BITCHIN' BREW #007 WITH KATE COULSON (ABOVE THE WAVES PROMOTIONS / THE JOINERS) IS OUT NOW

The long-awaited seventh episode of BITCHIN' BREW featuring your friend and mine, KATE COULSON of ABOVE THE WAVES PROMOTIONS (as well as the in-house promotions team at THE JOINERS in Southampton, the Best Venue In The World ©) is FINALLY here.

You can now listen to it on SOUNDCLOUD by clicking HERE or streaming it below, or you can listen on iTUNES and ACAST.

Thanks to everyone - especially Kate - who was so patient on this one. As you may well know, we decided to do an AMA portion on this podcast, where we answered your questions on Buckfast, crisps, David Beckham hairstyles and the Argentinian debt crisis of 2001. We also had more on-topic chats about our respective entrances to the Southampton punk rock scene and how we met backstage at a Frank Iero show and at one of Kate's legendary house shows, so don't worry, it's not just an hour and 20 minutes of us talking a bunch of tangential bollocks.

ALSO ON BITCHIN' BREW #007: Kate and I talk about her upcoming festival, SO PUNK FEST 3, which is happening across Southampton on February 3-5, and boasts a badass lineup full of UK punk and emo bands which she handpicked along with those dudes at FAILURE BY DESIGN RECORDS.

Friday night at SPF3 is being headlined by MUSKETS, Saturday night's bill is topped by APOLOGIES, I HAVE NONE, and then things will be capped off on Sunday with a solo performance from Dan of DUCKING PUNCHES. It's going to be all the great vibes, so make sure that you grab your weekend/individual tickets now over on the ATW BIGCARTEL PAGE.

You'd be a bit of a knob to ignore that lineup...

Danny

2016'S SPICIEST BANGERS | THE RR PLAYLIST VOL. V

IF YOU'RE READING THIS, CONGRATULATIONS: YOU SURVIVED BLUE MONDAY.

Of course, if you're like me and you don't believe in that pseudo-scientific horseshit, then bonus points to you, but for a lot of people out there, Blue Monday marks a point of no return: you can no longer use that age-old, post-Christmas/New Year 'sorry, I'm just settling back into my routine' excuse for not doing work as efficiently (or at all), your new year's resolutions were fucked from the very start, and efforts to avoid throwing away the toffee pennies that lonesomely occupy the Quality Street tin in the corner of your living room because you 'might want to eat them at some point' are growing more and more futile.

This mid-January funk isn't necessarily as unrealistic as the belief that the third Monday of the month is inherently shit, but at least we still have a year like 2016 to look back on and go 'well, what a solid 12 months of wall-to-wall bangers that was'.

We had an abundance of tracks in 2016 that make you feel invincible when you blast them on repeat - as if you could take down a speeding juggernaut with your little finger - as well as tracks that just make you want to smash a beer can open with your own face, chug the foamy remnants, and stagedive onto your mates' heads. It is this window of sonic glory that I've prised back open with Vol. V of THE RR PLAYLIST.

Within the space of just 20 tracks, there's reminders of the undeniable knockout return of WEEZER, the Rancid-meets-No Doubt badassery of THE INTERRUPTERS, the raucous, punk 'n' roll punches delivered from the likes of THE DIRTY NIL and WACO, and the shameless saccharine catchiness of WATERPARKS and TANCRED.

If that's not enough, there's offerings from Britain's burgeoning DIY punk scene courtesy of THE NEW TUSK, DOE and MUNCIE GIRLS, the carefree, summery bliss of PINEGROVE and JOYCE MANOR, and some top-drawer whoa-oh sing-a-longs from JEFF ROSENSTOCK and EAT ME.

All that, and loads more, is now available to stream below via the Randon's Reviews Spotify page. Don't forget to subscribe for playlists of past, present and future (if 2017 lives up to its predecessor)...

Danny

THE RR PLAYLIST VOL. IV: THE SUMMER OF SCUZZ

OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS, Mother Nature (AKA the most basic of bitches) has decided to curl up on her sofa with a big tub of half-price Ben & Jerry's (Cookie Dough, obvs) and not know what to do with her fucking life. It's been sunny. It's been overcast. It's been raining. It's pretty much been humid the whole time, and I just want my summer. This shitty mixed bag of weather is getting ridiculous.
I figured that if Mother Nature is going to be a dick like that, I'll just try and enjoy my summer through other means, and what better way to do that than to make an RR PLAYLIST featuring some of the biggest, grungiest, scuzziest summer bangers on offer across punk, indie, and alt-rock right now.

