THE MEMBERS - SOLITARY CONFINEMENT

The Members - Solitary Confinement

You are living in the suburbs,

And you have problems with your parents,

So you move on up to london town,

Where you think verythings happening, going down.

Living in a bedsit,

Travelling on a tube train,

Working all day long.

And you know no one,

So you don't go out,

And you eat out of tins,

And you watch television,

Solitary confinement.

I have got a good job,

And i am working in the city,

Get the tube train at 8 o'clock and 5,

And a really don't know if i'm dead or alive.

Living in a bedsit,

Travelling on a tube train,

Working all day long.

And you know no one,

So you don't go out,

And you eat out of tins,

And you watch television,

Solitary confinement.

SPOKEN

Well I was living in Camberly, and, you know, I thought I'd move up to town, you know, so I got this bedsit on earls court, and like, not many people come to visit me, in fact noone comes at all, but theres this bird across the way who, I mean i know she fancies me and everything, but well, I got it sussed, she got a 40 inch bust, and she's just...just just!

Living in a bedsit,

Travelling on a tube train,

Working all day long.

And you know no one,

So you don't go out,

And you eat out of tins,

And you watch television,

Solitary confinement.

You're so lonely,

Solitary confinement,

You're so lonely,

Solitary confinement.

SPOKEN

The members are going to tell you what it's like to be...

On your own

By yourself

on your own

By yourself

On your own

By yourself

on your own

By yourself

By yourself

By yourself

By yourself

By yourself

By yourself

By yourself

By yourself

By yourself

Buy yourself this record

And it's lonely for you,

And it's lonely for me,

And it's lonely for all of us, can't you see?

Living in a bedsit,

Travelling on a tube train,

Working all day long.

And you know no one,

So you don't go out,

And you eat out of tins,

And you watch television,

Solitary confinement.

DAN LE SAC V'S SCROOBIUS PIP - SNOB

Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip - Snob

Little Sammy was a kid on a council estate
His dad listened to the skids, the slits and the slates
So Sammy listened too, he loved the passion in it
He loved the feeling in his spine with every snare hit
One day his dad bought the Sunday rag
Came with a CD of Mozart and a TV mag
The TV was broke so he put the CD on and listened
And his eyes lit up and his smile, it glistened

He had never known that music could have so many layers
Different emotions placed upon different parts and players
Each week he waited for the next free CD
To put on his headphones and get lost completely

So he saved all his money, one goal in mind
To go down to a performance and see this live
It took eight long months to raise these funds
But the excitement was immense when that day did come

With his pockets full of coins he got the bus to the city
He watched the view become less shitty and gritty
Even though he was alone in this big dark place
Nothing could remove the smile from his face

When he arrived, everyone was in suits
Sammy stood there in tatty jeans and boots
He slammed his coins on the counter "one ticket please"
But the guy turned up his nose like he was gonna sneeze

He looked away and served the next couple suited and booted
But Sammy stood his ground and asked again less muted
They laughed and someone sneered "Get out of here pikey
Appreciation on your level seems less than likely"

Tears built up in little Sammy's eyes
It seemed his place in society he could not hide
His head dropped for a minute but then his head was held
He looked them in the eyes as he screamed and yelled

He said…

Stop being a snob with ya music
It's made to be heard man, anyone can use it
Ya get so damn precious sometimes
It's just rhythms and rhymes and melodies in time

There was this other kid, she lived on the outskirts of Leicester
Her friends called her Frankie, her parents Francesca
I gotta admit she was kind of ignorant
But the kind you expect of wealth and affluence
No offence! She just lived in a different world
With different priorities, a real status girl
Her musical taste were an NME playlist
And anything recommended by the rich and famous

Now one day she was buying tunes online
She'd just got into Beck five years out of time
When she went to download Midnight Vultures
She got confused and grabbed Midnight Marauders

The only hip hop she knew was when that boy Kanye
Got featured in her mag doing a track with Coldplay
But as she reached to turn it off Q-Tip started to speak
And in that split second somehow he connected deep

She sat up, 'til god knows what time
Hunting for more beats, breaks and rhymes
She could barely believe that music so far from her role
Could resonate and connect to the root of her soul

She woke late the next day and hit the record store
She'd found a lot of dope tracks but she wanted more
She walked in and went straight to the guy at the desk
She said, "I'm loving De La Soul and a Tribe Called Quest

I've heard good things about Rakim and KRS
So I'm looking for advice on what's the best of the best"
The guys looked at each other, raised an eyebrow and smiled
And they looked back at her like a little lost child

Then they laughed "little posh girl getting her ghetto on?
Go back to daddy little girl this ain't where you belong"
She felt demoralized and stupid and all alone
And then she screamed in their faces with a visceral tone

She said…

Stop being a snob with ya music
It's made to be heard man, anyone can use it
Ya get so damn precious sometimes
It's just rhythms and rhymes and melodies in time 

JAMES RAY AND THE PERFORMANCE - MEXICO SUNDOWN BLUES

James Ray & The Performance - Mexico Sundown Blues

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujNQ19hTh_I

Mexico Girl, Mexico Boy
What am I supposed to do now?

