STYLE. It is for the bold. Never be afraid to be different when it comes to STYLE.
We return to the world of STYLE with what is a work in progress. If you’re up to date with everything at Platinum Al’s Virtual Hot Tub, you’ll have seen my review last week of The Aquabats gig I went to in Wrexham. At this gig, I picked up some awesome merch that has enabled me to follow a path long desired.
But first: a brief re-cap. The Aquabats, for anyone not familiar, are a musical punk/ska band from California. And yet they are more than this: they are also superpowered crimefighters, dedicated to saving the world from the dastardly deeds of villains such as ManAnt, Uberchaun and Cobra Man. Their TV programme, The Aquabats! Super Show is a crazy, funny and absurd masterpiece and Platinum Al has become a huge fan.
To join the ranks of The Aquabats, at the gig I purchased an Anti-Negativity Helmet and goggles. They weren’t cheap, but are worth every penny. I’m now working on acquiring an official blue rash guard (that’s the top, kids) to complete my outfit. Soon I aim to be the clad in full Aquabat uniform.
Bouncing Souls + The Aquabats + Bar Stool Preachers
Wednesday 4th March 2026
The Rockin’ Chair, Wrexham
I’ve been stacked out with gigs recently (Pentre Fest review incoming), though I can’t ever get to see everything. And I don’t get time to write up a review of every gig I go to. But there was one I simply couldn’t miss: The Aquabats, playing not far from me in The Rockin’ Chair, Wrexham. Even though it was a Wednesday night, I was driving, and not sure if anyone i knew was actually going…
But this was a dream come true! The Aquabats have been on my bucket list for years, ever since I became a huge fan of their hilarious, surreal kids TV show. Now they were second on the bill for this event. Luckily I’ve also long been aware of Bouncing Souls, so everything was in place for a fantastic night.
Unfortunately, I missed the first band, Bar Stool Preachers – though I was reliably informed they were really good. I’ll check ’em out later based on that recommendation.
The Aquabats were a spectacle unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed. The full band were in attendance, all eight of them, dressed in their cool superhero outfits. Of course they were. It was an unbelievable sight, seeing them all in this smallish club.
Starting with a rousing rendition of “Shark Fighter”, The Aquabats launched into their set, accompanied by three huge inflatable sharks flying around the room. Energetic pop punk and joyous ska formed their sound, with their TV show theme tune as another highlight of a fun, crazy set.
You’ve never seen anything if you’ve never seen an audience member crowd surfing on a giant inflatable slice of pizza. Or an eight foot tall Mummy Man attacking the band on stage. Or a yeti dancing with the crowd. I was grinning from ear to ear for the full set: The Aquabats were RAD!
Headliners Bouncing Souls have been on my radar since the late 90s, their fast, melodic skate punk fitting right in with my Descendents loving musical tastes. Though The Aquabats were always going to be my reason for attending, Bouncing Souls played an incredible, crowd pleasing set: lightning paced, huge choruses, barely a break between songs.
Third song in, they played “Hopeless Romantic” which was the highlight I was waiting for. I would’ve been happy with just that one track!
I’m glad I made an effort to get to this gig. It really was an event unlike any other, worth every penny. It’s not every day that a band of punk rock superheroes save the earth whilst playing in Wrexham.
What’s that I hear? Those loyal Hot Tubbers have been going ape for my Singles Night vinyl playlists? They want more, more, MORE?! Then it shall be so, my friends! With great humility I shall acquiesce to your rabid response – here we go again for another Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub!
For the stragglers at the back, this playlist includes a bunch of 45 rpm singles that have ended up in my treasured collection. I spend an evening playing them – both sides – and with the aid of a little alcohol, have a fine old time.
Join me again for another evening enjoying playing 7 inch records of all genres…
The Kinks – “Dead End Street” / “Big Black Snake”
The Steve Miller Band – “Abracadabra” / “Never Say No”
Status Quo – “What You’re Proposing” / “A. B. Blues”
Prince – “When Doves Cry” / “17 Days”
Madness – “Grey Day” / “Memories”
Kate Robbins – “The Real Me” / “Photo Fit”
Ron Grainer – “Tales of the Unexpected” / “Malice Afterthought”
Belinda Carlisle – “Big Scary Animal” / “Windows of the World”
Bananarama – “Love in the First Degree” / “Mr Sleaze”
Barry White – “You’re the First, the Last, My Everything” / “More Than Anything, You’re My Everything”
Yes, you read that right: Agadoo by Black Lace is now in my vinyl collection. Well, you never know – it might be useful to entertain somebody one day.
