Wartoad have been making the rounds with the release of their brand new track ‘I alone can fix it’.
With all 9 members, yes that’s right, 9! A already accomplishing achievement for a band now a days, the band consists of Al Dijon (Organ, Mellotron, Drums, Vocals), Butch Dante (Guitar, Vocals, Whistle), Calvin Voltz (Guitar, Bass, Drums, Kalimba, Vocals), Charlie Danielson (Bass, Vocals, Guitar), Diego Fontana (Drums, Vocals), Hal McNulty (Vocals, Bass, Guitar), Kip Larson (Drums, Vocals), Nigel Stevens (Vocals) and finally Tony “Terk” Downing (Drums).
With a brand new album on the way and all the while achieving what they do, living separately around the world must be insanely difficult, how they get things decided together, i do not know, they must have great Skype connection!
So, whether you’ve guessed it or not, the preferred beverage would be something green, an apple Sourz, or perhaps something with a bit more of a kick, or punch…Jagermeister. The perfect choices of drink to chug while rocking out like punks!
Be sure to check out the politically charged, punk fueled jab at Donald Trump, out now:
Ms. Mohammed’s debut Alibi see’s her bring her feisty side right from the go. A mix of tribalistic dhol drums and a traditional kit give her rocky sound an etherial, exotic edge. Her Alibi EP explores this world music and rock mix to great effect, also dipping into Indie and in the last track on the EP ‘Written in Time’, a samba break down. Give the Alibi video a listen below.
So… Ms. mohammed plays traditional punky, PJ Harvey styled rock music BUT, all importantly, she infuses her music with a splash of the etherial and exotic. This this why I would compare Ms. Mohammed to Deperado’s. Traditional Larger with a tequila twist!
Steampunk Record Label tour is now fully underway and there’s still chance to catch a huge array of cyber Victorian talent near you. Drawing on influences as varied as cabaret, classical, punk and, most especially, the exploding Steampunk scene, their live shows are a maelstrom of sonic and visual drama, with audiences as likely to be turning heads as much as the band themselves.
BB Blackdog
Headliners (and indeed, featuring the label head honcho) BB Blackdog has over 600 gigs, 76 original songs, showcases at everywhere from Berlin to Los Angeles to London and countless festival appearances, including, Bearded Theory, Sonic Rock Solstice, Whitby Goth festival, under their collective belt. BB BlackDog have become a live band not to miss – determinedly using no overdubs, they thrive on playing simple catchy music whilst remaining fiercely independent
Links http://www.bbblackdog.com https://www.youtube.com/user/BBBLACKDOG https://www.facebook.com/BBBLACKDOG
Feline & Strange has embraced the Victorian/Futuristic fashion ethic and infused it into not only their appearance but also their sound. The alien troubadours, masquerading as dapper Berliners to human eyes, combine ear-chilling vocals with an electronic collapsible cello to deliver dizzying supernatural sounds and otherworldly goings-on. Having toured extensively around the world, including, inevitably, the Steampunk World Fair. Their latest album, Out, will be accompanied by a UK-exclusive box-set in September.
Skeletal gutter-blues three-piece The Wattingers take their inspiration from the American Gothic simmer of films like Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Night of the Hunter; the surreal and oozing worlds of Alejandro Jodorowsky; and the unhinged brutality of bands like The Birthday Party and The Butthole Surfers, whilst retaining the wry humour of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins
Links http://karaokenoir.wixsite.com/the-wattingers https://vimeo.com/thewattingers https://www.facebook.com/thewattingers/
The Dark Design
The Dark Design occupy a musical space somewhere between Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds and the Sisters of Mercy, combing rock-opera, theatre and murky secret societies, though that still tells only part of the story. Many of the Dark Design’s members are actually fully-functioning automata including the self-propelled autoglock, and their robotic drum-kit. They also play a variety of weird and esoteric instruments including hurdy-gurdy and the tubitar – yep, that’s a hybrid of a guitar and a tuba.
Link
…and not forgetting, the vivacious compère, Jezebel Steele
Encouraging their fans to dress in similar Steampunk attire to themselves, this is the first glimpse of the Steampunk musical onslaught. Remember to raid their merchandise stall for musical treats too!
Also appearing on the tour will be: Sweet liquorice; The Big Fibbers; Automotone;
; Return to Chaos
With a name like Furnace and the Fundamentals, it should be a cast-iron, nailed on the wall, skewered into the core of the Earth given that said band is as blood-boilingly elemental as they suggest. If only we had a pound for every time we were led along this merry path, only to be disappointed. Prepare yourselves – it actually happened. On an unassuming evening in Cambridge’s famed Portland Arms, the go-to venue for anyone who’s actually ANY GOOD, there was the quasi-religious spectacle of a band living up to their name. Bless everyone involved.
