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Failure – Fantastic Planet: The Live Album
In 2016, rock legends Failure (Ken Andrews – guitar, bass, lead vocals, Greg Edwards – bass, guitar, synths, vocals, Kellii Scott – drums) played their masterpiece album, Fantastic Planet, on a 20th anniversary tour across the U.S. Sadly, I couldn’t make it to any of the shows, but getting a live album of one of the stops on the tour is a nice way to hear one of the best records of the 1990’s.
The album starts with the clockwork sounds (and sorrowful guitar) of “Saturday Savior.” The band immediately sounds like they haven’t lost a thing in 20 years. I instantly regretted having to work a full-time job upon hearing this, because work kept me from making one of the stops of this tour. “Sergeant Politeness” is one of the biggest rockers on Fantastic Planet, and this version is nothing short of a kick in the teeth.
The live album even includes the three instrumental segues between tracks. Failure wasn’t kidding when they said they’d play the album in its entirety. The first bridges the gap between “Sergeant Politeness” and “Smoking Umbrellas” – which has some of the biggest chorus vocals on the record. Andrews makes sure people out in the concession stand can hear him. “Pillowhead” has Scott going as wonderfully nuts on it as he did in 1996.
“Blank” is a beautiful piece of shoegaze that feels like a warm bath after a sprint workout from the previous two tracks. “Dirty Blue Balloons” is one of the many songs on the record about drugs (which were a large part of the band’s life back in 1996), and its heavy-hitting chorus makes it like the greatest Pixies track they never recorded. Edwards’ guitar solo on it is great.
“Solaris” is a bit of a mind trip, and almost sounds like a Yes track. “Pitiful” is another one of the rockers on the album. The chorus hits you like a left hook you didn’t see coming. “Leo,” which I’m fairly certain is about a guy freaking out after coming down from a high, is just as good as it was in 1996. It sounds just like when I saw them in 1997. “The Nurse Who Loved Me,” another song about dealing with drug addiction, is a crowd favorite and was one of their biggest hits (even the guys in Tool hold this song in reverence). The electric piano supporting the crowd’s vocals is great and the song builds to an uplifting power.
Failure is sometimes described as a “space rock” band, and “Another Space Song” is a good example of why that’s the case. It’s the sound of a derelict alien craft in orbit around the moon. It’s trippy, creepy, and one of the best tracks on the album. This song alone should’ve made Failure an even bigger success.
“Stuck on You” is Failure’s biggest hit without question, and it’s not hard to believe it once you hear it. It was the song that introduced me to them and made me drag my two friends to their 1997 Lollapalooza set. It’s a powerful song (about heroin, no less) with a chorus that bursts like a sunrise over a mountain and yet hits as heavy as many grunge classics from the same time.
It flows well into “Heliotropic,” which takes us back to outer space with Andrews’ heavy bass, Edwards’ great solo, and Scott’s third stage-rocket drumming. The album ends with “Daylight,” which itself starts with the clockwork sounds we hear at the beginning of the album. It’s a snake eating its tail. It’s hypnotic and dire (and, yes, about the lull of heroin). Andrews’ voice is slightly distorted and sounds slightly out of the room…until the chorus explodes and nearly knocks you out of your chair.
I, like most of us, had no idea the band was going through such a rough stretch when Fantastic Planet was made and released. We’re lucky none of them overdosed or gave up music. We’re lucky the record was released at all, considering their label at the time was put up for sale before Fantastic Planet was released. We’re lucky to have this live recording and, hopefully, new material from them in the future. It’s time to find this classic if you missed it in 1996.
Keep your mind open.
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New Order offers new record and other perks through PledgeMusic.
Electro legends New Order are offering their new double album, NOMC15, through a PledgeMusic campaign that includes some neat bundles for purchase.
The album is a recording of one of two sold-out shows in November 2015 at Brixton Academy. It features eighteen tracks that include classics like “Blue Monday” and “True Faith,” rarer cuts like “Your Silent Face,” and new stuff like “Tutti Frutti.”
