With Just A Hint Of Mayhem

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

Mayhem Singles Round Up Part 1 2023 February 15, 2023

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 11:28 pm
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It has been way too long since our last singles round-up. So here is the first for 2023, it includes twelve songs that have been passed on to me or recommended during the previous few weeks and months, there are some really classy tracks here. This is quite a Yorkshire-centric list, but I have lived in Yorkshire since 2007, so why not? Let me know what you think of them! You will find a YouTube link to each song in the title and a link to the artists website or Spotify page if you click the artist name. You can also find the link to a Spotify playlist of all these songs by clicking here.

“Chu Chi Face” – Madam Misfit

Feeling down? Feeling blue? I know exactly what you need to do! Just listen to “Chu Chi Face” by the frankly incomparable and obscenely talented Madam Misfit. This tune is a 21st Century (or 19th Century) take on the song originally featured in the 60s children’s classic film ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang‘. Madam Misfit does her Electro Swing Thing with it and takes it to another funderful dimension. Watch the video and if you are not smiling by the end of it get your face muscles looked at. The only gripe I have is the dunking of chocolate covered biscuits……why?

“Rebound” – Millie Manders and the Shutup

A cracking single from a cracking band, this bigs up their pop-punk chops, a song that needs to be all over the radio!

“Green Eyed Ocean Smile” – Honeytrap

This has the feel of a classy chilled 80s synth track with a real 21st Century vibe. For me, this is HoneyTrap’s finest song to date. It was released as a single last year and is now a part of their recently released EP, ‘Fenêtre Forming’

“Glue Song” – Beabadoobee

Bea gives us a truly gorgeous love song, which will be perfect for chilling in the garden, the park, or at a festival this summer

“The Cvlt Song” – Astrology For Men

This is a band that includes Luca from Vaquelin (more of them later) and it is a soft loud and frankly stupendous metal anthem in waiting.

“Scottish Snow” – Pennine Suite

York’s Pennine Suite are back with yet another great single. The way Nick and Louise’s vocals intertwine make this song linger in your head for ages, and I do mean that in a good way. If Bananarama did perfect jangly indie songs, this would be one of them.

“By The River” – Apollo Junction

I love bands that produce great music and seem to get better with every release. This bodes incredibly well for album number three from one of Leeds’s finest bands. Instrumentally the band is on fire and Jamie’s vocal pulls out all the stops. This has left me dreaming of the finest alternative 80s hits!

“On My Own” – The Kut

Possibly the hookiest, catchiest rock song in ages. I love all the “whoa whoa” backing vocals. Expect to hear your postman whistling this tune! If you love this, and why wouldn’t you, check out the earlier release “Fun When You’re Winning“

“Social Cyanide” – Vaquelin

Those Vaquelin boys are back with a really bluesy slab of classic rock. It has some softer-sounding moments, but even they have razor-sharp edges. The riffage is ace and can I hear strings low down in the mix or is that treated guitar. Album number two will be something very special indeed!

“Hazel Frustration” – Kindelan

This is the latest release from Kindelan, following hot on the heels of the rather splendid, “The Other Side”, these tracks will eventually form an EP. “Hazel Frustration” is a song of relationships and heartbreak, Kindelan styles it in a wonderfully softer modern R & B style. I have been a fan for quite a while and she continues to get better with each release.

“Reset” – Wolforna

What a fabulous slice of heavy rock this is, filled with gargantuan riffs and softer moments that evoke the less hard side of Led Zeppelin. The vocals are outstanding.

“Fatal Flaw” – Thrillhouse

This opens like a skilful take on peak New Order and moves on to draw on the likes of OMD and Eccho and the Bunnymen. A tremendously good pop scented rock track which is so joyful to listen to.

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“Far” – Pennine Suite August 6, 2022

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 2:43 pm
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Pennine Suite unleashed their latest single on the world a few weeks ago. It has a full, everything including the kitchen sink 21st Century Phil Spector wall of sound production, without the bells. I love the harmony vocals from Louise, it adds depth to the sound and complements Nick’s voice perfectly. The keys are very early 80s indie pop and at times the vocals reminded me of the Human League when they took a detour away from their trademark synth sound with tunes like “The Lebanon” from 1984. harry’s guitar performance here is top-notch. Meanwhile, Moses on bass coupled with the Malfoy metronome that is Louis creates a perfect beat that is mightier than the Hadron collider. This track makes me look forward to a Pennine Suite album even more!

