Pretty Anarchists & Friends - Streets of Newcastle EP

This is a review of a charity EP that I’ve been pushing to all my friends, family and colleagues over the last few weeks. I had hoped to review it much earlier but, well, you know how it is at this time of year!

Anyway, here we go!!

On his way to rehearsals on a bitterly cold winter night, Tony Houghton of Northumbrian punk covers band Pretty Anarchists was struck by the thought of how he would hate to be in the position of being homeless and having to find shelter and sleep on the streets, especially on a night like that. Tony has been through some difficult times in the past and that thought struck him hard. Later that night, he spoke to the rest of the band about his thoughts and what he could do to help people in that position and so the concept of The Streets of Newcastle was born!!

Here's a link to a recent interview Tony did where the main man himself can tell you all about it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3-oEUi53js

Tony called upon his friends and contacts within the local punk community to help him with the project and was delighted with the response. Many people gave their time and resources free of charge to make Tony’s idea happen and the result of everyone's hard work is a 3 track EP which is actually pretty damn good!

Track 1 is The Streets of Newcastle itself - a re-working of Ralph McTell’s classic thought provoking song from 1969 which Tony has totally punked up and localised to Newcastle, the “capital” of the North for us lot living up here!!  I must admit that before I heard the song I couldn’t work out how on earth they were going to do it but they did and by gum they did it amazingly well!! This is high energy raw punk at its finest! The song was recorded in a “Band Aid” type way with the lads from Pretty Anarchists providing the music while the vocalists from North-East bands The Vs, All Out Attack, Spitfire Bullets, Zeitgeist 77, LoGOz and the Band for Disease Control and Prevention were all given the verses to sing. A punky choir including the chaps and chapess from Radio Northumberland's New Wave with Newman show and guests from the Peoples Kitchen in Newcastle (which is Tony’s chosen charity that will benefit from the sale of the CDs) all joined in for the chorus. Magic!!

Local band photographer Clemmy Scotswood attended the recording sessions and shot photos (thanks to Clemmy for letting me use his photos for this post) plus some video footage which ended up being made into a video to accompany the song and can be seen here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zm6uQZ0URaI

Track 2 is The Fairytale of Newcastle – Pretty Anarchists husband and wife team Tony and Karen provide the lead vocals on their superb take on The Pogues’ festive favourite, The Fairytale of New York, with mandolin and accordion by Tony Machin and Richard Craigs. Again on this track friends and guests join in with the chorus.  It’s an absolute cracker (boom boom!!)

Track 3 is Tommy No Shoes – an emotional acoustic song written by Karen Houghton, about a homeless man she used to know. Performed by Karen and ex-Collision/Gin Sling drummer, local legend Micky Oliver, it will leave you with a lump in your throat and a tear in your eye.  Karen’s pain at the loss of this unfortunate soul emanates from her powerful lyrics and vocals. This track shows a different side to Karen as we are used to her powerful lungs cracking our ear wax in a Poly Styrene type way but this goes to show she can also belt out a ballad as well as the rest of them!  I believe that the twosome have played a couple of gigs for our friends at Acoustic Magic and hopefully there will be more to look forward to in the New Year.

Tony recently posted a Geldof-esque message in his own inimitable style on his Facebook page urging everyone to buy the CD. I second that! PLEASE BUY IT!! It’s only a fiver and not only do you get 3 class tracks but also a warm fuzzy festive feeling that you are helping people less fortunate than yourself.

Here’s a link to the Just Giving page:

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/PKCD

The only people to receive any money from this project will be the Peoples Kitchen who will be given 100% of all sales and donations.

If you missed it tonight, there’ll hopefully be another chance to hear a documentary about the recording of the EP on the New Wave withNewman Show on Friday 30 December at 9pm.

Finally, I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and wish you all a very happy, healthy and peaceful New Year! 

Under A Banner - Merch Pack Review

Slight difference to this review as, rather than being all about the music,  I'm letting you know what I think of the Merch Pack I bought from Wolverhampton based alternative folk rockers Under a Banner. 

