Howling Bells | The Mad Mackerel

Howling Bells will release their new album on September 12th on Cooking Vinyl. The Loudest Engine will be preceded by a clutch of live shows, including a London date at the Electric Ballroom on September 15th.

A raw, psychedelic third studio album, and the sequel to 2009′s Radio Wars, the recording of The Loudest Engine saw the band get sonic inspiration from Nevada’s expansive surroundings and Las Vegas’s street-soiled vibe.

Howling Bells’ desert sessions were the final part of a year-long writing adventure that saw the band, while on tour, wander through strange American outposts and seedy European back streets in their downtime. Their travels provided endless lyrical inspiration; much of The Loudest Engine was written on the road.

The result is 12 songs that burn with a ferocious intensity, clipping garage blues (Charlatan) to end of the world freak outs (The Wilderness) and heart-bruised laments (Into The Sky). This is the record that may well change people’s perceptions of the band.

Listen to the title track and check out the UK tour dates below.

Visit their Facebook page here.

UK Tour Dates:

Weds 14th SEPTEMBER – PORTSMOUTH, WEDGEWOOD ROOMS

Thurs 15th – LONDON, ELECTRIC BALLROOM

Fri 16th – SHEFFIELD, PLUG

Sun 18th – LEEDS, COCKPIT

Mon 19th – GLASGOW, ORAN MOR

Tues 20th – MANCHESTER, ACADEMY 3

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After a brief foray in MM’s territory, recommending Kurran & The Wolfnotes’ Your Four Limbs, and enjoying HUGELY the Pancake Breakfast track, The Ballad of Maynard Noe (and let’s face it, who doesn’t enjoy a pancake breakfast?), it’s back to Friday business.

For some unfathomable reason, I was thinking about Level 42 this week (in my defence, only once and rather briefly). It could have been to do with the quiz MM and I were putting together for tonight, in downtown Charlbury. Decades ago, when young and foolish, I harboured a schoolgirl crush for possibly most of my teenage years on a young man, whom for this blog’s purpose, I’ll call Sam.

The years past, I ditched my ultra tomboy look, discovered some lippy, and at last he noticed me. In fact, I managed to snog him one NY’s eve. Yippee, I thought. More like bollocks: he referred to Level 42 in hushed tones – even referring to them as “The Level”. And that was it. Killed it. Dead in the water. Sam no more.

Moral of this week’s story? Never date someone who has incompatible music tastes with your own. Better still, find someone who actually has some taste. I’m a lucky fish.

Second question I asked MM when we met? What football team do you support …

Mrs M

No this isn’t leading to a track by Mark King and co, but to a Low Happening by the Howling Bells. Ha ha!

Download Howling Bells – Low Happening mp3 (from Howling Bells)

Download Kurran & The Wolfnotes – Your Four Limbs mp3 (from Your Four Limbs 7″)

Download Pancake Breakfast – The Ballad Of Maynard Noe mp3 (from Pancake Breakfast)