This weeks “louder then the rest” tunes:
- Fishbone – Change
- House of Pain – Jump Around
- Wolfmother – California Queen
- Queens of the Stone Age – The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret
- Dr. John – Jump Sturdy
Songs of the Week 17.07.2016
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Tag Archives: blues
Public Image Ltd – Gig Review
Public Image Ltd + The Hexmen
Saturday 26th September 2015
The Tivoli, Buckley
Well it’s been an amazing couple of weeks for gigs. And what’s that? Public Image Ltd playing up the road at the Buckley Tivoli? Featuring the living legend that is John Lydon? There’s absolutely no way this extravaganza can be missed!
It was England vs Wales in the Rugby World Cup that night, and the Tiv had decided to show the game on a large projector screen above the stage. A bizarre idea but it worked out OK – happily Wales won. Had they lost that could’ve put a right downer on the evening.
Support band The Hexmen are a non-stop R’n’B party. And by R’nB I mean as in Rhythm and Blues, not as in Kanye West. They’re a solid band with an unmissable skill in abstract between song banter. Solid rhythm section, stellar guitar and soaring harmonica. Pretty damn good. They appear to play in these parts quite often, so check ’em out.
The Tiv was packed out for Public Image Ltd. I think most of the punters were in a daze, unbelieving that the band would actually appear. But lo and behold PiL did appear – the real PiL, not a tribute act featuring some Johnny Rotten wannabe. The reception was warm, but the crowd really revved up when the third song in the set turned out to be the masterpiece that is “This Is Not a Love Song”.
There was a fair mix of tracks old and new, with “Death Disco” and “Warrior” standing out from the well known singles. I’ve not got the new album yet (hangs head in shame), but the tracks of that and This is PiL (got that one) were all extremely impressive. The massive bass groove of Scott Firth and precision drums of Bruce Smith created a throbbing tribal rhythm that brought these songs to life.
Lydon himself seemed to be having a good time, for the most part. I couldn’t always tell. He definitely got stuck in and delivered some quite stunning vocals. His style is almost operatic; combined with his commanding presence at the front of the stage we are given a captivating performance.
I should also mention guitar maestro and all round talented bloke Lu Edmonds – he played a blazing gig. I have no idea how he made all those sounds. It was very hard to believe that there were only four people on stage.
The encore provides the songs “Public Image” and “Rise”, two fantastic songs that the audience were thrilled with. I still remember seeing “Rise” performed on Top of the Pops when I were a lad. That was my first experience of PiL. The other kids thought Lydon was weird; I thought he looked cool. It’s a perfect end to the chapter.
Oh, and I WILL go and buy the new album – promise.
The Public Image Ltd website is here.
The Hexmen website is here.
The Tivoli website is here.
Food Quest: Hickory’s Chester
Hickory’s Smokehouse, Chester
Is everyone back eating normal food again, after the January diets? Good, then it’s about time for another Food Quest.
Hickory’s Smokehouse offers authentic USA style barbecue food, and plenty of it. This is real Man vs Food style cooking, with plenty of smoked ribs, pulled pork and burgers to fill up even the heartiest of appetites.
The Chester premises are located right by the River Dee, in an idyllic location just a short walk from the main centre. It’s a vibrant scene, especially lit up at night. Inside is a welcoming venue with walls decorated with appropriate items (guitars, American football paraphernalia, you name it). 
There’s a large drinks menu, but I like to opt for a big old pint of Brooklyn lager, a particular favourite of mine. Although you can pick this up in bottled form from supermarkets now, an actual draft pint isn’t easy to come by. Mrs Platinum Al opted for a Jack and Coke, and we enjoyed some complimentary popcorn while we ordered.
On previous visits we have tried some starters, including a freshly baked giant pretzel served with hummus that was delicious. There’s plenty of choice, but on this occasion we abandoned the appetisers as we had something major in mind for the main course.
