Retro Man Blog

The Damned 50th Anniversary Show at Wembley Arena with The Loveless, Peter Hook & The Light and The Courettes

2026-04-18T11:29:00.000+01:00

My first introduction to The Damned was watching them play "Love Song" on Top of The Pops as a kid back in 1979 and the first thing that hit me was that immense blast of a bass riff by Algy Ward. I got the album from where it came, “Machine Gun Etiquette”, and it still stands out as one of the very best Punk Rock LPs of all-time, certainly one of my favourites too. However, what came next was a big departure, not just with the line-up as Paul Gray from Eddie & The Hot Rods replaced Algy on the bass, but in the sheer scope of the songs on their next release, an ambitious double album entitled “The Black Album” which included the 17 minute Gothic masterpiece “Curtain Call”. I finally got to see them play live in 1981 at the Lyceum in London on the tour promoting the album, and I was totally blown away. I still think of that fantastic line-up of Dave Vanian, Captain Sensible, Rat Scabies and Paul Gray as 'my' Damned and "The Black Album", "Strawberries" and "The Friday 13th E.P." from that era are absolute classics. So, it was quite emotional to see that very same line-up on stage at the Wembley Arena to celebrate the band's 50th Anniversary with a setlist that featured many of the songs they played back at my first ever Damned gig! When the gig was announced I must admit to being disappointed to see they had chosen such an awful venue, I am not a big fan of such large soulless places, and I was in two minds whether to go or not. However, I didn’t want to regret missing out on such a special occasion and when I saw the superb support acts lined up, I snapped up a ticket. I must admit I was very pleased and relieved that I did, in the end it was a triumphant and hugely successful show despite my initial misgivings about the venue. At least I wasn’t the only one to dislike the place, even Captain Sensible held the same view, “I prefer the Hope & Anchor” he announced, “Wembley Arena is a big concrete shithole, but at least tonight it’s our big concrete shithole!”

Dwarfed by a huge backdrop and screens showing some fantastic spooky graphics, the band opened with “Street of Dreams” from the “Phantasmagoria” album, (which ironically didn’t feature the Captain or Paul Gray) and then treated us to a first set that was an absolute treat for us “Black Album”/”Strawberries” generation of fans. The brilliant “Wait For The Blackout” was one of the highlights of the night for me and this was followed by the epic “History of The World (Part 1)” and an atmospheric “Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde” complete with old horror movie back projections. It’s a song that highlights Paul Gray’s immense bass playing, and the sound is spot on tonight so you can really appreciate his talents and wonder why he is such an underrated bassist. Maybe it’s because his playing didn’t define The Damned in the way that maybe JJ Burnel, Peter Hook (more on him later) and Jah Wobble did on their respective bands. Captain Sensible in his trademark beret, black and red stripey jumper (with the addition of an oversized ‘50’ badge) and Gibson SG guitar, looks as good as he sounds, defying the years, it’s hard to believe the band are celebrating their 50th year as he’s barely changed since that first time I saw him. We then get two tracks from “Strawberries”, the brilliant, soulful “Stranger On The Town” is an absolute delight that gets the crowd moving and the Psychedelic Pop strains of “Under The Floor Again” is an unexpected gem. Dave moans about Su Pollard keeping “Eloise” off the top of the charts, I’m not a big fan of the song but I guess it has to be included as it was their biggest hit, and I guess an entry point for a lot of new fans at the time.

The band remind us that it’s not all about nostalgia and that they are still releasing new material with “Wake The Dead” from the 2023 “Darkedelic” album. Personally, I think the band were rejuvenated when Paul Gray re-joined and they released the brilliant “Rockfield Files” E.P. and it got me interested in their new material again. It was a similar situation when Baz Warne took on lead vocals with The Stranglers and the quality of their music and live performances shot up to another level and seemed to re-energize the band, and their fans. Captain takes over on lead vocals for the whimsical “Life Goes On” underpinned by another superb Paul Gray bassline that I’m sure Nirvana pilfered for “Come As You Are” and the pure pop of “Is It A Dream?” are pointers that The Damned weren’t always just about Anarchy, Chaos and Destruction, we’ll save those traits for the second set. My love of “Machine Gun Etiquette” is rewarded by “I Just Can’t Be Happy Today” which highlights the skills of keyboard player Monty Oxymoron who has now become an integral part of the band, “Hurry up Beethoven”, Dave jokes with him at one point. The first set draws to a close with the classic “Smash It Up Parts 1 & 2” after which the band retire for a short interval, and we are kept entertained while we wait by the Pearl and Dean music and loads of old nostalgic TV adverts.

The band return for a second set and take no prisoners with a far Punkier selection of songs, the back projection shows a clip of the band’s appearance on the classic comedy show The Young Ones and we get the rush of “Nasty”, which is a fantastic and unexpected surprise. That awesome bass intro of “Love Song” is like a rush of adrenaline and that’s followed by the blistering “Machine Gun Etiquette/Second Time Around” which almost careers off the rails. Despite missing his cue on occasion and some dodgy Elvis style hip swings, Dave Vanian is in fine form, starting off in trilby, black mask and long black coat, there must be a Dorian Gray style portrait hanging up in his loft, as he is defying the years like his bandmates. Rat Scabies proves that he is one of the best drummers to have come out of the Punk explosion and it’s so great that he is back in the line-up where he belongs. Dave pays tribute to Brian James and also to Algy Ward and Bryn Merrick which is a nice touch, and they slam into “Fan Club” from the debut album.

I’m over the moon as next up they play what could well be my all-time favourite Damned track, “Disco Man” from what must be the best ever 4-song E.P. of all time “The Friday 13th E.P.” and I can feel a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye. It’s impossible for a band to satisfy everyone, especially one that’s been going for 50 years with such an immense back catalogue, but I think they got the setlist just about right. After all, if every fan submitted their ideal setlist, I’m sure every single one would be different! Also, we already had the special treat of the original line-up reunion with Brian James at the Hammersmith Apollo, so they could be forgiven for missing a lot of the early material. Personally, as it was their 50th anniversary, I would have liked to have heard “Problem Child” or “Stretcher Case”, but I was happy that I got a fair few of my favourite songs. Talking of favourite songs, “Ignite”, the opening track from “Strawberries” was incendiary, if you pardon the pun, and it turned into an immense call and response singalong with the crowd. The classic “Neat, Neat, Neat” sparked off some mosh pit action but then the mood changed for the epic, cinematic classic “Curtain Call”, a duo of songs that couldn’t highlight the scope of The Damned’s musically ambitious eclecticism any better. Of course, the set closes with “New Rose”, that very first Punk single released in 1976, fifty years ago. I’ll say that again, fifty bloody years ago, hard to believe it when the band you are watching are looking and sounding as fresh, energetic and vital as ever. Let’s hope for a few more birthday celebrations to come.

I mentioned earlier that one of the reasons I decided to go was the great line-up that didn’t just consist of the usual Punk bands that I was expecting. The Loveless is Marc Almond’s fun Rock ‘n’ Roll side project and they played a great set mainly consisting of covers with a couple of originals thrown in. They had that down and dirty sound down to a tee and some highlights included takes on 13th Floor Elevators “You’re Gonna Miss Me” and a rousing, Glamtastic “Hell Raiser” by The Sweet. Guitarist Neal X was in top form and the version of his old band Sigue Sigue Sputnik’s “Love Missile F1-11” really worked. As did, Soft Cell’s classic cover “Tainted Love” which was out of this world played in the Rock ‘n’ Roll format. Marc Almond’s voice was fantastic, and he really seemed to enjoy fronting this excellent band.

Peter Hook & The Light also delighted the crowd with their set of Joy Division numbers that all sounded immense. The band were formed out of the ashes of Hook’s own Monaco with the addition of his son Jack on second bass, in fact Jack seemed to carry most of the burden, playing more than his Dad, who concentrates on singing, legs wide in familiar pose. Hooky, who’s wearing an Oasis T-Shirt featuring one of my Retro Man Blog colleague Paul Slattery’s photos, has such charisma that he seems to shrink the size of Wembley Arena, and Joy Division’s icy songs flourished in the environment. Talking of T-Shirts, guitarist David Potts is wearing one featuring the cover of The Damned’s “Friday The 13th EP” and he said he was chuffed to bits to be on the same bill as one of his favourite bands, it was a nice touch. We get a superb selection of songs such as “Transmission”, “Disorder”, “Shadowplay” and “Ceremony”, which was the Joy Division song that crossed over to New Order and inevitably, the set closed with “Love Will Tear Us Apart” and the crowd sang their hearts out.

Opening up the night were one of our Blog favourites, the Brazilian/Danish duo The Courettes, and I must admit I was a little worried about how they would fare in the cavernous Arena. But I needn’t have been concerned, and I was so pleased for Martin and Flavia that they went down so well despite the extremely early start. In the end they owned the huge stage of the Arena, it was certainly a far cry from the first time I saw them at the Fiddlers Elbow in Camden, but Flavia’s electric presence and Martin’s dynamic drumming style, more than compensated for the huge empty space around them. Of course, having such memorable and timeless songs helps and their trademark wall of sound, bubble-gum harmonies and fuzzed up riffs really endeared them to the thankfully, quite large crowd that were there early enough to see them play. “Boom! Dynamite!” was a real highlight with Flavia machine-gunning the crowd with her vintage guitar and “Hop The Twig” with its Cramps style intro went down a storm and I’m sure they gained a whole bunch of new fans. So, overall it was a superb night and I must admit that the sound and lighting at the venue were excellent, it was loud and powerful even from where I was sitting at the side of the stage, but I don’t think I will attend many more Arena sized shows, as just like the Captain, my heart is at The Hope & Anchor.

You can see more videos from the show at our Retromanblog65 YouTube channel here. Also, don't forget our thoroughly entertaining Retrosonic Podcast with Flavia and Martin from The Courettes, which can be found at our Soundcloud archive here.

Retrosonic Podcast · Presenting the fabulous Courettes

Paul Gorman "London Calling: The Clash In The Capital" A New Map of the Band's London Landmarks

2026-04-04T17:32:00.001+01:00

We went along to the Showroom Gallery to see author, music journalist and cultural commentator, Paul Gorman discussing his excellent new annotated map "London Calling: The Clash In The Capital" at a launch party hosted by the gallery owner Andrew Renton. Situated just off the Edgware Road in the heart of "Clash country", a stone's throw from the Westway, it's the perfect location for the pair to cover just a few of the 130 landmarks relating to The Clash that are featured in the map. Some of these included the nearby Joe Strummer Subway where one of Mick Jones' early Rock & Roll Public Library exhibitions was held and the DHSS office on Praed Street close to Paddington Station where Mick worked during the height of the IRA's mainland bombing campaign, a stint that inspired the line "I won't open a letter bomb for you" in the classic "Career Opportunities". Also on Praed Street was the basement where the pre-Punk London SS held auditions that saw various luminaries try their luck for a place in the line-up including Tony James, Mick, Rat Scabies, Terry Chimes and Brian James. The London SS never actually got to play a gig but the various budding musicians did go on to form bands such as The Damned, Chelsea, Generation X, The Boys and of course The Clash. There's the story of Joe Strummer in the queue to collect his dole money at the Lisson Grove Labour Exchange noticing two guys furtively looking at him. He thinks they are going to beat him up but it was just Paul Simonon and Mick Jones plucking up the courage to go and talk to Joe after seeing his band The 101'ers with the intention of inviting him to join their band.

Paul and Andrew discussed the proliferation of abandoned and derelict buildings in the area at the time, many of which had still not been renovated after the war. This enabled students, artists and musicians to squat in these often large houses and this active scene spawned Joe's Pub Rock band The 101'ers, named after their squat at 101 Walterton Road. Joe also shared a squat with Sex Pistols roadie John Tiberi in nearby Daventry Street which now boasts an English Heritage Blue Plaque. The pair also talk about the gentrification of London, with areas such as Notting Hill which used to be run down, now only being affordable to millionaires. Some more locations included Mick's Gran's 18th floor flat in the high-rise Wilmcote House where Mick would look down from the balcony onto the lights and traffic of the Westway below. This would inspire the line "up and down the Westway, in and out the lights, what a great traffic system - it's so bright" in "London's Burning". Of course there are more iconic locations covered in the map such as the Hammersmith Palais where Joe and Don Letts attended a tension-filled Reggae all-nighter which was to lead to one of The Clash's best moments, "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais". There's the Camden Stables Market, home of the band's "rehearsal rehearsals" practice space and site of the infamous pigeon shooting escapade. Of course, there's also legendary venues such as the 100 Club on Oxford Circus and the Roxy Club on Covent Garden's Neal Street where the band made some of their earliest appearances. That's just a few of the locations covered in this superb, comprehensive round-up of London places that featured in The Clash's history. On our way back to Paddington station we made a quick stop at Paul Simonon's local, The Royal Exchange, which must boast one of the coolest pub signs around.

"London Calling: The Clash In The Capital" is designed by Scott Sugiuchi, who has also worked on album cover art for one of our favourite bands The Woggles, and comes with a postcard and London Calling stencil. It's published by Herb Lester Associates and is another addition to their fantastic collection of music-related maps that include London guides on David Bowie, Rolling Stones, Sex Pistols and Malcolm McLaren, all written by Paul Gorman. Then there are guides on The Velvet Underground and CBGB's era Punk in New York, Serge Gainsbourg in Paris and 1960's Los Angeles. You can order directly from Herb Lester here. Author Paul Gorman has written books on legendary Pop boutique Granny Takes A Trip, The Face magazine and biographies of Malcolm McLaren, Goldie, Barney Bubbles and Boy George and you can find out more information by visiting his Instagram site here.

Here's Paul Gorman discussing the map with David Hepworth and Mark Ellen for their excellent "A Word In Your Ear" Podcast.

Heavenly - Live at the Cowley Worker's Social Club Oxford and New Album "Highway To Heavenly"

2026-03-19T22:18:00.000+00:00

We haven’t even got to British Summertime yet, but Skep Wax Records have already released an impressive hat-trick of LPs that I’m sure will be vying for top spot in our ‘best albums’ of the year list come December. The label, run by Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey from the recently re-ignited Heavenly, Talulah Gosh, Marine Research, The Catenary Wires (and more…) have put out fantastic records by former Dolly Mixture Rachel Love’s new band Railcard, featuring one of our favourite guitarists, Peter Momtchiloff, then there was Would-Be-Goods sublime “Tears Before Bedtime”, featuring Peter Momtchiloff, and now Heavenly’s very own out-of-this world comeback album “Highway To Heavenly”, featuring, yes you’ve guessed it Peter Momtchiloff! As I said recently in my feature on the brilliant Bizarro Promotions night at the Water Rats with Would-Be-Goods, Railcard and Helen McCookerybook, I have been on a Dolly Mixture binge since reading Debsey Wyke’s quite brilliant autobiography “Teenage Daydream” and seeing her at various events recently. I then found out about Railcard and when ordering their new compilation album from Skep Wax, discovered that Heavenly had also just released a brand-new album entitled “Highway to Heavenly”, their first for 30 years or so. I loved what I heard so ordered that from Skep Wax too and bloody hell, is it great! It’s short but perfectly formed, I don’t think I have heard such an immediate, impactful record for a long time, one listen and you’re hooked. I’ve often discussed with guests on my Retrosonic Podcast what constitutes a perfect album, and it’s rarer than you think, even from your very favourite bands or artist. Off the top of my head, I can think of a few such as “Rocket to Russia”, “Parallel Lines”, “Forever Changes”, “Grand Prix”, “Never Mind the Bollocks” but many other albums that I love have got some flaw or other.

