British Folk-Rock Post-Punk duo, The Waeve, return with their latest guitar driven romp, “City Lights”.
Graham Coxon (Blur) and Rose Elinor Dougall return with the follow-up to last year’s acclaimed eponymous debut. Produced by James Ford (Fontaines DC, Arctic Monkeys), the record features both artists on vocal duties in addition to playing a host of instruments including saxophone, keyboards and drums. The WAEVE have established themselves as a song writing partnership to watch and with “City Lights” they further push the boundaries of their collaborative creativity, using this album to chronicle the evolution of their relationship and forays into parenthood.
“City Light”s is presented in a beautiful gatefold sleeve designed by Matt de Jong (Blur, Arlo Parks). The title track was released in May and added to the 6Music playlist, as well as garnering coverage on NME, DIY, Stereogum, Under The Radar + more. At this point the band were main support to Elbow across a full UK arena tour, in addition to their own sold-out headline show at London’s Hoxton Hall. This summer sees them play large scale shows with Noel Gallagher, Breeders plus Green Man Festival and their own headline show at Village Underground on 29.10, with a full album tour to follow in the spring.
“City Lights’, the new album by The WAEVE will be released on 20th September 2024. Includes the new single ‘You Saw’,
“Rave Immortal”, the debut album by ALT BLK ERA, is available to pre-order now, Artists that aren’t bound by any genre can do it all. We listen to whatever we want, we make whatever we want, we are whoever we want to be.” They sound like big words from Nyrobi until you hear “Rave Immortal”, is the debut album by ALT BLK ERA, the duo she formed with her sister Chaya in Nottingham in the later stages of lockdown.
Fearlessly bold in its vision and unbridled in its execution, this is an album seized by the shock of the urgent, an expression of defiant intention to be seen and heard and never again to be overlooked. Its ten bangers-in-waiting came to life during a whirlwind six-day recording session overseen by Natt Webb at RatCat Studios (The Struts, King Blonde).
The MOBO-nominated ALT BLK ERA are not just unbound by genre, they run circles around them. Listen to “Rave Immortal” and you hear the alt-metal of ‘Come on Outside’ rub shoulders with the earth-rumbling drum’n’bass pound of ‘Crashing Parties’. ‘Hunt You Down’ imagines a darkwave underworld version of Billie Eilish, while brash punk rap hyperfuels ‘Come Fight Me For It’. The dexterity is eye-watering even before you learn that the sisters are only 20 and 17 years old.
If the duo’s taut, tinderbox energy seems to scream with a frenetic need to maximise their every second, then there is a reason for that. In late 2020, Nyrobi was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, leaving her constantly tired and in acute pain. Amid a distressing time, the one salvation proved to be an online music course suggested to her by her mother. Attending twice a week alongside Chaya, it offered Nyrobi a focal point to her new life, a reason to take on the pain and get out of bed. The sisters reconnected in a profound way. Before long, they were writing songs together.
For a while, the sisters chose to hide the illness, fearful that the music industry would discriminate against them. But, true to the ALT BLK ERA philosophy, they have seized control of that narrative and are now proud to speak openly about the condition, in the hope that it will allow others to share their own hidden struggles. And woe betide anyone who is thinking about judging them for it.
Fans of the legendary blues-rock guitarist Rory Gallagher have reason to rejoice with the upcoming release of The BBC Collection. This comprehensive 20-disc set captures Gallagher’s electrifying live performances and studio sessions recorded at the BBC over 16 years, from 1971 to 1986. The collection includes 18 CDs of radio concerts and sessions, alongside two Blu-ray discs featuring BBC TV concerts and studio performances from 1973 to 1984.
More than three-quarters of the audio recordings in this set are being officially released for the first time, providing an unparalleled look into Gallagher’s dynamic performances. The Blu-ray discs, which include previously unreleased concert footage, offer a visual and auditory feast, showcasing Gallagher’s raw power and stage presence.
