With Just A Hint Of Mayhem

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

Delilah Bon – The Key Club, Leeds – Friday 15th November 2024 November 17, 2024

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 10:40 pm
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The last time I saw Delilah Bon live was just over two years ago, also at the Key Club in Leeds. In the time since that gig she has achieved so much. Supported Scene Queen and Shaka Ponk, appeared on prime time French TV, played Download, Reading and Leeds Festivals, released her second album (that ought to be in many of the best albums of 2024 lists), collaborated with ALT BLK ERA and so many other things. Delilah Bon really does grow in stature and confidence with everything she does. This show in Leeds was very near the end of a sold out European and UK tour which began in September. Was this gig good? Regular readers will already know the answer to that question. But before I tell you let me talk about the magnificent support act tiLLie.

She is an American artist with a similar presence and attitude to Delilah. tiLLie has made a few appearances in the pages of Mayhem, including reaching number one in the Mayhem Chart a year ago. She describes her music as Nightmare Pop and that is hard to disagree with. Radio 1’s Jack Saunders called tiLLiea maverick artist born from the gates of Hell.” Having heard her and now experienced her live, Jack is clearly spot on! Tonight we were all taken on a wacky, weird, wonderfully wondrous walk through the tiLLieverse and it felt good. She kicked off with an attack on myopic, incel keyboard warriors with “mOmS bAsEmeNt”. Has there ever been a song like “jeLLiefish aPocaLypsE”? I don’t think so and that is why it stands above so many other tracks from her peers. We were also treated to a few more tracks from the ‘tiLLieverse’ EP. But my highlight of the set was “bLeSs uR hEaRt” which blends anger, sarcasm and a powerful take down of the MAGA Christian fundamentalists. You need some tiLLie in your life. She has some great merch too, click here to buy some 🙂

So what was Delilah Bon like? Absolutely on fire is how she was, this was a stunning tour de force of a gig. It is clear that Delilah cares hugely about her followers, fans and every marginalised and abused person in the world. She is a phenomenal champion for the LGBTQ+ community as well. She is in simple terms a wonderful human being. The show started off in a high gear and kept adding more. Early on we got a classic performance of “Grown Ass Men” and “Chiquitita”, the latter dedicated to all the older women. There was a song added to the set that I don’t think has been performed on this tour so far, a towering take on “Homework”. If the audience thought Delilah was playing in top gear, they were blown away for the last part of the set. Brat Punk Riot Grrl rage was in full flow on stage and in the crowd. We were treated to “War On Women”, “Epstein”, “I Wish A Bitch Would” and “Dead Men Don’t Rape”. The latter had everyone in the room screaming the chorus, including this old white bloke. That song has a power that not many songs can handle. “Dead men Don’t Rape” might be a perfect end to a Delilah Bon set, but Delilah knows best, so after that “Evil Hate Filled Female” and “Maverick” truly brought the house down. This wasn’t just a gig, this wasn’t just a show, this was a statement of intent from one of the most talented and passionate artists on the planet right now. Planet Bon Bon is where it’s at, fire your rocket boosters and get here! Delilah Bon has lit a fuse of hope for the lost, forgotten, abused among us, she holds a torch for the disadvantaged and all of those that are simply different. It is up to us to help keep all those flames burning higher, fiercer and stronger.

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The Mayhem Charts – October 2024 November 8, 2024


Here is the Mayhem chart for October 2024. Regular and constant readers know that the chart is based on my Spotify listening habits over the last month gathered by obscurify.com. Apparently, my tastes have fallen one point to 97% 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 Suede, Pink Floyd and David Bowie. Obscurify also suggests the most obscure artists I have listened to for October: Liz Davinci, Kindelan, and Birdlands, weirdly exactly the same three artists as September. 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; Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (staying at number 10), Birdlands (moving up one place from 4 to 3) and Delilah Bon (falling from number 1 to number 8). Delilah has been in the artist charts now for eleven consecutive months. Two artists appear in both lists for October Molly Rymer and the act that is number one in the artist chart, cumgirl8! The number one song is “Nobody Else Knows” by Flyght Club. So without further ado here are those charts in full! Click on the Spotify link below to listen to the famous (or infamous) five!