Some of the PledgeMusic campaign bundles include triple LPs, double CDs, T-shirt and print packages, and even Live at the London Troxy, which is a recording of a 2011 show that was the band’s first concert in five years.
Get the deals while they’re hot. The new record drops May 26th.
Keep your mind open.
The Damned’s North American tour starts April 6th.
THE DAMNED
40TH ANNIVERSARY NORTH AMERICAN TOUR BEGINS APRIL 6TH IN LOS ANGELES!
CHECK LOCAL TICKETING FOR EXCLUSIVE VIP PACKAGES FOR SHOWS
(INCLUDING LIMITED EDITION 7″ PICTURE DISC OF ‘NEW ROSE’)
NEW ALBUM IN THE WORKS – FOR MORE INFO & PRE-ORDER LINK VISIT: PLEDGEMUSIC
‘DAMNED DAMNED DAMNED’ 40TH ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION OUT NOW VIA BMG
Photo: Dod Morrison
Formed in 1976, The Damned really need no introduction… As well as releasing the first ever British punk single and album, they also broke further new ground as the first UK punk act to tour America. Cited as one of the most influential punk groups of all time, they also contributed vastly to the gothic rock genre and influenced an entire generation of future hardcore punk bands such as Black Flag and Bad Brains, with their fast paced energetic playing style and attitude, as well as heavyweights such as Green Day and Guns ’N’ Roses (the latter acknowledged the debt when they covered “New Rose” on their 1993 album, ‘The Spaghetti Incident’). Along with the Sex Pistols and The Clash, the Damned helped spearhead the punk movement in the UK and they continue to wave the flag for originality, stick two fingers up to mediocrity and celebrate a DIY punk ethos in the face of plastic entertainment and scripted reality, four decades and ten albums later (and still on the road).
The band’s hugely influential classic debut single, ‘New Rose‘, celebrated its 40th anniversary last November with a limited edition 7” release via BMG. Featuring original artwork, picture disc and exclusive fold out poster, it’s a must have collectable release of one of the most influential records of all time. Their classic debut long-player, ‘Damned Damned Damned’ (the very first British punk album), was originally released by Stiff Records on February 18th 1977 and, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the band’s dramatic breakthrough, BMG also released a very special Art Of The Album: Deluxe Edition of that incredible debut album on February 17th, almost exactly 40 years to the day since its original issue.
David Vanian, Captain Sensible, Monty Oxymoron, Andrew ‘Pinch’ Pinching, and Stu West headed into the studio this winter to start work on a brand new album, their first since 2008’s ‘So, Who’s Paranoid?‘ A pre-order link for the CD, colored vinyl, as well as exclusive merch (and experiences) is available at PledgeMusic. Stay tuned for more info.
Currently on an extensive world tour, which includes a two month North American run beginning April 6th in Los Angeles, they will also play a series of UK festivals this summer (check the band’s website for details).
See The Damned live – it will be a night out that you will remember for a very long time…
NORTH AMERICAN SHOWS:
April 6 – Los Angeles, CA – Belasco Theater <<<
April 7 – San Diego, CA – House Of Blues ***
April 8 – Anaheim, CA – House Of Blues ***
April 9 – Las Vegas, NV – House Of Blues ***
April 11 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore ***
April 12 – Sacramento, CA – Ace Of Spades ***
April 14 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom ***
April 15 – Vancouver, BC – The Commodore ***
April 16 – Seattle, WA – The Showbox ***
April 18 – Salt Lake City, U – The Depot ***
April 19 – Denver, CO – Summit Music Hall ***
April 21 – St. Louis, MO – Delmar Hall ***
April 22 – Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line ***
April 23 – Chicago, IL – House Of Blues ***
April 24 – Louisville, KY – Mercury Ballroom ***
April 26 – Indianapolis, IN – Deluxe at Old National Ctr. ***
April 27 – Cincinnati, OH – Bogart’s ***
April 28 – Cleveland, OH – House Of Blues ***
April 29 – Detroit, MI – St. Andrews Hall ^^^