I've been on my own and I've been with my friends
but still I don't know what I'm supposed to do

Mexico Boy, Mexico Girl
What am I supposed to do now?
I've got those Mexico sundown blues
I've got those Mexico sundown blues

I've been on my own and I've been with my friends
still I don't know what I'm supposed to do
I've got those Mexico sundown blues

I've been underground
Voices all around
Mexico
Don't make no sound
No make no sound

Don't make no sound
I've got those Mexico sundown blues
Mexico don't make no sound
don't make no sound

Life is underground
Poison's all around
Mexico
Don't make no sound
Mexico

MY TOP TEN by BLAKE DEVONPORT

As promised I'm going to start putting up some top tens by friends and family and maybe even the odd celebrity.  Going to make it a weekly event but couldn't wait a whole week to post this so here's the first guest top ten by Blakey (don't call me Snakey) Devonport. 

1. The Clash - Give 'Em Enough Rope.

With such songs as 'Safe European home' and 'Tommy Gun', it's hard not to put this as the greatest album ever made every single week.

2.Enter Shikari - A Flash Flood of Colour.

I was always into Enter Shikari songs, but to sit down and listen to an album was always a challenge for me. The problem being - not enough consistency. Until the band went to Thailand to make this epic set of tracks. Great album and the most energetic band I've seen live.

3.Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill

Dating back to my childhood in 1995. This was the last album my family ever listened to in full before we was broken up. It's a moment album for me. It helps me go back to that time.

4.Metallica - Kill 'Em All

Hard to choose one album from Metallica. I went with Kill 'Em All, the birth of Metallica. 2 great songs on the album are Hit The Lights and Seek and Destroy.

5. Parkway Drive - Deep Blue

A very heavy album. I met Parkway Drive back at Sonisphere and they played most of this album, I've never looked back.

6. Nickelback - Silver Side Up

Another one from back in the day. Has always stuck with me no matter what genre I drifted to and from. There's not much before or after this album by Nickelback that I liked very much.

7.Linkin Park - Reanimation

With Linkin Park flying high and hitting the charts with Crawling which ended up winning a Grammy and 'In the End'. This song ranked at #121 in Blender magazine's The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born. These songs were taken and remixed into a album known as reanimation.

8.Mumford and Sons - Babel

This has already found a spot on my all time favourite 10, which shows how good this album is. Fantastic atmosphere and vibe to the album. These boys are very close and it shows through their music.

9.Counting Crows - August and Everything

A lot of great songs on this album. Me and my brother helped each other with this album. I gave him the name counting crows, he gave me songs like 'holiday in Spain'. A great album to have in the car. 

10.Rammstein - Mutter

A album that you have no idea what is being sang but you feel it. You feel the intensity in every single unknown word. It makes you listen to every instrument.

TOP TEN ALBUMS

I love reading peoples Top 10s for two reasons. 

Firstly you can feel a bit of connection with someone if some of their picks overlap with your own, like you share the same musical heritages and influences. 

Secondly over the years I have been turned on to some really great bands / albums just by being intrigued over someone else’s choice especially where it’s an artist I’m not familiar with. 

It’s also great when someone throws in a bit of a curve ball and name checks someone you really were not expecting. 

It’s always difficult to narrow it down to an all-time top ten and whenever I’ve been asked to name mine it always tends to be a snapshot of that moment in time, a concoction of favourite all time albums mixed with current listening and for me that’s how it should be.  An amorphous melting pot that grows and expands with our own musical horizons and changes year by year, week by week, hour by hour!  I thought it would be interesting to hear what is shaping others audio landscapes and so I’m going to ask some friends and musicians to contribute their current top ten’s (albums / songs / whatever) with a brief note of what makes these picks so important or influential to them. 

So to kick things off here is mine.  No particular order, not cast in stone and definitely only valid for the next seven days. 

The Clash -London Calling. 

