Bringing the curtain down...

 After 10 years and 161 reviews I've decided to stop. The Facebook page will go but I'll keep this one online just for archival purposes or if for nothing else that scathing review of the Stray Cats' 40 album hahaha. I enjoyed it for many years and tried to inject humour into most of the stuff I wrote but my heart's not in it anymore. What was once enjoyable had become a chore. Thanks to everyone who ever read any of my reviews and to Mad Music For Bad People who brought my words of wisdom and mirth to a wider audience through their magazine. To the record companies and bands who sent me stuff for review - a lot of which wasn't on my radar and I would never have heard only for them. I hope my ramblings encouraged some of you to buy music and support thee most underground and excellent scene. Maybe I'll be like Restless and announce I'm heading off into the ether and then come back 5 minutes later hahaha... but I doubt it! So with that said - slán agus beannacht.

DeadBeatz "Meet Us At Dawn"

(SBÄM Records 2021)

Riding To The Dawn
Motorcycle Crew
Cold Nose Bleeds
Black Mountain Roll
Sunday Morning Blues
Oh, Evening
Everybody's Dog Blues
Too Late
Runnin' Shoes
Cold Hearted Woman
Do You Dig It
Three Legged Horse 

Too blues to be punk - too punk to be blues! That's what visitors to the Austrian duo's Facebook page are greeted with! It hits the nail on the head alright. Consisting of drums, harmonica and a slap bass (for that twist of rockabilly) the boys are unlike any other combo doing the rounds. Yet with such a minimal ensemble of instruments, the sound is powerful, in your face boppin' blues with a raucous delivery. Rockin' Blues for the neighbourhood juvies! I remember an Irish busking band from years ago called Dead Plants that released a couple of albums back in the late 90's/early noughties. DeadBeatz kinda remind me of them. Only the stripped back "nice" feeling you get with the skiffle of the Plants is replaced with the feeling you get when you walk into a backstreet tattoo parlour in the dodgier end of town. Excitement and danger. The sounds on here are gritty, slap bass-drenched edgy blues with enough bop to appeal to the (non-purist) rockabillies and with enough energy to be accepted with open arms by the psychobilly brigade who are anything but purists like their rockabilly cousins. You can snap up the album directly from the band via their bandcamp page. It's available on both CD and coloured vinyl with no two the same! Put that in your collector's pipe and smoke it (and brag about it on Psychoholic!).

The O'Prez

 

DeadBeatz Official

DeadBeatz Facebook

DeadBeatz bandcamp

Hellacious Harmonies on Facebook

 

The Diggerz "The Diggerz Are Mad"

(Sick Taste Records 2022)

 

1. Your Loving
2. Set Me Free
3. Killer In White
4. Drunken Sailor 

Jaysus it's been so long since I reviewed a record that it's taken me the best part of an hour to remember how this thing even works. But here I am, back again, after over a year's absence with me trousers down around me ankles as I shake my fist vigorously at the screen whilst taking in the aural delights of the sexy new EP from The Diggerz. Now a quartet with the addition of a second guitarist, Mo tells me their sound is fatter. I heard him wrong at first and thought he was body shaming me again! He wasn't complaining when he was eating the almonds from betwixt my moobs though. The dirty fecker! But anyway, enough teats and nuts related jovial japes. He tells me their new album is at the pressing plant with a planned release date for June 10th this year. Now then, this new release sees a departure from their 2015 album A Psycho's Tale on Crazy Love Records. Fuck me, 7 years ago! Did you see me adding links there? The things I do for you ungrateful shower of shites. It's not a departure as-in, fuck me, they're shite now. Au contraire! The psychobilly sound and non-run of the mill melodies are still there but the sound is more powerful, more rock'n'roll if you will.
 It's a fuller figured Diggerz. A BBW of rockin' beats! Psychobilly with curves! Our Mo can sing and shies away from hiding behind the usual sore throat fare employed by the legion of DAG knock-offs. The backing vocals are on point too which adds to the sonic diversity of this EP. The musicality is pristine which makes me think I should just sell all my instruments and stick to what I'm good at - never being as good as these boys.  The highlight for me is their version of Drunken Sailor. A stomping rendition which unexpectedly turns dark towards the end before a bit of ska is unleashed and then kicks us up the arse again before the finale. You can get your greasy digits on the EP from Sick Taste Records. It's a limited edition of 200 so stop looking at Pornhub and buy it. No wonder your digits are greasy!

The O'Prez

BUY THE EP

The Diggerz On Facebook

Hellacious Harmonies on Facebook