Over the past 14 months the band have been back in the studio in Sheffield recording their 9th studio album – this is planned to be a double-album. The new album will be called ‘Chronica’ and it contains ‘an abstract story roughly hewn from a concept of a dystopian island society. A place where everything has fallen into ruin, yet people still seem to have the same preoccupation with the trivial crap they had before. The population trudge through a chaotic existence on top of each other with absolutely no hope of a better life. Society is reduced to its base behaviour yet people still crave superficial fixes. The human condition carries on regardless. There is no outcome, no lessons to be learned’.
The Scaramanga Six aim to release this in the summer of 2017 on heavyweight double vinyl as well as the usual digital formats via the medium of the PledgeMusic platform that worked so well for their previous album, ‘The Terrifying Dream’. There will be a trove of other pledge-based exclusives made available, some generous and some personalised and abusive. Watch this space for more information about this soon.
The single
For now though, you are offered a pair of epic & expansive tracks from ‘Chronica’ as a stopgap/taster of things to come. This single release will be entirely digital, and you are asked to pay what you want for the tracks – even if that be nothing.
About the songs
AS WE TAKE THE STAGE
The core quartet of Morricone/Morricone/Arnez/Champion are bolstered by long-term collaborator, Stephen ‘Evens’ Gilchrist to return to the double-drum assault last heard on the ‘Phantom Head’ album. The distant pounding comes to the fore and the band launch afloat a gargantuan vessel towards the shores of the Chronic Isle full of the foolhardy self-confidence that has chequered their careers. They can’t stop and they won’t stop. This mantra is repeated belligerently as a barrage of drums build and build.
OWNED
Those of you who have attended any of the band’s recent rock rituals may have heard an intense and brutal version of this epic new song, which seems to be a strange dichotomy of internal fury and overt sloganeering. It has undoubtedly been well received, with startled gig-goers finding themselves joining in involuntarily after just the first howl of the chorus.
This studio recording kicks off with an almost teutonic overture featuring the mighty Wasp synthesizer. The scene is set – it’s a retrospective vision of a potential future, all tinfoil and tablets. What follows are three movements of increasing velocity and ferocity. A picture of Chronica emerges as the lyrical content jumps back and forth in time to reveal the cyclic nature of decay – ‘This is not the end’. Musically, the band explores a tapestry of bleak post-punk, krautrock and bludgeoning melodrama.
The photography for this release is the work of Ben Daure using an amazing technique of double-exposure and composition to create these images in-camera. You can find more of his work here: www.grape-productions.com
‘DARKROOM’ – The Best of The Scaramanga Six
As if that announcement wasn’t thrilling enough, there has also been an update to the Bandcamp-only compilation of The Six – formerly ‘A Introduction to….’, this has now been re-jigged with a new selection of compelling material from the band’s back catalogue and a re-branded as ‘DARKROOM’, complete with a snazzy, movie-poster style cover image again featuring the stunning photography of Ben Daure. Now, we’re probably preaching to the converted here, but this is a good place to start should you want to either expand your knowledge of the band’s huge variety of work or indeed initiate friends and enemies alike into the nefarious ways of The Scaramanga Six. It’s a pay-what-you-like digital release again, so please fill yer boots and share share share!….
In an English folk scene currently bursting with bold and innovative folk music, vocal trio Lady Maisery shine brightly. With their unique approach to harmony singing and thoughtful, striking arrangements of both traditional repertoire and original compositions, Lady Maisery are skilful explorers of the power, beauty and vitality of folk song.
The Furrow Collective
Described by MOJO as ‘a mouthwatering collaboration’, Alasdair Roberts, Emily Portman, Lucy Farrell and Rachel Newton are four fine soloists sharing a mutual love of traditional songs, from both sides of the English and Scottish borders, with playful, boundary-defying musicianship. They were nominated for two BBC Folk awards in 2015 and this year have been nominated for Best Traditional Track for ‘Unquiet Grave’ from their latest EP Blow Out the Moon.
Mike Wilson and Damien Barber
Two of the finest exponents of Traditional Song in the United Kingdom; it is difficult to accept that these relatively young men, have a combined 40+ years experience of performing at folk venues.
Raised in Norfolk and heavily influenced by such earlier Norfolk singers as Walter Pardon and Peter Bellamy, Damien is a stylish and distinctive singer, either unaccompanied or using guitar or concertina. Mike Wilson is the youngest member of the Wilson Family, the powerful Teesside singing siblings who have raised the rafters at many a festival or folk club event. Damien and Mike have a rich shared repertoire of traditional songs plus the work of modern folk writers such as Bellamy, Ewan MacColl and Mike Waterson.
