GLM, A Landslide In Stereo.

The last time I wrote about GLM they'd released a video of their single Summer Nights (Are Never Like Movies) and were planning to release a 5 track EP this year. Well....things haven't gone to plan, upon hearing the bands new stuff their record label suggested an album instead, the recording of which has been making good progress and it's due out sometime next year. As a little taster GLM have just released a free download single and a video to view over at their website. The single, Smiling Inside is another classic slice of GLM; a bouncy, catchy and killer riff'n'roll tune with a slight pop flavour to it. The video is another great eddieredblood offering, as with all his visuals for GLM it compliments and adds to the music, creating a total artistic assault on the senses. Nearly Home (Tuning Pages) finds Gods Lonely Men at the edge of the unknown. It's like nothing they have recorded before; A beautiful atmospheric anthem, Stark and stripped down, fragile yet solid, haunting and hypnotic, a slow pounding catchy hum. A simple and simply stunning piece of work by GLM.

A WINTER SOLSTICE SERMON.

It all goes round; year in year out, from month to month and day today. It's been the same story for years. (Check out some of my posts over the years I've been ranting and raving/raging to a expecting or unsuspecting public.) Nothing is new. The only perfection in our world is its imperfections. The real is made more unreal to the easy ruled unruly. A remake society where there is no originality when it is all been re-branded, there is no going forward if we are forever looking back. We need revolution not retrolution! 

Another year goes by and still no Chilcott Report into Britain involvement in Iraq, but now we've got the recent CIA enhanced interrogation, (or torture as it was called before.) scandal. Tell me something we didn't already know had been going on and I don’t think we need a costly enquiry into whether the British secret services were complicit in the torture of detained terrorist suspects. To paraphrase Crass “Of course they fuckin' were!” Just as many members of the establishment are guilty of abusing their power to abuse children while their peers covered it up. 

Cracking skulls to get inside the mind of the masses and driving stakes into the hearts of the vampire politicians and capitalists who have been sucking the blood from the masses, a zombie nation that fights over flat screens, in a horror movie of the media’s making. Everything is up for sale. Just how much do you want it? 

The more there is the less choice you have; because there is just too much to chose from. Can't people see this? No definitely maybes....Less is definitely more!

I'm with Russell Brand when it's election time in Britain in 2015.... Vote for no one, unless there's someone worth voting for. No tactical voting bullshit, make a cross with your heart not yer head, cos it's our heads they wanna get inside. But....Women died for the right to vote, yeah and a hundred years latter they are still being paid less than men, but at least they can vote for their servitude and throw themselves at the feet of people like Russell Brand.

Universal Suffrage....We all suffer!, emancipation....many are left emancipated while others get fat in a heartless society that labels and stigmatises the have nots as scroungers. Every thing is engineered to produce social divisions to keep us all divided and fighting amongst ourselfs, while the real enemies maintain their power and influence. Morally bankrupt Corrupt big business abuse their power and control by jumping through tax loop holes keeping the wealth in the hands of the few.

The powers that we let be's answer is more Grammar Schools, apparently it is because there are less grammar schools that a small minority have a lot more than the majority of people in Britain today. No it's because the minority have built their empires on the backs of the workers and less wealthy. More Grammar Schools would still maintain social divisions, it's just there would be more haves and less have nots. Disadvantage and deprivation has always existed and always will as long as there are social divisions; Class War is a thing of the past, now it's Cash War. The more well off people are the more they spend, and the more well off people there are the more money there will be to spend on consumer goods therefore filling the pockets of an even small minority whose wealth would diminish if nobody had money to spend in the future. 

Immigration built a nation, and it will continue to do so; there are not enough skilled British workers to do the jobs that need to be done, especially with the mass house building and transport infrastructure expansions announced by the government recently. The products of a no skill low skill dumbed down in a state education nation will follow the UKIP pied pipers tune come election time when they blame immigrants for Britain’s economic and social problems. A generation reared on celebrity culture and instant credit; wants are not needs as manufacturers feed on the masses greed. A society fat from eating junk where no one takes responsibility for their actions or inactions.

What ever problems there are....We are the solution....If we question everything, if not then we will all be condemned to continue living in a society of corruption and consumption. I don't have the answers to all the questions, but what I do know is that the ones we are told and sold are wrong!

Featuring CHARLIE HARPER #1 - (*A Review*)

Those dealers of all things (calenders, car stickers, CD's etc) to UK Subs junkies everywhere; Time and Matter have done it again, this time it's a well packaged punk rocking sexy seven inch slab of white marbled vinyl featuring Charlie Harper. On this release he gives some added Harmonica blast to the garage groove'n' growl of THE BERLIN LIGHTS Hit The Floor, and takes over vocals on THE DUGZ singalong slice of Street Punk Caught In A War. Great stuff, top quality gear and long may Time and Matter keep supplying us!  get the single here.  The UK Subs new album Yellow Leader is due out on Captain Oi Records early next year. 

“Hungry conscience

Charity hilarity

Starving millions

Prevention, cure

A few pence shed and both are fed."

 - Flux of Pink Indians

I've seen the light....Skin up for Jesus! (A spray painted slogan and Sunday Sermon of sorts.)

