‘Songs For Teenagers’ might well be my favourite track from Real Ghosts Caught On Tape. Fake Problems’ third record was easily my record of last year, and it’s nice to see those guys finally getting a bit of that mainstream love. This video has been a long time coming, but it’s great and you should all watch it. It might not have John Berna dressed in a nurse’s uniform, but it does have mermaids. And despite what anyone might say, wicker hat’s are super cool.

Check out the video below.

Be sure to pick up Real Ghosts Caught On Tape (or any other Fake Problems releases) here.

There’s something immensely satisfying about slamming your feet progressively on hard concrete, while listening to music that could melt the face of a room full of eight-year-old children. This is how I spent most of my time listening to the first full length from, Southsea hardcore mentalists, Attack! Vipers! Unfortunately I learnt, that without proper running shoes, I could seriously damage my shins. I put the athletic career on hold, but it seems sprint booties will have to go on the next shopping list, as the titans of UK hardcore have released a new record.

One of the greatest things about Deadweight Revival is that, within twenty seconds of listening, it’s clear this is not just another “hardcore” album. There are no cliché beat downs, as used by so many try hard bands trapped in old conventions. They seem terrified to even slightly move away from creating an integral ambience of melodic hardcore, which often comes across as sounding like a slightly better polished, more superior, technical rendition of Will Haven’s Carpe Diem. In fact, Deadweight Revival even puts the bands previous efforts to shame, with the vocal ability of singer Joe Watson pushing forward into a more mellifluous, yet still entirely brutal, timbre, putting him on a pedestal when compared to other vocalists of the genre.

Vocals are not the only thing Deadweight Revival does to push the hardcore genre to the next level. In terms of musicality, the record shows a much more intrinsic side to A!V!, with guitars that switch between nimble licks, beastly distorted chords and andante sections so seamlessly it makes the record almost impossible to put into the “hardcore” pigeon-hole. Sometimes it sounds like hardcore, other times it sounds like power metal and, occasionally, you get a part which would probably be very much at home on a fucking Sigur Ros release.

The band’s self proclaimed style of being “somewhere between The Suicide File and Envy” is hard to deny. The similarities are there but at the same time there’s so much much to the Vipers than just that. Deadweight Revival takes the hardcore musicality then adds a punk rock ethos and does this with aplomb. In doing so, it creates an energetic sound that UK hardcore had missed dearly since the departure of, Manchester’s finest, Fill the Void.

I could say Deadweight Revival was by the far the best UK hardcore album I’d heard in a long time, but I’d be lying. It’s the best I’ve heard…EVER. Attack! Vipers! have far surpassed expectations with this record, and if any band were to be at the forefront of reviving UK hardcore – a genre what could arguably be called a dying one – then these guys are sure to be it. This record proves that.

The latest Under The Bridge has everything you could possibly want from a podcast. Well maybe not everything, but it’s pretty much all there. We’ve attempted to be funny, we dragged Emma Hallows in to be our guest again and we’re playing new tunes from the likes of theHell, Sharks and Above Them. As per usual it’s not for the faint hearted, but I doubt there’s many out there that can resist the charms of Moon & Back’s dynamic duo.

Alongside the new music and general offensiveness, we also answer some questions from the community and have really ‘deep’ discussions on a number of topics including predicting how punk rock will end! Do you know what you’re looking forward to in 2012? Neither do we! We had a go at trying to hype some stuff up though. Tell us if it worked by emailing us at utbcast [at] gmail [dot] com, or by messaging us on Facebook and Twitter.

Go on, have a listen:

Under The Bridge #33: Check My Kurt Cobain Cover

Of all the Alkaline Trio boys, Matt Skiba has been the most prolific when it comes to side-projects – he’s gone solo, released a post-punk record, and has got a new album with The Sekrets on the horizon – but he’s always managed to do something interesting with every new creative outlet. This time Skiba has teamed up with, drummer, Atom Willard (Angels & Airwaves, Rocket From The Crypt, The Offspring) to form theHell.

At it’s core Sauves Les Requins is a collection of four great punk rock songs, but did you expect anything less? The duo is showcasing what they do best, changing it up enough to make it interesting without leaving ‘die-hard’ fans of their past work disappointed. The result actually feels more like a straight up pop-punk record than a lot of the guys’ recent releases, and I for one welcome that. The polish applied to Angels And Airwaves (and the later Alkaline Trio) records is replaced by something much more raw, and yet it doesn’t feel shoddy or underproduced. Combine that with Skiba’s signature dark lyrical style and fantastic vocal, and you have something special. Something that, for me anyway, harkens back to the early days of the Trio with a little of that post-punk sound that has permeated through Matt’s previous musical efforts.

