Feature bands
Special guests
Whenever great American Hard Rock bands from the 80īs tour Europe they always play England, Italy and Spain. Personally I travel to England to experience the music I love. I have been there several times and I gotta praise the English promoters, since they always give locals bands the opportunity to open those gigs.
The focus of this article is the underground Rock/Sleaze/Hard Rock scene in London. These London bands have torn up Camden Underworld, The Dublin Castle, Purple Turtle etc. The London Rock scene is still alive and kicking! Whenever in London please go out and support those local bands (instead of getting drunk at the Intrepid Fox in Soho)
Jack Viper
Jack Viper certainly carries on the 80īs Rock flame with attitude packed raw rock. If you are into bands like Junkyard and Little Caesar Jack Viper is your band. The band is a bit rawer than the regular sleaze band mainly caused by singer Jay Rīs voice that certainly burns through the music.
The band plays lots of support slots in London and the have also supported L.A. Guns on a recent German tour.
Jack Viper has released a couple of EPīs and they are very active pursuing a musical career. Their latest demo EP "Murder 1" contains 3 tracks
Blown Away is built on a great riff. The chorus sounds like it's sung by a handful of hangarounds from the local bar. There isn't that many bands you can compare to Jack Viper, but the fast paced rocker
Blown Away reminds me of Junkyard.
Walk the Line is my favorite. The melody is great and spiced with layers of guitar from Eddie Shredder (great name).
Murder City Blues continues the tradition of fast paced Motorhead Rock NīRoll layered with guitars. The riff sounds like it's inspired by Van Halenīs
Hot for Teacher
This is a demo and the sound is a bit dark, but don't let that frighten you since it doesn't overshadow the potential of Jack Viper.
This is definitely rock for beer drinkers and hell raisers, which works better on stage than on CD. I don't have any further information, since this is a CDR with no press info, but visit Jack Viperīs
website for more information.
Kid Ego
Kid Ego was formed in York 2004, but has been a visible part of the London scene the past years.
Kid Ego is on the fast track to establish them as a significant English Rock band. In October 2005 the band embarked on a 15 date tour of England and the band just played the infamous Cruefest with a US tour to follow.
Kid Ego also has a debut CD out titled "Ignite the Tide". I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised of the capabilities of this multi faced band. Their sound is rooted in the 70īs rock and punk scene. However, you cannot bracket them together with 70īs names since they play a shape of Sleazy Hard Rock. Sometimes with modern influence and all of a sudden the band sounds like a dead ringer of Black Sabbath on
Flirtin With īSuicide.
The "Ignite the Tide" highlights are
Lady Conniver, the melodic
Heartbreak Hooker and the tough
Till I Die.
Kid Ego has power and drive in all their songs. Sometimes they test the boundaries of their style - best exemplified on
UFO.
Sweet Bectoria is an unusual song, but Kid Ego succeeds in making these songs, because they sound like Kid Ego. The keyword is "originality".
The production of the album is excellent and what first struck me were the guitars, which sound quite unique.
Go checkout Kid Ego "Ignite the Tide" yourself. These guys blend every aspect of Rock and make it work in their own original shape.
Visit Kid Ego on the World Wide Web. They might be gigging in your neighborhood.
http://www.kidego.co.uk/
http://www.myspace.com/kidego
Nothin' To Lose
Imagine the first L.A. Guns record with Steve Vai doing the solos - that is what Nothin' To Lose sounds like!
NothinīTo Lose is from London's art center Camden Town. The band has only been around for a little more than a year and since these guys all are in their early 20īs this could be the future of English Hard Rock.
Nothin' to Lose has already recorded a 5 track EP.
Nothinīto Lose has canalized all their youthful energy into the song
Bad Habit. The song is so powerful but still kept within the boundaries of classic Hard Rock. Guitarist Mick Priestly attacks his guitar like a hungry Ethiopian would attack a McDonalds restaurant.
The title
Cheap N nasty is in line with the Sleaze/Hard Rock scene that Nothinīto Lose identifies them-selves with. However, Nothinīto Lose definitely is a breath of fresh air on this scene and among this years best newcomer.
Wasted slows down the pace, but yet driven by a great chord progression. Singer Max Pornscar (great name) sounds pretty good and Pornscar's vocals have a snotty attitude.
The two last songs
If you wanna fight and
Sheīs gone Crazy doesn't match the other 3 songs on the EP. Common denominator is great leads and solos from Mick Priestly - he sure sounds like an up-coming axe hero. The chorus for
She's gone Crazy is too similar in melody to
Wasted, so the guys need to vary their song writing.
I am really excited about this one and look forward to next time these guys hit the studio. Of course there are a few sharp edges but these guys are young and if they continue I foretell that they could be a major band on the scene in just a few years. Till then I press repeat and once again play
Bad Habit and
Cheap n Nasty - What a couple of top class songs.
This demo is amazing, so go find their next London gig and show them your support. Visit NothinīTo Lose on
Myspace for sounds and further information.
Drugdealer Cheerleader
Since a UK tour in 2003
Drugdealer Cheerleader has become personal favorites on the London scene. The band rocks so much on stage and always puts on a great enjoyable show.
The band will release their debut single
I Don't Wanna Go to School around September. RevelationZ Magazine got a
preview when we visited Drugdealer Cheerleader in London's Fortress studios and both the A side plus the 2 B sides sounds very promising.
Red Star Rebels
Red Star Rebels is based in Luton just outside London and Red Star Rebels have established themselves as a popular live act in the London area. The band has opened for many international Hard Rock acts and has another big tour with Faster Pussycat/Beautiful Creatures in the can.
Be sure to check their web site since they play tons of dates in England. You can also visit their
Myspace where they have a couple of new tunes for ya. I recommend
Nikki Heartache