Preachers and Pilgrims on Parade, getting ready for their morning raid, gathering on street corners armed to the teeth with the words of false prophets, speaking salvation to the soulless strangers they find on their door to door assault, holding people up at Bible point. Organised Religion.... Organised Crime. People wouldn't put up with drug dealers knocking on their door selling opium, (well some people might) so why should we put up with these witnesses of Jehovah peddling and pushing their drug of choice to the vulnerable who are looking for a way to cope with their life's slow suicide. We live our lives in worlds of our own making, where the only people that can change it are themselves. Drugs numb or kill the pain, religious dope brings nothing but false hope; There is no after life....just life. There are many ways of dealing with today, but they aint gonna come knocking on your door. It is up to people to find their own way, and without wanting to sound like Bono (further proof that there is no god, because if there was Bono would have fallen out of his aircraft the other day when the door opened mid-flight.) many “still haven't found what they are looking for.” Which is why on a Sunday I either don't answer any strangers knocks on the door, and if I do they are politely told to FUCK OFF!, unless they are a drug dealer!!  

ENEMIES OF PROMISE - Please Enjoy Your Punk Rock Responsibility (*A Review*)

Please Enjoy Your Punk Rock Responsibility is the debut mini-album from Enemies Of Promise, a couple of fellas from Wolverhampton who are armed to the teeth with a fully loaded pistol of six killer tracks, their weapons of choice are; a couple of guitars, vocals and a drum machine, and they have their sights firmly trained on the usual suspects; politicians, bankers and anyone else that stands in the way of social justice. This is a righteous riot of a listen, I mean check out these titles.... Palace of The Mighty, Edge of War, Please Enjoy Your Punk Rock Responsibility, You Have The Right To Strike, My Heart Is Still Red, The Man In Authority....

The vocals deliver a throaty tunefull state of the nation address to the dispossessed. and disillusioned and anyone else that wants to listen and learn. The music is toe taping and fist in the air thumping Post Punk'n'Pop Rock. Guitars chug and chop over the rat a tat, tat of a machine gun drum machine, Less is definitely more because there are times across these six tracks when Enemies Of Promise have just as much power as say.... The Jam, SLF, or the Newtown Neurotics there are also some great Punk Rock Everly Bruthas vocal harmonies thrown into the mix. This is catchy and confident stuff....pure, simple and honest. Enemies Of Promise know the power of music and how it can change lives  this album is a sound track for revolution, and it's one call up you should answer sign up at their facebook page, where you can find out details of how to get your punk responsibility, and trust me....you will enjoy it!

Doing something for a month in the aid of charity. I don't know if this is just a British thing, but we've had Stoptober (October) when the British people were encouraged to stop drinking/getting drunk for the whole month, now it's my personal unfavourite, Movember (November) when men are encouraged to grow a moustache for the month. For fucks sake what's wrong with people, why do they feel the need to do something because they have been told to. I mean give up drinking grow a moustache do whatever, but do it whenever, not when some campaign tells you to do it, and give money to charity when you want to with no gimmicks attached. As for all the people that do follow the calls because they feel they have some social obligation to do so, someone needs to wake them up by throwing a bucket of ice cold water over them....no wait up they've probably already done that to themselves with the 'ice bucket challenge'   In the bigger picture sometimes it is the small things that matter,  fascism comes in many disguises,and people do stupid and dumb things if they are brainwashed enough. 

"YOUR VOICES WILL BE HEARD."

He wears shades because he is a cunt and they hide the guilt and shame in his eyes. He expounds self righteous revolutionary rhetoric, demands poverty is made history, while all the time sucking corporate cock and discharging the money that comes, to off shore banks and businesses.

When U2's latest album Songs of Innocence was released, in an act of tax loss generosity and megalomania the band gave it away for free to Apple Customers, who received a copy downloaded to their phone or tablet whether they wanted it or not, a bit like returning home and finding your house has been broken into, nothing has been taken, but someone has left a shit on the living room floor.  

UK SUBS - In Progress Live! (Lock 42 Leicester, UK, Dec 11th 2010) *MPfree DOWNLOAD*

Charlie Harper's UK Subs are a punk rock institution, an influence on this young man not only when he was growing up but also as he's been growing older. Songs written over 30 years ago still resonate today, Warhead for example. Heads of state are still having fun, while we are still looking down the barrel of a gun and nations are still killing and dying.

This recording captures the band, (a month before their Work In Progress album was released) in fine levels to the red 'Pure 100% Proof Punk Rock' live action back in 2010 It is a career spanning set list of 22 songs old, new, borrowed'n'blue, by the 3^rd 'classic UK Subs line-up (Charlie, Alvin, Jet and Jamie) At present the band are preparing for the release of their new album; Yellow Leader, it is their penultimate one before Charlie's mission to have each of them named with every letter of the alphabet is complete. Details and updates on the albums progress can be found over at the Time and Matter website, T&M are also releasing a series of limited edition 7” Singles that feature bands Charlie Harper has collaborated with or featured on. There is also an Urban Dogs single and album in the pipeline, and if that wasn't enough UK Subs related action going down, work is in progress on a book about the band. In the meantime enjoy a blast of the UK Subs in Leicester.

