The Wolfmen Go Wild After Dark

“Aaaaaooooowwww” that's me last Wednesday after being left bitten and buzzing by The Wolfmen.

Formed by Marco Pirroni (guitarist and co-writer in Adam's Ants ) and Chris Constantinou (bass playing ex Ant) I caught them strutting like roosters, and stomping like champs live and unleashed at the Islington Academy last week. Opening with a thundering cover of Eno's 'Needle in The Camel's Eye' The Wolfmen tore the place up with a snarling, snapping set of their own two fisted tunes and GlamGaragePunk all fired out with the vibe of vintage Roxy Music, and spirit of Johnny Thunders and Marc Bolan jamming down at Devil Gate Drive.

The Wolfmen's songs Cecile, Jackie Says, While London Sleeps are all hugely infectious (spin them up below) and highlight why Adam Ant went from being the King of Indie clang with 'Dirk' to King of The Wild Frontier and the Prince Charming of Pop after hooking up with Marco as a songwriter. But there’s more to this Wolf pack than tattooed knuckled sugar Pop Punk , Two Eyes is all space age breakbeats and Bhangra anthems wrapped in screaming guitars, flutes and sitars with a lead vocal from Daler Mehndi (Daler was unable to make the gig unfortunately, having being detained for something dodgy) but the celebrity credit rating was still high with endorsement from gig attendees Pete Shelley,Simone Stenfors, and Radio One's Bobby Friction all going wild for the Wolfmen.

If you like Rock that sparkles and Pop that wallops watch out for The Wolfmen in case they're prowling and preening near you soon.

Get your teeth into these Rollerball rockers

The Wolfmen - Cecile


The Wolfmen - Jackie Says


Then check out The Wolfmen sites for dates and details of gigs and releases
The wolfmen - Myspace site
The wolfmen - official site

Wolves In Chic Clothing - Marco Pirroni (Part 1)

Chelmsford Odeon, December 13th 1980 - Adam and The Ants are on the final few dates of their Frontier Tour, the audience is split 90/10 in favour of spiky spitting punks over shiny new pop fans. An enthusiastic, energetic punch up between skuffling skinheads and mad eyed mohicans bubbles away in front of the stage until eventually Adam has to stop the band and scream at the scrappers "it's not 1977 anymore". The fight fizzles out and the show goes on all punchy double drums with glam twang guitars. And there's me a trembly teen at his first 'grown up' gig watching wide eyed at the back .

Fast forward 27 years. The Islington Academy, November 14th 2007 - it's The Wolfmen's debut gig, slinking on stage they kick start with a spectacular sizzler - but hang on a mo' isn't that one of my favourite Eno tunes with added Roxy riffing? Now it's glam garage guitars, flute solos and sitars sharing the same stage, and what's that about the special guest star Dahler Mendhi? He's unable make the gig due to an interview with Her Majesty's finest, not a problem as the show goes on all snap, snarl and sparkle. And there's me a seasoned salty ol' gig goer watching wide eyed at the bar.

I thought The Wolfmen’s debut show last November was a stormer what were your feelings on it?

I think we pulled it off,we got away with it - we were rough, ready and raw which is great. One odd thing about doing this for 30 years is I do not have the ability to make mistakes any more which I miss,sometimes the best things come out of unpredictability...thats my excuse for not turning up to rehearsals and I'm sticking to it!

The set opened with Eno’s ‘Needles in the Camels Eye’ which is an inspired choice of cover version. Did you try out any other covers before ‘Needles’? And are there any more lined up for the future?

No we haven't as yet worked on other covers, but at some point I would like to try 'Homosapien'by Pete Shelley,'Don't split It' by The Subway Sect ,'The Telephone Call' by Kraftwerk (don't ask me how we are going to do that!), 'Theres A Ghost In My House' by R.Dean Taylor and even maybe 'Sounds Of The Underground' by Girls Aloud or 'House Of Love' by East 17, but at the moment we are working on our stuff so don't expect these anytime soon. I think covers should be worked on in downtime for fun.

Everyone I've played Wolfmen material to is always hooked after a couple of plays, where do you start when writing new songs and what comes first the catchy tunes or rocky swagger?

Catchy tunes come first every time. Rock swagger is easy,we've had enough practice at that - I learnt Rock swagger before I could even play!

