Launched by the UK Rock & Metal Magazine ‘BIG CHEESE’, ‘VIVE LE ROCK!’  is available quarterly featuring the latest news, music and bands from the 60’s to the 80’s and the exciting new bands influenced by those legendary sounds and beyond!

This first  issue will also feature a free bonus cd of Wave Punk & Roll modern day music.

Available  in all good shops from 15th October 2010 .

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And so, once again the tribes gather for their annual stick of Blackpool Punk Rock at the essential Rebellion Festival. But this year, amongst the rockers, skankers, moshers and voyeurs, something altogether different: Department S. (Queue massed cries of ‘Is Vic There?’ from hordes of those barely familiar or as yet unacquainted with anything but this band’s singular cross-over hit.)

A History Lesson.

In the late 1970’s Punk came and conquered, but by the early ‘80’s the media became bored and said it was dead. Admittedly it had lost some momentum (and an awful lot of temporary friends, half-assed followers and ‘poseurs’) as much of the youth did what was expected: That is, they grew up and ‘got a proper job’, married, had kids and joined the ranks of the subdued.

In the wake of this, a new term was coined: Post-Punk. Whatever that’s supposed to mean. An all-encompassing term for those who had grown up on punk and its’ forbears and had more to say than ‘Destroy’ and more to play than 1-2-3-4 thrash (nice as those things may be).

Out of Rusty Egan and Steve Harrington’s ‘Billy’s’ club in Soho and the burgeoning New Mod scene came a new breed not satisfied with simply adhering to any punk leather studded uniform. These scenes produced new bands influenced, not only by the spirit and power of punk, but by The Who, Small Faces, Bowie, Reed, Kraftwerk and Eurodisco. For them it was time to smarten up and get sharp.

After a brief dalliance as ‘Guns For Hire’ the ‘Psychedelic Glam, Pop-Art, Post-Punk, Funk’ band that is Department S was born in 1980. By 1982 it was over (just as the UK82 2^nd wave hit). They had released three singles, supported the likes of The Jam, The Members and Toots & The Maytals but the usual ‘musical differences’ and the ubiquitous ‘label problems’ took their toll.

Their one full album didn’t see proper release until 1993 by which time original singer Vaughn Toulouse had already sadly succumbed to AIDS.

That would seem to be, as they say, that. But….

In 2007 they got back together and with the original keyboard player now taking vocal duties there began a whirlwind of activity and recording with the likes of Glen Matlock, Marco Pirroni, Terry Edwards and Mark Bedford and a series of excellent, well received live shows.

If you want the full skinny visit their website at http://www.dept-s.com/home.html

In The Ballroom.

The current line-up arrived at Blackpool having never attended let alone played the festival. There where some understandable pre-show apprehensions. Would they fit in amongst the punk, Oi!, thrash, hardcore noises that make up 90% of the Rebellion bands and attendees. But no worries; this festival always has that other 10% of interesting, esoteric and frankly weird stuff on offer for the more eclectic and open-minded tastes.

The band took to the stage at 9pm (following a frankly stupendous set by Hazel O’Connor) in the main Empress Ballroom of Blackpool’s historic Winter Gardens. Their time slot put them up against the likes of  Deadline, Chelsea, Sick On The Bus and The Grit playing the other stages. Would they have an audience? Damn right they would.

Dressed in smart, black and grey suits, jackets and ties (and a Fred Perry for the sticksman) they exploded into the first song, ‘Clap Now’, with a tightness and energy that put bands half their age to shame. This is the song they claim should have been a  single but had been rejected by the label. Stupid label. And quite cheeky to open with a song apparently cajoling the audience into appreciation.

During the 2^nd song. ‘Monte Carlo Or Bust’, singer Eddie drolly inserts ‘’A cheap holiday in other people’s misery’. This band looks like Joy Division but obviously has a better developed sense of humour. He neatly places his jacket by the drum riser.

After ‘Age Concern’ the band launch into a rendition of an old Pink Floyd number, ‘Lucifer Sam’. They learnt this song for a recent Syd Barrett charity event and are easily making it their own. They prove there was music before punk. I’m no great Floyd fan but that tracks something I can’t disdain.

