The Fat Angel Sings

Villanelle introduced themselves in the biggest way imaginable, receiving big receptions every night as the opening band on Liam Gallagher’s huge ‘Definitely Maybe: 30 Years’ tour.

Gene has been writing songs for as long as he can remember but only formed Villanelle earlier this year with Ben Taylor (guitar), Jack Schiavo (bass) and Andrew Richmond (drums). They made such an instant impact following early gigs such as at London rock ‘n’ roll pub The Marquis that Liam offered them the opening slot on his current tour.

Opening for one of music’s most iconic frontman playing one of the all-time most influential albums, in front of huge crowds on a bill completed by another indie great in the shape of Cast or The View was a sink-or-swim moment, but Villanelle naturally made the most of the opportunity. As Maximum Volume’s review of the Sheffield show enthused, “Gene has a neat line in cool insouciance, an even better line in lead guitar and some very decent songs. The surname might have got Villanelle on this bill, but it’s their talent that will keep them appearing on others.”

Villanelle have also already caused a wave of excitement following shows as guests to the likes of Seb Lowe, Overpass and Pastel.

Remembering Bert Jansch, born on this date in 1943. There might be no better time than the present to be a record collecting fan of Bert Jansch. Vinyl reissues from all stages of the Brit-folk guitar linchpin’s career have been flowing into the racks for a while now, and we’re currently experiencing a crescendo of material from the late singer-songwriter.

The 1960s was flush with fingerpickers, and Bert Jansch was amongst the very best. Adding to his appeal, the Scottish troubadour was also a capable vocalist, solid songwriter, and a deft collaborator, first teaming with fellow guitarist John Renbourn; in short order the duo co-founded the progressive folk combo Pentangle.

Jansch’s eponymous debut and its follow-up “It Don’t Bother Me”, both issued in 1965, have endured as classics, and for those wishing to become conversant with the man’s work, they are the place to begin; last year Superior Viaduct issued the LPs singly, and both will be part of Earth Recordings’ upcoming box set of Jansch’s output for the Transatlantic label.

This period remains the most lauded stretch in the guitarist’s oeuvre, in part due to its consistency and sharpness of focus. 1966 brought third album  “Jack Orion”, which both extends from and contrasts with its predecessor, the opening strains of banjo in “The Waggoner’s Lad” picking up where “It Don’t Bother Me’ finale “900 Miles” left off. The instrumental switch intertwines productively with Renbourn’s guitar, as his role, having commenced on the prior disc’s “Lucky Thirteen,” is deepened across four “Jack Orion” cuts to positive effect.

The most significant development is the preponderance of traditional material. Up to that point Jansch had mostly served up original songs to an occasionally outstanding result (e.g. “Needle of Death,” which will likely continue to be his most celebrated tune), but “Jack Orion” has none. Instead, he unveils “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” in a fresh, concise arrangement and then expands the title-track to over eight minutes, though many will recognize it from its lengthier side-long version on Pentangle’s 1970 effort “Cruel Sister”.

Culminating with an abrupt jump-cut into “The Gardener,” Jansch and Renbourn’s first stab at the Child Ballad still satisfies, with the traditional sources heightening the emotional impact throughout and nowhere more so than during “Nottamun Town.” From there “Jack Orion’s” second side just rolls, with the oft-recorded folk ballad “Blackwater Side” a highlight.

The fortuitous interweaving of the album’s trim running-time continued into the full-on co-billing of “Bert and John“, also from ’66, but Superior Viaduct’s reissues vault over that LP and ’67’s “Nicola” to arrive at ’69’s decidedly different “Birthday Blues“. Often breezy and consistently less intense than “Jack Orion“, the contents employ the Pentangle rhythm section of upright bassist Danny Thompson and drummer Terry Cox to appealing ends.

Appealing, but not breathtaking, though folks having discovered Pentangle without dipping into solo Jansch will likely find it a welcoming point of entry. As its title suggests, the disc leans toward blues structures, but the atmosphere is folky rather than heavy (with occasional harmonica injections by Duffy Power), even during the darker-tinted standouts like “Poison” and “Promised Land.” Filled out entirely with originals, the generically named closer “Blues” is anything but in aural terms, blending the ambiances of the coffeehouse and the jazz joint courtesy of Thompson’s bass.