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The WJAHOM Interview Podcast – Nick Aldous of Pennine Suite April 6, 2022

Filed under: Interview,Podcast — justwilliam1959 @ 8:51 pm
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A couple of weeks back I had the pleasure of catching up with Pennine Suite front man Nick Aldous, that was on the eve of the release of the band’s rather excellent new single “Pass On You” which reached 5,000 streams in its first week in the wider world. Nick talks about band names and gigs, spills the beans on his band mates, muses about merch, T-Shirt designs (check out a rather infamous T-Shirt sported by Hugh Cornwell back in the 70s in the picture below) and chats about some of his favourite music among other things! It was great to catch up with him, click here to listen to the interview on Buzzsprout. I hope you enjoy it!

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Avalanche Party – Fulford Arms, York – Saturday 2nd April 2022 April 4, 2022

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 10:22 pm
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I never like to pass up the chance to witness the mighty Avalanche Party in all their live pomp and glory and this was no exception, especially at a wonderfully intimate venue like the Fulford Arms in York. Later I have some big news regarding how many times I have experienced a live show from Avalanche Party. A big shout out to Aron Murray of Vexed Music Photography for all the excellent pictures below. (Click the link to his page and you will find plenty more great shots from the gig). First I need to tell you about the rather spiffing support bands. First to take the iconic Fully Arms stage were the Rosemaries, a band whose combined total age is not much more than my actual age! They belie their youth with pummelling punk power and a guitar sound ripped from the still-beating heart of the best of early 70s glam rock. The singer has the perfect John Lydon whiney style post-punk voice. They have some great tunes particularly “Debutante”, Kismet” and “Easy Peasy”. Mid-set the singer took a break while the guitarist sang a song called “Hornsea”, about the East Riding seaside town that is a victim of erosion. Does Hornsea get a bad press or is it a shithole? (Answers on a postcard please). This is a magnificently exciting band that has punk passion and energy by the skip load. I see elements of Public Image Ltd and Yard Act in them, but don’t let that fool you. The Rosemaries are a band with great potential in their own right!

The Rosemaries. Picture by Aron Murray, Head Honcho of Vexed Music Photography.
The Rosemaries. Picture by Aron Murray, Head Honcho of Vexed Music Photography.

Based on their legacy Pennine Suite were always going to be a good band, but now they are fast heading towards being a great band. This was their second set of the day after they had wowed the crowds at the York Life Festival in Parliament Street in the afternoon. They are building up a classy canon of great tunes. “Impatience” has become a mountainous banger in their live set. Their next single, due in the summer, I believe it is called “Far” sounds rather ace. The double highlight for me was the two outings the band gave to their fabulous current single “Pass On You” which has hit 5,000 streams in a week! Get this band in your ears NOW! watch out for an interview with Pennine Suite frontman Nick coming to these pages very soon.

Nick from Pennine Suite. Picture by Aron Murray, Head Honcho of Vexed Music Photography.
Louise (and a slice of Harry) from Pennine Suite. Picture by Aron Murray, Head Honcho of Vexed Music Photography.

Finally, it was time for perhaps my favourite band in the world right now, Avalanche Party. I promised you some big news about how many times I have seen them play live. Including tonight’s gig, I have now seen them fourteen times. This pushes Frank Turner into second on thirteen times and David Bowie third on twelve times! Thanks to Joe Bell for the name check from the stage. This was another classic Avalanche Party set. The new tunes sounded very special indeed and bode well for the sophomore album which a source tells me may well be recorded in August. Avalanche Party is now a band where every member gives it 150%. I suspect they would play like headliners wherever they were on the bill and however big the venue. While I hope they break out of grass roos venues and start playing huge venues it is something quite special to see such an immensely talented band in this environment. The combination of Joe’s supernova bass lines and Kane’s thunderous drumming continue to keep the band’s engine running perfectly. On top of that, the psych keyboard licks and flourishes from Glen combined with Jared’s other world guitar work make them a band like no other. But obviously, I can’t ignore the performance of their extraordinary frontman Jordan who plays and sings like a man possessed. No one does the penetrating rock star stare like him. There wasn’t a dull tune in the set tonight, but if I forced myself I would have to say “Bugzy” was my favourite, with “Solid Gold” a close second. This band deserves to be huge, let’s make that happen!

Jordan Avalanche – Picture by Aron Murray, Head Honcho of Vexed Music Photography.
Jared Avalanche – Picture by Aron Murray, Head Honcho of Vexed Music Photography.

