Ever wondered what it's like to be whipped in the cobblers by a carbon fibre tent pole? No? Well, you’re about to. In this episode, Andrew returns to the studio and brings along Dr. Sam for a high-brow chat about testicular trauma, Trev & Simon, and the absolute best music to make your hips involuntarily wiggle like an over-caffeinated toddler.

The theme this week? Songs to swing your pants to. The result? A genre-skirting playlist filled with funkadelic basslines, ska-punk chaos, and whatever Clipping are doing (which might be witchcraft).

From George Clinton’s Moog-powered madness to the playful brilliance of Little Simz, from Missy Elliott in an inflatable suit to Dexys being much more than “Come On Eileen,” this episode jumps between groin injuries, nostalgia, street crossings turned flags (ffs), and musical elitism that would make a vinyl collector blush.

We also learn about ancient British tribes, the legitimacy of “potholes in lawns,” and how you can use “in Minecraft” to legally dodge confessions. It’s educational. Sort of. Mostly not.

### Riffs of the week

#### Dr Sam's Riff

- Barren Path - The Insufferable Weight

#### Andrew's Riff

- Clipping - Dominator

### Dr Sam's track choices

1. Thumpasaurus - Struttin'

2. Streetlight Manifesto - If and When We Rise

3. Dexy's Midnight Runners - Jackie Wilson Said

4. Little Richard - Keep A Knockin'

### Andrew's track choices

1. Everything Everything - Cough Cough

2. Missy Elliot - WTF (where you from)

3. Funkadelic - One Nation

4. Little Simz - 101fm

Email us - beatmotel@lawsie.com

Elitists https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJwcMyToUUK/?igsh=MTR4dWFnOGR5anV5bw==

What is it about British summer holidays that brings out the absolute weirdest memories? Andrew Culture is joined by returning co-host and beard-stroking wordsmith Martin Whiskin for a full-tilt, memory-lane-meets-puke-stained-train episode about all things “Summer Holidays.”

We kick off with threats from Grotbags, traumatising pantos, and a deep dive into the bizarre puppetry obsession of '80s kids TV. From Bob Carolgees and Spit the Dog to the musical trauma inflicted by Orville, it's a warped nostalgia trip with the distinct smell of Dettol.

Expect riffs of the week that range from children’s YouTube bangers to industrial J-pop-metal chaos. Martin finds beauty in Down By Law’s one-minute face-punch punk, Therapy?’s surprise chart invasion, and the unlikely Shed Seven resurgence. Andrew counters with a romantic tale of vomit at the Steamboat pub, a Double Deckers TV theme tribute, and a Queens of the Stone Age song that’s basically just a shopping list of narcotics.

Also covered:

• Why Cliff Richard was in a bus with The Shadows

• How band advances don’t work

• Punk shows in Welsh working men’s clubs

• Why you never want to eat a dry roll with one slice of iceberg lettuce

• The fine art of projectile vomiting into jacket sleeves

If you’ve ever wanted a podcast episode that transitions seamlessly from 'Summer Holiday' by Cliff Richard to vomming on the tube while discussing Trash Theory’s Therapy? documentary, this is it.

Music, memories, mayhem. This is Beat Motel.

### Riffs of the week

#### Marf's Riff

- Danny Go - Gorilla Smash

#### Andrew's Riff

- BABYMETAL - from me to u feat. Poppy

### Marf's track choices

1. Blameless - Breathe a Little Deeper

2. Down by Law - Independence Day

3. Therapy? - Screamager

4. Shed Seven - Kissing California

### Andrew's track choices

1. Cliff Richard and The Shadows - Summer Holiday

2. Johnny Keating - Theme from the Double Deckers

3. The Jesus And Mary Chain - I Can't find The Time For Times

4. Queens of the Stone age - Feel good hit of the summer

Email us - beatmotel@lawsie.com

Jesus and Mary Chain playlist https://tidal.com/playlist/5d9661ef-d473-477e-8e59-9c069d2b1267

Ever argued over who controls the aux cable on a long drive? In this episode of the Beat Motel Podcast, Andrew and Dr Sam dive into the tunes that keep them sane (or send them spiralling) on epic car journeys.