Finding Jansch under the spell of “Birthday Blues’ sleeve designer, noted sculptor, future wife and inspiration for “Miss Heather Rosemary Sewell,” the disc is spiked with moments of uplift without ever coming on too strong in the positivity department. The overall heft might be lighter in comparison to his more acclaimed sessions, but it broadens the terrain of the Transatlantic years, and it’s still a keeper.

1971’s “Rosemary Lane” concluded Jansch’s run for the British indie as it took him back to the rudiments of guitar and voice with returning producer Bill Leader, whose hand guided all of the Transatlantic LPs except for the Shel Talmy-helmed “Birthday Blues“. Blending his own compositions with a few freshly arranged traditional sources, there’s also “Alman,” which is credited to 16th-17th century English composer Robert Johnson, and “Sarabanda” by Baroque-era Italian violinist-composer Arcangelo Corelli.

It all comes together with aplomb while resisting easy encapsulation as a career reset. Although a purely solo affair, the results are sonically bolder than “Bert Jansch” (which was recorded via reel-to-reel in Leader’s house), and the trad numbers (the title track, “Reynardine” and “Sylvie”) aren’t as severe in mood as what’s found on “Jack Orion“. Still, the general temperament is attractively pensive, even when slipping into bluesy mode.

Most prominently expressed in “Nobody’s Bar,” the folk-blues gestures occur less often than some might wish. Perhaps it’s this low ratio coupled with the lack of Renbourn or any other collaborative support that contributes to “Rosemary Lane” rep in some quarters as a likeably modest affair sandwiched between the full-band maneuvers of “Birthday Blues” and ’73’s “Moonshine” (which was reissued by Earth in 2015 on compact disc, standard vinyl, and later as a picture disc).

The reality is that “Rosemary Lane”, “Birthday Blues”, and “Jack Orion” are all important entries in the early work of a Brit-folk cornerstone. That all three are soon to be easily obtainable is cause for a little good cheer in a tumultuous time.

Remembering Bert Jansch on what would have been his 82nd birthday. In 2010, Jansch spoke about his career as one of Britain’s greatest guitarists, folk, blues, Led Zeppelin and being a “26-pints-a-night man”.

“Bert At the BBC” is a comprehensive collection of Jansch’s appearances at the BBC, featuring over eight hours of rare and unreleased recordings, including live-on-air spots, studio sessions and full concerts straight from the BBC vaults, delving further into this legendary performer’s canon. Bert Jansch was the very essence of folk music, providing inspiration for everyone from Paul Simon and Neil Young to Led Zeppelin and countless folk revivalists.

This unparalleled limited-edition compendium is available as a 4xLP and 8xCD set, housed in a coffee-table book set with a lavish 40-page book tracing the recordings from Bert’s earliest moments at the BBC. It includes interviews and insights from Lauren Laverne, Jools Holland, Johnny Marr, Jacqui McShee, Bob Harris, Bernard Butler, Mark Radcliffe and many more. Twenty broadcasters, producers and collaborators contribute at length to the booklet, with great affection for this gentle, maverick genius. Bert’s BBC legacy remains the most significant and exciting untapped reservoir of his music. The undeniable advantage of recordings made for broadcast is that they were, by their nature, created for public consumption and, barring live-on-air appearances – which might go well or go badly, but were going out either way – were explicitly signed-off by the artist as representations of his art that were good enough to be heard.

The set is compiled by Colin Harper, author of Dazzling Stranger: Bert Jansch and the British folk and blues revival (Bloomsbury, 2000), who contributes detailed liner notes to the package. The release is mastered by IFTA award-winning engineer Cormac O’Kane.

The vinyl release features 48 tracks on LP and is accompanied by a download card with over six hours of extras spanning 1966–2009, including BBC4’s St Luke’s concert (2003), and a complete Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh concert (2004) for BBC Radio Scotland. It is also available as a special 8xCD set containing all 147 tracks and encased within a coffee-table book.