We decided to order the Smokehouse Platter, a massive combination of signature dishes for us both to share. Good job we were hungry. The platter consists of:
- Memphis style baby back ribs, hot links, jumbo beef rib, Kansas style ribs, beef brisket, BBQ pulled pork, fries and slaw
It was a massive amount of very tasty food, but we gave it our best shot. The ribs were amazing and I couldn’t pick a favourite between the varieties on offer. In particular I enjoyed the BBQ pulled pork – the meat was super tender and served with beans, a top notch dish if ever there was one. The hot links were also popular, I’ve never had them before – they’re basically small sausages and they are so, so good…
Unfortunately, we couldn’t quite finish all the food – but what we had was delightful!
Mrs Platinum Al and myself have made a few trips to Hickory’s, and I’m sure we’ll go again. With first rate food, great beer and even quality tunes (plenty of proper Blues – I remember hearing Howlin’ Wolf – one of my faves) – you can’t go wrong.
Highly recommended!
Food Quest Test
- Food: A huge choice of exciting food to try; I’ve tried plenty and it’s all great!
- Drink: Again a huge choice and with Brooklyn Lager on tap you can’t go wrong
- Service: Excellent (shout out to our waitress – Sena?)
- Environment: Cool USA inspired decor that’s like being on a TV set; brilliant music!
- Cost: Good value for large portions
Hickory’s Smokehouse, The Groves, Souters Lane, Chester CH1 1SH
01244 404000
The Hickory’s website is here.
The Hickory’s Facebook page is here.
Another Random Bike Ride Playlist!
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.
- GBH – “Do What You Do”
- Revolution Mother – “Runaway Train”
- The B-52s – “Mesopotamia”
- Big Black – “Bad Penny”
- Jimmy Sabater – “La Flauta”
- Elton John – “Circle of Life”
- Big Chief – “Cop Kisser (Mack Fucks Up the Scene at the Freezer)”
- Kenny Rogers & The First Edition – “Heed the Call”
- Mudhoney – “In My Finest Suit”
- Queen – “Bijou”
- Machine Head – “Hallowed Be Thy Name”
- Ugly Duckling – “Smack”
- The Yardbirds – “Evil Hearted You”
- Audio Bullys – “Take You There”
- Ramones – “Poison Heart”
- PJ Harvey – “Down by the Water”
- Mikis Theodorakis – “Fragosiriani”
- Living Colour – “Ignorance is Bliss”
- Slash – “Doctor Alibi”
- GangStarr – “You Know My Steez (RMX)”
- Kiss – “Comin’ Home”
- Corrosion of Conformity – “Loss for Words”
- Iggy Pop & The Stooges – “Consolation Prizes”
- Public Enemy – “Can’t Truss It”
- Revolting Cocks – “Prune Tang”
Random Longboard Playlist
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.
- AC/DC – “This House Is On Fire”
- Television – “Prove It”
- Thin Lizzy – “Mama Nature Said”
- Kool & The Gang – “In the Hood (Beat System Remix)”
- Pixies – “Tame”
- Dead Kennedys – “Hellnation”
- Weezer – “Run Away”
- Syd Dale – “Disco Tek”
- Black Flag – “Out of This World”
- El Cabrero with Pedro Bacan – “Con Tristeza Y Con Locura”
- Volbeat – “Magic Zone”
- Robert Johnson – “Cross Road Blues”
- Queen – “Made in Heaven”
- The Monkees – “Words”
- Public Enemy – “Incident at 66.6 FM”
- No Doubt – “Don’t Speak”
- Yomanda – “Synth and Strings”
- Viking Skull – “Beers, Drugs and Bitches”
- Hysterica – “Devil in Me”
- Discharge – “The Nightmare Continues”
- Camarosmith – “Choker”
- 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.
The Return of the Random Bike Ride Playlist
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.
