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Remember when people said rock’n’roll was dead? It wasn’t. It still isn’t. You may have to search though ninety percent of all the “rock’n’roll…ick” that is commercially available but it is there. You can stop looking though, I have found it. It was hiding… hiding in the minds and fingertips of the anthemic soulful Toronto rockers the Darlings of Chelsea.
In mid-2009 the Darlings of Chelsea released their debut record ‘The Mimico Sessions’. This record was a six song ep that featured then vocalist Sean Robertson. I remember at the time thinking this band was going to take over the world. It was THAT great. When Robertson departed from the band, the remaining four went on to form the power quartet you now know. Lead guitarist Paul Thompson stepped into the front man and vocal duties naturally and with the greatest of ease. Thompson along with his rock’n’roll terrorist friends/brothers/band mates, bassist Robbie Ruckus, guitar player Jay Millette and drummer Chris Nova have now put out a back to basics, balls to the wall AUTHENTIC rock record with ‘Panic Is Worse Than The Emergency’ last Tuesday.
Although this is the Darlings first full length piece, these gentlemen are no amateurs. Know this; these four men have rocked the independent and mainstream circuit for some time now. They have toured the globe with their previous bands like Robin Black, The Black Halos, CJ Sleeze, Kill Cheerleader and Scratching Post. They know exactly how to do this. The Darlings are already garnering attention nationally as well as in the US getting attention from the CBC, SXSW and countless articles and interviews.
This record is classic rock but still fresh all at the same time. It’s not that tired ass shit you hear at your local state fair. Sometimes when you’re working for the weekend you wonder how the singer still fits in those red leather pants. Not these guys. No stale hoagie poggie crap here. ‘Panic Is Worse Than The Emergency’ is volatile, freewheeling aggressive yet fun eleven songs in thirty four minutes.
From the steady chug-a-long fist pump ‘Lucky Ones’ which opens the record to high octane high energy ‘No Rescue’ to an almost power-pop song like ‘Call To Arms.’ This album is everything it should be. It’s loaded with killer background vocals, sing-along gang vocals, ripping guitars, machine gun drums, solo’s that will blow your doors off and bass lines that will knock your fun parts to the floor. ‘Panic Is Worse Than The Emergency’ is an honest rock record that you, the kids, will cry for. I am going on four days straight of non-stop listening myself. If you think anything less of the product than I do then we can’t be friends… but you won’t, I guarantee it.
Cheers Rockers. - Spun Music
Remember when people said rock’n’roll was dead? It wasn’t. It still isn’t. You may have to search though ninety percent of all the “rock’n’roll…ick” that is commercially available but it is there. You can stop looking though, I have found it. It was hiding… hiding in the minds and fingertips of the anthemic soulful Toronto rockers the Darlings of Chelsea.
In mid-2009 the Darlings of Chelsea released their debut record ‘The Mimico Sessions’. This record was a six song ep that featured then vocalist Sean Robertson. I remember at the time thinking this band was going to take over the world. It was THAT great. When Robertson departed from the band, the remaining four went on to form the power quartet you now know. Lead guitarist Paul Thompson stepped into the front man and vocal duties naturally and with the greatest of ease. Thompson along with his rock’n’roll terrorist friends/brothers/band mates, bassist Robbie Ruckus, guitar player Jay Millette and drummer Chris Nova have now put out a back to basics, balls to the wall AUTHENTIC rock record with ‘Panic Is Worse Than The Emergency’ last Tuesday.
Although this is the Darlings first full length piece, these gentlemen are no amateurs. Know this; these four men have rocked the independent and mainstream circuit for some time now. They have toured the globe with their previous bands like Robin Black, The Black Halos, CJ Sleeze, Kill Cheerleader and Scratching Post. They know exactly how to do this. The Darlings are already garnering attention nationally as well as in the US getting attention from the CBC, SXSW and countless articles and interviews.
This record is classic rock but still fresh all at the same time. It’s not that tired ass shit you hear at your local state fair. Sometimes when you’re working for the weekend you wonder how the singer still fits in those red leather pants. Not these guys. No stale hoagie poggie crap here. ‘Panic Is Worse Than The Emergency’ is volatile, freewheeling aggressive yet fun eleven songs in thirty four minutes.
