eyeplug.net/magazine – eyeplug.net/magazine
type: channel
date: 2026-06-09T21:17:21Z
update period: hourly
update frequency: 1
update base: 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00
items: Mirror Revelations – ‘Ignea’ LP
items: Eyeplug speaks with Mirrorball Author Kevin Dowling
items: Upupayama – Honesty Flowers
items: ‘IV’ by White Canyon and The 5th Dimension
items: Acme Boy By Phil Strongman interview by Jay Strongman
items: HELICON X AL LOVER ‘Arise’
items: Tearing up God’s living room…
items: Mellowmaker – new Black Market Karma album on Fuzz Club records
items: Totally wired – ‘Monkeypunch’ by The Dirt
items: The Men ‘Buyer Beware’
items: Stuffed Foxes ‘Standardized’
items: Diminished Responsibility: My Life as a U.K Sub and other strange stories Volume III, by Alvin Gibbs

Mirror Revelations – ‘Ignea’ LP
type: item
creator: Gary Powell
date: 2026-06-09T21:17:21Z
subject: Bands
subject: Dark
subject: Music
subject: Post-punk
subject: dystopian
subject: Mirror Revelations
subject: Ignea
subject: Fuzz Club Records
subject: LP review
subject: album review
subject: psych
subject: dark
subject: Post Punk
subject: Fuzz Club
subject: Gary Powell
description: It’s been around 3 years since the release of debut album ‘Aura’ and it appears that during that time there has been a major transformation. This is Mirror Revelations uncaged and letting go; ‘Ignea’ is harder faster and more aggressive; maximum propulsion from the bass and drums, maximum power from the churning synth violence. While …
encoded: It’s been around 3 years since the release of debut album ‘Aura’ and it appears that during that time there has been a major transformation. This is Mirror Revelations uncaged and letting go; ‘Ignea’ is harder faster and more aggressive; maximum propulsion from the bass and drums, maximum power from the churning synth violence. While the first album had some lighter touches and an open natural feel this is dense and claustrophobic, an electrically charged swamp of seething effects, a dirty electro hum and echoed vocals. ‘Ignea’ was created by Mexican duo Alam Castillo (bass, drums, synths) and Gabriela Alcala (synthesizers, lyrics and vocal melodies). They toured the UK a few years ago and made a great impression on all of us who saw them and they’re coming back in October to continue where they left off. There seems to be a massive burst of energy and creativity coming from the underground Mexican scene over the last few years with a lot of bands getting records released widely and getting tours abroad. I have no doubt that the music has always been there, but now with the global nature of the underground psych movement (for want of a better word) we’re all getting exposed to it and to music from far and wide, which for me is one of the outstanding things about the whole scene. The song titles tell you what you need to know about where the band’s hearts and minds are at – ‘resist’ ‘burn’ ‘challenge’ – all statements of intent and dissatisfaction, the Mirror Revelations manifesto for much needed change. So, these may be protest songs but they’re also banging psyched-up heavy motorik dance tracks; insanely paced at times and brimming with energy and exuberance. The momentum never lets up throughout the record and there is a wired and gleeful feel which collides and meshes with the atmosphere created which is gritty, pressurized and dystopian. Raw and brutal on first listen, repeated spins reveal strange melodies and frequencies shifting like ghosts just under the sur…

Eyeplug speaks with Mirrorball Author Kevin Dowling
type: item
creator: Olly Eyeplug
date: 2026-06-08T11:48:03Z
subject: Cult
subject: Culture
subject: DozenQ
subject: Eyeplugs
subject: Features
subject: Funk
subject: Hotplugs
subject: Interviews
subject: Life Style
subject: Literature
subject: Modern
subject: Nightlife
subject: Nostalgia
subject: Picks
subject: Soul
subject: Style
subject: Disco
subject: Bermondsey
subject: MirrorBall
subject: Millwall
subject: Old Dog Books
description: A young teenager in the late 70’s I grew up on one of the large council estates that crowded in on Millwall FC. One of my earliest memories is hearing a loud roar reverberate around the tower blocks and asking my dad ‘what’s that?’ He replied in his thick Dublin accent, ‘That’s Millwall scoring... You don’t hear it much.’ At 16 I left school without any qualifications but somehow managed to blag my way into a job at Barclays Bank making tea and licking envelopes. When they caught up with my lack of qualifications they must have liked my tea because rather than sack me they made me enrol in Night school where I got the requisite four ‘O’ Levels including English Language and English Literature. From there I went on to have a mediocre career of long hours that paid the bills.
