The Urban Voodoo Machine

“You’re a Bitch and I’m a Bastard, Still, I’ll always love you...”
– ‘Love Song #666’

This approximately 16 legged Voodoo Machine are as gloriously rambunctious and dishevelled as they are elegantly glamorous and dapper. Resembling dimension straddling back-alley basement bar flies...hepcats, hound dogs, honky tonkin’ hoodoo hogs, Andean shamans swooping the Soho streets, an amorphous mass mingling in moonlight with distress-dealing damsels, using haloes as urinals, sleeping ‘midst the angels wings, strutting through their own gypsy carnival with vampiric haughtiness shrouded in authentic Victorian smog.

‘No Bail Blues’ is an exquisite rag that Strummer would have wept weed for to have on ‘London Calling’, no more than a slightly updated jam betwixt Bessie Smith and that Django dude, a pied-piper call luring you in on a suave siren swing, suspicions softened as you’re welcomed in by the charming Mr. Ronney-Angel who takes your coat, ushers you in with a polite bow whilst trumpets innocently trace the lines on your palms for Tom Waits Romany doppelganger to read as you order a whisky sour before flinging you away to meet your fate as the band kick into ‘Killer Sound’, a brilliantined Birthday Party serenading a jazz age dinner function for unctuous luminaries more fucked up than F Scott with writers block, somehow sweeping the Brylcreem off the senors scalps to save for backstage purposes only dreamt of by their stiffly supercilious wives, now suitably charmed after a titillatingly lubricious “Last Tango” to the strains of ‘Love Song.....#666’ into wanton waitresses, whores and washerwomen. The soft spectral shuffle of ‘Alone In The City’ heralds the hold of the moon over our toxic troubadours, werewolves in very fine clothing, who take their leave before the ‘Police Paranoia’ takes full effect in Pogue-riddled Pucine-poisoned psychosis, not before placing a calling card somewhere about your sleeve just so’s you know you haven’t slipped into a ‘Shining’ esque alternate reality...

“No time for confession I ain’t looking for Jesus...’
– ‘Killer Sound’
________________________________________________________

-Stu Gibson - sleazegrinder.com

Scott Rowley, editor of the UK-based music monthly Classic Rock, recommends the sprawling collective Urban Voodoo Machine. "You know how in The Dirty Dozen, Lee Marvin puts together an elite squad from a bunch of crooks and degenerates?" Rowley says. "Well, The Urban Voodoo Machine are the rock 'n' roll equivalent. All of the band's nine members have dark histories in underachieving punk and rockabilly bands. The result is a hell-raising gumbo of blues, punk rock, eastern folk, swing, sea shanties and rock 'n' roll, with hilariously dark lyrics. The natural successors to The Pogues." - The National (UAE)

“Saturday’s bleary-eyed early risers wandering into the Bedroom Jam tent are unlikely to find The Urban Voodoo Machine a sobering experience. This is more like crossing a threshold into an hallucinatory realm. Introduced by a Salome-esque figure offering a dance of the seven veils, this black/red colour-co-ordinated ensemble – including a green-painted zombie drummer – play a bottle-drained, stranded-by-the-pier range of exotica, where gypsy polkas, Eastern rhythms, Port-Au-Prince dive-bar blues, rockabilly and more all combine to create a world you don’t want to end” - Classic Rock Magazine

Follow the link for text / images. - Vixxen Magazine

Publication: eGigs.co.uk

Author: James Robinson

Date: December 15, 2008

Reviewed gig: Newcastle, Carling Academy – December 11, 2008

Original Location: Link

I have only ever been to one other place where I was so comprehensively the youngest person in the room by a good twenty years. That was at a W.I. Market and I bought a lemon drizzle cake. At Newcastle Academy however, on a crisp Christmas night, I came away with tinnitus and several bruises that were curiously shaped like forty-year-old elbows. The Christmas spirit is clearly alive and well in the north-east.

Nowadays, The Pogues are, for anyone’s money, the embodiment of everything festive; a commercial sell-out, and, having long-since abandoned the original motivation and credentials which were the celebration of what they stood for, now rely on annual tours to keep the spirit going. I am, as you may have gathered, a slight cynic of modern-day Christmas, but the fact still stands that, to most, The Pogues are very much the personification of my cynicism: no-one cares about them until they are brought back into vogue at a certain, and increasingly earlier, time of the year. After all, of course, they do have THAT song which is so intrinsically tied to Christmas that it has become THE soundtrack to the lead up to December 25th.

They will, of course, play it in their live set, we all know that. But when? Certainly not whilst the support acts – the eclectic and worldly DJ Scratchy and the bizarre ‘Celtic-BigBand-Punk’ creations of Urban Voodoo Machine – are on stage. And not whilst opening tracks such as ‘Boys from the County Hell’ and ‘Turkish Song of the Damned’ are being belted out to a surprisingly boisterous middle-aged crowd. Shane McGowan certainly does not help to tell us.

Seemingly resigned to the fact that he is incomprehensible to everyone, he instead resorts to blurting out arbitrary sounds in a form of unintelligible Tourettes. Like a toothless uncle at Christmas he is happy to drink, smile at everyone and be glad to somehow still be alive. Maybe there is something profound in his cries, perhaps lying at the bottom of a bottle of whiskey. I look for clues in the exclamations, taking the sound “Urghh” to mean “Ergh” and thus mark the beginning of ‘Dirty Old Town’. Instead it is ‘The Irish Rover’, and my anticipated track comes later, bringing with it a scrum of slightly wrinkled limbs and beer guts.

I am injured but not deterred, eager to see the gig out until THAT song. It still has not arrived by the time the first encore approaches and people are starting to get edgy. Surely not? And then the band is leaving the stage after an encore including ‘Rainy Night in Soho’ and I almost let out a scream of disgust. Are the Christmas shoppers to go home empty handed? How will the ‘Christmas spirit’ possibly continue?

