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.
THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS have announced the release of their first new album in nearly 30 years, plus a major London show.
Made Of Rain is the post-punk legends’ first new album since World Outside in 1991, and is set for release on 1 May through Cooking Vinyl. The 12-track album was produced by guitarist Richard Fortus and mixed by Mission and House Of Love producer Tim Palmer.
It’s being heralded by the new single ‘Don’t Believe’ which you can check out here. It’s available to stream and download when you pre-order the album here.
The band have also announce a very special show at London’s Royal Albert Hall on 14 May, where they’ll be playing the album in its entirety, plus a set of hits and classic album tracks . Tickets go on general sale on 7 February, but fans can get a sneaky exclusive jump on that when they order the album from the band’s official webstore.
Formed in Surrey in 1977 by the Butler brothers, Richard and Tim, the Pyschedelic Furs released their debut album in 1980, going on to achieve considerable mainstream success, particularly in the US, where their classic ’81 single and indie disco favourite ‘Pretty In Pink’ inspired a Hollywood movie of the same name, as well as headlining Glastonbury in ’86. More recently, the band have rebuilt their career with steady international touring, including a show at London’s Royal Festival Hall as part of Robert Smith’s Meltdown in 2018.
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.
Swedish melodic punks SATURDAY’S HEROES are launching a series of one-off singles with a brand new video.
Having already released a pair of full-length albums over the past couple of years, the Norrköping quartet will be releasing seven stand alone singles up until the summer of 2020, kicking off with ‘I Will Be Right There’, a song about about “loss, love and growing up”.
The video is the work of Markus Tertocha from Rusty Nail Productions.
‘I Will Be Right There’ is available through Lövely Records on Apple and Spotify.
THE STRANGLERS have announced that their UK dates this Autumn will be their last full tour.
In forty-five years, through at least three line-up changes, the hit-making Class of 77 punks have hardly left the road, making them one of the UK’s hardest working, most consistent international touring bands. In fact, the band are off to Australia and New Zealand for shows next week and will play European festival shows throughout the summer months.
The band’s original drummer Jet Black, whose ice cream van legendarily served as the band’s tour bus in their early days, retired from touring in 2015 at the age of 78. His place has since been taken by Jim Macaulay.
The twenty-one date tour during October and November will kick off in Lincoln on 20 October and will take in a Welsh show at the 5,000-capacity Cardiff Motorpoint Arena, where the band supported Alice Cooper last year. Also featuring a hometown show at G Love in Guildford on 16 November, the tour will culminate at London’s Brixton Academy on 21 November. Full dates are…
20 Oct – Engine Shed, Lincoln Tickets 22 Oct – Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff 23 Oct – O2 Academy, Bristol 24 Oct – Corn Exchange, Cambridge 26 Oct – UEA, Norwich 27 Oct -Dome, Brighton 29 Oct – O2 Academy, Newcastle 30 Oct – City Hall, Sheffield 31 Oct – O2 Academy, Birmingham 2 Nov – Guildhall, Portsmouth 3 Nov – Rock City, Nottingham 5 Nov – Music Hall, Aberdeen 7 Nov – O2 Academy, Glasgow 9 Nov – Victoria Hall, Stoke 10 Nov – De Montfort Hall, Leicester 12 Nov – O2 Academy, Leeds 14 Nov – O2 Apollo, Manchester 16 Nov – G Live, Guildford 17 Nov – Hexagon, Reading 19 Nov – Cliffs Pavilion, Southend 21 Nov – O2 Academy, Brixton
Tickets go on sale here at 10.00am on Friday 31 January.
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.
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.
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
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
THE TOY DOLLS are to celebrate their 40th Anniversary with a very special London show this spring.
Forty years ago, fellow North-Easterners THE ANGELIC UPSTARTS invited the newly formed Dolls to accompany them on their first national tour.
Now Dolls frontman Olga has returned the favour by inviting Mensi and co to join them for a show at The Forum, Kentish Town on Saturday 18 April.
Sometimes linked with the ‘pathetique’ scene, The Toy Doll s crashed the mainstream with their Top 5 cover of ‘Nellie The Elephant’ in 1984. Still a hugely popular live draw on the international stage, the Dolls play relatively rarely in the UK, making this a show not to be missed. Last year saw the release of the band’s thirteenth album Episode XIII.
The Angelic Upstarts formed in 1977 and celebrated the 40th Anniversary of their classic debut ‘Teenage Warning’ last year. Still fronted by the irrepressible Mensi, they released their most recent, politically charged, album Bullingdon Bastards in 2015.
Says Mensi, “I feel like Doctor Who in a time machine, travelling forward 40 years to play with our good pals The Toy Dolls again!”
The London show is the culmination of the short 40th Anniversary tour for the Dolls. Catch them on the road at…
15 April – La Belle Angele, Edinburgh 16 April – Hedworth Hall, South Shields 17 April – Club Academy, Manchester 18 April – The Forum, London
The surviving members of EDDIE & THE HOT RODS have announced that they’ll be playing a series of dates throughout 2020 in memory of founding frontman Barrie Masters.
Masters sadly passed away suddenly last October following the band’s decision to retire from touring at the start of the year. Following encouragement from fans worldwide, and at the insistence of Barrie’s family, the band have decided to carry on playing live, with bassist Ian ‘Dipster’ Dean stepping up to the mic.
The band’s line-up is completed by longtime members Simon Bowley on drums and guitarist Richard Holgarth, with bassist Mic Stoner joining the band.
