Gun // Hombres // Album Review

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So, I have to be honest with you, I have never listened to Gun In my life before today, of course, I knew of them, know them by reputation etc, but they just never crossed my path until today. This is the crazy-beautiful thing about the music industry, a band can be slaying it for decades and maybe their ninth studio album may be the one that pulls in a new audience. #yay

Hombres is their first new album since 2017’s ‘Favourite Pleasures’ and follows 2022’s ‘The Calton Songs’ which was an acoustic reworking of their earlier music. So batteries recharged and ready to take on 2024 by the balls GUN are back with a vengeance.

What hits you immediately from the album’s opening track ‘All Fired Up’ is that Brit Rock sound, it hits you right between the eyes, there’s an old-school sound that comes with Brit-Rockers that just has that feel-good vibe in every strain of its DNA. The riffs keep banging, dragging you back to that 80-90’s sound you can almost smell the hippie oil and decomposing teenagers of the sunset strip in the air.

I can see a resurgence of backcombed hair and shoulder pads all being the rage at the live shows, there’s a definite Rock Of Ages vibe that hits you right between the eyes here, reminding you of the glory days when Rock ruled the airwaves, being a child of the 80’s myself I can appreciate this, the shite that drowns the current pop and RNB drivelled-filled radio stations of the millennials makes me wanna beat myself to death with a spoon, so good old fashioned melodic rock as it should be makes me a very happy man.

Oh and with guitar solo’s! remember those, tasteful licks that have you air-guitaring your little asses off front and centre at a gig! There is hope for us all yet, Bands like GUN remind us of better times gone by, simple, uncomplicated songwriting, harking back to the glory days and a timely reminder to sometimes take the time to smell the roses, in this case, the roses being the bands that laid the foundation for the newest generation of rockers to come through and lay down a foundation for the next. The circle of life if you will.

So this may be my first foray into GUN, it’s only taken me 30-plus years to catch up with them, but sure who’s counting.

Hombres lands on April 12th, 2024 via Cooking Vinyl and is the perfect soundtrack to guide you through the end of times (according to TikTok) so strap yourself in, crank it up and enjoy.

Mark

The thirteen tracks on Hombres were recorded and produced by Simon Bloor (Trevor Horn) with mixing by Daryl Thorpe (Foo Fighters) at Morsecode Studios and Strongroom Studio. The record boasts guest vocals from Beverley Skeete (Elton John, Chaka Khan, Tom Jones, Johnny Cash), Mary Pearce (Primal Scream, Lionel Ritchie, Chaka Khan) and Sarah-Jane Skeete (Robbie Williams, Kylie Minogue, Bill Wyman) of The Sisterhood on several tracks, as well as a guest performance on the drums from Joe Lazerus of Twin Atlantic.

The album will be available in multiple formats as both standard and deluxe editions via Cooking Vinyl, including on CD, vinyl, and digitally. Pre-order now here.

Hombres track list

Standard edition

1. All Fired Up

2. Boys Don’t Cry

3. Take Me Back Home

4. Fake Life

5. Falling

6. You Are What I Need

7. Never Enough

8. Don’t Hide Your Fears Tonight

9. Lucky Guy

10. A Shift In Time

Deluxe edition

11. Coming Back To You

12. Wrong To Be Right

13. Pride

2024 also marks the 30th anniversary of GUN’s silver-certified, third album Swagger, which stormed into the official UK album chart at #5 and spawned 4 UK Top 40 singles including smash-hit cover “Word Up” (#8), “Don’t Say It’s Over” (#19), “The Only One” (#29), and “Something Worthwhile” (#39). Their boisterous version of Cameo’s “Word Up” also earnt the group their first MTV Europe Music Award.

GUN ANNOUNCE 10-DATE UK HEADLINE TREK

IN DECEMBER 2024

TICKETS ON SALE APRIL 5TH AT 10AM

NEW ALBUM HOMBRES OUT APRIL 12TH VIA COOKING VINYL

PRE-ORDER NOW

Scottish rock legends and MTV EMA award winners GUN are are set to captivate audiences across the UK with their electrifying headline tour this December. The tour is in support of upcoming album Hombres, set for release on April 12th via Cooking Vinyl.

Known for their compelling blend of rock and a string of hits that have charted across Europe, GUN have consistently been a force in the music industry, boasting 3 UK top 20 albums, 8 UK top 40 singles, and extensive tours, including memorable performances with The Rolling Stones.

The current lineup, featuring original members Dante Gizzi (Vocals) and Giuliano “Jools” Gizzi (Guitar), along with Paul McManus (Drums), Andy Carr (Bass), and Ruaraidh “Roo” Macfarlane (Guitar), promises an unforgettable live experience that blends iconic tracks with fresh hits from Hombres.

Jools expresses his excitement about the tour, enthusing, “We are beyond excited to take ‘Hombres’ on the road and share it live with our fans. This album has been a labour of love, and the response so far has been incredible. We promise to bring a show full of energy, new music, and the classic hits everyone loves. See you in December!”

Join the band for their 10-date festive trek at:

Wed 4th Dec – LONDON Scala

Thu 5th Dec – WOLVERHAMPTON KK’s Steel Mill

Fri 6th Dec – MANCHESTER Academy 2

Sat 7th Dec – BRISTOL SWX

Sun 8th Dec – SOUTHAMPTON Brook

Tue 10th Dec – LEEDS Brudenell

Wed 11th Dec – NEWCASTLE Wylam Brewery

Thu 12th Dec – ABERDEEN Lemon Tree

Fri 13th Dec – GALASHIELS Mac Arts

Sat 14th Dec – GLASGOW Barrowland Ballroom

Special guests will be revealed in due course. Tickets and album bundles go on sale at 10am BST, Friday 5th April, via www.gunofficial.co.uk.

GUN soon embark on a string of UK instore events, where fans can meet Dante & Jools from the band, get their new copy of Hombres signed, and watch a special, stripped back performance.

Don’t miss the following events:

Fri 12th Apr – GLASGOW Assai – 6pm

Sat 13th Apr – DUNDEE Assai – 5pm

Sun 14th Apr – EDINBURGH Assai – 4pm

Mon 15th Apr – INVERNESS HMV – 5pm

Tue 16th Apr – ABERDEEN HMV – 5pm

Wed 17th Apr – LIVINGSTON HMV – 12pm

Wed 17th Apr – AYR HMV – 4pm

Thu 18th Apr – STIRLING HMV – 4pm

Fri 19th Apr – BURY Wax & Beans – 4pm

Eager fans have been getting an early sneak peek of some new songs live, with the band undertaking a number of intimate gigs to preview Hombres through February and March. There are also some select Scottish dates with both teatime and evening performances once the album’s out in April. Tickets are on sale now for all events via https://gun.tmstor.es/.

Catch the band at the remaining following locations:

Fri 29th Mar – CRUMLIN (Wales), The Patriot (sold out)

Thu 25th Apr – MONTROSE Town Hall

Fri 26th Apr – GLASGOW St Lukes (matinee*)

Fri 26th Apr – GLASGOW St Lukes (evening* – sold out)

Sat 27th Apr – DUNFERMLINE PJ Malloys (matinee*)

Sat 27th Apr – DUNFERMLINE PJ Malloys (evening* – sold out)

* doors will open at 5pm for the matinee performance and 8pm for the evening, with the band expected onstage approximately an hour later for an hour-long set.

GUN also hit the festival circuit this summer, with Maid Of Stone and Firevolt festivals already announced.

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