A quick note this Friday letting you know that the BV’s 7″s are already at the pressing plant being pressed. We are hoping then that our release date will be sometime in late October/early November. There’s been already a bunch of pre-orders so I’ll keep everyone updated!

Now, here are a few new finds on the web for you all!

Toy Tambourine: this Bandung, Indonesia, band has uploaded three covers of Another Sunny Day which sound really good! They are very faithful though they do add some/more distortion compared to the originals. They have made covers of “Anorak City”, “I’m In Love With a Girl Who Doesn’t Know I Exist” and “I Don’t Suppose I’ll Have a Second Chance”! They also have a new original song called “Candy Kissed (Demo)” worth checking out!

Herlights: one keeps discovering brilliant music coming out from Russia. Herlights is the latest one with their song “SHE”. This is the first time I listen to them and I hope to keep finding out new tracks by them. They have a few more of course, but the previous one dates from 8 months ago, from December. Maybe they do like taking their time.

Ease: another band from Indonesia in this post reviews. This one hails from Jakarta and is a dreampop band, with different influences to Toy Tambourine. They have two songs on their Bandcamp, “Longing” and “III”. Their latest is “Longing” which has very cool wall of guitars over female vocals.

Davey Woodward and the Winter Orphans: the ex-frontman of the Brilliant Corners has a new band, I’m sure you all know that, and it is called like this. They have signed to the German label Tapete Records and they’ve put a video for the song “Dylan’s Poster” to promote their self-titled debut album. And what can I say other than it makes me happy to see my indiepop heroes keeping guitar pop alive!

Sunbather: lastly this Durham, North Carolina, band who has put together a jangly digital album called “Melancholy Daze”. It starts pretty good with the self-titled song “Sunbather” and then it is all very simple, with simple track names, and straight to the point pop songs. Very summery too! Would love to know a bit more about them or him if it is a solo project!

—————————————————————–

I’ve been googling for Cross Town Traffic and I keep getting results for Jimmi Hendrix. Dear, dear. That is not what I want, and it is truly disappointing. Hendrix doesn’t have anything to do with the sound of their sole and wonderful single.

The black and white sleeved single, with it’s iconic art, is another record most of us indiepop lovers would love to have. One day perhaps that dream will be true for me. In the meantime, I’m writing this post, hoping to get in touch with the band members as would love to interview them, learn the story behind the band.

There is little I know about them. I do know the band was formed by:
John Ralls on bass
John Wolfendale on drums and percussion
David Adshead on guitar and vocals
Glenn Vinnicombe on keyboards
Nick Clark on lead vocals and guitars

Their double A sided 7″ single was released in 1983 and it was a self-release. I wonder how many copies they pressed. They included two songs, “No For an Answer” and “Hanging On To You”, both written by Nick Clark and both recorded at The Elephant studios.

On Discogs I click on each member of the band hoping to find any project they might have been involved with. But there’s no luck. Only Cross Town Traffic is listed. There are no compilation appearances either. There’s nothing. Hitting a wall so soon doesn’t feel good. I need to find something else about them, this is too little. I love their song “No For An Answer”, I need to find out more.

But I was going to find a blog post on My Life is a Jigsaw dating from July 2016 were Glenn Vinnicombe is listed as a keyboard player during the years 1981 and 1984 in a band called 20th Century (whose “Mad World” song is pretty good! maybe worth a post?). It must be the same Glenn. Following a link to a website where it tells the story of the 20th Century band, I deduce that Cross Town Traffic was based in Cambridge. So with that detail in mind I find a Dr. Glenn Vinnicombe in the department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge. Could it be him?!

What about the other band members? I believe I also think I got the right John Wolfendale. It seems he now lives in Spain and works in developing eco-friendly villas! But no music associated to neither him or Glenn on the web. Maybe they stopped after Cross Town Traffic?

The other band members prove to be much more difficult. Maybe David Adshead studied architecture at the University of Cambridge. But can’t find much about John Ralls (he now lives in Bristol it seems) or about Nick Clark. I would love to know if they all made music with other bands.

That’s all this investigation could dig. It is better than nothing. I couldn’t find out if the band did any other recordings, nor if they had any other releases or compilation appearances. I couldn’t find much. But I’m hoping I’ll be able to find out more about them in the near future. Do any of my Cambridge readers remember them from the early 80s?

