Monthly Archives : January 2020

GET SMASHED WITH THE DROPKICKS!

DROPKICK MURPHYS have unveiled a new video ahead of their Alexandra Palace date next month.

The single ‘Smash Shit Up’ is backed with a cover of Scottish pop sensation Gerry Cinnamon’s ‘The Bonny’. Both tracks are available digitally from Apple, Spotify and all the usual platforms, and is available physically via the band’s webstore.

As previously announced, Dropkick Murphys play London’s Alexandra Palace on Friday 21 February, with special guests COCK SPARRER and JESSE AHERN. Tickets are available here.

The band have revealed that they’ll be releasing a new album in the Autumn, the follow-up to the US Top 10 album 11 Short Stories Of Pain And Glory.

Dropkick Murphys on Facebook

SALAD DAYS!

Youthful Manc punks AERIAL SALAD have just announced their new album with a new video.

‘Romance’ is the first single to be taken from the band’s second album Dirt Mall, which is set for release on 27 March on their own Roach Industries imprint in conjunction with WONK UNIT’s label Plasterer.

“The video comes from us having no idea what to do for a song called ‘Romance?’,” explains guitarist/singer Jamie Munro. “Aren’t we just fucking incels right, our friend Vez suggested we clean Mike’s (bass) car and it turned out quite Beastie Boys. It was filmed by Kieron Jordan from the band Don Blake and it was freezing. Do you want romance? Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you really? Is it wicked? I’m lovin’ it like this. The song is about wanting to romance someone who is otherwise romantically engaged, however, there is mutual romantic interest (how very sitcom) however it can’t quite be… let’s say addressed.”

Aerial Salad initially formed to play The FEST in Gainesville, Florida. Returning home, a chance meeting with Wonk Unit mainman Alex Johnson resulted in a three-week tour with the band and an invitation to record their debut album Roach.

Fast forward three years and the band have recorded Dirt Mall under the guidance of Johnson with Paul Tipler (Leatherface, Earl Brutus) at the desk.

“It captures everything I’ve seen working as a temp in offices and generally being in my twenties trying to work myself and the world out,” says Munro. “With some pop songs thrown in for fun.”

Aerial Salad are out on the road in April with Cali punks DECENT CRIMINAL. Catch them at…

10 April – Bristol, Exchange
11 April – London, New Cross Inn
12 April – Brighton, Cowley Club
21 April – Canterbury, Lady Luck
22 April – Stafford, Redrum
23 April – Blackpool, The Waterloo
24 April – Manchester, Punk Festival

‘Romance?’ is available now from Apple, Spotify and all the usual digital platforms.

Dirt Mall is available to pre-order here.

Aerial Salad on Facebook

MONK’S NOT DEAD!

MONKEY MIND are a new punk trio from Newcastle and have just unveiled their first single and video, ‘Small Man Syndrome’.

Though they’ve only been around since 2018, they’re no strangers: lead vocals and guitar are handled by Lee Wright from CRASHED OUT while Olga from THE TOY DOLLS is on bass. The drumstool, meanwhile, is occupied by Martin Paynton.

The band are currently working on their debut full-length.

‘Small Man Syndrome’ is available now from Bandcamp and on Spotify.

Monkey Mind on Facebook

CITY KIDS VIDEO EXCLUSIVE!

New Northeast supergroup THE CITY KIDS have just released their debut single and are premiering the video exclusively with Vive Le Rock!

Put together by JJ Watt from THE MAIN GRAINS, the band also features Dennis Post (Warrior Soul, Flush The Fashion) and Berty Burton (Tigertailz).

‘Best Of You’ is the first track to be revealed from the newly recorded debut album which was produced by the band themselves and mastered by Wildhearts and Professionals producer Dave Draper.

The video is the work of Fuzzy McGlide, who’s been responsible for all the Main Grains’ artwork and most of their videos.

“The song is basically about not letting people’s opinions take your essence, don’t change for anyone, be true to yourself.” says JJ. “Recently, the three of us lost a close friend, Mikey Lawless, the bass player in Falling Red. This single is for sale online and ALL sales are going to help with his funeral costs, or be split between Macmillan and Marie Curie as they have been a massive help.”