There's some eclectic instrumentation on several tracks flute, harmonica over growling guitars. Do you write with a view to adding these touches, or does it get worked up later?

We think about it later,there's always a space where we think "what can we do here?" shall we just stick yet another guitar solo over it or make an attempt at something different? Chris is a bit of a multi-instrumentalist so that comes in handy,I can only play the guitar and the intro to 'Virginia Plain' on a Stylophone,but to be frank I don't get much call for that these days.

(I can also play 'Run Run Run' by the Velvet Underground on drums, but again that talent is not in demand anymore...well it never was.)

The Wolfmen are start their residency at the Embassy club tomorrow( future dates and details are on The Wolfmen Myspace site), are there any plans for a UK or international tour after this?

It all depends if people want us, we are in talks about touring India at the moment but it's early days yet.

Who were the guitarists or artists that inspired you to pick up a guitar? And are you self taught?

Mick Ronson,Phil Manzanera,Marc Bolan,Link Wray,Pete Townsend and yes I am self taught (Steve Jones is also in my hero list but no way am I admitting that to him) .

If you could choose anyone dead or alive to jam with, or join The Wolfmen for one track who would it be and on what song?

I'd love Andy Mackay to come down and do something, or Simon House to do some violin but we don't have the song yet, when we do I'll be straight on the phone. And of course the great, incredible and unbelievable Ms Mo Tucker who ranks with Keith Moon as greatest rock drummer of all time!

The Wolfmen - 'Cecilie'

The Wolfmen - 'Cecilie' (Alan Mulder Mix)



The Wolfmen - 'While London Sleeps' (Alan Mulder Mix)


Coming in part 2...

What is the connection between Marco and the rocking chipmunk Dave Hill?

Were there any 'guilty pleasures' at the height of the punk Wars?

Where will the Wolfmen be in a years time?

Recommended reading until then...

The Wolfmen's Myspace site

The Wolfmen's Wikipedia entry

The Marco compiled CDs

Biba: Champagne & Novocaine

Sex : Too Fast To Live Too Young To Die

Prowling Wolf - Marco Pirroni (Part 2)

Part 1 one of my Marco interview is right here - just in case you've missed it.

Is it true that you own Dave Hill’s 'Super Yob' guitar? - How many guitars are in your collection, and which guitars or amps would you grab if the house caught fire?

I do have 'Super Yob' but I'm thinking of lending it to Rob Dickens new British Rock Museum which opens next year. I have about 50 or 60 guitars, but I don't keep them at home. If I had to grab one it would my 59' Les Paul Junior which is my number one live guitar,and my 65 hot rodded Fender Twin which sounds more like a Marshall but with that glam upper mid nasal feedback honk sound. I'm not a big amp collector, I have about 10 mostly small combos all pre seventies. I use these in the studio a lot sometimes combined with plug-ins like Guitar Rig 3.

As someone that was part of Punk scene from the beginning, were there any records or ‘guilty pleasures’ Disco or Pop tracks etc… you enjoyed during the Punk wars but had to keep ‘hush hush’ about at the time?

I never felt I had to keep hush about anything, in fact I worked at trying to think of the worst thing could say to piss off the Punk purists, but I will always insist that 'I Feel Love' by Donna Summer is one of the greatest records ever made coz it is! (And as if by magic - the original Moroder 12" version of 'I Feel Love' )

The whole attitude to Punk seems to have become almost reverential now, are there any Punk myths you’d like to qualify or quosh?

Punk like beauty is in the eye of the beholder so Punk is anything you want it to be,which is the best thing about it.I'm tired of arguing about Punk and now I just say "I don't care" or "I'm bored" which are standard 1976 answers to everything.

The pre Marco ‘Dirk’ era Adam and The Ants songs have an angular almost Indie clang about them (apart from the B sides) , it’s only later when you team up with Adam that the songs start to become chart topping tunes. Do you feel your input into the writing, sound and success of Ant music gets enough recognition?

Oddly I sometimes feel I get too much credit, that I single handedly transformed a cult Punk band into a mega international success...not so,our success was down to Adam and myself fed with where we both were in our lives and the dark days of the late 70s - without Adams drive and vision I wouldn't be talking to you now.