April 30 – Toronto, ON – Phoenix Theatre ^^^
May 2 – Montreal, QC – Club Soda ^^^
May 2 – Montreal, QC – Club Soda ^^^
May 4 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club ^^^
May 5 – Brooklyn, NY – Warsaw ^^^ SOLD OUT
May 6 – Asbury Park, NJ – Stone Pony ^^^
May 7 – Philadelphia, PA – TLA ^^^
May 9 – Baltimore, MD – Sound Stage ^^^
May 11 – Atlanta, GA – Masquerade/Heaven ^^^
May 12 – Lake Buena Vista, FL – House Of Blues ^^^
May 13 – St, Petersburg, FL – State Theater ^^^
May 14 – Fort Lauderdale, FL – Revolution ^^^
May 16 – New Orleans, LA – House Of Blues ^^^
May 17 – Houston, TX – House Of Blues ^^^
May 18 – Dallas, TX – House Of Blues ^^^
May 19 – Austin, TX – Mohawk Outdoors ^^^
May 21– Phoenix, AZ – Marquee Theater ^^^
<<< w/ Alice Bag & The Sissy Bears
*** w/ Bleached
^^^ w/ The BellRays
^^^ w/ The BellRays
“…a rage of rude bamalama and embedded pop-song smarts that, with time and sense, now sounds as consistent and fundamental as the Clash and Sex Pistols hymnals.” Rolling Stone
“The Damned are a band of infinite depth and a wide variety of pleasures. Their catalog includes high-quality blurs of melodic punk, Beach Boys-ish flowery psych-pop, chiming, bittersweet post-punk, Moody Blues-ish bombastmopherics, spiraling goth and soaring faux soul, all brilliantly executed…With their predilection for both massive power and chaos and highly developed and subtle songwriting, they continue to be an effective and dramatic touring act, to this day.” New York Observer
“The show was anything but a by the numbers nostalgia fest….The Damned delivered a performance that would leave many bands half their age in jealous awe.” Concert Addicts
“The Damned are 40 this year and still punk as fuck. Or goth as fuck. Or something in between that was never quiet the Ramones or Bauhaus, but Dave Vanian dressed like a vampire and Captain Sensible wore gonzo plaid. Something for every counterculture.” Diabolique Magazine
“For a band in their 40th year, The Damned surprisingly still have more energy than many groups half their age. Founding members singer Dave Vanian and guitarist Captain Sensible are all over the stage, moving almost constantly as they work their way through one song after another.” Chunky Glasses
“…across two sets, the band — which still features vampiric vocalist Dave Vanian and guitarist Captain Sensible — worked their way backwards, more or less, through their entire catalogue, delivering most of their best-loved songs along the way. Vanian’s voice is still in top form, and Captain Sensible provided the riffs and comic relief. Fantastic show.” Brooklyn Vegan
Clutch announces inaugural Earth Rocker Festival.
CLUTCH ANNOUNCE FIRST ANNUAL EARTH ROCKER FESTIVAL AT SHILEY ACRES IN INWOOD, WV
March 20th, 2017 – Clutch is pleased to announce their first annual Earth Rocker Festival at Shiley Acres in Inwood, WV on Saturday, May 20th. The lineup includes: Lucero, The Sword, Bad Seed Rising, Apollo’s Prophecy, and the Frederick Maryland School of Rock band. Tickets for the festival are on sale now at this location: https://tinyurl.com/n3saltt.
The festival is a daytime event that has the parking field opening at 9am. Gates to the show open at 12 noon and music starts at 1pm. The festival ends at sunset with overnight camping permitted. Children under 12 are admitted free of charge. 10×10 pop up tents and lawn chairs are allowed inside designated festival concert areas.
For more information on the line up, directions, camping, on site food and beverages available, hotel accommodations and all “Things You Should Know”, visit http://www.shileyacres.
“The first annual Earth Rocker Festival takes place at Shiley Acres, in West Virginia” states the band’s front man Neil Fallon. “We played at Shiley Acres last year and it was a blast. Our intent is to have a really diverse bill. If all goes as planned, Earth Rocker Festival will continue as an annual event, hopefully growing in scope over the years.”
Guitarist Tim Sult adds “Enjoy the May weather in the best way possible- with a day of rock n roll in a West Virginia field!”
