Punk – Page 5 – 7th Level Music

Review: The Chats – Get Fucked

One of the many fun things about The Chats‘ new album, Get Fucked, is that its title can have at least three different interpretations: 1. The Chats (say), “Get fucked.” to all their critics, ticket inspectors, tobacco sellers, stuffed shirts, politicians, and anyone who doesn’t like a good pint or a party now and then. 2. The Chats get fucked over by those mentioned in option #1. 3. The Chats get laid. My theory is that the first option is the closest to their original intention, judging from the album cover and the middle fingers being flipped to everyone – including those of us picking up the album. The cover is supposed to shake you out of your current reality, and the whole record pretty much throws a pint of lager in your face.

The album’s opening track, “6LTR GTR,” gets us off to a gas pedal-stomping start as they rip off a track about a hot rod being driven by a douchebag idiot who doesn’t deserve it. “Struck by Lighting” is even faster and brings to mind both AC/DC and The Ramones with its punk ferocity. You’re almost out of breath by the time we reach “Boggo Breakout” – and that’s only the third track. “Southport Superman” is barely over thirty seconds and feels like a mosh pit erupts in your head.

The build-up of “Panic Attack” gives you a brief respite from the chaos, but soon the vocals are coming at you like a belt-fed machine gun. “Ticket Inspector” has the band railing against a jerk who flaunts power he doesn’t really have. “The Price of Smokes” starts off with blues-like lyrics about not having enough money for rent and smokes and slowly builds into a rager about the Australian economy in general. “Dead on Site” and “Paid Late” keep the fire burning, and “Paid Late” has some of Eamon Sandwith‘s funkiest bass licks. “I’ve Been Drunk in Every Pub in Brisbane” is a great track that we can guess is based on true events.

Not much of your face is left by the time you reach “Out on the Street,” because most of it has been shredded off you by now. New guitarist Josh Hardy has a burning solo on it, and across the whole record. It’s difficult to choose which is best. “Emperor of the Beach” could be an early King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard track with its groove that evolves into a wild, psych-surf punk banger. Matt Boggis‘ cymbals wash over you like ocean waves by the end. The album ends with “Getting Better” – a pep talk of a track that turns into a drag race between nitro-burning hot rods that have time bombs attached to them.

Get in, sit down, shut up, and hold on with this album.

Keep your mind open.

[Get over to the subscription box.]

[Thanks to Jacob at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Chat Pile reminds us that we’re all dong a “Wicked Puppet Dance” on their new single.

There’s a sick irony to how a country that extols rhetoric of individual freedom, in the same gasp, has no problem commodifying human life as if it were meat to feed the insatiable hunger of capitalism. If this is American nihilism taken to its absolute zenith, then God’s Country, the first full length record from Oklahoma City noise rock quartet Chat Pile is the aural embodiment of such a concept.

Having lived alongside the heaps of toxic refuse that the band derives its name from, the fatalism of daily life in the American Midwest permeates throughout the works of Chat Pile, and especially so on God’s Country. Exasperated by the pandemic, the hopelessness of climate change, the cattle shoot of global capitalism, and fueled by “…lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of THC,” God’s Country is as much of an acknowledgement of the Earth’s most assured demise as it is a snarling violent act of defiance against it. Within its over 40 minute runtime, God’s Country displays both Chat Pile’s most aggressively unhinged and contemplatively nuanced moments to date, drawing from its preceding two EPs and its score for the 2021 film, Tenkiller. In the band’s own words, the album is, at its heart, “Oklahoma’s specific brand of misery.” A misery intent on taking all down with it and its cacophonous chaos on its own terms as opposed to idly accepting its otherwise assured fall. This is what the end of the world sounds like.