Dr Butler’s Hatstand Medicine Band
Dr Butler’s Hatstand Medicine Band are a travelling troupe of musicological minstrels, peddling the good Doctors unique good-time tonic to all four corners of the land. Formed from a secret combination of early blues and jazz forms, a sprinkle of ragtime, a dash of hot swing, the essence of sweet spiritual, a pinch of the oldest of old-timey melodies and a teaspoon of Vaudevillian and Music Hall showoffery. All whisked together with the most esoteric of folk rhythms.
The Bromleys
The Bromleys are John, Jenny and James (father, daughter and son), each gifted with a powerful voice. They sing a variety of folk songs in three part harmony. Together, they create a rich blend of voices that is unique to their kin. Singing runs through their blood.
Didikai
Didikai present a broad and diverse range of material with their enthralling duo featuring the sultry vocal talents of Amy-Rose and the musical finesse of Becky Taylor. They showcase an amazing breadth of line-up encompassing uilleann pipe and fiddle duets, songs accompanied by uilleann pipes, duet concertina, guitar and fiddle (but not all at the same time!), duelling fiddles, even some northumbrian small-piping delivered with more than a hint of humour and style.
From this enigmatic and highly original due you can expect anything from self-penned songs to traditional Gypsy ballads, rousing chorus songs and catchy tune sets. You are most certainly guaranteed not to get bored!
The Black Box Band
The Black Box Band plays lively English dance music for ceilidhs, barn dances & village hops. Line -up includes – Steve Harrison – melodeon, mouth organ, Chris Coe – hammered dulcimer, Chris Partington – fiddle, Alice Jones – piano, Sue Coe – dance caller & step dancer. They will be leading our Friday night ceilidh to get the festival started.
Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne
Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne is known primarily for his work with BBC Radio 2 Folk Award nominees Granny’s Attic however, Cohen has recently made his first venture into performing as a soloist. As well as playing melodeon and concertina, Cohen is a fine singer, having won Bromyard Folk Festival’s Future of Young Folk Award for young singers in 2014. Cohen performs traditional songs and tunes from the UK with a particular interest in material from the West Midlands where he has lived for much of his life.
Becky Langan
Born in Rochdale Becky Langan is a percussive fingerstyle guitarist who employs a combination of extended techniques that explore the outermost reaches of the acoustic guitar. Becky employs the use of unique alternative tunings, two-handed tapping, percussive tempos and natural harmonic melodies drawn from her inspirations Andy McKee, Jon Gomm and Thomas Leeb. To this day, Becky has approximately 5000 online YouTube subscribers, and her channel has rapidly grown an appreciative audience from all over the world.
Becky was a semi-finalist on Guitar Star 2016 (Series 2) which aired on Sky Arts – a TV show which scours the UK to discover a world class guitarist. Throughout this competition, she recorded at Abbey Road Studios with producer Tony Visconti and received mentor sessions from many iconic musicians, including; Tony Iommi, George Benson, Wilko Johnson, Jon Gomm and Preston Reed.
Dance teams
Persephone Women’s North West Morris
The team are a North West (old Lancashire and Cheshire areas of England) Processional Morris side in a very distinctive kit where black predominates adding yellow and green as noticeable contrasts.
The style is vigorous and precise, the side earning accolades and appreciation from both general and knowledgeable audiences
Oakenhoof
Favourites, regulars, locals. Stars of last year’s Saturday night epic at the Unitarian. Oakenhoof are inclusivity at its very best. Clogs, music, morris, rapper, they’ve got it all!
Ryburn Longsword
Ryburn Longsword have been dancing together since 1994. Some of their dances are traditional and come from villages across Yorkshire, others have been created by members of the group. Members range in age from seven to seventy, most of them living in the Ryburn Valley near Halifax in West Yorkshire.
Bollin Morris
Bollin Morris are a mixed Morris team performing Border Morris, based at the Spread Eagle in Lymm, Cheshire. They perform some traditional dances from the counties that border Wales, some dances created by other teams and some they have choreographed ourselves. The costumes are mainly blues and greens to represent the river Bollin. The team was first formed in 1976 as a revival of the Altrincham Morris team.
