With Just A Hint Of Mayhem

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

“Interest Free” – Lost Trends February 1, 2026

Filed under: Review,Single — justwilliam1959 @ 12:22 pm
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I love it when a band or artist takes a different and unexpected direction, especially when it is a band I have been a fan of for a long while. Lost Trends are back with a new single which takes a funky, west coast hip hop style and they make it their own. The rhythm section are faultless and drive the track with some delightful laid back, understated funk vibes. Meanwhile Pete’s guitar is so good that it could fit neatly into something by the likes of Parliament/ Funkadelic. This is all overlaid by Rusty’s vocal which while it draws on that US 90s west coast feel, think Warren G, it maintains the English roots of this superb band.

Lyrically it is perhaps their most powerful song so far and is a comment on the state of the world we live in and the people who made it bad. Couplets like “At the food bank, gonna tank feeling really low. But you can’t make a difference if you haven’t been to Harrow” says so much in just a few words. Their last single “Takedown” was explosive in sound, this new one is explosive in voice and sentiment. I am excited by the thought of seeing “Interest Free” played live. I have played it a lot since I first heard it a few days ago. If you want to give it a spin, and by the way you NEED to, click here. Meanwhile stay alert, stay angry and be the voice of those who don’t have one. That is just a few of the messages I took from this song!

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‘An Anarchy Of Demons’ – Charlie Harper October 11, 2025

Filed under: Book,Review — justwilliam1959 @ 8:36 pm
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Punk icon Charlie Harper published a long awaited autobiography last month on Earth Island Books. The rather excellent foreword is by Lars Frederiksen (of Rancid), and the cover art is by Steve Dann. It details his long and colourful life against a supremely well put together social history of the UK music scene and the formation and development of punk rock. Even if you are not a UK Subs fan, but simply a music fan or punk fan you will love this book. Charlie regularly fires both barrels and rarely pulls his punches this memoir is often brutally honest. The details of so many UK Subs gigs are included. If there is anything missing it is perhaps more information about the UK Subs songs and how they were created, maybe he has saved that for another book.

Charlie is not a music historian but he knows his own story intimately and all the many things that were happening around him. The birth of rock ‘n’ roll, the sixties, the rise of punk (and its continued development) are all stars of the book. There are some wonderful vignettes, I particularly loved the piece on Rod Stewart giving Charlie a harmonica lesson in a London club in the sixties. Harper gives a fantastic and at times forensic insight into the UK Subs history. Studio stories, gig tales, highs and sometimes rather deep lows. The carousel of UK Subs members is extensively detailed. Charlie’s early life and memories of Britain’s cultural history starting at the tail end of World War Two help to explain to a small degree how punk came to be. I believe that Charlie being older than many of his punk peers makes him more authentic, he really does “mean it, man!”

The book includes many previously unseen photographs from Charlie’s life. This adds even more authenticity, which enhances the volume perfectly. There is no definitive or strict timeline to the UK Subs gigs that are covered, but for me this adds to the charm of the book. It stands at just shy of 480 pages, although mostly doesn’t feel too long. This is helped by having some really short chapters, there are nearly 140. Some might say it could be edited a little more, but then it wouldn’t capture the ragged edges of punk, the UK Subs and Charlie nearly so well. Treat yourself to this tale of a life well lived!

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Jamnesty – Fulford Arms, York Friday 11th July 2025 July 13, 2025

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 11:22 am
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On a baking hot July evening, the Fulford Arms in York was lit up with an electric mix of energy, activism, and genre-hopping joy for this year’s Jamnesty gig, a fundraiser in support of Amnesty International. (If you would like to donate, just click here) The lineup was packed with local talent and rising stars, each bringing something distinctive to the stage, a fiery combination that nearly blew the roof off. It was also great to see so many staff and students from Huntington School on the night and on the stage!

The evening opened with El & Ewan, a duo whose stripped-back acoustic set delivered a punch of raw honesty. Armed only with guitar and their voices they gave us a delightful set of gorgeously performed, mostly, sad songs. They both seemed a little nervous, but that didn’t stop them from playing a simply gorgeous cover of Keane’s “Somewhere Only We Know”.

