Tag Archives: ZZ Top

Master Charger – Posthumous Resurrection Album Review

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Master Charger – Posthumous Resurrection 

Octopus Rising/Argonauta Records 

Release date: 02/05/2025 

Running time: 55 mins approx 

Review by: Alun Jones 

9/10 

This is a tough review to write.  It’s tough, because I need to write around 400 words about this release – but all I need to say, really, is something like “do not miss this awesome new album by Master Charger, it’s great”.  There’s nothing else that needs to be said.  So, let’s see if I can pad that out for another few hundred words, shall we? 

Yes indeed, the new release from Midlands, UK based Doom Lords, the one and only Master Charger.  I’ve been anxiously waiting for this to drop, as I became a convert to their cause when I saw these filth hounds live at Pentre Fest a while back.  Superb band.  An unholy amalgamation of Sludgey Doom and fuzzy Stoner with a heart-warming affection for Blues based Rock’n’Roll, I’m proud to wear the T-shirt and be an advocate for this three-piece from hell. 

We start with the rumbling, echoey drums of ‘Thy Kingdom Polluted’, which is quickly adorned by dirty, fuzzy guitars and trippy wah-wah lead.  The riifs have groove and it’s easy to get dragged along and nod that head.  ‘Only My Eyes See, Empires Rust’ follows this with a colossal doom riff that fries your brain, then it’s off on a ten minute plus odyssey with the title track.  Passing through different sections, this monster is the evil offspring of Sabbath and Cathedral. 

After all that full on Doom Metal savagery, even I could do with a little break.  And that respite is gifted to us in the form of ‘Fallen Angel Painted Doll’, an instrumental track that begins with some quite beautiful acoustic guitar.  Starting just like those genius Tony Iommi mellow moments on the early Sabbath albums, though this grows into full band folky ramble complete with harmonica.  Perfect. 

Before long we’re back in real business though: ‘When Hell Rode In’ and ‘Head Into The Sun’ sound like a Satanic ZZ Top jamming Venom songs.  Freaky acid tipped wah-wah heralds the start of ‘The Awakening’, which grows into another filthy groover.  ‘Mass Produced Mass Destroyed’ keeps on bringing the heavy, a brutal track that conjures ideas of both legendary Black bands, Sabbath and Flag. 

Finally, ‘Upon Roads Less Travelled’ cools things down – a short but classy instrumental that is the calm after the storm.  “Posthumous Resurrection” reaches its finale, and what a ride it’s been.  Visceral, muscley Doom Metal with outrageous riffs, thoughtfully composed variations – all the promises are delivered on, tenfold.  The only slight issue here is the lack of a vinyl release, which is patently criminal with an album this good.  But Master Charger have given us a killer album – another one for the end of year Best Of list.  Go buy it, NOW. 

There you go, over 500 words – no problem.  Reviews are easy when the music is this good. 

Check out Master Charger on Facebook, Instagram, Bandcamp and Spotify.

This review is brought to you by Platinum Al in association with Ever Metal.

Pentre Fest 2025

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Pentre Fest 2025

Mclean’s Pub, Pentre, Deeside

Friday 21st & Saturday 22nd February 2025

Here we go with another Pentre Fest, the absolute highlight of my musical calendar! This is the crowning glory of North East Wales Metal Productions‘ festivals – and a huge deal to both the bands and the fans. I couldn’t wait to get to Mclean’s in Deeside and enjoy the music!

This year, another stellar line-up of bands from both near and far, with a good spread of genres. Ever Metal was in full force, with Beth and Mare joining myself for the festivities. With all of us in attendance, we split reporting duties to cover as much as possible as easily as we could.

And so, here are the reviews I composed all by my lonesome, concentrating on musicians that I wanted to contribute to (rather than all of them).

If you want to read the full review, try this here link to Ever Metal.

Friday 

Mother Thunder 

I saw Mother Thunder play in Pentre a few months back, they were superb.  This time around, they were even better.  MT play a hard hitting, groove laden take on classic rock/metal – think Thin Lizzy twin guitars with a bit of Maiden chug – and sublime female vocals.  Heavy rock with irresistible riffs, Mother Thunder lit up the room and could’ve (should’ve) been higher up the bill.  