From the steady chug-a-long fist pump ‘Lucky Ones’ which opens the record to high octane high energy ‘No Rescue’ to an almost power-pop song like ‘Call To Arms.’ This album is everything it should be. It’s loaded with killer background vocals, sing-along gang vocals, ripping guitars, machine gun drums, solo’s that will blow your doors off and bass lines that will knock your fun parts to the floor. ‘Panic Is Worse Than The Emergency’ is an honest rock record that you, the kids, will cry for. I am going on four days straight of non-stop listening myself. If you think anything less of the product than I do then we can’t be friends… but you won’t, I guarantee it.
Cheers Rockers. - Spun Music
Darlings of Chelsea, the Toronto band whose members once filled prominent roles in Canuck sleaze rock outfits like The Black Halos, Robin Black, Kill Cheerleader, and CJ Sleez, have got that stone cold, leather n’ booze sound pinned down and crowned. Their full-length debut, Panic is Worse Than the Emergency, follows 2009's EP, The Mimico Sessions, and offers a full slate of sing-along bruisers amped for prime time, the kind of dingy club fun that plays insanely well from London to Stockholm and all low points in between. Despite its junkie charms, however, there’s not a song on Panic is Worse Than the Emergency that isn’t a slick, million dollar ride, each one sparked by electric riffs, biting solos, and addictive hooks. It’ll remind you of Gluecifer, Bloodlights, The Hellacopters, D-Generation, and the Chelsea Smiles, among others, thanks to the way it seamlessly blends gritty alt-punk, sugary pop, and five alarm arena rock, or you might compare it to a swift, Chuck-footed kick to crotch — if you’ve ever had the dirty pleasure. - Broken Beard
Darlings of Chelsea, the Toronto band whose members once filled prominent roles in Canuck sleaze rock outfits like The Black Halos, Robin Black, Kill Cheerleader, and CJ Sleez, have got that stone cold, leather n’ booze sound pinned down and crowned. Their full-length debut, Panic is Worse Than the Emergency, follows 2009's EP, The Mimico Sessions, and offers a full slate of sing-along bruisers amped for prime time, the kind of dingy club fun that plays insanely well from London to Stockholm and all low points in between. Despite its junkie charms, however, there’s not a song on Panic is Worse Than the Emergency that isn’t a slick, million dollar ride, each one sparked by electric riffs, biting solos, and addictive hooks. It’ll remind you of Gluecifer, Bloodlights, The Hellacopters, D-Generation, and the Chelsea Smiles, among others, thanks to the way it seamlessly blends gritty alt-punk, sugary pop, and five alarm arena rock, or you might compare it to a swift, Chuck-footed kick to crotch — if you’ve ever had the dirty pleasure. - Broken Beard
Darlings of Chelsea: Panic is Worse than Emergency
Listening to the first LP from this Toronto outfit, I find myself reminded of the Post-Grunge / Cali Skate Punk eras of Rock. The fast-driving intense Rock recalls groups like The Offspring, or Foo Fighters (If Dave Grohl didn’t taint the group with his hellish douchebaggery).
The songs are fast and frenetic, occasionally lapsing into a little overboard intensity, but the songs all have intense rhythms, well-layered instrumentation, catchy hooks and memorable choruses. - Confront Magazine
Darlings of Chelsea: Panic is Worse than Emergency
Listening to the first LP from this Toronto outfit, I find myself reminded of the Post-Grunge / Cali Skate Punk eras of Rock. The fast-driving intense Rock recalls groups like The Offspring, or Foo Fighters (If Dave Grohl didn’t taint the group with his hellish douchebaggery).
The songs are fast and frenetic, occasionally lapsing into a little overboard intensity, but the songs all have intense rhythms, well-layered instrumentation, catchy hooks and memorable choruses. - Confront Magazine
Darlings of Chelsea
Panic is Worse than the Emergency
Unsigned
IN THEIR FOLLOW-UP album to the critically acclaimed Mimico Sessions, Toronto punk-rock band the Darlings of Chelsea don’t hold back with Panic is Worse than the Emergency. They will remind many of the Rolling Stones’ early work, with their true rock ’n’ roll sound, strong instrumentals, and a hard, pounding beat you can tap your foot to.
They use screaming guitars and strong harmonics to create an atmosphere that will take you back to the days when ability trumped flashy gimmicks, music was made with instruments instead of computers, and songs were rough around the edges, not perfected and sterile. The highlights of the CD are exuberant songs that pump you up, like “Lucky Ones”, and the strong vocal harmonies on “We Are Gods”. “Call To Arms” and “Witchcraft” finish the album with mind-blowing riffs that leave you wanting more.
I suggest Panic is Worse than the Emergency to anyone who is looking for some excitement not typically heard from newer rock bands.