All pictures, except the gig poster, were taken by Aron Murray, Head Honcho of Vexed Music Photography. The videos were found on YouTube. 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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“Pass On You” – Pennine Suite March 24, 2022

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 2:03 pm
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The spanking new single from up-and-coming York band Pennine Suite hits the world on 25th March. I love its rather wonderful and almost eerie “ooh ooh” hook which stays with you long after you have listened to the song. Pennine Suite carries more depth of sound and are slightly less punky than the Receivers (who included three of the five members of Pennine Suite). “Pass On You” is reminiscent of some of the best early 80s post-punk and it epitomises pop-rock at its best. If I have any criticism it is simply that I think the track could be slightly longer than 2 minutes and 19 seconds. But as the band’s singer, Nick Aldous pointed out to me, you just need to play it twice, or more! I also think that someone with great remix skills could make a fantastic dance remix of this cracking song. I have heard the band play the song live and it comes across as a future classic. I recently interviewed Nick from the band, so look out for that appearing here sometime soon! Meanwhile, stream the hell out of “Pass On You”, don’t pass it by, pass it on! Click here to pre-save, pre-add, or pre-order and repeat play it as soon as it hits the streets!

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Where’s Slater – Victoria Vaults, York – Friday 4th February 2022 February 7, 2022

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 11:21 pm
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This was my second Independent Venue Week gig for 2022, this time at the Victoria Vaults in York which had a fantastic overhaul during various Covid lockdowns. This night was put together by Trailer Park Promotions and it was great to meet the Head Honcho himself, Sam. The boy done good! Four bands in one night, does it get better than that? Maybe but not often! The opening act tonight was Pennine Suite who I saw for the first time in their current incarnation around two weeks ago. It is clear that the band in this expanded form has a much greater depth of sound and they use it incredibly well to showcase their canon of banging tunes. Lead singer Nick continues to build and develop his array of frontman skills. He owns it and totally understands his crowd. The band is on top form Louise’s keyboards add a sublime melodic wave to the sound. Harry proves himself to be an excellent guitarist, having switched from the bass. Meanwhile, Moses, who has only been playing the bass guitar for six months smashes a great groove. But there is clearly no stopping the band’s own nuclear reactor Louis on drums, he was insanely good. If I had to pick a highlight, and there were many, it would have to be “Impatience”, a real barnstormer!

Next up it was the turn of Silvertones who I have seen just once before, back in January 2019 when they supported the Receivers (who became Pennine Suite fact fans!) at the Fulford Arms in York. Silvertones are a power trio that puts the emphasis on power. There were moments when the guitar sounded like none other than Johnny Fucking Marr. The bass player’s vocals were reminiscent of Liam Gallagher back in the days when he was good. There was also that idiosyncratic nasal whine a la John Lydon. Their slower tunes suggested perhaps Cast or even Hard-Fi. Essentially this was an uplifting riff-laden set from a band who know their stuff.

A band that is new to me, Everything After Midnight, were next. This York five-piece was truly epic in sound and performance. Imagine Tori Amos if she took a much heavier direction with some added prog undertones, that is how Everything After Midnight sounded to me. The title track of their current EP “Still Sleeping” was majestic and at times was like a slowed-down Nightwish. Was that three guitars and no bass that I spotted? If it was then there was no negative impact on the sound. The chanty backing vocals were a perfect foil to the singer’s gorgeous, ethereal, enthralling voice. The band were tight and well-rehearsed, the drummer was a very classy player.

I first saw headliners Where’s Slater when they supported Tommyrot at this same venue back in August 2021. For that gig, they were missing two band members but still put on a great show. There is a huge 70s influence here, but they are also very much their own original band. This is a polished rock sound, made by a highly talented band. While there is a darkness to some of their songs Where’s Slater are a bunch of people that seem like they are having a hell of a lot of fun on stage. If you took the Ray Manzarek’s keys away from the Doors and added extra heavy guitar riffs then you might get closer to that Where’s Slater beautiful noise. Their cover of “Hey Joe”, a song which many people have claimed to write and which became a huge sixties hit for Jimi Hendrix, was masterfulIt wasn’t just a cover version, these boys took it and made it their own. Where’s Slater look more like a group of final year nerdy Uni students than rock gods, but when they perform they also transform into their rock n roll personas. This is a band with a bright future. Incidentally fact fans, did you know that a “slater” is also the german term for “feeling of two moments of time not colliding, staying far, far apart” (according to the band bio on Spotify anyway)

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Pennine Suite – The Crescent, York – Friday 21st January 2022 January 30, 2022

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 12:05 pm
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This was a rescheduled show from that slack period between Christmas and New Year and I was so pleased it was rescheduled as otherwise, I would have missed it. It was also amazing to catch up with so many old friends, maybe, just maybe, we are getting back to some kind of normal. This was going to be my first opportunity to see the headliners, Pennine Suite. But before I talk about them there were three support bands who were rather spiffingly good!

