The Fat Angel Sings

The iconic punk rock guitarist Brian James has tragically died aged 70. James was a founding member of The Damned, as well as The Lords of the New Church, and will be remembered as a “pioneer and true gentleman.” He wrote almost all the material on The Damned’s first two albums, “Damned Damned Damned” and “Music for Pleasure“, before leaving the group in 1977.

A statement posted on his Facebook account read: “It is with great sadness that we announce the death of one of the true pioneers of music, guitarist, songwriter, and true gentleman, Brian James.

Born in London in 1955, James, was, by his teens, already touring Europe with a hard-nosed, proto-punk band by the name of Bastard. Mostly ignored in the UK, Bastard would dissolve by the mid-’70s, leaving James to return to London. Once back in his home city, James formed – with, among others, Mick Jones, later lead guitarist for the Clash – the controversially named London SS.

Though never successful in their own right, the London SS would spin off multiple bands that played an incalculable role in shaping what would come to be known as punk rock – the aforementioned Clash, and the Damned, which James would eventually co-found after the London SS.

Comprised originally of James on guitar, Dave Vanian on vocals, Captain Sensible on bass, and Rat Scabies on drums, the Damned got their start shortly after the Sex Pistols, but beat the Pistols to the punch in releasing their first single. Written entirely by James, that 1976 single, “New Rose“, is nothing less than a milestone in punk rock history. Relentless in tempo, anarchic in energy, and driven by a haywire rockabilly riff, strains of its DNA can be found in just about every subsequent song with the word “punk” attached to it in any way.

“Founding member of The Damned, writer of the first ever UK punk single, “New Rose”, Brian was the principal songwriter of the band’s debut album, “Damned Damned Damned“, which was released in February 1977. “Parting ways with the Damned following the release of their second album, the Nick Mason-produced “Music for Pleasure”, Brian created the short-lived Tanz Der Youth, before he formed The Lords of the New Church with his friend and fellow rocker Stiv Bators.

Though never reaching the high profile of the Damned, the Lords of the New Church were an indie favourite on both sides of the Atlantic in the early- to mid-’80s.

“In a wave of excitement, headed by the twin powers of Brian James and Stiv Bators, three successful studio albums followed for The Lord of the New Church, spawning singles such as “Open Your Eyes, Dance with Me“, and “Method to My Madness”.“Always looking for new challenges and keen to work with different musicians, over the years that followed, Brian formed The Dripping Lips and guested on different records, while creating the Brian James Gang and working on his solo albums.

“Incessantly creative and a musical tour de force, over a career which spanned more than six decades, with his music also gracing film and television soundtracks, in addition to The Damned and The Lords of the New Church, Brian worked with a plethora of punk and rock ‘n’ roll’s finest, from Iggy Pop to Wayne Kramer, Stewart Copeland to Cheetah Chrome.

“Most recently, more than four decades after the release of the epoch-making “New Rose”, the original members of The Damned reformed for a series of very special and emotional UK shows in 2022.

“With his wife Minna, son Charlie, and daughter-in-law Alicia by his side, Brian passed peacefully on Thursday 6th March 2025.”  

A new concert film and soundtrack surrounding Neil Young’s 2023 solo tour will arrive in the spring. “Coastal” will screen in theatre for one night only on April 17th, and the 11-song soundtrack album will arrive the next day.

The movie was directed by actress Daryl Hannah, Young’s wife, from footage shot during the singer-songwriter’s 2023 solo “Coastal” tour of the U.S., where he performed songs throughout his long career accompanied by guitar, piano and harmonica. “Coastal: The Soundtrack” is a live recording and companion piece to the Daryl Hannah-directed tour documentary .  

The solo album features 11-songs selected from Young’s 60-year career, recorded live on his 2023 tour, ranging from “I Am a Child” to “Vampire Blues,” and featuring Young on guitars, piano and harmonica.   It is as intimate a live album as Neil Young has ever recorded, created at a time when the world was coming out of hibernation from the Covid pandemic. Recorded in several cities, it is an album for the ages as the singer-songwriter finds new emotional power in 11 of his songs.

The album is available for preorder on Young’s site. The movie includes performances and backstage shots. Behind-the-scenes footage shows Young as he prepares for his first post-COVID tour. He performs several classic songs in the film, including early cuts such as “Expecting to Fly” and “I Am a Child” from his Buffalo Springfield days.