—Andrew Ikeman - The Fulcrum
Darlings of Chelsea
Panic is Worse than the Emergency
Unsigned
IN THEIR FOLLOW-UP album to the critically acclaimed Mimico Sessions, Toronto punk-rock band the Darlings of Chelsea don’t hold back with Panic is Worse than the Emergency. They will remind many of the Rolling Stones’ early work, with their true rock ’n’ roll sound, strong instrumentals, and a hard, pounding beat you can tap your foot to.
They use screaming guitars and strong harmonics to create an atmosphere that will take you back to the days when ability trumped flashy gimmicks, music was made with instruments instead of computers, and songs were rough around the edges, not perfected and sterile. The highlights of the CD are exuberant songs that pump you up, like “Lucky Ones”, and the strong vocal harmonies on “We Are Gods”. “Call To Arms” and “Witchcraft” finish the album with mind-blowing riffs that leave you wanting more.
I suggest Panic is Worse than the Emergency to anyone who is looking for some excitement not typically heard from newer rock bands.
—Andrew Ikeman - The Fulcrum
Darlings Of Chelsea – Panic Is Worse Than The Emergency CD (self-released: www.darlingsofchelsea.net)
It’s been 2 years since Darlings Of Chelsea burst onto the rawk scene with my favorite album (even though it was only a 6-song EP) of 2009, ‘The Mimico Sessions’. Now the coolest cats in Canada are back with a new release, a new vocalist, and a renewed sense of purpose. ‘Panic Is Worse Than The Emergency’ is a truly bad-ass slice of rawk ‘n’ roll, every bit as nasty as the most recent releases from The Black Halos (for whom DOC’s Jay Millette used to play guitar) or The Hellacopters. It’s hard to pick standout tracks here since I’ve been fully immersed in the album for the past 2 weeks and am able to sing along with the entire thing – never skipping a single song on any listen, which is a great sign – but I can point to the vintage Foo Fighters meets early KISS stomp of ‘Sister Alia’, the ‘By The Grace Of God’ era Hellacopters vibe of ‘Witchcraft’, the Stones-y slow burn of ‘Gimme Hell’, and the Black Halos-ish bombast of ‘Lucky Ones’ as tracks that I definitely want to experience live. Damned if the Darlings Of Chelsea haven’t gone and made another contender for album of the year…. The Impaler - Mass Movement Magazine
Darlings Of Chelsea – Panic Is Worse Than The Emergency CD (self-released: www.darlingsofchelsea.net)
It’s been 2 years since Darlings Of Chelsea burst onto the rawk scene with my favorite album (even though it was only a 6-song EP) of 2009, ‘The Mimico Sessions’. Now the coolest cats in Canada are back with a new release, a new vocalist, and a renewed sense of purpose. ‘Panic Is Worse Than The Emergency’ is a truly bad-ass slice of rawk ‘n’ roll, every bit as nasty as the most recent releases from The Black Halos (for whom DOC’s Jay Millette used to play guitar) or The Hellacopters. It’s hard to pick standout tracks here since I’ve been fully immersed in the album for the past 2 weeks and am able to sing along with the entire thing – never skipping a single song on any listen, which is a great sign – but I can point to the vintage Foo Fighters meets early KISS stomp of ‘Sister Alia’, the ‘By The Grace Of God’ era Hellacopters vibe of ‘Witchcraft’, the Stones-y slow burn of ‘Gimme Hell’, and the Black Halos-ish bombast of ‘Lucky Ones’ as tracks that I definitely want to experience live. Damned if the Darlings Of Chelsea haven’t gone and made another contender for album of the year…. The Impaler - Mass Movement Magazine
"The hooks are huge, the songwriting is absolutely radiant... Darlings have a great shot at returning rock and roll back into what it’s supposed to be - badass." - Fazer Magazine
http://www.fazermagazine.com/2009/07/21/darlings-of-chelsea-the-mimico-sessions-review/ - Fazer Magazine
"The hooks are huge, the songwriting is absolutely radiant... Darlings have a great shot at returning rock and roll back into what it’s supposed to be - badass." - Fazer Magazine
http://www.fazermagazine.com/2009/07/21/darlings-of-chelsea-the-mimico-sessions-review/ - Fazer Magazine
"...a six-song rock 'n' roll rant that unites such unruly miscreants as The Rolling Stones, Hellacopters and Johnny Thunders. It's garnered instant praise..."