Be honest and think about albums that you would consider ‘perfect’ – ones where you can’t help but listen from Track 1 Side 1 all the way through to the very end without skipping a single song. Where the artwork, production and running order is faultless and where every track would make a perfect 7” single in its own right. Where each song burrows into your ear and sticks in your head after just one listen and you wonder if you’ve heard this all before in a previous life. Where you feel somehow different after listening to it, whether it makes you feel inspired, motivated, moved, emotional or just happy enough to jump around the living room with a tennis racket as a guitar, well “Highway to Heavenly” has all these things and more. After digesting the album, I was desperate to see the band play but was soon disappointed to find out that all the gigs I could have attended were sold out. But there was a stroke of luck as their gig in Oxford was moved to a bigger venue, and it gave us the chance to snap up tickets for the Cowley Worker’s Social Club on the outskirts of the band’s ‘hometown'. The venue was an old-school Phoenix Nights style social club, but it was spacious, the staff were friendly, drinks were reasonable and I happily noticed lots of seats for all of us old folks in the audience. But hang on, I then noticed there was a fair proportion of youngsters there. It was an all-ages gig, and it was refreshing to see so many young people in the audience, quite a few sporting Heavenly “Riot Twee” and “P.U.N.K. Girl” T-shirts. As the band appeared, I roused myself from my seat and made my way to the front of the stage and was suddenly surrounded by some enthusiastic teenagers who I soon discovered were singing along to all the songs, even the new ones, word perfect. Guitarist Peter Momtchillof was also impressed, looking on intriguingly he even asked a bunch of excitable youngsters gathered in front of him “how do you know all the words, the album’s only been out for 2 weeks?!”

Heavenly seem to have a struck a chord with a younger audience, apparently due to the video for “P.U.N.K. Girl” going viral here and in the States. But I guess it could also be down to Heavenly’s all-inclusive, D.I.Y. ethic and of being embraced by the Riot-Grrrl movement. There’s also the legacy stretching back to Heavenly’s forerunner, Talulah Gosh, who it could be said were one of the key acts of the 80’s ‘C-86 scene’ that set the template for countless Indie-Pop bands to follow. Whereas contemporaries like the Jesus & Mary Chain took to the dark side and out-fuzzed and out-feedbacked everyone else, Talulah Gosh and their like basked in the sunnier side of 60’s influenced Pop married with buzzing guitars. That lineage might stretch to The Velvet Underground to Buzzcocks to Dolly Mixture to The Pastels to The Smiths, bands that were ideal for lovestruck, confused, inquisitive teenagers to take inspiration from. Whether that might be in the lyrical content, of finding out you are not alone in the world or in the good old Punk maxim “anyone can form a band”. Heavenly are still continuing in that tradition and a good example of this is in tonight’s opening number, the fantastic new single “Portland Town” with its lyrical wish to be able to live your life how you want, on your own terms and not be bound by what society might deem as acceptable. It’s kind of naïve of course, but why not? In these increasingly confrontational and negative times with too much cultural dumbing down, a lack of funding for the arts and venues closing left, right and centre - why not wish for a better and more positive place? “Conformity stinks, creativity’s free” sings Amelia and I think to myself, maybe that’s a great slogan for a new Heavenly T-Shirt.

The band, comprising Amelia on vocals and guitar complete with a “Hey Ho, Let’s Go” sticker, Rob on bass, Peter Momtchiloff on guitar, Cathy Rogers on keyboards and vocals and Ian Button behind the drums, take the stage and you can sense a huge collective smile emanate from the crowd. They proceed to play a set comprising most of the new album but peppered with some older numbers, a pick from all their previous releases except 1991’s “Heavenly Vs. Satan” for some reason. We get “Sperm Meets Egg, So What?”, “Me And My Madness” and “She And Me” from “The Decline and Fall of Heavenly” and “Our Love Is Heavenly” from “Le Jardin de Heavenly”. My smile gets wider when they play one of my favourites, “Space Manatee” from 1996’s “Operation Heavenly” which reminds me of Pixies with Rob’s bass line taking the lead and some splendid guitar work from Peter. Amelia’s brother and original Heavenly drummer, Matthew, sadly died just before the release of “Operation Heavenly” after which they decided they just couldn’t continue the Heavenly name without him. It meant that sadly this excellent album had an understandably low-key release, and Amelia writes about this difficult time in the updated sleeve notes booklet included with the Skep Wax reissue.

In fact, it was the communications around the idea to reissue the Heavenly back-catalogue on Skep Wax and the excellent Damaged Goods Records releasing a singles compilation, that was to lead to the reunion. This was initially meant to be just a one-off gig at Bush Hall in London with Ian Button from Rob and Amelia’s project The Catenary Wires, on drums. However, this soon snowballed into more gigs which led onto new songs which would eventually find their way onto “Highway to Heavenly”, their first release since the afore-mentioned “Operation Heavenly”. The songs from the new album played tonight go down really well, as I said earlier, they are immediate and laden with catchy hooks and gorgeous harmonies shared between Cathy and Amelia. The up-tempo “Excuse Me” is excellent in a Buzzcocks kind of way, “Good Times” starts off as a swaying, beautiful Phil Spector style number before bursting into a stellar chorus. The self-referential “Skep Wax” is another goodie, Amelia tells us it’s all about the positive power of music, and there’s one of the album’s highlights “Scene Stealing” which tackles the worrying rise of on-line influencers. “Press Return” has a pulsating synth line reminiscent of Pulp, it’s superb and I realised it’s almost impossible to pick a favourite track from the album, they are all so good.

I’ll digress slightly and get onto a couple tracks from the new album that they didn’t play tonight. I was a bit disappointed they missed out “She Is The One” as I love the way the beautiful melodies soar. It’s a masterclass in dual-vocals, reminding me of the chemistry between Belinda Carlisle and Jane Wiedlin in The Go-Go’s back in their prime. And then the album closer “That Last Night” starts with an upbeat tune which initially disguises the serious subject matter of dementia, loss and grief, “when we saw you that last day, we wondered if you knew that we were even there” is heartbreaking, and as someone who has a parent suffering from Alzheimer's, it is comforting knowing that this terribly distressing illness is being talked about. Amelia sings about embracing the happy memories, with one scene bordering on an irreverent Dave Allen TV sketch, involving a wheelchair accident in a church. But then a crunching, discordant chord interrupts proceedings to remind you of the seriousness of the situation. The song ends on a plaintive note “and did I do all that I could?” It’s a haunting end to the album that shows the real depth to Heavenly, they are not just there for the innocent days of youth but they’re facing up to the realities of our generation too.

Back to the show and the oldies “P.U.N.K. Girl” and “Atta Girl” are superb, with everyone around me joining in on a mass sing-along, a brilliant end to a quite wonderful set. The band just had to return for an encore, but Amelia took the stage alone, guitar in hand and apologised to her Heavenly bandmates before playing a solo rendition of Talulah Gosh’s “Beatnik Boy”. This was thanks to someone in the crowd requesting a dedication to his mum and as it was Mother’s Day the day after, I guess Amelia couldn’t refuse. The rest of the band then returned, Amelia put down her guitar to dance, and they played “C Is the Heavenly Number” which went down a storm. All the band members hung around for quite some time after the show to happily sign merchandise and chat to fans. I saw one comment on the band’s social media from another mum saying how happy her 13-year-old daughter was that Amelia took the time to chat and sign her records. It’s these little things that mean a lot and can guarantee another Heavenly fan for life. You can’t beat being amongst a friendly crowd on a night of joyous, life-affirming live music and Heavenly delivered the perfect tonic to all the bad news swirling around at the moment.

You can read about the recent Would-Be-Goods, Railcard and Helen McCookerybook gig at the Water Rats in our Retro Man Blog feature here, which drew a crowd packed with Indie-Pop and Punk celebrities including Lester Square and Dave Morgan from The Monochrome Set, Pete Astor from The Loft and The Weather Prophets, Jon Klein from Specimen and Siouxsie & The Banshees, Ian Greensmith and Bob Collins from The Dentists, Debsey from Dolly Mixture and Gaye Black from The Adverts. Our feature on the Dolly Mixture movie screening and Debsey’s Q&A with author Daniel Rachel can be found here. More videos from these events and from Heavenly’s Oxford show can be seen at our Retromanblog65 YouTube channel here, you can subscribe for free to access our whole archive of all-original live videos. For more information on related bands and labels please check out the links below.

Damaged Goods Records

All photos and videos copyright Retro Man Blog 2026

Baz Warne of The Stranglers "Convivial Tour" Acoustic & In Conversation About His New Book "No Grass On A Busy Street" at St. Pancras Old Church, March 5th 2026

2026-03-08T19:41:00.004+00:00

“Soon, all that’s going to be left is a large pair of smoking boots” Baz Warne tells us, making the sign of the cross and glancing up to the heavens. I’m not sure that the beautiful St. Pancras Old Church has ever had so many swear words bouncing around it’s ancient stone walls. The Stranglers vocalist and guitarist briefly wonders if he will be struck down from above for yet another brutally honest and expletive ridden appraisal of something or someone who winds him up. Baz is in good form, preaching to an attentive flock of fans gathered here today on this sold-out date of a U.K. tour entitled “Convivial” promoting his new book “No Grass Grows On A Busy Street: 25 Years On The Road with The Stranglers”. Yes, it’s hard to believe that Baz has been in the band for so long and yet still there are people who hark back to the Hugh Cornwell years and make comparisons. This is something Baz has to deal with on a regular basis, and he does so tonight with his customary self-deprecating good humour. When tonight’s interviewer, Mark Hart from the Rock ‘n’ Roll Book Club and Music Maps Podcast mentions “So, The Stranglers were looking for some hired help I gather, yet you initially turned them down” Baz replied “I did, and I bet there’s a few people in here who wish I still had!” and he mimics “oh, he’s not Hugh is he?” before raising his middle finger. We all clap and cheer our support, Baz smiles and says, “I see there’s quite a few not clapping!”

It’s a shame that Baz still has to contend with this after 25 years as a Strangler, of course Baz is not Hugh, and I very much doubt he wants to be, after all, he didn’t join a tribute act. What he did do for me, and obviously many other Stranglers fans, considering the number of sold-out shows at impressive venues around the world the band still plays, was to revitalize and re-energize The Stranglers. For me personally, The Stranglers had lost their mojo even when Hugh was still in the band when people seem to forget that the last few albums with him were lack lustre affairs. JJ had lost his mojo and was playing one of those humiliatingly naff Steinberger headless basses, there was an awful brass section and Dave’s trademark organ was reduced to weak synth background noise. I remember being hugely disappointed at their last ever gig with Hugh at Alexandra Palace, it was awful. There was no energy, no passion and it was obvious the band were going through the motions and destined to call it a day. However, as much as I wanted to continue to support the band when they decided to continue after Hugh left, I just couldn’t handle the Paul Roberts, John Ellis line-up era. Paul’s overtly theatrical vocals and performances just didn’t cut it with me until I heard the track “Norfolk Coast”. There was Dave’s swirling organ again and finally an old-school killer bass intro from JJ that had me intrigued. The album of the same name was still patchy but promising, and it was no coincidence that the ousting of the much-maligned Ellis and the addition of new guitarist Baz Warne had something to do with it.

Just as I thought that Paul Roberts might be winning me over, it was announced that he was leaving the group and the band were reverting to the classic four piece line-up, which meant that Baz was taking on guitars and lead vocals and JJ was back to singing his songs again. Then the album “Suite XVI” was released and I loved it, so I decided to see them play live and was blown away by the sheer power and intensity. It was a throwback to the sound of “The Raven” and I was absolutely thrilled. Baz was great, mastering Hugh’s intricate and often baffling guitar riffs, adding a big visual presence, simmering with aggression and it was good to see the crowd taking to him and embracing this new era of The Stranglers. Most die-hard Stranglers fans have accepted Baz whole-heartedly and I often find it’s the ones that moan about the ‘good old days’ and say, “it’s not the same without Hugh”, haven’t actually seen the band play with Baz. Of course, it’s not the same, and nobody needs to put Hugh down or belittle his legendary status or role in the band, those were the classic days. This is The Stranglers now. Sadly, Dave and Jet are no longer with us but what’s wrong with accepting both the current Stranglers and Hugh’s solo material, nobody can force you to take sides. All I can say is, if you are still in any doubt of Baz’s (and indeed Toby and Jim’s) abilities and contributions, get yourself a ticket to the next gig, give them a go and I’m sure you will feel very differently.

Anyway, I digress…back to the night and Baz explains that “No Grass On A Busy Street” is a collection of various diary entries, interviews and tour blogs throughout his 25 years with The Stranglers. However, he has fleshed these chapters out with his current thoughts, looking back on the earlier writing, which give an interesting contemporary perspective. He has also included some more background on his upbringing and family life, of growing up in Sunderland in the Northeast of England and on his time in Canada, where the family relocated due to his Dad’s work. He told us he added this new autobiographical section rather reluctantly and on the advice of his publisher, as he couldn’t believe that anyone would be interested in his life outside The Stranglers. He’s wrong of course, and some of the funniest and most revealing moments during the talk are when he discusses his family and early years. Mark asks questions on a wide variety of topics that despite sometimes veering on the trivial, such as “what’s the hottest gig you’ve ever played?” Baz answers all with a mixture of charm, candour and good humour. For example, after a particularly sweaty show at Fibbers in York, “I was so hot and soaked through that I didn’t want to get on the bed, so I laid on the floor and when I got up there was a large Baz-sized outline on the carpet” and “We’d have a competition to see who had collected the most sweat in their Dr. Martens”.

Baz tells us about his audition for The Stranglers and how proud and thrilled he was to join the band as, like us he was a big fan. He talked with honesty about his relationship with his bandmates, it wasn’t the usual ‘everyone is lovely’ kind of thing but he said it was more like a family, admitting that Dave could be sarcastic, Jet was gruff, Toby like an excitable puppy, and JJ can be rather prickly and aggressive and he mentioned one incident where he went toe-to-toe with JJ, luckily JJ diffused the situation by saying “let’s have a cup of tea”. He also told us that he had to suffer his “thousand yard death stare” if he happened to hit a bum note. However, he said JJ could be incredibly warm and he’s one of his best friends, joking that JJ was very disappointed not to be asked to be best man at his wedding, but Baz was worried he might try to pull his mother! Baz did drop in some hilarious impersonations of JJ, Jet, Dave and Toby throughout the talk. In fact, during the tour JJ called him up at one point to say “hey, I hear you’re doing impressions of me on your tour”. At first Baz was a bit worried until JJ laughed and said he was over the moon. What was apparent though was the real love and genuine friendship he has for his current and former bandmates. He opened up that he and JJ were devastated by losing Dave Greenfield who, it was clear had made a huge impression on him, telling us how proud he was of the latest album “Dark Matters” and the sad circumstances around the recording of it, with the untimely passing of Dave. He played an emotional “And If You Should See Dave…” which took on an extra poignancy in the hallowed surroundings.

