BITCHIN' BREW EPISODE #003 WITH ROSS DRUMMOND (CHEAP MEAT / 1990s PROBLEMS) IS HERE!

From the day I first dreamt up the idea of BITCHIN' BREW, I knew that there was one man who could help me hone the craft of podcasting like no other. His name is ROSS DRUMMOND, and I was lucky enough to have him as my guest on Episode #003 of Bitchin' Brew, which is available to stream and download for FREE now on iTunes and Soundcloud!

For those of you who don't know Ross, he is a man of many talents: he plays guitar and sings in an awesome new alt-rock band called CHEAP MEAT, he co-hosts the 1990s PROBLEMS podcast (as well as his new podcast, AIN'T TALKING 'BOUT VAN HALEN: THE VAN HALEN PODCAST), and most importantly, he can hold a damn good conversation about Mexican food.

Suffice to say, Ross and I go off on several tangents in this episode, delving into topics such as stand-up comedy and how podcasts can save the generation of short attention span-holders, how not to use a flask, and badly chopped lettuce at certain fast food establishments (as part of this episode's lengthy culinary section).

It goes without saying, but recording this episode of Bitchin' Brew was incredibly fun - I'm definitely settling down into this strange medium, because this was just the start of a hectic week where I recorded  not one, but TWO more episodes. Episode #004 will be with the guys and gal in MILK TEETH, a band who need no introduction as one of the hottest UK punk bands right now. That will go live on 17TH JUNE, before Episode #005 with FAILURE BY DESIGN RECORDS co-founder CONNOR P LAWS arrive a couple of weeks after that (Date TBA).

BITCHIN' BREW EPISODE #003 IS NOW AVAILABLE TO STREAM AND DOWNLOAD FOR FREE. CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE ON ITUNES OR LISTEN VIA SOUNDCLOUD BELOW:

As ever, thanks for being fucking awesome.

Danny

THE RR PLAYLIST VOL. III: 10 POP-PUNK BANGERS TO GET YOU THROUGH EXAM SEASON

Exam season is among us. Can you hear the collective cry of anxiety, panic and desperation? It sounds a little something like 'FUCK!' 

I've always been more of a person who can thrive in their own time (usually during all-nighters in the library) through coursework, so I counted my lucky stars that my degree was completely exam-free. That's not to rub it in - by that point I'd been there, done that, bought the t-shirt and ruined it during one of those unnecessarily snotty crying sessions. 

Now I'm back at college for my journalism diploma, I'm back in the exam rooms and I'm once again trying to shift my anxieties. It's tough, I get it. I'm not here to 'do a Jacob Sartorius' (the little twatface), I'm just here to remind you that there's no music that can get you more psyched before entering that deathly quiet exam hall than pop-punk. 

Songs about love, songs about the summer, songs about your friends, songs about your hometown, songs about getting out of your hometown with your friends, in the summer no less... The tiniest melody or shortest lyric just does something to you that makes you want to jump around like every early-00s pop-punk band you watched on Kerrang! (Remember: it's hop-hop-tuck jump-hop, repeat...)

I was inspired to make an exam season edition of THE RR PLAYLIST after a friend told me that the pop-punk playlist I had made for myself on Spotify (appropriately titled Pre-Exam Posi Vibes) helped him out too before we sat the same exam. Below are 10 pop-punk songs to invigorate your very best feels, be it in a cathartic process or an all-out burst of positivity. After a blast of this, you'll be ready to go 'OH YEAH? WELL FUCK YOU TOO, EXAMS.'

I'm not going to say anything more on the featured tracks as I have previously done with The RR Playlists, because let's face it, you've got better things to do than hear me wazzing off about how good New Found Glory are. There's plenty of opportunities for that on the other side of exam season. Instead, here are 3 lyrics from the playlist to give you a quick burst of the happy feels...

"ONE STEP AT A TIME, ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF THE OTHER, I'M GONNA GET THROUGH THIS, ONE WAY OR ANOTHER"

- Alan Day & Dan O'Connor Four Year Strong - 'One Step At A Time'

"THIS FEELING WILL ONLY GET BETTER, I'LL JUST HOLD IT ALL TOGETHER"

- Eddy Brewerton, Moose Blood - 'Honey'

AAAAND my personal favourite:

"IN THIS VAST NETWORK OF SHARKS AND MINNOWS, WHERE THE MINNOWS OUTNUMBER THE SHARKS A MILLION TO ONE, WHY IS IT THAT WE HAVE YET TO CONVERGE? TO TAKE ON THE UPPER HAND? WHY HAVE WE BEEN SO SCARED? WELL NOT TODAY, NOT ANYMORE, THIS IS US GROWING UP, STILL YOUNG BUT NO LONGER OPPRESSIONABLE, WE HAVE COME TO PILLAGE, WE HAVE COME TO BURN, WE HAVE COME TO INCITE THE RIOT, WE HAVE COME TO TAKE IT OVER!"

