Live: Radio Birdman @ Fuzz Club (Athens, October 25th, 2018)

It's been more than forty years since the outbreak of the punk rock revolution and it is amazing to see that Radio Birdman, one of the bands that started it all, is still able to kick up a storm on stage! The band that started by Deniz Tek and Rob Younger in 1974 recorded only a handful of songs in its first period, released on two albums and a few singles, but time has proven that each and every one of these songs were true punk rock masterpieces which still sound vital today, either you listen to them on record or you have the pleasure to witness them played live on stage once again.

In their latest visit to Athens, 12 years since the previous one, Radio Birdman played a scorching 80-minute set, kicking off with "Do the Pop", the surf-punk smash hit that never was (surely a number one hit in any parallel universe with half-decent taste in rock music) and continuing with an electrifying parade of most of their '70s classics, along with a couple of later date tracks (from their 2006 comeback album "Zeno Beach") and a few choice covers that reveal their influences and taste, including The Doors' "Not to Touch the Earth", Blue Öyster Cult's "Dominance and Submission", Magazine's "Shot by Both Sides" and, of course, 13th Floor Elevators' "You're Gonna Miss Me" which along with their own "Aloha Steve and Danno" were the perfect ending to an explosive punk rock night.

The night opened by a fast and loud set by local indie rockers Dark Rags which was sabotaged by bad sound (louder is not always better). Thankfully the sound mix was much improved when it was time for the main act to take the stage.

Dark Rags, live @ Fuzz Club (Oct. 25th, 2018)

 

Radio Birdman, live @ Fuzz Club (Oct. 25th, 2018)

Radio Birdman - Aloha Steve & Danno (live in Athens, Oct. 25th, 2018)

Radio Birdman - Shot by Both Sides (live in Athens, Oct. 25th, 2018)

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Live: The Handsome Family / Laura Gibson @ Piraeus 117 Academy (Athens, October 19th, 2018)

The Handsome Family have been crafting some of the finest tunes you can find in alternative country for nearly 25 years now, yet it took a television show to bring them to the attention of a wider audience. Thanks to the fame brought on by this happy "accident", the band finally got an invitation to play a show in Athens and we had the opportunity to enjoy their dark, surrealistic blend of country, folk and rock up close and personal.

The husband and wife team of Brett and Rennie Sparks together with Alex McMahon (guitars, steel, keyboards) and drummer Jason Toth presented a set spanning a large part of their illustrious career, from their most recent work, 2016's "Unseen", going all the way back to the acclaimed 1998 album "Through the Trees" and including, of course, the hit "Far from Any Road" in a looser, slightly jazzy version.

Despite the fact that the choice of venue proved unsuccessful for this gig (there's not a big audience for alt. country in Greece and apparently True Detective was only a cult hit here), the band did a good job in creating an intimate atmosphere and communicating with the audience both with their melodic music and with Rennie's always entertaining, unpredictable song introductions.

The Handsome Family, live in Athens (Oct. 19th, 2018)

As an added bonus for us, before the fine set by The Handsome Family we also had the opportunity to enjoy an acoustic performance by singer-songwriter Laura Gibson. Her truly wonderful voice, accompanied only by an acoustic guitar, was enough to captivate the lucky few who turned up early to the venue to sample her work.

Gibson's latest album titled "Goners" is out next week and we were among the first ones to get our hands on a copy after the show, which is certainly going to feature among our selections for October.

Laura Gibson, live in Athens (Oct. 19th, 2018)

Sample below two tracks from The Handsome Family's performance in Athens as well as "The Fire" by Laura Gibson, a song off her 2012 album "La Grande":

The Handsome Family - Weightless Again (live in Athens, October 19th, 2018)

The Handsome Family - Far From Any Road (live in Athens, October 19th, 2018)

Laura Gibson - The Fire (live in Athens, October 19th, 2018)

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New Releases: September 2018

Round-up of the most interesting albums, singles and EP's released in September 2018:

Albums

The Chills

THE CHILLS - Snow Bound
THE GOON SAX - We're Not Talking
MUDHONEY - Digital Garbage
SPIRITUALIZED - And Nothing Hurt
LOW - Double Negative
METRIC - Art of Doubt
MARISSA NADLER - For My Crimes
AMBER ARCADES - European Heartbreak
SAUNA YOUTH - Deaths
GOGGS - Pre Strike Sweep
PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS - King of Cowards
THE JOY FORMIDABLE - AAARTH
BEAK> - >>>
ESCAPE-ISM - The Lost Record
MENACE BEACH - Black Rainbow Sound
DILLY DALLY - Heaven
THALIA ZEDEK BAND - Fighting Season
ERIC BACHMANN - No Recover
EMMA RUTH RUNDLE - On Dark Horses
PAUL WELLER - True Meanings
SUEDE - The Blue Hour
CHRISTINE AND THE QUEENS - Chris
BLACK HONEY - Black Honey
THE MOLOCHS - Flowers In The Spring
ADAM'S HOUSE CAT - Town Burned Down
VILLAGERS - The Art of Pretending to Swim
CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX - Great Escape
GUERILLA TOSS - Twisted Crystal
LA FORCE - La Force
ADULT. - This Behavior
THE HOLYDRUG COUPLE - Hyper Super Mega
MULL HISTORICAL SOCIETY - Wakelines
RICHARD SWIFT - The Hex
LYLA FOY - Bigger Brighter
LALA LALA - The Lamb
AVA LUNA - Moon 2
ANA DA SILVA AND PHEW - Island
BLACK BELT EAGLE SCOUT - Mother of My Children
TELEMAN - Family of Aliens
TRAMPOLENE - Pick A Pocket Or Two
WE WERE PROMISED JETPACKS - The More I Sleep The Less I Dream
ALL THEM WITCHES - ATW
MIRRORS FOR PSYCHIC WARFARE - I See What I Became
SNEERS - Heaven Will Rescue Us, We’re the Scum, We’re in the Sun
AMNESIA SCANNER - Another Life
THE FIELD - Infinite Moment
ORBITAL - Monsters Exist
CYPRESS HILL - Elephants on Acid

Singles & EPs

Factory Floor

FACTORY FLOOR - Transform / Wonder
BEAK> - Brean Down
WAXAHATCHEE - Great Thunder EP
SLEAFORD MODS - Sleaford Mods EP
APHEX TWIN - Collapse EP
LIARS / TROPICAL FUCK STORM - Total 3 Part Saga / The Happiest Guy Around
PARQUET COURTS - Wide Awake Remixes
FUCKED UP - Raise Your Voice Joyce / Taken
JELLICOE AND WOODBURY - Fear / Doubt
TOY - The Willo / Energy
THE MOUNTAIN GOATS - Hex of Infinite Binding EP
FIRST AID KIT - Tender Offerings EP
ST. VINCENT - Slow Slow Disco
NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS - Distant Sky (Live In Copenhagen)
DAVE GROHL - Play
NOEL GALLAGHER'S HIGH FLYING BIRDS - If Love Is The Law
THE SPITFIRES - Something Worth Fighting For
CHEVAL SOMBRE - Had Enough Blues
GIRL ONE AND THE GREASE GUNS - Transmissions From the Glass Factory - Part 1
SOFT CELL - Northern Lights / Guilty (Cos I Say You Are)

The Goon Sax - Make Time 4 Love

The Chills - Complex