Apollyon Rising 

Filling in last minute, Apollyon Rising were a man down as their bass player was on holiday in Morocco.  The selfish git.  But with a bit of soundboard wizardry, the remainder of the band confidently gave us a set of prime thrash metal that didn’t shame their reputation one iota.  I knew they could pull it off.  As a wise man once said, never doubt a band with a killer logo (and the talent to match). 

Saturday 

DXRK Winter 

Thankfully, I managed to catch the latter half of DXRK Winter’s set and I glad I did.  They were on first on the main stage in the afternoon, their brutal metal attack was brilliantly performed and went down really well with a crowd that could’ve been chilling, but didn’t.  A worthy act to play higher up the bill. 

Cry for Mercy 

You can’t go wrong with the blues based classic rock swagger of Cry for Mercy.  Great tunes, all built around the majesty of the riff and a persuasive groove.  I loved every second, it’s a shame they were on so early.  Never miss a chance to see Cry For Mercy if you get it.  Their new songs were just as good as old, new album is out soon! 

Victim of Damp 

Frank Williams, aka Victim of Damp, is becoming a popular mainstay of Pentre gigs.  His bipolar set comprises one half of mellow, hangover curing melody followed by a series of playful, Pythonesque parodies.  And he gets more confident every time. 

Bad Earth 

It just wouldn’t be Pentre Fest without these guys!  Bad Earth delivered a reliably ferocious set of raucous biker rock and despite sound hiccups on the first couple of songs, soldiered on admirably.  This was take-no-prisoners rock’n’roll to make Lemmy proud.  Their acoustic set was also a blinder, cooking up some awesome sing-a-long responses from the crowd outside. 

Mike West & the Missing Links 

It’s been a good few years since I saw Mike West play a solo acoustic show at Pentre.  Mike’s brand of dark country and bluegrass is now augmented by a band of drums and fiddle, adding a certain folky, Levellers feel to the tracks.  A brilliant diversion under the surprisingly blue skies of the late afternoon, this set was further proof that a metal festival can experiment with genres. 

The Raging Mables 

Now I was really looking forward to seeing this band.  I’d enjoyed viewing their Pentre Fest pre-event interview with Beany, plus they have one of the best band names ever.  No arguments.  The Raging Mables were like the Ramones playing ZZ Top, a 200mph Zeke-like melodic explosion of punk’n’roll.  One of the most perfect bands ever.  

Toranaga 

Back to some welcome thrash metal, it was indeed a huge bonus to get to witness the power of Toranaga at Pentre.  These guys are exceptional musicians, their shredding guitars creating a sound akin to classic Bay Area Thrash from the likes of Exodus and Testament.  And that is very, very good.  Their cover of ‘Mad House’ by Anthrax warmed my ancient heart, too.    

Stuntface 

Stuntface hail from just up the road in Wrexham, and it was great to see them finally bring their brand of flat-out, relentless hardcore punk to Pentre Fest.  Their songs are furious yet melodic, played super-fast and with a huge grin on bass player/vocalist Wayne’s face.  An absolute treat – Stuntface must play here again! 

What a blast that was! The guys at NEW Metal Productions always put on a heck of a show and this was no exception. Didn’t get tickets for the Black Sabbath gig this summer? Get yourselves out there and support underground metal, you’ll feel better.

My favourite Pentre Fest so far? Only time will tell…

Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub #31

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Gather ye round, Hot Tubbers! Tis time once again to dip our toes into the warm waters and enjoy another Singles Night.

What am I babbling about? Regular readers will know that Platinum Al likes to spend an evening playing through my collection of 7″ singles, both sides, one after the other. I have a large unplayed pile of 45 rpm records that need spinning, so sometimes I like to blitz through ’em, accompanied with a few drinks (or several).

Why? Because it makes a fun evening! You never know what’s crept in to the “play me” pile: old or new, good or bad. And when the night is over, these discs can be safely added to my collection.

