Pixy Jones New Album Bits and Bobs

El Goodo guitarist and songwriter 'Pixy Jones' has announced that his debut album entitled 'Bits n Bobs' is due for release on 16th of September via Strangetown Records.

Branching away from the familiar El Goodo platform, Welsh psych scene stalwart Pixy Jones has himself compiled a truly remarkable collection of tracks that fluctuate from 60's harmony-rich psych pop, to Alt-Country with ringing tremelo guitar.

First single, the swaggering 'I'm Not There' was the first single to be taken from 'Bits n Bobs' accompanied by a magical version of Beatles track 'And Your Bird Can Sing'

as it's B Side.

Pixy had this to say about the release:
The album was originally intended as a solo project under the pseudonym of “Wallace Russell”. I recorded it alongside the recording of Zombie (El Goodo) whenever I could get in the studio. There are some really old songs that have always been overlooked for 'El Goodo' albums for one reason or another, a few new ones which I wrote specifically for this, and a couple that would have probably ended up on the intended double album version of Zombie if we’d kept going with the double album idea. I’ve since ditched the 'Wallace Russell' name and gone back to 'Pixy Jones' as I figured there’s no need to have a pseudonym if nobody knows who you are in the first place. Even though I dropped the name I’ve kept the walrus mask for now as it is more photogenic than my actual face.

I had no recording budget so I had to fund it by quitting smoking and saving the money up to pay for studio time. It took, I think, two and a half years to record, which is by far the quickest I’ve ever recorded an album. Would have been quicker too if it wasn’t for Covid!

Originally I wanted it to just be a quickly recorded slap dash and get it out sort of thing but I had a year and a half during Covid to think about it a bit more and ended up taking more care to get it done properly. It was just me there so I played most of it myself apart from Stephen Black (Sweet Baboo) who played brass and woodwind on one song and Rhodri Brooks (AhGeeBe) plays some pedal steel on a couple.

Elliott and Canny from 'El Goodo' played drums and bass on Wind Street during the Zombie recording sessions.

The album was recorded and mixed in Aerial Studios with Tim Lewis aka Thighpaulsandra (Coil/Hawkwind/Spiritulized), a couple of songs were finished in the house during the lockdowns.

Pixy Jones third and final single from 'Bits n Bobs' entitled 'Hold Your Tongue' will be released Friday 26th August. Taken from anticipated debut album 'Bits n Bobs' released via Strangetown Records on the 16th September. Singles 'I'm Not There' and 'Maureen Dreams No More' have gathered support from Gideon Coe, BBC 6 Music, Adam Walton on BBC Radio Wales, and Pixy Jones was announced as Huw Stephens BBC Radio Wales Artists Of The Week in July. Support for the new releases have come from Music Blogs like Shindig Magazine, Circuit Sweet and Psychedelic Baby Magazine.

'Bits n Bobs' will be released Digitally / Vinyl / CD on the 16th of September on Strangetown Records.

Joe Jackson “Sing, You Sinners Tour,” St David's Hall, Cardiff 02/08/2022

Two years can be an eternity when the anticipation is so great waiting for the incredibly talented Joe Jackson and band to make a rare Cardiff appearance and It certainly proved well worth the frustrating wait.
Quite simply it was a jaw-dropping performance by The Man, who mesmerised a good sized crowd with songs both old and new in a quite stunning set, played at the highest level. accompanied by his talented band of musicians, one of whom, bassist Graham Maby, has been a stalwart alongside Jackson for most of his considerable career.

It was a rather Beatlesque intro reminiscent to the opening of Sgt Pepper's with a tune-up/tuneless opening breaking swiftly into 'One More Time' from Jackson's 1979 debut album Look Sharp, followed by the excellent 'Big Black Cloud' from his last recording Fool, a lost gem of an album.
New-ish songs like 'Fabulously Absolute' and 'Dave' slotted in effortlessly amongst the big Jackson hits with a deliciously acapella version of 'Is She Going Out With Him' (with just the bass for accompaniment) and 'Different For Girls'.

There was a break mid-set with Jackson alone at the keyboard. Jackson said that he gets to play one cover song from a band or artist that influenced him during a set and this time it was Joni Mitchell's 'Big Yellow Taxi', played in the style of a New Orleans pianist much like his hero's Dr John and Professor Longhair.

