Just a couple of short weeks ago, I returned to Nottingham on what’s become a sort of annual Winter Goth pilgrimage…yes myself and my better half got the opportunity to visit Rock City to say our goodbyes to our favourite lads from Finland; HIM. Their “Bang And Whimper” farewell tour was announced out of the blue earlier this year and it was as you can expect, an emotional night in Nottingham, tears were shed, several were my own…and I’d like to take this opportunity to again express my gratitude for all the guys have done for both music and myself. As a unit they were one of a kind and in my opinion criminally underrated by many…we shall miss you greatly. However, as they say, when one door closes another opens and no gig would be complete without a support band and that’s why we’re here today.

Let me introduce you to BITERS…formed in Atlanta, Georgia, the four-piece (Consisting of lead vocalist Tuk, guitarist Matt, bassist Phillip and drummer Joey) joined HIM on four dates around the UK and in all honesty there were several complaints before the tour even began. You see when HIM performed their American dates, they were joined by CKY and to many this was the perfect line up, calling Americans lucky fuckers, and many dismissed Biters outright out of bitterness…but how they would eat humble pie when the tour came around. With a style deeply rooted in the hey-days of glam rock, they whipped up the crowd with a warm feeling of nostalgic rock ‘n’ roll and won the vast majority of people over. Impressed, I immediately looked them up and discovered they had released a new album this year; “The Future Ain’t What It Used To Be”…let’s check it out…

The album opens up with “Let It Roll” and quicker than you can slip into your skinny jeans we’re wriggling our hips to some good, old-fashioned rock ‘n’ roll charm. After a brief build-up of simple percussion and minimalist guitar work we’re thrust into an up-beat dose of classic rock, mixed with youthful vigour…in a weird way imagine STEEL PANTHER and BOWLING FOR SOUP had a child…it’s a fun start and sets the tone well. “Stone Cold Love” gives the listener a real feel for their influences as we’re teleported right back to the 70’s and the glam-rock stylistics of T-REX etc…it again plods along with a simplicity but the chorus is truly infectious and Tuk (AKA Noel Fielding) here truly channels his inner Marc Bolan for this one…the references to vinyl adding extra nostalgic value and it’s a wonderfully enjoyable little track.

“Don’t Turn This Good Heart Bad” is another of the albums stand-out tracks with its innocent pop-hooks and clap-along cheer, it really is a wonderful little love song and again channels all of that 70’s charm, likewise with “Chasin’ The Feeling”…a no nonsense swagger-fuelled dose of melodious rock ‘n’ roll rollicking…while album highlight “Vulture City” really hits the nail on the head with all of the aforementioned but with far more bite and attitude…this is infectious as fuck, reminiscent of VEINS OF JENNA and THE 69 EYES early garage days in ways…incredible stuff. There are naturally weaker moments as we can expect a lull on most records…”Gypsy Rose” again channels everything T-REX and sounds like something you’d hear on “Top Of The Pops 2” re-runs…”Hollywood” highlight’s an irony, speaking of longing to be on the infamous walk of fame…yet with over 2,600 stars on the boulevard, it’s value is diminished and the ballad here comes across as tongue-in-cheek, before “Goin’ Back To Georgia” closes proceedings with a clichéd acoustic led ballad type piece…a soppy, happy ending about heading home…a lighters in the air type track, it’s sickly sweet. For a band of this ilk to be signed to Earache Records, it’s surprising really but it’s no different to NICKELBACK being signed to Roadrunner…a great classic rock ‘n’ roll album this for a modern generation and they bridge the gap well…they went fishing on tour with HIM and we’re all biters at the end of the day, and I’m not ashamed to have been caught. [7]