Baz then spoke about Toby’s recent TV appearance on The Repair Shop with admiration, where Toby took in Dave Greenfield’s old battered and broken organ to get it repaired. Baz mentioned that he really wants to get a new album out with Toby and that very same keyboard on it. He mentioned that hopefully the new album would be “full of joy” and that he’s already written a “really fast punky tune, a serious kick up the arse”. Ruts DC guitarist Leigh Heggarty who is also in Wingmen with Baz, was in attendance and they exchanged some banter and Baz told us the good news that they are working on a new Wingmen album along with Paul Gray from The Damned and Marty Love from the Johnny Moped Band. Baz regaled us with more tales of life on the road including humorous encounters with Blondie and Debbie Harry, Simple Minds and their American Tour Manager and Ricky Wilson of Kaiser Chiefs. He stressed the importance of the road crew or “technicians, as we have to call them these days” and dealing with outdoor festivals in dangerous pouring rain. He also touched on the much-anticipated Stranglers documentary, of daring to drop “Golden Brown” from the set, the on-the-road routines and the song writing process in particular how proud he and JJ were with “The Lines” after they finished it and recorded it in one take. He then strapped on his guitar and treated us to a sublime version of the song.

One interesting thing that Baz mentioned was that it would be JJ calling the shots if the band were to end, if they ever stopped enjoying it or feeling they were not moving forward. He said that he believes it couldn’t be a band unless they have at least one original member in the line-up. Throughout the evening Baz also treated us to a few more songs on acoustic guitar including “Long Black Veil”, “Breathe”, then a unique version of “Peaches”, and his favourite Stranglers song, “Goodbye Toulouse”. So, it was a thoroughly entertaining evening in the company of a real character. I’m sure Stranglers fans will have warmed to him even more after this tour and he would have won over a whole load of doubters, that’s for sure.

All photos and videos copyright Retro Man Blog 2026. Check the Stranglers and Wingmen archive labels for more of our features with reviews, photos and videos on both bands. For more information on Baz, please check out his official Facebook page here, The Stranglers can be found here and Wingmen here.

The Prisoners at King's Hall Herne Bay, Saturday 28th February 2026

2026-03-07T17:29:00.000+00:00

Band reunions can be hit and miss affairs – some acts resist the temptation all together in the hope of not tarnishing a legendary reputation such as The Clash, The Smiths and Talking Heads, for example. Some bands you think have reunited have never actually gone away, they just evolve over the years – dealing with various bust-ups, court cases, serious illnesses, and of course untimely deaths along the way by replacing key members. Kind of like a football team, you still support them despite them selling your star striker, sacking a favourite manager and dropping down to the lower leagues, occasionally to rise again like a phoenix. The Stranglers were totally reinvigorated when they reverted to the traditional four-piece and moved Baz Warne up front and are now selling out huge venues like the Royal Albert Hall again. The Undertones with Paul McLoone now fully grown into his role as frontman, are probably playing more gigs now than they have in years. Then at the other end of the spectrum are some bands who are more like Trigger’s broom and really should know better, somehow continuing without any original members in the line-up at all. Some misjudge it completely and get in totally inappropriate replacements so that you wonder who is actually advising them. There are some bands who tread the cabaret circuit, happy to get together for the occasional festival, play the hits and collect a big pay cheque.

Then there’s the rare case where some reunions really work, such as Pixies – which hit to a completely new generation of kids and some like Wire, who still produce superb new and vital music. So, what happens when it’s one of your really ‘special’ favourite bands, and it’s no secret that The Prisoners are one of mine. Thankfully, like The Soundtrack of Our Lives, another act who mean so much to me that the announcement of a reunion a few years ago stirred up mixed emotions. On one hand it’s ‘please god, let it be good, don’t tarnish the many happy memories, don’t let yourselves down’ and on the other, there’s the excitement that you’d get to see them play again. Thankfully in both cases, neither band let me down in the end. Of course, The Prisoners did get back together for some shows and a so-so single “Shine On Me” in 1997, but that didn’t last long, it was over pretty soon. Once it was clear The Prisoners reunion wasn’t a long term prospect, Graham and Allan followed up on the Prime Movers with the superb Solarflares, a three-piece that eventually reverted to the classic Prisoners style line-up by adding Parsley on the organ. Then Graham recruited The Woggles’ rhythm section for Graham Day & The Gaolers and released two brilliant albums with material that matched the quality of The Prisoners. After a hiatus, the news was out that Graham had got the three-piece Solarflares line-up back under the guise of Graham Day & The Forefathers - “we’re basically a tribute band to ourselves” he told me in our Retrosonic Podcast special. There was no talk of new material – just a set of stripped back versions of classics from the back catalogue – The Prisoners, Solarflares, Gaolers and Prime Movers. They went down a storm and released a raw, live in the studio album of choice cuts called “Good Things”.

Fed up with the pressures of fronting a band, Graham then started The Senior Service where he could indulge in his love of Barry Gray’s wonderful themes to Gerry Anderson TV shows such as Thunderbirds and Fireball XL5 and John Barry and Ennio Morricone’s evocative Spaghetti Western and Spy movie theme tunes. Of course, this aspect was nothing new, The Prisoners and Solarflares in particular would often include at least one or two instrumentals on their albums and in their live shows. Graham seems to have a love/hate relationship with both singing and fronting a band and with the Hammond organ. He sometimes needs a break from both. He once told me his dream was to just play guitar in one of those groovy bands you saw in a 1960’s hippie exploitation movie, where assorted spaced out kids dance away under psychedelic liquid lights. Either that or just playing guitar in The Woggles, his favourite band, would have been cool. The opportunity for this wish did occur, although in rather sad circumstances, when The Woggles guitarist Jeff Walls passed away in 2019 and they needed a replacement. So, Graham ended up touring the States, Europe, the UK (you can see a feature on The Woggles brilliant 100 Club gig here) and even Japan, where Graham, that icon of cool, was enjoying himself so much that he even performed in fancy dress costumes such as lederhosen or karate monkey suits! But the pull of The Prisoners was strong, and circumstances conspired to facilitate the latest and long-awaited reunion. The Prisoners had that something special, that all important chemistry and a hugely dedicated fanbase, as shown in the brilliant book “A Taste of Ink! The Prisoners Sentenced By Their Fans”. Plus, they had James Taylor on the Hammond organ. James had gone onto forge a respected career in Jazz, Soul and Funk with The James Taylor Quartet and it didn’t seem likely that he would be interested in revisiting The Prisoners given his success. Wrong! The news filtered through that the original line-up was getting back together, initially incognito at a friend’s party at the Billabong Club in Rochester in 2021.

Then came the announcement of a show at the Royal Function Rooms in Rochester (check out our feature here), in early December 2022 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their debut album “A Taste of Pink”. Due to the demand, it ended up as a four-night stand from November 30th – 3rd December 2022 and it was also live streamed on-line. It was emotional, it couldn’t end there could it? Thankfully no, there were shows in Herne Bay in December 2023 and the fantastic news of a brand new album, “Morning Star” followed by a gig in May 2024 at the legendary Roundhouse in London’s Chalk Farm (read all about it here), actually the band’s biggest show to date. But “Morning Star” was superb, the sound of a band having fun, embracing their influences, although sometimes sailing a bit close to the wind in the shades of The Who, Ramones, Small Faces and Hendrix, which coloured the songs, but who cared. The quality of the songs was what mattered and there were some that easily stood up to the classics, in particular “Winter In June” and “Something Better”. Everyone was on top form, with James Taylor in particular shining out with some superb Hammond. Then came the feeling that was it, all over again. In some ways it would have been a fitting way to draw a line under it all, to go out on a high, but it seemed a fire had been lit. This year came the announcement of a new single “Autumn Skies” and live shows at King’s Hall in Herne Bay, an impressive Edwardian Pavillion on the sea front where they would celebrate three albums over three nights. On the Friday night it would be 1983’s “The Wisermiserdemelza” (and my entry point to the band back in the day), Saturday would be the classic “The Last Fourfathers” from 1985 and then Sunday it would be 1986’s “In From The Cold”, where they would be joined by the James Taylor Quartet’s sometime Brass section.

The venue was great, and in some ways better than the Roundhouse, where the sound can sometimes get a bit lost in that cavernous building. It was packed out on the Saturday night, sadly the only night I could attend and there were so many eager, happy and familiar faces in attendance, many of whom I’d got to know through my Retro Man Blog gigs with Graham Day & The Forefathers and The Solarflares. Kicking off proceedings were Lord Rochester, featuring Russ Wilkins, formerly of The Milkshakes, Saskia Holling on bass and vocals and Lois Tozer from The Embrooks on drums and maracas. Their Bo Diddley influenced rhythms went down really well and they were the perfect opening act. My personal favourite was the Crampsian rumble of “Transcontinental” and the insanely catchy “Chicken Salt” and Russ closed the set by announcing “This is for the Mods… and the Punks” and they launched into a cracking version of “What’cha Gonna Do About It”. Next up the always reliable Masonics, aided and abetted by Ludella Black, entertained the crowd and played my favourite track “Silently By Night”, so I was happy. DJ Wendy May was spinning some mighty fine tunes, putting everyone in an even better mood and you could feel the atmosphere start to build.

Then The Prisoners took to the stage, looking great and starting strongly with “I Am The Fisherman”, the crowd went mental, you can’t get much better than this. They play a good chunk of “The Last Fourfathers” including “The Drowning” and “Take You For a Ride”, ending the section with a powerful version of “Night of The Nazgul”, one of their best instrumentals. Then we get “This Road is Too Long” and “Save Me” from the current album and in between there’s the new single “Autumn Skies” before a nice surprise from their debut album, “Til The Morning Light”. They then flit between the “Last Fourfathers” and “Morning Star” albums including a great version of “Whenever I’m Gone” and I see that Eddie Piller, who released the single on his Countdown label back in 1986, is in the crowd. The James Taylor written and sung “Go To Him” is a highlight as it channels the way the Ramones took those Phil Spector, Shangri-La’s melodies and married them with fast Rock ‘n’ Roll, plus it has a classic “Blitzkrieg Bop” style call and response section of “just go, just go, just go with him!” Considering Johnny Symons isn’t regularly playing like his bandmates, his drumming is superb throughout and Allan’s impressive bass riffs and backing vocals complement Graham perfectly, who is in mighty fine voice. When he’s not singing, Graham stalks the front of the stage, guitar pointing out to the adoring crowd. There’s a really nice chemistry fizzing between all four of them, from Allan with his deadpan between song banter to James’s cheerleading and encouraging the crowd to sing along, they look like they are having as much fun as we are. They always did carry a reputation for being ‘surly’ and ‘difficult’, but it’s certainly not been evident at any of the reunion shows. After all, all four members spent a long time afterwards signing the new single and chatting to fans at the impressive merch table stocked by our favourite record label Spinout Nuggets and Sound Is Colour clothing.

Someone posted a nice photo in The Prisoners forum from one of the Herne Bay nights of Allan and Graham smiling at each other, one wag commented “must be A.I.” and Allan himself replied “Fake News!” The set draws to a close with the Prisoners very own Garage Rock classic “Melanie” and then “Reaching My Head” the song which started it all for me and quite obviously The Charlatans too as they nicked the bassline and made a career out of it. A stunningly emotional “Thinking Of You (Broken Pieces)” nearly has me welling up, something in my eye! Then “I Drink The Ocean” segues into a fantastic version of Deep Purple’s “Hush” and sadly, that’s it, all over. An absolutely momentous night, we got twenty three superb songs from a band that despite starting over forty years ago, strangely seem to be at the top of their game. Maybe it’s the impressive back catalogue, the lessons that have been learned, of getting older and wanting to do things right. Maybe it’s the huge wave of respect and affection that the crowd shows towards the band, that special bond, I don’t know what it is but all I do know is that I don’t want it to end, again. I’m hopeful that there will be more to come from The Prisoners in the future so let’s hope it becomes more permanent so that we can finally stop labelling it all as just another reunion.

You can read all about how I first got into the band and my experiences of putting on shows for the Forefathers, Solarflares and Senior Service, in my feature on The Prisoners Roundhouse gig here. Our thoroughly entertaining Forefathers Retrosonic Podcast with Graham, Allan and Wolf Howard is still available in our archive here. You can listen to them discussing and playing a pick of their favourite songs from all aspects of their musical careers.

Retrosonic Podcast · Graham Day & The Forefathers

Unfortunately, the brilliant book “A Taste of Ink!” is now sold out, but if you are interested, then please contact them here and register your interest as I’m sure they will consider a re-print if there is a big enough demand. However, don’t despair if you did miss out on “A Taste of Ink!” as a new book has just been announced. “Graham Day - 45 Years of Music”, originally a limited edition book in Italian by Antonio Bacciocchi and Luca Frazzi, has now been translated, expanded and revised by Thomas Buch and Les O’Hare and will be available to order on 20th March. Please check out their Facebook page here for details on how to get hold of this promising looking book.

For more videos from the gig, please head on over to our Retro Man Blog YouTube channel and subscribe for free here. All Photos and Videos copyright Retro Man Blog 2026.

Would-Be-Goods, Helen McCookerybook and Railcard at Water Rats, London - A Bizarro Promotion, February 21st 2026

2026-02-28T12:23:00.004+00:00

Even Pete Frame would struggle to compile one of his exhaustive Rock Family Trees about the Indie talent pool surrounding Skep Wax Records and their proprietors Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey. Stretching back to the C-86 Twee Student Jangle Indie-Pop scene, or whatever ridiculous genre the music press deemed to patronise the acts with, their band Talulah Gosh was to go on to spawn many and various bands, spin-offs and side projects, not to mention the influence they would have on generations of eager young fans into forming their own bands. Each trademark branch of those intricate Pete Frame diagrams would probably feature guitarist Peter Momtchiloff in some guise or other though, and tonight Amelia and Rob’s former Talulah Gosh and current Heavenly colleague appears in two out of the three acts on show. Hosted by Bizarro Promotions, this sold-out gig at Water Rats in London’s Kings Cross is basically a showcase for two brand new Skep Wax releases – their compilation of Railcard’s first three E.P.’s and the latest excellent album “Tears Before Bedtime” by headliners Would-Be-Goods.