Watch (+ share) the music video for “Wicked Puppet Dance” on YouTube

In just a couple of years, Chat Pile have made nothing short of a profound impression on the underground music discourse. Formed in the spring of 2019 by Raygun Busch (vocals), Luther Manhole (Guitar), Stin (Bass), and Captain Ron (Drums), the noise-rock quartet would release two EPs that same year, titled This Dungeon Earth and Remove Your Skin Please. Spurred on by both a hearty run of live performances and a swiftly growing online fanbase, Chat Pile became a staple name among its genre contemporaries thanks to its hellish synthesis of noise rock, sludge, industrial, and mid 90’s nu-metal. In 2020, the band would sign with San Francisco underground music label, The Flenser, to put out its upcoming full length debut. That following year, Chat Pile kept its roll going, with accolades including composing the score for the indie film, Tenkiller, as well as releasing a 7” split with portrayal of guilt in the summer.

Now, the world braces itself for the release of Chat Pile‘s Flenser debut God’s Country on July 29th. The album is available for pre-order here and Chat Pile will play select shows this summer and fall.

Chat Pile, live:

July 29 Oklahoma City, OK @ The Sanctuary (Records Release Show)

July 30 Austin, TX @ Chess Club

September 15 Oklahoma City, OK @ The Sanctuary

October 21 Brooklyn, NY @ St. Vitus *

October 24 Brooklyn, NY @ St. Vitus *

*w/ Scarcity

Keep your mind open.

[Dance on over to the subscription box while you’re here.]

[Thanks to Stephanie at Indie Publicity.]

Live: The Psychedelic Furs and X – Andrew J. Bird Music Center – Cincinnati, OH – July 20, 2022

“This place is like the Borg cube of music venues.”

That’s how my friend described the Andrew J. Bird Music Center in downtown Cincinnati. It’s an interesting performance space with good acoustics, but the interior “has no personality,” as she put it. It has a stark industrial feel, and hosting some industrial or goth shows in the place would be ideal. The only fixed seats are in the multiple balconies. The main floor is open, but rows of seats were added for The Psychedelic Furs and X.

This was the second time I’ve seen the Psychedelic Furs. The first was on their “Singles Tour” and this one was promoting their latest record, Made of Rain. First up, however, were L.A. punk legends X. Bassist John Doe mentioned how they’d been playing in a lot of beautiful theaters, but “I keep expecting Tina Turner to come out and tell us we’re in the Thunderdome in this place.” They put on a fun set, with Billy Zoom still shredding both guitar and saxophone, Exene Cervenka blessing the crowd, and D.J. Bonebrake playing both drums and xylophone. People were dancing in the aisles the whole time, and one guy was pogoing front and center for nearly their entire set. Billy Zoom came back out after their set and signed a few autographs.

I knew we were in for a good set from The Psychedelic Furs when they opened their show with “I Wanna Sleep with You” – one of my favorite tracks that I wasn’t sure I’d ever hear live. “Mr. Jones” followed and then the first of many great tracks from Made of Rain, “You’ll Be Mine.”

Other sharp new tracks included Made of Rain‘s opener, “The Boy Who Invented Rock and Roll,” “Wrong Train,” “This’ll Never Be Like Love,” “No-One,” and “Ash Wednesday.” “Their new songs are beautiful,” my friend said. She’s right. Guitarist Rich Good puts more emphasis on the psychedelic part of the band’s sound on these new tracks.

They played plenty of classics, of course, with “The Ghost in You” being the loveliest and “Love My Way” being even more popular with the happy crowd than “Pretty in Pink.”

The encore included a solid version of “Heartbreak Beat” that had everybody dancing and a stunning, beautifully chaotic (as they’d describe it) version of “India” – the first track on their first album. It was another song I wasn’t sure I’d ever hear live, and it was a killer end to a great show. Saxophonist Mars Williams played so hard and with such frenetic passion that we all thought he was going to pass out on stage at one point.

Another highlight is how Richard Butler‘s voice never seems to age, or perhaps it just gets better. He’s still on top of his game, as is the whole band. His brother, Tim Butler, still has that rockstar style and slight menace about him, and the bottom end of his bass is the band’s secret weapon. Keyboardist Amanda Kramer doesn’t go overboard with her playing, which means she’s secretly doing a lot of stuff you can barely comprehend – and she adds a mystery to the band’s stage presence behind her ever-present shades (as does Tim Butler). The band’s new drummer, Zack Alford, has serious chops and ups the volume with pure rock beats.