As a Welshman myself I can safely say this without too much fear of backlash but, in reality, if you ever hear anyone Welsh speak, especially on TV (The ones they pluck off the street for ITV news are always the worst) we honestly sound dull as fuck. Really now…we have quite possibly the most equally poetic and plebeian accent on Earth…so the notion of “Cool Cymru” as a pigeonhole for our 90’s musical exports is quite astonishing. Nevertheless it was indeed a thing and we proudly gave the world bands like CATATONIA and SUPER FURRY ANIMALS…and a slightly better known band by the name of STEREOPHONICS. Formed way back in the early nineties in the town of Cwmaman, the ‘Phonics eventually burst on to the scene with their debut album, “Word Gets Around”, in 1997 and they’ve never looked back…having had a stellar career with millions of sales and a back catalogue of chart toppers, we find them in 2017 releasing their 10th studio album; “Scream Above The Sounds”…let’s turn it up!

We open up with “Caught By The Wind” and we welcome the album in with some gentle, melodious guitar tones and light percussion…the hooks utilised here are quite basic but the simplicity is part of the songs charm, it’s quaint, it’s easy listening…it's textbook 'Phonics...there’s an innocence to it and as openers go it’s far from unpleasant, easing you into the album nicely. “Taken A Tumble” follows up and here we have a little more bite, though only fractionally. With a sound based more in indie and classic rock, it’s more stripped back, though with the key changes towards the tracks closing moments we’re given an enjoyable, climatic finish. Sadly however, highlights here are generally quite sparse to be perfectly honest…”Geronimo” for all its outlaw swagger and solid groove ends up feeling stuck in second gear, it lacks an edge and would benefit a strong, hard rock inspired chorus, unlike “Chances Are”…possibly the strongest track on offer, the build up here is wonderful; restrained for the most part, it gradually gets deeper, led by some decent riffs and a little more attitude…it struts its stuff all the way towards its well-executed crescendo, coupled with Kelly Jones’ trademark drawl, this is more like it, this is more like classic ‘Phonics and it’s a joy to listen to.

The rest of the tracks however are…well…lackadaisical at best…“What’s All The Fuss About?” for example is a brilliant question because I for one can’t really see it myself. At near six minutes it’s a yawn inducing dabble in soft jazz with blues elements and it really is dreary, especially with Jones’ painfully droned vocals…the same fate falls upon “All In One Night” and again it’s a monotonous, uninspired soundscape coming across as no better than boring. “Would You Believe?” is another brilliant question, as would you honestly believe these once feisty valleys rockers could peddle such lazily written indie-pop? This isn’t even middle of the road, they’ve pulled over in the lay-by for a fucking nap!…”Cryin’ In Your Beer” does it’s best to reignite your interest towards the end of the album with its brassy, bass-driven lively delivery but really it’s too little too late. Scream above the sounds? A more appropriate title would be loudly tut in disappointment over the sleepy sounds of mediocrity…I expected better…[4]

There’s a history of professional wrestlers who have dabbled in careers beyond in-ring action; some of them haven’t been entirely successful truth be told. We looked at Jeff Hardy’s band PEROXWHY?GEN earlier this year which left room for improvement...and even Hulk Hogan’s movies failed to reach any blockbuster status despite his star power in the 80’s and early 90’s…but there have been those who have managed to make a name for themselves beyond the Lycra, breaking kayfabe and breaking into the mainstream. The Rock for instance is now officially a bona fide mega star in Hollywood, Jesse Ventura had successful runs as a Mayor and then Governor of Minnesota…and then there’s Chris Jericho. Yes the ayatollah of rock and rolla is, as well as a highly successful professional wrestler, a New York Times best-selling author, a podcast host and oh yeah…front-man for the band FOZZY. Having formed back in the late 90’s and initially focussing on classic covers, they steadily rose in prominence and popularity with their tight live performances and in the years since, they’ve honed their craft with a series of promising and encouraging albums, now, in 2017 we see them return with new album “Judas” on Century Media records…let’s check it out…