‘Best Of You’ is available now from The City Kids’ Bandcamp.

There’s also a Go Fund Me page.

The City Kids on Facebook

WILDHEARTS vs BACKYARD BABIES: FURIOUS FIVES!

THE WILDHEARTS and BACKYARD BABIES head out on a joint Vive Le Rock sponsored tour of the UK next week. In an effort to spark a heated debate, we asked each band to name their top five tracks by the other.

First off, Dregen and Nicke from Backyard Babies picked their fave Wildhearts cuts…

1 – ‘Inglorious’

2 – ‘Caffeine Bomb’

3 – ‘Nothing Ever Changes But The Shoes’

4 – ‘My Baby Is A Headfuck’

5 – ‘Geordie In Wonderland’

Then we got Danny from The Wildhearts to come up with his top Babies bangers…

1 – ‘Look At You’

2 – ‘Star War’

3 – ‘Highlights’

4 – ‘Brand New Hate’

5 – ‘I’m On My Way To Save Your Rock ‘N’ Roll’

Both bands, joined by Pennsylvania rockers CKY play the following dates…

28 Jan – O2 Academy, Newcastle
29 Jan – Limelight, Belfast
30 Jan – QMU, Glasgow
31 Jan – O2 Ritz, Manchester
1 Feb – O2 Forum Kentish Town, London
2 Feb – Tramshed, Cardiff
4 Feb – O2 Institute, Birmingham

Tickets are available here.

STARK WARNING!

Gizz Butt’s JANUS STARK have just released a brilliant new album Angel In The Flames, and this month head off on tour to promote it. Vive Le Rock caught up with Gizz and asked him for his own Top 5 videos…

Janus Stark – Shuffling The Pack

“Filmed August 2018 . The band shots were in a medieval building in Peterborough Cathedral Square. The Old Guild Hall. Filmed on a hot Saturday afternoon. We made as much racket as possible while the shoppers in Peterborough were all puzzled where the noise was coming from and what was going on in this building that no one is allowed in!”

The More I See – Suck On These Words

“Filmed in Hinchinbrooke Hall in Huntingdon in a spooky cellar. Really expert lighting and effects on a really low budget. Good location! A good location , ideas and lighting make everything. You don’t need sky high budgets.”

The More I See – The Eye That Offends

“Shot in Tunisia in three separate Star Wars locations. What an adventure that was, trying to find these locations without any satnav or directions. We borrowed a drum kit, took our guitars on the plane along with a battery powered monitor and kicked up a fucking racket at Mos Espa when a bunch of tourists were sight-seeing.”

The Prodigy – Firestarter

“This video and song hallmarked the beginning of my 3-year period with The Prodigy. That song will always be the one that represented that era along with ‘Breathe’ and ‘Smack My Bitch Up’. This is the live at Phoenix Festival 1996 video. David Bowie was watching this from my side of the stage!”

Janus Stark – Crucify All The Leaders

“It’s the song for the times that we live. A solution for depression. Just imagine it and you’ll instantly feel better. Dreams can come true!!!!”

Janus Stark head out around the UK from the end of this month. Full dates are…

31 Jan – Peterborough, Burghley Club
15 Feb – Kings Lynn, Maltings Q Club
20 Feb – Sunderland, Peacock
21 Feb – Bolton, Little Bolton Town Hall
22 Feb – Keighley, The Exchange
29 Feb – Manchester, Retro Bar
20 Mar – Milton Keynes, Blacksmiths Arms
21 Mar – London, Archway The Lounge (Kolis)
28 Mar – Machynileth, The Red Lion
3 Apr – Stamford, Mama Liz’s
4 Apr – Huddersfield, The Parish
5 Apr – Doncaster, The Leopard
9 Apr – Grimsby, Yardbirds
10 Apr – York, Fulford Arms
11 Apr – Edinburgh, Bannermans
12 Apr – Gateshead Black Bull

Janus Stark on Feacebook

Pic by Daniel Ackerley

SUZIE STAPLETON AIDS BUSHFIRE WILDLIFE RELIEF

Australian musician SUZIE STAPLETON has announced a special digital release to raise funds to help injured and displaced wildlife affected by the Australian fires.