Newsflash....Newsflash....Newsflash....

EBOLA PARANOIA BREAKS OUT IN BRITAIN....

Three and a half thousand plus dead Africans and no one gives a shit. A couple of dead Europeans/Americans and it's a different story. Well not really....Remember Bird and Swine flu?

DON'T FEAR THE(IR) FEAR!....it's not like there are ebola infected terrorists ready to enter Britain illegally!

JEREMY GLUCK and ROBERT COYNE - Memory Deluxe I Knew Buffalo Bill 2 (*A Review and MPfree Download*)

If Jeremy S Gluck is the future of his own past then, here it is....Memory Deluxe, I Knew Buffalo Bill 2. his new album Unfortunately his friends from twenty seven years ago, when the original I Knew Buffalo Bill was released are no longer with us; Nikki Sudden, Epic Soundtracks, Roland S Howard and Jeffery Lee Pierce.... gone but never forgotten. Memory Deluxe might not have been made with them, but it has the same spirit and soul as its predecessor. On this trip Jeremy is joined by a couple of other friends; Robert Coyne, the son of Kevin Coyne on guitar and Werner Steinhauser on drums, together they have released a fourteen track album of beautiful, brittle and blissed out Rock'n'Roll, Suicide meet The Stones. Exile from the street, this is the future.... The 21^st Century waiting at the crossroads Blues; stark, simplistic and stripped down songs with a shinning darkness that make(s) you feel warm inside.

Memory Deluxe is released next week on Flicknife Records. More stuff on Jeremy and his friends can be found on his facebook page. As a little treat for yer...Here's an exclusive track chosen by JSG for NPW Where Does This Love Come From is a ten minute plus long jam that Jeremy had with a few French and English friends in Toulouse back in 2011. Pure and imperfect, the real deal, not some heartless corporate David Cameron cock sucking Ed Sheeran shite. Enjoy! and don't forget to check out the album!!  

Jim Jones Revue with Walter Lure - Chinese Rocks, 4th October 2014

IMAGINE....THERE'D BEEN NO JOHN LENNON!

24 Hour Apocalypse News/Planes fly/Bombs drop/Dead bodies/Mass murder/freed captives/ Beheaded hostages/It all drones on/Religious messages/I aint listening/Party Politics/I aint dancing/Governments and the rest/Militants and Terrorists/Barbarians and Savages/The dispossessed and self obsessed/Morals/Values/Possessed and repossessed/The Human Race competition/Under starters orders/There'll be no finish/No threat will be diminished/Control through fear/The price is dear/Another corpse/No remorse/No truth but yer own/In a mobile or stately home/Divided land/Cap or Gun in hand/Keeping the peace/Takin' the piss/A disease epidemic/No cure/It's not economic/Money talks/It keeps shouting/Social tension keeps mounting/It'll be over soon/Just stay tuned to Channel Doom//

KNOX - The Vibrators / Urban Dogs / Fallen Angels (*ARTICLE / INTERVIEW*)

The Vibrators at Bowes Lyon House, Stevenage 1984. Pic: Unknown

I first met Knox back in 1984 when The Vibrators played at Bowes Lyon House in my home town, Stevenage. I interviewed him and the rest of the band for a fanzine I had being doing on and off since 1980. Unfortunately the last issue was never finished as I got myself a job so the interview was never published (although it can now be seen here on The Vibrators website) I only went for the job interview because it was in London, and the Unemployment office (or Job Centres as they now call them) paid for my train travel, and I thought it would be a good excuse to visit the smoke and buy a couple of albums from Virgin Records (This was before Richard Branson took over the world with his 'friendly capitalism') The two albums I bought were The Fallen Angels (Knox's album he recorded with members of Hanoi Rocks) and The Vibrators Alaska 127. I remember this because, some things you just remember, like being thirteen and hearing Baby, Baby on the radio back in 1977 and seeing them play Automatic Lover on TOTP a year later. The Vibrators were just as important to me as The Clash back then, and they still are.

The Vibrators were never a never a 'hip' 77 group; too old, too much hair, bandwagon jumpers (never mind Knox had been preforming this shit pre 76) they were outsiders in a movement of outsiders. Their debut album Pure Mania is a classic, as is it's follow up V2. The original bass player Pat Collier left the band after the first album. Pat became a producer, and still twiddles the knobs in the studio for The Vibrators to this day, as well as having recorder a variety of old and new Rock'nRollers over the years. Garry Tibbs replaced him for V2, after poor sales of the second album John Ellis left the band and became a hired guitar hand for a variety of bands. There was never to be a third album, just one more single Judy Says, before it all fell apart. Eddie carried on with the name and a new line-up featuring ex members of Eater and The Electric Chairs, and released a couple of singles; Disco In Moscow and Gimme Some Lovin' good as they were, it wasn't really The Vibrators. The voice that gave the band their edge (in my opinion) wasn't there.....Knox had gone solo.