encoded: <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-16689" src="https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/mirrorball-cover-front-jpeg-1-793x1024.jpg" alt="" width="793" height="1024" data-wp-pid="16689" srcset="https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/mirrorball-cover-front-jpeg-1-793x1024.jpg 793w, https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/mirrorball-cover-front-jpeg-1-232x300.jpg 232w, https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/mirrorball-cover-front-jpeg-1-768x992.jpg 768w, https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/mirrorball-cover-front-jpeg-1-300x387.jpg 300w, https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/mirrorball-cover-front-jpeg-1-600x775.jpg 600w, https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/mirrorball-cover-front-jpeg-1.jpg 900w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 793px) 100vw, 793px" /> A young teenager in the late 70’s I grew up on one of the large council estates that crowded in on Millwall FC. One of my earliest memories is hearing a loud roar reverberate around the tower blocks and asking my dad ‘what’s that?’ He replied in his thick Dublin accent, ‘That’s Millwall scoring… You don’t hear it much.’ At 16 I left school without any qualifications but somehow managed to blag my way into a job at Barclays Bank making tea and licking envelopes. When they caught up with my lack of qualifications they must have liked my tea because rather than sack me they made me enrol in Night school where I got the requisite four ‘O’ Levels including English Language and English Literature. From there I went on to have a mediocre career of long hours that paid the bills. Ultimately I’m one of life’s worriers; a catastrophist. So I write; I create an alternative world where worry can’t follow me. Mirrorball is my first novel. I’ve always been drawn to the antihero. The kind of character who stumbles through the shadows yet somehow you root for…

Upupayama – Honesty Flowers
type: item
creator: Gary Powell
date: 2026-05-28T13:04:34Z
subject: Bands
subject: Music
subject: Psychedelic
subject: Reviews
subject: LP review
subject: album
subject: album review
subject: psych
subject: Fuzz Club
subject: Gary Powell
subject: Psychedelia
subject: psychedelic
description: Sometimes you pick up records thinking you know what you’re going to get and expecting to be in familiar territory….this one caught me off-guard and most definitely took me to places I didn’t anticipate..Upupayama (essentially Alessio Ferrari who plays all the instruments on the records) have released 3 studio albums and one live set over …
encoded: Sometimes you pick up records thinking you know what you’re going to get and expecting to be in familiar territory….this one caught me off-guard and most definitely took me to places I didn’t anticipate..Upupayama (essentially Alessio Ferrari who plays all the instruments on the records) have released 3 studio albums and one live set over the last few years and throughout all these releases have created a shifting world of strange beauty. There is certainly continuity here with that ethereal feel still apparent but the sound has taken a twist towards a more direct approach; more powerful and with a lot more swagger – more ‘rock’ than previous albums – that’s rock in a reverb-heavy gritty psychedelic 70s soundtrack style. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-16677" src="https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Upupayama-Honesty-Flowers-Packshot-3000-1-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" data-wp-pid="16677" srcset="https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Upupayama-Honesty-Flowers-Packshot-3000-1-300x300.jpg 300w, https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Upupayama-Honesty-Flowers-Packshot-3000-1-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Upupayama-Honesty-Flowers-Packshot-3000-1-150x150.jpg 150w, https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Upupayama-Honesty-Flowers-Packshot-3000-1-768x768.jpg 768w, https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Upupayama-Honesty-Flowers-Packshot-3000-1-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Upupayama-Honesty-Flowers-Packshot-3000-1-2048x2048.jpg 2048w, https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Upupayama-Honesty-Flowers-Packshot-3000-1-600x600.jpg 600w, https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Upupayama-Honesty-Flowers-Packshot-3000-1-100x100.jpg 100w, https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-co…

‘IV’ by White Canyon and The 5th Dimension
type: item
creator: Gary Powell
date: 2026-04-04T16:08:09Z
subject: Bands
subject: Features
subject: Music
subject: Post-punk
subject: Psychedelic
subject: IV
subject: White Canyon & The 5th Dimension
subject: neo psychedelia
subject: psych rock
subject: brazil
subject: review
subject: album review
subject: psych
