With Just A Hint Of Mayhem

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

The Apocalypse Disco – Fulford Arms, York – Friday 5th April 2024 April 7, 2024

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 4:57 pm
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The original line-up for this gig included Fully Arms favourites I Tell Lies, sadly they had to pull out. What was their replacement like? They might be a late addition to the bill, but what a fucking magnificent band Safe Harbour is! Heavy, passionate, emotional songs and they didn’t just play, this was a proper show. They played an explosive set, with intensity dialed up to 11, and gave it everything. The singer is totally captivating and has an awesome, soaring voice. There were many highlights but for me, the biggest were “Let Me Breathe” and “Sedated”. I hope I got the title of the second one right! This is a band that I think can become huge!

Next up it was one of Mayhem’s favourite bands Hærtstrings, winners of last year’s Fulford Arms Battle Of The Bands contest. It is hard to believe that this band played their first gig around seven months ago. They get better every gig and I think I have now seen them four or five times. They clearly watched Safe Harbour and rose to the challenge of “how the fuck do you follow that” with a great performance. KJ’s face makeup gave him an ethereal look under the lights, although I think he suffered for that by sweating white makeup into his eyes. His voice was great, he channels his passion and anger perfectly, and he is shaping up to be a great frontman. The whole band were in top form, but I will mention guitarist Archie, who, despite a cut finger, played like a guitar god. I have always loved a band or artist that it is not easy or impossible to put into a genre box and Hærtstrings are one of those!

Finally, it was time for headliners the Apocalypse Disco. They have one of the best band names ever and were on fire tonight. If the apocalypse was truly happening then this gig would have been the one to end the world with! Ian and Robin make far more sound than you would expect from two people and what a sound it is. banging tunes that arise from the ashes of the Prodigy with an added punk attitude. Their music compels you to dance and if you were standing still during this set, what is wrong with you? “Welcome To The Disco” is a post-apocalyptic party anthem and “Alive”, which we were treated to twice, is an electro singalong like no other. I don’t believe that anyone was quiet during that song. And are there many better opening lines than “God loves a sinner, thank fuck for that”, I think not! They gave a lovely shout-out to Kurt Cobain and played an incredible cover of George Harrison’s “Art Of Dying”. Following Safe Harbour and Hærtstrings was a huge challenge, but the Apocalypse Disco did it with a performance which registered on the Richter Scale!

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Soma Crew – Album Launch – Fulford Arms, York – Wednesday 3rd April 2024 April 4, 2024

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 5:44 pm
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This was a gig to kick off the launch of the new Soma Crew album ‘Confused OK’ which we reviewed here at Mayhem Towers a few days ago, click here to read it. But before I tell you about Soma Crew I have to speak about the two support acts. The first to take the stage was Pascallion. His guitar style was like Chet Atkins on a Hendrix trip with some Jeff Buckley thrown in. As for his songs, wow, imagine if a Thom Yorke demon had possessed Bob Dylan, that is how it sounded to me. Obviously, this just proves that sometimes demonic possession can be good, right? When Pascallion used prerecorded backing tracks (or were they samples) it was like Groove Armada attempting acoustic folk. This guy is very good!

Sewage Farm was next, they sounded like early Nirvana but leaned more towards garage than punk. There were some great hooks and melodies on display and some of these were quite Beatlesesque at times. There were occasions where they reminded me of ‘Monster’ period R.E.M. This band are three great musicians but I want to give a huge shout-out to the drummer he was stunning on the night. So based on this set, I can confirm that, at least musically, don’t stink! They probably don’t stink from a personal hygiene perspective either, but I didn’t get close enough to confirm.

Finally, it was time for the monumental, magnificent, magical, mesmerising, mighty musical powerhouse that is Soma Crew. This bunch is clearly one of the best bands to arise in York and their new album is, for me, possibly their best yet. Soma Crew is always a great live band and tonight was no exception. The new songs are superb on record but in a live setting, they blow up and rip the multiverse apart with more power than Thanos held in the Infinity Gauntlet. Frontman Si Micklethwaite tried to add another dimension to the show with white sheets and his white suit upon which some psychedelic, surreal, and epilepsy-inducing projections were played. Is this similar to those 1960s Pink Floyd Happenings? Incidentally, those projections worked perfectly on Si’s suit for most of the night. There were many highlights in this relatively long set, particularly from the new album. For me, the best moments were”Mirage” and “This Illusion” but the one that blew everything else out of the water was “Propaganda Now”. That really summoned up the spirit of Hawkwind. This has been one of the best gigs I have been to this year so far!