Mayhem Artist Chart October 2024

1 cumgirl8
2 Cats In Space
3 Birdlands
4 Molly Rymer
5 KOYO
6 Brooke Candy
7 Ice Nine Kills
8 Delilah Bon
9 The Courettes
10 Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Mayhem Song Chart October 2024

1 Nobody Else Knows – Flyght Club
2 Karma Police – cumgirl8
3 Something That Survives – Molly Rymer
4 How Bad – Gilda House
5 Antelope – Lost Trends

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National Album Day 2024 October 19, 2024


I must confess that National Album Day, which has been running for 7 years, has kind of passed me by. I am much more keen on Record Store Day. It feels like just a chance for the major labels to reissue loads of back catalogue under the guise of a special day. Yes, I know there is an element of that on Record Store Day. But RSD is targetted at independent record stores, not the likes of HMV. On top of that releases are generally quite limited which makes the whole day more interesting in my opinion. It seems that not too many independent labels are involved in National Album Day compared to RSD. The theme of the day today, 19th October is British Groups.

Back in 2019, I celebrated the tenth anniversary of With Just A Hint Of Mayhem, and part of that celebration was a list of my top ten favourite albums. I have extended that to a top 25 and ignored the British Groups theme (although my list does include 8 British Groups). These are simply my favourite albums of all time! What are yours?

1 Live At The Lyceum 1975 – Bob Marley and the Wailers – If I had a time machine I would go back to 1975 and be there for this gig. Probably the finest live album ever.
2 Diamond Dogs – David Bowie – My favourite Bowie album changes depending on my mood, but more often than not it is the dystopian tale of Halloween Jack and Hunger City
3 Dog Man Star – Suede – I loved Suede’s first album but this took them to a whole new level. Were they Britpop? If so then they were one of the best Britpop acts by far.
4 The Kick Inside – Kate Bush – Choosing the best Catherine Bush album is very difficult, but I go back to this one regularly.
5 OK Computer – Radiohead – There are still some people out there who don’t like, or maybe don’t get, Radiohead. Why the fuck not? This LP is a work of genius.
6 What’s Going On? – Marvin Gaye – Probably the best protest and message album in history and one which is sadly still very pertinent today
7 Delilah Bon – Delilah Bon – possibly the finest debut album of the century so far
8 The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill – Lauryn Hill – is a great modern R&B record which makes Beyonce look like an amateur
9 The White Room – KLF – dance, trance, chill, weirdness. This has everything. But they should have paid PP Arnold!
10 24 Carat Diamond Trephine – Avalanche Party – Without a doubt, the greatest living UK band right now
11 Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy – Elton John – In my opinion this autobiographical masterpiece is easily the greatest album Reg Dwight ever made
12 Skeleton Tree – Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – How can anyone put so much emotion, empathy and sadness in a small collection of songs? I have no idea but Nick Cave certainly achieved it with this album.
13 Abbey Road – Beatles – I love many albums from the Fab Four, but this is the one I always come back to.
14 Never Mind The Bollocks – Sex Pistols – An incendiary début from one of the best punk bands ever. What might have happened if they had stayed together? Who knows but an album like this as your legacy is a great thing!
15 Maybe You’ve Been Brainwashed Too – New Radicals – There is not a track I would skip on this album. The band is effectively the genius that is Gregg Alexander who wrote and produced all the songs.
16 Back To Black – Amy Winehouse – stunning voice, sensational performance, what a sad loss to the world
17 Jagged Little Pill – Alanis Morrisette – A wonderful album with not a duff track in sight. She never surpassed this, but how can you beat perfect?
18 Ramones – Ramones – The high point and possibly the birth of punk, certainly in the USA
19 Songs In The Key Of Life – Stevie Wonder – So good I can forgive him for that bloody awful “I Just Called To Say I Love You”
20 Quadrohphenia – The Who – An absolute opus which I believe knocks the pants off Tommy
21 London Calling – The Clash – The album that showed they were not just a punk band
22 Sign O’ The Times – Prince – Forget Purple Rain. This was Prince’s Mona Lisa
23 The Lexicon Of Love – ABC – I often feel that music was really overproduced in the 80s. But this is sublime
24 Grace – Jeff Buckley – another great talent we lost too young. This is a monumental magnum opus
25 My Merry Go Round – Johnny Nash – This man, for me, has the most beautiful voice that I have ever heard in my life. This album from 1973 has remained among my favourite albums since its release.