More than 33 years after it’s release it’s still an album I return to continually.  Causing many a furrowed brow upon release, including my own on about half the tracks, it’s one of those rare albums that for years I would hear something new on each listen.  I went from liking parts of it on first listen back in 1979 to it being ingrained within my very existence by the end of the 90’s, playing it virtually every day.  From the grand opening of the title track, through the grubby rock’n’roll cover of Brand New Cadilliac, via the laid back reggae grooves of Revolution Rock and Lover’s  Rock, pseudo jazz of Jiimmy Jazz and motown tinged Train In Vain it snaked it’s way across the musical landscape like a predator on the prowl.  And I haven’t even mentioned some of favourite tracks such as Rudie Can’t Fail and Death or Glory.  This record expanded the punk template like no band had done before and should be included on the school’s curriculum to ensure everyone gets an opportunity to listen and love like myself.  Possibly the greatest album of all time?  I think so. 

Hefner – The Fidelity Wars. 

My brother gave me a tape of this not long after it’s release,  (I wouldn’t like to guess how many great albums and bands he has turned me on to over the years).  I’d only heard one Hefner song previously and hadn’t been overly impressed but when I put this in my Walkman on the bus journey to work one morning I was hooked.  I’d never really heard anyone sing songs so brutally honest and beautifully crudely about love before.  It was songs about smoking and drinking and sex on the kitchen floor all told in a language that painted such vivid pictures it was like I was there, guiltily observing.  Even though these were not my experiences I felt I could associate with them all.  I went on to get as much stuff as I could by Hefner and still continue to buy Darren Hayman’s albums all of which are still as lyrically entertaining but the Fidelity Wars still has a special place in my heart. 

The Pixies – Surfer Rosa.

I can vividly remember hearing this for the first time.  It was winter 89.  Newly married.  Walking to catch the bus to work early one dark cold morning.  Coat, scarf and gloves to protect against the bitter weather.  Tape inserted (thanks again Ian) Walkman cranked up to max.  Bone Machine thundered out.  Oh my god.  Rewind.  Pressed play again, only this time listened to the whole album before I got to work.  This is what I had been waiting for.  The Pixies hadn’t quite broken in to the big time yet and grunge was still a year or so from being invented but for now I had the Pixies to myself.

Husker Du - Candy Apple Grey

Another recommendation from Ian, this was the first Husker Du album that I really took to heart.  They'd always had the melodies but this time the frenetic pace was often toned down which just seemed to give the tunes and lyrics more time to bloom.  There was heartache and angst aplenty which I must be a sucker for and this still remains my favourite Husker Du album.

Siouxsie & The Banshees – The Scream. 

This is a great example of picking an album from current listening.  Seen the Banshees many times over the year and with possibly one or two exceptions I have loved everything they have put out.  My favourite Banshees album changes frequently and so I have gone back to where it all began.   The Screams begins slowly, but not plodding, more like some large feline stalking, waiting, with Siouxsie wailing over an otherwise two minute instrumental intro.  Before there is time to draw breath the Banshees pounce, lurching forward delivering a stark, brutal but simultaneously beautiful sound and laying down a blue print for the post punk generation.   The Scream (aptly titled) is a glorious noise, unlike anything else I had heard at the time and the closing epic Switch sealed my lifelong love affair with the Banshees.

Leatherface - Stormy Petrol

I’ve chosen this over the potentially more obvious Mush as it was Stormy Petrol that reignited my love of this band and it is every bit as good.  We had a chat with Dickie Hammond a few years ago at the Rebellion Festival  and he excitedly told us that he was working on a new Leatherface album with Frankie Stubbs and the result was a brilliant collection of songs that sounded like Thin Lizzy.  And you can kind of see the comparison at times, it was a band who’s sound had no doubt grown but lost none of the earlier vitality.   With Dickie’s superb guitar work (a true, mainly unrecognised punk rock legend) and Frankie’s excellent lyrical dexterity the album ingrained itself it to our skulls like a night out with the Driller Killer.  I was lucky enough to catch them at the Vic Inn,  Derby a couple of times during 2011 for a couple of the best gigs I’d seen in a long time and with no news of any further activity at the moment they are a band sorely missed from the punk rock live scene so I’m off to play Stormy Petrol again!  

The Hold Steady – Boys and Girls In America 

 

This album received a load of hype when released but it kind of passed me by and it wasn’t until around the release of it’s follow up that I got round to checking it out.  I’m a sucker for songs that paint a picture and tell little stories and this album has that in abundance.  Sometimes I’m not really sure what’s going on in the lyrics but for me that’s part of the appeal, that ambiguity.  The opening line of Chips Ahoy just drags me in and wanting more “She put $900 on the fifth horse in the sixth race, I think its name is "chips ahoy!", it came in six lengths ahead, we spent the whole next week getting high”  and then ” I got a girl and she don't have to work, she can tell which horse is gonna finish in first, some nights the painkillers make the pain even worse”.  I just want to meet these people.  If you get the chance check them out.

