With Just A Hint Of Mayhem

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

Brògeal – Fulford Arms, York – Tuesday 28th January 2025 February 2, 2025

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 8:01 pm
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Sadly this was the only Independent Venues Week gig I managed to get to this year, and it was a great one! There was only one support band, and what a great choice that was. It was York’s mighty Pennine Suite. This band are the real fucking deal and they just get better every time I see them. They were firing on all cylinders in this short but explosive set. Nick’s made me think of Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground taking a more pop based turn. Louise’s voice adds huge depth to their already wonderful sound. Meanwhile the pulse of the band was deep and powerful and supplied by Louis on drums and Moe on bass. This was overlaid by some shining guitar sounds and riffs from Harry. Every song was great but the two huge highlights for me were “Make Up” and “Manhattan”.

The headliners Brògeal, (pronounced ‘Bro Gale’), are Falkirk’s finest folk punkers and they blew us away with a fiery set that kept the audience moving the whole time. Brògeal are excellent ambassadors for Falkirk. But more importantly they are an incredible band with full on punk and folk credentials which they were on their sleeves. If the Pogues and the Proclaimers can achieve success with glorious celebratory Celtic rock, folk and punk sounds then Brògeal deserve it too. The band are Daniel Harkins (guitar and vocals), Aidan Callaghan (banjo and vocals), Euan Mundie (bass), Sam MacMillan (accordion) and Luke Mortimer (drums). It was Daniel’s birthday so we celebrated it by singing that well known song to him. The band brought a great following to York with them and that group started the party and made sure we were all involved. A particular highlight for me was “Girl From NYC” to which I danced and sang like a maniac. Their music is wonderfully uplifting and whatever genre gang you feel you are in I reckon you will love this lot. I am half Scots and I am proud of that heritage, even more so when I see such massively talented Scottish bands like this. After this performance I believe that Brògeal have become the first group of Scots to besiege York since the Scottish Covenanter army did during the First English Civil War in 1644.

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On The Ropes – Fulford Arms, York – Wednesday 15th January 2025 January 18, 2025

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 6:41 pm
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For my second gig of 2025 I was back at the Fulford Arms in York. This time with my good mate Baz. This was a charity gig with proceeds going to the York Food Bank and like everyone there I was more than happy to contribute. York’s purveyors of gargantuan metal sounds, Theseus, kicked off proceedings. This was the fourth time I have seen them. They made it to the final of last years Battle of the Bands contest at this very venue. I suspect that had the Vikings remained in York hundreds of years ago then this is the kind of music they would have produced. I don’t know if they are descendants of Vikings, but Theseus came, they saw and they fucking conquered! Their energy levels were off the scale. The set was full on, albeit short. But it was classy metal banger after classy metal banger. Highlights for me were “Allergy” and Consume”. What a barnstorming set! The headbanging and moshing was magnificent. I think I had a high degree of hair envy.

Next up it was Manchester pop punk rapscallions Stay Safe. They readily admitted that they were a little scared to be following Theseus on stage. I think I would feel the same! However Stay Safe do have a tiny injection of metal in some of their songs. They have some great tunes, particularly “Crash And Burn” and “Bombshell”. The crowd loved them. Their cover of Avril Lavigne’s “Complicated” was ace. My only criticism is that it sounded like the drums were a little too loud and occasionally drowned out the rest of the band.

Finally York pop punksters On The Ropes arrived on stage. They have been around a while, they formed in 2012. They broke up in 2019 and after a hiatus they reformed in 2023. The between song banter was supremely good dry, laconic Yorkshire wit. They have some great songs in their canon. There is even one about going on holiday in Wales, which was rather spiffing! But the highlight for me was “The Machinist”. Johnny and the boys were on fire and the crowd loved them. They are not copyists of old school pop punk they take the sound to new levels. Overall this was a great night and on reflection I reckon Theseus just about took the points. But more importantly money was raised for a great cause, the York Food Bank! If you have any spare money and can afford to donate even a little bit click here.

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Pedestrian – Fulford Arms, York – Friday 10th January 2025 January 13, 2025

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 9:22 pm
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Four bands in one night is how I kicked off my gig journey for 2025. All at the fabulous Fulford Arms and promoted by Northern Radar. Simon P, head honcho of Northern Radar, has never let me down with his choice of bands. Would tonight be that moment? Read on to find out dear reader. The evening kicked off with the Unnamed Band. It’s not that they don’t have a name, the Unnamed Band is their actual name, genius! They played mostly covers, but they played them damned well. The selection of covers was gloriously eclectic. It ranged from Chuck Berry to the Killers. They also included the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kaiser Chiefs, the Fratellis, and Queen along the way. The band’s original songs are good, but probably need a bit of polishing. Arthur Kay is a great frontman and I believe that this bunch have potential.

