What do you want from a new album by The Darkness? Justin’s falsetto singing? Dan’s riffs? The ferocious, driving rhythm of Frankie and Rufus? Well, the band are back with their new album, ‘Motorheart’ and it’s all in there!
Yes, ‘Motorheart’ delivers on every level of the Darkness-o-meter. There is the oddball witticism, the crazy stories, the inside jokes. The extravagance of the band is what makes them great and thankfully their 7th studio album has it in abundance.
The story of the band is as unique and colourful as their music, and it’s somewhat astonishing that they’ve reached a point in their career whereby they can say they’ve released seven albums!
A decade ago, nobody would’ve believed a third album possible. Their meteoric rise and subsequent fall from grace seemed to have them confined to the storybooks of rock n’ roll folklore.
Luckily for fans their one way ticket to hell did have that “and back” caveat and they made their heralded return in 2012. Five more albums now in the time since have solidified the bands credibility, if not restored their fame.
‘Motorheart’ continues a hot streak of acclaimed releases and will rightfully take centre stage for their upcoming live shows. ‘Welcome Tae Glasgae’, ‘Motorheart’, ‘It’s Love, Jim’ and ‘Eastbound’ will no doubt go down a treat for those in attendance.
WATCH ‘IT’S LOVE, JIM’ ON YOUTUBE
The Darkness – ‘It’s Love, Jim’
Whilst their arena filling days may be gone, The Darkness still sell out large venues across the country and the reputation of their live shows combined with the nostalgia of debut album ‘Permission To Land’ could carry the band into retirement.
Luckily, the band don’t seem content to rest on their laurels and that work rate has now seen them release another quality album. ‘Motorheart’ is well worth your time, so, whether your a die hard or a nostalgia seeker, check it out!
FRANK CARTER & THE RATTLESNAKES – NORWICH – LIVE REVIEW
With the release of ‘Sticky’, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes have continued their evolution as an act. As we said when we reviewed the album, all four of the bands records have their own unique identity whilst remaining clearly Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes albums.
How does this era of the group translate live? Well, we headed to the UEA LCR in Norwich to see.
Up first are two support acts who warrant that term unique. Both Cassyette and Lynks feature on ‘Sticky’ and have been championed by Carter himself as ones to watch.
Tonight both acts are able to display their art to the packed audience and both make the most of their platform. Lynks in particular is far removed from what the general fan would expect from a Frank Carter support act, something acknowledged by Lynks during the set. The crowd however are receptive and buy into the occasion which means by the time the set is complete, Lynks has won some more fans.
There is an interesting cross-section of fans for our headline act. Some are fully onboard with their experimental directions on each album. Others demand Carter sticks to the sound of debut album ‘Blossom’ with no deviation. Those fans will be disappointed this evening with only ‘Devil Inside Me’ on offer from that record, which is actually sung by a lucky audience member.
Carter himself has shown throughout his career that he has plenty to offer beyond his traditional sound. Regardless of band or album, Carter has always been at his pinnacle when on stage.
WATCH ‘STICKY’ ON YOUTUBE
Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes – ‘Sticky’
Equally that’s where the songs come to life. ‘Sticky’ is performed in its entirety throughout the setlist tonight and every song grows extra legs live. ‘My Town’, ‘Sticky’ and ‘Original Sin’ all sound massive and fit in perfectly alongside classics ‘Wild Flowers’, ‘Lullaby’, ‘Tyrant Lizard King’ and ‘Crowbar’.
The re-emergence of Cassyette on ‘Off With His Head’ and Lynks on both ‘Bang Bang’ and ‘Go Get a Tattoo’ both help add to the occasion, as Carter continues his upwards trajectory.
We’ve spoken in recent reviews for numerous artists of the poisoned chalice that artists face when progressing their sound. Fans will have different opinions on ‘Sticky’ but tonight those songs and the band as a whole are a force to be reckoned with!
The converted church known as Norwich Arts Centre feels the ideal venue in this fine city for Skinny Lister to takeover, and takeover they do with the show tonight sold out in advance.
Before the groups loyal fanbase is graced by their presence though it’s time for our support act. Support for this tour comes from recent collaborators The Longest Johns, who recently reached new audiences as a viral trend on TikTok.
