Tag Archives: alt rock

St. Patrick’s Day Playlist

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

As a tribute, I have compiled the playlist below to celebrate some of the best Irish music.

Now before anyone gets upset, I know that the artists listed below are a mixture from both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland (as well as other countries).  I understand that these are two separate countries and mean no offence by creating this list.  This playlist is in honour of St. Patrick’s Day, so admittedly I have bundled them all together.  No disrespect meant to either nation.

Anyway, the only offensive thing about this list is that Van bloody Morrison managed to weasel his way into my music collection.  Still, at least it’s not “Brown Eyed Girl” (piece of crap song)…

  1. Thin Lizzy – “Whiskey in the Jar”
  2. Stiff Little Fingers – “Alternative Ulster”
  3. The Dubliners & The Pogues – “The Irish Rover”
  4. Therapy? – “Screamager”
  5. Flogging Molly – “If I Ever Leave This World Alive”
  6. Ash – “Burn Baby Burn”
  7. Gary Moore with Phil Lynott – “Out in the Fields”
  8. The Undertones – “My Perfect Cousin”
  9. Imelda May – “Sneaky Freak”
  10. The Answer – “Too Far Gone”
  11. The Dubliners – “Seven Drunken Nights”
  12. Van Morrison – “Madame George”
  13. U2 – “Pride (In the Name of Love)”

Dead Wolf Club and Saltwater Injection Gig Review

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Dead Wolf Club + Saltwater Injection

Thursday 26th February 2015

The Compass, Chester

Back to the Compass in Chester for some more rock’n’roll!  I was able to catch local band Saltwater Injection again, plus new discovery Dead Wolf Club.

Saltwater Injection makes a reliably noisy racket with just a bass guitar and a drum kit.  The bass stirs a sludgy broth of Melvins style aggressive punk, while the drums thrash away relentlessly.  It’s not all noise – beneath the cacophony, the audience can define melodies as well as crushing riffs. Catchy, sing along melodies, even!

The set gives us original songs in this vein, plus a Beatles tribute infused with a punk Monty Python spirit.  Add in a song written on the spot, following a title suggestion from the audience; and genuinely funny, self deprecating stage banter and you’ve got a concoction that is quite infectious.  Great band and one to catch!

Up next are head liners Dead Wolf Club, a four piece with a similar punk rock approach but different delivery.  This band offers an intense, swirling sound that develops from a Joy Formidable accessibility to a crushing Joy Division cinematic scope.

It’s post hardcore performed with an admirable earnestness and honesty.  Dead Wolf Club’s songs – part Steve Albini, part Fugazi, part grungey indie – build and build, showing a sense of scale and ambition.  Unfortunately it’s over too soon, and everything suddenly seems far too quiet…

Another blinding night at the Compass, which has grown into an intimate venue for in-your-face rock music.  Good beer, friendly staff and a fantastic AC/DC pinball machine don’t hurt either!

The Compass website is here.

The Saltwater Injection website is here.

The Dead Wolf Club website is here.

Saltwater Injection
Dead Wolf Club

Bizarre Magazine Playlist

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The most recent issue of that misfit of British publications, Bizarre magazine, was sadly the last.

Over the years, Bizarre magazine featured articles that astounded, amazed, and entertained as it explored the fringes of popular culture.  Sometimes gross, sometimes weird, always entertaining – each issue offered content that would never be published elsewhere. Biz

Amongst the counter culture oddness and thought provoking investigations, I found many an interesting film to track down in their review pages.

Bizarre also covered many musicians/bands that strayed from the familiar paths.  Whether in the regular monthly review section or in the excellent “Bizarre Albums” features, I found a few favourites and some new treasures.

This playlist is comprised of just some of the bands featured in the magazine over the years, in some form or other.  As a sort of tribute (hell, I’ve even got the first issue lurking around in the garage…).

Bizarre Magazine Playlist

  1. Christopher Lee – “The Impossible Dream (The Quest)”
  2. Fantomas – “One Step Beyond”
  3. The Moog Cookbook – “Basket Case”
  4. Mr Bungle – “Chemical Marriage”
  5. Jean Jacques Perry – “E.V.A.”
  6. Lord Sitar – “I Can See For Miles”
  7. Alice In Chains – “Heaven Beside You”
  8. Yma Sumac – “Malambo #1”
  9. Spike Jones – “Power House”
  10. Hanna-Barbera – “Tra La La Song (Banana Splits Theme)”
  11. Christopher Lee – “Act V: Starlight”
  12. Zombina and the Skeletones – “Punk Rock Vampires Destroy!”
  13. Electric Eel Shock – “Goodbye Peach”
  14. Ween – “Spinal Meningitis (Got Me Down)”
  15. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – “Stagger Lee”

There are tons more bands I could add to this list.  Many more covered by the magazine can be found in the catacombs of my iPod.  But this will do nicely for now.