Second on stage were Sweeping Statement. I would describe their sound as Post Punk Prog. I suspect that if you used Artificial Intelligence to create a band that mixed largely unrelated genres and encouraged moshing it might well deliver Sweeping Statement. At one point I thought that this band were very good but probably wouldn’t set the world on fire. Then they did a Pixies cover and an original called “Working Man”. Those two blew me away! They also get a bunch of extra points from me for hating Reform UK and GB News. Check them out!

The penultimate band was Birdlands. I reviewed their debut album ‘Season Of Loss’ back in October. I love that album and I have an apology to make to the band. Due to a clerical error it never made it onto Mayhem’s Top 20 albums of 2024. John Peel would have loved Birdlands. They are very much post, post, post, post punk with an added pinch of funk, punk and jazz. The band were on fire. At times, their sound reminded me of David Bowie’s touring band from 1978’s Isolar 2 tour. Frontman Billie’s vocals were a little Bowieesque at times too. Evoking the Bowie of Tin Machine and ‘1: Outside’. Billie’s angular, motorik, Ian Curtis style dancing was a sight to behold. This was an almost perfect set. What would have moved it to absolute perfection? More time! Apparently they only rehearsed once for this show, now that is fucking awesome!

Finally it was time for the headliners, Pedestrian. They might be called Pedestrian but you could never describe their music or performance as such. They absolutely fucking smashed it with their delicious funky, angular art rock sounds. Flo’s vocals are truly ‘out there’ in a simply perfect way. Her performance was powered by some kind of perpetual motion. They have been a band for just over a year and this was, surprisingly, their first headline show. One of their songs gave birth to a mosh conga, I kid you not! Their is a dark funk vibe to some of their songs, particularly the slower numbers, and I love this. There was also some classy threads of Lene Lovich in Flo’s performance too. The cover of the Beatles “She Loves You” was great. Did they perform that one for Battle Of The Bands at the Fully last year? “What’s In The Box” and “Rush Hour” were two massive highlights in an awesome set. The latter turned the funk up to 11. Personally I would not have fancied following Birdlands onto the stage, but Pedestrian blew the fucking roof off. In a sad footnote Pedestrian will be bowing out as a band. (is that why the grim reaper style character was the centrepiece of the gig poster?) This was their penultimate gig. But I suspect that the individual members will go on to new musical projects. I certainly hope so!

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The Kunts – Fulford Arms, York – Sunday 8th December 2024 (Matinee) December 31, 2024

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 8:34 pm
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I have championed many of Kunt and the Gangs releases over the tears. In particular when trying to help them get a Christmas number one. Notably “Boris Johnson Is Still A Fucking Cunt” at Chrimbo 2021. That song eventually reached number 5 in the UK chart. Wayne Clements from Basildon is Kunt and the Gang. He is also the Kunts, although with the latter he does have a band of other kunts with him. The support, unsurprisingly, was Kunt and the Gang. Essentially a solo slot by Wayne backed by some rather nifty backing tracks. There were some hilarious tunes. Notably, “Santa’s Sack” was bloody hilarious. “The Ballad Of Captain Tom” rightly rips the old bloke’s family a new one! He was ably supported by Gordon The Gopher as Little Kunt was AWOL.

The second set was Kunt backed by his band of kuntish punky stalwarts. All the hits were there. These included “Boris Johnson Is A Fucking Cunt.” Other hits were “Scrap The Monarchy,” “Bum The Runner,” and “Prince Andrew Is A Sweaty Nonce.” Then there were some other Kunt classics; “Paul Steven’s Party” (probably the best song of the night), “Gentleman’s Wash”, “Sausage Roll Cunt” (a wonderful dig at Ladbaby), “The Wrong Ian Watkins” (poor old H from Steps!), “Fuck Sticks”, and “Bangers And Mash”. We also heard one of the songs from the controversial film ‘Shannon Matthews The Musical The Movie’. The song was “Shannon Ain’t Dead”. Thanks to that song and the film there were some protests planned at the venue. However, the protesters never materialised. Perhaps it was due to the weather or because they had not realised this was a matinee gig. Sadly, that would have been fun.

