Stars of the Silverscreen - Bruised for two

On first listen to the new SOTS album I found myself digging out their debut as it was difficult to grasp how much of a jump forward the band had taken.

It’s as if they have gone from mach-speed to light-speed in one small step for man and one large leap for rock kind.

The band that were a robustly strong jetfighter have now become a class-A starfighter The balance between delivering what rock and punk fans would want is Zen like.

No one who has both feet in any genres camp is going to find anything to complain about as they soak up each track on this release, while those who straddle the line will be ecstatically impressed with the sprawling mess of rabid guitar licks, snotty nosed punk attitude and stadium teasing rock and roll that’s on display.

Within its grooves the sound that sprung from the streets of the UK at the dawning of punk has found itself soaking up the vibe of the Sunset Strip and in doing so discovered that it likes Jacuzzis full of jack and strip joints on every corner.

Listen carefully and there are even hints of the NWOBHM flexing its leather encased fist in your face, and for some strange reason it doesn't seem out of place in the mix at all.

Imagine a tornado ripping through a quality record collection and gleefully throwing every slab of vinyl at you and that’s what this feels like.

If you flipped between footage of a crowd of thousands going balls to the wall nuts at a festival with that of Stars of the Silverscreen performing it would be easy to accept that it was the real deal and not just mocked up as this is an album that should be getting played from a stage to thousands.

Download or Sonisphere in the UK need this band, while over in the US Rocklahoma should be kicking their door down and begging them to grace their stage.   

A fist pounding success from start to finish. 

Tragic City Thieves - Bar Bloc - 19/05/12 - Glasgow

The future of rock and roll is not to be found on the cover of a magazine.

Neither will it be found on many of the summer festival tents.

Instead it will be found on any stage that Tragic City Thieves perform on.

It's been a while since I have seen the band play, and their much welcomed return to the live arena was far more exciting than even I had anticipated.

Before I would have classed them as the best sleazy glam rock band that the west coast of Scotland had ever spawned.

Now I'm going to take that back.

Instead they are the best that the UK has to offer.

(Well the best I have seen.)

The comment was made during their set that this is a band that shouldn't be playing at a bar and club level, and I fully endorse that view.

While the current Guns and Roses are looking for £50 per head for a show it is a fact that Tragic City Thieves would rag doll Axl and his pick up band from here to next week without breaking a sweat.

If they break a sweat then any big rock band you care to mention should shudder in fear.

You want the fire then here it is.

I could lavish so much praise on them that readers would consider that it was a pastiche of a review, but ten minutes into watching them perform and the acceptance of the truth would hit them hard, and the truth is that no matter how much hyperbolic praise I shower them with it will still fall short of the reality.

Much of the set comprised of material that will be on their forthcoming sophomore release and will be new to an audience, but while that can normally be the kiss of death to a performance due to the unfamiliarity they exact opposite happened here.

Instead I'm left craving hearing them again, and I quite literally can't wait for the album to be released.

There's a huge step forward in the quality of the material, and that's not to say that the original album was lacking in quality.

More so it's to try and convey that if the punters liked that then they better hold onto their hats as this one is going to be all killer.

I count myself very lucky that so far in this year I have seen some fantastic live performances and here was yet another to add to the list.

Tragic City Thieves have to break through to a wider audience.

I don't want to keep them to myself as a grubby little secret.

I want the world to know about them.

Fans of everyone from the New York Dolls to The Dead Boys, from Turbonegro to The Dwarves, from The Stooges to Bowie are going to love them.

This is the future of rock and roll.

People just need to wake up to that and get with it.

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Buy the debut album and a sexy t-shirt for a tenner.

Bang Tango - Pistol Whipped in the Bible Belt.

Bang Tango have disbanded and reformed more times than most, and the revolving door aspect with musicians must have them up there as the funky glam punk version of Mark E Smiths The Fall.
At one point there was even two versions doing the rounds, and it's around then that very often the reputation of a band can nose dive with all respect for them vanishing as acrimonious bitching takes over from the job at hand of making music.
Thankfully there are the occasional exceptions to the rule, and with Joe Leste back with yet another line up of Bang Tango, and an album that has taken five years to reach us, he has proved himself, and the band, to be one of those exceptions and bucked the trend to deliver something rather special.
'Pistol Whipped in the Bible Belt' simply sounds incredible.
Listen to it and what you will hear is a band who are as hungry as any of the young guns hanging out on the street corners, and far more relevant that the majority of their peers from the past.
The loosely funky and trashy sound is still functionally intact and sounds as good as it did way back when they released Live Injection, and quite possibly even better.
In fact I'll take that back. It does sound better. A top of their game release.
Unfortunately right at this very moment in time trashy rock and roll isn't grabbing the attention of the public like it used to and I fear that this outstanding release will end up lost in the shuffle simply for coming out at the wrong time.
We currently live in an era where we are seeing bands like Motley Crue and Guns'n'Roses playing large venues based on yesteryears glories with the audiences happy to jump aboard the nostalgia train for a night out rather than take a chance on Bang Tango, and while it is easy to say it's their loss it also has an impact on bands as without the attention of the fans they can wither and die on the vine.
If that happened then it would be a great loss as anyone who can make an album like this deserves to be rewarded and given the chance to continue to entertain us.
So go and buy it and get your grubby little mits off that reissue, that greatest hits, or the bollocks that the hipsters are telling you is the one album you need to have this year.
This is the album you would really rather have. Take my word on that.