Thanks and goodbye Bizarre magazine.  In particular for the wonder of Christopher Lee’s albums; not to mention Zombina and the Skeletones and Electric Eel Shock – two of the best live bands I’ve ever seen!

Winter Rocks – Canada

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Way back when I started this blog, the very first post in the Music section was about Scandinavian bands/artists.  I was inspired by the cold weather in early 2013 to listen to music from Scandinavia as a theme for the winter months.

Two years on and I needed another theme for this winter’s music homework.  So despite no (or very little) snow, I went with another northern country and chose Canada.

Now I’m sure that the summer weather in Canada is very nice, but without falling prey to stereotypes, the theme fits.  Plus there are loads of artists from that country to fill my playlist.

Here they are:

  • Alanis Morissette
  • Annihilator
  • Bachman Turner Overdrive
  • Black Mountain
  • Bryan Adams
  • Cancer Bats
  • Cauldron
  • Death From Above 1979
  • Godspeed You! Black Emperor
  • The Guess Who
  • Neil Young
  • Nickleback
  • Rush
  • Shania Twain
  • SNFU
  • Steppenwolf
  • Voivod

There you go: a fairly eclectic mix of everything from country to thrash metal.

My thanks to Matt Barnes, who introduced me to quite a few artists on this list (but not Shania or Alanis…).

Did I forget anyone?  Leave further Canadian music suggestions in a comment below.

Stipe – R.E.M. Tribute Gig Review

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Stipe

Saturday 24th January 2015

The Live Rooms, Chester

The great thing about tribute bands is the ability to witness music by defunct groups that you wouldn’t otherwise get to hear. Unfortunately REM have ceased to exist, so an evening with Stipe goes some way to filling a void. As the premier REM tribute band, they offer up authentic, exciting versions of songs that, nowadays, you can only hear on your music player of choice.

I’ve seen Stipe a few times before, always at Alexander’s in Chester, which is a much smaller and intimate venue. So it was going to be interesting to see how they fared in a larger venue like the Live Rooms. There was no need to worry: Stipe performed brilliantly, bringing their versions of classic alt rock tunes to an eager audience.

The set was split into two sections, enabling the band to delve into the REM back catalogue and dig out gems from across their career. It says a lot that Stipe are able to entertain both the more casual fan and the die-hard aficionado like my mate; he sang along with every single line, no matter how obscure. Stipe1

Where this band succeeds is in the accuracy of the sound. Though the lead singer certainly looks the part, his voice is a fairly uncanny likeness of Michael Stipe’s. He may have the moves down to an impressive level, but the voice is what really works, especially on “Orange Crush” (with megaphone prop!) and “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?” Stipe2

The other musicians also manage to create a brilliant rendition of the songs, fully convincing and delivered with confidence and enthusiasm. When they bring out a mandolin for “Losing My Religion”, it’s like welcoming an old friend who isn’t even on Facebook.

Any minus points?   Well “Shiny Happy People” has never been a favourite of mine, and it gets a rare turn in the spotlight tonight.   To be fair though, it’s a faithful version and I enjoyed it!  It would also be nice to see a live keyboard player added to the line up again, so we’ll get to hear classics like “Nightswimming”.

All in all, it’s another success for the Live Rooms. No disrespect to other venues, but it’s nice to see Stipe doing so well in this larger environment. Stipe did not fail to deliver: they can be relied on to accurately recreate the sound of REM and entertain an audience. Close your eyes, and it could almost be the real thing. And that’s how a tribute band should be, right?

Let’s hope they’re back soon.

Stipe’s Facebook page is here.

Stipe’s website is here.

The Live Rooms website is here.

Chester Rocks 2014

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Chester Rocks

Saturday 7th June 2014

Chester Racecourse

I went to the first Chester Rocks festival at the Racecourse back in 2011.  The main reason for this was to see the living legend, Godfather of Punk, Iggy Pop.  With the Stooges, no less.  Performing songs from (one of the greatest albums of all time) “Raw Power”!  That was not to be missed, not when Sir Iggy and pals were playing so close to home.  Also playing on the day were attractions such as Feeder and Leftfield – so a bargain of a day out right on my doorstep.

