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2022

Massive Wagons “House of Noise” Album Review 2020 – England (Updated Triggered! 2023)

2023 Update Triggered!

There are parts of the review below that I have updated after not listening to House of Noise in quite some time, but really quickly I wanted to draw attention to the October 2022 album release Triggered!. I am finally listening to it in February 2023.

Massive Wagons Triggered Tour Poster 2023 Vanzig Studios

All in all I am digging Triggered! more than House of Noise. Triggered! is a seamless continuation of House of Noise. Massive Wagons is wearing all of the same influences, but there’s seems more of a party vibe as well as slightly more aggressive than House of Noise.

The musicality of the band on Triggered! also is elevated. The production is stellar on Triggered! and is probably Massive Wagon’s most complete record to date showcasing all the band’s talents and personality.

Triggered! Tracklisting: 1. Fuck the Haters, 2. Please Stay Calm, 3. Generation Prime, 4. A.S.S.H.O.L.E., 5. Skateboard, 6. Gone Are the Days, 7. Triggered, 8. Giulia, 9. Germ, 10. Never Been a Problem, 11. Big Time, 12. Sawdust, 13. No Friend of Mine

Get yourself some killer band swag at the official website.

Massive-Wagons-House-of-Noise-Album-Art-2022-vanzig-studios
Massive Wagons House of Noise Album Cover – England Hard Rock

Release Date

July 17, 2020

Earache Records Ltd

Tracklisting

1.”In It Together”

2. “Bangin in Your Stereo”

3. “House of Noise”

4. “Freak City”

5. “Hero”

6. “Professional Creep”

7. “Pressure”

8. “The Curry Song”

9. “Glorious”

10. “Sad Sad Song”

11. “Hallescrewya”

12. “Matter of Time”

Massive Wagons 2020 House of Noise Album

Who is Massive Wagons – House of Noise for?

Massive Wagons 2020 Album, House of Noise, is born from the poppier brighter side of The Wildhearts / Ginger Wildheart catalog. It is also music that you could put behind Justin Hawkins falsetto vocals and it would sound like The Darkness.

I applaud the attention to detail with vocal melody, music melody lines & slick fun production with the dynamics of this album.

Members

Vocals / Guitars – Barry Baz Mills

Guitars – Adam Thistlethwaite / Stevie Holl

Bass – Adam “Bowzer” Bouskill

Drums – Alex Thistlethwaite

Massive Wagons 2020 House of Noise 2022 Triggered Band Photo
Massive Wagons England Hard Rock

Massive Wagons Origin? What are Massive Wagons?

Massive Wagons originated from Lancaster, England in 2009 by vocalist Barry “Baz” Mills and guitarist Adam Thistlethwaite. 

Massive Wagons cited the following as inspiration: Airbourne, Black Stone Cherry, 90s punk, the Offspring, Green Day, UFO, Rainbow and Slade.

I was introduced to Massive Wagons with the 2018 album Full Nelson during covid lockdown 2020. I was listening to The Wildhearts on Spotify and after the album I was listening to was over Spotify chose to throw on the Massive Wagons track “Billy Balloon Head”.

I began to dig into the bands history and found out they were nameless until they booked their first show. The name Massive Wagons was chosen on the spot, paying homage to a funny nickname of a local barmaid. The name was permanently adopted.

Massive Wagons Black and White Band Photo England Vanzig Studios
Massive Wagons England Hard Rock

Massive Wagons Accolades

Courtesy of Earache Records website:

“Classic Rock Magazine put it, “blossomed from local concern to national conversation”, becoming a firm favorite of rock fans and press alike across Europe thanks to their no-nonsense anthems, electrifying live shows, unconquerable work ethic and fun-loving personalities.

“The first Lancaster band to achieve a UK Top 40 album, UK #9 album House Of Noise, UK #16 album “Full Nelson”. “House Of Noise” also picked up the Best British Album award as part of Planet Rock’s The Rocks 2021, and landed the #14 in Classic Rock Magazine’s Best 50 Albums of 2020.”