It’s that link to early Trio that makes me start this up again as soon as it’s finished and, despite not knowing what to expect coming in, I’m longing to hear more. Though there’s been nothing announced regarding a full length I, like many others, will be sorely disappointed if that doesn’t come to pass. This is exactly what I want to hear from a side project, and is sure to excite anyone looking for a fresh but familiar pop-punk sound.

We’re back from our Christmas break with an awesome show all about last year. Emma Hallows, Andy Greenland, and our friend Barry (who you might remember from episode 30) all joined us to talk about all the good stuff that happened last year, and to look forward to the year ahead. We talked about everything from Chuck Ragan to Southsea Fest and handed out the not at all coveted ‘Under The Bridge Awards’.

In between our ranting and raving we also played some awesome music from the likes of The Menzingers, Jim Lockey & The Solemn Sun and even Amy Winehouse. We hope you enjoyed the show. If you didn’t, email us at – utbcast [at] gmail [dot] com and tell us how utterly shit we are.

Go on, have a listen:

Under The Bridge #32: “Bill Murray Gets More Snatch Than Me”

You can also subscribe to the show on iTunes

The side project can be a wonderful thing. They’re often a chance for an artist to diversify and, when they’re done right, can turn out to be awesome. Back in 2004, Brendan Kelly formed The Falcon – a punk ‘supergroup’ containing members of Alkaline Trio, Rise Against and, Kelly’s own, Lawrence Arms – and whilst The Falcon’s sound was dissimilar to any of the aforementioned bands, the apple hadn’t fallen too far from the tree. With this latest project, the raspy-voiced Chicagoan, has endeavored to do something completely different. Not only has he succeeded in doing so, but he’s created something that’ll surprise many a listener.

A Man With The Passion Of Tennessee Williams is a perfect three-track tease of what’s to come from Kelly and his Wandering Birds. Though the lyrical content remains relatively similar to his previous work, it appears we’ll be getting something completely different from a musical standpoint. The opening track demonstrates this perfectly; A simple drum beat permeates throughout, broken up by the effect laden sound of an electric guitar and lead vocal. The end result is a very techno/Euro-dance sounding track, with Kelly’s vocals coming across very Marilyn Manson-esque. So yeah, this isn’t The Lawrence Arms or one of those ‘one man and a guitar’ kind of deals. Surprisingly, this isn’t a bad thing and I’m excited for what’s to come when the full length is released in February.

As for the EP’s two other tracks, the first has a very Lawrence Arms sound about it. Whilst it has been infused with a little of the techno style heard on the previous track, it’s a ‘safer’ song than what came before. Given how different the previous track was, it definitely didn’t strike me in the same way. Not that it wasn’t enjoyable in it’s own right. In an even safer move, the EP closes with an acoustic song. ‘Suffer The Children, Come Unto Me’ shows that Kelly’s basic songwriting process has remained very similar, and so I urge you to give this a try.

This is Brendan getting creative, and trying new things. It’s certainly not what I expected coming in, but I’m excited to see what he can do having lost the constraints of a traditional punk rock record.

Today it’s the turn of a man who’s constantly on the road, who’s played the main stage at countless festivals this past year, and who released one of 2011′s finest albums. World-renowned Wessex boy, Frank Turner gives us his ‘Top 5 of 2011′.

5. Josh T Pearson – Last Of The country Gentlemen

Easily the most viscerally dark album about love I’ve ever heard. I still have trouble listening to this from time to time, it’s too intense.

4. Chris T-T – Disobedience

A lovely idea executed with love and care by a good friend.

3. Emily Barker & The Red Clay Halo – Almanac

Emily and the girls hit the perfect tone on this record, poised, gentle and sad.

2. Jen Buxton – Don’t Change Your Plans

Jen is an old friend from Australia who’s taken her time to make her first record, and it’s stunning. Lyrics to die for.

1. Glossary – Long Live All Of Us

My favourite rock’n'roll record of the year by miles.

Against Me! have been one of the most successful and revered punk bands in recent years. Having just come off a UK headline tour, the band took to the road with Frank Turner. Before the show we chatted to, bass player, Andrew Seward about the band’s transition from major label to self distribution, how the band had taken to Turner’s crowds and the possibility of re-recording Vivida Vis.