FIFTY3FRIDAYS: THE EIGHTH OF MAY

Today is indeed the eighth of May; a date on which all Motörfans are urged to turn up the volume to celebrate the loudest day of the year, Motörhead Day! Anyone in for the long haul might even recall that I last wrote about this landmark in 2021, then almost 40 years since Motörhead released its seminal live album No Sleep ‘Til Hammersmith. That’s now ticked on to 45 years and sadly in March guitarist Phil Campbell passed away to join Lemmy in the choir invisible.

We close this week with “Ace of Spades” to mark Motörhead Day. Before we get there, on with today’s selection of new music for you.

Photo of Roswell Road by Sophie Barloc

Tuesday evening should have found me at Green Note, down the road from Camden Town tube in Parkway (leading to Regent’s Park for non-locals). Unfortunately, a combination of electrical faults and train delays meant I could not guarantee to get there or, more pertinently, would have struggled to get home afterwards. On top of that, my photographer friend, Kevin England, was struck down with the lurgy. So, sadly I can’t bring you a review of the show by Roswell Road, scheduled that evening, so here is a song from the project of Zoë Wren and Jasmine Watkiss which I hope they might have played on the night.

“Island Citizen” is fast becoming my favourite song from Roswell Road’s beautifully nuanced March 2026 debut album, Rebel Joy. As I sit here feeling increasingly depressed by the prospect of English councils being taken over by Reform, this song is a salutary reminder that, irrespective of race or language, we all have a place in our communities while the road to nationalism leads to nothing other than division and conflict. It was written in response to the far-right anti-immigration rally that took place in London last September, voiced with the grace and harmony that is totally lacking in our politics.  You can sample more of the full album, Rebel Joy, by reading a track-by-track commentary by Zoë and Jazz which we published in March.

Over to America next to feature an artist who actually will be over here next week when he starts a headline tour taking in shows in Ireland, the UK and various European cities before returning to the US for a string of dates in July and August. Texan troubadour, Chance Peña began writing songs aged just 11 and has spent the past decade refining his craft, adding an old soul to young shoulders. His music displays an inner confidence, a trust in his own judgement you might call it derived from solid gigging and giving his music time to develop until ready to reveal. It’s encapsulated in the title of his 2024 debut LP, Ever-Shifting, Continual Blossoming.

While his debut full-length was followed less than a year later by a second album, When I Change My Mind I Don't Mean It, Chance is clearly not resting on laurels. “The Voyager” is a brand new single, released today ahead of the tour. The song blends restlessness with release, bridging the intimacy of a confessional with the emotive intensity of climactic arrivals. Chance sings with a weathered soulfulness, his slow Texan drawl counterbalanced by a commanding passion. In this powerful and moving song, allowing yourself to feel content in the moment becomes an antidote to the restless searching of the traveller who longs for something that is absent.

Travelling on, we focus next on the two songs I chose as my Alt Picks from last week’s Fresh On The Net entries. The first is from a new album by London and Devon-based five-piece Lemonade Sin, the creation of Lee Friese-Greene and Simon Aldous who write the songs and voice the signature duets. The band's line-up is completed by Jennifer Denitto on drums, bassist Charlotte Beale and Robin Morgan on keyboards. Lemonade Sin released its new album, Nothing For A Pair, this month which intriguingly explores famous, fictional and unlikely pairings across11 tracks.

Notwithstanding the clue in the title, "Hold The Frame" from the album immediately made me think of things cinematic. This dream pop offering with its coy vocal interplay would sit very nicely in Twin Peaks, for example. Actually, the pair celebrated here are the characters Baby and Johnny from Dirty Dancing, the much-loved coming-of-age film set in the early 60s. The song has a nostalgic feel for sure with soft vocals gliding over retro synth textures and a gentle rhythm. The addition of a trumpet gives it added character and warmth.

My second Alt Pick is from Park Days, the solo project of Sam Thrussell, a member of the South Coast indie band Dutch Criminal Record. Based in Brighton, Sam chose the moniker Park Days as a nod to his youth, when he and his school friends would play football at the park after school, which Sam describes as “times of pure carefree nostalgia!” Park Days has been ongoing as a project since Sam first put out music under that banner in 2023. The latest single "I Don't Wanna Try" is taken from Park Days’ forthcoming EP Welcome To Park Days due for release in June.

Sam wrote "I Don't Wanna Try" in November 2024 after finishing his Masters course at the University of Sussex. “I felt a bit burnt out from studying but realised I had no time to rest on my laurels so the song voices my frustration about that situation” he adds. I warmed to the simplicity and freshness of this breezy pop track. It wraps itself round you with the familiarity of that guitar strum in the verses, has a neat and equally tuneful bridge and ends on a note of bright resolution. There is a touch of George Harrison’s “My Sweet Lord” about it, though Sam cites early Coldplay as a musical inspiration.

From Brighton to Cornwall now where we find pop-punk four-piece, the explosively named Kerosene Cocktail. Comprising lead vocalist Jasmine Wills, Sam Bustard on guitar and vocals, Tavis on bass and drummer Kenny Couch, the band trades in high energy live shows with an uncompromising attitude and some sharp songs influenced by the music of the early 2000s. Since the release of its debut single “SMYT”, Kerosene Cocktail has been building a head of steam and I feel it won’t be that long before the band will be gracing those summer festival fields.

New single “Polaroids” bottles all the energy and excitement of a live show with strong dynamics and a memorable tune. At just 20 years, Jasmine is a formidable vocalist, channelling strains of some of the best in class – say, Avril Lavigne or Courtney Love – with her own youthful take. She commands over a battery of breakneck layered guitars and a kick-ass rhythm section reminiscent of a Green Day or Blink-182. The track’s retro feel is mirrored by the song’s theme of Polaroid photos, itself harking back to the days before smartphones and filters: itself instant in a way back then but still requiring a little time to develop and then effort to share.  

Final word this week goes, of course, to Motörhead so let’s raise a glass of Jack & Coke tonight while shouting ‘The 8th of May…The 8th of May’.