subject: Post Punk
subject: Gary Powell
subject: Psychedelia
description: If you are at all familiar with the previous 3 album releases by White Canyon & The 5th Dimension you’ll have some idea of what to expect from their latest release ‘IV’ – their swirling, 60s-tinged psych rock infused sound remains but things have not stayed the same and the sonic and lyrical world …
encoded: If you are at all familiar with the previous 3 album releases by White Canyon & The 5th Dimension you’ll have some idea of what to expect from their latest release ‘IV’ – their swirling, 60s-tinged psych rock infused sound remains but things have not stayed the same and the sonic and lyrical world they have created has entered a new, more assured state with the atmosphere getting even denser and the sound even richer. ‘Silver Womb’ sets the scene; a beguiling and cinematic start to the whole experience which creates the mystical earthy atmosphere that remains throughout the entire set. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-16664 aligncenter" src="https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Copia-de-IMG-20210716-WA0007-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" data-wp-pid="16664" srcset="https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Copia-de-IMG-20210716-WA0007-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Copia-de-IMG-20210716-WA0007-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Copia-de-IMG-20210716-WA0007-768x512.jpg 768w, https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Copia-de-IMG-20210716-WA0007-600x400.jpg 600w, https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Copia-de-IMG-20210716-WA0007.jpg 1280w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /> ‘Gravestone Lips’ is a thumping bassy tribal stomp that builds into grinding dirty drone and feels like a sister track to album closer ‘Wicked Eyes’, a dusty rock ‘n’ roll tale of seduction and a spell that can’t be resisted. The sound on both is big full on psych rock ‘n’ roll, and wouldn’t be out of place on an old Black Angels album. Elsewhere the musical landscape expands and new elements emerge into their traditional sounds. Where The Dreamers Go’ feels like a blissed-out fever dream of creation; forces being summoned and shaped into actions; kundalini rising, spiri…

Acme Boy By Phil Strongman interview by Jay Strongman
type: item
creator: Jay Strongman
date: 2026-03-27T21:05:48Z
subject: Art
subject: Articles
subject: Cult
subject: Culture
subject: Design
subject: Events
subject: Exhibitions
subject: Eyeplugs
subject: Fashion
subject: Features
subject: Hotplugs
subject: Icons
subject: Interviews
subject: Life Style
subject: Literature
subject: Modern
subject: Music
subject: Picks
subject: Post-punk
subject: Punk
subject: Rockabilly
subject: Shopping
subject: Style
subject: Vintage
subject: Cheslsea
subject: Acme Boy
subject: Jay Strongman
subject: Phil Strongman
subject: Boy
subject: Malcolm Mcclaren
subject: Vivien Westwood
subject: Glam
subject: Kings Road
subject: London
description: Interview with Phil Strongman by Jay Strongman on Phil’s new book ‘ACME BOY – The Birth Of Punk & Anti-Fashion’ When I first took my kid brother Phil down to Chelsea’s Acme Attractions in the King’s Road, in the late summer of 1975, I had no idea that he’d be designing clothes for them a …
encoded: <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-16642 size-full" src="https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Acme_Boy_3.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="675" data-wp-pid="16642" srcset="https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Acme_Boy_3.jpg 1000w, https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Acme_Boy_3-300x203.jpg 300w, https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Acme_Boy_3-768x518.jpg 768w, https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Acme_Boy_3-220x150.jpg 220w, https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Acme_Boy_3-600x405.jpg 600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /> Photo: Dave Parkinson Interview with Phil Strongman by Jay Strongman on Phil’s new book ‘ACME BOY – The Birth Of Punk & Anti-Fashion’ <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-16647" src="https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/buy-on-amazon-button-png-3-300x111.png" alt="" width="300" height="111" data-wp-pid="16647" srcset="https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/buy-on-amazon-button-png-3-300x111.png 300w, https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/buy-on-amazon-button-png-3-768x284.png 768w, https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/buy-on-amazon-button-png-3-600x222.png 600w, https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/buy-on-amazon-button-png-3.png 907w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /> When I first took my kid brother Phil down to Chelsea’s Acme Attractions in the King’s Road, in the late summer of 1975, I had no idea that he’d be designing clothes for them a year later. Nor that I would be, for a time, the manager of the follow-up shop BOY (now the brand known as BOY LONDON). In ’75 Phil was still in school and I had just left school and, for both of us, Acme was part of a semi-secret society – a society that only started to go overg…