It was becoming a superlative evening with driving high-tempo versions of 'Sunday Papers', 'I'm The Man' and a curiously stylish 'Steppin Out' and frantic 'Fool'

Whilst there was no doubting who the boss was, there's no denying that the powerful and incredibly talented band that is Ted Kumpel, guitar, Doug Yowell, drums, and the aforementioned Graham Maby, bass, certainly played their part in an evening to remember for a long while...until the next time'

SETLIST

One More Time

Big Black Cloud

Sunday Papers

Dave

Look Sharp!

Fabulously Absolute

Solo (So Low)

Real Men

Big Yellow Taxi

(Joni Mitchell cover)

Kings of the City

Blaze of Glory

Fool

Sing You Sinners

(Tony Bennett cover)

Is She Really Going Out With Him?

It's Different for Girls

I'm the Man

Encore:

You Can't Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want)

Steppin' Out

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Rachel Chinouriri Exclusive Interview

Rachel Chinouriri opens up about extra hurdles she faces as a black woman in the indie music scene, early memories around music & working with The Snuts.

Featured image: Alice Backham

indie-musician Rachel Chinouriri has opened up about being mislabelled as an ‘R&B and soul artist’ and how this has affected her career in an exclusive interview with Keep Cardiff Live. 

The 23-year-old from Croydon has taken to Twitter to voice the added hurdles she has faced in her music career as a black woman creating Alternative Indie Pop music. 

Chinouriri released her first single ‘What Have I Ever Done’ to Spotify in June 2018, and now has over 1.8 million monthly listeners on the streaming app. 

She is also a former student of the renowned Brit School of Performing Arts and Technology, whose past students include Adele, Amy Winehouse and Jessie J. 

While Chinouriri’s fans await her first album release, her latest EP ‘Better Off Without’ was released earlier this month.

Her collaboration with promising indie band ‘The Snuts’ has been praised by many music critics, while Chinouriri claims the collaboration has helped her in becoming identified correctly for the music she creates. 

Audio Interview and Words Lewis Sharpe

Review Anonymous Iconoclasts live at Rhostio Friday 3rd June 2022

Image Martin Ashford Copyright

This was an interesting gig scenario. A personal invitation from Steve Johnson to watch a band he founded – The Anonymous Iconoclasts  - play their first gig for over two years at a completely unknown (to me) Cardiff venue – Rhostio in Crwys Road.

I was completely unfamiliar with Steve's band though I have seen him perform numerous times at an Open Mic Night in the Pipeworks, Pontyclun. I was aware of the name but not the music or the band members. My guess was that it would be worth checking the band out, as Steve is clearly a passionate musician. I was not surprised to see a group of mature musicians quietly setting up their gear in the fairly spacious environment of Rhostio.

The building itself was familiar to me. Once the home of Peter Noble's Instruments ( I had bought my first Marshall amp there in the 80's) it is now a cool coffee bar with an amazing roof terrace.  The audience was small but the vibe was relaxed. What would this band be like? A soundcheck of two songs confirmed that this band are serious professionals. The sound was crisp, not too loud and very, very tight. The Anons sounded completely together, fully rehearsed. Intriguing!

The gig started proper under very weak stage lighting (my only real complaint) as darkness fell outside. How could they see their instruments? I noticed that the lead guitar player Keyo was improvising really well on most of the songs – something I always enjoy and appreciate being a guitarist. The bass player Mic seemed to be playing quite simple parts but he also seemed to grow in confidence. Sean the drummer was very precise indeed and Steve began throwing himself around right from the start- a consummate frontman – something that I hadn't really noticed before.

I had no clues to what the songs were about but they were all melodic, occasionally searing and never boring. After a break, the second set contained even more jamming and the bass had been turned up a notch as I had recommended to Steve. Now the band were cooking and rocking out . An excellent cover of Psycho Killer led into one of Keyo's numbers with a long jammed out ending. I was rivetted.

The final number was written during the Lockdown and had very thoughtful lyrics  - this one was just Steve and Mic. Perhaps it was just too new for the others to get their heads around.

Overall I really enjoyed the gig and I loved the venue. More people need to be aware of The Anonymous Iconoclasts, a fine Cardiff outfit with great material on offer.

