They'll be dancing in the streets of Belfast as news breaks that Comac Neeson's new psychedelic folk ensemble California Irish have triumphed in the latest edition of our Tracks Of The Week contest. Congratulations to him, and to them. You can hear their now prize-winning Live Fast, Die Free single again below.
In second place was the late Bernie Marsden, while Mark Morton was voted third, so congratulations to them too. Our latest contestants are below, eager for your ears.
Please vote for your new favourite below.
De’Wayne - June
One of our favourite new artists at the moment, Houston-born De’Wayne has a super-slinky, scorching summer banger on his hands in the form of the title track (and ‘muse’ of sorts) for his upcoming album. Irresistibly hooky, funked up pop rock that feels cool, fun and old-school all at once. “I wrote June because I had to,” he says, “it poured out of me. I was heavily inspired by Talking Heads and Prince, but I wanted this to reach everybody. Young or old, whatever your background, we all know what it’s like to fall for someone who flips your world upside down.” Damn straight.
His Lordship - I Fly Planes Into Hurricanes
It’s all there in the title, really. If you imagine the frenzied, kamikaze mentality it must take to fly planes into hurricanes, and somehow distil that into just under three minutes of rock’n’roll, this is pretty much what you’d get. With the twosome’s second album Bored Animal on its way, I Fly Planes Into Hurricanes is a brilliantly fast, frantic, fiery taste of the Stooges-ified punk’n’roll that awaits – its heart in the 50s and its head dipped in fire.
Brent Cobb & The Fixin's - Even If It’s Broke
Brent Cobb (Nashville uber-producer Dave Cobb is his cousin) and his rock’n’roll posse The Fixin’s continue to lay down tasty teasers for their album, Aint’ Rocked In A While, with Even If It’s Broke. Part 70s bluesy classic rocker, part low-slung southern-fried groovefest, it’s a more-ish taster of the rabble-rousing noise Cobb makes live – now realised on record, after a period of largely leaning into his softer, singer-songwriterly side.
Lucie Sue - Reckless
“After cutting myself off from so many things in life, I decided to flip the script,” French maverick Lucie Sue say, of this dark yet highly danceable mesh of smoky industrial ambience, dirty riffage and PJ Harvey-esque swagger. “This song is a kick in the ass to hesitation. It's a manifesto for living wide open. No brakes, no filters, with the raw hunger to just be.” Play loud and enjoy.
Buckcherry - Set It Free
In another life Josh Todd might have fronted Velvet Revolver (the gig of course went to Scott Weiland). In a more recent life he was a certified phlebotomist, working in a COVID vaccine clinic in LA for four months. But if this latest taste of new album Roar Of Thunder is anything to go by, his current life with Buckcherry looks pretty damn good. Stomping beats, singalong chorus, verse riffs so juicy you want to eat them… there’s a lot to like there.
Orianthi - Attention
Aussie-Greek guitar star (with Alice Cooper, Prince, Richie Sambora, Michael Jackson and Santana among her past collaborators, she earns the ‘guitar star’ label more comfortably than many) and lifelong rocker/road warrior Orianthi flexes her singing, as well as soloing, chops on this heartfelt, melancholy yet driving slice of her next solo album Some Kind Of Feeling, which comes out later this year. Vulnerability and 90s grunge/pop-ish melody, with a generous side of classic rock guitar heroism.
Surfbort - USA Cheese
Blondie and The Strokes have both had nice things to say about Brooklyn punkers Surfbort in the past, and USA Cheese may give you an inkling why. It's spiky and spirited – think Amyl & The Sniffers, but with Noo Yoik attitude – and, most importantly, seems to be celebrating one of cuisine's most unlikely heroes, American cheese. This is evidenced in a video in which both squirty and sliced cheese are celebrated. Punk's still not dead, it's just developing some very tasty mould.
Steve Perry - Faithfully (feat. Willie Nelson)
Released to raise funds for the longrunning Farm Aid charity, this version of Journey's classic ballad Faithfully finds legendary former Journey vocalist Steve Perry hooking up with the even more legendary country star Willie Nelson. While neither man's voice is quite what it used to be, age has lent a poignancy to the performance that's genuinely moving. "No one has a voice or vocal phrasing anything like Willie Nelson," says Perry. "Singing this duet with Willie has been something I've always wanted to do."
