The New Wave Of Classic Rock continues to spawn some of the most exciting music on the planet. Simon Rushworth rounds up the Best NWOCR Albums of 2024.
10. Beaux Gris Gris & The Apocalypse — Hot Nostalgia Radio (Grow Vision)
Earlier this year we said ‘Hot Nostalgia Radio does what it says on the tin. And then some.’
This humdinger of a record didn’t disappoint as one of NWOCR’s most adventurous acts set about pushing the boundaries and pulling in the crowds.
There was soul-soaked Americana, pure party rock, beautiful balladeering and even something akin to a sea shanty.
Beaux Gris Gris & The Apocalypse don’t deal in the ordinary or the predictable and Hot Nostalgia Radio was neither.
Read the full review here
9. Sweet Electric — The Monsters Are Rising (Self Released)
Brad Marr has been leading the NWOCR charge since his Massive days and the relentless Aussie firebrand shows no sign of slowing down just yet.
The Monsters Are Rising was a masterclass in singalong pop rock that mixed AC/DC with Dani Minogue.
And when we were treated to the best of a brilliant record live it nearly blew the roof off.
Back in the day 12 inch disco mixes of Hard Times and Hey Kid would have packed the rock club dancefloor — and they still could.
Marr’s knack of blending killer riffs with cool as fuck choruses knows no bounds.
8. These Wicked Rivers — Force Of Nature (Fat Earth Records)
Another Rushonrock Record Of The Week and another prime example of the booming NWOCR movement’s ability to deliver time after time.
Back in March we said ‘if one band, above all others, captures the very best of the UK’s most bullish live scene, then it’s the consistently wonderful These Wicked Rivers’.
Ten years down the line and Force Of Nature fulfilled the potential of a truly magnificent band of Southern rock-infused, soulful blues brothers.
When The War Is Won could have been written for either of the Use Your Illusion records. And the terrific Testify sounded better with every fresh play.
Read the full review here
7. Elles Bailey — Beneath The Neon Glow (Cooking Vinyl)
2024 was the year when Elles Bailey pooled her slate of talents to produce the standout album of a fast-rising career.
Blues, soul, Americana and classic rock jostled for position on the sublime Beneath The Neon Glow.
And we needed no encouragement to declare ‘It knocks Bailey’s robust back catalogue out of the park’.
We heard Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty all over the classy Ballad Of A Broken Dream and the mighty 1972 was one of our songs of the year.
Read the full review here
6. Willie Dowling — The Simpleton (Conquest Music)
More like Willing WOWling.
We had no idea The Simpleton was coming in 2024 but thank the lord it did.
Dowling dazzled during live runs with The Quireboys and Cats In Space this year and backed up his consummate stagecraft with a flawless album.
We said The Simpleton was ‘an exercise in effortless sophistication and yet it’s a record that’s as accessible as it’s aspirational’.
Opener Let Us Begin set out Dowling’s stall — a typically compelling narrative dovetailed with masterful melodic twists.
Piano never sounded this good as this old timer rode the New Wave in style.
Read the full review here
5. Bobbie Dazzle — Fandabidozi (Rise Above Records)
When Siân Greenway pivoted from Alunah to create flamboyant alter ego Bobbie Dazzle there was an almighty intake of breath.
Would one of the most charismatic performers we’ve come across in decades be able to pull off an unpredictable volte face?
Of course. In fact, Fandabidozi exceeded all expectations as a retro-soaked blast of shackles-off optimism exploded onto the NWOCR scene.
Dazzle by name, dazzling by nature, Greenway crafted an album that was all killer and no filler: Merry-Go-Round and Magic Of Music cast a spell over our 70s hi-fi separates and had us waving our bell bottom flares with gay abandon.
4. Jack J Hutchinson — Battles (Self Released)
Battles was the bruising sound of this NWOCR stalwart reborn as the genre’s riff-fuelled anti-hero.
And a record that was as brave as it was brilliant showcased a brooding Jack J Hutchinson bridging the gap between heavy blues and hard rock with consummate ease.
We said ‘the main man sounds like the world’s his enemy as he takes aim at just about anyone and everyone — including himself’.
But beneath the angst lay an undercurrent of optimism and a sense that the hard working Hutchinson’s up for the fight.
Don’t Let The Fuckers Get You Down said it best of all. Seriously, don’t.
Read the full review here
3. The Hot Damn! — Dancing On The Milky Way (Fat Earth Records)
The Hot Damn! smouldered on this upbeat exercise in party-starting pop rock and we loved every minute.
The guardians of the tie-dye galaxy showered the NWOCR scene in glittery goodness as banger after banger paced a raucous record.
In 2024 we caught the band live, basked in the glory of Dancing On The Milky Way’s kaleidoscopic vinyl and dreamed of a Gill Montgomery-fuelled future.
We conceded that ‘Jukebox On The Radio, I Didn’t Like You Anyway and Automatic are insufferably catchy’.
In fact we were powerless to resist The Hot Damn!’s blazing blend of radio-friendly rock.
Read the full review here
2. Rosalie Cunningham — To Shoot Another Day (Esoteric Antenna)
‘Rosalie Cunningham is a rare talent indeed’.
That’s how we prefaced this month’s glowing Rushonrock Record Of The Week review and To Shoot Another Day proved the point over and over.
In tandem with partner and co-writer Rosco Wilson, the enigmatic Cunningham brought the pomp-fuelled cool to the NWOCR family.
Flares and flare, sass and class: Rosalie has the full package and another remarkable album covered all bases.
Stepped Out Of Time tickled our fancy and we described Denim Eyes as ‘deliciously off kilter’.
Read the full review here
1. Massive Wagons — Earth To Grace (Earache)
WTAF? How and when did Massive Wagons get this good?
Earth To Grace deserved to be a global hit, such was its riotous intent and ridiculous ambition.
Staying true to their roots and yet scaling dizzying new heights, Baz Mills and co. delivered a ripper of a record that oozed supreme self-confidence.
According to November’s Rushonrock Record Of The Week review, ‘Earth To Grace was on another planet’.
That lazy play on words actually played it down. We heard nothing better all year.
Read the full review here