Hello Warriors!

It’s been another strange week on the coalface of the rock and the roll but then they all seem to be strange days in these vagabond and lunatic times. In the old days August was the quiet month when there was no news and everyone was on holiday - now we seem to be living in times of compressed history when everything seems to be happening all at once. Rarely a day goes past without some shattering story whether it’s Afghanistan or Bob Dylan or the low level grumble of the pandemic.

Again music came to the rescue. The party is sort of starting again. There are green shoots of recovery in the night time the sector. We were pleased to report this week that the Hacienda is back in a action with its travelling roadshow of DJ’s and party vibes cropping up all over the Uk starting off with big night at Blackpool cricket club where your humble correspondent remembers seeing erstwhile lancashire cricket club star Clive Lloyd knock a spectator out with a six become he hit the ball with such a high velocity and range that it turned into a dangerous projectile. Can the Hacienda DJs have the same affect as the great West Indian cricketer 50 years later?

One of our editors Nigel Carr took himself off to London to review the Mike Oldfield Tubular Bells event. One of the strangest success stories in music history continues to confound and certainly defy the media narrative of music history - which is a good thing! Anything that doesn’t fit into the cosy rock canon is a good thing by our book but the gig was odd. His review has gone viral. It was an odd affair - a star studded event without Oldfield himself and the theatrical undertaking was confusing for many who didn’t realise that he would not be taking part. But was it actually any good? Nigel reports here.

In the flickering corners of post punk community it was a shock to hear that Simon Gallup had quit the Cure. The bass player was an integral part of the band - it would actually be fair to say that him and Robert Smith were the core of the band and his bass lines were key part of the group’s sounds adding dark melancholy and sprightly melody to the group. He was also an animated and lively on stage charismatic foil to Robert Smith and it’s hard to imagine the band playing without him and what does it tell us about the upcoming long delayed album?

Sonic Youth and The Pastels have just announced an interesting release as part of the recent Love Record Stores campaign, the second part of which takes places on Saturday 4th September 2021. Both Sonic Youth and The Pastels have both previously staked their support to the New York Dolls fan mast, they each further cemented this when they chose to cover some of the New York Dolls most iconic tracks. The Pastels covered Lonely Planet Boy in 1987, the track being released via the Comin’ Through EP (Glass Records), whilst Sonic Youth covered Personality Crisis in 1992, the track has been widely bootlegged, though was officially released as part of the Whore’s Moaning: Oz ’93 Tour Edition EP, before being included on the best selling Dirty LP in 2003.

The Battery Farm are the best punk band in the UK according to our man on the front row, Wayne Carey. The Battery Farm are blazing a trail of destruction wherever they land. The support at the gig came from Def Robot who dare to grace the stage with their debut gig after only releasing thirteen albums in two years. Leon The Pig Farmer is quickly becoming our generation’s John Cooper Clarke with ease. Sounds like quite a combination as the review describes.

FROM THE ARCHIVES!

Last November Jane Hector Jones wrote this brilliant in depth piece on the Leeds post punk scene and its many fascinating entanglements that joined the Sisters Of Mercy to the Three Johns to the Gang Of Four and the world’s first ‘goth’ club and also many of the lesser known yet equally vital names inbetween…

Youngblud is one the most fascinating of modern pop stars. He burst out the unlikely background of Doncaster and has created himself into a 21st century Ziggy/punk/glam/Marilyn Manson hybrid. He also has the voice and talent to back it up. His recent gig seem him as the natural descendent to the freak show that was often at the heart and soul of great music culture as our reviewer states here…

‘Dressed in a black Cramps tshirt/cybergoth-gladiator leather skirt ensemble, with pink socks, beneath all the rock tongue flashing and posturing lies a 24-year old with a genuine mission to reach out to the disaffected souls in the place and make them feel less alone. And after what we’ve all been going through, there’s probably never a better time for it. The feeling of solidarity is overwhelming.

https://louderthanwar.com/yungblud-o2-forum-london-live-review/ (Opens in a new window)

Jim Bob was one half of Carter USM and his occiaisoanl solo career sees that he has lost none of his biting wordplay and clever musings on modern UK in timely release…https://louderthanwar.com/jim-bob-who-do-we-hate-today-album-review/