Fiat Lux was formed in Wakefield in 1982, by Steve Wright (vocals) and David P Crickmore (guitars, bass, keyboards). Ian Nelson (sax, keyboards), younger brother of Be-Bop Deluxe guitarist and lead vocalist Bill Nelson, joined shortly afterwards, complementing the classic line-up of the band, who remained until the mid-1980s, when Crickmore departed.
‘Secrets’ was all over the airwaves in 1983 and remained in Annie Nightingale’s Top 5 favourite singles, even after her “conversion” to dance music. With passionate support from other BBC Radio 1 DJs such as Peter Powell, Janice Long and Kid Jenson, and TV appearances including Old Grey Whistle Test, and a dedicated Channel 4 special, many were left wondering why the act imploded before reaching the full potential the media had predicted for them.
‘Secrets 2017’ can be pre-ordered on iTunes and Apple Music now.
Steve and David met at Bretton Hall College, Wakefield. Steve joined David’s new wave band, Juveniles (whose two songs were released in a various artists compilation called Household Shocks). Steve later joined theatre company Yorkshire Actors where he met musician Bill Nelson. After impressing him with a demo tape, Nelson produced one of the demo’s tracks, “Feels Like Winter Again”, b/w “This Illness” and released it on his Cocteau Records label in November 1982, by which time Nelson’s brother Ian had joined the band. ‘Feels Like Winter Again’ gained the band radio airplay and led to them signing a record deal with major label Polydor.
The band had UK chart hits with ‘Secrets’ and ‘Blue Emotion’, which were followed by the mini album ‘Hired History’ in August 1984.
They made several TV appearances, including a performance on Old Grey Whistle Test. There was also a long format video release Commercial Breakdown, which included live versions of the shelved tracks for their debut full-length Polydor album.
David departed after the chart failure of their fifth Polydor single release ‘House Of Thorns’ and the band continued recording some songs with session musicians.
Steve joined Camera Obscura, replacing Nigel James, and formed Hoi Poloi, another short-lived pop group. He then abandoned the music industry to become a television director.
David continued with experimental projects through the remaining 1980s, culminating in an album on the London-based independent record label, Yellow Moon Records, Lettuce Spay under the name This. In the 1990s he rediscovered his love of folk and roots music and became a founder member of The Durbervilles. From 2005 The Durbevilles became radio presenters with a weekly folk and roots show on BBC Radio Leeds.
Ian Nelson continued to work with his brother Bill, joining the line-up of Be-Bop Deluxe, in the early 1990s. He died in 2006.
To celebrate the upcoming release of his new single ‘Relax; enjoy your night upon the town!’ which premiered at The Fader, Myles Manley has announced a 13 date tour. He will be performing alongside fellow Irish musicians, Chris Barry and Solamh Kelly.
Tour
Feb 17 London (New Cross) — Amersham Arms
Feb 19 Coventry — The Tin Arts and Music
Feb 22 Newport — Le Pub
Feb 24 Leeds — House Show
Feb 25 Edinburgh — Safari Lounge
Feb 26 Sheffield — Audacious Art Experiment
Mar 3 Belfast — The Sunflower
Mar 4 Sligo — McGarrigles
Mar 23 Buncrana — Ned’s Point
Mar 24 Derry — Bennigans
Mar 25 Dublin — The Workman’s Club
Apr 8 Limerick — Dolan’s Warehouse
Apr 9 Dundalk — The Spirit Store
“Relax; Enjoy your night upon the town!” with this utterance Myles Manley is being at once both sincere and fatalistic. “I always knew I was the best!” says the dashing and supercilious young artist with a smile, “but at certain points I realise that that might not really be the case. It is always the case though.”
Myles Manley makes idiosyncratic folk music on guitar with rhythms and colours snatched from various places, most recently Eric B and Rakim, Micachu and The Shapes, Moondog, The Clash’s Sandinista, Jinx Lennon, Frankie Cosmos, etc. “I started listening to a lot of early hiphop for some reason and what I loved about it was the clunkiness of the sounds, and the excitement you can hear at a whole new world of opportunities. I bought an MPC and started making idiot beats late at night that I’d write songs to. I’ve always had an ear for weird rhythms and I was able to make stuff that you’d never come up with rehearsing in a room with a drummer.”
A batch of songs written in this way was then taken to human drummers Solamh Kelly and Oisin Trench and recorded by longtime collaborator Chris Barry, who added his own guitar parts, yielding the single you have in your very ears. “It is amazing to play with such musicians because they take a framework and make it come alive, add their voice to it. It starts to express a time and a place. And it starts to express my unbelievable talent.”