Let’s check out what I played this time:

  1. Boney M. – “I’m Born Again” / “Bahama Mama”
  2. Sounds EP: The Perfect Disaster – “55 Miles” / “Mega City Four – “What We’ve Got” / Cerebral Fix – “Eternal Winter” / Killdozer – “New Pants & Shirt” / Pussy Galore – “SM57”
  3. Men Without Hats – “The Safety Dance” / “Security”
  4. Third World – “Now That We’ve Found Love” / “Night Heat”
  5. Bomb the Bass – “Beat Dis” / “Beat Dis (Dub)”
  6. Phil Collins – “Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)” / Mike Rutherford – “Making a Big Mistake”
  7. Hale & Pace and the Stonkers – “The Stonk” / Victoria Wood – “The Smile Song”
  8. Bob Geldof – “Love or Something” / “Out of Order”
  9. The Whispers – “And the Beat Goes On” / “Can You Do The Boogie”
  10. Queen – “It’s a Hard Life” / “Is This the World We Created…?”
  11. Bob Marley & The Wailers – “Jamming” / “Punky Reggae Party”
  12. Sweet – “The Six Teens” / “Burn On The Flame”
  13. Belinda Carlisle – “La Luna” / “Whatever It Takes”
  14. Baccara – “Yes Sir, I Can Boogie” / “Cara Mia”
  15. The Stranglers – “Bear Cage” / “Sha Sha a Go Go”
  16. Bucks Fizz – “One of Those Nights” / “Always Thinking of You”
  17. Rod Stewart – “How Long” / “Jealous”
  18. Ghost – “Kiss the Go-Goat” / “Mary On a Cross”
  19. The Beach Boys – “Darlin'” / “Here Today”
  20. ZZ Top – “Gimme All Your Lovin'” / “If I could Only Flag Her Down”

A mixed bag, as always – with a few left overs from my “100 singles for a fiver” car boot sale purchase. But this is what Singles Night is all about – you take the rough with the smooth, learn to appreciate stuff that you might’ve previously written off.

There are a couple of stinkers in that list, but surprisingly the Comic Relief single ” The Stonk” isn’t one of them. Daft it may be, but it features Brian May, Tony Iommi, Dave Gilmour, Cozy Powell and Roger Taylor in a Quo-esque rock boogie that I quite enjoyed.

I love the Boney M. single, as the B-side reminds me of being on holiday in Greece. “Safety Dance” is brilliant, Bomb The Bass is class, and I even enjoyed the Phil Collins song!

Obvious highlights in this set came from Queen, Bob Marley, Sweet, The Stranglers, Beach Boys and ZZ Top. Always wanted to hear that Bob Marley B-side, as he name checks several punk bands such as The Damned, The Jam and The Clash.

I was a surprisingly cool dad, thanks to the Ghost single (coloured vinyl, nice). Apparently the B-side is a social media craze, so my daughter was impressed!

Great tunes, fun times exploring music – that’s Singles Night. More soon!

Brown Acid: The Twelfth Trip – Album Review

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Various Artists – Brown Acid: The Twelfth Trip

RidingEasy Records

Release date: 20/04/2020

Running time: 33 minutes

Review by: Alun Jones

8.5/10

Well, who’d have thought it?  Here’s the twelfth instalment of the Brown Acid series from RidingEasy Records, their ongoing exploration of rare, lost and forgotten treasures from the late 60s and early seventies.  These proto-metal, hard rock and heavy psych riches are continuing to turn up, thankfully curated and shared with a new, wider audience.  They still haven’t run out of steam, which is very good news.   

This time, the Professors of Rock (“Prockfessors”, anyone?  Nah, never mind) have released ten more crazily good tracks from the past.  As can be expected, the bands are deep fried and the guitars are fuzzier than a Macdonalds burger-flipper’s chin.

And so, we commence with “Mother Samwell” by The Waters: a blinding, acid-drenched rocker from 1969.  How can this have been lost for so long?  Up next is “Vibrations” by Village S.T.O.P.; featuring Hendrix style guitar in another pacey rocker.  Though very much of their time, these songs pack a ton of energy – you’re gonna want to freak out.  Right out.

“1930” was quite a year, claim White Lightning, with a funky, chunky marauder of a tune that’s like Grand Funk, on the rare occasions GF got it right.  Shane serves up some proper skronky organ with “Woman (Don’t You Go)”, reminiscent of a shrieky, early Purple.  Then the keyboards get even skronkier with Ace Song Service’s “Persuasion”, though the attack is harsher.

