- 9 June: Mirror Revelations – ‘Ignea’ LP - eyeplug.net/magazine – eyeplug.net/magazine
It’s been around 3 years since the release of debut album ‘Aura’ and it appears that during that time there has been a major transformation. This is Mirror Revelations uncaged and letting go; ‘Ignea’ is harder faster and more aggressive; maximum propulsion from the bass and drums, maximum power from the churning synth violence. While … - 8 June: Eyeplug speaks with Mirrorball Author Kevin Dowling - eyeplug.net/magazine – eyeplug.net/magazine
A young teenager in the late 70’s I grew up on one of the large council estates that crowded in on Millwall FC. One of my earliest memories is hearing a loud roar reverberate around the tower blocks and asking my dad ‘what’s that?’ He replied in his thick Dublin accent, ‘That’s Millwall scoring... You don’t hear it much.’ At 16 I left school without any qualifications but somehow managed to blag my way into a job at Barclays Bank making tea and licking envelopes. When they caught up with my lack of qualifications they must have liked my tea because rather than sack me they made me enrol in Night school where I got the requisite four ‘O’ Levels including English Language and English Literature. From there I went on to have a mediocre career of long hours that paid the bills. - 28 May: Upupayama – Honesty Flowers - eyeplug.net/magazine – eyeplug.net/magazine
Sometimes you pick up records thinking you know what you’re going to get and expecting to be in familiar territory….this one caught me off-guard and most definitely took me to places I didn’t anticipate..Upupayama (essentially Alessio Ferrari who plays all the instruments on the records) have released 3 studio albums and one live set over … - 4 April: ‘IV’ by White Canyon and The 5th Dimension - eyeplug.net/magazine – eyeplug.net/magazine
If you are at all familiar with the previous 3 album releases by White Canyon & The 5th Dimension you’ll have some idea of what to expect from their latest release ‘IV’ – their swirling, 60s-tinged psych rock infused sound remains but things have not stayed the same and the sonic and lyrical world … - 27 March: Acme Boy By Phil Strongman interview by Jay Strongman - eyeplug.net/magazine – eyeplug.net/magazine
Interview with Phil Strongman by Jay Strongman on Phil’s new book ‘ACME BOY – The Birth Of Punk & Anti-Fashion’ When I first took my kid brother Phil down to Chelsea’s Acme Attractions in the King’s Road, in the late summer of 1975, I had no idea that he’d be designing clothes for them a … - 12 February: HELICON X AL LOVER ‘Arise’ - eyeplug.net/magazine – eyeplug.net/magazine
Helicon have been flying high for a few years now but have just raised their game even further and are set to blow the musical landscape wide open with this one; ‘Arise’ – just released on Fuzz Club – is a game changer right from the beginning of the opening, title track. Once it swirls … - 15 January: Tearing up God’s living room… - eyeplug.net/magazine – eyeplug.net/magazine
An early dose of salvation delivered to us for the new year…Golden Hours are back with ‘Beyond Wires’, following up 2023s self-titled debut…and they’re back with a lush evocative masterpiece, once more on Fuzz Club records. The latest offering is as dark and poetic as you’d expect given the previous release and the history and … - 13 June: Mellowmaker – new Black Market Karma album on Fuzz Club records - eyeplug.net/magazine – eyeplug.net/magazine
The Black Market Karma journey continues….it seems like Stanley Belton, who writes and records all the sounds on this album, is currently firing out these nuggets at will and each time takes us further into his world, revealing more of his vision. ‘Mellowmaker’ is a close relation and perfect companion to last years ‘Wobble’ also … - 1 June: Totally wired – ‘Monkeypunch’ by The Dirt - eyeplug.net/magazine – eyeplug.net/magazine
‘Are you angry?’ asks Jack Horner shortly after The Dirt launch into ‘End Game’ the second track on their second album ‘Monkeypunch’. He clearly is and so should we be too – if we’re not angry at the state of the country and the world at this point in history we may as well all … - 26 February: The Men ‘Buyer Beware’ - eyeplug.net/magazine – eyeplug.net/magazine
I have to confess to not being aware of The Men until Fuzz Club released their ‘New York City’ record in 2023 and the album length ‘Sessions’ shortly after. Turns out they’ve been around for a good while and released a wealth of music; listening back to older productions they’ve got a distinctive sound, but … - 2 December: Stuffed Foxes ‘Standardized’ - eyeplug.net/magazine – eyeplug.net/magazine
Bristol’s Stolen Body Records have a real knack for unearthing a range of disparate bands and bringing them to our attention, with no genre shackles holding them down – early champions of acts like Al Lover and Ivan The Tolerable and in recent years being a big part of the rise of the likes of … - 14 November: Diminished Responsibility: My Life as a U.K Sub and other strange stories Volume III, by Alvin Gibbs - eyeplug.net/magazine – eyeplug.net/magazine
Chances are if you’ve read this far you’re already familiar with the legendary U.K. Subs and their place in punk rock history. Their debut album was the first punk record I ever bought (and probably only the third of any sort) so they’ve been part of my life for a very long time, and I …