18 CDs of radio concerts and sessions from 1971-1986. 2 Blu-ray discs of BBC TV concerts and studio performances from 1973-1984. Rare recordings, including the 1977 dual television and radio broadcast Sight & Sound concert. Gallagher’s headlining set at the 1980 Reading Festival. The emotional At Midnight concert live from Ulster Hall in Belfast, 1984. The Best of Rory Gallagher at the BBC In addition to the comprehensive box set, fans can also enjoy The Best of Rory Gallagher at the BBC, available as a 2CD set or a triple-vinyl collection. These sets feature 11 of Gallagher’s top BBC studio recordings and a 13-track (12 on the 3LP) live performance from The Venue in 1979. This selection will also be available for digital download.
Rory Gallagher was one of the most recorded musicians at the BBC during the 1970s. This extensive box set has been curated from the BBC archives and Gallagher’s personal collection of transcription discs and off-air cassette recordings. It stands as a testament to Gallagher’s enduring influence and the energy he brought to every performance.
Author Nick Hornby shares a personal anecdote about his introduction to Rory Gallagher: “‘Tore Down’ was the first song I ever heard played… It’s a BBC recording of Rory Gallagher playing at the Paris Theatre in London in July 1972. And I was in the audience, aged 15, and those opening bars were enough to make me realize that this was something I wanted to do again and again…
‘Tore Down’ was my introduction to live, loud, amplified blues and when Gallagher had finished, my 15-year-old self could not contain his excitement. He ran down to the front to shake Rory’s hand… When the BBC did eventually broadcast the concert, I taped it by leaning the microphone from my clunky cassette recorder against the speaker of our old transistor radio and I listened to that tape over and over again.”
In addition, A 2CD and triple-LP ‘The Best of Rory Gallagher at the BBC’ sets will be released featuring eleven of Gallagher’s best BBC studio recordings and a thirteen track (twelve on 3LP) 1979 BBC In Concert Live from The Venue performance.
All three versions will be released on 11th October
Suede’s second album “Dog Man Star” will be reissued for its 30 Anniversary later this year. ‘Dog Man Star’ is seen by many as the band’s most musically adventurous album – sweeping strings sit next to orchestral ballads, epic widescreen pieces, indie anthems and trashy glam rock. It was the last to feature guitarist and co-songwriter Bernard Butler.
The band’s 1994 long-player would be the last to feature guitarist and co-songwriter Bernard Butler and includes the singles ‘We Are The Pigs’, ‘The Wild Ones’ and ‘New Generation’.
Sadly, there’s no SDE blu-ray edition, which we did last year for the band’s debut, but there will be a brand-new half-speed master in 2LP gatefold packaging and a 3CD deluxe edition seven-inch packaging
The 3CD set includes B-sides and the full-length version of the non-album single ‘Stay Together’ and other bonus tracks and rarities from the period.
The reissue features revised cover art, with design undertaken for Suede’s by official designer and photographer Paul Khera. There’s also new sleeve notes by Simon Price.
“Dog Man Star” will be reissued on 4th October 2024 via Demon Music. A seven-inch picture disc of ‘We Are The Pigs’ will also be issued on 13th September.
Suede: Dog Man Star – 30th Anniversary Edition 3CD Deluxe Packaging
This album celebrates the 30th Anniversary of Suede’s second album
Housed in a brand new 7″ Deluxe Gatefold Packaging
It includes the classic hit singles ‘We Are The Pigs’, ‘The Wild Ones’, and ‘New Generation’
CD2 has B-sides and the full-length version of the non-album single ‘Stay Together’ and CD3 includesadditional tracks and rarities from the period
Art and design has been undertaken for Suede by official designer and photographer Paul Khera
Features new sleeve notes by Cure / Manic Street Preachers biographer Simon Price
‘Come Ahead’ is the new album by Primal Scream. Not out ’til November, The 11-track album is produced by David Holmes and the during the songwriting process Bobby Gillespie found himself writing alone, using an acoustic guitar, with lyrics coming before the music, for the first time. You can preview Love Insurrection,
I’m very excited about this album in a way that you would be making your first record. If there was an overall theme to “Come Ahead” it might be one of conflict, whether inner or outer. The title is a Glaswegian term. If someone threatens to fight you, you say, ‘come ahead!’ It’s redolent of the indomitable spirit of the Glaswegian, and the album itself shares that aggressive attitude and confidence. They have a word for this up there, gallus. “Come Ahead” quite a cheeky title too.