Massive Wagons Live 2021 Photo Credit ©Johann Wierzbicki
Massive Wagons Live

House of Noise – Album Review

Mid July 2020 England’s Massive Wagons put out their much anticipated album, House of Noise.  This album is a follow up to their 2018 next level album Full Nelson where they were opening for bands like The Wildhearts.   I instantly became a Massive Wagons fan when I heard the Full Nelson album.

House of Noise is definitely different from the Full Nelson album and I would suggest to give Full Nelson a play through first.  I wouldn’t say House of Noise is a progression of better music but rather a lateral move to more of the pop side of Massive Wagons. 

House of Noise is the product of a label/producer overcooking the material searching for hook madness.  House of Noise doesn’t have that organic songwriting chemistry thing Full Nelson has.  Organic, inspired to the nines can’t lose, songwriting are drunk nights where every little drunk side quest turns out to be awesome and then you talk to your buddy the next day and go over how awesome everything was. 

House of Noise definitely showcases the creativity of Massive Wagons and explores what they excel at.  All of the tracks are fun to listen to and even better when hammered but if you’re paying attention you will eventually zone out and it’ll play along in the background to whatever you are doing. 

My initial comparison when I first wrote this review was that It reminded of Turbonegro’s Rock N Roll Machine or Dank Jones’s last studio record, A Rock Supreme. Listening back in 2023 House of Noise is a much better album than Rock N Roll Machine and A Rock Supreme.

Overall I love Massive Wagons even though I still prefer Full Nelson to House of Noise. The follow up album Triggered! was released October 2022. Massive Wagons is like Mustasch lite, The Darkness’s stepson or The Wildhearts hyper little bro still waiting to blossom into a dangerous little kid with only bad ideas that make girls feel funny like climbing a rope in gym class. 

Cheers mates!

Massive Wagons Videos

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Massive Wagons Tour Dates

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Please hit us personally here at Vanzig Studios for any reason whatsoever using the Contact Form. If you’re curious where Carly and I come from then read over our bio.

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Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts – Ballad Of A Misspent Youth 2022 Album Review

Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts: Ballad Of A Misspent Youth Album 2022

Release Date

November 4, 2022

Music Recording Group LLC

Tracklisting

1.”Ballad of a Misspent Youth”

2. “Girl On The East Side of Town”

3. “Ain’t For the Faint”

4. “Everybody Loves You When You’re Dead”

5. “Shadow On The Street”

6. “Say Goodbye” – Favorite Track

7. “Lovesick City”

8. “Forgive But Won’t Forget”

Total Recommended / Favorite Tracks – 8 / 8

Total Background Tracks – 0 / 8

Total Skip Tracks – 0 / 8

https://open.spotify.com/album/1aAYSQu9gWYvvRHcHYZuKz?si=ZKsIYdMyTl-4ssD8xfLSZg
Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts – Ballad Of A Misspent Youth 2022 Album on Spotiify

Who is Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts – Ballad Of A Misspent Youth for?

Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts 2022 Album, Ballad Of A Misspent Youth, is laser focused on the classic rock market, but not the typical influences, which makes it way more interesting.

Tuk Smith has always bled his influences combining the stylings of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Kiss, Thin Lizzy, Cheap Trick, T. Rex, Gary Glitter & AC/DC.

Members

Vocals / Guitars – Tuk Smith

Guitars – Ricky Dover Jr.

Bass – Shane Rickerson

Drums – Nigel Dupree

Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts Band Photo

Where did Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts Originate from?

Tuk Smith came to rock n roll prominence with his original band, Biters, based out of Atlanta, GA.

Biters’ 2015 album, Electric Blood, released through Earache Records, garnered lots of attention in the rock n roll music industry. Notable accolades include Nikki Sixx, Danko Jones, Classic Rock Magazine, Alternative Press, Planet Rock and many others.

I was introduced to Biters with the track “Low Lives in Hi Definition” from 2015’s Electric Blood album. I quickly found myself listening to track after track. My favorite track is “Time to Bleed”. The opening track to Electric Blood is entitled “Restless Hearts”, which is a skip track for me and definitely would have not opened the album with it.