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Listen
Cross Town Traffic – No For an Answer

Thanks so much to Vasilis and George and the rest of the Kissamatic Lovebubbles for the interview! The Kissamatic Lovebubbles was a superb Athens band from the early 90s that only got to release one 7″ on the legendary This Happy Feeling label. One of my favourite Greek bands for sure! These days the band is back playing some gigs in their hometown of Athens and they have a very cool Facebook group if you feel like being a fan! The band is now working on new songs and can’t wait to see what comes out of that!

++ Hi! Thanks so much for getting in touch! How are you? Where are you based now? In Athens?

Hi Roque! Thank you for your invitation for this interview. We are fine; all the members of Kissamatic Lovebubbles are based in Athens.

++ I noticed that you have reformed and you are playing live again. What triggered this reunion? Did the Facebook group that asked you to reform had anything to do with it?

Yes, after all we are back again. 4/5 of the original line up with the addition of our good friend Stathis on bass guitar. The rest members are the same: George Otemperis – guitar, Dionisis Drogaris – guitar, Konstantinos Petropoulos – drums and Vasilis Chountalas – vocals. It was something we always had in mind and there were several attempts in the past for this reunion, but it seems that the right time has arrived. This Facebook group was created by a very good friend of ours and now it is our tool to communicate with our friends and fans.

++ I saw and listened to a new song, “Football Fans”, that is a brand new song! Are you working on more new songs? Perhaps a release? And how different is it for you all to create new songs now compared to the 90s?

Yes, it’s true that we had a new song that we played in our latest gig with the Groove Farm. We have in mind to work on more new songs and proceed in some releases. We are thinking of 1-2 seven-inch singles. The problem is that we do not having a lot of free time available, as we are all have regular full-time jobs, families, children and every day life obligations. Another problem is the distance between us as we all live in different Athens suburbs. But, we are trying our best without additional pressure as music is a way of relaxing for us, and for sure it makes us feel better.

++ Are there more gigs in store? I read somewhere too that you are thinking of starting a label?

After KLB reformation, we have played two gigs, the 1st was our reunion gig in December 2017, and the second was in a mini popfest festival with bands from Athens and Bristol (The Groove Farm, KLB, Le Page and The Rev. Jonny Kinkaid), in May 2018. There aren’t any more gigs in store until the end of the summer, so it is probably a good time to concentrate on writing some new songs and make some new recordings. We have in mind that we might have to release our new songs through a new label that we can start, but nothing official until now. It seems that our main concern is to find out if there’s any label in place that can express any kind of interest in releasing a new 7 inch single, initially.
But in our near plans is to record a live session for our friend Rocker, which a lot of great bands have been made sessions in his studio. Rocker will make the final mix and the production of the songs. We really appreciate his support and we send him our regards from Greece!

++ But now let’s start from the beginning. 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?

George: Well I remember when I was 12 the song that made me start listening to music was “the wall” by Pink Floyd, I then started listening to various bands from heavy metal to disco 80s! As I was getting deeper into music world, I took to bands like Depeche Mode, Pale Fountains, the Cure, the Smiths, but also the hits of the 80s music as we know it.
My first instrument was an Ibanez bass SG shape which I bought second hand from a friend who had a local record shop. I started playing in a school band cover songs from different kinds of music like Empty Rooms by Gary Moore but also Blue Monday by New Order! In the late 80s I sold the bass and I bought an ARIA PRO-II ES guitar which I still have and play in KLB.
Growing up in the 80s, the main music source was the radio stations and only one tv programme every Wednesday at 19:00! I remember rushing home after school to watch this programme that played the video clips of these days.

++ Had any of you been involved with other bands before being in Kissamatic Lovebubbles?

From the existing members, Stahis has been involved in the past with other bands, like Pillow, Mind Over Matter, Seaside and Mavro Kokkino. George has also play with Seaside, Teenage Lust and Starblind. Vasilis and Dionisis were always dedicated to KLB, and at last, Konstantinos has played with other bands like Impossible Tymes, Sound Devise and Dr. Vodkatini.

++ Were all of you originally from Athens?

Yes, we are all grew in different Athens suburbs like Glyfada, Voula, Vyronas and Petroupoli. Vasilis has been born in Cyprus though, but he came to Greece at the age of 4, and George was born in Brazil and he came to Greece at the age of 2!