Party band? Weddings and bar mitzvahs? Soggy sausage rolls? None of it. Furnace and the Fundamentals is an almost perversely talented, energetic, musically-muscular volcano of a band which just happens to play cover versions. Forget your covers of Bon Jovi’s Total Eclipse of the Heart; forget even Bon Jovi’s own version of Total Eclipse of the Heart, and revel in the glory of 6 Australian-based go-getters in glittery red suits shaking you silly.
If you’re after a toilet break during the slow number, you’re in for a troublesome time (or at least the person stood next to you is). Furious from the off, Furnace and his cohorts don’t give you a second to collect your thoughts, powering through song after song without so much as a care for the audience’s collective cardio-vascular system. Half way through you realize you’re jigging along to songs you always thought you hated.
Never having thought myself how easy it would be to segue from KISS’s I Was Made For Lovin’ You to a wallpaper-peeling medley of Adele hits, Furnace make us all the eager students to their tartrazine-fuelled headmaster. Blurred Lines becomes Billie Jean; Ginuwine’s Pony becomes Bohemian Rhapsody. It seems obvious when Furnace and the Fundamentals rearrange what you ever thought of some of the most recognisable sounds from across the decades. We’d show you the setlist but with nods sometimes as brief as a couple of lines, we’d be here all day writing it down and our fingers simply wouldn’t stand it.
A packed crowd, who were clearly already savvy to the allure of the band, were joined by the performers on the floor as they did the conga through the crowd and keyboard master, Lachlan Nicholson, knocked out a killer keytar solo. Whilst drummer, Mike Solo, was confined to the corner of the stage, he still managed to add his two cents to the performance antics with stick spins, cross-handed drumming and some ingenious trills and transitions that hold the mash-ups together like superglue.
In some ways, it seemed like The Portland didn’t do justice to the quality musicianship and performance on show, with it struggling to keep a lid on the seemingly unlimited supplies of energy from every member of the band. These guys deserve to be playing bigger venues, packing out tour dates, day in, day out – because if everyone knew that cover bands could be like this, there wouldn’t be the stigma that is usually associated with them. Nonetheless, the lucky Cambridge crowd was treated to an intimate, no-holds-barred performance that proved that Furnace and the Fundamentals are the ultimate party starters – full stop.
It was all pretty revelatory stuff – the band come with a reputation for full-throttle, Olympic-standard party shows, complete with glitter cannons and can-can girls (possibly) but it still comes as quite a shock in the flesh. I really can’t recommend highly enough, one of the most (ahem) incendiary gigs in Cambridge this year. Toto? Check. The Darkness? Check. Beyonce? Check. Paul Simon? Check. How long have you got?
Festival season is far from over in November – Ilfracombe Rocks Festival in Devon is a must for every classic rock’n’roll fan who loves to dwell in nostalgia as well as discover what’s new in the magnificent world of rock these days.
After having been a massive success in 2015 the first 100 super early bird tickets for 2016 are already on sale at an extraordinary price of only £20 for the whole weekend and a very affordable £9 per head a night for accommodation –don’t miss out and grab yours now!
Having grown over the years, Ilfracombe Rocks will accommodate up to 1500 music lovers this November. The three-day event is held from 4th-6th November 2016. Brought to life by iconic radio presenter DJ John Forster, known for hosting the number one unsigned rock music show on the net called ‘Dr. John’s Unsigned Rock Surgery’ on Rockbandom Radio, this event is a true gem for admirers of handmade sonic bliss. Located in John Fowler’s Holiday Park in Devon the annual celebration of gritty guitars and amplified solos is a perfect way to spend a rock’n’roll weekend not only for hardcore bikers in leather jackets, but for the whole family!
This year’s headliners are some of the most excellent tribute bands in the scene. Thunderstruck, The ZZtops and Higher on Maiden will be bringing back the days of rock revolution. While there’s certainly a whiff of nostalgia in the air, the festival is also host to some of Europe’s finest new unsigned rock bands. This is a brilliant way to get to listen to potential stars on the rise and the stadium fillers of tomorrow!
Dr. John’s motto is simple – the DJ wants to promote good quality music and says: “the unsigned scene is possibly the most under-listened aspect of rock music. In many cases it is far superior to the mainstream and more honest. Many of them don’t get anywhere near the airplay and exposure they deserve.” That is why he decided to extend his work at the radio and give emerging artists an additional platform to get heard.