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe before you go.]

When The Chats claim, “I’ve Been Drunk in Every Pub in Brisbane.”, you tend to believe them.

Aussie punk trio The Chats release a new single/video, “I’ve Been Drunk in Every Pub in Brisbane,” from their new album, GET FUCKED, out August 19th on Bargain Bin Records. Clocking in at just 89 seconds, the rip-roaring track is an entirely unironic celebration of frontman Eamon Sandwith’s first year or two in his new home city. The accompanying video was shot under the influence by the band and their house mate, Rick, who is also in a band with Eamon and Josh called Rick and the Sickos.

“Brisbane is quite a bit hotter than the rest of the country,” says Eamon, “so it’s one of those places where it’s more acceptable to start drinking earlier. I reckon there would be 900 or so pubs that you would have to hit, and I have actually been to a good chunk of them, but if you were go to all of them, it would be hard to even remember which ones you’d been to, and which ones you hadn’t, especially if you’d got fucking pissed.”

WATCH THE CHATS’ VIDEO FOR “I’VE BEEN DRUNK IN EVERY PUB IN BRISBANE”

GET FUCKED is an incendiary, hyper-adrenalized blitz from punk heaven, showcasing an electrifying all-killer-no-filler 13 tracks which perfectly capture the band’s explosive energy. The album, while tackling umpteen eminently relatable beefs ranging from surfer-dude racism to the usual dire impecunity, feels like a classic high-velocity punk-rock party album like they just don’t make ’em anymore – think early Ramones, think MDC’s debut, think invite your mates over and rock hard all weekend. It is, quite simply, another laugh-out-loud, pogo-through-the-floorboards stroke of motherfucking genius.

This fall, The Chats will open for Guns N’ Roses on a Australian and New Zealand tour. A full list of dates can be found below.

WATCH VIDEO FOR “STRUCK BY LIGHTNING”

WATCH THE “6L GTR” VIDEO

PRE-ORDER GET FUCKED

THE CHATS TOUR DATES
Fri. Jul. 22 – Adelaide, AU @ Adelaide Showground
Fri. Jul. 29 – Luxembourg, LU @ Rotondes
Sat. Oct. 8 – Sacramento, CA @ Aftershock Festival
Fri. Nov. 18 – Perth, AU @ Optus Stadium
Tue. Nov. 22 – Brisbane, AU @ Suncorp Stadium
Thu. Nov. 24 – Gold Coast, AU @ Metricon Stadium
Sun. Nov. 27 – Sydney, AU @ Accor Stadium
Sat. Dec. 3 – Melbourne, AU @ Melbourne Cricket Ground
Thu. Dec. 8 – Wellington, NZ @ Sky Stadium
Sat. Dec. 10 – Auckland, NZ @ Eden Park

Keep your mind open.

[Why not subscribe while you’re here?]

[Thanks to Jacob at Pitch Perfect PR.]

The Schizophonics have “Won Your Love” with their new single.

San Diego trio The Schizophonics share the video for “Won Your Love” from their forthcoming fourth album today via Punk News. Watch and share “Won Your Love” HERE. (Direct YouTube.)

The band previously issued the lead single “Desert Girl” via YouTube, Spotify and all other DSPs.

The band just recently wrapped up an extensive tour of Europe, and will be very busy for the next year with tour dates around the world. Please see current dates below.

Over the last few years, The Schizophonics have built up a formidable reputation around the world as an explosive live act. Tapping into the same unstoppable combination of rock ‘n’ roll energy and showmanship that fueled The MC5 in the heyday of the Grande Ballroom, their wild live show is heavily influenced by artists like James Brown, Iggy Pop, Jimi Hendrix, Little Richard, and The Sonics.