“Bert Jansch At The BBC” is an epic and enduring trail, 45 years in the making. “He was that rarity, a musician who really did deserve to be regarded as a legend.” The Guardian // “As a guitar player there was no one like him. He was jazz and blues and folk but there was a whole world in there that was just him, esoteric” Johnny Marr.

Limited edition 4 LP “Coffee table” sized Bookback package, with 40 pages of liner notes, featuring unseen photos & exclusive interviews. DL card holds an additional 6 hours of tracks from the BBC Archives.

Pains Of Being Pure At Heart’s Perfect Right Now: A Slumberland Collection 2008-2010, blue clear and yellow version.

The Pains of Being Pure At Heart exploded out of the late 00s Brooklyn indie scene with a bright, distinctive sound that paid tribute to everything from C86 to early Slumberland, Sarah and Creation label pop, but with a distinct American flavour drawn from groups like Smashing Pumpkins and The Exploding Hearts. Their 2009 self-titled debut is rightly considered a classic, and with “Perfect Right Now” we’re thrilled to round out the story of The Pains‘ early years.

The ten tracks here compile the much-loved (and LONG out of print!) b-sides from the 7″s that accompanied that first album, the follow-up “Higher Than The Stars” EP, a couple of scarce tunes from split singles, and finally “Say No To Love,” a spectacular song that points the way forward to the band’s next chapter. There are some proper lost classics here, songs like “Kurt Cobain’s Cardigan” and “The Pains of Being Pure at Heart” that still pack the dancefloors at indie discos from Göteborg to Glasgow and we couldn’t be more excited to make them available again.

We’ll let Kip from the band have the last word: “Many of these songs, like those that comprised our debut record, were written in that *now* – making up in wild pop fantasy what we couldn’t quite yet achieve through musical ability.

Take early steps back to 1960s London with the Faces who were Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood, Kenney Jones, Ronnie Lane and Ian McLagan to Faces’ first and previously unheard recording session at Olympic Studios in Barnes. Walk by the River Thames to Bermondsey to hear rehearsals in The Rolling Stones’ warehouse, the earliest recordings of Faces captured in all their raucous glory on the band’s own cassette tapes.”

Cactus’ version is a very similar arrangement but that album came out 2 years later Also Led Zeppelin’s first concert in USA they play the opening riff But that riff isn’t present like that in the source material

Take a step back to the late 1960s, when London was buzzing, Carnaby Street was swinging, and five young musicians were about to create one of the greatest British rock bands of their generation. Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood, Kenney Jones, Ronnie Lane and Ian McLagan had just come together as Faces and now, for the very first time, fans will be able to hear their earliest recordings.

On 24th October 2025, The Faces Before “The First Step” will be released, featuring the band’s previously unheard 1969 sessions, recorded at Olympic Studios in Barnes and captured on their own cassette tapes at The Rolling Stones’ Bermondsey warehouse.

The Faces were formed in 1969 when members of Small Faces – Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones and Ian McLagan – joined forces with Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood, both fresh from The Jeff Beck Group. With Stewart’s raspy voice and Wood’s rough-edged guitar, the chemistry was instant. The band became one of the UK’s most electrifying live acts, known for their unpolished, beer-soaked energy that influenced everyone from The Black Crowes to Oasis.

In reflecting on those early days, Ronnie Wood once said, “It was parties and rock ‘n’ roll, everything you could think of a rock star should be doing… And we did it to the fullest and beyond.”

Kenney Jones adds, “It was a real trip down memory lane … I just had a tear in my eye because it just seems like yesterday, and it wasn’t.”

Rod Stewart has also described how he first met Ronnie Wood, recalling the instant connection:
“We’re brothers.” – American Songwriter

Their debut album “First Step” landed in 1970, a bluesy, ragged but promising set that introduced their swagger to the world. They followed quickly with 1971’s “Long Player”, solidifying their reputation as one of Britain’s most vital live bands. Later that same year came their finest moment – “A Nod Is As Good As a Wink… to a Blind Horse” – featuring the worldwide hit “Stay With Me”, which gave them international recognition.

By 1973, with Stewart’s solo career on a rapid rise, the band delivered their swansong, “Ooh La La”. While the title track would go on to become one of their most beloved songs, the album’s release was marred by internal tensions. Bassist Ronnie Lane departed soon after, replaced briefly by Tetsu Yamauchi of Free.