++ How was around Athens back then? Were there any bands that you liked? What were the good record stores? Or what about the pubs or venues to go check out up and coming bands?

Early nineties were a golden era for the Greek Indie pop scene. There were bands, labels, fanzines and of course venues where the Indie Pop kids had the chance to express their feelings. No one can forget bands like The Jaywalkers, One Night Suzan, Impossible Tymes, Sound Devise, and others. Next Time Passions and Kissamatic Lovebubbles are the two bands back in life from that period. The main way of being in touch, with what was happening around the world, were the mail-order catalogues of Indie Pop labels, especially for the original small Indie labels. There were also some good record stores in Athens and Thessaloniki, like Pilgrim and Noise. I know several people who have spent small fortunes to buy records from it. At least, no one was ever getting bored at night as there were also a lot of bars playing Indie music, especially around Exarchia square and of course bigger clubs like Mad and Plan B.

++ When and how did the band start? How did you all meet? How was the recruiting process?

The band started on a rainy night of Christmas 1992. This is when we meet (Vasilis, Dionisis, Konstantinos) from the current line-up, with Lakis and Chris from Sound Devise. Lakis was one of our two original guitarists and the only one who’s not active nowadays. Chris was playing bass guitar initially before George arrival, as he started with us until finding our own bassist. George was a guitarist though, but the only open position back then was for a bassist. It was just for fun and joy. We didn’t have in mind to release several albums, but making friends and act positively.

++ Why the name Kissamatic Lovebubbles? I suppose because of the Strawberry Story song? I saw on some forum someone saying that you had the tweest name ever, agree or disagree?

I remember that Vasilis had a cassette with Strawberry Story’s demos. One of the songs was called Kissomatic Lovebubble. So, it’s true that our name came from a SS song. It’s also true that our name sounds as Twee as can be. I don’t think that our sound can be called twee, as it is a mix of the Undertones and the Wedding Present, and we use to say that our sound is punk pop. Nothing more and nothing less.

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

It was all a DIY thing for us. We knew that we weren’t good musicians. But we are glad that with our attitude we gain a lot of respect by other bands and all our friends. We weren’t posers of course, we were just the boys next door. We were low profile people and we still are. We were practicing at George’s house and in a studio at Pangrati called Sub. As we were students back then and we wouldn’t be able to spend much money on high tech recordings, we just record some low budget demos, and two of those songs (Endless, Only Lust) were released as a 7 inch single by This Happy feeling records.

++ Did you ever sang or considered singing in Greek?

No. Greek is not fit with this type of music.

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

We can mention our beloved labels and bands : Creation, Sarah, Subway, 53rd and 3rd, Fire of London, Glass, etc.
Favorite bands : The Clash, The Undertones, The Barracudas, Ramones, the Wedding Present, The Pastels, the Fall, The Vaselines, the Shop Assistants, the Primitives, JAMC, Filed Mice, Boyracer, the Groove Farm, Ride, Adorable, Slowdive etc.

++ Your only proper record came out on the legendary This Happy Feeling label. Today it has that status of course, but how was back in the day? Was there a big scene that revolved around the label and its bands? And how did you sign with them?

It was mostly a company of Athenian Indie Pop kids. Same clubs, same gigs, same ideas. There were pop fanzines like “In those days”, “little charmer” and “Make Me Happy”, there were Indie Pop parties and through this procedure some local bands were created. I remember seeing for 1st time in my life “Next Time Passions” and “One Night Suzan” on stage. This is when I realized that we had to contribute to this scene. And as a matter of fact, Kissamatic Lovebubbles were created. So, this happy feeling was an event between friends. We didn’t sign any contracts, it was just an one minute discussion and that’s all. Would you like to release a single for us? Yes, of course.
More bands appeared during the same period, like Sound Devise, Pillow, Seaside, Common Sense, Mute , MCS and others. It was a pure and healthy collaboration.

++ How was your relationship with the label and the rest of the bands? Who were you closer with, who do you play more gigs with? Did you share band members with other bands?

We were all close as I can remember. The band that we were the most close with were the Sound Devise. We never forget Chris assistance, as he was playing bass in the very beginning of KLB and until recruit our own bassist.
We didn’t exchange members with other bands. George joined KLB when he left Seaside. Stathis was also member of Seaside back then and close friend.
On most of the gigs we played we shared stage with the bands mentioned above.