Singer/guitarist Pat Beers and drummer Lety Beers formed the band in San Diego in 2009 and have worked tirelessly since then, playing hundreds of shows around the globe. In 2013 they were recruited as the backing/opening band for El Vez, which helped the band make a name for itself in Europe. Since then, they’ve played in numerous countries, and supported tours by like-minded acts like Rocket From The Crypt, Little Barrie, The Woggles and have opened for the Damned, DEVO, The Hives and Cage The Elephant. Shindig Magazine described their live show “Like watching some insane hybrid of WAYNE KRAMER, JAMES BROWN, and the Tasmanian Devil.”

The band is more than just a live act; they’re also committed to writing great memorable songs. Their new album Hoof It on Pig Baby Records due in Fall 2022 was recorded by Dean Reis at Singing Serpent studio (Plosivs, RFTC) and mixed by Steve Kaye at Sun King Studios.

Hoof It will be available on LP, CD and download on September 2nd, 2022 via Pig Baby Records. Pre-orders are available HERE.

THE SCHIZOPHONICS LIVE 2022:

07/22 & 23 Saint Paul, Quebec, CA – Le Festif! De Baie Saint Paul

09/07 Boise, ID – Neurolux

09/08 Yakima, WA – Punks Bar

09/09 Seattle, WA – Substation

09/10 Portland, OR – Dante’s

09/11 Eugene, OR – Old Nick’s

09/13 Albany, CA – Ivy Room

09/14 San Jose, CA – The Ritz

09/15 Santa Cruz, CA – Moe’s Alley

09/17 Los Angeles, CA – Zebulon

09/23 San Diego, CA – The Casbah

10/21 Los Angeles, CA – Permanent Records Roadhouse

11/03 Indianapolis, IN – Lo-Fi

11/04 Cincinnati, OH – Motr Pub

11/05 Columbus, OH – Ace of Cups

11/06 Pittsburgh, PA – Club Cafe

11/07 Baltimore, MD – Ottobar

11/08 Washington, DC – City Winery

11/10 Philadelphia, PA – Kung Fu Necktie

11/11 Brooklyn, NY – TV Ete

11/12 New Haven, CT – Cafe Nine

11/13 Providence, RI – Alchemy

11/14 Boston, MA – Middle East

11/16 Montreal, QC – Casa Del Popolo

11/17 Toronto, ON – The Baby G

11/18 Rochester, NY – Bug Jar

11/19 Cleveland, OH – Beachland Tavern

11/21 Detroit, MI – PJ’s Lager House

11/22 Chicago, IL – Schuba’s

11/23 Milwaukee, WI – Shank Hall

11/25 Minneapolis, MN – Icehouse

11/26 Green Bay, WI – Lyric Room

Keep your mind open.

[You can win my love by subscribing.]

[Thanks to Dave at US / THEM Group.]

The Chats floor it on their new single, “6L GTR.”

Australian punks The Chats announce their new album, GET FUCKED, out August 19th on the band’s own label, Bargain Bin Records, and share a new single/video, “6L GTR.” The announcement arrives in the midst of their North American tour (tickets on sale now). Their debut full-length, High Risk Behaviour, dropped just as the pandemic struck, and The Chats have duly been through the same frustrating two years of broken dreams and shredded itineraries as every other combo. Undeterred and now stocked to overflowing with frustration and fury, they strike back with GET FUCKED, an incendiary, hyper-adrenalized blitz from punk heaven, showcasing a rockin’ new guitarist, and an electrifying all-killer-no-filler 13 tracks which perfectly capture the band’s explosive energy. It is, quite simply, another laugh-out-loud, pogo-through-the-floorboards stroke of motherfucking genius.

WATCH THE CHATS’ VIDEO FOR “6L GTR”

The Chats took lockdown as a chance to plan their next move, which is when they enlisted Josh Hardy after the departure of their last guitarist. Sometime in ’21, Eamon Sandwith, Matt Boggis and Hardy decamped to southern Queensland to write at their friend’s place, Vinny’s Dive Bar. Once they’d worked up a rollicking batch of new tunes, they had actually planned to record again near Melbourne, with Billy Gardner, who produced High Risk Behaviour, but due to pandemic border closures, they nailed it instead in six days at Brisbane’s Hunting Ground facility with Cody McWaters, who’d worked on a single for Eamon’s other band, Headlice.

