The Uber Rock Singles Club – January 2016 

Another year was over and no sooner was the tinsel back in the box than it was business as usual as the wheels of steel were revved up for the first round of wonderful singles as I hit the decks at Uber Rock HQ. With January usually being a quiet month who’d have thought there would be such a deluge of spiffing 7″ flying through the door? Not me that’s for sure. So let’s get on with it shall we……

 

The Hip Priests/Mannequin – Split 7” (Speedowax)

 

‘Lucky For None’ and ‘Children Of The Execution’ are the sacrificial offerings from the UK’s finest exponents of all things fucked up garage rock ‘n’ roll wise, The Hip Priests.Unquestionably the 7″ champions of the world – it’s a crying shame that these bad boys aren’t a household name yet. Here they offer up two more pieces of evidence to back up their claims of rock ‘n’ roll supremacy. ‘Lucky For None’ is no nonsense ‘spite rock’ never mind mock rock; these gentlemen don’t suffer fools and go straight for the jugular with a rumble that Algy Ward would have been proud to use on his finest moment ‘Machine Gun Etiquette’. Running in at 2.10 it’s unmistakably Hip Priests. ‘Children Of The Execution’ doesn’t hold back either and sees the band on the front foot baiting the listener once more with a great hook before the chorus courtesy of Mr Rocket’s six strings.  You didn’t really think this was going to be anything less than stunning did you? And it has hand claps for fucks sake- Buy it!

 

I guess I should mention the flip side here and going up against Nottinghamshire’s finest this time around are their musical neighbours Mannequin with two numbers ‘Colour’ and ‘1708’ with a more polished hard rock sound it’s certainly an interesting pairing. First up is ‘Colour’ with acoustic guitars in the intro and then hurtling off with effect laden Banshee guitars it’s an interesting pairing that’s for sure. The more I hear it the more I like it. ‘1708’ is huge in sound and clocking in at a shade under five minutes it’s certainly the yang to the Hip Priest Ying with more alternative sound which is a brave move.

 

Pick up your copy of the much sought after 7” from The Hip Priests or Mannequin pages linked above, it comes in an array of splatters but be quick or they’ll be gone.

 

V8 – ‘Mrs Vandervelde’ (Dharma Bucks Records)

 

How could you not immediately recognise the unmistakable tones of Donnie Vie? Here on ‘Mrs Vandervelde’, his new single (of sorts) it’s a blast of everything that brought him to public prominence in the first place? Flawless vocals, great melody, great playing and production, and let’s not overlook the most important feature – a bloody decent tune. As it began I actually thought of ‘My Sharona’ but that passed quickly. Vie has one of those voices that demands you to listen and his take on power pop is always exemplary. With awesome harmonies Donnie and (Magic Eight Ball’s) Baz Francis really are in step with each other and the result is simply fantastic. The B side is a live working of ‘You’re My Favourite Thing To Do’ hey, what’s not to like? Like an undiscovered old Beatles tune it’s a winner and beautifully delivered of course.  Don’t take my word for it go check it out for yourself at Dharma Bucks Records!

 

Liquid Breakfast – ‘Let It Be 77 Again’ (Still Unbeatable Records)

 

With Liquid Breakfast featuring members from right across Western Europe Liquid Breakfast turn in a pleasant Boys-lite number in the shape of ‘Let It Be 77 Again’ with the mantra of “fun, beer and power pop punk rock” they just about tick all the boxes.  It’s short sharp and does exactly what it says on the tin. The flip side is ‘We Won’t Do It No More’ which is more of the same. Decent hook and catchy chorus. Pick up a copy from Still Unbeatable Records and tell them “Uber Rock sent you”.