Hurrying through Broadstone, Dublin for another midnight session of bopping and guitar strumming at the Mr. Barry’s studio Ail Fionn, the aloof, succulent Manley has this to whistle: “these are troubling times for a reluctant narcissist. You always thought you could saunter through life, gently seeking attention, a joker in the pack, avoiding beatings, harming no-one beyond mild nuisance making. There’re times you wonder, are you lord of the dance or lord of the bluebottles?”
Myles Manley was born in northern England and lived in a few places there until his family moved to Sligo, Ireland, where he became the village indie boy. “I’m in love with songs. What I am seeking in my music is naivety and deliciousness; what I find is also an escape from anxiety. And if you want to really hear it, imagine early days, running round a dead, shithole town at 4am in August, with a person you haven’t kissed, want to kiss and will never kiss. No power. Night night.”
“Relax; enjoy your night upon the town” is set for release on February 17th via Dublin’s Little L Records, available on 7″ and all major digital platforms.
‘Bloodstones’ covers themes of oppression and slavery during the colonial era and how its effects are still being felt today. Coupling imagery from the Vodun religion with moving footage from the civil rights era, the video resonates deeply with the current political climate, both in the UK and the US.
Speaking of the inspiration surrounding ‘Bloodstones’, frontwoman Oya (Chantal Brown, ex-Do Me Bad Things) explains, “The unbreakable bond between people and their spirit is never more evident than in the attempted removal of the cultural identity from the kin of the Western Coast of Africa. Even today, our eyes bear witness to the Native Americans at Standing Rock, hands still firmly clutching what’s left of their culture and sacred land – even after the undeniable genocide that was brutally cast upon them, giving birth to the most powerful country on Earth. Slavery and genocide made its deep and torrid mark on the psyche of many, however the spirit and essence lives on in all of the corners of where these peoples were forced. Yes, blood runs deep… but spirits are made of stone.”
Fronted by the powerful soul vocals of Oya aside fierce drumming from Ogoun (Zel Kaute, ex-Pettybone) and the white-hot riffing of The Marassa (Lindsay Hamilton) on guitar, ‘Possession’ is a journey into the history of the ancient West African religion from which the band takes their name. Maligned and derided since colonial times by slavers, the vodoun religion still exists as a powerful, feminist, and positive force in the lives of many people around the world.
Following their debut album ‘Possession’, which received acclaim from The Guardian, Metal Hammer, Classic Rock, Kerrang!, Mojo, Noisey, Terrorizer and many more, Vodun finished an incredible year playing festivals across Europe including Bloodstock, Desertfest Antwerp, sold-out shows through London, and a UK tour supporting Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats through 2016.
Hot off the heels of a sold out UK tour in support of current album ‘The Devil, The Heart & The Fight’ – out on Xtra Mile Recordings – Skinny Lister announce a run of even bigger venues for Spring 2017. Having just played to a packed out London, Garage, Skinny Lister will return to the capital to conquer the famous Scala venue in Kings Cross as well as their biggest ever venues across the country. Dates are as follows:
SKINNY LISTER UK HEADLINE TOUR
APRIL
27 Sheffield Leadmill
28 Manchester Gorilla
29 Edinburgh Voodoo Rooms
MAY
3 Nottingham Rescue Rooms
4 Cambridge, The Junction
5 Birmingham Hare & Hounds
6 Bristol, The Fleece
9 Southampton Talking Heads
10 Brighton, The Haunt
11 London Scala
TOOTS AND THE MAYTALS
DAVID RODIGAN
LEE ‘SCRATCH’ PERRY
MILKY CHANCE
ROMARE (FULL LIVE BAND)
THE SUGARHILL GANG FT. MELLE MEL & SCORPIO
FAITHLESS (DJ SET)
HIGH CONTRAST
JACKMASTER
JON HOPKINS (DJ SET)
RICHY AHMED / SKREAM / ADRIAN SHERWOOD / DUB PISTOLS / FACTORY FLOOR / STEREO MC’S / ARTWORK / MAX COOPER /
MR. SCRUFF / SHADOW CHILD / SLAM / SONNY FODERA /
DENIS SULTA / OPTIMO (ESPACIO)
DRUM MACHINE / DUTTY MOONSHINE BIG BANG / JALEN N’GONDA / KIOKO /
SHY LUV / THE DYR SISTER / TOM WALKER / DENIS SULTA / ELI & FUR /
LEFTWING & KODY / OC & VERDE / UTAH SAINTS
ENDOR / FEATURECAST / GAWP / KRYSKO & GREG LORD / MOOQEE /
SHAKA LOVES YOU / TWOGOOD
The barmiest festival in all the land, the treasured Beat-Herder returns in 2017 with its unrivalled and eccentric party in the Ribble Valley, Lancashire.
