PETE BENTHAM & THE DINNER LADIES (UK)
Kitchen Core from Liverpool
Pete Bentham & The Dinner Ladies are a four piece from Liverpool. Pete on Guitar, Paella Fitzgerald on Bass, Sonny Rollingpin on Saxophone and Tony Calzone on Drums. Plus The Dinnerettes. They are at the vanguard of current Liverpool music scene
The band was formed in 2006. Pete wanted to form a band that was a pure rock & roll band with modern lyrics about real life. They have clever, witty songs about working class life that feature Night Club Bouncers, Lorry Drivers, Cats & Dogs, always telling the truth and they speak out against things they oppose like consumerism and racism.
The music is raw punk rock and roll reminiscent of the The Cramps, The Fall and the Velvet Underground.
They have so far released three albums, toured the UK and Europe and have played many festivals including Rebellion Festival, the largest punk festival in the world alongside bands such as The Damned, The Beat and the New York Dolls.
A band who actually sing about things they know and believe in and always with sense of humour. This is Kitchencore!
Reviews
"It’s an utterly joyous spectacle. The songs are defiant yet fun odes to rebellion, with the likes of ‘Do the Don’t providing a suitably fun two-fingered salute to conformity. There’s a tune about being a ‘Hip Potater’ and a blistering, Billy Childish-esque tribute to their hero ‘Marcel Duchamp’. The set ends with the two dinner ladies having a mock fight on the floor and in the middle of the audience. If we weren’t already standing I’m pretty sure the band would have got a standing ovation."
- Soundblab magazine
"Check it out. Its easy to see why they are a great band to have at any festival, as they bring with them energy, up beat rock songs to have any crowd dancing about."
- little indie night
"Classic Liverpool Rock & Roll. Songs about things you've observed and experienced. Fun and upbeat."
- Sound City
"Third album from Pete & The Dinner Ladies, the Liverpool based ‘kitchencore’ outfit who with this offering have produced their most accomplished release to date... somehow The Dinner Ladies have not just pulled this off, this is a triumph – played with due respect but also with that ‘fuck you’ punk attitude that certainly Syd Barrett expressed; I get the feeling Barrett would chuckle if he had heard The Dinner Ladies, instantly responding to their free-spirit DIY take on rock ‘n’ roll."
- Louder Than War Magazine
"It’s a shame John Peel is not with us any more as Pete & The Dinner Ladies would certainly have been taken to the great mans heart and been regular favourites of the twilight airwaves. This album has pretty much been on constant repeat for the last month and protest has never sounded so great. This should feature highly in the end of year best of albums that we so love to compile and read about."
- Never Loved The Shovel Blog
"Best performance of the year thus far due to nothing more than the aforementioned points and the downright commitment to the cause. A fitting exclamation mark to a fine day that provoked much thought and much pleasure."
- Fungalpunk fanzine
"We were starting to flag at this stage but Pete Bentham and the Dinner Ladies rev it up with an entertaining set back at the Art Academy and prove punks not dead, it just wears a shiny 80's suit and is surrounded by Dinner ladies, it also proves that you can write a decent protest song without being a po-faced navel gazer, or tortured poet with a shit beard. “Do The Don’t” “Part Time Punk” and ” Hip Potater” are all crowd pleasers, but if you listen and pay attention you’ll find that behind the “fun” façade Mr Bentham’s got plenty to say and raises some very salient points."
- The VPME, Live Review
"To have spent many a gig in the company of Pete Bentham and the Dinner Ladies is not going to prepare you for just how good they sound, just how wickedly delicious and note-worthy they are tasty a band when allowed the freedom to wax lyrically in an anarchistic scrumptious style... The idea of David Bowie performing it with David Gilmour is one to feel goose bumps appear, to hear Pete Bentham and The Dinner Ladies play it is to almost understand the gender blurring of fun, slight majestic sleaze and sex appeal that runs through each line. You can only imagine the curly haired music genius who shone too brightly would have raised a smile towards the band, for it is a piece of art."
