LTW newsletter 74
Warriors!
So the election finally got called, and the politicians are now scrambling, looking for your vote like hungry wolf like bands with a new album out, looking for that one week in the album charts in the top 5 before hurtling back into oblivion.
The next few weeks will be full of relentless electioneering with all the tricks learned from the pop culture hype machine cranked on steroids. It will keep the endless news cycle happy with every tiny story spun out for days. The backroom PRs will be shouting down their mobiles and the spin masters will be spinning their webs and looking for chinks in the opposition army whilst the policy wonks and PR gonks will be huddled down together in bunkers.
Campaign songs will be getting sliced and diced and chosen, with D:Ream’s 1993 hit, Things Can Only Get Better already back in the middle of the narrative after a demonstrator was cranking it out during Sunak’s bizarre standing in the rain election call.
The song has become our Born In The USA - out of context and out of time and always popping its head up at election roll calls. It must be a nice little earner for D:Ream - did he have other hits? but always makes us think of awkward dad dancing politicians in bad suits trying to let their hair down at party conferences.
Sunak is like one of those too smooth pop acts where style and marketing dominate over any actual content and is prepared to do or say or sing anything to get a hit. Meanwhile, Kier Starmer is like an ageing indie act from Shine On festival reviving his one seven-inch release from the latter days of Postcard Records. Both of them, though, are dwarfed by the election tussle in the USA that sees an ageing crooner whose last big hit was in 1949, Joe Biden, versus the worst excesses of the sixties and a man whose backstage reputation makes the Stones and Led Zep blush…Donald Trump.
Meanwhile, back on our own campaign trail, there has been much action in the past week…
Our favourite new band, the bizarrely and brilliantly named Erotic Secrets Of Pompeii, have been on a tour. The charismatic indie band who cross the wam bam thank u glam of early Suede with early Adam And The Ants have been thrilling audiences in unlikely venues with their glamour puss imagination and great songs. It can only be a matter of time before everyone catches onto this exotic excitement.
Another LTW backed newbie, Freya Beer, released a brilliant new single called Tatianna, which was like Dolly Parton joining a post-punk band and came complete with a heartbreak melody and killer chorus. It’s such a great song and just needs to be heard by people before Freya Beer finally gets embraced.
A genuine star in waiting!
The Faroe Islands may be small with a tiny population, but they punch above their weight in pop culture. It may be one of the few places that still indulges in the disgusting act of whaling but it also has produced the fantastic vegan queer punk band- the brilliantly named Joe and the Shitboys. The band have been over in the UK touring and has released a new single of ribald punk action.
Last weekend we were in a whirl running around lots of different venues in Manchester - there are so many venues open these days that plotting a night out has become a real problem!
It’s the downside of the luxury of too many gigs!
There are more venues in the city centre than ever before and they are full of great bands. Fast rising Big Special played at hardy perennial venue The Deaf Institute - it's one of our favourite places for seeing bands resembling a small theatre, and it was packed for the band’s who are breaking out, The two piece play a great mix of dole blues, hip hop and post-punk mashed together in a unique whole and their anthemic tunes really stick in your head and great a genuine bonhomie in the packed room.
https://louderthanwar.com/big-special-deaf-institute-manchester-live-review/ (Opens in a new window)
On the same night, we whizzed over the Star and Garter - the ancient pub by the side of Piccadilly station to immerse ourselves in the glorious weekend of gigs to celebrate the late and great Andy Rourke, the bassist from the Smiths. All manner of special guests, from Badly Drawn Boy to Keeley, from Mike Joyce to Stephen Holt from the Inspiral Carpets, sang Smiths songs and reminisced about the much loved figure.
At last! Lancaster faves, The Lovely Eggs, have a new album out and, instead of resting on laurels, have pushed themselves into what could be their best work yet. Eggsistentialism in an amusing title and great album that adds an emotional clout to their DIY soap opera and is packed full of great songs.
https://louderthanwar.com/the-lovely-eggs-eggsistentialism-album-review/
Paul Ferguson - the powerhouse drummer from Killing Joke, has returned to the fray after the death of band guitar player Geordie, which seems to have put an end to the classic post-punk band. His new project, Light Of Eternity, picks up from where the Joke left off with dark, brooding songs that pack a power of cimmerian melodic nouse in a captivating debut, which we review here.
The annual Focus Wales showcase event in Wrexham has turned the town around. Even before the football club takeover by rich American actors turned the sports side of the town into a veritable soap opera, Focus Wales was turning the culture around. The event attracts bands from all over the world and is always imaginatively curated.
This year was no expectation.
https://louderthanwar.com/focus-wales-festival-2024-wrexham-live-review/ (Opens in a new window)
Sisters Of Mercy founder member Gary Marx has announced a return from the void with a glam rock album! Featuring special guests, the album is a series of self-penned songs celebrating the sou track to Gary Marx’s youth and is a lovingly penned pastiche of that glorious era.
https://louderthanwar.com/sisters-of-mercy-co-founder-gary-marx-returns-with-glam-album-m-arx/
Another goth classic - Peter Murphy from Bauhaus also announced debut releases on his newly set up label with an album of cover versions of songs that he loves delivered in that distinctive croon that is a reminder of the potent beauty of his voice.
https://louderthanwar.com/peter-murphy-bauhaus-frontman-and-highly-acclaimed-solo-artist-announces-new-albums/
The Empty Page has been around for a few years in Manchester, but finally, they are connecting with an audience for their perfectly executed mix of post-punk and the smarter end of metal. The songs are emotional rushes and full of imagination and searing tunes.
https://louderthanwar.com/the-empty-page-yes-manchester-live-review/
