The Uber Rock Singles Club – October 2016
Written by Dom Daley
Sunday, 16 October 2016 03:00
Is it really October? Wow, time really does fly by when you’re enjoying yourself (or moving house)… but with barely a breath taken or heart beat skipped The Singles Club is back and after wondering why there’s nothing in the mailbag from those nefarious punk rockers The Hip Priests I wondered if they’d called it all off and I hadn’t had the memo…
Then like a call from the wild or the bat signal going up over Gotham, those purveyors of quality 7″ vinyl fly in their latest release and the day is saved. That’s not to say the rest of these are bad because you will soon find they are not. October’s bag of records maintain the very high standards we expect of bands who love the singles format as much as uber Rock does some new entries into the club and some returning friends.
Ladies and germs October’s bag is opened….
Christmas – ‘Rebuild Babylon’ (Five Label Split)
Four tracks of bristling punk rock and fucking roll and one Reagan Youth cover seems like as good a place as anywhere to start this month’s singles round up. If you suffer from hypo tension or anxiety then steer clear because this is in your face – fast and furious punk rock, and seeing as Max sang splendidly for Reagan Youth at this year’s Rebellion festival it only seems right that the cover on this EP is that of Reagan Youth – and a rather splendid take on ‘I Hate Hate’, as it spits and snarls its venom down your speakers I want to break something. ‘Fortune Ain’t Payable’ is angry as fuck and don’t get me started on the bruiser that is ‘United States Of Anarchy’; but it’s the title track that nicks it – just. With a slow burning intro, it takes a minute before shit kicks off – and boy does it kick off!! Sort it out kids and pick up an early Christmas present! www.christmas66606.bandcamp.com
The Hip Priests / Bitch Queens – Split (Lux Noise Records)
With a three track split, the kings of seven inch love are back after a month off and this time they have their Basel brothers in filth those Bitch Queens in tow. It’s available in limited numbers and a special Spasm gang edition that will be much sought after so join up here: http://thehippriests.bigcartel.com/product/patches.
Now for the music. ‘Mystical Freaks’: well let’s just say if Adam Ant hated the world and wanted to fuck it up and had some quality Ants style backing vocals at hand then we’d be in the same ball park. The expected high standards are kept with aplomb and what might well be their finest single to date? Tell me I’m wrong! ‘Raised On Rage’ ain’t too shabby either, but ‘Freaks’ has the Jewson lot going on from the sound to the attitude and back again the three minute single is absolutely nailed!
Bitch Queens put forward ‘Rock n Roll Idiot’ and again like the gents on the flip side they turn in a hook heavy potty mouthed blissful three minutes of punk rock and roll that will delight fans both old and new. One of the finest singles of the year if not thee finest. Brilliantly snotty threesome – have that! https://lux-noise.bandcamp.com/merch
Choke Chains – ‘Cairo Scholars’ (Hound Gawd! Records)
Hailing from Michigan, and featuring The Dirtbombs’ Thomas Jackson Potter, this uncompromising 7″ on translucent orange (of course) features two tracks. The lead, ‘Cairo Scholars’ is a furious stab of uncompromising punk rock and roll and reminds me of what the Subs were doing in the early 80s: it has that punk rock vibe to it which is a great thing in my book. Flip it over and ‘Billy The Monster’ is a more refined beast that’s kinda laid back and more “out there” with an off kilter beat: it’s a really hypnotic track that twists and turns for its three minutes and covering The Deviants with a creepy crawly version is fitting for the month of October is it not? www.houndgawd.com
Heavy Tiger – ‘Devil May Care’ (Wild Kingdom)
Written by Ola Salo and produced by none other than Nicke Andersson – yup he of the Hellacopters and Imperial State Electric – you can maybe imagine where this single is coming from! With a great 70s influenced back beat, and some much appreciated handclaps on the intro, this is certainly in Jett territory and all power to the trio from Sweden as well because this is killer stuff. If this is a taste as to what the album might be sounding like then bring it on! Fantastic stuff. www.facebook.com/heavytigermusic
Chixdiggit! – ‘2012’ (Fat Wreck Chords)
Maybe not the longest single ever recorded but the longest single Uber Rock has ever reviewed. Canadian Punkers Chixdiggit! clock this bad boy in at just over 25 minutes! Yup that’s 25 I said. It’s longer than the average Singles Club attention span – but hey we like to push ourselves too you know. What does it sound like? Judging by the cheeky cover you might think it’s something of a prog punk tribute to those fellow Canadians known as Rus… nah I can’t bring myself to name them. Anyway it ebbs and flows perfectly in typical Chixdiggit! fashion and jolly good it is too. Value for money? Sure is pop pickers, sure is. In fairness to the band, writing about every gig stop on their 2012 tour is kinda funny and there’s even something in here for Temple Of Dog fans – Congrats guys that was fun! https://www.facebook.com/Chixdiggit
Louise Distras – ‘Aileen’ (Self Release)
Never one to stand still and with the first glimpse of new music since the fantastic ‘Songs From The Factory Floor’ this is a really well-crafted pop song. Great hook as Louise doesn’t stand still and evolves her sound. Some pretty heavy content: this handmade release also contains the short doc that Louise made for the single.