All ? (C) Denis Gorbatov / Full Pelt Music
Tonight the four-piece are welcomed to Norwich by an appreciative audience who are captivated by the groups’ hauntingly good harmonies. That trending song ‘Wellerman’ closes a set packed with material set to feature on the bands upcoming new album ‘Smoke & Oakum’.
A fun way to start what is always destined to be a very fun and enjoyable evening of folk and shanties. Soon enough the lights go back down and it’s time of the masters of those arts, Skinny Lister, to hit the stage.
All ? (C) Denis Gorbatov / Full Pelt Music
Performing a career-spanning set, there is rightly a spotlight on their recent release ‘A Matter of Life & Love’. Upon its release we called the album “…well crafted and superbly delivered…”, and tonight those songs are brought to life.
‘Bavaria Area’, ‘Breakfast at Heathrow’ and ‘Embers’ are all highlights in a packed set list. A brilliant rendition of ‘Damn the Amsterdam’ sees the band joined onstage by The Longest Johns to the delight of the audience.
Skinny Lister have spent their career building their reputation as a top tier live act and tonight the band prove just why they are considered so. ‘Colours’, ‘What Can I Say’, ‘Cathy’, ‘This Is War’ and ‘Trouble on Oxford Street’ all eliciting jubilant scenes in the church. Hallelujah!
After a superb evening of entertainment, there is no way the crowd are going anywhere and Skinny Lister duly oblige with an encore of ‘Raise a Wreck’, ‘Hamburg Drunk’ and finale ‘Six Whiskies’.
The crowd go home happy and Skinny Lister travel on to the next show with their reputation enhanced even further. I dare you to go to a show and not have a great time!
Welcome to another edition of our weekly music News Report. We start off this week with a handful of 2022 festival announcements including the above from Tramlines Festival!
The event will be headlined by Sam Fender, Kasabian and Madness. They will be joined by a packed supporting cast including on the Friday – James, The Snuts and Working Men’s Club.
The Saturday will host The Vaccines, Little Man Tate, Self Esteem, Inhaler and Lottery Winners. Sunday meanwhile will feature The Wombats, The Coral, Sports Team, Yard Act, Do Nothing and The Goa Express.
In It Together Festival has been announced to take place in Margam, Wales next June. The event will feature headline performances from Two Door Cinema Club, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and Clean Bandit.
They’ll be joined over the weekend by the likes of Editors, Lottery Winners, Scouting For Girls, Soul 2 Soul, Spector, The Hoosiers, The Magic Gang and The Vaccines.
As our News Report moves along to tour announcements, we get started with Placebo. The band recently revealed that they will release a new album, ‘Never Let Me Go’ on March 25th.
Now the band has unveiled a slew of tour dates across Europe and the UK including two dates at O2 Brixton Academy in London. Tickets and pre-orders will be available here.
Placebo also debuted the second track from the album this week. You can check out ‘Surrounded By Spies’ below.
Greta Van Fleet this week revealed the ‘Dreams In Gold Tour’ for 2022. The world tour will include dates in London and Manchester with UK support still to be announced.
Another band announcing tour dates for 2022 this past week was The Treatment. The band revealed a lengthy trek around the UK for next spring entitled the ‘Devil In The Detail Tour’.
Support comes from Piston and South of Salem and tickets are available from here.
It’s time now to focus on the new music releases from the past week and what better way to start than with Stereophonics. The group continue to prepare for the release of new album, ‘Oochya!’ on March 4th.
This week saw them debut the latest track from the album, ‘Do Ya Feel My Love?’ which you can check out above.
Salvation Jayne debut ‘A Mouthful Of Magnificent Spite’
Salvation Jayne – ‘A Mouthful of Magnificent Spite’
Finally this week a band who recently featured on our ‘Discover’ New Music Playlist. Salvation Jayne this week debuted their latest single, ‘A Mouthful of Magnificent Spite’.
You can listen to the track above, which is the title track from the groups upcoming debut album. That album arrives on February 18th and you can pre-order here.
Salvation Jayne also revealed a UK Tour to celebrate the release with the dates below, and tickets here.
It’s a little over a year since IDLES released their magnificent third studio album ‘Ultra Mono’, but already their fourth has arrived. ‘CRAWLER’ was actually only announced on September 28th as the band dropped the lead single, ‘The Beachland Ballroom’.
So with minimal promotion and fanfare can this album continue the incredible hot streak that the band find themselves on? With just two pre-release singles fans will need to sink their teeth fully into ‘CRAWLER’ to find out, so let’s do just that.
