On the morning of this gig I felt awful with some complications from the meds I’m currently taking but I managed to get myself sorted by the afternoon and was soon on the train to Birmingham.

On arrival in Birmingham I headed straight to Ignite Records to check out some vinyl and then off to Gay Village to see what hunky men were going to buy me a drink!

Only kidding – I popped in a couple of bars to see some friends before heading off onto the dark streets of Digbeth!

After walking down Milk Street in Digbeth for what seemed ages I had no idea where I was heading! Thank god I bumped into Proprioception otherwise I’d have been walking about for ages!

On arrival at the Centrala I bumped into Amber from Anaemia and had a decent chat with the bar staff who seemed pretty cool. There were also a great range of drinks on offer!

It was also great to be at an openly LGBT supporting venue.

First band on were Proprioception a hardcore band from South Wales who did the business. Their vocalist shocked me at how powerful and aggressive her vocals were. The band were on form with their drummer keeping it altogether. A band to look out for!

Next up were Arbiter from down South! They’re a deathcore band who blew the fucking roof off! They were as powerful as fuck! Personally speaking I thought these should have been main support they were that good. My ears were bleeding by the time they finished their set but in a good way!

Next up were Voidlurker from Birmingham and although technically brilliant musicians they didn’t really do a lot for me! Their songs were far too long for me – I prefer the shorter style songs the other bands were delivering. People obviously loved them as they drew a fair few in!

The band I came to see finally hit the stage albeit thirty minutes late!

Like the other bands I’d also never heard Anaemia from Wolverhampton.

I’d met their guitarist at The Dive in Wolverhampton as she was performing with an all-women band there! Having come across Amber on Instagram I had the mindset Anaemia were going to be pretty interesting!

From the very start and what I saw of Anaemia they were shit hot and with interesting too!

As they were setting up I knew this wasn’t going to be a band who were fucking around – They meant the business!

Everything went well for them and I’m pleased as it was the night they were launching their debut EP.

Anaemia did take things to a different level and their take on the metal sound was hard as nails and came at you like a punch in the face!

A band to look out for sure!

A top night at the Centrala and it was great to see the youngsters supporting all the bands instead of drifting off after their mates had played!

The walk back through the gritty streets of Digbeth was a mad one.

Not only did I get soaked but I also witnessed a nutter putting through a car window and a motorist stopped me and asked if I was a ‘Working Girl’!!!!!

Jaysus!

What a night!

Words / Photos: Kathleen Riot

This I believe is the eighth studio album from Cast and for me personally this is one of my favourite albums from this Liverpudlian indie-rock outfit!

From the opening track Poison Vine you’re left in no doubt that this is the start of an an amazing album and I don’t say that lightly either! When I first saw Cast back in the 90’s I knew they were a special band with some amazing songwriting and vocals from John Power.

I’m proven correct with songs such as Don’t Look Away and Calling Out Your Name and then Free Love comes along and grabs you by the throat! What a tune. A terrific guitar number with some amazing vocals / lyrics. My favourite song on the album.

From there on there’s Say Something New and Way It’s Gotta Be which are solid numbers and very enjoyable and then Weight Of The World hits you like a whirlwind. Another anthem and for me the second best track on this beauty of an album!

Teardrops carries on with yet another quality guitar number and then closing this album is the wonderful Birds Heading South which is one hell of a number to close on!

To be honest I didn’t want this album to end and have played it almost a hundred times since I got it to review!

Cast have written one of the best albums you’re likely going to hear in 2026!

On top of some great vocals and musicianship the production is top notch and one of the best listening experiences I’ve heard in a while!

Indie-Rock at it’s very best! 10/10

Scruff Of The Neck

Release Date: 30th January 2026

5am starts are never the best but I had to put in a full days work before heading out for this show! Eventually I made it out and headed off home to sort out the camera before heading out to the train station!

For once the train was on time and on the journey I opted to listen to some Chrimbo punk rock tunes to get me in the mood and those tunes certainly did!

On arrival at the venue I quickly set up the camera and it was soon time for Pet Needs to hit the stage.

These guys came on and tore Wolverhampton a new one!

Their highly explosive set fused with cool punk, rock and hardcore tunes blew me away!

Pet Needs took no prisoners and I’m now huge fan despite the fact I never knew they existed before the gig!

Wow! Is an understatement – This UK based band are well worth checking out for sure!

I’m a huge fan of Bad Cop Bad Cop but in all the times they’ve played the UK we somehow manage to end up in different parts of the country. However tonight that was corrected!

After Pet Needs had started the proceedings with an explosive set I was left wondering if it was worth anyone else playing?

I didn’t have to wait long to find out!

Bad Cop Bad Cop hit the stage with the impact of being taken out by a nuclear warhead!

Yep this Californian Punk Rock n Roll outfit were on fire and I loved every minute!

Things started to heat up when Bad Cop Bad Cop tore into Pursuit Of Liberty where they made statements supporting refugees, safe passage and Antifa as well as mocking the orange one running the USA!

