Album/Single Review - The Ginger Quiff

Natalie Pryce – HUMANS_OF_LATE_CAPITALISM – album review

March 18, 2020 By neilho27@sky.com

Haud the bus (or the train…)

Fuck me, where has this music been all my life…

I got that feeling today.

That one you get when you don’t really know much about a band, but you get their new album to listen to.

You have no expectations one way or the other.

You’ve been sent some info about the release, but you don’t read it.

You press play.

Then that feeling hits you.

That is how Humans of Late Capitalism, the new album by Natalie Pryce hit me.

Innocently standing on the platform at Cathcart station, I was waiting for the train to work, wondering how many more of these journey’s I’d be making before I’d be confined to barracks.… Read the rest

The Bikini Bottoms – Inversion/Mental Records – Graveyard Tapes Vol 2

March 9, 2020 By neilho27@sky.com

If you haven’t already made yourself familiar with them, there are a couple of compilation/companion albums you need to get yer lugs round.

The Bikini Bottoms – Inversion

First up, the companion release to one of last year’s top albums, Bikiniland from The Bikini Bottoms. Inversion is available to stream and features seven tracks; demos and live versions of songs that ended up in their polished form on the final cut of Bikiniland.

I’ve been stung before with albums that purport to be a document of the bands’ roots or sold as some amazing unearthed and unheard before demoes. On listening you realise they should have remained unearthed as you vow never to listen again to the grainy tinny shite recorded on a C90 on a battered old mono tape deck.… Read the rest

Singles Round-up

March 5, 2020 By neilho27@sky.com

Loads of great singles blasting out in the Ginger Quiff towers just now. Where to start…

The Best Bad Influence

One of the hardest gigging bands on the scene just now are the phenomenally talented three-piece The Best Bad Influence. They seem to be ubiquitous currently. Every time I look on social media, I see them announcing more live dates. If someone were to ask me to name one band I want to be huge it is this pack of young wolves, so it gave me a huge rush to see that they hadn’t only announced more live dates recently but had dropped a new single.… Read the rest

Jonzip – Blueprint – album review

March 3, 2020 By neilho27@sky.com

Glasgow punk legend Jonzip has recently been making a name for himself as a talk show host. His genial demeanour and general display of welcoming bonhomie making him perfect for the role, talking recently to IDLES frontman Joe Talbot and Southside musical empresario Alan McGee.

Fans of Jonzip the musician needn’t fear though, following on the heels of last year’s The Zips release Huh? comes a magnificent Jonzip solo release in the shape of Blueprint.

The ten tracks on offer are culled from a variety of sources from his illustrious career, different versions of songs, some appearing before in one format or another, others appearing on CD for the first time.… Read the rest

Carol Hodge – Savage Purge – Interview and Review

February 28, 2020 By neilho27@sky.com

Roots

Ahead of the release of her latest work of genius, Savage Purge on the 30th of March, I had the privilege to catch up with fellow Hodge, Carol. I don’t often meet other Hodges, so I had to ask about her roots and whether she had ever investigated her family tree…

Yeah, well, funnily enough my mum did, she was into genealogy for a while, so she did our family tree. I was born in Greenock, we lived in Port Glasgow when I was a kid. All my family comes from around there.

Then going back far enough, from Ireland, it was maybe like the 1700s when the first Hodge came over.

… Read the rest

Rudebeard – Wideos on the Rise EP review

February 10, 2020 By neilho27@sky.com

Live a Bit.

That is the opening mantra on the new Rudebeard EP, and I couldn’t agree more. The older I get, the more important this becomes. This declaration of intent sets up the remaining tracks perfectly. A feel-good song that will start off with you tapping your feet before just wanting to jump up and dance.

Live your own life. Thrown Away skanks along at pace bemoaning wasting the best years of your life working for The Man before you are no longer of any use and you are dumped on the scrap heap.

The feel-good ska sound continues throughout the six tracks, but a warning, Rudebeard don’t hold back on their social commentary – pick your place for blaring out the tunes.… Read the rest

Dogtooth – Cut – single review

February 6, 2020 By neilho27@sky.com

In terms of new music for 2020, you could do a hell of a lot worse than look out for the new single from Dogtooth due to drop on the 22^nd of February.

Despite still being in the first flush of youth, they have already been around for aeons. Like Ash and Silverchair before them, releasing music in their early teens, their “A Way of Life” EP coming out in 2015. The CD cover spoke “mod” and their original track A Way of Life had a sub David Watts rumble to it as they espoused a similar tale to The Red Eyes This is My Life.… Read the rest

Garlands Outstandifold Savage Cut Nice N Sleazy

Ones That Got Away – Outstandifold & the Wettygrippers & Garlands

January 29, 2020 By neilho27@sky.com

First (maybe even last) in a random series of albums that got away. Ones from last year that I maybe didn’t get around to writing about or that for whatever reason never really got to listen to properly.

Bit of a double whammy this one – and it may, or may not, have something to do with both bands appearing on the same bill in Glasgow at Nice ‘n’ Sleazy this Saturday (1^st February).

Outstandifold & the Wettygrippers

The unusually monikered Outstandifold followed up their last (and rather good) album Box with their (who would have guessed) fourth album. Go Fourth, sees them metaphorically do just that.… Read the rest

Carol Hodge – Savage Purge preview

January 20, 2020 By neilho27@sky.com

The impeccably monikered Carol Hodge is back. Not that she has been away…

Hodgey is in great demand. Last year saw her tour with Crass legend Steve Ignorant’ s Slice of Life, the subline Ryan Hamilton and the Harlequin Ghosts & Julia Othmer as well as playing her own gigs and recording new material. Phew.

Towards the end of last year, the supremely talented Hodgemeister teased us with some videos on Facebook of her working on some new tracks. The fruits of her labours were shared with her followers before the turn of the year and are now available to stream on Bandcamp for all the world to hear.… Read the rest

Turning Black Like Lizards – Perspex EP

January 13, 2020 By neilho27@sky.com

Following up their previous 3 track EP, Spiral Eyes, Turning Black Like Lizards Perspex EP proves these penetrating earworms were no fluke by offering up three more slabs of hypnotically addictive psychedelic garage rock.

After a couple of listens the effect these brooding compositions has on the psyche is one of creeping into your consciousness and taking up residence. “I’m going outta my head” sings Andy Black on the lead track as the throbbing insistent melody does the opposite and surreptitiously worms its way into your head and stays there.

While Outta My Head has a down and dirty Black Rebel Motorcycle Club-esque feeling with Sympathy for the Devil type woos running through it, Perspex takes on a much more meditative laid-back groove.… Read the rest