We begin with the title track…THAT track…quite possibly the biggest success of Fozzy’s career to date. Their highest charting single ever, reaching number 5 on the US mainstream rock charts and racking up over 11 million views on YouTube, “Judas” perfectly works the soft melodious tones of Jericho’s clean vocals around some text-book hard rock riffs, building up to this huge, infectious chorus. This is incredibly polished and kicks the album off brilliantly, a great start. We follow up with “Drinkin With Jesus” and again we have some solid riffs; no frills, no nonsense, this is straight up ballsy rock ‘n’ roll…another powerful chorus and it’s clear Fozzy are on top form here. This is further proved with additional highlights such as “Weight Of My World” and especially the massive hooks of “Burn Me Out”…the latter is incredibly addictive with its subtle electronic elements and pop-rock appeal, this is some catchy shit!

There are a couple of lesser tracks here breaking up a lot of the momentum however, “Painless” for example comes across as a little sluggish and disinterested, while “Wordsworth Way” despite having a slightly dramatic intro fails to excite overall…but generally the album is consistently impressive. “Three Days In Jail” shakes things up with some nu-metal inspired rapping, adding fresh character to the Fozzy sound, just as “Elevator” again dabbles with subtle layers of electronica with yet another infectious chorus. Essentially what we have here is a band that have finally found themselves…everything that’s led up to this point has been exploratory, and while there have been glimmers of hope throughout their back catalog, such as “Watch Me Shine” and “Lights Go Out”…here we find them nailing it. This is Fozzy and it’s easily the strongest material they’ve ever put to record. Do you know what happens? Do you know what happens when Fozzy make one of the rock albums of the year? Do you? Do you know what happens? You stupid idiots….Fozzy just made the list! My top albums of 2017 list that is... [9]

We’re going to go on a little trip down memory lane right now…back in 2014 when this blog was but a fledgling project with little to no sense of structure (Honestly I’m a little bit of a technophobe)…where my earliest reviews and my first forays into writing were there, posted for all to see in their amateur, cringe-worthy glory, I came across a band by the name of ANAVAE. Formed in London in 2011 and consisting of only vocalist Rebecca Need-Menear and multi-instrumentalist Jamie Finch, they had released a mini-album by the name of “Dimensions” and I praised it for its slick production and catchy, easy-listening electronic rock qualities…now, three years later and after a couple of random singles here and there, they’ve released their much anticipated follow up EP “Are You Dreaming?”…Well? Let’s find out…

We open up with a statement of intent in “All Or Nothing” and the track slowly crawls out of the shadows with some cold, semi-industrial tones…the feeling here is a serious one and the sound they’ve gone for is considerably deeper…the chorus here is still bold, not quite anthemic but it is assertive…coupled with the subtle techno qualities layered throughout, it’s a solid opener but heavier than previous works, an interesting start. Following that however we have the wonderfully quirky “Forever Dancing” and this is the Anavae I recognize…the charm and innocence of the pop melodies, coupled with the positive up-beat tone of this track are delightful…this is the catchy Anavae we are familiar with and it’s a clear EP highlight.

More questions are asked next with “Are We Alone?” and musically we’re met with a more stripped back, ambient alt. pop sound, there’s a gradual build to this huge chorus before it dies down again, the two elements of the song complimenting each other quite nicely but it ends on an abrupt flat note instead of properly peaking at a crescendo, leaving the listener wanting just that bit more. “Stay” has a similar issue with a feeling of being a little more, reserved or restrained, despite its harmonies…there’s a huge pop hook here, again in a strong chorus and in ways this would appeal to fans of SHINY TOY GUNS to a degree, before we finish up on “Lose Your Love”. Probably the weakest track on offer here, it’s lethargic as though the love truly has been lost; it’s personal…drained of all energy and hope, like she’s given up and ultimately it’s a sad listening experience. While the EP itself it a pleasant collection of songs within itself it lacks in the intensity and stand-out appeal that made its predecessor so appealing. Am I dreaming? No…but at least its not a nightmare. [6]