This is my favourite song by the band and so meaningful too! It sounds so cool on vinyl too – Go and buy their records!

If that wasn’t enough Bad Cop Bad Cop tore some more into the Trump which will probably see me banned from the USA just for being at this show and supporting the band 🙂

Not forgetting their pro-choice stance where they made their position clear before tearing into Safe And Legal.

The high octance rock n roll ofBad Cop Bad Cop is infectious and I was gutted when they left the stage!

An incredible set from this Californian four-piece!

After meeting Linh Le of Bad Cop Bad Cop and having a lovely chat it was time to head to the photo pit to catch the world’s greatest covers band Spike & The Gimme Gimmes.

Having missed Spike & The Gimme Gimmes last UK shows due to recovering from a heart attack I was so looking forward to seeing these guys as it had been a while since I saw them previously!

The stage set blew me away but as soon as Spike & The Gimme Gimmes hit the stage with Santa Baby I knew this was going to be as blinding show!

Spike was on top form delivering stories and banter with the crowd – Everyone in the room was up for it and the band were on fire too!

You couldn’t wish to be at a better show!

Spike & The Gimme Gimmes really did deliver the goods with top punk rock covers of Jolene, Country Roads and even covering Willie Nelson’s On the Road Again!

More banter from Spike where he suggested that a couple of audience members be ejected from the show for their poor choices of songs to cover!

More Christmas tunes were covered such as Feliz Navidad which is always a great song to hear live!

Song after song Spike & The Gimme Gimmes had the audience in their hands and from I saw everyone was having a bloody great time!

Hearing Karma Chameleon by Culture Club and Dancing Queen by Abba took me right back to the eighties. To be honest I don’t recall having heard these songs past 1989 as I was up and down the UK frequenting punk / ska venues!

After a hour or so it was time for Spike & The Gimme Gimmes to end the set and at that point I had to leave to catch my train home!

After 9 months of being seriously ill this was the tonic I needed to end the year on a positive note!

For me this show was theTOP show of 2025 by far!

Thank you to Melanie Kaye of Melanie Kaye PR / Punk Rock Museum for arranging this show and the interview for me.

Photos / Words: Kathleen Riot

Merry Christmas!

Legendary punk band The Witchdocktors are back with a new album which is a banger! I don’t say that lightly either! I must have played IZZATSO? a hundred times and enjoyed this beauty! What’s more there’s always something that I can pick up on which I didn’t on previous plays!

For your money you get eleven tracks starting with Lightning Strike which sets the high standard of IZZATSO? A great rock n roll number to say the least. If that wasn’t enough listen to the likes of Before The War and Freedom Fighter! If they don’t blow your mind then nothing will! Two fantastic tracks. Spanner In The Works and Candy Star did it for me too!

You can’t faulty the musicianship on this album – The very high standard makes this one of the best albums to be released in 2025. On top of that the production is top notch too!

This album should be on your list to purchase for sure.

Proper Rock n Roll! 10/10

Bomber Music

The Hellflowers are one of the best bands to come out of the USA Right now!

Imagine The Ramones, The Clash and Blondie producing a child? This is the beautiful child they would produce for sure!

What you get on this six-track mini album are all covers of their favourite bands ranging from Cock Sparrer to The Clash to The Ramones.

You’re going to love these covers as The Hellflowers add something very cool to these classic songs. Christina’s vocals for starters and lets not forget the great guitar and bass work as well as top drumming throughout this release.

Go and listen to the cover of Riot Squad by Cock Sparrer for starters. This opener sets the high standards for the rest of the release.

What blew my mind was the cool cover of Stutter one of my favourite Elastica songs.

Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want To Fight No More!) by The Ramones is another great addition as is Spanish Bombs by The Clash!

If that wasn’t enough The Zero Boys and Little Richard are also covered!

As a I said a great release well worth supporting! 9/10

Rum Bar Records

Christmas is here once again so we caught up with a chat with Spike And The Gimme Gimmes as they’ve recently released a flexi disc of Mariah Carey’s chrimbo song All I Want For Christmas Is You as well as an on-line 2026 digital calendar. If that wasn’t enough Spike & The Gimme Gimmes undertake an UK tour starting December 9th 2025! You can hear what Spike had to say for himself below!

Only I could attempt to get to a gig and photograph it despite having been in hospital for a week but I managed it and survived!

Having had a reasonable train jouney I headed to the venue praying that it didn’t start to rain and on arrival I set up the camera and within minutes the first band were on!

MuddiBrooke hit the KK stage in style and played an enjoyable and very tight set for thirty minutes. This three-piece meant the business and they delivered the goods. They certainly won the audience over at KK’S Steel Mill last!

This was the first time I’d seen MuddiBrooke so not at all familiar with their set list but like the audience I was lapping up what this band had on offer!

If you’re wondering what they sound like think Skunk Anansie meets Wolf Alice with a bit of Girlschool thrown in there too!

Certainly a band to watch out for when they come to your town / city!

