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CRACKING UP? Review Of The Lovely Eggs' 'Wilderness Years' Album 'Eggsistentialism'

Eggsistentialism cover art by illustrator Casey Raymond The Lovely Eggs – alias Holly Ross and David Blackwell – are back with Eggsistentialism the band’s first album in four years. Produced once again by The Flaming Lips‘ studio wiz Dave Fridmann, it charts a difficult period for the couple as they battle to retain their fiercely independent work ethic. Operating from Lancaster, the…

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COME ALL YE FAITHFUL - Black Grape Preach To The Converted LIVE At Camden's Electric Ballroom

"They were fookin' great the '90s weren't they." Review of Black Grape LIVE in Camden

It’s a freezing Friday night more suited to bobble hats than bucket hats as Camden’s Electric Ballroom gradually fills in anticipation for the arrival of Black Grape. Led by Paul “Kermit” Leveridge and one Shaun William Ryder, Black Grape are in town to showcase new album Orange Head out in January. FLYING KAR-PET – Tom Hingley. Picture by Sam Wells  Support is provided by a close…

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GREAT MOMENTS IN MUSIC - No49 - 'Sacrilege' by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Check out other Great Moments In Music at An Ideal For Living @mattcatchpole.com

*In no particular order some of my favourite musical moments. No49 Sacrilege by Yeah Yeah Yeahs ‘Sacrilege’ by Yeah Yeah Yeahs single cover art One of the truly great singles of this first quarter of the 21st century, Sacrilege by Yeah Yeah Yeahs is the lead cut off the band’s fourth studio album Mosquito. Released in 2013, it’s a deceptively simple song, given added drama by singer Karen O’s…

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SPECTRAL FEAST - PJ Harvey Enchants In Sell Out Show At Camden Roundhouse in London

On record PJ Harvey‘s I Inside the Old Year Dying is a knotty, fragile creation. Sparse and intense, it’s a difficult, but ultimately fulfilling listen. Fears it might feel underpowered in a live context are blown away within seconds of her taking the stage for the first of two sold out shows at the Camden Roundhouse. The album, her first for seven years, is played in full in a theatrical…

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GIMME DANGER - Inca Babies' Harry Stafford & Co-Writer Marco Butcher Discuss Music, Movies And New Album 'We Are The Perilous Men'

It’s 1983 and spiky new Manchester death-rockers Inca Babies are unleashing their first single on an unsuspecting public via their own Black Lagoon Records. Nearly 6,000 miles away in Sao Paulo, a teenage musician is hitting the underground clubs, looking for the type of music you just don’t hear on mainstream radio. Fast forward 40 years and with the world in the grip of the COVID pandemic, an…

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PIERCE DE MODE - Depeche Frontman Dave Gahan Takes On The Gun Club's 'Mother Of Earth'

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A SLIGHT RETURN - 'I Inside The Old Year Dying,' By PJ Harvey Is A Sparse, Spooky, 12-Song Cycle

QUIETLY DISQUIETING – PJ Harvey I Inside The Old Year Dying, PJ Harvey‘s first proper audio album in seven years follows a period of intense introspection.  One of the UK’s most original and successful artists, Harvey became so consumed by the endless merry-go-round of albums and tours, she felt she’d lost connection with her music. As with 2016’s The Hope Six Demolition Project, she got her…

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LIVING IN THE '80s: The Beat And Bow Wow Wow Party Like It's 1982 At The Roundhouse

PICTURES: Sam Wells, WORDS: Matt Catchpole It’s a scorching Camden summer’s evening and we’re here to witness the return of the leaders of two bands whose moment in the sun stretches back more than 40 years. Yes it was 1982 when Dave Wakeling‘s band The Beat and Bow Wow Wow, fronted by precocious Burma-born teen Annabella Lwin, were at the peak of their powers. A time when rocketing inflation…

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KITCHEN SINK DRAMAS – Bad Dreems’ ‘Hoo Ha!’ Offers A Nightmarish Vision Of Urban Australia

Review of Hoo Ha! album by Australian punks Bad Dreems

EVERYBODY NEEDS GOOD NEIGHBOURS – Bad Dreems say g’day! It’s hard to resist an album with a title like Hoo Ha!, so I was, ahem, naturally keen to find out what the fuss was about. The fourth album by Adelaide punks Bad Dreems, it’s the latest in an Aussie guitar renaissance, that’s seen bands like The Chats and Pist Idiots getting international attention. Spearheading this new wave are the…

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GREAT MOMENTS IN MUSIC - No 48 - No Rest By New Model Army