Martin Ashford 6th June 2022

Mental Health Awareness Week - A Tribute to Chester Bennington & Linkin Park

Many artists have based their works on personal struggles but one of the most famous is Chester Bennington, an American singer/songwriter who was the leading man of rock band Linkin Park. The band have recently celebrated their 20th anniversary but tragically one member was missing from the celebration. Bennington passed away aged forty-one in 2017. In this article I will discuss Chester’s battles with depression, drug use, and how the man defied both to bring the world some of the best rock songs!

Chester Bennington was born in Phoenix, Arizona (USA) 1976. Chester expressed an interest in music from an early age idolising bands such as Depeche Mode and Stone Temple Pilots. Tragically, Chester’s childhood was not happy as he was sexually assaulted by an unknown person. The abuse lasted until Chester was thirteen years old, and it took years for Chester to tell anyone about the abuse he suffered. Not helping this fact, Chester’s parents also divorced when he was young, he was bullied in school, and the troubled young man turned to alcohol and drugs for comfort. Despite the horrific circumstances Chester maintained his aspiration about being a musician. In 1993, Chester founded his first band ‘Sean Dowell and his Friends’ with his friend Sean Dowell.

The band was not hugely successful but after changing the band name to ‘Grey Daze’ they managed to record at least two albums Wake Me (Re.1994) and No Sun Today (Re.1997). Chester ultimately left the band in 1997, but Dowell remembered his friend fondly and shared memories of Chester after his passing.

Back in 1997, Chester temporarily quit the music industry working as a digital service firm but returned joining a band named Xero. After signing a record deal with Warner Bros, the band released their debut album Hybrid Theory under the name Linkin Park in October 2000. The track ‘In the End’ resulted in a music video which currently has over a billion views on YouTube! It is obvious through the song lyrics that the track is inspired by suicidal thoughts and negative feelings. It resonates with audiences to this day with many siting the track as a coping mechanism for them during times of mental hardship. Chester did not deny the dark side of his personality and admitted the album Hybrid Theory was inspired by his own personal inner demons. The album was critically acclaimed and was followed by five more albums; Meteora (re.2003), Minutes to Midnight (re.2007), A Thousand Suns (re.2010), Living Things (re.2012), The Hunting Party (re.2014). All albums are currently available for purchase on EBay as well as retail shops. 

In 2017, the band released the album ‘One More Light’ which would be the last album Chester would release in his lifetime. Although Chester was now a father to six children and married to his 2nd wife  Talinda he still struggled horrifically with his mental health suffering severe bouts of depression. In an interview Chester discussed how he felt there was ‘another version of himself that wanted to destroy him’ but he tried to combat this ‘version’ of himself through his work. A portion of the interview where Chester discussed his mental health exists with the titled ‘Depression Explained Perfectly by Chester Bennington’ which currently has over three million YouTube views. 

Only two months before his own passing, Chester suffered one of the worst losses when his close friend Chris Cornell died after committing suicide aged only fifty-two. Cornell had a claim to fame being the lead vocalist/guitarist of bands such as Soundgarden, Audioslave, and Temple of the Dog. Chester and Chris became acquainted in the early 2000s and became close over frequent collaborations on their respective albums. The two were so close that Chester became a godfather to Cornell’s son. The loss of Chris devastated Chester but he managed to perform a moving performance for his friend on the Jimmy Kimmel show in which he sang the title song of the album ‘One More Light’ which was well-received by the audience. 

  Only two months later, whilst on holiday, Chester was found unresponsive by his housekeeper. The cause of death was suicide. The same day Chester died was also the day Chris Cornell would have turned fifty-three. 

Numerous artists from Coldplay’s Chris Martin to rapper Jay-Z, and the band Imagine Dragons paid tribute to Chester singing some of his songs, writing moving messages on their social media pages, and sending their condolences to his family. Chester’s funeral was held on July 29th with a stage being set up for performers to sing in celebration of the singer’s life and creativity. 

Chester is remembered fondly by musicians and fans alike for his humble personality, amazing musical ability, and bravery for battling with his inner demons. Another person who is continuously inspired by Chester is the writer of this tribute. My name is Phoebe Vaughan, and I have faced continuous battles with own mental health. To celebrate my love of Linkin Park and Chester, I have listed my top five Linkin Park songs. I hope you enjoy!