What bands (new or old) are currently playing on The Wolfmen’s iPods?
this week I'm mostly playing Melody Gardot's new album and Scum of the Earth as they sound exactly like Rob Zombie of whom I am a huge fan! Guitar Wolf are another fave of mine, as I write this I'm listening to the soundtracks to 'Thunderball"'and 'Bladerunner'(the original Vangelis version).

So many traditional areas of the music industry Top of the Pops, music weeklies, unscripted radio playlists seem to have gone into meltdown over the last few years, how do you approach promoting The Wolfmen and their music in the digital age?

I think that all of us making music now, are still trying to find and create a music biz for the 21st century, clearly the internet is a massive part of this but its by no means the be all and end all, when people talk about the future of music they are really talking about the future of the marketing of music which I leave to more "interested" men. The Wolfmen will be releasing an 11 track album/CD I cannot defend accusations that this may be an outdated format all I can say is, that is what I have always liked, and I would like to continue that until it is no longer viable, the 7" single is already a loss leader and although that format is what I grew up on I don't mourn its passing anymore than I miss the rotary dial on telephones, basically... "in modern times the modern way".

Where would you like The Wolfmen to be this time next year?

Winning Grammies and lighting cigarettes with £50 notes, but it depends on where the world is this time next year! In an ever changing world we have to take things a day at a time and see where it all leads us.


The Wolfmen - Jackie Says (Alan Mulder Mix)


The Wolfmen - Love Is A Dog (Alan Mulder Mix)


The Wolfmen 'Jackie Says'


The Wolfmen - 'Needles In The Camels Eye'- studio footage


The Wolfmens Re-make/re-model of Eno's 'Needle In The Camels Eye' is released on the
10th March

Unfortunatley I couldn't make the Embassy gig last week but a review of it is here on the Car Trouble website

Dates and details of live shows, releases and downloads are available at...
The Wolfmen's official Myspace site

A special salute goes out to Marco and Ian Peel for their time, trouble and and accessibility in arranging this interview

It's The Wolf - It's The Wolf

The 333 Mother Club is not in anyway your typical run of the mill rock venue. The DJ picks 'n' mixes hits and obscurities from Johnny Ray belters to Mark Vidler booties. There's no stage. The room seems to be scattered with lost property oddities - umbrellas, dress maker's mannequins, Chestfield chairs and has the buzz of a bordello disco set dressed by The Munsters - all of which make it the perfect prowling ground for The Wolfmen.

After Molloy's electropoppingindiedisco(more on them soon) and Space Age sitar from Bishi , The Wolfmen were up and at 'em, flooring it from the off and coming at the crowd like greyhounds out of a trap - ripping straight into 'Needles In The Camel's Eye', 'Jackie Says' ,'Cecile' and showing off shiny new tunes like 'Better Days' (a ready made summer single if ever there was one) and 'Whack That Bass' from the due soon album 'Modernity Killed Everynight'. Aside from Eno's 'Needles', other covers included a pre Velvet's Lou Reed track 'Do The Ostrich' (as featured in The Word recently) and a Bollywood Burlesque meets Biker Bar remake/remodel of 'Silver Machine' when Bishi joined The Wolfmen to add some slinky sitar trims to the Space Rock classic.

Despite a monthly residency I haven't seen The Wolfmen in action since their debut gig last November, and this experience was more of an all out 'needles in the red' rocker than the Wolf Gang's first show, with a fistful tunes that compounded the stomp of Glam, the power of Punk and the sugary hooks of Hitsville U.S.A into a bundle as tight and tough as Bruce Lee's 'one inch punch'.

So, see you there next month - same Wolf-time same Wolf-channel.

The Wolfmen - 'Do the Ostritch'



The Wolfmen - 'Cecilie'



Recommended Reading...

The Wolfmen Official Site

The Wolfmen on MySpace

Hello Norma Jean - Marilyn's mystery movie

You may remember some recent net-natter about a Charlie Chaplin film and the old curiosity shot of a mobile phone user. Well, now another Hollywood heavy-hitter is the subject of the latest web-whispers and video theorising.

