Thanks to Simon Rapsey for the interview! After writing the post about his band and asking for some more info about them some weeks ago Simon was kind enough to get in touch through Facebook and was up to answering all my questions about his band. The Kites released a flexi and a 7″ and sadly are quite obscure. But if you are wise enough you’ll have a read and listen to their songs! They are so good!

++ Hi Simon! Thanks so much for being up for this interview! It’ll be great to know a bit more about The Kites. So perhaps let’s start by the band members? Who were they? And how did you all meet?

The Band first started in Plymouth by Ashley Chaplin (Guitar and Vocals)who started looking for likeminded souls to form a band. Dave Sarney (Bass) answered an ad posted on the Student Union Notice Board. A few guitarists were tried out at rehearsal sessions but eventually Dev Cross joined on lead guitar.  The band originally called themselves Stone Soup and had a couple of drummers before me. I joined later when the band were looking for a drummer for a recording session they booked – I originally went along to just provide drums for that session – but ended up staying.

++ Where you all studying the same degree at the university of Plymouth?

No – Ashley did Environmental Science, Dave and Dev both did Biology.

++ You mentioned to me that you had been previously in other bands like The Reddlemen and This Splendid! How did these bands sound like? Any similarities with The Kites? Did you release anything with them?

The Reddlemen formed much earlier whilst Dave and I were still at school.  They were less jangly than The Kites, slightly rawer. Nothing was ever released although we played a few gigs which were generally well attended.  A bootleg of  the Reddlemen live at Forest Hall was in circulation at one time. This Splendid! were more on the scene in the Reading area in terms of gigging and were more groove based – influenced by the sounds that were beginning to emerge from Manchester at that time. We released a couple of Eps – Caper and Slide Through

++ Were the other members involved in other bands as well?

Dave played bass in the Reddlemen

++ Why the name The Kites?

We realised a name change was needed as Stone Soup was a fairly terrible name and people wrongly assumed that the name was a contrived fusion of the Stone Roses and The Soup Dragons.  The name Kites came from one of our songs –  “Kites”

++ Did you gig a lot? What were your best gigs and why?

The band gigged a lot in the Plymouth area.. Gigs outside of the campus area could be quite hairy and often laced with the threat of impending violence both to us and those who’d come to see us.  Gigs in the further outer suburbs of Plymouth often ended with a hurried dismantling of equipment and a dash to the transit. Sets would begin with a cover of the Buzzcocks ESP and end with a crowd favourite – “Your Face”. The lyric “I worshipped you” was initially confused as being “I wore shit shoes”  and was forever more sung along as such by the crowd.  Our best gigs were generally the ones supporting bigger named bands who ventured into Plymouth. There would generally be a good turn-out and we had to up our game a bit. Another gig that stands out a for me was we did a festival at Reading University. No-one really knew who we were so we started off playing to an empty tent but by the end we’d filled it.

++ Were there any bands that you really like playing with? Did you feel at the time, in the late 80s-early 90s, that there were like-minded bands? Or maybe you felt part of a scene?

Sadly no not really, we really ploughed our own furrow musically in Plymouth and later when we’d all finished university, because we were not all living in the same town, there was no scene as such to latch on to. Britpop was on the rise and we didn’t see ourselves as really fitting in with some of those types of bands.

++ So you released two records on your on label Happy Accident, is that right? How was the setup for the label? How did you raise the money?.

Yes that’s right. The money was raised through gigging, selling demos and putting in our hard earned cash. Suffice to say we never made a profit !

++ The first was a flexi, is that correct? It says on the back cover “This is a version of the original flex-disc released in the August 93 issue of Waste Management Today”. What was that all about?

That was a joke really – it’s correct that it was released as a flexi which you can tell by the wobbly uploading on youtube.  The cover of the flexi said “This is a copy of the original flexi released in the August Issue of Waste Management Today”.  This was a (prob not that funny) in joke referring to the fact that Ashley was at the time working in Waste Management for the local council  – a job he took very seriously – composting was (and still is) the way forward.

++ In the flexi there are two songs, “Larry’s Back” and “Rachel Head”. Are these real people? What’s the story behind these songs?

Rachel was, I think, based on a girl Ashley admired from a far. As I remember she was going out with his flat mate at the time – and so was unobtainable (a common theme for Ashley back then). Larry never existed. The idea was simply that the saying goes – “Happy as Larry”

++ Afterwards you released the single with “Faster”. What other songs were in it? Did the record receive any press?

The B side was a song called Country Boy – which wasn’t a serious song really – It was just something we used to mess about with and one time we actually played it live and it got a really good response. So it snuck into the setlist and became a live favourite.  We didn’t really receive any press, but to be honest we didn’t really go about promoting ourselves – apart from the occasional write up of a gig in the local press . A copy of the single must have surfaced in Bristol because we were contacted by Rodney Allen of the Blue Aeroplanes who said he liked Country Boy . I remember Ashley being particularly chuffed about this as he had long been a fan of the Blue Aeroplanes.

++ What do you remember from the recording session of the single?

I remember it to be a pretty fun and relaxed  – the studio was particularly unglamourous being in an industrial unit in Portsmouth. When we recorded time was always tight due to lack of finances but both songs were recorded in a couple of takes.  Faster being our most popular and well played song at that time so it was really easy to record.

++ As you know I know the three songs thanks to Youtube, no clue who that user that uploaded the tracks might be? I thought it was a mate of yours!

I think I know who it is – but no-one will step forward and admit it so technically it remains a mystery.
++ Are there more unreleased songs by The Kites? How come there were no more releases?

There is an earlier EP – Dreaming about Diving which was released on cassette and sold out quite quickly. When all the Larry’s Back flexi discs had sold we put them on to a cassette with two to other songs, Waiting For Me and Why Today – which worked out cheaper than getting more flexis made up.  Also there are a few later recordings non of which were released – basically because we didn’t have the finances to do so. One song in particular Polly Propylene we were initially keen to release but by this time we all had grown up jobs and families and didn’t have the time to invest in trying to get it heard.

++ Was there any interest from other labels to release your songs?

No not really – but then we didn’t send demos or releases to any labels, we really were poor at promoting ourselves. Then by the mid 90’s Britpop and ladrock was on the rise and we were viewed as being basically too much of a throwback to the mid to late 80s.

++ And then when and why did you stopped making music as The Kites?

Essentially we just moved on in our lives – got married, had children etc. By this time we were all living in separate parts of the country, Ashley was living in Portsmouth. Dave had moved to Northampton and Dev had gone back to Wales so it wasn’t that easy to organise times to get together.  We didn’t really completely stop and very occasionally still meet up  – book a rehearsal space – just for the fun of doing so.

++ But you still make music with Ashley, right? Are these songs online?

Yes we still see each other more regularly and share tunes – both our own and other bands we like. It was Ash’s songwriting which drew me to the band in the first place. I think he’s has never really lost it as a songwriter and has a real knack with melody. He’s always been quite self des precating about the stuff he writes. Non are online – maybe we should get round to uploading a few songs.++ Looking back, what would you say wathe best moment of The Kites?

Funnily enough my fondest memories of the Kites were just getting together for weekends in a drafty old village hall in Wiltshire, writing songs and having a good laugh. In terms of best moments it’s difficult to pick one standout because they were all good times. I’m quite proud of  Faster and Polly Propylene.  Also the Reading University gig – that one was a bit of a triumph.

++ And aside from music, what other hobbies do you enjoy doing?

Aside from studying the finer details of Solid and Putrescible Waste Management, Ashley is into photography. Me I’m still a music nut , still collecting records and constantly searching for that next great song.

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Listen
The Kites – Larry’s Back

Thanks so much to Seamus Allison for the interview! Me and Dean Martin was a fab jangly band from Nottingham from the late 80s who released two 7″s, both of them highly recommendable! So if by any chance you haven’t heard about them before now it’s time for you to discover them!

++ Hi Seamus! Thanks so much for this interview! How are you? Are you still based in Nottingham?

Still based in Nottingham and all is well.

++ Tell me a bit about the scene there in the 80s. When did you start going out to check bands? What were the venues you’d used to go to? And what were the first bands that made an impression on you?

There were some great bands in Nottingham in the late 80s and a number of venues that really supported the local indie scene. Venues included Jacey’s, The Old Angel, Russell’s, The Hippo, The Garage (sister club to the Hacienda in Manchester) both universities and a whole range of pubs. There was a great choice of indie bands to watch; Twelve Angry Men, Slaughter House 5, Hurt, Hepburn, The Legendary Dolphins, The Ash Felt Ribbons, Idi Eisenstein, Dr Egg, Huge Big Massive, Po!, The Waiting List plus there was a very active thrash metal scene thanks to Ear Ache Records and bands such as Lawnmower Deth.

++ Was Me and Dean Martin your first band?

It was our first gigging band. We’d had a number of line-ups in what were really bedroom bands and the core of these went on to form Me and Dean Martin.

++ How did the band start? How did you all know each other?

Marek and I shared a post-student house and realised we both had a love of the music of Bruce Springsteen and the Smiths. Marek had an acoustic guitar and a saxophone and I had an electric guitar so we started playing together and then writing some stuff. I came across Graham when I’d seen his drum kit in a rehearsal studio. We knew he was right for us as soon as we met him because he was wearing a cardigan (plus he is an excellent drummer). Nige answered an ad we’d placed in various venues; we knew he was right immediately because he had sideburns (plus he is a very melodic bass player). Prior to Nige a friend, Ken, played bass until such time as we could find a replacement but thankfully stayed longer than he’d planned and added a considerable amount to the band before moving to Australia.

++ Where does the name come from? I guess you were big Dean Martin fans?

We were regularly rehearing and writing and planned to record some demos. One night, following rehearsals, we were sitting in the pub and decided we needed a name. The Matt Helm movies had been playing on TV during the week and so we thought a name with Dean Martin in it would be spot on. We discussed this at some length over drinks and next day all we could remember of the debate was the phrase Me and Dean Martin so we took that as an omen. It helped that Marek and I were big fans of the Rat Pack.

++ Your first single came out in 1989, it was the Surfing Days EP. I guess it’s an obvious question, especially as there’s no ocean in Nottingham, was surfing something you were into at the time?

The song has nothing to do with surfing. We used the idea of surfing and summer nights and words like cool and out of sight as an association with Americana; the storyteller contrasts the ideal of the American dream, as presented in the popular media, with his real existence of life in a dull seaside town in Yorkshire. So the Scarborough love affair was not to be but the narrator could at least escape his reality by dreaming of Elvis. The song is an affectionate critique of the Americanisation of British youth culture.