Described as featuring “some of the most personal songwriting of the band’s career” the sessions were completed between Belfast, London and Los Angeles with guitarist Andrew Innes and Holmes.
“Come Ahead” will be released on 8th November, via BMG Records.
The 18th July, 1980 saw the release of Joy Division’s second LP ‘Closer’. This is arguably one of if not the most influential albums of the eighties. Recorded earlier in the year over the last two weeks of March and produced by Martin Hannet it displays the Affection, Despair, Depression and Fear being felt by Ian Curtis. It’s a true masterpiece of the time and where the debut album ‘Unknown Pleasures’ is the more guitar based Joy Division, “Closer” gave a more textural keyboard sound somewhat ushering in what the soon to be New Order would become.
The second album from influential Manchester post-punk band Joy Division is arguably superior to their landmark debut, featuring more ambitious arrangements and production (once again by Martin Hannett). “Closer” would also be the foursome’s final album, released just a couple of months after lead singer Ian Curtis‘ suicide. That context, the funereal look of its cover and the despairing outlook of tracks like “Atrocity Exhibition,” “Isolation” and “Heart and Soul” combined to make the set a goth touchstone.
Joy Division’s second and last album, ‘Closer’, was released thirteen months after ‘Unknown Pleasures’. It’s tempting to see it as literally the “closer” to their career, but to me ‘Closer’ sounds more like an interim record. This LP has the hiemal sonic palette of ‘Unknown Pleasures’ while also introducing synthesisers, off-centre rhythms (‘Heart and Soul’), disco (‘Decades’) and a piano (‘The Eternal’). It’s fascinating to think what Joy Division would have done on the third album – perhaps they’d have expanded further into experimental and industrial music, focussing on texture rather than arrangement.
There are some crackers on this record. ‘Isolation’ stands as one of the best things either band has ever done. These lads can really write a pop song when they put their mind to it – see also ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’, ‘Blue Monday’ and ‘Plastic’. They just had the knack for an ear-worm chorus and masterful melody.
On ‘Closer’, Martin Hannet’s production is top class as usual. He was most definitely to Joy Division what George Martin was to The Beatles. Heard in their original form, without Hannet’s input, Joy Division songs might have seemed rough-hewn and incomplete. You get the sense that without Hannet’s hand on the tiller (or if he’d listened too intently to Sumner and Hook’s advice) these songs would be pretty nondescript. Hannet’s production coats the songs in ice, carving detailing into them while allowing each instrument space to breathe.
It’s tempting to think of these classic albums as existing in total seclusion. Sometimes music can sound so fresh and original that the influences are left by the wayside, and ‘Closer’ is the same. However, let’s not forget about the effect that NEU! had on Joy Division’s repetitive rhythms, how the mostly chorus-led songs drew from The Velvet Underground, or Jim Morrison’s influence on Curtis’ vocal style.
‘Closer’ is famously a somewhat-posthumous album given that Curtis passed away before its release on the eve of a U.S. tour. It made for a tragic end to the short and storied career of what many see as one of the most influential Western bands of all time.
Available again on vinyl, “Closer” was named Album of the Year by Britain’s NME and, 40 years after its release, has lost none of its haunting power.
After teasing their legendary BBC recordings on two Record Store Day releases, the Faces are set to make fans “Shake, Shudder, Shiver” with a comprehensive boxed set to be released September 6th, 2024, the “Faces At The BBC — Complete BBC Concert & SessionRecordings 1970-1973” will be released. This 8CD/Blu-ray box set captures all of the surviving BBC recordings of The Faces, showcasing their electrifying performances and unique style.