Well, I certainly must’ve enjoyed myself on this particular night – 25 songs in one go is a record of a different type. I think. And what a killer collection of tunes! Classic tracks from The Kinks, Quo, Kate Bush and ABBA elevated the playlist nicely. Plus a quality punk rock section with Ramones, Buzzcocks and X-Ray Spex – and some more pop hits from Madness, Barry White and many more.
Enjoy the tunes Hot Tubbers, I won’t keep you waiting long for more!
Notes:
The Wolfmother record is single with a blank B side, which I didn’t realise when I bought it. The Horrorpops single is a picture disc, as is the POTUSA vinyl. Pretty stylish stuff.
Oh and yes, that’s the legendary theme tune from the Tales of the Unexpected television programme. Pretty cool to have that.
Yo! Here we are again, tout le monde – a treat for lovers of music on vinyl! That’s right – another Singles Night at Platinum Al’s Virtual Hot Tub, where I play my way through a big ol’ stack of 7″ singles and have a big time knees up whilst I do it.
There are literally dozens of 45 rpm records chez moi: some classic, some crap. I love ’em all. With a few drinkies to ease things along, we’re in for a great evening.
Here’s the latest playlist:
The Mission – “Severina” / “Tomorrow Never Knows”
Joe Fagin – “Back with the Boys Again” / “Get it Right”
Samantha Fox – “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Me Now” / “Dream City”
Samantha Fox – “I Surrender (To the Spirit of the Night”) / “The Best is Yet to Come”
Lacuna Coil – “Our Truth”/ “Without a Reason”
Paul McCartney & The Frog Chorus – ” We All Stand Together” / “We All Stand Together (Humming Version)”
Slade – “7 Year Bitch” / “Leave Them Girls Alone”
Demon – “Wonderland” / “Blackheath”
Sex Pistols – “Silly Thing” / “Who Killed Bambi”
Bad Manners – “Can Can” / “Armchair Disco”
Doctor & The Medics – “Burn” / “Captain Frazer”
2 in a Room – “Wiggle It” / “Take Me Away”
Slade – “My Oh My” / “Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply”
T’Pau – “China in Your Hand” / “No Sense of Pride”
Belinda Carlisle – “I Get Weak” / “Should I Let You In?”
Madonna – “Crazy for You” / Sammy Hagar – “I’ll Fall in Love Again”
Billy Ocean – “Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car” / “Showdown”
Scorpions – “Wind of Change” / “Restless Nights”
Jack Parnell & His Orchestra – “Galloping Home (Theme From Black Beauty” / “Hawaii Five-O”
Then Jericho – “Big Area” / “The Big Sweep”
Wow. From the Sex Pistols to the Frog Chorus – as always, it’s an eclectic night at the Virtual Hot tub on Singles Night! That might not be Paul McCartney’s greatest moment, but to be fair, I loved Rupert the Bear when I was a toddler, so consider me a fan.
Some notes:
The first Sam Fox single is credited as the “Samantha Fox Box”, as it comes in a carboard boxset thing with a poster. The second Sam Fox single is a Limited Edition blue vinyl single, in a gatefold photo pack. Pretty cool, and both from bargain bins.
Also from a bargain bin, the Lacuna Coil single is picture disc – and only cost me £1. Crazy bargain!
Lots of songs I loved in this evening’s playlist: the Pistols easily being my favourite. The worst was that Scorpions song, that was rubbbish.
Variety is the spice of life, and this Singles Night playlist was indeed spicy. Great tracks. More soon!
Hello there, reader! Welcome to my Virtual Hot tub. Grab a drink and chill out in the warm, comforting water – it’s time to play some more 7 inch vinyl records!
That’s right folks, I’m spinning more records and having a little drinkie. First off the top of the pile, A side then B side, working my way through the vinyl I’ve not played yet. No picking and choosing, just playing whatever’s next.