++ On this 7″ I really love the B side, “Sweet Starts and Bitter Ends”. I think it should be an indiepop classic! If it’s not too much to ask, what’s the story behind this song?

This song fits in between “7 Compton Street” and “I Hope it Rains on Your Wedding Day”. It’s about a relationship that starts well but ends in bitterness. It’s got some lovely lines penned by Marek such as “flowers that I buy for you, they just had to die for you” and “it’s just myself on buses home.” Poetry.

++ This 7″ and the next one were released in the No Label. Who were they? And how did you end up releasing with them?

No Label was an indie label based in Nottingham. I’d helped one of the founders build a garage and we’d often spend more time in his little studio than on site. When he founded the label with one of his friends they seemed the natural people to approach to help us with our project.

++ This first 7″ also received a lot of plays on BBC Radio One and got the attention of the press. Was there any interest of other labels at the time? Perhaps big labels?

We were played by John Peel, John Walters and Simon Mayo (on the breakfast show – we tricked him into playing it, buts that’s another story!). John Peel segued Surfing Days with a Dean Martin song – pop perfection. EG Records picked up on the first single and came to see us play a few times in Nottingham and London. We met with them one night; they had their expense accounts and the wine flowed, for them, but we just drank tea and ate Bourbon biscuits, it wasn’t very rock and roll! As often happens, the person who was interested in us left the company to concentrate on managing bands and the interest waned. There was talk of a £10,000 advance to record enough tracks for an album but it never happened. The only other contact with big labels was when CBS banned us from using an image of Dean Martin – we used it anyway.

++ I read on the Leamington Spa liner notes that your second single was supposed to be “Hope and Optimism” but decided instead to release “Life and Death Issues in Three Minutes”. Why was that?

We recorded some rough demos to help us decide which songs to take into the studio for our next release. We couldn’t get Hope and Optimism right on that occasion so didn’t finish recording it. We sent the demo tracks minus Hope and Optimism to a few producers. Peter Hook offered to produce us and said he much preferred Life and Death Issues in Three Minutes so we figured that was a good one to go for. Here’s a 4 track demo of Hope and Optimism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2g7aO6XbQOU

++ And speaking of “Hope and Optimism”, it also says that it was recorded for a network TV show. Is there footage of that TV appearance?

Thanks to Nige Nimoy the footage appears on YouTube. You can find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwCBpkoCWqU

++ Back to “Life and Death Issues in Three Minutes”, why did you turn down Peter Hook for the production duties?

It would have been great to have worked with Peter but he wanted too much money and we were broke. We’d hoped the much talked about advance from EG Records would help but unfortunately that wasn’t to be so we produced it ourselves along with Joe King who had worked with Diesel Park West – I think he did a good job.

++ On the single, the last song is “7 Compton Street”. I checked on Google Maps, and I found that it’s in Sherwood. Why is this address important to you?

It’s in Carlisle in Cumbria and just seemed a great title for an indie song – it’s got a rhythm to it.

++ And another song on this 7″ is “This is Why I Hate the Sixties”. I don’t own the 7″ sadly, so I haven’t heard it, but is there any truth in the title of the song?

The sixties have seen some fantastic pop music and it is the decade in which we were born. The title refers to our critique of the naïve optimism of the hippy movement. They believed that with a few flowery shirts, drugs, free love and long hair they could affect radical long-term social change. It’s another affectionate critique. Again thanks to Nige, here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P12719qJKXc

++ On the Leamington Spa you contributed the song “Me and My Paisley Shirt”. This was supposed to be the third single. What happened? Why didn’t it come out?

We were really pleased with the recording which took place in the same session as Sixties, To Be Touched, If You Could See Me Now and Life and Death and was another Joe King engineered track. It was a live favourite. However, the response to Life and Death wasn’t what we’d hoped and we had the EG Records disappointment so it was decided to end the band. Here are the other tracks from the session which you may not be familiar with:
To Be Touched: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-uljykLi-A
If You Could See Me Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouiNGlY12to

++ And speaking of paisley shirts. What was the style of Me and Dean Martin?

It’s true there were a few Paisley shirts but we weren’t really interested in style and fashion, apart from Marek’s hair and Nige’s sideburns.

++ I also read that you had produced around 100 songs. How many were recorded? Is there a lot of unreleased material?

We’d recorded perhaps up to 30, of various sound qualities. At almost every gig we’d introduce a new song or two. The real shame is some of the stuff we never got round to recording. Here are two examples from a rough live recording that turned up last year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VDDTLf_9k4
I can vaguely remember someone placing a portable cassette player at the side of the stage but for the recording to turn up 25 year later really is something. The first two tracks are I Hope it Rains on Your Wedding Day and Why Must I Always be the One to Say I’m Sorry When I’m Not Always the One Who’s in the Wrong? Catchy titles! Oh the tuning and timing, ouch!

++ You also gigged a lot during those four years of Me and Dean Martin. What were the best gigs? And the not so good ones?

We did gig a lot. Towards the end we did a fantastic gig at the University of Nottingham’s end of year ball. We collected hundreds of balloons from around the venue and put them all on stage so that we were playing in a sea of balloons up to our chests. My memory is of Marek slowing sinking into the balloons during Paisley Shirt and trying not to laugh. There was a not-so-good one in a venue in London. It turned out that we were supporting a glam metal band whose supporters were all ever-so-slightly right-wing. So there we were, a group of mop-topped fresh-faced indie popsters from the provinces. The crowd was quite hostile at first so we turned the amps up to eleven and gave it our all – we got a great reception in the end.

++ And then when and why did the band split?

The reception to the second single wasn’t what we’d hoped for and the EG link up didn’t happen so we got a bit down and decided we’d had a good innings.

++ What did you do after? I know you were involved in The Marteens as well (the two songs I know are just fabulous!), but perhaps that would make another interview for the blog!

We couldn’t stay away for long and reformed as the Marteens with two female singers Babs and Lola (not their real names) under the pretence that we were a brother and sister outfit. We wrote and recorded a dozen or so new songs and played a few Me and Dean Martin songs live. However, it fizzled out. I then got a call from the Deddingtons to help out live, we changed the name to Tuesdays Child, then Graham from Me and Dean Martin joined as drummer and the Days came about.

++ Are you all still in touch? What are you up to these days? Still making music?

We are still in touch. Graham is a cognitive behavioural therapist and an expert in brain injury rehabilitation, Marek is an internationally renowned university professor, Nige is busy uploading what exists of our back catalogue to YouTube and I work in academia. Marek is into obscure folk music at the minute and I strum my guitar in the dining room when no one is listening.

++ What about other hobbies that you like to do?

Other than Marek and his folk music I’m not sure what the others get up to. A few years ago I took up duathlon (triathlon without the swimming) and have now represented Ireland internationally in my age group a few times. Being with my family is what floats my boat.

++ I’ve been to Nottingham a couple of times, mostly touristy stuff. Me and a lot of friends pass by almost every year on our way to Alfreton for the Indietracks festival. I wonder if you could give some tips on what to see, where to eat, and where to drink in your town?

Nottingham is a great little city, far better than its press coverage would suggest. You’ve got to visit the Trip to Jerusalem pub, catch a band at Rock City (the best live venue in the country), have a curry in the Noor Jahan and visit the caves.

++ Thanks again, let’s start wrapping the interview. Looking back in time, what would you say was the best moment, the highlight, of Me and Dean Martin?

Our first single being played by John Peel – what a moment that was.

++ Anything else you’d like to add?

It’s really nice to think that some people out there still like the music and take time to share it and write about it. There was some lovely music made during that time and the indie scene was vibrant; it’s heartening and reassuring to think there are people prepared to make an effort to save that music for future generation. Thanks.

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Listen
Me and Dean Martin – 7 Compton Street

Thanks so much to Robert Randall for the interview! Some time ago I wrote a small piece about The Passengers and Robert was kind enough to get in touch and answer to a bunch of questions! If you wanted to know a little bit more about this great late 80s English band, now it’s the time!

++ Hi Robert, thanks so much for being up for this interview! I see you are now living in NYC! Have you been a long time here? And why did you leave the UK?

Been here since 1990. Came here because totaled car, and band and girlfriend split up.

++ Do you miss England? What are the things you miss the most?

Not really, well not that much anyway. I miss my friends the most.

++ You were telling me you had been involved in music when you moved to America. Tell me a bit about your band here in NYC.

It was called Because Because Because, Matthew Caws and Daniel Lorca now Nada Surf were the guitarist and bass player, I sang and played occasional guitar, and Alex Gomez from Your Mom played drums.

++ And how different or similar would you say were the scenes in London and NYC?

I think London was more into image at that time. The music was quite different. NYC was Sonic Youth whilst London was Blur

++ Let’s talk about The Passengers now. Was it your first band?

No not at all.

++ How did the band start? And how did the recruiting process work?

David Wright started the band with me after our previous band (London) split up. As far as recruiting we basically advertised in the back of Melody Maker and auditioned for a rhythm section. Steven George and Robert Havis (Rob Jet, I believe he is known as these days) got the job. They were friends from Essex and they came together. Soon after they joined David left to get married. We then auditioned for a new guitarist and Marcus Clements turned up. He was brilliant.

++ Where does the name of the band come from?

Nowhere special. I wish you don’t have to name things.

++ And at that time what would you say were your influences?

I loved the Stones, Dylan, Smiths, REM, Big Star and of course the Only Ones.

++ Being in London during the late 80s it seems there was a big explosion of guitar pop bands. Did you feel part of a scene? And what were your favourite bands to play with then?

I think we enjoyed playing with anyone. Obviously opening for bigger bands attracted a bigger audience and that was always a lot fun when we got the chance. I can’t really remember feeling part of a scene, but obviously we hung out with other musicians.

++ And which would you say were your favourite Passengers gig and why?

At a place called Block Shock in Berlin. It was just a great memory of a large and crazy packed club. We were great that night and the audience was great too.

++ I read your biggest success happened in Spain and Germany because one of your songs, “Hell to Heaven”, was played in MTV Europe. So I’m guessing there was a promo video for this song? What’s the story?

That pretty much was the story.

++ I hear that in Berlin you were received like proper rockstars. How was that?

Well Berliners were especially fond of English Indie bands, and I suppose we were that.

++ You only released one 7″ that included three songs in it. Any chance that in a few words you can tell me a bit about each one of the songs?