I spotted a tweet from them a while back which prodded my curiosity button so I headed over to their band camp page for a neb. What caught my eye straight away was their Green Man tshirts. I'm a big fan of the Green Man (the pagan tree spirit chap as opposed to those little fellas in  flying saucers) and also an avid wearer of band tshirts so it was a no brainer purchase for me! However, rather than just get the tee I went for the Merch Pack. For a mere £14.49 I got a splendid tshirt, Victory Time EP and an assortment of badges. Nice! The items were well packaged and arrived in good time, with very pleasant communication from lead vocalist Adam. What a thoroughly decent chap he is!

I bought a medium size tee. I'm size 10/12 and like my shirts quite roomy. This one fits perfectly. The design is well placed and looks as good in real life as it does in photos. I've worn it a few times now and, after several washes, it still looks as good as new with no shrinking, stretching or fading. It has even survived a  session in the dryer which is where other shirts have failed! 

All in all a highly recommendable purchase as not only do you get the cool-as-you-know-what tee, but there's the 5 track EP to enjoy as well - great songs full of vibrancy! England's answer to Runrig and Big Country with an original stamp of their very own. 

Give them a go and get a tshirt to wear with pride! Actually, the band are running a competition on Facebook at the moment to win some of their goodies so get over there, like the page, share the post and leave a comment – but hurry as the competition ends on 25 September - good luck! 

A New Nowhere - Thoughts In Motion

I normally like to listen to a song, EP or album several times for, at the very least, three or four days before I review it as I prefer to get to know the tunes so I have a good feel for them and to try and work out the meanings behind them – yeah I take this stuff pretty seriously folks!!

This morning, however, I had a message from a new (to me) Newcastle based alternative rock band called A New Nowhere asking me if I’d be interested in reviewing their new EP. Obviously my answer was yes, otherwise I wouldn’t be writing this right now, would I?

The EP in question is entitled Thoughts In Motion and the 5 tracks are up on Soundcloud for all to enjoy.  The reason I’m writing this straight away is that there was no point in hanging around and giving a highly considered opinion as, from the first few seconds of the first track “Scream”, I just knew I was going to like this!  

Track 2 “I Disappoint You”  most certainly does not disappoint! This one spookily sounds like it could have been written and performed my very good friend’s band (X) is greater than (Y) who were around in the early 2000s.  That is a huge compliment coming from me by the way guys! 

Track 3 “Stuck Inside My Own Regrets”  has a pretty strong metal edge and will most definitely appeal to your inner rocker who will want to burst out for a damn good headbanging session!!

Track 4 “One More Day”  - this is a fantastic track! Full of vibrancy with a dash of angst and I’m liking it more with each play.

The closing track is Dark Place. It crashes in with a proper hardcore riff-laden intro which could have gone either way  but chose the more melodic path than I expected!

Each track has a warm, full, solid sound and clear strong vocals. The EP oozes emotion and  passion – melting both your heart and your ears!! This is guitar based melodic rock that will sit quite nicely on playlists with the big guns.  In terms of local bands, I’d pop these lads on the same level as Temple Avenue who, as you know, are one of my favourites! As far as bigger names are concerned I’m getting the vibe of Feeder and Paramour with a pinch of Editors and a generous glug of Nirvana. Mmmm – tasty!! The overall mix results in a new fresh sound which is familiar at the same time and certainly works for me. 

To be honest, I’m surprised there isn't a download or hard copy of this EP available to buy. I’d like to have these tunes blasting away in the car but I’m still at the stage of  being excited by my in-car cd player and a long way from in-car streaming! Might have to treat myself to one of their pretty snazzy tshirts instead!

Connect with  A New Nowhere on Twitter and Facebook and, as ever, catch a live show ASAP! I fully intend to!

Zeitgeist 77 - We are Zeitgeist 77

I was going to wait a wee bit longer to do this review but it turns out that my “new” car actually has a working CD player (hurrah!!!) so I’ve had the opportunity to properly listen to a few tunes on my daily commute and ‘We Are Zeitgeist 77’ by, not surprisingly, Zeitgeist 77 just so happens to be one of them!!

This second album from the Teesside Funky Alternative Punksters was released in 2015 and consists of 12 quality tracks, each stamped firmly with Zeitgeist 77’s trademark sound. It’s a sound that’s hard to define but, even though each one is markedly different, when you hear a Zeitgeist 77 track, you know it’s them! 