But then suddenly McGowan and his motley crew are walking back onto the stage again, and this time they are joined by a woman and I know everything is going to be alright after all...

It was an enjoyable gig. Even if I did feel a bit out of place. ‘Fairytale of New York’ was met with a shower of artificial snow and sing-along, ensuring that the gig closed on a high and the throngs of people could return home happy to their teenage children. The Pogues are clearly as popular as ever, albeit several decades older and several thousand brain cells fewer. No doubt they will be back next year to ensure that Christmas will continue.
- eGigs.co.uk

The Urban Voodoo Machine
by Claire Withington
- Hard Rock Calling

Your guide to Issue 1's free Vive Le Rock covermount CD…

1) ADAM ANT – VIVE LE ROCK
The ultimate anthem to kick off the very first CD on the debut issue of Vive Le Rock ,a classic by Adam and the Ants from their Apollo 13 album from 1985. Written with guitarist Marco Pirroni, this proves that, when he’s on top of his game, there’s nobody better than Adam.
The most iconic frontman in new wave has just finished recording his brand new studio album which is scheduled for a 2011 release.Catch him live in London in November for the memorial show for former Ant, Mathew Ashman.

2) SPEAR OF DESTINY – SUICIDE GOD (REMIX)
Formed by Kirk Brandon from the remains of the lauded Theatre Of Hate in the early 1980s, Spear Of Destiny are currently gearing up for their Vive Le Rock-sponsored tour. If you needed any further swaying as to why this is one for the diary then this exclusive, remixed ‘Suicide God’ is one hell of a sonic reason.

3) THE URBAN VOODOO MACHINE – CHEERS FOR THE TEARS
London’s premier bourbon-soaked gypsy bop ‘n’ strollers return with an exclusive taster from their upcoming new album. Turning the blues inside out, ‘Cheers For The Tears’ is a barroom brawl set to music, throwing horns, stripper-inciting percussion and a real sense of swing into the mix. Read more about them on P52.

4) ELECTRIC RIVER – BABYLON
Kicking out punk ‘n’ roll jams like they’re going out of style, Electric River bring a whole lotta soul to the punky party. A five-strong wrecking crew hailing from London and the South East, they’re touring up until the end of December – miss them at your peril!

5) MARKY RAMONES BLITZKRIEG – WHEN WE WERE ANGELS
Having become a punk icon as drummer with this month’s Vive Le Rock coverstars the Ramones, Marky Ramone is still keeping the soul and the spirit of the bruddas alive and kicking with his new band Marky Ramones Blitzkrieg, currently on a world tour. Joined by former Misfits frontman Michale Graves (who wrote it, with Ramone handling production), this brand new song is an anthemic track powered by Ramone’s powerful beats and Graves’ distinctive vocals. 1, 2, 3, 4!

6) P. PAUL FENECH – LEGIONS SONG
When you’re talking about legendary figures within the psychobilly scene, they don’t come much bigger than P. Paul Fenech. As frontman for the unstoppable Meteors he’s a force to be reckoned with – something he’s compounded on with his solo work. Dripping with attitude and filthy licks, ‘Legions Song’ is taken from album ‘International Superbastard’. It rocks like one too.

7) KILLING JOKE – ENDGAME
Sonic innovators and political agitators, Jaz Coleman’s Killing Joke have returned with a new album in the form of the colossal ‘Absolute Dissent’. A state of the world address that pulls no punches and aims as much for the head as it does the jugular, ‘Endgame’ is one of the standout tracks on an album of genius.

8) ANDY J GALLAGHER – SOMETHING ELSE
Influenced by the likes of The New York Dolls and the Velvet Underground, Andy J Gallagher first came to the fore with offbeat Britpop group The Shopkeeper Appeared. Hailed by former Damned member Roman Jugg as “a lyrical genius”, there’s plenty of evidence of that here on ‘Something Else’.

9) VICE SQUAD – PUNX UNITED
Fronted by the phenomenal Becki Bondage, Vice Squad have been standing strong and proud in the UK punk scene since they formed in 1978. Still hungry after all these years, ‘Punx United’, taken from latest album ‘London Underground’, roars out of the speakers like a tiger escaping captivity in a zoo.

10) DEPARTMENT S – WONDERFUL DAY
The famed ‘70s band who hit the charts with the immortal ‘Is Vic There?’ have returned. While singer Vaughan Toulouse might no longer be with us (he passed away in 1991), the band are back together and re-stoking the fire that drove them in the first place with this jazzed up, slice of new wave .

11) THE CREEPSHOW – THEY ALL FALL DOWN
Straight out of Canada, the Creepshow continue to represent all that’s glamorous and deadly in the world of psychobilly. With new album ‘They All Fall Down’ (from which this track is taken) the band have taken their sound to the next level – and how.

12) THE ZERO POINT – LIFE’S A BITCH (AND THEN YOU DIE)
One of Denmark’s oldest and longest running punk rock bands, The Zero Point continue to astound and amaze. Releasing latest album ‘Shameless Selfpromotion’ recently, they continue to put bands half their age to shame.

13) VOLBEAT – A WARRIOR’S CALL
Part Elvis and part Misfits, Denmark’s Volbeat combine hard rock, elements of rockabilly and ‘50s style crooning to winning effect. Taken from new album ‘Beyond Hell/Above Heaven’, you’ll have already read about them in our Down On The Street section, now hear them for yourself!

14) GOLDBLADE – JUKEBOX GENERATION
Goldblade frontman John Robb is a busy man. When he’s not writing for Vive Le Rock he’s busy being number one punk soul brother for the mighty Goldblade. A stone cold classic, ‘Jukebox Generation’ is the perfect way to end the very first Vive Le Rock CD!