“They weren’t like hardcore working days,” Eamon reveals, “we would start at 11 and finish at 4, and in the middle of that we’d go to the pub for lunch for two hours, and have a few beers. Then we’d go, ‘Oh shit, we better go back and do some recording!’ Our work etiquette wasn’t great.” Consequently, GET FUCKED, while tackling umpteen eminently relatable beefs ranging from surfer-dude racism to the usual dire impecunity, feels like a classic high-velocity punk-rock party album like they just don’t make ’em anymore – think early Ramones, think MDC’s debut, think invite your mates over and rock hard all weekend.

GET FUCKED opens with “6L GTR,” a swingeing takedown of a speed-crazed status-symbol driver – a critique piqued when Eamon spotted the titular licence plate in an airport carpark. “I don’t even know if the car itself was actually a six-liter GTR or anything,” he chuckles. “To be honest with you, I don’t even know what a car like that would look like! I can’t drive! That was the thing, we were just trying to get into this dude’s head.” The video was made by animator and illustrator Marco Imov who spent days creating the band in character form. “They hinted that it would be cool if instead of being directly about the car, it should be about the band wanting the car,” explains Marco. “From there it kind of wrote itself down.”

The more you listen to it, the more you realize that there was only one plausible title for this second Chats album. After all the incarceration and boredom, The Chats are in peak match fitness to deliver the excitement we all crave for the months ahead.

WATCH VIDEO FOR “STRUCK BY LIGHTNING”

GET FUCKED TRACKLIST
1. 6L GTR
2. Struck By Lightning
3. Boggo Road
4. Southport Superman
5. Panic Attack
6. Ticket Inspector
7. The Price of Smokes
8. Dead on Site
9. Paid Late
10. I’ve Been Drunk In Every Pub In Brisbane
11. Out On The Street
12. Emperor of the Beach
13. Getting Better

THE CHATS TOUR DATES
Mon. Jun. 27 – Paris, FR @ La Maroquinerie
Tue. Jun. 28 – Brussels, BE @ La Botanique
Fri. Jul. 1 – Werchter, BE @ Rock Werchter 2022
Mon. Jul. 4 – Amsterdam, NL @ Melkweg
Tue. Jul. 5 – Berlin, DE @ SO36
Wed. Jul. 6 – Hamburg, DE @ Moltow Backyard
Thu. Jul. 7 – Cologne, DE @ Gebäude
Fri. Jul. 22 – Adelaide, AU @ Adelaide Showground
Fri. Jul. 29 – Luxembourg, LU @ Rotondes
Sat. Oct. 8 – Sacramento, CA @ Aftershock Festival

Keep your mind open.

[Zoom over to the subscription box while you’re here.]

[Thanks to Jacob at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Live: Midnight Oil – Riviera Theatre – Chicago, IL – June 10, 2022

I got to Chicago’s Riviera Theatre too late to catch Leah Flanagan‘s solo acoustic set, but I did see that she had a good number of people paying rapt attention to her as she played her last song.

Midnight Oil, on their final tour, had packed the venue. The Riviera always seems to be about fifteen degrees warmer than outside of the building – and certainly more humid – and the night of June 10, 2022 was no exception. At least two people had to be helped from the main floor due to heat exhaustion during Midnight Oil’s set.

The Australian powerhouses put on a killer show that lasted over two hours and had two encores.

The first thing you notice when you see Midnight Oil is that lead singer Peter Garrett‘s voice has lost none of its power. He was hitting high notes and punk rage screams right out of the gate on “Nobody’s Child.” They thanked the Chicago crowd, stating that the city had always been good to them throughout their career.