The comprehensive box set compiles the band’s BBC concerts and studio sessions, much of which have never been released before. Remastered with the full cooperation of Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood, and Kenney Jones, the collection promises a fresh, high-quality listening experience.
One of the standout features of this release is the Blu-ray, which includes newly restored footage from Faces’ April 1972 appearance on “Sounds for Saturday.” This concert is a testament to the band’s peak form, radiating their joyous rock ’n’ roll spirit that has inspired generations. Fans can get a preview with the release of “Stay With Me (Live on Sounds For Saturday, BBC, April 1, 1972)”.
Accompanying the music is a lavishly illustrated 48-page hardback booklet, featuring new commentary from surviving band members and archival quotes from Ronnie Lane, Ian McLagan, and John Peel. BBC broadcaster Gary Crowley provides detailed liner notes, including a new interview with Jeff Griffin, the producer of all the Faces’ BBC concerts.
Many of the recordings thought lost have been recovered from the Faces’ archives and private collections. Notably, the collection includes a stereo mix of the May 13, 1971, Paris Cinema concert and a February 1973 show that was never aired due to the BBC’s concerns over the band’s rowdy interaction with the audience.
The Faces’ journey with the BBC was fraught with initial challenges, as the band was initially deemed “not serious” enough for airplay. However, John Peel, the legendary broadcaster, championed the band and secured their first BBC session on March 9th, 1970. In the liner notes, Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood, and Kenney Jones express their gratitude for Peel’s support, acknowledging that without him, the Faces might not have achieved their breakthrough.
“Faces At The BBC — Complete BBC Concert & Session Recordings 1970-1973” spans the band’s formation and meteoric rise. Exploring a period of intense creativity, which included four Faces studio albums (“First Step”, “Long Player”, “A Nod Is As Good As A Wink…To A Blind Horse”…, and “Ooh La La“) and several solo albums that Stewart recorded with most of the band (“Gasoline Alley”, “Every Picture Tells A Story”, “Never A Dull Moment”, and “Smiler“).
The box set includes live versions of fan favourites such as “Bad ’n’ Ruin,” “Had Me A Real Good Time,” “Miss Judy’s Farm,” “Too Bad,” and the hit single “Stay With Me.” Several of Stewart’s solo songs were performed as well, including, “(I Know) I’m Losing You” and the U.S. and U.K. No. 1 hit, “Maggie May.”
As a special highlight, the collection features John Peel’s Christmas Carol Concert, originally broadcast on Boxing Day 1970. This unique performance includes Stewart singing “Away In A Manger” and a carol medley sung by a choir featuring the Faces, their roadies, John Peel, Marc Bolan of T-Rex, and others.
“Faces At The BBC — Complete BBC Concert & Session Recordings 1970-1973” is available for pre-order now. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to own a piece of rock history, meticulously restored and presented for a new generation of fans.
“Do you still believe it?” John Ross asks that question after journeying through the wreckage. The genesis of “Dulling The Horns” goes back to late 2022, when Ross began workshopping new material during soundcheck on the ILYSM tour. Last summer, Wild Pink decamped to western Massachusetts to reunite with engineer Justin Pizzoferrato. Ross decided to record “Dulling The Horns” live in the room, in an effort to capture Wild Pink’s onstage style — rawer, grainier. Gone are the glimmering atmospherics and studio affectations of recent Wild Pink outings. Instead, Ross’ voice is haggard against the humid distortion coating every song. “I wanted to make economical songs,” Ross explains. “Music that is very much at its core three or four people rocking.”
If before, Wild Pink took notes from Springsteen and Petty, they’ve now entered their Crazy Horse era. On “Dulling The Horns”, you can hear him rediscovering the fire in real time.
Tropes discarded along the roadside, songs pulled from the formative DNA of rock music, all filtered through years of messy fog. “There is no answer to these problems,” Ross says, having eventually yielded. But as far “Dulling The Horns” is concerned, there’s at least one path forward: Burn it all away, and keep moving. The album was mixed by Alex Farrar in Asheville NC, mastered by Greg Obis in Chicago, IL and is out in October on Fire Talk.
