Welcome Warriors to another week of musical sturm and drang!

As November slips towards Crimbo and the flickering dark nights cloak our towns and cities we seek the high decibel. The weekend was also spent at COP in Glasgow where I was doing in conversations with Chris Packham and Dale Vince . It was a great event to be at and whilst the streets thronged with vibrant youth marching to change the world the politicians swerved and evaded the issues and got back on their private jets as clueless as ever. The times are a changing and the time to prevaricate is over. Surely?

In this time of high drama the music kept coming. It’s like two years of gigs compressed into one week! We have been typing like maniacs in the past week - trying to keep up with the tsunamis of popular culture. From gigs to records to books to events! Some of the weeks highlights included the British library displaying the new book about Paul Mccartney’s songwriting.

Macca is pop genius - it’s a stunning career with a mixture of pop classic and many musical curveballs. Perhaps the modern equivalent is Damn Albarn - the Blur singer - who’s own career has taken many twists and turns over the years. His latest work is hypnotic ambient album written in his current home of Iceland. The tracks are full of mystery and melody as our reviewer describes here.

In the post lockdown period there have been a whole army of young bands gagging for it and starting to build a new musical landscape like the mammals did after the end of the dinosaurs. Kid Kapachi hail from Hastings and were on the verge of something just before the pandemic. They now are in first gear packing in big crowds and look like one of the first big breakout bands.

Tricky’s career has been an idiosyncratic journey of genius and danger. The trip hop pioneer whose voice and beats created a whole new musical landscape is back out on the road. Some of his releases have been breath taking and some of his career choices baffling but it’s great to see him back out on the boards.

The Humanist is the project off former Exit Calm guitarist Rob Marshall - the brilliant player collaborated and wrote songs with many different singers and has taken the project on the road with James from Puressence on vocals delivering the varied vocals with a soaring brilliance.

Back in the Britpop wars the Boo Radleys suddenly swerved from being an underground Sonic Youth soaked unit into delightful rush of classic guitar pop. Cornflakes pop! Out of the ether they have re-emerged but just what have the intervening decades done to the band’s sound.

https://louderthanwar.com/the-boo-radleys-the-moth-club-london-live-review/ (Abre numa nova janela)

Another returning band are Kasabian who tentatively have returned after sacking their singer, Tom Meighan, after a night of domestic madness. The band’s driving force guitar player Serge is now the singer - does it work? Our reviewer explains all here…

Indie veterans The Nightingales are back out on the road and their dislocated wonk is still thrilling our reviewer.

It must be strange being Mick Jaggers brother but Chris has enjoyed his own life in the flickering limelight. The tow brothers are close and even have that odd accent - must be a Dartford thing!

It’s great to see the return of IDLES. Their new sound is a step forward and seems to have synthesised a soul influence into their stomping celebration!

Like everyone in Manchester and beyond we were shocked and heartbroken to hear the death of Andy Barker from 808 State. The ground breaking band really pulled of a remarkable musical shift out of acid house and created their own style that paved the way to the bands that came out of the dance revolution. Andy was a big part of this and much loved.