The album starts with ‘MTT 420 RR’ and ‘The Wheel’ quickly establishing that this is definitely an IDLES album. That may sound silly, but following the initial singles there was an element of worry from some that the album may represent a significant departure from their much heralded sound.
Of course, it’s tricky for artists to evolve, with that especially true in the rock or guitar music world. Natural progression can often be seen as selling out by fans loyal to an artist’s early work, making it difficult not to alienate your audience whilst experimenting with your art.
WATCH ‘CAR CRASH’ ON YOUTUBE
IDLES – ‘Car Crash’
Again as we continue the album with ‘When the Lights Come On’, ‘Car Crash’ and ‘New Sensation’, it’s clear that IDLES have maintained the essence of what has brought them to this point. That said it’s also abundantly obvious that they haven’t been afraid to divert course. They are still on the same road but they have changed lanes.
This shouldn’t be a surprise though as they started to indicate this lane change on ‘Ultra Mono’. Keep doing the same thing and the band will be accused of simple IDLES-by-numbers output, but dare evolve their sound and they will be deemed to have sold out or some similar nonsense.
It really is a hard balance to strike, but on ‘CRAWLER’ they have managed to do just that. This isn’t Dylan going electric, but it is a band stretching their legs. As the album moves on through ‘Stockholm Syndrome’, ‘The Beachland Ballroom’, ‘Crawl!’ and ‘Meds’ you can’t help but imagine how huge these songs will sound live.
Nobody really expected a new IDLES album so soon after ‘Ultra Mono’, but we’ve got one and ‘CRAWLER’ does exactly what it needs to do. As the band head towards their sold out tour next year, they now have four albums of incredible material to choose from.
The hot streak remains intact and IDLES continue to be one of the most exciting and vital bands around.
We roundup the best music news from the past week!
Every week we roundup the best music news from the past week in our News Report. To stay up to date with the biggest news be sure to follow us on our social channels:
Welcome to another edition of our weekly music News Report. We start with a festival line-up announcement. The festival in question is Derbyshire event Y Not which takes place 29th to 31st July next year.
The line-up got bigger this week with additions including Stereophonics, Manic Street Preachers, The Vaccines, The Snuts, Dinosaur Pile-Up, Black Honey, The Futureheads, Dream Wife and Yard Act!
They join the already announced Courteeners, Blossoms, Nothing But Thieves, Levellers, Pale Waves, Vistas, Beans On Toast and more.
Machine Head & Amon Amarth team up for arena tour dates
It’s on to tour announcements now as our News Report continues. Up first is the news this week that Machine Head will team up with Amon Amarth for four huge arena shows next year.
September will see the bands play shows in Nottingham, Cardiff, London and Manchester with support from The Halo Effect.
Volbeat next, as this week they announced a very intimate London date for Saturday 21st May next year. The band will release new album, ‘Servant Of The Mind’ on December 3rd and pre-orders get early access to tickets.
Now we move onto new music releases as our News Report continues. IDLES will release their new album, ‘Crawler’, on November 12th, and previewed the record this week with new single ‘Car Crash’.
Another band releasing a new single this week were legendary metal group Slipknot. You can listen to ‘The Chapeltown Rag’ above or click here for other options.
Placebo recently returned with their first new music in year, the single ‘Beautiful James’. Now the band has announced that they will release a new album, ‘Never Let Me Go’, with pre-sales commencing on November 9th.
Those that pre-order will also get advance access to tickets for a yet to be announced UK Tour!
Finally we finish off our News Report with the latest single from Twin Atlantic, ‘Get Famous’ which debuted this week. The band will release their new album, ‘Transparency’ on January 7th.
BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE – BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE – ALBUM REVIEW
Bullet For My Valentine were the chosen ones, designated as metal’s big hope to take the genre into the future. They were tipped for festival headline slots and to carry the mantle that would inevitably be left by the Metallica’s of the world.
Well, that was the mid-2000’s and the album run of ‘The Poison’, ‘Scream Aim Fire’ and ‘Fever’ had them on the verge of achieving all that was foretold. Sadly, it hasn’t been smooth sailing since that point. Their recent headline slot at the Download Pilot Festival proved that they are still a force to be reckoned with onstage, so where did it go wrong.