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The Mayhem Charts – September 2024 October 1, 2024


Here is the Mayhem chart for September 2024. Regular and constant readers know that the chart is based on my Spotify listening habits over the last month gathered by obscurify.com. Apparently, my tastes have risen slightly to 98% 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 Stevie Wonder, Kate Bush and David Bowie. Obscurify also suggests the most obscure artists I have listened to for September: Liz Davinci, Kindelan, and Birdlands. There is a top ten artists chart and a top 5 songs chart. There is the usual eclectic mix of artists, including two that were in the top ten last month; Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (falling from 3 to 10) and Delilah Bon (a huge rise from 9 to number 1)! Delilah has been in the artist charts now for ten consecutive months. Two artists appear in both lists for September Delilah Bon and Cassyette! The number one song is “Ballad 2 (Skin Off My Back)” by, the delightful, HerOrangeCoat. So without further ado here are those charts in full! Click on the Spotify link below to listen to the famous (or infamous) five!

Mayhem Artist Chart September 2024

1 Delilah Bon
2 Cassyette
3 Birdlands
4 The The
5 Nick Lowe
6 Sabrina Carpenter
7 The White Roses
8 Mik Artistik’s Ego Trip
9 The Courettes
10 Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Mayhem Song Chart September 2024

1 Ballad 2 (Skin Off My Back) – HerOrangeCoat
2 Mad Woman – Lloren
3 Villain – Delilah Bon
4 This World Fucking Sucks – Cassyette
5 Aggravate Me – Read The Room

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Wow That’s What I Call Mayhem – Volume 4 September 30, 2024


With continued humble apologies to the creators of the iconic NOW series of compilations that began in 1983, I posted and compiled the first WOW That’s What I Call Mayhem collection back in March, with volumes 2 and 3 following just a few weeks ago. So are you ready for volume 4? I certainly hope so, because here it is! This includes the fourth 20 singles we reviewed in 2024 in another maniacal eclectic playlist for your listening pleasure! With more than 60 minutes of music, click the Spotify link below and lose yourself in the music!

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Wow That’s What I Call Mayhem – Volume 3 September 17, 2024


With humble apologies to the creators of the iconic NOW series of compilations that began in 1983, I posted and compiled the first WOW That’s What I Call Mayhem collection back in March, with volume 2 following just a few weeks ago. So are you ready for volume 3? I certainly hope so, because here it is! This includes the third 20 singles we reviewed in 2024 in another maniacal eclectic playlist for your listening pleasure! With 70 minutes of music, click here and lose yourself in the music!

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‘Evil, Hate Filled Female’ – Delilah Bon September 14, 2024

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 10:55 pm
Tags: , , , , , ,

Delilah Bon’s sophomore album is about to hit the streets, will it be one of those difficult second albums? Read on to find out! Album opener “Hey World” kicks off with Delilah introducing herself to the world over a synth-like orchestration and repeating a piano pattern reminiscent of Eminem in his prime. If you are new to Delilah this might me more to you, but either way it is a perfect start. next up is the previous single “Maverick” from March this year on International Women’s Day. It is another incendiary blend of rap and metal on which Delilah is in explosive form. Once again misogynists will be pissed off, but who gives a fuck about them? Delilah has this to say about “Maverick” “It is a song about self-worth and reclaiming your confidence, reminding yourself that you belong in the rooms you don’t always feel welcomed in. It’s about looking yourself in the mirror and believing in your power without needing the approval of others.” As always Delilah is absolutely on point as the definition of maverick in my dictionary is “an unorthodox or independent-minded person“, Delilah Bon is clearly both of those!