++ The “Only Lust” 7″ came out in 1994 and included two songs, “Only Lust” and “Endless”. Wondering if you could tell me the story behind these two songs, what inspired them?

Well, Endless was written by Dionisis and it’s a song about endless loves and broken hearts.
Only Lust was written by Lakis (the other guitarist) and it’s a very personal song about his family.

++ These songs were recorded at Studio 5 in Athens. How was that? How many days did they took to record? Any anecdotes you could share from the recording sessions?

Well I don’t remember a lot I think it lasted 2 days and It was a pleasant experience for me (George) as it was my first time recording in the studio. I only remember when Lakis wanted to add an acoustic guitar part at the end of “Endless” and he played it several times before he managed to get it right; when he did, we were shouting as if we had scored in a match!

++ Was it the first time you went to a recording studio? Had you have any recorded material before the single? Perhaps some demo tapes? Or earlier versions of these songs?

The recording of the single in This happy feeling was the second one, the first recording was a demo version of “Endless” and the song “Someday you’ll be mine” as you can find it in the new Compilation “Sparkling from the past”. This recording was done also in Studio 5 with Chris as a bass player.

++ And how come there weren’t more proper releases by the band?

Actually after those two recordings we had a 3rd one when we recorded the songs “Me” and “Total Hangover”. Those songs were supposed to be released as a single in THF but unfortunately this single never came out.

++ Was there any interest from other label?

There was an interest by Shelflife records, some years after the end of KLB. The song Total Hangover is included in the picnic basket compilation.

++ You did appear on a handful of compilations back in the day. There is one called “The Only Original” that I’ve never heard but looks like a mixed bag of different music styles. Was that common in Athens? Like you shared gigs with hardcore and punk bands? How did you feel about that?

That was a tape compilation released by Radio utopia, an alternative radio station from Thessaloniki. They promoted Greek bands of all styles. A live recording of the song “Dreamland” is included by us with other songs from punk, garage and other Greek Indie bands. It wasn’t really common, but just imagine about early nineties in a small country like Greece, without today’s social media or other resources that available today. It was the really pure years for music lovers.
It seems that from the so called “Pop” Greek bands, we were the only one making an impact to people involved with harder styles of music, like punk and hardcore. Our sound is “punk pop” and we were fine with the acceptance by a “different” audience.

++ Then there’s also the Plouf tape compilation were you contribute “Someday You’ll Be Mine”. This was a French tape. So I wonder how did your music ended up in other corners of the world? How did you connect in the pre-internet times with them?

Yes, the tape was released by some guys we were in contact back then. Marianthi and Christos, probably the most famous Greek pop kids around the globe, introduced us. I’m sorry that I can recall the names of the guys running the fanzine “Les Tartines” and I’m looking forward to getting in touch again. Plouf tape was given with an issue of the fanzine.
The communication was made through standard mail. We exchange parcels with fanzines, mail-order catalogues and records. DIY at its best.
One of the closest friends we made back then was Jens for the German band “the Legendary Bang”. It was really a pleasure getting in touch again before some months and discuss about our lives, our families, our children, after all those years. The connection between people involved globally in this Indie Pop thing is remarkable and unforgettable. And it seems that most of the people were good people with great hearts!

++ I discovered your music thanks to a compilation, the “Try a Little Sunshine” that was released by Pop Art in 1999. I believe a lot of people did too. I think this is a very special compilation. Would you agree with me? Did you notice in the noughties a new interest in Greek indiepop from all around the world?

The compilation was released by Nektarios, the owner of one of the most influential Greek record stores called “Vinyl Microstore”. In our opinion this compilation is giving the best view of the Greek Indie pop scene. Most of the bands weren’t active when the compilation printed.

++ And it must have been a surprise that a US label like Shelflife was interested in having a song of yours in 2001’s compilation “Picnic Basket”, many years after Kissamatic Lovebubbles had stopped making music. I suppose this time it was thanks to the internet?

Yes it’s true, Ed been in touch by email asking about the songs. He came in contact through THF and finally we sent him a CD with the song Total Hangover slightly shorter as we cut a bit the pause in the beginning of the song. This version in the picnic basket is slightly different than the one in “Try a little sunshine”

++ Are there more unreleased songs by the band?