That was the “rock” (as in “Chester Rocks”) day.  The previous day had seen a pop theme with McFly, The Saturdays, Sugababes and some geezer called Taio Cruz (is that how you spell it?  How the flip do you say it??!).  Our rock day saw glorious weather and a fun day out, and the consensus was that this event would be a great annual fixture, should we see more of the same in the future.

Alas, Chester is a city (small C) with no culture.  No cinema, no theatre, few options for live music.  Culture, in Chester, is thousands of drunken, vomiting Hollyoaks wannabes watching horses run round a field.  And so, alas, Chester opted to jettison the “rock” for the far more lucrative teeny bopper pop market.  Chasing the dollar won out, though Rocks was retained as a (somewhat inappropriate) name. CR1

This year, I was lucky enough to be offered a couple of free tickets for the Saturday, and happily snapped them up.  Although none of the bands were favourites, it was a chance to enjoy a day out and see some live music.  So why not?

The featured acts – three big name bands, plus local support – were all on the big main stage on the field.  Quite an impressive place for the smaller bands to play.  The only negative was looking to be the weather – a thunder storm that morning with more forecast for that evening.

The first band I caught were local Chester band The Suns.  I’d never seen them before, but had heard some good words in advance.  I was expecting some friendly, straight forward Indie, but they were very different.  Taking to the stage in black suits, with a vocalist with a massive beard, they actually sounded more like a rockabilly band.  Oh wait – I get it!  Sun Records – The Suns?  Bloody marvellous!  The rumours are true, The Suns are fantastic.  Full of swagger and charm, they’re like The Hives if they’d been formed in 1956 by Elvis, Cash and Perkins.  Catch them soon.  Band of the day and no mistake.

Next up were The Fallows, another local band.  Coincidently, I had seen this band before at my previous visit to Chester Rocks.  Back in 2011, Shaun Ryder had disgraced himself with an incompetent, puked-up set of utter shit.  I wandered off to see a Battle of the Bands in another area, where I found The Fallows making Ryder look like a lager chimp.  Four years later and The Fallows are on this huge main stage.  They’re still great.  The singer has obviously been to Indie School, where he majored in Richard Ashcroft; but fair does he’s got the balls to superstar it up, way up there.  There are hints of U2 and The Verve, and the rumbling bass helps make this set another success. CR2

Purge are next.  Never heard of ’em, but they had to be on soon, judging by the number of punters wearing their t-shirts.  They brought the whole fan club.  Hailing from Manchester,   these guys are more of an early RHCP/Primus hybrid.  Bring the funk!  Good fun, these boys have tons of confidence and are worth keeping an eye on.

Before Purge’s set began, we had a fine example of the type of punter Chester Rocks attracts.  Purge fans were waving a huge, home made blanket banner – and a group behind who had their view obscured were unhappy.  So riled were they, they barged in and grabbed the banner down and made off with it, in an eruption of petulant self-righteousness.  Obviously they don’t go to gigs much.  Can’t see?  Move.  It’s a big fucking field.

The main bands of the evening were The Hoosiers, The Feeling and Razorlight.  Can’t say I’m familiar with any of them.  It’s light weight, inoffensive Indie pop – though it all seems to blur into one another.  A couple of songs I recognised from DFS adverts.  They’re all enjoyable and nice enough.  I don’t really want to say a bad word about any of the bands, as despite the rain, it’s a jolly day.  I won’t be buying their music, but for a free evenings entertainment I ain’t complaining.

Just think how cool it could have been though.  From Iggy Pop to Hollyoaks.  Where next?

Another Random Bike Ride Playlist!

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A cheeky little playlist from a few weeks back.  You know the score: hit shuffle, see what music provides the soundtrack for my bike ride.  This adventure was around fifteen miles.

  1. GBH – “Do What You Do”
  2. Revolution Mother – “Runaway Train”
  3. The B-52s – “Mesopotamia”
  4. Big Black – “Bad Penny”
  5. Jimmy Sabater – “La Flauta”
  6. Elton John – “Circle of Life”
  7. Big Chief – “Cop Kisser (Mack Fucks Up the Scene at the Freezer)”
  8. Kenny Rogers & The First Edition – “Heed the Call”
  9. Mudhoney – “In My Finest Suit”
  10. Queen – “Bijou”
  11. Machine Head – “Hallowed Be Thy Name”
  12. Ugly Duckling – “Smack”
  13. The Yardbirds – “Evil Hearted You”
  14. Audio Bullys – “Take You There”
  15. Ramones – “Poison Heart”
  16. PJ Harvey – “Down by the Water”
  17. Mikis Theodorakis – “Fragosiriani”
  18. Living Colour – “Ignorance is Bliss”
  19. Slash – “Doctor Alibi”
  20. GangStarr – “You Know My Steez (RMX)”
  21. Kiss – “Comin’ Home”
  22. Corrosion of Conformity – “Loss for Words”
  23. Iggy Pop & The Stooges – “Consolation Prizes”
  24. Public Enemy – “Can’t Truss It”
  25. Revolting Cocks – “Prune Tang”

