Here we have Javier Escovedo's new release, "Kicked out of Eden", courtesy of Saustex Records in San Antonio, Texas, and it's a good one.
We probably all know Javier from his work with The Zeros and The True Believers. He co-founded The Zeros (the so-called “Mexican Ramones”) and was a leading light in the West Coast punk scene. Surprisingly, "Kicked Out of Eden" is only his second solo recording.
Here’s the exclusive debut of “Cheer Squad”, a non-album digital-only single and taster on Conquest of Noise for Leadfinger’s forthcoming album “Friday Night Heroes”.
“Cheer Squad”is a high-energy bolt from the zeitgeist...it's a song about social media and not fitting in with the crowd, with an attitude that harks back to the ‘70s punk era. “Cheer Squad” is backed up by “The Man I Used to Be”, from the upcoming album. Buy and download the single over the next month and you’ll also get an amazing non-album bonus track called Three Brothers. Three great songs for $A4 and they’re all available here.
Leadfinger will play "Cheer Squad" this Friday night at an I-94 Bar show at Sydney's Marrickville Bowling Club with special guests Simon Chainsaw (with an all-star band of ex-New Christs, Hell Crab City and Filth members) and the garage groove of The Escapes.
I’ve played this CD several times since I received it, and the reason it gets only three bottles is that while it’s really good, it just doesn’t seem to get up and grab me. Maybe that’s me, maybe that’s the production, or the recording on the day. Call me a bastard, feel free, but to me the pace seems just a little too slow, lacking in attack… or something. I can’t quite nail it.
It seems that the imperative a band like this should have has not come out. This happens far too often with recordings (several favourite Adelaide bands who I absolutely loved have released CDs and LPs which seem sheepish rather than roar like a bull buffalo in Kakadu; the worst part is, when a band know the record isn’t up to snuff, they know it and feel bad. The next step should be to determine to do better next time).
Zurich-based Henry Hugo has been in Melbourne for a few weeks, playing with a variety of Melbourne talent so glittering it fairly takes your breath away. I believe there might be a couple more gigs to come, so I suggest you get your hat and coat and wallet and get out the door right now.
Before I go on, I missed opening act the St Morris Sinners. I have heard endless good things about them and I must catch them soon. But it wasn’t to be tonight.
Listen up, punks and noiseniks: The Canadian band’s fifth album in 17 years is inarguably their best. It rocks like fuck; It scratches like a rabid kitten. It’s tuneful and noisily offensive at the same time. All of which should tell you something about The Ex-Boyfriends even if you’ve never heard of them.
The Ex-Boyfriends come from Calgary and I’m willing to bet they’re the best-in-breed in that neck of the woods. If Calgary’s music scene is half as fractured as anywhere else, it takes a lot of balls to be a rock and roll band. Big ones if you play noisy punk rock. Shamefully, I’d forgotten they were around until a notice about this heavy-diuty chunk of vinyl landed in the post box.
Men Of No Shame: Earl Slick, Glen Matlock and Slim Jim Phantom
Sweat is pouring down my neck and back. Rob from the C-Bombs is dangling pictures of his empty pool at me on facebook and I suddenly remember to start dialling.
I’m calling Glen Matlock in London. It will be something like 8.30 in the morning there. He’s organised, sounds quite sober, matter-of-fact and down to earth. Which is pretty good, cos if you’ve never heard the bugger’s name you’ve certainly heard at least one of the bands he’s been in, and helped write the songs for: The Sex Pistols.
Glen is coming to Australia for the ‘Men of No Shame’ tour with Earl Slick and Slim Jim Phantom.
Onetime Richard Hell and the Voidoids guitarist Ivan Julian is battling cancer, his record label has revealed.
“The prognosis looks good for Ivan, but for the next six months or more, flexibility to do his work will be greatly diminished, which means a direct impact on his income,” Plowboy Records said in a statement on its website. Julian was diagnosed almost immediately after writing and recording The Fauntleroys’ new single, “Wait For Me” b/w “All The Way Down (In The City Of Angels).