It seems footage used for The Wolfmen's latest promo could contain some of the earliest (and previously undiscovered) footage of a young Marilyn working a burlesque a go-go routine. While Monroe's representatives and movie historians scratch their heads and run frame by frame studies, we're not legally allowed to discuss where the footage was obtained, but, are ok to say the video was edited together by Tronik Youth, and, that we can catch up with Wolfmen bass player, vocalist and co-writer Chris Constantinou for a chat about the bands new single Marilyn Monroe (Wam Bam JFK)



The new single's artwork seems quite early Ants-ish, is this intentional and is Mark Alleyne (designer of Kings of the Wild Frontier and other Ants albums, singles) doing graphic duties
Mark is our Art Director - and yes it is intentional, although Adam originally got it from a JFK comic book

Jack/Jackie seems to be a reocurring motif in The Wolfmen's Songbook (previous tunes include - Jackie Says, - Jackie, is it my Birthday?) Why is this..
I have no idea - it started way back in my previous groups – I’d need some therapy to find that out or a few lava strength phalls and Kingfishers

The new album (Married to the Eiffel Tower) is due out next year, and Courtney Taylor-Taylor of The Dandy Warhols has remixed some tracks. How many are likely to make the final cut and are their other plans for Dandy Wolfmen collaborations.
All Courtney's and Jacob’s work will be released as will Steve musters. But we’re not sure in what order this will happen though. We would love to do some more collab’s with Courtney and The Dandys – I jammed flute on Lou weed with them at the London Koko gig in July. The band is amazing and what a great bunch - Zia has been giving me advice on the best tequila to drink.

What's your take on the Marilyn/JFK conspiracy theories
JFK and crew had poor beautiful Monroe bumped off

In a perfect piece of synchronicity Up All Nighter from the first album (Modernity Killed Every Night) has recently been used to soundtrack Fox TV series Human Target. Is there any other TV or soundtrack work lined up, and was this anything to do with Marco being a comics fan.
No the Human Target thing was just out of the blue really - we have a track Nothing Else Matters in Paul Hills new movie called 'Do Elephants Pray ? ' Which is winning all the festivals right now (and the nice Trippy scene - is good) We’ve also got Needle in the Camel’s Eye in Dogging by Vertigo Films and had some music in some new games/ads and a fair bit of other stuff – which, I think is on Youtube ?

I've heard whispers the third album may be covers and collaborations? Have you got a list of who you'd like work with or tunes to be covered.
We’re just starting to get a list together

Being a Southender, I understand in your pre-Ants/Wolfmen days you played Southend, any memories of your visits venues or gigs there...
I Played with Drill at a place called the Top Alex - our singer Will jumped in the audience and sorted out some nutter who was throwing shit at us and giving general abuse - then managed to get back on stage to finish the song - it was a bit like that at some gigs..

The Top Alex was a legendarily dingy Southend pub, typically favoured by rockers and bikers - you'll hear the name crop up in the Feelgood's Oil City flick..

Can we expect to see The Wolfmen live next year, and what sort of gigs:clubs or festivals.
Yes - at the moment we’re booking up gigs/festivals from April up until December 2011

Marilyn Monroe (Wam Bam JFK) can be downloaded and here and here with the physical version available to buy via The Wolfmen's site from Monday 6th December. The new album (Married to the Eiffel Tower) is due out next year, with Courtney Taylor-Taylor of The Dandy Warhols and Jacob Portrait on post production, mixing and remixes.

Thanks to Davy Ghost for this Tweet-based tip off: an interview with a secret service agent present at JFK's assassination. Hear here

Marco Solo

Yes boys, girls, bloggers and bloggettes - Mr Marco Pirroni formerly of The Models, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Adam and The Ants and currently starring in his new project The Wolfmen will be appearing here - right here on the Planet Mondo blog next week - where we'll be discussing...

How do you promote a new band in the 21st Century?
What is the connection between Slade and The Wolfmen?
Were there any 'guilty pleasures' at the height of the Punk wars?

That's next week, but in the meantime why not lend an ear to one of their tunes

The Wolfmen - While London Sleeps


Or an eye to one of their sites...

The Wolfmen official website
The Wolfmen on Myspace

I was lucky enough to catch The Wolfmen's blistering debut gig at the Islington Academy last November, which you can read about here or have peep at here...

Give it away give it away give it away now

How do they do it? How (and why) do pedigree performers manage to give their goodies away on the the freemans? I wouldn't want to get wrapped up in the fuss, and faff of writing, recording, mixing and mastering - only to have knocked myself out for literally nothing! Well whatever my head-scratching take on it is - it happens.

