The Hip Priests. Zero fucks n’ less success since 2006. The most prolific band you haven’t heard of. High energy sweaty sermons of misanthropy, disillusion (self) loathing and despair. Get ready to have your ears torn clean off.
After 16 years some bands would be taking it easy but in spite of a global pandemic, there was no let-up in The Hip Priests determination and activity. Their fifth, and by far their best full-length album – ‘Roden House Blues’ – was written, rehearsed, and recorded during this period and will be released May 5th, 2023, via The Sign Records.
Rehearsed, recorded and mixed between the numerous U.K lockdowns in Roden House, one of Nottingham’s former lace factories where the Priests have their own space, and which spawned the album title. This is no Mississippi Blues but perhaps it makes more sense than you think: Howling laments, loss, self-reflection and revelation – alongside some recurring Priests lyrical themes: negativity, nihilism, rage and revolution. After 2019’s ‘Stand for Nothing’ the band were unsure whether they’d do another album – However, global lockdown inadvertently led to a renewed passion and realisation that, like Jagger said, ”what can a poor boy do’ – especially when feeling more lost in a world that increasingly resembles a dumpster fire. A few dozen demos were scrutinised of which, through a stricter than ever group consensus, 14 were recorded but then honed down, razor sharp, into the tightest collection of 11 low-fat, lean and mean banging tunes that could fit into 30 minutes.
This week we get to feel another white-hot blast straight from the album’s furnace in new single ‘Just To Get By’, which finds the band in rare reflective form.
“Every day can be a struggle and happiness really is an inside job. None of us are perfect. Every day we’re pitted against each other and ourselves by a world that increasingly looks like a dumpster fire that wants to incinerate us. What can we do to just get by?
Perhaps just trying to improve, rise above and be a better person is an act of revenge nowadays. A number one single in an alternate universe with a guitar riff of such hook and beauty it was surely dropped from the Rock heavens.
We don’t JUST do Nihilism, Negativity, Rage and Revolution you know…”
Watch the ‘Just To Get By’ video HERE:
This month also sees The Hip Priests team up with Northern Ireland’s The Dangerfields for an Irish tour. Having known each other for years and toured together back in 2010, when the bands paths crossed again last year, the idea of finally sorting that long talked about Irish tour was set in stone. And so The Hip Priests first time in Ireland kicks off in Derry on Weds 22nd March followed by four other shows all across the country.
Come along for an evening (or in Dublin’s case, afternoon) of face-ripping, ball-crushing, ass-immolating rock ‘n’ roll played by a bunch of doozies far too old to know any better!
There will be loud guitars and rock poses, bad words and everything!
‘Roden House Blues’ is released May 5th via The Sign Records and available to pre-order HERE:
THE HIP PRIESTS ARE:
NATHAN VON CRUZ – LEAD VOCALS
AUSTIN ROCKET – GUITAR/VOCALS
LEE LOVE – BASS/VOCALS
GENTLE BEN – GUITAR/VOCALS
D.P. BOMBER – DRUMS
FIND THE HIP PRIESTS ONLINE AT:
WEBSITE
FACEBOOK
BANDCAMP
TWITTER
INSTAGRAM
CATCH THE HIP PRIESTS LIVE AT THE FOLLOWING DATES:
March
Ireland (With The Dangerfields)
Wednesday 22nd Bennigans, Derry
Thursday 23rd Cellar Bar, Galway
Friday 24th Fred Zeppelin’s, Cork
Saturday 25th Hop House, Bangor
Sunday 26th Wild Duck, Dublin
April
Germany (With Lucifer Star Machine)
Thursday 27th Sonic Ballroom, Cologne
Friday 28th Freakshow, Essen
Saturday 29th Zollkantine, Bremen
Sunday 30th Indra Musikclub, Hamburg
May
UK (With Bitch Queens)
Thursday 25th The Pipeline, Brighton
Friday 26th Hope And Anchor, London
Saturday 27th Nice And Sleazy, Morecambe
Sunday 28th Old Angel, Notts
June
UK (With Zeke)
Tuesday 20th Exchange, Bristol
Wednesday 21st Parish, Huddersfield
Thursday 22nd New Cross Inn, London
September
UK
Thursday 28th Trillians, Newcastle
Friday 29th Bannermans, Edinburgh
Saturday 30th Waterloo, Blackpool
