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

BITCHIN' BREW EPISODE #005 WITH CONNOR P LAWS (FAILURE BY DESIGN RECORDS) - OUT NOW!

HERE WE ARE YET AGAIN MY FRIENDS, with another episode of BITCHIN' BREW that I've been dying to unleash upon the world for some time now.

And what a Bitchin' Brew it is. Episode #005 of the award-winning* podcast features none other than CONNOR P LAWS, co-founder and self-professed 'top lad' of UK independent label FAILURE BY DESIGN RECORDS.

It was a delight to sit down with Connor a little while back to chat about the founding and history of Failure By Design over a cup of Twinings gingerbread green tea (thanks to Kate Coulson at Above The Waves Promotions for hooking me up). As you'll learn as you listen to this episode, Connor has a very keen intellect when it comes to running a label, developing a brand and finding its place within the industry.

It would be almost derogatory to call Failure By Design a 'punk' label, because even in their infancy, they've worked with a smorgasbord of brilliantly diverse artists; from ACID TONGUE and GUN SHY to BOSTON MANOR and WEATHERSTATE, it's nigh impossible to pin FBD down when it comes to genre.

There'll be much more from me about Failure By Design's back catalogue with a brand new feature starting on this very blog later this week. Introducing... A NUMBNUTS' GUIDE TO [INSERT ELLIPSIS FOLLOWED BY SUBJECT'S NAME HERE] - I'll be looking at some of the key moments in FBD's history as well as breaking down their roster of artists past and present, compiling a playlist of the Top 10 FBD tracks.

In the meantime, you can enjoy Bitchin' Brew #005 on iTUNES and (due to popular demand) ACAST, or by streaming below via SOUNDCLOUD...

 

Click on FBD's mask-wearing mascot (affectionately known as Frank) below to go to the label's website, where you can find everything you need from music to merch.

As ever, cheers for listening. If you like what you hear, subscribe and tell all your friends. Your contributions to this podcast, no matter how small, are vital and I love you all for it.

* Bitchin' Brew has never actually won any awards, but if you leave a nice comment on iTunes, it might not be out of the question. Maybe.

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

BITCHIN' BREW EPISODE #004 WITH MILK TEETH - OUT NOW!

THE DOPEST PODCAST GANG YOU'LL EVER HEAR. CLOCKWISE FROM FRONT: ME, BECKY BLOMFIELD (VOCALS/BASS), BILLY HUTTON (VOCALS/GUITAR), CHRIS WEBB (GUITAR), OLI HOLBROOK (DRUMS), AND NICK SUCHAK (ANABASIS MEDIA/PHOTOGRAPHER EXTRAORDINAIRE)

FINALLY. After having to take a (thankfully brief) hiatus to focus on finishing my journalism diploma, I'm stoked beyond words to be returning to Randon's Reviews, and to my podcast, BITCHIN' BREW. The 5 months I spent on my journalism diploma were undoubtedly fulfilling, and through learning so much about journalism in a broader sense I have already bagged myself a full time reporting job (which I start tomorrow), but I can't lie when I say that it was intense, mentally testing and, at times, just downright excruciating. The worst part of it was the fact that I recorded episodes #004 and #005 of Bitchin Brew all the way back in May and I couldn't find the time between revision sessions and shorthand practice (READ: I still hate shorthand) to get them out into the world. But enough 'woe is me' chat for now, let's get stuck back in...

Bitchin' Brew Episode #005 is with MILK TEETH, who are undoubtedly one of the UK's best bands of the last few years, and a group of people I love and respect dearly. Like with me, 2016 has been a year of transformation and progression for the band: from refining their sound to embrace poppier roots (while still sounding noisy and punk as fuck) on their phenomenal debut album, Vile Child, to the integration of new guitarist/vocalist Billy Hutton after founding member Josh Bannister's exit from the band. Bitchin' Brew #005 also features special guest NICK SUCHAK, Milk Teeth's touring photographer and the (gorgeous) face behind ANABASIS MEDIA. Just look at how many chocolate chips are in his Maryland cookie...