This digital release of Stapleton’s new single ‘Thylacine’ comes with an exclusive, previously unreleased track ‘Song of Murray’s Brigade’. A musical adaptation of a 1940 poem by Australian bush poet Banjo Paterson, the song is performed by Stapleton on acoustic guitar and vocals, accompanied by acclaimed cellist Gareth Skinner.

The track ‘Thylacine’, which features Jim Jones & The Righteous Mind bassist Gavin Jay and Stranglers’ drummer Jim Macaulay, takes its name from the Australian dog-like mammal, also known as the Tasmanian Tiger. Hunted to extinction, the last known thylacine died in captivity in 1936.

“Many of the species that have been affected by these fires were already threatened or endangered due to factors such as habitat loss from land clearing for agriculture and urban development, invasive species, and pressures from extreme heat caused by climate change and ongoing drought,” explains Stapleton. “These fires pose a huge threat for their ongoing survival, but we still have a chance to help and ensure that they don’t end up in the history books next to the thylacine.”

‘Thylacine’ is available as a download for £5, though you can pay what you want and there is no upper limit. 100% of proceeds will go to Wildlife Victoria. Please give generously to help Australia’s unique wildlife.

Available via www.suziestapleton.com and Bandcamp until 31 January.

Catch Suzie Stapleton live at…

24 Jan – The Brunswick, Hove w/ The Damn Shebang
25 Jan – Rough Trade, BRISTOL w/ Emily Breeze + National Treasure

Suzie Stapleton on Facebook

A DOSE OF THE CHATS!

Aussie punk poster-boys have announced the release of their debut album with another run of UK dates and a wince-inducing new video.

‘The Clap’ is taken from High Risk Behaviour, and features guitarist Josh Price on vocals.

The trio from the Sunshine Coast have come along way since ‘Smoko’ went viral, earning them the personal approval of both Iggy Pop and Queens Of The Stoneage, who both invited the band to guest on Australian tours.

High Risk Behaviour has taken 18 months to record as the band dropped into engineer Billy Garner’s studio in Geelong, Victoria during breaks in touring. Says bassist/singer Eamon Sandwith, “If we’d just done a week and slogged it out we could have had an album before now but we just kept going in there and making newer and better songs so it’s hard to put a stop on it. Some of the songs were first-take and we were like, ‘That’s good, whatever’. We’re really not perfectionists.”

Although courted by various labels in a high-pressure bidding war, the trio chose to stick with their own Bargain Bin imprint, firmly entrenched as they are in their DIY ethic.

“We thought, if we just do it ourselves we don’t have to worry about getting swindled,” says Sandwith. “We’ve always done it our way.”

High Risk Behaviour is released on 27 March on Bargain Bin Records via Cooking Vinyl Australia. It’s available to pre-order here.

Fri 16 Oct – Southampton, 1865
Sat 17 Oct – Nottingham, Rock City
Sun 18 Oct – Bristol, 02 Academy
Mon 19 Oct – Ireland, Dublin, Olympia
Tue 20 Oct – Belfast, Limelight
Thu 22 Oct – Glasgow, Galvanizers
Fri 23 Oct – Leeds, Stylus
Sat 24 Oct – Newcastle, Boiler Shop
Sun 25 Oct – Manchester, 02 Academy
Mon 26 Oct – Brighton, Dome
Wed 28 Oct – London, Electric Brixton
Thu 29 Oct – London, Electric Brixton

Tickets go on sale here at 10am on 24 January.

The Chats on Facebook

Pic by Luke Henery

SVETLANAS VIDEO EXCLUSIVE!

Russian/Italian punks SVETLANAS are back with an brand new video which they’re premiering exclusively with Vive Le Rock!

The infectious, in-yer-face ‘Jump’ is the first single to be taken from the band’s fifth album Disco Sucks, which follows on from 2017’s This Is Moscow Not L.A., is out in March.

Svetlanas on Facebook