Rock
Meet: Habitats interview
One band who we fear we may have fallen head over heels with in the last few weeks and months is London quartet, Habitats. If there’s one thing we like to hang our hat on here at Backseat Mafia is tunes (and noisy shit and noodly guitars and time signatures and handclaps, but mainly tunes) …
New Music: Loose Joints – Quattro Amigos
I really, really, fervently hope that the title is a nod to one of my favourite silly films of all time, the Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, Martin Short triumph ‘¡Three Amigos!‘. If it isn’t, shame on Loose Joints. They’re not wrong, though. This really is “Quattro Amigos, out of control”. If you like your rock …
News: Bruce Springsteen to release The Album Collection Vol. 1 1973-1984
For some reason I can’t help liking Bruce Springsteen. For all his bluster, forced blue-collar worthiness and questionable career moves, his heart always seems to be in the right place. Springsteen is one of those musicians who has been periodically rediscovered by new generations of music fans, as his influence has flowed down through the …
Film Review: Between Dog And Wolf: The New Model Army Story
There’s a section(by Lina Skaisgiryte) in the programme notes for this eagerly-anticipated film that really caught my eye: “At the heart of it, this documentary also explores a deep, dark fear: the fear of not making a mark on the world, the fear of being forgotten.” And there, in the second half, as Director Matt Reid is …
Album Review: Hesitant Alien by Gerard Way
Gerard Way has never been one for just settling with how things are. As the ex frontman of one of the decade’s biggest rock bands, My Chemical Romance, Way was continuously reinventing his band’s image, sound and message. The world first saw My Chem in the form of angsty punks straight out of New Jersey, …
See: We Are Carnivores release video to “T.O.W.I.C.S”
Nottingham quartet We are Carnivores, aka Harry Christopher on Vocals and Guitar, Alex Gower on Bass, guitarist James Pickersgill and drummer Beu Smith have released a new single, T.O.W.I.C.S – complete with video that they can make Enter Shikari/Reuben like rock music, without taking themselves too (read: at all) seriously. Its taken from their upcoming EP …
A Buyers Guide to Alice Cooper 1971 – 1975
It’s easy to forget just how consistently impressive Alice Cooper was between 1971 and 1975, both as a group and then morphing into Vincent Furnier’s solo career. From Love It to Death through to Welcome to My Nightmare, Alice Cooper’s output stands comparison to the likes of both Elton John and David Bowie, two other …
Just Lions – Great. OK
I’m worried about Chandler, and not for the first time. Before it was The Bing Man: increasingly strung out, sweaty, scrawny and unable to convince us that there was any light left with which to leaven his self-disparaging quips. Right now, however, it’s yer man Strutz who is our Chandler of Concern There’s clearly trouble …
Soundtrack of our Lives: Ross Cameron of Bang Bang Romeo
Fresh from becoming one of the most talked about bands that played the Tramlines Festival, Bang Bang Romeo are poised to release their latest single, “Revolver”, which finds their sound evolve on from their rapturously received We Were Born EP. In between preparations for the single release, video shoots and radio sessions, guitar player Ross …
Meet: interview with Terminal Gods, plus live review
Announcing their arrival on stage with a short and punchy blast of ‘Peter Gunn’, it was clear from the off that Terminal Gods were here to blow the joint apart, and attempt to leave a lasting impression on the gathering before them. Just in case anyone had any doubt as to where they were going …