Tis’ the season to be jolly, fa-la la-la-la, la-la-like-fuck it is….let’s talk about Christmas. Every year we spend offensive amounts of money on food, drink and presents because one day, a little boy was supposedly born very unhygienically in a stable, in a pile of hay, surrounded by animals and a frightening amount of NHS health and safety violations…to a woman named Mary who claimed to be a virgin…(Joseph mate she’s having you on by here and I’d call Jeremy Kyle for a DNA test ASAP…) Yes she claimed immaculate conception and that the father was God, and the baby, who we now know as Jesus Christ, the Messiah (Not Brian, no, he was a very naughty boy) became one of the most important figures in organised religion with a following of over 2 Billion people worldwide and also, the acclaimed host of the call-in show “Jesus And Pals” on SOUTH PARK. All of this…because his mother Mary had an affair resulting in her concocting an ENTIRE RELIGION to hide it from Joseph, who was either naïve or high on animal glue from his woodwork and went along with it. And now that that’s off my chest…let’s talk about a band that links perfectly with my ranting; THE VIRGINMARYS.

Formed in Macclesfield in 2009 and now only consisting of vocalist/guitarist Ally Dickaty plus drummer Danny Dolan, the VM’s have become one of the UK’s most acclaimed up and coming indie-rock artists with several well received EP’s and albums, not to mention Classic Rock awards nominations…and this year they hope to continue in the same vein of quality with their latest EP entitled ”Sitting Ducks”…let’s check it out. The EP opens up with the title track and we’re off to a simple start…with only basic percussion and a predominantly bass-driven intro it takes a while to warm up, but we don’t have to wait long before we’re met with more melody and substance, until the chorus bursts into life with a flurry of passion. The tempo throughout is generally steady and it carries with it a certain swagger aided by that big, bold chorus…the additional guitar solo sequence breaks the track up nicely and there’s nothing to not enjoy about this track once it’s gotten going; a strong start.

We follow up with the lead single taken off the EP “Sweet Loretta (You Know Me Better)” and it’s got a great build up…no nonsense, hard rocking indie that steadily intensifies, utilising a solid groove throughout, for the most part a real foot-tapper of a track but the chorus…the chorus sadly lets you down feeling just a little anti-climactic…it lacks the edge the rest of the track hooks you with and suffers ever so slightly from repetition…it’s a bit hit and miss this. “Through The Sky” then has shades of KINGS OF LEON dotted throughout in some aspects, fully embracing an indie rock tone…its smoother, it’s mellow but the guitar solo here is slick and smile-inducing, eventually ending the track on a mildly chaotic flurry…this is far from anti-climactic and is much, much better. Finally then we close up on “Sleep” and it’s ironic as we’ve got the dreariest track on offer last…though the acoustic harmonies are both quaint charming, and it’s clear the emotions here are raw, the sadness is unavoidable and there are moments where Ally’s vocals simply grate on your ears when he releases his pain…yet beautiful is the suffering. Overall however the four tracks here get you through a very pleasant quarter of an hour and the EP as a whole is an enjoyable listen. [7]

Coincidence; not something I’d class as a phenomenon as such but, it’s weird how some things just happen to fall together. In this instance, I’ll be talking about Minneapolis Minnesota…why you ask? Well when I’m not writing reviews I spend (Some might say waste) a lot of time on YouTube watching what many would describe as “random shit”…and lately I’ve been watching a lot of political interviews with former Minnesota governor JESSE VENTURA…you might remember him from his time in the then World Wrestling Federation…but his no nonsense, brutal honesty towards the American government is refreshing and I urge you to go have a listen to what he has to say…anyway I digress, as it turns out, the next band on my list for this blog, also happens to be from Minneapolis! So that’s a nice Segway to allow me to introduce to you COLD KINGDOM. Formed in 2014, the five-piece (Consisting of vocalist Dani Engum, bassist Jason Michael, drummer Chris Morley and guitarists Evan Ogaard and Zac Boyd) have done pretty well for themselves in their formative years, having supported the likes of BUCKCHERRY and SALIVA…and earlier this year they released a new self-titled EP…appropriately being a snow day, let’s check out “Cold Kingdom”