The momentum killer appears to have been a very hit or miss output of recordings over the past decade. There have been some great moments but also far too many forgetful or even cringeworthy ones.
Line-up changes have also played their part, but the current line-up has been together long enough now to provide some stability on that front. So as this line-up releases their second album, ‘Bullet For My Valentine’, what does the future hold.
The band can perennially play decent sized venues and festival slots, but if they want to take that leap and fulfil the prophecies they need to at least steady the ship. This album returns to the heavier and more aggressive sound of the bands formative years which certainly helps them.
WATCH ‘RAINBOW VEINS’ ON YOUTUBE
Bullet For My Valentine – ‘Rainbow Veins’
Whilst there is a slight Bullet-by-numbers feel to the album, that comfort is what is needed from them right now. The likes of ‘Knives’ and ‘Rainbow Veins’ help to elevate the record and place it in the middle range of any ranking of Bullet For My Valentine albums.
Fans of the band will be happy with the album and critics of the band won’t have much to criticise. The ship has been steadied, now let’s see what the band do next.
Tonight the UEA LCR in Norwich welcomes Don Broco, a band which has steadily risen through the ranks to being able to headline festivals (Slam Dunk this summer) and arenas (February 2019 Tour). This evening therefore could be considered an intimate affair for the band.
The venue fills up early ready for support acts KID BRUNSWICK and NOISY. Both acts feel suited to the occasion and do their best to amp up an already lively crowd. They are both received well by those in attendance and on evidence of tonight both have bigger things to come in the future.
By the time Don Broco are ready to hit the stage, the atmosphere is at a fever pitch, the dancefloor is rammed and Norwich is ready to be entertained. And entertained they are with Don Broco hitting the space-age stage and immediately banging out ‘Manchester Super Reds No. 1 Fan’, ‘Technology’ and ‘Pretty’.
The floor shakes with each bounce as the crowd jumps in unison to one huge song after another. With new album ‘Amazing Things’ firmly in the spotlight, it’s clear from the crowd reaction that the band has another hit on their hands.
‘Gumshield’, ‘Endorphins’, ‘Uber’ and ‘Bruce Willis’ get some of the best reactions of the night; not that there is any real let up from either the band or the crowd. Realistically no band has any right to have as many certifiable bangers as Don Broco do. The show tonight is a party from start to finish.
WATCH ‘ENDORPHINS’ ON YOUTUBE
Don Broco – ‘Endorphins’
The impressive stage show, the bands delivery of those bangers and the general atmosphere combine to make this a night to remember. ‘Automatic’, ‘Come Out to LA’ and ‘You Wanna Know’ all provide further evidence towards my point. Don Broco have elevated themselves to the upper echelons of live acts.
An encore comprising ‘Everybody’ and ‘T-Shirt Song’ really is just the icing on the cake. It was great to be able to catch the band in this venue, because the odds are they will mainly be playing much larger rooms going forward!
It’s been a long road for Biffy Clyro to arrive at the O2 Kentish Town Forum in London, and I’m not talking about the M1 from their last show in Sheffield!
The band released their album, ‘A Celebration of Endings’ in August 2020 (which itself was delayed from May), having announced an arena tour to promote it, only to cancel said tour in the wake of the pandemic.
Subsequently the ‘Fingers Crossed’ tour of intimate venues was announced in the hope that live music would return in time. Sadly, this was also postponed from April until now. In the meantime the band even managed to record and release another album with ‘The Myth of the Happily Ever After’ arriving last month.
Well after two albums, a cancelled tour and a postponement we are finally here, but up first is our support act. That act is the incredible Bob Vylan, a band who have created a lot of talk over the opening dates. Their politically-charged punk rock anthems have proven somewhat divisive thus far amongst the Biffy Clyro fanbase.
Tonight the duo are in their hometown and the crowd are overwhelmingly onside. They are treated to an energy-filled and impassioned performance from one of the hottest new acts around. The likes of ‘Northern Line’, ‘Pretty Songs’ and ‘We Live Here’ showcase their talents and get the bodies moving tonight. A great set from a band I’m sure you’ll be hearing a lot more from for one reason or another!
Finally, it’s then time for Biffy Clyro to grace what is now a very intimate stage for the mammoth rockers. After performing their latest album in full on the first night of the tour, the band has settled into a more traditional setlist for the subsequent dates. It is however two songs from that album that commence proceedings as ‘DumDum’ and ‘A Hunger in Your Haunt’ kick things off.