So far Michael Herbage is earning his reputation as one of the great, unsung guitar heroes. Mark Taylor on bass is solid, note perfect and, with hypnotic circular motifs to the fore, forms a formidable rhythm section with Stuart Mizon’s powerhouse, sometimes dub-like drums. They have to work harder than usual as 2^nd guitarist Sam Burnett was sadly unable to make this gig. How the ‘Mizon Machine’ doesn’t go into meltdown or cardiac arrest is a mystery. Sam is missed but not fatally so.

‘Going Left Right’ is up next and by now the audience has swelled to an estimated 5 or 600 bodies. One of the bands largest crowds and definitely their largest ever venue. There’s even a mosh-pit. Mohawk punks, spikes, quiffs and shaven heads are all down there. Jesus! They’re dancing! And Mark takes off his tie. Outrageous.

Throughout proceedings, as the spot lights pick out the hidden psychedelic colours in Herbage’s deceivingly black necktie, there is an element in the crowd who keep crying out for THAT song. They are thankfully ignored as the band plunder the Glam graveyard and resurrect the old Alvin Stardust tune and first ‘reunion’ single ‘My Coo Ca Choo’. The words are familiar and the crowd sing along. But the presentation is a so much wilder cousin of the original and the applause is deafening and rapturous. So many old punks grew up on that stuff. Hell, the Glitter Band and T-Rex played last night and New York Dolls are tomorrow. This suits the occasion nicely.

Throughout the entire set singer Edward Roxie, it seems impolite to call him Eddie, prowls the stage languorously like some kind of lazy leopard casting apparently, but deceivingly, indifferent eyes over the faces of the crowd. His impeccably smart clothes and the matter of fact delivery of inter-song information and anecdotes decry the animal delivery of the new song ‘Slave’. A totally un-PC, apparently misogynistic (but awfully funny) lyric screams forth like some throwback to the garage rock of The Seeds or The 13^th Floor Elevators. Lovely.

Then it’s latest single ‘Wonderful Day’. Fantastic. Easily the equal, if not the better of, any of the original ‘80’s material. Bodes well for the new album, which I believe, may be called ‘Mr. Nutley’s Strange Delussionarium’. Or then again it may not.

‘Ode To Koln (The Stench Of Death)’ has a title that sounds like some death-metal slipped into the set. It didn’t. More fantastic guitar, bass and drum. But this song is hardly done before THAT song is announced. Many know the words. Some know only the one simple refrain…’Is Vic There?’. Herbage produces the right stuff yet again. Obviously slightly different from the original studio production and now lacking keyboards and telephone but with the addition of a ‘Ziggy Stardust’ intro. The crowd go wild. They think it’s all over…It’s not.

We’ve reached the last song. Eddie introduces ‘I Want’, the last of the original ‘80’s releases. It’s enormous. We don’t want it to end. But after a few minutes, with lyrics delivered in style, the singer picks up his jacket and put it on. With a vague gesture of farewell to the crowd he saunters off stage right and leaves the musical element of the band to riff and soar for another 5 minutes before the final ringing notes bring the ceremony to an end. There are calls for ‘encore’ but this is Rebellion. There’s a schedule and The Rezillos are waiting in the wings. With final bows the band leaves the stage.

The cheers are universal. And they were worried they wouldn’t have an audience. It’ll be even bigger when they come back I guarantee it.

Formed in 1983 by Steve Whitehouse, Frenzy went on to be one of the premier 1980s generated neo-rockabilly/psychobilly bands of that era. Becoming well known for such great recordings as the Hall Of Mirrors album and the Clockwork Toy album which spawned their 1986 indie hit, I See Red. The band transposed their great performances onto stage with well constructed songs, many of which have become anthems, with a really energetic live show. From the early 1990s, Frenzy pushed the envelope and were ahead of their time in their approach to the modern rockabilly sound, some of which has become really en vogue of late. The band never ever really went away, and have been playing and recording continuously since their formation. Now with 12 albums under their belts, the latest of which is Nitro Boy, on their own record label Crash Records, Frenzy is again going from strength to strength. The last 3 albums, Nine O Nine, Dirty Little Devils, and Nitro Boy really show that Frenzy are once again pushing to be top of their game. Since the band’s 2007 re-launch, FRENZY have now gained a fantastic reputation for one of the best live / stage shows on the circuit, with live reviews in the press always stating that FRENZY have dominated any festival they have played.

2010 will see the release of the ‘ In The Blood ‘ album, together with one of the busiest years for concerts to date in FRENZY’s history.