We have plenty of other songs that can be released, but we must go to a studio first. All our studio recordings have been released by now.

++ You were part of the This Happy Feeling scene of course, which is now getting new love by the people from Make Me Happy by re-releasing the music from that time. Don’t know if there are plans for this, but have you considered to do a retrospective compilation of your music at some point?

Everything is under consideration. We are not in a hurry and we are trying to “steal” some time from our everyday life’s and obligations. As we have already mention in previous questions we are looking forward for some new releases. Do you think that Cloudberry can show interest for a new KLB release?

++ I have good Greek friends in London who always talked about you, and how amazing you were and all. I wish I could have been at your gigs, they must have been special! I wonder how were your gigs? Did you play short sets? Were there a lot of fans at the time? Did you have merch to sell? Are there any funny anecdotes you could share with me?

When it comes to London, we know that you are talking about Marianthi and Christos. They are our biggest fans and very good friends. We lived the early nineties Indie Pop explosion together and there’s a big connection between us. They used to run their own label “Atomic Beat” between 2007-2010. We are always happy thinking of them and the great times we had spent together.
Our gigs were funny and “hangovered” most of the times. A lot of fun and alcohol. I remember that our first gig was for 10 minutes, as we only had 3 songs available.
I remember when we played at the 1st Indie Free Festival back in 1993, a festival that is still alive. We had our fans in the audience and 5 minutes after the beginning of the gig we lost our drummer, as his seat was broken, and he fell behind the scene.
But, the mot funny thing I remember was a mini festival in Chania where we were invited as the main attraction by M.C.S., a local Indie band. When we arrived, we realized that there were around 800 people, and most of them were punks and headbangers. Oh god, I still remember that guy with a “Megadeath” t-shirt and his friends. We ended up drinking beers with our thrash metal friends until early morning hours.

++ Did you play many gigs in total? All over Greece perhaps?

Not that many. They were all in Greece of course and no more than 10 In our first period between 1992-1995, and 2 now.

++ And were there any bad gigs at all?

We cannot remember any bad gigs. But as we are not professionals, we have never paid that much attention in avoiding mistakes and be perfect at all. Support and enjoy. That’s all!

++ When and why did Kissamatic Lovebubbles stop making music? And what happened immediately after?

Unfortunately, one big issue in Greece for young men, is that they must fulfill a military statutory service obligation after the end of their studies. So, the main reason for the termination of the project was the army obligations. We had to spent around 1,5 years in the borders. It’s the price we pay because of the geographical position of our country and the “friendship” with our neighbors.
Then we had to face true life. Find regular jobs, making families, growing our kids. The good thing is that after all those years, full of good and bad times, loses of beloved people, divorces, tears and joy, we are still here, more dedicated and thirsty for music than ever. Pure music lovers.

++ And during the past couple of decades have you been involved in any other music projects? You were in Starblind, right?

George was in Starblind. Konstantinos was playing for Dr. Vodkatini, with members of Sound Devise. A kind of bossanova music. Stahis was also active with Pillow and Mavro Kokkino. Vasilis and Dionisis were waiting for the reform.

++ Did you get much attention from the radio or press?

Only alternative radio shows. It seems much easier now, as during the last 2-3 months we gave more interviews than ever.

++ What about from fanzines?

A lot of fanzines back in early nineties. Now nothing. Just to name few “In those days”, “Little charmer”, “Make me happy”, “ Chrysalifourfouro”, etc.

++ I feel you still enjoy indiepop, and still follow it. What are the last records you have enjoyed?

It’s always a pleasure. Last albums really enjoyed were from The Total Rejection, Arrest! Charlie Tipper and I, Ludicrous and Alvvays.

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

We are collecting stamps and butterflies! No, we are joking. It is our main hobby still and until the end of the world. We also enjoy good food, drinks with friends and movies.

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

Although we had a lot of nice moments in our live appearances the highlight was the release of our single back in ’94. Maybe we didn’t realize when it was released but it’s really amazing to see nowadays on the youtube unknown people from allover the world presenting their favorite singles and our single to be one of them!