‘Good Morning Teesside’, opens up the proceedings with the wail of air raid sirens (which scared the bejeezus out of my other half the other day when he didn’t realise a CD was playing!) and pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the album.  The focus seems to weigh more on the serious side of the band in both dark lyrics and an overall less jovial sound than the first album, although there are some lighthearted moments and the most excellent news is that Braney is still a bastard – phew!! We can all rest easy now!!

I mentioned in my review of Six Million Stories that there were some really clever lyrics going on: and the same is true for this album not to mention some incredibly thought provoking ones too. Take the time to listen carefully, these aren’t just throwaway tunes – there’s a massive amount of thought and feeling behind them all.

Despite the serious content of the tracks, the melodies themselves work to soften the blow of some of the exacting lyrics. Lots of good foot-tappers and ear worms in there! My personal favourites from this album are Good Morning Teesside, Be Free and Mess in a Bottle. I wonder what yours will be?  Tell you what, buy the CD and find out!! Check out the band’s facebook page for details of where you can buy it or see them at a gig!

I still haven’t seen Zeitgeist 77 live but I hear that the lads have bagged themselves a pretty excellent gig, supporting the one and only Miss Toyah Willcox at the Longlands Club in Middlesbrough on 31 July – how cool is that??  I’m certain this will be a fabulous gig so get along if you can – unbelievably I have another gig that night but I will get to see them one of these fine days!!

Acoustic Magic at Newbiggin Maritime Centre - 23 June 2016

I took a trip along to the Northumberland seaside town of Newbiggin by the Sea on Thursday night, lured by the promise of an evening presented by congenial hosts Derek and Melanie Allan, aka Acoustic Magic. I’ve been to quite a few Acoustic Magic events and always enjoyed the company and entertainment provided by their team of terrifically talented musicians.

It was a beautiful evening and what a fantastic setting for a midsummer night's gig. The event was held in the coffee shop area of the Maritime Centre which boasts stunning views of the coastline and the (in)famous “Couple” art installation piece.

After a quick look around the very interesting museum (and getting a fright from a seaman mannequin!!), raffle tickets and a lovely steaming cup of coffee were purchased and I settled down to watch the acts.

First up in the stage area was a gentleman by the name of Robin Lewsey who, I believe, hails from the Northumbrian fishing town of Amble. Robin performed a 30 minute set of softly sung melancholia which seemed to mainly consist of cover versions of songs that were all new and unfamiliar to me. The polite and appreciative crowd, ranging from children right up to elderly ladies and gentlemen listened attentively, applauding appreciatively after each song. Nice start to the evening!

I had actually expected Peesh to be up next but at around 8.30pm we had Mike Orchard, who describes himself on Twitter as “A Trainee Folk Singer/Songwriter Gadgie” – I like that!  As with Mr Lewsey before him, Mr Orchard is a gifted technical guitarist who obviously loves playing to live audiences, this evening’s one being most appreciative of his talents.

Unfortunately I forgot to take my notebook and pen so, as I have a memory akin to an amnesiac goldfish, I must send my apologies to Robin and Mike for not being able to name any of the songs from their sets. However, if you enjoy classic acoustic folk music, go and see them!

The raffle was drawn at this point and I so very nearly won a fabulous Acoustic Magic mug..…but not quite! I did, however purchase another badge from a very astute young sales lady to add to my growing collection so I didn’t go home empty handed!

Finally, we had Peesh who is beginning to make one helluva of a name for himself as a solo artist and over the last year has notched up a considerable amount of solo acoustic performances. His set was upbeat and entertaining, which is a bit of a juxtaposition to his sometimes dark and deep lyrics. He delighted some of the audience members by ad-libbing the lyrics to KiDS TV and substituting their personal favourites that they had shouted out when he introduced the song! His 45 minute set, filled with favourites from his AcoustiCalendar project such as KEEP YA TiMBER iN AND YA POWDER DRY, AN ENGLiSHMAN ABROAD, OLD PUNKS NEVER DiE and a rare outing for WONDER YEARS, was over all too quickly and then it was time to leave, just as the sun was beginning to go down.

