Is it possible to judge an album by its cover? Absolutely. Especially when it's got skeleton hands, raging suns, or Geiger’s flesh nightmares on it.

In this episode of the Beat Motel podcast, Andrew and recurring co-host Martin Whiskin dive deep into the album art that shaped our musical tastes, plastered our pencil cases, and possibly got Dead Kennedys sued. From the raw power of Monster Magnet and Kyuss, to the delicate doodles of The Levellers, to Pink Floyd being accused of ripping off Blur 20 years early (or was it the other way round?), it’s a deep, noisy, nostalgic ride.

▶ Featuring tales of crusty gigs, folk festivals, DIY patches, and massive, illegal sound systems.
▶ Not featuring: tasteful restraint, coherent structure, or Richard Ashcroft’s blessing.

### Riffs of the week

#### Martin Whiskin's Riff

- Bellowhead - Rigs of The Time

#### Andrew's Riff

- Smote - Drommon Pt1

### Martin Whiskin's track choices

1. Monster Magnet - Power Trip

2. Levellers - Levelling the Land

3. Ye Wiles - Soothing Away The Horrors of Indigestion

4. Kyuss - Welcome to Sky Valley

### Andrew's track choices

1. Pink Floyd - See Emily Play

2. Verve - She's a superstar

3. Led Zepplin - Gallows Pole

4. Dead Kennedys - MTV - Get Off the Air

Email us - beatmotel@lawsie.com

Episode 140: Great Bands, Awful Names (feat. Dr Sam)

Brace yourselves for a melodic mess as Andrew and the returning legend Dr Sam dive into the world of bands that slap sonically but utterly fumble the name game. From the majestic chaos of Defeated Sanity (yes, really) to the ultra-bland University, it's a wild ride of killer riffs and cringe monikers.

Expect:

• Funkadelic basslines from Graham Central Station (who apparently named themselves after a sodding train station).

• Deep thoughts on Car Seat Headrest (sounds like IKEA flatpack instructions, but damn, they're good).

• A loving roast of Hanoi Rocks (plus a bit of Michael Monroe fanboying).

• Death metal that sounds like it was named by a teen with a Latin dictionary and a nosebleed.

There's also the usual chaos: kebab regrets, biscuit philosophy, Monster Munch trauma, and why headless basses should be banished to the fiery pit.

Grab a non-alcoholic beer, sit on your own car seat headrest, and prepare for an episode that's heavier than a Greggs bag after a night out.

### Riffs of the week

#### Dr Sam's Riff

- Between the Buried and Me - Things We Tell Ourselves in the Dark (0.30)

#### Andrew's Riff

- Prolapse - Cha Cha Cha 2000 (1:00)

### Dr Sam's track choices

1. Hanoi Rocks - Malibu Beach Nightmare (0.40)

2. Graham Central Station - Release Yourself (opening)

3. Viagra Boys - Man Made of Meat (0.45)

4. Defeated Sanity - Condemned to Vascular Famine (1.43)

### Andrew's track choices

1. The Nice - America (0:40)

2. Car Seat Headrest - Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales (4:21)

3. University - Notre Dame made out of flesh (4:28)

4. Agriculture - The glory of the ocean (6:12)

Email us - beatmotel@lawsie.com

John Peel. The man, the myth, the reason you accidentally got into Bulgarian throat singing that one time. This episode of Beat Motel is a loving, ramshackle dive into the chaotic universe of Peel Sessions.

Andrew Culture is joined by Mick Derrick from Prolapse, who proves that the road from crusty-sounding band names to DIY folklore is paved with weirdness, cassette tapes, and gigs no one came to. Expect tales of friendly old men who just happen to be in Mayhem, Welsh insults passed down to daughters, and the mystery of 500 unsellable t-shirts.

This episode includes:

• Pen-palling with Datblygu

• Bridget St John vs. aggressive jazz drummers

• How to make an album that sounds like a pub quiz gone wrong

• Firehose and the miracle of Mike Watt in Maida Vale

• And an impromptu quiz on obscure Peel Session stats that nobody really wins

Also, Prolapse has a new album. We mention that too, after slagging off ragtime, waxing lyrical about noise abatement, and trying not to get sued by the estate of John Martyn.

A celebration of DIY music, Peel magic, and the joy of saying “I liked them before they had a second single.”