There were a lot of great cuts, both new and classics. “Truganini” had everyone jumping. “Gadigal Land” and “The Dead Heart” had everyone singing along. It was also cool to hear “Kosciusko,” an oldie but goodie, and, of course, “Beds Are Burning” is still as powerful as it was when it was first released.

There was also, as to be expected at a Midnight Oil show, plenty of political talk and activism. The band highlighted the plights of Native Australians and Americans, the climate change crisis, the absurdity of the U.S. health care industry, and the circus of our political climate.

“King of the Mountain” and “Dreamworld,” each in its own encore, had everyone pumping their fists and getting charged up to change the world – which is always what Midnight Oil have wanted us to do.

Don’t miss them if they’re near you, or even if they’re a long drive away. Again, it’s their final tour. They’ve stated that they will continue to make music, but this is your last chance to see them live. They’re not the kind of band to do multiple “last tours” for a cash grab. They keep their word.

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe before you go.]

Max Creeps warn us of modern technology with their new single “The Internet Killed Me.”

Max Creeps, the legendary punk forefathers who recently announced their break-up, reunion, and debut album, Nein (May 13, Velocity Records), have released a black and white performance video for “The Internet Killed Me” (https://www.revolvermag.com/music/max-creeps-hear-mysterious-punk-duos-new-rager-internet-killed-me), showcasing the duo’s pre-hardcore chops.

“’The Internet Killed Me’ is a euphemism for being killed – by the internet – literally and figuratively. You wouldn’t know it until it actually happens to you. I mean the internet LITERALLY killed me. AND the internet FIGURATIVELY killed me. It’s up to you to know the difference. Be afraid. Be VERY afraid,” said Max Blastic of the :58 second song that was written after P.C. Bullshit was erroneously reported dead via the r/punk Subreddit.

Bullshit and Blastic previously shared the “Burn It Down” video (https://youtu.be/EyDaVp3ReL0), which came on the heels of an outpouring of accolades and testimonials from fans and friends upon news of the influential band’s implosion. “I feel we’ve made the record we meant to have made back in the day. If the topics seem familiar, well, WE WROTE THEM FIRST,” Blastic said as the joyous reunion and album news arrived. “I don’t actually REMEMBER what the songs are about but I KNOW we were the first and the best. We were and are ALWAYS the first and best.”

Blastic is the featured guest on this week’s episode of The Punk News Podcast (listen here), discussing the infamous $262 gas bill that led to the untimely break-up, Nein, and the duo’s forthcoming tour.

Nein pre-orders are available now (https://linktr.ee/maxcreeps) with several, limited-edition vinyl variants available via U.S. and international retailers, Maxcreeps.com and Project M (Revolver, Brooklyn Vegan, The Hard Times).

The “Nobody Cares About You – Part One!” tour dates:

June 3 Pioneertown, CA

June 4 Chicago, IL

June 5 Las Vegas, NV

June 6 Albuquerque, NM

June 7 Tucson, AZ

June 8 Phoenix, AZ

June 9 Baltimore, MD

June 10 Norfolk, VA

June 11 Raleigh, NC

June 12 Athens, GA

June 13 Jacksonville, FL

June 14 St. Petersburg, FL

June 15 Orlando, FL

June 16 Ft. Lauderdale, FL

June 17 San Diego, CA

June 18 Anaheim, CA

June 19 Ventura, CA

June 20 San Luis Obispo, CA

June 21 Santa Cruz, CA

June 22 San Francisco, CA

June 23 Sacramento, CA

June 24 Reno, NV

June 25 Boise, ID

June 26 Bend, OR

June 27 Vancouver, BC

June 28 Seattle, WA

June 29 Portland, OR

June 30 Salt Lake City, UT

June 31 Denver, CO

July 1 Lawrence, KS

July 2 St. Louis, MO

July 3 Boston, MA

July 4 Washington, DC

July 5 San Antonio, TX

July 6 Houston, TX

July 7 Dallas, TX

Tickets for all dates are on-sale in May.

Keep your mind open.

[I promise that subscribing won’t kill you.]

[Thanks to Monica at Speakeasy PR.]