Drummer Jean-Paul Gaster adds “Earth Rocker Festival is a great way to kick off summer! The green rolling hills of West Virginia will provide the backdrop for our inaugural music event. We wanted to create a musical experience that included a diverse line up of music. We are pleased to announce this year’s line up includes our friends the Sword and the legendary Lucero. Come rock with us!”
Shiley Acres is an outdoor concert venue located in Inwood, West Virginia. For 40 years Shiley Acres has seen many local and national acts grace it’s stage.
For more information, check out Earth Rocker Festival:
@earthrockerfest
Facebook: www.facebook.com/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/
Lollapalooza 2017 lineup announced.
The lineup for Chicago’s Lollapalooza 2017 festival has been announced. They’ve kept it a four-day festival, and four-day tickets are already sold out. Individual day tickets are on sale, but don’t wait too long to get them. They will sell out as well.
It’s good to see Temples playing Thursday night, Phantogram on Friday, Royal Blood, Ron Gallo, and Warpaint on Sunday, and Justice on Sunday.
Make sure to take your sunscreen. Lollapalooza always seems to fall on the hottest weekend of the year in Chicago.
Keep your mind open.
Kelly Lee Owens’ debut album out March 24th.
LISTEN TO KELLY LEE OWENS’ DEBUT ALBUM VIA NPR MUSIC’S “FIRST LISTEN”
http://n.pr/2mayKmi
WATCH VIDEO FOR “ANXI” FT. JENNY HVAL, DIRECTED BY KIM HIORTHØY
https://youtu.be/FdDf2Ib4B64
DEBUT ALBUM OUT THIS FRIDAY, MARCH 24TH, ON SMALLTOWN SUPERSOUND
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Moonlandingz debut album out March 24th.
(featuring members of Fat White Family and Eccentronic Research Council)
Share video for ‘The Strangle of Anna’ on NME
Debut album INTERPLANETARY CLASS CLASSICS released March 24th via Chimera Music
Album includes guest appearances from Yoko Ono, Randy Jones (Village People) and Philip Oakey (The Human League). Co-produced by Sean Lennon
Tickets available for exclusive New York show May 11th at Rough Trade NYC
Credit; Chris Saunders
“A rip-roaring busman’s holiday…there’s a camp swagger to these motorik grooves.” Q 
“Forging bombast with bravura, silliness with sentiment and homage with fist-clenched individuality, this is a trip worth taking, especially for those already acquainted. Like a defiant and brilliantly bonkers case of cosmic ordering coming off with flying colours, this is a release that – perhaps more than any of its main players associated projects – doubles up celebration of the possible. And how.“ The Quietus (lead review and read the interview)
“A deviant blend of filthy pop and pre-digital electronics….top drawer psycho-disco” MOJO
“Feral antics and louche anarchy!” The Guardian
“For a ‘fictional’ band, The Moonlandingz have made a pretty great album.” (8/10) The Line Of Best Fit
The band name on everyone’s lips in the UK, The Moonlandingz, have teamed up with award winning video director and cinematographer, Dawn Shadforth and Robbie Ryan; the people that brought you the iconic video for Kylie Minogue’s ‘Can’t Get You Out Of My Head’, the gritty heartbreaking British film, ‘I, Daniel Blake’ and ‘American Honey’ (amongst many more), to bring you the brand new video for their latest single ‘The Strangle of Anna’, featuring the voice of Slow Club‘s Rebecca Lucy Taylor.
The Moonlandingz are the semi-fictional psych-pop group put together by Sheffield’s practical electronics wizards and analogue taxidermists, The Eccentronic Research Council (Adrian Flanagan and Dean Honer) and Fat White Family‘s Lias Saoudi and Saul Adamczewski.
‘The band previously shared Black Hanz, released as an EP late last year and included on the album. Both tracks have been on A list rotation on 6 Music in the UK on Lauren Laverne and Marc Riley‘s shows.