The group carried on until 1975, but with Ronnie Wood sliding into The Rolling Stones and Stewart focusing on his solo superstardom, The Faces quietly dissolved. Though their time together was short, their music captured the spirit of the era – loose, raw, and full of heart.

Now, with The Faces Before “The First Step“, fans can finally hear the band’s beginnings with rough rehearsal tapes and raw studio takes that laid the foundation for their storied career.

Tracklist – The Faces Before The First Step
Shake, Shudder, Shiver (Take 1 Rough Mix)
Devotion (Take 1 Rough Mix)
Train (Take 4 Rough Mix)
Flying (Take 1 Rough Mix)
I Feel So Good (Rehearsal)
Evil (Rehearsal)
Shake, Shudder, Shiver (Rehearsal)
Pineapple and The Monkey (Rehearsal)

Blondie’s 1999 album “No Exit” The album was their first for 17 years at the time and features what was, frankly, a surprise UK number one single in ‘Maria’ along with its less successful follow-up, ‘Nothing Is Real But The Girl’.

The new 2CD deluxe edition features a remastered version of the standard 14-track album on the first disc while CD 2 offers Japan-only bonus track ‘Hot Shot’ (with additional production and mix by David Wrench) along with a selection of seven remixes (from the many that were issued back in the day).

The 2LP edition is actually the first time the album has appeared on vinyl. The album is spread over three sides with the fourth side reserved for ‘Hot Shot’ and three remixes. Both formats feature new sleeve notes and “mastering and sound restoration” is by Jessica Thompson. These expanded formats find no place for tracks recorded at the Lyceum Theatre in November 1998 which appeared on CD 2 of a European deluxe edition of the album and on various CD singles. The radio edit of ‘Maria’ is another notable omission.

For over four decades, Blondie has remained a true global icon—an enduring force whose influence has shaped and continues to inspire the worlds of music, fashion, and art. From their start as an irreverent Lower East Side punk outfit to their rise as international ambassadors of New York cool, Blondie embodies the punk spirit that still resonates across generations. Their fearless vision, chart-topping success, and rare longevity earned them an induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006 and over 40 million albums sold worldwide to date. From the groundbreaking rock-disco hybrid “Heart of Glass” to the genre-blurring innovation of “Rapture,” the raw power of “One Way or Another,” and the breezy charm of “The Tide Is High,” Blondie helped reshape the musical landscape—bringing punk to the dance floor, introducing a wider audience to hip-hop sounds, and building a catalog of enduring, era-defining hits.

Blondie’s 1999 album ‘No Exit’ has been remastered and expanded for reissue and will be available on vinyl for the first time. Blondie’s No Exit marked their first studio album in 17 years upon its release in February 1999, following The Hunter (1982). The album features the UK number one hit Maria, alongside Nothing Is Real But The Girl and No Exit.

Recorded at Electric Lady Studios, Red Night Recording, and Chung King House of Metal in New York, the original release included 14 tracks. Later CD and cassette versions featured bonus material from Blondie’s 1998 Lyceum performance and an additional track, “Hot Shot”.

“No Exit” will be reissued by BMG on 31st October 2025.

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Like The Clash’s 1977 debut before it, “Inflammable Material” is a record that’s impossible to divorce from the historical backdrop against which it was created. Born in the thick of The Troubles, Stiff Little Fingers’ debut cuts with razor hooks and even sharper sociopolitical commentary that pinned punk rock’s proud anti-authoritarian leanings to something tangible. Far from sloganeering, “Inflammable Material” bristles with hard, street-born truth, documenting life in a war-torn corner of the world bereft of hope. Jake Burns’ haggard growl aptly captures the record’s anger and desperation, and the band’s marriage of punk rock and early American rock and roll made for songs that were both cathartically fierce and catchy as hell. There’s no fat or extraneous filler to be found anywhere on the 13-track outing, which teems with almost feral political urgency,

Many bands readily act the part, but Stiff Little Fingers live out the strife and blue collar frustrations they sing about. “Inflammable Material” walks the walk, and no record to date has come close to matching its tried-and-true brand of incendiary street punk. Essential Track: “Suspect Device” remains an anthem of disenfranchisement more than 40 years on. Has Burns’ paranoia taken him off the deep end or have the powers that be truly made life this bad?