++ Never visited Athens, would love to go to Greece some day. It is due. So maybe I can ask for some suggestions? Like what are the sights I shouldn’t miss? Or the traditional food or drinks that you love that I should try? Ones that I can’t find where I live hopefully, I’m in Astoria, the Greek area of New York!

Ok then. So, you should have experience the Greek food we guess like souvlaki and moussaka. Greek food mixed with Mediterranean cousin is more than perfect. For sightseeing, there are plenty of monuments to visit in Athens and much more if you wish to travel round 2-2,5 hours away. But, our suggestion is to spend 2-3 days in Athens and the rest of your time in some Greek islands, and not the crowded ones like Mykonos and Santorini. Try Amorgos, Ikaria and Antiparos, and for fun Ios.
Anyway, just give us a call and we will arrange everything!

++ And I must say I’m a big fan of guitar pop made in Greece, but would love to ask what are your top all-time bands from your country? And if you could recommend me a few obscure bands too?

We admit that the best Greek band ever is “The Last Drive” and especially their two first albums. Their sound was a mix of garage punk rock.
Of course, we love the Jaywalkers, Next Time Passions, One Night Suzan and Sound Devise.
The band we admire, and love nowadays are the Callas. They have release plenty of records, some of them produced by Lee Ranaldo od Sonic Youth and Jim Sklavunos of the Bad Seeds.
And from the new blood of Athens Indie Pop we like Le Page and Postal Lovers, both pure Indie pop sound.

++ Thanks again! Is there anything else you’d like to add?

We would like to thank you for this interview and we believe that cloudberry is keeping the flag of indie pop high by releasing excellent New music and presenting hidden treasures of the past. Keep on having good taste in music.
Cheers from Greece!

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Listen
Kissamatic Lovebubbles – Total Hangover

I am still very excited about the news that The BV’s are releasing a 7″ with our little label. You must have listened already the A side, “Every Story is a Ghost Story‘, and loved it as I did? I hope so! If that’s the case let me tell you that the pre-order button is now live at our website. So don’t miss out! The record went to press today, so hopefully in around two months time we will have it at home shipping first to everyone who placed a pre-order.

I’m really impressed that in these times we’ve managed to put out 45 7″ singles. And we are getting closer and closer to 50 7″s. It is not an easy task. But can only thank your support. I hope you keep supporting the label as you’ve been doing for the past 10 years!

Now here are some new finds for you to enjoy in the middle of the week (?).

The Science of Words: our friend Pete from Horowitz, The Rosehips and more is now in a band called The Science of Words alongside Corinne Plant and have just released their debut single called “In a Space” on Next Phase:Normal Records as a 7″. They’ve made a video too for it, which I’m linking here. The sound is a bit different, a bit rougher and rockier, but still you can find the pop sensibility in it.  And the video is very cool!

Foundlings: a London band formed by Amber, Bry, Matty and Oly. Another lovely sounding band that didn’t get invited to Indietracks. The list keeps getting longer and longer. Their latest song was just released on their Bandcamp and it is called “Horizon” and it is just sweet sounds for my ears. The band have a few more songs available like “Misery” and “Your Sister”. Looking forward to them releasing them in physical format!

Tight Knit: a bit of shambolic pop from this Melbourne trio. I don’t know much about them, but there are two songs on their Bandcamp, “Too Hot” and “Want You”, and they are not that new, they are from 2017. Crashpop, lo-finess, and female vocals. It is a good combination.

Todavía: this dreampop project by Rhyan Riesgo from Los Angeles have just uploaded a new song called “Visitor” to their Bandcamp. And what can I say other than it is dreamy? That is pretty obvious, right? It is the first time I’m listening to his music, but I see there are many more songs to keep me busy all afternoon. Good stuff!

Grupo de Inventores: the Zaragoza band has a new song called “La Edad de Oro” which will be included in their new EP “Abgrund”. The band formed by G. Inventor, J. Parra, J. Castejón, Thomas Mazel and Enrique Villanueva, are not new in the blog, last year I recommended their song “Sin Ayuda (Joseph K)”, and now, little by little, they unveil new music.

—————————————————————–

I’ve been featuring some 90s Swedish bands in the last few months, and I hope to continue doing son in the coming months as well. As I’ve mentioned before I’m much more familiar with Swedish guitar pop from the 2000s, and the 90s are a time when the Scandinavian country released a massive output of quality music.