Knox and The Trailer Trash Orchestra at The Victoria, Hitchin 2011 Pic: Haddy Webb

During the 80's as well as playing guitar for Alex Chilton and releasing two singles Gigolo Aunt and She's So Good Loooking) Knox worked with several second wave punk bands, producing The Fits Last Laugh E.P and recording with Chaotic Discord.

He also released an album  on Razor Records; Plutonium Express, a lost gem that is due to be re-released soon by Cleopatra Records. Knox also had the Fallen Angels who released a couple more albums In Loving Memory and Wheel of Fortune, with slightly less Hanoi Rocks than the first one, and we mustn’t forget the Urban Dogs, a partnership with UK Sub Charlie Harper that is still going strong today, their last album Bonefield is a sublime slice of the Punk Rock Blues.

1982 saw the original line up get back together, releasing three, good but slightly patchy albums; Guilty, Alaska 127 and Fifth Amendment, before John and Pat left again, leaving and Knox and Eddie to soldier on with some new troops, mainly comprising of either Micky Owen or Nigel Bennett on guitar with a variety of bassists including Mark Duncan a fella called Nik and Robbie (now in The Derellas) Tart. Many studio albums were released along the way; Recharged, Meltdown, Vicious Circle, Volume Ten, Hunting For You, Unpunked, French Lessons With Correction, Buzzin' and Energise all of them are worthy of your attention.

For the last few years, the line up has been pretty stable, comprising Knox, Eddie and Pete, although due to health issues, since 2011 Knox has been taking it easy and hasn't been touring with the band although he has contributed songs and played on their last couple of albums; Under The Radar, On The Guest List and a new one which is due out soon. He's also collaborated with The Trailer Trash Orchestra, and recorded The Knoxville Boy album, the finest County Punk this side of St Albans. What's next for Knox? Well.... like I said there's a new Vibrators album on it's way a re-release of his only solo album Plutonium Express. and a new Urban Dogs single. He can also be found contributing vocals to one track on the recently released genre busting Rhythm and Punk Review album by The Mutants. 

The Vibrators at Bowes Lyon House, Stevenage 1984. Pic: Unknown

Anyway enough of the history and I didn't even touch on his paintings, here's a interview I did with Knox via a couple of emails a couple of months ago.

If you compiled a 12 track album of Ten Knox songs, what would they be? 
This is always changing I think. Anyway today (6 July 2014) the list is:
Modern World – it just does its thing, it doesn’t pander to an audience, and has nice production.
Nazi Baby – I love its intensity.
Juice On – sing-a-long and reliably nasty, could be the theme song for Deliverance 2 (if they make it!)
Houston Tower (Fallen Angels)
How Beautiful You Are
Baby Baby – of course!! When I play it I feel like I’m on a sunny holiday.
Moonlight
Birdland Is Closed
Prisoner In The Mirror
Brand New
Rock ‘n’ Roll Clown
Sleeping

Which do you enjoy more...Painting or Song writing? (I always think your songs are like aural paintings.)

I enjoy them equally I think. I really love painting, especially if I’m doing a stress-free painting, like sitting in the garden doing a painting of the garden, just putting on the paint. Portraits always have to look like the person, so quite early on you can’t just mess about with the paint, you have to really concentrate. As for song writing, fiddling about with the early free demo’s is great and can be very exciting, but again pulling the thing together and making a good demo can be really hard work. In the past I’ve spent days and days on a song, changing it a bit and re-demo’ing it. I don’t know if people realise the amount of work that can go into a song that sounds ‘obvious’ to them.

Should the Manic Street Preachers pay you some royalties for the guitar lick in No Mercy? (Motown Junk by the Manics has a very, very similar refrain.)

No Mercy was actually written by an old bass player, Mark Duncan.. The problem is if you hear a song, or part of a song, which sounds like it’s derived from someone else’s previous song you never know how much is plagiarism and how much is ‘in the style of’ (or a ‘tribute’ to an earlier song), and then it could just be someone else writing the same tune totally by coincidence, or perhaps unwittingly.

How did the Don't Throw It All Away collaboration in 1984 with Chaotic Discord come about? (Great song!)

I don’t remember the details of how it came about at all. I must have been asked to do it at some stage, and then I remember going down to record it in Bristol. It was their song, not one of mine. I was met at the station, I think then driven to the studio and was singing within a few minutes of arriving there. I missed the last train back and had to stay the night. (I was at art school for a while in Bristol years before and in those days the trains to London used to go all night. Not that night!)

Are all the songs of yours on On The Guest List new numbers, or old unrecorded/unreleased songs?

They’re nearly all old songs. I have loads of them, and I think at the time of making the album I was quite busy and thought, I know I’ll check out some of my old home demo’s and I really liked them, and thought the ones that were chosen for the album were good. When The Vibrators are making an album I’ll present the band with more songs than they need and they choose the ones they like. It’s become slightly odd as I write and sing most of the songs but am no longer playing in the band. I’m like a tiny version of Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys.

What's next for Knox musically?