The Wolfmen have come up with yet another new fruity tune, perhaps more muted and minor modal than the regular glam-garagerocking-pop but an absolute peachy treat that's almost Roxy Music meets Goldfrappish. Not only is it one of the strongest ear ticklers of the year - but it's available for free - that's right F.R.E.E - you can grab it by zipping over to the Wolfmen's HQ and just clicking on the Wolf's head

The Wolfmen - 'Nothing To Say To You'





Hugh Cornwell - 'Going To The City'



And, ex-Strangler Hugh Cornwell is offering one full album's worth of new tunes for a big fat nothing - yes, really! You can get your get hand's on Hugh's 'Hooverdam' and it will cost you not one Earth penny - s'available right here

How is it that long-serving proto-punks like these can have put in thirty years of songwriting service and still deliver top drawer tunes, while so many Indie kids and contemporary clangers fold or stick to a safe-bet formula after just a few samey albums?

It's all happening at the 100 Club..

Draw a big red ring around this Thursday: July 14th,  for a night of glam anthems and black leather beats as The Wolfmen launch and play live - tunes and tracks from their summery sounding new LP Married to the Eiffel Tower. Of course there'll also be some old faves from Modernity and also a few exclusive doings for this one night only.

Bringing some high speed angular clang to the bill are long-haul favourites around these parts - Silvery. Along with some special guests and DJ spots we can't mention - all brought to you by the good people at Vive le Rock magazine.

If you're local to old London Town - polish up rocking boots and I'll see you Oxford Street way this Thursday.

If you haven't experienced The Wolfmen's live wall of wallop - be prepared for this style of thunderous rumbles - Thieves and Liars which is on the set-list: all Bhangra beats and two-fisted riffing..



To taste another new tune - redirect your ears to Radio Podrophenia tonight from 9, where The Wolfmen's July 20 is on the playlist - a playlist fitted around this week's theme of 'Time'. Or for some back catalogue  - grab this limited edition cover of Eno's solo opener

Needle in the Camel's Eye

Podrophenia - In Conversation With Chris Constantinou: sessions from Adam Ant to Wayner Kramer

The April Podrophenia is a rockin' rollin' conversation' with bass player Chris Constantinou.
From his early days with Drill and touring with Slade, travelling the world with Adam Ant, playing Live Aid, working with Chas Chandler, Annabella Lwin, The Dandy Warhols, The Wolfmen.... right up to latest projects The Mutants (Wilko Johnson, Norman Watt-Roy, Wayne Kramer), One Thousand Motels (with Rat Scabies) and Rude GRL & CC it's all there!

Including stories you'll have never heard or read anywhere else! Plus a playlist of tunes from across his varied career.

Buckle up for the ride below...

iTunes/Apple 

Google Podcasts

The Wolfmen and Dahler Mehndi

Chris Constantinou · Daler Mehndi Feat The Wolfmen

Wilko, Wayne Kramer and Rat Scabies during a Mutants session - Chris and m'self on the far left

New project with RudeGRL

The Company Of Wolves Part 1

How long have I been howling about The Wolfmen now ? Oh, almost one full year - and in a years of worth hearing the singles, flips sides and Myspace oddities I've never become numb-eared to any of Wolfies tunes.

I finally got my paws on the album a couple of weeks ago and it is wall-to-wall wallop all the way, not so much an album more a bespoke collection of killer could-be singles and potential heavyweight hits (staggeringly several tracks were recorded live in the studio) - It's as close you'll get to Slade stomping through The Supremes songbook , The Sonics singing 'Sugar Sugar' or 'Here Come The Warm Jets' re-jigged by Georgio Moroder with splashes and swatches of Roxy, solo Bryan Ferry, T Rex and the Sex Pistols all glazed with an electro pop gloss - but don't just take my word for it. How about an exclusive track by track guide to Modernity Killed Every Night from the Wolf-gang themselves....


Needles In The Camel's Eye



Chris Constantinou
We both love the song ('Needles' is the opening track from Eno's 'Here Come The Warm Jets'). We were trying to come up with something based around it and thought bollox - let's just do it. We did a decent demo, then worked with Chris Hughes (ex-Ants drummer) who put the drums on - Steve Musters and finally Alan Moulder mixed it.

........................