MEET THE ARTIST: HOP74
A rising star in the art world, the visual skills of Hop74 are undeniable. Whether he’s working with stencils and spray cans to create pop art and portraits or carving the face of Arnie into pumpkins, the punk rock spirit runs through all of Hop74’s work – just check out the Queen/Elvis mash up of this month’s Vive Le Rock CD! To find out more visit Hop74.com

STEVE KITCHEN
Responsible for the effects on the cover to this month’s CD, Steve Kitchen is a master of graphic design and illustration. Check out more of his work over at Combination13.com


TO GET THIS EXCLUSIVE 14 TRACK FREE CD ORDER ISSUE 1 OF VIVE LE ROCK BY CLICKING HERE. - Vive Le Rock Magazine

Public Image refused to have Classic Rock faves The Urban Voodoo Machine support them on their recent reunion tour.Apparently, Public Image frontman John Lydon regarded them as being too old! Well, the combined age of the 12-strong band is 400!

The Urban Voodoo Machine’s response to Lydon’s snub? ‘What a fucking rotter’. - Classic Rock Magazine

Napalm Death, 3 Inches Of Blood, Urban Voodoo Machine and Jim Jones Revue are among a dozen additions to the line-up at this June’s Download festival.

The full list is:

1. Napalm Death (replacing The Used)

2. The Virgin Marys

3. The Plight

4. Rolo Tomassi

5. Kadawatha

6. Sonic Syndicate

7. Switchfoot

8. 3 Inches Of Blood

9. Your Demise

10. TAB

11. Urban Voodoo Machine

12. Jim Jones Revue

The Used have issued an official statement concerning their Download no-show:

‘It is with great regret that we have been forced to cancel our upcoming appearances in Europe, UK and Russia, due to unforeseen circumstances resulting in a parting of ways with our management team. We deeply apologise to our fans who were looking forward to these shows. We will reschedule as soon as possible. In the meantime, we have begun writing and recording for our upcoming album. We look forward to returning with a new album and tour dates soon.’

For more info about Download, go to the official festival website. - Classic Rock Magazine

We’re calling our free CD Back In Black Redux – and it features all-new, never-before-heard, re-recordings of each and every one of the songs from AC/DC’s seminal 1980 album!

Over the decades, the tracks on Back In Black have become so ingrained in the ears, hearts and groins of rock fans that they’ve virtually become part of our DNA.

There is no arguing with the songs or the performances on that album.

So when Classic Rock asked some of our favourite riff merchants to reinterpret landmark power-chuggers like Rock And Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution or Have A Drink On Me, they were naturally nervous.

But eventually a brave and sturdy line-up of wheelers and dealers took up the gauntlet and re-recorded each of Back In Black’s 10 tracks exclusively for Classic Rock.

From The Urban Voodoo’s Machine’s radical run-through of Hells Bells, through The Quireboys’ typically boozy rendition of You Shook Me All Night Long, to Crippled Black Phoenix’s brooding re-working of Let Me Put My Love Into You (featuring female vocalist Daisy, no less!) Back In Black Redux might just be the best CD Classic Rock has ever given away for free.

Here’s the full list of artists:

1. Hells Bells
The Urban Voodoo Machine
theurbanvoodoomachine.com

2. Shoot To Thrill
Night Horse
teepeerecords.com/bands/nighthorse/index.php

3. What Do You Do For Money Honey
Broken Teeth
brokenteeth.com

4. Given The Dog A Bone
American Dog
americandog.us

5. Let Me Put My Love Into You
Crippled Black Phoenix
myspace.com/crippledblackphoenix

6. Back In Black
Turbowolf
myspace.com/turbowolfband

7. You Shook Me All Night Long
The Quireboys
quireboys.com

8. Have A Drink On Me
Tequila Rockin’bird
myspace.com/tequilarock

9. Shake A Leg
Black Robot
blackrobotmusic.com

10. Rock And Roll Ain’t
Noise Pollution
The Union
theuniononline.com

As a celebration of AC/DC’s upcoming appearance at the Download festival, our tribute CD delivers in spades.

Back In Black Redux comes free with the July 2010 edition of Classic Rock – watch out for Them Crooked Vultures on the cover. The issue is on sale now. - Classic Rock Magazine

Come inside for some choice images from this past weekend’s Download festival.

Well, Classic Rock’s festival stragglers finally made it back into the office this morning.

Scott Rowley, Sian Llewellyn, Paul Henderson and Brad Merrett all returned intact from Download, while Geoff Barton traipsed back from Sweden Rock huddled in his John Motson-style sheepskin, regaling one and all with tales of frostbite, plummeting temperatures and torrential rain.

Barton’s quickfire Sweden Rock verdict? Bachman-Turner might’ve been ‘entertainingly decrepit’ but it was W.A.S.P. who once again stole the show (as they did at last year’s Hard Rock Hell). As for Guns N’ Roses… hoo-boy! You’ll have to wait for Barton’s Sweden Rock report in a forthcoming issue of Classic Rock for his verdict on that little doozie.

As for Download, AC/DC were predictably superb as Friday’s headliners, while you can read a first-hand, side-of-stage report of Rage Against The Machine’s bill-topping set on Saturday here.

Sunday’s main talking point was Stone Temple Pilots. As Caren Gibson of Classic Rock’s sister mag Metal Hammer reports:

‘At first it sounds like his [Scott Weiland's] voice is a little rough in places, then you think perhaps he just can’t sing anymore. Then as the first attempt at crowd interaction passes you realise Scott Weiland is off his tits! Look into his eyes on the big screen and he’s barely even there. And for a while it’s hilarious! As he slurs his way through Wicked Garden, drawls through Crackerman and stumbles through Interstate Love Song it’s actually funny – like watching the many booze casualties over the weekend who have lost the ability to stand up try to stand up and pretend they’re coherent. But as Scott fluffs the beginning of Plush it starts to get embarrassing. Cringeworthy, even.’

