After kicking off the New Year with latest single January Blues, The Urban Voodoo Machine release 15 Shots From The Urban Voodoo Machine – a retrospective of their 15 year career featuring all the single releases along the way. Whether you’re looking for politics & depression (While We Were All Asleep, Rusty Water & Coffin Nails); remembering the dead (Goodnight My Dear & Fallen Brothers), a Wilko Johnson collab (Help Me Jesus), an anti-love song (Love Song #666 & Rather You Shot Me Down) or a Latin dance (Crazy Maria – ask about the tattoo!); 15 Shots… caters for the rascal, the villain, the swindler & the crook.
Described as Bourbon Soaked Gypsy Blues Bop’n’Stroll, The Urban Voodoo Machine are a murderers’ row of rogues dressed in black and red, led by the ever enigmatic Paul-Ronney Angel, who spend their time exploring Gypsy Blues, Americana, New Orleans Jazz, Rock’n’Roll and the wares of Mr Jack Daniels. With comparisons to The Pogues and Tom Waits, The Urban Voodoo Machine are considered one of the most impressive live acts in the country – a claim supported by Classic Rock. Despite their influences, Angel insists that “we’re not Americana and we’re definitely not retro… I write songs about living in London right now. Although having a s**t time, no money, heartbreak, mental illness, addiction and suppression from ‘the big guy’ is kinda universal and timeless.”
Looking further into the band’s history, it’s little surprise that frontman Paul-Ronney Angel takes such a bleak view, having lost guitarist Nick Marsh (Flesh for Lulu) to throat cancer and violinist Rob “The Kid” Skipper to an accidental heroin overdose in recent years. Combined with a world that looks to be heading ever faster toward Armageddon; P-R keeps a dry, humourous twist on life telling Classic Rock “When life goes to shit you just gotta have a drink and a laugh about it!” Having played Glastonbury, Download, Latitude, Bestival and Hard Rock Calling, toured with The Pogues & the New York Dolls plus received love & support from Radio 2’s Paul Jones & Huey Morgan, 6Music’s Gideon Coe, Chris Hawkins & Tom Robinson, the Guardian, Q Mag, Classic Rock and Vive Le Rock on their previous albums, The Urban Voodoo Machine enter the new year as one of the greatest live acts in the country – terrifyingly bizarre, hysterically funny, a riot for the eyes and sensation for the ears, determined to stand up to ‘The Man’ and overcome all negative aspects of Brexit, austerity, division, fear and the threat to live music venues across the land. Never fear though, The Urban Voodoo Machine ain’t going nowhere! Check the website for their ever busy touring schedule & their own club night Gypsy Hotel too.