Next up, the Sparrows took the stage with a richer, bluesy, dirty garage rock sound. There were covers from the 60s to the 90s from artists that included the Stone Roses, Johnny Cash, Oasis (sadly), James and the Beatles. “Sit Down” was a mega hit with the crowd as they swayed, then stomped, then whooped. A huge shout out to the drummer who was, frankly, phenomenal! A great set from a fresh band.

The tone shifted both dramatically and delightfully with The Fruity Pebbles, who brought neon energy and a funk-pop vibe that was danceable and addictive. They had the room bouncing from their first song. Beneath their wonderfully playful façade was tight musicianship and a band that clearly seemed to have rehearsed well. Their take on Abba’s “Voulez Vous” poured funk into an already funky tune and the emotion was off the scale as they closed with a powerful take on Robbie Williams’ “Angels”.

Next it was a chance for deep groove to meet grit as the Apocalypse Disco lived up to their name. This was a fusion of funk, disco, and dystopian theatrics. Think Giorgio Moroder meets Nine Inch Nails in a synthy warehouse rave, or perhaps the Prodigy on speed. Frontman Robin led a hypnotic performance of “Alive” that turned the Fulford Arms into a sweaty dance floor, the ceiling was dripping sweat too. The apocalyptic groove ran deep as the duo showed that they were easily the most danceable protest music of the night. Namaste motherfuckers!

Then came Fendry, whose headline set proved exactly why they’re one of the UK’s most talked-about rap acts right now. He gave the early part of his set to the mightily talented Rashevos (I hope I spelled that correctly).After that Fendry commanded the crowd from his first rhyme to his last cipher. He has confidence, style, skill and just the right level of arrogance. He has the talent to be as big as Skepta or even Eminem. Fendry is a rapper and grime artist originally from York, but now based in Wembley, London. His recent rise has been through the PenGame rap battle circuit and a string of energetic singles, he continues making waves in the underground scene. He is undefeated in several battles, including wins against JM and Domi Dusk. He gave the crowd a bold, beautiful end to a night of music that meant something.

Jamnesty 2025 at the Fully wasn’t just a gig, it was a statement. The Fulford Arms provided the perfect DIY venue vibe, and the acts each channeled the spirit of resistance, rebellion, and release in their own way. Whether it was acoustic melancholy or disco-punk anarchy, the message rang clear: music can, and will, fight back! Our world needs more nights like this, if you fancy organising your own Jamnesty event then click here for more information.

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Superconductors – Craven Brew Co 3rd Birthday – Skipton – Saturday 26th April 2025 May 5, 2025

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 3:18 pm
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The Craven Brew Co is a cask led brewery with a delightful taproom and award winning brewers. In April they celebrated their third birthday with a music driven mini festival which featured an array of talented covers bands; Hazjak, 1960 Four and Superconductors. Unfortunately I didn’t get to see all the bands. I was there for Superconductors to see my mate Andy play drums. This was only their second or third gig, but it seemed like they were far more of a seasoned band than that. To say that Superconductors are versatile would be an understatement. They play punk, pop, rock and glide effortlessly from one genre style to another. Their seventeen song set was vibrant and included songs from the 60s right through to the 21st Century. While some people danced, everyone else sang or tapped their feet.

“Rosalie”, the Bob Seger song that was a hit for Thin Lizzy kicked off proceedings and it set the tone for a set that never stopped rocking. There were plenty of highlights including “I Fought The Law”, “Basket Case” and “London Calling”. They even played a version of Abba’s “Does Your Mother Know”. Who knew that a song like that would work so well when played by a bunch of middle aged blokes? Covering the Barenaked Ladies classic “One Week” was a challenging and brave move which the band, particularly the singer pulled off perfectly. Apparently it took him three months of dog walks to learn the lyrics. A magnificent set was closed with a rousing romp through Leeds favourites the Kaiser Chiefs “I Predict A Riot”. My lasting memory was an authentic take on the Ruts smash from 1979, “Babylon’s Burning”.

