Readabout, Writeabout - and listenabout, live tonight in London

Following on from last week's record shop round-up, behold as Eight Rounds Rapid Writeabout spends a third week on Norman Records best seller chart - and goes on to Rough Trade's recommended listening list.

But don't just take the rubber stamped Rough Trade/Podrophenia seal of approval as indicator of what a slam-handed wall of sound of the single is. The collected web whispers and reviews are glowing,  and gathered together below - a recommended reading list of the Eight Rounders reviews.....

Eyeplug Magazine 'Not for years has complaint rock sounded this mean, this exciting, brimming over with anger. An absolutely perfect storm'

Sputnik Music 'The infectious energy is absorbing on every level' 

Gigslutz - 'Fantastically unique – an exciting cacophony of sound that should not pass you by'.

Eyeplug Magazine (so good they reviewed it twice) 'venomous slice of back to basics rock n roll, coupled with socially observant lyrics'

Ralph's Life 'coming at you full on with post-punk ferocity, just plain nasty!'

RW/FF review and Track of the Day: 'A tune that I genuinely can't get enough of, and a must-listen for indie and punk people'

Fruitbat Walton - Top Ten Track

Should you fancy a blast of Writeabout. tune into this weeks Punky! Radio - or download here


Friday night is music night: live tonight in Londinium - Eight Rounds Rapid at the Spice of Life, Soho

Eight Rounds Rapid 'Writeabout' - outselling singles by the Arctic Monkeys, The Strypes, Beady Eye and Biffy Clyro.

It's been just over a month since Eight Rounds Rapid Writeabout was launched, and the reviews and radio play for our first Podrophenia release keep on a'coming

Last week saw the single go Top Five on the 7" Bestsellers list at Norman Records, moving more copies than singles from  Beady Eye and Biffy Clyro that week.

And we're back on the list (Top Five again) this week, with 8RR outpacing The Strypes and the Arctic Monkeys (see above)

Repeat plays on local, national and international stations have had a radio cherry on the top with Steve Lamacq calling the single 'the angry, edgy sound of Essex...'

Should you fancy grabbing a copy before they're gone (remember it is a limited edition - and becoming more limited week by week).  Writeabout is available to order online, or via a visit at these notable emporiums...

Rough Trade - London

Norman Records - Leeds

Sister Ray - London

Borderline - Brighton

Adrian's - Wickford

Slipped Disc - Billericay

Fives Leigh Broadway

Pouch of Douglas - Westcliff (below)

Should you fancy a taste test of the Eight Rounds Sound try out new tune My Mate
 

Pirate Radio Podrophenia....

What was the tracklist for this outboard obscurity - all here

Just over a week ago Pouchy Paul, Kate Johnston and myself parked up at SFOB for the September edition of Radio Podrophenia..

Assembling a crew of tunes threading together secret bands, new music and funky covers ( Mae West doing John Lee Hooker!) fitted around the theme of ships, sailing and bombs.



Between these twelve tracks we had ourselves a run out on Fracking songs, 'made-up' nautical slang and bands you get confused.

Should you fancy the Listen Again experience fill your waders below..

Radio Podrophenia - Ships, Sailing and Bombs

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 Or via iTunes...

The Mutants are Coming: an MC5th, a Feelgood, a Blockhead, an Ant and a Rat - all on the same historic session

It's that photobomber again - 2nd from right

While I'm still in recovery from the broken shoulder - how about catching up on what's been sizzling away over the summer months - and backtracking to the evening of 27th June, when all of punk, pub and garage rock's historical planets came into alignment.for a due soon album The Rhythm and Punk Revue

At the nucleus of this cross-generational get-together was the re-teaming of Wayne Kramer and Wilko Johnson - a pairing reunited for the first time since sharing a bill together at The London Rock n Roll Show 1972. Where the Feelood's were backing Heinz - and a gig Wilko has repeatedly gone record as saying changed  his life. In fact, dig into the vid below for the King of Canvey in full flight - telling the tale himself.