Read Caren’s full report of Weiland’s reeling display here. You can also check out reviews of many of the other Download bands at the same location.

Watch this pace for more Download stories. In the meantime, check out some photos from the festival below. - Classic Rock Magazine

This November will see the sixth Classic Rock Roll Of Honour Awards.

As always, there are the awards chosen by the magazine team and those voted for by YOU!

By casting your vote you’ll be entered into an exclusive draw to win tickets to Hard Rock Hell where you’ll see the likes of Airbourne, Uriah Heep, UFO, Saxon and more play live.

The categories you can vote in are:
Best New Band

The Union
Taking Dawn
Reckless Love
Urban Voodoo Machine
White Wizzard
Alberta Cross
Album of the Year

Cheap Trick: The Latest
Bigelf: Cheat The Gallows
Slash: Slash
Kiss: Sonic Boom
Wolfmother: Cosmic Egg
Iron Maiden: The Final Frontier
Pearl Jam: Backspacer
Alice In Chains: Black Gives Way To Blue
Lynyrd Skynyrd: God & Guns
Gaslight Anthem: American Slang
The Scorpions: Sting In The Tail
Europe: Last Look At Eden
Ratt: Infestation
Foreigner: Can’t Slow Down
Black Crowes: Before The Frost…
Steve Hackett: Out Of The Tunnel’s Mouth
Band of the Year

Aerosmith
AC/DC
Rage Against The Machine
Kiss
Bon Jovi
Slash & Friends
Jeff Beck Band
Event of the Year

High Voltage
Download
Mott The Hoople reunion
Rage Against The Machine’s Christmas number one and free concert
The Stooges’ reunion
Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’ entering the top ten
Reissue of the Year

Rolling Stones: Exile On Main St
Judas Priest: British Steel
The Beatles: Reissues
Black Sabbath: The Dio Years
AC/DC: Backtracks
Jimi Hendrix: Reissues
Nazareth: Reissues
King Crimson: In the Court of the Crimson King
Where the Action Is: LA Nuggets 1965-1968
David Bowie: Station To Station

Go here to cast your votes – or simply visit the home-page of this here website and click the button marked ‘Classic Rock Roll Of Honour – Vote Now!’ - Classic Rock Magazine

The Urban Voodoo Machine are playing a free show on Saturday, November 14.

You can get a shot of Voodoo style rock ‘n’ roll at the Hootananny in Brixton. It’s frontman Paul Ronney Angel’s birthday bash, so you’re guaranteed a riotous time.

The doors – and bar – open at 8pm. JC Moody And The Usual Suspects support, with Lady Ane Angel performing a spectacular fire show, and DJ Scratchy also on hand.

The Urban Voodoo Machine hit the stage at 11.11pm. Why so precise? Because Paul Ronney Angel’s actual birthday was on November 11…11/11. Geddit?

For further info, go to www.theurbanvoodoomachine.com - Classic Rock Magazine

Our Rating: 10/10

Hereford has been known, primarily, as the home of the SAS, and there were certainly some special forces at work tonight at The Wild Hare Club, which is situated in the ballroom of the Green Dragon Hotel. It was a Gypsy Hotel night brought to you all the way from Dalston by The Urban Voodoo Machine.

First up was DJ SCRATCHY, who has worked with The Clash & Gogol Bordello, and who set the scene by playing an eclectic mix of Gypsy folk, blues, ska, and rock ‘n’ roll. This got the crowd up and dancing and certainly in the right mood.

LADY ANE ANGEL was on next, with her snake charming and fire eating act, complete with fake snow and python wearing a Santa hat! As always, her act was mesmerising and raised plenty of shouts of admiration.

Headliners, The URBAN VOODOO MACHINE hit the stage with a vengeance, and it was clear right from the start that they were going to take no prisoners! Opening up with a blistering ‘Theme From The Urban Voodoo Machine’, they had the audience up and dancing straight away. As always, the band put 100% into each performance and it showed. Newer material such as ‘The Death of Celestina Rose’ and ‘Lightning From a Blue Sky’ blended in seamlessly with older favourites and proved that this years debut album ‘Bourbon Soaked Gypsy Blues Bop ‘n’ Stroll’ was not a one-off in terms of quality, musicianship and clever lyrics. ‘Killer Sound’ was also another highlight with a really loud double drum assault by J and Gary.

Singer P-R is always watch able, and was in and out of the front rows of the audience on several occasions, and at one point performing ‘Love Song #666’ from on top of the speaker stack. The band didn’t put a foot wrong during this set, and everyone was on top form.

Of special mention is the encore ‘Down in a Hole’, which this time ended up merging with of all things, the ‘James Bond Theme’, ‘Munsters Theme’, ‘Jesus Gonna be Here’, ‘Tequila’, ‘Susie Q’ ‘Don’t You Just Know It’, and ending with ‘What d’I Say’. By this time both band and audience were drenched, and the atmosphere resembled a sauna!

As if that were not enough, the band returned for yet another encore of ‘Gettin Hot, Goin Down’, which left Hereford wondering what the hell hit it, the gig having the precision and timing of a commando raid. As I left, everyone I could see had big smiles on their faces.

This was without doubt the best UVM gig I have seen this year, there isn’t a band that can touch them for sheer power and delivery. They are simply the best live band on the planet.

The Urban Voodoo Machine. They blitzkrieg. You’ll bop!
author: Nick Browne - whisperinandhollerin.com

- Label: 'GYPSY HOTEL'
- Genre: 'Rock' - Release Date: 'July 2009'- Catalogue No: 'GHRCD001B'

Our Rating: 10/10
Most reviewers will give the majority of CDs between four and seven out of ten. There are few CDs that are so bad that they merit a zero or one star rating. Even rarer than rocking horse shit is the album that scores a perfect ten, the sort of timeless classic that is up there with the likes of “Sticky Fingers”, “Ziggy Stardust” and “The Velvet Underground & Nico”.