One of the few remaining independent festivals in the UK, Beat-Herder is a place where different musical tribes congregate as one. Throughout the event’s 12 year history, they have united the subcultures of dance music and beyond: dub, reggae, house, psytrance, techno, indie, rock, psychedelic, drum & bass and dubstep are all presented across 21 stages.
Performing on Saturday will be anarchic music duo Sleaford Mods, in what will be their only UK Northern festival appearance of 2017. Joining them will be Danish multi-instrumentalist Trentemøller, who will take to the main stage with a full live band. In addition, musical innovators from all corners of the globe, each having led the way in their respective fields: dub hero Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, progressive ska and rocksteady legends Toots and the Maytals, celebrated UK figure David Rodigan (MBE), and the hugely influential hip-hop group The Sugarhill Gang.
Other acts announced include true dub luminary and On-U Sound honcho Adrian Sherwood, and German group Milky Chance, who will bring their own blend of folk, reggae and electronica infused pop. Hospital Records icon High Contrast will play The Ring – a 100ft diameter bank of earth with imposing walls and a stonehenge style entrance, paying tribute to the Ribble Valley’s mystical heritage. Elsewhere, Techno act Slam, and the all-conquering Glaswegian duo OPTIMO (Espacio), celebrate 20 years of their now legendary eponymous party with a special anniversary set in The Fortress, a giant steel citadel complete with fire-spewing turrets.
The Toil Trees stage is the beating heart of the festival. Discovering this special place will lead you back in time to where it all began; an electrifying party in the woods. A stage surrounded by unspoiled pine trees, it’s a favourite meeting place for revellers to grab a beer, discover secret venues, or simply take in the magical surroundings. This year, legendary founding fathers of British electronic music Faithless, Shadow Child, party-starter Skream and one of Glasgow’s finest exports, Jackmaster, will all play amidst the Toil Trees.
Spinning his mix of funk, jazz, reggae and more, Beat-Herder stalwart Mr. Scruff returns, alongside dubstep experimentalist Artwork. Post-industrial band Factory Floor, Ninja Tune’s Romare (full live band), Black Butter’s SHY LUV, Richy Ahmed, Mercury prize nominee Jon Hopkins and Denis Sulta, who recently skyrocketed up RA’s Top 100 DJ poll to number 26, are also confirmed.
Everin got together in 2002, meeting in the corner of a dingy pub. Fast forward 15 years, and the band – Alex and Chris Wirth, Dave Bloor and Matt Elliott – have come a long way. For years, the band played all over the country, building a loyal fanbase at a string of prestigious London venues and winning some high profile battles of the bands to boot; their live reputation was even enough to earn them a slot at the 10,000+ capacity Sheffield Arena.
Recent years have seen the band take time away from the stage, but now they’re back with a great new album ‘Morning Will Make Monsters Of Us All’ (which we’ll be reviewing, watch this space) and a run of successful gigs under their belt. Support slots with rock royalty the Quireboys and up & coming Kansas blues rockers Moreland & Arbuckle have helped bolster their fanbase and reaffirm them as mainstays of the Sheffield rock scene.
So that’s the background, I wanted to know more about that’s happening with the band. I asked the questions, Alex (vocals) and Chris (bass) supplied the answers.
What prompted the band to get back to playing together after your break away from playing?
Alex: It was never our plan to stay away for as long as we did! We decided to take a break from the stage to get some new material together and just got kinda sidetracked! That new material eventually turned into ‘Morning Will Make Monsters Of Us All’, and by the time we’d finished the album we were all just desperate to get back out there and play it live.
What was the reaction to your getting back together, was this something that your fans had been asking you to do?
Alex: We’ve been blown away to be honest. We knew there was interest in us playing live again and releasing new material, but the reaction since the release of Morning Will Make Monsters Of Us All has just been something else. We’ve been lucky enough to play some great gigs since the album came out and we’ve made loads of new friends in the process!
What’s changed from how it was ‘back in the day’?