I’m not sure. It’s an ever-changing landscape out there. I worked on the most recent Vibrators’ album a few weeks ago, which should be coming out here in the UK on Captain Oi!, with a different mix of it coming out on Cleopatra in the USA. I was also helping with songs for a 60’s girl band project for Cleopatra recently. I’ve been thinking of making a ska album of the Vibrators’ greatest hits as that would be a nice project. I’ve got lots of songs so I will be looking at tons of projects. I need to live another few hundred years to fit it all in! My 1983 solo album Plutonium Express should be coming out in the US sometime soon, that sort of thing. And I was thinking of trying to get a rock ’n’ roll charity shop going in Camden, plus maybe having a small pub rock type band, only playing very locally in places with gear already there (no carrying the gear!!), just to keep my hand in as it were. And I’ve got to finish my nasty sci-fi novel I’ve been messing about with for years. And I sometimes think I’d like to re-record lots of old Vibrators’ songs, but spend a lot more time on them than we were able to when we first did them, as you’re always running against the clock in the studio because of the financial restraints. I was thinking of also re-recording some UK Subs songs, spending ages on them, (it’s probably against the whole punk ethos), but I’ve not spoken to Charlie about this!

Do you find people prefer the 'classic' 77-78 Vibrators songs to the ones you've done since then?

They generally seem to prefer the old songs, but I think it’s because they are the best known by our mainly punk audience. The newer albums are not bought in anywhere near the same numbers as the first couple of albums, and I think as a result there’s not the same sharing/consensus of opinion about the songs. The fans can’t talk to each other about the songs as they aren’t so familiar with them. Fan A may not have the same albums as fan B, that sort of thing. If we were a new band doing the newer stuff, and the old stuff had never existed, I’m sure they’d like it.

Any favourite musicians you've played/worked with?

I think the biggest highlight for me was The Vibrators touring as the support band for Iggy Pop when he had David Bowie playing keyboards. It would probably be impossible to top that. I haven’t worked with that many other people, but I like doing it as other people often contribute an extra personality to the recording. Though one time when I was making my solo album I thought I didn’t like some of Dave Birch’s guitar playing. Later when the album came out I found I really missed it! I enjoyed doing the Knox and the Trailer Trash Orchestra album, “The Knoxville Boy”, a country album. It was a different area for me and I liked the opportunity to do it and all the guys in the band. And I like working with Charlie Harper of course, when we do the Urban Dogs.

Knox and The Trailer Trash Orchestra at The Victoria, Hitchin 2011 Pic: Haddy Webb

Have the new technologies (Computers, The Internet, Digital and MP3's) changed the recording and releasing of music for the better? (Discuss)

Probably. It’s difficult to answer as there’s such a massive proliferation of styles of music that it’s not like in the ‘old days’ where you had limited styles and individual songs would have more impact. I like the idea of recording songs yourself and having more control, not having to put up with people who might not share your vision or ideas for a song. The danger is that you end up sort of spiralling into yourself. I think a lot of times other people’s input can be very enriching. Also when you’re in a band it is a band and not your solo project. I think the actual recording process has become a lot easier. You don’t have to endlessly do take after take in the studio ‘til you get a good one, so long as most of it’s OK you can generally patch it up on the computer.

What's Knox's vision of the future, how do you see the world changing in say the next 10-20 years?

I really feel quite pessimistic. I think there’ll be robot computer take-over. The computers don’t necessarily have to have evolved consciousness to effect this. They already have their own computer web where they talk to each other. If the wrong algorithms get written computers could cut off the money for instance, and society would break down very quickly a few days later. Also, with the increase in what an individual can do to kill people, governments might have to bring in some form of brain profiling. This would be to find people who could potentially be a danger, extremists, lone wolves, political people, etc. The knock-on effect of this might be some form of mass incarceration or culling. Hopefully people will have developed space-travel so we can go out into the universe and damage that to our hearts content! (The sooner we break it the sooner we can get on with fixing it!) There are a few future safeguards, like the Centre for the Study of Existential Threat, but if those people miss something.... Then again I might be similar to a child who likes having a story read to them with some scary things in it. I have to say the current news is terrible depressing. I think hundreds of years ago we wouldn’t know about most of the terrible things that go on out there in the world. (End of lecture.)

I'd just like to thank Knox for his time in answering my random questions.

SCARS - Sessions/Demos/Live (*MPfree DOWNLOAD*)

Another band due a CD release, a retrospective compilation would be good, but until then this will have to surfice. 

Fear is formulated and facilitated before it is fuelled and then fed to people who will blindly accept anything if it takes away the fear that they have been made to feel.

DEADCUTS - Dark is The Night (*A Review*)

If the end really is the beginning, then deadcuts are finished, because their debut album Dark Is The Night is where it starts. Four musicians who have travelled through the Rock'n'Roll cities ripped back sides before in various bands, are now going down further dark entries and between them they have produced the best music of their careers on this album. Their past has shaped their present. Dark Is The Night is an alluring aural sculpture, as close to art as Rock'n'Roll gets. This is the sound of eighties post punk being dragged kicking and screaming back to the future, a pure and primeval sonic assault on the senses.