To be totally honest, I almost didn’t go to the gig as had a splitting headache and was really grumpy after a rubbish day at work but I left – having stayed out much longer than originally intended - with a warm heart, a smile on my face and my headache a distant memory.

Acoustic Magic indeed!

Many thanks once again to top photographer Mr Clemmy Scotswood (Peesh and LoGoz manager) for allowing me to use his brilliant photographs.

Zeitgeist 77 - Six Million Stories

My introduction to Zeitgeist 77 was a couple of years ago now when I heard the unforgettable ‘Braney is a Bastard’ on local radio. After a few mornings of offending my fellow commuters by accidentally signing along out loud to the chorus (not sure if it was the word bastard at 7am or my voice that did it tbh) a bit of curious googling led me to the equally brilliant ‘Chris Myers Fancies You’.  These two songs are really light hearted and may give a Zeitgeist newbie a false impression of the band as a deeper dig brought out a host of far more deep and serious songs. 

I was delighted to receive the band’s two CDs recently (thanks guys!). I had planned on reviewing both straight away but decided to concentrate on the first one for now and I'll come back to the second album at a later date.

Six Million Stories is the first album by the Teeside based four-piece and was released in 2014.  I’m holding in my little hand a very professional looking CD with 40 minutes of fine music split between the 11 tracks. 

The mere presentation of this CD tells me in no uncertain terms that these guys take their music very seriously indeed and I love their proud motto which is ‘No Covers. No Compromise’. 

The band have a definite sound of their very own and they are hard to pigeon hole into a genre. The songs are really catchy with great tunes and extremely foot-tappable beats. Vocalist Chopper’s distinctive voice is easily distinguishable and I’d like to add that it’s so refreshing to hear a natural singing voice complete with regional accent rather than a faux American/Cockney one!

My favourite tracks on the album were always going to be the odes to Braney and Chris but the rest of the tracks all hit the spot nicely too. The album is an interesting mix of songs ranging from the aforementioned that will make you laugh and smile to the somewhat darker 'End of Days' and thought provoking 'The Day Everybody Dies'. There's a lot of clever lyrics in there - well worth a good listen.

I have discovered that the lads do great videos too – I was watching Just An Illusion, which is  track 1 on the album, earlier – brilliant stuff!

I was disappointed to miss Zeitgeist 77 when they played at The Cluny in Newcastle recently. By all accounts this was an amazing gig and I’ve only heard good things from those who were there!

The band’s next gig is at The Sun Inn Stockton on Friday 20 May  with Bitter Nostalgia and Opium. This one is FREE entry so if you’re in the area, get yourselves along!

LoGOz and All Out Attack at The Three Tuns, Gateshead - 5 May 2016

On Thursday evening I defied the 'school night' brigade and took a trip along to The Three Tuns in Gateshead - get me!!

I had been looking forward to this show for a while with the sterling line up of Hung Like Jack, All Out Attack and LoGOz so I was more than a bit disappointed to learn that Hung Like Jack had pulled out last minute. The band tell me they were gutted to have to cancel due to their drummer being ill, which is a massive shame - sending get well wishes his way!

This still left us with a great show to look forward to though! 

Everything ran a bit later than anticipated due to being down to two bands so I was more than ready for All Out Attack to kick off their set. AOA have been off the radar for a while and I was surprised to see that they have been re-born as a four piece. This has only affected their sound in a good way. They sounded great and smashed through their set as if they'd never been away. The end of the set came all too soon and I was left wanting more - especially because they didn't do Bringing The Boys Back Home which is my personal AOA anthem! 

After a short break, LoGOz took their places on stage and blasted straight into regular show opener Long Time Dead. The lads were clearly running on brand new Duracell batteries as they stormed through their set at such a speed that I'm surprised we weren't all catapulted Back To The Future!! Slick and professional as ever, they had the appreciative crowd singing along and cheering (no dancing though - this was predominantly a Man Crowd, haha!). Before I knew it, they had ripped through an amazing set and it was time to go home. 

I had a top night and it was well worth looking like Zelda from Terrahawks granny the next day!!

