Scream marks a return to form for Ozzy who has been sadly missed of late by those who like old school metal, not that the current talent out there is lacklustre.
Its just that over the years Ozzy has become the master of this genre , however everything else he’s been involved he hasn’t been recording new material.
Now this isn’t bias listening to the album you get a sense that this was fun to record slightly tongue in cheek and with a few journeys into heavy material Scream does mark a return to form for Ozzy and provides something for every fan
Now there aren’t any stand out tracks on the album you would not expected it, its just solid heavy rock with title tracks like scream leading the way.
Pixie Lott has come a long way in just under a year with the launch of her debut album for which this is the tittle track to this month supporting Rihanna during her UK tour, the future is certainly looking bright for this young star.
From the amount of effort going into marketing this performer this could be another number one single for her to add on top of her 1 million sales too date , to see what you think we have the video of the single here.
Gogol Bordello Trans continental hustle Columbia Records
This is another outing for the American Gypsy Punks and once again we are on familiar ground with the eclectic mix of styles and influences the band have become know for, whilst there is no standout tracks you won’t fail to be entertained regardless because the bands infectious live performance has transferred well on to Trans Continental Hustle.
The band are supporting the launch of the album with an extensive tour so you’ll too get to witness the madness in the mean time Trans Continental Hustle should satisfy your desire for gypsy punk madness.
The Avett Brothers I and Love and You Columbia Records
The Avett Brothers I and Love and You produced by Rick Rubin is their best album to date, the north Carolina brothers have come into their own with what in first instance appears to be a stripped down record.
Nothing could be further from the truth this is a beautifully crafted record with songs like January Wedding whilst appearing simple it is in fact so heavily layered it could be a Simon and Garfunkel number.
Whilst some songs even for a fan of the Brothers Avett a little bit on the weak side the whole in this case is greater than its parts and in this case they have come together to create a timeless record of outstanding quality
The Avett Brothers I and Love and You a Modern masterpiece 10/10
This is the second outing for Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters own band the Coattail Riders and from what was a project band has emerged a very tight classic heavy rock band.
Their second album Red Light Fever which is released on Columbia Records is very accomplished, not that it doesn’t have a couple of weak tracks overall the balance is on the positive side.
In some respects this record is a little bit retro in its conception the songs follow a well crafted formula set down by the likes of Led Zep drum intro guitar vocal chorus then lead guitar break and finally guitar and drum close, whilst that may sound a little bit restrictive its that restriction that creates some truly great tracks.
The standout ones are James Gang and Hell to Pay as these show the range of the band and Taylor Hawkins although you do detect some Foo Fighters DNA in the mix, this can’t be taken as a bad thing .
Red Light Fever shows that Taylor Hawkins can emerge from the Foo Fighter shadow and produce an album that reminds you how good classic rock can be
Now most artists who have been around for a while mellow and love to relive their past glory, the nostalgia tour and reforming the Stooges with James Williamson on guitar could have so easily been that ” a bunch of guys reliving their youth “ apart from one thing.
This is the Stooges with Williamson on board they are tonight something else visceral aggression and energy playing tracks from Raw Power you are reminded of what gave birth to Punk, and for all it posturing it was only a pale imitation of its ultimate creators.
At 63 Iggy is still the ultimate showman a kind of primal force on stage delivering increditably dark lyrics whilst pushing himself to the limit , his retirement from stage diving is rather on hold it seems no gentle slowing down here, for tonight was an all out assault on what live music has become.
It could be considered strange that the band that started in some respects punk and garage rock is still its crowning glory, or it could be really highlights most modern bands desire not to upset a middle of the road audience, not the case here as in the latter stages of the bands set they rip into open up and bleed and cock in my pocket and death trip, which marked the decline of the band in the seventies now they stand as vindication.
Clear highlights from tonight are search and destroy which show Williamson guitar playing at its best with his shear speed of attack in the Solo, but to pick just one moment is unfair this was quite simply the band at their best and Iggy too, audience stage invasions, stage diving and beer too a perfect gig for perfect band renewed.
If you get the chance to see the band do as the opportunity may not come around again
10/10 Iggy and the Stooges Raw Power one of the best gigs ever
Now we aren’t saying Paloma Faith isn’t a gifted singer far from it, but like a lot of Artists they strike you as being over produced which seems to becoming increasingly common amongst female performers.
This evening at the rather initimate o2 Academy Oxford was our chance to see if Paloma Faith is all hype or if there is real substance behind it, I am glad to say there is some real substance behind the image she and the band played a blinding set at what was a hot and sweaty venue .
The set piece songs Stone Cold Sober and New York were there which wouldn’t fail to please the crowd, however its the remixes which showed that the band can do something very few bands can do today which is put on a true show.