- Jordan Brown & Matt Wilson, Set Your Goals - 'Mutiny!'

(If you don't feel like you could fuck the sky after hearing that, then you need help)

Think of the summer. Think of festivals. Think of warm cans of cider. Think of the fact that I managed to graduate from university, and look at me, I'm a wreck.

And if that doesn't help, here's Bill Murray with the final words...

Danny

BITCHIN' BREW EPISODE #002: KENNY & SMITH FROM MUSKETS - OUT NOW!

WOW. FUCKING WOW.

Honestly folks, the response to BITCHIN' BREW since I launched it last month has actually rendered me speechless. Thank you to anyone and everyone who took the time to check it out, and an even bigger thank you to those who blasted it out to the friends across t'internet. Without your support from the off, I don't think I'd be here right now giving you this soppy-ass spiel, and when I'm recording podcasts poolside from my mansion in Saint-Tropez, I won't forget you.

I was very lucky to be able to record Bitchin' Brew Episode #002 almost immediately after recording the pilot episode with Lande Hekt from Muncie Girls. They were sharing the bill at The Boileroom in Guildford that night with one of my other favourite new bands on the UK punk scene: Brighton's very own MUSKETS.

Before the gig, I sat down in The Boileroom's lush little beer garden for a brew with DAN 'KENNY' McKENNA (guitarist/vocalist) and DAN 'SMITH' SMITH (bassist), and we chatted about everything from their involvement in the DIY punk scene to Star Wars.

BITCHIN' BREW EPISODE #002 IS NOW AVAILABLE TO STREAM AND DOWNLOAD FOR FREE. CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE ON iTUNES OR SCROLL BELOW TO STREAM & SUBSCRIBE VIA SOUNDCLOUD:

As you may have noticed if you've liked the Randon's Reviews Facebook page, Bitchin' Brew Episode #003 is already in the bag, and I had a great time recording it with... well, you'll just have to tune in to the podcast to find out more about that.

Once again, thanks for checking out Bitchin' Brew - if that's the response after the pilot, I can't wait to see how this project develops once I've got a few episodes under my belt...

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

INTRODUCING: 'BITCHIN' BREW' - A RANDON'S REVIEWS PODCAST

Hi gang,

I know I've been a little bit quiet on here lately but I can assure you that it's not been for nothing. After what I can only explain as the most amazing four months this blog has ever seen, today marks a very special day both for me and for Randon's Reviews: My first podcast, BITCHIN' BREW, is finally here!

The whole idea of starting a podcast was a strange and unknown concept to me a few months ago, even as an experienced radio host, but discovering the medium 2015 was a real shitter, and towards the end of the year I found myself tailing off from the music industry - not with intention, I just found myself having to shelve all of my commitments and work a crappy full-time job to save up for my diploma. 

Eventually I found myself writing for Upset magazine which is hands down one of the best publications I've ever written for, but I also found myself completely immersed in podcasts such as That's Not Metal (if you're like I was a few months ago and completely unfamiliar with the realm of podcasts, that is as good an entry point as you're gonna get). The tangents and rants about music more acerbic and exciting than I ever thought podcasts could be, and I found myself getting more stoked about the new episode than I would a new album. 

Eventually I gravitated towards other podcasts like Scroobius Pip's Distraction Pieces, Daniel P Carter's Someone Who Isn't Me and, more recently, Going Off Track, all of which nail something which I have set out to achieve with this latest venture...



Speaking of which, back to the point of this post: Without even releasing a second of Bitchin' Brew into the public domain, it feels like one of the best things I've ever done not only on Randon's Reviews, but of all my time as a writer and general music fanatic. Now the pilot is here for you all to listen to, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't terrified. That said, it's been a real labour of love preparing this project over the last few weeks.

I'll let the actual podcast do most of the talking, but with Bitchin' Brew I'm setting out to capture conversation with musicians and key players on all levels of the music industry as we sit down over a cup of tea and a plate of biscuits. There will be some 'shop talk' around latest and greatest work of my guests, but I'm more interested in going off on tangents and chatting about common areas of interest (musical or not), a variety of less-talked-about topics, and perhaps even the tea and biscuits we'll be enjoying at the time of recording!

I was especially stoked to be starting Bitchin' Brew after I was able to book my first guest: LANDE HEKT, singer/bassist of one of my favourite bands around at the moment, MUNCIE GIRLS. Over the course of the pilot episode, we chat about the band's sensational debut album, From Caplan To Belsize, and their position within the UK 'DIY' punk scene, as well as the relationship between punk rock and politics, rock autobiographies and awesome parents. We also chowed down on some HobNobs and drank fruity tea, which was lovely.