The Damned - Machine Gun Etiquette

Like the Banshees, my favourite Damned album very often varies but Machine Gun Etiquette is my go to album.  Bought with my Christmas money in December 1979 from a store in Wolverhampton it is bristling from start to finish with festive punk rock cheer.  Fantastic three minute tunes such as Love Song, Anti Pope, Melody Lee, pretty much the whole album every so slightly offset by the epic Plan 9 Channel 7 and grand finale of Smash It Up parts 1&2.  Influential to this day. 

Public Image Ltd - Metal Box

Where do you start?  Three 12" singles in a metal film style tin.  A bass sound that could literally kick start a heart in the absence of a defibrillator.  And Mr Lydon proving after the patchy First Issue album that there was a lot more to offer in the wake of the Pistols.  The opener Albatross with it's incessant dub bass refrain seems like it's going to go on for ever but as it's 10 minutes something stumbles to a finish I just want to hear it again.  Luckily the rest of the album keeps up the momentum with songs written about John's dying mum and another about a kidnap victim it's a sometimes stark listen but still sounds as fresh now as it did all those years ago.  Play fucking loud.

Ramones - Ramones

Was going to go for something a little less obvious but fuck it, 14 songs in under 30 minutes.  Great cover, great album.  Don't talk about it, just listen to it!
 

COLOURBOX - THE OFFICIAL COLOURBOX WORLD CUP THEME

Colourbox - The Official Colourbox World Cup song 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SLOWo3hCGk

Just because, and this really should have been an official England World Cup theme.

HEFNER - CHRISTIAN GIRLS

Hefner - Christian Girls

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxGxiofQVPc

Now I believe an angel crossed my path and realised,
That the hair on my head will be pass my chin when I've earnt this type of prize.
The scent that she brings makes me feel alright like the pleasure of sleeping safe tonight,
But I won't sleep tight ‘til I know she's been cleaned from her toes to the top of her head.

Christian Girls should be kept pristine and totally devoid of pain,
I can't hold back the rain, the dirty, dirty rain.
Gloria's freckles just titter and tease, but they're no bloody use to me,
No bloody use to me.

Too much telly and too many books and so many films to keep me hooked,
But the idea of sex seems so bleeding stale when her heart is as big as a house.
And the red, red lips just keep reminding me of Sarah Brown,
And the cool, cool breeze makes me feel like settling down.

Christian Girls should be kept pristine and totally devoid of pain,
I can't hold back the rain , the dirty, dirty rain.
Gloria's freckles just titter and tease, but they're no bloody use to me,
No bloody use to me.

It's a shame that she feels this way, to my hearts dismay I want to kiss all her fingers.

THE MOB - NO DOVES FLY HERE

The Mob - No Doves Fly Here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9E6ReBy3Yo

The sky is empty and it's turning different shades of colour,
It never did before and we never asked for war.
My mind is empty and my body different shapes of torture,
It never was before and we never asked for war.
No-one is moving and no doves fly here,
No-one is thinking and no doves fly here,
No-one remembers beyond all this fear,

No doves fly here

The buildings are empty and the countryside is wasteland,
It never was before and we never asked for war.
The playgrounds are empty and the children limbless corpses,
They never were before and they never asked for war.
No-one is moving and no doves fly here,
No-one is thinking and no doves fly here,
No-one remembers beyond all this fear,

No doves fly here

T.V. SMITH'S EXPLORERS - TOMAHAWK CRUISE

TV Smith's Explorers - Tomahawk Cruise

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVqJIWQL5ww

I woke up this morning, felt completely at ease
Put on my clothes and had something to eat
No desire to act, no desire to move
Unless I get a reason from you

My name is Tomahawk Cruise

We wear our problems, we wear our fate
But we have to eat what we put on the plate
Some people wallow in hate, some wallow in fear
Neither two are recommended around here

If you so wish I could get nasty
Create all kinds of disasters
I know things run away with you
But at the cusp, you have to choose
Between living and Tomahawk Cruise

Now in my heart something starts
Down in my heart something starts…

I get your message, I understand
Break down the barriers as fast as you can
I dream unnatural power, unnatural grace
Bricks and wreckage all over the place

I change my clothes for a uniform
Throw caution to the wind and walk into the storm
At the cusp, you choose
Between living and Tomahawk Cruise

I look at myself - what is this body?
A few limbs, stock responses
A heart turned to steel
I just love the attention
I’m in the news!

