LTW Newsletter 46 

Dear Warriors!

Maybe we are drowning in autumn’s sweet sorrows or shivering in the annual damp and inclement quilt of grey that has spread over our lives. On the other hand we are celebrating the golden leaves and the rustle of nature beneath our feet as the seasons swing and summer is a distant humming memory. Another upside is that the electric warriors have come out to play and the gig circuit is full of sprightly band of all shapes, sizes and colours and Louder Then War has been run ragged attempting to embrace this glorious swirl of action!

The big headline this week is the 5 The Damned shows with the original classic line up. What sweet joy it was to see them not only playing together again but never sounding better. Wow is all we could have said but instead we wrote a review and a ten thought on this most glorious of comebacks. The Damned not only held the fort they finally claimed their place as one of the finest rock roll bands out there. Every member of the group was on fire, quite literally at one point…

While were feeling saucy - the Membranes have released their own vegan hot sauce We can’t think of a better Christmas condiment! BUY NOW!

BBC2 screened a Hacienda documentary about the legendary Manchester club that was a game changer from when it was built in the early eighties. Their audacity to create something ambitious in what was then a moribund city empowered the post industrial shell. The ultimate irony is that now the skyline of the city is full of Haciendas and the club and the building doesn’t exist any more! we believe Tony Wilson would have been amused by this.

The brilliantly named Wargasm have been playing their biggest hows whilst hot on the heels of their debut full-length release, Explicit: The Mixxxtape, Wargasm are touring their electro punk pop across the UK. The jaunt came to a close at the O2 Forum Kentish Town where they were supported by a plethora of guests for a night of musical mayhem and we were there.

Back out on the indie frontline have been the ever inventive Bis. The Glaswegian indie pop trio bis visit Manchester with a couple of great support bands who caught our reviewer’ eye as well.

King Gizzard have retuned with yet another album of genius gonzoid trips and yet again we heartily recommend you to immerse yourself into their beautifully strange and twisted and yet captivating world.

Martin Bramah have broken cover and announced a new band that is like a super group made up of many of the key ex members of The Fall. It looks like a great line up and much is promised from this exciting new project.

The latest Captain Oi! vintage punk collection, Brand New Age, goes back to 1980 featuring tracks from SLF, The Stranglers, 999, Sham 69 and The Exploited in a door topper big box set that captures the confusion of that year at the back end of the punk rock wars.

Henry Rollins has finally announced a U.K. and European tour for next year…it’s hard to imagine how he will find the time to detail his take on the current calamities in the world…the last time he was over it was a far more innocent time of endless war with a shed load of problems…these have now been multiplied by a million and Rollins has never flinched from the four horsemen of the Apocolypse…

Bogshed have finally got their catalogue getting the reissue treatment in a sumptuous and gorgeous looking box set. The band, who were firm John Peel faves with their off kilter post punk wonk were once the closet challenge to the Fall to documenting their weird side of the north and still sound genius.

The golden age of rock ‘n’ roll might have been on life support for the past couple of decades, but The Pretty Reckless are at the forefront of bands trying to breathe new life into the ailing patient. In singer Taylor Momsen, they have a true star at their helm, having originally found fame as an actress (Cindy Lou Who in ‘The Grinch Who Stole Christmas’ and Jenny Humphrey in ‘Gossip Girl’), she formed the band in 2009 and never looked back. However The Pretty Reckless are no mere plaything of some Hollywood brat, Momsen is the real deal, with a voice which can veer from breathtaking power to ethereal delicacy. Tonight sees the band play the Manchester leg of their first UK tour since 2017.

Noel gallagher has surprised us all by releasing a new post punk sounding single that has hints of The Cure in its sonic assault. It’s a welcome swerve away from his normal territory and underlines the Noel we now more than the public facing one has more arrows to his bow!

We were sorry to hear of the death of DH Peligro from the Dead Kennedys - one of the finest drummers of his generation and key player on one of the great punk rock bands.