Thanks so much to Chris Munday for the interview! I wrote about the West London band Accent on the blog some time ago and Chris got in touch and was willing to tell me a bit more about the great band he was in in the early 80s! If you have never heard about them, it is time to discover them!

++ Hi Chris! Thanks so much for being up for this interview! How are you? Still making music?

My pleasure thank you for asking me to do this interview, I’m doing ok thank you still doing a little bit of songwriting with a friend from my last ever band Salad not the band of the same name that stole our name that featured a certain MTV presenter lol, just ideas.

++ Let’s go back in time. What are your first music memories? Do you remember what was your first instrument? How did you learn to play it? What sort of music did you listen at home while growing up?

My first music memories my Mum and Dad had a band in the 60s no one famous and I remember seeing them play and really growing up in that environment so music was always playing, I’m self taught started playing drums around 16, I always remember hearing on the radio the song “Woodstock” and “Killing Me Softly” sticks in my mind bands like 10cc and just general chart stuff early 70s then I got into Rock then the punk bands Stiff Little Fingers, The Motors, The Damned.

++ Had you been in other bands before Accent? What about the rest of the members? If so, how did all of these bands sound like? Are there any recordings?

My first band I was in were called Mayhem really fast punk band around 1979,then Les Verbal Screamers,Then Fear we used to be The Meteors regular support act in London,not sure what bands the other guys were in before Accent and there is a live Fear recording from 1981 as a support act to the Meteors at the 100 club in Oxford street but I don’t have a copy sadly although its out there somewhere.

++ Where were you from originally, West London?

Yes I was born in Paddington lived in Notting Hill gate through the 60s then the 70s in Harrow North West London.

++ How was your town at the time of Accent? Were there any bands that you liked? Were there any good record stores? Or what about the pubs or venues to go check out up and coming bands?

Harrow and surrounding area has produced quite a few artist over the years Elton John was from Pinner, Simon Le Bon Duran Duran, Iain Baker Jesus Jones and Jamie Stewart, The Cult bass player, went to the same school as me. There was a venue called the Roxborough pub many punk bands played there including Gothic punk band Ritual. Jamie Stewart’s first band before he joined Deathcult then The Cult. Record shop called Sellenby in South Harrow still going but in Ruislip now was my local.

++ When and how did the band start? How did you all meet? How was the recruiting process? Is it true you joined the band through an advert in a music paper?

Accent started in 1981 Brian and Mick formed the band, I joined in 1982 I took over from John Webb who was drummer at the time who was Gary Numan’s foster brother he left and played saxophone for a while in his touring band,we also had Guitarist Robin Yates who joined at the same time as me he played Keyboard on the single, I saw the advert in a music paper and went for the audition and got the job.

At the same time that I joined Accent in 1982, Robin Yates joined. Robin had taken over from a guitarist with the name Dave. Sorry I don’t remember his second name. And then Robin was replaced a few months before we recorded “We Are Lost” with Steve Flynn.

++ How was the creative process for you? Where did you usually practice?

We used to rehearse at first in a School in Hounslow then at Survival studio in Acton West London Brian was the main guy for all the arrangement with Mick adding the music but we all threw in ideas.

++ And who would you say were influences in the sound of the band?

Mainly The Jam and The Police various punk bands but the Jam were the main influence.

++ You only released one 7″ in 1984. It was on a label called Motion Records. Tell me a bit about the label. Who were behind it? Was it yourselves?

Yes Motion Records was a self financed label that Brian created to put the single out.

++ The 7″ had two songs, “We Are Lost” and “(Intro) Blue & Royal Line”. Both were recorded at Abbey Road Studios and were produced by Tony Clark. How was that experience? Was it the first time going to a proper studio?

It was an a real experience the studio and working with Tony Clark was amazing his knowledge of music is incredible he worked with The Beatles was engineer on 2 Paul Mcartney and Wings albums his work with John Lennon Stevie Wonder so working with Tony was brilliant.we had all been in studio before doing various bits.

++ What about before this 7″? Did you have any other recordings? Perhaps demo tapes?

There are demos from a studio in Euston and a live Albums worth of material we recorded in Manchester Square of which only Brian has a copy in fact i spoke to Tony 2 days ago and he wants to get that copy and put it out if he makes contact with Brian.

++ Were there any compilation appearances by the band?

No.

