Curated by Monk
Welcome to another edition of the Über Rock Singles Club, which we have managed to keep up-and-running despite the numerous Covidications which we all have had to endure over the past 20 months, in order to bring you the hottest new sounds around. And once again we have another hitlist of superb sonic experiences to tickle your sonic senses, with a selection of my favourite tunes to have found their way on to the ÜRHQ deathdecks so far this month… Bearing in mind that we received more than 600 submissions, it was not an easy task to whittle them down to this all-too-short playlist…
Kicking off this week’s selection, we’re sending a strident message to BoJo and his bunch of clowns, because we’ve found the perfect antidote to the latest variant of the beerbug… it’s a dose of Witch Fever, guaranteed to kill the virus quicker than you can scoff a cheesestick as the Mancunian quartet send out a strident and defiant message to the ‘Bully Boy’ and his corporate lapdogs:
Shit, we’ve only just opened the doors and already there’s a ‘Fight’ breaking out… but, that’s OK, it’s one exploding from the speakers as Adam ‘Nergal’ Darski has re-united with one-time collaborator John Porter for a stand-alone, one-off new track, which sees them rewinding the clock back to the first phase of the gothic noir Me And That Man project that Darski has taken to so many different levels in the past couple of years:
Talking of collaborations, crossover punks Midwich Cuckoos have teamed up with The Casualties frontman David Rodriguez for their latest short sharp to the system, an acerbic, in-your-face (and ears) slice of old-school punk rock mayhem:
“With my dying breath I’ll stand / And scream for what is right” declares Billy Graziadei, aka Biohazard frontman BillyBio on the defiant and energetic call to action that is his latest single, the declarative ‘One Life To Live’, which is positively overflowing with his typical positivity that the human spirit, and the individual, can overcome whatever is thrown at it:
Staying in the hardcore mien, but taking a totally different lyrical attitude, Swedish crüe thrown are definitely in ‘fast forward’ mode with their intense new single, guaranteed to get necks snapping at 500 paces with its ferocity:
We stay in Sweden but it’s a total change in mood as we enjoy some old fashioned, R&B-greased glunk ‘n’ roll from the inimitable Diamond Dogs, who are evoking the spirit of Hanoi Rocks and Mott The Hoople in equal measure as they share what it is like to have a ‘Rocket Ricochet’ up our asses:
Another change of mood as we head back to the Über Kingdom to team up with one of the most exciting, vicious and visceral new metal groups on the circuit, Heriot. The Sheffield upstarts have followed on from their recent support slots with Svalbard by releasing a stunning double A side single:
Proving that the older guard of ÜK metallians are still something of an ‘Immovable Stone’, Sylosis have broken a year-long silence with their powerful new track, which hits with the force of a jackhammer right between the eyes but also remains in your aural memory long after the first listen:
We’re heading back up to Yorkshire to find a ‘Special Place In Hell’, courtesy of Leeds punk veterans Sunliner. Despite its title, and its subject matter, the song is surprisingly jaunty slice of pop punk which sees the band moving away from their earlier folk-infused roots – which is perhaps surprising seeing as the single was produced by Frank Turner:
We head down south now, to Bristol in fact, where we are enjoying some ‘Freaky Love’ thanks to the stoner-infused alt-rock miens explored by the adventurous Krooked Tongue. On the basis of this, I don’t think there’ll be any vacancies at their hotel when their debut EP is released in February: in fact, they might have to add an extension:
We’re continuing to deny renewed travel restrictions and quarantine rules – well, we are a virtual club, after all, so we can more or less go wherever we want – to cross the pond and head to Tennessee, where we are ushered into the company of the Naked Gypsy Queens, who are entertaining us with their latest blend of Americana, blues-rock and classic power ballad sensibilities:
We’re staying in Nashville, to pay a visit to the Old Crow Medicine Show, who are taking us out to ‘Paint This Town’ with their country-rock title track from their forthcoming latest album:
We’re heading to the deep south of Louisiana next. The state may be best known for it’s suvern blooze and doom/stoner exports, but they also have a neat line in catchy-as-fuck alt/pop punk, as evinced by Jestr, who are evoking the ‘Ghost Of You’ on the first single from their debut album, due for release in February:
We’re traversing the States to the City of Angels, and Hollywood Boulevard in particular, where we hook up with Budderside, a band who attracted the approval of none other than Lemmy and were the first signing to Motörhead Records. Their latest single is a powerful and evocative exposition of what can happen when people are pushed ‘Too Far’:
We board a flight across the Pacific now, to team up with Aussie rock veterans Andy McLean and Dave Leslie, best known for their work with Horsehead and Baby Animals respectively, who have only gone and built themselves a new Truck, with which they definitely intend to ‘Make Hay’ as they roar into action with this slice of effusive NWoCR:
A man nearly as well travelled as us is John A Spittles, aka Johnny Casino, who has been making music on three different continents, from his native Australia to his latest stop-off, Spain’s Costa Blanca, where he introduces us to ‘Another Girl’ with another typically classic rock ‘n’ roll ditty guaranteed to make the sangria slip down all too easily:
We’re hotfooting it back to dear old Blighty, using all our supernatural powers to sneak back in: thankfully, we have the help of erstwhile ÜR faves Lesbian Bed Death and their sidekick ‘Sabrina’, who are distracting the border guards with their anthemic and infectious final single from their excellent ‘The Witching Hour’ album:
It’s time for some Desperate Measures now, as the NZ-émigré fronted old-school punks share their ‘Scars And Memories’ with the latest single to be lifted from this year’s ÜR-approved ‘Rinsed’ EP:
Electro-punks CLT DRP aren’t afraid to be confrontational, as they proved on their recent tour with Svalbard, and they defiantly continue that trend with this remix of their most recent single, on which the defy claim ‘Ownership’ of their own destiny and direction:
Kevin is heading to the bell to ring for last orders, so we’re into our final two songs. Scottish slammers Party Cannon may not be entering into the spirit of the season, by declaring their belief in the diminutive godfather of British blackened death metal rather than that in a certain fat bloke with a big beard:
Just as we’re about to close down, a true legend walks into the bar and demands to be heard… Tony Martin – the man responsible for the best non-Ozzy/Dio Black Sabbath performance bar none – is not just watching ‘As The World Burns’ but commentating the situation as he signs us off by proving that he’s still one hell of an impressive vocalist and heavy metal performer:
Well, that’s your fill for another session. With it edging closer to Christmas, and it being the season for giving and all that, we’re going to spoil you by reopening the Club again this time next week special seasonal edition, in which we’ll be sharing our favourite festive tunes currently doing the rounds. So, in the meantime all that remains for me to say is keep ‘er lit, keep ‘er between the hedges and keep on rockin’ with your favourite website \m/
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