The Fat Angel Sings

In early 2025 the Skids complete BBC Sessions are to be compiled onto CD and LP by Scottish label Last Night From Glasgow. The double album features the five sessions the Skids recorded for John Peel with the BBC between 1978 and 1980. The release includes the BBC session recordings of fan favourites “The Saints Are Coming”, “Masquerade” and “Circus Games“. The legendary Scottish punk band remain as influential as ever, even 45 years. Dunfermline’s sons Skids originally formed in 1977. Within six months of their inception, the band had dropped the “Charles” EP which would lead them to the attention of legendary BBC radio DJ John Peel, with whom they would record five separate sessions over the next two years while working on their first three LPs released during that period – “Scared To Dance” (1979), “Days In Europa” (1979) and “The Absolute Game” (1980).

This new set of 2xLP collection collates all of these sessions and boasts choice from some of the aforementioned albums such as ‘Six Times’, ‘Masquerade’, and the highly popularised once covered by U2 and Green Day ‘The Saints Are Coming’, while also offering never officially released cuts like ‘Hang On To The Shadows’ as well as their frenetic cover of Lou Reed’s ‘Walk On The Wild Side’.

The Skids rose to fame with 1979 single “Into The Valley” and their 1980 album “The Absolute Game“. With almost 50 years under their belt the group, led by Richard Jobson, remain as thrilling as ever, as evident with their last album “Destination Dusseldorf” in 2023.

You cannot downplay the importance and sheer brilliance of Pink Floyd’s masterpiece “The Wall”. “Back Against The Wall” is a phenomenal tribute that I think the creators of the original recording will find most pleasing.

When you assemble some of the most recognizable names in classic and progressive rock, Featuring some of the more important artists in the history of recorded music, how could it possibly not be a great recording and make an impact? Just look at the credits, . Ian Anderson, Tony Levin, Steve Howe, Tommy Shaw, Ronnie Montrose, Rick Wakeman, Every contributor to this project has earned a multitude of respect over the years.

This is the closest thing to the real deal as you can get. The vocals are similar to how Roger Waters and David Gilmour sounded in their prime, and the musicianship is most notable. Every song kicks some ass, . It is difficult to put it any other way actually. In a sense, “The Wall” paralleled the “Dark Side Of The Moon” in it’s success (years on the charts) and originality. I know Roger Waters was given most of the credit for this album, but let us not forget that collectively Pink Floyd was a band and they are the ones that went to the studio every day to record this, even if it was one person’s brainchild, it took a group of people to make an album such as this.

After a few songs, it makes you feel like you are listening to the original recording all over again. I would think that is whole idea behind this, it is a tribute to Pink Floyd. Each musician has their time to show their appreciation in each song to a band that helped shape their own music. It is obvious that a lot of heart and soul went into this and the sound is clear, full, and powerful-everything that Pink Floyd was when they produced an album.

Features performances by members of King Crimson (Adrian Belew, Tony Levin), ELP (Keith Emerson), The Doors (Robby Krieger), Jethro Tull (Ian Anderson), Yes (Rick Wakeman, Steve Howe, Alan White, Tony Kaye) Deep Purple (Glenn Hughes, Steve Morse), Styx (Tommy Shaw) & Toto (Steve Lukather, Steve Porcaro), PLUS award-winning actor Malcolm McDowell and many more! Limited edition RED vinyl pressing in a deluxe gatefold jacket!

A very special limited edition reissue of the monumental tribute to Roger Waters’ art-rock opera, Pink Floyd’s “The Wall“, performed by the biggest stars of progressive rock music!

The original riders on the psychedelic storm get their own minds blown by the leaders of the new psych rock movement on this stellar tribute to The Doors!
Features performances by The Black Angels, The Raveonettes, Clinic, Psychic Ills, Sons Of Hippies, Elephant Stone, Dead Skeletons and more!
Incredibly innovative and unique versions of The Doors’ classic tracks including “L.A. Woman,” “Riders On The Storm,” “Light My Fire,” “Love Me Two Times” and others

Cleopatra Records

While it may not quite be even better than the real thing, “V-U2 An Immersive Concert Film at Sphere Las Vegas” is a dazzling presentation of the Irish bands recent run at the state-of-the-art facility. V-U2 is the first film ever to be shot entirely with Big Sky, the ground breaking ultra-high-resolution camera system developed by Sphere Entertainment. V-U2 does not just capture U2’s epic run at Sphere, it allows audiences to feel like they are at the live shows.

Currently part of Sphere’s programming, this “immersive concert film” is precisely that: A roughly 70-minute pre-recorded performance by Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and drummer Bram van den Berg (who filled in at the Sphere shows for Larry Mullen Jr. as he battled his health issues). The concert footage itself was presented masterfully, a rendered visualization of the band’s turntable stage setup for the V-U2 residency more or less making it look like the musicians were actually in the building. The recorded footage incorporated crowd noise, the frame of the projected stage also capturing the fans up close, which added to the realism of what was essentially a live concert video.

Given the technical capabilities of Sphere venue though, this felt like so much more than a mere concert film. While not every song on the set list — which touched on key U2 classics including “Where the Streets Have No Name,” “One,” “With Or Without You,” “Vertigo” and some of the “Achtung Baby” songs that were the basis of the residency gigs utilized the awe-inspiring visual capabilities that Sphere has become known for, those that did elicited gasps from the crowd.