- Liverpool Sound and Vision
"Their infectious fusion of ska, folk and, er, circus music (that’s the only way to describe it, honest) seems a good enough reason to work off Pete’s (legendary) free Veggie Scouse via the medium of boogie... Pete begins by inviting everyone to pray for more good weather 'so we can riot in shorts and t-shirts'. Comedy is as much a part of Pete's act as the music; he enthusiastically explains the meaning behind songs, such as 'Nature', which was inspired by a conversation with a self-righteous hippy...
By the second encore, it's turned into a right old organic cider-fuelled knees-up; everyone obeys Pete's command to kneel on the floor before leaping back up for one chorus. Despite a lone stage invader almost spoiling proceedings, the show is a triumph."
- Purple Revolver, Live Review
"When all of the band kick in, the sound is tremendous; Pete thrashing away on his guitar trying to wear out the scratch plate (and his elbow); Gabrielle bashing the hell out of the drums. Marigoldy thunderously playing the bassiest bass possible and John 'The Caretaker' Lewis going cross-eyed trying to inflate either the sax or clarinet. The crowd loved them... Those diehards resisting the kitchen assault were all to be reigned in with the totally interactive 'Hip Potater'. Here, Pete had the crowd in the palm of his hand, ordering them to shout back the words 'Hip Potater, Hip Potater' at his command. A truly marvellous spectacle… You must give this band a listen, preferably live."
- Roomthirteen, Live review
"Wow, ich bin echt begeistert und habe mir das Album zum Besprechen sicher 10x angehört."
- Kink Records
"Bentham und Co. schaffen es, sich von allen Genrekonventionen zu lösen und Pubrock mit der Tanzmusik von Holly Golightly zu verbinden, Chuck Berry und Punkrock zu kombinieren, Saxophon und Klarinette einzubinden, eine entschärfte Version von THE FALL in Richtung KINGS OF NUTHIN’ zu lenken, mit einem kleinen Schlenker Richtung TOY DOLLS, und dabei dann doch nie wie eine der hier erwähnten Bands/Musiker zu klingen..."
- Ox fanzine
"Ihre Scheibe 'Hip Potater' läuft bei mir schon den ganzen Sommer lang... Trotz der frühen Uhrzeit ist sehr viel Publikum anwesend. Live sind sie eine Spur härter und schneller. Ein richtig guter Auftritt."
- Useless fanzine, Live Review
Pete Bentham and The Dinner Ladies – Marcel Duchamp
Upcoming shows
No shows booked at the moment.
Band
- Pete Bentham: Guitar & Vocals
- Paella Fitzgerald: Bass & Vocals
- Sonny Rolling Pin: Saxophone, Cat Flaps
- Tony Calzone – Drums
Discography
- 2017 – Psychedelic Village EP, Antipop Records
- 2014 – I Heart Here, CD, Antipop Records
- 2012 – Spacepunx EP, track 7″ vinyl, Free Rock & Roll
- 2010 – Hip Potater, CD, Free Rock & Roll
- 2009 – The New Underground, CD, Free Rock & Roll
Also check out:
THE RESTARTS (UK)
Anarcho Punk / Punk Rock
The Restarts, formed in 1995, are a tight three piece, multi-genre punk outfit based in East London. They play thrashy, anarcho, power chord punk laced with Ska breaks and pogo inducing basslines earning them a loyal following of punk lovers of all ages.
The Restarts have been hammering their way through the squats of Europe and DIY house shows across North America with reckless abandon. They lend amplification to unheard voices, playing benefit gigs for various social causes and keeping the DIY spirit of punk rock alive and well.
Their years of hard graft is recognised by them being requested to play along side such heavy weights as Steve Ignorant's Crass, Jello Biafra & GSM, Millions of Dead Cops, The Casualties, Star Fucking Hipsters and The Subhumans.
After several tours over Europe, the US, Canada, Australia and South Asia and over 9 releases the Restarts have found themselves playing a small part in a large world wide network of DIY Punk Rock. They are punks first, musicians second. They feel the social importance of Punk Rock takes priority over the "marketability" of a rehashed trend.
In 2019 they published a split 7" with the Subhumans and their new album "Uprising".
Reviews
Die RESTARTS spielen vor einem total vollen Saal. Kieran, der Sänger schreit seine wütenden Punktexte in die Menge. Die RESTARTS machen Punk mit klarer politischer Ansage weil: 'there are a lot of assholes out there'. Sie spielen immer noch so zornig, wie Anfang der 90er in den besetzten Häusern."