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‘David Bowie, Enid Blyton and the sun machine’ – Nicholas Royle March 29, 2024

Filed under: Book,Review — justwilliam1959 @ 10:35 pm
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I haven’t actually counted for a while, but I believe that I own around 120 books about David Bowie. Thanks to Nicholas Royle I now own 121, or at least thereabouts. I was completely unaware that Royle’s book ‘David Bowie, Enid Blyton and the sun machine’ existed until I took a look at the schedule for the 2024 York Literature Festival and saw the title. As a Bowie fan, I therefore had to be there for Nicholas Royle’s session at York St. John University to talk about his new book on Tuesday 12th March. Royle, who is the Emeritus Professor (English) at Sussex University, opened the session by playing Bowie’s older song “Memory Of A Free Festival” as this was the song that provided part of the book title with its repeated refrain “The sun machine is coming down and we’re gonna have a party”. Then he read from the book. But the most interesting part was the interview with Nick by Dr. Sam Reese originally from Aotearoa New Zealand, and now a senior lecturer at the Centre for Writing at York St. John University. Reese asked some insightful questions about how the book came about and what it actually is. In essence, the book came about thanks to Covid, well at least that was probably the catalyst and it is largely a memoir, or is it? Anyway, that whole evening saw me buy the book and get Nick to sign my copy and now, while on holiday in Cornwall (I am not sure why I said that, is it even remotely relevant?) I have got around to reading it.

I think that my fear was that this would be a very academic and deep tome that I might find difficult to read. It is academic at times but Royle writes in a style that even a bloke with one English O Level from 1974 can read and devour easily. One of the first things that intrigued me was the title. How can you write about Blyton and Bowie in the same book? Sure they are both associated with Beckenham and were great artists in their own spheres. Well, what Royle focuses on is their ability to access the undermind or the subconscious mind or self. I think from this book it is clear that both Bowie and Blyton were able to work in their own undermind with natural and unknowing skill. The memoir thread of the book takes the reader through Royle’s personal experience of Covid and lockdowns and his reacquaintance with both Bowie who he kind of lost touch with in the 1980s, and Enid Blyton. The book is written as a series of “ghost lectures” from a university lecturer who has opted for voluntary severance. The lectures flow together beautifully and are all anchored with a specific piece of music or song. Mostly Bowie songs but also some classical pieces.

I have not read anything by Enid Blyton since I was in junior school, but I am encouraged to go back and reread some of my favourites. The Famous Five, which features strongly in Nicholas Royle’s book and my personal memories of loving the Secret Seven series. Some of the insights into Blyton are drawn from biographies and also her own autobiography and perhaps something that is personal to Nicholas Royle’s family. His paternal grandmother and artist and illustrator had an affair with Enid Blyton sometime in the 1920s. There are many things that I love about this book, perhaps the biggest thing is the continued discussion about what a sun machine is. Maybe a time machine, maybe a way that an idea dawns on an artist, or something that might be different for every artist. Do I have an undermind? I hope so. Can I access my undermind? I hope so. If you are a fan of David Bowie, Enid Blyton, or indeed sun machines you need to read this book. It is eye-opening. I loved it! And finally, I was going to put together a playlist of all the music used in the book, but someone on Spotify has already done that! Thank you tommymackay1959, click here to play it.

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‘Beer Baby’ – Drunk Mums March 24, 2024

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 6:52 pm
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Melbourne’s Drunk Mums has just released a new album full of first-class punk and garage firepower. proceedings are kicked off with “New Australia” which is a perfect blueprint for the album, full of anger, angst, and huge punky riffs with a wonderful Ramones feel. “Slippn’ Up” could have arrived here in the 21st Century via a punk time machine from 1977. It has elements of the Clash and the Damned. If Status Quo had been fed Lemmy levels of speed they might have sounded like Drunk Mums do on “Mutant”. If the New York Dolls came back from the dead to record with Iggy Pop, then the Drunk Mums “Bet On Black” was written just for that occasion. Drunk Mums keep their punk credentials to the fore on “Apocalypse” but they incorporate a filthy and gorgeous dark glam vibe. “Livin’ At Night” showcases everything that is great about Drunk Mums but adds a layer of 1970s classic rock. The punk fun continues with the high-octane “Magazines” which could be like a more punky Jonathan Richman. Do you need a Saturday night party anthem? You do? Then look no further than the Drunk Mums blasting out “Saturday”. Play it alongside Elton’s “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting” and the Bay City Rollers “Saturday Night”, now that would be an absolute mental party! All the expletives on this album have been saved for the final two tracks, starting with the epic and warped “Not My Dad” and followed by the album’s closer “From The Hip”. These two are probably my favourite tracks from the record right now. Check it out, this is considerably classy classic punk!