This is what she said: “The film ‘Selling of a Serial Killer’, which is about ‘America’s first female serial killer’, Aileen Wuornos left me with my own questions about rape culture and the idea of nature VS nurture, so I decided to make my own DIY film that explores the lyrical content of the single. It’s called ‘Real Outlaw – A Commentary on Rape Culture and the Riot Grrrl Movement’.
You get all this music and film for the handsome price of £4 which can’t be bad can it? As this is the singles club its quite possibly the catchiest thing she’s made to date and given half a chance will do really well. Easily one of the hardest working and brightest talents the UK currently has to offer. Go buy it! http://www.louisedistras.co.uk/
La Bete Blooms – ‘Breaking In’ (Adult Teeth Recording Company)
New single in from Hull-based five piece takes a trip on a spot on Nirvana tip as’ Breaking In’ is howling feedback and a spot on bass run that will no doubt go down a storm live it’ll also feature on the bands up and coming EP ‘I Know It’s Nothing’, sure Kurt would approve and enough distance is between the Nirvana explosion and 2016 so maybe now is the right time. https://www.facebook.com/labeteblooms/?fref=ts
Big Top Heartbreak – Champions Of The World (Two Bob Records)
Drenched in mystery and with a great story to narrate Big Top Heartbreak are in the club and with their off kilter tones they fit right in round here. with the lead track telling the story of Lavene’s time in France busking its got a big alternative sound as the down beat and distortion work really well together in a Gallon Drunk kinda way.
‘Our Condition’ on the other hand offers up a more jazzy side to life in a Urban Voodoo Machine kind of way which is also most welcome. To finish off this impressive single is an acoustic take on the lead track which paints a totally different picture all together. Great stuff and i look forward to hearing the album later this month. www.facebook/bigtopheartbreak
Brand New Hate – ‘Creep Party’ (Vitamin Bomb Records)
Back from the dead and the one and only Halloween single on offer this month French rockers press up a limited number on orange pumpkin coloured wax (of course) as the song is a munsters creepy crawly spooktacular tune and one that will be the highlight of any Haloween school disco. For the flip side they just get the amps turned up and shake their shit to ‘Scream Girl Scream’ head over to bandcamp to get your fix get on over before they are all gone. https://brandnewhate.bandcamp.com/album/creep-party
Zero Zero – ‘I Hate’ (Self Release)
These Swedish punks knock out four tracks of old school punk rock n roll and ‘I Hate’ has enough spite and charm to reel you in for more. Coming on like a modern day Dead Boys, there’s nothing to dislike here, from the anti social ‘Never Gonna Be Your Friend’ is like Cheetah playing lead for the Ramones which is a great place to sit. The four songs on offer here are well worth checking out if you love real punk rock or had a hankering as to what bands sound like who love the Stooges and Dee Dee in equal measures. They ask ‘What Should I Do?’ Well my advice would be to keep playing rock and roll and releasing songs like these four. Great EP no question about it https://www.facebook.com/ihatezerozero
Jonesy – ‘(I Wanna) Bang Bang You’ (No Front Teeth Records)
How about some full on glam slammin’ power poppin punk rock from Canada? Of course you want dirty lyrics your mama wouldn’t like – and neither would your girlfriend. Hell this is full of Dolls licks and handclaps and dumb melodic chorus’ what the hell is not to like?!?! It’s got equal amounts of snarl as well as that huba bubba glam slam power pop and the B Side is more classic filth. ‘(I Just Wanna) Cum On Your Face’ pulls out its best Steve Jones riff n lick and again its ticking all the boxes for what we love here in the singles club and the fact they are released in several different sleeves on No Front Teeth its a win win buy buy from us and a cracking slab of wax – Love it you naughty boys! https://jonesyrocknroll.bandcamp.com/releases
So there we have it folks a rather mixed bag from many corners of this globe and in no particular order this month’s Singles Club has the high standards expected to make it into the list and we move on towards the tail end of the year and hopefully some contenders for the Christmas charts (we can all wish). Over and out…