- Useless Fanzine, Live Review, Rebellion Festival 2012
Gewürzt mit einer ordentlichen Prise Streetpunk strotzen die Songs vor Rebellion und Aggression. Der Sound ist rau, grob, melodisch und sehr eingängig. RESTARTS sind weder müde noch leiser geworden... Diese Hoffnung ist Antrieb. RESTARTS geben mit diesem Album Mut, den eigenen Weg weiter zu gehen, und das ist mehr, als viele Bands heutzutage schaffen."
- Wahrschauer
"The Restarts first crawled out of the North London Squat scene nearly a decade ago. Serial dole scroungers the lot of them, they named their band after the dreaded 'back to work' interviews and set about touting their stroppy four-chord punk to spiky-haired audiences around the world. Yelling out barbed diatribes against the state over chunky metal guitars, they've slowly but surely clawed their way to the top of the underground pile."
- Terrorizer
"This is dance in the basement, spanner in the works, back porch drinking, bomb in the police station punk!!! I never knew Steve Ignorant had pregnancy-inducing sex with all of POISON IDEA, but this is some cute baby they had. Oh, also good people. They played at a house in West Oakland last month, and rocked us with energy and astounded us with their good manners!"
- Maximum Rock'n'Roll
"Abrasive yet catchy UK punk with raw vocals and plenty of chorus sing a longs. The razor blade throated lead vocalist give this plenty of raw edge while through most of it the music has a much more uplifting energy to it... Oddly enough, it seems rare to come across the bands that play straight forward old-style punk rock and so this is a refreshing cause they've been at it for like a decade. Cheers guys. Good catchy shit."
- Slug and lettuce
"I've seen them play many times in London and always rated them pretty highly as a live band but never really got to hear their stuff on record yet. Things have changed now as I got a copy of their latest album. It seems I've been missing out on something very big. This album is the dogs bollocks! This goes right into my top 20 albums of all time I reckon. 12 songs of punk rock how it should be played."
- London Punks.co.uk
"I caught the mighty RESTARTS at Brum punx picnic & they rocked the house down w/ their abrasive punk rock... Raging punk rock w/ honest social commentary shows that THE RESTARTS are one class act!... As usual THE RESTARTS win another battle of the bands."
- Punk shocker, Newcastle Fanzine
"With ex members of Coitus, Armed and Hammered, and Assrash UK, it was no surprise that the RESTARTS kick-ass!! All three members share the vocals and each deliver them powerfully... These guys plan to tour the US this summer!...I can't wait."
- Profane Existence
1982 (DE)
80s / Punk Rock / Street Punk
1982 haben eine Mission: Sie retten den Deutschpunk! Sie spielen die Hits der ersten deutschen Punkrockgeneration unzensiert und musikalisch authentischer als die Polizei erlaubt: Slime, Canal Terror, Toxoplasma, Chaos Z, Razzia und alles andere - und zwar so wie damals.
Dabei versetzen sie die Besucher in die Zeit zurück, als Punk in der BRD noch gefährlich, aufregend und unberechenbar war. 1982 sind eine Zeitmaschine, die Pogo-Orgien auslöst und immer funktioniert.
Das haben sie bereits auf unzähligen Konzerten in ganz Deutschland und sogar Frankreich bewiesen, unter anderem beim Punk im Pott 2010, beim Force Attack 2003, Punx Picnic 2001 oder als Headliner beim Au-Fest 2008 und vielen anderen Festivals.
1982 besteht aus drei Generationen Punx, die ihre gemeinsamen Roots abfeiern. Drummer Dominik S. war Gitarrist bei Canal Terror. Klassiker wie "Staatsfeind", "Zu Spät", "Multis" etc. stammen aus seiner Feder.
Sonstige Bands, in denen die 1982er aktiv sind oder waren, sind Molotow Soda, Wild Gift, The Puke, Estrella Negra, The Gee Strings, die Back Chats, F.F.F. etc.
Alter Punk mit jugendlicher Hingabe! 1982 ist heute und besser!