The dates kick off with an appearance at the Great British Alternative Festival at Butlins in Minehead, and culminate with a London show at the Red Lion Ballroom, Leytonstone on 3 October, the first anniversary of Masters’ death. The band will be joined on various dates by DEPARTMENT S* and DUNCAN REID & THE BIG HEADS**. Full dates are…
Feb 28 Minehead Great British Alternative Festival Apr 17 Chelmsford Football Club* Jun 6 Coombes Glastonwick Festival Jun 11 Putney Half Moon* Jun 12 Leicester Musician* Jun 13 Barnard Castle TCR Hub* Jun 14 Barnoldswick Music & Arts Centre* Jun 19 Brighton Patterns* Jun 25 Sheffield Greystones* Jun 26 Buckley The Tivoli* Jul 4 Harlow Latton Park Sep 4 Cardiff The Globe* Sep 12 Whitwell Festival Sep 18 Guilford Holroyd Arms* Sep 19 Nottingham Rescue Rooms* Sep 25 Cambridge Junction** Sep 26 Norwich Epic Studios** Oct 3 London Red Lion Ballroom
THE VIVE LE ROCK AWARDS are back! And we’re we’re really pushing the boat out for the mag’s 10th Anniversary with a bigger and better event at London’s Shepherds Bush Empire on Wednesday 1 April!
As revealed over the weekend, we’ve managed to coerce Brian James and Dave Treganna into reforming the legendary LORDS OF THE NEW CHURCH for one night only. The place of sadly deceased frontman Stiv Bators will be taken by his great friend and sparring partner Michael Monroe, while former CLASH drummer (and co-writer of the classic track ‘Russian Roulette’) Terry Chimes will be occupying the drumstool.
Formed in 1981, the Lords were the first ‘supergroup’ to emerge from punk, when DAMNED founder James hooked up with DEAD BOYS frontman Bators, SHAM 69 bassist Treganna and BARRACUDAS drummer Nicky Turner. Releasing three classic albums through Miles Copeland’s IRS organisation, achieving international radio hits with singles like ‘Dance With Me’, ‘Open Your Eyes’ and a cover of MADONNA’s ‘Like A Virgin’.
Other guests include SPECIALS and FUN BOY THREE founder Neville Staple plus, once again, our MC, Edward Tudor Pole, plus more big name acts including an extra special headline band!
Tickets, including exclusive VIP packages, are available here!
THEE HYPNOTICS have announced a run of UK dates for the Spring.
The week of shows will serve as a warm-up for the band’s headline appearance at the Fuzzville Festival in Alicante, Spain on 28 March.
Twenty years on from their original dissolution, High Wycombe’s nuclear rock’n’roll mercenaries were reconvened by founder members, singer Jim Jones and guitarist Ray Hanson in 2018 for a string of gigs and festival dates in support of vinyl box-set Righteously Recharged. So successful was the reunion, they’re back for more.
“We’ve had so many people asking for more shows that it really felt like a case of unfinished business,” says Jones. “But more than that, it was great to be playing together again after all that time. The chemistry was still there.”
“Even though the chemicals are firmly in the past!” adds Hanson. “But we’re going to be cooking up some real highs on this tour.”
Kicking off on 19 March in the motor city of Birmingham alongside fellow rock revolutionaries BLACK BOMBERS, and featuring a London date at Tufnell Park Dome, full tour dates are…
19 Mar – Hare & Hounds, Birmingham UK 20 Mar – The Warehouse, Leeds UK 21 Mar – The Dome, London UK 22 Mar – Music Hall, Ramsgate UK 24 Mar – The Joiners, Southampton UK 25 Mar – The Globe, Cardiff UK 28 Mar – Fuzzville, Alicante ES
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.
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
Blues is the teacher. Punk is the preacher. It’s all about emotion and energy. Experience and raw talent, spirit and intellect. Exciting things happen when these things collide.
Bob Vennum and Lisa Kekaula made the BellRays happen in 1990 in Riverside, California but they weren’t really thinking about any of this then. They wanted to play music and they wanted it to feel good. They wanted people to WANT to get up, to NEED to get up and check out what was going on. Form an opinion. React.
So they took everything they knew about; the Beatles, Stevie Wonder, the Who, the Ramones Billie Holiday, Lou Rawls, Hank Williams, the DB’s, Jimmy Reed, and Led Zeppelin (to name a very few to whom “BLUES IS THE TEACHER”) and pressed it into service.
It’s a rock show in its rawest and rarest form!
They’re joined on all dates by fast-rising multinational garage punks LOS PEPES, who released their latest album Positive Negative last year. Full dates are…
WED 15 JAN – Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth THU 16 JAN – The Louisiana, Bristol FRI 17 JAN – Le Pub, Newport SAT 18 JAN – The Phoenix, Exeter SUN 19 JAN – The Lantern, Halifax TUE 21 JAN – Voodoo, Edinburgh WED 22 JAN – Broadcast, Glasgow THU 23 JAN – The Cluny, Newcastle FRI 24 JAN – Westgarth Social Club, Middlesbrough SAT 25 JAN – Prince Albert, Brighton SUN 26 JAN – Oslo, London
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.
THE OUTCASTS are back with a brand new EP and a life-affirming new video to go with it.
The Belfast band have been around since ’77, signing to Terri Hooley’s Good Vibrations label for the classic ‘Justa Nother Teenage Rebel’ the following year. The bands profile was boosted internationally when they scored a nearly-hit in 1982 with their cover of The Glitter Band’s ‘Angel Face’. The band was reborn in 2010, playing to an emotional crowd at Rebellion the following year.
The video was shot on Culdaff Beach, County Donegal and directed by Kate and Paul McCarroll. Look out for a cameo from Hooley at the end!
‘Stay Young’ is available as a 3-track coloure vinyl 7″ or a 5-track CD from Violated Records from 17 January.
Read the full story of The Outcasts in the current edition of Vive Le Rock! out now!