Opus Est really kick out the jams with “Bed”, which has a killer riff that would please Gibbons or Page.  The Mopptops have a terrible band name (maybe that’s why they disappeared), but their song “Our Lives” is one of the heavier, more vicious sounding tracks here.  It’s a punk rock bruiser that seems totally out of time – surely this can’t be 1968?

A bland band name, but Artist inject their song “Every Lady Does It” with enough hip-shaking Hendrix raunch to raise the roof.  Great chorus too; this is faultless.  Then it’s more great lo-fi garage ZZ Top with “Comin’ Home” by Stagefright, before we finish with Dickens (great name!) and their weird fuzz metal with minimal production, “Don’t Talk About My Music”.

Whether they’re discovering hidden gems in dusty tombs, or exhuming abandoned corpses and bringing them back to life – pick your metaphor: the RidingEasy Forensics Department have managed to surprise yet again.  Their quest seems never ending, but we can be thankful that these dedicated scholars continue to discover hitherto abandoned sonic delights.

It’s harder to pick out gems which shine brighter than the others this time around, but “Brown Acid: the Twelfth Trip” manages to reach a high standard across the board.  Very enjoyable, and recommended listening for when Jimi and Janis pop round for some mushroom tea.

Why not do some internets with RidingEasy records on their website, Bandcamp, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or Insta?

This review was proudly presented by Platinum Al in association with Ever Metal.

Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub #16

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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!

  1. Madness – “One Step Beyond” / “Mistakes”
  2. Bad Company – “Rock’n’Roll Fantasy” / ” Crazy Circles”
  3. Rick James – “Dance Wit Me (Part 1)” / “Dance Wit Me (Part 2)”
  4. INXS – “Taste It” / “Light the Planet”
  5. ZZ Top – “Legs” / “Bad Girl”
  6. Landscape – “Einstein A Go-Go” / “New Religion”
  7. Billy Idol – “Mony Mony” / “Shakin’ All Over (Live)”
  8. Fine Young Cannibals – “Johnny Come Home” / “Good Times and Bad”
  9. James Brown – “Living in America” / Vince DiCola – “Farewell”
  10. The Sweet – “Teenage Rampage” / “Own Up, Take a Look at Yourself”
  11. Sham 69 – “Hersham Boys” / “I Don’t Wanna” / “Tell us the Truth”
  12. Judas Priest – “Take On the World” / “Starbreaker”
  13. Stray Cats – “Rock This Town” / “You Can’t Hurry Love”
  14. Madam X – “High in High School” / “Metal in my Veins”
  15. Wings – “Live and Let Die” / “I Lie Around”
  16. The Beach Boys – “Do It Again” / “Wake the World”
  17. The Joan Collins Fan Club – “Leader of the Pack” / “Jacques”
  18. Elton John – “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting” / “Jack Rabbit” / “Whenever You’re Ready (We’ll Go Steady Again”
  19. Lee Marvin – “Wand’rin’ Star” / Clint Eastwood – “I Talk to the Trees”
  20. Suzi Quatro – “Can the Can” / “Ain’t You Somethin’ Honey”
  21. Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin – “Je T’Aime… Moi Non Plus” / “Jane B.”
  22. 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.

Duel – Valley of Shadows Album Review

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Duel – Valley of Shadows

Heavy Psych Sounds (Purple Sage PR)

Release date: 17/05/2019

Running Time: 38 mins

Review by: Alun Jones

8/10

 

Duel have been on my radar for quite a while.  Despite hearing a few tracks via the band’s social media, I’d never sat down, ear goggles locked in place, to listen to a full album.   So, I was pretty stoked to have the opportunity to review their latest album: “Valley of Shadows”, released recently by Heavy Psych Sounds.

Hailing from Austin, Texas, these four fiends are responsible for an almighty stoner doom racket; full on heavy rifferama with psychedelic and classic metal references.  In case that description alone doesn’t grab you like a graveyard ghoul on the way to an unholy shindig, their whole aesthetic is tripped out in the sort of late-night, B-movie gore that’s lurid enough to make your eyes pop.

It’s like Dracula Has Risen from the Grave soundtracked by a bunch of longhair ne’er-do-wells, and that’s just how I like it.

“Black Magic Summer” opens up the proceedings with some appropriate rain-soaked sound effects, before launching into the heavy-as-a-crypt-door attack.  There’s a brilliantly melodic middle section too, adding some light to the gloom.

