The Blockheads : News : Latest

Festival Season is upon us!

Glastonbury, Madstock, Beautiful Days, Rewind Festivals and many more festivals and shows are coming up for the band in the next few months.
Please check out the live page for all upcoming shows. You can expect to hear ALL the favourites plus some from the brand new album... speaking of which...

Staring Down The Barrel is now released on EMI Records

Staring Down The Barrel was released worldwide in April 2009 through EMI records.
Comprised of new music written by Chaz Jankel, the lyrics are penned by The Blockheads vocalist Derek Hussey (aka Derek The Draw).

Please check out the EPK below for all the info on the album and some rare footage!

Staring Down The Barrel

The front CD inlay artwork has been illustrated by Sir Peter Blake who has been a friend to the band since their formation (he was Ian Dury's art tutor).

In other news an unconventional biopic about Ian Dury entitled 'Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll', has started filming starring Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings) in the title role and featuring Mackenzie Crook, Ray Winstone, Toby Jones and others. The Blockheads have already recorded music for the film.

"Given the times those ancient Blockheads sound more here-and-now than anyone..." Uncut

"Dury would be proud." Mojo

"This is a record which will thrill Blockheads fans of all ages and demonstrates this ensemble have lost none of their passion and spirit." Subba-Cultcha

"The trademark funk/rock/music hall/ska fusion of old mucker Derek The Draw has...got the great man [Ian Dury]'s knack for vivid social commentary nailed too." Big Cheese

"...unexpectedly thoughtful and engaging." Daily Telegraph Review

"It sounds like a vintage Blockheads album..." Record Collector

"Ian Dury owed his brilliance to no one. But he owed his stardom to The Blockheads. Musically Jankel and his men keep it as tight and funky as before." The Word

"Staring Down The Barrel is a great, adult album full of good tunes, witty lyrics and steaming great grooves." bbc.co.uk

Pop over to iTunes to download the album.

Greed - New Video exclusive

Here is the video for 'Greed' - a song that Derek 'The Draw' Hussey wrote (somewhat prophetically) two years ago with Chaz Jankel "Staring Down The Barrel".
The promo features cameos from actor and well-known music fan Martin Freeman (The Office, Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, The Good Night); Toby Jones (Truman Capote in "Infamous", agent Irving 'Swifty' Lazar in"Frost/Nixon" and Karl Rove in OIiver Stone's "W"); and musician, comedian, actor and TV presenter Rowland Rivron.

Stuart Harris, who has worked as a cinematographer with directors as diverse as Ridley Scott, Julien Temple, Tim Pope and Storm Thorgerson, directed and photographed the video.

New Live album released exclusively on iTunes

30 - Live at The Electric Ballroom
" cover of "30 - The Blockheads Live at The Electric Ballroom April 17th 2008"

On April 17th 2008 we played a special show that reunited us with Davey Payne our original Saxophone man and the one and only Phill Jupitus also came along. This show was captured on 24 track digital and the resulting album "30" is now released worldwide on iTunes. Part One features a brand new song No Go Central (which will feature on next years studio album) along with Reasons To Be Cheerful Part 3, I Want to Be Straight, Itinerant Child, and others. Part 2 includes New Boots And Panties (which features a riproaring version of Clevor Trever), Rhythm Stick and F**cking Ada.

Pop over to iTunes to download the show in its entirety.

New Ian Dury & The Blockheads Box Set

Edsel is proud to present a box set of Ian Dury's seven Stiff Records singles, in CD-sized replicas of their original classic 7" sleeves, as well as a four song disc featuring Ian & The Blockheads one and only session for John Peel (or for any BBC Radio show), which is released for the first time in any format!

The box also includes a bonus DVD of Ian and the band?s six promo videos for the singles, which have never been commercially released in any format, and have remained unseen since they were broadcast on a handful of occasions in the late 70s / early 80s.

The illustrated booklet is extensively annotated by Chaz Jankel and Mick Gallagher.

1. Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll / Razzle In My Pocket / Two Steep Hills / England's Glory

2. Sweet Gene Vincent / You're More Than Fair

3. What A Waste / Wake Up And Make Love With Me

4. Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick / There Ain't Half Been Some Clever Bastards

5. Reasons To Be Cheerful, Part 3 / Common As Muck / Reasons To Be Cheerful, Part 3 [12" version]

6. I Want To Be Straight / That's Not All

7. Sueperman's Big Sister / You'll See Glimpses

8. THE PEEL SESSION: Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll / Clevor Trever / Sweet Gene Vincent / Blockheads

BONUS DVD: THE PROMO VIDEOS Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll / What A Waste / Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick / Reasons To Be Cheerful, Part 3 / I Want To Be Straight / Sueperman's Big Sister

Release date: 20th October 2008 Catalogue no: EDSB 4003

The Stiff years re-released!!

Surprisingly, for three such treasured albums, New Boots And Panties!! (1977); Do It Yourself (1979) and Laughter (1980) have never been given the full Deluxe 2 CD Edition re-issue treatment.

Demon Music Group has finally put this right at long last! With the full co-operation of both the Dury estate and The Blockheads, 2 CD sets include bonus discs with all the non-album singles sides, as well as previously unreleased demo versions, outtakes, and live versions, all retrieved from the untouched Dury tape archive.

The booklets feature full annotation, all the lyrics, and Dury ephemera. We would like to thank Val Jennings at Demon for putting together what we consider to be the ultimate versions of these albums.

To purchase from Amazon please click on an album cover below.