The playing was pretty immaculate throughout, I was very impressed with the guitarist who moved effortlessly from one style to another. In my opinion a covers band has to have talent, passion, a sense of fun and skill in selecting the right tunes. Superconductors scored top marks in every one of those categories. I have seen many covers bands over the years and not many were as good as Superconductors. The band take their name from a Rush song but I also took a look at the definition of the word. A superconductor is a type of material that, when cooled to a critical temperature, can conduct electricity with no resistance or energy loss. The band are cool, hit a critical temperature from the start, were electrifying, no one resisted their entertaining show and they did not appear to lose any of their abundant energy despite playing for an hour. If you are looking for a covers band in the Leeds area or Yorkshire then look no further than Superconductors!

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On This Day The Dame Sacked The Gnome! January 23, 2025

Filed under: On This Day — justwilliam1959 @ 9:11 pm
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On 23rd January 1990, David Bowie announced his Sound And Vision world tour. This tour would run from March 4th until September 29th that year. During the tour, he invited each local audience to decide on a ‘greatest hits’ running order. This was organised through local radio stations. The tour surpassed Bowie’s previous Serious Moonlight (1983) and Glass Spider (1987) tours’ statistics. It visited 27 countries. The tour included a total of 108 performances.

At the time Bowie looked forward to retiring his old hits. He said of the tour “It’s time to put about 30 or 40 songs to bed and it’s my intention that this will be the last time I’ll ever do those songs completely, because if I want to make a break from what I’ve done up until now, I’ve got to make it concise and not have it as a habit to drop back into. It’s so easy to kind of keep going on and saying, well, you can rely on those songs, you can rely on that to have a career or something, and I’m not sure I want that.” Having seen him a few times after the Sound and Vision tour he didn’t entirely retire all of them!

Cheekily and rather amusingly the NME ran a spoof campaign, in response to the telephone poll called ‘Just Say Gnome’. This was a great attempt to have “The Laughing Gnome” included in the set-lists. Apparently Bowie had considered playing “The Laughing Gnome” in the style of The Velvet Underground until he found out the voting had been perpetrated by the NME. Hearing it played that way would have been quite interesting in my opinion. As a footnote, during his A Reality Tour, Bowie performed “The Laughing Gnome” with his band during a November 2003 soundcheck at Wembley Stadium.

I saw him on that tour at the Milton Keynes Bowl on 4th August. The set list that day was:

“Space Oddity”
“Rebel Rebel”
“Ashes to Ashes”
“Fashion”
“Life on Mars?”
“Pretty Pink Rose”
“Sound and Vision”
“Blue Jean”
“Let’s Dance”
“Stay”
“Ziggy Stardust”
“China Girl”
“Station to Station”
“Young Americans”
“Suffragette City”
“Fame”
“Heroes”
The four song encore consisted of:
“Changes”
“The Jean Genie”
“White Light/White Heat”
“Modern Love”

The support acts that day were Two Way Street (whatever happened to them?), The Men They Couldn’t Hang, Gene Loves Jezebel and Kim Wilde.

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The Music Industry Gives Kate Nash And Most Artists And Musicians A Bum Deal! December 26, 2024

Filed under: News,Observation,Rants — justwilliam1959 @ 4:22 pm
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I began my With Just A Hint Of Mayhem journey in 2009. At that time, I had no idea about the future. I never expected that one day I may be writing about what is essentially a porn site. I am talking of OnlyFans. This site was created back in 2016. It was initially a social network. The purpose was to serve as a meeting point between fashion influencers and followers. Its creator, Tim Stokely (a Brit), initially conceived it as a premium content platform. Users paid to see the publications of their celebrity idols. It has grown into a, mostly, soft porn site. It caters to some fetishes and tends to focus where possible on celebrities. However, plenty of ordinary people seem to make money from it. It took off hugely during the COVID-19 pandemic. I can state categorically that I do not have an OnlyFans account and nor am I ever likely to. Not because I have high morals but because no one wants to see a fat old white blokes body. Recently, Lily Allen mentioned that she earns significantly more money selling pictures of her feet on OnlyFans. This income surpasses what she makes on streaming services like Spotify. Check out the screenshot below for more detail and click here to read Drowned In Sound’s’ take on the story.