There's appearances on Volume IV of The RR Playlist from the likes of WEEZER and TURNOVER, plus some old blog favourites like MILK TEETH, RAIN and MUSKETS, but allow me to take you through some of the bands not previously touched upon on the blog, amongst whom you might just find your new favourite band for the (not so) summer holidays.

BLACK FOXXES have made serious strides with their debut album I'm Not Well (which lands this Friday), finally unlocking their potential to throw out massive, distorted and often cathartic rock 'n' roll.

If you're like me and you dig the raw production that I've been smitten for since the day I first heard MC5's Kick Out The James, then WACO will gladly scratch that itch for you. If the joyous background cheers in the bridge on 'Se17' don't want to make you air-punch seven shades of shit out of the sky, then you might as well just call it quits and spend the rest of your miserable existence with Dire Straits' greatest hits.

If you're big into what Drenge were doing on their first album, then NIGHT OWLS are another duo whose distortion-drenched sounds will plough into your ears like a mischievous juggernaut. For those of you that like the hardcore crossover appeal of Turnstile, but would rather swap the Metallica nuances for something a bit cooler and college rock-y, then you'll go head over heels for ANGEL DU$T. I read a review recently which compared them to both Bad Brains and The Lemonheads, and that's about as dead on the money as you can get.

Thanks to spending the first half of the year in full-time education with no income, my festival attendance in 2016 has been below par. When my mum returned from Truck Festival and said that she enjoyed HAPPY ACCIDENTS, I had to do a double take. Check them out if you like the idea of spritely indie-pop with a sharp lyrical twang in the vein of Jamie T. As for MARTHA, I don't much more can be said about them apart from the fact that they are the best band to do a similar sort of thing in the DIY punk scene, and they've made one of the standout records of the year with Blisters In The Pit Of My Heart.

Fans and members of the Brighton punk contingent, on top of Muskets we've also got MURDERHOUSE and FRUITCAKE to fling your way (not in an aggressive way). While Murderhouse emulate the somewhat adorable self-deprecating charm of early Modern Baseball in their ramshackle bedroom-demo punk, Fruitcake are a little bit more frantic with loads of influence from early-early-EARLY blink-182 and a wicked sense of fresh-faced urgency.

Over on the other side of the pond, we have two bands who have the scene eating out of their palms with the enticement of potential in their upcoming records. BEACH SLANG put out one of the most fun-sounding albums of the last few years in 2015, and from the sound of things, they're roaring along the same track of writing songs that are perfect for singing your heart out to after a few too many beers and ill-timed stagedives.

JOYCE MANOR are one of the best bands around right now when it comes to writing short, sharp and frustratingly catchy power-pop songs with great humour in their lyrics and casual ingenuity in their melodies. If the rest of their new record, Cody, is as good as the first track from it, then they are firmly in the running for Album Of The Year.

As we wind down into the last couple of tracks which are perfect for your summer evenings, GRIEVING ease themselves into their debut EP, Demonstrations, with melancholic vibes of 90s emo. 'My Friend, The Ghost' is the most beautifully lackadaisical track they have to offer, before delving in to a spikier pit of alternative rock.

HONOURABLE MENTION goes to EAT ME, whose sounds are not yet on Spotify and therefore cannot be 'officially' included in The RR Playlist. They take that Rivers Cuomo philosophy of writing really simple songs and making them even more effective with undeniably cool guitar licks. Check out 'Melon Enema' below on YouTube because its way too good to ignore for not being on Spotify, and the video is fucking gold:

As ever, if there's a track that you think deserves a place on this playlist, feel free to hmu on Twitter, or on the RR Facebook page.

Episode #004 of BITCHIN' BREW featuring CONNOR P LAWS, co-founder of FAILURE BY DESIGN RECORDS is coming soon. Before then, I'll be giving you a rundown of FBD's finest moments in the first instalment of a new label-based feature on RR called THE NUMBNUTS' GUIDE TO... *INSERT LABEL NAME HERE*

Stay tuned for that, and loads of other cool shit too.

Danny

EP REVIEW: SAD BLOOD - 'LEGION OF GLOOM'

I don't know how many times I can say this on Randon's Reviews (or anywhere where I can chat bollocks, for that matter): it is such an exciting time to be in the UK punk scene right now. Whether they're pop-punk-y or grunge-y or alt-rock-y, the multitude of exciting up-and-coming bands stretches far beyond being strictly 'punk' in style or tone.

I would comfortably put SAD BLOOD in the same bracket as some of the spikier-sounding bands of their scene, thanks to their affinity for small DIY tours and house shows, and the fact that they can make a music video simply out of getting drunk and dicking around with puppets (see below for more on that).

Following on from the brief and brilliant debut Ultimate Worrier, the London trio's second EP LEGION OF GLOOM offers another five bursts of bright and breezy power-pop with spells of #relatable emo wistfulness.