### Riffs of the week

#### Mick's Riff

- Sharp Pins - Lorelei

#### Andrew's Riff

- University - Diamond Song

### Mick's track choices

1. Datblygu - Cristion Yn Y Kibbutz

2. Bridget St. John - Ask Me No Questions

3. Yeah Yeah Noh - Blood Soup

4. Quickspace - Happy Song

### Andrew's track choices

1. Ivor Cutler - Joe's Thick Coat (Peel Session)

2. The Auteurs - Happy birthday Buddha

3. Desperate Bicycles - The medium was tedium

4. fIREHOSE - She Paints Pictures (Peel Session)

Email us - beatmotel@lawsie.com

John Peel photo by Duca di Spinaci

https://www.flickr.com/photos/bhikku/1076455

If you’ve never been ready to square up in a Spoons car park over your favourite band, are you even a real music fan? In this unreasonably passionate episode, Andrew is joined by the charmingly volatile Martin Whiskin as they dive fists-first into the bands they’d get into an actual fight over. Expect tales of local legends, rag-tag riffs, posh ska punks, and very specific ball-based analogies.

Featuring bands that should’ve made it, bands that did, and bands no one's heard of (but somehow still inspired violence), the duo unpack the emotional landmines hidden in guitar feedback. Andrew laments the trauma of his first kiss being ruined by Guns N’ Roses, and Martin outs himself as the Medway scene’s unofficial enforcer.

Subhumans, Ruben, Waldo’s Gift, Russian Circles, Inner Terrestrials, Lupen Crook and the Murderbirds, The Hold Steady... they’re all here, along with a few others you'll pretend you always knew about.

Come for the music chat, stay for the emotional damage.

### Riffs of the week

#### Martin Whiskin's Riff

- And So I Watch You From Afar - North Coast Megafauna

#### Andrew's Riff

- Waldo's Gift - Candifloss (LIVE)

### Martin Whiskin's track choices

1. Lupen Crook and The Murderbirds - Lest We Connect

2. Ruben - No One Wins The War

3. The Hold Steady - Your Little Hoodrat Friend

4. Hundred Reasons - I'll Find you

### Andrew's track choices

1. Subhumans - Apathy

2. Inner Terrestrials - Enter the dragon

3. Russian Circles - Fathom

4. Against Me - Those Anarcho Punks Are Mysterious

Email us - beatmotel@lawsie.com

Frank Turner interview

https://beatmotel.com/interviews/frank-turner-interview-beat-motel/

Ever looked at a band and thought, "Yeah, I'd ruin that with my presence"? Well, so have we. This week on Beat Motel, Andrew is joined once again by the mighty Oli as they dive headfirst into the chaotic world of bands they wish they'd been in.

From the sleek, suited swagger of Interpol to the beer-soaked riff factories of Gentleman's Pistols, we ramble through a weird and wonderful landscape of musical desires. Expect tales of porn ties, Led Zeppelin’s airborne fireplaces, and discovering why having a drum machine made from bits of a broken toaster is the height of musical cool.

We also reflect on the importance of looking like a band, the magic of weird basslines, and why being in a band is just clinging to your mates while pretending it's not all a colossal waste of time. Plus, we settle the age-old debate: Would you rather play Glastonbury or the Steamboat in Ipswich?

Buckle up. It’s a trip.

### Riffs of the week

#### Oli's Riff

- Faraquet - Cut Self Not

#### Andrew's Riff

- Patristic - Catechesis

### Oli's track choices

1. Young Marble Giants - Eating Noddemix

2. Interpol - Heinrich Manevour

3. Led Zepellin - No Quarter

4. Beach Boys - Little Pad

### Andrew's track choices

1. Axes - Junior

2. Gentlemans Pistols-Comfortably Crazy

3. Prolapse - Headless in a beat motel

4. Blur - Won't do it

Email us - beatmotel@lawsie.com

In this ear-bleeding episode of Beat Motel, Andrew is joined once again by Dan Callis for a deep dive into the heavy, the noisy, and the downright daft corners of modern metal and punk. If you're here for thoughtful analysis, jog on. This is a celebration of volume, riffs, and the bands that make you question your own taste.

Starting off with tech issues and a healthy dollop of despair at podcasting platforms, our lads quickly launch into a barrage of riffs. Callis brings the chaos with the likes of Big Ass Truck (yes, that’s a real band and no, they’re not subtle), while Andrew goes full nostalgic riff nerd with Pelican.

They dish out praise (and some sass) for local legends Dude Smell, debate whether Babymetal is genius or Eurovision in disguise, and unleash rage at the fascist-flirting metalheads of yore. There's a surprise orchestral metal pick from Callis (are we feeling okay?), a hilarious tale involving Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe getting locked out, and general beef with Google, Spotify, and algorithmic inshitification.