Second track “Red Moon Forming” has a direct, driving pace that’s infectious and purposely concocted to inspire the raising of horns.  “Drifting Alone” has a real classic desert rock vibe, with a cool head shaker riff.

“Strike and Disappear” comes on like the vampire Western that Tarantino needs to make.  A slower, bluesy pace with a dusty feel, it’s the first taste we get of a very different – and effective – approach. It melts into a ferocious, face pummelling section that screams blood and violence.

Songs like “Tyrant on the Throne” have a classic metal, almost (gasp!) Iron Maiden feel to them.  Otherwise, the sound explores more of the head-banging, smoke induced groove of bands like Trouble and The Obsessed.

But just like the best stoner metal movers and shakers, there’s always room for some ZZ Top-style boogie, which particularly comes to the fore in the final track, “The Bleeding Heart”.

As always, my sound comparisons are only meant as genuine compliments.  Duel manage to create an album full of their own spirit and character, and it’s one hell of a fun ride.  At turns hypnotic, fist pummelling, and sombre; “Valley of the Shadows” pulls the stake out of the stoner doom corpse and brings it back to bloody life again.

The last time I actually was involved in a duel, it was a case of duelling banjos.  I was on a canoeing trip with some buddies out in the Appalachian back country.  We ran into some unsavoury redkneck types, one of whom challenged me to a banjo showdown.  Of course, I threw in some licks that my old mentor Jimi Hendrix had shown me, and the creepy little weirdo had no chance: I was victorious.

Unfortunately, the locals weren’t too happy and we had a bit of a run-in of sorts with ‘em later.  It was all fun and games really, and we were on our way home soon enough.  But I tell you: just whatever you do, don’t mention piggies to my buddy Bobby.

This review originally appeared on the Ever Metal website, please pay them a visit!

Duel are on Facebook here.

The Duel Bandcamp page is here.

Visit the Heavy Psych Sounds website here.

Heavy Psych Sounds are on Facebook here.

Heavy Psych Sounds are on Bandcamp here.

Dogtown and Z-Boys Playlist

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I went skateboarding this morning, but the fun was cut short by rain.  So instead I decided to finally write up this playlist based on the soundtrack for the Dogtown and Z-Boys movie.

Anyone with even the slightest interest in skateboarding should have seen this film by now.  It’s a documentary covering the rise of the original renegade street kids, the Z-Boys, and how they changed skating forever.

Directed by Stacey Peralta, and featuring footage and interviews with the Zephyr team, it’s a superb film.  I’ve seen it dozens of times now, and it always gets me stoked.

This playlist is based on the soundtrack for the movie.  I’ve attempted to add as many songs as I own into the one list, and it features many more songs than are on the commercially available album.  Not all the songs are here though, as I don’t have them in my collection.

The music reflects the sounds of the time, and is heavy on 1970’s classic rock – Jimi, Sabbath, Zeppelin, Iggy, Alice and Bowie.  That’s fine with me.

It also introduced me to a few artists I wasn’t into, such as Herb Alpert.  I also discovered that Rod Stewart made some cool music in the seventies!

There’s almost two and half hours of great music to play through here, ideal to listen to while skateboarding.  Although I won’t being able to walk after a skate session that long. 

  1. Jimi Hendrix – “Ezy Rider”
  2. Joe Walsh – “Rocky Mountain Way”
  3. Black Sabbath – “Paranoid”
  4. James Gang – “Funk #49”
  5. David Bowie – “Rebel Rebel”
  6. Black Sabbath – “Into the Void”
  7. Herb Alpert – “A Taste of Honey”
  8. Blue Oyster Cult – “Godzilla”
  9. Led Zeppelin – “Achilles Last Stand”
  10. Iggy and the Stooges – “Gimme Danger”
  11. The Lively Ones – “Surf Rider”
  12. Jan & Dean – “Sidewalk Surfin'”
  13. Rod Stewart – “Maggie May”
  14. ZZ Top – “La Grange”
  15. David Bowie – “Aladdin Sane (1913-1938-197?)”
  16. Alice Cooper – “Generation Landslide”
  17. Aerosmith – “Seasons of Wither”
  18. Ted Nugent – “Cat Scratch Fever”
  19. Pink Floyd – “Us and Them”
  20. Herb Alpert – “Lollipops and Roses”
  21. The Stooges – “I Wanna be Your Dog”
  22. T.Rex – “Children of the Revolution”
  23. Jimi Hendrix Experience – “Foxy Lady”
  24. Thin Lizzy – “Bad Reputation”
  25. The Trammps – “Disco Inferno”
  26. Massive Attack – “Exchange”
  27. The Allman Brothers Band – “One Way Out”
  28. Neil Young – “Old Man”
  29. Jimi Hendrix – “Freedom”
  30. Led Zeppelin – “Hots On for Nowhere”
  31. Jimi Hendrix Experience – “Bold As Love”
  32. Aerosmith – “Toys in the Attic”
  33. Ted Nugent – “Motor City Madhouse”
  34. Devo – “Gut Feeling”