You could say that melancholic lyricism is in this band's blood (boom boom). The band have previously spoken to Upset about how Legion Of Gloom soundtracks the process of "trying to create something positive out of something negative", and out of that comes lyrics are honest and humorously self-deprecating (precisely as the band's two EP titles suggest).

As you may have predicted after his sterling job not only on Ultimate Worrier, but also in manning the desk for Milk Teeth, Creeper, Press to MECO, Weatherstate and pretty much any other cool new UK band you can think of, producer Neil Kennedy has done what he does best yet again in preserving the squeaky-clean clarity that hits Sad Blood's anthems home... (Note to self: I really must get him on Bitchin' Brew just so we can chat about how brilliant all of these bands are....)

Legion Of Gloom may be two tracks longer than its predecessor, but oddly little less rhythmic and melodic variation than before. Nevertheless, 'Heavy Petting Zoo' clocks in at just 1:48 and is up there with the best (if fleeting) moments of new British music in 2016. Sad Blood are brimming with potential as a longer body of work surely looms over the coming months.

Throwing you as much jovial charm as it does miffed-out mellowness, Legion Of Gloom is pleasant, inoffensive and, as with most British punk EPs of late, over way too quickly, but infectious enough to loop a few times over. Whether you see them as happy songs for sad people, or sad songs for happy people, be sure to queue this up next to The Hotelier and that certified banger that is the new Moose Blood track for your emo picnic playlists.

TOP TRACKS: 'HEAVY PETTING ZOO'; 'FORMERLY CREATIVE'

RR RATING:

7 / 10

LEGION OF GLOOM IS OUT NOW. STREAM IT ON SOUNDCLOUD BELOW:

Happy people, sad people, drunk people, all people: until next time, peace out.

Danny

WHITE-HOT NOISE: GET YOUR EARS AND HEARTS AROUND CATHARTIC LONDON PUNKS GUILT

Sometimes I feel a little bad that while I'm coming up with so many cool ideas for the blog, I rarely have the time to bring them to fruition. I figured the other day that I don't need to write an essay with every post - much like when you share something on Facebook or Twitter, I kind of want to 'let the music do the talking', for want of a less wanky phrase, and even if I'm not premiering the track on this blog, use the 'White-Hot Noise' handle to share my favourite new sounds.

Here's something I thought I'd share today after it dropped via Noisey yesterday: GUILT are a hot-off-the-press punk band (I'm going all in on the cheesy phrases with this one, aren't I?) from London, and their debut track 'EVERBLUE' is a massive, swaggering, sprawling, shoegazey slice of devastatingly emotional post-hardcore.

Fuelled by a backlog of bad luck and low points in life, this five-piece bristle with punk spite and (as is the case with all of the great noises coming from the punk-shoegaze crossover scene at the moment) agonising catharsis. Then, when you put them in a studio with Neil Kennedy, the guy behind most of the greatest underground UK releases of the last couple of years, you get something extremely promising.

You can stream 'Everblue' on the band's Soundcloud page now, but what you really want to do is click HERE to buy the track - it's just £1, it comes with a wicked B-side and all proceeds are going to the mental health charity CALM - a strong cause to help men step back from the cliff-edge of suicide.

FFO: TITLE FIGHT; GRADER; THRICE'S SLOWER JAMS

Other cool things are coming soon, pinky swear.

Danny

LATE TO THE PARTY #2: GLASSJAW - 'WORSHIP AND TRIBUTE'

First of all, I just wanted to say a huge thanks to everyone who bit their tongue when it came to me admitting that I had never heard Milo Goes To College by Descendents (read my take on it HERE). While I know that you shouldn't really need an excuse to check something out for the first time, I thought this would be a really cool way of making those confessions, and I hold absolutely no shame in making them.

That said, there are undoubtedly going to be some albums covered in the not-so-distant future that I know I've had so many opportunities to listen to before now, and I just need to take the WHAT?!'s and ARE YOU FUCKING CRAZY?!'s on the chin.

I was a little bit anxious about this one, but what's the use in fannying around? UNTIL THIS WEEK, I HAD NEVER LISTENED TO GLASSJAW. Not a single note. If you were to have said the words 'Daryl Palumbo' to me last week, I wouldn't have thought 'Cosmopolitan Blood Loss'; I would have thought 'Beating Heart Baby', before strutting my stuff like an epileptic Jagger impersonator. Who can blame me?

If I didn't know who Daryl Palumbo was and you played me Head Automatica and Glassjaw back-to-back, I would have never put two and two together. After hearing WORSHIP AND TRIBUTE, I hold Palumbo in the same regard as Jason Aalon Butler from letlive. or perhaps even Chino Moreno from Deftones: a vocalist who is sometimes so violently emotional in their delivery that it sounds like they're on the verge of imploding, while also being able to schizophrenically switch to honey-smooth, insanely soulful crooning.