Tonight’s gig came at the perfect time for me, an absolute godsend as I must admit I’ve been on a bit of a Dolly Mixture kick recently, ever since reading Debsey Wykes’ fantastic autobiography “Teenage Daydream” and coincidentally bumping into her at two recent unrelated book launch events. I then went along to see Debsey interviewed by Daniel Rachel about her book in conjunction with a rare screening of the excellent Dolly Mixture documentary “Take Three Girls”. So, suddenly I’d get the chance to see another Dolly Mixture, Rachel Love, and her new band Railcard, for the first time. The Water Rats is sold out and there are almost as many musicians in the audience as there would be on stage throughout the night. Here’s just a few that were in the room – Allan Crockford from The Prisoners (who mixed the Railcard recordings), Viv Bonsels from The Galileo 7, Pete Astor from The Loft, Kevin Younger from The High Span, Ian Greensmith from The Dentists and his former bandmate Bob Collins who is now in another Skep Wax act, Swansea Sound. Then there’s Dave Morgan from The Monochrome Set, Jon Klein from Specimen and Siouxsie & The Banshees and even Gaye Black from The Adverts. It would have made for one hell of a supergroup. Oh, and yes, it’s Debsey again, here to support her former Dolly Mixture friend and former bandmate.

Railcard take the stage, Rachel looks amazing and I’m immediately captivated by her cheerful smile and the promise of hearing those wonderful songs live for the first time. The aforementioned Peter Momtchiloff is on bass duties and there’s Ian Button from Heavenly and Penrose Web and Papernut Cambridge (and more!) on drums and vocals with Allison Thomson on trumpet, keyboards and vocals. Ian takes over lead vocals on the brilliant, foot stomping “Northern Soul Dancing” which is my personal highlight of their set with excellent lyrics about getting to the age where you wonder if it’s really too late to try and recapture that abandon and exuberance of youth. Busting out those spins, kicks and flicks on the dancefloor, it’s a classic.

Their songs are catchy and immediate, “Narcissus” is built on a driving military style beat with some biting lyrics and the sublime “Cherry Plum” is one and a half minutes of pure gorgeousness. They don’t play my favourite “Born In 62” though, I love that song with its Sonics “Strychnine” motif, and I was hoping it might make an appearance. The Dolly Mixture movie director, Paul Kelly, told me that song summed up the loose concept behind Railcard, all the original members were born in ‘62. He said that he was in an early incarnation of the band but I can’t remember if he said his role was Off-Peak Railcard, Family Railcard, Student Railcard or Senior Railcard? Talking of which, I was gutted they had sold out of the plastic Railcard railcard holders, a brilliant idea for band merchandise. I’m sure they have now gone on to be much sought-after collector’s items; I shall not rest until I have trawled eBay and spent my life’s savings on one. They play a great cover of Dandy Livingstone’s “Think About That” and close the set with the hypnotic "Disco Loadout" and the warm applause from the crowd fills the room. There’s something totally addictive about Railcard, something uplifting and refreshing – they will leave a smile on your face and a promise to yourself to bust out some Northern Soul shapes as soon as you get home. Well, once you’ve had a sit down and a nice cup of cocoa that is.

Rachel Love of Railcard and her former Dolly Mixture colleague Debsey Wykes

Next up is Helen McCookerybook, formerly of Indie-Pop pioneers The Chefs, who treated us to a thoroughly entertaining set. Starting off alone with the beautifully evocative “London” she is then joined by Robert Rotifer on guitar and vocals and Ruth Tidmarsh on bass and vocals and their harmonies have a real chemistry that ooze warmth. My personal highlight was “Three Cheers For Toytown”. Helen explains at the start “usually we have Terry Edwards playing trumpet but he’s off playing with The Nightingales, so we’re going to hum his parts. “Sixties Man” is another great moment, as is the audience participation on “The Sea”. Helen has an engaging presence, and her voice really draws you in and it’s no wonder she got a fantastic reaction from the crowd.

Would-Be-Goods open the set with the brilliant “The Morning After” which has a chorus that reminds me of The Monochrome Set, not surprising as to singer Jessica Griffin’s right stands the always impressively impassive Andy Warren (of Monochrome Set and before that, the original Adam & The Ants) nonchalantly spinning out some superb bass lines on his trademark Rickenbacker. There’s also a big link between the two bands, Bid and Co. were the backing band on Would-Be-Goods early releases and Peter Momtchiloff, now on stage with his guitar, was in Bid’s side project, Scarlet’s Well. On drums and vocals is Debbie Greensmith from Thee Headcoatees and Ye Nuns and that completes a superb line-up. However, similar to Railcard, Would-Be-Goods were also guilty of not playing one of my favourite songs tonight, sadly there’s no “Emmanuelle Beart”, but they are promoting their latest release “Tears Before Bedtime” after all, so some older numbers are bound to be missed out. Anyway, it’s not such a big issue with the new album being so damn good, packed with songs of the quality of “Tears For Leda” with its killer guitar riff intro reminiscent of The Kinks’ “Till The End of The Day”.

Jessica Griffin’s songwriting is something special, she has a knack of transporting you from a summer picnic on the riverbanks of an English university town, punts flowing past and the sound of leather on willow in the background to the cafes and patisseries of Le Marais and the Rive Gauche followed by a stroll past Serge Gainsbourg’s house on Rue de Verneuil. There’s beautifully constructed exotica such as “Madame X” but Jessica can then hit you right in the heart with stripped back, emotionally raw songs like “Heart of Tin” and “Too Old”. They play a good chunk of the new album and despite only listening a few times on-line prior to picking up a vinyl copy on the night, the songs are immediate and you find they are already lodged in your head. “The Gallopers” and “Witch Hazel” are prime example of the wonderful melodies that sound as familiar as most of the old favourites. Talking of which, I moaned about not getting “EB” but the brilliant “Cecil Beaton’s Scrapbook” keeps me quiet and more than makes up for it. “The Camera Loves Me” is another oldie and mighty fine goodie and it’s great to see Debbie singing the backing harmonies with a big smile, glowing with enthusiasm. It was a fantastic set, and I can’t recommend the new album highly enough, it’s an absolute classic. I mentioned this to Andy Warren, and he replied in perfectly deadpan manner, “thanks, yes it’s a cheerful album”. Priceless!

All photos and videos copyright Retro Man Blog 2026. More videos from the gig can be found at our Retro Man Blog YouTube channel here, please subscribe for free to access our whole archive of original live videos. Here are some useful links, please click to investigate further...

Debsey Wykes "Teenage Daydream - We Are The Girls Who Play In A Band" book

Debsey Wykes Q&A on her book “Teenage Daydream” and screening of “Take Three Girls The Dolly Mixture Story” at the ICMP London February 19th 2026

2026-02-21T16:37:00.001+00:00

I went along to the ICMP Music College in Queen’s Park for the first time for a rare screening of “Take Three Girls – The Dolly Mixture Story” directed by Paul Kelly from Heavenly Films and the partner of Debsey Wykes bassist and vocalist with the band, who met when touring as part of St. Etienne’s live line-up. The screening was followed by a Q&A session with author Daniel Rachel interviewing Debsey about her excellent, critically acclaimed autobiography “Teenage Daydream: We Are The Girls Who Play In a Band”. They discussed various key aspects of both the book and the film along with the process of writing and the background of collating all the information from Debsey’s suitcase full of diaries along with the ‘brutal’ editing process. I think it’s testament to Dolly Mixture and their legacy that they set a template for many an all-girl and female fronted Indie-Pop band for years to come. Not just with their vintage 60’s style look and timeless songs of seemingly wide-eyed innocence but that most crucial of things - the classic song writing and gorgeous vocal harmonies, which still sound as fresh today as they ever did. Unfortunately, it’s a sad fact of musical life that true originators and talent often get commercially overshadowed by the impersonators. For example, take three of my favourite bands, The Prisoners, Shack and That Petrol Emotion, they too never hit the mainstream heights that they deserved but were somewhat crushed in the rush to copy their sounds and for record companies to later cash in on the slipstream. I think Dolly Mixture suffered from this too but I sincerely hope that Debsey’s superb book, along with a wider release of the documentary, might go some way to redressing that balance.

Daniel confronts the sexism that the band were subjected to, from the ‘male obnoxiousness’ of the times to the more ingrained discrimination from the record companies and music press in general. There’s a harrowing tale of the time that Debsey was assaulted on stage by a skinhead at a Bad Manners gig which is quite shocking but it’s a reminder of the gig-going times of the late 70’s and early 80’s. Touring with Bad Manners also opened them up to being spat at and being subjected to outbreaks of sieg-heiling from a hostile audience. Bad Manners as a band were very supportive and protective of Dolly Mixture though but it must have been disheartening for the band to have to endure. Although, the sexism they faced from the male dominated music industry was sadly to be expected in those times, what surprised me most is the antagonism and outright hostility they faced from some of their female peers – most noticeably from The Modettes. They think they are in for some welcome support from a female journalist who then proceeds to complete slag the band off for no apparent reason in print. It’s spiteful and unnecessary and you wonder why this kind of bullying would exist, especially towards a band such as Dolly Mixture, who whatever you thought of their music, were hardly controversial or antagonistic.

They did however receive some unexpected support from Captain Sensible, who along with The Damned’s bassist Paul Gray offered to help them in the studio. He then asked them to back him on his new solo career and they eventually reached Number 1 in the charts together with the single “Happy Talk”. This led to various appearances on Top of The Pops and despite Captain generously promoting Dolly Mixture in their own right, they still couldn’t seem to break out. Despite the good intentions and success, maybe it was more a curse than a blessing as they were more likely to get labelled as just the Captain’s backing band. More support came from some very unexpected people such as Eric Faulkner of Bay City Rollers, Dave Goodman the sound engineer for the Sex Pistols and Buffin from Mott the Hoople who all helped them out in the studio. They even wrote a comeback single for the child-star Lena Zavaroni. Terry Hall gave them Single of The Week in Melody Maker and invited them to play with The Fun Boy Three. Paul Weller’s Mum, Ann and Dad, John were also extremely supportive and Debsey talks very warmly about Ann in particular, who she wished had been their manager. Paul Weller signed them to his fledgling label Respond but sadly soon lost interest to concentrate on his next protégé. John Peel was also a huge fan but apparently his producer John Walters hated them and they never got their session repeated, which was very rare. The Undertones continue to cement their place in music history as being the nicest guys in Rock ‘n’ Roll as they offer Dolly Mixture a support slot the very next night after the girls hung around with their demo tape outside a gig in Cambridge. Debsey asked for Damian O’Neill’s autograph and he told her he had loved their Peel Session. “Just bring your guitars to Aylesbury Friars tomorrow” they said and this led to a proper tour with The Undertones. So despite these welcome offers of generous help and support it’s even more unbelievable why the band could not break out into the mainstream. There’s also the irony of having U2 support them at the Moonlight Club in West Hampstead, a gig that my Blog colleague Rock photographer Paul Slattery attended, they had no idea at the time that U2 would go on to be such global superstars, sometimes there’s no justice!

The book is a charming collection of diary entries, fan letters and reminiscences about what it’s like to form a band, of playing in bedrooms, swapping instruments and taking those first steps out to play live. Debsey captures those innocent times perfectly, of going up to London with a stash of demo tapes and heading to a phone box to call various record companies plucked from the telephone directory. She also discusses the band’s influences such as Glam Rock, The Monkees, Blondie and Debbie Harry, Patti Smith and Poly Styrene of X-Ray Spex and the Ramones. They also started delving back into the 60’s of Bacharach and David, Motown, The Shangri-La’s and the Ronettes and you can see touches of all these in the Dolly Mixture sound. It’s shocking to think Dolly Mixture didn’t even release an official album until their own self-released “Demonstration Tapes” compilation just a year before they called it a day. Even to this day, it’s quite difficult to track down copies of their records and surely, some proper record label with sense should consider a thorough reissue plan.

The Long Play Sessions is a series of talks with musicians and music related authors about their current books held at the ICMP campus in Queen’s Park. They have already hosted Daniel Rachel being interviewed by Miranda Sawyer about his latest book “This Ain’t Rock ‘n’ Roll” and have upcoming talks booked in with Lawrence from Felt and Will Hodgkinson about their superb book “Street Level Superstar”, Keith Cameron on his history of Manic Street Preachers and Melissa Auf Der Maur from Hole and Smashing Pumpkins discussing her forthcoming autobiography. It’s a great venue and Paul Wilson seems to be doing an excellent job in attracting some top names to his sessions and being a music college, of course they have good access to enthusiastic staff and top audio/visual facilities.

For more on Daniel Rachel's books including the superb "Too Much Too Young: The 2 Tone Records Story", please check out his website here.

Ray Stevenson "Not Just Punk" - New Book from the legendary music photographer

2026-01-18T22:22:00.001+00:00

We went along to the Farsight Gallery for the launch party of the new book "Not Just Punk" from legendary music photographer Ray Stevenson. The gallery was packed with familiar faces including some that feature in the book itself including Gaye Black of The Adverts, Neal X of Sigue Sigue Sputnik and Spizzenergi. Also in attendance were Leigh Heggarty of Ruts DC, Tom Crossley of The Phobics, Barrington Francis of The Saints, Anne Pigalle, Chris Musto of Glen Matlock's band, Debsey Wykes of Dolly Mixture, Paul Kelly the Heavenly Films director, Clash DJ Scratchy Sounds, author Daniel Rachel, Roxy club owners Andy Czezowski and Sue Carrington and music photographers Paul Slattery (my Retro Man Blog colleague), Jill Furmanovsky, David Corio and Erica Echenberg. There was a presentation of some of the photos featured in the book and a Q&A session with Ray hosted by Farsight Gallery owner Sean McLusky (Subway Sect and JoBoxers). It was another great event at the Farsight Gallery which is located on Flitcroft Street just off Denmark Street close to the site of our beloved and much-missed 12 Bar Club. I'd recommend signing up to their mailing list as they do put on some superb shows which have previously included Mick Jones Rock 'n' Roll Public Library and the Batcave LP launch party.

Ray Stevenson with his new book "Not Just Punk"

Eric Waring, DJ Scratchy Sounds, Gaye 'Advert' Black and Paul Slattery

Gaye Black of The Adverts

Here's a brief biography of Ray courtesy of the Farsight Gallery...

Ray Stevenson started out as a teenage darkroom apprentice back in mid 1960's London. After meeting with rising folk star Buffy Saint Marie, discovered folk-nights at the Marquee Club, then he was introduced to seminal folk venue Les Cousins by Sandy Denny. Ray became a regular at both of these venues shooting many unknown musicians like Bert Jansch, Roy Harper, Al Stewart, John Martyn, Cat Stevens and Marc Bolan. Stumbling upon a Jimi Hendrix sound-check gave Ray a taste for plugged-in-guitars and opened up another trajectory that resulted in him photographing a much broader range of musicians. His photo ‘The Who at the Marquee 1967’ was used by the Royal Mail in their 2025 commemorative collection. But the Stevenson portfolio went beyond photographing the musicians of the day as his work also featured models, hippies, ballet dancers, the occasional film star and friends. One of those friends was David Bowie, whom Ray shot many pre-glam photos of. None of this activity was enough to pay the rent, so he took a 9-to-5 job in the BBC Open University dark-room.