Not particularly, they were just two early songs, that Marcus never played on. Our better stuff happened after Marcus joined, but unfortunately never got released because we disintegrated for no good reason.

++ How was the recording process for this single?

Just a regular multi track recording. Nothing special really.

++ Who were True Records that released the single?

That was us and the Bicycle Thieves, distributed through Rhino records.

++ I also like very much the photo used for the 7″ artwork. Where did it come from?

I think it was taken by a friend of the manager.

++ You told me there are more recordings other than the ones of the 7″. How many more songs did you record? And how come was there never another release?

We probably have an albums worth of material. As I said we just split up before the songs were released.

++ And when and why did you split up?

We actually split up on a second trip back from Berlin in the airport.

++ What happened to you all afterwards? Were you involved with music?

Like I said I joined Because Because Because in NYC, Steve joined Swervedriver, Marcus returned to Bath and played with many bands since, and Rob joined Peach.

++ In retrospective, what would you say was the biggest highlight of the band?

Writing and playing with Marcus.

++ And what about these days, when was the last time you picked up your guitar? And what other hobbies do you have aside from music?

Yesterday. I don’t think I have any hobbies really. I do what is in front of me.

++ One final question, what’s your favourite thing about NYC?

At the moment nothing. It’s freezing. Im thinking of moving to Portland.

++ Thanks so much again, anything else you’d like to add?

Thanks for remembering the Passengers.

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Listen
The Passengers – The Frances Farmer Song

Thanks so much to Annie and Timmy for the great answers!  Some weeks ago I wrote a piece about Annie & The Aeroplanes and that same day Phil Wilson, from June Brides fame, pointed me out to Annie! Then Annie was very kind to be up for this interview! Discover this fantastic band that released one single, but what a single it is!

++ Hi Annie! Thanks so much for the interview! How are you? I hear you are now part of the Magic City Trio. Care to tell me a bit about this band of yours?

Annie: There are three of us in the band, and sometimes four when we play with a drummer. Frank writes most of the songs and I have some input with lyrics and the odd musical idea. Frank is my husband – he says I’m his muse. Its county folk deriving songs from current events. Frank and I play guitars and sing harmonies. Adi plays double bass.

++ How different would you say it is compared to Annie and the Aeroplanes? Have things changed a lot since the late 80s when it comes to the creative process?

Annie: I suppose with Annie and the Aeroplanes we were deriving our style from the more recent past – 60s , punk , etc. and produced original material from the word go   The Magic City Trio looked back to much older sources (1920s and before )and served an apprenticeship learning those songs and their lyrical themes and spent a long time playing (fairly obscure)covers before we were confident enough to write our own songs that would fit with pre war country.

Annie and the Aeroplanes songs were mostly written by Timmy Nuttal who was the drummer. He was my boyfriend at the time. The songs would spring from his head almost fully formed. He had a real clear idea of how they should sound, from the harmonies to the guitar solos. I wrote some lyrics, and wrote a few of the songs but Timmy’s were really special.   I suppose I was his muse too!   Hmm, some sort of pattern emerges……

++ So let’s go back in time, when and where did Annie and the Aeroplanes start as a band? Was it your first ever band?

Annie:  No, it wasn’t! I started out as a busker in the late 70s. I travelled all over the world – well some of it. That’s where some of the lyrics of Travelling Song came from. Having a baby put a spoke in my wheels, so I settled down in Bradford. I got involved in the I in 12 club in Bradford, there was this whole post punk anarcho music scene in West Yorkshire. I started a womens’ music collective, it was just wild. I got a grant from the local council and we bought a load of instruments and amps and just made a racket. We didn’t care though, we went out as ‘Bags of Nerves’, later ‘Olulu Ololu.’ There were about 16 of us! We played all sorts of left field gigs, like a car park in Leeds for the animal rights people. We had to smuggle the drummer out because she was wearing a leopard print mini- skirt. We were on a bill once with The Three Johns – there’s books written about that time now. There’s one called ‘Bradford’s Noise of the Valley’s’ by Gary Cavanagh, Bank House Books.

It all got a bit frenetic and I needed to take care of my daughter. I had gotten together with Timmy – he was a local boy who had been in a London punk band called Brigandage. We were invited to the south of France to be in a country band. First we practiced our country chops in a band we called ‘Cowpoke Annie and the Texas Longhorns’. When we went to France we became ‘Chien Chaud et les Hot Dogs’.

Timmy: I think we started late 86 or 87 after doing ‘Cow Poke Annie’ and ‘Chien Chaud’.

++ Have you been involved in any other bands?

Annie:  There were a few more. Transylvania Mania springs to mind – eastern European folk, I sang in tongues.

++ Who were the members of the band and what instruments did each of you play?

Annie:  The band was a bit of a family affair – my brother Kuni and Timmy’s brother Toby played guitars. The bass player, Mal, had been in the Bradford collective, and my first backing singer was also a Bradford connection. Timmy drummed. On the single we had to get someone else in to play bass – an old friend from Bradford, he was later found dead in the Shipley Canal, a drug deal gone wrong.

++ Who would you say were your influences at that time?

Annie:  I was really into Velvet Underground and Nico, and I loved Blondie.

Timmy: My influences at that time were punk ,country and psychedelia. I felt I wanted the band to sound somewhere between Blondie, early Who, the Ramones. The Beach Boys and Syd’s Pink Floyd. We all brought different things to the mix.

++ I really like the single. I think it’s a fantastic song! What’s the story behind it?

Timmy: The tune of ‘Mill Zill’ came to me one boring aft at my mum’s when I was staying with her shortly before meeting you. You helped me write the words. I think we all felt it was possibly the poppiest and most commercial of our tunes hence pushing it forward as our single plus it was our first song.

++ And what about the B side, “Travelling Song”? How did that one come about?

Timmy: I wrote ‘Travelling Song’ whilst washing up in our flat in Brixton and in dire need of a piss cause someone was using the toilet. Once again you helped me with the words.

++ About this single, who were behind Pipedream Records?

Timmy: Pipedream records was little Stevie. A friend of Toby’s (and ours) who was an A and R man for Virgin Records. It was just for the single. The name and logo came from a packet of pipe gauzes that Stevie had.

++ Who took care of the artwork?

Timmy: I did the artwork. I adapted the design from an Egyptian style Tarot card ‘the Magician’ which had a bird or star (I can’t remember) surrounded by a circle of Roses. I swapped the bird for an aeroplane.

++ Where did you record these songs? What do you remember of the recording session?

It was in Camden – don’t remember that much about it, but we got it pressed at Abbey Road, that was something.

Timmy: We recorded the single at Chas Jankle’s (of Ian Drury fame) studio without his knowledge using his technician Kiran. All paid for with copious amounts of ‘herbal remedies’supplied by us. This was all set up/wangled by Stevie. We had to draft in Ian, an old Bradford muso bass ace because Mal couldn’t handle the pressure. He was a terrible junkie and kept disappearing to the toilet. He took ages to lay down a track he was pleased with.

++ And how come there were no more releases by the band?

Annie:  After the single came out Andy Kershaw played it on Radio One, and we got some coverage in the music press there was a flurry of interest in us from the record companies but no one took us up. It got a bit demoralizing.

Timmy: We didn’t put out any more ‘cause we never got a record deal and we were always pretty broke.

++ Were there any more songs recorded?

Annie:  We made some 8 track recordings some of which still sound good to me, we need to get them digitalized.

++ What about gigs? Did you play many? Any favourites or anecdotes you could share?

Annie:  We played loads of gigs round London, and we usually went down really well. There was one really wild night when Timmy was really pissed and threw up in the middle of a song – he didn’t miss a single beat!

Timmy:  I can’t think of any anecdotes. Best gig for me was when they shoved us on to the end of the bill on a showcase gig at the George Roby and we totally fucking rocked the place and blew all the other bands away. Also I think I remember the Gallagher brothers telling us they thought we were ace when we supported ‘Inspiral Carpets’ at the Marquee when they were roadies for fore-mentioned band. Also I remember the downstairs neighbour telling us that she’ would rather the whole of South London was nuked than have to listen to us rehearse one more time’. Great times, a bit sad too.

++ During the late 80s there were so many great guitar pop bands, the now called C86 sound. Did you feel part of a scene at the time? Were there any like-minded bands that you liked?

Annie:  Not really. We hung out a fair bit in Bonnington Square in Vauxhall when it was all squats and housing co-ops, loads of musicians and artists, all very alternative.

++ When and why did you decide to call it a day?

Annie:  I think we just ran out of steam rather than any official ending.

Timmy: We called it a day in 89 I think because we’d had enough. We worked our arses off at that band and we came close but we just never broke through. Also at that time other bands appeared doing similar stuff who were younger, prettier, tighter (though not  as good) and with record company backing.

++ What did you all do afterwards? Are you all still in touch?

Annie:  I started a music education charity in Brixton, for women and children. We got loads of money of the Lottery and did a lot of work. Then I got a job teaching at a local Adult Ed college, English and singing.

After Timmy and I split up he went back to live in Bradford. We are still friends and keep in touch.   He still drums in bands, and my brother still plays and sings – he also went to Bradford.

++ And aside from music, what other hobbies do you have Annie?

Annie:  I love reading, watching films and HBO type series. Travelling.

++ Looking back in time, what would you say were the biggest highlight of the band?

Annie:  I loved making the single and was thrilled when it got aired on Radio 1.

++ And do tell, what’s coming up now for the Magic City Trio?

Annie:  We’re going to bring out some Vinyl next year, defiantly a single and Frank feels ambitious enough to want to bring out a double10 inch LP. Since there’s been a revival in Vinyls the waiting list is quite long for small runs.

On our never ending tour of world open mics we hope to play in Portland, Denver and maybe Boston.

++ Anything else you’d like to add?

Annie:  I really should write a book! I haven’t even mentioned the ‘Loose Livers’, musical theatre, salsa dancing and baby music………

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Listen
Annie and the Aeroplanes – A Million Zillion Miles

Thanks so much to Fiona for the interview! Some time ago I wrote a small piece about her old band The Hill Bandits and Fiona was kind enough to get in touch and answer to all my questions! If you’ve never heard about them before, The Hill Bandits were a band from Leeds that released two 12″ and have this beautiful and great song called “Nowhere Train” too. If you want to learn their story, sit down, and enjoy!

++ Hi Fiona! Thanks for being up for the interview! You are still making music these days as Itch. Care telling me a bit about your new project?

