I am exhausted! I just got back from Mexico City and I am looking for 5 new finds right away so I can prepare today, Tuesday, this post for tomorrow Wednesday, to get back on schedule! I promise to tell you more about my trip on Friday’s post.

Hurry: this three-piece from Philadelphia have released a digital single with two tracks last April: “Frustrate You” and “An Element of Surprise”. They sound pretty good to me, jangly and dreamy. The band seems to have been around since at least 2012… shame I am only discovering them now.

Noah: Haruki Sato, Ryota Tsuji, Yota Takatsu, Naoya Kamojima and Sachi Nagame are Noah, from Japan. Their latest release is an 8 song album called “Fluctuate”. You can listen to all the tracks on their Bandcamp and enjoy their shoegaze sounds!

Soft Blue Shimmer: the Boston based label Disposable America is releasing a limited run of 50 cassettes of “Nothing Happens Here”, the 5 track EP by this Boston band! “Fruitcake” and “Chamoy” are the two tracks available to preview and I’m really liking them!

Elna Rae: now let’s head to San Francisco, that’s where the label Blind Love Tapes is based. They have a new release on 12″ lathe cut by Elna Rae, the “Dexter” EP! 4 songs of lo-fi guitar both catchy and fun!

Wake in June: is Enrico Pastore, from Padua, Italy. He has just released on the Slovakian label Z Tapes a 10 song album called “Lavender Pink” which will be available digitally and on tape. For me to find jangly Italian pop is always a surprise, it is not a common thing. A little treasure awaits everyone here.

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Turn for the letter W. And here I am with another band that I discovered through the wonderful The Sound of Leamington Spa compilation series, Wake Up Afrika.

Wake Up Afrika came together beneath the toxic clouds of the industrial north west town of Widnes in the early 80s. Despite their grim surroundings, they soon built up a reputation for serving up bouncy, melodic and memorable pop. Always at their best playing live, their infectious tunes, filled with three-part harmonies, and swirling flute and sax went against the trend of the current music scene, and Wake Up Afrika became known as the band that got people up dancing wherever they went. Support slots to bands like The Farm and Hothouse Flowers, together with a commitment to a punishing schedule of gigs exposed them to an enthusiastic and ever-growing following and several major labels took an interest but it was eventually local indie label, Red River Records, who released the band’s one and only single “Simple Words”. “Walking Blind” was a live favourite and came from the pens of the band’s principal songwriters. Duncan Lomax and David Pichilingi. In the face of growing apathy from the major labels, the pair eventually disbanded Wake Up Afrika to form 35 Summers where they eventually found the major record deal that had eluded them with Wake Up Afrika.

That’s how the booklet of the 4th volume of The Leamington Spa introduces us to the band. This compilation of course was released in 2003 by the German label Firestation Records (FST060). This was how I discovered the band and perhaps how many other people did too. The year after, 2004, the band also contributed a song called “The Breadvan” to the Japanese label Excellent. Records compilation “Pop Renaissance” (excd014), a 3 CD comp that showcased superb tracks that were contemporary then but also classic sounds from the 80s. I’d love to have a copy of this record.

But let’s go back in time, when the band was active, the mid 80s. The first time we hear from them is on a compilation called “Elegance, Charm and Deadly Danger” that was released by Push Records (PUSH001) in 1985. On this compilation that included The La’s, the band appears with the song “Love Died in the Road”. From what I gather this compilation featured bands hailed from in and around St. Helens, Merseyside, UK. Also it is worth noting that Push was actually an acronym for Promotional Umbrella for St Helens.

In 1989 the band released their one and only record, “Simple Words”. It was released by Red River Records (MRC96) on 12″ vinyl. Three songs were included, the title song on the A side and “God Only Knows” and “Animal” on the B side. The engineer for the track was Adrian Sleigh for “Simple Words” and “Animal” while Phil Ault engineered the remaining one. The band produced the songs but one, D. Lewis produced “God Only Knows”.

Discogs lists a reissue of this 12″ with a different artwork. The tracklist is the same. From what I understand this re-release was put out in Japan in 1996.

But even more interesting is that the band also put together a CDR with the art of the reissue at some point. This CDR included 5 tracks! “Walking Blind” which is the song that appears on the Leamington Spa comp, “Animal”, “She Said”, “Shine” and “Sunday Afternoon”. Was this sold somewhere?

Of course that’s not all, there was a video for “Simple Words” that was filmed in Players night club and amongst the big bridges and smelly factories of downtown Widnes.

Widnes is an industrial town in Halton, Cheshire, Northwest England. In 2011, it had a population of 61,464. Historically in Lancashire, it is on the northern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form the Runcorn Gap. Directly to the south across the Mersey is the town of Runcorn. Upstream and 13 km to the east is the town of Warrington, and downstream to the west is Speke, part of the city of Liverpool.

Of course we know Duncan Lomax was also in 35 Summers who were on RCA as well as David Fenlon (later Pichilingi). But was it just them two in Wake up Afrika? Were there any other members? The photo on the booklet of the Leamington Spa comp shows more band members!

Well I start digging following these clues. I stumble upon a band called Perfect, an early 80s band where Duncan Lomax was involved playing guitar and vocals. On this band we also find Andy Frizell who would later be in Wake Up Afrika, Vernons, Absent Black Cat, Royal Family and Wizards of Twiddly. But that’s not all. I find that Dave Pichilingi was also on a band called Utopia Dream. And that Lomax had been in Hal.

Then I find the other members. Ian Donohue played guitar, Ste Holian bass and Andy Hignett drums. At some point Andy was replaced on sax by John Lyons.

The band mostly played around Liverpool, for example at the Uni and Poly, Mardi Gras, supporting China Crisis and The Farm. At some point in  November 1987 the band changed their name to Giant Smiles. Then they went back to Wake Up Afrika.

That’s really all I could find about them. Of course there is much more written and more information about their later incarnation, 35 Summers. I like them too of course. But right now I’m curious about Wake up Afrika. Why the name? What about that CDR? Are there more recordings by them? Any information will be appreciated!

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Listen
Wake Up Afrika – Simple Words