FM ‘Old Habits Die Hard’ (Frontiers Music)

FM ‘Old Habits Die Hard’ (Frontiers Music)

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Since their emergence onto the then NWoBHM dominated ÜK rock scene 40 years ago, FM – who took their name from the ÜS radio platforms from which they in turn drew their initial inspiration – have proven to be one of the most enduring and consistent proponents of the genre. Not that, like many of us, they have not endured their share of travails – a lengthy hiatus and most recently the sudden passing of founding guitarist Chris Overland – but they have always come bouncing back, and are determined to prove that this is the case once again with this, their 14th studio album.

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The Loyal Cheaters ‘And All Hell Broke Loose’ (Go Down Records)

The Loyal Cheaters ‘And All Hell Broke Loose’ (Go Down Records)

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A little more than two years after declaring that we’re all dead in the long run with their highly impressive debut album, these German/Italian garage punks now prove that they’re not only very much alive and kicking, and making raucous rock ‘n’ roll music to boot, but also very much in it for the long haul as they break loose all sorts of sonic hell on our unsuspecting withered souls with this declarative sophomore outing.

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Beyond The Beneath ‘Borderlands’ (Self-Released)

Beyond The Beneath ‘Borderlands’ (Self-Released)

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We first came across Beyond The Beneath when bassist Davy Greer was recruited into the ranks of the now temporarily dormant Baleful Creed. BTB continued to play a handful of occasional gigs, but these become fewer and more distantly apart as Greer’s new commitment took prominence. We all knew that there were some recordings lurking in the background, but these never saw the light of day, until recently, when Greer, at a loose end because of BC’s continued hiatus, dug around in his musical basement, dusted down the tapes, added a few finishing touches and decided to see what interest remained in them…

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Pat Todd & The Rankoutsiders ‘Keepin’ Chaos At Bay’ (Hound Gawd! Records)

Pat Todd & The Rankoutsiders ‘Keepin’ Chaos At Bay’ (Hound Gawd! Records)

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Pat Todd has spent decades trawling and trolling the dark corners and dusty shelves of the back alley thrift stores of Americana, picking and choosing from influences such as Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Neil Young, the Allman Boys to Tom Waits, Hank Williams to the Wilson brothers in an endeavour to distill all of his education and garnered knowledge into a single, career-defining, genre-scoffing dose of ’70s punk rock, country, blues and roots rock… in a bid to keep all the chaos at bay by producing one chaotic rock ‘n’ roll album that sums up everything he knows and has learned about the artform…

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Accept ‘Humanoid’ (Napalm Records)

Accept ‘Humanoid’ (Napalm Records)

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There are bands from whom you know more or less exactly what to expect each and every time they release a new album. Iron Maiden with their epic lyrical thematics and galloping bass riffs. AC/DC with their basic four-four mid-paced rock ‘n’ roll bravura. Anvil with their tongue-in-cheek-to-cheek no-nonsense sense of fun. Rammstein with their OTT camp take on industrialism. And, of course, Accept, with their traditional balls to the wall (sic) fuck you if you don’t like it Teutonic cross between old school and thrash miens. So, why fuck the formula. Well, thankfully the now crossbred German-American titans do not do so with this, their 17th studio album in their almost 50-year long career, as while it addresses some very modern themes it remains the sort of traditional heavy metal opus we have come to expect and love from the band.

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Steve Conte ‘The Concrete Jangle’ (Wicked Cool Records)

Steve Conte ‘The Concrete Jangle’ (Wicked Cool Records)

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Over the course of more than more decades than he perhaps cares to remember, a period which has nonetheless seen him develop an extremely justified reputation as one of the most respected, not to mention hardest working figures on the glunk scene, resulting in a rock ‘n’ roll CV that includes a six-year stint, covering four albums and a seemingly never-ending world tour with the New York Dolls, and a further four albums alongside Michael Monroe, as well as stints in Company Of Wolves, Crown Jewels and The Crazy Truth, not to mention his various solo projects, there is no doubting Steve Conte’s ability to turn his hand to a decent rock ‘n’ roll tune or ten. Now, almost four years after his last solo outing – not that he’s been quiet in the interim, no sirree Stevie boy – he’s back with a stonking new set of recordings – and a few very good friends along for the ride, not least in the case of former XTC mainstay Andy Partridge who co-wrote exactly half of the ten Übertastic toons featured on this magnificent collection…

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The Über Rock Singles Club Daily Pick – Eivør

The Über Rock Singles Club Daily Pick – Eivør

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Monk’s latest selection is something ever so slightly left-of-centre as it could be seen as more of an electro-pop offering than a rock tune, but it pushes the sort of experimental boundaries that the boss has grown to explore more and more in recent times. It comes from Faroese singer.composer/songwriter Eivør, who combines her background in traditional Nordic folk, jazz and prog rock with her new found passion for dark gothic-infused electronica with this, the latest single to be extracted from her forthcoming new album.

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Virgins/Slow Healer/Fulvetta/Gush – Belfast, The Deer’s Head – 27 April 2024

Virgins/Slow Healer/Fulvetta/Gush – Belfast, The Deer’s Head – 27 April 2024

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Having spent the previous evening fulfilling the final of his commitments to the annual showcase of somewhat heavier local talent that is the Bloodstock Metal 2 The Masses competition, it was time for Monk to step outside of his comfort zone and take up a long-standing invitation to experience a totally different aspect of his home city’s musical sound, in the shape of an evening of shoegazing at a venue which has quickly established its reputation as one of the finest and most professionally run in town. “You’ll be bored stupid,” predicted Her Majesty The Dark Queen earlier in the day… well, there was only one way to find out if she would be right, wasn’t there?

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