The Nite Songs Singles Bar - October 2020

 

Ahh welcome back to the Nite Songs Singles Bar dear reader. Take a chair, pull up a glass and let's see what we've got on the menu here for October...

Well, it looks like the big hitters are out in force this month as The Damned of all people have a new EP out in the form of The Rockfield Files (🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑). Having been a bit disappointed by their Evil Spirits album a couple of years back, I was a little bit apprehensive going into this one but it's actually decent enough with opening track Keep 'Em Alive sounding like a punked up Pink Floyd of all things (or like an out-take from the excellent Strawberries album which was also recorded at the titular studio back in the early '80s). Manipulator meanwhile is a faster number with an agreeable woah-oh-oh hook line and some strong vocals from Dave Vanian while Spider & The Fly starts off with a sinister piano-led intro harking back to the band's mid-'80s goth phase before going into a driving garage rock influenced assault and an extended take on Black Is The Night which first surfaced on last year's greatest hits album is a good way to finish things off.

Of course, with the Damned limbering up to play a four date reunion tour with the '77 line-up next year, it may be a while before we see the current five-piece line-up in action again. If so then that's a pity - The Rockfield Files shows that after the disappointment of Evil Spirits they've definitely got a bit of fire left in the tank after all.

Another man who's been using the lockdown to put some new (well, revisited) material out is the Mission's Wayne Hussey and Re:Mission International sees an all-star cast lining up under his guidance to cover the Mish classic Tower Of Strength for the TOS2020 EP (🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑). With a guestlist including Gary Numan plus members of the Cult, the Cure, Siouxsie & The Banshees, Depeche Mode, Bauhaus, the Eden House and most amazingly of all, both of the Aston brothers from Gene Loves Jezebel (I dunno what strings Huss had to pull to get them working together but fair play to him!), this is certainly a gothgasm of a credits list. I mean, obviously anyone knows that Tower Of Strength is a classic anyway and it would’ve been pretty difficult to screw it up especially with Hussey on board to supervise but this one's for a good cause with all profits going towards various charities chosen by the participants so you know what to do folks.

I'm sure it's only recently that we were reviewing Snuff's excellent There's A Lot Of It About album but to be fair it was released a year ago and they've already sorted out a follow-up with the excellently named Wrath of Thoth EP (🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗). Opener Drink From The Chalice of Lunacy reminds me oddly of Leeds' most under-rated early '90s band the Bridewell Taxis which is never a bad thing. Nothing To See Here meanwhile sees them in more familiar ska-punk territory and you can see audiences skanking along to this one with relish at the live gigs while Conductor 71 is an enjoyable full on mosh assault and King Of The Wild is an enjoyable Toy Dolls/Test Tube Babies style foul-mouthed singalong. Bells of Hell starts off with a full-on reggae section before it kicks in properly into a classic slice of shoutalong Snuff and is another you can see working well in a live environment before the driving Poetic Nonsense signs this one off in fine style. Enjoyable foul-mouthed tunes designed for beer-sodden venues to bawl their lungs out to, this comes highly recommended.

Speaking of bands I wasn't aware had reformed, original grebo types Gaye Bykers on Acid have reunited for what was supposed to be a tour earlier this year before Covid sunk it but thankfully the new single that was due to accompany the live dates has been salvaged and the ominous Sodium Sun might be one of the strongest things GBOA have ever done sounding like some almighty dust-up between Gary Numan, Pop Will Eat Itself (tellingly Mary from the Bykers is in the 21st century PWEI line-up) and the Sisters of Mercy while the grinding riff of B-side Back On Track is a good 'un as well. Hopefully an album might be forthcoming - if so, on this evidence it should be well worth waiting for. But in the meantime, you can download or stream the EP from the GBOA Bandcamp page.

Covers time and London indie-goth types Desperate Journalist have released a cover of arguably Pulp's most under-rated moment The Fear (🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑) and it works much better than it really has any right to with Jo's icy vocals really being allowed to shine and the band keeping it impressively tight behind her. The group's fourth album should be due in the new year apparently and if they can keep up this form on it, it should be well worth the wait. Downloadable/streamable from the Desperate Journalist Bandcamp page.

Neon Animal's recent Make No Mistake album which we reviewed earlier this week was one of the more pleasant surprises of the year so far and clearly keen to make hay while the sun's shining they've also put out a new EP God's Own Bastards (🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑). The lead-off track Vive Le Rock sees them teaming up with fellow north Londonders the Healthy Junkies to cover the old Adam Ant classic before the speedy pop-punk of Dreaming speeds by satisfyingly with a main riff reminiscent of the Dead Kennedys' classic Too Drunk To Fuck. Sexuality sees them going back into their more familiar Dolls/Stooges-style territory with a chugging Thunders/Williamson style riff and an acoustic take on Bedtime Stories from the band's previous album signs this one off nicely.  Have a listen at the Neon Animal Bandcamp page and see for yourself.

Speaking of Healthy Junkies, they've got a new album just hit the shops which we should be reviewing on here soon enough as we move through our review backlog (getting there slowly but surely!) but the lead-off single Last Day In LA (🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑) is a good taster with a frenetic pace showing a band who are progressing well nicely. Definitely looking forward to giving the album a listen in the near future but in the meantime, you can download the single from the Healthy Junkies Bandcamp page.

Blimey, here's a name I'd not heard for a while - Sheffield's Silverjet were a regular presence in the review piles I received while working for various glam 'zines back in the late noughties and early teens. Back then they used to come on like a South Yorkshire Quireboys but on the evidence of their first single for a good few years, Everybody Used To Love You (🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑), there's been more of a leaner garage rock vibe creeping in with the song being more reminiscent of the Hellacopters than anything which is never a bad place to be. Recommended - you can download or stream from the Silverjet Bandcamp page

The City Kids are a new band fronted by former Main Grains guitarist JJ Watt joined by various ex-Tigertailz, Warrior Soul and Falling Red reprobates. Their debut single Best Of You (🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑) is a heartfelt tribute to Falling Red's Mikey Lawless who sadly passed away from cancer last year. It's a solid chugging slice of Britrock owing a sly nod to the likes of the Almighty and Gun. B-side Round And Around is a slice of Motorhead style scuzzy rock especially JJ's Lemmy-style vocal delivery with maybe a touch of the Erotics in there as well and EP highlight You Get Nothing sees them going into more melodic Buzzcocks style territory (albeit much more rough around the edges). A promising start here - it'll be interesting to see how their forthcoming debut album turns out but in the meantime you can download or stream this from the City Kids Bandcamp page.

Finally for this month, Manchester rockers The Kopek Millionaires are fronted by former Goldblade guitarist Johnny Skullknuckles and their new six track EP Love And Loud Guitars (🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑) is a solid effort. Lead off track Sid Wishes takes a swipe at plastic punks who read the books about Mr Vicious et al but can't hope to live the lifestyle while Tell Me Baby is a solid slice of pop-punk that sounds like fellow Mancs the Buzzcocks with a sax break chucked in. Punk Girl From Another World has more of a Dollsy/Heartbreakers style strut to it while the Ramonesy It Could Happen To You jumps back to the early '90s with its hyperactive Senseless Things style bassline. The stark piano-led ballad A Picture In My Memory is a real oddity compared to the rest of the EP and they deserve credit for pulling something like this off before the chantalong Thieving Hands brings this one to a close. You can check it out in more detail at the Kopek Millionaires Bandcamp page

Anyway, hope you've enjoyed your visit to the Singles Bar for this month. Unfortunately the sound you hear in the background is the bell ringing for time so we're gonna have to call it a night there. Hopefully see you all again next month.