This is something amazingly Paloma Faith managed to do in what was a cramped hot and sweaty venue, through the costume changes from bizzare bunny girl to sophisticate jazz club performer and changes in tempo and style you got told a story and be entertained at the same time.
One of the things that sticks from the performance was the vocal ability of Paloma Faith not just in the notes sung but also in the emotional integrity of the vocal exhibited in the more jazz styled numbers
It was also surprising how heavy some of the songs were given the perception one has of Paloma Faith being slightly whimsical in a style similar to Lily Allen, all similarities end there with the remixes giving her backing band permission to go nuts sounding like the love child of Hendrix and sly and the family stone.
Its not often you can get a crowd to react to a request to sing or dance in unison but that’s what they managed in a cramped sweaty venue
It was these seemingly impromptu moments which made the evening what it was simply one of the best concert experiences and one we would recommend.
Paloma Faith simply one of the best performers of her generation 10/10
Following our interview with Kassidy we had the chance to catch their live set at the Barfly Camden to see how they performed in front of a live audience and see if they could match what we have heard from the Rubbergum E.P and extracts from the New Album.
This wasn’t probably the best place to see them, a cold wet Thursday in Camden a day before pay day is never going to lend itself a packed out venue saying that the place was comfortably busy on the night.
At 9:30 the band came on after a short soundcheck in a four abreast line up, this wasn’t down to the compactness of the stage but as a matter of choice the band have this gang of gunslingers thing going on, which accounts for the play on Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid thing with the name that said it works very well for them and comes into play as they kick into the first song.
What you hear is a complete suprise, for a live performance the band have nailed their three part harmony spot on and with the layering of the guitars over the top from the outset this sets them apart from every other band out there at the moment, for there is such a clarity in both the vocal and guitar performance it takes you back.
In affect you’d have to go back to the likes of Crosby Stills and Nash to experience something similar, but its not that simple this isn’t folk rock its comes across as having a dirtier sound too it a little more raw.
That is what makes this performance unique its the blend of harmony and grittiness the band achieve on each song they perform throughout the set, for a band that has only been together for two years the performance is stunning.
The only thing we can hope for this band is that they start to play venues their ability is suited to, for it would be a shame for them to stick to small venues they deserve better.
In the meantime it would be recommended to catch them now whilst you can see them up close in an intimate venue for those days won’t last long.
Kassidy Barfly London questionable venue but a truly stellar performance 9/10
A sheer piece of cyberpunk aggression not seen since the heady days of The Prodigy’s breakthrough.
Mixing elements of Breakbeat dubstep electronica and punk Subsource have produced something quite unique an album with no real weak track which hangs together no random noise unlike a lot of so called cyberpunk everything has a clarity of purpose.
This is an album you can listen too and not become bored or distracted it draws you into to its own dynamic thanks mainly to an incredible strong vocal, that said you can quite happily bounce off the walls to it.
This is no nerds behind keyboards and Mixing desk at times its unbridled audible aggression you couldn’t really ask for more.
Tales from the Doombox is out on the 29th of March from which the track The Ides is taken from, this could well be their breakthrough EP, taking them from all nighter obscurity into the mainstream whatever that is.
The results could only be described as worth watching like car crash TV with the power this group has the impact they will have on a rather stayed dance scene could be entertaining.
Subsource ….Blowing away all that falls before them….
The Fun Lovin Criminals tonight returned to another old stomping ground KOKO in Camden performing to a sell out crowd the venue being so full you couldn’t hardly move, some were old fans from when they first broke in the UK way back in the dim and distant past some new converts to the former Brooklyn residents thanks to their new album Classic Fantastic.
Whilst others really came a long to see if they lived up to our memories of their early glory days before the drawn out legal fight with their former manager which sadly left them absent over the last few years.
In reality there was no need to fear Huey Morgan and co delivered and then some, in a performance marked by the bands very open style you could have been forgiven for thinking that they were holding court which in some cases they were.
The band played material from the new album which was well received although softer in some respects than the bands previous work , it still had the charm of classic FLC albums a blend of rock funk and just a little bit of rap wrapped up in a rather attractive package.
The thing that stood out was the musicianship displayed by FLC from Huey Morgan’s very open guitar playing to the horn section everything was how it should be, this was certainly apparent when the band played some of the classic tracks.
The underpinnings might have been the same but each track had slight alterations which has kept them fresh unlike other bands with a glorious past this is a group which is very much a live and long may they be so given tonight’s performance.
Fun Lovin Criminals at KOKO a group resurgent 9/10
Ozzy Osborne Scream Columbia Records
