Punk - The Ginger Quiff

Hodge on Hodge – Carol Hodge – Interview and album review

August 12, 2021 By neilho27@sky.com

Hodge on Hodge

The master of the torch song, punk pianist extraordinaire, and all round good egg, Carol Hodge is back. Her new album, The Crippling Space Between has been one of my go to listens over the last while since she gave early access to anyone who had signed up to her Patreon page.

The last time I spoke to Carol was in February of last year before all the shit hit the fan. At that point, I was hoping there would be a real-life Hodge meet up at that years Scotland Calling Punk Festival. She was due to be playing piano and keyboards playing Crass songs with Steve Ignorant.… Read the rest

We’ll be coming, we’ll be coming…

June 1, 2021 By neilho27@sky.com

…when you hear the noise of the Cundeez and Rudebeard boys, we’ll be coming down the road.

Remember the old days, remember the O’Jays… no, I’m going down the wrong cut de sac here. Remember in your youth (if you are of a certain vintage) when Scotland qualified for competitions with clockwork regularity? Only to crash out to some minnows in the group stages right enough, but qualified none the less.

Even if you weren’t a football fan, you knew we’d qualified. Who can forget being on the march wi’ Ally’s Army and Andy Cameron in 1978 when we all thought we were really going to come home from Argentina as trophy winners only for our dreams to be crushed.… Read the rest

New York Junk – Live from The Bowery Electric

January 27, 2021 By neilho27@sky.com

It is almost a year since I last attended a real, live gig. Let me tell you, I have missed live music terribly, and things don’t look rosy for a return to sweaty club gigs, or any other kind of gig any time soon. After we entered the first lockdown in those dim and distant days of early 2020 little would we know we would be in the same, or maybe worse situation a year down the line with no end in sight.

Online Fatigue

Over spring and summer last year I enjoyed watching a variety of online gigs, from acoustic guitars in front rooms, to full blown electric sets from bands playing to camera’s in empty clubs.… Read the rest

The Ginger Quiff – 2020 review

December 23, 2020 By neilho27@sky.com

Albums of the year

2020 might have been a year to forget for uncountable reasons, a year many would rather forget. However, the amount, and quality, of new music that saw the light of day in 2020 was astounding. So much so, narrowing down my favourite albums of this year to a top ten was a nigh on impossible task.

Even now as I have committed to and published this list, I am still making changes in my head. To say that some of these albums were “better” than others would be to dismiss the quality of said albums. Just know that I appreciate and applaud the time and love that has gone into the recording of all of these albums.… Read the rest

Dead Sheeran Vs TV Smith (album reviews)

December 11, 2020 By neilho27@sky.com

Two COVID related albums caught my attention in recent weeks.

One of them brimming with bristling brio, the other packed with very personal reflections. Both of them, despite their different music styles, bursting with energy and anger and overflowing with punk attitude.

One of these albums is the debut from the remarkable Dead Sheeran. Draw a Venn diagram of John Cooper Clarke, Sleaford Mods and IDLES and you’ve pretty much got the picture. The other is from the grandaddy of punk, the punk rock warlord himself, TV Smith. When so called icons of the first wave of punk, like the washed up MAGA loving controversial-for-the-sake-of-it muppet Lydon are playing to the gallery, Smith has quietly unleashed a monster.… Read the rest

Vulpynes – US Against Them EP review

November 1, 2020 By neilho27@sky.com

Irelands answer to L7, Vulpynes, released their latest 4 track EP on Halloween. Molly and Kaz the visceral power grunge duo preceded this EP with one of its track Sister earlier in the year.

The EP leads off with the remarkable power and ferocity of One Horse Mind. And Vulpynes journey continues apace. Molly’s formidable vocal more than a match for the sheer wave of intense noise they produce – no matter how much it “fucks with her brain”.

This Motor is Me has a highly infectious riff running throughout. Judging by the non-stop crashing drums and cymbals Kaz must have expounded a tonne of energy in the playing – her motor certainly in overdrive for this one.… Read the rest

The Cundeez – Teckle & Hide – album review

October 16, 2020 By neilho27@sky.com

I’ve been immersing myself in some Dundonian culture lately thanks to Teckle & Hide the latest, and strongest, album from The Cundeez

An Intoxicating Heady Brew

100% proof claims the album cover, and its claims are not wrong. The sixteen tracks served up are an intoxicating heady brew. The Cundeez cementing themselves as a North East Scotland powerhouse. One minute offering an ultimate good time party anthem, guaranteed to have any party jumping as they provide the raw unfiltered craic, once again promised on the album cover. I’m not going to lie though, the party might get messy, there are no guarantees how things might end up.… Read the rest

Terry Edwards Very Terry Edwards/Stop Trtying to Sell Me Back My Past

Terry Edwards – Very Terry Edwards/Stop Trying to Sell Me Back My Past – review

August 22, 2020 By neilho27@sky.com

Very Terry Edwards

I’m not sure where to start with this one, or should I say these ones, having received not one, but two Terry Edwards compilations weighing in at a mighty 80 tracks in total. Not only quite a phenomenal collection of tunes, but also a who’s who of just about every musical style you could list or comprehend.

The first, Very Terry Edwards is a career spanning collection of tracks celebrating the 60^th birthday year of this most bountifully talented multi-instrumentalist, with a track for every year of his life. This is an extraordinarily effusive body of work, even more extraordinary when you see the list of some of the bands he has recorded with that don’t appear across this 3 disc set, stand up Siouxsie, Julian Cope, Madness, Tindersticks, Hot Chip and PJ Harvey.… Read the rest

Reaction – The La Chunky Sessions EP Volume 1 – review

July 21, 2020 By neilho27@sky.com

There are dozens of independent record labels that are a cause for celebration. The one’s that, when you hear they have a new release coming, it is almost guaranteed you will love it. I’m not going to start listing those. Suffice to say that Tarbeach Records based in New York but with roots still attached to the heart of the West of Scotland is one that holds a special place in my music collection. I own all the releases to date. So far there is not one I don’t like. So, it gives me great pleasure to be reviewing the first of three tree-mendous releases (the pun is intentional) coming your way now.… Read the rest

The Cundeez – teaser

July 10, 2020 By neilho27@sky.com

I’ve been lucky this week to hear an exclusive track from The Cundeez. Hot off the presses and the latest track recorded for their up and coming album “Teckle and Hide” (due for an Autumn release). I will admit when I saw them teasing a clip of it on their Facebook page recently it was a bit of an eyebrow raiser and something I certainly wouldn’t have expected.

If you’ve heard the last few songs to come from The Cundeez camp over the last coupla years, you’ll know they’ve been on fire.

Take their split single with Texas Mod Crushers that came out on Tarbeach a while back.… Read the rest