Be warned - contains tales of mild peril and explosive effing and jeffing from the get-go...



This glittering gathering has come together under the banner of The Mutants working up new tunes written by Chris Constaninou and Paul Subsource and recorded with a roll-call of new wave, ska and punk legends. Dig about the latest issue of Vive Le Rock and in between a bulgiing edition covering the birth of New York Punk, Ian McCulloch interviewed - you'll find Chris giving the back story to these Mutant moments

Dig around the back pages and you'll find me reviewing Norman Watt-Roy's first solo album Faith and Grace - as well as Wilko's homecoming gig at Southend's Village Green festival...

Not him again - in the orange!

Here is the shipping forecast: Podrophenia drops anchor at Shipful of Bombs tonight..

From September onwards - your Podrophonic pals, Piley and the other one, will be moored up Southend's newest radio station and the lighthouse for all local and grockle talent.. Shipful of Bombs. Or SFOB to use its full title.

Our theme tonight - ships, sailing and bombs (it had to be). So pipe yourself aboard from 8 foir a haul of tunes, chat and natter

Questions we may be asking: which bands do you mix up/get confused about. 

Me?  It's Todd Rundgren/Nils Lofgren, Jim Jones Revue/Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Jackson Browne/James Taylor - almost any band beginning with a K

Can posh people do The Rock - who is the poshest pop personality? And give us your pirate, bomb and sailing related songs or band names...

We'll be live from 8pm Southend standard time - why not come and join us at SFOB

Hey, that's me on the Lamacq Show.....(for 7 days only)

Good Day/ Bad Day caller - that's me that is!

Scuse the brevity of the blog-post pals, but it's one handed typing all the way at the mo..

How about this. After a nippy tweet from me to the Lamacq Show last week - they were looking for guests for the Good Day/ Bad Day feature - I was booked in for a spot yesterday's show.

Which way did I choose? Tune in below at 50 minutes in for the reveal...as well as first singles, gigs and album info.

Steve Lamacq - 6 Music 29th August

Do you know I can feel a Pop-Master revisit calling

The Quinn Martin style epilogue - Pal Lamacq gave me a 'callback' as they say - an unprompted shout and dedication on tonight's show.too at 2hr 34 mins...

Steve Lamacq - 6 Music 30th August

All will become clear

A temporary (shoulder) break in service...

 

Apologies for the sudden silence blog-pals, but I took a recent tumble while biking. Slam! Straight down, left shoulder-side.. which turned out be a broken humerus - and in several places.

The couple of weeks since have seen amazing technicolour shoulder to elbow bruising, a swollen arm - and hand inflamed like a cricket glove

.  

Hopefully back to all the usual soon, but until then - lend an ear to the flip of Eight Rounds Rapid new single...

 

 And if you like what you hear - bag a copy from Norman Records

How was last week's 'Writeabout' launch at Southend Central's most rocking assembly point - you ask?

Photos by Paul Hughes

Swishy, sweaty and spectacular - is the answer! And where we were joined by London based label bosses, journalists, DJs - and our surprise, special guest, watching from side-stage - Mr Wilko Johnson..

Round One... Swindle.
With fourteen songs, one set list to sequence and only two evenings for me to rehearse (at home, playing along to the records) - we set up our stall of seditious and subversive standards, opening with a triple-fisted slam of Bodies, I Fought the Law, and Neat Neat Neat - exiting stage left, one plectrum-snapping, sweat-heavy, sticky-steaming hour later. -  closing with a sing-a-long final lap of Pretty Vacant, Blitzkrieg Bop and Another Girl Another Planet (for the encore)

Round Two - Eight Rounds Rapid
The last time Eight Rounds stepped onto a Southend stage,  prior to Wilko's Farewell tour - was for our Podrophenia/8RR/Thee Faction team-up. During the course of a sixty minute set mixing known faves and new songs (Bully Boy) 8RR took The Railway apart track by track. Of course there are shadows of the Feelgoods in the sour expressions and ruffled 'n' dusty suits, but these boys are an all-new threat, with the heavy-level menace and cocksure manner of villains at a secret speakeasy planning an international blag.