++ And are there many more unreleased tracks by the band? Have you ever thought of putting together some sort of retrospective?

No unreleased tracks.

++ If you were to choose your favorite Accent song, which one would that be and why?

Blue and Royal Line and Northern British Solders Son melodic tracks loved playing them and If only which was really catchy song.

++ What about gigs? Did you play many? How was the gig at Stamford Bridge?

As a band we played 50 or so gigs, I never played Stamford Bridge I had 3 months out the band before returning this was for personal reasons a few months after we did “We Are Lost”.

++ And what were the best gigs you remember? Any anecdotes you can share?

Kings Head Casual beat club but my favorites was the Greyhound Fulham and Rock Garden.

++ And were there any bad ones?

Can’t remember bad gigs.

++ You also were involved with a club called the Casual Beat club. What was that about?

The Casual Beat Club was upstairs of the Kings Head, Fulham.

++ When and why did Accent stop making music? Were you involved in any other bands afterwards?

Can’t remember exactly I left then soon after band split not sure reason why, I went on to form Salad with Martin Collison and Mick Lewis and Mick and Brian started Turquoise Blue.

++ Has there ever been a reunion? Or talks of playing again together?

Yes reunion was talked about but only if we ever found Brian and if Mick still was up for it I definitely would do in fact 3 years ago I was speaking through social media to Peter Hooton The Farm singer and he thought we had reformed and offered us a support at the O2 which would of been amazing if we had been back together I have talked with Tony Clark about this also it all depends on Mick and Brian the interest is definitely there.

++ Did you get much attention from the radio?

No radio play at all.

++ What about the press? Did they give you any attention? You were on the cover of Sounds once, right? How did that happen?

We got a press interest we got a 2 page spread in sounds just after we recorded We Are Lost which i done Mick has a copy still of us then a couple of months later during my 3 months out the front cover.through Garry Bushell editor of sounds.

++ Then not so long ago there was a documentary called “Casuals” were Accent was featured. Were you in this film? Have you seen it? What do you think?

The song was featured and Mick is in it and Garry Bushell I have not seen it but Cass Pennant did send me a copy a few years back.

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

Recording the single “We Are Lost”.

++ Aside from music, what other hobbies do you have? Are you a Chelsea fan?

Queens Park Rangers. Hobbies wise not really any but my family and Christian faith are my life now.

++ Anything else you’d like to add?

I enjoyed my 3 and a bit years less 3 months lol in Accent I was a bit gutted I must admit having done all the recordings and playing on the single to miss out on the cover shoot and most of the press photos have been of the band during my 3 months out of the band but that was then, my faith has replaced any disappointment I had then. Looking forward to that runion gig though if it ever happens.

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Listen
Accent – We Are Lost

This is a short week for the blog as there will be posts today and Wednesday. Then on Thursday I am going on holidays to Spain. I will be back on Tuesday the 16th, so Wednesday the 17th will be the day posts will resume.

This also means, as I’ve mentioned in previous posts that I can bring records to Spain if anyone is interested. Just let me know.

And secondly orders for Den Baron have already started shipping. The release date is June 30 as the insert in the 7″ has it, but as it is a Sunday we have agreed to “officially” say it is July 1st. Though it is a June release for sure.

Anyways, here are some new tracks from over the weekend.

Blush Response/Warm: there is this new digital split by the Adelaide, Australia, band Blush Response and the New Paltz, NY, band Warm on Bandcamp. This is catered to the shoegazing fans here. There are two songs by each band, Blush Response contributes “Weightless” and “Sweet Respite” (this one being the best of the split) and Warm has “Moonweed” and “OUTLAW69”.

LIPS: the Falmouth, UK, band is back with a summer song just in time to get prepared for their debut at Indietracks. How exciting! The song is aptly titled “In Summer” and it is pure indiepop bliss.

Miedo: the band from Madrid has just published a promo video for their song “Pánico Por Nada”. The video is very DIY, maybe even done by the band. Where was it filmed? Somewhere close to the Spanish capital? What I like the best is the song itself, it is just a sweet little song. Maybe I can find some record of theirs while I am Spain?

Marcos y Molduras: this is my first time listening to this Spanish band who has put together a promo video for their song “La de Parks” which sounds great! I wonder if the song is about the TV series “Parks and Recreation”? Could it be? In any case I hope this gets released in physical format. And when are they playing live? You know I’ll be in Madrid on the 13th, could be cool to catch a band that day.

