LTW Newsletter 120

Dear Warriorz,

We are in strange times of course, times when American politicians seems to wear far more make up than the glam rock icons that peppered our youth. Their joyless pan stick and concrete facades contrast cruelly with the wonderful worlds of Ziggy and Marc but there they are the fragile painted men blowing their inanities at us like dystopian diamond dogs. It is in to this blathering glum rock riot that we must claw our existence and find a way to navigate the every days praying to the lord that we still have the high octane high decibel glam racket of our music to cling onto and yet again we have had a productive week of noise to navigate…

Tickets are selling fast for our Louder Than War Live festival in March headlined by Sea Power, Benefits, House of All, Evil Blizzard and Immersion with an additional ten upcoming bands for the one day event. As you are subscribers you get access to out cheap tickets for the event available from here…

Suede define the word renaissance and they have been one of the rare comeback bands who returned better than they were before. Switching from a studied cool for a lusty abandon they have turned into a muscular and thrilling live act and have kicked off new tour that sees them still very much in that adrenalised zone.

Another evergreen band that refuses to die are The Damned. With most of the key member now 70 years old the band are still on fire and their recent one off gig in Manchester to celebrate the launch of their covers album was a grandiose night of psyche perfection. The set list of songs from the album was a list of band founder and visionary the late and great Brian James favourite songs and the gig and the album were both in memory of him and it was all perfectly executed tripped out gothic tinged melodrama. 

Just when you thought Buzzcocks had run out of steam the post Pete Shelley line up of the band and now led by founder member Steve Diggle have returned with a really good album. It’s so good that the band’s chief critic and arch hater Ged Babey has been swallowing his words and admitting to it’s qualities and the album is even better than he dares to admit. 

Keeping on a punk theme it was great to interview Jake Burns from Stiff Little Fingers about their upcoming March tour of the UK and how to keep an edge in your performance in your later years as well as an overview of the band’s history and the art of songwriting. 

Richard Hawley once again opens up his musical archives to give us unique access to a whole bunch of classic songs, mainly from the 50’s and 60’s, which he aptly entitles Little Bangers From Richard Hawley’s Jukebox Volume 2. As with its predecessor, this is a magnificent and inspiring collection of 28 songs which celebrates the musical heritage which has undoubtedly shaped so much of what has followed right through to the present day.

New band alert!

LTW tipped Hungry (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) come at us firing on all cylinders with their latest single Cambridge Is On Fire, a rip roaring fiery post punk slamdunk with vitriolic vocals from Peck and the fearsome backbone of our adopted Mancs. Read on…

Part Time Punks, the Leeds based all-day event curated by Nervous Twitch, is back for its fifth year, taking place on Saturday 6th June at Wharf Chambers.  As with the past four years, it’s a day celebrating DIY indie-pop, punk, new wave, and everything in-between, with bands from 2.30pm until 11pm. Advance tickets remain just £14 (plus booking fee) from Jumbo Records here or £18 on the day. 

We were sorry to lose Manc music scene legend Alphonso 'Fonso' Buller who was living proof that pop culture moves in many ways. To be an iconic presence on a scene is not only as a musician but can also be as a mover and a shaker in literal terms. Fonso would turns up at gigs and events and dance and with his MVITA Manchester vibes in the area chant and was a constant dreadlocked lion rabble rouser and energy cranking presence from the mid eighties onwards and his passing at 65 is another dent in the sprawling Manchester family.