You choose,
Between living and Tomahawk Cruise

THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS - ALL OF THIS AND NOTHING

The Psychedelic Furs - All Of This And Nothing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMl3QhOyNZM

A phone book full of accidents
A girl to drive your car
A suit to wear on Mondays
And a coat, a magazine

A heavy rain a holiday
A painting of the wall
A knife, a fork and memories
A light to see it all

You didn't leave me anything
That I can understand
Hey I never meant that stuff
I want to turn you 'round

Dominoes a pack of cards
A picture of the queen
A dress to wear on Sundays
And a handle for the door

A letter that I sent for you
A note you left for me
A wave, a pack of cigarettes
A pocket full of beads

You didn't leave me anything
That I can understand
Hey I never meant that stuff
I want to turn you on

You didn't leave me anything
That I can understand
Hey I never meant that stuff
I want to turn you 'round

You didn't leave me anything
That I can understand
Hey I never meant that stuff
I want to turn you on

The sound of people getting drunk
A ceiling and a sky
A bank that's full of promises
A telephone that lies

A visit from your doctor
He crawls in through the door
A mirror you can look in
So that you know where you are

You didn't leave me anything
That I can understand
Hey I never meant that stuff
I want to turn you 'round

You didn't leave me anything
That I can understand
Now I'm left with all of this
A room full of your trash

COMING SOON...... LOUISE DISTRAS - DREAMS FROM THE FACTORY FLOOR

 

 

So stoked about this news today thought i'd share!!

JOY DIVISION - DEAD SOULS

Joy Division - Dead Souls

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgD1lfdNivo


Someone take these dreams away,
That point me to another day,
A duel of personalities,
That stretch all true realities.

That keep calling me,
They keep calling me,
Keep on calling me,
They keep calling me.

Where figures from the past stand tall,
And mocking voices ring the halls.
Imperialistic house of prayer,
Conquistadors who took their share.

That keep calling me,
They keep calling me,
Keep on calling me,
They keep calling me.

Calling me, calling me, calling me, calling me.

They keep calling me,
Keep on calling me,
They keep calling me,
They keep calling me.

ROTUNDA - NEUTRON BOMB

Rotunda - Neutron Bomb

Great song and video from Birmingham's punk rock casualties

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6Y1nU2Xjlc

UK SUBS - NEW YORK STATE POLICE

UK Subs - New York State Police

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDQxAwHD71o

Headlights flashing me
It's the New York State Police
Slow down buddy, pull over there
It's the New York State Police
Where you come from, are you putting me on
It's the New York State Police
Come on boys let's go downtown
It's the New York State Police

82nd precinct boys
82nd precinct boys
82nd precinct boys
We're the boys making all the noise

Get those boxes out of the truck
We're the New York State Police
If Morella's in it'll be our luck
We're the New York State Police
Empty your pockets, take off your clothes
We're the New York State Police
Keep your mouth shut or we'll break your nose
We're the New York State Police

Got you on our video screens
We're the New York City Police
OK boys now keep it clean
We're the New York State Police
We ain't green we ain't boy scouts
We're the New York State Police
We know if you're holding out
We're the New York State Police

82nd precinct boys
82nd precinct boys
82nd precinct boys
We're the boys making all the noise

THE PHOTOS - BARBARELLAS

The Photos - Barbarellas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9QtDKk_WSM

GBH - SICK BOY

GBH - Sick Boy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAqeA5Hc0K4

I'm strapped into my bed, I've got electrodes in my head
My nerves are really bad, it's the best time I've ever had

I'm a sick boy, and there's no cure
I'm a sick boy, there should be more

But I'm happy the way I am, like a sardine in can
People taking notes, people in white coats

I'm a sick boy, and there's no cure
I'm a sick boy, there should be more
But I'm happy the way I am, like a sardine in can
People taking notes, people in white coats

I'm a sick boy, and there's no cure
I'm a sick boy, there should be more

I see school girls everywhere, short skirts and pig-tailed hair
But why must I suffer, for being a gym slip lover?

I'm a sick boy, and there's no cure
I'm a sick boy, there should be more

VIOLENT FEMMES - ADD IT UP

Violent Femmes - Add It Up

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NCV2vmQT_4

Day after day, I will walk and I will play
But the day after today, I will stop and I will start

Why can't I get just one kiss?
Why can't I get just one kiss?
There may be some things that I wouldn't miss
But I look at your pants and I need a kiss

Why can't I get just one screw?
Why can't I get just one screw?
Believe me, I know what to do
But something won't let me make love to you

Why can't I get just one fuck?
Why can't I get just one fuck?
I guess it's got something to do with luck
But I waited my whole life for just one...

