Suzie Stapleton releases “Angel Speak” film/single, a song from her album ‘We Are The Plague.’ ‘Angel Speak’ is a stripped back affair with Stapleton making a switch to acoustic guitar and her delicate vocal taking centre stage. Stapleton filmed and edited the video herself, collecting footage through the changing seasons over the past year around her home town of Brighton. “A year,” she says, “when great beauty has shone from small things often taken for granted and passed by in the rush of life.” Stapleton will be playing her first shows in 20 months supporting Humanist in the UK in October. She is also working on a follow up album with funding from Arts Council UK.
Suzie Stapleton -Tour Dates October 2021 Supporting Humanist
Saturday 23rd – Academy 3, MANCHESTER Monday 25th – The Prince Albert, BRIGHTON Tuesday 26th – The Lexington, LONDON (Sold Out)
The DERELLAS offered us a glimpse of the new version of the band last year with “Highrise Supersize” and “Inner City Rock’n’Roll”, two early MANICS influenced amphetamine songs that you’ll also find on this brand new album. The band describes the tracks of the new abum as “songs of defiance and hope, fear and LUV for the 21st Century” which is quite an appropriate description. Opening with “Don’t Tell Me What I Did Last Night”, a heavy rock’n’roll/punk song with a slight ZODIAC MINDWARP touch in Timmy’s vocals, the band then offers us some razor-sharp ’77 punk with “Underground LUV.” Speaking of “LUV” you’ll hear a bit of NEW YORK DOLLS in “Emergency 2020” and you’ll find quite a few good decadent anthems like “Soho Hotel” and “Life’s Crashing”. “Pressure Gonna Get You” brings a touch of 90s noise rock to the album, “Sweet Fatal Attraction” is a pretty good glam punk tune and Timmy’s voice gets to the edge in “Sonic Detonator”, you’ll even hear a bit of DEAD BOYS in “Our World Tomorrow”! This is spray-painted rather than polished and you’ll probably luv it! /Laurent C.
We talked about Brighton based artist Suzie Stapleton quite a few times through her singles and videos. Here she is back with a self-recorded album with the help of Gavin Jay (JIM JONES AND THE RIGHTEOUSMINDS) on bass and drummer Jim MACAULAY (The STRANGLERS.) “We Are The Plague” opens the album on a dark pyche rock note with intense vocals and fuzzy guitars while “Thylacine” quiets things down, bringing PJ HARVEY to mind. Most songs have their own special atmosphere in a cinematic way, you can easily picture your own video clips while listening to “Blood On The Windscreen”, “September” or “Don’t Look Up” and its desert vibes among others. You’ll hear some gospel influences in “The River Song” and “Angel Speak”‘s beautiful intensity will make you travel very far in unknown territories. “You Were There” has a bit of a DOORS vibe with some 90s alternative influences thrown in while “In The Darkness” has a certain form of minimalism to it before it turns into chaos. We sometimes think of Anna Calvi‘s albums while listening to this record and it sure deserves the same kind of success! The ballad “Silence In My Bones” and “Negative Prophet” both bring a bit of peace near the end of the album, making you think that things could eventually get better in the end even though the question remains “Oh God, do you believe in me?” “We Are The Plague” could be the soundtrack of this coronavirus age but there’s no doubt that it will stand the test of time. /Laurent C.
Brighton-based artist Suzie Stapleton has announced the release of new single “Blood On The Windscreen”.
‘Blood On The Windscreen’ is the second single from the acclaimed songwriter and guitarist’s highly anticipated debut album ‘We Are The Plague’ which is slated for release in June via Cargo Records.
“I had a meeting with a photographer in early January to discuss the artwork for We Are The Plague. I joked, ‘I hope a pandemic doesn’t sweep across the world before the album release’. About a week later, coronavirus starting hitting the headlines… and here we are.
“When I wrote the title I was thinking not only of plague as in the disease, but of plague in the proportional sense. We are prone to knee-jerk reactions when another species appears to threaten us in some way, yet it’s our own actions that pose the biggest threat to our survival.
“Why have we reacted so swiftly to coronavirus worldwide, yet we drag our feet to combat climate change which could bring down not only us but our entire global ecosystem?”
‘Blood On The Windscreen’ was produced by Stapleton and mixed by award-winning engineer Dan Cox (Thurston Moore/Laura Marling). The track simmers with raw energy, harnessing the power of the 3-piece, Stapleton’s distorted guitar and gritty vocal are punctuated by the heavy-hitting of drummer Jim Macaulay (The Stranglers), and the driving bass force of Gavin Jay (Jim Jones & The Righteous Mind).