 

Brat Farrar – ‘Being With You That Night’ (Hound Gawd)

 

Three tracks crammed onto a fine looking clear vinyl 7”, Brat Farrar turns up the amps and goes hell for leather. It’s lo-fi not hi-fi but it’s positively bristling with energy on the lead track and ‘Let It Go’ doesn’t relent either. A one man punk rock new wave machine Brat doesn’t take any prisoners with his take it or leave it style and all power to him and what he believes in.  ‘Feel This Way’ is more of the same maybe with less speed and more focus there is a slice of Gary Numan in here from those drum machines and synth layers it’s a grower no doubt about it. Pick up your copy – HERE!

 

Smash Fashion – Junkie Luck (Electric Pudding Recordings)

 

Hailing from the City Of Angels, Smash Fashion have turned in a rather splendid slab of wax for our perusal in the shape of ‘Junkie Luck’, and if there is a band tripping off the ‘70s vibe doing it better than these cats then I’ve yet to hear it, or them. This is full of fantastic hooks and licks as they duel and riff up proceedings to the feel good harmonies. ‘Junkie Luck’ is a real blast make no mistake about it and it’s all done in the best possible taste on cherry red wax (of course) what other colour could it possibly be other than hot pink? On the flip side is a take on the Golden Earring number ‘Long Blonde Animal’ and a wild and reckless romp it is too.  Maybe an obvious choice with hindsight but Smash Fashion – um smash it! And take ownership no doubt about it.

 

Brighten up your life and pick up a copy of this single via the band’s Facebook page and instantly make your record collection cooler and infinitely more listenable. Then again if you’re that way inclined you can pick it up from iTunes but you’ll miss out on the 7″ of throbbing red plastic in your hands then.

 

Tango Pirates – ‘Danger! Children At Play’ EP (Self Released)

 

Not strictly a single nor is it on vinyl but Tango Pirates having a somewhat turbulent birth as players came and went leaving founder Danny Fury to soldier on regardless and unfaltering. Whatever adversity came his way Fury ploughed on with his vision. Heading down the crowd funding route and again hitting one or two bumps in the road Danny soldiered on and with a single minded determination is going to release these songs come hell or high water. I mean if it was that easy every sod would be releasing records and CDs. ‘Western Voodoo Mission’ is exactly how you’d imagine a song featuring Danny Fury on vocals and drums, ably assisted by the legend that is Dave Tregunna and his impeccable bass tones would sound. The lead guitars are performed by Jack Flint and on this here opening song and it has a retro feel somewhere between Adam Ant and the genre that Fury earned his stripes in. It’s certainly a decent introduction.

 

‘Borrowed Time’ is a collaboration from Fury & Tregunna and more straight forward hard rock fair it doesn’t avoid any clichés and embraces them much like ‘Ghost Ship Bar Blues’.

 

‘Long Live Rock And Roll’ is penned by the fair hand of Fury and not some ‘70s hard rocker you’ll be glad to know. With its grinding rhythm it shifts gears for the chorus as Flint loosens his fingers and shows us what he has in his locker. This is the best song so far.

 

To close off this debut EP Tango Pirates introduce the more aggressive ‘Dark Star’, dedicated to Mr Fury’s past band leader and iconic frontman, the one and only Stiv Bators and as the previous song raised the band’s game this continued the upwards trajectory is played out by showing us what Danny has to offer as a songwriter. Sure this is a work in progress and Danny has had many obstacles to overcome to release this EP but his unwavering determination to get this released and sent to those who paid and believed in the powers of rock ‘n’ roll is admirable and should be applauded.  It will be interesting to see what happens next and what direction the Tango Pirates might take.

 

Stupidity – ‘Get Up’ (Go Fast Records)

 

A new name on me is Sweden’s Stupidity and to celebrate ten years together they have just put out the single ‘Get Up’, and a throbbing slab of garage rock ‘n’ roll it is too.  Whilst it might not be the most memorable single ever it’s a welcome introduction to an established band four albums into their career. The B side ‘Why Do I Care’ is more like it with its groovy rhythm I like it! Plus it has Sax appeal which is always welcome in my book – great tune. You can order your copy via the band’s website linked above.