Bonus Track: Santana – “Jingo” (DVD menu screen)

Now grab your board, and go skate!  If it’s not raining.

Scorpion Child – Gig Review

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Scorpion Child + Jared James Nichols + The Bad Flowers

Tuesday 1st November 2016

The Live Rooms, Chester

Almost a year to the day since I last saw the mighty Scorpion Child rocking out, and in the same venue too.  This time the crowd numbers are down, but hell – it was a bleak Tuesday evening.  No excuse though – people should have been at the Live Rooms for this gig.

I just managed to catch the end of the first set, by UK band The Bad Flowers.  This three piece were all power and chunky riffs – think Motorhead menace with some ZZ Top rock in there.  Very appetising and well worth keeping an eye on.

Next up was Jared James Nichols, with his two bandmates, bringing us our second three piece of the night.  This American band play a fine blend of bluesy hard rock, delivered with a confident, killer attack.  Mountain were a fair comparison – they rocked out a crunching “Mississippi Queen” just to prove it.  Quality entertainment with a boogie groove!

The last time I saw Scorpion Child, they were here on tour with Crobot (another superb band).  Now with their second album – the extremely brilliant Acid Roulette – firmly under their belt, I was keen to witness these new rock’n’roll superstars-to-be again.

Scorpion Child deliver music that is well schooled in the classics of the past – Zeppelin, Sabbath, Purple.  And like those bands they’re able to deliver monster rockers like “Liqour” and “She Sings, I Kill” along with some superbly epic moments that build beautifully (“Survives” and “Acid Roulette”).

There’s also a thinly disguised darkness about the bands sound, not exactly doomy but much more in the vein of 80’s bands like the Mission and the Sisters of Mercy.  At their most bombastic, Scorpion Child are reminiscent of The Cult (from whence they claimed their name).  Apologies for endless musical comparisons – but this band really have some classic style that merits a bigger fan base.  Throw in some Danzig and Soundgarden and you’ve got a list of some of my favourite bands.

A great deal of the set is from the new album, showing justified confidence on the bands part.  Songs like “My Woman in Black” and “I Might Be Your Man” are thundering hard rock compositions that are classics in the making.

A great gig, shame about the low attendance (and the lack of merch!) – but brilliantly infectious modern hard rock.  I’m off for fish’n’chips.

The Scorpion Child website is here.

You can find Scorpion Child, Jared James Nichols and the Bad Flowers on Facebook.

The Live Rooms website is here.

 scorpion-child

Platinum Lounge Rocks!

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On Friday 6th September 2013, I was at the Platinum Lounge as part of a leaving do for my great friend and colleague, Ben the Swede.  He was going off to be a hobo on the streets of London, begging for loose change off commuters.  No doubt he would hitch down there, then spend his nights sleeping in a cardboard box with only a stray dog for company.

To celebrate Ben’s move to pastures new, we were all out and about painting the town red as only us filthy tramps know how.  There was a rumour that the Platinum Lounge was having a rock weekend.  The rumours were true.

Rock night at the Platinum Lounge featured the best music I have ever heard in any establishment in Chester.  It left other venues in the dust as the Lounge dared to play the tunes that would rock other clubs to their foundations.

It was a truly legendary night.  Here’s the playlist – or at least, what my compadres and I remember.