Yeah, Itch is my main project here in France. Itch plays melting pop. Lyrical adventures wrapped in contagious melodies. We have a wonderful blend of many different influences from different continents and epochs.

++ Also now you are based in France, am I right? How long since you left the UK? What is that that you miss the most from Leeds and England in general?

This is quite a long story. I said goodbye to the Hill Bandits and Leeds, UK in 1988. The Hill Bandits record label went bust, the bass player, Paul Staniforth wasn’t well (unfortunately our mate Paul passed away a few years ago. R.I.P.) and HB’s just just come back from our German tour, I’d fallen in love with the exciting city of Berlin and decided to move over for a while. A while that lasted 18 years. I came to France in 2007. I had finally quit Berlin. I bought a very large suitcase, a tent and 2 tickets for Amsterdam for me and my then best friend, my dog – Medina. Talking of which I had to wait until October before I could get the dog through quarantine. That’s why I chose to spend the summer in Amsterdam,where I went to a campsite on the outskirts of the city. Tranquille! There after 1 week I was working in the snack bar and one day a man walked in. Yes there you have it, a man! From France just arrived. He had been invited to work at the
university during the summer and our paths crossed. The second night he took out his guitar and played some French songs. Until that moment I didn’t know he was a musician too. I told him I sing and I sang and he accompanied me on guitar. The idea for me to go back to Paris with him and forget all the UK plans seemed like a typical Fiona thing to do and I did. That’s how Itch started. We are going in the studio next week to record our 3rd CD. So there you have it. But you don’t. I’ll send you a copy of our last album Cool Breeze if you like. You know one thing I really miss is the Yorkshire humour but I do really miss the town itself as a whole. Oh and a good curry I miss my evenings with Kevin and friends eating in a good curry house.

++ Let’s go back in time  a bit. Were The Hill Bandits your first band?

No HB’s wasn’t my first band. I left home pretty early at the age of 17 and started looking for bands more or less immediately. I auditioned to sing in a synthesizer group that I met at The Warehouse wasn’t with them long. They were too shy to play in front of an audience. I was invited once to guest with a group from Hyde Park, Leeds, cant’ remember the name. We had a gig upstairs at the Astoria (I think). Pete Master was there with my sister and after the show he asked me to sing with his fantastic 15 piece band the Magnificent 7. I think I was still singing with them when we started the HB’s. Sang with the Yahoo Family too but I think that started around the same time as the HB’s.

++ How did the Hill Bandits start as a band? How did you all meet?

Another long Fiona tale, I’ll keep it short. We were all in the music scene in Leeds. I worked at my sister hairdressing salon and Kevin came in to get his hair cut. When I was drying his hair I told him I wanted to start a new band and would he like to join me in setting it up? We went for a beer in the pub next door after (he was the last client) we talked and formed the Hill Bandits. Paul came just after to play bass and the first drummer John. Hill Bandits rode over the top of the hill at sunset, so to speak.

++ Where does the name of the band come from?

The band name comes from our town and it’s curves up and down and the fact that we were all outlaws together in a new gang hence bandits.

++ You seem to have been equally influenced by the sounds of the guitar pop bands that were appearing in the mid and late 80s as well as country music, am I right? What bands would you list as influences during that time?

Well to be honest it was Kevin who opened the treasure chest named country for me. I started listening to a lot of Patsy Cline. I also listened a lot to Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. Music from the ’80’s that I personally liked for example were the Eurythmics but then I listened to loads of different groups – to many to mention.

++ Were there any other like-minded bands in Leeds that you followed at that time?

I don’t think there was anything like us in Leeds at that time.

++ How was Leeds back then? What were the venues that you used to go to? Your favourite places to hang out?

Leeds was brilliant back then I was in my early twenties then and was quite wild (still am I suppose) it was all very exciting for me. We played at the Duchess of York a few times and went to see lot’s of bands there too. We could often be found in the Faversham. With the choice of pubs it’s difficult to pin point any really but the areas we socialized in were Hydepark, Headingly and the city centre for gigs.

++ I’ve always heard stories about Jumbo Records by Leeds bands, maybe you have one to share?

Jumbo records, yes in the Merrion Centre. Still exists. I used to DJ in a club back then and bought a lot of my records at Jumbo. I don’t have any juicy stories to tell though.

++ You released two records on Ediesta Records. How did you sign to them?

Ediesta was a sub label. It’s big sis was Red Rhino Records who Kevin was with at the time. He was a rung or two higher up the musical ladder than me. It was through his connection to RRR that we had the opportunity to get intouch with the right people and sign.

++ Were there any other releases? Or perhaps compilation appearances that you remember about?

We did record a 3rd  record but it never got released. Kev has the master tapes. It’s quite amazing that they’re in such good condition.

++ I read there was a third record planned, what happened to that?

It never saw the light of day, I’m afraid.

++ I’ve never heard your first release, “Hotrod Buckboard Boogie”. How different is it to your second 12″, “Nowhere Train”. Is it similar sound-wise? And what similarities and differences were there in the recording sessions for both?

When we first started we played cover versions. Hotrod Buckboard Boogie is a 12″ EP we recorded our versions of Love Me Or Leave Me http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xiD8vFjs4I, Aragon Mill, really nice guitar on that one,
You’re Gonna See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5EgFTbj-K4 and Out Amongst The Stars.

++ Tell me a bit about the photo on the cover for “Hotrod Buckboard Boogie”. Did you all always wear hats and baseball caps? :p

The cover was designed by Kevin. In those days we didn’t have computers. Kevin took photo copies exposing them differently making them lighter or darker then he added the colour. We definitely didn’t wear caps all the time. All too proud of our hair cuts 😉

++ Talking about the songs, I wonder, how did the creative process work for you?

In those days I was just starting out on the lyricist adventure. Kevin would have an idea for the guitar for example and then we’d either write together or he’d already have ideas that he’d suggest to me and we’d work on the ideas together to create a song and then present it to the bass player and drummer. By the time we were recording the 3rd record I was writing songs all on my own. Songs that not many people have heard.

++ There’s a video on Youtube for “Nowhere Train”. Where was this recorded? What do you remember from that day? Any anecdotes?

Nowhere Train video; yes I remember it well. We asked at the venue Coconut Grove, in Leeds city centre, if they thought it would be OK to film there and they said yes.

++ You seem to have gigged a lot. You even went touring in Germany. How was that experience? What towns did you visit?

Going on tour was an amazing experience I loved it and still do. That whole traveling in the van thing, hotels and be together as a group now that’s something that I really love. People lining up after the show for signed copies of the album. A taste of stardom if you like. I would have to say, for me, one of the most memorable gigs we played was in Berlin in the Niagara. Memorable because although it was quite a small place there were loads of people there that later became friends and colleagues when I moved there. What towns did we visit? Well the first gig was in Dortmund. We played as opener for Thin White Rope. After the show we drank enormous amounts of something, maybe vodka and I ended up cutting the bass players from Thin White Rope’s hair. I can’t remember all the places but I do know we played in Zug in Switzerland. All a bit hazy 25 years on.

++ And in general, what would you say were your favourite gigs you played as The Hill Bandits?

We used to drive up to Carlisle every so often to play at The Frontpage. Great place. We had nowhere to sleep so ended up sleeping on the floor of the pub in sleeping bags. Imagine after a gig how wonderful that smellt of spilt beer and cigarettes.

++ Who were your favourite bands to share a bill? And what would you say was the strangest gig of all?

I loved the show in London at the Mean Fiddler supporting Brendan Croker and the 5 o’clock Shadows. I think the strangest gig of all was in Newcastle I think and we were double booked. The Landlord suggested that we play upstairs in another room. The first set there were 3 people who brought morefriends to the second set and in the end nearly everyone there bought a record. Strange and fulfilling.

++ And then when and why did you call it a day? What did you all do afterwards?

Hill Bandits all came to an end quite suddenly. Pauls news about his illness. The record company Ediesta Records. That was all so dramatic. And I had then the offer to go and live in Berlin so I took it which was then the abrupt end. In Berlin I sang alot at the beginning for bands as a session musician in variuos studios and eventually formed my own group the Barflies. The others HB’s continued with their numerous other projects.

++ Last year, 2013, you did a reunion gig in Leeds. How was that?

The reunion gig consisted of Kevin and I and a couple of fellow musicians who we invited. We thought if it went well we might start it up again which is quite difficult considering the fact that I’m here in France with my own projects. It was nice to be back on stage playing some of those wonderful tunes we penned in the 80’s.

++ Do you think there will be more Hill Bandits gigs in the future?

You never know 😉

++ And looking back, in retrospective, what would you say was the biggest highlight for the band?

The Hill Bandits were the complete highlight. There was always something just about to happen.

++ Let’s come back to the present now, what’s in store for Itch? I heard you just put out an album out?

Well the album Cool Breeze was released last year and we’ve been travelling around in France, Belgium and Germany, not so much the UK, promoting it. In fact next week we’re going in the studio again to record the next album. A little different from the last one in that we have invited 2 brilliant musicians to join us. Double bass and lead guitar. We’re very excited about it.

++ And aside from music, what other hobbies do you have?

I love life, that’s my hobby – enjoying it. I love organising and have just started a project – Idolize – I rent a place, a craft beer brewery, where I’ll be putting on bands.  I write also for other bands I’m in the studio with a group in November as guest singer. I keep busy.

++ Thanks again for everything! Anything else you’d like to add?

Thank you so much for inviting me to do this interview. One day you never know, we might meet. That would be nice.

Here’s a link to the itch website: http://itchmusic.free.fr and our clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yippEfVydmM

Take care of yourself. See you around sometime.

Thanks so much to Ulf Cronheim for this interview! I wrote a bit about Matilda Mus some months ago trying to find more information about this fab Swedish band from the 80s. Happily Ulf was up for answering some questions and telling the story of the band! After listening their songs you’ll be wondering, how haven’t I heard them before?!

++ Hi Ulf! Thanks so much for being up for the interview! How are you? How is the holiday season shaping in Varberg?

Everything is just great. It’s been a fantastic summer on the west coast. Now I’m spending my days with my girlfriend Sofia and our 3 kids: Adèle, Harriet and Sixten. We live in Södermalm in Stockholm, 500 km from Varberg.

++ I must say you are the only band I’ve ever heard to come from Varberg. Are there any other bands from your town that are worth checking out?

No.

++ Was Matilda Mus your first ever band? And since when had you been playing bass?