After up loading some photos from the MuddiBrooke’s on-line it was now time for Scarlet Rebels to hit the stage.

Scarlet Rebels are a new name to me but from the moment those guitars, bass and drums were in action I fell in love with their music!

This Welsh melodic rock band really did grab my attention. I wish they could have played for longer as their catchy tunes are infectious!

That infectious I’m going to have to seek out their album on Earache Records!

Songs like Secret Drug, Streets Of Fire,Grace and It Was Beautiful really drew me in!

With bands like Scarlet Rebels delivering fantastic guitar music makes me very happy!

Having edited some photos and had a quick chat with a couple of the KK’s Steel Mill staff members it was now time for Ugly Kid Joe to hit the stage and with it they did it in style!

I hadn’t this American outfit in a long time – Probably a decade or more!

I was so looking forward to seeing Ugly Kid Joe I almost forgot to alter my camera settings!

Once the intro was over it was sown to business where Ugly Kid Joe kicked off with Neighbour and this kick ass rock outfit followed on with the likes of Jesus Rode A Harley and So Damn Cool!

The crowd were loving what was being delivered by Ugly Kid Joe and I can’t blame them as top notch rock n roll was being delivered along with a lot of fun to add to this show’s charm!

I loved hearing Cats In The Cradle, C.U.S.T., and No One Survives but I wasn’t the only one. Folk were enjoying this top notch display from one of America’s top bands!

It was great to see Ugly Kid Joe interact with the audience especially the birthday shout out to the young girl and her dad! The girl’s first gig and what an experience!

That made my night for the pair of them!

More tunes were being rolled out with the likes of No One Survives, Devils Paradise, Milkman’s Son and even a rendition of Merry Christmas by Slade!

Towards the end the entire crowd were getting involved which made me smile as there were so many happy faces.

Who can blame them?

Ugly Joe Kid know how to deliver and on that note I can say this is the best show I’ve been to in 2025 without a doubt!

I can’t wait until they tour the UK again!

Top show!

Thanks to Gav at Robot Management for arranging everything last night.

Words / Photos: Kat Riot

Laying in a hospital bed is probably not the best place to review an album but I had to make a start on this already heavily delayed review!

What you get for your money is a brilliant listening experience to ten ska tracks fused with soul and a tad of rocksteady!

Westbound Train are one of the best bands to come out of America fusing their own ideas with influences taken from the likes of The Skatalites, Hepcat, Otis Redding, and The Slackers.

Sing The Ghost Away opens up with the very cool Slippery Slope which paves the way for a brilliant listening experience which you’re going to love! A beautiful soul / ska fused number!

If that wasn’t enough there’s nine other tracks to experience and boy are you going to love them!

Not one filler either!

Just have a listen to the likes of Meet Me At The Metro, Miss Reason, Heart Is An Open Door and Say Your Goodbyes.

This album is going to grab you in, have you skankin’ and take you some where wonderful like Sing The Ghost Away did for me!

Today, the lineup features Obi Fernandez, Rich Graiko (trumpet), Carlos Menezes Jr. (saxophone), Gideon Blumenthal (keyboards), Alex Brumel (guitar), Alex Stern (guitar), Thad Merritt (bass), and Eric Novod (drums).

Between them they’ve produced one of the best modern ska and soul revival albums of 2025! 10/10

Org Music

Damn! Where have The Jukebox Romantics been hiding all my life?

These are fantastic band hailing from Downstate New York and they’re sure to win you over with their many twists and turns and catchy hooks!

Imagine Alkaline Trio meets the Bouncing Souls and you get a grand idea to how this band sounds like. Flicking between catchy hardcore then coming at you with bouncy pop-punk tunes you’re sure going to love The Jukebox Romantics.

This latest release sees ten killer tracks from start to finish and I promise this album is a lot of fun too!

Opening up with Coffee, Cigarettes, And Damp Church Basements you’re drawn into this baby and the fun doesn’t stop there either! Just have a listen to Packing Up Knives, Honolulu Sun, Goodnight, Future Boy! and The Walk To Heartwood.

This One Looks Cool is one of the best albums to come out of America this year!

You’re going to love it! 10/10

Engineer Records

Tomorrow the brand new album Leo Rising from Canadian Punk n Roll band Danko Jones is being released. What I can say about this album is that it’s a solid album from start to finish. An album filled with tunes that will have you bouncing around your living room as you get more drawn into the excellent vibe this album gives off!

From the opening track What You Need there’s just no turning back! You’re instantly hooked and sit back and enjoy the ride. And why not? Leo Rising is filled with some of the best Punk n Roll tracks you’re going to hear in 2025!

There’s eleven tracks in all and everyone is a winner!

Just listen to the likes of Diamond Is The Rough, I Love It Louder, It’s A Celebration and the closing track Too Slick For Love – You’re not going to hear better elsewhere!

For a three-piece these guys really do deliver not only musically / vocally but also production wise too!

This album is pretty much flawless and like me you’re going to love it too! 10/10

Perception Music

Release Date: 21st November 2025