I Don't Hear A Single Radio Show Episode 42

Before the IPO Liverpool Previews begin, here's details of Show 42 of the I Don't Hear A Single Jamboree. Seems a bit mellower than usual to these ears, but it's suitably poptastic.

The I Don't Hear A Single Radio Excitement is broadcast on KOR Radio at 8pm UK Time on Fridays, repeated at the same time on Saturdays. Due to increased popularity, a Monday Night Repeat has been added at 8pm.

You can listen to it here.

Also, a reminder that the show is archived the following week on Mixcloud. You can listen to the other forty one shows and two Xmas Specials here.

Here's this week's playlist :

01 Big Country - I'm Not Ashamed
02 Astral Drive - Summer Of 76
03 The Orange Peels - Dawn Tree
04 David Myhr - Jealous Son
05 Gretchen's Wheel - Something's Coming
06 The Seasongs - Ingratitud
07 The Boxcar Suite - The Power
08 Cape Cartel - More
09 Rogue State Circus - Sunday Driver
10 Embrace - My Weakness Is None Of Your Business
11 The Fleshtones - I Surrender!
12 Magic Hat - Did You Feel It Again
13 Donegan - Around The World
14 Last Great Dreamers - New Situation
15 The Mourning After - Space Rendezvous
16 Visemenn - You Are
17 Utopia - Just One Victory (KSAN FM 1979)

I Don't Hear A Single Radio Show Episode 41

Number 41 hits the airwaves tomorrow night and very dapper it's looking too.

The I Don't Hear A Single Radio Excitement is broadcast on KOR Radio at 8pm UK Time on Fridays, repeated at the same time on Saturdays. Due to increased popularity, a Monday Night Repeat has been added at 8pm.

You can listen to it here.

Also, a reminder that the show is archived the following week on Mixcloud. You can listen to the other forty shows and two Xmas Specials here.

Here's this week's playlist :

01 World Of Leather - World Of Leather
02 The Longshot - Love Is For Losers
03 Spray - Anthologised By Cherry Red
04 Vendetta Red - The Dreamers
05 Bennett Wilson Poole - Wilson General Store
06 Nick Frater - Built To Last
07 John Moore - Controlled Explosions
08 The Penske File - Golden Futures
09 Reno Bo - Little Dream
10 Rob Clarke And The Wooltones - Brown Paper Bag
11 Night Flowers - Resolver
12 Sloan - Right To Roam
13 Joel Sarakula - Dead Heat
14 Lannie Flowers - Lost In A Daydream
15 Secret Friend - Difficult
16 The Raging Nathans - Teenage Amnesia
17 The Top Boost - Turn Around
18 Beat Degeneration - Sunny Day
19 Spear Of Destiny - Mk Ultra

IPO Liverpool 2018

This year's IPO is almost upon us, just over three weeks away. I've moaned enough about the state of Power Pop and Gig Attendance in the UK lately, so I'll lead you over the barricades etc etc by attending most days apart from the Saturday and Sunday.

I will also be previewing artists who will be appearing in the three week lead up to the event starting midweek. This may be in the form of short interviews, a piece about them or a review of their current album. All will be appearing on here.

The other Reviews and Radio Show will continue as normal. The IPO articles will just filter in with at least one article a day. The full IPO Schedule can be found here.

I've already contact the relevant artists and will be back in touch with them from Tuesday onward. There will also be an interview with David Bash towards the end of the Previews. I'd like to make it clear that I'm not interfering with what David does in any way. I'm about promoting Power Pop in the UK and the local North West Scene.

Some of the articles will be in a longer form and appear elsewhere and the local North West bands will be featured on an additional site that I am not involved with.

Nick Frater - Goodbye Kayfabe

Now this is in far more familiar territory. Nick Frater is from Croydon. I know that I moan about the frustration that more UK artists aren't coming forward to show that there are still great Power Pop and New Wave purveyors here.

I've only been to Croydon twice. Once was to visit Beanos and that was a whistle stop visit. I wanted to stay longer, but was with an older Music Fan who lived in the Smoke and was disappointed at the selection of Gentle Giant Offerings, so moved us on rapid.

The second time was whilst I lived in London Monday to Friday in the Mid Nineties. I spent a night with my great friend Rob Jukes. Rob is a top man, but all I really remember was that the Chip Shops didn't sell Pies or Gravy. What I do know though is that Croydon is not the Pop Rock capital of England.





