The Nite Songs Singles Bar - November 2021

 

Welcome to the Singles Bar on this cold November night. Glass of mulled something for you? Well, while you mull it over, let's have a look at what's out this month shall we?

Well, we kind of had to start with long time Nite Songs faves Evil Scarecrow who are back with a bang this month complete with half a new line-up and a new single Master Of The Dojo (🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗) from their forthcoming album due to see the light of day in 2022. And it's as brilliantly silly as you'd expect with some Karate Kid inspired lyrics about kicking people in the balls to win fights over some chugging none-more-metal riffs. Expect to see audiences doing a dance routine to it much the same as they did to Robototron and Crabulon in recent years at a venue near you soon. Bandcamp Link

And it isn't getting any less heavy or silly around here as Geordie stoner rock bruisers Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs have teamed up with Lancaster art-rock oddballs The Lovely Eggs to cover the old Donna Summer classic Hot Stuff (🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑) which could have been well south of disastrous but somehow the various miscreants team up to give this thing a full on sludge makeover to devastating effect as it rumbles through like Kyuss and the Datsuns jamming something out. Available free, gratis and nowt from the Bandcamp page so you know what to do.

Fresh off being our Sounds From The Junkshop stars a few weeks ago, it's good to see Lit back with a new single in Yeah Yeah Yeah (🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑). As you'd expect, it's all full on pop-punk party vibes which would have bulldozed its way into the Top 20 back around the turn of the millennium but is probably unlikely to win them any new converts in the current musical climate. Still, business as usual is better than no business at all and I'm sure it'll keep the fans happy if nothing else

London psychobilly mainstays The Blue Carpet Band are back with a new line-up and a new single. Happy to report that B Movie Boogie (🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑) is a good 'un, coming on like a cross between the Cramps, the Jim Jones Revue and Vince Ray and the Boneshakers with its fired up rockabilly rhythms and shrieking vocals combining to make something pretty awesome. A Halloween party tune if ever I heard one this. Bandcamp Link.

It's always good to hear some new music from Huddersfield noiseniks Mr Shiraz around here and Flows (🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑) is the sound of the band at their punkiest, crashing through in just under two minutes of QOTSA riffing, a chantalong chorus and Mikey's none-more-deranged vocals. Good to see you back lads, hopefully a new album will be in the offing soon.

It's also good to see Leeds goth-punks the Venus Grrrls back with the Wicked Things EP (🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑) featuring three new tracks as well as former single Goth Girl which we covered in these pages a few months back. Hate Me is a tuneful slice of Brodie Dalle style angst (albeit nearer to Spinnerette than the Distillers) but the sinister Sudocream Queen is the best track on here to my ears with its chugging guitars and soaring keys tied to a song about self-loathing. Elsewhere, the slower paced Glisten with its glacial synths and Cure style chiming guitars shows off another side to the band's output and proves that they're progressing nicely with every release. Bandcamp Link.

The Nova Twins are another band who I've heard spoken of in hushed tones without hearing any of their material. Antagonist (🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑) is a brutally heavy slice of grime-punk which reminds me of Riskee & The Ridicule a bit with its taut vocals, cement mixer riff and furious chorus. Good stuff - consider me intrigued.

It's a pleasure to see former Wildhearts/Amen bassist Scott Sorry back following a brush with cancer which thankfully he's now beaten. Black Dog Dancers (🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑) sees him carrying on the form of his excellent 2016 album When We Were Kings, a tuneful slice of Social Distortion angst with its good guitar work, sandpaper vocals and chantalong chorus. It's good to see the guy back again and hopefully a second album will be on its way soon.

More from the extended Wildhearts family with a new single from Grand Theft Audio and Ici Mon Decree (🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗) is maybe their most bizarrely brilliant yet post-comeback with its pounding drums, spidery riff and frenetic vocals sung in French by Jay Butler. It takes a fair bit of skill to come up with something that is on the surface borderline gibberish but still make it sound like a possible manifesto for a revolution but fair play to Jay and Ritch, they've very much managed it here. Great stuff. Bandcamp Link.

Dublin punks The Lee Harveys are one of those bands who've been around for a few years but who I've genuinely not heard of before now but they share a label with Paranoid Visions and have Rat Scabies producing their new 77 EP (🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑) which is always a couple of decent signs. Lead-off track Motor City Blues sounds like a cross between the MC5 and the Outcasts with a touch of Gun thrown into the mix. The one minute blast of Gun City reminds me a bit of Birdland's Shoot You Down for some reason while the Ramones-with-a-social-conscience New York and Dead Popstar round this off nicely. It's got that '77 rough and ready sound so might not appeal to those who aren't into the punkier end of the stuff we cover on Nite Songs but y'know what, I enjoyed it so there. Bandcamp Link.

Finishing this month's column off, it's good to see a new release from legendary punk poet Attila The Stockbroker backed by the What's Left dub group. The Afghanistan EP (🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑) is led off by the title track which sees Attila delivering a history lesson on the bloody conflict as only he can while Vaccinate! Vaccinate! sees him turning his humour and ire on anti-vaxxers and No Fascists In Worthing sees him railing against fascist corruption on the titular council. A good effort from Attila which proves the old ham's still got plenty of his trademark ire and fire after all these years. Bandcamp Link

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Anyway, that's yer lot for this lot - some pretty damn good stuff in there we think you'll agree. We'll be back for the traditional pre-Xmas knees-up here at the Singles Bar next month.