Originally released in 1979 at the height of The Troubles in Northern Ireland, the album depicted volatile life in Belfast at the time and was met with critical acclaim.

The formats for reissue are a 4CD+DVD deluxe set, a 2LP vinyl edition and a 2CD version. All offer a new remaster, with the 4CD+DVD set adding previously unreleased demos, John Peel Sessions (some never broadcast), an unreleased 1979 concert from Troon and finally a DVD which includes the Rough Trade 1979 SLF promotional film along with concert footage from Friars in Aylesbury originally broadcast on BBC’s Old Grey Whistle Test in 1980 and a rare clip of ‘Alternative Ulster’ from the 1979 film Shellshock Rock.

The book-pack presentation features 9,000 words of notes from Stuart Bailie and includes fresh interviews with original band members and manager/lyricist Gordon Ogilvie.

The 2LP vinyl and 2CD editions include the remastered original album on the first disc and add the unreleased Troon live performance on the second. “Inflammable Materials” will be reissued on 27th November 2025, via Parlophone Records.

The Damned will release a new studio album, “Not Like Everybody Else”, early next year. It’s a covers album, dedicated to the memory of Brian James, the band’s founding guitarist, who died in March this year.

Recorded in five days at Revolver Studio, Los Angeles, The Damned line-up for this album is: Dave Vanian on vocals, Captain Sensible on guitar, Rat Scabies on drums (back in the studio with the band for the first time in 40 years), Paul Gray on bass and keyboardist Monty Oxymoron.

Songs on the album include R. Dean Taylor’s 1974 hit ‘There’s A Ghost In My House’ , Pink Floyd’s ‘See Emily Play’, The Animals’ ‘When I Was Young’ and poignantly ‘The Last Time’ by The Rolling Stones featuring Brian James which is taken from his final live performance with The Damned at Hammersmith, in 2022.  

To celebrate the new record, The Damned will play a one-off covers show at Albert Hall, Manchester on 28th January 2026 performing songs from the new album, alongside fan-favourite covers that have marked their career. There’s also going to be a 50th anniversary show at Wembley on Saturday 11 April 2026, 

Depeche Mode‘s upcoming live album, “Memento Mori: Mexico City“, includes four previously unreleased songs from the “Memento Mori” sessions as bonus tracks. A rumination of mortality, “In the End” is a pretty terrific Depeche Mode song, all midtempo mood as they sing “We’re weightless / Floating endlessly / We’ll be dust again / In the end” over layers and layers of very cool-sounding synths. How did this not make the album?

DEPECHE MODE: M is an expressive and dynamic cinematic experience built around footage from the band’s three sold-out Mexico City Foro Sol Stadium shows on the 2023-2024 Memento Mori Tour. The feature-length film takes audiences on a musical and spiritual journey, as the songs resonate in real time with fans, illustrating their timeless multi-cultural influence while delving into the profound connection between music, mortality, and Mexican tradition.

Coming up on October 28th is Depeche Mode: M, a documentary film from Mexican filmmaker Fernando Frias, a reflective chronicling of the legendary synth-pop band’s Memento Mori tour in 2023-24. In addition to the film, there will be two accompanying physical releases: The CD/DVD and CD/Blu-ray bundles of the Depeche Mode: M film and the CD/vinyl pressings of “Memento Mori: Mexico City” live album. Each of those will be released on December. 5th.

“At its core, our new film ‘M’ is about the deep connection between music, culture, and people—and Fernando Frías, who directed and conceived the film, did a beautiful job telling that story that through the lens of Mexican culture and our shows in Mexico City,” said Dave Gahan.

“Memento Mori: Mexico City” is available as 2-CD and 4-LP vinyl formats, and both feature exclusive live photos from the Foro Sol shows. The Depeche Mode: M DVD and Blu-ray sets come with a full “Memento Mori: Mexico City” concert film.

Released on: 24th October 2025