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The Mayhem Charts – February 2024 March 4, 2024

Filed under: Mayhem Monthly Chart,Mayhem Top 20 Chart — justwilliam1959 @ 10:10 pm
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Here is the Mayhem chart for February 2024. Regular readers know that the chart is based on my Spotify listening habits over the last month. The chart remains contemporary-ish, rather than just an oldies chart However, the top three “Legacy” artists are Was (Not Was), Bob Marley and the Wailers, and Stackridge. Surprisingly, David Bowie is not in the top 3 for the third month in a row. 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 (Delilah Bon and Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes). For the first time, none of the top five songs is by an artist which features in the top ten artist chart. However, after reaching number three with “Back In Time” last month Georgia Reed hits the top spot for February with her current single “Honey”. Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes are number 1 in the artist chart and as previously mentioned Georgia Reed is top of the song chart. 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 FEBRUARY 2024

1 Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes
2 Jazmin Bean
3 The Chinaskis
4 Crawlers
5 Ellis Bullard
6 Bambi Thug
7 Shaé Universe
8 Girli
9 Delilah Bon
10 Ashnikko

MAYHEM SONG CHART FEBRUARY 2024

1 Honey – Georgia Reed
2 Waiting For The Britpop Revival – Fran Ashcroft
3 A Thousand Shots – F.O.D.
4 Primetime Television – The Corsairs
5 What Kinda Love – Sohodolls

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Mayhem Gives You 12 Inches… Of Music! “You + Me = Love” – The Undisputed Truth February 18, 2024

Filed under: Mayhem Gives You 12 Inches — justwilliam1959 @ 10:01 pm
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This is the third in the Mayhem 12 Inch single series and I apologise again for the rather smutty, Carry On, double entendre, innuendo title for this feature. Can any of you constant readers think of a better title? But I am quite obviously talking about the 12-inch vinyl single. Eventually, this will build into a playlist of my favourite 12-inch singles and remixes, many of which I used to own on vinyl. There will be a Spotify playlist when the series reaches five songs. So far we have had “Do What You Wanna Do” by T-Connection from 1977, and “Everybody’s Singin’ Love Songs” by Sweet Thunder. Now for our third selection, it is the turn of the Undisputed Truth with more than eleven minutes of glorious funk from 1976. entitled “You + Me = Love”.

The band was originally put together by one of Motown’s most psychedelic producers, Norman Whitfield, and their material was released on the Gordy label which was a part of the Motowm organisation. They recorded a lot of songs also recorded by the Temptations. Notably “Smiling Faces Sometimes” and “The Law Of The Land”. In 1975 Norman Whitfield left Motown to set up Whitfield Records and this was one of the early releases on the new label. The song features Takka Boom (Chaka Khan’s sister) on lead vocals. They had a reasonable amount of chart success in the USA but this song proved to be their only appearance in the UK charts when it peaked at number 43 on the singles chart in early 1977.

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On This Day Chubby Checker Stopped A Pecker Checker And The Pistols Got Vicious! February 15, 2024

Filed under: On This Day — justwilliam1959 @ 8:43 am
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On February 15th, 1977 bass player Glen Matlock was fired by the Sex Pistols to be replaced by John Beverly a.k.a. Sid Vicious.

On the same day in 2013, music legend and still going strong at 82 years old Chubby Checker took out a huge, $500,000 lawsuit against Hewlett-Packard for including an app on its phones and tablets that was not only named after the then 71-year-old musician but measured a man’s manhood based on his shoe size. Incidentally, I am a UK size 11 and probably proof that there is no link between shoe size and manhood measurement! Checker (a.k.a. Ernest Evans) settled the case the following year. HP denied liability in agreeing to settle with the singer but did agree not to make future use of his stage name, likeness, or related trademarks.

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Spirit Of The Hawk – York Vaults – Thursday 14th December 2023 December 23, 2023

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 6:37 pm
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Following on from the rather wonderful Summer Solstice Shenanigans in June at this very venue Spirit Of The Hawk is back with a Winter Solstice Spectacular. The first of the support bands was Chiang featuring some of Bradford’s finest musicians. They smashed into a stunning, incendiary set full of punk and metal energy. I am a new Chiang fan! Next up was one of York’s best bands, Soma Crew, who supported the Summer Solstice Shenanigans. They brought their “A-Game” drone skills with a collection of tunes that flow into your psyche and make you feel good. As usual, they throw in some exquisite curveballs; grunge tones, Floyd and maybe Can. Their rich sound was enhanced on a few tracks by the addition of a slide guitar. Just when you think that Soma Crew might have peaked, they do this and you know they are still on that upward curve.