I started playing the bass 1980 at the age of 16. My friend had a Rickenbacker that I could use until I bought my first Hagström. I played in a couple of bands before Matilda Mus, mostly punk rock, but also pop. 1983 I joined some friends in Boston to play in a band called New Tarbideon. I spent 6 months in the US trying to make it as a musician. We got to know Ric Ocasek of the Cars and his producer Ian Taylor, and they helped us out. We weren’t that great though, and eventually the band split up. I managed to get a job selling unicorn t-shirts and stickers from a pushcart in Downtown Crossing to save some money for the trip back home.

++ How was the recruiting process in the band? And who came up with the nicknames for each member of the band?

I started the band together with Pär Mantéus who had also played guitar in New Tarbideon. We persuaded my ex-girlfriend AnnaMaja to learn how to play the drums, and then I asked my girlfriend at the time to play the keyboards. She had two friends that liked to sing, so they became the choir. The nicknames were mostly my idea. Zadie Mc Zymbal came from the Beatles song Sexy Sadie.

++ The name of the band comes from the children books, right? Do you own any of them?

No. I think we formed the band before the books started to come out. The name was inspired by two new wave groups from Stockholm, Ebba Grön and Dag Vag. Our six year old daughter Harriet has one of the Matilda Mouse books, and I tried reading it with her a while back. We both found it a bit boring.

++ And who would you say were the influences of the band music-wise?

None of us actually listened to the kind of pop music we played in the band. I was a huge fan of Specials, Cure, Buzzcocks, Police and a lot of other more obscure new wave bands. Whenever I tried singing in English it sounded like a poor imitation of Terry Hall or Robert Smith, and after the US Disaster Trip, I needed to do something completely different. The others were also into the alternative scene, but the girls were more into goth.

++ Something that strikes me is your DIY approach, self-releasing your record and doing the artwork yourselves. So I wonder about two things. Was there any interest from bigger labels from you?

We were never contacted by any record labels at all. I once happened to run into the Swedish pop star Per Gessle. He is the singer of the Swedish band Gyllene Tider (Golden times), and he later went on to form Roxette. He had bought our first album, and he liked the songs but not the production. He offered to help us out, but I never took him up on his offer.

++ And second, how important for you were the DIY ideals and aesthetics and why did you decide to go down that route?

They were and still are very important. I really love the whole DIY thing. I try to do almost everything my own way, it’s often more important than success. I don’t like it when other people make decisions for me, and I want to have full control over everything I do.

++ I love the boy/girl vocals and the structure of the songs, so I wonder how was the creative process for you? Who wrote the songs? What came first, lyrics or music?

I wrote both the lyrics and the music, and I also showed all the members what and how to play. It was only Pär the guitarist that really knew how to handle an instrument. Most of the time It started with a catchy chorus and developed from that.

++ Your first release was a 7″ EP with the cracker song “På Sommaren” opening, and closing the melancholic and catchy “Intill Min Död”. If you don’t mind, would you care telling the story behind about these two songs that are among my favourites?!

They are both about teenage love. The lyrics of “På Sommaren” (In the Summertime) tells the story of two young people falling in love on the beach. The EP was released in the early summer of 1985, and the song was a local hit. I can’t recall the lyrics of “Intill Min Död” (Until Death Do Us Part). I don’t have the record here in Stockholm, but I’ll try to listen to it when I go down to work at Majas the next time.

++ Your sleeve covers came in different colours, but the artwork also caught my attention. Who was in charge of doing the sleeves?

The whole band took part in the artwork of the first EP, but I guess I did most of the work with that and just about everything else.

++ And doing things on your own, I wonder, was it easy to finance your first vinyl record?

When we started recording the first EP, we took part in a local music competition. We were quite successful so we managed to book a lot of shows. All the money went into the making of the record. Then we actually won the competition just in time for the release of the record. Quite good timing.

++ Your second release was a 7″ with a Christmas theme. It’s Christmas eve now that I’m writing these questions. Is this your favourite holiday? What’s that that you love the most about “Jul”?

In the end of 1986 we had about 200 members of our fan club, and they all received that single as Christmas gift. The lyrics for the song “Nu e de jul” is all about the stress everybody feels before Christmas. Nowadays I spend Christmas with at least 8-10 small children. It’s totally crazy! My favorite holiday is the traditional Swedish “Midsummer Eve”, a fertility rite were you gather all your friends to eat pickled herring, drink aquavit and dance around a pole.

++ Since this release you started recording your music in Halmstad. Why was that? And what did this Out of Control studio offered you that you stuck to it?

I started playing with a band from Halmstad called Dead Flowerz. We rehearsed in their studio that was somewhat out of anybodies control. Very nice people, easy to work with. They ended up playing and singing in the band.

++ In 1986 you release your only album “Pussar Mjölk å Pop’n Roll”. For this release some more people joined the band. What did they bring to the table that was unique about them? And also, what about that first track, “Sagan Om Matilda Mus”? Where does that recording comes from? A radio?

The first track is called “The Story of Matilda Mus”, and it was performed by the Swedish actor Jojje Jönsson that had a character called “Ivan Boring” on the radio. The only new member was the guitarist Johan that replaced Pär. He had more of a rock ‘n roll background, but we managed to keep most of that out of the record. He remember that liked guitar solos and that he was into Neil Young. Not really our style…

++ In 1987 you released your last record as Matilda Mus, “Sodapopkid”. It was another 7″ and in it you covered The Archies, well, a Swedish version of it. Did you play any other covers perhaps in your live set?

No. During our first concerts we could only play the 4 songs from the EP. We used to play them two times and then we asked the audience which one they wanted to hear a third time. It must have been quite a strange experience when you think of it! We asked the publishing company if we could make a Swedish cover of “Sugar, Sugar”. They said no, so we released the song as our own. Nothing happened. I still think it it’s a great version and it works good in Swedish.

++ Talking about playing live, what were your favourite gigs as Matilda Mus? Any anecdotes you could share?

We had a memorable gig supporting the Swedish singer Ulf Lundell. There were 8000 people in the crowd and I remember I started the show by saying “Hi, here I am. It’s me, Ulf”. The crowd weren’t very amused. The Ulf they were waiting for was lying totally wasted behind the stage, and his performance was delayed by two hours. Meanwhile we did our thing and played all our songs two times and our major hit a third time. We sold almost 100 copies of the EP after the show, mostly because the sales were carried out by 3 young beautiful Swedish bunny girls. There is a video recording of the whole show, but the camera woman forgot to connect the sound cable, so it’s mute.

++ So then what happened? Why did the band split?

I don’t think we ever did split up. We just didn’t have any gigs, so there were no need to rehearse. We had planned to throw a big party for our friends, with a british band called Pop Will Eat Itself. The day before the gig there was a boat strike in England, and the band missed their ferry. We managed to book another band for the party, but the crowd thought they were rubbish. It was a cult band called Union Carbide Productions. I think they were great, but they were drunk and they played a bit too loud. We rescheduled the show with PWEI to the day after the party but hardly any people showed up. We had to sell our van to cover the loss, and after that some of the members were a bit tired of the whole music scene. I met the singer of PWEI some years later in Copenhagen, and the first thing he said was “Hey, Ulf! Did you ever get your van back?”.

++ After the band you formed De Nissan Badpojkar. Care to tell me a bit more about this band? Was it much different to Matilda Mus?

It was my friend Peter Wahlbeck and I that recorded a song called “Sommardag”. It has a Swenglish translation on the flip side called “Summer Day”. I played all the instruments except the guitar that was added by the Matilda Mus guitarist Thomas “Svarta Faran” Klint. I like the song, but we had some problems with labels so all the records came back crooked from the printing. We managed to get new copies, but by then the summer had passed and we actually never released the record. We gave some copies to our friends but the remaining 500 are still stashed away in my garage with some of the Matilda Mus gear. It could easily have been recorded by Matilda Mus.

++ These days you run a cafe in Varberg called Majas Strandcafé. I hear many indie bands have played there. So far, what would you say have been the top five gigs at your place? And how do you like running the cafe?

We changed the name to “Majas vid Havet” (Majas by the sea). The old name translates into Majas Beach Café, and I thought it sounded too much like My Ass Bitch Café when foreigners said it. It’s hard to pick only five gigs. We’ve had just about the whole Swedish indie scene performing during the 20 years since we started. Håkan Hellström, Bob Hund, The Soundtrack of Our Lives, Veronica Maggio, Miss Li maybe? Hmm… that’s six. Majas of today is a pretty decent organic restaurant and it’s only open in the summertime. It’s great fun!

++ Do you still play music by the way? And aside from it, and running the cafe, what other hobbies do you enjoy doing?

I play ska, rocksteady and reggae in a band called “Good Staff”. We only play at Majas. That’s one of the best things about owning your own venue. You get to decide the line up. Otherwise I spend all my time either with my family or planning and working with our organic farm at Tången, just outside Varberg. We have sheep, chicken, pigs and a duck. A lot of work of course, but fun…

++ Are you still in touch with the rest of Matilda Mus? What are they up to these days?

Pär plays the guitar in Good Staff and he´s also a silver smith. I sometimes meet Zadie the drummer and Paula Purple. Zadie is a reporter on Swedish television and Paula is a music teacher. Johan, Thomas and Jackie are cover musicians. I don’t know if the others are still doing music.

++ Alright let’s wrap it here Ulf. Thanks so much! Anything else you’d like to add?

Thanks. It has been fun thinking about what we did and how we did it. I tried playing some of the songs for our kids but they told me to shut up as they went on watching Monster High on their computers. The times they are a changing…

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Listen
Matilda Mus – Nu E De Jul

Thanks so much to Jörn Wuttke for this interview! Last year Blue Records released the fabulous compilation by this German band including all songs that were recorded on LP and CD! It was definitely one of my favourite releases then and listening to it again today it feels so fresh still! Wow! It’s so strange that only some of these songs were properly released on a 7″ back in the day. But happily, if you haven’t yet, you can still get this record! I interviewed their label some time ago, and since then we’ve had this interview waiting to be published. Now at last we get to know the story behind one of the best indiepop German bands ever!

++ Hallo Jörn! Thanks a lot for the interview. First things first, how long has The Sheets album been waiting to be released? Why did it have to wait this long?

