The Panic Manual

Song of the Day: Fazerdaze – So Easy

Posted on

16 Nov 2024

Paul

“So Easy” is the latest single from New Zealand’s Fazerdaze, taken off her recently released new album Soft Power. Check out the video for “So Easy” below.

Song of the Day: Lightman & Lightman – Weave your name in mine

Posted on

15 Nov 2024

Paul

“Weave your name in mine” is the latest single from sister duo Romy and Sari Lightman, formerly known as Tasseomancy. Before that, when they were first starting out, they went by Ghost Bees. These days, they’re just known as Lightman & Lightman and they’ve got their debut album under that name, Sister Smile, coming out on December 6th.

Check out the video for “Weave your name in mine” below.

Film Review: Street Trash (Ryan Kruger, 2024)

Posted on

12 Nov 2024

Paul

1987’s Street Trash, directed by J. Michael Muro, is crass, gory, and pretty much designed to offend. Its wacky blend of dark comedy, tasteless jokes, and over the top body horror has earned the film cult status among fans with its most memorable scene involving a group of homeless men playing catch with a man’s severed genitals – classy stuff indeed.

Essentially, Street Trash is the epitome of a “you couldn’t make this today” kind of film. Except they did.

The 2024 edition of Street Trash takes the basic premise of the original, adding in an entirely new cast of characters and a more cohesive plot (though it is still all a bit loosey goosey) and definitely a bit more of a social conscience. It’s still plenty crass though – in a nod to the original, this one also features a severed penis. Gotta keep things classy after all.

In this version, writer/director Ryan Kruger keeps what worked from the original film (the concept of extremely expired booze that melts people, the gleefully gory practical effects, and the overall anarchic nature) and more or less discards the rest, crafting a brand new story that works as a re-imagining of the basic concept and could conceivably even serve as a sequel to the 1987 version.

Set in a dystopian version of South Africa wherein the divide between the haves and the have nots seems even greater than it is today, Street Trash tells the story of a rag tag group of homeless rebels who discover that the government is not just apathetic towards their struggles but is in fact actively trying to kill them through the use of a poison. This poison is derived from Tenafly Viper, the discount booze from the original film that melts people down into colourful puddles of goo. Kruger brings a bit of political commentary into the mix as we follow this group of underdogs rising up to take down the corrupt mayor and his rich buddies and trying to avoid getting melted while the audience is treated to some goofy jokes and comical gross out moments along the way.

Street Trash is produced in collaboration with Vinegar Syndrome Pictures by Not The Funeral Home and is available through various streaming platforms on Nov. 19.

Song of the Day: La Sécurité – Detour

Posted on

9 Nov 2024

Paul

“Detour” is the latest single from Montreal dance-punk group La Sécurité, out now via Mothland and Bella Union. Check it out.

Song of the Day: Doves – Renegade

Posted on

4 Nov 2024

Paul

Doves are back with a new single, “Renegade,” taken off the Manchester trio’s upcoming sixth album Constellations for the Lonely, out Feb. 14 via EMI North. Check it out.

Concert Review: Rendez Vous, October 27, The Garrison

Posted on

28 Oct 2024

Paul

Touring behind their latest album Downcast (released back in May of this year), French five-piece Rendez Vous took to the stage at The Garrison on Sunday night for a set full of dark, heavy post-punk.

When we think of post-punk, many might think of synth-heavy, ’80s inspired tunes, and there’s certainly some of that in Rendez Vous’ earlier work, but with their new album, the band has broadened their scope of influences, offering up a harsher, heavier sound that often brings to mind late ’90s alt rock with elements of shoegaze, metal, and industrial in the mix as well – one look at the band’s wardrobe for the evening, including Dark Funeral and Whirr t-shirts, would certainly suggest that they’re not just interested in aping Joy Division … not that there’s anything wrong with that.

And though the band’s sound has definitely evolved over the years, one of the bigger reactions they got from the crowd was for an older track, “The Distance,” which they introduced by saying, “I think you might know this next song. If you don’t, that’s OK.” Very diplomatic of them.

Overall, Rendez Vous put on a solid performance for the smallish but dedicated crowd, one that even got some of the staff at The Garrison dancing a bit from behind the bar by the end of their set.

The band’s North American tour continues into early November. Check out the video below for “Downcast.”