Rodeo Boys’ new album “Junior” captures the quiet rebellion of a the blue-collar heart. The Lansing, MI-based band––fronted by guitarist/vocalist Tiff Hannay (they/them), guitarist Caleb Shook (he/him), bassist Taylor “Doty”(he/him) and drummer Christian Urabazzo (he/him)––blends a dirt-under-the-nails grit with campy, sardonic humour in a way that only a group of small-town misfits could pull off. 

Produced by Tom May (The Menzingers), half of the tracks on “Junior” are no-nonsense anthems of revenge, and the other half are tales of desperate gay love and identity. 

First single “All American Man” falls under the latter, and draws its inspiration from the Laura Gilpin poem, Two-Headed Calf. Elsewhere, “Junior” chisels through tales of heartbreak and revenge from a unique perspective, with a ferocity akin to The Pixies, The Breeders, Mannequin Pussy, and Destroy Boys.

Album standouts like “Cowgirl in the Dark” reflect Tiff’s admiration for the often misunderstood Pam Anderson, and “Sam’s Song” captures the emotional weight of witnessing a friend endure predatory abuse––and even references journal entries with permission from the victim. The fired-up onslaught of “Speedway” and “Pump Six” pay homage to The Clash’s “Straight To Hell,” throwing shade at former friends that threw away their potential by being an abusive person.

Across its 14 tracks, “Junior” is a collision of fiery punk rage, salt-of-the-earth passion, and melodic emo; a cathartic soundtrack for anyone still trying to find their place in it all.

Celebrate a decade of Turnover’s iconic sophomore album “Peripheral Vision” with this 10 Year Anniversary Edition. Retaining the album’s iconic cover art, the packaging has been completely overhauled to include a new lyric poster & printed photo inner sleeve.

Released on May 4th, 2015 via Run For Cover Records, Turnover’s second album “Peripheral Vision” is widely regarded as an essential body of the work in the band’s discography, maturing its sound into a shoegaze-inflected post-punk direction following the band’s 2013 debut record “Magnolia”. Described as “a tour de force” by Kerrang!, the album set the stage for an extensive and prolific touring history over the past decade and three subsequent albums, including their most recent LP, 2022’s “Myself in the Way“.

Pressed on color vinyl, this special limited edition also includes two bonus tracks from the era – “Humblest Pleasures” and “Change Irreversible.”

releases May 2nd, 2025

Destroyer has just wrapped up his run opening for Father John Misty, and now Dan Bejar has announced a Destroyer headlining tour happening this fall in support of his upcoming album “Dan’s Boogie”.

“Dan’s Boogie” is out March 28th through Merge Records and it includes the new single from it is the sumptuous “Cataract Time,” a swaying, autumnal number that’s full of lightly plucked harp strings, atmospheric E-Bow’d guitars, and sultry sax. “The song is a reckoning, a dressing down, a walk in the park where you carefully record your steps and describe the park and somehow the recording and the description undoes you,” Dan says. “Which is why it’s important that the song be as groovy as it is. That part I didn’t see coming.

There is a lightness that points to a future, even if I think it’s the heaviest thing I’ve ever written. John outdid himself in the mix. His filigree harps changed everything. I think it is his favourite song on the record.”

Edwyn Collins, the Scottish indie great who fronted Orange Juice in the ’80s, scored a solo hit in the ’90s with “A Girl Like You,” and survived a massive, debilitating stroke in the ’00s, has announced ‘The Testimonial Tour – A Last Lap Around The U.K.,’ which he says will be his last-ever tour. It happens this fall with stops in Glasgow, Buxton, Bath, Southhampton, Brighton, London, Norwich, Manchester and Newcastle. .

The tour will be in support of upcoming 10th solo album, “Nation Shall Speak Unto Nation“, which is out March 14th via his own AED Records. He’s just shared a new single from it, “The Heart is a Foolish Little Thing,” which Edwyn says, “I suppose I’m thinking about heartbreak when you’re young and how daft it all seems now. At the time though, it’s intense. I remember.”

“The Heart is a Foolish Little Thing” is the second track from Edwyn’s 2025 album ‘Nation Shall Speak Unto Nation.’ The video is once again directed by Delbert Anthonio Wright and features the beautiful mountains and coastline of Caithness, Scotland. Edwyn’s cap is covering a very sore forehead after an unfortunate man-meets-asphalt incident! Out on his own AED Records on Friday 14th March 2025, the 11-track album was recorded at his Clashnarrow Studio in Helmsdale, North East Scotland and was co-produced by Edwyn with Sean Read & Jake Hutton.