Well, I think we were a bit depressed that nothing really happened, after recording the stuff.
We recorded at Hotline Studios in Frankfurt. To mix the material in a way to sell it to a major label would cost a fortune. So we just did this rough mixes and sent the tracks to all our favourite record companies. CBS and Warner-Germany were interested but they forced us to remix the songs in a more ” UK”- Rave style. They was some interest by smaller Labels , they wanted a rougher “alternative rockfeeling”. Also we needed someone, to buy us out of the contract with Hotline as our publisher.
At that time, maybe because of the frustration, maybe cause we listened to the songs to often, we were not happy with the situation at all. At the end of that period, Frank Röder my songwriting partner and co-founder of The Sheets, left the band to become an actor in Switzerland. I started 1990/91, inspired by listening to Bands like The Primal Scream and early Techno at Sven Väths club The Omen, a more electronic based sound, as you can hear in “Candyman”.
But at the point when Frank left the band, for me the real “Sheetsvibe”, based on our two guitars and vocal harmonies, was gone. I didn’t wanted to recreate it with some studio guitar players.
At the same time I started my techno project “Acid Jesus” on my own label “Klang Elektronik” with Roman Flügel. The first single “Move My Body” was becoming a worldwide club hit. We toured with our first album all over Europe. We did everything as a duo really independent. I didn’t had the nerve to discuss with big , slow and arrogant Record companies anymore and thought about bringing out The Sheets by myself one day.

++ The album is truly amazing, I’ve been listening to it a lot since I go it. A couple of things to those who don’t know about it yet. Where can one buy it? Is there any difference between the vinyl version and the digipak version? And are there any plans for some sort of reunion gig perhaps?

I think the easiest way is to buy it is over discogs or directly at Michael Wille’s label address, formosapunk@hotmail.com
The CD- Version included two more songs.
“Such A Pain” a very early track, recorded around 1987 at the legendary Hansa Studios, directly at the Berlin Wall and “No Thing To Say” a Hotline Studio-rehearsal live version. Taken from our last demo sessions 1989/90 as a classic five piece band. I’m sorry, but there is no reunion gig possible…

++ As I said, I’ve been loving the album. I wonder though for you, what are your favourite songs in it? And if you can tell me a bit of the story behind the recording of this record?

My favourite songs are the short three minute pieces like “Candy Mountain Blue”, “Peter Pan” and “Crashing”. But I also love that laid back summer bongo grooves of “Jamboree” or “Walking In The Rain”. After listening to bands like The Drums, two years ago I thought it would be maybe important to remaster our old stuff. That it worked out that good is for me still unbelievable! When we started our sessions at Hotline, we really had to fight for our sound. We plaid a lot of records to the recording producer. Before us he mixed Milli Vanilly and a swedish number one metal band. He was a major Aerosmith and Metallica fan. He really hated me when I said that my “Feelies” or “TV Personalities” records are sounding better than his mixes. To please him a little bit and to bring him on a different way, I said to him : “Listen to Tom Petty, he had a number one hit and is sounding like an updated version of the” Byrds”. After that, he left us working and we engineered the tracks more or less by ourselves…

++ Also, what’s the story behind the cover photo of the band? You don’t see many people with a cigarette on these days album sleeves!

Beside me all members of The Sheets are chain-smokers. We always had problems with our wimpy look, so maybe Thomas wanted to make a statement. Always give a hand to the addicts…

++ Let’s rewind a bit. I know your first release was in 1991, but when did the band start as such? Who were The Sheets and how did you all met?

I think we started end of 1986.
I knew Lolo and Frank from the very famous club “Die Goldene Krone” in Darmstadt. This was the first discotheque, beside the “Batschkapp” in Frankfurt, having a real new wave and punk following. I saw some of my first rock live concerts there. The program was very diverse. One day Eric Burden, strange krautrock from Germany or Ian Dury And The Blockhearts, The other day Nina Hagen and Johnny Winter.
I really wanted to found a band after listening to very minimalistic German avant-garde pop like Palais Schaumburg, Der Plan, DAF, Die Zimmermänner and Andreas Dorau. I realised that they couldn’t really play their instruments properly but they had style and attitude.
At that time fantastic new wave – pop came from Düsseldorf (Ata Tak) and Hamburg (Zick Zack!, What’s So Funny About).

++ And who came up with the name The Sheets? And what’s the meaning behind it?

I started writing Songs with Frank Röder as an acoustic guitar duo under the name “The Silken Sheets”. The name is from an early Jacobites (Nikki Sudden and Dave Kusworth) song. We really did street music at that time, played in parks and parties all over the place at the Darmstadt / Frankfurt area. We played Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Velvet Underground, Johnny Thunders, Green On Red and Long Ryders songs. Also the complete Nikki Sudden, Jonathan Richman and Jazz Butcher catalogue. Than I wrote “Poppyfield Smile” and decided to search a rehearsal room. I knew Thomas from recordshopping. He had a very good taste in music, was a bass player and had a bunker room in Offenbach. He was my man. After the first session we were happy, Lolo joined on drums and The Sheets were born.

++ Tell me, whereabouts in Germany were you based? How was the scene there? Were there any other like-minded bands in town or in Germany?

We were really lucky having such a fantastic scene between Darmstadt and Frankfurt when we started out.
We met every Friday at the record shop when the news from “Rough Trade” and all the other distributions came in. I could listen to all the great new stuff from all over the world. Our meetings there were very inspiring. We learned a lot from older music freaks at that time. I read “Sounds” and later “Spex” magazine. I was amazed that they promoted exactly my style of music. I knew from 1987 on, that this kind of music will be the next big thing.

++ Your sound seems to have the influence of the C86, indiepop, bands from the late 80s UK. What bands were you listening at the time, and do you still listen to them?

Beside record shopping and songwriting we went every week to the Frankfurt “Batschkapp” listening to new live bands.
The sound system was very good and i saw loads of legendary shows out there. We saw nearly every cool band at the time. The Feelies. The Go Betweens, R.E.M, Jesus And Mary Chain, The Cramps, The Flaming Groovies, The Triffids, all the American Paisley Underground bands, the C-86 bands, New Zealand bands, Postcard Records-bands like “Orange Juice” or the early Lloyd Cole. On other nights, legendary artists like Screaming Jay Hawkings, Psychic TV and Johnny Thunders. Every Monday were night concerts at the “Cookys” club. It was more like a pub and much smaller than the “Batschkapp”. It holds around threehundert people. Nikki Sudden solo, The Jazz Butcher or The Fleshtones were playing there. There was also a very popular radios how every monday at 10 PM, promoting all those happenings. Klaus Walter, also a well known music journalist, did interviews and played records of all the bands performing later at night at the “Cookies”. The networking between labels, tour promoters, press, record shops and artists was very tight at that time and created a big following till the end of the nineties. I still listening to guitar pop a lot. I love the last “Pastels” album with “To Rococo Rot”. I still love all my “Felt” records. Martin Duffy , the “Felt” and “Primal Scream” keyboard player recorded an interesting solo album !

++ Your 1991 release, the “Candyman” 7″ came out in Blue Records. I heard Michael’s (Blue Records) story of how he approached you to release the record. Now I’d love to hear your side! How did this record came about?

I think I met Michael on all good concerts around Frankfurt. He saw us playing at the “Batschkapp”, so I thought the man has to have an incredible good taste! There were also some friends of him, “Die Blinzelbeeren” recording a single, at my first eighttrack recordingstudio.
That was at my grandparents garage in maybe 1989. We had a nice chat here and there, so the idea came up to remaster some Sheets material and cut this record.

++ You wrote a song called “Manchester”. I assume you’ve been there, right? Would you say that’s your favourite city or which is it? And this might be silly, but I wonder if you were to do a top 5 Manchester bands, which ones would they be?

I had a girlfriend from Manchester. She was living in Berlin, but we were several times in Manchester, visiting her parents. Maybe the song is based on the mixed feelings I had at that time. Later on we played some wild gigs with Alter Ego at a club called “Sankeys”.
Acid House started there in the U.K. and Alan McGee moved with Creation Records to Manchester because he fell in love with that new sound directly.
The Happy Mondays, Primal Scream and My Bloody Valentine changed their sound completely after partying with MC Gee and recorded, after that experience, some of my most favourite albums. Even The Pastels, The Jesus And Mary Chain or The Loft were selling more records during that Creation / madchester-hype. Sad that the success of Oasis ended up this very experimental and inspiring time.
Funny that a band from Manchester ended up the Manchester sound…

++ And then there’s “Candyman” and “Candy Mountain Blue”. Is the “candy” just a coincidence or? Also, I have to say that my favourite song of the album is the latter, “Candy Mountain Blue”, would you mind telling me the story behind this song?

In “Candyman” Candy is a coincidence for drugs.
The title is inspired by a very funny Bob Dylan song, about a famous New York cocaine dealer, called “The Mighty Quinn”. “Candy Mountain Blue” plays around the same area, but the name was inspired by a “Hüsker Dü” title called “Candy Apple Grey”.

++ And just to make sure, there are no more unreleased songs by The Sheets? Everything is in the album?

They are all on the CD…

++ Tell me about gigs, did you play many? What were your best gigs? Any anecdotes to share?

“Hammerconcerts”, the “Batschkapp”- booking agency, managed us at this time. So we could open as a support band some very cool nights at the club. My personal highlight was a German package tour with “The Wedding Present”. We plaid in all the great venues all over the country, following The Wedding Presents tour van, in our old Volvo station wagon. They paid for our gas and gave us their backstage food, while they went to a restaurant. We slept in the car or on the floor at some friends places but The Wedding Present were real gentlemen and helped us wherever something strange was happening. For the last gig at the “Loft” in Berlin we had to cross the East German border, which was quite an adventure during that time. For the first time I realised what the work of a touring musician is meant to be.

++ I know you were involved with ‘Alter Ego’, ‘Acid Jesus’, ‘Sensorama’ or’ ‘Warp 69’, and some more. What about these projects of yours? Care telling me a bit about each of them? How different where they from The Sheets?

With Alter Ego we plaid worldwide in over seventy countries over the last twenty years. So that was becoming my touring ” band” over the last twenty years. It’s real techno for real dance clubs. Producing and performance is absolutely different to the work as a rock band. We do jam sessions with our instruments live on stage.
With our” Krautrockproject”, Sensorama we are first writing real songs and deconstructing them with the computer to abstract pieces. Thats why Sensorama is a pure studio project. We worked with loads of interesting loops. We sampled everything, from “Yo La Tengo” to the “American Music Club”. Than we playing over it with our own Instruments and giving it the special, Sensorama style. We used the vocals of Robert Owens (Fingers Inc.) , Jochen Distelmeier (Blumfeld) and Robert Forster(Go Betweens).