The first band to take the stage was Honeytrap who I first saw back in November 2021 at the Fulford Arms when they supported Seagoth. Back then I described their set as fucking awesome! I stand by that for this show too, although I will add one word to the original two and say that they were super fucking awesome! I can sense an ancestral link with some of the finest British bands, including the Verve and the Small Faces. Kell Chambers’s vocals suggested he could give Steve Marriott and Richard Ashcroft a run for their money. His voice is soulful, passionate and at times shows he can make delicate sounds just like Kurt Cobain in the quieter Nirvana moments. Will Daniels’s guitar work is among the finest of his generation and has at least some roots back to Jonny Greenwood, John Squire, and Bernard Butler. Bassist James Butterworth kept the band ticking over with his finely tuned Rolls Royce bass lines. Meanwhile, drummer John Gilbert was absolutely on fire. This was a near-perfect set, but if you made me pick my favourite part under threat of death then I would plump for “Renegade” which was stunning. If you haven’t seen or heard Honeytrap yet then you need to rectify that immediately!

Next, it was the turn of Trueman and the Indoor League who I first saw back in October at the Crescent when they were supporting Avalanche Party. In those few months, the band has upped their game even further. Trueman is a real showman who puts across his kitchen sink, soap opera, everyday life stories like Jarvis Cocker on speed. Lyrically they are perhaps bedfellows with early Suede, the Arctic Monkeys, and Pulp, which is good company in my opinion. The band has a saxophonist this time and that broadens their sound wonderfully. As a result, they came across like a Poundland E Street Band (and I mean that in a good way) with a shot of 80s live Bowie!

 Tonight’s penultimate band was Pavilion. I last saw them back in those heady pre-Covid days of February 2020 at the Victoria Vaults in York when they supported the Golden Age Of TV. They were good then and they are even better now. Definitely one of York’s finest bands. The set tonight sounded at times like a stripped-down Cream with the odd injection of Inspiral Carpets. Olly’s guitar was at times sublime, while Noah’s vocals were first class. Even more impressive was that Olly and Noah had also played as a part of the Indoor League just before.

This was my first opportunity to see Pennine Suite live, I had seen their previous incarnation the Receivers, who are sadly no more. The band retains Nick, Louis, and Harry from that band and now they have become a five-piece with the addition of Louise and Moses. Would they just be the Receivers 2.0? Most certainly not, the expansion to a bigger band has enhanced the sound magnificently. Nick was a good frontman in the Receivers and now he is a great frontman his confidence, swagger, and voice have grown at an explosively exponential rate! There were some Receivers songs in the set, “Only Human” and “Impatience” were particular standouts. The band showed their added versatility with Louise taking vocal duties for one tune. Pennine Suite have hit the ground running and tonight they played with the firepower of a Saturn V rocket. Particularly Louis who played the drums like the fate of the planet depended on it! The Receivers are dead, long live Pennine Suite!

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A Christmas Message From Pennine Suite December 22, 2021

Filed under: Christmas Message — justwilliam1959 @ 6:21 pm
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Those Christmas messages keep on rolling, the latest is from the very new, and very good, Pennine Suite. A band formed during Covid which includes three members of the Receivers, a band who are sadly no longer with us. The Receivers are dead, long live Pennine Suite! They have a gig at the Crescent in York on 27th December with support from Trueman & The Indoor League and Pavilion, get yourself down there if you can. This band are so new they don’t have any merch yet, but follow their FaceBook page to keep up to date with Nick, Louis, Moses, Harry and Louise, just click here to do that. Also you need to check out the tracks they currently have on Spotify, click here to be transported to the Pennine Suite! Thier Christmas message is rather wonderful and you really need to watch it right to the end. I have been asked to inform you that no actual elves were harmed in the making of this video, but maybe the Little Drummer Boy was!

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