Hung Like Jack - She's Not Dead

I'm sitting in a car park, enjoying the late spring evening sunshine after dropping off my dad at a meeting. I was going to while away the next 90 minutes or so ‘til he comes back on Facebook and Twitter but I’ve just remembered about my recent email from John of Darlington based alternative rockers Hung Like Jack.  I know the name of the band and follow them on Twitter but haven't got round to checking out their music yet so now seems as good a time as ever!

First of all can I just say I have come across a lot of musicians who don't consider visual art to be particularly important when it comes to touting their wares to Joe Public. Sorry guys but you're wrong! Upon opening the email, the cover art of Hung Like Jack’s new single ‘She’s Not Dead’ immediately grabbed my attention. I'm a big fan of all things Día de Muertos so their cover, depicting a very pretty and very much alive Catrina complete with floral headdress staring imploringly (or is that actually slightly threateningly?) through a frame ticked all the boxes for me. Great photo and relevant imagery - win!

Now for the song.

I'm going to really have to revise my opinion of myself whereby I think I switch off when a song runs over 3 minutes. She's Not Dead runs for 4.13 and I’m more than happy with that. It kicks off with an 8 second drum intro that instantly has me tapping my fingers on the steering wheel, then the guitars burst in and the party begins! 

This is an energetic, more than foot-tapping  tune, great riffage and plenty of power. Definitely required to be played and enjoyed LOUD. Please note that I can pretty much guarantee you will embarrass yourself by singing along to the infectious tune when you’re on the bus or walking down the street (or sitting in the car waiting for your dad…..) so bear that in mind when you listen to this one!  Lead vocalist John has a great voice and totally belts this song out plus the band really know how to play - great timing and the overall sound of a top band. 

The atmosphere surrounding the song gives me visions of pirates with pistols and damsels – dead or not - in long frilly dresses cavorting in the creepy woods with skeletal trees beside the cemetery that gets mentioned in the chorus. That's probably due to the cover art but I have to go with the story my imagination gives me. Who knows what yours will say to you? Maybe a whole different story. I don't know!

The verdict? I like this. A lot. Let's face it I've just spent the last hour listening to it on repeat and I'm still enjoying it so go and listen immediately!!!

I’m pleased to say that these lads are supporting LoGOz at The Three Tuns at Gateshead on 5 May and I will definitely be there - with bells on!!  It's no secret that LoGOz are one of my  pet bands but coupled with Hung  Like Jack and tripled with All Out Attack who are returning to the scene after a short hiatus, this is is guaranteed to be a rather special night! 

See you there! 

Kickback Generation – Rant

I've seen Kickback Generation a few times over the last couple of years at assorted shows and always enjoyed their live sets. I've also heard a couple of tracks from this album being played on Radio Northumberland which floated my boat so the purchase was made and here's what I think!

From the f-bomb in first few seconds of RANT you can take an educated guess that your granny most likely won’t care for this very appropriately named album. Well, not unless she’s a super-cool granny, that is. For example, my nieces’ granny is in her mid 70s and is a big Rammestein fan - there is a funny story attached but I digress.....

Back to the point. If, however, you like your punk stamped with a big P for Political, then RANT is just the thing to put a smile on your face. To be honest, even if you’ve been turned off by political punk in the past, please don’t let that put you off this album! Kickback Generation have splendid tunes and attitude in equal measures so if you like your punk a bit more tuneful and not just raucously powerful then you’re onto a winner.

I’m going to comment on my 3 favourite tracks from the album and leave the rest up to you. Tell you what though, it was tricky picking the favourites – a bit like when you have a 10p mix-up and you can’t decide between the white mouse and the fizzy cola bottle ‘coz they’re both SO good!!

Ok, here goes:

Track #2 - WHO ARE YOU –   “Check you out on Google  - comes back no identity” is one of those snippets of a song that has taken up residence in my head and I find myself singing randomly at any given time of the day or night. Superb tune with lots more f-bombs that’ll make your granny tut but so what? This is proper music not some rubbish twee pop from the x-factor!!