Tracks from Teeth, Stray from the Path, The Haunted, and Ironstone also make an appearance in what is possibly the least coherent but most entertaining playlist you’ll encounter this month.

If you like your podcasts raw, sarcastic, and filled with two blokes yelling about blast beats and gig etiquette, you’re in for a treat.

### Riffs of the week

#### Callis's Riff

- Bring me the horizon - Wonderwall

#### Andrew's Riff

- Dudesmell - Fatal Attraction

### Calliss track choices

1. Big Ass Truck - Big Ass Truck

2. Teeth - Blue and cold

3. Ironstone - Forgive me anew

4. Stray from the path - Fuck them all to hell

### Andrew's track choices

1. Pelican - Gulch

2. Sylosis/Heriot - The Path

3. The Haunted - Warhead

4. Purified in blood - Primal pulse thunder

Email us - beatmotel@lawsie.com

This week on Beat Motel, Andrew is joined by the ever-eloquent Dr. Sam to unpack the joys, horrors, and outright weirdness of musicians who make sweet music and even sweeter love together. Things get rolling with a heated debate about whether soup is a drink, a meal, or just a gateway to genital injury. Seriously.

From Tom Waits’ transformation at the hands of Kathleen Brennan to the relentless Yoko Ono bashing that both Andrew and Sam righteously defend, this episode is a heady blend of irreverent insight and musical deep cuts. We also plunge into the murky waters of band names that make you cringe (hello, Mum Jeans), and wax lyrical about the magic - and occasional monstrosity - of musical power couples.

Expect shoutouts to Fleetwood Mac’s inter-band bonking, Linda McCartney's immovable sausages, and some righteous love for Man On Man (yes, Roddy Bottom and Joey Holeman are real names). We also throw in rants about Giraffe (not the animal), bad reggae breakdowns in Bond themes, and a stunningly middle-aged moan about fusion food restaurants.

Riffs of the week

Dr Sam's Riff

Cypress Hill with the London Symphony Orchestra - When The Shit Goes Down (1:30)

Andrew's Riff

Prince Daddy & The Hyena - Thrashville 2/3 (ft. Kississippi) (1:54)

Dr Sam's track choices

Tom Waits - No One Knows When I'm Gone (0:10)

Yoko Ono - Give Me Something (opening)

Man on Man - Showgirls (0:40)

Year of the Knife - Your Control (1:30)

Andrew's track choices

The Kinks - Big Sky (0:56)

Wings - Live and Let Die (0:45)

Sonic Youth - 100% (1:53)

Fleetwood Mac - The Chain (3:02)

Email us - beatmotel@lawsie.com

Welcome to the Beat Motel podcast, where this week Andrew is joined by Dr Sam for a deep-dive into one of music’s most controversial themes: why so many fascinating artists are also colossal bellends.

What starts as a light-hearted waffle about lubricated lips and ear balm (yeah, that happened) quickly takes a sharp swerve into the murky territory of artists who challenge our moral compasses. From Marilyn Manson’s whiny victim lyrics to Jerry Lee Lewis marrying his 13-year-old cousin, no sacred cows are spared. We get philosophical, sociological, and sometimes just downright sweary. But it’s all in the name of exploring the big question: can you separate the art from the arsehole?

Also featuring:

• Suede and the joy of glam simplicity

• Why Lou Reed was a magnificent pain in the neck

• The brilliance and bafflement of Charles Mingus

• Courtney Love finally getting the credit she deserves

• ODB being… well… ODB

• Dinosaur Jr's PR agent’s polite "don’t even bother" energy

And yes, we talk about cancel culture. And yes, we know that’ll annoy someone. Good.

### Riffs of the week

#### Dr Sam's Riff

- Say Sue Me - Vacation (0.15)

#### Andrew's Riff

- Suede - Disintegrate (2:10)

### Dr Sam's track choices

1. Marilyn Manson - User Friendly (opening)

2. Hole - Celebrity Skin (0.31)

3. Jerry Lee Lewis - Help Me Make It Through the Night (1:00)

4. Charles Mingus - Vassarlean (2.56)

### Andrew's track choices

1. Lou Reed - Satellite of love (1:00)

2. ODB - Shimmy shimmy ya (0:44)

3. Dinosaur Jr - Freak Scene (2:18)

4. Inspiral Carpets - I want you - Featuring Mark E Smith (0:29)

Email us - beatmotel@lawsie.com