As I’m trying to familiarize with many of these bands by buying their records I’m also writing these posts about them, hoping to understand and figure out their scene. A few interviews have been posted and some others are underway, maybe we could paint a picture of it in the near future.

Suredo is one of these bands I’m only giving a proper listen these days. I have heard a few songs on compilations in the past, but only know I’m paying attention to their album and EP. But looking at Discogs, that is not exactly where their story starts.

There are two demo tapes listed, from the early 90s. The first one is quite mysterious. It is just called “3 Songs”, those being “Spoiled”, “Stronger” and “Think” and the band appears with the name Suredoh, instead of Suredo. There is no date on it, and it says that all songs were written by Louis Barlow. Is this not Lou Barlow from Sebadoh? These were cover versions then by the band clearly.

The second tape, from 1990, is for sure our Suredo. The tape titled “…Is Manhate” was self-released and included 4 songs: “Down to the Sea”, “See the Sea”, “Still I’m Counting” and “Cracking”. All of them were recorded between April and May at The Forest studio by Lachen Jonsson. The band members were at this time Anders G. Mobjörk on bass, Ulf Stenport on drums, Anders Arfvidsson on guitara and Mikael Mynerts on guitar. It is important to mention that the last song on the tape was a cover of the Suzanne Vega original.

Two years after the band from Linköping was signing to the legendary Ceilidh Productions and releasing their first proper record. The “Swell EP” (CEI 029) included four new songs, “Sonic Atmosphere”, “Levitate”, “Harmonizer” and “Inside Your Eyes”. The band style was already there, that mix of guitar pop with rough edges, sometimes rockier than poppier, but a good mix altogether.

That same year the band contributes the song “Sonic Atmosphere” to the “Stockholm Party” CD compilation released by Stockholm Records (STOPROCD2).

In 1993 the band appears on another compilation CD. This time on Rainbow Music. The comp was called “Life’s A Joke” (RMCD 3020) and interestingly enough it was compiled by Nicke Boström, the same person behind the classic record store Delicious Goldfish Records, right?

That same year the band was going to release their debut album, “Whatahandsomeface?” on Ceilidh (CEI 035). There were eleven songs on it, all recorded, mixed and produced by Micke Herrström at Decibel Studios in Stockholm. The artwork was created by Anders Arfvidsson, H V Platen and Anette Nantell who had done some artwork for other Swedish bands, like Drug who were featured on the blog not so long ago.

The eleven songs on the album were “Byes”, “Swell”, “Here On My Own”, “Turboprop”, “Childlike”, “Pullover”, “Down-Come”, “Average Cell”, “Pituitary Gland”, “Spare Me Logic” and “Ultramarine”. Everyone of them great, except “Turboprop” that is kind of a metal track (!). Yes, odd. But well, it was the 90s.

Something interesting is that the album was re-released in 2003 as a CDR by the label Commercial Suicide (CSR010). It included 4 bonus tracks, the ones that were on the “Swell EP”. I believe this was the band’s own label  which also was to release a compilation of rare tracks by the band that same year called “Wewerenotespeciallyyounganddiditonlyforthemoney”. A difficult name indeed!

This compilation included 10 songs: “Stronger”, “Spoiled”, “Harmonizer”, “Levitate My Heart”, “Follow”, “She’s Thinking”, “What’s Your Profession”, “Down to the Sea”, “Think!” and “Sonic Atmosphere”.

The first two songs on the record were recorded by Jörgen Värnström at Toodle Recordings in 1994. They were meant to be released as a follow up to the album. “Harmonizer” and “Sonic Atmosphere” were recorded by Lachen Jonsson in 1991 at the Forest and these were the edit versions of the songs that appeared on their third demo called “Gibbon”. “Levitate My Heart” on the other hand was also an edited version of the song that appeared on their fourth demo “Burgundi”.

“Follow” was an outtake from the “Gibbon” demo sessions. The next song, “She’s Thinking” was taken from the band’s second demo “SeaweedIknomore” and “What’s Your Profession” is an outtake from the sessions for that demo in 1991.  “Down to the Sea” was included in the first demo which I mentioned earlier “…Is Manhate”. Lastly, “Think!” was recorded on a 4-track in their rehearsal studios in 1994.