Track #7 - SHALLOW – I just LOVE this track!! 100% bang up to the moment 21st century social statement. Opening up with a soundbite from Cheryl Tweedy Cole Fernandez-Versini that’s been perfectly snicked from her hair advert days and then diving head first into an extremely beguiling tune which I just know will be sung to you non-stop by your inner voice because it can’t help but nod in agreement to the sentiment. Plastic people indeed. 

Track #8 – 79 – This is an epic 5:53 obituary lamenting the death of heavy industry along the banks of the River Tyne and the heartfelt lyrics make me wonder if this is partly, or even wholly, autobiographical? It's a great song with a smashing riff that bounced round my head for several days after first hearing it and continues to do so.  

(c) Clemmy Scotswood

The band leave you in no doubt as to which side of the political toast their butter is on and I noticed that are references to a certain “lady” from the 1970s and 1980s littered throughout the songs that strongly suggest there's no love lost there!!! "Kiss my arse and rest in piss" kind of says it all really.

The album is a non-stop Kickback Party Political broadcast and just so happens to pretty much coincide with the length of my average journey to work so it's perfect listening for my daily commute – result!

So, in summary, this is a brilliant album. Good tunes and clever, meaningful lyrics.  Buy the album at one of Kickback Generation’s live shows and keep an eye on their Facebook page for all the latest news.

Great work chaps – see you again soon!

Temple Avenue - BY THE RIVER

I have been lucky enough to be sent a pre-release copy of Tyneside Alternative Rock trio Temple Avenue’s brand spanking shiny new single entitled BY THE RIVER.

Starting off with a soft and gentle intro of vocals and guitar from Craig Brown, the song soon smashes into a fusion of sound with Martin Hudson's driving bass and Dom Aitkenhead's thundering drums that does a whole lot more than get the feet tapping! Craig's vocals convey an emotional energy that strongly suggests that he's feeling every minute of the tune. This band are excellent musicians and this mega-track is best part of 5 minutes of pure delight! I love the way it goes from soft and quiet to blasting you away and then the calm returns. In fact, I love it so much I’m going to play it again!

Temple Avenue are playing tomorrow night (7 April) at the Head of Steam in Newcastle. Get yourselves along there and give these lads the support they deserve!

This review is pretty short as I wanted to get it out there before the gig!

BY THE RIVER will be released by RNE Records and available for download as from 18 April so you don’t have long to wait to get your copy. Keep an eye on Facebook, Twitter and the band’s website (which has recently had a bit of a makeover) for more details.

I believe that Temple Avenue are playing at the Woodhorn Music Festival in Ashington on the weekend of 23 July. Stick that one in your diary – it’s always a great weekend with loads of brilliant bands and I’m really looking forward to it myself! 

Mindswarm

Mindswarm are four young chaps from Huddersfield -  Arley on drums, Fab on lead guitar,  Lewin on guitar/vocals and Sonny on bass/vocals who have been playing together for a couple of years.

I’m not sure what to expect from Mindswarm’s music. I’m going in totally blind and all I know is that they  describe their genre on Facebook as ‘grunge/hardcore/alternative/sludge metal’. Their Twitter biog says ‘Vicious & Heavy Hardcore Grunge. Played Loud & Fast.’ Hmmmm, that covers pretty much everything doesn’t it?

Let’s get one thing clear before I go any further. One thing I’m not a massive fan of is the old death growls and screeching vocal combo that so many bands, especially those with two vocalists,  insist on employing. When it’s done well I can almost get away with it…almost...but for the majority, my finger automatically homes in on the off button. It’s just fingernails down a chalkboard to me I’m afraid!

(c) Mindswarm

I must admit that I’m fearing the worst. However, I take a deep breath, pop my non-judgemental head on and press play on track one of their self-entitled EP……here goes!!

The first track is Consumption. It starts off promisingly with strong thumping Pink Floyd-esque bass……then just on 13 seconds in, the thick, grungy guitars and drums come crashing in…..so far so good!! Ok, here come the vocals and - oh - wait a minute…..what’s this??? No screeches, no growls but a kind of 'sprechgesang' with a curious megaphone style tone. Nice!! I’m liking this – a lot!! I’m not sure which of the vocalists this is but he’s good and I’m very pleasantly surprised.  Actually, what I find very interesting about this track is the timing – long, slow, almost lazy and slightly angst-ridden verses interspersed with the more furious, harder and faster shorter chorus.  This tune lasts a perfect 3 minutes.