INTERPLANETARY CLASS CLASSICS is released March 24th through Chimera Music and features guest appearances from Yoko Ono, Randy Jones (the Cowboy from The Village People), and Philip Oakey, along with drummer Ross Orton and bassist Mairead O’Connor. Written, recorded and produced by the band at studios in Sheffield and New York, it also features co-producer Sean Lennon on guitar and additional drums and bass and was mixed by legendary Flaming Lips/Tame Impala/MGMT producer, Dave Fridmann. The album is a feast of swirling juddering synths, wailing guitars, motorik stomp and extraordinary songwriting – weird, catchy, glorious and filthy pop.
The Moonlandingz have proven themselves to be one of the best live bands in the UK and kick off an 11 date headlining tour this week, before heading to Europe and ending with their biggest show to date at Village Underground in London on April 4th.
The band play an exclusive New York show on May 11th at Rough Trade NYC. Stay tuned for more news, including additional US appearances.
INTERPLANETARY CLASS CLASSICS TRACK LISTING:
1. Vessels
2. Sweet Saturn Mine
3. Black Hanz
4. I.D.S.
5. The Strangle Of Anna (feat. Rebecca Taylor of Slow Club)
6. Theme From Valhalladale
7. The Rabies Are Back
8. Neuf De Pape
9. Glory Hole (feat. Randy Jones from Village People)
10. Lufthanza Man
11. This Cities Undone (feat. Yoko Ono & friendz)
Watch videos for Black Hanz and Sweet Saturn Mine (Sean Lennon De-Mix) – both directed by musician Charlotte Kemp Muhl (of The GOASTT)
The Black Hanz EP is available digitally, featuring a special mix (non-LP) and 3 other non-LP tracks:
Drop It Fauntleroy, The Cement Garden (interlude) & Psych Ersatz (ERC Rasper Four Eyes De-Mix).
LIVE SHOWS:
MARCH (UK):
22nd – Newcastle – Cluny
23rd – Glasgow – Stereo SOLD OUT
24th – Dublin – Whelans
25th – Liverpool – Invisible Wind Factory
28th – Birmingham – Hare & Hounds SOLD OUT
29th – Nottingham – Rescue Rooms
30th – Manchester – Gorilla SOLD OUT
APRIL (UK/EUROPE):
1st – Sheffield – Leadmill
2nd – Bristol – Thekla SOLD OUT
3rd – Portsmouth – Wedgewood Rooms
4th – London – Village Underground SOLD OUT
19th – Oxford – The Bullingdon
20th – Rouen – Le 106 Club
21st – Bourges – Le Printemps de Bourges Festival
22nd – Cologne – Artheater
24th – Berlin – Katine am Berghain
25th – Hamburg – Molotow
26th – Amsterdam – Paradiso
27th – Paris – Point FMR
MAY (US):
11th – Brooklyn – Rough Trade NYC
The Moonlandingz online:
Rewind Review: Cream – Goodbye (1969)
Wrapping up my journey through the Cream (Ginger Baker – drums, Jack Bruce – bass and vocals, Eric Clapton – guitar and vocals) catalogue, I arrive at their fourth and final record – Goodbye. The band was dealing with the pressures of success and frequent touring, the clashing egos of Baker and Bruce, the eagerness of Clapton to try something new, and a lot of drug use among all three.
Goodbye, which features interior album art of the song titles on gravestones, is only six tracks. Three are live cuts and three are studio recordings. The opener is a version of “I’m So Glad” over nine minutes long. Bruce’s bass is fat on it and they’re soon into a massive jam during which all three members try to outdo one another. This jam is so heavy that it’s a shock when they come back to the lyrics.
The bass and drums on the live cut of “Politican” are almost sludge metal, but Clapton keeps the blues flavor close. He keeps it even closer on “Sitting on Top of the World” with funky riffs, and Baker’s drumming on this cut is outstanding.
The studio cuts begin with “Badge,” which is written and sung by Clapton. It’s almost a Traffic track (and Clapton was trying to get Steve Winwood to join the band around the time, but Winwood was happy with Traffic). Clapton’s guitar work stretches out for a great mix of blues, psych, and even a touch of surf. “Doing That Scrapyard Thing” has Bruce playing bass and piano as he sings a quirky jaunt about his youth.