This was a good gig. Kunt is generally very funny and incredibly irreverent. However, I was left with the feeling that it was heading towards being a bit same old, same old. But an enjoyable night nonetheless!

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Asylum – Fulford Arms, York – Friday 6th December 2024 December 10, 2024

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 9:52 pm
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This was yet another show put together by Mr. Northern Radar, Simon Pattinson. He has never let me down yet, would this show change that? Read on to find out. First up was Vagabonds, a band that felt very much like a good school band. To put that into context I had been a judge at the school I work at Battle of the Bands contest the day before this show. They hit the ground running with a fiery cover of the Beastie Boys huge hit “Fight For Your Right”. The first original they played had the feel of early Sex Pistols recordings like the tracks on the ‘Spunk’ bootleg album. Soon after that Vagabonds chose to cover the Oasis song “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star” – NOOOOOOOOOOOO you don’t need Oasis songs in your set, you are so much better than that. The covers of Green Day, Blink 182, Kiss and the Sex Pistols were ace and closing with a raucous cover of Slade’s “Merry Christmas Everybody” was a master stroke. This band has great potential and my advice is ditch the Oasis cover and get some more original songs.

The second band to take the stage was the Double Yellows. Their originals were reminiscent of two bands that I have never been a huge fan of, the Pigeon Detectives and Scouting For Girls, however the saving grace is they the Double Yellows took a much deeper and effective post-punk direction. The band clearly brought a great following with them and they were all ready to party. Their fans seem to be mounting a campaign to bring the mullet back, yes really! Their bass player is incredibly talented with shades of Jah Wobble, Stanley Clarke and Mark King in his style. The have the swagger and confidence of a good rock band and just like the Vagabonds they have great potential, but again please ditch Oasis, the closing cover of “Supersonic” really wasn’t needed.

I find it shocking and sad that so many people come to a gig and fuck off after “their band” has played. Quite a lot of punters seemed to do just that after the Double Yellows. If you were among them you missed an absolute treat of a funky, heavy and fun set from Asylum. Musically this bunch were faultless and seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely. They whipped the crowd that remained into a minor, but absolute frenzy. Thankfully their set did not include an Oasis cover! This is the only Asylum you need in your life and with them there is no need to wear a strait jacket or live in a padded cell, unless that kind of thing floats your boat! Some of the punters who left earlier did return, somewhat rain soaked, later in the set. It was clear that Asylum came to bring a party to the Fulford Arms and they had one, they even threw in some Christmas songs! Once again Northern Radar pull off a great night, cheers Simon P!

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Fulford Arms Battle Of The Bands 2024 – The Final October 19, 2024

Filed under: News,Observation — justwilliam1959 @ 9:15 pm
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Well, it has been an exciting Battle Of The Bands so far this year, six excellent heats and three semi-finals that were the closest ever! But only four bands can make it to the final and those talented bands are; Patience (Semi-final 1 winner), Theseus (Semi-final 2 winner), Offbeat (Semi-final 3 winner), and Sleuth Gang who were given the coveted Judge’s Wild Card. They were my wild card choice!) I have been involved as a judge in this fine contest for three years now (and sometimes stand-in compere) and it gets better. The talent in the music scene in York and Yorkshire is huge. Who will win? I have no idea it could be any one of these four amazing bands. I reckon it will be very close again too. Have you got a ticket? I hope so because they sold out in something like eight hours! It might not be as exciting as the other prizes on offer but if any of the bands would like to do an interview at With Just A Hint Of Mayhem sometime after the final, just give me a shout! (Theseus are ahead of the game and I am sorting out interview dates with them already!) See you on November 3rd! To get you ready check out the playlist below!

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Plastic Factory – Album Launch – Fulford Arms – Friday 30th August 2024 September 10, 2024

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 9:12 pm
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I am always interested in seeing a band that I have never seen before and Plastic Factory are new to me. Are they named after the Captain Beefheart song of the same name I wonder? But I have seen and enjoyed both support acts before. First up it was Eugene Gorgeous, they are like a swampier, slightly less frenetic, but definitely still a tad bluesy Dr. Feelgood. They have some great songs, particularly the cannibal track. That one was hilarious, entertaining, and like no other band. There is a slight undercurrent of Nick Cave in their sound. They can be quite funky at the same time as showing their post-punk chops! Eugene Gorgeous creates gorgeous music for gorgeous people and not-so-gorgeous people too!