Random Longboard Playlist

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A longboard is, for those who don’t know, a skateboard.  A very long skateboard.  It’s great for just cruising around on, carving, getting a little speed.  Recently I went for a skate on my longboard, and hit shuffle on Ipodicus.

I was rewarded with the following soundtrack.  The random tunes varied across numerous genres and kept surprising me as I rolled around.

  1. AC/DC – “This House Is On Fire”
  2. Television – “Prove It”
  3. Thin Lizzy – “Mama Nature Said”
  4. Kool & The Gang – “In the Hood (Beat System Remix)”
  5. Pixies – “Tame”
  6. Dead Kennedys – “Hellnation”
  7. Weezer – “Run Away”
  8. Syd Dale – “Disco Tek”
  9. Black Flag – “Out of This World”
  10. El Cabrero with Pedro Bacan – “Con Tristeza Y Con Locura”
  11. Volbeat – “Magic Zone”
  12. Robert Johnson – “Cross Road Blues”
  13. Queen – “Made in Heaven”
  14. The Monkees – “Words”
  15. Public Enemy – “Incident at 66.6 FM”
  16. No Doubt – “Don’t Speak”
  17. Yomanda – “Synth and Strings”
  18. Viking Skull – “Beers, Drugs and Bitches”
  19. Hysterica – “Devil in Me”
  20. Discharge – “The Nightmare Continues”
  21. Camarosmith – “Choker”
  22. Britney Spears – “Boys”

There you go – some interesting choices from Ipodicus there.  The highlight was Syd Dale, that is a tune!

If you’d like to read more about my longboard, you can check it out here.

Essential Tracks – Nirvana

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“Essential Tracks” is a new Music section at the Virtual Hot Tub.  In this ongoing series, I’ll be picking my favourite tracks from a particular artist.  Here’s the very first instalment.

Nirvana – the Top 20 Songs

Sadly, 5th April marks twenty years since the death of Kurt Cobain.  It seems somewhat unreal that so much time has passed.  I remember buying Nevermind as soon as it came out in 1991.  I remember hearing about Kurt’s death when it was announced.  Such a great artist and unique, complex music.  This is a list of my favourite Nirvana songs.

20. Come As You Are

A great song, over familiarity has probably knocked this track down the table.  Find it on Nevermind.  As a point of interest, my old band used to cover this.  We performed it live on the second anniversary of Kurt’s death; it received a warm response.  At that point (in the pre-internet) we hadn’t realised the significance of the date, it had been a coincidence.

19. You Know You’re Right

From the Nirvana compilation.  Awesome song – classic Nirvana soft/heavy dynamic.

18. Been A Son

My version of this song is from the Incesticide album.  Fast paced, a catchy melody – and lyrics worth the time to listen to.

17. Lithium

One of the classic Nevermind songs, this has a fantastic sing a long chorus that shows Kurt’s ear for a fine tune.

16. Serve the Servants

Opening track from the superb In Utero album, I’ve surprised myself that I haven’t placed this song higher in my own list.  Love it.  “Teenage angst has paid off well, now I’m bored and old”.

15. Negative Creep

Absolutely brutal riff.  One of the heaviest, punkiest songs in the Nirvana catalogue.  Perhaps something of an early Melvins influence here, probably some Black Flag too.  You can find it on Bleach.

14. Molly’s Lips

Out-standing cover version of a Vaselines song, on the Incesticide album.  Unbelievably  poppy despite buzzing guitars, it’s a blueprint that Cobain adopted and mastered.

13. Territorial Pissings

Another hardcore punk attack, though Territorial Pissings still retains a melody despite the speed and fury.  Awesome instrumental break and reliably quotable lyrics.  Nevermind again.

12. On A Plain

It’s really hard to select the best songs from an album as indispensible as Nevermind, but I remember this track always stood out for me.

11. All Apologies

This gem doesn’t get in the Top Ten?  I know, ridiculous, right?  It’s on In Utero and there’s a pretty cool version on the MTV Unplugged set, too.