Storming straight into this category is “Bourbon Soaked Gypsy Blues Bop ‘n’ Stroll”, the debut from Dalston’s finest. The Urban Voodoo Machine formed in 2003 and this, their first long player has been six years in the making. However, the time spent on this has been very productive, as, not only are there no duff tracks on the album, neither is there anything that could remotely be described as “filler material”. All fifteen tracks here are stand alone classics, from the opening clicketty click of the drumsticks on ‘Down in a Hole’ to the closing gong on ‘Theme From The Urban Voodoo Machine’, this album is fifty minutes and twenty three seconds of pure listening pleasure.

The opener ‘Down in a Hole’ is a classic blues track that chugs along like a freight train. When he sings “Anti-depressants or alcohol, ain’t gonna help me cos’ I’m down in a hole. Yeah the good times the hard times have taken their toll, and I’m down in a hole” you know that Paul-Ronney Angel means it. Hot on its heels follows the rockabilly-ish ‘Always Out’ now available as a download only single and if there were any justice in this world it would be straight in at the top of the charts!

‘Down by the River’ is a top class bluesy love song “So here we are collecting driftwood, can’t start a fire but we still got the spark”.

‘Stole my Dog’ is a hilarious tale of a relationship split and the squabble of ownership of the mutt. “I hope he pisses all over your house and chews up your furniture when you ask him to do tricks.” ‘Can O’ Worms’ details the story of a witness to a murder and features a guest appearance of Spider Stacy from The Pogues on tin whistle and backing vocals.

Other outstanding highlights are ‘Love Song #666’ which is a brilliant tango “So I fucked your sister, tried it on with your mother, kicked the shit out of your brother, but darling I always loved you” With lyrics as well observed as this, you can’t go far wrong. The suicide lullaby ‘Emptiness’ which originally appeared on the promo e.p. “Sounds From The Urban Voodoo Machine” has been reworked and is better with the full band sound.

In short, albums this good only come along very infrequently, so get your copy while you can. This is the single one essential purchase of the year (unless they put out another one before Christmas!).
author: Nick Browne - whisperinandhollerin.com

Our Rating: 9/10

Tonight's gig is part of Alan McGee's Death Disco night. True to the reputation of this part of West London the crowd tonight are the beautiful people. The tiny club is awash with Libertines style jackets and perfect ‘indie’ haircuts. This feeling is only increased by notices around the venue informing us that we are being filmed for ‘What Sadie did Next’ a documentary about Sadie Frost and, one can only assume, her brave stand in the face of the terrible adversity of being rich and famous even though no ones entirely sure what for. Just in case you do miss this piece of television gold it would appear that what Sadie did next was to go Notting Hill Arts Club, air kiss several people, make sure she was filmed watching the band for one song, then fuck off back stage until she was sure they were gone. Come the glorious revolution she will be one of the first against the wall.

This, unfortunately, is the price you pay for ‘alternative’ music becoming fashionable. Obviously Alan McGee's pedigree is unquestioned but there is a section of the crowd tonight you wish would piss off back to shite dance music and over priced clubs. Particularly as Urban Voodoo Machine are a fantastic band who deserve better than half the crowd ignoring them.

The first thing you notice as UVM (as they will be known from this point in) take the stage is how damn cool they are. Singer, Paul Ronny-Angel, is dapper in pinstripe suit, trilby, skinhead and huge side burns. The rest of the band are no shirkers either as they line up behind stand up bass, violin, drums, guitar and gong (yes, gong). It is obvious from the off that this is no ordinary band as they rip into a whiplash instrumental that wouldn’t sound out of place at a tequila fuelled fiesta. ‘The Real Criminals’ follows and is introduced by Paul as ‘a song about justice, or rather the lack of it’. It is difficult to decipher lyrics tonight but the intention is obvious from the snarling faces. Third song in appears to be called ‘You Got me by the Balls’ and is another stormer, featuring virtuoso violin and that unique stand up bass sound.

As they slow things down, giving us all a chance to catch our breath, I’m left trying to pin down their various influences. UVM are not a band you can easily fit into convenient labels and tonight, at various points of the evening, you can hear Nick Cave (with and without the Birthday Party), the Pogues, the Clash, Gallon Drunk, Mexican influences, the blues (especially in some serious harmonica action), 50’s rock and roll and a million other disparate musical forms. At one point they give us their version of the Prodigys ‘Breathe’ which managed to rival the original for ferocity and at another juncture we’re treated to the theme tune from Pulp Fiction ("Misirlou" – Dick Dale). Finish this all off with the ‘tequila’ song and you’re left with many smiling faces and the first signs of dancing (they’ll mess their hair up if they’re not careful).

UVM were stunning tonight and, if there is any justice in the world, will be blessed with at least a huge cult following. They have that ‘last gang in town’ feel about them combined with the ‘don’t fuck with us’ attitude encapsulated by the Clash at their height. Musically they manage to simultaneously be one of the best party bands you’ll ever see and performers of some of the most sinister songs you’ll ever hear. What more do you want?
author: Mike Campbell - whisperinandhollerin.com

- Label: 'D-BAG'
- Genre: 'Rock' - Release Date: 'FEBRUARY 2004'

Our Rating: 9/10
There are those who would argue that George Dubya and his goons are the Devil himself, but on hearing THE URBAN VOODOO MACHINE, maybe we should reconsider. "Sounds From The Urban Voodoo Machine" is their first, full-blooded, Diablo-infused EP and it makes a strong case for Old Nick being alive and well and plugged into a mixing desk in a dingy Hackney Studio where this scarily stylish collective put this four-track effort (actually it's five, but we'll come to that) together.

