With Just A Hint Of Mayhem

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

Joe Solo – The Artful Dodger Sunday 12th April 2026 May 24, 2026

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 7:21 pm
Tags: , , ,

When you get to a “certain age” the prospect of a matinee or afternoon gig is incredibly appealing. Even more so if it is a show from the mightily talented and passionately aware performer that is Joe Solo. The original plan was for Joe to be supported by one of York’s finest troubadors, Boss Caine (a.k.a. Dan Lucas). However Dan was unfortunately unwell and couldn’t make it. Instead Boss Caine’s replacement was in fact Joe Solo, he played two sets. This show was a part of his promotional tour for his exceptionally good album, ‘Punk Rock Prepared Us for This’. There were not many people in the room who weren’t familiar with Joe, his music, his political passion and deep compassion. Upstairs at the Artful Dodger is a delightful space and perfectly suited to Joe’s music.

He played a lot of songs from the new album which seemed to fit into the set like a comfortable old shoe, and I mean that in a positive way. The venue added a wonderful level of intimacy and it times it felt like Joe was speaking directly to us as individuals rather than as a group, that is the kind of skill that is difficult to master. The chats between songs were humorous, entertaining, compassionate, passionate and deep in equal measure. The audience participation on “Rise Up! Rise Up!” was highly emotional and extremely powerful. Both sets were towering successes and I hope we see Joe in York again very soon!

If you have enjoyed this article, feel free to follow the blog. You can also follow us on Instagram, 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.

 

The Mayhem Charts – May 2024 June 2, 2024

Filed under: Mayhem Monthly Chart,Mayhem Top 20 Chart — justwilliam1959 @ 9:12 pm
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Here is the Mayhem chart for May 2024. Regular and constant readers know that the chart is based on my Spotify listening habits over the last month gathered together by obscurify.com. Apparently, my tastes are 98% more obscure than the rest of the UK! A drop of 1% from last month. 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 are Johnny Nash, Stevie Wonder, and Bruce Springsteen. Obscurify also suggests the most obscure artists I have listened to and for May those are PERCY, The Apocalypse Disco, and Joe Solo. 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, Frank Turner, and Delilah Bon! Delilah is the only artist to feature in the artist chart and the song chart for May, with her current single “Evil, Hate Filled Female” making it to the top of the song chart. Delilah Bon has been in the artist charts for six consecutive months. Meanwhile, a rather big artist hits the top of the artist charts. Yes, Taylor Swift has finally topped the only chart that matters! To honour that achievement she is also included in this month’s playlist! Incidentally, the longest artist name ever to reach the Mayhem Artist Chart is Warrington Runcorn New Town Development Plan, they are at number six! So without further ado here are those charts in full! Click on the header of the song chart for the playlist on Spotify.

MAYHEM ARTIST CHART MAY 2024

1 Taylor Swift
2 Percy
3 Paul Weller
4 Richard Hawley
5 Billie Eilish
6 Warrington Runcorn New Town Development Plan
7 Yard Act
8 Frank Turner
9 Dea Matrona
10 Delilah Bon

MAYHEM SONG CHART MAY 2024

1 Evil, Hate Filled Female – Delilah Bon
2 Debris – Skanger
3 Come Alive – Francesca Faye
4 Here Right Now – Jessica Wilde
5 My Bile – Kate Nash

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.

 

‘Sledgehammer Songs’ – Joe Solo May 10, 2024

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 8:16 pm
Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Everyone knows Napoleon Solo and Han Solo, right? A lot of people also know Joe Solo, the supremely talented folk-punk troubadour, raconteur, agitator, and educator. Although, until very recently I knew hardly anything about Joe Solo until Dan Lucas a.k.a. Boss Caine introduced me to him. I was lucky enough to interview Joe a few weeks ago, click here to check that out. Given all that I thought that I should review his current album ‘Sledgehammer Songs’ which is something like his 20th, yes that is how long it has taken me to find his fabulous music!

The album finds Joe in great form channeling his anger and frustration with the world into song. The collection opens with “This Guitar Refuses To Apologise” which I believe Woody Guthrie would be proud of. “Raise Your Voices And Sing” featuring the People’s Chorus and “A Better Way” featuring the Commoners Choir are stunning and heartfelt songs that make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. The choir voices add a huge level of emotion to each of those tracks. There is a great ode to musical nostalgia called “On A 45” which is perhaps one of the best tunes ever written about the seven-inch 45 rpm record. Joe is supported by some great artists on some of these tunes. Jess Silk, Carol Hodge, and Boss Caine all feature on one song each while Rebekah Findlay appears on seven tracks! Carol adds some great keys and harmony vocals (along with Rebekah Findlay) to the gorgeous “Tie ‘Em To A Brick” a song about dealing with those darker feelings and how to move towards positivity. Boss Caine adds his “Barry White Of Country” (copyright Ginger Wildheart) style to the title track, another song that has support from Rebekah Findlay. All twelve tracks (fifteen if you add the three bonus tracks on the CD release) are perfect, but I still have a favourite, “The Last Miner” which features Rebekah Findlay and the Hatfield Brigade. It is a song about the sunset on the UK mining industry and doing everything possible to keep the sun and the spirit of those people alive. It is full of pathos, hope and so much emotion. The children’s choral voices at the end make it heavenly and ethereal. Get some Joe Solo in your life, you won’t regret it!

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 Mayhem Charts – April 2024 May 6, 2024

Filed under: Mayhem Monthly Chart — justwilliam1959 @ 5:35 am
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Here is the Mayhem chart for April 2024. Regular readers know that the chart is based on my Spotify listening habits over the last month gathered together by obscurify.com. Apparently, my tastes are 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, the top three “Legacy” artists are David Bowie, the KLF, and Public Image Ltd. Obscurify also suggests the most obscure artists I have listened to and for March those are Liz Davinci, The Apocalypse Disco, and Kindelan. 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 is one of only two artists to feature in the artist chart and the song chart for April, the other is the Blackheart Orchestra. Delilah Bon has been in the artist charts for five consecutive months and after topping the March song chart with “Maverick” she sits at number two with her new single, “Finally See Me”. Joe Solo, who we interviewed recently, tops the artist chart and Everything After Midnight takes the top spot on the song chart with their cracking new single “Little Hints” So without further ado here are those charts in full! Click on the header of the song chart for the playlist on Spotify.

MAYHEM ARTIST CHART APRIL 2024

1 Joe Solo
2 Grace Potter
3 Ian Hunter
4 Frank Turner
5 English Teacher
6 Julia Othmer
7 The Blackheart Orchestra
8 Delilah Bon
9 Avalanche Party
10 Paraorchestra

MAYHEM SONG CHART APRIL 2024

1 Little Hints – Everything After Midnight
2 Finally See Me – Delilah Bon
3 Cinderhaze – Stumbleine
4 The Tide – The Blackheart Orchestra
5 Manoeuvres – Carol Hodge

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 WJAHOM Interview Podcast – Joe Solo April 22, 2024

Filed under: Interview,Podcast — justwilliam1959 @ 3:31 pm
Tags:

Check out my interview with one of the UK’s finest solo artists. The award-winning Pope of Passionate Folk-Punk music, Joe Solo. As well as being a singer and performer he is a writer, an activist, a poet, a broadcaster, and (in his own words) a rabble-rousing Socialist big mouth! Look out for a review of his current album ‘Sledgehammer Songs’ coming to these pages soon. We could have talked for hours, so I hope to have Joe Solo the Interview Part 2 in the future too!

Click here to have a listen.

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.