‘The Redundant Rockers’ Live on stage. Former members of THE BEAT BOYS reunite for charity with over £3500 being raised in cash. Our Congratulations to the Lads! 
Ronnie Carr & Georgie Fame display the UKFM dvd ‘The Life & Times of The Beat Boys’ (UK/PAL) ”UFO LIVERPOOL” (UK/NOR) Original Music by ‘The Schmucks’ “It’s Mathew Street 2012. The Cavern Club to be precise. Something is happening as something is wrong. A landing. An Alien landing in Liverpool, L2. World capital of sound. They’re attracted to the waves and they just won’t LET IT GO. Puppets, tourists, beers and queers it’s time to eject. The stairs will kill you if the aliens won’t. Star Wars? Stormtroopers? Enter the orbit of Fab Cafe. Where citizens scream “You made a Monkey out of Me!” Daily ID checks by the black prince, whilst his ice-white partner eyes the room. ‘The truth is out there’ the greedy, bearded one quite rightly points out. “We’re supposed to be enjoying a quiet drink at the bar” snorts the hairy ginger bloke. “Hang on, oh no, Oh Shit!” sway the crowd. The black prince decides to take Jim. “What for?” quiz the crowd. “Scotsman impersonating an Englishman” reads the arrest form 72 hours later. Blimey! COVER YOUR WINGS people. ‘The Cellar’s are steep, The Ale is cheap. In the colourful heart of Liverpool’ read the brightly coloured poster or something to that dreamy effect. The sound of a seagull echoes over Hope Street. A random sweetie salutes our black prince. All is normal and the City is safe. Are there more? And what is behind the toilet door? Hmmm… Silver Masks. Puppets, Tourists, It’s F.A.B. to Party! Pints, blinks and winks it’s an F.O.C.“Fuck You Pal!” Later and waiting for transport, the Aliens sit bored until the black prince returns to find a new victim. ‘Irishman roaming the streets’ reads the arrest form 48 hours later. ‘If only We held the power’ frowned the Alien. ‘Afterall, WE ARE THE MACHINERY!’- “Bla, Bla, Bla.. and Cut!” / ”These Bloody Amateurs! Them Bloody Independent Movies! They’re killing the industry I tell you!” - THE END 
”Dry Land” - from the forthcoming cd ‘At The Third Stroke’ THE GROUNDHOGS (March 2011) The song is new, so new that nobody has heard of it yet but the sound is fifty years of divine music rolled into one. Tony Mcphee and his band of rock craftsmen are back with a huge bang of megatonic proportions. The song hits you straight away and from the first beat, it is unmistakeably the sound of The Groundhogs. The guitar playing signals that 3rd stroke, or no stroke Tony can still play his axe like the best of them today. Nothing can keep this cat down for long. Here at UKFM we’re starting to believe Tony Mcphee is actually invincible and laughs in the face of illness as a bullfighter would laugh at a raging bull three daggers from death. The drums are a knock-out sensation on this track too. Crashing in all the right places and complimenting the sliding electric wail of Tony’s left hand perfectly. If harmony has a home it is on this record and the band do everything in their power to evict it but it just won’t leave. You’ll see what I mean if you listen to this track more than three times. It’s catchy. This tune is going to follow you up the street and into the pub and not leave your head until midnight. the lyrics are beautiful and delivered with fine panache and glory. As I said the Hogs are back with a bang. Ka-Boom! I first saw The Groundhogs live in Manchester at The Band on The Wall around 1996 with friends. I walked in without any real notion of what to expect. Of course i’d heard the albums Split and Hogwash and raved about them in my mate’s living room but had no idea what to expect over 25 years later in what I can only describe as a non-metalic live atmosphere. What happened once they came on stage soon changed all of that. The doors opened and in flooded fans of all ages, walks of life and from all over the country. Then the stage lights went lower and lower. Ka-Boom! I’d never been hit by a Gibson SG so hard in my life (and still haven’t). They could have filled Wembley stadium with that sound and I would have been behind the goal post cheering. I was hooked, Like a junkie needs a fix, I needed The Groundhogs. It wasn’t until we were leaving the venue and my friend who is a bit of a ‘hogs’ fanatic said very quietly into my ear and out of any passing earshot ”You know Tony had a stroke don’t you? He had to re-learn the entire band catalogue again for this tour, basically he has had to start again from scratch”. I was gobsmacked. I still am knowing all the rotten luck and health issues that hit the band since then. So it gives me great pleasure to see Tony is still fighting and taking the bull by the horns. Still smashing down the barriers of rock/blues fusion and all that can be achieved within that medium. The band deserve a great year, a great ten years and a great big thank you for all the happiness they have brought millions of people (whether they realise it or not) over the years. This record is sure to be their best for many a decade. This demo proves they have lost none of their strong values at all and rocks more than anything on the radio today, yesterday, or indeed tomorrow. If I had an award i’d give it to them hands down, but I haven’t, so this appraisal will have to do instead. My sincere thanks to Joanna for posting the cd demo abroad for me to review, I was amazed when it landed in my black letterbox in it’s neat little envelope and like a teenager in the high street record shop I had to have a smell of the cardboard first before it got played with the volume cranked up to max. It smells of success. Like fine wine, music has an effect on me that I can’t explain really. Well either that or i’m still gobsmacked and need to play Dry Land again and again. I’m loving the new Artwork too. It Rocks! http://www.thegroundhogs.co.uk/ ”Dry Land” - ‘At The Third Stroke’ by THE GROUNDHOGS Reviewer: Chris Miller |