Reviews
"Solltest du die Möglichkeit haben, dir die 5 mal live anzugucken, solltest du diese Gelegenheit auf keinen Fall verpassen, da ihre Coverversionen den Originalen sehr, sehr nahe kommen und jeder Gig einer famosen Party gleicht.
- Human Parasit Fanzine, Live review
"1982 waren dann die perfekte Wahl für den Abend! Eine fitte Coverband, die sich frühen deutschen Punkklassikern widmete. Die Stücke wurden völlig authentisch gezockt, wild, frisch, voller Wut. Geiler auf jeden Fall als die Schunkelversionen, die z.B. RUBBERSLIME aus den alten SLIME-Songs gemacht haben! Es wurde ein Klassiker nach dem anderen rausgerotzt. Vielen Leuten stand bei jedem Wiedererkennen die Freude ins Gesicht geschrieben und spätestens nach drei Stücken bebte der Boden… In den Pausen wurden 1982 ständig Bandnamen entgegen gebrüllt - VORKRIEGSJUGEND! SCHLEIM KEIM! TOXOPLASMA! Und das geilste war, dass fast alle "Wünsche" erfüllt wurden! Besonders hab ich mich über NEUROTIC ARSEHOLES gefreut, geil war auch "Wir sind die Ratten", "Computerstaat" oder die ganzen SLIME-Songs ("A.C.A.B.", "Etikette tötet", "Yankees raus!", "Alptraum", "Zu kalt", "Gerechtigkeit" und als Abschluss na logen "Deutschland"). Zeitlos geil, mit Feuereifer von der Band runtergehämmert - und eben einfach alles Stücke, mit denen nun wirklich fast jede/r vertraut war. Heiser, durchgeschwitzt und glücklich war ich danach!"
- Dremufuestias.de, Live review
"1982 waren richtig gut und sie coverten einen Deutschpunkklassiker nach dem anderen. Sehr gefreut hatten wir uns auf Pogo in der Straßenbahn. Richtig gute Band, die kamen total gut an."
- Die Punkrockmafia, Live review
P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S. (US)
Garage / Punk Rock / Speed Rock
"The members of this group are or have been in Defiance, Dead Moon, Resist, Detestation, Pierced Arrows, Severed Head Of State... and about every band to ever come from Portland, but you shouldn't pick up this rad little two-song picture disc because of what these folks have done in the past. P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S. stands on it's own merits. The band plays well crafted hardcore punk with a fast and dirty rock'n'roll swagger." - Maximum Rock'n'Roll
The P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S. from Portland, Oregon are a 5 piece Rock’n’Roll/Punkasfuck/Hardcore Monster which consists of several punkrock veterans out of Portland. Members have managed to do some mischief in bands like Pierced Arrows, Defiance, Detestation, or current bands like Don’t and Hellshock. That should give you a general idea of what this band is all about. Powerful Punk’n’Roll with sleazy guitars, a tight rhythm section and a frantic singer with just the right amount of snottines.
After several tours in the US, Europe and Mexico and a handful of vinyl and cd releases, they made a name for themselves as a prominent presence not only in Portland's thriving Punk/Garage Rock/Underground music scene.
After nearly 80 European shows in 2015 and 2016 the P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S. will come back to Europe in fall 2017 with a new singer, their new single “Enemy Spy” and the brand new LP "Doomtown Shakes"!
Reviews
"Featuring Kelly Halliburton - drummer of the post *DEAD MOON* PIERCED ARROWS -on bass and original POISON IDEA drummer Dean Johnson, this is a powerful blast of Rock'n'Roll fury that few bands actually achieve... If, to paraphrase THE JACK SAINTS, Rock'n'Roll saved your life but is now trying to kill you, or if you just simply love the jet-fuel-infused sounds of THE NEW BOMB TURKS, THE HELLACOPTERS, or Ass-Cobra-era TURBONEGRO, not to mention the aforementioned CANDY SNATCHERS, JACK SAINTS and MOTORHEAD, you're gonna need this 7" right now, this second, chop chop, what are you waiting for?... PS - I've just played this 7" over and over about 20 times while writing this and I’m not sick of it yet. That's good music."
