DITZ The Great Regression

DITZ – The Great Regression – album review

The second great album of 2022 that I’ve picked up from Alcopop! Records so far. On the back of January’s superb release This is My World from Helen Love, comes the debut album from DITZ, in the shape of The Great Regression, an album title which is unerringly accurate for the dystopian post Brexit times we are currently living through.

Brooding

An entirely different beast from the Helen Love album, DITZ produce an unsettling blend of abrasive post punk, mixed with often vicious and seemingly threatening metal guitar grooves and riffs, nigh on industrial in places. Elsewhere the mood is much more brooding, on the likes of Instinct, with a low key vocal backed by an equally low key, but incessant guitar line, the song does, however, rise to a cacophonous clamouring finale.… Read the rest

Sacred Noise

Introducing the Band… Sacred Noise

Sacred Noise, one of my ”22 for ‘22” recently released their second single Part of Me, and are due to play their debut live gig in Glasgow’s Bloc+ on Thursday this week (24th March).

Unfortunately, having followed the band since their inception, I am missing this debut as I am out of the country with work… That doesn’t stop me encouraging the rest of you to throw caution to the wind and get your glad rags on and head over to Bloc+ on Thursday for a cracking night’s entertainment.

Sacred Noise indulged me and agreed to answer a few questions by way of an introduction to the band and their music…

Introducing the Band

GQ: I feel as if I’ve been on a journey with you as a band, following your social media for some time and hearing you grow.… Read the rest

Two Hearts

From Berlin to Russia, Punky Rock n Roll to Reggae and everything in between… bitesize album reviews (Joe Whyte)

My output has been sparse to say the least in 2022, it is therefore with great thanks due to Joe Whyte (Vive Le Rock writer and guitarist with legendary Airdrie punks Reaction) that this blog contains not one but four album reviews covering the globe and providing a gamut of musical styles to suit all tastes…

First up, from one of my favourite record labels, Tarbeach, is an album from Two Hearts, a band I only became aware of last year after they performed as part of Cynthia Ross birthday bash streaming live from NYC…

Two Hearts

Rock ‘N’ Roll 2020 (Tarbeach) 

7/10

A Japanese love letter to NYC

I’d have to say that this one was a slow-burner for me; the first couple of listens didn’t convince and I found the lo-fi, clattering production slightly irritating.… Read the rest

Keeley Echo Everywhere

Keeley – Echo Everywhere – EP review

Earlier this year Dublin based Keeley released what is possibly one of my most listened to EPs of this year in Brave Warrior. The four songs on the EP were all utterly beautiful and had me transfixed from the off.

Keeley offers an unusual proposition in terms of songwriting in that all of her songs are written with one person in mind. All of her songwriting is written around the unsolved murder of Inga Maria Hauser, a German tourist who went missing in 1988 aged just 18. When she went missing, she was en route to Dublin, one of the destinations she had most been looking forward to visiting.… Read the rest

Thirteen Ego Trap

Thirteen – Ego Trap – EP review

“We are Thirteen, punk rock and roll” yell’s Dolly Robinson on the bands theme song and literally the closing number on their new Ego Trap EP, a full frontal assault on the senses, this is a mighty head rush of exactly what the band claim to be on heir eponymous song.

Dolly Robinson is the only remaining member of the original line up. The band formed in 2013 and have so far released two EPs and two full length albums. There was a bit of an enforced hiatus when Dolly was looking to recruit new band members following the departure of original members, but I’m glad to say, this search for new members has been a more than fruitful one.… Read the rest

Self-Esteem-Prioritise-Pleasure-album-artwork-696x696

SELF ESTEEM – Prioritise Pleasure – album review

In a previous incarnation SELF ESTEEM, aka Rebecca Lucy Taylor, was one half of indie/alt folk duo Slow Club. Since the band split in 2017, Taylor has written and recorded under the moniker of SELF ESTEEM. Over the last year or so she has released a series of perfect pop singles, culminating a couple of weeks ago in her second solo album, Prioritise Pleasure. Since it’s release it has rarely been far away from my turntable. I’ve been prioritising my listening pleasure, alternating between this and the new Broken Chanter album, Catastrophe Hits.

Absolute Triumph

Prioritise Pleasure is an absolute triumph from so many perspectives.… Read the rest

Jerry Angel and Devil

Positivity – have you had your plus sign today? The daily battle with your demons

Positivity

The late musical genius who was Prince Rogers Nelson once sang about Positivity on his Lovesexy album.

“Positivity (Yes!)
Have you had your plus sign today?
Positivity (Yes!)
Do we mark you present, or do we mark you late?”

Being Present

Those lyrics mention “do we mark you present”, to most people this may seem like the norm, they may be generally optimistic people, who have a positive outlook on life, they live for the moment, always in the present, not dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. For others it might not always be as simple as that.… Read the rest

The Courettes Live in Mono

The (Fabulous) Courettes – Back in Mono…in Mono

Last night The Courettes cemented their place as my new favourite band with a frenetic supercharged performance, fittingly in Glasgow’s Mono, supporting the release of their third, and in my opinion, best album to date, Back in Mono. The emphasis of last nights gig was fun with a capital F.U.N. Despite being three albums in, this was their first visit to Glasgow, hopefully there will be many more to come in the future.

On a miserable Thursday night in raintown, I made the effort to dress from head to toe in black and white in tribute to the this most stylish of bands, and ventured out in the pissing awful weather.… Read the rest

Lola in Slacks live

Lola in Slacks – Moon Moth album launch

Saturday 23rd October finally arrived. The date for the launch gig for the wonderful album Moon Moth from the alluring five piece that is Lola in Slacks (album review here). It was a busy night for gigs in Glasgow, a most welcome sign given the last 2 years, with the likes of Billy Bragg, Mickey 9s, Calva Louise, The Last Great Dreamers and Powderkeg, amongst others, competing for the ears of the discerning music fans of Glasgow. On any other given day, I could have been at any one of these gigs, but tonight, there was only one gig for me.… Read the rest

Black Lives Matter

Black Lives Still Matter

I’ve started writing this blog several times and ended up deleting it every time. The reason? I was constantly doubting myself. Was I the right person to comment on the topic? Did I have a right to write about it? After all, I’m a white West of Scotland male, what do I know about being at the end of sharp end of racism?

Recently, the more time I spent on Facebook, the more time I spent feeling exasperated and incensed. Yes, I know Facebook isn’t the real world, and I should let it wash over me, but there seems to be an unabated increasing level of unsavoury types commenting on news stories or posting frankly exasperating statuses on social media.… Read the rest