I hope everyone had a great Christmas! Here are some cool finds, see you again Monday!
Night Flowers: the London band has a song called “Snowfall” which they’ve recorded just for this holiday season with a good cause behind it. All proceeds will be donated to the Epilepsy Action charity. I really like this band a lot. And I think everyone should too. This reminds me I still haven’t got myself a copy of their album. I should change that in 2020.
Drinking Boys and Girls Choir: Damnably Records, home of the excellent Say Sue Me, seem to have found another great Korean band! It may sound more punky than pop, not your usual recommendation on the blog. But it is poppy enough, fun enough, I think. The vocals are sweet. And I said why not. The band has just released a self-titled album packed with 18 tracks! It is available on CD and vinyl of course.
Les Bicyclettes de Belsize: a very fine Christmas song called “Another Christmas Song” is what the London band presents us this year. Lyrics are posted too for singing along. The last few days I was making a playlist of cool indiepop Christmas songs, and I missed this one. But for sure it is going on my next year playlist. You do the same.
Close Lobsters: the Scottish band is back with a new album on February 28th. We are able now to preview one of the tracks, “All Compasses Go Wild”, and it sounds faaaaaantastic! I can’t wait to get a copy of this record which will be available on orange and grey vinyl. And CD too. The album which is called “Post Neo Anti: Arte Povera in the Forest of Symbols” comes with 10 tracks and a very cool artwork on its sleeve!
The Fisherman and his Soul: and lastly another Christmas song, ” A Christmas Tree Bright as a Lighthouse”! This one comes all the way from Münster in Germany, thanks to Sebastian Voss, who you might know from the lovely Nah… and his older band The Grindcore Poppies which made me a fan of his music. This track is another one I need to add to my Christmas playlist next year!
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Wow, really wow! What a discovery for me. This Falkirk band, who once supported The Bluebells at the Queens Hall in Edinburgh, has a brilliant sound. At least on this superb song I’ve found on Youtube called “I Believe its Love”. I really want to hear more! If there’s more, and they sound like this, I wouldn’t mind releasing a retrospective compilation too!
I know only a few little facts about the band. “I Believe its Love” was a single. I think it was taken from a cassette single released in 1983 by A&M Records called “Long Summers”. It got some radio play on Radio One by Peter Powell. Was there a B side for the cassingle? I would love to know.
The band was around from 1981 to 1985. It was formed by:
Gordon Davidson on guitar
Chas Fotheringham on bass and vocals
Ally Gibb on guitar, saxophone and keyboards
George Smith on drums
Barbara on vocals
The band recorded a Radio Royal session in 1982. Where is that? I’d love to hear it. What songs were recorded?
After this session Barbara was replaced by Diane Smith. I am confused if on the song “I Believe its Love” is Barbara or Diane singing? Who could confirm me that?
Then in 1983 the band recorded a Radio Forth session. Again, what songs were recorded? Is there any way to listen to it? After this session more lineup changes, Davidson was replaced by Alex Irvine (ex Shout) and with this new lineup the band would win the Levi’s Battle of the Bands in Edinburgh which was judged by Radio One DJ Peter Powell. Thanks to this success the band ended up supporting The Bluebells.
Another interesting fact is that Ally Gibb guested in the Cocteau Twins album “Head Over Heels” playing sax on the track “Five Ten Fiftyfold”. It also seems that David Hair, who would later be in the Smokehouse Blues Band, played a few dates with the band.
In 1985 Diane Smith left the band as she wanted to become a dancer and even appearing on the Cadbury’s Twirl advert and in the video for “Radio Ga Ga” by Queen! It was this year too when the band split. Ally Gibb would join The Breakfast Boyz and later The Bottleneck Blues Band and Alex Irvine would join Frank’s Wild Years.
I find also some info about gigs they played. For example headlining at The Burns with support of Complex. It seems they played this venue many times.
Then an old Myspace. Here I see two more songs by the band, they are called “What Does it Take” (which looks as it was the last song the band recorded), “Make My Day” (recorded at Cava Studio for A&M Records) and “Fred Astaire” (recorded live).
Then I find out that Ally Gibb played last November a solo gig at The Graeme Hotel in Falkirk. I believe he played many of the songs of Pastis 51 in this occasion. Must have been a nice evening!
I am craving so much to listen to more of their tracks. The one I’ve heard is great. Hopefully I’ll be able in the near future! Maybe someone will help me with this wish!
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