A few weeks ago west Yorkshire Superheroes PERCY released a cracking single, “ICU”, from their latest album ‘Monorail’. We reviewed that album a while back, click here to read what we thought. The new single comes with a dark, comedic, psychedelic, animated video which features the band in a kind of warped wooden tops cartoon form. It is a great song and the video is genuinely out of this world, in more ways than one! The video was created by Hot Frog Animations who also produced a great video to accompany my favourite PERCY song from 2020, “Will Of The People”. “ICU” is a finely honed, yet chaotic, slice of post-punk vitriol that could only have been made by a great British band, which is exactly what PERCY are. The band has been playing a few live dates to promote the album and they will be playing their first London gig in around twenty years on August 27th. They have a 4.30pm slot as part of the Camden Rocks fringe. It will be at the Fiddlers Elbow (1 Malden Rd, Greater, Chalk Farm, London NW5 3HS). Scoot on down to Camden/ Chalk Farm on that date, you won’t be disappointed. Sadly I can’t make it as I will be at the Leeds Festival, but I really do think that as many of you as possible need to be there. If you go, then tell PERCY that Bill from With Just A Hint Of Mayhem sent you! 😉
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This was the launch gig for the rather spiffing new album ‘Monorail’ from PERCY (check out our review of the album here). But before that, there were a few support bands to consider. Were the support bands good? Read on to find out! First up was What Fresh Hell a York band which combine power pop, indie, and hard rock. Vocalist Mollie has a great melodic pop voice but when she lets rip it is a voice that can compete with the fiercest metal howlers. The band is incredibly tight; in particular, the drumming was spot on! One of the guitarists looks a little like Graham Coxon and plays like Coxon or Johnny Marr had they been in a metal band. “Girls Don’t Fight” was a great highlight for me.
Fat Spatula
Kelter was next on stage. They are purveyors of jerky, dirty, angular, funky punk. A little like early Talking Heads on speed. Lead singer/ guitarist Tim nails the thousand-yard rock frontman stare perfectly. You would certainly struggle to beat him in a staring contest! Sadly he will be leaving the band later this year. I hope that Kelter will bounce back quickly and that Tim produces more great music himself. The music is dark and magnificent and is perfectly suited to a small, sweaty venue like the Fulford Arms, and oh boy was it sweaty that night! The penultimate band before PERCY was Fat Spatula. I am sure that I have made a Jonathan Richman comparison about them before and it still stands. But where they surpass Mr. Richman is that their lyrics, which enhance their wonderful story songs are even more warped and off the wall than Jonathan Richman’s finest. Stylistically Fat Spatula are post-punk, pop, humourous horror, and even country music in a punky style. “Wankers” is a brilliant song! This is a band with something for everyone!
PERCY
Finally, it was time for PERCY and as a live band these self-proclaimed West Yorkshire Super Heroes are a hard-hitting powerful musical force packed full of passion, humour, and talent. Off the back of two great albums over the last few years ‘Seaside Donkeys’ (2019) and the album launched at this gig, ‘Monorail’ they have proved themselves to easily be one of Yorkshire’s finest bands. Given the chance to play dates beyond the boundaries of the fabulous White Rose County I think the rest of the country will love them too. The new songs are great on the album but absolutely stratospheric when played live. Especially “Chunks”, which is perhaps one of Colin’s best lyrics to date, and “ICU”. “Will Of The People” from the last album remains a towering tour de force and sadly still so very relevant. But for me, the highlight of this set was the moody, mad, magical, mighty, magnificent, and masterful “What Lez Said”. PERCY are definitely one of my favourite bands right now, if they are not one of yours then I want a letter from your parents on my desk Monday explaining why!
Click here to check out What Fresh Hell smashing their epic tune “Meat Machine”
All pictures, except the gig poster, were taken by me using my very cheap Chinese Android phone. The videos were found on YouTube (and one on Facebook). If the video is yours and you would like a credit or for it to be removed please let me know.
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The brand new PERCY album comes out this week on Ten Foot Records and I have had the pleasure of listening to it a lot over the past couple of months. Have the West Yorkshire Superheroes delivered? Read on to find out dear readers. The album starts with perhaps one of the most wonderfully weird songs Percy has recorded so far, “Chunks”. No one writes lyrics quite like Colin, do they? I think this song is about how the powers that be try to mould people into bland equally sized chunks as though we are all the filling in a shitty Fray Bentos pie. Next up is “ICU” which if John Peel was still around would be a banker for inclusion in the Festive 50 for 2022. I have heard this song played live and I think this will become a Percy classic with Colin’s unique vocal style and some excellent post-punk riffage. Paula’s keyboards on “Midnight On Broadway” evoke a dark 60s cop show that might have been soundtracked by the Doors. But in reality, this is dark music for the 21st Century. After a few listens “Dry Your Tears” is the track on the album where the whole band comes together perfectly, this one is a real grower. “Disinfect Me” feels a bit goth-punk, especially the rhythm section which drives this track like a finely tuned racing car. I can imagine this being played in a nightclub scene in a very modern vampire tale or maybe even a remake of ‘The Hunger’.
The intro to “I Want” comes across as real classic rock. But then when Paula’s synth organ sound gives the song a desecrated church feel and Colin’s vocal kicks in you just know that this is Percy on top form. I bloody love “Rock A Hula” it has an eerie circus vibe about it and I reckon it needs to be included on the soundtrack to Rob Zombie’s “Munsters” film. “I’ve Been Down” is another Percy classic in waiting. The stutter in the chorus brings the song a dark and sinister pop feel. Jason’s drumming is sublime on this. Next up is a song named after a street in York. The tune has a menacing spoken vocal and a hypnotic synth motif that hooks into your brain at super speed and refuses to leave. Is the song actually about the street? Honestly, I have no bloody idea, but I do know it’s a great song. Tucked away at track 10 of 11 is the magnificent “What Lez Said” which I think is possibly Percy’s finest song to date. It drives along as though it is being performed by a strange version of the Kinks that somehow fell into our dimension from a warped parallel universe. If Carlsberg created a Percy tune it would be this one. The album closes with “Last Chance Saloon” which has “play me as a weird interlude in a Tarantino film” writ large all over it. When I eventually get my arse into gear to start producing an internet radio show I might just have to beg Percy to let me use this track as the regular intro/ theme music for it. I thought Percy’s ‘Seaside Donkeys’ from 2020 was a brilliant album and believed it would be hard for the band to better it, but they have fucking done it! ‘Monorail’ is a great album and definitely a contender for album of the year!
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With Just A Hint Of Mayhem 