Fourteen fragile yet self assured howls from the heart, a gallery of intense insights into the human psyche. The words are spat and slurred out by a voice that could strip paint. Vicious guitars slash, strum and scrape, over a pounding and pumping rhythm section, which leaves the listener battered and bruised, but wanting more. This is addictive stuff, mean, moody and menacing, mellow and manic in equal doses. Pray For Jail, is a claustrophobic and cacophonic crescendo of a song. The pulsating and tuneful wall of sound that is Mary Disorder has added barbed wire thanks to additional keyboards by former Attraction Steve Nieve. Floods is a dark dirge of a duet between deadcuts singer Mark Keds and Beatrice Brown, which sounds like Charles Manson having a row with Shirley Manson. Beatrice makes another appearance, on her own this time and sounding more Kate Bush meets Patti Smith on the glamorously gothic and ghostly Ragged Star, a stripped to the bone acoustic number where the guitars pick and poke at scabs and scars....let 'it bleed!  

Deadcuts are a dirty, dangerous, discordant, distorted and disturbing beast; The bastard son of The Psychedelic Furs and Killing Joke with added Rock'n'Roll swagger. Dark is The Night is a spellbinding and sublime masterpiece. Ignore at your peril. Available from: Speedowax Records

We're all going on a summer holiday!

No 'British combat boots' on the ground in Iraq, unless they are on the feet of alienated post-war on terror 'radicalised British Muslims' fighting for the Islamic State. Britain is reaping what it has sown....TOTAL TERROR!  

FS1E - Once Upon a Time in Silkingrad (*A Review*)

Following on from their self titled debut single comes FS1E's debut album Once Upon A Time in Silkingrad. A 'concept album' (my words not theirs) of sorts, a record of reflection. The 10 tracks are poems, prose and raps from the past that have grown into the present. Tales of love and loss, lyrical journeys of lives lived and lives still being lived. Reflective but not regretful, emotive and uplifting, music that moves yer and takes you on a journey of discovery to different places. FS1E are beyond Reggae, beyond Punk, beyond Prog Rock, and certainly not middle of the road, they are riding their own musical path down the rock'n'roll highway, which takes you to nowhere you've been before. Vocals are sung and spoken as mournful bass lines meander along with solid and sound drums, acoustic guitars chime while the keyboards float in and out, leaving the listener engulfed and enveloped by the sound and songs.  This album is beautiful, it is haunting and harmonious, it skanks and rocks while swinging with traces of soul and jazz, it is quirky and poppy, but most of all it is brilliant. FS1E are camping outside the left field with a melting pot of musical influences bubbling and boiling on the fire. Join the gathering because “Divided we are weak, together we are strong.” Chill out music for people that should be angry instead of just chasing pound notes. You can find out more about FS1E and where to get the album here at their web site.

sCUM OF tOYTOWN & mARK aSTRONAUT - "bEHAVE yOURSELF" (Live @ Klub 85, Hitchin 1996)

bREak OUt anD TAke thE toWN!

ALSO COMING SOON:  A Nuzz Prowling Wolf interview with Knox.

Another Postcard From The Edge.

Words; The Subhumans / Images; The Daily Mail / Juxtaposition; NPW

A Postcard From The Edge.

Words: Charlie Harper / Image; Google / Juxtaposition; NPW 

THE FOLK DEVILS - Goodnight Irony.(*MPfree DOWNLOAD*)

This is the Third time I've posted this, about time someone got it together and issued it on CD, until then it's available here!

UK SUBS - Rarities Reissued and Reviewed.

It's been a productive past few months for Captain Oi's UK Subs releases, what with Stolen Property, Charlie Harper's solo album and the second Urban Dogs album No Pedigree, now they've gone and released another couple, more on them later but first up we've got the latest little gem from Time and Matter Recordings.

The UK Subs The Revolutions Here EP, was originally released in 2000, It's centrepiece is their Reggaeified version of Thunderclap Newman’s ode to revolution; Something in The Air, which contrasts beautifully with the in yer face punk rock anthems to revolution; Reclaim The Streets and The Revolutions Here, both these and the other tracks, Go Home, Metro, Party in Paris and Works have been re-mastered for this re-release, a gloriously coloured splattered yellow and red vinyl 10”, which also features sleeve notes by Nicky Garrett and a drawing by Charlie Harper. Be quick if you want a copy cos it's a limited pressing of 500, and is sure to sell out fast! Available from Time and MatterRecordings.

Now on to the latest Captain Oi releases, which are also limited to 500 copies. The Demonstration Tapes AKA Raw Material, is a what it says on the tin, demos and raw material, some real work in progress culled from Charlie Harpers collection of Subs recordings. Top quality embryonic stuff from the first couple of classic UK Subs line ups, circa 1980-82. This re-issue includes 4 bonus demos for their Endangered Species album, which didn't appear on either of the previous releases.

Live Kicks rewinds the UK Subs clock back further to The Roxy in London on New Years Eve 1977, where Live Kicks was recorded. Originally released by Stiff Records in 1980 by mail order only, its been re- released many times over the years, but this CD is the definitive version, including the encore, and as a bonus there are 4 tracks from their 1977 demo tape.

Both The Demonstration Tapes and Live Kicks are lovingly packaged and contain extensive sleeve notes by the Time and Matter lads, and some words of introduction by Charlie Harper. Both are available from Captain Oi. Fast forward to the future and we find the Subs have started work on their Y album, and there's a new Urban Dogs single in the pipeline.