While London Sleeps



Marco Pirroni
Another tune left over from our 'Jack the ripper" musical idea (which
we stole from Spinal Tap), the title's also stolen from the Rin Tin Tin silent movie which'll come as a surprise to Chris as I told him I thought of it.

CC
Lyrically and vocally it's a mixture of stuff - I think it's pretty obvious what it's about :-) I get to play harp at the end - we have 3 demo versions of this, all totally different!

.....................

Love Is A Dog



CC
Another one started at mine and Marco's , then worked on with Steve
Musters at Raezor and finally mixed by Alan Moulder ..
.....................

Up All Nighter



MP
You will find this hard to believe, but this started as our take on
Northern Soul, it didn't end up as anything that you could have played
at Wigan Casino but these things happen in the creative process. But maybe we will get round to finishing the Wolfmen 20 great lost soul classics album one day.

CC
This one started off as a demo from me and Marco's place - we worked on it at Chris Hughes studio who put the drums on it ...
...........................

Better Days



MP
I frown heavily on songs with an optimistic feel and on positive thinking in general,but I like this and it's going to be our next single.

CC
I had these lyrics for years, and even used to play a version of this with Jackie Onassid ...but this has been totally transformed into a new song and BRILLIANCE by Marco ! The guys in the band did a great job with it ... check the surf video out on youtube .. Recorded live at Raezor and Steve Musters mixed it ..
............................

Buzz Me Kate



MP
I'm told I know who this is about...but I honestly have no idea ask Chris

CC
Hmm .... I think it's obvious what this is about lyrically. Recorded live at Raezor and Steve Musters mixed it ..


Side 2 of the 'The Company Of Wolves' is right here

To check out all the dates details and new tracks - beam on over to...The Wolfmen's Myspace site

Three years of blogging and Norfolk 'n' good

Barton Turf: whistling distance from our holiday digs...

We're off for a few days much needed breather and break next week. To Walmington-on-Sea in fact, well not yer actual Kent/Sussex village, but nipping about some parts of Norfolk occasionally spottable in Dad's Army location scenes - it's the flint walls that give it away. Cromer crab, Roys of Wroxham a trip to Narge and boating on the broads are all possibilities at the mo'.

In other news: I only realised a few days after last Sunday had passed, this place had clocked up three years on the blog-o-meter. I had been planning a third anniversary jamboree of sorts - but it's all slipped sideways over the summer. Luckily, those jolly ol' rockers The Wolfmen have allowed me to give an exclusive debut airing to their flute-tootin remix of the latest single July 20. It's the sort of Hanna-Barbera bouncer perfect for lolloping off on your hol's.

So I'll see you in a week or there abouts my booties. And perhaps we'll catch up on the missing Dear Diary posts when I'm back.

The Wolfmen - July 20 (CC's Canned Heat Summer Flute Mix)


The original version of July 20 can be bagged right here along with a variant remix from The Dandy Warhol's Courtney Taylor-Taylor

Perhaps by year four I'll have remembered hyperlink code without having to look it up.

The Ghost of Christmas Future?

Released this coming Monday -  Jackie is it My Birthday is The Wolfmen's alternative/antidote to the usual Xmas offenders, X Factory winners and seasonally reheated hits: ASBOs in Skiwear, the drunken New York duet and that bloody Wham! song with it's dour sound of lolloping and lumpy intro notes.

Drew's already given it a cyber salute and Radio 2 have been peppering their schedules with Jackie

Keeping it in the family - literally, My brother Tronik Youth pieced together, compiled and edited a festively funky official new vid' for the single - which is now showing at both  The Wolfmen and Dandy Warhol HQ's.

Have a squint below and perhaps add Jackie is it My Birthday to your christmas playlist
The whispers are there's also a cheeky new Jackie remix due from Cornershop soon!

Birthday Bonus - The Velvet Overground

It's that man again, ol' Ludwig van Mondhoveen. Another music fan with a birthday on the 16th and soft spot for a rooster-do and outsize burns.

If we've crossed paths outside of the blogosphere, you'll know there's some resemblance between Ludvico and myself. But does this mean I've got a perma-crosspatch expression and late onset deafness to look forward to in me twilight times? Ho hum!

Fittingly - as a treat for today, those top rockers The Wolfmen have given me the official Wolf-thumbs up for posting their version of a long lost Velvet Underground tune I'm Not A Young Man Anymore. With the cherries a'top of the Birthday cake being...

