I know it is hard to believe but With Just A Hint Of Mayhem has been with you for fifteen years. We began on 9th February 2009 with a tiny pffft sound and one day we might make that huge bang! Thank you to every single one of you who has visited, liked, commented, or participated in this endeavor! I thought an appropriate way to celebrate was with fifteen songs with 15 in their title, so without further ado, blow out those 15 candles, get your party trousers on, and feel free to sing me a happy birthday tune of your choice!!!!
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The Kecks count members from Australia, France, Austria, and the UK and have spent a fair amount of time in Hamburg, Germany. Has this diverse geographical pull influenced their sound? I have no idea. But what I do know is that if you are a fan of scuzzy, dirty rock ‘n’ roll then you will love their new single “Modern Girls” which comes out on 23rd April on AWAL records. The song is a treatise on what it means to grow up in this mad modern world where technology is king and people feel measured and judged on social media likes rather than who they are and what they can achieve. The band themselves say of the song; “In a time when it’s easy to point fingers and laugh at the way society and culture are being twisted in the ‘Instagram Age’ we wanted to dive a little deeper and try to understand and sympathise with just how difficult it must be to grow up in the modern age, especially for girls with the constant pressure and complexities modern life brings with it”.
The heavy, punky guitar riffs are wonderfully distorted and the vocals are every bit as good as Julian Casablancas and the chorus would challenge the best that Brandon Flowers has written. the Kecks are a 21st-century garage band with 100% punk sensibilities and credentials. They live the punk DIY ethos and have produced the video that will accompany the release of “Modern Girls” themselves. The video is scheduled for release on 14th April. “Modern Girls” is a song that will lead to magnificent moshing and mercurial crowd singing when it inevitably gets played by the Kecks in a festival field someday, sadly with COVID-19 that is unlikely to be this year. But festival organisers take heed and get this lot on your 2021 line ups! While you are waiting for “Modern Girls” check out the video for “Stick In My Throat” below and click here to follow them on Spotify.
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I had looked forward to another Northern Radar gig for some time. Simon Pattinson has never let me down with his gigs or recommendations and I have known him a few years now. But rather than keep you in suspense let me just say that once again Simon came up trumps. He has a great knack for finding and promoting great bands. When he makes it big, just remember where you read it first!
So first up tonight were the fabulously named Eugene Gorgeous. This is the first opportunity that I have had to see this spectacular band. Imagine, if you will, the Velvet Underground meeting the Jesus and Mary Chain at a dive bar in Twin Peaks. Well if you can picture that in your mind that is Eugene Gorgeous. Whilst the singer appeared to be fuelled by milk. The guitarist was something special too with and incredible talent for feedback and sustain he can make that guitar squeal!
Are you looking for a Nirvana for the 21st Century? Yes? How about a band with some dub licks straight out of the Clash and a pinch of the Strokes? Is that your bag baby? Well in that case Mice On Mars are right up your street. On top of all their other talents they have a drummer that plays like a reincarnated Keith Moon.
Next up were Maven Fiction, a band that I have seen in many guises before. If you like any of the following genres then you really ought to love this band; pop, funk, electronica and punk. If you also like great songs and great melodies then you really need to check them out. In my opinion it is an absolute tragedy that Maven Fiction are not bigger than the likes of Coldplay. Can we at least get them on the Apollo Festival stage next year in York Stuart Kelly?
Finally it was the turn of the magnificent Mallrats who were headlining a gig to promote their rather excellent new EP. You can’t really ignore a band whose sixth and seventh gigs (I’m reliably informed) were at the Reading and Leeds Festivals? Frankly you can’t can you? This is a phenomenally talented young band who I hope will achieve great success. This is the third time that I have seen them and they have got better every time. I also had the opportunity to meet the drummers Dad and what a thoroughly nice bloke he is! This was another great gig from Northern Radar and it was, as usual 100% perfect. Apart from the ringing in my ears. But actually that is my fault as I stood far to close to the speaker stack for Maven Fiction’s set!
With Just A Hint Of Mayhem 