The Buildings: here is a tape album called “Cell-O-Phane” from this band from the Philippines, I believe. I think this is a reissue, but I could be wrong. The album is being released by a Singapore record label called Middle Class Cigars who in the past released the very fine band Sobs. There are 12 songs that sound very nice, with female vocals, that remind me a lot of the bands Shelflife used to release back in the day. Cool!

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Here’s another record I’m after, Shame’s “Real Tears” 7″. I have to say -once again- that I know barely anything about it. I know I love the song “Real Tears” and should be enough for anyone, but I want to know more. I wonder if I’ll be able to find any interesting details. Googling for “shame” won’t be easy.

The 7″ was released in 1985 by the Welsh indie label Fierce Recordings, well known for putting out the Pooh Sticks. This label was based in Swansea and started releasing records that same year, 1985. That is interesting. Aside from a Charles Manson album and a couple of unofficial 7″s by The Jesus and Mary Chain, the only other band released that year was Shame, which was the third release on the label (FRIGHT 003), even though on the matrix it is etched “004”. Maybe it was a mistake at the pressing plant.

The songs were “Real Tears” as the A side and “40 Hanover Street” as the A2 side. Yes, it was single-sided. Discogs mentions that the record came with a small sample of “Dylan Sweat”. What does that mean? I believe it was a postcard but hopefully someone can confirm.

The back sleeve says that the songs were recorded on September 11th 1985 at The Bunker. The songs were produced and engineered by Michael Powles. We know that the band was formed by Patricia “Trish” Griffiths on bass and vocals, Andrew “Griff” Griffiths on drums and Stephen “Haggis” Harris on guitar and vocals. A temporary recruit called Dano played extra piano on the re-recorded “Real Tears”.

I say re-recorded because the band had recorded 3 songs in a Cardiff studio. One of them was “Real Tears”. This must have been sort of a demo to send to labels, I’m assuming. “40 Hanover Street” was recorded in this session. The re-recorded version of “Real Tears” was actually recorded in Swansea. Now it is pretty obvious they were from Wales. Where in Wales? That I couldn’t say. I thought perhaps “40 Hanover Street” was a clue, but I could only find that address in Liverpool. But no, I find out they hailed from Swansea.

After the release of the 7″ Stephen would leave the band to join Zodiac & Mindwarp. But then in 1987 the band would reappear with Andrew and Patricia (were they siblings?). Joining them would be Steve Mitchell from Fierce Recordings and also the Pooh Sticks and Paul Leigh. Not sure if this lineup recorded anything.

But that’s not all as it turns out the band appears on the compilation “The Sound of Leamington Spa Vol. 8” that Firestation Records (FST155) released last year, 2018. They contributed the song “Real Tears”. But the good thing here is that there is a small bio on the booklet! Great I’ll find out some more info about them?

Swansea, Wales: Haggis (vocals/guitar) and Griff (drums) had fought the punk wars together as 13-year olds in local sensation The Autonomes, and both continued to be central to anything and everything happening on the post-punk scene. In 1985, with the addition of Trish (bass/vocals), they formed Shame. Immediately, the trio recorded three songs in Cardiff, though from that session only the instrumental “40 Hanover Street” survived to make it onto the single released later that year. The song intended as the A-side, “Real Tears”, subsequently re-recorded for the single in a basement studio in Swansea (with extra piano played by temporary recruit Dano), was a product of Haggis’ obsession with the movie “Christane F”: in his head, the song was a doomed version of heroin inBerlin, but the reality was surely more out of-control Gee’s Linctus in the doledrum that was Swansea’s bleak Portmead estate. The third song recorded by the group, “Emily Jayne’, is presumed lost. Shame effectively split by the end of the year when Haggis left Swansea for the an international A-list life in the rock’n’roll fast lane (look him up!); Griff and Trish played in a revised no-Haggis version of Shame which existed briefly in 1987. Since then, Trish has sadly died, but Griff continues to wear a tall, purple, mirrored pilgrim hat around town: if you see him ask him about those months when Prefab Sprout’s “Steve McQueen” and a blue powder-blu Hofner Verithin promised to be the key to everything.

And that’s all. I wonder if they had more recordings? I would also love to hear the third song, “Emily Jayne”, that was on that cassette demo. Who remembers them?

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Listen
Shame – Rea Tears