Here’s the latest batch:
Madness – “Michael Caine” / “If You Think There’s Something”
Elton John – “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” / “Screw You”
Peter Howell & The BBC Radiophonic Workshop – “Doctor Who” / “The Astronauts”
Madonna – “Into the Groove” / “Shoo-Bee-Doo”
Faces – “Pool Hall Richard” / “I Wish It Would Rain”
The Boomtown Rats – “I Don’t Like Mondays” / “It’s All the Rage”
Los Lobos – “La Bamba” / “Charlena”
Elton John – “Song for Guy” / “Lovesick”
Cozy Powell – “Dance with the Devil” / “And Then There Was Skin”
C+C Music Factory (ft. Freedom Williams – “Things That Make You Go Hmmm… (7” Remix) / “Things That Make You Go Hmmm… (LP Version)”
Divinyls – “I Touch Myself” / “Follow Through”
Marillion – “Kayleigh” / “Lady Nina”
Glen Campbell & Rita Coolidge – “Somethin’ ‘Bout You Baby I Like” / “Late Night Confession”
The Fun Boy Three with Bananarama – “T’Ain’t What You Do (It’s the Way That You Do It)” / “The Funarama Theme”
Diana Ross – “Why Do Fools Fall in Love” / “Think I’m in Love”
Duran Duran – “Union of the Snake” / “Secret Oktober”
Kate Robbins – “More Than in Love” / “Now”
Jan Hammer – “Crockett’s Theme” / “Miami Vice: New York Theme”
Status Quo – “Caroline” / “Joanne”
Yes, that Glen Campbell/Rita Coolidge IS the same as the Quo classic! Quite a few fun tunes in that session, including one of my favourite Madness songs ever, double for Elton, and a great Miami Vice theme.
Time to relax and enjoy more of the joys of vinyl! Yes, it’s another Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub, where I spend an evening playing through my stack of 7 inch records. No skipping, no choosing anything out of order – just A then B side and make the most of it.
With the aid of some alcoholic beverages, of course!
In this edition, there’s another eclectic mix of songs from artists of various genres – including some absolute bangers. Let’s go!
Madness – “One Step Beyond” / “Mistakes”
Bad Company – “Rock’n’Roll Fantasy” / ” Crazy Circles”
Rick James – “Dance Wit Me (Part 1)” / “Dance Wit Me (Part 2)”
INXS – “Taste It” / “Light the Planet”
ZZ Top – “Legs” / “Bad Girl”
Landscape – “Einstein A Go-Go” / “New Religion”
Billy Idol – “Mony Mony” / “Shakin’ All Over (Live)”
Fine Young Cannibals – “Johnny Come Home” / “Good Times and Bad”
James Brown – “Living in America” / Vince DiCola – “Farewell”
The Sweet – “Teenage Rampage” / “Own Up, Take a Look at Yourself”
Sham 69 – “Hersham Boys” / “I Don’t Wanna” / “Tell us the Truth”
Judas Priest – “Take On the World” / “Starbreaker”
Madam X – “High in High School” / “Metal in my Veins”
Wings – “Live and Let Die” / “I Lie Around”
The Beach Boys – “Do It Again” / “Wake the World”
The Joan Collins Fan Club – “Leader of the Pack” / “Jacques”
Elton John – “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting” / “Jack Rabbit” / “Whenever You’re Ready (We’ll Go Steady Again”
Lee Marvin – “Wand’rin’ Star” / Clint Eastwood – “I Talk to the Trees”
Suzi Quatro – “Can the Can” / “Ain’t You Somethin’ Honey”
Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin – “Je T’Aime… Moi Non Plus” / “Jane B.”
Bee Gees – “Tragedy” / “Until”
And there you have it! A great collection of tunes and a fun night. My favourite Bond theme, plus a load of class artists including The Beach Boys, Elton John, Billy Idol, Bad Company, Madness, James Brown and more.
No idea who Madam X are, that was a 20p find and I bought it on the strength of the cover. Turned out to be dodgy 80s metal, unsurprisingly. It was quite good.
Bonus points to any reader who can tell me: who was the Joan Collins Fan Club?
Stay tuned for more Singles Nights soon – I’ve still got a heck of a lot of vinyl to play through…
NB: The Fine Young Cannibals track was inside an Alarm sleeve. I thought I’d picked up “Spirit of ’76” for 20p in a charity shop, but no such luck: it was FYC instead. Such are the perils I encounter. On a happy note though, the FYC tune was a belter.
Hey folks! How’s isolation going? These are strange times indeed. I hope all of you are safe and well.
I don’t know about you, but spinning wax is a great way to spend a long evening whilst in lockdown. As regular readers will know, I often play through my stack of recently acquired 7 inch vinyl as a way to unwind. With a few wee drinkie-poohs, of course.
What happens with Singles Night is this: I have a pile of records, all 7″ singles, that I haven’t played yet. I play them all in order, A side then B side. Then I list them here, in case anyone out there is as sad as me and thinks that lists like this are fascinating.