 

Imperial State Electric – ‘Anywhere Loud’ (Psychout Records)

 

Taken from the impressive album ‘Honk Machine’ album this is pretty much classic Imperial State Electric – nothing spectacular like early Hellacopters but solid enough and their singles are always backed with great tunes. ‘Anywhere Loud’ being backed by ‘Messing With The Kid’, a cover of the Junior Wells tune, and this version really does rock and fuckin’ roll.  I’m sure these 7″ singles won’t last long on the Swedish shelves such is the rabid nature of ISE collectors.  In fairness these two tracks are out of the top drawer.

 

Cold Callers – ‘Alright Girl/Spying On Me’ (Wanda Records)

 

Gaggers and Los Pepes members rock up with this their debut single under the name Cold Callers.  As you’d imagine it’s a catchy ditty with plenty of punch.  ‘Alright Girl’ is somewhat slower than I’d imagined it might be though considering who is on board but it’s nice to lay back on the gas sometimes.  The organ solo is a nice twist as well and fits right in. The flip side ‘Spying On Me’ is more of the same a great hook and neat keyboard layering the song.  This one comes in several versions – mine being of the transparent vinyl variety. As is the case with anything by Wanda you have to be quick or they’re gone especially the limited versions.

 

The Gift – ‘Golden Gate’ (Golden Gate Records)

 

Hailing from Nantes in France The Gift conjure up ghosts from the past like The Jam and the superb (International) Noise Conspiracy. This three track single comes on matte black wax (for all you hipsters) and the A side is a decent racket indeed, as is track two ‘No Relief’ which is off at a good pace, but it all sort of lacks that X Factor ingredient if I’m honest. The third track has a great guitar sound and a decent hook strangely enough ‘Through This Door’ is the strongest cut on offer here. You can pick up a copy HERE.

 

Nasty Rumours – ‘All Alone’ (No Front Teeth Records)

 

Thick and fast – that’s not an assessment of Swizz punkers Nasty Rumours it’s what No Front Teeth do with their releases. ‘All Alone’ is spikey, spirited punk rock with plenty of rock ‘n’ roll heart and soul and there are handclaps! Oh yeah ‘All Alone’ is a stomper of an A side with a neat chant along choruses and a great sound.  The real gem here isn’t the A side though but the b/w in the shape of ‘T & M’, with contains some great bass rumblings and vocals it fair fizzes along.  I do like the cut of Nasty Rumours jib and love this one and look forward to the next or maybe a full length album would be nice, it’s like the Ramones live on in the heart and spirit of bands like this.

 

Miscalculations/Neon Knives – Spilt 7” (No Front Teeth Records)

 

Finally this time around we have another release from No Front Teeth and ’24 Hours Of Cancer’ and ‘Eyes Glazed With Murder’ are the contributions to this fearsome EP from the inimitable Miscalculations.  There is something about the cold – sparse -awkward punk rock that is Miscalculations, and I can’t get enough of them. I find their music totally alluring and these two songs are like a fast paced 1970s runaway train on the New York subway.  Intense and highly addictive.

 

Neon Knives meanwhile have a much thicker sound and on ‘Acid Eater’ they go straight for some bruising hard hitting punches.  Not a million miles from the UK Subs this one it’s toe to toe with the listener and uncompromising, but not as uncompromising as ‘Clorox’ which immediately follows. Its blast then stop, then blast again, and is powerful stuff and at volume sounds terrific.  Short sharp and certainly to the point – I love it!

 

So there you have it, a right mixed, yet quality, bag of new singles and EPS in the very merry month of Ma…sorry January. If you have a new single you want us to give the once over then send ‘em in because we love them here at Uber Rock HQ and we can’t get enough of 7″ pieces of plastic.  This year my aim is that if every month can be as good and uber cool as January has been then I’ll be happy as a pig in shite.