Absolva announce 34 tour dates including 7 with Michael Schenker

ABSOLVA ANNOUNCE 34 DATE EUROPEAN TOUR INCLUDING 7 SHOWS AS SPECIAL GUESTS WITH MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST


Absolva, the Manchester-based British metal band featuring current members of Iced Earth and the Blaze Bayley band, announce their 2018 tour schedule including 7 shows appearing as special guests with legendary Scorpions and UFO guitarist Michael Schenker.


The Absolva band members have a history of extensive touring since forming in 2012, and relish once again an extended trip around Europe. Being chosen as special guests on the Michael Schenker Fest also gives the band the opportunity to warm the crowd for renowned vocalists Graham Bonnet, Doogie White, Gary Barden and Robin McAuley.


The tour begins in Sweden with an Absolva headline show in Varberg on 4th October, whilst the sequence with Michael Schenker starts in Malaga (Spain) on 27th October. The tour finale is an Absolva headline show at hometown Manchester, Academy 3 on 22nd December.


Says singer/guitarist Chris Appleton “For me it's a real honour and a pleasure to be reunited with guitar legend Michael Schenker who has always been a massive influence on my guitar playing and my career. We toured with him on previous occasions both as Absolva and also previously as Fury UK, which was a great experience, and we are very happy and proud to have gained many loyal fans at those shows”


The line-up on the European tour will be Chris Appleton (lead vocals / lead guitar), Luke Appleton (rhythm guitar / backing vocals), Martin Mcnee (drums), Karl Schramm (bass / backing vocals). 


The full European tour schedule is as follows….

October

4th Sweden, Varberg, Backstage
5th Sweden, Trollhattan , Backstage Rockbar
6th Sweden, Sandviken Metal Club, Sandviken
11th Finland, Helsinki, On The Rocks
13th Finland, Mantyharju, Bar Krouvi
17th Poland, Lublin, Grafitti Klub
18th Poland, Tychy, Underground
19th Poland, Szczecin, Rocker Club
20th Germany, Berlin, Werk 9
21st Germany, Hamburg, Bambi Galore
27th Spain, Malaga, Paris 15 (special guests with Michael Schenker Fest)
28th Spain, Madrid, Sala Riveria (special guests with Michael Schenker Fest))
30th Italy, Milan, Live Club (special guests with Michael Schenker Fest))
31st Switzerland, Pratteln, Z7 (special guests with Michael Schenker Fest))
November
1st Germany, Oberhausen, Turbinenhalle (special guests with Michael Schenker Fest))
2nd Germany, Karlsruhe, Festhalle Durlach (special guests with Michael Schenker Fest))
3rd Netherlands, Melkweg, Amsterdam (special guests with Michael Schenker Fest))
7th Netherlands, Geleen, De Meister
8th Germany, Bochum, Rockpalast
9th Germany, Siegen, Vortex
10th Belgium, Hamme, Rockfest Hall
14th France, Orleans, Blue Devils
15th France, Lyon, Rock n Eat
16th Switzerland, St-Maurice, Manoir Pub
17th Germany, Balingen, Sonnenkeller
18th Germany, Konstanz, Rockbar
23rd Germany, Renchen, Come Inn
24th France, Nancy, Chez Paulette
25th Belgium, Deinze, Café Elpee
29th Germany, Krefeld, Kulturrampe
30th Netherlands, Leiden, Gebr De Nobel
December
1st UK, Reading, Facebarmageddon
2nd UK, Swindon, The Victoria
22nd UK, Manchester, Academy 3

More info at http://www.absolva.com

Hardball - Dirty EP (2018)

Genre - Hard Rock / Garage Rock

Label - Self Released

Track listing:

01 - Dirty

02 - Ballad Of John Fox

03 - Closed For Inventory

Earlier this month I was given the opportunity to take a sneaky listen of the then unmixed debut single, 'Dirty', from new UK rockers Hardball, and was suitably impressed with what I heard. Now hot on the tails the band deliver the mixed debut EP, and what an interesting little beauty it is too!
This debut EP delivers three totally different tracks, 'Dirty' the solid hard rocker of a track that is very much in the vein of Wolfsbane and The Almighty. The next track, 'Ballad Of John Fox', is a completely different monster. A slower dare I say trippyer type of track with a more Indy rock feel, Ala REM or some of the The Wildhearts more trippy moments such as Dreaming In A. 'Ballad Of John Fox is a real gem of a song that truly showcases this new bands versatility as song writers and musicians. Excellent. 
The third and final song is 'Closed For Inventory', a real groover of a track, again showcasing another side to the bands song writing talents.
Considering the fact that the guys that the guys had the courage to record the song live in White Wolf Recording Studios under the guidance of Ian Thompson, this debut EP shows a great deal of promise, and will serve the band well as a sort of demo / taster. Personally I cant wait for the full length album!

