Confirming appearances at Newcastle O2 City Hall (16th August), Manchester’s O2 Ritz (17th August) and London’s O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire (22nd August), Thomas Dolby has now also added a UK leg to his planned Summer tour. Special guest Martin McAloon will support the UK performances, presenting live renditions of Prefab Sprout songs.

Thomas Dolby is set to embark on a North American tour this Summer, named the Totally Tubular tour, featuring around 20 dates. The tour will showcase a lineup of iconic acts, including Thompson Twins’ Tom Bailey, Modern English, Bow Wow Wow, The Plimsouls, The Romantics, among others. Although the tour primarily covers North America, with a couple of dates in Canada, no European dates had been announced aprat from the W – Fest in Ostend, Belgium, at the end of August.

About Thomas Dolby

Thomas Dolby has a career spanning 35 years. He emerged as an early MTV icon producing innovative videos. Dolby also co-wrote and produced “Magic’s Wand” by Whodini, the first ever platinum-selling rap 12” single. Further collaborations include artists like Foreigner, Def Leppard, George Clinton, and Joni Mitchell, earning him five Grammy™ nominations.

In addition to his music career, Dolby has composed original scores for films by George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Ken Russell. He has made appearances on a variety of TV shows and engaged in numerous projects across the entertainment and tech industries. Currently, Thomas Dolby holds the position of Professor of Music for New Media at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. He released his memoir, “The Speed Of Sound”, in 2017 and is looking forward to the publication of his first novel, “Prevailing Wind”, in Summer 2024.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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(Photo by Samantha Stephenson) NYC-based goth pop-alternative duo Frenchy and the Punk present their cover version of Siouxsie and the Banshees’ classic “Cities In Dust”, set for release on October 18, the 38th anniversary of the original release by this game-changing post-punk outfit. You can already pre-order it here on Bandcamp.

But we can already offer you the official video for this new single. The single comes with the B-side track “Monsters”.

Frenchy and the Punk is vocalist, percussionist and lyricist Samantha Stephenson and guitarist-composer Scott Helland, who co-founded Outpatients and Deep Wound (with Dinosaur Jr.’s J Mascis and Lou Barlow).

This release follows the duo’s seventh album “Zen Ghost”, written and recorded during the pandemic and released in October 2022. During these same recording sessions, they decided to record the Banshees’ cover seeing it was well-received during live shows.

Helland recalls first discovering Siouxsie in the mid-80s upon walking into his favorite record store – Main Street Records in Northampton, MA, noting “It was one of those things I’ll never forget. Seeing a poster of Siouxsie with her teased black hair and the song blasting throughout the store, it was mind blowing. I feel like I hadn’t really been exposed to female musicians in the punk or goth realm until then. She was instantly cool to me.”

While also a fan, Stephenson’s deep dive into the Banshees’ sound came much later. “I was aware of Siouxsie and the Banshees, but mostly for her stunning look. I loved her image. She seemed to exude fierceness and confidence but I wasn’t all that familiar with the band’s sound. It’s really because our fans constantly mentioned her name that got me falling down the Banshees’ rabbit hole some years ago,” says Stephenson.

About Frenchy and the Punk

Helland and Stephenson met in NYC in 1998, when Stephenson jumped on stage to accompany Helland during his solo guitar performance. The two decided to form a musical duo and began to tour.

With numerous recordings under their belt over the years, they’ve performed with Dead Can Dance’s Peter Ulrich and Dresden Dolls’ Brian Viglione, and opened for Thomas Dolby, Dinosaur Jr., The World Inferno Friendship Society, Rasputina, Cruxshadows, Hurray For The Riff Raff and The Young Dubliners.

After a full year of touring throughout the USA and Europe in support of “Zen Ghost”, Frenchy and the Punk are now back in New York, writing material for a new album they plan to release in 2024.

Tour dates:

• Oct. 21 Eastampton, Nj – Autumn Lands Festival
• Nov. 4 Pittsburgh, Pa – Witches’ Ball
• Dec 2-3 West Palm Beach, Fl – Steampunk Adventurers Weekend
• Jan. 13 Colts Neck, Nj – Big Top Circus Ball
• Feb 16-18 Gettysburg, Pa – Mythicon
• Apr. 6 Galveston, Tx – Galveston Steampunk Festival
• Apr 19-21 San Meteo, Ca – Clockwork Alchemy
• Apr 27-28 Holly Springs, Nc – Festival Of Legends
• May 18 Milton, Pa – World Of Fae Ball

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Genre/Influences: Electro-Pop, Minimal-Pop.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: The new EP byNøir is dedicated to Dave Hechman -Metropolis Records owner who passed away last year. Athan Maroulis got a helping hand from Erik Gustafson who produced the songs.

Content: “Fallen” is a danceable piece of Electronic-Wave/Pop mixing subtle sound arrangements and the deep, charismatic voice of Maroulis. The track has been remixed into vintage sound treatments by Paradox Obscur but also by Silver Walks. There’s also a ‘female’-edit featuring Kai Irina Hahn (The Sedona Effect). Next comes a cool B-side track plus a surprising, acoustic, cover version of Psychedelic Furs’ “Love My Way”.

+ + + : “Fallen” is a great song and the right title track for an EP. It’s a well-crafted piece of electronics empowered by guitar play and the unique singing of Athan Maroulis. Among the remixes I like to mention the old-school version of Paradox Obscur and the “Femme Mix” with female vocals. The cover version of “Love My Way” is clearly reminds me of the original version but it also has a minimal, graceful, touch reminding me of Thomas Dolby. 

– – – : I can’t really say the remixes of “Fallen” are adding a real bonus to the original song.

Conclusion: “Fallen” is for sure my favorite Nøir-song and I can only hope we’ll get more stuff like this soon.

Best songs: “Fallen”, “Fallen – Paradox Obscur Remix”, “Love My Way – Acoustic”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.facebook.com/NOIRmetropolis

Label: www.metropolis-records.com / www.facebook.com/MetropolisRecords Read the news on ‘Fallen’.

About Nøir

Nøir is a revolving-lineup project conceived and fronted by vocalist Athan Maroulis, also known for his work with Spahn Ranch and Black Tape for a Blue Girl. The project released its debut album, “Darkly Near”, in 2013 on Metropolis Records, featuring Maroulis alongside Jamie Parganos and Kai Irina Hahn. Contributors over the years have included guitarist/producer Erik Gustafson, cellist Rebekah Feng and keyboardists Daniel McCullough, Dave Borsky and David Budet. Nøir’s remix output was compiled on 2024’s “The Best of the Remixes”. The “Fallen” EP followed in 2023, produced by Erik Gustafson and dedicated to the late Metropolis Records co-founder Dave Heckman.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

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The NYC-based postpunk duo Frenchy and the Punk are back with a new (and seventh) album “Zen Ghost”, out now via EA Recordings. The release comes accompanied by a new zsingle and video, “If The World Doesn’t End First”.

Frenchy and the Punk is vocalist, percussionist and lyricist Samantha Stephenson and guitarist-composer Scott Helland, who was co-founder and bassist of Outpatients and also Deep Wound (along with Dinosaur Jr. founders J Mascis and Lou Barlow). Helland and Stephenson met in NYC in 1998, when Stephenson spontaneously jumped on stage to accompany Helland during his solo guitar performance.

Over the years, they’ve performed live with Dead Can Dance’s Peter Ulrich and Dresden Dolls’ Brian Viglione, and opened for Thomas Dolby, Dinosaur Jr., The World Inferno Friendship Society, Rasputina, Cruxshadows, Hurray For The Riff Raff and The Young Dubliners.

Samantha Stephenson speaks about the inspiration behind the new single: “I have a very clear memory of seeing the apocalyptic film ‘The Day After’ as a child and being totally traumatized by it. I had a recurring nightmare for months afterwards that I was running home during a nuclear war to die with my family, I didn’t want to die away from them. It was the Cold War, it felt like the end of the world was possible back then. Extreme circumstances tend to put things in focus and in perspective. The past six years politically and culturally have been very intense. The pandemic felt like the culmination of years of social and cultural anxiety. There was a point where, after our US and European dates were all cancelled in 2020, we were trying to book some shows with the expectation that it would be possible again in early 2021 but the situation kept shifting. A promoter, suggesting a new possible show date, ended the email with ‘if the world doesn’t end first’. That phrase really hit me. It took me back and I started thinking about how all the trivialities and ridiculous things that we worry and stress about, things that in the end don’t matter, vanish in the face of survival and we are left with the one thing that does matter – love.”

Here’s the video for “If The World Doesn’t End First”

The “Zen Ghost” LP is out now, you can check the release below.

Tour dates

• Dec 2 Camden/London – Black Heart (with Before Victoria & Flesh Tetris)
• Dec 6 Edinburgh, UK – The Wee Red Bar
• Dec 10 Exeter, UK – Yule Ball (with Professor Elemental)
• Feb 4/5 Manchester, CT – Stupid Cupid Steampunk Festival
• Feb 18/19 Gettsyburg, PA – MythiCon Festival
• April 01 Galveston, TX – Galveston Steampunk Festival
• April 8-9 Baltimore, MD – Between The Worlds
• April 15/16 Chicago, IL – Chicago Steampunk Expo
• April 22/23 Apex, NC – Festival of Legends

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Noone else but XTC’s Andy Partridge has been working with the 80s pop infused act Darling Boy (aka Alexander Gold) for the new single “Breaking Into Forever” as far as production goes.

Not all that surprising as we have seen Partridge’s credits popping up allover the place in the past few years namely in records by (and we limit to those which will interest the scene public more or less): Tricky, Blur, Thomas Dolby, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Icehouse, Primus, Sarah McLachlan, Bad Company, The Stranglers, The Mission, The Residents, and many many more.

Not sure if you will like the bubblegum pop produced here though.

On a side-note, Darling Boy refers to “Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)”, a song written and performed by John Lennon. It was released on the 1980 album “Double Fantasy”, the last album by Lennon and Ono released before his death. Paul McCartney has stated this is one of his favourite songs composed by Lennon, and when he appeared on Desert Island Discs in 1982 included it as his favorite in his selection, as did Yoko Ono as the only John Lennon song in 2007. It was used as the B-side of “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” to promote the compilation album “The John Lennon Collection” in November 1982.

Music history, it never stops to amaze us doesn’t it.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Moog Music has announced that Depeche Mode songwriter Martin Gore will receive the 2019 Moog Innovation Award.

Here’s what Moog Music has to say about it:

“Musical pioneer Martin Gore’s masterful electronic meditations on the human condition have illuminated the connection between transformative sound and pure emotion for decades. A founding member of the band Depeche Mode, Gore’s sensual electronic compositions and introspective lyrics have resonated with faithful audiences around the world and impacted the direction of countless visionary artists from Trent Reznor to Johnny Cash.

Gore’s enduring ability to connect the rawest aspects of the human experience to the dance floor defined an era and perpetually reminds us what it means to be human through the emotional power of electronic sound. For his contributions we are honored to name Martin Gore as the recipient of the 2019 Moog Innovation Award.”

Martin Gore will be presented with the award during the Moogfest which takes place on Friday, April 26 at the Carolina Theatre immediately following his keynote conversation with Mute Records founder Daniel Miller. Since 2004, Moogfest has brought together artists, futurist thinkers, inventors, entrepreneurs, designers, engineers, scientists, and musicians. By day, Moogfest is a platform for conversation and experimentation. By night, Moogfest presents cutting-edge music in venues throughout in Durham, North Carolina. Performing artists include early pioneers in electronic music, alongside pop and avant-garde experimentalists of today.

The Moog Innovation Award recognizes artists who have contributed to the exploration of sound in popular music and beyond for the past 50 years, exemplifying the bold, innovative spirit of Bob Moog. Past recipients include visionary artists Gary Numan, Devo, Suzanne Ciani, Brian Eno, Bernie Worrell, synth designers like Herb Deutsch, last year’s recipient Bernie Krause, and Thomas Dolby, who will also be performing and presenting this year.

Side-Line also covered Depeche Mode’s ‘Master and Servant’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Genre/Influences: Electro-wave, wave-pop.

Background/Info: This is the sixth full length by Soft Riot. Driven by the creative spirit of Canadian artist Jack Duckworth (JJD) the artist is now based in Glasgow (Scotland) where together with a few other artists he set up Possession Records.

Content: The sound format and inspiration haven’t really changed since the previous album “You Never Know What Might Come Next”. This is a move back to the 80s and the wave-pop style of Soft Riot might remind you of bands such as Thomas Dolby, Scitti Politti ao. The songs were composed by great vintage electro sounds bringing the truly 80s spirit back alive. While the vocals were more half spoken on previous work, we now get a more sung approach.

+ + + : Vintage electronics don’t have anything innovating and yet there always is this kind of magic, which sounds refreshing and more sophisticated. This album reveals great electronic treatments and impressive strings. I also enjoyed the dry snare drums, which are once more typically 80s-like. Sound-wise this album is a little jewel in the genre.

– – – : My only regret about this work is the production of the vocals. I’m missing passion and simply conviction in the global performance. Vocals are important and are sometimes ruining a part of the song when they aren’t accurate.

Conclusion: I have double feelings about this album: I really like the music and its retro approach, but the vocals can’t convince me at any single moment.

Best songs: “He’s Gone Underground”, “The Outsider In The Mirrors”.

Rate: (6).

Artist: www.softriot.com / www.facebook.com/softriot

Label: www.possessionrecords.com / www.facebook.com/possessionrecords

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Ethereal-pop, wave-pop.

Background/Info: Tiramist is a new band consisting of experienced musicians. This band is the meeting between French formations Hide & Seek (known from their work released on Cynfeirdd) and Opera Multi Steel. “For Your Ears Only” is the meeting between 2 female- and 2 male artists sharing a passion for surreal lyrics and evasive music.

Content: The work of Tiramist is first of all characterized by beautiful and heavenly vocals. The artistic female vocal parts have this power to get you in an imaginary world carried by space-like atmospheres and accomplished with a neo-classic touch. But there also is a complement between female- and male vocals, sometimes joined by a kind of ethereal-pop sound.

You also will recognize 80s inspiration running through the work. And here again it all remains pretty styled and evasive, somewhat reminding me of Thomas Dolby.

+ + + : I’m not that surprised it took a few years for Tiramist to achieve this debut album and I sincerely hope it will be not the last one. It not only is a fusion between two talented bands, but simply a symbiosis between the members, which is an aspect that comes through in the sound and the vocals. I like the ethereal-pop style which has been mixed with delicate 80s influences and accomplished with intimate, neo-classic arrangements.

– – – : I can’t say there’s a single song to throw away, however I’m maybe missing just one potential hit.

Conclusion: “For Your Ears Only” is a subtle invitation to discover a beautiful album that will delicately caress your soul.

Best songs: “Sunshine In A Tea Tree”, “Too Late, My Dear”, “”Dancing Among The Sharks”.

Rate: (7).

Band: www.facebook.com/tiramist1

Label: www.waverecordsmusic.com / http://pt–br.facebook.com/pages/Wave–Records/110635789015082

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Experimental electro-pop, glitch-pop.

Background/Info: Chris Ianuzzi is already active under I, Synthesist for several years now. He released a number of albums and I especially remember “Art Of Survival” released on Electric Fantastic Sound (2007). “Circus Ride To Venus” is the newest work by the American musician revealing 6 songs.

Content: I, Synthesist remains inspired by different electro-pop formats. You clearly recognize some vintage elements next to a more familiar pop with melodic elements. But this band never has been the typical and classical electro-pop project. There also is a real strong taste of experimentalism supporting the work of I, Synthesist.

The work rapidly moves towards other influences like cabaret music revealing a theatrical way of singing, but still in a kind of electro-punk way. It sounds pretty glitch-like and that’s rather surprising for an artist linked with pop.

There’s neither real coherence nor a typical structure in the songs. It’s more a kind of ‘freestyle’ featuring cool passages. Some of the songs and the way of singing remind me a bit of Thomas Dolby.

+ + + : The least I can say is that Ianuzzi has a really creative mind. He tries to innovate injecting new ideas into electro-pop music. His work is an antidote to all Depeche Mode clowns. I really appreciate the sound treatments and diversity of the work.

– – – : I like the diversity and sound-anarchism of this artist, but I’m missing more cohesion especially in the melodic aspect. Is he really dealing with an avant-garde format of electro-pop or just getting cynical with this music genre? That’s artistic freedom and I don’t really care about his real intentions; it’s just that the music is not the most accessible format while there’s no single trace of a climax.

Conclusion: This work is a real good example of an artist with a creative mind who wants to innovate, but where the result is missing some essential elements, especially when it deals with electro-pop.

Best songs: “Electric Chairs”.

Rate: (5½).

Band: www.isynthesist.net / www.facebook.com/ISynthesistMusic

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Wave-pop, electro-pop.

Background/Info: Born in Canada, but based in England, Soft Riot clearly sounds inspired by good-old 80s electro tunes. The band has released a considerable amount of productions in a rather short lapse of time. This is the 4th official album of Soft Riot and the first one on Exhibition Records.

Content: From the very first notes it sounds crystal-clear from where Soft Riot has got its inspiration. The typical analogue vibes bring us back to some 80s artists. There’s a move in between more wave-pop driven influences, which are sometimes reminding me of Thomas Dolby and a more experimental, but awesome side evoking the early years of Front 242.

The songs have been written with typical deep bass lines and magic synthesizer lines revealing icy sound layers. The somewhat half-spoken vocals totally match with the music. The work of Soft Riot will clearly evoke great souvenirs from an electro decade remaining the source of all electro-underground music.

+ + + : This album gets us back to the early essence of 80s electro-wave music, which has been adapted into a real exciting format.

– – – : A few songs can’t really emerge from the tracklist for being a little bit too flat and without real substance.

Conclusion: “You Never Know What Might Come Next” is not exactly what I would call a prophetic title as the main sources of inspiration are clearly bringing us back into the past! Soft Riot sounds like it is in the grip of the magic of the 80s electronic music and that’s pretty damn cool!

Best songs: “There Is Some Great Evil Out There”, “You Are A Caged Dancer”, “The Speech”.

Rate: (DP:6½)DP.

Band: www.softriot.com / www.facebook.com/softriot

Label: www.exbtnrecords.com / www.facebook.com/Exhibition-Records-1610367805917832

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com