Alex: We’ve been talking about this a lot recently. The biggest thing is probably the massive influence of social media this time around! When we first started playing shows in London around 2005, we did some stuff through Myspace, but things like Facebook and Twitter just weren’t there as tools for bands. So there was a lot of legwork involved – phone calls to promoters, making posters, posting out tickets… then at the end of a gig we’d try to sign people up to a mailing list or sell them a t-shirt and hope they’d look out for us next time. Now we can put so much of ourselves online, and it’s been amazing to see the reaction to that.
Have you changed musically now that you’re back together, have new influences been bought into your sound?
Alex: I’m not sure I could name any new influences necessarily, but we’ve all grown up a lot, and I think that comes across in how we write and the noise we make. Listening back to some of the older stuff now, there’s a clear progression… I think our sound is a lot fuller than it was for a start – when we go from quiet to loud, it makes you sit up and listen! That said, there are plenty of the older songs that we still love playing.
Actually while I’m on influences, what are the key influences on your sound?
Chris: Too many to mention! I suppose the bulk of our influences come from all things rock ‘n’ roll, as you can probably tell, but we have a pretty wide spectrum of tastes between the four of us. I like to think that it all seeps in there somewhere and helps the songs have a bit of variety.
What’s the reaction to the new material?
Chris: We’ve been really chuffed with it. From the first time we played tracks like ‘Air & Sound’, and ‘Killing Me’, we’ve had people coming up to us and telling us they’re their new favourites. We still slot a few of the old stalwarts in the set as well though.
Are you getting new audiences as well as people who came to see you before your break?
Chris: It’s been a bit of both, which is perfect for us. It means a huge amount to have people coming back time after time, but we’ve also been lucky enough to land some gigs with acts on European tours like The Quireboys, and then in slightly different styles like blues rockers Moreland & Arbuckle. That helps us reach a wider audience, and the feedback from that has been brilliant.
Now on to your album, what was the recording process? It sounds like a band recorded playing, it has that organic sound which is missing from a lot of rock today, was this something you were really going for?
Alex: Thanks! That’s definitely something we were aiming for, yeah. It’s been a DIY effort throughout. The bulk of the recording took place in a cottage in the Pennines – we just locked ourselves in there over a weekend and laid down as many tracks as we could. After that there was a long period of mixing to get everything as close to the stage sound as possible – we’re lucky that Matt (drummer) knows his way around mixing software. We wanted the album to sound polished, but to capture the excitement and intimacy of a live show. Hopefully we got there!
What’s the writing process for your songs? Do you all write together or does one person bring an idea to the rest of the band?
Chris: We’ve come up with things in a number of ways. Our most common formula is that Alex will bring the foundations of a song to the rest of us, we’ll each then come up with our own parts, and we’ll work out the structure, rises and falls, as we jam it out together as a band.
Some the tracks on the album sound really personal, is this reflecting stuff going on in your lives?
Alex: Haha no comment! No that’s great – thanks. That’s what we’re going for. There’s a real mix in there to be honest… a lot of the songs grow out of something real and become something different, then some stick very close to reality. And others are complete fabrication! I’ll leave you to decide which is which..!
Upcoming plans – new recorded tracks, touring
Alex: We’re coming hot off a run of great gigs at the minute, and loving it. We’re playing again on 4th March at the RS Bar in Sheffield, and after that we’ve got some studio time booked in to start work on the follow up to ‘Morning Will Make Monsters Of Us All’! We definitely won’t be staying away from the stage so long this time though – we’re having way too much fun!
I was introduced to GAOB by my schoolfriend Warren (AKA Was) who also introduced to me to Altered Images. Actually he introduced me to whole lot of things that were, at the time, well out of my comfort zone. I recall the day he played a New Order 12” to me in the common room (look I went to the sort of school where we had common rooms, I’m not apologising for that) I was quite, quite stunned. He also introduced me to Rip, Rig and Panic and I think Scritti Politti. I have much to thank Warren for, to be honest.
What I listened to mainly at the time was heavy rock/metal, so jangly post-punk pop was a huge leap. Having taken that leap, well to be honest my record collection seemed to grow a lot, and I was buying stuff I heard on John Peel’s show even if I’d only heard a snatch that I liked.
Warren and I went to see Altered Images play, sneaking out of school and sneaking into the venue to see the band soundcheck and actually getting to speak to Clare – who pointed out that she really didn’t like my Rush badge (this was actually the cast metal 2112 badge which I was quite proud of then). I don’t think she was that keen on my cord jacket either but she was polite enough not to mention that.