The title track “Evil Hate Filled Female” came out in May this year. It 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 the music in the verses has a warped far-eastern horror film soundtrack feel to it. If music could kill sex offenders, abusers, and misogynists then “The Internet”, would be a lethal weapon. Delilah has some sharp punk and rap influences but since her arrival, she has developed into one of the most original artists on the planet. This was the fourth single from this album. It is a brooding dark beat with the best Delilah ciphers so far. Speaking in the guise of female-hating keyboard warrior Harry Dick Delilah bares her fangs and aims her venom at the vile individuals that spout pathetic and worthless hate. For lines like “All these people offended by transgenders send your children to church to god-loving sex offenders” it is way above the competition and the glorious dig at professional sweaty nonce Prince Andrew is sublime. I love the way that Delilah continues to turn all the shit she takes and uses it to fight back.

From the fly buzzing sound that introduces this song to the weird horror vibe of the music to the deeply personal and inspirational lyrics, “Finally See Me” is Delilah Bon at her best. The song deals with Delilah/ Lauren being bullied at school and appears to be a paean of her triumphing over those who bullied her by becoming the incredibly talented artist that she now is. She passionately stands up for the bullied, the misfits, and the outcasts and she deserves huge respect for that. Musically this shows her starting to cipher as well, if not better than, Eminem. Meanwhile, this track has a feel of Jonathan Davis, Korn frontman about it. Delilah takes on old-school rap bragging style with “I Am The Best (Ask Your Momma)” and it works perfectly, this epitomises perfect rap with a sublime pop style. She has just released a video for this song and it is one of her best film moments! I was reminded of Eminem by the beats and instrumental hooks used on “Villain” but lyrically it is pure Delilah. This one has a dark musical tone and the music moves nicely into a creepy clown carnival vibe toward the end. “My Girlz” is a bouncy, brass-laden track with Delilah delivering one of her best rap performances to date.I also felt that this had some hidden Beyonce style lurking in the background.

I can imagine all the grown-ass misogynists getting their panties in a twist if they ever hear “Grown Ass Men”. When Delilah is angry everyone needs to fucking listen! “Freak Alert” has a great electro sound underpinning it and a repeated bass pattern that stays with you long after the track has ended. What is it with high-profile artists, well almost any artists, being so fearful of speaking out against the likes of Epstein and his ilk? Delilah has no such fear and she lets us know on the stunning “Epstein”. Meanwhile on “Volatile” she is brutally honest about how this world makes her feel but on top of that she ciphers about what is wrong with the state of the world. When her rhymes express anger the Bon bile is directed at misogynists and haters everywhere. (“Cos Mr Industry thinks that every woman’s the same”). This song is a slow and dark metal rap that only Delilah Bon can do as adeptly as this. It describes many of her negative experiences in the music industry. Sadly we don’t live in a perfect world, but if we did then “Drop Dead Delilah” would be a huge hit. I love the carnival sound from the keyboard. If you like a warped undercurrent of electro-ska punk and horror comics then the album closer “Committed A Crime” will be right up your street, it is weird, wonderful, and shows just how good Delilah is.

Delilah Bon’s sophomore album, “Evil, Hate Filled Female”, tops the heights of her first and is easily a contender for album of the year! Sexist pricks in the music industry and in society should fear the level of venom directed at them throughout the record, but sadly they will not, so it is up to all of us who believe in fairness and equality to join the Bon Bon Battalion and fight for it. Delilah is an inspiration to women and oppressed minorities everywhere, despite her own fears. Let us all stick up for those who are oppressed and can’t stick up for themselves. Let us be there for Delilah too. Minorities, those of you who have been abused and put down, we’ve got your back, and we stand up for Delilah’s punky, rebellious clarion call. Men, we know you mean well when you say, “It’s not all men”, but that doesn’t change anything does it? I am an old white male and I support equality for women, LGBTQ+, and all decent humans.

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The Mayhem Charts – August 2024 September 2, 2024


Here is the Mayhem chart for August 2024. Regular and constant readers know that the chart is based on my Spotify listening habits over the last month gathered by obscurify.com. Apparently, my tastes have risen slightly to 96% 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, Bikini Kill, and Stevie Wonder. Obscurify also suggests the most obscure artists I have listened to for August and those were Liz Davinci, Kindelan, and Modern Marriage. There is a top ten artists chart and a top 5 songs chart. There is the usual eclectic mix of artists, including just one that was in the top ten last month, Delilah Bon! Delilah has been in the artist charts now for nine consecutive months. The only artist to appear in both lists for July is, you guessed it, Delilah Bon! The number one song is “Nureyev Said It Best” by the mighty Avalanche Party. So without further ado here are those charts in full! Click here for the Spotify song playlist.