The EP opens up with “The Break” and right away we’re met with an incredibly rich piece of bold alternative rock…it’s up-beat and catchy with its pop-inspired hooks and melodies, the resulting chorus is genuinely infectious, while the guitar work here retains a hard-rock vibe. Gang vocals give the song ample depth and the solo is OK…as openers go it’s on-point, it’s a solid track and slots itself somewhere between HALESTORM and IN THIS MOMENT to some extent…a decent start. Following on from this we take it down several gears for “In Stereo”…a power ballad of sorts, it’s dramatic without sounding pompous and it’s well delivered…Dani gets to showcase her impressive vocals and ironically this is the kind of thing fans of THE DIRTY YOUTH could get into…anyone for a Dani-duet?

It’s not long before we’re back to the meat and potatoes however courtesy of “Not Tonight” and we’re greeted with the gritty riff-work of Zac and Evan; its impassioned and even Dani gets a little agro too, this is decent alt. metal, which can also be said of “Perfect Chambers”…the riffs here are crunching, there’s a lot more weight behind them, this musically is probably the heaviest track on offer here, this is something you can head-bang too but it loses none of the bands melodic qualities in the process, despite the breakdown-outro…before we finish up then on second ballad "Child". Far, far softer, it’s slower, with sweeping string sections and acoustic subtlety…it’s incredibly tender and emotional, rounding the EP off nicely. Despite its five-track length here you can still appreciate a diversity in the way Cold Kingdom write and create and they’ve done themselves proud with a genuinely solid outing here. The production is good and each track here is enjoyable in its own right…Cold Kingdom should at least make you feel all warm inside. [7]

As you’re probably familiar by now, I’ve credited a lot of my musical taste to one Mr BAM MARGERA, having discovered several of my favourite bands thanks to his compilation albums and personal choices for soundtracks (The CKY series, “Haggard”, “Viva La Bam” etc.) and one such band are Germany’s favourite alternative melodic punks BEATSTEAKS…with a brand new record released earlier this year, I was lucky enough to catch up with drummer Thomas Götz for a quick chat about the record, touring and an insight into German punk…here’s how it went down.

“I’d like to start off by saying Congratulations! You’ve just recently released your brand new album; “Yours”, twenty years after your debut…did you ever see yourselves getting this far back in the mid-nineties?”

TG: “Never…I never have seen myself going anywhere and I am really glad for spending the last 18 years with the band. I had the chance to see really beautiful places and travel through Germany, Europe and even America with the band. And I am very proud that I was finally able to avoid real work and spend my time playing music for such a long time!”

“When people think of German music, initially, a lot of people make the connection with metal; bands like RAMMSTEIN, SCORPIONS and HELLOWEEN etc…very few people automatically associate Germany with punk rock in any capacity. What inspired you to go in that direction and what’s Germany’s punk scene like?”

TG: “I think that Germany has a very vital punk scene and always had. For me it started all when bands like EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN, ABWÄRTS, DER PLAN, DIE TÖDLICHE DORIS entered the scene in the 80's and brought really innovative music to the table….back then people said it’s just noise - not even music. But these bands opened the doors for so much other bands - they were like pioneers….and nowadays bands like PISSE, KARIES, HUMAN ABFALL, GEWALT, TURBOSTAAT, DIE NERVEN, LEVIN GOES LIGHTLY, WOLF MOUNTAIN and others  reap what’s been sowed back then. We as a band are somewhere in between…too melodic for real punks….too punk for mainstream pop….too much guitar for young kids….we love DEPECHE MODE, Hip Hop, AC/DC and all kinds of music…so we are not considered as strict punks….we  just play some kind of pop music or at least something that we think of as pop music.”