HOW YOU CAN LISTEN TO BITCHIN' BREW:

1: iTUNES

Go onto the 'Podcasts' app of your Apple device and search for 'Bitchin' Brew' - unsurprisingly enough, it's the only result that comes up. Hit 'subscribe' and you'll receive every episode as and when they are uploaded. You can either stream it via the cloud, or download it in a flash to listen to on the bus, in a Costa, on a skanky public toilet, at your favourite dogging site etc.

Alternatively, if you're on a stone-age device such as a laptop or computer, you can click HERE to subscribe.

2: SOUNDCLOUD

Go to SOUNDCLOUD.COM/RRBITCHINBREW to stream/download the podcasts also as and when they are uploaded!

Setting up this podcast has been a real labour of love lately, so please help me out by listening, subscribing, sharing it with your friends, and getting it 'out there'. I've already got Episode #002 recorded (listen to Episode #001 to find out who it's with), but in the meantime, enjoy sitting in on my chat with Lande.

I think it's time for a well deserved brew.

Danny

EP REVIEW: WARHORNS - 'WARHORNS'

When you grow up in a white, middle-class West Sussex town that's been a Tory safe zone since the dark ages like I did, you invest a lot of time and love in the local rock scene, especially those who pen their own original material. With no disrespect to the many awesome cover bands who frequent the pub circuit in Horsham (my old man plays in several of them), it was the events like countless gigs at Horsham Youth Centre, the Rudgwick Music Festival and the originals heats of Horsham's Battle Of The Bands that really piqued everyone's interest.

There are so many bands and artists of past and present who I just can't resist giving a shout-out to on this blog: Press to MECO, Blue Stragglers, fruitcake, Tied To The Mast, Sonic Deluxe, Simon Mole, Lee Martin, Killing Vegas, Phrase Mob, The Jack Mac Experience, Heroes Vs Villains (honestly, me and my friends literally worshipped that band when they were together)... Wasn't ever keen on X-Sys though - don't bother looking them up, there's barely a trace of them online anymore, but they made Deathstars look and sound like fucking Deicide.

In my adolescent days on the Horsham scene, there was one band by the name of Tell Wolves Tales, who were rightfully on the cusp of massive things before they sadly faded into obscurity. Since then, the trio have relocated, recuperated and reinvented themselves as WARHORNS. Now they're deep within the more publicly burgeoning Devonshire scene, where bands like Black Foxxes and Muncie Girls (*cough* album of 2016 so far *cough*) are splintering the woodwork, it's time for these mischievous rock n' rollers to fuel the fire in their bellies again.

With that hearty chunk of context (also known as 'me wazzing off about how awesome my local scene was growing up') out of the way, what of Warhorns' debut EP? Plymouth sure is a far cry from the Palm Desert, but these three tracks have 'Desert Sessions' written all over them. Whether it's the intense hooks of Queens Of The Stone Age, or the hazy stoner groove of Kyuss, Warhorns' framework has clearly been built from a healthy diet of Rancho De La Luna's output (watch the California episode of Sonic Highways for more on this). 

Also laying down a scruffy Northwestern drone reminiscent of the bands that would eventually be instrumental in the grunge scene, 'I Am The Sun' veers a little bit too close to that ever-present pickle of nostalgia-for-nostalgia's-sake. Luckily, the trio claw it back with those funky-as-fuckery verses; a mere wiggling of the hips when measured up against the sheer psychedelic sexiness of 'Piece Of Mind'.

There's no sign of sibling rivalry between the brotherhood of bassist Matty Clements and drummer Jym Clements as they hold down some sturdy, swaggering rhythms throughout, but 'Goodbye Karma' is Jak Paxton's time to shine. There is star quality worth keeping an eye on with Warhorns' frontman, who nestles between Josh Homme and Royal Blood's Mike Kerr.

There's some musical creases yet to be ironed out before their desert-driven rock takes full intoxicating effect, but for the most part, Warhorns' self-titled introduction is cool, confident and far from cautious.

TOP TRACKS: 'PIECE OF MIND'; 'GOODBYE KARMA'

RR RATING:

7 / 10

WARHORNS' SELF-TITLED EP IS OUT NOW. STREAM THE EP ON SPOTIFY BELOW:



THERE'S A LITTLE CHEEKY BONUS HERE AS WELL. THE BAND RECENTLY DID A WICKED SESSION FOR BBC INTRODUCING IN DEVON, WHICH YOU CAN CHECK OUT BY CLICKING HERE (IT STARTS AT 01:20:50)

Danny