Riot Act

Hey everyone, it’s been a while, but we’re back with another Riot Act Reviews, and, good lord, do we have a good one. Steve and Remfry are looking at Angel In Realtime. by Gang of Youths, the third studio album by the Australian alternative rock band and the follow up to their 2017 album Go Farther In Lightness. Although they're pretty successful here in the UK, Gang of Youths are much more of a sizable band in their native Australia and the US. The release of Angel In Realtime. looks like it will change that dramatically though, as this is one of the most poignant, personal, inspiring and ambitious albums of 2022. The narrative around the album focuses on the death and legacy of frontman David Le’aupepe’s father, his relationship with a person he describes as ​​“the most important man in my life” and his reaction to the stunning revelations that came to light in the aftermath of his passing. This is all explored musically with a vast sonic palette that recalls everyone from Arcade Fire to Pulp to The Nat

Welcome to another episode of Riot Act, where Steve and Remfry have had a slightly quieter week than the uncharacteristically busy start to the year that 2022 has thus far brought.  Still, there’s been plenty going on, with one of the most talked about Super Bowl halftime shows ever from Dr Dre and Co., Ed Sheeran and Cradle of Filth discussing their odd but inevitable collaboration, a surprise pair of Nine Inch Nails shows being announced in the UK and Remfry going out to Dapper Laughs' (yes really) old stomping ground of the Clapham Grand to see Frank Turner. Turner’s latest album, which could well be number one in the UK album charts this weekend, and the new record from And So I Watch You From Afar are also discussed. Plus we look at a pair of deluxe re-releases from a pair of classic records that actually prove to be far more than just a cynical cash in, courtesy of Jimmy Eat World’s Bleed American and Therapy?’s Infernal Love. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: C

Your favourite dose of alternative music chat is back, it’s Riot Act, that’s us, we’re here, we’re back… hi. It’s been a busy week away from Riot Act towers for Steve and Remfry this week, which has meant we haven’t been able to give you individual reviews on the massive albums that are released this week, so (old school!) we’re doing it here! We look at new releases from Cult of Luna, Zeal & Ardor, Eddie Vedder and Wovenhand. Plus there’s chat about the recent Knocked Loose and Terror show in London and a comprehensive review of this weeks BRIT Awards (because we know you love that!), which was… not as bad as it could have been actually. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Hello you! You’re about to listen to Riot Act, your favourite weekly music podcast. Steve and Remfry are here once again, and this week they are celebrating those one album wonder bands by picking a pair of long lost but exceptional records that represent the only full lengths released by their creators. Both Sona Fariq and Man Will Surrender might have only given us one album (THANKS WARNER!) but as you’ll hear, what great albums they were. We also namecheck some similar artists that you suggested to us on our social media as well. Because we’re nice! We also look at the latest releases from Nordic Giants, Maverick Sabre and El Moono, chat about the recent live shows we witnessed from Turnstile and Zetra, say farewell to The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and speak some more about the car crash that is Spotify right now. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

We’re back with another Riot Act Reviews, the show where Steve and Remfry give their expert opinion on one of the more notable releases in the music world. Today we’re speaking about one of the most unique and singular artists that Britain has ever produced; Rolo Tomassi and their 6th studio album Where Myth Becomes Memory. As the follow up to 2018’s critically adored Time Will Die and Love Will Bury It album, there is a hell of a lot of expectation on WMBM, but if you’ve been following us since the beginning, then you’ll not be shocked to hear that we think they’ve skillfully sidestepped any accusations of delivering a disappointment. This is very much a continuation of the previous album, but with an extra lacing of hopefulness and positivity, bringing an end to an exceptional trilogy of records for the band. So, as ever, you can be guaranteed some sublimely brutal riffs, some euphorically soaring and shimmering clean passages and all manner of rhythmically inspiring and bewildering grooves, plus a few new