The fat lady is singing.

Well that's it official.
Michael Monroe has announced today that Ginger is leaving the band.
This will come as no surprise to Michael Monroe and Ginger fans.
The issues with the management have been bubbling away for a while now, and it wasn't so much a question of if Ginger would leave, but more so when.
Ginger has commented that it was down to either him or the management, and Michael chose the management.
That's as simple as it gets.
In hindsight I think that Michael may see this as a mistake, but that's just a personal opinion, and only time will tell what the impact will be.
The real parting of the ways will be on the June 17th at Provinssirock.
Now that would be a gig to tuck under your belt.
It will be the closing of one chapter before the opening of another on the 26th in Helsinki.
This is the gig where the band will be supporting The Foo Fighters, and unveiling the new guitarist.
It looks like they want to keep the name under wraps and this live appearance will serve as the introduction.
This reticence to say a name has led to some wild speculation.
Steve Stevens, Todd Youth returning to the fold, Nasty Suicide, Andy McCoy and Richard Fortus to name a few.
I'm going to go out on a limb with a suggestion though.
Lets just say that if I was to write a name on a sheet of paper, fold it up and put it in an envelope saying it wasn't to be opened until the 26th. Then the name that would be in it would be Izzy Stradlin's.
I don't have any inside info and I'm not basing that on rumour.
It's just a hunch.
If this was the case then it would be a promotional godsend for the release of Sensory Overdrive in the US.
Having an original member of Guns and Roses on board will always be a good move for any band looking to push into the US market.
I'll leave it at that regarding the new guitarist though, and either celebrate with a pint if it happens or eat some humble pie if it doesn't

Meanwhile to avoid any sort of further speculation as to the ins and outs of why Ginger has left the band he has been refreshingly frank on Formspring answering any questions put to him.

Here's some of the questions and replies that should hopefully give everyone an overview of where Ginger stands on the change of circumstances..

Are you departing as a friend from MM or is it more like you try to avoid each other?
No, me and Michael will be friends forever. As I will be with all the guys in that band. We became brothers in music after the last 18 months.

Did you have misgivings about the management situation before the guitar auction/Facebook fiasco?
I did, but that was the final straw.

What were the other reasons you left for apart from management
When it came to decision making I was never as much of a chief member as Michael and Sami. This is understandable as they formed the band. I was aware of my position from the beginning, but coming from a position as band leader (with The Wildhearts) this was an increasingly difficult situation for me.

Your thoughts on Sensory O's promotion in Britain?
Appalling. A disgrace and insult to someone of Michael's calibre.

Are you and Michael ok? Honestly.
Me and Michael are 100% okay.

Do you wish you were playing with the MM band at the foos gig?
Yes, I do. If I'd known I was to be replaced right now I would have liked that to have been my final show.

Would you have stayed with the MM band if the manager had been sacked?
Yes.

So there you go. The times they are a changing.
Interesting days indeed.

René Berg - The Leather, The Loneliness...and your Dark Eyes

Bit of a lost gem this one.
Rene Berg was a musician who promised so much and yet ultimately, and sadly, failed to make it to the finish line and reap the rewards of his undoubted talents as a singer, musician and songwriter.
For a while in the eighties he seemed to crop up here, there and everywhere. I'd find myself waiting patiently for one of his projects to bear fruit only for them to crash and burn leaving nothing but high praise for unreleased demos.
To be honest it was a real pain in the arse.
Then it finally all fell into place and we got this, his one and only solo album.
A nice blend of gutter styled, glam tinged, rock and roll that didn't disappoint.
Band - Rene Berg (Guitar and vocals)
Bernie Torme (Guitar)
Paul Gray (Bass)
Rat Scabies (Drums)
http://rapidshare.com/files/342503821/Rene_Berg.rar