http://www.chartattack.com/news/71162/darlings-of-chelsea-honour-classic-rawk - ChartAttack.com
"...a six-song rock 'n' roll rant that unites such unruly miscreants as The Rolling Stones, Hellacopters and Johnny Thunders. It's garnered instant praise..."
http://www.chartattack.com/news/71162/darlings-of-chelsea-honour-classic-rawk - ChartAttack.com
"like the New York Dolls fucking Guns N' Roses"
"Sadly, it will take a Canadian band to add legitimacy to a US rock industry."
http://blogsnroses.com/2009/06/20/the-darlings-of-chelsea-the-mimico-sessions-ep-review.aspx - Blogs'n'Roses.com
"like the New York Dolls fucking Guns N' Roses"
"Sadly, it will take a Canadian band to add legitimacy to a US rock industry."
http://blogsnroses.com/2009/06/20/the-darlings-of-chelsea-the-mimico-sessions-ep-review.aspx - Blogs'n'Roses.com
"Darlings of Chelsea were incredible. This indie-rock band with punk leanings sounded huge, loud and dangerously cool."
http://grubtunes.blogspot.com/2009/06/nxne-2009-day-3-in-flight-safetythe.html - GrubTunes
"Darlings of Chelsea were incredible. This indie-rock band with punk leanings sounded huge, loud and dangerously cool."
http://grubtunes.blogspot.com/2009/06/nxne-2009-day-3-in-flight-safetythe.html - GrubTunes
Darlings Of Chelsea are the best new band of 2009, and ‘The Mimico Sessions’ is, without question, The Impaler’s pick for best debut and at least one of the top 5 releases of the year. This 6-song EP is all killer, no filler, and rawks with a vengeance from start to finish. The four native Canadians (including members of The Black Halos, Cheerleader, and others) and one Englishman (vocalist Sean, who cut his teeth with The Voxx in the UK) have unleashed the primal forces of rock ‘n’ roll with a wholly original sound that will appeal to fans of everything from vintage Aerosmith to modern punk-rawk troublemakers like The Bronx, Riverboat Gamblers, and even Hermano. My favorite song changes with each listen: ‘Sleazy Rock ‘n’ Roller’ calls to mind classic KISS filtered through the modern disciples of Johnny Thunders; ‘Devil Is A Woman’ feels like The Hellacopters taking a punked-up stab at Kyuss; ‘Helsinki’ impossibly blends power-pop and desert rock for a spine-tingling orgasm of riffs and hooks; ‘Riot’ could be the Foo Fighters’ biggest hit yet—if only the gods of rock ‘n’ roll had inspired them to write it before Darlings Of Chelsea beat ‘em to the punch; ‘I Want Your Love’—an eclectic, post-modern riff-fest without peer—offers definitive proof that rock ‘n’ roll is alive and well; and ‘New Addiction’ purrs with an insatiable chorus and the absolute sweetest guitar solo this side of ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ stopped the world in its tracks 20+ years ago. In a few years, everyone will be talking about Darlings Of Chelsea. My advice is to get in on the ground floor. The Impaler
http://www.massmovement.co.uk/wordpress/?p=893 - Mass Movement Magazine
Darlings Of Chelsea are the best new band of 2009, and ‘The Mimico Sessions’ is, without question, The Impaler’s pick for best debut and at least one of the top 5 releases of the year. This 6-song EP is all killer, no filler, and rawks with a vengeance from start to finish. The four native Canadians (including members of The Black Halos, Cheerleader, and others) and one Englishman (vocalist Sean, who cut his teeth with The Voxx in the UK) have unleashed the primal forces of rock ‘n’ roll with a wholly original sound that will appeal to fans of everything from vintage Aerosmith to modern punk-rawk troublemakers like The Bronx, Riverboat Gamblers, and even Hermano. My favorite song changes with each listen: ‘Sleazy Rock ‘n’ Roller’ calls to mind classic KISS filtered through the modern disciples of Johnny Thunders; ‘Devil Is A Woman’ feels like The Hellacopters taking a punked-up stab at Kyuss; ‘Helsinki’ impossibly blends power-pop and desert rock for a spine-tingling orgasm of riffs and hooks; ‘Riot’ could be the Foo Fighters’ biggest hit yet—if only the gods of rock ‘n’ roll had inspired them to write it before Darlings Of Chelsea beat ‘em to the punch; ‘I Want Your Love’—an eclectic, post-modern riff-fest without peer—offers definitive proof that rock ‘n’ roll is alive and well; and ‘New Addiction’ purrs with an insatiable chorus and the absolute sweetest guitar solo this side of ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ stopped the world in its tracks 20+ years ago. In a few years, everyone will be talking about Darlings Of Chelsea. My advice is to get in on the ground floor. The Impaler
http://www.massmovement.co.uk/wordpress/?p=893 - Mass Movement Magazine
Discography
The Mimico Sessions EP
Fight Dirty/Tell Me 7"
Panic Is Worse Than The Emergency - LP
Photos
Bio
"Damned if the Darlings Of Chelsea haven't gone and made another contender for album of the year…" - Mass Movement Magazine (UK)
"...unites such unruly miscreants as The Rolling Stones, Hellacopters and Johnny Thunders. It's garnered instant praise..." - CHARTattack
With uncompromising grit and intensity, Toronto’s Darlings of Chelsea have come together to create some of the raunchiest and most raging rock ‘n’ roll to come out of their home city in years.