That may be about to change though with this 7 Song Cracker. Contained within is probably something of everything that I've been rattling on about in the last year or two. It's like a I Don't Hear A Single Sampler.

The absolute gem is the opener, Built To Last, which you may have heard on the Radio Show. It's so good that it's gonna appear again next week. It's all New Wave Harmonies, a bass driven melodic wonder of a song.






Away from the Built To Last Joy, Fruit Punches is Bossa Nova Psych Pop, whilst is More Than This is all Sixties Kitchen Sink Film Drama. You can imagine John Howard playing Piano on Hold On Caroline, it's Andrew Gold like.

Remoaner is all jaunty Glam Rock, Paperchase comes over as if Squeeze are covering The Seekers. It's left to the closer, Asking For A Friend, to reveal Frater's love of McCartney Pop. That could be Ringo on Drums.






Goodbye Kayfabe is an absolute joy of a listen. Right up our street. You can listen to and buy it here.

Plastic Knights - Unclever Noise

Plastic Knights hail from Vaprio d'Adda, about 20 miles from Milan in Italy. Following on from the If I single, the band have now released their debut album. It's a great 40 minute listen, although the album is more in Classic Rock territory than we usually venture.

Unclever Noise will probably be promoted as Indie Rock, but the material here is much more variety led than in that catch all genre. The Four Piece dabble with Grunge, Metal, even Prog, but all of it is melodic and beautifully played.





Everlasting is a sort of Funk bordering on AOR. But the nearest comparison that I can come up with is Muse, certainly on songs such as I Can't Breathe and Kaleidoscope. This wouldn't be a Muse of Gizmos and Gadgets or Voice Changers. The album is far more straight ahead than that.

If I is Soundgarden like and the album really doesn't feel like a debut. Plastic Knights seem to know what they want to achieve and it is at it's best when it isn't slowed down. Unclever Noise is a really accomplished opening album.







You can listen to and buy the album here.

City Mouth - Hollows

We've had the Pop Punk debate on here in the past, so that's boring, if only would go beyond the label. The better bands are not wearing baggy shorts and backward caps, they are stretching out way beyond and can't and won't be labelled.

Many of these upcoming bands have more in common with Power Pop, New Wave and Pop Rock. Take Chicago's City Mouth! The five piece do not want to be Green Day, their influences, both old and new, are from far further afield.




The arrangements include unusual Brass and keyboard runs, played by Jackie Heuser. She also adds additional vocals which again adds to the variety. The seven songs here come in at just under 24 minutes, but there is so much packed in that the album feels really substantial.

Take the opener, Lay Awake, which was played on this week's radio show. It's 1:56 and packs a slow hand clap start and rock out end sandwiched between a superb trumpet riff. It's chock full of stuff in under 2 minutes. It's melodic joy.




The other end of the album has an anthemic much longer Stay Awake, very different to that opener, although there's a closing reference to it.  In between, Anywhere But Here could be early 70's Prog, think of Lamb Lying Down on Broadway.

Don't get me wrong, City Mouth Rock and Boy do they Rock, but this isn't mindless, it's built on hypnotic riffs, unexpected arrangements and changes of direction at will. Special mention has to be made of the accompanying vocal arrangements. Hollows is one of the best things that I've heard this year.




You can listen to and buy the album for a paltry five dollars here.

Major Murphy - No. 1

Major Murphy's debut album is a double celebration. It underlines what a great label Winspear is becoming, a real mark of quality. More relevantly, the band offer up Pop Rock of the highest order, a hark back to the glory days of the 70's when this album would have sold oddles and oodles.

No 1 is a glorious 37 minutes. The ten songs offer up so many references to what has gone before, but essentially are the Grand Rapids Trio's own and throughout the versatility shines through. For all the influences that you hear, the album never veers into pastische or tribute.





There's a wonderful laid back feel to all of this, nothing seems rushed. Jason Bullard's vocals are suitability fragile, providing a lead for splendid arrangements and Backing Vocals. The type of songs that Major Murphy produce don't lend themselves to noise and speed. That's not what they are about.

However when they do break out, it's when the album excels. The riff led closer, Lisa, Robbi And Me is a joy and the stand out Radi-Yum is pure Glam Rock, a real Bolan reminder. Normally I'd pick out more songs and references, but to be honest the whole album stands up as an entirety.






The band are a really tight trio that enhances the strength of Bullard's songwriting. No 1 is a corker of an album, a testament to band and label. You should buy it now, the Summer is almost here.







You can listen to and buy the album here.