I missed his visit to try and get to see GAOB – I think I had had to ring my dad once too often to ask him to come and get me having missed the last train home. He didn’t actually get to see the band but he did hear the band’s set – this is what he says on the website for GAOB (see links below), although I know how he managed to hear the set, he doesn’t actually go into that detail, and I’m not going to tell you either.
What I do recall is the excitement I felt on my first listen to GAOB. It was spikey, fun and witty. It had ragged edges. It was inventive, It was funky. I do recall thinking it sounded a bit like Altered Images in places but also some of the more spiky darker post-punk stuff I heard on The Peel Show. But it sounded like pop music to me, just better pop than the stuff we were hearing on Top of The Pops and daytime radio at the time.
Many websites out there seem to ‘lump’ them into being Twee. Twee was a sort of jangly post-punk poppy sound epitomised by Talulah Gosh. Altered Images, by the way, were never ever Twee, even if you think ‘jangly post-punk poppy sound’ fits them to a T.
Talulah Gosh: Trivia
Just because I can, I have to hand some trivia to impart:
Talulah Gosh took their name from a headline on an NME interview with Clare Grogan
The singer from the band – Amelia Fletcher – is now Professor of Competition Policy at the University of East Anglia. She also sits on the board of the Financial Conduct Authority
After the death of the band’s drummer the remaining members formed Heavenly and then Marine Research. Both of these featured Cathy Rogers on keyboards and backing vocals, you may be more aware of Cathy as the original co-host of Scrapheap Challenge. That’s her with the short hair at the beginning of the video below.
And we’re back …
Although some of GAOB’s music could be described as Twee, some is more punk-pop or post-punk. There’s also a distinct Buzzcocks’ influence in some of their songs. Some of it goes way post-punk, way way post-punk into the realm of bizarre sounding pop. It takes influences from anywhere and everywhere, and mixes them into this quite quite wonderful thing. It’s pop but not as we know it.
The band I mentioned right at the top of this column actually sound like the Twee-ish GAOB tracks. And there appear to be a few other bands that have some of that Twee-ness, perhaps it’s time for Twee revival!
I used to have all of GAOB’s recorded material and a tape of their 1981 Peel Session – recorded on a very rickety radio/cassette player – but all except the album ‘Pleasure’ have disappeared.
There are lots of 80s bands from Leeds that get a huge amount of respect, I think GAOB need adding to that list.
‘Pleasure’
Track listing
Pleasure
Too Big for Your Boots
I’m Beautiful Now
Waterbed Babies
Fun-City Teenagers
£600,000
Heaven
China Blue
Fast Boyfriends
She Flipped
Goodbye to That Jazz
I know I heard the album near it’s 1981 release date – Warren may have played it to me – although I didn’t buy the album until I was at university so it was probably after the band had broken up, although I don’t think I was aware that this had happened. I probably missed the issue of NME that carried that news. Finding that bands had broken up months before you found out wasn’t that strange at the time.
Mine came with the gift ‘Pleasure Bag’ which is still complete except for the stencil.
So what of the music, well it’s still as good I remember, it’s fresh! It’s spikey! It’s fun! It’s funky! ‘!’s are catching!
Jo’s vocals are quite wonderful, they’re, how shall I describe them, pure but with an edge of raggedness in her voice in places that is so good. Actually I had forgotten quite how good the vocals sound, and there’s some nice layered vocals going on that bizarrely sound quite goth in places (these are way back in the mix so you’ll need to listen carefully).
Listening carefully, as you have to when you are writing about something, this was obviously an incredibly musically talented group of musicians. The bass playing really stands out and the drumming is wonderful.
Yep there’s that ringing guitar post-punk thing going on in places, so we can tick that box. But there are tunes and you can hum them. It’s fun, happy music. And there’s lots of stuff going on, there are hints of music hall, rock ‘n’ roll, psychobilly, jazz, dub, children’s TV themes and even church choirs. I’d forgotten quite how insane some of the music on this is. Some tracks have keyboards – played by Thomas Dolby – and one track even features a clarinet.
Whatever is going on musically these songs bring a huge smile to your face. A huge almost painful smile.
At this point I need to address something – back in the early 80s another friend said ‘isn’t this just a novelty and throw away pop?’. Well no, although GAOB’s music is huge fun, there’s a depth. It’s well played, cleverly arranged and the lyrics are witty in places and in others about the society at the time. The songs bear being played over and over again, and you’re always going to hear something you’d not found before. For me it’s like ABC, yes their music was pop but it was meta-pop, it was so pop it was lifted out of that and into pure class.