Sean McLusky (R) interviews Ray

Anne Pigalle with Spizz who features on the book's cover and inside... both photos above by Paul Slattery

Then in early 1976, Ray's brother Nils asked him to take some pictures of a new group called the Sex Pistols. And so began Ray's second wave of live visual work - capturing the nascent Punk movement and the New Wave and Post-Punk scenes that followed it. His photos of the Pistols, Clash, Siouxsie Sioux, Soo Catwoman, Jordan, 2-Tone, Sigue Sigue Sputnik, et al are now rightly seen as iconic and have been used in numerous books, magazines and documentaries. His own photo books - Sex Pistols File, Vacant, the Siouxsie & The Banshees Book and Photopast - sold many thousands of copies worldwide and are regarded as collectors' items. In 2007 Ray was described 'as the most important rock photographer of his generation'. He has now released ’Not Just Punk’, a look back at some of those glorious times and people.

Paul Kelly, Paul Slattery, Daniel Rachel and Debsey Wykes

Paul Slattery, Ray Stevenson and David Corio

You can check out more about Ray Stevenson and his work at his official website here and you can order the book at Amazon here. For more information on the Farsight Gallery please subscribe to their newsletter via their Farsight Collective site here or on Instagram here.

Sex Pistols in Carnaby Street by Ray Stevenson - Courtesy of Farsight Gallery

2026-01-04T17:08:00.000+00:00

Here's just some of our favourite singles, compilation albums and reissues of 2025...

1. The Blue Aeroplanes "Magical Realism The Best of 1985-2025" compilation LP
2. Mozart Estate "Tower Block In a Jam Jar" compilation LP
3. KVNX (Kathy Valentine & Neal X) "I Love You More" single
4. Patti Smith "Horses" 50th anniversary reissue LP
5. Thee Moot "Sweet As Saccharine" single
6. Francoise Hardy "Voila - Best of" compilation LP
7. The Limiñanas & Bobby Gillespie "Prisoner of Beauty" single
8. Bo-Gumbos "Bo & Gumbo" reissue LP
9. The Dear Boys "Put It Down" single
10. The Fall "50,000 Fall Fans Can't Be Wrong" compilation reissue LP
11. The Baby Seals "Tamoo Trance" single
12. The Galileo 7 "Everything To Everything Else" compilation LP
13. R.E.M. "Radio Free Europe" reissue EP
14. Viagra Boys "Consistency of Energy/Call of The Wild" reissue EP
15. Cast with P.P. Arnold "Poison Vine" single
16. The Blue Aeroplanes "Outsider Art, The Other Best of 1985-2025" compilation LP
17. The Penrose Web "It's The Penrose Web" EP
18. The Duke Spirit "Cuts Across The Land" reissue LP
19. The Skids "Radio Sessions 1978-1980" compilation LP
20. The Guy Hamper Trio with James Taylor "Chatham's Burning" EP
21. Jamie Perrett "Age of Reason" single
22. Killer China Dress "Kung Fu Attack" single
23. The 5.6.7.8's with Ludella Black "Beat Girls" EP
24. The Embrooks "Terry and Julie" single
25. The Galileo 7 "Look Away" single

Retro Man Blog's 25 Favourite Albums of 2025

2025-12-31T20:28:00.007+00:00

Happy New Year to all Retro Man Blog supporters, subscribers and contributors. Here's our favourite 25 Albums of 2025, another great year for new music...

1. The Liminanas "Faded"

2 . Mandrake Handshake "Earth Sized Worlds"

3. The Minus 5 "Oar On, Penelope

4. WitchDoktors "Izzatso?"

5. Viagra Boys "Viagr Aboys"

6. David Byrne "Who Is The Sky?"

7. WITCH "Sogolo"

8. Oh! Gunquit "Flex"

9. Sparks "MAD!"

10. The Penrose Web "The Least of Our Concerns"

11. Spiders "Sharp Objects"

12. Jetstream Pony "Bowerbirds and Blue Things"

13. Stereolab "Instant Holograms On Metal Film"

14. The Hives "The Hives Forever Forever The Hives"

15. Robert Forster "Strawberries"

16. The Guy Hamper Trio "Volume IV: The Goddess Tree"

17. Luke Haines & Peter Buck "Going Down To The River To Blow My Mind"

18. The Phobics "Gimme Cyanide"

19. Pink Nun "Pink Nun"

20. John McKay's Reactor "Sixes And Sevens"

21. The Capellas "Untamed"

22. MIEN "MIIEN"

23. Palooka 5 "MetroKino"

24. Paper Lips "Melodic Melancholic"

25. Proper "Meant To Say Something"

Mandrake Handshake - Photos and videos from Fabric London November 26th

2025-11-28T17:09:00.000+00:00

There have been some fanastic albums released this year and we've been to many superb gigs - Mandrake Handshake, the Oxford based nine-piece Psychedelic collective, have been responsible for two of the best. Firstly, their debut LP "Earth-Sized Worlds" set an almost impossibly hard-to-beat standard from as early as it's release back in February, staking a claim for Album of The Year even before the second month was over. Then, finally we just got to see them play live at Fabric at their biggest headlining London show to date and they were even better than expected. Luckily, the stage at Fabric is pretty big so there was plenty of space for the nine bandmates to strut their stuff - Trinity Oksana has the sultry voice of an angel, next to her is the looming prescence of Elvis Thirlwell, the band's Joel Gion, on general vibes, tambourine and various items of percussion including a good old-fashioned triangle at one point. The other side of Trinity is Rudy Mae Symonds who adds some wonderful backing vocal harmonies and at the far end is the super-cool Row Janjuah on some pretty impressive lead guitar. A superb rhythm section is augmented by keyboards, synths, rhythm guitar, flute and sax and it all makes for a stunning aural and visual assault on the senses.

This most exotic and eclectic of bands conjures up some truly mesmerising music and as they drop the word 'motorik' into the lyrics of one of the many highlights "Hypersonic Super-Asterid" - you can see they are clearly influenced by the driving hypnotic drum beats of Can - they have even cleverly labelled themselves as 'flowerkraut' - which sums them up perfectly. I love the Eastern guitar riff intro to "The Change and The Changing" which is a beautifully pastoral piece of Tropicalia and the single "King Cnut" is a laid-back delight. I think if you have any albums that feature Ardneks cover art then you won't go far wrong with Mandrake Handshake - they have certain similarities with Moon Duo and Flamingods but I also see touches of the Anatolian Psych of Lalalar and Gaye Su Akyol and the sitar driven music of Karma Sheen or Rishi Dhir's Elephant Stone and Mien. Of course, named as they are after a Brian Jonestown Massacre song, there is a certain influence there but probably more from the 2012-15 albums "Aufheben", "Revelation" and "Pish" (from where the "Mandrake Handshake" track appears). There's also a bit in common with Anton Newcombe's L'Épée collaboration with The Limiñanas but all in all this wide musical palette is moulded into a unique sound that is all of Mandrake Handshake's own creation. A quite wonderful gig draws to a close and the audience gives them a truly well deserved and rousing send-off. I'm pleased I got the chance to see Mandrake Handshake in a venue of this size as I'm sure it won't be long until they are packing out far bigger places. Please check out their Bandcamp page here to buy their records and for more information, please visit the band's Facebook page here.

Photos and videos copyright Retroman Blog 2025

Thunderbirds at 60 - Exhibition and Presentation with Dee Anderson, Mary Turner & David Hicks at Slough Museum

2025-11-24T20:58:00.002+00:00

Slough Museum has been running an excellent exhibition to celebrate 60 years of Thunderbirds since early October with various regularly changing displays and happenings along the way. Sunday November 23rd saw the biggest event so far where a capacity crowd was treated to presentations and Q&A sessions with Dee Anderson, the daughter of the show's creators Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, puppeteer Mary Turner and cameraman and director of photography David Hicks. There were fascinating insights from all three speakers into the making of the iconic Sci-Fi series packed with behind the scenes information, anecdotes and technical information. Dee explained fondly what it was like growing up in such a creative family and admitted it did make her popular with her classmates. She also told us how the character of Parker was inspired by a waiter in a local pub who had once been a butler for the Queen and she spoke warmly about the musical maestro Barry Gray, who provided so many of those magical theme tunes. An audience member chipped in with the link between Barry Gray and The Who, which of course was of particular interest to me. Mary explained how she created those wonderful puppets and that Sylvia was especially fond of Lady Penelope when she saw how the design resembled her looks.

David worked on the anniversary episodes and talked about the technical side incuding the various cameras, lighting and special effects. Of course, in those days there was no digitial film or CGI, everything was strictly analog and do it yourself. Apparently, David is writing a book about his experiences which will be something to keep an eye out for. There were also some former Century 21 employees in attendance and it was nice to see them enjoying the reunion with their colleagues. The museum, which is located on Slough Trading Estate just around the corner from the Anderson's original AP Films/Century 21 Studios, has some fantastic displays of puppets, stage sets, posters, comics, toys and memorabilia that will delight the die-hard fan along with the more curious visitor. The Museum Manager, staff and volunteers were all excellent and deserve a lot of credit for a thoroughly entertaining day.

The Exhibition runs until December 20th and is open Fridays 11am-4pm and Saturdays 10am-2pm but please check with the museum before visiting. For more information on Thunderbirds check out the web-site here and for all your merchandise needs, please visit the Gerry Anderson Store here. Here are some more photos...

All photos copyright Retro Man Blog 2015

WitchDoktors "Izzatso?" - Feature on the New Album with Photos, Videos and Tour Dates

2025-11-07T16:34:00.000+00:00

WitchDoktors released their long-awaited brand new album "Izzatso?" on Halloween via Bomber Music, and if you're after vinyl then you can choose from three appropriately spooky coloured discs - either blood splattered, pumpkin or black and gold swirl vinyl. There's a tendency for music journalists to reach for the same old cliches when reviewing new albums, four lazy phrases such as 'best album of their career', 'return to form', 'all killer no filler', 'every track could be a single' spring to mind. Luckily, I'm not a music journalist so let's just deconstruct those cliches for a moment... First of all, yes, I'd say that "Izzatso?" is the best album of WitchDoktors' near-30 year career to date. I say that with a slight caveat though because there's always an initial rush of excitement when you give a new record by one of your favourite bands its first spin. When it's as good as "Izzatso?" there's a kind of relief that the band haven't let you down and then, after more plays, it dawns on you that this could well be an absolute classic in the band's impressive back catalogue.

Next cliche - 'return to form' - if I was in a band I'd be pretty insulted when journos drop this phrase into a review as it's kind of implying the last release was basically crap! This definitely doesn't apply to WitchDoktors, for as great as "Izzatso?" is the band have never been out of form and it would be doing a huge injustice to previous albums such as "Voodoo Eye" or "$3 Hooker". However, "Izzatso?" does contain all the best elements of WitchDoktors crammed into it's eleven superb songs, capturing the very essence of the band perfectly. The album kicks off with a drumbeat and a distant 1,2,3,4 before "Lightning Strike" zooms in on a wicked Bo Diddley beat overlaid by some excellent slide guitar courtesy of special guest Leigh Heggarty from Ruts DC. "Before The War" one of the sides of the debut single from the album has already established itself as a bit of a WitchDoktors classic with it's memorable singalong chorus.

Of course WitchDoktors are steeped in the influence of The Clash, particularly that period when they threw off the shackles of Punk Rock and embraced American roots music with the "London Calling" album. So, WitchDoktors also cherry pick from the raw Country of Johnny Cash, fuzzed up 60's Garage Rock nuggets, the swampy Blues of Gun Club and The Cramps to the downtown New York sleaze of The Heartbreakers. WitchDoktors dressed in their bowling shirts, shades and trilby hats look cool, like a gang, just like a real band should and live, they are a supercharged blur of energy, they know the score. Frontman Andy Last and guitarist Tony Major certainly know how to work a crowd and engage with them in concert and they've managed to truly capture that dynamic on record with "Izzatso?", the guitar work is stunning throughout and Andy has never sounded in better voice. Among their contemporaries I guess Jim Jones shares similar ideals, in fact next track "High, Dry and Burnt" reminds me of his current outfit, Jim Jones All Stars, with a menacing bassline courtesy of Lee Page and brass section. Also similar to Jim Jones, WitchDoktors do love their Rock 'n' Roll myths and legends too - railway tracks, whiskey, movie stars, murder ballads, voodoo, neck tattoos and tiki bars - it's all there in their albums but "Izzatso?" adds in more thoughtful subjects such as PTSD and environmental and climate issues. Next cliche up, 'all killer, no filler' - well that's definitely true, every song is well worth its inclusion, nothing overstays its welcome.

One of WitchDoktors biggest talents is their understanding of the dynamics of Rock 'n' Roll, on record and in concert. Live, they know how to pace a show, build the tension and when to release it. Same on their records and with "Izzatso?" in particular, the track-listing is perfectly plotted with songs that are buzzing with ideas, genres, riffs and harmonies. To get the full effect you've got to play it from side one, song one all the way through and it all makes perfect sense. Back to The Clash and WitchDoktors have also taken their love of Reggae and similar to The Ruts really make it work. This is no doubt thanks mainly to Joe Colfar who is certainly one of the best drummers around with an instinctive feel for the genre as you can hear on the brilliant "Spanner In The Works". Then there's "Freedom Fighter" which wouldn't be out of place on Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros "Global A-Go-Go" album it's that good. The final cliche I picked on was 'every song could be a single' - possibly, although I have one reservation in the slightly downbeat closing track "Kicking The Can" which in context of the album works perfectly well but I'm not sure it would fare as a stand-alone single.

However, WitchDoktors have already got a head start with the release of the stunning 7" vinyl single "Before The War"/"Spanner In The Works" which is a tour-de-force double shot of Punk and Reggae that must rank up there among the very best double A-sided singles of all time. Talking of singles, "One Shot" would make another great one with it's wah-wah guitar and some superb drumming from Joe. "Planet of Pain" is a blistering quintessential WitchDoktors number that rubs leather clad shoulders next to my favourites "I'm Sick" and "No Pain No Gain". It blasts off like Rocket From The Crypt with some cool brass and Andy's rasping voice, not to forget a great bass riff and guitar freakout that will have you leaping about the room like crazy. "Jezebel" is a tuneful Pop Punk number with some nice Buzzcocks "ooh ooh" backing harmonies and the stabbing rhythm guitar of "God Knows" continues with this more melodic lighthearted side of the band. Then they up the tempo with the excellent "Candy Star" which surfs in on a naggingly catchy Pixies style guitar riff, I love this track.