EAR WE GO....MOUTHING OFF AGAIN.

People have two ears and one mouth, so why then do some people talk twice as much as they listen?

I'll tell you why! It's because they don't wanna hear what you've got to say, they think they are right and you are wrong and that their opinions are more important than yours, they have no empathy, they are arrogant, self obsessed and egotistical. I've got a word for these sort of people....C**ts! The world is so fucked up because the people with the power (Politicians, Bosses etc) are C**T’s. One thing they seem to forget (if they ever even thought about it anyway) is, that.... without us they would be nothing. It's time for people to shout twice as loud in the work place or on the streets. Together we have the power to fuck the c**ts! Listen to what I'm saying and then tell me I'm wrong!?

It's only a game.

The Commonwealth Games.....WHAT A LOAD OF SHIT! Worse than The Olympics! They are a competition for losers. England only does so well because the other nations are even shiter, well not exactly, it's just that the majority of the commonwealth have no wealth, Britain saw to that during the days of the Great British Empire, when it colonised and exploited nations across the world and imposed it's rule upon them and then took everything that belonged to the local indigenous peoples and made its self rich from them. Commonwealth, no.... Britishwealth, and then we have the bare faced check to rub their faces in it hundreds of years later by beating them at some pointless sports. What a bunch of losers!  

ESSENTIAL EPHEMERA #6 (Set-lists)

From sometime in 1982 here's a list from

 ERAZERHEAD East Londons answer to 

The Ramones and The Lurkers.

Another one from 1982 this time its from Peterborough
 Punks THE DESTRUCTORS.

Untitled.

Near Tissington, Derbyshire

I was away camping in The Peak District a bit of r'n'r, only piece of technology I took with me was a transistor radio, and a camera, so I heard the news of the shooting down of the Malaysian plane over The Ukraine, and the continued blood shed in the Gaza Strip. Wrote a few notes down in my notebook and was gonna write a piece when I got home, but....have had such a nightmare week at work, where those at the top think everything smells of roses, when it's bullshit, and have their heads buried in the sand while the workers get fucked up the arse, and when the shit hits the fan they aint gonna be the ones getting covered in it. As a result of this I haven't had the mental energy to finish the piece, so here are the notes from my notebook that I started typing up last Sunday before the week from hell at work, but hey I'm not living in Gaza and have had no loved ones blown up so as the war in my mind goes on I shouldn't really grumble.

Another 'incident' involving a Malaysian Airlines plane, this one didn't disappear, it was shot from the skies above a war-zone, leaving the wreckage highly visible for the waiting media to broadcast to the world..

The world watches in condemnation at the treatment of the murdered passengers, the majority of whom are Dutch.

Evidence tampered with, bodies looted, access denied to investigators.

No responsibility, but plenty of denials. Russia's name keeps cropping up.

Calls for sanctions are met with a luke warm response cos Russian oligarchs money is aiding economic recovery across Europe, and many countries rely on Russia for energy supplies no one wants to bite the hand that feeds them even if it is covered in blood.

I bet arms deals are still being struck with Russia; Warfare makes the world go round.

I wonder what the response would be like if 200 Americans had been on board?

It's easy to forget that the Americans don't mind shooting down passenger planes, rewind to 1988 (I think) when they shot down an Iranian civilian airliner, killing all on board.

Israel....give the Palestinians their land. Britain, America, France get over the gas chamber guilt and then perhaps Hamas will stop firing their rockets. The numbers of dead says it all....more Palestinians than Israelis have been killed! Who cares who started it, it's time to end it!

No better than savages, just with more sophisticated weaponry. Warfare makes the world go round.

So there you have it....A bit of old news, somethings never change.

ROSCOE VACANT - Article/Review/Interview, and MPFree Download!

Since I last wrote about Roscoe Vacant he has released a new album and a tape. For the album No Attack No Decay Roscoe has returned to his roots as a solo preformer. In 2008 he released the Escape From Doom Valley (Live EP) and a year later Nothings Gonna Change, but in 2010 he was backed by the Gantin' Screichs for the brilliant spikey and post-punk sounding Reckurdt. No Attack No Decay features several tracks from this, which stand naked and stripped to the bone. This is 'Acoustic Punk and Angry Pop!' full of passion and vitriol. Nine songs where the words mean something, these are songs about the small and big political picture; From domestic dysfunction to global drama; As Baghdad burns plates are smashed in the kitchen of a broken home where culture is delivered in shortbread tins to sanitised young lovers who bought it all from the liars and thieves who will not lead us anywhere because nothing is gonna change, not unless you make it! These are songs of love, pain and betrayal on several levels. If misery loves company then it needs Roscoe Vacant for a companion, because these are also songs of hope that are more real than likes of Frank Turner and Jake Bugg.