As a 'Yankophile' who longs to explore a lot of the Land of the Free and the Home of the Trump, I also encouraged loads of talk about Milk Teeth's first US tour earlier this year with Sorority Noise, Turnover and Citizen. From there you can expect chat about blind dogs, chugging 2-litre bottles of wine for breakfast, hanging out with Mark Hoppus, bumping into 2 Chainz at SXSW, crippling addictions to Chipotle and grape soda, and the lost hardcore mashup EP...

BITCHIN' BREW EPISODE #004 IS NOW AVAILABLE TO STREAM AND DOWNLOAD FOR FREE. CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE ON ITUNES OR LISTEN VIA SOUNDCLOUD BELOW:

Thank Jeebus you won't be waiting so long for Bitchin' Brew #006, which features CONNOR P LAWS, co-founder of FAILURE BY DESIGN RECORDS, one of my favourite UK labels out there at the moment.

Big up.

Danny

WHITE-HOT NOISE: SHE CRAZY BRING BEACH VIBES TO BATSHIT ROCK 'N' ROLL ON 'SURFING U.A.E.' (TRACK PREMIERE)

I'll always remember the night Brighton garage-punks SHE CRAZY crashed headfirst into my life. Opening for the absolute dudes in Tied To The Mast at Sticky Mike's Frog Bar (an awesome Brighton spot which you should all go and see a show at) in 2013, they played like they owned the place, dragging a limbo pole out into the audience and changing the sole lyric of their song 'YEAH!' rather appropriately to 'LIMBO!'. Suffice to say, when they do that twice in the same set, it's very hard to get both the song and the scenes out of your head.

Their new single 'SURFING U.A.E.' (which you can stream exclusively on Randon's Reviews by scrolling down) takes their raucous rock 'n' roll style and gives it infectious-as-fuck substance.

Just don't let the title fool you into thinking that this is just a satirical cover of The Beach Boys' summertime class 'Surfin' U.S.A.' - this is far from a homage to Brian Wilson...

"'Surfing U.A.E.' is all about the kind of wild, booze-fuelled madness that often goes down on holiday with your mates: shots, heartbreak and sex (wax)!" jokes singer/guitarist Dan Grace.

"We are about -10% influenced by The Beach Boys - ['Surfin' U.S.A.'] happened 50 years ago, we're just pointing out how times have changed."

From the massive radio-rock (but far from radio friendly) chorus which exemplifies yet another cracking production job from Neil Kennedy at The Ranch Production House in Southampton, this sounds far more polished than anything from She Crazy's self-titled debut EP from last year (which you can download for free on their Bandcamp). However, the unrelenting punk rock finale they cascade into seeks to remind everyone why they're one of the most buzzed-about bands on their circuit.

"We've experimented a lot with our recordings," explains Dan. "Working in different studios with different producers, and trying to find a sound that best reflects what we hear in our own heads and is closest to how we sound live."

"'Surfing U.A.E.' is the first track that we mixed ourselves. We revisited the mix a few times, which probably explains why it's more polished than our previous efforts."

"I don't think we've reached a point yet where we're all 100% satisfied, [but] then that's all part of the fun - Aiming for something you can't reach!"

There's no doubt that 'Surfing U.A.E.' (plus its b-side, 'Do Or Die') will tide you over (arf arf) while She Crazy are working on their second EP. If that's still not enough for you, you can catch their mental live display when they open for Blackhole and Brawlers at The Hope & Ruin in Brighton on Tuesday 7th June, and at a FREE show at The George Tavern in London on Thursday 16th June.

For more details on upcoming shows, go to the band's Facebook page or follow them on Twitter: @damn_shecrazy

FFO: THE WILDHEARTS; THE BRONX; METZ

LIMBO!

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