Best known for their appearance on Nirvana‘s MTV Unplugged performance in 1993, Meat Puppets have been quietly churning out consistently fine records in a variety of genres for the best part of 40 years. Dusty Notes is the first album brothers Curt and Cris Kirkwood have made with original drummer Derrick Bostrom since 1995’s No Joke!. The trio are augmented by the keyboards of jazz-trained virtuoso Ron Stabinsky, with […]
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Formed, curiously enough, on the day Mark E Smith left this Earth, Manchester trio Cold Water Swimmers recently celebrated their first birthday. Now the hard-hitting three piece, featuring Chris Bridgett, of Dub Sex on vocals and guitar, with Carrie Lawson (Bass) and Selina Woolnough (Drums) are releasing a new double A-side Summer Breeze/I'll Be Your Witness.
Artistic, intelligent and with more musical ideas than should probably legally allowed on one album, Psycho Social Sexual should keep you coming back for more.
Few could claim to have lived a life less ordinary than the MC5’s Wayne Kramer. Rock star, social activist, addict, burglar, drug dealer, jailbird – he’s done it all and, just about, lived to tell the tale. A leading light of the late ‘60s counter-culture, Kramer’s band were targeted by FBI counter-intelligence and their inflammatory gigs were a regular […]
While some of their appeal may rely on past glories, in these uncertain times Mudhoney have never seemed more necessary.
Now 50 Years Old 'The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society' Evokes An Arcadian Vision Of A Fast Disappearing England
Fuelled by scathing fury and a seemingly inexhaustible supply of scuzzy riffs, Digital Garbage sees Mudhoney frontman Mark Arm set his sights on post-truth America. Over the course of 11 tracks, Arm vents his spleen at everything from evangelical Christianity and gun control, to right-wing paranoia and the spirit-crushing status anxiety of social media. On opener Nerve Attack, Arm […]
Anniversary tours are always tricky, especially for a band with the cachet of the MC5. Reputations can be destroyed, legacies tarnished and there’s always the risk of being accused of “selling out”. Wayne Kramer has faced such a backlash before having previously reformed the band for a one-off show in 2003 with two surviving members as part of a […]
The suitably vampiric surroundings of Camden’s KOKO provides the perfect ambience for a diabolical double header, with Jon Spencer and The Melvins ghosting in for Halloween. Up first, despite being arguably the bigger name in the UK, Spencer is in explosive form. After a brief false start, for which keyboardist Sam Coomes generously assumes responsibility, the band really hits their stride. Powered by the […]
Like all the best guitarists, Jon Spencer‘s signature sound is instantly recognisable. Whether it be Pussy Galore, Boss Hog, Heavy Trash or the Blues Explosion, the moment a record comes on you know it’s him. There’s an electricity about his music you can practically taste – and it’s no different with his debut solo album – the optimistically titled Spencer Sings The […]