It's a world exclusive and something you won't hear anywhere else until the album's released next year.

It's the Courtney Taylor-Taylor remix..(yes that Courtney of The Dandy Warhols)

The Wolfmen - I'm Not A Young Man Anymore



VU versh sounds like....

Podrophenia 4 - Rock 'n' Roll Animals

The fourth Podrophenia is uncaged today with 'animals' being the theme. Sixty minutes of music and muddling where Piley and I release a few pet sounds - birds, cats, elephants and monkeys into the wild.

We've also got two special guest appearances with animal related tracks from..

Mr Martin Gordon - ex Sparks, Jet and Radio Stars, who introduces us to Elephantasy from his latest album Time Gentlemen Please

And Mr Chris Constantinou from The Wolfmen, who release their minty new single today Jackie, Is It My Birthday (a duet with Sinéad O'Connor). But for Podrophenia Chris gives us an exclusive blast of The Wolfmen's next single Cat Green Eyes

Amongst our usual rabbit and jabber , you'll hear which rocker we think looks like a crow crossbred with a chimney brush, celebs spotted in unlikely places, low-level rock 'n' roll memorials and rasher related randomness (the patron saint of bacon?) .

Podrophenia 4

Whoops - the stream is broken - but why not grab from iTunes above..


Or via iTunes if you prefer

Oh, and see if you can spot my Beatle themed theme technique behind the animals I've selected - the answer's here if you've given up..

No it's not Azlan from Narnia, Parsley The Lion, or even Clarence the Cross-Eyed Lion!
It's Hamish Stuart from the Average White Band!

Dear Diary:1980 - November

Without question - the most muted month in the history of Dear Diary doings. As the action switches (temporarily) to the trusty ol' Silvine notebook - where the news is...

Coming 105th in Cross Country Run (and some poor puffing shunters 'got lost' apparently). Well it was through the woods. And who knows - some of those runaway nags may still have been on the gadabout.
On the 8th: a trip to Leigh, buying Adam's King's album and,  where we pop in to see Liz Karslake whose older sister (Jo) later became Mrs Ron Wood

Everybody's favourite Science Teacher Mr Hamilton - spent a lump of the lesson unravelling and popping holes in the baggy formulas and theories that made up Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World. A trip to nan's for Pie and Mash (also Sounds and The Unexplained too).

And how about this - pals Andy Hampson and Barney pop up as presenters on TV's musical yoof show - Something Else. Dexy's Midnight Runners were the turn on this episode and you can catch a Dexy's extract from this exact edition below. Calendar-wise. It's the return of our school year's lumpy chums Mullen and Turnidge who 'went mad'. Although there's no anecdotal evidence to support this - I suspect 'narking' them was probably the root truth of the meltdown.

Records bagged were Kings of the Wild Frontier and The Black Album. Two albums that, for me, were Narnian wardrobe moments of other worldliness and portals to punk/new wave's potential possibilities and technicolour dreamscapes, that left formulaic punk fodder seeming generic, dated and faded. A bi-dynamic pairing which are equally, early outings in new wave experimentation  - and templates that stand as indicators and shapers of the 80s fads and fashions that followed: new romanticism, narcissism, new-wave-goes-pop, guitar twang, psychedelic revival, 60s revisionism, goth.

Black Album not pictured - it's buried in the loft somewhere

Exactly 31 years on from buying these albums - I've seen most variations on both bands this year Adam (June), ex Ants -The Wolfmen (July) and last Saturday, The Damned recreating the Black album at The roundhouse (review here). The Damned, who've always delivered and never disappointed live are now, more polished and accomplished than ever. The Wolfmen take Adam's antics into new glam/garage areas. And Adam has compressed his characters into a composite rather than move on - but he hasn't lost it ( in a performance sense) either.

Two tasters from both then - The Damned's midnight cinematic shimmer, with a coda that always reminded me of  the Hooray for Harold Lloyd incidental music...

The Damned - Twisted Nerve

And Adam's feedback and drum-rumbling psychological self portrait  - that's perhaps King's closest relation to Dirk-era Ants

Adam And The Ants - Killer In The Home



Top 75 singles

Top 75 albums

Freaky Friday - Lift Up Your Skirt And Fly

It's a Pop Quiz - 'lift up your skirt and fly' is the last line of single, banned by the BBC for this saucy sounding statement (although in reality, it was actually reference to witches). But who were the band that recorded it, and the soon-to-be glammer wot wrote it?