10. Sliver

We start the Top Ten with a great pop tune that, incredibly, wasn’t on the major releases.  You can pick it up though, on Incesticide – and I suggest you do.

9. Something In The Way

This song and Polly offer some quieter, haunting moments on Nevermind.  When we get to the chorus and the cello comes in, it’s heart break time.

8. Pennyroyal Tea

Like quite a few of Kurt’s songs, Pennyroyal Tea sneaks in quietly before launching into different territory.  Brilliant song from In Utero that demonstrates perfectly the melding of melody and mayhem in the best Nirvana tunes.

7. About A Girl

An early hint of Kurt Cobain’s ability to create a beautiful pop song; it’s no surprise that he was a huge Beatles fan.  Find it on Bleach, there’s also a killer version on MTV Unplugged.

6. Francis Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle

“I miss the comfort in being sad”, quiet/loud/quiet/loud; great riff.  Wonderful track from In Utero, complete with scathing lyrics.

5. Scentless Apprentice

Dun-dun-der-der! D-der der d-der d-der!  Do I really need to say more?  So heavy.  It must have scared the Indie scenesters to death.  Run for the hills, Indie scenesters!

4. Where Did You Sleep Last Night

A cover of the Leadbelly song, found on the MTV Unplugged album.  Kurt sounds truly agonised on this exceptional song, though it retains it’s beauty.

3. Dive

Apparently written as a Soundgarden style song, in an effort to appeal to their label Sub Pop and get signed.  It should come as no surprise, however, that Kurt – a huge Black Sabbath fan – would be able to create a riff as heavy as this.  Heavy like a brontosaurus breaking rocks.  With a big fucking hammer.

2. Smells Like Teen Spirit

This is the big one.  Iconic, revolutionary – but Nirvana’s best song?  I don’t think so.  Not to deny it’s power, maybe I’ve just heard it a little too much.  Still great though.  It’s on Nevermind, but you knew that, right?

1. Heart Shaped Box

Allegedly, Courtney Love heard Kurt writing this song, loved the immortal riff, and asked if he would donate it to her.  Kurt declined, and apparently locked himself in a cupboard to finish it off.  The quintessential quiet/loud dynamic.  Utterly unforgettable.  This, for me, is Nirvana’s best song.

So there you go – my Top 20 Essential Nirvana songs.  And I didn’t mention the word “grunge” once.

Compiling this list was much more difficult than I anticipated.  I was forced to leave out some absolutely classic songs; like In Bloom, Rape Me, Aneurysm and Nirvana’s amazing cover of David Bowie’s The Man Who Sold The World.  There are others, too.

I reserve the right, in all Essential Tracks posts, to revise my thoughts at a later date.  Already, I’m thinking that Scentless Apprentice should’ve been number 1.

Dun-dun-der-der! D-der der d-der d-der!

The Return of the Random Bike Ride Playlist

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It’s back!  Yesterday  I went for a bike ride, the first of the year.  The weather was good and I was ready to roll.  For old times sake, I decided to hit “shuffle” and let Ipodicus decide what the soundtrack to the morning’s adventure would be.

Just over ten miles.  Not bad.

  1. Smashing Pumpkins – “Real Love”
  2. Jello Biafra & The Melvins – “Those Dumb Punk Kids (Will Buy Anything)”
  3. Queens of the Stone Age – “Quick & to the Pointless”
  4. Sleigh Bells – “Comeback Kid”
  5. Bob Marley – “You Can’t Do That to Me”
  6. Blondie – “Contact on Red Square”
  7. David Bowie – “Little Wonder”
  8. Lieutenant Pigeon – “Mouldy Old Dough”
  9. Hector Martignon – “Colombaiao”
  10. Therapy? – “Stay Happy”
  11. Viking Skull – “Double or Quits”
  12. Samantha Fox – “I Only Wanna Be With You”
  13. A Tribe Called Quest – “If The Papes Come”
  14. The Melvins – “In the Army Now”
  15. Bad Brains – “Jam”
  16. Orange Goblin – “Lothlorian”
  17. Muddy Waters – “I Want to Be Loved”
  18. 2Pac ft. Anthony Hamilton – “Thugz Mansion”
  19. The Who – “Please, Please, Please”
  20. Jello Biafra & The Melvins – “Enchanted Thoughtfist (Enchanted Al Remix)”
  21. Neil Young & Pearl Jam – “Downtown”
  22. Roni Size – “Trust Me”
  23. Tiny Masters of Today – “Hologram World”

This particular playlist reminded me just how great the Jello Biafra and The Melvins collaborations are.  I haven’t listened to them for a while, so cranked ’em today.