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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A gig on a Tuesday is never a super appealing night, is it? I always prefer Thursdays and the weekend. But sometimes something draws you in and here it was Percy and Soma Crew, two bands that I have seen before; frankly, neither of them has ever been anything but sensational. So a Tuesday gig it was! First up, for their first-ever gig, was the New Solar Drones. Their first couple of songs reminded me musically of early R.E.M and perhaps lyrically some tones of early Eels. I love that the band has a percussionist, there are not enough of them in music any more. This dude looked a little like Elton John’s long-time percussionist, Ray Cooper. The bass player stood out with his 5-string bass guitar, it’s not often that you see anything but a 4-string bass. But ignoring the number of strings, he played a magnificent bass rumble throughout the set. Their last track was truly epic, very proggy with shades of Genesis, Focus, and Jethro Tull, but still definitely very original. This is definitely a band to keep an eye (and your ears) on!
The New Solar Drones
Next on the floor, yes this was a floor show just in front of the stage, was Percy a.k.a. west Yorkshire Superheroes. They have a new album coming out next month and it is bloody ace. The obvious comparison people make when they hear Percy for the first time is the Fall. But this bunch goes so much deeper than that. I hear punk, C86, and thanks to Andy’s towering bass lines a little of Flea’s finest bass licks. Meanwhile, Paula’s keys add a Doorsian weirdness to the whole thing. The older songs are fast becoming live classics, particularly “Will Of The People” which seems likely to remain topical forever! New tunes “What Lez Said” and “ICU” are very classy indeed. But the high point for me was probably the warped magnificence of “Chunks” which confirms that all is well on Planet Percy!
PERCY
Headliners Soma Crew is a deeply talented band laid-back, psyched-out and grungy sometimes at the same time! They use that drone sound really well but these magnificent noiseniks are so much more than a drone-driven shoegaze kind of band. Their influences run very deep, even drawing on the blues at times. The use of subtle looping works really well and while there are definitely some 60s influences underlying the songs Soma Crew are undoubtedly a band planted very firmly in the 21st Century. Si Micklethwaite, singer, songwriter, and guitarist was absolutely on fire in this set a truly mountainous performance. I hear so many influences in the Soma Crew sound; Jonathan Richman, Beatles (in their most experimental moments, Pink Floyd (circa 1970/71), Spiritualized, and even 60s West Coast light rock. But none of that detracts at all from the fact that they are a great band and there is not another band quite like Soma Crew.
Soma Crew
All pictures, except the gig poster, were taken by me using my very cheap Chinese Android phone. 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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For the second year in a row, those West Yorkshire Superheroes PERCY have sent all the readers of With Just A Hint Of Mayhem a Christmas message.
Here is what they have to say! “Happy Christmas everyone and a hard-rockin’ New Year from Percy. Live opportunities were rare for us in 2021 and we want to thank all the venues and punters who braved the circumstances to keep the live music scene in York alive. We are a busy bunch and as well as putting in the hours growing our hair long we have managed to get together and write a brand new album that we plan to bring to you in the early Spring. It is a fast-paced set probably reflective of us all being wound up tight all 2021… The working title is ‘Chunks’ which is about living in a big pie. Yep, a big pie. That is Percy for you.
You can have a listen in to that track live recorded in October at the Crescent by clicking here a few other new tunes from that set on the channel too.
have an awesome New Year everyone. Percy
Follow PERCY on Twitter for news of the release and gigs @percybanduk
You can listen to and buy Vinyl and CDs at the PERCY Bandcamp site, just click here!
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I wasn’t sure whether this Christmas message idea would work or not, but I think it has. This is the eighth one and it is now the turn of West Yorkshire Superheroes, PERCY! Earlier this year the band released the rather fabulous ‘Seaside Donkeys’ album and the vinyl release is something special. You can download it from their BandCamp site and from the same place you can still avail yourself of one of the remaining vinyl albums too. Just click here, you won’t regret it! Well worth the investment, this is a classic album. Given that we haven’t seen the last of Brexshit, the vile gift that keeps on giving, PERCY and their songs will be very relevant for many, many years yet! Now enjoy the PERCY Christmas message from singer guitarist Colin!
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One thing that a crisis usually throws up is usually great protests and great protest songs. This pandemic is no exception, but with artists in lockdown and restricted like all of us it has had to be very different. Some bands and singers have used live streaming sessions to introduce new songs or covers of the greats. There are way too many protest songs to mention in this post, although feel free to contribute your favourites in the comments below. I will include three here, one very much from the current generation, one from my generation and another from the generation from before me, well kind of, the latter at 74 is 13 years older than me 🙂 The three tunes cover Black Lives Matter, the UK government and the Orange Moron in the White House.
First up is British singer Jorja Smith who had her first hit back in 2016. Her song, “By Any Means” is the first single from an upcoming Roc Nation Records compilation that collects together other great protest songs focussed on a social justice theme. Jorja said this about the song “It really came from going to the Black Lives Matter protest and leaving thinking, what can I do to keep this conversation going? It’s not just a post on social media, its life.” The music is a sparse and dark take on modern R & B which fits Jorja’s exquisite vocals and powerful lyrics perfectly.