Next up is Skin. A 1:44 instrumental is not what I was expecting but I tell you what, these boys know how to play! My cat actually goes mental when this track is on – I think she’s a big fan!!

The final track is Province, which doesn’t mess around, smashing straight in right from the start with a riff that it’s impossible not to, at the very least, nod along to but as the track goes on,  I challenge you not to want to get up and have a damn good headbang!! Slightly more harsh, shouty vocals on this one fit in well with the overall mood. Mindswarm do the business again with this one as it lasts a whopping 4:56 but certainly doesn’t feel like it!! 

Mindswarm mentioned on Twitter recently that Bleach is their favourite Nirvana album and I can see it waving to me through the rawness and muscle of their sound. I would definitely say that if you’re a fan of Mr Cobain & Co’s less commercial brilliance, you’ll love this!

The lads tell me that the EP is essentially a demo that was recorded in a single take and they are currently in the process of recording a studio album. I hope the producer of the album takes note of the raw power of this band and doesn't dilute it or pretty it up, as their sound is rather immense. 

(c) Mindswarm

I’d love to see Mindswarm playing live and hope that one day our paths will cross, which they may well do as the world of music tends to move in mysterious ways!

All in all I think these young fellas deserve to go far. This is smashing little EP which you could just stream via bandcamp but why not do the lads a favour and buy it – it’s cheaper than a pint and bag of Quavers!!

Keep up the good work fellas!

CJ Wildheart - Robot (Album review)

I'm dead chuffed that a fellow writer FiZZy P has asked to share their review on my page! My reply is - of course!! The more the merrier! If anyone else would like to join in the fun, just drop me a message! >>>

Following on from 2014's well received 'Mable' album, and after another successful Pledge music campaign, 2016 sees CJ return with his latest offering 'Robot'. The title track opens proceedings with a monstrous riff and soaring melodies we have become accustomed to since CJs return to the recording scene. The pace doesn't let up as next track 'Light it up' boasts some menacing guitar work his long term Wildheart partner in crime Ginger would be proud of. 

The cleverly thought out 'Ctrl-Alt-Delete' brings us up to the modern age with an electronic Kraftwork-esque verse paving the way for a wonderfully robotic chorus that will be digitally implanted in your head forever!

The album really sees CJ pushing his songwriting into new territory with some clever sonic tangents obviously picked up during the halcyon days of his on/off day job band. 'Sleep Depravation' is a prime example of this. Here, the writer gives us an insight to his recent journey into fatherhood and is as joyfully delirious and exhausting as its title suggests. 

The interweaving hook laden razor sharp guitars are a constant threat throughout, leaving the way for CJ's sugar laced vitriolic vocal tones.

'F.U.B.A.R' is as heavy and frantic as anything he has ever offered us before, yet you can still tell the guy is loving every minute. 

This isn't a bad time for fans of The Wildhearts. While the band remain on  a seemingly indefinite recording hiatus, the remaining members past and present are as busy as ever. Ginger Wildheart has recently released his 'Year of the Fan Club' album and about to unload Hey! Hello! Too. Danny McCormack is returning with a mini album with new band The Main Grains. Scott Sorry has just put out his debut solo offering. Also not forgetting imminent new material from occasional ex members The Dowling Poole. Yet CJ Wildhearts 'Robot' is right up there with the best of them. Trust me.

There's even room for a cheeky cover of Split Enz 'I Got You'. As enjoyable as it is, I personally would have preferred another original track, and that's testament to how much I've enjoyed this album. 

'Sasquatch' closes things with a trademark melodic driven verse before launching into a beast of a riff with "I'm a Big Foot" apeshit singalong chorus bringing the album to a glorious climax. 

According to CJs recent post on Twitter he's already begun recording the follow up. It seems like after spending so long in the wings he has now truly found his stride as a consistent songwriting guitar slinging frontman. Long may this continue. Here's to the next one. In the meantime, I'm gonna go back and play this again. 9/10. 