Welcome to another episode of Riot Act Reviews, where Steve and Remfry review a new and exciting release from the world of alternative music… Today we’re talking about Ants From Up Here, the second album from UK experimental post-rock newbies Black Country, New Road. It’s only been a year since the band released their highly acclaimed debut album For The First Time, but we have a brand new set of songs already, with the band promising to give listeners a more palatable album than their first, with the intention being ‘to write songs that were three and a half minutes’. A quick look at the track lengths on this album will tell you that they’ve definitely failed when it comes to that latter point, but Ants From Up Here is full of contradictions, with the addition of lots of new musical ideas and forms hint that this isn’t going to be For The First Time mark II. Question is; is it any good? Have a listen to find out. https://bcnr.lnk.to/afut (Like the sound of Ants From Up Here? Why not order yourself a copy th

Hello you! Well if it isn’t another Riot Act Review podcast, where we, that’s Steve and Remfry FYI, look at another big album release. Today we’re considering the relative merits of Korn’s 14th studio album Requiem. It’s the follow up to the nu-metal legends surprisingly brilliant The Nothing in 2019.  It’s a pretty high bar for Korn to match here on Requiem, and so, fair play to them, it would appear that they don’t even try to do that. Instead opting for a “If it ain’t broke…” mentality and going back to the sound and style that has served them so well over the past couple of decades. Does this make Requiem the best or most essential Korn album ever? Definitely not. But, obvious as it may sound, Korn are actually very, very good at sounding like Korn, and when they get it right they’re a pleasure to be around. How often do they get it right here? Well, if you listen then you’ll find out won’t you now! https://lnk.kornofficial.com/Requiem (Boom-da-da-mmm-dum-na-ee-ma, Da-boom-da-da-mmm-dum-na-ee-ma GO!) http

It’s another episode of Riot Act Reviews, where Steve and Remfry talk about one of the more noteworthy new records being released right about now. On this episode, we’re looking at Erebos, the third full-length album by underground death metal darlings Venom Prison. It’s been a pretty spectacular rise for Welsh / Russian death metal crew over the last few years, with each of their previous records seeing them steadily climb the ladder of British metal to a position where Erebos now feels like a genuinely big release in the scene. The third album is always a testing ground for the longevity of a band like Venom Prison however ... how much longer can you continue to blast and batter your way around before your audience feels like they’ve heard all your tricks? It’s a problem Erebos skillfully side steps, with none of the band's previous extreme intensity being sacrificed, Venom Prison have released the most daring, expansive and experimental album of their career thus far, with nods to electronic music, amb

Originally posted over on https://www.patreon.com/riotactpodcast (https://www.patreon.com/riotactpodcast) September 23rd 2020 Remfry and Steve head back to 2004 for a suggestion to cover GN'R/STP supergroup Velvet Revolver and their debut album Contraband. As suggested by Jonathan Davidson (who very kindly gave us the choice between Contraband or their risible 2007 follow-up Libertad), the timing of the release of this debut was extremely fortuitous, as the retro classic rock sound was back in fashion after The Darkness had paved the way with their debut album Permission to Land the previous summer. Consequently, Velvet Revolver were welcomed with much more open arms than they would have been just a couple of years previously ... but do the songs on Contraband still sound as good today as they did 16 years ago?  ** WARNING: Features Josh Todd impressions ** This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Welcome to Riot Act, your weekly dose of music chat and opinion from that guy Stephen Hill and the other guy Remfry Dedman. And, yes, you’re right, we should pay tribute to the late, great Meat Loaf, who sadly passed away last week just as episode 178 went live. We are obviously going to do that (you could say you took the words right out of ours mouths), and what better way to celebrate the iconic career of the man than by deep diving into the fascinating story of his most definitive album? We try and unravel the madness of his multi-platinum selling, genre denying and defying 1977 debut album Bat Out of Hell.  There’s also talk on new albums from the likes of Yard Act, 40 Watt Sun, Grivo and Zetra, and we also pick a side on the ongoing Spotify tug of war between Joe Rogan and Neil Young. https://jimsteinman.com/00classicr1.htm (Bat Out of Hell - The Story Behind the Album) This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Welcome to another weekly instalment of Riot Act, your dose of news and opinions on all recent alternative music shenanigans. It’s been a wild time putting the show together this week, as both Steve and Remfry are reeling from the news that one of hardcore's most beloved and inspirational bands have split up. We talk through the Every Time I Die split before paying tribute to them as best we can by each choosing five songs from their illustrious back catalogue to create our own personal ETID super playlist. That’s not all though, there’s also chat on recent releases from Elvis Costello, Comeback Kid, Toundra and Som, live reviews of Idles and Haggard Cat, the surprising (if fairly minor) rise in CD sales and how old and confused we feel by the recent announcement of the emo*-tastic When We Were Young one day festival in Las Vegas later this year. *NOT REAL EMO! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

