Professor and the Madman
Dreamworld
FullerTone Records (2026)
ALBUM HIGHLIGHTS – “Brand New World”, “12 Strings and Tambourines”, “Adams Street”, “Temple of Madness” It’s rare to find these days. A band (or maybe supergroup, in this case) that defies all genre boundaries and just…creates. Alfie Agnew (Adolescents, D.I.) and Sean Elliott (D.I., Mind Over Four) are familiar names from Orange County’s early 80s hardcore and psych-punk scenes, but first teamed up as a multi-instrumental duo in 2014 (Agnew is actually a maths professor for Cal State Fullerton by day, presumably rendering Elliott the “madman”). A year into this partnership, whilst playing in Southern California, who should they spot watching them in the crowd? None other than Rat Scabies (The Damned, the Sinclairs, the Mutants, One Thousand Motels). Not missing their chance, the “opportunistic bastards” – as Rat affectionately refers to them – quickly snatched him up and later, via Facebook, drafted in bass ace Paul Gray (the Damned, Eddie and the Hot Rods, UFO) to secure one of punk’s trustiest rhythm sections of all time. The Cali pair were both fans of the first Damned album, but it was The Black Album that really cemented their affinity with the band, thanks to its longer, diverse experimental pieces. Agnew … Read more
Generacion Suicida
Hombre Nuevo
Vitriol (2026)
On the tail end of Autogramm’s 2018 tour of Mexico (what little I remember of that week now is a … Read more
Real Numbers
Was It Always This Way
Slumberland Records (2026)
I feel like this may be the first 12", 10-song release in my collection from Real Numbers, a dreampop meets … Read more
Alien Nosejob
How A Mosquito Operates
Anti Fade, Iron Lung (2026)
The one-man band of Alien Nosejob continues to crank out short, angry hardcore in quick bursts. I've lost count of … Read more
