As you might have guessed from the title of this post it is time once again for Mayhem’s 12 Days of Christmas posts. This years theme is quite dark and not very festive. With all the crap in the world at the moment much of it driven by Putin and his pedo gimp in the White House I thought I would celebrate Chrimbo this year with songs about the end of the world. Yeah, kind of depressing maybe, but these are twelve fabulous tracks and whatever happens music will always accompany me.
The end of the world track for day 1 of this series is “Welcome To The Disco” by one of Yorkshire’s (and possibly the UK’s) finest purveyors of dark, electro rave anthems, the Apocalypse Disco! So without further adieu put your head between your legs, kiss your arse goodbye and say hello to Armageddon!
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Your soundtrack for Armageddon just got loads better. The Apocalypse Disco return with their first release since their magnificent ‘Welcome To The Disco’ EP back in January. The new single is called “Bring On The Storm” and it is a booming bass driven techno dance floor anthem. No one would be surprised if the late, great Keith Flint would be resurrected if he heard this magnificent masterpiece and joined Ian and Robin with alacrity in this hard electro rave stomper. The song shouts back at the destruction and devastation that the metaphorical storm that is the world today with waves of positivity. “We can dance, even in the eye of the storm“, indeed we can, and we fucking should! This song will have the four horsemen of the apocalypse quaking in their plague boots and it will curdle their plans of pestilence! A huge welcome back to the Apocalypse Disco, we missed you and the world needs you! They will be playing at the Fulford Arms in York on 5th December. I will see you there!
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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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This was another gig pulled together by music promoter extraordinaire, Simon P of Northern Radar and featured some of my favourite bands, notably headliners Lost Trends, but more of them later as I need to talk about the rather stunning support acts. First up it was Saliva Birds. If you are addicted to class A garage rock then this bunch will make you overdose on it. They have some great songs and they are one hell of a tight band. The backdrop visuals were weird, wonky and wonderful and featured monstrous impossible creatures and rather strangely Bjorn Borg! This was the first time I have seen them live and I am quite excited for the release of their new single now.
Next up it was the incomparable Apocalypse Disco. The duo are much louder and more spiritual than the Prodigy. From the opening bars of opener “Welcome To The Disco” the crowd were all ready to sign up to be members of the Apocalypse Disco cult! Keyboard and laptop maestro Ian bashes out more beats than an army could manage while front man Robin works the crowd wonderfully with his energy and madly, manic magnificent performance. There were many stand outs, particularly “Alive”, “Surrender” and “The Bridge”. This was the second time I have seen them live and it won’t be the last. In fact I will be seeing them again on 11th July!
Finally it was time to see the mighty Lost Trends. When I first saw the band back in 2018 they were seen as a dance influenced indie band. Now they have grown into something that is so much more. This was easily the most powerful performance I have seen from them. Recent singles “Antelope” and “Take Down” are masterful rock songs. Lost Trends classic “DJ” still raises the roof and the new hip hop influenced track is ace. Their progress in the eight years since I first came into contact with them is colossal. Imagine how the Who went from a relatively basic 60s R & B band into a humongous rock behemoth. It feels like Lost Trends have the potential to be on a similar trajectory! This was another great night from Northern Radar!
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Here is the Mayhem chart for January 2025. Regular readers know the chart is based on my Spotify listening habits. These are gathered over the last month by obscurify.com. After a slight blip last month my taste in music is now apparently 99% more obscure than the rest of the UK! The chart remains contemporary-ish (but if a classic artist releases something new they might feature in the chart). However, last month’s top three “Legacy” artists were David Bowie, Linda Ronstadt and Bill Withers. Obscurify also suggests the most obscure artists I have listened to for January and they are Liz Davinci, Jackie’s Boy and Herorangecoat. Last month Herorangecoat also made it to number eight in the artist chart. For the first time in months Delilah Bon has not made it into the chart since we restarted it more than a year ago. But another Mayhem chart regular, ALT BLK ERA sit at number two in the artist chart. Party Nails is the number one artist for January following the release of her wonderful album ‘Pillow Talk’ in that month. Top of the song chart for January is a firm favourite here at Mayhem Towers and someone we have championed for a long while. It is the supremely talented Kindelan with her latest offering “Drowning The Killer”. So without further ado here are those charts in full! Click on the Spotify link below to listen to the famous (or infamous) five!
Mayhem Artist Chart January 2025
1 Party Nails 2 ALT BLK ERA 3 Lambrini Girls 4 The Apocalypse Disco 5 Robo 6 Lola Young 7 abs 8 Herorangecoat 9 Brògeal 10 Used To Be Apes
Mayhem Song Chart January 2025
1 Drowning The Killer – Kindelan 2 Manhattan – Pennine Suite 3 Safe & Sound – Pip Lewis 4 A New Dream – Gregory Darling and Julian Lennon 5 Vice – Rizzle Kicks
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The Apocalypse Disco just released their debut EP ‘Welcome To The Disco’. If you need something to soundtrack the impending apocalypse (thanks America), then this is it! The EP kicks off with “Revelation”. It has biblical levels of keys from Ian and an end of world impassioned vocal from Robin. Believe me, if you follow my advice you will be dancing when the world ends. The second song is the title track of the EP. The band’s bio claims that they make Apocalyptic Discotechno and based on this track that is 100% true. It features superbly crisp production. Neil Mclellan, who has worked on some great albums, produced this track. He was the engineer on the Prodigy’s ‘Fat Of The Land’. This track is the perfect tune to lead us into a pre-armageddon party and it will definitely feature on my end of the world playlist. If this is the last track you ever hear, then trust me, you have left this mortal coil on a good note! But there are more fine tracks on the EP. Next it is previous single “Alive” which has a highly hopeful chorus which is impossible not to sing along to. “Alive” is simply a joyous slice of electro and it makes me want to stay alive. The line “God loves a sinner, thank fuck for that” is a perfect line in such a great dance track. Dance to it and tell the four horsemen of the apocalypse to fuck right off!