++ You collaborated with Robert Forster of Go-Betweens for the 2000 album of Sensorama. How was that experience and how did it happen?

First we wanted to work with Peter Hein from the legendary German band “Fehlfarben” but he hated our tracks. Than we asked Robert. He was living with his family, close to Augsburg in Germany, so our label was ringing him up. He liked the music so he came, just with his guitar, by train to Frankfurt. He looked like a French poet, when he stepped through the railway station. Very impressive!
Than we drove to the studio. He plugged his guitar in my amp, listened to our basic idea and wrote the lyrics in half an hour. Than he plaid his fantastic jingle-jangle guitar in one take. Pure magic, or maybe a real proffessional? After finishing the song he said “Now you have to invite me to an expensive Italian restaurant”. We were all laughing and went with him to dinner.

++ You are such a music person, but I wonder if aside from music you have any other hobbies?

I like all kinds of pop culture. I love art. I collect pieces by young German artists from Berlin and Frankfurt.
I love to restore old cars especially from the sixties and seventies. I’m a big soccer fan. I follow all the games of Eintracht Frankfurt, my favourite club. To refresh my ears, I run everyday six to ten miles, at a forest close to my apartment.
Since three years I’m into cooking. Sometimes it feels a bit like meditation to me.
I like hardboiled detective and crime novels. Jim Thompson, James Ellroy, Iceberg Slim, Dashiel Hammet and Raymond Chandler.

++ And do tell, music-wise, what are you up to these days?

At the moment I’m into pure acoustic music. Just a good microphone, western guitar and my voice. My record faves (this month…) : Caribou – “Our Love” , Robyn Hitchcock – “The Man Upstairs” , Aphex Twin – “Syro”, The Jazzateers – “Don’t Let Your Son Grow Up To Be A Cowboy” , J-Mascis – “Tied To A Star”, The Pastels – “Slow Summits”, Toy Love – “Toy Love (1980)”, Roddy Frame – “The North Star”,
The June Brides – “There Are Eight Million Stories” , Trümmer – “Wo Ist Die Euphorie”, Schlammpeitziger – “What Fruit ?”

++ One final question. How do you see the chances for Germany in the next World Cup?

I’m far too late for this one, but I have to say it was a thrilling Worldcup! It really surprised me how big soccer became in the states.
The US-Team did very well ! I like Jermaine Jones. He played over ten years for Frankfurt. He’s a real dirty fighter. The Eintrachtfans called him “Bad Boy”.

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Listen
The Sheets – Crashing

Thanks so much to Michael Knowles for the interview! I wrote about The Catchmen back in March, trying to find out anything about this obscure Stockport band. Gladly Michael was got in touch and was kind enough to answer a bunch of questions. Now The Catchmen are a bit less of a mystery to me. Back then they only released one 7″, but as you’ll see on the many links Michael shares with us, there were many other great recordings by the band. Also, make sure to check out his new band, Wintergreen, as it’s pretty good!

++ Hi Mike! Thanks so much for being up for this interview. When was the last time you picked up your guitar? Are you still based in Stockport?

5 mins ago. Always strumming a guitar/ banjo/ uke a little out of time. Based in the beautiful Peak District in Derbyshire

++ These days you are involved with Wintergreen. I really enjoy what I’ve heard on Soundcloud. Tell me a bit about this project of yours? When did it start? Do you have any releases? And how different is this band compared to The Catchmen?

This is the first band I have played in for some time (though I have continued to write songs and record).

An old friend of mine (Pete McGrath) with whom I played in a band post Catchmen (Grifter) saw I will still involved broadly in the Arts and got in touch and asked if I wanted to be in a band again. He is great in that he does the hard part of bands- organising etc so I can concentrate on the fun bit (though it is a very collaborative band). It’s a 3 piece band (the first time my guitar has been so prominent) largely because as you get older it’s a logistical nightmare to do anything larger. It was great that Ian from the Catchmen (who I have played off and off with over the year) added some keyboard to Whole (sent over the internet – wonders of technology)

++ Have you been involved in any other bands aside from Wintergreen and The Catchmen?

Yes – Grifter – see above. Also did an ‘electronic’ studio project with Ian Livingstone from the Catchmen and a female singer Jennifer Brett called Casino. See here on Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/casinoband-1

Ian and I also still record together and I am always demoing acoustic tracks.

++ Let’s go then back in time, to the days of The Catchmen. Who were they? Tell me a bit about the members of the band and how did you all knew each other?

They keys members of the band (and the constant) were myself and the keyboardist Ian Livingstone. On the recording you have heard I am singing and playing guitar. On drums is Colin Brennan who used to play with a Chrysalis band called Rex and bass is Darren Martin

++ Where does the name of the band come from?

The film Barberella

++ I know this is a bit of a cliché question, but it’s always interesting, what bands would you say influenced you?

For me a clichéd answer I am afraid. The Beatles, but then Squeeze, XTC, Costello, Nilsson, Kinks- songwriters mainly

++ And were there any like-minded bands in Stockport at the time that you really liked?

I liked a guitarist called Steve Finn. There were a lot of good bands around at the time but mostly up the road in Manchester

++ The only thing I really know about The Catchmen is that you released the one 7″. I really love both songs on it. What’s the story behind them?

Everybody’s Looking for the Sun is about growing apart from my childhood best friend (who gladly I am back in touch with).

Wet Than Dry is a rather extended metaphor about appreciating the past without drowning in it (i.e. the bath!)

++ Was it an easy choice these two songs to include in your 7″? Were there any other song options that you considered?

There were a few songs that we had recorded previously that could have been good singles- Wide Open Eyes, Come On Home, Hurricane, Alice is Blue Again. Have put them up here (with others) https://soundcloud.com/catchmen It was just the timing of going into the studio that meant we picked this one (and that it was irritatingly catchy!)

++ What do you remember from the recording session of the single?

I was at university. It was recorded in the Lymm studio of keyboardist Ian Livingstone in the evening so I often slept through most lectures.

++ Were there any other recordings by The Catchmen?

A lot. A few of them are here https://soundcloud.com/catchmen

None released properly (we didn’t have the internet then just cassettes!)

++ How did the creative process work for you guys?

Usually I would come up with a song. Usually about whatever heartbreak I was going through at the time. I would play a few song. Everyone would take the mickey and then we would play it until we found the right feel

++ Who were Taking Liberties Records?

A label we set up for this.

++ And how come there were no other releases by the band?

We tried to get a deal but despite interest from Chrysalis and some major labels it didn’t happen. This was before the internet so we ‘released’ other tracks but on cassette tape really (got that makes me sound so old!)

++ What about gigs? Did you play many? What were your favourite gig?

We play a lot of gigs locally. Oasis supported us and we played with the Rhythm sisters featuring Bruce Foxton from the Jam. Also opened a university with Candyflip. Some of the best gigs though were at the Band on the Wall in Manchester

++ And when and why did the band split?

We had tried to get some interest but it wasn’t happening. Ian left. I tried to soldier on but post university I had to try and earn a living!

++ Are you still in touch with the rest? What are you guys up to these days?

I still play music and still record with Ian occasionally. Have written some songs for my films. I am a film producer http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1624973/?ref_=fn_al_nm_3 and Ian is writing the music for my new film (I might provide a song)

++ And aside from music, what other hobbies do you like doing?

Film. Reading. Family. Running. Screaming

++ Looking back in time, what would you say was the highlight of The Catchmen?

Getting a note from Chrysalis saying they loved our demo and to call them on Monday to discuss our future. A glowing review from The Word front man Terry Christian. Some great gigs. Recording. Writing songs. Always comes back to the songs

++ Thanks again Mike! Anything else you’d like to add?

Any help getting tracks distributed old or new in the States/ anywhere greatly appreciated.

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Listen
The Catchmen – Everybody’s Looking for the Sun

Thanks so much to Del Kwai for this great interview! I wrote some time ago about his band Mexico Red, trying to find more information about them. Happily Del was kind enough to get in touch and answer a bunch of questions and so retelling the story of this great mid-80s guitar pop band from London! Time for you to discover them!

++ Hi Del! Thanks so much for being up for this interview. The first question has been hunting me for ages, have you ever been to Mexico?

Hi Roque. No I’ve never been to Mexico but would love to get there one day.

++ So where was Mexico Red based back in the 80s and where are you based now?

We were based in London. I am still living and working in London.

++ And are you still making music these days?

Unfortunately not.

++ Let’s go back in time, when did Mexico Red start? Who were the members of the band? And how did you all knew each other?

We formed in 1986. The band members were: John Richies, Drummer, from Canning Town in East London; Mike Danks, keyboard player, from somewhere near Manchester; Simon Wring, base player, from Tredegar in Wales, sadly Simon died in April 2011 age 45; and myself, guitar and vocals, from Poplar in East London.

++ Where does the name of the band come from?

In the 80’s the Ford Car Company had a popular car called the ‘Escort 2000 Mexico’ and one of the car colours was called Mexico Red. John found the name in a Ford catalogue and we all agreed it was a name that suited us.

++ Was it your first band ever?

No, my first band was called Graphic. I formed it when I was 17 with a group of friends.

++ During those days there were many guitar pop bands in the UK. Did you feel part of a scene? Were there any other bands from that period that you followed?

We were part of the live scene, playing gigs in most of the known venues in and around London travelling around the country when possible.

There were a few bands playing around then: The Hurt, Icicle Works, Scarlet Party, Danny Wilson to name a few.

++ Talking about guitars, what was your first guitar? How old were you when you learned to play?

I started to play guitar when I was about 12 at school. My first guitar was a cheap Strat copy. I managed to get a real Strat at 17 which was another world for me.

++ And who would you say were the biggest influences of Mexico Red?

None of my family were musical in the least. However growing up I was a big fan of Bill Nelson.

++ You only released one record, in 1988. It was a fantastic 7″ with two songs, “Eternal Flame” and “Follow Me To Heaven”. Care telling me in a few sentences the story behind each song?

I wrote Eternal Flame in 1986 on the way home from a trip to Wales. While we were there everyone was walking along some cliffs and an enormous wave came over the top of us. The whole group got soaked but somehow the water never touched me which gave me an invincible feeling (sounds corny now) but that’s the truth.

I wrote Follow Me to Heaven in 1985. It was my attempt at writing a ‘commercial/chart’ song and it was the only song which was not recorded live.

++ What do you remember from the recording session for the single?

We were determined to record Eternal Flame live. Not having much money for studio time we managed to record it on the second take.

++ Were there any other recordings made by Mexico Red? Why weren’t any more releases by the band?