HELICON X AL LOVER ‘Arise’
type: item
creator: Gary Powell
date: 2026-02-12T19:18:33Z
subject: Bands
subject: Features
subject: Music
subject: Psychedelic
subject: Reviews
subject: Rock
subject: trip hop
subject: trippy
subject: dance
subject: bass
subject: Arise
subject: Al Lover
subject: sitar
subject: beats
subject: Fuzz Club Records
subject: neo psychedelia
subject: scotland
subject: glasgow
subject: helicon
subject: album review
subject: psych
subject: Fuzz Club
subject: Psychedelia
subject: psychedelic
description: Helicon have been flying high for a few years now but have just raised their game even further and are set to blow the musical landscape wide open with this one; ‘Arise’ – just released on Fuzz Club – is a game changer right from the beginning of the opening, title track. Once it swirls …
encoded: Helicon have been flying high for a few years now but have just raised their game even further and are set to blow the musical landscape wide open with this one; ‘Arise’ – just released on Fuzz Club – is a game changer right from the beginning of the opening, title track. Once it swirls into life it takes just seconds to launch you into new realms; it’s a celebration, expansive and laid back, full of soul and fire and it feels like some sort of a crescendo even though it’s only the first track. So far, each Helicon record has been very different to the one before, moving away from generic psych and any sort of predictability, delving further into new zones and hipper territory altogether. After the debut self-titled album, the ‘Zero Fucks’ 10” and then the ‘This Can Only Lead To Chaos’ LP it felt like they’d taken the guitar riffs and psych stylings way beyond their normal boundaries and could probably continue in that way for years..but then along came ‘God Intentions’, cinematic and reflective and with even greater depth and vision, different to anything else around and a unique twist on urban psychedelia . And now….boom! they’ve hooked up with Californian avant dub electronica guru Al Lover and dropped this monster! Helicon have always been collaborators like no other band I’ve ever known, always happy to embrace other influences and to work with and support other bands and artists. After swapping ideas and working remotely on demos the American producer and DJ hooked up with the band In Glasgow and the album showcases the results of these alchemical musical meetings. The partnership might seem unlikely in a way, but the connection is obviously a strong one and they’ve worked some serious voodoo together. It’s big and bassy and danceable, but it’s still very much Helicon, it’s still got that grit and psych punch; never slaves to genre conventions anyway the collaboration has pushed all involved deeper into new textures and sounds. <img loading="lazy" decoding="as…

Tearing up God’s living room…
type: item
creator: Gary Powell
date: 2026-01-15T21:54:13Z
subject: Bands
subject: Dark
subject: Music
subject: Post-punk
subject: gang of four
subject: the third sound
subject: tricky
subject: golden hours
subject: brian jonestown massacre
subject: LP review
subject: album
subject: album review
subject: psych
subject: dark
subject: Post Punk
subject: Fuzz Club
subject: Fuzztones
subject: Gary Powell
description: An early dose of salvation delivered to us for the new year…Golden Hours are back with ‘Beyond Wires’, following up 2023s self-titled debut…and they’re back with a lush evocative masterpiece, once more on Fuzz Club records. The latest offering is as dark and poetic as you’d expect given the previous release and the history and …
encoded: An early dose of salvation delivered to us for the new year…Golden Hours are back with ‘Beyond Wires’, following up 2023s self-titled debut…and they’re back with a lush evocative masterpiece, once more on Fuzz Club records. The latest offering is as dark and poetic as you’d expect given the previous release and the history and previous form of the band members , but this one seems even more direct and powerful. It’s one of those rare records where every track sounds like a single (so I’m not going to describe each one – you need to hear them!) and each instrument seems in the spotlight at different times. I confess to being a bit bass-obsessed so I’m always listening out for it but it would be miraculous if a sweeter, more satisfying bass sound makes it to vinyl all year – often a fat, threatening low-end rumble and at others nimbly lurking and snaking around the drums – the way the two interact is a big feature of the album. The twin guitars blaze and fuzz in epic style making the whole thing sound beautiful and grand and noisy…. The vocals are taken in turns and shared equally between Hakon (guitar) and Wim (bass); both have deep rich baritones that work perfectly with the widescreen cinematic lyrics; shadowy tales and distressed anthems – ragged and velvety in turns, portraying a twilit world of love, loss and the strange drama of existence lit up by flashes of hope and light, a strung out modern blues, hymns of fuzz and reverb. The whole set manifests a resigned or questioning melancholy but at times a venomous menacing undercurrent takes over and there is plenty of rock ‘n’ roll thrust and swagger. No single genre tag fits for this record as there is a pure and timeless feel to it, and although there’s certainly an early 80s post punk feel and sound – dark, driving and enigmatic – there are other, less straightforward elements lurking, little unexpected cracks and bursts of sound and atmosphere that seem to crawl out from the storm and set this apart from anyth…

Mellowmaker – new Black Market Karma album on Fuzz Club records
type: item
creator: Gary Powell
date: 2025-06-13T13:39:35Z
subject: Bands
subject: Psychedelic
subject: rocknroll
subject: mellowmaker
subject: black market karma
subject: Fuzz Club Records
subject: LP review
subject: album
subject: album review
subject: psych
subject: guitars
subject: psychedelic
subject: Psychedelic Pop
description: The Black Market Karma journey continues….it seems like Stanley Belton, who writes and records all the sounds on this album, is currently firing out these nuggets at will and each time takes us further into his world, revealing more of his vision. ‘Mellowmaker’ is a close relation and perfect companion to last years ‘Wobble’ also …
encoded: The Black Market Karma journey continues….it seems like Stanley Belton, who writes and records all the sounds on this album, is currently firing out these nuggets at will and each time takes us further into his world, revealing more of his vision. ‘Mellowmaker’ is a close relation and perfect companion to last years ‘Wobble’ also on Fuzz Club – liquid grooves over rattling drum loops, vocals beamed in from another time and place; still hovering in a liminal zone somewhere between realism and escapism – evoking strong memories and flashbacks that I can never quite put my finger on or pin down The title track lays the course for the rest of the album; warped chugging guitars clattering drums and those distinctive dreamlike faraway vocals spinning out shimmering memories from a parallel universe – so many ideas, vibes and different instruments packed into just over 6 minutes but still coherent and organic feeling. ‘Soft & Heavy’ takes us even further into the mystery…the rhythm section weaves and tumbles and the keyboards bring out the beauty of everyday life that sometimes only music can reveal – the soul and substance underneath the grey dull surface layers. It really is a beautiful piece of music, transporting and uplifting. Later in the album ‘Nautodelia’ has a similar feel – slower paced and dripping with wistful sweet nostalgia; timelessly transporting you to idyllic golden hazy times. Even though it all feels like there’s a unifying concept behind this, something intangible that only Stanley himself understands fully, there’s still plenty of variety on the record’ – ‘Jellylegger’ is pure and poppy and upbeat, ‘Lagging Through The Soup Of Yesterday’ has a grumbling bassline propelling an elastic Madchester dance groove and surreal electronics, and neatly leads into recent single ‘Adoration’ which might just hint at new directions – it sounds totally contemporary. The ghosts of psychedelia past are long gone; hip hop drums, electronic quirks and some epic sounding…

Totally wired – ‘Monkeypunch’ by The Dirt
type: item
creator: Gary Powell
date: 2025-06-01T09:33:19Z
subject: Bands
subject: Music
subject: Post-punk
subject: Punk
subject: Reviews
subject: psych punk
subject: guitar
subject: chaos
subject: protest
subject: monkeypunch
subject: the dirt
subject: Sister 9 Recordings
subject: vinyl
subject: bands
subject: review
subject: album review
subject: psych
subject: dark
subject: LP
description: ‘Are you angry?’ asks Jack Horner shortly after The Dirt launch into ‘End Game’ the second track on their second album ‘Monkeypunch’. He clearly is and so should we be too – if we’re not angry at the state of the country and the world at this point in history we may as well all …
encoded: ‘Are you angry?’ asks Jack Horner shortly after The Dirt launch into ‘End Game’ the second track on their second album ‘Monkeypunch’. He clearly is and so should we be too – if we’re not angry at the state of the country and the world at this point in history we may as well all give up now. The scene has already been set during the intro – these are dark times requiring resistance and togetherness. What follows is a bizarrely life affirming stomp through modern times, portraying a real darkness, a rough guide to the decaying urban jungle but at the same time projecting hope. It’s a rallying cry and a call to arms but much more than that, it’s also a blistering guitar overload assault on the senses and an album that will propel The Dirt on to great things. The husband and wife duo (Jack on words/vocals, percussion and Sachiko Wakizaka casting spells with guitars and pedals) have been building real momentum over the last 18 months or so, spreading the word via regular gigging up and down the country, tirelessly promoting themselves and other DIY acts, promoters, writers and venues on social media and just generally being out there and visible in and around the grass roots music scene. This record feels like the culmination of all that effort, a fitting end to a period of development and the start of the next bout of frantic activity. With this searing, adrenalin rush of an album behind them things will really start happening around this band… If you’ve seen them live you’ll have a good idea of what to expect – Jack is a force of nature, wired and full of pent up barely controlled energy, spewing out words, bursting at the seams to…let it all out, exorcise the demons, purge the frustration, reveal the scabrous state of society and it’s injustices. While he leaps around the stage Sachiko cooly works her magic, the calm directing the storm, seemingly effortlessly firing out the warped and fuzzed up carnage. Whatever alchemy she works produces sounds with real bite and in…

The Men ‘Buyer Beware’
type: item
creator: Gary Powell
date: 2025-02-26T19:47:03Z
subject: Bands
subject: Dark
subject: Garage
subject: Music
subject: Punk
subject: Rock
subject: Brooklyn
subject: New York
subject: Fuzz Club Records
subject: LP review
subject: bands
subject: album review
subject: psych
subject: Fuzz Club
subject: fuzz
subject: Eyeplug
subject: garage rock
description: I have to confess to not being aware of The Men until Fuzz Club released their ‘New York City’ record in 2023 and the album length ‘Sessions’ shortly after. Turns out they’ve been around for a good while and released a wealth of music; listening back to older productions they’ve got a distinctive sound, but …
encoded: I have to confess to not being aware of The Men until Fuzz Club released their ‘New York City’ record in 2023 and the album length ‘Sessions’ shortly after. Turns out they’ve been around for a good while and released a wealth of music; listening back to older productions they’ve got a distinctive sound, but it never seems to stay the same and that’s evident here as this isn’t like recent outings at all and it seems they get even more direct and focussed with time. We blast off with the furious ‘Pony’ and following that you get another 12 short sharp shocks of high voltage rock ‘n’ roll, all of it electrifying, raw and primal. The spirit of early proto punk is evident throughout, back when the emphasis was on dirty grinding rock ‘n’ roll with catchy tunes – think Heartbreakers, MC5 and Stooges. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="1024" src="https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/ARTWORK-1024x1024.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-16451" srcset="https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/ARTWORK-1024x1024.jpeg 1024w, https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/ARTWORK-300x300.jpeg 300w, https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/ARTWORK-150x150.jpeg 150w, https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/ARTWORK-768x768.jpeg 768w, https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/ARTWORK-1536x1536.jpeg 1536w, https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/ARTWORK-2048x2048.jpeg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /> It feels like a much-needed release of pent-up frustration; chunky guitar riffs, short spiky solos and a manic rhythm section, drums furious and explosive (almost D-beat on ‘Control’). The gravelly vocals give a strong feel of strangled desperation, weatherbeaten and damaged. There’s spectral boogie rock piano buried in a couple of tracks, and some rich saxophone in the title track and everything is infused with a ragg…

Stuffed Foxes ‘Standardized’
type: item
creator: Gary Powell
date: 2024-12-02T22:02:16Z
subject: Bands
subject: Dark
subject: Features
subject: Gigs
subject: Music
subject: Pop
subject: Post-punk
subject: Stolen Body Records
subject: Bristol
subject: France
subject: Standardized
subject: independent
subject: Stuffed Foxes
subject: LP review
subject: shoegaze
subject: vinyl
subject: album
subject: album review
subject: psych
subject: Post Punk
subject: Eyeplug
subject: Gary Powell
subject: LP
description: Bristol’s Stolen Body Records have a real knack for unearthing a range of disparate bands and bringing them to our attention, with no genre shackles holding them down – early champions of acts like Al Lover and Ivan The Tolerable and in recent years being a big part of the rise of the likes of …
encoded: Bristol’s Stolen Body Records have a real knack for unearthing a range of disparate bands and bringing them to our attention, with no genre shackles holding them down – early champions of acts like Al Lover and Ivan The Tolerable and in recent years being a big part of the rise of the likes of Karkara and, most obviously, Slift. Add another French band, the 6-piece Stuffed Foxes, to that list! This isn’t their first release but they’re new to me and definitely warrant attention.. It’s impossible to pin the album down as it constantly shifts styles and song structures – from the weighty shoegazey implosions of opener ‘Biting The Dawn’ and the title track, to the jerky twitching guitars of ‘Merry Xmas’ and ‘Pretend To Be A Dog’, and quite a few tracks that defy description and occupy a number of zones at once. The band seem to inhabit the same headspace as current noise makers such as Spectres and Sex Swing but also seminal post punk legends Wire and Gang Of Four but you can’t really define the record on that as there is also the occasional descent into crushing shoegaze soundscapes and on a number of tracks the ghosts of Steve Harley and ‘Hunky Dory’ era Bowie seem to pay a fleeting visit. ‘Standardized’ is an eclectic record, fresh and full of ideas; an agitated art punk experiment; a new wave of no wave… Stuffed Foxes sound cerebral, weird and ever so slightly Wired and have got me intrigued…luckily they are heading to the UK for a handful of live dates in February 2025 so we’ll soon be able to see what they’re about! <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="819" height="1024" src="https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/467479162_18285093265243388_2589542846679364803_n-819x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-16444" srcset="https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/467479162_18285093265243388_2589542846679364803_n-819x1024.jpg 819w, https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/467479162_18285093265243388_25895428…

Diminished Responsibility: My Life as a U.K Sub and other strange stories Volume III, by Alvin Gibbs
type: item
creator: Gary Powell
date: 2024-11-14T20:35:51Z
subject: Bands
subject: Articles
subject: Culture
subject: Eyeplugs
subject: Gigs
subject: Literature
subject: Media
subject: Music
subject: Picks
subject: Punk
subject: Rock
subject: Diminished Responsibility
subject: book
subject: on tour forever
subject: writing
subject: book review
subject: Alvin Gibbs
subject: U.K Subs
subject: punk rock
subject: on the road
subject: on tour
subject: rock n roll
subject: live music
subject: Gary Powell
description: Chances are if you’ve read this far you’re already familiar with the legendary U.K. Subs and their place in punk rock history. Their debut album was the first punk record I ever bought (and probably only the third of any sort) so they’ve been part of my life for a very long time, and I …
encoded: Chances are if you’ve read this far you’re already familiar with the legendary U.K. Subs and their place in punk rock history. Their debut album was the first punk record I ever bought (and probably only the third of any sort) so they’ve been part of my life for a very long time, and I know they are held in high esteem by many in the punk scene and beyond. We’re familiar with their ‘on tour forever’ status, their A-Z of album releases over the years and of course the legend that is Charlie Harper (it may well be illegal to utter his name without the word ‘legend’ in the same sentence!) but what most of us won’t be aware of is the detailed background story of the band; multiple line-up changes, personnel rifts, money issues and just how totally chaotic things were at times! That’s where long standing Subs bassist Alvin Gibbs steps in…and he pulls no punches in telling us about both the highs and lows of being a touring and recording punk musician. Volume 1 of Alvin’s memoirs told us about his early years and his initial entry into the world of music including his first stint as a U.K. Sub starting in 1980 and his first appearance on album – with ‘Diminished Responsibility’. Volume 2 dealt with a period of time spent between LA, London and many other parts of the globe and included his time playing with Iggy Pop and Cheap & Nasty. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="683" height="1024" data-id="16430" src="https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Jez-Keefe-to-be-credited-1-683x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-16430" srcset="https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Jez-Keefe-to-be-credited-1-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Jez-Keefe-to-be-credited-1-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Jez-Keefe-to-be-credited-1-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Jez-Keefe-to-be-credited-1-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, h…