‘Dulling The Horns’ Wild Pink’s debut for Fire Talk — is out October 4th
Pink Floyd’s first concert in Japan, at the Hakone Aphrodite festival, released as a special 2-disc package in a 7-inch sleeve, containing the “Atom Heart Mother” album on CD and a Blu-ray disc featuring newly discovered video of the performance from over 50 years ago. Originally only released in Japan in 2021, the set contains some unique memorabilia – a special photo book containing many rare, never-seen-before photos, reproductions of the pamphlet, the poster, the concert ticket, and the flier distributed at the event. The only Pink Floyd footage at Hakone Aphrodite that exists is that of the 16-minute-long suite “Atom Heart Mother.” The details including whereabouts of the master film and how it was shot had been a mystery for a long time. However, after fifty years, the original 16mm film of this video was discovered in a fan’s garage.
The meticulous processes of digitizing, restoring and remastering was undertaken and finally this enhanced video will be released outside of Japan. Over 50 years ago, Japan’s first international outdoor rock festival “Hakone Aphrodite” was held at a specially built venue beside Hakone Ashinoko Lake on August 6th and 7th, 1971. Pink Floyd’s first ever concert in Japan was as headliner for the festival. Aspiring to be the Japanese Woodstock, The “Hakone Aphrodite” invited many international artists and became the first rock festival experience for many Japanese fans.
The set contains not only the original live footage (with audio taken from the gig at Hakone Aphrodite), but also behind-the-scenes footage of the band, travelling between the airport, the hotel, the press conference, the bullet train, the show set-up, and, of course, beautiful Japanese scenery.
Vanilla Fudge are being celebrated with a box set comprising their complete output for Atlantic’s Atco label made between 1967 and 1969. “Where Is My Mind? The Atco Recordings 1967-1969” arrives September 27th, 2024, via Cherry Red Records’ Esoteric label. The collection, on 9-CDs, includes the albums “Vanilla Fudge” (mono and stereo versions), “The Beat Goes On” (mono and stereo versions), “Renaissance”, “Near the Beginning”, and “Rock & Roll”, along with a 2-CD live recording at the Fillmore West in 1969, as well as session outtakes and rare singles, all newly remastered from the original master tapes.
Featuring Mark Stein (vocals, organ), Vincent Martell (guitar, vocals), Tim Bogert (bass, vocals) and Carmine Appice (drums, vocals), the band were originally known as The Pigeons and gained attention thanks to their radical, slowed down and heavy interpretations of current hits.
They signed to Atco Records, a division of Atlantic in April 1967 and changed their name to Vanilla Fudge at the insistence of Atlantic founder Ahmet Ertegun. Their radical cover version of The Supremes’ hit “You Keep Me Hanging On” was issued as a single in June 1967. Dominated by the hard hitting approach of their rhythm section and the powerful Hammond organ playing of Stein,
The band’s self-titled debut album was released in August 1967 and was a psychedelic rock tour-de-force, featuring a seven-minute version of “You Keep Me Hanging On,” along with imaginative cover versions of compositions by The Beatles, The Zombies (“She’s Not There”) and Curtis Mayfield, among others. Over the next two years, Vanilla Fudge would record a series of albums that would evolve from psychedelic rock to heavy rock and influence many emerging bands, among them Deep Purple, before disbanding in 1970.
9CD BOXED SET FEATURING OF THE COMPLETE ATCO RECORDINGS BY VANILLA FUDGE MADE BETWEEN 1967 AND 1969. NEWLY REMASTERED FROM THE ORIGINAL MASTER TAPES.
INCLUDES THE ALBUMS ‘VANILLA FUDGE’ (mono & stereo versions), ‘THE BEAT GOES ON’ (mono & stereo versions), ‘RENAISSANCE’, ‘NEAR THE BEGINNING’ AND ‘ROCK & ROLL’, ALONG WITH A 2CD LIVE RECORDING AT THE FILLMORE WEST IN 1969, SESSION OUT-TAKES AND RARE SINGLES.
The Fat Angel Sings 