FiZZy P. (2/4/16)

Tinny Bennett - Just NUMB3R5

I actually saw acoustic solo artist Tinny Bennett, who hails from the Teeside area, playing live in a pub in Northumberland several months ago. To my shame I wasn’t able to pay 100% attention as I was there on business but his name stuck in my head and I looked him up on Twitter, where I’ve followed him ever since........not like a stalker I hasten to add!!!  

As well as playing regular live performances, Tinny has an EP entitled Just NUMB3R5 which is available on Amazon and Itunes and that is what I’ve mostly been listening to over the last couple of days. 

There are 6 tracks on the EP, all well produced with a warm but crisp and clean sound.  

I’m guessing that the tracks were recorded at differing times and maybe differing places as I did notice that the levels vary slightly from track to track but this in no way detracts from the high quality of the EP as a whole.

Tinny has a strong voice and demonstrates a range of vocal styles that fit the individual tunes like a glove. He exudes a vague vulnerability in his somewhat wistful lyrics. The best way I can describe his voice is by doing so in the style of Jilly Goolden (the enthusiastic wine critic) -  I'm getting  Roger Daltrey with a gravelly dash of Bryan Adams, a pinch of Noel Gallagher and a Paul Young undertone.   

Photo (c) Tinny Bennett

As for the tracks themselves, Cold and Lonely has the rich but mellow taste of an Oasis ballad. It flows beautifully and I think this is my favourite track on the EP. Quite dreamy with a delightful cocktail of sounds - piano, light percussion and layers of guitars that masquerade as angel backing voices, this is absolutely perfect for a springtime Sunday afternoon, drifting down a river in the sunshine…..perhaps with a Flake?

Better World is, for me, the strongest sounding track on the EP. The guitar sounds everso slightly more rocky than the other tracks and the vocals are more robust. It loosely reminds me of another tune that is scratching round in my head and if I ever think of what it is, I’ll let you know! This is a long track rolling in at 4:42. As I said in my first review, I tend to tune out if a song is too long but this one kept my attention - nice one! 

Picture of You is a pretty little song, with a slightly hypnotic musical box melody and if I understand correctly, this is one of the first songs that Tinny wrote. This track only lasts 2:43 and the end caught me on the hop - I was actually wanting it to keep going and maybe develop further. But it didn’t. I’m not complaining,  as I am a lover of short snappy tunes plus it’s a great technique as it made me keep pressing the play button over and over again! 

I interpreted Set Me Free as a tale of love and longing. I could imagine this being the sort of song that would be listened to and cried over after a breakup. I’m sure Bridget Jones would love it and have it on her mixtape!!

The shortest track on the EP  is I’ve Got It All,  which stands at a mere 2:22.  This one puts me most in mind of the one of Tinny's influences, a certain Mr James Blunt. With a slightly harsher overall sound, it is the only purely acoustic song on the EP which gives you a good idea of how Tinny sounds live but enhanced with lovely multi tracked harmonies.

Photo (c) Tinny Bennett

Tinny’s guitar style is pretty impressive and the lessons he took, as mentioned in the biog on his website, have obviously paid off! I do like the clicky, slidey noise (technical term of course) that some guitarists make when they change finger position on the neck and this is pleasingly present. I know that some guitar perfectionists may criticise that but I prefer a bit of realism rather than clinical precision.

All round, this is a rather brilliant EP,  a most enjoyable feast of whimsical, uplifting, harmonious melchancholia!

Follow Tinny on twitter and go to see him play live! He sounds just as good as his recordings - evidenced by this video I found on YouTube!

I’m looking forward to seeing him again, hopefully in the very near future, and I promise I’ll pay full attention this time!

Upcoming gigs:

Charity Event at the Pot House 

May 28 @ 7:00 pm - 11:00 pm 

The Pot House, Croft Terrace 

Hartlepool, Cleveland TS24 0QX

Sunderland Summer Food Fest 

June 4 @ 10:00 am - 5:00 pm 

Stadium of Light, Sunderland Stadium of Light 

Sunderland, SR5 1SU United Kingdom

Miles For Men Live Music Event 

July 31 @ 1:30 pm - 9:00 pm 

The Sports Domes, Tees Road, Seaton Carew 

Hartlepool, Cleveland TS25 1DE United Kingdom