Stapleton was set to play a run of UK shows in March supporting Humanist – producer/guitarist Rob Marshall’s intriguing new project featuring vocals from Mark Lanegan, Dave Gahan, Mark Gardener and more – these dates have now been postponed until September due to the coronavirus outbreak. Further dates with Jim Jones-fronted powerhouse Thee Hypnotics are cancelled.
“These are strange times… Of course we were really looking forward to all of these shows, but it’s OK, it’s for the greater good. I’m going to make the most of self-isolation and use the time to be creative. I guess we wait and see what the summer brings. As long as there is WIFI in quarantine, I’ll get the album out there.”
Acclaimed chronicler of the shadows Suzie Stapleton has announced the release of her new single, ‘Thylacine’, and a run of UK dates. Both herald the release of highly anticipated debut album, ‘We Are The Plague’, which is due in the spring.
Released independently on 29 November via AWAL as a digital-only release, ‘Thylacine’ finds the Brighton-based artist in compelling form. Drawing its title from an extinct Australian mammal, and tying in with the apocalyptic themes that inform ‘We Are The Plague’, the new single is suffused with a sense of drama and an ethereal intensity that marks her down as a very special talent. This is music that seduces, compels and haunts.
“When I started writing for this album, I felt compelled to address what was going on in the world. We’re bombarded constantly by horrific news, stuck on a broken systemic hamster wheel. I felt stupid writing about my insignificant woes whilst the world burned around me.” explains Stapleton.
Joining Suzie Stapleton’s live band are bassist Gavin Jay from Jim Jones & The Righteous Mind and former Yann Tiersen drummer Dave Collingwood. The Stranglers’ drummer Jim Macaulay brings his talents to the studio.
“I approach the art of recording differently to performing songs live,” continues Stapleton. “There’s an energy during live performances that can turn songs into a different beast. I expect that these new songs will evolve and begin to draw their own breath during this tour.”
Produced by Suzie Stapleton, ‘Thylacine’ and ‘We Are The Plague’ were recorded between OX4 Sound in Oxfordshire and Stapleton’s home studio, and were mixed by award-winning engineer Dan Cox, whose previous credits include Thurston Moore’s ‘The Best Day’.
SUZIE STAPLETON TOUR DATES January 4 The Carlisle, HASTINGS w/ Dastardly Dudes // Free Entry
January 24 The Brunswick Hove (Cellar Bar), BRIGHTON w/ Rex Speedway & The Denim Avengers + The Damn Shebang // Free Entry
January 25 Rough Trade BRISTOL w/ Emily Breeze (headlining) + National Treasure
“Freakshow” is the first release of The DERELLAS with new singer/guitar player Stevie D, and while it was difficult to imagine the band without Robbie, The DERELLAS didn’t die out, and came back with fresh ideas and drummer Billion Dollar Bish (ex-FLESH FOR LULU, BUBBLEGUM SCREW…) to complete the new line-up.
“Rip It Up”, and “Strung Out Sin City” shows us a band holding the glam punk flame high in the air, and “Soho Hotel” is one of the catchiest tunes The DERELLAS have ever written. The song “Freakshow” displays a new side of the band, somewhere between the DEAD BOYS and FRANKENSTEIN DRAG QUEENS FROM PLANET 13, and “Dress Up Mess Up” makes you wonder: Where have all the glam punk bands been?
The icing on the glitter cake is a cover of ADAM AND THE ANTS‘ “Plastic Surgery”, and the record is out on CD and 10″ slime green vinyl. You can always count on The DERELLAS!/Laurent c.
The DERELLAS are back with Danny Fury (LORDS OF THE NEW CHURCH, ROGUE MALE, KILL CITY DRAGONS…) behind the drum kit, what a great choice!… And as soon as the first song “Rock n Rollercoaster”, you can hear that the band sounds tighter, heavier now, bringing The RAMONES or ZODIAC MINDWARP to mind.
Songs like “Kids Wanna Slam” and “She Kissed The Gun”remind me of the TRASHCAN DARLINGS (one the best glam punk bands ever!), while “Don’t Go” will make every RAMONES fan in the universe raise their hands.
The DERELLAS remember London’s rock’n’roll glory days (remember that some of these guys played in the VIBRATORS and in HEARTBREAK ANGELS!) in “London A Go-Go” and gives us a bit of hope about the current British rock scene at the same time with their glitter anthem”Stick It To The Man.”
If you’ve seen the band live before, then you know that their version of “Be My Baby” is always a great moment of their set, well you’ll get it on this record too! I guess the last song on here, “Mutha Fucker” must also be a killer live glam punk’n’roll number!
The DERELLAS have never sounded that good, and since it’s only my opinion, I can only advise you to check out yourself!/Laurent C.
Veglam 