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Plowboy Records and The Fauntleroys are offering the new singles in digital, vinyl and CD formats with all profits going to Ivan Julian. Go here to score the new single or the band's debut EP and help a punk rock icon.
Plowboy is also home to ex-Dead Boy Cheetah Chrome.
With the late Robert Quine, Julian was one-half of one of the most innovative guitar combinations on the New York punk scene and more recently had worked with Matthew Sweet.
Well, this is awkward. David Bowie produces a new album. It's actually pretty good. Easily the best album he's produced since "Low". I know, right? A lot of people hate that one too but an album made by a coke snorting lunatic whilst driving around a car park at seventy five miles an hour is by definition going to sort the likes from the dislikes.
After the Seventies glory years of Glam and guitar solos, things took a turn to the weird. The so called Berlin trilogy featured two good albums "Low" and "Heroes" and the rather jumbled "Lodger". His production of Iggy Pop's "The Idiot" quietly changed the way we'd look at popular music. Joy Division and Public Image Limited were obviously paying attention as well as a veritable army of prissy nerds with their sister's make-up kits and Casio keyboards.
Punk rock icon Sonny Vincent is in the middle of a family tragedy and desperately needs your help.
His son Robert Ventura, daughter-in-law Sarah and nine-year-old grandson Cayden are on life support in a North Carolina hospital after a gas fire engulfed their home.
Sonny has flown in from his own home in Germany with only the clothes on his back and is on a bedside vigil.
A GoFundMe crowdsourcing campaign has been established to help the family here. A benefit show in NYC is also in the pipeline.
Sonny is a former member of seminal punk band The Testors and has a long and storied career as a solo artist, collaborating with the creme de la creme of the underground rock scene.
Starcrazy (album launch) + Pocketwatch + Sereia Darlin’ Nikki’s, St Peters, NSW - Oct 19 Tickets
Kim Salmon’s Smoked Samon How Did They Ever Manage Tour OCT 11 - George Lane, St Kilda - Tix 13 - Wheatsheaf, Adelaide - Tix 19 - Bearded Lady, Brisbane - Tix 24 - Tanswells, Beechworth - Tix 25 - Smiths, Canberra - Tix 26 - Django @ Camelot, Sydney - Tix 27 - Frank's Wild Years, Thirroul - Tix NOV 1 - Hybrid Wave House, Fremantle ("In conversation with Kim Salmon" appearance) - Tix 2 - Lyrics, Perth - Tix 3 - Fremantle Arts Centre, Fremantle (Free Entry) 9 - Merri Creek Tavern, Melbourne - Tix
Penny Ikinger and the Not France and Spain Tour OCT 13 - L'Alimentation Générale, Paris, w/ Glenn Burns (AUS) 17- Funhouse, Madrid w/ Jibaros (ESP) 18 -La Casa De Sabica, Pamplona 19 - VIII. ZZ Rock Jaialdia, Zumarraga 26 - Skate Parc Le Moulin du Rousseau, Périgueux, FR (solo) w/ Kosmik Twaregs (ESP) Tickets