“Coming back to “Yours”, it’s another batch of great songs in your ever reliable repertoire, tracks like “You In Your Memories” and “Fever” in particular stand out for me…what can you tell us about the album? What’s the inspiration and story behind it? Having recently listened to it, it’s worth noting that its 21 tracks long, which in most cases is a lot for any album, was that always going to be the case? The writing process was evidently very fruitful…”

TG: “We wanted to make an album as diverse as possible….not our usual 11 song album 32 minutes long that we normally make but an album with a wider variety….not everybody in the band has to love every song as much as another…as long as everyone enjoys contributing to the songs….that was somehow the bottom line of the album….and every time we felt clueless and didn’t know what to do….we just asked friends that we met along the way in our career to help us with the particular song…we asked JAMIE T for help with the song "HATE TO LOVE" and he wrote us a wonderful bridge and lyrics. We asked CHAD PRICE of the band ALL to help us out with the singing because we thought that’s the voice we want to hear on "YOU IN YOUR MEMORIES". FARIN URLAUB of the band DIE ÄRTZTE wrote lyrics for "ABBA DU"….the hip-hop band DEICHKIND wrote lyrics for "L AUF DER STIRN" and sang on it…FRANCOISE CACTUS wrote the lyrics for "VELOSOLEX"….so finally we had our first French song… BREZEL GÖRING of STEREO TOTAL produced two songs on our record…..then there was STEPHEN STREET who helped us with producing and mixing of the album and so on….every time we asked for help we got help and so it was a great experience to work on this album and besides the fun we learned a lot…we had a lot of songs in store and this time we didn’t strip down and made no selection of songs worth to work on….we just worked on every idea that was on the table and we succeeded almost every time but in three cases where we just couldn’t finish the ideas……”

“Another talking point would be those collaborations themselves…it’s not something you’ve done a lot of on past records but here there are several, with tracks featuring the wide variety you just mentioned…how did these come about during writing? Did you seek them out specifically?”

TG: “Jamie T. did a show in Berlin while we recorded so Arnim and me went to the show and Arnim went backstage to ask him if he could imagine to help us out which he said was no problem…..a few weeks later he sent us his ideas and we loved it…..I met BREZEL GÖRING and FRANCOISE CACTUS during a Radio session that I did with STEREO TOTAL for the Berlin based station RADIOEINS….a few months later I called them because we had this demo that cried for French lyrics and also would be perfect with her voice….and she didn’t hesitate - she listened to the song and asked for a theme to write about…BREZEL suggested something with motor scooters and Ii suggested something light and something anti right wing…she came up with the story of an ex lover trying to make up for his bad behaviour….trying to reach his ex girl living in Aix and on his way he meets Brigitte Bardot to tell BB that she’s a cunt….”

“Collaborations are everywhere in the charts these days, especially in pop, rap and R'n'B based genre's...are there any artists you'd love to work with that you've not had a chance to?”

TG: “BEASTIE BOYS, TY SEGALL, TOPPER HEADON, PAUL SIMENON, MICK JONES, TONY ALLEN, FRANK OCEAN, LIGHTENING BOLT…..all in all ….too much to mention…”

“Coming back to the new record, you’ve just completed a tour promoting the album, primarily within Germany but a couple of shows around Europe including a date in London, how was the tour for you? How has the reaction been to “Yours” in general?”

TG: “We had a great time including an amazing evening at the KOKO in London…we got along really good, the audiences were great and we’d love to come back to England as soon as possible to continue with our tour. The reaction to the new material was good and it’s getting better all the time! I guess we will have a lot of fun during the next year with this album.”

“What’s next for Beatsteaks in the new year? Is there going to be more extensive touring overseas or aiming to play any festivals? What does 2018 have in store…?”

TG: “Another tour in Germany in spring, a lot of festivals all over Europe during the summer hopefully coming back to England….maybe a few shows in France and definitely some shows in East Europe.”

“Nochmals vielen Dank und viel Glück mit dem Album.”

TG: “Thank YOU!”