Cleveland Gutter Pop Trio Ricky Hell & The Voidboys Release New Self-Titled LP

Ricky Hell & The Voidboys are raising hell on their new self-titled LP. Sporting a moniker that riffs off the iconic punk legends Richard Hell & The Voidoids, the group has released a jagged and jacked-up visual for a song, "The Feeling is Alright", taken off their upcoming album. So hold on to your hats, buckle up your safety belts and shoulder harnesses as Ricky and the gang take you for a tour of their own little underground.

Even for the stuffiest of curmudgeons, it's difficult to tire of Ricky Hell's brand of "gutter pop". The melody, the bright guitars and big time hooks make for a music that can turn a sty day better and a good day into a ripper. With Adam Spektor on clarinet/treatments, Ricky Hamilton on guitar/drum machine and Carter Luckfield on bass/Microbrute synthesizer/treatments, this trio is bringing clarinet back to Cleveland rock with their unconventional no-wave-meets-pop aesthetic.

To add to the peculiarity of Ricky Hell & The Voidboys, the group is comprised of three DJs who have been known to DJ their own shows to create and control the atmosphere. They also enjoy covering obscure punk and pop bands such as Snatch, 39 Clocks and The Warm Jets, preferring the single versions to any extended play. They've stated in interviews their favorite record labels are UK-based Sarah Records and Postcard Records, but they're so unmistakably Cleveland, you'd think St. Valentine Records had shelved their LP to promote My Dad Is Dead or Death Of Samantha.

LA artist Vinny Zazzero's visual for the lead video single "The Feeling is Alright" is almost everything you would expect from the punky two-minute wonder. Time-lapse footage of driving about the freeways and city streets of Los Angeles is framed by animated barbed wire while karaoke-ready lyrics appear across the screen. But this is not your ordinary lyric video, as images of flies, old-school phones and cigarette butts flash amid unsettling visions of alien ships. Bright animations keep the visuals kinetic and connected to the energetic track as you are plummeted deep into the world of the Voidboys where there is constant action, excitement, danger and delight around every corner. Delivering something stronger than a jolt of your favorite craft coffee brew, Ricky Hell & The Voidboys keep the mood excited and strange, reminding you that "The Feeling Is Alright" and that maybe things will be alright after all in our wacky world.

With their third album coming soon, Ricky Hell & The Voidboys seem to be coming out with a constant stream of "gutter pop", or whatever Ricky decides to call it that day. After co- releasing their upcoming LP, Ricky Hell & The Voidboys with Quality Time Records and Greenway Records, the band plans to release another EP comprised of new recordings made in Cleveland, Columbus, and Brooklyn, New York. They plan to play at South by Southwest 2018, and will be making stops in Ohio, Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana

Ricky Hell & The Voidboys formed in 2017 on the streets of Cleveland, Ohio. Fronted by Ricky Hamilton, the band also features Adam Spektor on clarinet and Carter Luckfield on both bass and micro brute synthesizer. Their two albums-Killed by Ricky and Hell is Real-showcase dark lyrics mixed with catchy pop sensibilities. The band has toured Ohio and New York and has plans to play several shows at South by Southwest 2018.

To post a comment, you must register and login.