Finally, it was time for this Winter Solstice Spectacular to kick into overdrive as Spirit Of The Hawk took the stage. Once again including members of Percy and Soma Crew. This was a supreme sonic fest that showcased just how good Hawkwind once were. This was a true psychedelic trip with some heavy, jazzy, proggy sounds, and, as with the Summer Solstice Shenanigans we had our very own Stacia stand-in making some flowing dance shapes in a glittery jumpsuit. This lady knows how to interpret music with dance. Every member of the band was firing on all cylinders. The guitar playing was exceptionally good. If you had shut your eyes during the set you might have imagined that it was Dave Brock on stage. There were too many highlights to mention but I loved “Damnation Alley” and set closer to “Quark, Strangeness And Charm”. When I reviewed the show in June I mentioned a quote from New Order’s Stephen Morris, “Punk rock started because in every small town, there was somebody who liked Hawkwind.” I am already looking forward to the next Spirit Of The Hawk gig, are you?

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“It’s hard to believe that there’s nobody out there, it’s hard to believe that I’m all alone” November 1, 2010

Filed under: News — justwilliam1959 @ 8:07 pm
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Hardly Wodka from Varrington is it?

This post will be made up of just a random selection of stuff, starting with P Diddy aka Puff Daddy aka Sean Puffy Combs aka Sean Combs etc. etc. Anyway Mr Diddyman has been the face of Ciroc vodka for some time and as an advertising campaign that has been rather successful. Pre Diddy sales were 60,000 cases per year and Post Diddy sales are 400,000 cases per year. Now that is a result! (Thank you to those nice people over at Popbitch for that information.

Some wonderful X Factor news to report. Joe McElderry‘s new single entered the UK chart at number 6 and then dropped to 20 a couple of weeks back! RESULT!

Now for some rather more amusing X Factor news. Did you watch Diana Vickers perform her new single on the show recently? Did you have any idea what she was singing about? No nor did I. But worry no more for help is at hand, click here to see it translated and watch carefully for the blatant steal from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers “Under The Bridge“.

Then there is some really weird news from the world of X Factor. Jedward have spent £3,000 on a bed sheet that was signed by Michael Jackson and MaCaulay Culkin. Whatever you might have thought of Jacko, that certainly seems a strange thing to do. Sleep innocently with a young ‘friend’ and then sign the sheet with them. But for me paying £3,000 for the sheet is even stranger! Read the story in the Guardian here.

Jedward audition for a part in a remake of the Deadly Bees

Meanwhile a final X Factor related story, Elton John has given his opinion of the show. He describes it as ‘boring, arse-paralysingly brain-crippling’ I have to say that I do agree with him, I just wish it wasn’t so bloody addictive! Read his comments in the Guardian by clicking here.

Here’s a great clip from a 1966 movie ‘The Deadly Bees‘ featuring the Birds proto R & B/ Mod band featuring Mr Ronnie Wood off of the Faces and the Rolling Stones. There has to be a joke about the Birds and the Bees here doesn’t there?

Did you ever wonder what kind of backstage riders your favourite bands have? Well check out a Blink 182 rider here at the Smoking Gun website. I guess there are not many bands who want X Rated lesbian porn and boxer shorts are there?

Finally check out this song from an artist that is very new to me, Lauren Pritchard. It’s called “Not The Drinking”

 

“‘Cause Chelsea girls are the best in the world for company” October 24, 2010

Filed under: News,Trivia — justwilliam1959 @ 10:15 pm
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This post is just a collection of things I have found on the net recently or of things that have been sent to me during the past few weeks. Kicking off with a dance master class from the Godfather Of Funk Mr James Brown. Click here to see it. Check out his robot dance……… totally awesome! Then watch the video below to see him in action on the Shindig TV show in 1965 with “Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag”

James thought to himself "Man that was some fart!"

Next up is an animated film that accompanied “Basketball Jones” from the mighty Cheech and Chong. I first saw this on the Old Grey Whistle Test in the mid 70s and I have loved it ever since. What do you folks think of it?

The new UK charts were revealed just a few hours ago and unsurprisingly the new Kings Of Leon album tops the album chart. There are also two entries in the top ten for the Beatles with the remastered reissues of the red and blue compilations from the 70s. Meanwhile the new UK number one single is what I probably have to describe as a guilty pleasure for me. It’s not something I would usually like it’s “Just The Way You Are (Amazing)” from Hawaiian singer Bruno Mars. The video does some really clever stuff with cassette tape.

Give me a 'P' please BOB

I would like to introduce an artist that is very new to me, her name is Clarita De Quiroz, (click here for her web site). I discovered thanks to a work colleague who has a friend who has recently written some songs for her. She is definitely worth checking out. She is very gorgeous and very talented….. a bit like me then 😉

Not many people realised that Carlita had started life as a showroom dummy

And finally a clip from the Mott The Hoople reunion gigs at Hammersmith last October. I so wanted to be there, but I couldn’t get tickets. This song is probably my favourite Hoople song, “Saturday Gigs“. It was their final single and the only one they released with the late, great Mick Ronson in the band.