WATCH ‘A HUNGER IN YOUR HAUNT’ & ‘UNKNOWN MALE 01’ ON YOUTUBE
Biffy Clyro – ‘A Hunger In Your Haunt / Unknown Male 01’
You’d not know that live music had vanished for nigh-on two years. Tonight Biffy Clyro are on top form and the well-oiled machine runs as if it has been on track the whole time. The audience respond in kind and are also on top form, which helps to create a magical atmosphere.
Biffy Clyro are a relentless artist both live and on record. Tonight the newer tracks such as ‘North of No South’, ‘Instant History’, ‘Unknown Male 01’, ‘End Of’ and ‘Space’ fit perfectly with fan favourites like ‘Biblical’, ‘Mountains’, ‘Machines’ and ‘Wolves of Winter’.
The way that the band is able to control an audience, building slowly before exploding is unteachable. The band are in their natural state as they finish off the set with ‘Living Is a Problem Because Everything Dies’, ‘Bubbles’ and ‘Many of Horror’ to the delight of those in attendance.
An obligatory encore of ‘Black Chandelier’ and ‘Cop Syrup’ is enough to send the crowd home happy, remind us of what we’ve been missing and lay claim to the fact that Biffy Clyro are one of the best live acts on the planet. Most definitely worth the wait!
We roundup the best music news from the past week!
Every week we roundup the best music news from the past week in our News Report. To stay up to date with the biggest news be sure to follow us on our social channels:
Welcome to another weekly News Report from Full Pelt Music. We start this week with a handful of 2022 festival line-up announcements and first up is this beauty from 2000trees Festival.
Added to the event this week were the likes of Dream State, Tigercub, Ginger Wildheart, ROAM, Never Not Nothing and WITCH FEVER.
They join the already announced IDLES, Jimmy Eat World, The Amazons, Dinosaur Pile-Up, Young Guns, Royal Republic, Lonely The Brave, Crossfaith, Vukovi, Bob Vylan, Beans On Toast, Will Varley, Press To MECO, Lauran Hibberd, Haggard Cat and so many more.
To be at the loaded event, you can grab your ticket here.
Check out The Full Pelt Music Podcast with guests Press To MECO ?
Bearded Theory announce more acts for 2022 Festival
Some of the best UK Festivals are the smaller independent variety that can feature real strength and depth in their line-ups. Bearded Theory’s Spring Gathering was already looking packed, but this week they’ve added even more incredible acts!
New acts include Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls, The Hives, Yonaka, Working Men’s Club, Billy Nomates, John, Do Nothing, Bob Vylan and Little Comets!
They join Placebo, The Flaming Lips, Patti Smith, The Mission, Shame, Peter Hook & The Light, Wilko Johnson, Ferocious Dog, Lauran Hibberd, The Ninth Wave, Nova Twins and more!
Another festival revealing their 2022 line-up this week is Boardmasters. Headlining the surf and music event will be George Ezra, Disclosure and Kings of Leon!
They’ll be joined by the likes of Bastille, IDLES, Declan McKenna and Tom Grennan with hundreds more still to be announced.
British Summer Time in Hyde Park has added two more superstar names to it’s 2022 bill this week. First it was announced Adele would perform two now sold out shows. It was then announced that the legendary Eagles will also perform the event.
They join already announced headliners Pearl Jam, Elton John and Duran Duran. Tickets for the shows are here.
Stereophonics to celebrate 20th anniversary of ‘Just Enough Education to Perform’
Our News Report moves onto tour announcements now and we start with a celebration from Stereophonics. The band will be playing some intimate ‘Just Enough Education to Perform’ shows to celebrate the albums 20th anniversary.
New music now as our News Report continues. Ahead of his upcoming album, ‘FTHC’, Frank Turner this week debuted the latest track from the record, ‘Non Serviam’.
Check the song out above and pre-order the album here.
Watch Frank Turner on The Full Pelt Music Podcast ?
Nova Twins unveil ‘Antagonist’
Nova Twins – ‘Antagonist’
Nova Twins this week unveiled their latest track ‘Antagonist’, which you can check out above or here.
Finally this week we conclude our News Report with the latest single from Blood Red Shoes. You can check out ‘Morbid Fascination’ above ahead of the release of their new album ‘Ghosts On Tape’ which arrives January 14th!