We've had Wolfmen doing dark duets, tales of terror, spiders, snakes (and a Halloween podcast Podroscreamia is on it's way), but today as move nearer to All Hallows' Eve, and those final witching hours it's time to bubble and boil a couple of numbers in the cauldron for today's Freak Friday..

The master blaster himself Tom Jones lung-busting, head-shrinking and doing the voodoo and gumbo a-go-go with...

The Witch Queen Of New Orleans



Sharon Tandy goes Snow White's Wicked Queen meets Hammer Glamour - backed by last week's Tick Tockers Les Fleur De Lys on..

Daughter Of The Sun



Guitar geek alert - watch out for the axe at 1:18 Tele body/Strat neck?

How in the name of Major Tom did Podrophenia become featured on David Bowie's official Facebook and Twitter pages

We are the D.Js, we are what we play.

There *are* three steps to heaven - God, Elvis and David Bowie. Although only one of them is still putting out new material

Last Sunday, Podrophenia placed a Converse-clad foot on the first step, as your Podrophonic pals were featured on David Bowie's official FB and Twitter pages *faints* - *faints again*

We've been told before by someone in the know that Podrophenia would be right up Bowie's street - and while broadcasting live last Thursday, as well as Mr Bowie net listening in - we discover one mystery listener in New York (it couldn't have been - could it?)

We've never been so chuffed. We're happy - hope you're happy too.

A huge thank you is due to the ol' Starman himself and the Grand Master of Bowie Net for their support and shouts - so why not zip on over and take a look here....or here . Then grab yourself the Podrophenia Bowie Special - a Ziggy Podcast you could say right here - or in iTunes. 

We've got five exclusive cover versions from Andy J Gallagher (and guests including Roman Jugg of The Damned ), Silvery, The Millipede Engine, The Wolfmen and Hannah, live Bowie covers from David Woodock (joined by Wendy Solomon for one) - and the first play of Eight Rounds Rapid new single - due soon on Podrophenia Records...

In fact why not pop on over to Millipede Engine HQ and grab their Bowie cover while it's online for a limited period

The Bowie Podrophenia Special can be streamed below or downloaded here

And if you haven't yet - grab the new album - it's all beauty, no beast

 

Like the Cocteau Twins at Christmas

That's what The Wolfmen's new single Jackie, Is It My Birthday? sounds like to me.

A swirling dervish of ghostly notes, Marco's guitars arpeggiating like the midnight chimes of church bells and snowfalls of slow-shifting synth washes swaddling Sinéad O'Connor and Chris Constantinou as they waltz-in-black through this dark duet like ghost-dancers at the Overlook Hotel.

But don't just take my word for it, have a blast below. The 2 min's(half of the single) you'll hear is ripped from my own copy of Jackie - but you can get your own copy on 7 inch , CD or digital download



And don't you think Jackie would make a perfect Christmas single? A fresh airing and alternative to the overplayed Pogues, that Wham song or some one-shot winner from a TV 'talent' show

Podrophenia: team-ups...

It's an evening of double billed wins tonight on Podrophenia as we're joined by award winning columnist and comedienne Sadie Hasler along with local folksy bloke M G Boulter...

We'll be getting the lowdon on Sadies scribblings and some live music from Matt's solo album The Water or The Wave..

The usual playlist of Podrophonic picks will be threading together:

Old-jazzers swinging with punks,
Old punks accompanying Hammond jazzers
Hip-hoppers rapping with ex Pistols
Bollywood legends with Wolfmen

All this and James from The Ends working the desk - and will Piley make it back from Warwickshire in time before we go live on air....


All live from 8PM on Ship Full of Bombs

What is Bocca Di Lupo ?

It's Italian for 'the wolf's mouth' apparently. And, also the name of The Wolfmen's mighty new blog making it's maiden voyage in cyberspace today, loaded with news, interviews and an early doors demo

Why not prowl on over and have a peep right here Bocca Di Lupo

Although if you're sensitive soul (or a raving Royalist), probably best to give it a swerve, as you may find the tale of a former Ants guitarist's carry-ons with a portrait of the Queen, which landed him (literally) with a broken wrist - mid Ant's tour, possibly a bit jarring.