GREAT MOMENTS IN MUSIC – No 48 – No Rest By New Model Army

Cover art for No Rest single *In no particular order some of my favourite musical moments. No48 No Rest by New Model Army Throughout life there are songs that stay with you and remind you of a certain time in your life – even if you don’t necessarily follow the band. That’s the whole point of Great Moments In Music and it’s certainly true of this brilliant single; No Rest by New Model…

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SOAK IT UP - They Might Be Giants To Play Seminal Album 'Flood' In Full On UK Tour

They Might Be Giants/Flood Cover Art Off the back of a sell-out 70-date US tour They Might Be Giants are bringing their ‘Evening With’ show to the UK in November. The US duo will perform two sets comprising breakthrough 1990 album Flood and a mix of old and new favourites, including cuts from latest album Book. Featuring contributions from UK producers Clive Langer and Alan…

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LIVING COLOUR- Brian Jonestown Massacre's 20th Album 'The Future Is Your Past' Review

UPLIFTING EXPERIENCE – The Brian Jonestown Massacre Emerging from the same post-writer’s block flurry as 2022’s Fire Doesn’t Grow On Trees, Brian Jonestown Massacre‘s 20th album comes with a pack of pencils, so you can colour in the cover yourselves. It’s a suitably fitting metaphor for the spacey feel of the album, which encourages the listener to engage, fill in the blanks and enjoy the parts…

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FUNHOUSE - IGGY POP STIRS THE SPIRIT OF THE STOOGES ON 19TH SOLO ALBUM 'EVERY LOSER'

FUNHOUSE – IGGY POP STIRS THE SPIRIT OF THE STOOGES ON 19TH SOLO ALBUM ‘EVERY LOSER’

RAW POWER – Iggy Pop picture by Vincent Guignet Iggy Pop sets out his stall from the very first lines of new album Every Loser: ‘Got a dick and two balls/That’s more than you all’. At the ripe old age of 75, the Dorian Gray of punk rock is back with a provocative, potty-mouthed assault on the eardrums that revives the trailblazing, chest-slashing days of his youth. Opener Frenzy as the title…

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OIL ON CANVAS - GARY NUMAN AND PWEI STAR TIM MUDDIMAN SHOWCASES ARTISTIC TALENT WITH NEW HARDBACK BOOK 'THE GEOMETRICAL SWING'

OIL ON CANVAS – GARY NUMAN AND PWEI STAR TIM MUDDIMAN SHOWCASES ARTISTIC TALENT WITH NEW HARDBACK BOOK ‘THE GEOMETRICAL SWING’

Most of us consider ourselves pretty fortunate if we happen to be half decent at one thing, but there are a select few individuals whose talents extend to multiple disciplines. One member of this rare breed is Tim Muddiman who, after decades performing with Gary Numan, as a solo artist and with Pop Will Eat Itself, is now releasing The Geometrical Swing  – a hardback book featuring 50 of his art…

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FEMME FATALE - Revolting Cocks' Chris Connelly Sets The Life of Troubled Velvet Underground Chanteuse Nico To Music On New 'Eulogy To Christa' Album

FEMME FATALE – Revolting Cocks’ Chris Connelly Sets The Life of Troubled Velvet Underground Chanteuse Nico To Music On New ‘Eulogy To Christa’ Album

SHAPESHIFTER Chris Connelly – picture by Shayna Connelly Perhaps the most beautiful and enigmatic of Andy Warhol‘s Factory Superstars, Nico‘s life and tragic death holds an enduring fascination. Her story has been told in several books and films, but now Chicago-based multi-instrumentalist Chris Connelly brings you his interpretation in the form of an extraordinary double album. Known for his…

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PET SOUNDS - Punks Reveal Their Fave Music In New Book Raising Funds For Ukrainian Refugees

PET SOUNDS – Punks Reveal Their Fave Music In New Book Raising Funds For Ukrainian Refugees

Punks Listen Cover Art designed by Russ Bestley ‘Who are your influences?’ It’s the first question new bands face and a neverending source of fascination for fans and critics alike. Now a new book seeks to answer that question by persuading ‘punk’ musicians, journalists, authors and personalities to share their thoughts on their favourite music. Punks Listen is the third in a series of books…

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AUTOMATICS FOR THE PEOPLE - David Philp On The Dangers Of Being A Punk, His Japanese Revival, Selling His Life Story AND Upsetting Freddie Mercury

"Freddie was apoplectic!" what did @TheAutomatics do to upset #FreddieMercury and @QueenWillRock - to find out read my interview with frontman David Philp

TO THE GOOD TIMES – David Philp, third left, with the original line-up of The Automatics It’s 1978 David Philp, frontman of up and coming punk upstarts The Automatics, seemingly has it all. The band’s single When The Tanks Roll Over Poland Again is sitting at the top of the Punk/New Wave charts and the the quartet is signed to major label Island Records. But almost overnight a change of…