The Chats come back with new single, “Struck By Lightning” – which describes how it hits you.

Australian punks The Chats unleash “Struck By Lightning,” their first new tune and video of 2022. It follows their 2020 debut album, High Risk Behaviour, “an album you can blast on the highway while going 90 or one that you can watch live and get drunk and crowd-surf to” (Consequence). “Struck By Lightning” is a fast, furious, 100-second blitz from punk heaven. It shows the Queensland trio revitalized post-pandemic and toting a ripping new guitarist, Josh Hardy. Following a Chats jam session, singer/bassist Eamon Sandwith went home and wrote a song about getting struck by lightning, like how you would feel, and what would happen. “People can’t grow their hair back and shit,” he says. “It’s weird – especially the whole no-eyebrows thing. That would be really scary! I’m really hoping that this doesn’t happen to me, now I’ve written a song about it.”

Eamon got a taste of the storm gods’ revenge in the accompanying video, directed by NAME.. It shows the band, including drummer Matt Boggis, playing in a shed, before being hit by unexpected bolts of lightning. “It’s a silly video, and I reckon I did like seven or eight takes of this stunt, where I was hoisted in the air at a fast speed, straight off my feet,” says Eamon. “That night, we were doing a show, and I had this headache. I guess the stunt work had fucked with my head, and I started throwing up while I was playing. The thing is, the crowd loved it, and they went off about me throwing up even more than they did for any song we played.”

WATCH THE CHATS’ VIDEO FOR “STRUCK BY LIGHTNING”

The Chats took lockdown as a chance to plan their next move, which is when they enlisted Hardy after the departure of their last guitarist. “He’s been a good friend of ours for years. After our old guitarist Pricey left, me and Matt had a conversation, like, ‘If we can’t get Josh, we might just not carry on.’ Luckily, he was willing to join, and we got right into it, writing songs and stuff. We were like, this is unreal – so good!” The freshly-minted line-up broke in their new recruit via a bunch of shows in Oz between lockdowns, and duly cut “Struck By Lightning.”

Next week, The Chats will kick off their UK tour. Following, they’ll bring their live show across North America, where they will play some cities for the first time ever. Then, they’ll continue their tour in Europe. A full list of dates can be found below.

THE CHATS TOUR DATES

Mon. Apr. 25 – El Paso, TX @ Lowbrow Palace
Tue. Apr. 26 – Houston, TX @ The Bronze Peacock at House of Blues
Wed. Apr. 27 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s Austin
Thu. Apr. 28 – Dallas, TX @ House of Blues – Cambridge Room
Sat. Apr. 30 – Nashville, TN @ Basement East
Sun. May 1 – Atlanta, GA @ Buckhead Theatre
Tue. May 3 – Columbia, SC @ The Senate
Wed. May 4 – Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage
Thu. May 5 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
Fri. May 6 – Warrendale, PA @ Jergel’s Rhythm Grille
Sat. May 7 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
Sun. May 8 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry @ The Fillmore – SOLD OUT
Tue. May 10 – Montreal, QC @ Foufounes Électriques
Wed. May 11 – Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground – SOLD OUT
Thu. May 12 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop – SOLD OUT
Fri. May 13 – Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar
Sat. May 14 – Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
Sun. May 15 – St. Paul, MN @ Amsterdam Bar & Hall – SOLD OUT
Tue. May 17 – Lawrence, KS @ The Bottleneck
Wed. May 18 – Omaha, NE @ Slowdown
Fri. May 20 – Denver, CO @ Marquis Theatre – SOLD OUT
Sun. May 22 – Daytona Beach, FL @ Welcome to Rockville 2022
Wed. May 25 – Seattle, WA @ El Corazon – SOLD OUT
Thu. May 26 – Portland, OR @ McMenamins Crystal Ballroom
Fri. May 27 – Vancouver, BC @ Hollywood Theatre – SOLD OUT
Mon. Jun. 27 – Paris, FR @ La Maroquinerie
Tue. Jun. 28 – Brussels, BE @ La Botanique
Fri. Jul. 1 – Werchter, BE @ Rock Werchter 2022
Mon. Jul. 4 – Amsterdam, NL @ Melkweg
Tue. Jul. 5 – Berlin, DE @ SO36
Wed. Jul. 6 – Hamburg, DE @ Moltow Backyard
Thu. Jul. 7 – Cologne, DE @ Gebäude
Fri. Jul. 22 – Adelaide, AU @ Adelaide Showground
Fri. Jul. 29 – Luxembourg, LU @ Rotondes
Sat. Oct. 8 – Sacramento, CA @ Aftershock Festival

