THE DELTA JACKS - TROUBLE AHEAD

Roots-rock and country-punk from the badlands of the Thames Delta!

The marshy hinterlands of South Essex have proved a fine breeding ground for bands over the past few decades. A wilderness where scores of musicians can practice their craft in isolation, giving them a distinct edge unlike their urban counterparts; from Dr Feelgood, Kursaal Flyers and Eddie & The Hot Rods to The Horrors, These New Puritans and The Lucky Strikes. It stands to reason that The Delta Jacks’ debut album will follow suit.

Formed in 2011, the band earned their spurs on the UK Americana circuit, saddling up and heading for The Smoke for gigs at such illustrious roots venues as the 12 Bar, The Gladstone and Camden’s Lock Tavern, as well as regular airplay on Resonance FM’s long-running Bonanza show. In that time headline shows have been interspersed with high profile support slots with the Jim Jones Revue, The Lucky Strikes, Mudlow and Son Of Dave.

Releasing their debut self-titled EP in 2013, over the past year the Jacks have been putting the finishing touches to their first full-length album Trouble Ahead at Church Road, Ford End and Broom Cupboard studios. The result is eleven barely-tameable tracks of banjo-infused hillbilly rock, destined to appeal to fans of Johnny Cash, Legendary Shack Shakers, Slim Cessna’s Auto Club, Violent Femmes, Cormac McCarthy and Zane Grey.

Delta Jacks are: Dominic Bauers – drums and backing vocals; Greg Beager – bass, keyboard and backing vocals; Ryan Bradshaw –  lead vocals, rhythm guitar and harmonica; and Trevor Reeves – lead guitar, banjo, mandolin and backing vocals.

The Delta Jacks play an official album launch at The Asylum, Chelmsford on Saturday 31 October, with support from The Lucky Strikes and Southern Generals.

“Essex’s finest proponents of country, blues, deep-south choogling and the rawest rock‘n’roll” –Bonanza, Resonance FM

“The Delta Jacks are a rough and ready hard edged country rock'n'roll act. High tempo and hard as nails, they're the ideal Saturday night Americana band!” - Rory Carlile, The Gladstone

https://www.facebook.com/thedeltajacks

BLANG RECORDS - LUCKY DIP (2005-2015)

Pioneering record label celebrates its first decade!

First launched ten years ago with the Fruit Machine compilation, London label Blang Records was born out of the monthly Blang nights at celebrated West End venue, The 12 Bar Club. Now a decade on, the label celebrates this significant anniversary with an 18-track compilation of their favourite artists along with not one but two birthday parties on consecutive Thursdays back where it all started (nearly) at the (newly relocated) 12 Bar!

Started by label supremo Joe Murphy and his Sergeant Buzfuz project around the dawn of the century, the Blang nights were then labelled after burgeoning ‘antifolk’ scene, which had spread wings from New York’s East Village, bringing with it the likes of Jeffrey Lewis and Moldy Peaches and a penchant for punk-folk storytelling with edge and humour. Blang was the first club night in London to embrace this vibrant scene and word spread like wild hot cakes.

Alongside Buzfuz, other homegrown acts like Filthy Pedro, David Cronenberg’s Wife and Malcolm Kaksois would follow under the antifolk banner, but by the time of the Fruit Machine compilation – a response by Murphy to a suggestion from The Band Of Holy Joy’s Johny Brown – it was clear that such a heading was inadequate for the diverse joys that Blang had to offer.

And diversity is the key to Lucky Dip – within its grooves you will find both folk and antifolk, along with punk, funk, rock and hip-hop. Buzfuz, Pedro, Kaksois and DCW are here of course, plus contributions from indie chart stars Milk Kan, Sheepy, Thee Cee Cees, Emily Capell, Paul Hawkins & The Awkward Silences, Lucy’s Diary, Dexter Bentley, Slate Islands, Matt Dolphin, Thomas Truax and more. A veritable roll-call of the great, the good and the glorious.

The first of Blang’s 10^th Anniversary events – Lucky Dip 1 – takes place on Thurs 1 October and features Matt Dolphin, Slate Islands, Lucy’s Diary, JJ Crash, Sergeant Bufuz and David Cronenberg’s Wife.

Lucky Dip 2 on Thurs 8 October features Malcolm Kaksois, Emily Capell, Scrappy Hood (of Milk Kan), Thomas Truax, Paul Hawkins & The Awkward Silences and Eugene Ripper.

Both events take place at The 12 Bar Club, 203 Holloway Road, London N7 8DL. Door 7pm. £5 entry includes a FREE Lucky Dip CD.

More info on artists at www.blang.co.uk

BRIAN JAMES - THE GUITAR THAT DRIPPED BLOOD!

THE DAMNED and LORDS OF THE NEW CHURCH founder returns with an album of high-octane garage rock’n’roll!!!

With British punk pioneers The Damned the subject of a major documentary by acclaimed director Wes Orshoski and about to celebrate their 40^th Anniversary next year, the return of original guitarist and founder member Brian James could not have been more timely.

Following on from 2011’s acoustic blues album Chateau Brian and new interpretations of Damned classics on Damned…If I Do in 2013, James returns with his first all new solid rock’n’roll album since 2006. Marrying the twin influences of ’77 Brit punk and Detroit street rock, The Guitar That Dripped Blood is an abrasive, coruscating album of solid garage-rocking guitar anthems; exactly what one would hope and expect from the author of the likes of ‘New Rose’ and ‘Neat Neat Neat’.

Along for the ride are a couple of special guests: Dead Boys legend Cheetah Chrome and Adam Becvare (Black Halos/LustKillers). All wrapped up in a sleeve by noted horror poster artist Graham Humphries, the result is between the eyes trash guitar dynamite!!

Initially released on limited edition blood red vinyl for Record Store Day, this full album release will be accompanied by the release of a limited edition 7-inch of ‘Walkin’ ‘Round Naked’.

A member of legendary punk precursors The London SS, Brian James formed The Damned in 1976 with a string of UK punk firsts – first single and album (both on the legendary Stiff label), major support tour (with T Rex), US tour. They burned bright and fast, before James split to form Tanz Der Youth (replaced on Black Sabbath’s ’78 UK tour by Van Halen – the rest is history!) followed by Brian James’ Brains aka The Hellions. He then hooked up with Sex Pistol Glen Matlock to back Iggy Pop on his North American New Values tour.

In ’82 James teamed up with Sham 69 bassist Dave Tregunna, Dead Boys singer Stiv Bators and Barracudas drummer Nicky Turner in Lords Of The New Church, releasing three albums with considerable global success. James then saw off the 20^th Century in supergroup Mad For The Racket alongside the MC5’s Wayne Kramer, Blondie drummer Clem Burke and Duff McKagan from Guns’n’Roses. More recently he’s toured with old Damned buddy Rat Scabies as Scabies-James.

“I didn’t do this to be rich and famous. I started off because it’s the only thing I wanted to do in life, and it still is.”