My Top 5 Linkin Park Songs

1. Leave Out All the Rest – A song from the album ‘Minutes to Midnight’ which was featured on the soundtrack to the 2007 Sci-Fi film ‘Sunshine’ which is one of my favourite films. Ironically, the song was not used in the film, but the video can be viewed here.

2. In the End – A song from the debut album ‘Hybrid Theory’ which has one of the best music videos I have ever seen with surprisingly brilliant CGI-animation espically for early 2000s standards. The video can be viewed here.

3. In My Remains – This song is one of the saddest songs in Linkin Parks discography at least in my opinion. It is a song about how hard you want to fight, but how easily it is to give up, something someone who suffers with depression can relate to deeply. The song can be listened to here.

4. Numb – This song is a true rock anthem even with dark lyrics the beat, the instruments, and vocals are almost impossible to not dance too! The music video can be viewed here.

5. One Step Closer – An almost metal/rock fusion where Chester’s vocals challenge Ozzy Osborne with fantastic guitars to accompany the song. I have only recently discovered this song, but I can tell its going to be stuck in my head for awhile after listening. The video can be viewed here.

I admire how Chester Bennington took some of the most painful topics to himself and turned them into amazing ballads, rock songs, and mental anthems for the world to enjoy! He is a fine example of how to turn something so tragic into something so beautiful. He is deeply missed.

Phoebe Vaughan

Chester Bennington 1976 - 2017

All images subject to copyright

The Royston Club Interview

Here is a great Interview with The Royston Club and Lewis Sharpe for KCL.

Many thanks to Lewis and the band for taking the time to do the interview.

The Royston Club are a four-piece indie band from Wrexham, North Wales consisting of Tom Faithfull (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), Ben Matthias (lead guitar and main song writer), Dave Tute (bass) and Sam Jones (drums). After becoming friends at secondary school, Tom, Ben and Dave started playing together in 2017 due to their shared passion for playing indie music, then added Sam on drums in 2019 to create The Royston Club. They were only together a few weeks when they recorded and released their debut single 'Shawshank’. Singles ‘Waster’ and ‘Kerosene’ followed, and in late 2019 the band headed to the famous Parr Street Studios in Liverpool to record their debut EP ‘This State I’m In’. The band went back to Parr Street Studios in August 2020 and teamed up with producer Alex Quinn (The Blinders, Spinn, SPQR), and recorded four new tracks. The first single and second single ‘Mrs Narcissistic’ and 'Coasting' are out now, with mastering duties by Robin Schmidt (Blossoms, Sports Team, Vaccines)

Film and Soundtrack Talk

On Her Majesty's Secret Service - James Bond 007

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On Her Majesty's Secret Service - James Bond 007 〰️

In this week's edition of Film and soundtrack talk we will be taken through a journey of one of the best films in the James Bond catalogue by me, Jacob Price. As a lifelong fan of the series, I have always had my top five Bond films in the back of my mind always knowing that they are subject to change and usually do. However, there's always been that one film that I could not get my head around why everyone in the Bond community held this film to such a high authority. Until one Sunday evening while I was on one of my weekly Bond marathons, I decided to watch On Her Majesty's Secret Service. I thought to myself “Why not give it one more go? This must be the one where I finally fall in love with this film?” And I don’t know whether it was the fatigue of having been watching films all day or the vodka martini I was drinking but I watched the entire film in one sitting and as the credits rolled...the penny finally dropped. I could now see that this was one of the best films in the entire series. I had always respected the film due to its impact and fantastic soundtrack it possessed but there were certain elements I had never fully connected with until now.

I am a strong believer that films should be watched with little to no interruptions. Of course, there are benefits to being able to stop a film halfway through to get a drink or a snack however, there's a reason that films being played in the cinema do not come with a pause button. To fully engage with the story, characters, music and outcomes of a film it must be watched and enjoyed as a 2-and-a-half-hour journey where one allows themselves to become lost in the story. James Bond films do this perfectly as we are transported to different locations often exotic and magical which makes it easier to become lost in the world of a film. However, it is not just the locations, the story or characters journeys that we must lose ourselves in. It is the soundtrack. In many films (especially the Bond films) the main score will be sprinkled throughout the film at various moments often highlighting a significant moment within the story. A film that does this perfectly is On Her Majesty's Secret Service. 