The album closes with the afore-mentioned "Kicking The Can" which starts off in the backstreets of Paris with its mournful accordion before mariachi trumpets and twanging guitars transform the song into an evocative Spaghetti Western number. It's a slightly unassuming ending to the album but I guess it's good to have a bit of an atmospheric comedown after all the undoubted highs of a quite brilliant record. With "Izzatso?" it's like the band have been slowly building up to creating this masterpiece, an all-time classic album that will proudly sit alongside all the favourites in your collection. I'm just wondering how the hell WitchDoktors are going to better it? Here's a little bonus - The Voodoo Eye (WitchDoktors with special guests) performing "Suffragette City" with Stevie Savage and Nicky Forbes from The Revillos at the Retro Man Blog Birthday Gig and Alzheimer's Society Fundraiser, Half Moon Putney back in September.

The band will head off on tour to promote the album so please check out the official WitchDoktors Facebook page here for more details. You can order "Izzatso?" on CD, download or your choice of coloured vinyl at their Bandcamp site here. Check out our YouTube channel Retromanblog65 for loads of original WitchDoktors videos including their special appearance at the Retro Man Blog Birthday Gig & Fundraiser at the Half Moon Putney back in September. Videos and photos by Retro Man Blog and Ruth Rae.

Bobbie Dazzle at The Lower Third, London October 24th by David Leach

2025-10-31T18:29:00.000+00:00

Once upon a time a review in the Melody Maker or a few listens to a new artist on late night BBC Radio 1 were enough for me to think about attending a gig. Nowadays in an age of a more fragmented media it's a sponsored Facebook advert for a new artist that brings me out to a gig in Central London. First, a little bit about the location. I used to come here not so long ago when it was the ‘12 Bar Club’, an iconic, small ‘spit and sawdust’ Rock and Roll venue that hosted mainly Punk bands. Its closure was met with understandable dismay as it went hand in hand with the gentrification of the whole area and there was a genuine feeling by many that a part of ‘Old London’ had been erased. The venue is now reopened, refurbished and renamed as ‘The Lower Third’ and has a very different appearance and ‘vibe’ to the 12 Bar. I'm guessing the name is a reference to the early David Bowie band name. Initial impression is it’s a very smart looking venue and the upgrade is actually really good - the original ‘12 Bar’ music room was built around an ancient forge, which now forms the smaller upstairs music hall while you have to go down a flight of stairs of Wetherspoons proportions to get to the newly created main venue where I am attending tonight's show. Bobbie Dazzle is the artists name and she and the musicians in her band hail from the Midlands, an area known for great Rock bands such as Slade, Wizzard, ELO and Black Sabbath. Musically, the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree and it's not an exaggeration to say they give all those great bands a run for their money during tonight's performance which features a set mainly consisting of their 2024 debut LP "Fandabidozi" plus both tracks from new single "Spotlight".

Set opener "Flowers on Mars" makes me immediately realise that it was a great decision to dive further into that Facebook advert. Bobbie’s powerful rock vocal is an immediate attention grabber with the fabulous chorus (which becomes a theme) putting me in mind of the 5th Dimension's "Aquarius", the song pounds along with some great guitar flourishes and keyboard runs; it’s more Psychedelic Pop Rock than the advertised Glam Rock but rather wonderful all the same. We are hit with more and more ear worm rock tunes - "Merry-Go-Round' (another great chorus) has flashes of ‘Prog’ in its construction and a rather fetching flute solo from Bobbie herself. The music has many influences that work side by side with one another without getting in each other's way, the Glam Rock vibe doesn't feel forced or awkward or indeed a pastiche or a micky take, it feels genuine, cool and original. "Back to the City" (another great chorus) is the closest tonight gets to Glam Rock with the call and repeat nature of the chorus getting stuck in the brain - real ABBA vibes with this one and the same again with "Magic of Music" (another great and rather grand chorus) which Benny and Bjorn would have been proud of….which is funny as not long afterwards they throw in an ABBA cover, "Watch Out".

Bobbie announces the end of the hour-long show by saying they've played all their songs, but to expect a new album in the new year. She follows this by explaining the process behind her writing the last song of the set "Lightning Fantasy"; finding a page of lyrics written by her late father amongst his record collection, she has worked his words into this song which kicks off like Motorhead and stays at the same pace throughout while highlighting Bobbie's soaring vocals. It's a powerful and spectacular show closer. Whilst it's fair to say Bobbie is the focal point of the show, her band were fantastic, putting in a tight dynamic and versatile performance. All that remained for me to do was to purchase the new single "Spotlight" and say a few words of praise for such a great show to Bobbie on the way out while she signed it. It was great to see a ‘busy’ venue for what turns out to be Bobbie Dazzle's first headlining gig in London, and I suspect that she and her band will be a ‘hot ticket’ in an even busier venue when they return.

- Words, video and live photos by David Leach, October 2025

For more information on Bobbie Dazzle, please check out their official web-site here.

Glen Matlock "I Was A Teenage Sex Pistol" Documentary Screening and Q&A at The Barbican Centre, Thursday October 23rd

2025-10-25T12:03:00.004+01:00

Last night, we went along to the first screening of the new Glen Matlock documentary "I Was A Teenage Sex Pistol" at the Barbican Centre, part of the excellent Doc 'n' Roll Film Festival. The movie was followed by a Q&A session with Glen and directors, Nick Mead and Andre Relis being interviewed and taking questions from the audience. The documentary is based on Glen's memoir "I Was A Teenage Sex Pistol", telling his often overlooked side of the story, his part in the formation of the Pistols and his contribution to the song-writing of many of those classic tracks. Glen explains how he got to work with Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood in their Kings Road store Let It Rock which would evolve into a hangout for disaffected local youth including Steve Jones and Paul Cook. He explains how the Pistols got together and the personal dynamics that made the band so unique. More poignantly he discusses the negative impact of the infamous appearance on the Bill Grundy TV show and the frustration he felt in not being able to get out there and play, which was always his priority.

Chris Musto, Neal X from Glen's band, Glen and Kathy Valentine from The Go-Go's

The machinations going on behind his back to get John Lydon's mate Sid Vicious in to replace him and Malcolm's preposterous press release to say he had been sacked for "liking the Beatles" is something that clearly still rankles. I guess his book and this movie must go someway to putting those demons to rest and he also busts some long standing myths about his relationships with Sid, his bandmates and manager. Although of course the movie concentrates on the Pistols, it does touch on his musical career after he left the band such as his time with The Rich Kids, touring with Iggy Pop and Blondie and his solo music too. "I Was A Teenage Sex Pistol" paints a picture of a man who basically just wants to get out there and play, to experience the shared joy of performing and writing music with like-minded people. Throughout the movie there are enlightening interviews with some impressive guests including Steve Jones, Paul Cook, Billy Idol, Debbie Harry, Chris Stein and Clem Burke, Dead Boys guitarist Cheetah Chrome, Kenney Jones from The Who and Neal X. In fact Neal was there at the screening along with drummer Chris Musto, both from Glen's current band. Also in attendance were Kathy Valentine from The Go-Go's, Billy Doherty from The Undertones and Tony Major from The WitchDoktors.

For more info on the Doc 'n' Roll Film Festival please check out their web-site here. For news and information on Glen Matlock's current recordings and gigs etc. please check out his official web-site. You can see a feature on his superb gig at The 100 Club in London earlier this year with Kathy Valentine supporting in our Blog archive here.

Picture This: A Public Image - Punk, New Wave & 2-Tone in L.A. 1978-80 - Exhibition and Book featuring the photos of Spike Waltzer

2025-10-23T12:46:00.000+01:00

We went down to Brighton to catch the last day of the excellent exhibition of Garageland promoter Spike Waltzer's music photography at Gallery 40. Originally from Brooklyn in New York, Spike moved to L.A. in 1975 where he studied photography and got snapped up by a photo agency, ending up working as a paparazzo. His direction was to change after a neighbour introduced him to Punk via The Clash's "Give 'em Enough Rope" album in 1978 and he was hooked. He started going to gigs at now legendary Hollywood venues such as the Whisky A Go Go, Roxy and The Starwood, seeing early shows by local bands such as X, Fear and The Go-Go's alongside other touring acts like Blondie and The Cramps. Spike also captured lots of British and Irish bands touring the States often for the first time, and he has some superb onstage and candid offstage photos of The Undertones, Stiff Little Fingers, The Clash, Public Image Ltd, The Specials, The Selecter and Madness. Spike's photos of these bands are superb, really capturing the excitement of the live scene in L.A. at the time and it's great to see so many previously unseen pics of some of my favourite acts.

Spike has collated the best of his photos in a brillant book "Picture This: A Public Image" which is well worth getting hold of. Please note that the exhibition has now closed but the good news is, due to the demand, they will be back at Gallery 40 from December 9th-13th, ideal for picking up some Xmas presents for those friends and family members with good taste in music and photography! There are plans for more showings in London, Manchester and hopefully more locations will be added in due course. In the meantime, the book, postcards and prints (framed or unframed) are still available to order, so for more information you can message Spike at the Garageland Facebook page here or email to jasebick at gmail.com

Patti Smith "Horses" 50th Anniversary at The London Palladium, Monday October 13th

2025-10-19T17:40:00.000+01:00

Here are some photos and videos of Patti Smith's fantastic show at the London Palladium, part of her tour celebrating the 50th anniversary of her classic, hugely influential album "Horses". We saw the second of two nights from the Royal Circle balcony which meant I couldn't take many decent photos or videos, but I'm pleased I could capture a few moments from a truly magical evening. Joining Patti were her original longtime partner in crime Lenny Kaye, her son Jackson on guitar and bass and Tony Shanahan on bass and keyboards. Unfortunately, drummer Jay Dee Daugherty who played on "Horses" couldn't make the Monday night show which was a shame, but his stand-in for the night did a superb job. Patti looks amazing and her unmistakable voice has lost nothing over the years, she is in fine form. She switches between good humoured chat with the crowd and blistering put-downs of Trump and the genocide in Palestine. She tells us stories of her first meeting with Jimi Hendrix and of strange dreams about Jim Morrison which influence her songwriting.

Patti also has some fun with an inebriated audience member who wants to get up on stage to dance "I get paid to be up here" and once he has calmed down, "there's always one at every gig!" Of course, we get treated to the whole of "Horses" from those spine-tingling opening words "Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine" that heralds the beginning of their cover of Van Morrison and Them's "Gloria" through all eight of the original album's tracks. I think the Reggae stylings of "Redondo Beach" work much better live and the slow burning "Free Money" is immense as it builds to a raucous ending. I've always had a soft spot for "Kimberly" even though some people think it's a bit lightweight next to such emotionally raw companion pieces as "Break It Up".

The album running order is changed so they can end the main set with a blistering freak-out of "Land" which was a great decision as it gets the hugely appreciative, adoring audience to their feet. For the second set, the band return to the stage minus Patti and play a medley of three Television songs from "Marquee Moon" which although they sounded great, in all honesty I'd rather have had another song or two with Patti. She returns in familiar white T-shirt and black waistcoat for her version of The Byrds "So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star" then it was probably her most well known number, the Springsteen collaboration "Because The Night" which of course turned into a massive singalong. Next up was my personal highlight, a truly stunning "Dancing Barefoot" from "Wave" and then Patti introduced her friend Johnny Depp on guitar and her daughter Jesse on piano for the encore of "People Have The Power". This was much more than just a gig, it was a truly special experience that will live on long in the memory.

For more info check out the official Patti Smith web-site here.

All photos and videos copyright Retro Man Blog 2025

Groovy Uncle "The Dealbreaker" - Amy K-B on Glenn Prangnell's Final Groovy Uncle Release

2025-10-07T21:11:00.002+01:00

All good things must come to an end, and it seems that Groovy Uncle is no exception. After 15 years and 14 albums, singer songwriter Glenn Prangnell is hanging up his guitar, although this won't be the last we hear from him. I spoke to Glenn about the 14th and final Groovy Uncle album, "The Dealbreaker", about Groovy Uncle in general and the virtues of DIY album production. Groovy Uncle, as fans already know, came into being in 2011 with "Play Something We Know". After the breakup of Goodchilde, Glenn's former bandmates all had their own projects to work on, and although he felt no inclination to play live, he did want to keep making music, leading to meeting Suzi Chunk on Myspace and writing for her on "Girl From The Neck Down". Glenn told me there was never a plan for Groovy Uncle to be as long lasting as it became, and the intention was just to make music, which gradually snowballed into further albums. Obviously with such a huge catalogue of work to choose from there are going to be favourites, and Glenn admits to having a soft spot for "Persuaded", partly for the songs and partly for how much fun the album was to make.

In the years since Groovy Uncle started, there have been a huge supporting cast of musicians involved, usually all recording together, but the restrictions of the pandemic led to Glenn taking a more DIY approach on the last few albums, and for "The Dealbreaker" he's on his own, apart from guest vocals from Jane Wrangham on "Deja Vu", backing vocals from regular collaborator Jules Winchester and spoken word from James Worse, who fans will remember from "A Clip Round The Ear's" "Oil and Colour Man". I asked if there was a slight element of showing off in playing everything himself, which got a wry chuckle 'yeah, a little bit'. Glenn told me the DIY approach pushed him to work harder at the elements that he doesn't usually do, and the end result is a very polished, intricate album. "The Dealbreaker" is not a 'standard' Groovy Uncle album, whatever that may be. It was originally intended to be darkly funny, but just became pretty dark, although there are flickers of trademark humour. Written between October 2024 and September 2025, there is a strong political influence to some tracks, and a general reflection on the mood of society. It's a bit angry, a bit reflective and decidedly thoughtful. The lyrics to "I Soldier On" are especially poignant; 'it's not much of a leap from a day without care to a night without sleep', and "On A Sixpence" riffs on the uncertainty of life. The instrumentals groove along nicely, with a particularly authentic Sixties bass sound on "Escape Goat", and there's a slightly spooky feel to some of the tracks, inspired by experimental arrangements recorded with Jane Wrangham. "You Are Loved" stands out as more of a classic Groovy Uncle track, a reassuring ballad that feels like an auditory hug.

"Sixty Odd Years" (double meaning intended ) closes out the album as a look back, but reassures us that Glenn's not done yet, and although this may be the end of Groovy Uncle there is still more music to come. I asked Glenn why he's decided to call time on the project, and much of it comes down to the financial side of making and selling physical records, but he also explained that any future projects will be free from the idea of what a Groovy Uncle album should sound like. Because of the breadth of genres Glenn covers, I've never really thought that there was a particular blueprint, but he's right; we expect a bit of those powerhouse singers Suzi Chunk and Miss Modus, some witty wordplay, soaring strings, poignancy and a sprinkling of nostalgia. Where's he going to go next? Physical records are off the table for now, but there may be downloads, and there is a very wide ranging selection of covers on the way. Glenn told me that he views writing songs in much the same way as John Lennon did; a series of postcards from where you are now. 'After all, what's the point in having a mind if you can't change it?' Wherever his musical travels take him next, I'm sure we'll be in for a treat.

- Amy K-B, October 2025

You can buy the CD or Download of "The Dealbreaker" and more goodies from the Groovy Uncle back-catalagoue at their Bandcamp site here. You can check out our previous features on Groovy Uncle in our Blog archive here. Album cover artwork by Darryl Hartley.

