There’s a great live radio session on WFMU here http://wfmu.org/playlists/shows/42378

Ex-circle Jerks and Black Flag vocalist Keith Morris has his new project OFF! on tour, and rather good they are as well. Check out their Compared To What video.

They’re playing seven UK shows including Rebellion and other European dates. Enjoy!

Control – my favourite of the current crop of British streetpunk bands have a video for the track He’s A Skinhead from their excellent new album Punk Rock Ruined My Life online now. They’ve managed to surpass their brillaint debut album ‘Hooligan Rock n Roll’ with this one.

They’re supporting Lars Fredericksen’s side project The Old Firm Casuals on many of their UK dates and playing Rebellion.

There’s a new video from Jarrow punk band Crashed Out for The Town That Died that you can find on their excellent Crash & Burn album. It’s a song about the sad demise of Jarrow, all the heavy industry now gone. Could apply to much of the Tyne & Wear rivers. Never mind, I’m sure there’ll be another call centre opening soon providing more low quality jobs.

My very good friend Mark Hibbett the humourus songwriter has produced a video in support of a ‘Yes’ vote in the AV Referendum, called I’m Saying Yes. It’s a very funny video and definitely worth a viewing.

That’s enough politics for one day.

Here’s the forthcoming tour dates by north-east hardcore punks The Fiend:

9th april THE MALTING HOUSE felling

23rd april THE DUKE  felling

5th may THE OFFICE  south shields

7th may THE CLARENDON  sunderland

14th may  BRISTOL

18th june THE NORTHEASTERN  spennymoor

18th july TRILLIONS newcastle

7th august REBELLION blackpool

28th august THE GROSVENER london

12th november THE OFFICE south shields

‘New Style Rocka’ is Sonic Boom Six’s ode to the rich mash-up of styles and characters that inhabit the dancefloors of British night-life; a musical celebration of the UK’s unique multiculturalism that has spawned SB6′s trademark blend of punk and dance music. Fittingly, ‘New Style Rocka’ features the emcee talents of Manchester’s premier drum n bass emcee Tonn Piper (recently seen touring with Tek-One and Shaun Ryder) and comes complete with a remix by Liverpool’s jungle firebrand DJ Frisk as well as the brand new B-Side ‘What Doesn’t Kill
You Make You Stronger’, a tune premièred on SB6′s recent European tour with Less Than Jake. The single and ‘New Style Rocka’ video (filmed by Manchester’s Trifecta Films) drop just in time for SB6′s stint playing main support to The King Blues on their forthcoming sold-out UK tour.

Watch the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4Eo0nFo0Ew&feature=player_embedded

February
12              Brighton Spinning Chilli@The Hydrant
23              Chelmsford Bitterscene

March
3                Brixton Jamm RMT Benefit
10              Newcastle Star & Shadow
11              Glasgow Sounds in the Suburbs@Glasgow Accies
12              Edinburgh Sounds in the Suburbs@Citrus Club  (after party at Henry’s Cellar Bar)
13              Dundee Dexters
25              London St Aloysius
26              Stockton on Tees The Georgian Theatre

April
29              F**k the royal wedding gig London

May
19              Camden, The Lock tavern
30              South Bank

June
4 Sheffield  (the Greystone)

Very pleased The Sexual Objects are playing with us in Newcastle, Glasgow and Edinburgh and the Spectorbullets in Newcastle and Glasgow. Newcastle is going to be one of our more unusual and hopefully memorable gigs, the night starts with a showing of Truffaut’s Les Quatre Cents Coups, then Spectorbullets,Sexual objects, Carl on the organ playing Blackpool and then us.

We are re-arranging the Cannock date, the venue doen’t do gigs on saturdays any more so going for a friday. We are still hoping to reschedule Southend, and trying to sort  gigs in Winchester and Vienna amongst others.

We’re doing our bit for workers’ rights with an RMT benefit on march 3 at Brixton Jamm. Go Crow!

Emily Portman is a Newcastle based folk musician, but none of the wooly jumper rubbish here, her songs are dark and deal with subjects like wife-beating and rape, lyrics that wouldn’t be out of place on a Nick Cave album.

One of her songs ‘Two Sisters’  has been nominated for best traditional song in the Spiral Earth awards. Please click here to vote for Emily – she deserves to win! You don’t need to enter your email address or anything like that.

Vic Godard & Subway Sect are touring in support of their excellent new album We Come As Aliens out now on Overground Records.

Dec 9th London Silver Bullet Finsbury Park

Dec 18th Southend Railway Hotel

January 8th The Thunderbolt Bristol

January 29th Tanned Tin Festival Castellon Spain

February 12th Brighton

February 19th Cannock

March 10th Star and Shadow Newcastle

March 11th Glasgow Accies

March 12th Citrus Club Edinburgh

March 26th The Georgian Theatre Stockton on Tees

More in the pipeline, including Liverpool, Cannes and Nice.