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!
If you have enjoyed this article, feel free to follow the blog.You can also follow us onInstagram, Bluesky, and Linkedin.
Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch via EMail.
Imagine, if you will, a mad professors laboratory in the Stygian darkness of deepest Transylvania. Then imagine that someone has captured the creative brilliance of Talking Heads, added the essence of My Chemical Romance and sprinkled that with some Mark E Smith. Are you picturing it yet? You are? Well good, but now you no longer have to use the window of your imagination. Out of that laboratory has emerged the stunning new single from Erotic Secrets Of Pompeii, “Bring Me Back From The Black Beyond”. It is their best yet and it gets better with every listen. In their own words the Erotic Secrets of Pompeii are an apocalyptic art rock band from Bristol. Frankly I think they have injected their songs with a tiny dose of the apocalypse in the name of art.
The song is underpinned by a dark disturbing synth riff and Thomas Hawtin’s vocals are on the verge of madness, but seemed to be reigned in for now. Lyrically I believe it describes a journey into some kind of purgatory and a desire to be able to bring someone back from that bad place. There are so many great lines, I particularly love “Life holds no meaning here in the realm of death. As love holds no meaning in the realm of hate”. The video, directed by Saul Knight, is a wonderfully weird fun fest and I love it! I was going to add that this is a band made for the 21st century, but fuck that, this is a band made for the 22nd century! Inject the Erotic Secrets Of Pompeii into your veins right now!
If you have enjoyed this article, feel free to follow the blog.You can also follow us onInstagram, Bluesky, and Linkedin.
Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch via EMail.
Here is the Mayhem chart for March 2025. 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, Elvis Costello and Jackson Browne. Obscurify also suggests the most obscure artists I have listened to for March and they are Liz Davinci, Abraskadabra and Kindelan.
Winnetka Bowling League are the top artist for March and their single “This Is Life” hits number 4 in the song chart . Only one artist in the artist chart remains from last month and that is Antony Szmierek. Two of my all time favourite artists are in the artist chart Frank Turner at number two and Millie Manders and the Shutup at number three. The incredible Erotic Secrets Of Pompeii hit the top of the song chart with the stunning track “Speak Medieval”. 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 eighteen minutes of great music!
Mayhem Artist Chart March 2025
1 Winnetka Bowling League 2 Frank Turner 3 Millie Manders and the Shutup 4 Abraskadabra 5 Manic Street Preachers 6 Wardruna 7 Lady Gaga 8 Jo Quail 9 SEX-O-RAMA 10 Antony Szmierek
Mayhem Song Chart March 2025
1 Speak Medieval – Erotic Secrets Of Pompeii 2 Wednesday – Pick The Flowers 3 Hand In Hand – Drop Dead McPhee 4 This Is Life – Winnetka Bowling League 5 Clickbait Reissued – Sally Pepper
If you have enjoyed this article, feel free to follow the blog.You can also follow us onInstagram, Bluesky, and Linkedin.
Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch via EMail.
Two years ago I had an absolute blast witnessing Erotic Secrets Of Pompeii live for the first time, at the Fulford Arms in York. In my review of that night I used the opening narration from Rod Serling’s original Twilight Zone TV Series to try and give some flavour and explanation of what Erotic Secrets Of Pompeii are like. Having listened to their new single “Sing Medieval” I think Rod Serling’s words still sum them up perfectly. Those words are “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“
The new song is frantic and full of warped post punk angst and energy. The angular guitar riffs are a punky take on Tome Verlaine and Television. There is a 60s cinematic feel to the track and a sprinkle of the B-52s “Rock Lobster”. The lyrics might have been made by someone throwing all the violent parts of nursery rhymes and fairy tales into a blender and spewing them out in swirling staccato voice shots. Word pairings like “I am trickster, mischief maker” and the infectious “Here comes the chopper, to chop – to chop, chop off their head” refrain are like no other lyric and work incredibly well because of that. Thomas Hawtin’s voice and delivery is reminiscent of early Talking Heads when David Byrne’s voice was weird, jagged and other-worldly. The band are on fire in this frenetic journey through the darker parts of the world and its bloody history. 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. “Speak Medieval” is simply another step to world domination by Erotic Secrets Of Pompeii.
If you have enjoyed this article, feel free to follow the blog.You can also follow us onInstagram, Bluesky, and Linkedin.
Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch via EMail.
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;
With Just A Hint Of Mayhem 