In 2017 the Biters released the sophomore album, The Future Ain’t What It Used to Be. I really dig the first half of this record, it’s like a more polished Electric Blood, especially “Stone Cold Love”. The rest of the album is good, but it’s basically filler tracks. The band was touring to support this release, the press was rolling in, but then the discography was pulled down & the Biters hit the pause button.

Tuk Smith basically stated in the Danko Jones podcast that the members decided to go an indefinite hiatus beginning in 2018. Tuk Smith then broke off, moved to Nashville, TN and founded Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts.

If you are interested in the Biters catalogue it is currently back up and streaming on all platforms.

Biters – Atlanta, GA
Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts Live

Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts & Covid

On January 2020 Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts released the debut single, “What Kinda Love”. Tuk Smith’s credibility & the single landed the band a stadium tour with Def Leppard and Motley Crue. Then Covid 19 hit and everything was erased. The debut album, Lookin’ For Love, Ready For War, was to be released in late 2020, but was shelved.

“When the pandemic hit, it was like hitting the reset button on my music career”recalls Tuk, “everything got taken away…album campaign, stadium tour, record deal. The world was in lockdown, and the only way to escape was to throw myself into writing. My thoughts began exploring the past, and the inspiration for the songs just came in tidal waves.” – Tuk Smith

During the Covid Lockdown Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts released the EP Covers From The Quarantine through Better Noise Music. I was confirmed Tuk is the shit because he covered the Kiss song “Hard Luck Woman”, which is the reason why everyone should buy a twelve string guitar.

Then finally in November 2022 the debut album Ballad For A Misspent Youth was released.

Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts Band Photo

Ballad Of A Misspent Youth – Album Review

This record had me so curious. The 2020 single, “What Kinda Love”, sounded like a more polished less gritty Biters using The Who & Queen as its soundtrack.

Tuk Smith is incredibly consistent with the songs he dishes out. It’s the AC/DC way of songwriting. Every song is good, they all sound the same and in this case Tuk basically polished up the Biters tracks and recycled them. Tuk loves Tom Petty, Thin Lizzy, “Surrender” & Gary Glitter so much!

Ballad Of A Misspent Youth is a jukebox of all your major key classic rock. It’s almost like a version of The Darkness without the falsetto vocals. I applaud Tuk Smith for focusing influences on the 70’s glam side, there are so many bands that try to imitate Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath and after awhile it gets played out or comes off as lame.

Tuk Smith has been successful and able to get away with rewriting very similar songs across two bands, but is it sustainable? If I were in Tuk’s ear I would be pushing him to write 99% up tempo slightly more aggressive tracks for the next record in order to make it relevant in the discography or get crazy with Pink Floyd / Rush inspired tracks.

If the same rewritten material comes out for now a fourth record I think the majority of the album will come off as filler tracks. At least make sure there are zero traces of Tom Petty, The Who, “Surrender” and Gary Glitter. Tuk is a solid songwriter and you’ll always at least get two killer tracks in whatever he does. I would love to hear the band jam out a bit maybe in a darker Sabbath tone.

The press surrounding Ballad Of A Misspent Youth is totally positive and deservedly so. Every song on this record is solid. Also the performance & production is stellar. I cannot make single negative comment other than Tuk is walking a tight rope with wearing his influences on his sleeve.

Ballad Of A Misspent Youth served its purpose. It has put rock n roll fans on notice that Tuk Smith will not just roll over and there is plenty of high quality music still in the tank. The follow up release is going to make or break Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts. The band either breaks and makes it their own or will forever be lumped in with retro vintage cruise lineups, which could fun, but probably under achieving.

Whatever Tuk Smith does I’m following.

Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts Videos

Tour

Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts Tour Dates

Let’s Talk Amigos!

Please hit us personally here at Vanzig Studios for any reason whatsoever using the Contact Form. If you’re curious where Carly and I come from then read over our bio.

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