THE LET'S GO's & The Baby Seals at The Trinity Harrow September 25th 2025

2025-09-27T21:47:00.000+01:00

In these days of seemingly endless bad news full of intolerence, bitterness and hatred it's refreshing to just go out and see some great soul cleansing live Rock 'n' Roll music. There's nothing like it for taking your mind off an increasingly selfish society and reminding yourself that yes, there are still decent like-minded people out there. Tonight's gig courtesy of promoters Shake Some Acton is just one of those uplifting nights and with the Tokyo trio THE LET'S GO's they picked a perfect antidote to these troubled times. I'd always just missed out on seeing the band during my trips to Japan so I was really pleased to find out they were playing up the road from me in Harrow and I'd finally get to see them play. I wasn't to be disappointed as right from the start as they make their individual introductions to the intro music of the Ramones & Paley Brothers Power Pop classic "Come on Let's Go", the smiles of the band and audience light up the room.

Kicking off with a triple hit of "In My Head", "222" and a manic version of The Revillos "Yeah Yeah" they mean business. Founding member Coco on guitar and lead vocals is a livewire focal point, an excellent guitarist, spitting out Johnny Thunders style riffs one minute and then cheerleading us to sing along and get involved. Their fantastic bassist Manami bounces off Coco's energetic performance as they jump and pose around the stage together, their smiles are as infectious as their melodic tunes. There must be something in the Japanese water that produces so many amazing female drummers and Ame-chan is no exception, she's worth the entrance price alone with a stunning display behind the kit. THE LET'S GO's have the swagger of the Heartbreakers but can belt out Power Pop numbers that match Baby Shakes at their best and the brilliant "Let's A Go-Go!" is a sure fire classic.

However, they are not afraid to slow the relentless pace with the dreamy, melodic sweetness of "Mirror Ball" sung by bassist Manami which has a Phil Spector feel to it. They play a few cover versions including "What A Wonderful World" that is more of a take on Joey Ramones' version and "Boys" possibly Ringo's finest vocal moment with The Beatles and there's a great rousing version of The Clash's "Janie Jones'. The set draws to a close with the uptempo "Frontier" and "Disco Night" but sadly due to time restraints, that's it, no opportunity for what would have been an extremely well deserved encore. However, we all went home satisfied, with smiles still plastered all over our faces.

I was pleased I made it to the venue in time to catch the Cambridge based support act Baby Seals, another three piece band comprising vocalist and guitarist Kerry, drummer Amy who also provides some impressive backing vocals and super cool bassist Kate who treats us to some crunching bass riffs. There's a nice chemistry between them all which creates a really good atmosphere and means the crowd are immediately on side. Of course, good songs also help and Baby Seals thankfully have a lot of those to share with us tonight. The rollicking non-conformist 'fuck you' choruses of "Nipple Hair" and "Vibrator" are prime examples of some classic dynamic songwriting. Then there's the brooding Psychedelia of "Irene" and "Chaos" and the hypnotic slow-burning "It's Not About The Money Honey" which show there's a real depth to The Baby Seals, that on first glance of some of the song titles in their set list, might not be immediately apparent. Sure, they have the cheeky humour of The Gymslips (showing my age there...) but there are also echoes of "Dry" and "Rid Of Me" era PJ Harvey, the brilliant Duke Spirit, Post-Punk and some Grungey guitar wig-outs courtesy of Kerry.

I was really impressed so I picked up a copy of their debut album "Chaos" after their set and even on first listen in the car back home, I could immediately remember all the songs from the show - songs like "Mild Misogynist" and "ID'd at Aldi" will stick in your head and are truly addictive. The fact that Baby Seals have got me, a 60 year old bloke, happily walking around singing "My Labia Is Lopsided, But I Don't Mind" is testament to their knack of crafting some insanely catchy choruses. I'd better be careful not to sing too loudly when I'm out in public...

All photos and videos copyright Retro Man Blog 2025. For more videos of both bands please head on over to our Retromanblog65 YouTube channel and subscribe for free.

Ronnie Mayor: New Album "Beyond The Limberlost" and Vinyl Reissue of "Retrospectively Yours" Compilation from former Tours & Da Biz songwriter

2025-09-07T22:00:00.002+01:00

Ronnie Mayor, the former joint singer, songwriter and guitarist with the legendary Power Popsters Tours', one of the much-missed DJ John Peel's favourites, has two releases out now. First of all, there's a new solo album "Beyond The Limberlost" and then courtesy of Bachelor Records there's a vinyl reissue of the compilation "Retrospectively Yours" that showcases his songwriting talents with Tours, Da Biz and as a solo artist, here's some information on the compilation from the record company...

"Power Pop enthusiasts, rejoice! For the first time ever, Ronnie Mayor’s cult-favorite CD "Retrospectively Yours" gets the vinyl treatment, courtesy of Austria’s premier garage/punk/power pop imprint Bachelor Records. Originally released in 2022 as a CD-only archival compilation on Small Operations and available exclusively via Boiler Room Records, "Retrospectively Yours" dives deep into Mayor’s late-70s/early-80s tape archives. Now this essential collection is being reissued on limited edition vinyl (500 copies), bringing new life and analog warmth to 14 gems spanning Mayor’s prolific work with Tours, Da Biz, and his solo releases. Featuring all three of Mayor’s cult 7″ singles—including the John Peel favourite "Language School", the long-lost TOURS anthem "Imagination" and the ultra-rare "On the Beach" by Da Biz—this LP is an irresistible time capsule of DIY energy, sharp hooks, and pure pop passion. The album also unearths eight previously unreleased recordings from Tours and Da Biz, plus the raw rockabilly cut "Clock ‘n’ Rock", written for Surfin’ Dave but never issued until now. "Retrospectively Yours" is exactly what it claims to be: All killer, no filler. A must-have for fans of vintage UK power pop, mod revival, and punk-inflected guitar pop. Released on June 23rd 2025 via Bachelor Records, housed in a deluxe sleeve with a printed inner sleeve with liner notes about the songs and recordings."


Ronnie Mayor in 2018 - Photo by Paul Slattery

As mentioned above, Ronnie has also just released a new solo album entitled "Beyond The Limberlost" which starts off with the acoustic Country & Western opener "Hank Made It Home" and the pedal steel guitar of second song "Don't You Know You're Home" and you can tell Ronnie is in fine voice. What hits you next is the quite excellent production perfectly highlighted on "This Love Passes On" with some superb backing vocals and understated percussion. Then there's the feel good blue-eyed Soul of "I Wanna Make You Happy" with its brass section and gospel style backing harmonies. The more familiar jangling guitars make an appearance on "Love Is Gonna Pick You Up" and the uptempo album closer "A Kinder World" is based around a naggingly catchy guitar riff and is a great ending to the record.

Tours with Ronnie in the centre - Photo by Paul Slattery

Our features on the Tours reunion gig in 2018 by photographer Paul Slattery, who photographed the band back in their early days, can be found in our archive here. You can also hear Paul discussing the band and playing some choice cuts in our Retrosonic Podcast Episode 47...

Retrosonic Podcast · Episode 47 "This Is No Audition" with Rock Photographer Paul Slattery

Photos copyright Paul Slattery.

The Crystal Teardrop, The Jack Cades & The Embrooks at the Alice In Wonderland Psychedelic Summer Shindig, Water Rats London Aug 15th

2025-08-31T16:38:00.002+01:00

Here's a selection of photos and videos from a great Alice In Wonderland Psychedelic Summer Shindig at The Water Rats in London's Kings Cross featuring three superb bands The Crystal Teardrop, The Jack Cades and The Embrooks that are right up Retro Man Blog's street. It seems that recently Christian, from the legendary 80's Psychedelic club has started putting on shows again, I remember it used to be held at Gossip's in Soho (the same club that also housed The Batcave) and Clive the singer from Dr. & The Medics was a regular DJ. We'll definitely be keeping an eye out for future gigs and events, especially if they can attract such a great line-up of bands, all three headliners in their own right. The Embrooks' Psych-pop classics are always a joy to hear, it was just a shame I couldn't take any videos of their set. This was my first time to see the current Jack Cades since the departure of Mole and Alex, and as much as I loved that line-up, the new look JC's were on fire. They treated us to some fantastic sounding new songs from their forthcoming album that channelled their appreciation of The Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Velvet Underground into memorable riffs and driving rhythms. This was my first ever time to see The Crystal Teardrop and I could quickly see why there is such a buzz about the band at the moment. They look great on stage, a blur of energy and in Alexandra Rose they have a charismatic and engaging frontwoman. The songs were impressive, I particularly liked their use of the electric sitar and I picked up a copy of their new album "The Crystal Teardrop Is Forming" which is a great listen. You can see more videos from the show over at our Retromanblog65 YouTube channel.

The Crystal Teardrop

The Jack Cades

The Embrooks

Luke Haines & Peter Buck with The Minus 5 - Photos & Videos from The Barn Theatre Oxted, Aug 25th

2025-08-29T14:11:00.005+01:00

The intriguing collaboration between The Auteurs frontman Luke Haines and Peter Buck from R.E.M. continues with a U.K. tour to promote their superb new album "Going Down To The River To Blow My Mind". We caught their show at The Barn Theatre in Oxted and they were backed by Scott McCaughey's Power Pop legends The Minus 5, the pair repaid the favour by joining the Minus 5 line-up for a cracking support slot, with Peter taking on bass duties and Luke on guitar and backing vocals. The Minus 5 are also challenging Luke and Peter for early contenders of Album of The Year as they are also promoting a fantastic new release entitled "Oar On, Penelope!" Here are some photos and videos from a memorable night...

Luke Haines & Peter Buck "Judy Chicago" at The Barn Theatre Oxted

Luke Haines & Peter Buck "56 Nervous Breakdowns" at The Barn Theatre Oxted

The Minus 5 "Let The Rope Hold, Cassie Lee" at The Barn Theatre Oxted

The Minus 5 "I Don't Want To Hate Anyone" at The Barn Theatre Oxted

For more videos of both bands from the show, please check out our Retromanblog65 YouTube channel, you can subscribe for free to access our whole archive of original live music videos and podcasts. All photos and videos copyright Retro Man Blog 2025.

Gaye Advert's Punk Memorabilia - A New Publication by Gaye and Leonor Faber-Jonker

2025-07-16T21:31:00.003+01:00

Leonor Faber-Jonker of SAGO Press will release a collaborative publication along with Gaye Black in August. Titled "Gaye Advert's Punk Memorabilia" it collates twelve items from Gaye's own personal collection of memorabilia and looks at the stories behind each object. With photographs by Eric Waring and designed by Maud Van Rossum and Riso printed, the limited edition publication comes in two versions with some superb extras included. I spoke to Leonor and Gaye about this great project so please read on for the background behind it...

Leonor, how did you discover The Adverts and when did you first meet Gaye?

Leonor: I met Gaye at Rebellion Festival, I think it was in 2006 maybe. I was a big fan of The Adverts, when I was 14 I got my first Punk compilation CD and The Adverts were on there and it was one of the tracks that stood out. I didn't even have a computer at that age and then when I got a computer I started looking up things about The Adverts and I noticed Gaye of course and I thought she looked so cool so I kind of modelled my look on this one grainy picture I had of her, so yeah I was really a big fan.

So when you first met Gaye you didn't have any idea of doing a book or anything like that?

L: I must have been nineteen and I was still working out, finding out what I wanted to do and stuff so it was just more like being starstruck. Then I started organising gigs around that same time, I organised a couple of gigs for TV Smith in the Netherlands, and then I saw Gaye.

So that's similar to me, I also got to know Gaye through promoting TV Smith gigs, where were you putting on your shows?

L: In the Hague at a bar that was run by people who before they ran a squat and when that shut down they opened this very nice little bar with a stage called De Vinger. I put on a couple of shows there for TV Smith but also John Cooper-Clarke which is really wild as he's playing really big venues now. Of course I got talking to Gaye and she was just really sweet, I also bought some of her artwork, I think I bought two or three.

So, when did you get to the point of deciding on doing this project, how did you come up with the idea?

L: Well, I'm really interested in how objects carry a meaning so that's something I do a lot of research on and I'm very interested in family heirlooms or souvenirs. Also how objects change meaning over time 'cos if you carry it with you through your life then it will change, it will signify different things for different moments, so that's kind of the background. Then I have this publishing company SAGO Press and with that I want to make books that are based on archives and I also focus on female artists and musicians from the Punk era or the Post-Punk era of the 80's and started with Truus de Groot who was a Post-Punk pioneer in the Netherlands who went to New York when she was very young. So, it kind of went very naturally 'cos I was thinking for a while as I was organising gigs before and I'd stopped doing that I wanted to offer a platform again to other people or collaborate in a DIY way again. I was thinking maybe a magazine, maybe this or maybe that, and then I came across these photos by Truus de Groot and then I realised this would make a perfect book. Anyway, so I had this publishing house and then of course I thought of Gaye who I'd stayed in touch with as she also came to the HOK Gallery in the Hague and I wrote an essay for her exhibition she had there. I thought it would just be great to make a booklet together and we were just sitting talking, Eric was there too and it just came together and I think Eric might have said, what about the memorabilia objects, so yeah, it just happened.

Eric Waring is the photographer who took the majority of the photos in the book, it's lucky that Gaye has kept most of her memorabilia and prized possessions.

L: Yeah, in a very sort of conscious way and what she kept, she kept it carefully, or even not carefully like with the leather jacket she just put in the garden when it was finally returned by somebody who stole it after decades. She had this leather jacket that she was always wearing in all those iconic photographs and it was stolen from a dressing room in Ireland and she didn't see it for decades and then suddenly it was posted back anonymously. So, she just had this jacket but it was really mouldy and horrible when she got it back so she put it in the garden and it became a home for spiders, but even then it's a caring way to interact with an object.

It's amazing that she got it back, so you've chosen twelve items, how did you start off?

L: The starting point was Gaye's memorabilia collages because she made this series of digital collages and the objects are all in there so that was the starting point, but then Eric had to re-photograph them for the book as the images were not so suitable for printing.

Gaye's left the music world and she's now an Artist and she does use a lot of her memorabilia in her artwork which is really effective isn't it.

L: Yeah, there are a lot of personal mementoes also from before and after the Punk era, all her artworks are filled with personal significant little things.

So the booklet itself is beautifully produced, I'm really happy as I've got to actually look at it finally, and Gaye is writing about the background to each item with some great photos by Eric. You've also included some postcards, you've got a reproduction of the rat sticker that was on her bass and you've even got a reproduction of the fantastic The Damned and The Adverts advert on newspaper, it's almost like it's come out of Sounds in 1976. That's 'The Damned can now play three chords The Adverts can play one, hear all four of them' and then you've got all the tour dates and that's the famous picture of Gaye and Dave Vanian which I'm sure will be familiar to many people. So you get these nice little extras which I think makes it a little bit special and you've done two versions of the booklet, you've got this version that I've got here and then you've got one in a deluxe special edition.