  1. Run DMC & Aerosmith – “Walk This Way”
  2. Ugly Kid Joe – “I Hate Everything About You”
  3. Soundgarden – “Black Hole Sun”
  4. Fleetwood Mac – “Go Your Own Way”
  5. ZZ Top – “Legs”
  6. Def Leppard – “Pour Some Sugar On Me”
  7. Motley Crue – “Girls Girls Girls”
  8. Metallica – “Enter Sandman”
  9. Black Sabbath – “Paranoid”
  10. AC/DC – “Whole Lotta Rosie”
  11. Aerosmith – “Janie’s Got a Gun”
  12. The Cult – “She Sells Sanctuary”
  13. Rainbow – “Since You Been Gone”
  14. Alice Cooper – “Poison”
  15. Def Leppard – “Animal”
  16. Guns’n’Roses – “Sweet Child O’ Mine”
  17. AC/DC – “Back in Black”
  18. Jimi Hendrix Experience – “Foxy Lady”
  19. Fleetwood Mac – “The Chain”
  20. Bon Jovi – “Livin’ On a Prayer”
  21. Skid Row – “Youth Gone Wild”
  22. Dire Straits – “Money For Nothing”
  23. U2 – “Pride (In the Name of Love)”
  24. Bryan Adams – “Run to You”
  25. Billy Idol – “White Wedding”
  26. Pink Floyd – “Another Brick in the Wall”
  27. Rolling Stones – “Paint It Black”
  28. Santana – “Smooth”
  29. Whitesnake – “Here I Go Again”
  30. George Thorogood & the Destroyers – “Bad to the Bone”

OK, so I know the Ugly Kid Joe song sucks, but how many top tunes are there on that playlist?  I mean Soundgarden – you never hear Soundgarden played anywhere!  Especially not in Chester, where that sort of thing is punishable by whipping with a designer handbag.

Thanks to all at the Platinum Lounge for a great night.

Platinum Lounge Playlist

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Excellent news – the legendary Platinum Lounge is open again this weekend.  This is whilst the recent licence issues are “pending”.  Hopefully we’ll see the Lounge resurrected to its former glory and status as a beacon of light in glum old Chester.

To celebrate, here’s a playlist I’ve collated on my visits to the establishment.  Obviously, this list isn’t exhaustive – I don’t know or own every song played in Platinum Lounge.  These are just the ones I have a copy of, and can remember.  After all, I usually have a couple of polite drinkies when I’m there.

This is a soundtrack for some great nights, great music and great company.  Maybe it will help convince people that Platinum Lounge is nothing to be afraid of.

  1. Kylie Minogue – “Confide in Me”
  2. Green Day – “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”
  3. Def Leppard – “Pour Some Sugar On Me”
  4. Amy Winehouse – “Rehab”
  5. AC/DC – “Girl’s Got Rhythm”
  6. Alex Gaudino – “Destination Calabria”
  7. Beyonce – “Irreplaceable”
  8. Rhianna – “Umbrella”
  9. Audio Bullys ft. Nancy Sinatra – “Shot You Down”
  10. Destiny’s Child – “Independent Women”
  11. Beyonce – “Crazy in Love”
  12. Beyonce – “Green Light”
  13. Christina Aguilera – “Dirrty”
  14. Massive Attack – “Teardrop”
  15. Nickleback – “Rockstar”
  16. Ida Corr vs. Fedde Le Grand – “Let Me Think About It”
  17. ZZ Top – “Gimme All Your Lovin'”
  18. Poison – “Unskinny Bop”
  19. Motley Crue – “Girls, Girls, Girls”
  20. T-Rex – “Get It On”
  21. AC/DC – “Rock’n’Roll Train”
  22. ZZ Top – “Legs”
  23. AC/DC – “Back in Black”
  24. Alice Cooper – “Poison”
  25. Starship – “We Built This City”
  26. Metallica – “Enter Sandman”
  27. The Cult – “She Sells Sanctuary”
  28. AC/DC – “Shoot to Thrill”
  29. Steppenwolf – “Born to be Wild”
  30. Metallica – “Nothing Else Matters”
  31. Bon Jovi – “Wanted Dead or Alive”
  32. Tenacious D – “Tribute”

Recently Platinum Lounge held a Rock Night.  It was one of the best collection of tunes I’ve ever heard on a night out in Chester.  The above list doesn’t include songs from that night, I’ll post that as a separate list another time!