Led by the splendidly-named Paul-Ronney Angel, UVM are the real deal. Their gigs often feature fire-eaters and strippers, but even without the distractions, their songs are entirely fascinating, usually fatalistic slabs of potent, underworld blues, with vivid, visceral lyrics and definite nods to King Ink himself, Nick Cave.

Featuring violin, upright bass and a whole lotta weird percussion instruments replacing a traditional drum kit (washboards, Turkish drums, floor toms and chains enter the equation along the way), UVM have anything but a trad rock set up, but with Angel's own stinging guitar contributions and the band's fervency in setting up fantastic soundworlds, you can't really go wrong.

Grippingly sleazy 'murder ballad' "Orphan's Lament" slashes our face with the killer lines "My Father was a sailor, my Mother was a whore, and me I was the accident made when he came ashore" by way of an introduction and straight away you know you're onto something good. The fact the narrative goes on to include random killings and Angel's subject heading off to join the circus and while being set to a tune roughly equal parts Bertholt Brecht and Bad Seeds hardly hurts either.

Second track, 'gypsy stomp' "The Real Criminals" immediately proves it's no fluke. A punked-up balalaika with ace, wailing harmonica and mainlined shots of Bo Diddley and The Gun Club, it finds someone called Jesus Las Vegas adding descriptive feedback guitar and Barney Hollington's snaky violin slithering all over the plot. Shivery and superb.

"Devil On A String," meanwhile, finds scary, farty fuzz bass levering up a filthy blues akin to The Birthday Party circa "Junkyard". This time sub-titled 'satanic blues', they ain't jokin', either, as Angel snarls "I've got Mr.Lucifer here lookin' after me"
before going on to breathe noxious firewater fumes all over the soddin' shop. Thankfully, he's bequeathing UVM some of his tunes an' all.

"Emptiness" ('suicide lullaby')allegedly closes the EP, with a potent Mexican/ Morricone kinda feel, with a vocal from Angel that would even have sent a chill up Jeffrey Lee Pierce's spine back in the day. Descriptive, delicious and bloody poretentous, it actually paves the way for an untitled fifth track, which is a finger-clickin' '50s-style rocker, with shades of both Link Wray and Gene Vincent peering through when it removes its' shades. Groovy, stripped-down and as good as anything Liam Watson knocks out, it has Angel singing "You got me by the balls" in a particularly credible fashion.

So who the hell are Urban Voodoo Machine? Oblivion only knows, but one thing's for sure: with "Sounds From The Urban Voodoo Machine" they don't need the friggin' crossroads - they've got the Devil tied up in their basement are are giving him the matches under the toes routine.
author: TIM PEACOCK - whisperinandhollerin.com

Produced on the slimmest of budgets director John Bland has shot 2 videos for the colourful Urban Voodoo Machine. First up is this burlesque filth-fest described by Bland as “a confessional gypsy-tango stomp of one mans undying love (or should that be lust?)”. He goes on: “He might have “…fucked your sister”, “beat the shit out of your brother” and even “tried it on with your mother…”, but remember – he will “…ALWAYS love you”! Hmmm, nice.

The Urban Voodoo Machine
Love Song #666 (Gypsy Hotel)
Director : John Bland
Production Company : One Eyed Monster
Producer : Urban Wursch
D.O.P : John Bland
Edit : Malcolm Monster
Hair & Make – Up : Ane Jonsrud Haugli
Rep : Debs @ Y-iLondon

Watch: here

Voodoo2

The second promo is for Orphan’s Lament, the first single from the Bourbon Gypsy Blues Bop’n'Stroll album. The record was financed by putting on parties called Gypsy Hotel. It was at one of these debauched Dalston nights that lead singer Paul-Ronney ran into director John Bland.

The Urban Voodoo Machine
Orphan’s Lament (Gypsy Hotel)
Director : John Bland
Production Company : One Eyed Monster
Producer : Urban Wursch
D.O.P : John Bland
Edit : Malcolm Monster
Make – Up : Susy Carducci
Hair : Ane Jonsrud Haugli
Rep : Debs@YILONDON

Watch: here - Promo News

The HMV Forum
London, UK
Friday 4th December 2009

I first heard of the Urban Voodoo Machine a year ago, when I asked Vic Ruggiero (of The Slackers) what current bands he recommended, fully anticipating/hoping to be directed to some obscure New York underground act. Instead he sang the praises of this unusual, boundary-defying act from London’s Dalston. Tonight is the third time I’ve seen them live and they get better with each show and really benefit from a big stage like that of The Forum.

The ten members are sharply dressed in their traditional red and black and steam through a set lurching between devilish blues and stomping rock and roll, with lyrics revolving around death, betrayal and drinking. Fascinating and slightly eerie – the sort of act you wouldn’t be surprised to glimpse in a scene from a David Lynch film.

Stand out tracks include the single ‘Always Out’ and finale ‘Down In A Hole’. Strong on entertainment factor, singer Paul-Ronney Angel deftly leads proceedings, but every member of the band has a trick up their sleeve. From playing instruments as unwieldy as accordions and double basses behind their heads (rather than just the usual guitar) to a two-drummer set up who jump and dance around the drums and each other.

The set draws heavily from the current album “Bourbon Soaked Gypsy Blues Bop’n’Stroll” (presumably thus titled to save reviewers everywhere the headache of working out how to pigeon-hole them).

The crowd is a little less lively than deserved, however I see a lot of slightly bewildered but nevertheless amused expressions around me. UVM has something rather special to offer – it will be interesting to see how their journey unfolds.

The legendary New York Dolls take to the stage with 1973’s ‘Looking For A Kiss’ before diving straight into the title track from this year’s “Cause I Sez So” album, making it clear this tour allows for the necessary nostalgia but is equally a platform for their new material.

Credited with being punk before punk was even invented and influencing a massive array of substantial artists that followed, it’s refreshing to see that the Dolls are not just relying on their early work to carry the show.