Victory Samosa have a complete arsenal of original pop-rock hooks. There is so much to like in their music which draws on some of the finest British artists. At times there were elements of the early Dire Straits, Rockpile, and Nick Lowe. Their songs are classic and well-thought-out story songs that are hard not to like. When they really put the pedal to the floor they sound like a more edgy Killers. Will Evans’ voice has hints of both Elvis Costello and John Lennon. I am still hoping that there will be a Victory Samosa album someday. Oh, and I have to say that the man on drums for Victory Samosa seems like the happiest drummer in the world. A truly great band!

Plastic Factory were here to give a formal launch to their album ‘Forgotten Dreams’ which was released a couple of days previously. They have a jingle jangle indie style with some cool ’60s vibes thrown in, think maybe the Byrds and the Hollies. The featured harmonica adds a fabulous extra dimension to some great songs. “The Bluest Eye” is based on Toni Morrison’s first novel, published in 1970, and is a stand-out track. Maybe I need to read the book now! “Tough Decisions” was a fine slice of funky rock which was like a polished Stranglers demo just missing the organ work of Dave Greenfield. My favourite track of the night was “Hollow Gesture”, a song which I believe is a smart takedown of that ridiculous clap for the NHS thing during Covid. The crowd participation, which was obviously clapping, was ace on this one! The closing cover choices were sublime and perfect; “Let’s Stick Together” (Bryan Ferry) and a magnificent take on the Feelgood’s “Down By The Jetty”. Plastic Factory played a blinder and I got to make two Dr. Feelgood references in one post, so all in all a great night of music!

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Ryan Burnett – Fulford Arms, York – Thursday 15th August 2024 August 19, 2024

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 2:03 pm
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This was originally a headline gig for Belle Velvet, but unfortunately, they had to pull out which meant that the new headliner was Ryan Burnett, but more of him later. The first to take the stage was the previously unbilled Michael Collinson. Michael is a singer-songwriter with a fine collection of heartfelt, hook-driven songs. I love how he introduces a great percussive element via his guitar and rather nifty looping talent. He also used some great backing tracks. “Bring It Back Again” showcased his acoustic guitar skills. The highlight for me was “Crying” (an original song, not a cover of the Roy Orbison classic). He reminded me of some of the best 1970s troubadours mixed with some sublime alt.country stylings on this song. Well worth checking out!

It is a while since I have seen Moongate (a.k.a Cat), her songs are still very sad laments, but that does not take away how good these tunes are. “Junction 5” is possibly her saddest song, so she confessed that she doesn’t play it very often. Let us not forget that sad songs can be very good, especially when they are played with an abundance of the grace and talent that Moongate possesses. Apparently, everyone hates Jonathan, Moongate certainly does, given that two songs in this set were about him. The new one featured a backing track that was “not top-notch, but nearly notch”. After those two songs, I think I really don’t like Jonathan much either. Her closing song, “Trigger”, is divinely and deeply sad. Will Moongate ever write a happy song? Maybe she will, but when the sad songs are this good does she really need to?

Finally, it was the turn of Ryan Burnett and this was his first time playing solo at the Fulford Arms. The clarity and depth in his voice is comparable to Jeff Buckley at times. His cover of the Vampire Weekend song “Campus” was perfect, he made it his own rather than just a facsimile. Ryan’s new “dark” song sent shivers down my spine, in a good way, as the ghost of Jeff Buckley showed up again. This guy has a hugely understated talent and I don’t think that he realises how good he is yet. Even a new song which remains a work in progress was good, even getting a little lost in the middle of that one took nothing away from Ryan’s stunning performance. To cap it all he received his A-level results earlier in the day, and I hear that the boy done good! 🙂

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Tercelvoice – Fulford Arms – Tuesday 16th July 2024 July 24, 2024

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 4:21 pm
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Sometimes I am attracted to a gig by the name of a band or artist and sometimes I am drawn by the opportunity to see someone I have never seen before. This gig pulled me in for both reasons; I had never seen either act and love the name Tercelvoice. I understand that it comes from the Chaucer poem ‘The Parlement of Foules’ and tercel was derived from the Latin word for “one third”, with “tiercel” referring to a male falcon which is one-third smaller than its female counterpart. There were only two acts on the bill; first, it was Makk from Harrogate. This was a wonderfully intimate set that perfectly showcased his confessional songs. There is an ethereal fragility in his canon of heavenly tunes. It was a set full of highlights, my favourites were “Valleys”, “Fifty” and “Rhyme Or Reason”. But the Radioheadesque “Two” soared high above everything else. If you get a chance to see Makk live then do it!