Second it is the turn of West Yorkshire Superheroes Percy, one of my favourite current bands. “Rubbernecking In The UK” is the third single to be taken from their rather spiffing album ‘Seaside Donkeys’. The song is perhaps more of a protest about modern life, misogyny and voyeurism. However the video, produced by Hot Frog Animations, no doubt with lots of input from the band takes it to another level. The portrayal of UK Government Tsar Dominic Cummings and his cuckold Boris Johnson is funny and scary (because of the reality of where the UK is) in equal measure. The song is an infectious driving slice of post punk perfection.
Finally the older generation is represented by Neil Young. This is not a new song but an acoustic reworking of “Lookin’ For A Leader” from his 2006 album ‘Living With War’. But he hasn’t just given it an acoustic makeover, Mr Young has rewritten the lyrics to point a finger directly at Moron in Chief Donald Trump, a man who makes Dubya look like a genius. I always loved this song in it’s original guise and the new take is perfect for these times.
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West Yorkshire Super Heroes PERCY have just released a rather splendid video for my favourite song from their current album ‘ Seaside Donkeys’. The song is “Will Of The People” and the video is an incredibly angry and pertinent animation which shows Boris Johnson in the light he really deserves, i.e. a bad light!
Check out my review of the album here and click here to order it.
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West Yorkshire Super Heroes Percy are back with a new album next month, the much anticipated follow up to 2018’s ‘Sleeper’s Wake’. I loved that last album, how does ‘Seaside Donkeys’ shape up to it? Well pretty well actually. The album kicks off with what may be a statement of intent, “Back In The Swing”. It has a sixties garage rock feel to it but with more classic post-punk vocals. I can also feel the presence of the ghost of the Velvet Underground too. Next up is “Rubbernecking In The UK” whose organ-like keyboard intro and refrain comes across like a demented Inspiral Carpets with whiney John Lydonesque vocal. A very, very British song that is as good recorded as it is in the live setting. There is an underlying menace to “Carpe Diem” which appears to be a satirical look at the worst of consumerism and living off of credit cards. My current favourite song on the album, perhaps driven by having seen it performed live a few times is “Will Of The People” which I believe is a future single. The rhythm section of Andy Wiles on bass and Jason Wilson on drums are on overdrive while giving the track a pulsing beat. It has the perfect cynical punk takedown of Brexit, is it still relevant? Of course, it bloody is and it is also a song that had he still been alive Mark E Smith would have cut his hand off to have written!
The soft almost US East Coast rock acoustic feel to “The People Who Drank Themselves To Death” makes you think of the Eagles but with Television’s Tom Verlaine playing the guitar and producing. “Love Song” is and as the sixth track, of ten, may be the one that opens side two of the vinyl copy. It was bundled with the first single released earlier this month. It has another John Lydon PiL vibe with elements of Rock Druid Julian Cope in Colin Howard’s vocals. This will drive the moshpit mental! I can hear Dr. Feelgood, Ian Dury and Magazine in “A Little Trouble In Big Lils” the song almost oozes the smell of stale beer and fags underpinned by keyboards from Paula Duck worthy of Dave Greenfield at the peak of his Stranglers career. Colin even gets a semi yodel in toward the end. You don’t hear that sort of thing very often these days. Jason brings his full Keith Moon to the drum stool on “Rictus Grin” as he seems to follow the fuzzy warped guitar of Colin Howard. This tune will be a wonderful drunken singalong at future Percy gigs.
Talking of drunken singalongs next song to arrive is effectively the title track “Seaside Donkey”. It has an even more acoustic feel than “The People Who Drank Themselves To Death”. The song features a laconic elegiac violin motif which gives it the feel of being a drinking song, although perhaps a rather maudlin drinking shanty. Album closer “A Better Life” has a loose early Pulp feel to its sound and is somewhat uplifting in a strange way. Percy are most definitely back with a bang. ‘Sleeper’s Wake’ was good but ‘Seaside Donkey’ is a whole new level. Punk, post-punk, US Garage, UK pub rock is all rolled into those menacing, satirical, maniacal, dark and twisted tales of life that Percy fans have come to know and love! If you miss out on this album then you really are a seaside donkey! NEWS FLASH: You can buy the vinyl album now! Click here to place your order!
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The new album from York’s finest post-punkers PERCY, ‘Seaside Donkeys’ will be out in May, well COVID-19 permitting. Anyway, if you feel that you can’t wait that long for another PERCY fix they will be issuing a single from the album this Friday, 3rd April. It is called “Seaside Donkey” and will be bundled in this release with “Love Song”. I can picture massive singalongs occurring when “Seaside Donkey” gets played live, I will certainly be shouting my lungs out next time I see this excellent band live. The song has a slightly more acoustic feel than what we have come to expect from PERCY but put simply it is a great song! It even features a laconic violin motif which gives it the feel of being a drinking song, although perhaps a little bit of a maudlin drink, at least for me. “Love Song” is a complete contrast and rocks in a very John Lydon PiL vibe with a Julian Cope feel at times in the vocals, a song built for a heaving mosh pit! As a taster for the album these two tracks will almost certainly make you want to own it when it is issued, it will even be available on vinyl! If you want some music to ease yourself through this incredibly mad world then try PERCY!
If you want to be among the first to own the album click here now! While you’re waiting take a listen to a couple of tracks from their last album.
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With Just A Hint Of Mayhem 