The tape finds Roscoe backed by Lo-Fi legends The No-Men, covering three songs by the arch avant garde glam/punkster that is Steve Treatment, who also contributes some of his own musings on the flipside of this brightly coloured yellow cassette. In a world of mass production and instant downloads It's good to see the ethics of DIY culture is alive and well, thanks to the good people at Topplers Records. It is also good to see that there are still artists out there pining their hearts on their sleeve and playing it for real. The album and tape are both available here, the limited number of lovingly hand crafted physical copies have all sold out, but they are sill available as downloads.

For a bit of background to No Attack No Decay, the demise of the Gantin' Screichs and how he found himself working with Steve Treatment, I emailed Roscoe, and this is what he had to say.

“Roscoe Vacant & the Gantin' Screichs started in 2010 and we released the album "Reckurdt" in 2011. Our lead guitarist Ross Gilchrist left in 2011 for personal reasons, but he and I are still really good friends. From then on we went in a different direction, moving away from grunge into more country punk type stuff. We got a fiddle player and a new guitarist in 2012 and put out a video for our first recording with that band in January 2013 "Conrad Brooks" (on Youtube just now). The band continued for a few months but it kind of petered out - again mostly personal and interpersonal reasons. I'm still really good friends with everyone in the band but none of us really want to do it again. Releasing the EP "No Attack/No Decay" in 2013 was an attempt to go back to basics and why people enjoyed my stuff in the first place - solo acoustic punk rock. It was also a means by which I could get the song that inspired the title out - "Exit Strategy". I split up with my fiancee of 9 years in Feb 2013, so that had a baring on the band too. Being able to get back on the horse and make some music was liberating."

“I've been a fan of Steve's for about 5 years. I knew Allan from the NoMen because we have mutual friends but also because he was in the legendary Scottish folk punk band Nyah Fearties from the late 1980s early 1990s. The Steve collaboration just came out of that. I wanted to cover some of his less well-known songs and songs he'd only really demoed or played with his band The Ticket Inspectors in the late 1980s, so I recorded the 3 songs on the cassette. It was very spontaneous.” 

For more info on Roscoe Vacant take a trip to his Facebook page and you can visit Topplers Records here. 

One last thing.... I thought I'd save the best till last....Here is an exclusive unreleased 4 Track collection of Roscoe's work selected by himself for your ears only! Enjoy!

Sunday.... Sermon/Scribblings/shit* (*Delete as appropriate)

From fiddling their expenses to fiddling with kids, some of our MP's past and present have no shame in abusing their power, or should I say the power that we the people give them. In a true and pure Democracy they would be there to serve us, not themselves, and certainly not to spy on people, behind a smokescreen of fear of terrorism. “If you've done nothing wrong then you've got nothing to hide.” Is that why dossiers re Child Abuse in Westminster have 'been lost' or can't MP's be trusted to look after any information securely. Anyway....Just who decides what is wrong? The people that control the machinery of the state, that's who! Our politicians, that's right the very same people who have a perverse view of right and wrong. So....when the politicians are on the 2015 General Election campaign trail pleading for votes and promising everything, don't believe a word they say, and don't let them kiss your children!

While shit goes down in Britain, over in the Middle East the Israelis and Palestinians bomb the fuck out of each other, where is the Peace Envoy; former Prime Minister Tony Blair? Sack this self serving cunt now! If he was on performance related pay, he'd owe us. Wait up he does....we are still waiting for an explanation as why Britain got involved in the war in Iraq, don't tell me that they've lost the results of The Chilcot Enquiry, or are they just re-editing it, because it's findings are right; Our leaders took us into an illegal war against a threat of terror which wasn't really there until they started bombing Baghdad, now there are terrorists everywhere and because of this policies and laws have been drafted and created that proport to protect our freedom when they actual take it away. Tony Blair shouldn't just be put on trial for war crimes, but also for crimes against human rights.

HEY HO ALL GONE!

The last surviving member of the original  Ramones line up died the other day.  R.I.P Tommy!

BAD BREEDING - *Article/Review*

Bad Breeding may apply to a lot of the yoof of today, but not to these four lads from my home of Stevenage, a place where in their words “nothing really happens except nothingness itself.” I can't argue with that. I've lived in Stevenage most of my live and the only things that have happened are when people have got up off their arses and made them happen. Respect! to Bad Breeding for keeping the musical match alight and giving the world another name (along side Fields of The Nephilim, Scum of Toytown and Chron Gen) to remember Stevenage by instead of just Lewis fucking Hamilton and a couple of football players whose names escape me.

Bad Breeding have already been featured in the NME radar page, and played on BBC Radio One by Zane Lowe. Their debut single Burn This Flag b/w Age of Nothing is released by Hate, Hate, Hate Records in August as a limited (300 copies) 7”Vinyl or Digital Download. 

Burn This Flag is a two minute Molotov cocktail of anger and frustration waiting to be hurled over the barricades and like a suicide bomber with a suitcase full of Semtex; it will blow your fuckin' head off! Age Of Nothing is a slightly longer assault that chops, changes and charges right at ya knocking you off yer feet then kicking you in the face. Bad Breeding are a blast of pure molten and brutal Punk Rock, in the vein of Discharge, Conflict and the UK Subs, but with a sound that is totally their own. This is angry music for angry times.

The single can be ordered here from Rough Trade Records and the band can be found here at their website.