Nite Songs

There was a time around the mid-noughties when St Albans natives the Subways were genuinely considered to be the bright hopes for the UK alternative music scene. Similar to early Ash, they were a pop-punk with a kick behind them even if their album unfortunately didn't quite live up to the hype it had been saddled with and saw them slide back into obscurity. You can't keep a good band of indie-rockers down evidently though and so 2023 sees the Subways back with a new album. The surprise is that it's not bad either - it seems that the group have put their near two decades of experience to good use to come up with a record that has a foot in both the indie and punk camps and comes up with something surprisingly good right from the moment the low slung menace of opener and former single  You Kill My Cool  kicks things into gear. Love Waiting On You  and the title track both have an almost new wave feel with their glacial keyboards and the chiming vocal interplay between Bill...

  Well, a cursory glance outside your window will tell you that the nights are drawing in so what better place to seek solace than here in the Singles Bar. As with last month, the offerings this time out are an eclectic mix of singles, EP's and a token mini-album so let's mix something up and see what happens... *** Well the big news this month is we're finally getting the multiple times postponed UK tour from the one and only Mr Billy Idol and to celebrate, he's issued a new EP, The Cage (🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑). Honestly, it might just be the best thing I've heard from him since Devil's Playground  a good decade and a half ago with a good mix of stuff that shows off all facets of his musical style from the stomping title track through the pounding goth ballad Running From The Ghost  and the affectionate nod back to his '80s stadium rock heyday Rebel Like You  to the twisted groove of Miss Nobody . After the solid but unspectacular Kings and Queens of the Underground  ...

  Yup, it's that time again. Similar to last month, a bit of a bumper crop this month with the Singles Bar meaning we've officially got our first multi-parter of the year with no less than three instalments coming at ya this morning. First bit here and the second bit'll be up in an hour or so. Enjoy... *** Well the obvious big news this month is a new Michael Monroe  single and Can't Stop Falling Apart  (🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗) is a confident comeback from the guy - a mid-paced ode to sticking to your guns and not giving up which builds up to a trademark big Monroe singalong chorus which has a definite hint of the early '70s Stones in there. The frenetic B-side Murder The Summer Of Love  is even better with its panic attack vibes and angry message showing a definite nod to Mike's old mucker Stiv Bators. Good stuff - roll on the album! *** Those of you with long memories may recall that the Sweet Things ' In Borrowed Shoes On Borrowed Time  was the first album we ever re...

  Welcome to our monthly visit to the Singles Bar for May. Plenty of new sounds from all across the musical spectrum this month so take a seat and let us mix up something for you to enjoy... Kicking us into gear in suitably frenetic style this month are Los Pepes  with their new single Want You Back (🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑). This does exactly what you'd want a Los Pepes song to do essentially - whiplash riff, scowled vocals, a bit of unexpected harmonica honking and it gets in, says what it has to say and gets out again before the two minute mark. B-sides Never Get It Right  and  Tell Me  are similarly high quality too and well worth a listen in their own right.  Bandcamp link here . Making a welcome comeback this month are Desperate Journalist  with Fault (🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑), the lead-off single from their upcoming fourth album Maximum Sorrow . A bit more urgent than the band's usual output, the pounding drums, swirling bass and echoey guitar remind me more of Siouxsie ...