From Queen's Greatest Hits to post-metal tantrums, and from Pete Seeger’s calm reassurance to jazz-adjacent Icelandic loops, we dissect the soundtracks that power our road trips, intentional or accidental.

Expect ridiculous stories involving bargain-bin CDs, iPad vomit catchers, and why you should never, ever start a circle pit with only 12 people in the venue. Plus, we ask the big questions like: why is Disney music turning up at protests? And is clapping during a gig actually a war crime?

📌 Don’t miss a second, click play and take a long drive with us (from the safety of your headphones).

### Riffs of the week

#### Dr Sam's Riff

- Editrix - The Queen (opening)

#### Andrew's Riff

- GoGo Penguin - Umbra (1:30)

### Dr Sam's track choices

1. Harry Belafonte - Angelina (0.38)

2. Pete Seeger - Little Boxes (Live) (0.09)

3. Edvard Grieg - March of the Trolls, Op. 54 (2.18)

4. Queen - Somebody to Love (0.30)

### Andrew's track choices

1. Public Image Ltd - Careering (3:13)

2. Danger Man Theme Edwin Astley Orchestra (0:11)

3. Kiasmos - Looped (3:45)

4. Godspeed You Black Emperor - Like antennas to heaven (5:29)

Email us - beatmotel@lawsie.com

In this special detour from our usual Beat Motel rambling, Andrew and Dr. Sam swap the studio for the chaos of Hellsinki Metal Festival (yes, with two Ls, because one L just isn’t metal enough). We navigate Finnish beer, dodge suspicious wrestling moves, and try to work out why 8% lager is even legal in a place with mosh pits.

Expect unfiltered commentary on bands like Kanonenfieber, Decapitated, and Fear Factory, plus on-the-ground insights into earplug economics, dungaree etiquette at metal gigs, and whether wrestling at a metal fest is meant to be taken seriously (spoiler: no). We also wonder why no other Brits seem to have worked out that Finnish festivals are cleaner, better run, and infinitely less likely to smell like a port-a-loo graveyard.

It’s loud, it’s wet, it’s metal, and it’s gloriously daft — just the way we like it.

This episode of the Beat Motel Podcast drops you into the sweaty, glorious middle of a music fundraiser that brought Bury St Edmunds together in the loudest way possible. I hit the Hunter Club and the town’s rehearsal rooms to catch a full day of DIY brilliance, chat with bands and scene-makers, and find out what happens when a town fights for its music spaces.

Whether you're into punk, indie, or just stories of people doing something real, this one’s for you. No fluff, no filler, just the kind of energy that keeps scenes alive and rehearsal rooms open.

📌 Featuring:

• Field recordings from the event

• Stories from bands and organisers

• Loud music and louder opinions

• Proof that local scenes still matter

Is it possible to judge an album by its cover? Absolutely. Especially when it's got skeleton hands, raging suns, or Geiger’s flesh nightmares on it.

In this episode of the Beat Motel podcast, Andrew and recurring co-host Martin Whiskin dive deep into the album art that shaped our musical tastes, plastered our pencil cases, and possibly got Dead Kennedys sued. From the raw power of Monster Magnet and Kyuss, to the delicate doodles of The Levellers, to Pink Floyd being accused of ripping off Blur 20 years early (or was it the other way round?), it’s a deep, noisy, nostalgic ride.

▶ Featuring tales of crusty gigs, folk festivals, DIY patches, and massive, illegal sound systems.
▶ Not featuring: tasteful restraint, coherent structure, or Richard Ashcroft’s blessing.

