Another hour, another glorious racket (as You Slosh once said). We’re deep into autumn now and it's pissing down outside — the nights are longer, the gigs sweatier, and the amps somehow louder. Show #196 kicked off in flight, freefalling somewhere between freedom and fury, noise and nostalgia.
We began airborne with OORYA – Pilots, still one of the most delightfully unpredictable acts around. Steph's upcoming album Who Are Ya! (9x9 and SoL) remains cloaked in mystery, but this track alone could guide you through any storm — all throttle, no autopilot.
Then it was straight to Finland for Kürøishi – Freedom from Poverty.Ignorance.Greed.Slavery (2017). A full-force d-beat detonation from Oulu, channelling blackened crust and melodic rage in equal measure. Their tour blogs read like war journals — equal parts chaos, sweat, and heart — much like their live sets.
England (or maybe not) followed with Bragging Rights – The Wild Things, from the WEEDIAN: Trip To Wales comp. Their Bandcamp says they’re English, but who’s checking passports when the riffs are this good? We don't need borders anyway.
And while we’re questioning borders and boundaries, Citric Dummies – Dropped Out of Punk kept things spinning off-axis — another banger from their split LP with Turnstile, confirming that speed-noise is an international language.
Abrazos – No Authority But Yourself popped up next, courtesy of shuffle on my YouTube Music app (I've fucked Spotify off) — from the album My Street, a defiant reminder that sometimes punk finds you when you’re not looking.
Then came a welcome blast from Wrexham’s Groom The Giant, with Old Toby from their Old Toby EP. Grunge-soaked and gloriously knackered, these lads have been storming the likes of FOCUS Wales and the Llangollen Fringe — and they sound like they’ve smoked every wizard pipe along the way.
Toronto’s finest, Imploders, detonated again with Backwards, off Targeted for Termination (out on Static Shock and Neon Taste). Raw, ragged, unstoppable.
Local spirit followed in the form of Holy Gloam – Just Checking Out Again, a shimmering, melancholy single from Abergele that proves that even the quietest coastal retreats of Wales hum with noise and magic.
A deep dig next: The Lice – Fight The Front, lifted from the latest Bored Teenagers Vol.16 compilation — 26 years of unearthed classics, still flying out on vinyl. The Lice were early Teesside legends, and this track shows exactly why. And why we need to fight the Front, even though they've got a new name now and all the media give them so much fucking coverage.
Then a rare treat from the vault: Klaus Kinski – Happiness, Happiness, released this week back in 2009 as a teaser for Skelington Horse (Ankst). Every fucked-up note still slinks and snarls with that twisted, joyful arse dripping menace.
Goat Major – Powers That Be kept the Welsh noise rolling with their Ritual LP, all occult fuzz and riffs that sound like they were smelted under a mountain. Their merch game is strong too — those T-shirts (available on Bandcamp) could ward off demons.
Speaking of demons, Zombina & The Skeletones returned with 50 seconds of Beware Cosmic Plague! from In Sinistero (9x9 Records) — B-movie brilliance with a wink, a scream, and a dance step.
Then two breeds of darkness: White Dog – Storm The Streets, a Sydney punk gem sent my way by Alan Littlehales — circa 2019 and still barking loud — followed by The Restarts – Black Dog from Uprising. One of the UK’s most consistent punk bands doing what they do best: roaring truth to power.
And as if to echo that shadow, Botched Toe – Black Dog emerged from A False Glimmer Of Hope (Kibou Records). Three dogs, one fight — all snarling at the void.
Warlockhunt – Your Flaw, Your Fate cast its spell next — from their upcoming Prey LP, due 14th November on Pyrrhic Defeat. The launch party’s at G21 Chester that same night, and it’s shaping up to be biblical.
Then came Vast Slug – Shinobi vs Mega Nonce, topical, brutal, and refreshingly unfiltered. As should have said on air — the only good nonce is a dead one.
The Skive – Heads on Spikes followed like an anthem for our collective discontent, and then Planet Noir – The Itch, the second track from their excellent Destination EP — Liverpool’s psychobilly-punk newcomers proving once again that the Mersey still mutates in strange and wonderful ways.
Finally, we crash-landed with Holy Coves – Falling Down, their new single ahead of next year’s album Hiraeth. They’ve just wrapped a mini-UK tour, and it sounds like they’ve taken every sunrise and hangover on the road and turned it into melody.
Playlist – Show 196
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Oorya – Pilots
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Kürøishi – Freedom
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Bragging Rights – The Wild Things
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Citric Dummies – Dropped Out of Punk
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Pete Bentham & The Dinner Ladies – Attention Deficit Retention
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Abrazos – No Authority But Yourself
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Groom The Giant – Old Toby
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Imploders – Backwards
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Holy Gloam – Just Checking Out Again
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The Lice – Fight The Front
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Klaus Kinski – Happiness, Happiness
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Goat Major – Powers That Be
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Zombina & The Skeletones – Beware Cosmic Plague!
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White Dog – Storm The Streets
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The Restarts – Black Dog
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Botched Toe – Black Dog
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Warlockhunt – Your Flaw, Your Fate
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Vast Slug – Shinobi vs Mega Nonce
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The Skive – Heads on Spikes
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Planet Noir – The Itch
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Holy Coves – Falling Down