Here we go with the latest batch:
Jane’s Addiction – “Been Caught Stealing” / “Had a Dad (Demo)”
Boney M – “Ma Baker” / “Still I’m Sad”
Madness – “The Return of the Las Palmas 7” / “That’s the Way to do it”
Bon Jovi – “Livin’ on a Prayer” / “Wild in the Streets”
Rainbow – “Since You Been Gone” / “Bad Girl”
The Zombies – “She’s Not There” / “You Make Me Feel Good”
Ace Frehley – “New York Groove” / “Snow Blind”
Slade – “Mama Weer All Crazee Now” / “Man Who Speaks Evil”
Pink Floyd – “Another Brick in the Wall Part II” / “One of My Turns”
AC/DC – “Whole Lotta Rosie” / “Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to be”
Toyah – “Be Proud Be Loud (Be Heard)” / “Laughing with the Fools”
Thin Lizzy – “China Town (Live)” / “Got to Give it up (Live)”
The Beatles – “We Can Work it Out” / “Day Tripper”
Generation X – “Your Generation” / “Day by Day”
Ash – “Angel Interceptor” / “Eternal” / “Give Me Some Truth”
Marc Bolan & T-Rex – “Teenage Dream” / “Satisfaction Pony”
Well that was one of the best – and rockingest – Singles Nights ever. I doubt we’ll see that amount of awesome rock again in a hurry. Don’t forget, readers – I don’t choose the songs to play, it’s just whatever’s next in the pile.
Jane’s Addiction are one of my favourite bands ever. Plus there were classic tracks from Rainbow, AC/DC, Pink Floyd and Thin Lizzy. My favourite U2 song and one of my favourite Beatles songs. Some punk, some new wave, and a more recent tune from Ash.
A special mention to Slade’s “Mama Weer All Crazee Now”, which was UK Number 1 when I was born.
A great selection. I’ll see you soon for another Singles Night!
And lo, it was time for another Singles Night at Platinum Al’s Virtual Hot Tub. Join me yet again, as I play through my stack of freshly acquired 7″ vinyl singles – A side then B side – on a musical odyssey that will thrill and amaze.
You may want a few drinks as well.
Here’s the playlist this time:
Elvis Presley – “Love Me Tender” / “Anyway You Want Me (That’s How I Will Be)”
Small Faces – “Lazy Sunday” / “Rollin’ Over”
Boney M – “Painter Man” / “He Was a Steppenwolf”
Beastie Boys – “She’s On It” / “Slow and Low”
Zodiac Mindwarp & The Love Reaction – “Backseat Education” / “Whore of Babylon”
Madness – “Baggy Trousers” / “The Business”
The Osmonds – “Crazy Horses” / “That’s My Girl”
Ian Dury & The Blockheads – “Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick” / “There Ain’t Half Been Some Clever Bastards”
The Jam – “When You’re Young” / “Smithers-Jones”
Kim Carnes – “Bette Davis Eyes” / “Miss You Tonite”
Toyah – “Brave New World” / “Warrior Rock”
The Who – “You Better You Bet” / “The Quiet One”
Suzi Quatro – “The Wild One” / “Shake My Sugar”
Madness – “Night Boat to Cairo” / “Deceives the Eye” / “The Young and the Old” / “Don’t Quote Me On That”
Bon Jovi – “You Give Love a Bad Name” / “Let It Rock”
Freddie Mercury – “Love Kills” / Giorgio Moroder – “Rotwang’s Party (Robot Dance)”
Siouxsie & The Banshees – “Dear Prudence” / “Tattoo”
The Kinks – “Good Day” / “Too Hot”
Bob Marley & The Wailers – “No Woman, No Cry” / “Kinky Reggae”
Dexy’s Midnight Runners – “Geno” / “Breakin’ Down the Walls of Heartache”
Toy Dolls – “Nellie the Elephant” / “Fisticuffs in Frederick Street”
Rainbow – “All Night Long” / “Weiss Heim”
The Motors – “Forget About You” / “Picturama”
Angelic Upstarts – “Never ‘Ad Nothin'” / “Nowhere Left to Hide”
Wow. That was a spectacular evening’s music. Just look at the quality tunes in that list! I think the Zodiac Mindwarp track was my favourite, but there are loads of legendary artists and great songs there.
Don’t laugh at the Osmonds track – that song is amazing. I’m more embarrassed about the Bon Jovi number – but what the hell, it was fun.
And Nellie the Elephant by Toy Dolls was just superb – took me right back to my childhood, the day after hearing that song on Top of the Pops. A school playground classic, along with “Baggy Trousers”.
All of the records are in a random order, so there’s no guessing what might appear next in the queue. But that turned out to be one of the best nights of music listening in a long while, with a wide variety of genres represented.
Platinum Al's Virtual Hot Tub 