 Lee Watkins jabs and batters his kit like a boxer at a sparring session. Bass player Juju prowls, grins and winks like a card sharp, while Simon Johnson is all fidgets and tics, hoovering around the stage crackling and overcharged as if he's been wired directly into to the national grid. By contrast Dave Alexander's static, crisp 'n' dry delivery, face-front manner and unblinking stare have the command and control of Michael Caine's performance in Get Carter. A game-raising display that saw the Eight Rounders literally drawing blood, sweat and tear-ups for the assembled home crowd and visiting London callers

Round Three - Podrophenia
For the after-show in bar from 11 onwards, Piley and I tag-teamed between nineties indie-bits and obscure popsters, to soul shakers, funky covers and something that's becoming a standard - passing the disco baton from K C (me) to Donna Summer (Piley).. And behold - as Mike Herbage, he of Department S, takes a breather from shaking a Podrophonic leg to our tunes… (stage right, glasses - holding a drink)

For the full glory and gallery of the evening (and until we re-group again in December) have a thumb threw Paul Hughes Flickr sets hereabouts

Launched today: Eight Rounds Rapid new single Writeabout - the first release on Podrophenia Records

Break out the hats and hooters! The night has finally arrived for the wrappers to be removed from Eight Rounds Rapids vinyl debut and Podrophenia Record's first release 'Writeabout/Steve' - where live, tonight at Southend's Railway Hotel  (a venue fanfared in a recent Sunday Time supplement) - we have a three way wing-ding arranged for you….

From 9 (ish) Swindle - Southend's premier ballroom-blitzkreig-bopping punk tribute band covering the sounds of the suburbs heard during the Punk Wars. And in the tradition of Podrophenia switcheroos - I'll be joing the band on bass for tonight!

From 10 (ish) Eight Rounds Rapid - estuary bred rock 'n' rollers returning their first home-town gig since….(see reason 1)

From 11 (ish) The Podrophenia Roadshow -a muti-coloured pop-swap of double-decking from Piley and the other one

Still unsure? Have a listen to 8RR's Writeabout as featured on Steve Lamacq's show last Tuesday at 47 mins in - ' I recognise that venom' says Lammo

And Eight Reasons Rapid why you should haul your boogie Railway-wards tonight

1) It's the Eight Rounders *first* hometown show since supporting Wilko on his Farewell Tour. A homecoming gig you could say...

2) Writeabout/Steve is the band's vinyl debut.

3) This limited edition single is the only place you will be able to get Writeabout. Hand-numbered copies will be on sale tonight

4) They sounded fab on Gideon Coe last week (5 mins in). They sounded fab on Steve Lamacq (see above)

5) Eight Rounds Rapid sound even more devastating live - come and check them out

6) The glowing single review by Kelly Buckley in The Echo

7) There's a hot-rocking support band (Swindle) before. There'll be a podrophonic shindig afterwards with tunes such as....



8) It's all free

So get there early and you may grab a low number edition. We'll be seeing you from 8 tonight then....?

All the info you need to know about writeabout, tonight-about is hereabouts

Podrophenia on BBC 6 Music!

That's right - Podrophenia Records in fact.

Our debut Pod-Rec release by Eight Rounds Rapid - Writeabout  (ltd edt) was given a spin last Wednesday on the Gideon Coe 6 Music show. And you know what - it sounds blooming fab blasting from a radiogram. You can poke a listening ear in here (at the five mins mark)

However, should you fancy lending both ears to both sides of the single - plus some back story, info and facts on the tracks by the band - simply help yourself to a free copy of the latest Podrophenia themed around the letter Q. It's all free and can be grabbed hereabouts. Or via iTunes.

How do you bag a copy of this limited edition single? Very simply, they're available from Friday 9th August, with a launch night at Southend's Railway Hotel. Come on down and get your hands on a seven incher