Back from Mexico! But I have to say that I left this post ready before leaving on holidays. So, these are a bit of older finds, and I won’t tell you much about my trip this time around. Hopefully on the next post I will do!

Emma Russack & Lachlan Denton: I’m checking out the one song available to stream from their new album called “Keep on Trying”. It is called like the album. And I thought it is really nice. It reminded me a lot of Tracyanne & Danny who I saw just a few weeks ago here in New York. Maybe that’s the new way to make guitar pop. The new trend. I don’t mind if it is. I like it. This Melbourne duo’s album was released on CD on July 18th.

Perrogato: a lovely band from Chile and this is my first encounter with their brilliant music. It is a self-titled six-song EP that is just perfect indiepop in my book. That song “Ácido” should be hit anywhere and everywhere. I really don’t know much about them. I know they are formed by María José Calfín and Danko Diaz and they took their name from the animated series Catdog. The Ep was released digitally by Gemelo Parásito Records. I wish it was released in a physical format!

Felyno: guitar pop, very 80s, quite post-punk influenced, from a Peruvian band from the highest city in the world? It can’t be, you’d say. But it does seem like this band hails from the mining town of Cerro de Pasco, 4,380 m over the sea level. I discovered this band through the friends of Latin American Twee Facebook page, where they shared this video for the song “Lourdes”. They do remind me a bit of Motorama, right? Or am I totally out of it? I also believe they have filmed their video in their region, those mountains, that inhospitable landscape!

Beezewax: now a band from Oslo, Norway! Very international findings this week! This comes through the Sellout! Music label Bandcamp, who I suppose are promoting just the one song by this band. The song is called “Rainbows” and it is a rush of guitar pop which I enjoy thoroughly. I read on their Facebook page that they are an indie-rock band, so I’m not sure if I should go and listen to the rest of their songs! Maybe I’d be disappointed? I’m happy with this one!

All Ashore!: I so want this record! It is a split 7″ by All Ashore! and Thee Mightees. I will be honest, I haven’t heard The Mightees. But I love All Ashore!, and I love the song they contribute to the split 7″, “Perfect Popsong”. This record, released by Don’t Miss the Boat Records and Delicious Clam will be released on the 29th. I should place my order now! Definitely one of the bands you have to check out if you go to Indietracks!

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A couple of weeks ago I think, my friend Phil posted “The Golden Mermaid” video on Facebook. For the first time I was connecting the dots about this band. You see, a long time ago on an interview with Phil Suggars from The Candie Maids he mentioned them as a contemporary band to his. He had mentioned them and the 14 Iced Bears. I knew of the 14 Iced Bears of course, but the first band didn’t ring a bell. I knew the band called The Quentins, which I have featured on the blog. But not the Brighton band Ten Million Quentins. So it was the first time I was listening to their music, and also seeing them, how they looked like, and what was their style!

You can watch the video by clicking here. You’ll notice in the description that the song was actually a tribute to a long gone chip shop and cafe on Western Road in Hove. The band on the video featured Veronica Quentin, Bobby Quentin, Stephen Quentin, Janet Quentin, Rob Quentin and Mike Quentin. The video is the epitome of a C86 band for me. It looks so cool!

So after watching it again and again I thought it was necessary to go through the web, see what else there is, hopefully another song to listen?

Maybe not, but I did find a blog post by Mike, one of the members of the band. It seems he is now based in Prestwich, Manchester, left the south for the north. And back in December 2010 he posted about his old band on his blog “The Mithering Times“. From that post there are a bunch of important details:
– The band only lasted for around a year, between 1985 and 1986
– Mike was part of the people who booked bands at The Royal Escape Club on Brighton under the name The Big Twang
– He was friends with Dennis Wheatley who I have interviewed in the past about his band The Doris Day, a big favourite of mine!
– When there was a need to have a band supporting the many great bands they booked (eg. The Pastels, The Shop Assistants, The Wolfhounds), they had The Ten Million Quentins as the house band.

Then I figure out something else from my blog, from an interview with another Brighton band, Whirl: Rob Colley was in The Ten Million Quentins (named after Quentin “Norman” Cook. Aka Fat Boy Slim).

Great find! Especially knowing now where the band’s name come from. And that Rob had been in Whirl, and also in the 14 Iced Bears at some point according to Discogs. Other bands he had been in were Arthur, Fired Dept. and Zed J.

And then I keep searching on Google, but there is not much more. 3 pages of results for Ten Million Quentins. Can’t say if there were any recordings by the band. But would love very much to listen to more. Maybe there was a demo tape. In the meantime why not head to a mixcloud by Gordon Kaye where he celebrates The Sunshine Playroom, the weekly Wednesday club in Brighton that played some fantastic music. The Ten Million Quentins played at it a few times I believe! Does anyone else remember them?

EDIT: It seems that while I was away on holidays someone added their demo “Fat Funny And Seen it All” to Discogs. Thanks Uwe for pointing me out! It was released in 1986 and included four songs, “Stay As Sick As You Are”, “Other People’s Places”, “A Girl’s Name” and “He’s Not Smiling”.  Will I get a chance to listen to them one day? It seems at least one of their songs will be included in the forthcoming volume of the Sound of Leamington Spa series on Firestation.

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Listen
Ten Million Quentins – The Golden Mermaid