Keep your mind open.

[Strike the subscription box while you’re here.]

[Thanks to Jacob at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Jon Spencer and the Hitmakers announce new album and tour.

Get ready for JON SPENCER & the HITmakers to BURN your playhouse down with their new long-player, SPENCER GETS IT LIT! The incredible, indelible Jon Spencer (Blues Explosion, Boss Hog, Pussy Galore, Heavy Trash, etc) is back with the incendiary HITmakers  - and with his HOTTEST record yet! 

Spencer Gets It Lit is classic Jon Spencer taken to the extremis – electro-boogie, constructivist art pop, a psychedelic swamp of industrial sleaze and futurist elegance. It is an epic master work of freak beat from the world’s weirdest garage. Across brain-boggling layers of fury, fuzz guitar, and a crash-bang battery of phaser blasts, photon torpedoes, and otherworldly zounds, he frantically spits, croons, rhapsodizes, and seduces.

Spencer Gets It Lit is his most complex and groovy record in years, a dark, danceable odyssey – both a studied take-down of the early 21st century, and a celebration of the place where electricity meets the mind. Thirteen wicked hot songs of love, loss, lust, life — from the Farfisa-fueled,warped psycho -punk rave-up of “Junk Man,” to the intimate lover’s plea of “My Hit Parade,” to the outer-space end-of-days country funk of “Worm Town,” Spencer Gets It Lit delivers all of the friction, excitement, and post-modern depravity one could ever ask for!

Says Spencer, “Send out the Hit Signal! This is the most uncompromising album I’ve ever made!” And the HITs just keep on coming! THIS JUST IN! Taking over drum duties for the HITmakers on their upcoming spring tour will be superstar of skins Janet Weiss of Sleater-Kinney, Quasi, Wild Flag, The Jicks, Slang, etc. etc!!! Wait… What’s that? There’s more? Every show will be opened by a full set from Janet and HITmaker Sam Coomes championship tag-team, Quasi! Guaranteed to be a tour for the ages!!! True heroes of the underground! Freak forces combined and multiplied in this indie-rock dream bill!

TOUR: 4/11 Buffalo, NY Rec Room

4/12 Toronto, ON Lee’s Palace

4/13 Detroit, MI El Club

4/14 Chicago, IL Schubas

4/15 Milwaukee, WI Back Room at Colectivo

4/16 Minneapolis, MN 7^th Street Entry

4/18 Omaha, NE Waiting Room

4/19 Denver, CO Globe Hall

4/20 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge

4/21 Boise, ID Neurolux

4/22 Portland, OR Dantes

4/23 Vancouver, BC Fox Cabaret

4/24 Seattle, WA Madame Lou’s (The Crocodile Second Stage)

4/26 San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill

4/27 Los Angeles, CA The Echo

4/28 San Diego, CA Casbah

4/29 Tucson, AZ 191 Toole

4/30 Phoenix, AZ Valley Bar

5/01 Santa Fe, NM Tumbleroot Brewery & Distillery

5/02 Colorado Springs, CO The Black Sheep

5/03 Wichita, KS Wave

5/04 Kansas City, MO Record Bar

5/05 St. Louis, MO Blueberry Hill Duck Room

5/06 Indianapolis, IN Hi-Fi

5/07 Louisville, KY Zanzabar

5/08 Charlottesville, VA The Southern

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Jo Murray.]