Day after day, I get angry and I will say
That the day is in my sight
When I'll take a bow and say goodnight

Oh, ma-mama, mama-mo-ma-mum
Have you kept your eye, your eye on your son?
I know you've had problems, you're not the only one
When your sugar left, he left you on the run

Oh, ma-mama, mama-mo-ma-mum
Take a look now at what your boy has done
He's walking around like he's number one
Went downtown and you got him a gun

So don't shoot, shoot, shoot that thing at me
Don't shoot, shoot, shoot that thing at me
You know you've got my sympathy
But don't shoot, shoot, shoot that thing at me

So don't shoot, shoot, shoot that thing at me
Don't shoot, shoot, shoot that thing at me
You know you've got my sympathy
But don't shoot, shoot, shoot that thing at me

Broken down kitchen at the top of the stairs
Can I mix in with your affairs?
Share a smoke, make a joke
Grasp and reach for a leg of hope

Words to memorize, words hypnotize
Words make my mouth exercise
Words all failed the magic prize
Nothing I can say when I'm in your thighs

Oh, ma-mama, mo-ma, mo-ma mother
I would love to love you, lover
City is restless, it's ready to pounce
Here in your bedroom, ounce for ounce

Oh, ma-mama, mo-ma, mo-ma mother
I would love to love you, lover
City is restless, it's ready to pounce
Here in your bedroom, ounce for ounce

I've given you a decision to make
Things to lose, things to take
Just as she's about ready to cut it up
She says, "Wait a minute, honey, I'm gonna add it up!"
Add it up! Add it up! Add it up!

Day after day, I get angry and I will say
That the day is in my sight
When I'll take a bow and say goodnight

THE POGUES - THE BOYS FROM THE COUNTY HELL

The Pogues - Boys From The County Hell

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2M7snEx1zs

On the first day of march it was raining
It was raining worse than anything that I have ever seen
I drank ten pints of beer and I cursed all the people there
And I wish that all this raining would stop falling down on me

And it's lend me ten pounds, I'll buy you a drink
And mother wake me early in the morning

At the time I was working for a landlord
And he was the meanest bastard that you have ever seen
And to lose a single penny would grieve him awful sore
And he was a miserable bollocks and a bitch's bastard's whore

And it's lend me ten pounds, I'll buy you a drink
And mother wake me early in the morning

I recall we took care of him one sunday
We got him out the back and we broke his fucking balls
And maybe that was dreaming and maybe that was real
But all I know is I left that place without a penny or fuck all

And it's lend me ten pounds, I'll buy you a drink
And mother wake me early in the morning

But now I've the most charming of verandahs
I sit and watch the junkies, the drunks, the pimps, the whores
Five green bottles sitting on the floor
I wish to christ, I wish to christ
That I had fifteen more

And it's lend me ten pounds, I'll buy you a drink
And mother wake me early in the morning

And it's lend me ten pounds, I'll buy you a drink
And mother wake me early in the morning

The boys and me are drunk and looking for you
We'll eat your frigging entrails and we won't give a damn
Me daddy was a blue shirt and my mother a madam
And my brother earned his medals at mai lei in vietnam

And it's lend me ten pounds and I'll buy you a drink
And mother wake me early in the morning

On the first day of march it was raining
It was raining worse than anything that I have ever seen
Stay on the other side of the road
'cause you can never tell
We've a thirst like a gang of devils
We're the boys of the county hell

And it's lend me ten pounds and I'll buy you a drink
And mother wake me early in the morning

And it's lend me ten pounds and I'll buy you a drink
And mother wake me early in the morning

OFF WITH THEIR HEADS - START WALKING

Off With Their Heads - Start Walking

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvzKZ1KNbnM

There are no words to describe the awful feeling I have inside so I shut down
It's not the same as it was last time, it's so much worse
It's something that drives me out of my mind
It's a long way back to be anything that anyone could love

But I do what I do cause I think it's fun
It never helps, it turns me into my father's son
Here comes the light and it takes my hand
We'll go to a place where I can stand the skin I'm in
It's a long way back to be anything that anyone could love
Goodbye

There are no words to describe the awful feeling I have inside of me
Here comes the light and it takes my hand
It leads me where I never wanna feel
It's a long way back to be anything
It's a long way back to be anything that anyone could love