Since then, Kate Nash has set up an OnlyFans account. This highlights the predicament many artists find themselves in. Nash has said this about her ‘Butts For Tour Buses’ campaign on OnlyFans. “I think it’s bit of a punk protest as a woman to take control of my body and sell it to be able to fund my passion project, which is actually my 18-year career. I want to highlight that, and I want people to talk about it, and I want people to know the truth about what what’s happening in the music business. The only way I could find to make a profit on the tour – you’re either going, hopefully I sell enough T-shirts to cover the debt, or you cut people’s wages, or you fire band and crew, or you travel dangerously. So that leaves me in a position where I’m not profiting from tours. So is this a job, or is it a passion project?” She later said that it was “an important time for women to take control and to feel empowered” The pictures of her derriere that she has posted on OnlyFans so far are revealing but a long way from being explicit. She has also said of the pictures that “I think the arse is the perfect combination of comedy and sexuality” and “I actually like bums. I think they’re just quite great. I think it’s funny. I enjoy taking pictures of my bum. Always been a bit of a flasher. So I’m going to enjoy doing it, and I’m already putting it online anyway.” She has stated that she expects to make more money from her backside than her music, particularly in the short term. Kate has called this protest “as punk as fuck” and I completely agree with her.

Is this right? no of course it isn’t. The music industry needs to wake up and stop being so fucking greedy. It shouldn’t be all about the money for entertainment corporations, but sadly it is. What happened to nurturing artists, supporting them and the grass roots music venues while you are at it! So many talented and upcoming artists are affected by shabby and arrogant treatment by the industry. Remember Little Simz’s lyric from her song ‘Angel’? “They don’t care if your mental is on the brink of somethin’ dark/ As long as you’re cuttin’ somebody’s payslip/ And sendin’ their kids to private school in a spaceship”. That was a sharp and brutal remark directed at music industry executives. Many of them know nothing about music, but they know a lot about ‘product’. What will it take for the industry to change? Sadly, it is likely to take a lot more than Lily Allen’s feet. Even Kate Nash’s arse won’t be enough to change everything, but it is a start. I hope it doesn’t happen, but I can see a distant future where new music never happens. What good will come of that? Well at least the corporations and the misogynist fat cats that ran them will no longer exist. I can’t imagine a life without music so we need to act, and act fast! What can we do? Here are a few thoughts from me, feel free to let me have your views.

• Spread the knowledge of how badly artists are treated and rewarded by streaming companies.
• Boycott artists who don’t share a part of their ticket price to organisations like the Music Venues Trust.
• Reduce your usage of streaming services. Alternatively, stop using them entirely.
• Use Bandcamp more
• Buy more artist merch and physical product.
• Support your local music scene and grass roots venues
• Never buy ridiculously overpriced tickets. Oasis and many festivals for example.
• Never use Viagogo or their dark brotherhood of ticket exchange companies
• Contact your MP and tell them to speak up for artists

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‘Go HARD or Go HOME’ – Not Now Norman November 23, 2024

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 3:47 pm
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It is a while since the mighty Not Now Norman have featured on these pages, but with a new album hitting the streets very soon it is that time! The album is out on 29th November and is called ‘Go HARD or Go HOME’. It kicks off with the rather strange and at times scary (well you try listening to it through your headphones in the dark) “Norminius Sanctus”. It has a dark, monastic feel that would be perfect to soundtrack the opening credits of a Hammer Horror film. The title track starts a full on metal assault with epic scale AC/ DC style riffs that support Taylor-Grace’s pitch perfect rock vocal. At times she sounds like Joan Jett on steroids with some Ozzy Osbourne vocal chords spliced into her own voice box. The current single “Feral” is next and it has a great 80s rock hair metal feel to it with some hooks that Madonna in her prime would have been incredibly envious of. “WHO I AM” is another single and it has riffs forged in rock heaven and drumming that could smash mountains and vocally this is one of my favourite tracks on the album. If you love prog style power ballads you are going to find yourself in a relationship with “Family Photo”. This will be the next single released on the same day as the album. Taylor-Grace says this about it “This track is one of the toughest I’ve written. When I was born, a relative disowned me for being a girl. I’ve heard people praise this person highly to me, saying ‘they’re still your relative’ when they’ve never deserved it. I didn’t realise how it affected me until I started writing it. It’s for all those people who have been disowned for reasons they can’t control.” I have been on this planet a long while and it baffles the hell out of me that people with these kind of opinions actually exist.