We’re back with another Riot Act Reviews, the show where we cast our critical eye over a brand new release from a sizable or interesting artist.  Today we’re looking at the 6th studio album from Canadian stadium punk lads Billy Talent, Crisis of Faith. Billy Talent are both sizable AND interesting, particularly if you’re German, but both of our hosts scratch their heads and try to remember the bands previous album, 2016’s Afraid of Heights, but can’t quite put their finger on having any prior knowledge of it. That’s not to say we have no prior love of BT, in fact their earlier material is very close to the heart of one of us, but that was the past, and can the Billy Talent of 2022 match up to their wiry, yelping and anthemic best of the 2000’s? https://billytalent.tmstor.es/?lf=116807cff6d6a83d5c61fc8e34f9e763 (Like Billy Talent? Pick up some merch or pre-order the record why dontcha!?) https://youtu.be/3mlGOGfoYNM (Billy Talent - End Of Me feat. Rivers Cuomo (Official Music Video)) https://youtu.be/Nq1MTaw2

On this Riot Act Review Steve and Remfry talk you through their opinions on the latest album from Chicago born rapper Earl Sweatshirt, Sick!... that’s the name of the album by the way, we’re not just really excited about it. It’s been an interesting life that Mr Sweatshirt has lived, and now, with this being his first release since parting ways with former label Columbia and the promise of more “riskier” material, we get to hear just what he’s been up to in the last three and a bit years. Turns out, like all of us, he’s been stuck in lockdown, and Sick! is another kind of conceptual piece regarding his thoughts on state of humanity during the COVID19 pandemic. At least, that’s what he has said, with a record this slight, its ten tracks clocking in a just over the 24 minute mark, this dreamy and fronted by a man with a fairly lackadaisical flow, it isn’t always that easy to tell. Still, we do our best to decipher it all here. https://earlsweatshirt.lnk.to/sick (Like the sound of the record? Why not pick up a c

Original posted September 16th 2020 on https://www.patreon.com/riotactpodcast (https://www.patreon.com/riotactpodcast) Steve and Remfry go very in-depth (almost Classic Album-worthy in-depth) on an album that was very hotly anticipated at the time, the debut from Aldershot melodic post-hardcore heroes Hundred Reasons. As suggested by Tierney, this Rioteer's Review provides an opportunity to merrily skip down memory lane as both Steve and Remfry were heavily invested in the scene that Hundred Reasons (debatably) spawned.  They discuss the hype leading up to the record, the resounding success and sadly, what seemed inevitable decline of a band who, for just a sweet short summer in 2002 looked like they might dominate the entire universe (spoiler ... they didn't). All that plus, we discover the revelation that Remfry's never heard the saying 'keen as mustard' and Steve stays on brand by obsessing over a band that no-one's even vaguely heard of and oly ever released one(!) demo. This pod

Welcome to episode 177 of Riot Act, the alternative music podcast … so alternative in fact that Steve brings up Gangham Style within 30 seconds of pressing record … THAT’S how alternative we are! We’ve had a few weeks off over the Christmas period which has given both Steve and Remfry a little time to listen to some of the records they’d intended to in 2021, but didn’t get round to. We bring you some mainly great releases we missed, a couple of ok ones and one particularly stinky one to round things off. In the news, we discuss Metallica’s dogs, Glastonbury’s profits and the sad passing of Woodstock founder Michael Lang. Plus, we sift through a few records coming up in the next few months that we can say with absolute 100% assurance that we have not heard, no sir, not us, move right along, nothing to hear here ... Woodstock Videos https://youtu.be/Ahb0J5YEWxg (Peter Gabriel - Sledgehammer - 8/14/1994 - Woodstock 94) https://youtu.be/BwH3tUwGh0E (Green Day - When I Come Around @ Live Woodstock 1994 HD) https:

Welcome back to Riot Act Reviews, another chance for Steve and Remfry to chew the cud over a new and exciting album from the alternative music landscape. On this episode we look at Epigone, the 4th full length album from Boston based proggressive metallers Wilderun. We reviewed the band’s 3rd album Veil of Imagination on episode 102 of the show and were very impressed by their blend of extreme metal styles, progressive elements and classical orchestration. We maaaaaay have said they sounded a bit like Opeth in that review but then hey … that’s no bad thing is it!.  This time around, the “O band” do come up again, but there is definitely a sense of expansion beyond Veil of Imagination, with psychedelic elements, classic American folk and some evocative synth work added to their already very dynamic palette of extreme metal, classic prog and some truly stirring Michael Kamen-esque orchestral flourishes. https://wilderun.lnk.to/Epigone (Order yourself a physical copy of Epigone why don't you?) Videos https

Welcome to the first Riot Act Review of Twenty Twenty Two! This week it’s quite an unusual event, as Steve and Remfry have a ma-hoo-sive new release to chat about in the usually notoriously quiet first week of the year. We go in-depth on Dawn FM the surprise released 5th album from Canadian electro, soul and pop singer songwriter The Weeknd.  He may well be one of the most famous musicians on the planet right now, but The Weeknd is not your typical Riot Act artist, with one of our hosts having only vaguely dipped his toe into the back catalogue and the other having no prior knowledge of his work at all. Still, this is already a hugely significant release and Dawn FM is a pretty good place to start getting into The Weeknd, as its creator has spoken about the album being a brighter and lighter version of much of his previous material. As well as some seriously seductive and instantaneous 80’s inflected soul pop being present here we also get a varied plethora of famous voices lending their talents to the album,

Welcome to the final Riot Act podcast of 2021, and what better way to finish the year off than with the culmination of our countdown of the very best albums of the year. Steve and Remfry reveal their individual top five picks in what has undoubtedly been one of the most exceptional years for music in living memory. With it being such a fantastic period for music there are a whole heap of honourable mentions to be revealed, before things get a little bit emotional as we reach the climax of the last 12 months, with everything from boisterous hardcore punk to delicate folk, from scabrous experimental hip hop to lo-fi indie pop being recognised at the, phenomenally strong, business ends of our lists.  We will return in 2022, which is going to have to go some way to topping 2021, but we’ll do our best to continue providing you with the very best sounds we can find from every corner of the alternative spectrum… whatever that even means to us these days… even we don’t really know! Have a lovely Christmas and thank y

Yes that’s right, it’s Riot Act, your favourite dose of alternative music content back again with another show filled with lovely year end shenanigans. This week Steve and Remfry continue their countdown of the very best records of 2021 by revealing numbers 10 to 6 in their individual lists, a varied bunch containing everything from prog-metal to lo-fi indie to mad piano jazz to euphoric blackgaze. Plenty for your ears to enjoy. We also bombard you with a mammoth list of our hosts' favourite songs of the year, which excitingly includes an entire reading of that Godspeed You Black Emperor song with the mad long name, and a bit of a chat about how good metal has been this year (Not very on brand is it!)... oh, and we prove we’re shit at maths. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Welcome back to another Riot Act, where you join us at the second of four shows detailing Steve and Remfry’s continuing countdown of the 20 best albums of 2021.  This week our hosts talk you through numbers 15 to 11, waxing lyrical on everything from soaring, majestic soul to crushing, expansive black metal, from warming, bright shoegaze to icy cold gothic melodrama. All that and much more are represented in our hosts picks, and they also find time to talk through some of the most disappointing albums of 2021. In our humble opinion you understand. Sure. Obviously.  Oh… Remfry ISN’T wearing new glasses by the way. Just to be clear. THEY ARE NOT NEW GLASSES… Carry on! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy