The Minx: upcoming live shows and new video

Mancunian power-pop-punkers The Minx have a few shows upcoming over the rest of the summer, including an appearance at the Ramsbottom Festival. They also have a new single out (‘No Friends’), a video for which is in the pipeline.

In the meantime, you can watch a clip of the band performing their new b-side ‘Jesus & The Mary Chain’ below.

You can also read a review of their previous release ‘Hey! Mr. Warden’ here.

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LEVELLERS – Greatest Hits

LevellersIn the 1970s greatest hits collections were a quick way for record companies to bundle together previously released material under the pretence that it was a celebration of a band’s career up to a particular point.  These were not usually so much a celebration as a way to make a quick buck, but whatever the justification, such releases rarely troubled the more serious record buyer.  In the late 80s, the game changed when record companies began to pad such collections out with two or three unreleased tracks, not only ensuring the collection of singles would sell to a more casual listener, but also hoping it would tempt the long term fan into that extra purchase.  Such practice became common.

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New Levellers video with Billy Bragg

To help promote their upcoming extensive anthology the Levellers have issued a new video clip featuring the legendary Billy Bragg.

The atmospheric, sepia toned clip features the musicians in the studio, performing their new collaboration – a re-recording of the Levellers 1995 hit ‘Hope Street’.   The collaboration is one of four new songs from the upcoming greatest hits set, the other new tracks featuring vocals and musical input from Imelda May, Bellowhead and Frank Turner.

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THROUGH THORN AND BRIER – Good Grief EP

TTaBThrough Thorn and Brier is a band made up of four musicians from New Jersey who claim their key influences and interests are “pizza” and “filth”. Although billed as crust/hardcore punk, their music rarely takes the speedy grindcore or powerviolence route of their closer contemporaries.  Where most are content with thrashing out minute long bursts of noise paying homage to the likes of Discharge and F-Minus, Through Thorn and Brier take far longer to get their point across, preferring instead to throw down long, grinding metallic riffs, served up with a slightly raw garage punk production value.  On this EP, the mix of styles serves them well.

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