The emotion in “Mama” is palpable and Taylor produces perhaps her finest vocal performance to date. It is huge in sound and cinematic in ambition. The band prove their funky skills on “Midnight Sun” the guitar work and drumming makes you want to move. It also has an early 70s rock vibe, like Medicine Head on speed. The rock just don’t stop on this brilliant set of songs as “Mister Know It All” takes things up another gear with a stellar, rip-roaring riff rampage. Everyone knows a Mister Know It All, right? I certainly do. There is a great blues mood on “King Of A Wasted Land” which has an occasional but wonderfully haunting vocal double track from Taylor-Grace. The guitar solo toward the end of the track is one of the best on the album. I am not totally certain who this is directed at, but my take is King Charles III, or any one of the recent UK Prime Ministers. It doesn’t matter to me I despise all of them. Just when you thought an album could get no heavier this one hits you with the titanic tower of metal that is “Bad Liar”. I was transported back to early Suzi Quatro with “Why Don’t You Like Me?”, particularly the chorus refrain which I doubt I could shake from my brain even if I wanted to. The punkiest sound on the album is probably “Green Light” which evokes Motorhead playing with Girlschool, a roaring tiger of a song. I have heard many great and interesting covers before, and Not Now Norman’s take on Britney’s “Toxic” is phenomenal. It retains the pop tropes of the original but give it a hugely harder rock edge.

This sophomore album from Not Now Norman hits all the spots perfectly and scratches music itches that you never knew you had. Am I disappointed with anything about this release? Yes, that it is about to be released just when I thought I had completed my top 20 albums of the year list! Now I need to go away and have a rethink, yes this album is THAT good!

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On This Day The Boss Sings The King And The King’s Sprog Has A Chippy Tea! September 29, 2024

Filed under: On This Day — justwilliam1959 @ 8:13 pm
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On 29th September 2012, the UK tabloid press reported that there really was a girl who works down the chip shop and swore she was Elvis’ daughter. This was after Lisa Marie Presley was spotted serving up deep-fried treats on a mobile motor called Mr Chippy. The then 44-year-old donned an apron and cooked battered cod for the locals. Kim Scales, who owned the business, said: “Lisa Marie likes to see how we live and experience British life. We were laughing because the customers didn’t know who she was. She really enjoyed it.” The singer had moved to the quaint village of Rotherfield, East Sussex, in 2010, from Los Angeles. Sadly Lisa Marie is no longer with us after passing away last year.

Also on 29th September, this time in 1989, while travelling on his motorbike from Los Angeles, Bruce Springsteen called in at Matt’s Saloon in Prescott, Arizona, and jammed with the house band. Bruce played a bunch of rock and roll classics, including Elvis Presley’s “Don’t Be Cruel,” and Chuck Berry’s “Sweet Little Sixteen” and “Route 66.” Bruce also donated $100,000 to a barmaid’s hospital bill.

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“UNDER” – Ghost Arcadia June 13, 2024

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 3:16 pm
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London-based four-piece rock band Ghost Arcadia is back in the classy rock groove with their first single in 14 months, “UNDER” which hit the streets last month. It is an emotional-sounding, anthemic song with a huge sound to match the clearly massive ambition it carries. There are titanic guitar riffs, harmonic and guttural vocals from Reuben Beau Davies, and some cinematic synth patterns. This might seem a bit pop driven at times, but underneath it all it is as heavy as fuck! The band spoke about the inspiration for the track “It’s an exploration of the everyday battles we face within ourselves. From addiction to self-doubt, we all face battles at some point in our lives. The song conveys the message that even when you are at your lowest, there is still a way out; there is still a light left to guide you from the “Under”. Sometimes, we must dive into our darkest depths before we can finally find a way out.” The song is a great taster for their new EP ‘What We Become’ which will arrive later this year!

Click here to listen to “UNDER” on Spotify!

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