads tonight and he is a top bloke and obviously a huge City Snakes fan!

All the photos, apart from the gig poster, were taken using my cheap Chinese Android phone, hence the shady as shit quality! The videos were all found via YouTube. If any of the videos are yours and you would like me to credit you or remove them please let me know.

If you have enjoyed this article feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

EMail

Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch.

 

Rolla/ City Snakes/ Vaquelin – Fulford Arms, York – Thursday 10th February 2022 February 11, 2022

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 5:16 pm
Tags: , , , , ,

Maybe it is that I am ancient, but tonight’s crowd seemed like a youth club crowd. But oh boy were they a brilliant crowd. First up was Vaquelin whose current album is a contender, along with Yard Act, for my album of the year already. The band absolutely stormed it and whether they set out to do this they played their set like they were headliners. Adrian’s vocals were soaring and powerful, do you think he looks a little like Enrique Iglesias? (Asking for a friend). Callum’s guitar playing was comparable with both Mick Ronson and Jimmy Page. How long will it be before he uses a violin bow on his guitar a la Page? Jack smashed his drums like he was possessed by the spirit of John Bonham and you could feel Luca’s bass in your chest. The so-far unreleased “Broken Windows” was incredible and needs to be a single! Vaquelin has a very strong core group of fans and I would like to name them Vaquelinians, Gaga has her Little Monsters so why shouldn’t Vaquelin have a fan family? You need this band in your life.

Next up was Rolla who signed a record deal this week. They are from Manchester, they have Brit Pop style, the lead singer, James Gilmore, wears a parka and sports a Liam Gallagher style haircut. That is how they appeared to me, but what did they sound like? Well the band seemed really tight and well-rehearsed and they do have some great songs, particularly “Sweet Lullaby” and “Show Me”. Gilmore also has the swagger, confidence, and charisma of a great frontman. But for me, they were a bit identikit Oasis. Is the world ready for a new version of the boys from Burnage? I said maybe………

The final band tonight was York’s excellent City Snakes and they were a bit special. Scuzzy garage rock like a punked-up Arctic Monkeys with an added portion of that dirty glam sound that the New York Dolls were so good at. The crowd went mental and created some pretty amazing mosh circles for such a brilliant intimate venue like the Fulford Arms. This is a band that knows how to entertain and they have an innate ability to whip their crowd into a frenzy!

If you have enjoyed this article feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

EMail

Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch.

 

 
%d bloggers like this: