On 5 August 1975, drummer Sandy West (1959-2006) and guitarist Joan Jett, with the help of producer Kim Fowley (1939-2015) formed the first-ever all-female rock band, named THE RUNAWAYS.
Cherie Currie was recruited as the singer, Linda Ford as the lead guitarist, and Michael Steele as the bassist, but she left shortly after and was replaced by Peggy Foster, who, in turn, left after two weeks and was replaced by Jackie Fox.
They released 4 albums. Cherry Bomb was their debut single.
Another batch of 5 new, stellar tracks has
been added to Turn Up The Volume’s Jukebox.
Turn it up.
ALL TOGETHER
. TRACK BY TRACK
Artists: PRINCESS UGLY Who: Two misfits – J. Christopher-Rome and Christopher Moncrieffe – from Portland, OR
who are influenced by goth, post-punk, darkwave and adjacent genres. So far, the tandem has released two albums and 2 EPs.
“The new single presents lyrically as an existential, ontological horror supported by EBM-influenced instrumentation. We are compelled to always work, and we will be consumed by the work. We work to create, only for our creation and the work itself to gain autonomy, stalk us, prey on us. We are pursued and controlled by them, endlessly.”
TUTV: Welcome to Princess Ugly‘s underground batcave where darkwave-addicted clubgoers gather to move in mysterious ways to non-stop techno beats and creepy vocals. The Work is sonic nutrition for EBM night owls. Preferably consumed in the midnight hours.
Band: BRITISH BIRDS Who: English indies combine the garage-punk energy of Billy Childish,
the wry English sophistication of XTC and the witty pop inventiveness
of The Lovely Eggs.
The song is ““A rousing expression of exasperation at our passivity in the face of lame authority. British Birds acute observers of the English political scene, shrouding their observations in humour and surrealism.”
TUTV: Add this rapid guitar pop cherry bomb to your jogging playlist, you’ll move twice
as fast. No brakes. No breaks. Fastforward riffage and rattling vocals set the swirling tone.
Get up, stand up and fight for your right to run to this vibrant vibe.
Band: MODERATE REBELS Who: London-based collective with a fluid membership, active since 2016,
who value expressing their ideas and feelings simply and directly, sometimes uber minimally, over any flash displays of musical skills. There have been Scottish, English, Australian and Irish members at various points.
“We’re not really sure what this song is about. Could it be about someone’s romantic history?… or about international law? …or about class structures? … or about the human habit of ‘othering’?…or about systemic corruption? …Or indeed, is it just a quick line of dialogue lifted from the film ‘Dirty Dancing’?
TUTV: Could this be a frisky pop song to get you through another day?… or one
to whistle along under the shower? …or one to play in your car while waiting in traffic?…
or one to share with your friends? … or just one to play without asking all these silly
questions?
Band: INDIGO SYNDICATE Who: Nashville-based trio that blends alternative, pop, indie, and soul influences.
The group has carved out a lane that feels both genre-fluid and intentional. They
released their debut full-length Sasquatch this year, in January.
The song explores the small moments that make
absence of your lover feel impossible to ignore.
TUTV: My ears hear enticing Big Thief folk and harmonious I’m From Barcelona echoes. Howling At The Moon‘s growing catchiness turns this acoustic gem into a sticking ditty that puts a big smile on your face all day long. Romanticism in motion. Mood-stimulating beauty.
“I know you love me, but I’m overthinking / In my head / I miss you in our bed /
Ever since you left / The house is quiet so I keep on singing,”
Artist: MADRID EXIT Who: The new musical project written, composed, and produced by Montreal-based multidisciplinary artist Alexy Préfontaine. The sound of Madrid Exit explores an alt-pop combining rich and raw textures with haunting melodies. An atmosphere both nostalgic and driving that recalls the unfiltered approach and the soundscapes of artists like Dijon and Mk.gee.
Track: DARK
His 3rd single. A song about diving deep
into love despite unhealed past wounds.
TUTV: Think of the most blissful, laid-back, poppy, and dreamy Tame Impala moments. Dark feels like a gratifying breeze massaging your mind and ears and making you ignore our grim reality for a while. Shiny synths and whispering vocals reassure the mellow atmosphere floating in the air. Entrancing.
THE BEATLES released their masterwork REVOLVER,
their 6th LP, on 5 August 1966, today 60 years ago.
The sublime longplayer is regarded as one of the greatest and most innovative albums ever, with recognition centred on its range of musical styles, diverse sounds and lyrical content. It marked the group’s most overt use of studio technology to date.
Charts: #1 in the UK, USA, Australia,
and several European countries.
Pitchfork wrote in retrospect: “As they devoted more time to the studio, the Beatles’ individual voices and confidence continued to grow. In the end it’s the sound of a band
growing into supreme confidence.