TOUR DATES:

Oct 01 2010 – (DE) Essen – Soul Hellcafe

Oct 02 2010 – (DE) 1st Psychobilly Earthquake Schlachthof

Oct 16 2010 – (UK) Concaster – Leopards

Oct 23 2010 – (I) Schio – Mac 2 rock

Oct 29 2010 – (DK) Copenhagen – Punk’a’billy Bash

Website: http://www.myspace.com/frenzyrock

the PEACOCKS – “After All” *Digital Only* (People Like You) Released on September 14th, 2010

The new 15 track Album “After All” is ready to be released in September digitally in North America! After lots of shows, THE PEACOCKS finally did it and they’ve done it right! The best Rockabilly band out of Europe has great new tunes for you, check it out!

TOUR DATES:

Aug 14 2010 – (CH) Hallau – Amnisie Open Air

Aug 21 2010 – (GER) Marbach – Sond of the Forest

Aug 27 2010 – (CH) Glarus – Sound of Glarus

Aug 28 2010 – (CH) Zug – Rock the Docks

Sep 10 2010 – (FI) Helsinki – Psychorama Festival

Sep 18 2010 – (GR) Chur – Selig

Oct 08 2010 – (CH) Fribourg – Nouveau Monde

Oct 09 2010 – (CH) St. Gallen – Birreria

Oct 15 2010 – (CH) Einsiedeln – Ziegelei

Nov 05 2010 – (GB) Bristol – Croft

Nov 06 2010 – (GB) Cambrige – Man on the Moon

Nov 09 2010 – (UK) Newcastle – Trillians

Nov 10 2010 – (UK) Manchester – Star & Gartner

Nov 11 2010 – (GB) Kettering – Sawyers

Nov 12 2010 – (GB) Canterbury – Farmhouse

Nov 13 2010 – (UK) London – Underworld

Nov 19 2010 – (GER) Hamburg – Hafenklang

Nov 24 2010 – (GER) Köln – MTC

Nov 25 2010 – (DK) Copenhagen – Beta

Nov 26 2010 – (DK) Odense – Kansas City

Dec 04 2010 – (CH) Otten – Schützi

Dec 10 2010 – (GER) Bamberg – Sounds’n'Arts

Dec 11 2010 – (GER) Pfarrkirchen – Boogalo

Dec 17 2010 – (GER) Bingen – Weihnachtsrock

Dec 18 2010 – (GER) Berlin – Wild At Heart

Website: www.thepeacocks.ch

Contact me for promo requests, interviews and any other hub bub you want to get these bands involved with:

Josh Barnes
barnesey@sbcglobal.net
http://peoplelikeyourecords.com/
Phone # 619-804-9523

New Releases:
ADICTS – “Life Goes On” CD (07/13/2010)
the GENERATORS – “Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea” *Digital* (07/13/2010)
MAD SIN – “Rise And Burn” CD (07/13/2010)
FRENZY – “In The Blood” CD (09/14/2010)
the PEACOCKS – “After All” *Digital* (09/14/2010)

NEWS SOURCE : Poetry Foundation

Is there anything John Cooper Clarke hasn’t done? The so-called “godfather of British performance poetry” has toured with the Sex Pistols and Elvis Costello, released six albums, and published a poetry collection. But that was two decades ago. So where has he been for twenty years?   The Daily Telegraph reports on his disappearance from the punk poetry scene – and, more importantly, his recent return to the stage atthe Edinburgh Fringe Festival :

John Cooper Clarke appears like a man out of time. He is stick thin, dressed  in shiny black boots, tight black straights, sharp shirt and buttoned-up  Sixties jacket, topped off with impenetrable Raybans and an enormous, spiky,  dyed black barnet. At 61, Clarke is wrinkled, his lips have shrunk, and his  teeth are full of bits of gold, but otherwise he looks exactly the same as  when he was the poet laureate of punk, the self-styled bard of Salford, a  comic wordsmith with almost household name status . . .

NEWS SOURCE : The Punk Vault

Municipal Waste announced last week that due to an emergency they had to cancel their upcoming European Tour.

The band has released the following statement regarding the matter:

“We regret having to cancel our recent European dates, but an unforeseen family emergency prevented us from being able to make these shows. We apologize to all the fans and promoters. We’ll be back on European soil by the end of the year and look forward to seeing all of you soon!”

The affected dates include all shows planned from July 24th in Brussels, Belgium, through to and including the band’s planned appearance at Sonisphere Festival in Knebworth, UK on August 1st.