- Smashing Pumpkins – “Real Love”
- Jello Biafra & The Melvins – “Those Dumb Punk Kids (Will Buy Anything)”
- Queens of the Stone Age – “Quick & to the Pointless”
- Sleigh Bells – “Comeback Kid”
- Bob Marley – “You Can’t Do That to Me”
- Blondie – “Contact on Red Square”
- David Bowie – “Little Wonder”
- Lieutenant Pigeon – “Mouldy Old Dough”
- Hector Martignon – “Colombaiao”
- Therapy? – “Stay Happy”
- Viking Skull – “Double or Quits”
- Samantha Fox – “I Only Wanna Be With You”
- A Tribe Called Quest – “If The Papes Come”
- The Melvins – “In the Army Now”
- Bad Brains – “Jam”
- Orange Goblin – “Lothlorian”
- Muddy Waters – “I Want to Be Loved”
- 2Pac ft. Anthony Hamilton – “Thugz Mansion”
- The Who – “Please, Please, Please”
- Jello Biafra & The Melvins – “Enchanted Thoughtfist (Enchanted Al Remix)”
- Neil Young & Pearl Jam – “Downtown”
- Roni Size – “Trust Me”
- 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.
Random Bike Ride Playlist #6
This was a fun one. Lots of uphill. Going fast downhill. Got chased by a dog. 13.36 miles, iPod on shuffle:
- The Misfits – “Crimson Ghost”
- Muse – “Screenager”
- Dio – “Straight Through the Heart (Live)”
- Jimi Hendrix Experience – “Foxy Lady”
- Angel Witch – “Dr. Phibes”
- Johnny Cash – “Cocaine Blues”
- Los Olvidados – “Going Down”
- Soundgarden – “Somewhere”
- Devo – “Girl U Want”
- Dio – “Mystery”
- Matt Monro – “Hey”
- Dusty Springfield – “I’m Coming Home Again”
- The Cult – “The Witch”
- Howlin’ Wolf – “Sittin’ On Top of the World”
- Mudhoney – “In the Winner’s Circle”
- Melvins – “Missing”
- Rocket From The Crypt – “Poison Eye”
- Weezer – “Troublemaker”
- Bob Dylan – “Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat”
- Sham 69 – “They Don’t Understand (Live at the BBC)”
- Van Halen – “Mean Street”
- John Lee Hooker – “I’m Going Upstairs”
- Hard-Ons – “Breakfast Caramel”
- Stereophonics – “Check My Eyelids for Holes”
- Black Flag – “Annihilate This Week”
- Mudhoney – “Magnolia Caboose Babyshit”
- Lit – “Lovely Day”
- Rob Zombie – “Return of the Phantom Stranger (Tuesday Night at the Chop Shop Mix)”
- SNFU – “Bobbitt”
Double Melvins, double Mudhoney, double Dio!
Back to Work Blues
Enjoying the Bank Holiday? Sorry to mention it, but for most of us it’s back to work tomorrow. Now I don’t have any optimistic advice, any philosophical thoughts to get you through this. No “without the work, the rest wouldn’t be the same” message. Not even an inspiring “get out there and be the best you can be” cliche.
But I can offer you a playlist that will help you get through it all. Music that sticks two fingers up at working life and slides back under the duvet. Enjoy these prime tunes and be free!
- “The Job That Ate My Brain” – The Ramones
- “Take This Job and Shove it” – Dead Kennedys
- “We’ve Gotta Get Out of This Place” – The Animals
- “9 to 5” – Dolly Parton
- “Workin‘ For A Livin‘ (Live)” – Huey Lewis and the News
- “Working for the Yankee Dollar” – The Skids
- “Work Song” – Tito Puente
- “Working for the Man” – Roy Orbison
- “Worker Bee” – D.R.I.
- “Workin‘ Man Blues” – Merle Haggard
- “At My Job” – Dead Kennedys
- “It’s Not My Place (In the 9 to 5 World)” – The Ramones
- “Finest Worksong” – R.E.M.
- “The Weekend” – Michael Gray
- “Work” – The Saturdays
- “Powertrip” – Monster Magnet
The final song, by the mighty Monster Magnet, features the classic line “I’m never gonna work another day in my life”. If only.
My thanks to Nicky Carr for the inspiration for this post!
Platinum Al's Virtual Hot Tub 