Tercelvoice is a very tight and hugely talented band. Frontman Andy Squires has a soulful voice that evokes Steve Marriott at times. On the more proggy tracks he projected a prog Tom Petty in his stylings. This is a band that is very difficult to drop into a specific genre box, there is prog, there is funk, there is rock, and many other strands. But most of all they are a bloody good band. The drumming was phenomenal throughout and drove the band to some stratospheric heights. “Hollowman” is gloriously Beatlesesque in its style and execution and was one of my favourites of the evening. There was a beautifully pulled-together Paul Weller and Robbie Robertson going on with “Call To Arms”. Meanwhile, “Take It Apart” has a delightful dark funk feel to it. They certainly saved the best to last with a colossal and perfect “This Is Our Time”, what a tune! Tercelvoice is a stunningly good and highly original band that shines in every department; drums, bass, guitar, and all that is overlaid with soaring and sonically superb voice. Get some Tercelvoice in your life. I met Andy Squires and he is not only a great singer and musician, he is a top bloke!

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Pennine Suite – Fulford Arms – Friday 14th June 2024 June 18, 2024

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 6:46 pm
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Tonight was a chance to see a few bands that I hadn’t seen for a while. The headliners were Pennine Suite who I last saw in January 2022. Support was from Fulford Arms Battle Of The Bands 2022 winners the Palava, I last saw them at the BOTB final in December 2022. The first act on stage was the White Roses, I last saw them in February of last year, they are not simply a rock band, they are a truly entertaining band. Each time I see them they get better and better. Vocally Eliie draws on Joan Jett’s rawness and Stevie Nicks’s completeness while Jack’s guitar is a highly original and essential part of the band’s sound. The voice harmonies evoke Fleetwood Mac. “This Town” is a great song, but the anthemic epic that closed the set was extraordinary indeed! They have a new EP due soon and on the strength of this set I reckon it will be a classy release!

The Palava have grown immensely in emotion, scope, skill, and ambition since I last saw them. Their songs have grown into more complex and wonderfully played mini-epics. There were some really great jazzy, punky, and funky licks with great use of some nicely incorporated major 7th chords in some of their tunes. They maintain an infusion of ’60s psychedelia and a pinch of 90s Indie.”Remedy” (which in its recorded version features Kitty VR) and “Lie To Me” were incredible highlights, but even those two Palava specials pale against the next single “Foreign Ground” which sounds like it will be the band’s best song to date. They looked like they were loving playing live, and that just enhanced their performance.

If I was a headliner I would not have fancied following the Palava onto the stage, but Pennine Suite raised their game and blew the fucking house down! They are a band on fire, but not just a little flame, I am talking super nova levels of heat! The set opener “Everything Begins” (what an appropriate song to start with) reminded me of the Cure. The depth of their sound grows with every gig. Louise’s keyboard licks, riffs, and motifs add huge breadth to the band. Her playing on “M.O.W.O” gives an eerie circus-like feel to the song. The new track “Manhattan” is thunderously good and needs to be a single, RIGHT NOW! Harry’s guitar was magnificent on this track and the power and drive from the mighty rhythm section of Moses and Louis is a close to perfect as you could get! The crowd was spontaneously chanting the band’s name four songs into the set. Clearly the crowd fucking love this lot and was in full voice from start to finish. There were plenty of highlights in their twelve-song set, the biggest for me was a pounding “Pass On You”. But even that was surpassed by beyond epic and truly awesome upcoming single “Tropical Fantasy”, when Pennine Suite rock out they do it like a huge bastard rock god. Frontman Nick has grown wonderfully confident over the years since I first saw him fronting the Receivers more than five years ago. He really commands his audience and the new songs are just so good. I am not sure where this thought popped up from but I would love to hear Pennine Suite do a funky cover of a Lou Reed song, maybe “Vicious” from ‘Transformer’. This was a stunning end to a brilliant night of live music.

As a footnote, I went on for a couple more drinks after the gig with Simon P from Northern Radar Promotions and Rusty and Pete from ace York band Lost Trends. Note to self, don’t do it again, and avoid a hangover from hell!

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