Rating: 9/10

Check the guys out for yourself here on the bands Soundcloud page.

The SoapGirls unveil new video Johnny Rotten (2018)

The SoapGirls unveil the video for Johnny Rotten a dark, angst, yet catchy song that is straight from the heart.

Johnny Rotten’s vicious lyrics and hooky chorus shines, with their ever-so-edgy vocals, fuzzed guitar and throbbing bass creating a menacing blast of rock’n’roll

The song is written from the perspective of Marli Van Breda, who survived an axe attack from her brother Henri, who brutally murdered his parents and brother, as they slept.

Henri claimed “it was a random man that broke into their home after finding an the axe 

Johnny Rotten’s vicious lyrics and hooky chorus shines, with their ever-so-edgy vocals, fuzzed guitar and throbbing bass creating a menacing blast of rock’n’roll outside the house. it was so chilling to hear the emergency call made 3 hours after the attack, he was even laughing at some points. we were captivated, disgusted and shocked by the cold blooded evilness so much so we wrote the song.”

Watch now the raw and disturbing Johnny Rotten video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cO5mfEmBCk&feature=youtu.be

Shot it in an abandoned reformatory we see an axe murderer’s anguish as he loses his mind.

The SoapGirls are on their biggest tour to date over 8 months between Europe and UK and have a new album in the wings. However, this year they are experiencing an unbelievable amount of censorship and hate, waking up to find that Facebook had deleted without warning or chance to save years worth of content build up since 2011 the start of their page with almost 100,000 likes and followers.

As their popularity grows, they have been encountering escalating issues with trolls, other bands and more alarmingly a much bigger faceless entity which had the power to have facebook delete the girls fan page of 8 years without justification or warning a monumental loss to the band as they were given no chance to save any of their content but refusing to be thwarted they have since almost 3 weeks ago created a new page with their fans rallying behind them. The constant harrasment impedes on their abilities especially whilst on tour even so much that  Their manager's personal profile is regularly banned for 3 month periods while Noemie's profile has been deleted 4 times in the last week “we receive notification about inciting violence and being a security risk and its alarming to appreciate that there is a bigger nameless entity behind them losing a page and getting answers from facebook is like hitting a brick wall.

“We are enemies of the system and as much as they try to shut us down we will continue to rise against! 

Armed with unforgettable melodies and catchy choruses, The SoapGirls energy, rawness and authenticity live, has earned them a formidable reputation.  Catch the band on their Stinks Like Punk tour.  They promise “pure freedom” and a show that is “unhinged,dramatic,energetic,manically fun and will remind you to live in each moment without fear of judgement. As an audience member you are as much a part of our show as our instruments,you will never be the same”

The SoapGirls write outsider anthems and Johnny Rotten is the third single from their album Societys Rejects, which also features Rather Be Dead and Bad Bitch - listen to the album here: https://open.spotify.com/album/63KEdOR0MbE54hguE6AEqx

Alluring, hypnotic and nonchalant The SoapGirls remind us that music can still be straight to the point, efficient, honest and exciting, so brace yourself for The SoapGirls’s next chapter.