One 4-bed-room per night: £36 for one person (£9 per head if four people share, £12 per head if three people share, £18 per head for two people)
Accomodation for the whole Weekend: £72 for one person per room(£18 per head if four people share, £24 per head if three people share, £36 for two people)
Healthy Junkies are an antidote to a generation that’s numbed by televised talent shows by reviving the punk ethos of a time when Johnny Rotten walked down Kings Road with safety pins in his ear.
Their attitude and musical purity have earned them respect from some of their heroes such as Knox of The Vibrators, Charlie Harper of the UK Subs or Strokes producer Gordon Raphael with whom they have collaborated in the past. Describing the upcoming album ‘Box Of Chaos’, out on 20th February 2016, in their own words as a “journey which starts with a party that quickly turns to anger and dysfunction”, it is a punk statement that celebrates the values of liberty and standing up for yourself, especially in the wake of the recent terror attacks in Paris and the often imprisoning nature of a modern capitalist society. Their single ‘Watch Out’, out on 15th December 2015, paints a picture of our time in which public surveillance and dependence on technology have taken over our lives.
Formed in 2010 by UK born guitarist and singer Phil Honey-Jones and French singer Nina Courson, Healthy Junkies have established themselves in the punk scene after playing with bands such as The Damned, The Boomtown Rats, UK Subs, Walter Lure (former Heartbreakers), The Vibrators or TV Smith of The Adverts, to name a few. Over the last four years they were regular acts at Rebellion punk festival in Blackpool and have been played on various radio stations, such as TBFM which voted one of the songs on the album, ‘Danny Trash’, to number one a few weeks ago. Songwriters Nina and Phil are taking inspiration for their lyrics from everyday life, including the struggles that arise when a crazy rock’n’roll lifestyle gets to the point of mental instability and destructive behaviour. Channelling such impulses through creativity and making music is what the band uses as therapy.
Healthy Junkies’ music thrives from a mixture of often distressing life experiences and musical proficiency. Lyricist Nina has been forced to live under harsh conditions from an early age after she left home at the age of 14 and ended up living with a Muslim transvestite in Paris’ red light district Montmartre, eventually falling into the abyss of drug consumption in the realm of shady characters. Meeting Phil in 2008 has turned her life around and she started focussing her energy on creating music. As a band they have also started promoting their own regular club night called Punk’n’Roll Rendevouz at a venue in Camden which has been going for over three years now. It has been a meeting place for the UK’s underground scene ever since.
Phil started to play cello at the age of six before he moved onto guitar and discovered punk rock. His previous band Nurotica has been acknowledged by influential DJs ranging from John Peel to Rodney Bingenheimer. Personal experiences play an important part of the Healthy Junkies’ songs. The new album is especially a diary of the last two years on the road – some of the tracks were literally made up on stage. It is a document of emotional stories as well as an observation of the times we live in wrapped up in a dynamic rock’n’roll sound that touches upon influences from bands such as Nirvana, The Sex Pistols, Blondie or Elastica.
The single ‘Watch Out’ is out on 15th December 2015, the album ‘Box Of Chaos’ is out on 20th February 2016.
Terrace have just unveiled the dreamy and tranquil video for “Special Place” with Songwriting Magazine. Set in a utopia with beaches, cities at dusk and long highways, this track is packed with uplifting summer-vibes, creating the perfect addition to your chilled out summer nights.
A welcome throwback to the golden ages of punk and rock, Crazy Fenton is the musical brainchild of songwriter Clive Aliker – a Norfolk based artist who is a big fan of making a good old fashioned ruckus. With influences from 60s garage rock and 70s punk all the way through to the modern day, Crazy Fenton is the work of a veteran musician who certainly knows how to rattle out a top tune.
Having worked with renowned producer Dave Allen (The Cure, Human League, Chameleons) to arrive at an energetic studio style, the new single ‘Cool Ella’ is set for release on June 22nd. High energy and built on a foundation of distorted guitars and pounding drums, this is one for fans of the classics.
‘Cool Ella’ is one hell of a way to come out fighting, and with the follow up album due a couple of weeks later on July 13th, you will be hearing a lot more of Crazy Fenton in 2015. The album, produced by British EDM trailblazer Alex Banks (EZ Rollers), is the kind of release which will have the music industry on high alert with its raw song writing and production values.
With lyrics inspired – in Clive Aliker’s own words – by ‘deaths,mental failings,and a complete inability to understand the female species’, these are songs that listeners can’t fail to relate to.
And in ‘Cool Ella’, Crazy Fenton has picked out one hell of an entrance.
Booze and Reviews 