The Beatles had been transformed into a group not beholden to the expectations of
their label or bosses, but fully calling the shots, recording at their own pace, releasing
records at a less-demanding clip, abandoning the showmanship of live performance.”
Turn Up The Volume: Every chord, every melody, every vocal/harmony,
every beat, every riff, every lick, every hook is just spot-on. Best band ever
in my book.
An indefectible, influential psychedelic classic with most of the songs written by troubled genius Syd Barrett. A year later he was fired for his erratic and uncontrollable behavior due to too many drugs.
The album which was recorded at the legendary Abbey Road studios in London during the same time that The Beatles were recording their Sgt. Pepper masterpiece peaked at No.6 on the UK album chart, but failed to chart in the US.
Vitalizing tunes that work faster than a stream of caffeine
4 August 2026
Photo by E Gabriel Edvy
Artist: PIG Who: Longtime, English Dark-Goth-wave whirlwind and solo diesel engine Raymond Watts, who made 15 LPs with German cult band KMFDM and has
several solo ones out, with this year’s piping hot album Hurt People Hurt
as the most recent one.
Watts:“I wanted to distil and hone the sound of the current PIG album, ‘Hurt People Hurt’,
so inviting my old partners in swine Marc and Günter to join Jim and myself in the studio seemed the perfect blend of brutality and beauty to feed, fertilise and transmogrify the hog
into Hogzilla. This new single was the first result of our work as a quartet, hammered in the heat of the anvil of hurt.”
TUTV: Wake up, America, here comes PIG. This new blazing electro-burning outburst resonates like it’s performed by a dream team, legendary industrial hotrod aggressors Ministry fronted by Bauhaus‘ iconic maestro Peter Murphy. Sounds pretty awesome, right? You betcha.
The immense vim and vigour at play here is off the charts, with Raymond Watt‘s characteristic, bone-shilling and terrifying vocals grabbing you by the throat for
the full 4 and a half sledgehammering minutes. Ferocious, fulminating, fierce
eruption. PIG rules.
“This is an American ideal of beauty
Put up, shut up, do your duty.”
Band: OPUS KINK Who: Razor-edged, funked-up, sax-and-trumpet-infused
collective from Brighton (UK) fronted by their charismatic
voice/songwriter Angus Rodgers.
Press-info: Underscored by a formidable horn section and ragged, sardonic delivery,
the band bear passing resemblance to post-punk and no-wave acts like The Pop Group, Birthday Party and Lounge Lizards.
It’s the weaving of older, more traditional influences: choral, folk, country, Latin, Weimar cabaret, cruise-ship-crooning, into the fabric of their music
that sets them apart.
NME: Madness and menace abound on the jazz-punk band’s long-awaited first album. It’s a the debut that Opus Kink should have made, but the problem with coming up amongst a scene is that the scene moves fast and what once sounded fresh can swiftly become old news. Give it a little more time and ‘The Sweet Goodbye’ might come into its own, away from the shadow of what recently went before.”
Ghent, Belgium 2025 – Photo by Turn Up The Volume
TUTV: 10 years since they formed this London indie collective unleash their debut LP, following their attention-grabbing 7-track debut EP My Eyes, Brother! from 2022. A brassy, funky and punky-jazzy party record, stuffed with pelvis-wobbling grooves and Angus Rodgers‘ bossy vocals pushing his abstract stories up front.
OP blend, effortlessly, vaudeville, ska and mariachi elements in heart-stopping and envigorating dynamics. Move. Move. Move. Yet, The Sweet Goodbye doesn’t feel convincing after the last track fades out because, overall, it lacks versatility, as the band rarely leave their comfort zone, creating a déjà vu throughout the album’s progression.
Two more things: With I’m A Pretty Show Boy they score(d) a long-lasting, hypnotically swinging knockout, and If you get the chance to see them live, don’t miss them. As I
already experienced 3 times, they blew you off your feet.
Renowned American Music Magazine WebsitePITCHFORK, describing themselves as The Most Trusted Voice In Music, will celebrate its 30 years online with a new edition of
their yearly indoor festival in London.
GAVIN FRIDAY, former frontman of once-upon-a-time Irish new wave outsiders Virgin Prunes (1977-1986) released his splendid 5th solo LP Ecce Homo in 2024.
Friday announced a new project, a companion album to Ecce Homo,
titled DECADANCE. It’ll feature 6 reimagined tracks from the original
record as one continuous electronic work.
Created with longtime collaborator Michael Heffernan, ‘Decadance‘ draws on
industrial rhythms, analogue electronics, techno pulse and cinematic sound
design. Familiar melodies emerge from driving sequencers, fractured beats
and expansive atmospheres, revealing a darker, more hypnotic perspective
on the emotional world of ‘Ecce Homo‘.
.
Last Sunday, in blazing hot weather circumstances, Friday played
an entrancing set at Lokerse Feesten – Belgium. He and his band
sweat their butts off to entertain us and succeeded fantastically.
Hail hail.