The current line up features two of the original members: singer David Johansen and guitarist Sylvain Sylvain. Guitarist Steve Conte, drummer Brian Delaney and former Hanoi Rocks bass guitarist Sami Yaffa complete the line up. However it’s easy to feel it’s somewhat of a two-hander show, with Jagger-esque Johansen swaggering and smiling and behatted Sylvain posing with his guitar and teasing the audience.

The crowd is clearly dominated by long-standing fans and, as such, appears slightly reverential – even an early stage invader mostly seems to just want to stand next to singer Johansen and grin until he’s encouraged to leave.

With a setlist including ‘Subway’, ‘Bad Girl’ and ‘Jet Boy’ as well as their Bo Diddley cover ‘Pills’, the crowd react warmly.

Sylvian twice wishes us a happy new year, which seems a little premature in early December, but clearly it’s a night of goodwill all around and the band appear relaxed and confident as they dish up the classics alongside fresh material.

Brought back for an encore that ends with the energy raising, horrendously catchy ‘Personality Crisis’ the band leave on a high. - Distorted Magazine

Jeg traff Paul Ronnie og Nick Marsh fra det elektriske taterfølget UVM gjennom Tom Kristensen
for 4 år siden, og jeg har ventet på denne plata siden da. Paul Ronnie har alt, han besitter tonnevis av sjarm,
i tillegg til bøttevis av talent. På denne flotte longplayeren fjerner han i tillegg all tvil om at han er en ekte kunstner.
UVM har brukt seks år på denne plata og det er den beste engelske debutplata siden ”SUEDE” i 1993. Jævla bra gutta!
Alle som har sett dette bandet live vet hvilket fyrverkeri de er på scenen, men jeg synes at de virker
litt strammere i fisken på plate og de tjener så absolutt på det. Jeg orker ikke å ramse opp titlene da du
helt sikkert skal kjøpe den allikevel. Et absolutt pliktkjøp!
Har du slitt ut ”Swordfishtrombones”, ”Raindogs”, Ennio Morricone, Marty Robbins eller Stray Cats-platene dine,
og har planer om å kjøpe de på nytt, bør du heller investere i denne. Nå skal jeg ha meg et glass øl og spille plata en gang til. - rockandrollcentral.net

Concorde 2, January 31 2010

The Brighton Tattoo Convention Aftershow Party was held at Concorde 2 and the crowd was entertained by the likes of Urban Voodoo Machine from London who in their own words serve up a large dose of “bourbon soaked gypsy blues.”

The band consists of Paul Ronny Angel hailing from Norway as the devilish front man, backed up by an assortment of musicians on leopard skin covered instruments who rattled the very foundations of the Concorde 2. If you want to get an idea of the bands style take a gander at their website where you can see videos for ‘Orphans Lament’ which was played on the night along with ‘Love Song #666’. It was a mixed reaction from the crowd. There was a definite split between hardcore fans, those warming up to the sound and those who would clearly rather be by the bar with the big swinging doors between them and the band. You can hardly blame them, this is one band you would not want to meet down a dark alley…

Whether you loved or hated it, no one could remain unmoved by the lumps, bumps and hip grinds of Elephant Man Elvis as he joined the band on stage for a rendition of ‘Hound Dog’. The band did not disappoint their fans who demanded more and came out for a double encore consisting of ‘Stole my Dog’ and ‘Real Criminals’.

There was a great atmosphere as the convention was a great talking point and people had all their new or old ink as an ice breaker. It was a great chance to show off and the guys in the crowd seemed pleased to have some ready made chat up lines to use on the girls. There were more than a few people with brand new ink hidden under clingfilm or dressing but there was also a lot of peeping underneath and probably some quite sore tattoos the next day! - XYZ Magazine

It's not where you are, it's where you think you are. And from the sounds of this The Urban Voodoo Machine firmly believe they're misfits on the run under the cover of darkness in that swamp Kylie's corpse turned up floating in that Nick Cave video. Or possibly that big gloomy one in Lord of the Rings that Frodo went death-trippin' in. Certainly not modern London where they come from. In fact if Gollum had been trapped in that cave for an eternity with a practice amp, a Les Paul copy and a knocked-off vintage mic, a big vat of bourbon and some snuff, he could have ended up like this, probably. Which would have ruined things for J R R Tolkein, but given us a sideshow favourite. This EP, out now on D-Bag Recordings, sounds like Tom Waits, Captain Beefheart, Nick Cave and Johnny Cash squatting somewhere damp for the night and trying to light a fire. Track 3 sounds like the 80s Matchbox B-Line Disaster left out in the sun and then played really really s-l-o-w. It's all good. - CRUD Magazine

Taking a leaf from the Les Dennis book of music journalism, we decided to conduct a survey, armed with a knackered walkman, a 5-track Urban Voodoo Machine demo and some shoddy old headphones we found under the sink the other day. The question: Where are this lot from exactly? 12% reckoned from behind a bin in Memphis, 8% thought Tennessee, 37% said from the sixth ring of Hades, 25% could only specify “somewhere murky”, while the remaining 18% mumbled something unintelligible and ran away screaming. Well, it’s a low scoring round, because they’re actually from smoky old London. But you get a point for trying, they don’t sound like they come from London. London breeds bands like Menswe@r and Silversun, not the fermenting sound of Nick Cave and Captain Beefheart chained by the heel, laboriously chiselling rock on Texas dirt tracks. But that’s where we’re assured they’re from, so we must believe them. Lead man Paul Ronney-Angel stopped chiselling for 5 minutes to let us inside his head…

1. Where are you now and what can you see?
I’m in my own personal hell and I can see light at the end of the tunnel.

2. What was the last thing you ate?
Pussy

3.What was the last thing you hated?
Rain

4.What was the last book you read?
The Concise Oxford Dictionary, a rather useful book

5.What was the last record you bought?
Streetcore by Joe Strummer & the Mescaleroes, the late great man’s last record is a cool blend of Folk, Reggae, Hip-Hop and Rock’n’Roll.