For me, this album is a classic of it’s time, and deserves to treated as such.
Members and some history
Left to Right: Gerard Swift ● James Alan ● Judy Evans ● D. Carl Harper
Three original members of the band – Gerard Swift, Chris Oldroyd and James Allan – all played in a 77-vintage punk band called S.O.S!. Jo joined and S.O.S! became The Butterflies. They split up but then reformed naming themselves Girls At Our Best (or Girls At Our Best!, the ‘!’ seemed to be optional). They split up in 1982.
Judy “Jo” Evans – vocals (1979-1982) – real name Jo Gaffney – Warren’s website appears to indicate that she dropped out of music.
James “Jez” Alan – guitar (1979-1982) – real name Jez Pritchatt – After the band split, Jez played guitar in Sex Beat. In 1983 he went on to join The Meteors ‘pyschobilly’ offshoot The Tall Boys. He then formed Sadodada! along with Jonny Slut (of Specimen). The Tall Boys reformed again in 1996 and 2012/3. Jez is now the Course Leader for the Foundation Degree programmes at Leeds College of Music
Gerard “Terry” Swift – bass (1979-1982) – appears to have dropped out of being in bands after leaving. Warren’s site says he become a heating engineer.
Chris Oldroyd – drums (1979-1980) – left and joined Music For Pleasure, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry and is now in Leeds based Snapp http://www.thesnapp.co.uk
Darren Carl Harper – drums (1980-1981) – Warren’s site says he had a job fixing computers after leaving GAOB
Rod Johnson – drums (1981-1982) – appears to have gone onto playing drums in Bruce Woolley & the Camera Club (which also included Thomas Dolby) and also played with Robyn Hitchcock
As can be seen the band seem to have quite a thing about band names with an ‘!’
Links
There’s lots of stuff out there – just Google, but there are a couple of sites worth mentioning
An interview with Jez on the Leeds College of Art website gives a slightly different account of the founding of the band, although it broadly matches the ‘publicly accepted’ band history – although given that he was actually in the band it’s probably closer to the truth than the ‘publicly accepted’ story!
‘Getting Nowhere Fast’ – Single 1980 – ‘Getting Nowhere Fast’ was covered by the Wedding Present, and included as a B-side on the latter’s 1987 12″ single ‘Anyone Can Make a Mistake’
‘Politics’ – Single 1980
‘Fast Boyfriends’ – Single 1981
‘Go For Gold!’/’I’m Beautiful’ – Single 1981
The Peel Sessions – 12″ 1987
John Spiers, known better in folk circles as Squeezy, has made a name for himself as one of the leading squeezebox players of his generation. Well known for his long-standing duo partnership with Jon Boden in the formidable Spiers & Boden as well as his contribution to the massively popular Bellowhead, John has also played with Eliza Carthy’s Ratcatchers and a number of local folk-dance bands.
He moved to Abingdon in Oxfordshire at an early age where his association with the traditional folk music and dance of the region began. As the son of a morris dancer, it’s hardly surprising that this early exposure to folk music proved to be influential.
Highly influenced by the recordings of John Kirkpatrick and with the generous support of the local folk club, his playing advanced very quickly indeed, making up for the late start on the melodeon during his spare time from studying natural science’s at King’s College. A true enthusiast, his passion for music and bellows-driven instruments is only equalled by his passion for his allotment, cooking, making things out of wood, home brewing, the environment, gadgets and complaining about things on Twitter.
John has always written tunes and music for the melodeon in the traditional style and many of them can be heard performed on the albums of both Bellowhead and Spiers & Boden as well as being played in folk sessions up and down the country and around the world. He has only recently found time in amongst the heavy touring schedule to develop more of these compositions for performance as solo pieces and is keenly working on ways of marrying the infectious pulse of traditional English dance music with modern musical influences and take this vibrant music to audiences both at home and abroad.
Mixing infectious dance tunes with incredibly sensitive and moving slow airs, John’s solo shows are a mixture of traditional material and his own compositions interspersed with an easy-going, humorous and informative banter. Catch him at The Civic, Barnsley on Friday 24 February!
SHOW is at The Civic on Friday 24 February at 8pm. Tickets are £12 full price and £10 concessions.
For more information and to book visit www.barnsleycivic.co.uk or call the Box Office on 01226 327000
Some history
Track listing
So what of the music, well it’s still as good I remember, it’s fresh! It’s spikey! It’s fun! It’s funky! ‘!’s are catching!