Hard-Ons' 40th Anniversary Australian Tour Oct - Nov 2024 OCT 18 - Soapbox, Brisbane, QLD 24 - Sussex Inlet Tavern, Sussex Inlet, NSW 25 - La La La’s, Wollongong, NSW 26 - Paddo RSL, Sydney. NSW 27 - Hamilton Station Hotel, Newcastle, NSW 31 - Altar, Hobart, TAS NOV 1 - - The Tote, Melbourne, VIC 2 - Singing Bird Studios, Frankston, VIC 3 - Red Hill Hotel, Castlemaine, VIC 4 - Barwon Club, Geelong, VIC 7 - Amplifier, Perth, WA 8 - Indian Ocean Hotel, Scarborough, WA 9 - Froth & Fury, Adelaide, SA Tickets
Los Chicos Australian Tour 2024 OCT 31 - Old Bar, Fitzroy, VIC w/ Mesa Cosa + The Breadmakers - tix NOV 1 -The Tote. Collingwood, VIC w/ The Hard-Ons * - tix 2 - Volta, Ballarat, VIC w/ The Meanies * - tix 3 - Red Hill Hotel, Chewton, VIC (arvo) w/ Hard-Ons - tix 3 - St.Kilda Bowls Club, VIC (evening) w/ Private Function* 4 - Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy, VIC w/ Mach Pelican * - tix 8 - Marrickville Bowlo w/ New Christs + Crankees * - tix 9 - River Rocks, Barwon Club, Geelong - tix 10 - River Rocks Rehab, Barwon Club, Geelong - tix * plus Human Toys (FR)
Buzzocks Australian Tour OCT 25 - Brisbane - The Triffid 26 - Adelaide - The Gov 27 - Fremantle - Metropolis 31 - Newcastle - King St Bandroom NOV 1 - Sydney - Metro Theatre 2 - Melb - Northcote Theatre 3 - Lorne - Lorne Theatre 4 – Castlemaine - Theatre Royal Tix
Chimers Australian Tour OCT 3 - Oxford Art Factory, Sydney w/ Party Dozen NOV 8 - Old Bar, Melbourne w/ Bench Press + No Hoper 9 - River Rocks Festival, Barwon Club, Geelong 10 - Poison City Records in-store (afternoon) 20 - Freo Social, Fremantle w/ The Saints ’73-’78 21 - Old Habits, Perth w/ Spacerhead + Lounge Tourist + Ten Cent Tiger 23 - Princess Theatre, Brisbane w/ The Saints ’73-’78 SOLD OUT 24 - Sonic Sherpa in-store (afternoon) w/ Kellie Lloyd (solo) 24 - Princess Theatre, Brisbane w/ The Saints ’73-’78 SOLD OUT 25 - Princess Theatre, Brisbane w/ The Saints ’73-’78 29 - Anita’s Theatre, Thirroul w/ The Saints ’73-’78 DEC 7 - Trocadero Room, Sydney w/ Antenna + Cammy Cautious & the Wrestlers + The Sevilles 15 - The Tote, Melbourne JAN 31 - La La La’s, Wollongong + special guests
Pat Todd & The Rankoutsiders Victorian Tour NOV 6 – PBS live to air 7 – Trash Cult, Bendigo, VIC 8 – The Tote, Collingwood, VIC 9 – River Rocks, Barwon Club, Geelong 10 – St Kilda Bowls Club, St Kilda, VIC 11 – Last Chance Bar, Melbourne, VIC
The Saints ‘73-‘78 NOV 13 - Adelaide Hindley St. Music Hall + Double Agents 15 - Castlemaine Theatre Royal (SOLD OUT) + Parsnip 16 - Melbourne Northcote Theatre (SOLD OUT) + The Double Agents 17 - Melbourne Northcote Theatre + Alien Nosejob 20 - Fremantle Freo Social + Chimers 22 - Sydney, Enmore Theatre + Kim Salmon & The Surrealists 23 - Brisbane, Princess Theatre (SOLD OUT) + Chimers 24 - Brisbane, Princess Theatre *new show* + Chimers Tickets
“Pig Out On Punk #2” I Hate People + The Owen Guns + Nunchukka Superfly + Flowers For Jayne + The Dark Clouds + The Pingers Marrickville Bowlo, NSW - Dec 14
The Stranglers 50 Years In Black 2025 Australasian Tour MAR NZ 13 - Powerstation, Auckland 15 - Meow Nui, Wellington 16 - Christchurch Town Hall, Christchurch AUS 19 - Enmore Theatre, Sydney 20 - The Tivoli, Brisbane 22- Forum, Melbourne 23 - The Gov, Adelaide 25 - Astor Theatre, Perth Tickets