- The Big Takeover Magazine
"So the members of this group have been in PIERCED ARROWS, POISON IDEA, RESIST, DEFIANCE, DETESTATION, SEVERED HEAD OF STATE, and about every band to ever come from Portland, but you shouldn't pick up this rad little two-song picture disc because of what these folks have done in the past. P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S. stands on it's own merits. The band plays well crafted hardcore punk with a fast and dirty rock'n'roll swagger. I'm pretty sure this band has only released two other EP's of the same format in limited quantities, so you may have to fight some collector douche bag for a copy, but it is worth it."
- Maximum Rock'n'Roll
"This is P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S.' fourth EP. It is non-stop barreling punk like the shit that the bands that they played in prior did. Punk oozes out of this single in that fast dirty rock'n'roll sound that bands like the HELLACOPTERS perfected. But the subject matter comes from lived experience: 'Why do I sit around in the cold, cold rain?' has to be about Portland. These are the things I know is pretty obvious. NEW BOMB TURKS meets TURBONEGRO. And limited pressing, self-released, clear see-through vinyl and you have a record that is going to be a collectors' item by next month."
- Equalizing Distort
"If the standard for overdrive is: MANOWAR plays on 10, MOTORHEAD kills yer lawn when they move in next door, and SPINAL TAP plays on 11, then this record was recorded at 30 or 40. I think Stan Wright's Buzz Or Howl studio was probably reduced to a smoking pile of rubble in the ground, declared 'toxic' by uniformed federal employees after P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S.'s Apr 2011 session for this album... There's just 9 songs, but there only NEEDS to be 9 songs on this record. This is a set I'd like to see this band do, in this order."
- Sonic Recollections Records
"Wundervoll: Diese 7" kommt so retro daher, dass mir das beinahe Tränen in die Augen treibt: Plastiktüte, darin ein mittig gefaltetes, kopiertes Stück Papier, darin die Single. So werden Punkrock-Singles seit 2000 Jahren gemacht, so muss das sein – wer braucht da irgendwelchen Digitalschrott? Limitiert auf 300 Stück, und fuck, das ist das Traurige an der heutigen Zeit: Früher hatten solche kleinen Meisterwerke die zehnfache Auflage – und heute finden sich weltweit gerade noch 300 Leute, die so einen exzellenten Geschmack teilen? So was macht mir Angst ... Tombstone, das ist das DEAD MOON-Label, entsprechend sind die Aufnahmen hier auch 'nur' mono, gemastert hat Fred Cole selbst, und die fünf Männer, die sich P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S. nennen, spielten auch schon bei solch Portland-Autoritäten wie POISON IDEA, PIERCED ARROWS, BURNING LEATHER und RESIST. Entsprechend klingt es dann auch: dreckiger Hardcore-Punk mit der Intensität eines aufgescheuchten Wespennestes, dem man seine Gene klar anhört."
- Ox fanzine
"Geboten wurde schneller, rauer Punk-Rock, der allerdings über jenes gewisse Etwas verfügte, das auch Bands wie ZEKE, ELECTRIC FRANKENSTEIN, die frühen NEW BOMB TURKS oder NINE POUND HAMMER ausmacht und keinen der Besucher unberührt ließ."
- Rockstage-Riot-RheinMain.de
"WOW!! Mal wieder eine All-Star Band aus Portland und vor allem endlich mal eine, die die großen Namen nicht braucht, sondern durch Qualität überzeugt! Nach einigen beachtenswerten EP´s ist das hier die erste LP der Problems. Deren Mitglieder sind bzw. waren unter anderem bei 'Pierced Arrows', 'Poison Idea', 'Resist', 'Defiance', 'Detestation' und 'Severed Head of state' aktiv, unter anderem ist hier Tausendsassa Kelly am Start. Ganz wunderbarer Sound an der Schnittstelle zwischen Punkrock und Hardcore, Killermelodien, super Schlagzeug, sehr geiler und packender Gesang, hier stimmt einfach alles und die Platte ist eine Granate!"
- Twisted Chords
"Laut aufgedreht ein echtes Fest... Offensichtlich auf dem DEAD MOON-eigenen Label erschienen, limitiert auf 300 Exemplare."
- Plastic Bomb, (Gotta Get Away From You 7“)