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Feb 08 2023

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

Tour

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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Written by Mickey Squeeze · Categorized: Reviews · Tagged: 2022, 2023 Tour, Album Review, England, Rock Genre

Feb 01 2023

#26 The Jackets – “Queen Of the Pill” 2019 Album Review, Retro Garage Rock | Switzerland (Updated 2023)

Updated 2022 / 2023 news included below.

Switzerland - The Jackets Queen of the Pill Album Review 2019 Vanzig Studios
The Jackets 2019 Queen of the Pill Album Cover – Switzerland

Release Date

June 14, 2019

Wild Noise Records

Tracklisting

1.”Dreamer”

2. “What About You”

3. “Steam Queen”

4. “Move On”

5. “Don’t Leave Me Alone”

6. “Queen of the Pill”

7. “Floating Alice”

8. “Losers Lullaby”

9. “Deeper Way”

10. “Be Myself”

The Jackets – Queen of the Pill 2019 Album on Spotify

Who is The Jackets – Queen of the Pill for?

The 2019 Album, Queen of the Pill, is focuses on the fuzz box classic 60’s retro garage rock stylings. Put on your go go boots & dial up the psychedelic ambience.

“The Jackets mix the best elements of Rock and Roll into a potent, irresistible cocktail with a ferocity that is full of good humor, high spirited fun, and full blast excitement! “- www.thejackets.ch

Members

Vocals / Guitars – Jack Torera

Bass – Samuel Schmidiger

Drums – Chris Rosales

The Jackets Live Black & White Photo Shoot
The Jackets Live Black & White Promo Shoot 2023

What is The Jackets Origin Story?

The Jackets originate from Bern, Switzerland and debuted in 2009 as a four piece with the album Stuck Inside on Subversiv Records.

Along the way they became the power trio they are known as today. In 2021 The Jackets decided to launch their own label Wild Noise Records, to house their entire catalog. Other notable label collaboration on multiple releases is Voodoo Rhythm Records.

The power trio is an international touring act successfully touring America & Europe on multiple occasions. Check out their current tour below.

You can listen / stream on all platforms. All of the killer merchandise can be found on Bandcamp.

The Jackets Spotify Profile Photo Switzerland Retro Garage Rock
The Jackets – Switzerland – Streaming All Platforms
The Jackets Queen of the Pill Photo Shoot 2019
The Jackets 2019 Queen of the Pill Photo Shoot

Queen of the Pill – Album Review

My initial impression is the following, “Queen of the Pill would be on speed dial if Quentin Tarantino fucked Austin Powers while in the middle of a laser beam shark circle jerk”.

I honestly do not have all that much to say about this album because all tracks sound basically the same. If you dig one track you will be all in on the rest of the album.

If you are into fuzzy 60’s retro garage rock that’s a cocktail of Jefferson Airplane with a splash of Stooges and Kinks garnish then you are getting blackout drunk.

The 60’s psychedelic genre is definitely not my go to, but the band is dead on with this sound infusing their own modern take on this genre. Even though I do not have The Jackets on repeat I can’t ignore the songwriting prowess, musicianship and personality the trio delivers.

The hardest part of a recording artist is to convey a magnetic personality both in the studio, live and through their merchandise. The band has this down to a science. After one listen the message is loud and clear that the live show is where the catalog comes to life.

I will definitely be listening for more releases, but I do hope they change up the temp a bit more because it can be a tad redundant. I would be really curious what the sound become if they dialed into more of a 70’s punk vibe.

Bands Mentioned in Podcast: Matadors | Jefferson Airplane | Murder City Devils | Yeah Yeah Yeahs | Deep Purple | Karen O | The Dictators | Blondie | Ramones | The Stooges | Dead Boys | Susie Q | The Damned | The Cramps | MC5 | Muse | Razorbats | Chrome Division | Alkaline Trio | Everytime I Die | The Hives | Talking Heads

The Jackets 2022 / 2023

The Jackets Pie in the Sky Single Cover Art 2022 Switzerland
The Jackets “Pie in the Sky” Single Cover Art

New single, “Pie in the Sky”, released November 4, 2022 via Wild Noise Records. The new single aligns with exactly how The Jackets left off with “Queen of the Pill”.

The follow up single “Misery of Man” will be released March 2023 and premiering via Vive Le Rock. Stay tuned!

The Jackets – 2022 “Pie in the Sky” Single Video

The Jackets Videos

Tour

The Jackets 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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Written by Mickey Squeeze · Categorized: Reviews · Tagged: 2023, Album Review, fema, Rock Genre

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