L: Yeah the special edition, I mean the regular version is quite special as it is, if I may say so myself! So the main extras are the poster and three postcards and the rat sticker, I had to cut out 300 rats so I hope you guys appreciate it! It's Riso printed which is quite a special technique and comes in a limited edition of 150 copies in total and numbers 1-25 are the special editions and they come with a signed A4 print of one of Gaye's memorabilia collages, a very nice print.

I won't give everything away on what's in the booklet, people will have to buy it to find out, but some of the more interesting items featured include Iggy Pop's dog collar and a Ramones baseball bat which are quite bizarre, and there's a battered tour suitcase along with other various bits and pieces which I won't give away yet but it's nice to hear the stories behind them. When I got this copy I thought, 'oh wow this must be the deluxe edition' but there's all the extras that come with the standard version too so it's very good value. So, the book will be available from August, you're going to be at the Rebellion Festival in August, will you be there over the whole weekend?

L: I will be yeah, Gaye will have a stall and I'm just a hanger-on, then there's a Q&A session where we're officially presenting it.

So if you're at Rebellion from August 7th-10th you can pick up a copy or you can order the book from here. Leonor, you said you're getting orders from all over the place already.

L: Yeah from Australia and Mexico, I was really surprised, many orders from the United States, California it's quite surprising and then many from the Netherlands as well.

You've done some previous publications haven't you, including old fanzines and Dutch Punk and things like that as well.

L: Yeah, quite a few publications now, I started by writing a book about Dutch Punk that came out in 2012, and that was because I knew quite a lot about UK bands but I had no idea about what was going on in the Netherlands at that time so I became really curious what was here. Why do I know so many bands in the UK but what else was going on, so that was the starting points of my research. Then I also have quite a few other interests but I always come back to Punk and Post-Punk.

So do you think this idea you have here is something you could spread out to other musicians that you know?

L: I never like to do the same thing twice so I always want to reinvent myself or my work so the publications I've done with Sago now, so far one is photographs and snapshots taken in New York and then there's one coming out with drawings by Dirk Polak from the Dutch New Wave band Mecano. What I like is talking to underground musicians and artists, finding out what they have that has never seen the daylight, that people are not aware of, that's what I really like, digging that out. It's a private archive so what I like to do with my publications is that you have the feeling like you are actually visiting the person, you become a little bit closer to the person, it's biographical in the end.

We're now joined by Gaye and I was wondering how you both narrowed it down to 12 items?

L: Well, it started at Rebellion from the memorabilia collage artwork, there were ten of them, then the final selection was quite tricky actually.

Tell us about Iggy's dog collar Gaye...

Gaye: In 1977 The Adverts were asked to do the U.K. tour with Iggy and throughout the course of that he was always trying to give me items of his clothing, like that raincoat in that picture of him and Patti Smith but I said no, I don't have room for that, so he had this dog collar and he said "would you like that?" and I said OK.

How did you get hold of a Ramones baseball bat?

G: It was the first time they played in London at the Roundhouse and at the end of the gig Joey came out from the side of the stage and he was giving out these promotional baseball bats and I had one. But I think most people probably couldn't be bothered to carry them home so they became really rare but I held on to it and I've had it ever since, it's not a full size baseball bat, it's there under the TV if you want to see it!

What about the battered old suitcase?

G: This is an old suitcase of my parents that they gave me when I moved to London that was living up in my attic room and it came with me when we went off on tour, 'cos it was the only thing I had. We didn't have rucksacks or things in those days, so I lived out of that for several years. The stickers, I'm a great one for sticking any stickers onto things, a random selection, that big Damned one on the front, that's from their first album I think, carefully unpeeled.

The suitcase is like one of your works of art, one of your collages in itself, you've got backstage passes, Motorhead stickers you've got the Damned one.

G: There's a couple of more contemporary ones too, like The Briefs, but that's quite an old Briefs one, that's probably vintage by now.

L: It's also kind of nice that you haven't kept it as a museum piece, it's just part of your life and still is.

G: Yeah, it was but it's kind of broken now so I can't use it anymore.

So what was it like for you going through looking at these items, was it interesting to drag up the back stories behind them?

G: Yes, I haven't kept all that many things but I had the idea for doing my memorabilia series at Rebellion in 2016 'cos that was their anniversary gig and they went down really well, so I've been doing variations on them. I don't have that many objects and Leonor is a great collector and object fan and she had this idea so she came round here and narrowed it down to what's in the book.

Well it's great, it's a really unique way of looking at someone's musical life rather than a just a typical biography, list of dates or tour diary it's an unusual take 'cos of all the stories behind the items.

G: I very rarely get rid of anything, I value the things that have memories and if I do get rid of anything it's usually something that I've had more recently so the core things remain.

I don't want to give too much away, people will have to buy the book to find out what's inside. You'll be at Rebellion Festival doing a Q&A session and having your art on display and I guess the books will be on sale.

G: Yes, I'll be interviewed and Leonor will be doing a presentation during my interview and I'll be selling new art stuff in the adjoining room to the literary stage.

Thanks to Leonor and Gaye, as mentioned if you are at Rebellion Festival in Blackpool this year, you'll be able to pick up a copy directly and also check out Gaye's fantastic art. Otherwise, you can order from SAGO Press at this link, find out more about Leonor's projects at her web-site here and you can check out Gaye Black Art here.

Don't forget our thoroughly entertaining Retrosonic Podcast interview special with Gaye is still available to listen to, stream or download, where she discusses her life in Music and Art. Gaye takes us on a musical journey from growing up in a small town in north Devon and discovering music for the first time to buying her first record. We then discover what lured her into Rock 'n' Roll and what inspired her to play the bass. There are tales of her experiences of moving to London, being right at the heart of the early Punk Rock explosion and of course her time with The Adverts. This leads onto the bands and the characters she met and toured with along the way such as Iggy Pop, Lemmy and The Damned. We also cover her DJ'ing and the inspirations on her own Art as well as her time curating Art Exhibitions and working on the artwork for record covers by U.K. Subs bassist Alvin Gibbs. The episode is sound-tracked by Gaye's personal selection of her favourite songs from The Adverts and some of Gaye's most inspirational musical moments including Black Sabbath, Rolling Stones, The Stranglers, The Damned, The Beatles, Mayhem, Motorhead, The Phobics, Mayhem, Turbonegro, Cyanide Pills, The Men Who Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing, Iggy Pop, The Stooges, A Place To Bury Strangers, U.K. Subs and the Fireball XL5 Theme...!

Retrosonic Podcast · Gaye (Advert) Black, Artist & Former Bassist with The Adverts

Sparks at Hammersmith Apollo, Thursday June 19th 2025

2025-06-26T22:27:00.002+01:00

I’m back at the beautiful Art Deco Hammersmith (Odeon) Apollo, the scene of my very first gig back in 1981, to see the second night of two London gigs from Sparks whose incredible renaissance shows no sign of letting up. I’d seen the set-list in advance, and I must confess to being a bit underwhelmed at first glance. Personally, I would only have chosen around half of the songs, but then again, the perfect set-list would be nigh-on impossible considering the band released their first album in 1971 and well over 50 years later, have just unleashed the superb “Mad!” to a receptive public. I think “Mad!” might well be their 29th album if include the movie/musical soundtracks and FFS collaboration with Franz Ferdinand, not including the numerous compilations. So, back to the set-list, which is heavy on the high energy dancefloor smashes of the late 70’s-80’s including “Beat The Clock”, and “The Number One Song In Heaven” (complete with Ron’s now trademark dance-moves) and the surprise inclusion of “Academy Award Performance” all from the Giorgio Moroder produced “Number 1 In Heaven”.

Then there’s the 1990’s Electronica of “Music That You Can Dance To” and “When Do I Get To Sing My Way?” which ramp up the party atmosphere to the maximum. Sadly, the 70’s are not so well represented but we do get a storming “Reinforcements” from “Propaganda” and a curveball in “Goofing Off” from 1977’s “Introducing Sparks”. But then again, Sparks are not merely a nostalgia act and there is so much excellent new material to consider. Having said that, of course they can’t skip the classic “This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us” – which was the entry point for many of us Brits into the crazy world of Sparks. Seeing the classic Top Of The Pops performance on the Thursday evening and then the next day at school, the playground was buzzing with excited chatter - “hey, did you see that scary guy who looked like Hitler last night?”. Later you discover that this was repeated across pretty much every school yard from Land’s End to John O’Groats. However, the big surprise of the night was the inclusion of “Whippings And Apologies” from their second album, 1973’s “A Woofer In Tweeter’s Clothing” which tonight was a snarling Glam-Punk classic.

The campfire singalong of “Suburban Homeboy” with Ron on deadpan lead vocals from “Lil’ Beethoven” was another delight. This was probably the album that relaunched Sparks career in 2002 and put them on the trajectory that now sees them playing in packed out venues to adoring audiences all over the world. The following four albums are skipped over, probably because they have previously toured them in their own right, but a real highlight is the emotional “Please Don’t Fuck Up My World” from “Steady Drip, Drip, Drip”, which Russell tells us, is probably more relevant than ever. Of course, they play plenty of “Mad!” and “Do Things My Own Way”, “Drowned In a Sea of Tears” and “Jansport Backpack” all sound marvellous played live. Unfortunately, there’s no “My Devotion” which I think is one of the most beautiful songs Sparks have written in ages, but like I said at the beginning, you can’t have everything. The band that Ron and Russell have assembled are absolutely superb, managing the complexity of the song-writing and the often bewildering variety in musical styles perfectly. The sound and lighting are stunning throughout and the audience reaction is phenomenal, quite a few times there is a rapturous standing ovation at the end of a song. So much so that they have to put the house lights up and the band just have to pause to just let the acclaim wash over them before they can start the next number.

They encore with “The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte” and a rousing “All That” which sees the crowd singing along and waving their arms in unison and there’s a surprise when “Sparks Brothers” documentary director Edgar Wright appears on stage to take a photo of Ron and Russell in front of the crowd. Off the top of my head, of their generation I can only think of the 78 year-old Iggy Pop, who’s also out on tour at the moment, who can compare with Sparks full-on physically energetic live performance. Considering their ages, Ron is 79 and Russell 76, they could have been forgiven for continuing down the more restrained “Two Hands, One Mouth” route but no, Russell has not lost any of his incredible vocal range and instead they continue to tour with a vibrant excellent young band, performing shows bursting with colourful life-affirming energy. Maybe one day they will have to slow down a bit, but at the moment it’s only Ron’s dance routine that’s getting slightly shorter. So, for now, if you get the opportunity, make sure you enjoy the full on Sparks extravaganza while you can. Tonight, might well rank up there as one of the best shows I’ve seen from the band and despite my initial misgivings about the set-list, I wouldn’t have changed it for the world.

You can still check out our feature on Sparks "Two Hands, One Mouth" show from 2012 at London's Barbican Centre here. Don't forget our two thoroughly entertaining episodes of Retrosonic Podcast where original Halfnelson/Sparks drummer Harley Feinstein gives us a fascinating insight into the very early years of Sparks.

Retrosonic Podcast · Sparks: The Bearsville/Halfnelson Years Part 1 & Crash 74 with Harley Feinstein

Retrosonic Podcast · Sparks: The Bearsville/Halfnelson Years Part 2 with Harley Feinstein

John McKay's Reactor at The Face Bar Reading, Tuesday June 17th - the triumphant return of the legendary Siouxsie & The Banshees Guitarist

2025-06-19T14:55:00.007+01:00

I was at a local Club Velocity promotions gig at the Face Bar in Reading on Tuesday night to witness the long awaited return of the legendary Siouxsie & The Banshees guitarist John McKay. The first thing that hit me was how good he looked; all dressed in black, hair slicked back into a Samurai style top knot. Similar to (the much-missed) Geordie from Killing Joke, McKay is effortlessly cool, making it look so easy when of course, we really know it's nothing of the sort. There’s a nonchalance to his playing style that belies the immense, razor sharp sound that he conjures from his equally cool black semi-acoustic Hagström guitar. I was just too young to see The Banshees play when he was in the line-up, but I’ve always loved McKay’s glacial guitar riffs – a sound that defined not only the early Banshees, but pretty much the whole Post-Punk genre. There was a palpable buzz running through the crowd as he struck the opening chords to first number “Black Five” and to hear that instantly recognisable, hugely influential sound, was a big thrill.

Earlier this year Tiny Global Productions released the beautifully packaged album “Sixes And Sevens” which features unreleased solo recordings made between 1980 and 1989. Former Banshees drummer Kenny Morris who along with McKay, jumped the Banshees ship mid-tour in 1979, features on some of these songs along with Soft Boys bassist Matthew Seligman and John’s partner Linda on vocals – sadly both Matthew and Linda passed away in 2020. Don’t be put off by the mention of ‘unreleased’ songs, as usually when record companies put out such recordings there’s a very good reason why they were unreleased in the first place. Not so with “Sixes And Sevens” as the songs and sound are excellent and it begs the question just why they were not ever released at the time. It gives a fascinating insight into what might have been after The Banshees, and the good news is that now, thanks to Tiny Global, the songs have been given a new lease of life. A few dates have been arranged to promote the album including the Reading show, a sold-out Lexington in London, the Forever Now festival in Milton Keynes on June 22^nd, The 100 Club on June 23^rd and the Hare & Hounds Birmingham on July 19th.

John has assembled a superb band around him, John McKay’s Reactor, and it is very much a band rather than just a solo project. One of Retro Man Blog’s favourites Jen Brown from The Priscillas is on lead vocals, a perfect choice, it’s a role she just had to play, and she looks fabulous next to John. It must have been a rather daunting task as comparisons with Siouxsie are bound to be raised, but Jen is superb, balancing her individual style while keeping a deference to Siouxsie's vocal delivery. Billy King is on bass and like Jen, looks every inch the epitome of Rock ‘n’ Roll, very cool. He also rather impressively keeps his leather biker jacket on for the duration of the whole show despite the soaring temperatures. Drummer Jola is a busy, blur of energy, managing the sometimes unusual tom-heavy tribal beats with real skill, she’s great to watch in her own right. The set list is perfectly balanced between tracks from “Sixes And Sevens” and Banshees classics, and the good thing is there’s a seamless transition between the two, that’s testament to the strength of the solo material, I guess.

The set ends with “Hong Kong Garden” and there’s an encore of “Playground Twist” which both take the roof of the Face Bar. We also get treated to Banshees classics from the first two albums including “The Staircase (Mystery)”, “Placebo”, “Mirage”, “Suburban Release” and “Switch”. Of the ‘new’ songs “Taken For Granted” with its rumbling JJ Burnel style bass intro and “Vigilante” are personal highlights and I’m left hoping that this new line-up can find the time to write some brand new material in the near future. Check out the band’s Facebook page here and Instagram pages for news on the upcoming shows and Tiny Global on how to order “Sixes And Sevens” which is out on CD, download and limited edition vinyl which includes a signed booklet and bonus CD. For more videos from the show please subscribe to the Retro Man Blog YouTube channel here.