BIG AUDIO DYNAMITE - MEDICINE SHOW

Big Audio Dynamite - Medicine Show

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BD2kWCfTcaU

Covered wagon medicine show
Take you to the place where the healing flows
Weak in spirit, we got the juice
Won't save your soul, it'll shine your shoes
Treated king to kangaroo
Santa Fe to Timbuktu
Don't be fooled by imitation
This is the stuff that cured a nation
We took the tube and the high plains too
Never stopped long, just passing through
A drop of the laughter of the maids of France
Makes a hopeless cripple dance
It was really vile weather when we got to tarred and feathered
You could hear the six guns sound as they chased us out of town
In India we're all the rave
Discovered that it's great as aftershave
Dropped in the sea, just off Japan
Swapped 20 bottles for an aqua-walkman
Immunity from ridicule
Improves your brains if you're a fool
And I read in the Middle East, they traded some for a hostage release
Now if you're bald it'll give you hair
If you got straight trousers it'll give you flares
Feeling up, you'll get depressed
Out of style, here's a brand new dress
It was really vile weather when we got to tarred and feathered
You could hear the six guns sound as they chased us out of town

Who the hell is that?
One bastard goes in, another comes out
Cut it out (Come over here)
Cut it out
Cut it out (Come over here)
Cut it out

I'm innocent of anything!
Are you making some kind of joke?
Ooh no!
I don't think it's nice, you laughing

The stuff we sell is just the best
Passing all consumer test
Days of heaven, nights of sin
Voodoo stick and sharks fin
When all around you seems like hell, just one sip will make you well
Multipurpose in a jar
If you ain't I'll it'll fix your car
In days of yore for all bad feelings
Washing socks and stripping ceilings
Nowadays it's used medicinally for all known human malady
It was really vile weather when we got to tarred and feathered
You could hear the six guns sound as they chased us out of town

Wanted in 14 counties of this state
The condemned are sound and guilty for the crimes of murder
Armed robbery of Citizens, state banks and post offices
The theft of sacred objects
Arson in state prison
Perjury
Bigamy
Deserting his wife and children
Siding prostitution
Kidnapping
Extortion
Receiving stolen goods
Selling stolen goods
Passing counterfeit money and contrary to the laws of this state, the condemned is guilty of using marked cards
And therefore, according with powers invested in us we sentence the accused here before us
To call Benidicto Specifico
One Maria Ramirez (Known as "The Rat")
And any other aliases he may have to hang by the neck until death
May god have mercy on your soul?
Proceed
Duck you suckers!

I don't have to show you any stinking badges

 

Punk Rock Dabauchery at the Adam & Eve

A couple of weeks ago we ventured out to the Adam & Eve pub on the outskirts of Digbeth for a night of punk rock debauchery!  The journey to the gig was comprised of a dreary train ride into Birmingham, exchanging album reviews and overhearing the transvestite on the next seat arranging their steak and chips tea for when they got home.  We then had to walk from the Moor Street station next to the bullring out to the venue as the station we were aiming to get off is apparently only open part time (and looking at the station later that is being generous as it looked like it  had not be open since around 1989!).  Aided by a google map printout and a terrible sense of direction we meandered through the streets of outer Digbeth, Sam limping on his crutch and all of us feeling various degrees of bladder pressure. 

We finally arrived, got the beers in and settled down with a keen anticipation – the only band we had seen before was Pete Bentham and The Dinner Ladies so we were keen to see what else was on offer.  The Adam and Eve is the kind of venue I love, compact & bijou with the small stage and the bar almost tripping over each other in their pleas for your attention.
First up were Hung Like Hanratty – a band that clearly don’t take them selves to seriously and have a certain shock value.  They targeted various aspects of society, the overweight in their electric buggies, religion, trans-sexuals, the police, record label bosses with varying degrees of vitriolic and humour.  Not really my cup of tea but they seemed to go down well with the younger elements of the crowd and did a fairly rousing version of the Dead Kennedy’s ‘Too Drunk To Fuck’.

Next on were Angry Itch, a three piece outfit who caught me by surprise and really blew me away.  They were fast, tighter than a ducks undercarriage and blasted out songs with a great melodic undertow.  These guys are just recoding an ep “Scratch it til it Bleeds” which should be out soon and I seriously suggest anyone in and around Birmingham check them out soon!

Then came the Boggingtons, another three piece with father and son sharing guitar, bass and vocal duties.  They looked a bit modish but the singer was wearing an Angry Samoans t-shirt so with that thrown in the mix you knew to expect something a bit different, and they didn’t disappoint, thrashing out edgy new wave tinged tunes aplenty and another great new discovery to boot. 

Finally the headliners, with Pete employing a squad rotation system tonight and bringing in the Dinner Ladies reserve team, perhaps lacking a little match fitness but making up for it with bucket loads of enthusiasm.  Pete and the Dinner Ladies are always one of the first bands on our must see list at Rebellion and never fail to impress and tonight was no different.  Pulling together a varied set list from the albums New Underground and Hip Potato and the new Space Punk ep they had the crowd on side from the off and there were certainly a few song along moments (from our side of the room anyway!!)