Sometimes we just want to be told that it’ll be alright. Sharon Van Etten understands this, and the past decade has been one of collaborative and electrified in-studio tinkering for her after years of indie rock songs steeped in solo-songwriter introspection. Van Etten is going all-in on jam sessions with her redressed band, the Attachment Theory, in 2025. During recent tour rehearsals, the musician found herself initiating extended jams with her long time band for the first time. The resulting 10-track album’s promo cycle kicked off with lead single and dark synth odyssey “Afterlife.” “Will you see me in the afterlife? / Will you tell me what you think it’s like?” Van Etten asks over the ’80s synth-rock squall.

Van Etten is trying on a new guise here and it’s refreshing to hear her revelry. “Afterlife” owns its longing through its drum pad beat, synth growls, and soaring melody that only the goth-rock and synth-pop genre favorites truly crystallized, all while Van Etten’s yearning for a lost loved one takes center stage. For so many of us, 2024 was full of scrambled signals and media distractions. “Afterlife” looks to human connection to unshackle our grief so we can wake up from the dream of modern life. A jam band can be a ridiculous endeavor without self-editing, but Van Etten and the Attachment Theory let their hair down and step out of the dream world with confidence.

The Waterboys have announced their new album, “Life, Death And Dennis Hopper”, which will be out April 4th via Sun Records. The 25-song double LP is entirely about the counterculture icon and acclaimed actor and director, and features contributions from Bruce Springsteen, Fiona Apple, Steve Earle, and more.

“The arc of his life was the story of our times,” says Waterboys bandleader Mike Scott, “He was at the big bang of youth culture in “Rebel Without A Cause” with James Dean; and the beginnings of Pop Art with the young Andy Warhol. He was part of the counter-culture, hippie, civil rights and psychedelic scenes of the ’60s. In the ’70s and ’80s he went on a wild 10-year rip, almost died, came back, got straight and became a five-movies-a-year character actor without losing the sparkle in his eye or the sense of danger or unpredictability that always gathered around him.”

You may remember that one of the singles from The Waterboys’ 2020 album “Good Luck, Seeker” was “Dennis Hopper” so this is a subject that has been rumbling around Mike Scott’s head for a while. The first single from this new album is “Hopper’s On Top (Genius)” and will be released this Friday, January 10th.

“Life, Death And Dennis Hopper” is the first Waterboys album for the legendary Sun Records – ”Hey, we’re labelmates with Howlin’ Woif and young Elvis!” says Scott , the record also features contributions from Anana Kaye, Barny Fletcher, Sugarfoot, Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes, Kathy Valentine of The Go-Go’s, and Patti Palladin.

Some may know the story of Jesse Malin. The longtime cornerstone of New York’s East Village music scene suffered a traumatic spinal stroke in 2023, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. The singer-songwriter, who has long preached “positive mental attitude”, persevered through months of medical treatments and physical therapy with the hope of returning to the stage. That goal was realized earlier this month at New York’s famed Beacon Theatre.

Just a few highlights from Malin’s two-night stand at the Beacon. We kick things off with one of the show’s more emotional moments – a seated Malin pulling himself up to stand in front of a mic and belting out his R&B gem “She Don’t Love Me Now”. From there we get Steve Van Zandt serving up an electrifying guitar solo on Malin’s “Turn Up the Mains”, Elvis Costello and Lucinda Williams covering the Rolling Stones’ “Wild Horses”, Butch Walker rocking out Malin’s “In the Modern World”, Dinosaur Jr.’s J Mascis letting his guitar wail on Malin’s “Brooklyn” and, at Jesse’s request, Adam Duritz and David Immerglück from Counting Crows performing their own “A Long December”. And how about the rousing close from night one – Malin leading all of the above, save Van Zandt, on a cover of the Clash’s “Rudy Can’t Fail”.

To support Malin’s recovery, many friends and fans – including Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joe Armstrong, to name just a few – banded together to record a tribute album Silver Patron Saints. You can also support Malin’s recovery via the Sweet Relief Foundation.

The album is a celebration of the band’s success and the moments that have defined it. The band’s lead singer, Brandon Coleman, says the album is about overcoming life’s challenges, such as loneliness, depression, and hopelessness. They certainly deliver these songs with an almost religious fervor that smashes the obstacles they have overcome.

The album was produced by Dave Cobb, and as he always seems to do, the production captures the band’s live magic. (This is especially evident since they also released a live album this year.) You will hear elements of Country, Soul and Gospel. However, they are first and foremost a Rock & Roll Band.

Their debut album has become a massive word-of-mouth success Stateside, driven by the breakout hit single ‘Wondering Why’. With their incendiary chemistry on stage and eclectic rock-n-roll sound they’re being hailed across the US as one of the most exciting bands to break through in 2024. Led by the hugely charismatic lead vocalist and guitarist Brandon Coleman, blessed with film-star good looks and the soulful vocals of a gospel confessional, he becomes possessed on stage with the power of a Southern fire-and-brimstone preacher.

After a stunning appearance on Jools’ Annual Hootenanny to usher in the new year, folk-bluegrass musical ensemble The Dead South will be heading out on tour in March 2025.

The Dead South have never been about constant reinvention, but about full commitment to their own singular way. With confidence in their sound and style and trust in each other, The Dead South arrive at the cusp of explosive global success in an enviable, and well-earned, position: total autonomy. It doesn’t really matter what you call their music – progressive bluegrass, alternative Americana, country, folk and western, what matters is that this is theirs, and people from all different backgrounds, beliefs, experiences, languages and ages love it.

The Dead South perform “A Little Devil / 20 Mile Jump” at Jools’ Annual Hootenanny 2024.