I was always aware of the impact that On Her Majesty's Secret Service had to the franchise as we must only turn to the most recent film in the series ‘No time To Die’ and notice the influence that On Her Majesty's Secret Service has on the film. From the score itself borrowing Louis Armstrong’s ‘We Have All the Time in The World’, the On Her Majesty's Secret Service theme tune and even seeing one of the film’s main characters meet a similar end to one of the characters in On Her Majesty's Secret Service. 

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service

John Barry is one of the most influential and most notable figures in the James Bond franchise. Providing the music to countless Bond movies, he has left his mark on the film's legacy through his legendary soundtracks and scores including On Her Majesty's Secret Service. I have a few favourite bond soundtracks with Casino Royale being No.1 (scored by David Arnold). However, On Her Majesty's Secret Service has always been in my top 3. The film is essentially a love story between James Bond (George Lazenby) and Tracy (Diana Rigg). The score that accompanies it is an absolute triumph. For example, the love scenes between Bond and Tracy are paired with a very soft and melancholic score that follows the two falling in love. From riding horses together through the forest and taking long walks through beautiful gardens while the score (We have all the time in the world) plays over the top of the scene. However, it must be said that the romantic elements to the score are not just what makes this soundtrack great. The skiing scenes in Austria where Bond is being chased by our infamous main villain (Ernst Stavro Blofeld) and his henchmen from the top of Piz Gloria all the way to the bottom of the mountain has intense bellowing baritone horns, trumpets and saxophones which adds a real suspense to the scene. 

At the climax of the film Bond and Tracy are finally wedded. Now, if you’ve seen the film, you will know that Tracy meets a tragic demise by the hands of Blofeld and his henchwoman Irma Bunt an assassination carried out on the happiest days of Bond’s and Tracy’s lives. When it is revealed that Tracy has been shot and killed an instrumental theme of, We Have All the Time in The World plays in the background which makes this gut retching tragedy all the more devastating and without this we (as an audience) wouldn’t feel the pain for these characters as much as we already do.

A good soundtrack can really make a movie. When I watch a film, I often listen out for how good the soundtrack is and I attribute this to watching the James Bond films as a boy and now a young man, teaching me what good cinema soundtracks should sound like. On Her Majesty's Secret Service is one of the best Bond scores in the entire franchise and is still relevant today as it was 50 years ago.

Jacob Price 

The Four Owls 21/4/22 Clwb Ifor

Being such a big fan of Hip Hop, I am genuinely gutted I haven’t seen this band sooner. With DJ Jazz T coming to stage first to open the gig, showing off his impeccable DJ skills to a pumped crowd who immediately surged to the front of the stage as soon as the music started. Soon after he was joined by the masked men to open, and the fun began at Clwb Ifor Bach.

Starting off the gig with their iconic owl masks on, made it difficult at first to see who they were but one voice sounded so familiar to me but couldn’t for the life of me think where from. For the first couple of tracks while the masks were on, I made it a game to try and think of who it could be like a solo version of the Masked Singer. It must have been my confused look on my face which my friend picked up and shouted, “You know that’s Verb T right?”.

It was not just Verb T that I was impressed by though, but with the talented MC Leaf Dog, FlipTrix and BVA, they demonstrated how important it is to know not only their own lyrics but their fellow MC’s too because their timing was impeccable, and they didn’t miss a beat all night.

Wetting the whistle with a swig of beer between verses the group pushed it and got better and better as the night went on, so good in fact that about halfway through they had some of the crowd up on stage to enjoy it on a completely new level.

As the night drew on, the classics started to come but not before a brilliant scratching interlude reminding everyone how talented Jazz T is. It was now time for the last two tracks of the night, and they saved the best for last ending with Assassination which made the crowd ignite followed by my favourite track of the night Think Twice.

After the gig and as we took a quick browse at the merch on the way out, as is tradition, the Owls were quick to swoop in signing vinyls and t-shirts. A very nice touch after a very impressive performance. 

Jonathan Woolway