6.What did you dream about last night?
That there was world peace and that denim-clad Mancunians had stopped forming bands.

7.How long did you spend getting ready this morning?
It’s 8pm, and I’m still in my dressing gown..

8. If you could see through someone else’s eyes for a day, whose would they be?
Stevie Wonder.

9.What do you love about yourself?
My ability to raise hell.

10.What are your plans for tonight?
Detox from the weekend and work on a new song. - CRUD Magazine

Murder ballads, vicious shanties and dark love songs
Sounding as if assembled from street urchins and dark shadowed corner dwellers, The Urban Voodoo Machine make the kind of music you’d imagine may be heard playing in some seedy freak show tent or illegal drinking den soaked in the debauchery of hookers and bad men from the docks! They’ve been compared as a cross between Tom Waits and Nick Cave with a bit of The Pogues chucked in for extra grit. A great combination indeed - for this is a great album. The lyrics are to the point and unfussy - ‘so I fucked your sister/tried it on with your mother/kicked the shit out of your brother/but darling I always loved you (Love Song 666) or the ‘tribute’ to the ex girlfriend who legged it with all his possessions, but what hurt most was the fact she took his dog ‘I hope he pisses all over your house and chews up your furniture’ (Stole My Dog) The whole record revolves on it’s own brilliant axis of bluegrass, rockabilly, big beat sounds and assorted instruments of greatness. It’s an album well worth hearing and I hope The Urban Voodoo Machine stay around forever!

Alan Baillie - Subba-Cultcha

It’s been a while since the band who modestly declare themselves as “the best band in the fuckin’ world!” tonight have been seen together onstage in London town but tonight is a special occasion – the Gypsy Hotel Club, the club which spawned this group of rag-tag rock ‘n’ roll minstrels many moons ago, has moved from its old home of Barden’s Boudoir (RIP) in Dalston to a new venue down in Kings Cross, the bourbon-stocked Lexington. The faithful are out in force tonight to give their heroes a homecoming welcome and the UVM do not disappoint as all the favourites from their rather fine debut album of a year or two back “Bourbon Soaked Gypsy Blues Bop ‘n’ Stroll” get an outing – “Always Out”, “Two Ships”, “Orphan’s Lament”, “Down In A Hole” and several more. There’s also plenty of new material on show from the group’s forthcoming second album (new song “Go East Young Man” is a particular highlight) plus one of the strangest reworkings of the old AC/DC classic “Hell’s Bells” you’re ever likely to hear.

Like Zombina & The Skeletones, who I reviewed in these (web)pages a couple of weeks back, the key to the UVM being such a good band is the sheer diversity of their sound, veering from East European influenced folk rock to no-holds-barred sweat-stained rock ‘n’ roll in a matter of minutes and incorporating everything from tubas to accordions to brass sections. It’s all powered along by a ferocious double-drumming partnership (including ex-Plan A man Gary) and the guitar skills of Nick Marsh (also of the legendary Flesh For Lulu) but the star of the show is definitely singer Paul Ronney-Angel, the sort of frontman who is, quite simply, a star. There’s very few people out there who are as effective at rousing the rabble as he is, jumping into the audience, hanging off the ceiling amp and generally whipping the crowd here tonight up into a frenzy.

Like I said earlier, second album due out soon apparently. You’d be a fool to miss it. - Pure Rawk

It's going to be an interesting week for members of the London-based Urban Voodoo Machine. They'll spend Sunday and Monday at the 9:30 club, performing their first American shows as the opening act for the Pogues. Both nights have been sold out for weeks. Then, tonight, they'll head across town to the much, much cozier confines of the Red and the Black, which holds one-tenth the audience. On our most recent podcast, I compared the theatrical nine-member band to "Nick Cave in a dark mood fronting a drunken Dexy's Midnight Runners," and I'm standing by that assertion: Using horns, violin, accordion, banjo and multiple percussionists, the band veers into mariachi-influenced blues, whiskey-soaked country rags and punkabilly-style rave-ups. If you catch them opening for Shane and co., you'll want to see the Urban Voodoo Machine again in a more intimate venue. If you didn't get tickets for the Pogues, this might be the next best thing.

-- Fritz Hahn (March 2008) - Washington Post

If Gogol Bordello came from Dalston, and listened to The Pogues and Nick Cave, then they’d probably be The Urban Voodoo Machine. But then, that band already exist – and they provide our latest Track Of The Day. (To be more accurate it’s actually a Video Of The Day!) Come inside to find out more, and click here for previous Tracks Of The Day.

This East London amalgam of rockabilly, rock’n'roll, punk and underground Eastern European folk started in 2003, and the band quickly became favourites on the live circuit.

Led by Norwegian born Paul-Ronney Angel on vocals/harmonica/guitar/banjo, the rest of this swinging Machine features guitarist/vocalist Nick Marsh, violinist Barney Hollington, trumpeter Loyd Gomez De Ville, accordion player Slim and bassist (that’s upright bass) Reverend Gavin Smith. Then there’s Brother Jim Jones (he’s on maracas, harmonica and floor tom), Joe-Roni-Moe (melodica, washboard, repercussions and banjele), Jary (floor tom, cymbal, sticks) and Lucifire (tenor saxophone and vocals).

Debut album, Bourbon Soaked Gypsy Blues Bop N’ Stroll, is available now on Gypsy Hotel Records. It was described in the pages of Classic Rock as ‘one of the best-realised debuts in years’. And if David Lynch ever looks for a house band to play the Blue Velvet bar he’s never opened, then this lot must be the prime contenders.

Download the video for the song Always Out at: http://theurbanvoodoomachine.com/images/Web1.mov

For further info on the band, go to www.myspace.com/theurbanvoodoomachine - Classic Rock Magazine