All in all was truly a great night’s entertainment – all for a fiver, (okay that does exclude beer and taxi ride home cus we’d missed the last train – and I did buy a copy of Space Punx too!)  

SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES - DAZZLE

Siouxsie & The Banshees - Dazzle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtHs4W5RUQk

The stars that shine and the stars that shrink
In the face of stagnation the water runs
Before your eyes

Swallowing diamonds
A cutting throat
Your teeth when you grin
Reflecting beams on tombstones

A jamboree of surprises
Playing Russian roulette
Or the lucky dip
A clenched fist to your heart
Coal dust on your lungs

A silver tongue for the chosen one
Heavy magnum in your side
Or a bloody thorn

Skating bullets on angel dust
In a dead sea of fluid mercury
Baby piano cries
Under your heavy index and thumb
Pull some strings let them sing

The stars that shine and the stars that shrink
In the face of stagnation the water runs
Before your eyes

Dazzle it's a glittering prize
Dazzle it's a glittering prize
Before your eye
It's a glittering prize

The stars that shine and the stars that shrink
In the face of stagnation the water runs
Before your eyes

GENERATION X - KISS ME DEADLY

Generation X - Kiss Me Deadly

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fe5PaIa0SX4

The greyhound's rocking out tonight
To maximum rockabilly
When two punks chose to risk the subway
For a tube to Picadilly
The Zephrys stir fast gangs for glory
Another dumb casualty
Having fun
In South West six
When a hidden flick knife flicks
Kiss me deadly tonight

Another battle was won and lost
Down The Bishops End last night
Spotlights pick the kids in triumph
With a thousand scarves in flight, see how they run
Spring from the terraces in black and white
Young and old into the fight
Having fun
In South West six
With Violence for a fix
Kiss me deadly tonight

Seven o'clock they stand in rank
For the thirteen bus uptown
And later in a downstairs room
She pulls her lover down
In ecstacy but they can't make a sound
In case her mother might come down
Having fun
In South West six
Discovers teenage sex
Kiss me deadly tonight

The snooker hall is empty
Cos they're all out playing pool
Hustling down the Fulham Road
Doing deals with Mr.Cool
We're all out on the waterfront now instead of being at school
Too old now even to dig pinball
Having fun
In South West six
Having fun
When a hidden flick knife flicks
With violence for a fix
Discovers teenage sex
Tried shooting up for kicks
Kiss me deadly
Kiss me deadly
Kiss me deadly
Kiss me
Kiss me tonight

SAVAGES - SHUT UP

Savage - Shut Up

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuIB8HEmnoY

The world used to be silent
Now it has too many voices
And the noises are constant distraction
They multiply, intensify
They will divert your attention from what's convenient
And forget to tell you about yourself
We live in an age of many stimulations
If you are focused, you are harder to reach
If you are distracted, you are available
You are distracted, you are available
You want to take part in everything
And everything to be a part of you
Your head is spinning faster at the end of your spine
Until you have no face at all
And yet if the world would shut up, even for a while
Perhaps we will start hearing the distant rhythm of an angry young tune
And recompose ourselves
Perhaps having deconstructed everything
We should be thinking about putting everything back together

Silence yourself!

To my knee, to convex, to my knee, too harder
I think you ever roll the world to let it be cold
And I'm cold and I'm cold, and I'm cold and I'm stubborn
I'm ... wide and speaking words to the blind
Speaking words to the blind
Speaking words, oh

I'm so unsure in the eyes of a lover
And I want to be sure you're sure
Let the one you're really sire sire
And the one who you'll be...
I'm the one who truly say a song

If you tell me to shut up
I would tell you to shut up
If you tell me to shut up
And if you tell me to shut up
I should leave now

All just born right ... trembling so
You're holding to a lie that pulls every moon at night
And I'm holding it
Oh, you can done holding it
It was a dangerous thing to do
But you did when no one knew
When the eyes that coudln't love
And the people that sleep
Now they want more
Now they know better, now they're so
Oh I'm so

And if you'd tell me to shut up
And if you tell me to shut it
Do you try me to shut up
Would you tell me to shut up
If you'd tell me to shut it
I shouldn't doubt

I'm ... like the bullets to the sun
I'm like the bullets to the sun
To the sun, to the sun, to the sun, to the sun, to the sun, to the sun
I'm ... but you're living like the bullets to the sun
I'm ... but you're living like the bullets to the sun
Oh to the sun, to the sun, to the sun, to the sun ohh