Mayhem Artist Chart August 2024

1 PJ Harvey
2 Frank Turner
3 Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
4 Modern Marriage
5 Mothica
6 El Pony Pisador
7 Ravyn Lenae
8 Bambi Thug
9 Delilah Bon
10 Yes Ma’am

Mayhem Song Chart August 2024

1 Nureyev Said It Best – Avalanche Party
2 Ballad 1 (Sorry) – HerOrangeCoat
3 Two Sips – Revivalry
4 Everything I Hate About You – NOANNE
5 Volatile – Delilah Bon

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“Volatile” – Delilah Bon August 15, 2024

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 6:07 pm
Tags: ,

Everyone’s friendly neighbourhood, evil, hate-filled female Delilah Bon is back with the new single “Volatile”. She is brutally honest about how this world makes her feel but on top of that she ciphers about what is wrong with the state of the world. When her rhymes express anger the Bon bile is directed at misogynists and haters everywhere. (“Cos Mr Industry thinks that every woman’s the same”). Sexist pricks in the music industry and in society should fear the level of venom directed at them, but sadly they will not be, so it is up to all of us who believe in fairness and equality to join the Bon Bon Battalion and fight for it. Delilah is an inspiration to women and oppressed minorities everywhere, despite her own fears. Let us all stick up for those who are oppressed and can’t stick up for themselves. Let us be there for Delilah too. Minorities, those of you who have been abused and put down, we’ve got your back, and we stand up for Delilah’s punky, rebellious clarion call. Men, we know you mean well when you say, “it’s not all men”, but that doesn’t change anything does it? I am an old white male and I support equality for women, LGBTQ+, and all decent humans.

This song is a slow and dark metal rap that only Delilah Bon can do as adeptly as this. It describes many of her negative experiences in the music industry and once again it bodes incredibly well for the sophomore album which will be out next month. (There will be a review on these very pages!) Delilah is following in the footsteps of punk feminist icons from the past, particularly Poly Styrene and Kathleen Hanna! Delilah is a Riot Grrrl for the 21st Century. Poly Styrene once said “Some people think little girls should be seen and not heard. But I think “oh bondage, up yours!” Delilah Bon needs to be heard and more and more people are listening, if you haven’t listened yet, then start now!

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The Mayhem Charts – July 2024 August 6, 2024


Here is the Mayhem chart for July 2024. Regular and constant readers know that the chart is based on my Spotify listening habits over the last month gathered by obscurify.com. Apparently, my tastes have fallen to 95% more obscure than the rest of the UK! A drop of 1% from last month. Blimey am I becoming mainstream? The chart remains contemporary-ish (but if a classic artist releases something new they might feature in the chart). However, the top three “Legacy” artists for last month were David Bowie, Elton John, and Alice Cooper. Obscurify also suggests the most obscure artists I have listened to and for July those were PERCY, WREX, and Tercelvoice. 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, Kate Nash, Scene Queen, and Delilah Bon! Delilah has been in the artist charts for eight consecutive months. The only artist to appear in both lists for July is Kate Nash. Female artists and female-fronted bands make up 50% of the artist chart! The number one song is “Everyone Is A C*nt Except Me by Judy Raindrop (actually Judy doesn’t exist, the song was put together by those wonderful and funny people at Laughter Tracks). So without further ado here are those charts in full! Click here for the Spotify song playlist.

Mayhem Artist Chart July 2024

1 Eminem
2 Kate Nash
3 Eels
4 WREX
5 Tercelvoice
6 Bridge City Sinners
7 Millie Manders and the Shutup
8 Childish Gambino
9 Delilah Bon
10 Scene Queen

Mayhem Song Chart July 2024

1 Everyone Is A C*nt Except Me – Judy Raindrop (Laughter Tracks)
2 Collateral Damage – Avalanche Party
3 Typical Fantasy – Pennine Suite
4 So Naïve – Fever Dreams
5 Wasteman – Kate Nash

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