Paul Thompson – Vocals/Guitar, Jay Millette – Guitar, Robby Ruckus – Bass, and Chris Nova – Drums, are fostering a sound so fiercely exhilarating and down-right dirty, don’t be surprised if you have a sudden urge to throw your fists in the air and just rock the f*ck out.
Perfectly captured on their upcoming full-length release “Panic Is Worse Than The Emergency,” (produced and mixed by Grammy-nominated Darryl Neudorf), Darlings of Chelsea are bringing the brash back to rock ‘n’ roll.
“We are a rock ‘n’ roll band through and through,” says Thompson. “We all like different types of music, but the one common thread between us is loud, reckless, uncompromising rock. That’s what came out the first time we all played together, and we never questioned it.”
Since their inception in 2008, Darlings of Chelsea quickly recorded and released their debut EP, The Mimico Sessions. Full of driving rhythms, screaming guitars, and rowdy collective choruses, the EP helped them win the coveted Canadian Indie Week title in 2009, which led directly to an international tour of Ireland and Spain.
”We loved touring Ireland, and can’t wait to go back” notes Millette, “but there is something about Spain – for some reason rock ‘n’ roll just flies there. There were nights when the audience was right up against the stage and wouldn’t let us leave. They were so into it, it was incredible.”
After connecting with such energized fans overseas, Darlings of Chelsea were eager to get back into the studio and hammer out their sophomore effort, “Panic is Worse Than the Emergency”. Recorded in just 5 short weeks at Operation Northwoods – Neurdorf’s secret studio in an undisclosed location – the album is overflowing with filthy rock ‘n’ roll grooves, balls-to-the-wall guitars, and incredibly boisterous moments of call-and-response, when the whole damn band shouts out a line like “Feed! Feed! Your choices with tequila shots!”
“Panic is Worse Than the Emergency” is brewing with an intensity that hurtles every song forward into riot-inducing territory. Delivered with a wild and impulsive sense of enthusiasm, it’s good old rock ‘n’ roll right down to the very last drop.
“We all grew up in really small towns,” says Thompson, “so we actually sat there waiting for new issues of Exclaim! And Chart Magazine to come out to see what was hot, and we lined up at the record store to buy those CD’s. Music was super exciting back then and I remember people being stoked to go to live shows.
“You can piss and moan about the state of the music industry all you want, but the fact of the matter is that music itself is going to survive. Music isn't dead. Rock isn’t dead. It's alive and well and we want to be a part of that.”
Lyrically, “Panic Is Worse Than The Emergency”, covers everything from bad dreams and broken hearts, to late night mayhem and the occasional happy ending. “The thing about this band,” says Ruckus, “is that we just do what we want, and we stand out by having four distinct songwriters personally contributing to the process.” “We play rock ‘n’ roll in its truest form,” adds Thompson. “We give each song what it needs – nothing more.”
Darlings of Chelsea are the musical embodiment of the freedom that exists at the heart of rock ‘n’ roll. There is a sense of brutal honesty about this band that has been absent in recent years. It can be heard loud and clear through their raging guitars and raucous live performances, and evidenced by the sweaty crowds and booze-drenched onlookers.
"We want kids playing air guitar to us in their rooms,” says Thompson unabashedly. “We want teenagers to down their first beer with us in the background and listen to us while skipping school and “borrowing” booze from their parent’s liquor cabinets. We want to put that sense of excitement back into rock ‘n’ roll. At the end of the day, we just want to sound like four guys having the time of our lives playing the music we love.””
Contact Robby@416.294.7625 | info@darlingsofchelsea.net
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