In fact, that's probably a really good way of describing this album: schizophrenic. It's an absolute headfuck from those ear-swapping guitars at the beginning of 'Tip Your Bartender' to that devastating breakdown at the end of 'Two Tabs Of Mescaline'. Even after intently listening to it three times, Worship And Tribute is continuously unpredictable and batshit crazy.

Before listening to Glassjaw, I'd seen them placed with the likes of The Used, Thrice, Brand New etc. as part of that second wave of emo/post-hardcore, and that makes sense when you hear the broodier, more delicate tracks on the album (especially 'Must've Run All Day' and 'Trailer Park Jesus'). What surprised me about Worship And Tribute, however, was how stylistically similar it was to the more progressive side of latter-day nu-metal. 

Tagging it with that sub-genre may seem like a taboo to some of you, and maybe 'alternative metal' would do it more justice, but if you listen to the scratchiness of the guitars, and the chorus on 'Cosmopolitan Blood Loss', there's definite links to bands like Deftones and Alien Ant Farm. I loved that scene as a kid, and ANThology ruled my stereo alongside P.O.D.'s Satellite, and I even went through this phase a couple of years ago of picking up on albums like Ideas Above Our Station by Hundred Reasons and S.C.I.E.N.C.E. by Incubus for the first time. 

Listening back to some of those albums from my childhood, I can't help but think that some of them, while still awesome, are dated as sin. Worship And Tribute, on the other hand, sounds anything but dated.

Luckily, the bands that survived that commercial death of nu-metal (soon after the release of Worship And Tribute in 2002) without some form of ridicule were the ones that were forward-thinking in their composition and instrumentation. Glassjaw can comfortably be counted amongst those enterprising bands; all you have to is listen to that absolute riffstorm of an intro to 'Mu Empire' (my personal favourite moment on the record) to hear the influence on what will eventually become the post-hardcore/'metalcore' scene a few years later.

With Glassjaw finally making progress on that long-awaited third album, people are raving over their return for way more than just nostalgia's sake. Now I can finally count myself amongst those ranks, I jumped back forward in time to check out their latest track, 'New White Extremity', and let me tell you: it's really not worth me taking my finger off Glassjaw's pulse any time soon.

IF YOU'RE LIKE ME (AKA A TOOL) AND YOU'VE NEVER HEARD WORSHIP AND TRIBUTE, OR YOU SIMPLY WANT TO LISTEN TO IT AGAIN, THEN YOU CAN STREAM IT ON SPOTIFY BELOW:

After setting up the various polls on Facebook and Twitter, Worship And Tribute did have the most votes out of the three suggested records, but it was in very close contention with The Offspring's Smash - I think it would be a bit dickish of me to now snub that album, so LTTP #3 on Smash will arrive in a couple weeks' time. Nevertheless, I have already picked another trio of never-before-heard albums for you to pick from for the fourth edition of this feature, and you are more than welcome to start commenting on which of the following albums you'd like me to give a blast...

Until next time, I'm off to dig out this bad boy. Because #nostalgia.

Danny

WHITE-HOT NOISE: LIGHTCLIFFE - 'NOT ME' (TRACK PREMIERE)

Like your pop-punk to punch you right in the feels? Like tender, melancholic verses and sharp, intense choruses? Meet Lightcliffe, they'll be right up your alley.

Fresh out of London, this emo quartet are gearing up to peddle their "sad songs" with the very best of the bunch in 2016. Assembled by former members of grungy-punk outfit Resident (who gigged with the likes of Moose Blood), their debut single, 'Not Me', is a promising way for the four-piece to get the ball rolling.

"This track is our entrance onto the scene," says drummer Ben McDowell, explaining the track's classically emo narrative of "old relationships" and "a lack of confidence". "We didn't want to just start a Facebook page and demand people to pay for music they have never heard."

"There's lots more in the pipeline," Ben anticipates for the year ahead. "We have another track ready to go [and] we're booking some shows for March and April - it's shaping up nicely."

The track is now available to purchase on the band's Bandcamp page for just 50p (that's less than a Kinder Bueno is these days), but because Blogger is a douchecanoe and wouldn't let me embed a stream of the track from Bandcamp, you can stream it via the band's Soundcloud page below:

Be sure to also like the band on Facebook and follow them on Twitter to stay up-to-date with what they'll be up to in the coming months...

Do you think that your band has a white-hot noise that deserves to be heard? Show me whatcha got: randonsreviews@gmail.com

Danny