I’m sure the irony wasn’t lost on Cream, their label, and their fans that the last song on Goodbye is titled “What a Bringdown.” It’s a song that returns to their psychedelic rock (listen to that freaky guitar work by Clapton) and talks of changing times and looking for better opportunities (i.e., “Do you or don’t you wanna make more bread?”).
Goodbye is a good record. It’s no Disraeli Gears, but any Cream is better than none. They were too good to last, not unlike the Police. Theatres weren’t big enough for their rock, and unfortunately the band wasn’t big enough for them.
Keep your mind open.
[No politics here, just music when you subscribe.]
Live – Desert Daze Caravan tour – Phoenix, AZ – March 11, 2017
It was with sunburned legs and neck that a friend of mine, Scott, and I headed into downtown Phoenix, Arizona for the annual Viva PHX festival. It’s an impressive undertaking by the city. 100 bands play in 18 venues around downtown in one night. The style of acts ranges from jazz funk to thrash punk, so you can see just about anything (even lucha libra wrestling).
After dining on a turkey burger and a chicken quesadilla, Scott and I walked to the Valley Bar. A friend of his had described it as a “dive bar” you had to access through an alley. She was right. We walked down an alley, past a dumpster, and down into a basement bar mostly lit by candlelight. It was a neat place, and the pear cider there was outstanding.
The doors to their mid-size music hall opened a bit late, but I was happy to see some Orange amplifiers on stage and everything else already set up and ready to rock. Jjuujjuu opened with a good set of mostly instrumental psychedelia. Shame on you if you missed it because they were a great way to start the night. Scott, who had never heard of any of the bands playing, enjoyed their set.
Froth were up next and laid down their “California vibe” psych-rock. This was the first time I heard some of their new stuff, and there were some good rockers in there. Scott thought Froth’s lead singer was too much of a perfectionist (due to his frequent requests to get the levels right in his monitor), but didn’t think their set was bad.
I got up close for Deap Vally. I told Scott that they were “going to be loud as fuck” in the small venue, and I was right. They played a set of tracks from their excellent sophomore album Feminism and one (“Walk of Shame”) off Sistrionix. This was the first time I’d seen them in a small venue and with Julie Edwards on drums. I also spoke with Ms. Edwards before and both she and Lindsey Troy after their set and they were delightful. They were the only band that hung out in the merch area the whole night and they were swarmed after their killer set. I always feel bad for any band that has to follow them because they take no prisoners. Scott was impressed.
He was also impressed by Night Beats, even though they played a short, four-song set. I don’t know if they got in late and thus lost some of their set time or if they had to cut out early to make it to another engagement, but four songs live by Night Beats are better than twenty by many other bands. It was nice to see them grinning after having reported a lot of their gear had been stolen in Tijuana a couple nights earlier. They threw down hard and then were gone in the blink of an eye, almost like a firework exploding.
Temples closed the Desert Daze Caravan show. I’d seen them on the main stage at Levitation Austin in 2014 and was surprised by how heavy their set was. I wondered if they’d be just as much in a small venue. They were, but they were also crisp. It was one of the better engineered sets I’d heard from anyone in a while. Scott wasn’t much a fan of their British psych sound, but I thought they had one of the best sets of the night, and the crowd was crazy for them.
Yacht weren’t part of the Desert Daze Caravan tour, but they were the “afterparty” band at the Valley Bar that night. We almost left before their set, mainly because it first appeared they weren’t going to set up for another hour, but they zipped onstage as soon as all of Temples’ gear was gone and dropped a fun electro set that had the crowd bouncing. Scott said, “I wasn’t into it at first, but they grew on me.”
I spoke with the man who made all the psychedelic light effects for the Desert Daze Caravan bands. I thanked him for the nice work. He shook my hand and said, “You saw a good one. The spirit of rock and roll was here tonight.”
We emerged from underneath the city around 1:30am. Were it not for the bits of trash, traffic barriers, and the gear vans still here and there, you wouldn’t know a music festival had just taken place. It was eerily quiet. All you could hear was the spirit of rock and roll.
Keep your mind open.
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