Stink Like Punk UK Tour dates - more to be added 

July 

5^th Worthing, Bar 42

6^th  Welvyn Garden City,  The Green Room

7^th  Outside Cheltenham, Amplified

8^th North Shore Liverpool, Troubadour

12^th Stamford, Mama Liz

13^th Giffard Arms Wolverhampton

14^th Bradford, Underground

20^th Bridgewater, The Cobblestones

21^st Ledbury, Prince of Wales

26^th Exeter, Bierkeller

27^th Bradford upon Avon, 3 Horse Shoes

28^th Doncaster, Wolfpack Live

August 

2^nd  Blackpool, Rebellion Festival

3^rd Blackpool, Rebellion Festival, afterparty

10^th  Fibber Magees Dublin, Ireland

12^th  Staggs Head Dublin,  Ireland

26^th Wigan, Old Courts

Bruce Dickinson - Scream for Me Sarajevo (Music from the Motion Picture) (2018)

Genre - Hard Rock / Heavy Metal

Label - BMG Rights Management (UK) Ltd

Track listing:

01 - Change Of Heart (2001 Remastered Version)

02 - Tears Of The Dragon (2001 Remastered Version)

03 - Gods Of War (2001 Remastered Version)

04 - Darkside Of Aquarius (2001 Remastered Version)

05 - Navigate The Seas Of The Sun

06 - Road To Hell (2001 Remastered Version)

07 - Arc Of Space (2001 Remastered Version)

08 - Omega (2001 Remastered Version)

09 - River Of No Return

10 - Power Of The Sun

11 - Strange Death In Paradise

12 - Inertia (Live)

13 - Acoustic Song (2001 Remastered Version)

14 - Eternal (Tyranny Of Souls Japanese Bonus Track)

Now this one is a strange release for me, not that there is anything at all wrong with it, it is after all a great compilation of the legendary Iron Maiden vocalists (Bruce Dickinson) solo out put. Its just the tracks included make very little sense to me to be honest, and yes I do realise that this release is the official sound track to the critically acclaimed documentary of the same name, that tells the story of Bruce Dickinson's (and his then young band Skunkworks), fabled concert in Sarajevo during the height of the Bosnian War. And that is where my confusion stems from.
Firstly, a little history lesson. The event took place in 1994, with Sarajevo under intense bombardment, Bruce and the band risked their very lives and ignored official safety advice to travel to the city and perform the now legendary concert at the Bosnian Culture Centre (BKC). The entire purpose of the trip, in which Bruce and the guys were literally smuggled in to the besieged area, being to tell the citizens of Sarajevo that they were not being forgotten by the rest of the world, despite their isolation.
Now 'Scream For Me Sarajevo' is not just a concert movie, it also reflects on the people of Sarajevo that were taking drastic measures to endure the brutal hardships of war and their struggle to survive. The critically acclaimed film includes footage of the concert, and the war, recent interviews with Bruce and his band mates, and also follows Bruce as he makes an emotional return to Sarajevo.
This release is the official soundtrack to the film, as previously stated, and includes music that spans the entire length of Bruce's solo career, including a couple of rare tracks, and this is where my confusion stems from. The concert took place in 1994, at the time Bruce had released two solo albums, 1990's Tattooed Millionaire and 1994's Ball To Picasso. He had put together a young band of musicians and was writing and recording songs for the album Skunkworks, which was also the banner under which he and his new band were touring, and would release the said album. So surely only material up until this point should be featured in this movie and on its soundtrack? Yet we have the majority of the material coming from 1997's Accident At Birth and 2005's Tyranny Of Souls albums. Strange, but putting that aside hoe does this soundtrack stand up as an album? Well to be honest very well.
The album opens with 'Change Of Heart', the epic 'Tears Of The Dragon' and 'Gods Of War', all originally from 1994's excellent Balls To Picasso album, that show cases Bruce's versatility and also how much his musical direction had changed since the straight up rock n roll of his debut solo album, 1990's Tattooed Millionaire. Next Up we have the excellent and broodingly heavy 'Darkside Of Aquarius' from 1997's Accident at Birth album which flows into the beautiful almost balladesque track 'Navigate The Seas Of The Sun', which is taken from 2005's Tyranny Of Souls album.
Next up we return the Accident At Birth album for the next three tracks, the rocking 'Road To Hell', co-written with a certain Adrian Smith (Iron Maiden/A.S.A.P./ Psycho Motel). The epic 'Arc Of Space' and the haunting 'Omega'.
The album then returns to Tyranny Of Souls as a source for the next three songs. The brooding atmospheric, 'River Of No Return', the rocking 'Power Of The Sun' and the heavy brooding 'Strange Death In Paradise'.
Next up we have one of this releases rarer tracks in the form of a track from the Skunkworks album, 'Inertia'. This is a live version of the track that was only previously available as a bonus track on the expanded 2005 re-release of Skunkworks. 
This CD's penultimate track is the beautiful 'Acoustic Song', a wonderful acoustic ballad that was previously only available as a bonus track on the 2001 Best Of album (Special Edition). The album closes with 'Eternal', a beautiful almost Pink Floyd type of a song that was previously only available as a bonus track on the Japanese edition of the Tyranny Of Souls album.
So do I understand the track listing in relation to the monumental event that this album and documentary celebrate? No not really, but as a compilation of some of Bruce's finest musical moments, then sure. Scream For Me Sarajevo is a great album / soundtrack that showcases one of Britain's greatest and legendary vocalists at his best in the solo arena.