Yes we recorded other material. There was only ever one other song released on a compilation LP called ‘Vox Nouveaux’. The song is called ‘Colour Field’ and was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London.

We were working towards releasing our own album but unfortunately we did not have the funds to complete all the recordings.

++ The 7″ came out on Hummingbird Records. Who were they? And how may copies were made?

Hummingbird was the band’s own record label. Once we established a good ‘live’ following we also attracted a few con men. We tried hard to get a publishing deal and a recording contract with all the London based labels, Polydor, EMI, etc, but most of the companies would not entertain us without official management. From our negative experiences of PR men we decided to get a bank loan, create our own label and release our own record, which we did. We pressed 2000 copies of Eternal Flame and had an official release gig at the Hackney Empire in East London which was a sell out and packed to the rafters. We sold 1500 records at the gig (which paid for the venue). Most of the other copies were distributed to radio stations and record companies.

++ I really like the artwork for the single. What’s it about and who made it?

The artwork is by Carl Jenkins from Tredegar in Wales. He was a friend of Simon’s. Carl had his own band and we would meet up with him on our trips to Wales. He is a great artist and his work appealed to us and he offered his work for free. He also designed our name logo and the artwork for posters and t shirts.

I hadn’t seen Carl for 25 years but met him recently when he turned up at my workplace as he is now working as a roofing contractor. It was great to see him again after all that time.

++ So, what’s the best song you’ve written? and why?

My favourite song, because of the guitar solo, is ‘Sailing on the Ocean’. My most memorable songs are ‘Colour Field’ and ‘Brave New World’ because in 1987 we were invited to compete in Battle of the Bands competition organised by the Arts Council which was held at an open air music festival in East London. There was 10,000 people there and it was a real buzz to get all the crowd to jump at the same time. We won the Battle and our prize was 2 days recording time at Abbey Road Studios in London, where we recorded these 2 songs.

++ Tell me a bit about gigs, did you play many? Which was the best one? Any anecdotes that you can share?

We played over 200 gigs and I honestly enjoyed all of them (apart from one) but the one that stands out to me the most was one of the gigs we had at The Rock Garden, Covent Garden, London in 1987. It was packed with a great crowd who were all up for enjoying themselves. We were the support band to (can’t remember) and when we came off the stage the lead singer of the headline band said to me “how the f*** are we supposed to follow that”. I jumped off the stage and played guitar and danced amongst the audience. It was a fantastic night.

Another one which stands out is one at the Cranbrook in Ilford, London. One of our roadies got into an argument with a gang of mods and knocked out a guy’s front teeth. The place erupted while we were playing and the only way I could stop it was to offer everyone in the venue a drink. The fighting stopped but it cost me a week’s wages paying for everyone’s drinks. We never used that roadie again!!

We even went down well at known rock venues and were asked back on several occasions even though we were considered to be a ‘pop’ band.

The one gig which was an absolute nightmare was in a large tent at an open air music festival in Wales in 1987. There was an awful sound delay and we couldn’t wait for it to finish. Never again! Simon was destroyed by that experience as it was his home town so lots of his friends came and we sounded crap. He was so embarrassed.

++ I haven’t seen the single, but on a website it says that it included an insert. What was in this insert?

I’ve attached a copy of it. I sketched and wrote it so as to give more information about the band.

++ And then what happened with Mexico Red? When and why did you split?

By 1989 we were all skint and in debt. John and Simon had finished University and we all needed to get proper jobs. We were becoming disillusioned by all the promises and bullshit from various directions and so in 1989 we decided to split up. Me and (I think) Mike would have carried on but John and Simon were adamant that they had had enough. There were no massive arguments or any bad feelings, we just all went our separate ways.

The music was mine so I could have formed another band and carried on but I just didn’t have the heart to start all over again.

++ Were you involved with music afterwards?

No. I still strum the guitar most days but I’ve never written another song.

++ And all in all, what would you say was the biggest highlight for the band?

Definitely releasing the single. Last year we were going through old boxes and I discovered my collection of old (some limited edition) LP’s. I asked my sons to get on the computer to find out how much they were worth out of curiosity. Turned out our record was the most valuable and rare, go figure?

++ Thanks so much Del for everything, anything else you’d like to add?

I’ve attached a photo of the band from left to right Simon, Mike, me and John.

I’ve also attached a copy of the cover of the Vox Nouveaux compilation LP. I’ve attached a recording of ‘Colour Field’ hope you enjoy.

Its been great to reminisce and I really appreciate your interest.

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Listen
Mexico Red – Colour Field

Thanks so much to Stuart Williams for the interview! Some time ago I wrote a small piece about this Kent band and Stuart was kind enough to get in touch and shed some light about his band. The Lemon Sleepers released the one 7″ back in the early nineties and included in it was the fab A side, “The World’s Too Loud”. If you have never heard about them before, well, it’s time for you to discover them!

++ Hi Stuart! Thanks so much for being up for an interview! You were telling me that you have been playing together for 23 years now?!  And that you just call it a day last April? How come?

We are not quite ready to call it a day just yet, out guitarist decided he didn’t want to carry on playing anymore. We are currently rehearsing with a new guitarist so we will see how that develops.

++ But in these time you’ve changed the name of the band, right? I mean, there’s no information of a contemporary Lemon Sleepers band online!

Although up until recently the band line up had not changed in all this time, the name has had several changes. Following the The Lemon Sleepers we went under the names ‘Swell’ and for a short time ‘Hannah Park’ and for a while now ‘The Very Wonderful Long Teddies’. Don’t ask where that one came from!

++ So will you continue or not playing? What do you think will happen?

As I said earlier, we are not ready to give it up yet so we will continue one way or another.

++ You also told me that “The World’s Too Loud” was the only vinyl you ever released but that you had put out a couple of CDs. Care telling me a bit about these CDs?

These were just self made CD’s that we would sale or mostly give away at gigs. From memory one was titled ‘Ulibang Molash’ which contained three tracks and others were just compilations of various tracks.

++ And last but not least on your comment you linked me to a promo video for the A side of the 7″, for “The World’s Too Loud“. How did this video come about? And what do you remember from the filming session?

We used to gig at a college in Canterbury, Kent where they did media studies courses and we managed to convince the students to use us as part of their course work. They filmed us at a studio on site just playing a set of songs and then the video sort of came out of that. The concept was our idea where the van which we used to carry the gear around in was a nightclub. It was fun to make and they did a pretty good job with the resources and experience they had. It’s certainly something to look back on with fond memories.

++ Let’s go back in time Stuart, were The Lemon Sleepers your first band?

Yes, mine and the guitarists. The drummer, bassist and keyboard player had been playing together for about 7 years already and the bassist and keyboard player (brothers) a further 6 years before that, so a long history. I knew the guys previous to joining and had been jamming with the guitarist. When the two existing members left, we just kind of slotted into the vacancies.

++ And how did it start? How did you all knew each other? how was the recruiting process?

Think I kind of answered that in the last question. However to elaborate, I new the band before I joined, at that time they were called ‘Rupert and the Jumpers’ and I used to be their sound engineer. At that time the guitarist and I were looking to form a band, then the news came that the ‘Jumpers’ singing and guitarist had quit the band. I initially offered myself up for the singing vacancy and went to a few rehearsals. Then the guitarist came along and it all went from there.

++ What kind of music were you listening at the time? Who would you call as influences?

We all listen to a varied type of music, our main influences are the likes of House of Love, Teardrop Explodes, Talk Talk, Simple Minds, U2…etc

++ Where does the name of the band come from?

I’m not really sure, our bassist tends to come up with most of the band names and then books us on a gig under that name, then they just tended to stick. We have always let the music speak for it’s self rather than the name.

++ The credits for the songs on the label are for A. and G. Holliday. How did the creative process in the band work?

It tended to be someone would come up with a riff or hook line and the song would be built round that. The lyrics would then be written around the track. In recent years we have been doing more covers and not writing as much as we used to.

++ As we were saying earlier, there was only one 7″ released. It was self-released, right? How was that experience of promoting and selling a record?

Difficult really, we had the single in local record shops, but most of it was promoting at gigs.

++ The record included two fantastic songs, “The World’s Too Loud” and “International Smile”. Care telling me a bit about each of the songs?

‘The World’s Too Loud’ is basically a love song, its about being able to shut the world and all its noise out when there is just you and your loved one. ‘International Smile’ is about everyone just getting on and being one big happy world….yeah!

++ And what about the design of the sleeve? Who was in charge of that?

That was actually my father who was in the print trade and is quite artistic.

++ Tell me a bit about where you were based in Kent. Were there any other like-minded bands? What were the places or venues that you’d hang out more often?

We are mainly based in Maidstone and Faversham. In the 90’s there were a lot of bands around who all kind of knew each other and often played in the same venues. These would be clubs and pubs in the local towns which have unfortunately disappeared over the years.

++ Has it changed much to this day?

The only places to really play these days is pubs and these more often than not want covers bands.

++ Tell me about gigs. Did you play many? What were your favourites and why?

We used to do a lot more than we do these days, on average we did 30 -40 gigs a year. We always try mainly to have a good time which I think spills over to the crowd and makes the evening more entertaining. Definite favourites would be supporting Kula Shaker on their university tour and headlining at the Maidstone River Festival in 2011 where we have played every year for the past 15 years.

++ And looking back in time, in the long career of The Lemon Sleepers under a name or another, what would you say was the biggest highlight as a band?

Lasting as long as we have really and as mentioned previously the Headline slot at the River Festival, where we play on a floating stage moored to the river bank.

++ Aside from music, do you happen to have any other hobbies?

I have always been interested in music production, recording and mixing the demos for us and for other bands.

++ The only place I’ve ever visited in Kent is Canterbury. What are other places in Kent that you’d recommend one visiting?

There are plenty of places to visit, Faversham is an old market town which has the oldest brewery actually in the town and numerous pubs to sample the local ales. Then there is Leeds Castle outside of Maidstone which is a real piece of English history. We are only about an hour on the train away from central London, so you can visit there and then return to the calm of the Kent countryside.

++ And one last question, how do you see England performing in this World Cup?

Sorry, by the time I answered these questions we were already out. Thought we would have got through the group stages but not much further.

++ Thanks again Stuart! Anything else you’d like to add?

Just thanks for including us on you website and your interest in our music. I will email you some more tracks and hopefully people will like these too. Many thanks form all the guys.

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Listen
The Lemon Sleepers – The World’s Too Loud