“Army” has an excellent marching beat with what sounds like foot soldiers marching at the start. The last time that sound was heard in a great tune was probably back in 1977 when the Sex Pistols released “Holidays In The Sun”. This is another Prodigy style dance workout, but this one leans toward the border with the Land of Chill. But the dark undertones and zombieish lyrics take it up a few hundred notches. Right now “Thunder” is my favourite track on the EP, but that might be different tomorrow. Imagine the Prodigy joining forces with the Chemical Brothers and going in a kind of glam rock direction and utilising David Bowie’s “secret” band from the ‘Earthling’ tour, the Tao Jones Index, well that is what “Thunder” sounds like to me. But it is not just homage and definitely not a facsimile, it is banging, beat-laden, and bloody bonkers. Right up my street, in fact. Play this track (or in fact anything on the EP and you will have no choice but to shake your booty and dance like nobody is watching! The streaming version of the EP closes with “The Bridge” which gives a stylish nod to Erasure in its sublime hook. The way the keys build up the hopeful but explosive tension is a joy to experience.
I am the lucky owner of the CD version of the ‘Welcome To The Disco’ EP and that means I have an extra secret track. It is a cover of a song called “Art Of Dying” which was written and originally recorded by a little know scouse musician who was in a beat group in the 60s. I think his name was Hari Georgeson! If the second reign of Trump is the herald of the apocalypse, then bow to your inner illegal rave soul, grab your glowsticks, and smash it until the end of the world with the ‘Welcome To The Disco’ EP as your soundtrack!
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With humble apologies to the creators of the iconic NOW series of compilations that began in 1983, I posted and compiled the first WOW That’s What I Call Mayhem collection back in March, with volume 2 following just a few weeks ago. So are you ready for volume 3? I certainly hope so, because here it is! This includes the third 20 singles we reviewed in 2024 in another maniacal eclectic playlist for your listening pleasure! With 70 minutes of music, click here and lose yourself in the music!
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Here is the Mayhem chart for May 2024. Regular and constant readers know that the chart is based on my Spotify listening habits over the last month gathered together by obscurify.com. Apparently, my tastes are 98% more obscure than the rest of the UK! A drop of 1% from last month. The chart remains contemporary-ish (but if a classic artist releases something new they might feature in the chart). However, the top three “Legacy” artists are Johnny Nash, Stevie Wonder, and Bruce Springsteen. Obscurify also suggests the most obscure artists I have listened to and for May those are PERCY, The Apocalypse Disco, and Joe Solo. 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, Frank Turner, and Delilah Bon! Delilah is the only artist to feature in the artist chart and the song chart for May, with her current single “Evil, Hate Filled Female” making it to the top of the song chart. Delilah Bon has been in the artist charts for six consecutive months. Meanwhile, a rather big artist hits the top of the artist charts. Yes, Taylor Swift has finally topped the only chart that matters! To honour that achievement she is also included in this month’s playlist! Incidentally, the longest artist name ever to reach the Mayhem Artist Chart is Warrington Runcorn New Town Development Plan, they are at number six! 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 MAY 2024
1 Taylor Swift 2 Percy 3 Paul Weller 4 Richard Hawley 5 Billie Eilish 6 Warrington Runcorn New Town Development Plan 7 Yard Act 8 Frank Turner 9 Dea Matrona 10 Delilah Bon
1 Evil, Hate Filled Female – Delilah Bon 2 Debris – Skanger 3 Come Alive – Francesca Faye 4 Here Right Now – Jessica Wilde 5 My Bile – Kate Nash
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Here is the Mayhem chart for April 2024. Regular readers know that the chart is based on my Spotify listening habits over the last month gathered together by obscurify.com. Apparently, my tastes are 99% more obscure than the rest of the UK! The chart remains contemporary-ish (but if a classic artist releases something new they might feature in the chart). However, the top three “Legacy” artists are David Bowie, the KLF, and Public Image Ltd. Obscurify also suggests the most obscure artists I have listened to and for March those are Liz Davinci, The Apocalypse Disco, and Kindelan. There is a top ten artists chart and a top 5 songs chart. There is the usual eclectic mix of artists, including just one that was in the top ten last month, Delilah Bon! Delilah is one of only two artists to feature in the artist chart and the song chart for April, the other is the Blackheart Orchestra. Delilah Bon has been in the artist charts for five consecutive months and after topping the March song chart with “Maverick” she sits at number two with her new single, “Finally See Me”. Joe Solo, who we interviewed recently, tops the artist chart and Everything After Midnight takes the top spot on the song chart with their cracking new single “Little Hints” 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 APRIL 2024
1 Joe Solo 2 Grace Potter 3 Ian Hunter 4 Frank Turner 5 English Teacher 6 Julia Othmer 7 The Blackheart Orchestra 8 Delilah Bon 9 Avalanche Party 10 Paraorchestra
1 Little Hints – Everything After Midnight 2 Finally See Me – Delilah Bon 3 Cinderhaze – Stumbleine 4 The Tide – The Blackheart Orchestra 5 Manoeuvres – Carol Hodge
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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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