It's a massive welcome back to Beehive Candy for Violent Vickie who we have had the pleasure of featuring a number of times in the past, and whose music always impresses, with her brand new single (plus video) "Open the Door" being no exception, in fact it's superb. “Open the Door” is an eerie love spell for anyone who’s been stuck in involuntary single-hood for what feels like forever and has really been through it in the dating world. Open the Door was originally written in 2021 on acoustic guitar before evolving into a dark, moody dance track.
Violent Vickie is a West Palm Beach, FL-based producer, synth player, and singer. Formerly based out of Los Angeles, Violent Vickie blends the sounds of darkwave, synth-pop, post-punk, witch house, and riot grrrrl to create a spooky, grungy, danceable and epic sound with ethereal and tongue ’n cheek vocals that is all her own.
Violent Vickie’s influences range from Crystal Castles and Grimes to Bjork and Bikini Kill to Siouxsie and The Banshees and Aphex Twin. Violent Vickie’s songs have been remixed by Fragrance, Kontravoid and she recently shared the stage with Stabbing Westward, Forever Grey, Assemblage 23, and Aurelio Voltaire and played Absolution Fest along with Glass Spells. Violent Vickie has also toured with Hanin Elias of Atari Teenage Riot and shared the stage with Pastel Ghost, Trans X, and Missing Persons.
============================================================================
 |
| Photo - Tim Harris |
Beloved indie folk band The Paper Kites have shared their new single “Change Of The Wind,” from their upcoming seventh studio album, ‘If You Go There, I Hope You Find It’, arriving on January 23rd via Nettwerk Music Group. “Change Of The Wind” is a reflective, soul-searching journey that captures the quiet yet powerful moments of personal transformation, exploring the delicate balance between acceptance, hope, and the courage to change one’s own mind. The track arrives with an official music video, directed by the band and featuring Christina Lacy, filmed both at the farm in Melbourne’s Yarra Valley where the album was written and inside the bus featured on the album artwork.
Announced in September, ‘If You Go There, I Hope You Find It’ arrived alongside the tender single “Every Town.” The Paper Kites have a gift for crafting tender, emotionally rich songs, and "Every Town" is no exception. It’s a sweet, melancholic reflection on love that lingers, even when everything else changes. The album also includes recent singles “Shake Off The Rain” and “When The Lavender Blooms.” Intimate and achingly reflective, the record is guided by a longing for connection, simplicity, and emotional clarity.
Rooted in themes of nature, healing, and hope, each track unfolds like a whispered conversation, offering comfort in its vulnerability and calm in its sincerity. Exploring moments of change, introspection, and the beauty of imperfection, the record remains anchored in the band’s signature atmospheric sound, carrying a quiet familiarity that feels like returning home, both within and beyond yourself.
============================================================================
 |
| Art courtesy of Nicholas S. Hamby |
Will Romeo / The 1984 Draft - Plowed/Jet Black.
New York's Will Romeo (Neckscars, American Thrills, etc.) and Dayton, Ohio's The 1984 Draft have teamed up to cover a pair of '90s alt-rock classics, with Romeo covering Sponge's "Plowed" and The 1984 Draft taking on Jawbreaker's "Jet Black." On December 5, Sweet Cheetah Records and Poptek Records released the covers via limited-edition lathe-cut 7" (limited to 100 copies) and digitally (limited to 50 downloads).
Will Romeo is no stranger to underground music that is fast, loud and aggressive in nature. He's spent the last several decades performing with a variety of noted punk acts including Gameday Regulars, Neckscars, American Thrills, and more. He has also released solo material via Creep Records, with that output leaning in the direction of Ben Nichols/Lucero, Chuck Ragan/Rumbleseat, Jakob Dylan, and Jon Snodgrass.
The 1984 Draft is a quintet known for channeling American rock sensibilities through a ‘90s-tinted punk and indie lens. The band has garnered comparisons to The Hold Steady, Sugar, The Replacements, and has previously delivered splits with Todd Farrell Jr. of Benchmarks and Two Cow Garage, Gordon Withers of Jawbreaker on Cello fame and J. Robbins band, and Chris Broach of Braid, SNST, Firebird Band, etc.
============================================================================
If you like your blues music delivered with a bit of gritty rock edge, whilst retaining the timeless feel of this much loved music genre, then (if you have not already), it's time to discover Mick Clarke.
British blues guitarist Mick Clarke began his career with Killing Floor, part of the British blues boom of the late 1960s and contemporaries of Free, Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. The band backed Texas blues guitar star Freddie King and toured with legends Howlin' Wolf and Otis Spann. The album "Killing Floor" was listed as one of Classic Rock Magazine's twenty top British blues albums of the period.
The Mick Clarke Band was formed in the early 80s and toured extensively in Europe and the USA. Mick has appeared on numerous festivals with artists including Joe Bonamassa, Johnny Winter and Rory Gallagher, and the Southern California Blues Society called him "One of the finest blues players to come out of England".
In later years the band has played dates in the UK, Europe and India, where Mick was the winner of the "best international act" from artistaloud.com.
============================================================================
'A Better Place' is the latest release from Sheffield (England) Steel People, released at the beginning of December 2025. Despite trying Beehive Candy have not been able to find out much about Steel People, I guess it's not to much of a guess to link the acts name to the Steel industry which was once a huge part of Sheffield's history (they remain renowned for their stainless steel today).
Beyond that we can tell you they were formed in 2022. The Steel People is a collective of local talent led by songwriter/musician/producer Andy Peacock and has featured tracks including vocalist Shaun Doane and Los Angeles Guitarist/songwriter Gerrit Folsom. It's also worth noting that this is a fabulous song where the lyrics alone at least demand a second listen, enjoy.
============================================================================