### Riffs of the week

#### Martin Whiskin's Riff

- Bellowhead - Rigs of The Time

#### Andrew's Riff

- Smote - Drommon Pt1

### Martin Whiskin's track choices

1. Monster Magnet - Power Trip

2. Levellers - Levelling the Land

3. Ye Wiles - Soothing Away The Horrors of Indigestion

4. Kyuss - Welcome to Sky Valley

### Andrew's track choices

1. Pink Floyd - See Emily Play

2. Verve - She's a superstar

3. Led Zepplin - Gallows Pole

4. Dead Kennedys - MTV - Get Off the Air

Email us - beatmotel@lawsie.com

Episode 140: Great Bands, Awful Names (feat. Dr Sam)

Brace yourselves for a melodic mess as Andrew and the returning legend Dr Sam dive into the world of bands that slap sonically but utterly fumble the name game. From the majestic chaos of Defeated Sanity (yes, really) to the ultra-bland University, it's a wild ride of killer riffs and cringe monikers.

Expect:

• Funkadelic basslines from Graham Central Station (who apparently named themselves after a sodding train station).

• Deep thoughts on Car Seat Headrest (sounds like IKEA flatpack instructions, but damn, they're good).

• A loving roast of Hanoi Rocks (plus a bit of Michael Monroe fanboying).

• Death metal that sounds like it was named by a teen with a Latin dictionary and a nosebleed.

There's also the usual chaos: kebab regrets, biscuit philosophy, Monster Munch trauma, and why headless basses should be banished to the fiery pit.

Grab a non-alcoholic beer, sit on your own car seat headrest, and prepare for an episode that's heavier than a Greggs bag after a night out.

### Riffs of the week

#### Dr Sam's Riff

- Between the Buried and Me - Things We Tell Ourselves in the Dark (0.30)

#### Andrew's Riff

- Prolapse - Cha Cha Cha 2000 (1:00)

### Dr Sam's track choices

1. Hanoi Rocks - Malibu Beach Nightmare (0.40)

2. Graham Central Station - Release Yourself (opening)

3. Viagra Boys - Man Made of Meat (0.45)

4. Defeated Sanity - Condemned to Vascular Famine (1.43)

### Andrew's track choices

1. The Nice - America (0:40)

2. Car Seat Headrest - Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales (4:21)

3. University - Notre Dame made out of flesh (4:28)

4. Agriculture - The glory of the ocean (6:12)

Email us - beatmotel@lawsie.com

John Peel. The man, the myth, the reason you accidentally got into Bulgarian throat singing that one time. This episode of Beat Motel is a loving, ramshackle dive into the chaotic universe of Peel Sessions.

Andrew Culture is joined by Mick Derrick from Prolapse, who proves that the road from crusty-sounding band names to DIY folklore is paved with weirdness, cassette tapes, and gigs no one came to. Expect tales of friendly old men who just happen to be in Mayhem, Welsh insults passed down to daughters, and the mystery of 500 unsellable t-shirts.

This episode includes:

• Pen-palling with Datblygu

• Bridget St John vs. aggressive jazz drummers

• How to make an album that sounds like a pub quiz gone wrong

• Firehose and the miracle of Mike Watt in Maida Vale

• And an impromptu quiz on obscure Peel Session stats that nobody really wins

Also, Prolapse has a new album. We mention that too, after slagging off ragtime, waxing lyrical about noise abatement, and trying not to get sued by the estate of John Martyn.

A celebration of DIY music, Peel magic, and the joy of saying “I liked them before they had a second single.”

### Riffs of the week

#### Mick's Riff

- Sharp Pins - Lorelei

#### Andrew's Riff

- University - Diamond Song

### Mick's track choices

1. Datblygu - Cristion Yn Y Kibbutz

2. Bridget St. John - Ask Me No Questions

3. Yeah Yeah Noh - Blood Soup

4. Quickspace - Happy Song

### Andrew's track choices

1. Ivor Cutler - Joe's Thick Coat (Peel Session)

2. The Auteurs - Happy birthday Buddha

3. Desperate Bicycles - The medium was tedium

4. fIREHOSE - She Paints Pictures (Peel Session)

Email us - beatmotel@lawsie.com

John Peel photo by Duca di Spinaci

https://www.flickr.com/photos/bhikku/1076455