Very Highly Recommended!!!!!

Rating: 10/10

Walking Papers announce 7 date September UK Tour & unveil new video

Walking Papers are proud to announce a 7 date September UK Tour, for what promises to be one of the essential tours of 2018.

Starting in Nottingham at The Bodega on Wednesday 12^th September, the UK  tour culminates with a show at The Boderline in London on Friday 18^th October. 

“When writing a song, I try to capture a moment. When performing live, I let the moment capture me.” Says Jeff Angell of Walking Papers. “The energy and enthusiasm of the fans in Europe and the UK make that easy to do. Many of the songs on WP2 were written while touring there and I’m excited to bring them back to people and places that inspired them.”

Walking Papers upped the sonic ante with their aptly dubbed second album WP2, released earlier this year from Loud & Proud Records. Once again deploying the in-sync production handiwork of mixmasters Jack Endino (Soundgarden, Nirvana, Mudhoney) and Martin Feveyear (Mark Lanegan, Kings of Leon, Queens of the Stone Age), and Justin Smith (War Paint, Eagles of Death Metal, The Ravonettes, Queens of the Stone Age) WP2 builds on the promising template of the band’s self-titled 2013 debut, which Classic Rock Magazine called “a masterpiece of mood and tension,” and Rolling Stone Magazine echoed “dark, alternately sensual and sinister.” WP2 brings the band into their wholly ascendant second phase with aurally galvanizing statements like the savage, swaggering backbeat of “Death on the Lips,” the anthemic buildup of “Red & White,” and the delicate yet forceful declarative shuffle of “Don’t Owe Me Nothin’.”

Walking Papers elevates Angell’s signature character studies in songs like the explosive “Somebody Else” where he croons: “Outside the city’s waiting / for a chance to prove me wrong / She’s trying to talk me into doing something stupid and doesn’t seem to take her very long.” “I live vicariously through the characters in our songs.” Angell explains “It’s healthier for both society and myself that way.”

 “A song can say in three verses what takes a novel 300 pages to say by what it leaves to the listener’s imagination,” Angell concludes, With WP2, Walking Papers have inked an indelible sonic contract that guarantees your ears will gladly come back for more.

Watch the Walking Papers - Death On The Lips (Garage Sessions) here:

https://vimeo.com/273645552

Walking Papers - "Death On The Lips" - Garage Sessions from Hyper Tuna Productions on Vimeo.

Listen to WP2 here : https://open.spotify.com/album/2vrZjvdJnCYfG4txWRLn6T

Walking Papers UK tour dates 

September 

12^th The Bodega  Nottingham 

13^th The Corporation Sheffield 

14^th Rebellion  Manchester

15^th Newcastle Think Tank 

16^th G2 Glasgow

17^th The Asylum Venue 2 Birmingham 

18^th The Borderline  London

Ticket available from : https://www.songkick.com/artists/5875959-walking-papers

Walking Papers European tour dates

September 

19^th O13  Tliburg  Netherlands 

20^th Petit Bain Paris  France 

21^st Razzmatazz 3Barcelona  Spain

22^th Chango Madrid Spain

24^th De Vedas St Jean France

26^th Dynamo  Zurich  Switzerland 

29^th Nachtleben Frankfurt  Germany 

October 

1^st A38 Budapest  Hungary

2^nd Cafe V Lese  Prague  Czech Republic 

5^th Berlin Bi Nuu Germany

7^th John Dee Oslo  Norway 

8^th Pumpehuset Copenhagen Denmark 

Ticket available from : https://www.songkick.com/artists/5875959-walking-papers