As mentioned, all of the songs but the first two and “Think!” at The Forest between 1990 and 1992. Some other musicians appear on these recordings like Markus Lindén playing bass on “Spoiled” or Jan Altsjö playing a guitar solo in the same song. I would love to listen to these rare recordings.

So now we know that there were more demo tapes, at least three more, “Gibbon”, “Burgundi” and “SeaweedIknowmore”. What other songs did these tapes include? There were more recordings then by Suredo clearly?

I could find on Popfakta some information about “SeaweedIknowmore”. It was released in 1991 and included 4 songs, “She’s Thinking”, “See You”, “Man in the Moon” and “Inside Your Eyes”.

Lastly there are a few other compilations where the band appears. In 1997 on the “Ceilidh 039 Singles & Vinyls” which has been mentioned in the past on the blog several times with the song “Sonic Atmosphere” and lastly their song “Average Cell” appears on the North of No South Records double CD compilation “Svensk Indie 1988-2006 – En Kärleks Historia”.

There is a very good find I did almost immediately I started looking for them. There is a promo video for their song “Byes” on Youtube!

I keep looking for information about them and there is a short bio on the Ceilidh website. There it mentions that the band formed in Linköping in 1990 and they played that same year the annual Ceilidh party on December 28th. Then after the album was released the band split. Mikael Myrnerts went to play in a band called Aloon while the other three members, both Anders (Arfvidsson and Mobjörk) and Ulf were joined by Per Byström of Cloudberry Jam and started the band Auntie Nell which was then renamed to Coach Bob.

I also had a look on Discogs, see what other bands the band members might have been involved with. Anders Mobjörk seems to have been in Galler, Njurmännen and Kvinnan. Not other bands listed for the rest.

On the blog Popvinminns there is a short interview from 2011 where they say that their favourite color was red. Another find on the same blog is a review of their album where they criticise their EP but rave about their album saying the song “Average Cell” could rival Popsicle’s “Hey Princess”.

Then on Last.fm there is a proper biography of the band. Here we learn that originally they wanted a female bassist and proposed Eva from the band Abdullah to join them, but she turned them down. The name came from from the first demo, which was originally called “Sure Do is Manhate”. They decided to combine Sure and Do. They got airplay on the radio show Bommen and the fanzine Sound Affects featured them. In 1994 Anders Arfvidsson left the band as he went to Finland to study architecture and it is at this point that Markus Lindén joins the band. Sadly the year after, 1995, the band split.

At some point the CDR releases were available to order from the Commercial Suicide website, but now it looks that the website is about a totally different thing. So no way to order them. Shame.

What else? Not much more sadly. I lost their trail too soon. Not sure if the band members are still making music or what. Whatever happened to them? Why didn’t they continue with the band? How did their other projects sound like? Did they play all over Sweden? Why so few releases, even though it seems they were very prolific, recording 4 demo tapes? And what songs were included in the demos “Gibbon” and “Burgundi”? Would be great to know. Do you remember them?

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Listen
Suredo – Sonic Atmosphere

Thanks so much to Walter, Harry and Martin from the Augsburg, Germany, band The Hyde Parkas for this superb interview! I wrote about the band a few weeks ago on the blog and they were kind enough to get in touch and even better answer all my questions for this interview! The band, who still gets together once a year to play a gig for their faithful fans, released a 7″ back in the 80s and appeared in a few compilations too. If you haven’t heard about them before, give yourself 10 minutes or so, read the interview, and hear one of their tracks on this interview!

++ Hi Walter, Harry and Martin! Thanks so much for being up for this interview! How are you? You are still making music, right? Are there any upcoming releases for the band?

Walter: Hi Roque, we´re fine, thank you! Yeah, The Hyde Parkas are still alive! We played 2015 after a break of 27 years (!) a show in Augsburg just for fun. We sold 300 Tickets in a few days, the show was sold out. So we played 2016 again in a bigger club in our hometown and we sold 440 tickets! That was unbelievable for us. But we don´t want to start career again, only play once a year in Augsburg just for fun and to meet our old friends from the 80s. Releases? Yes, we´re looking to record some songs. 2019 will be our 35th Anniversary. Let´s see what will happen, 7”, 10”, Album….?

++ Let’s start from the beginning. Are you all originally from Augsburg? 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?

Walter: My brother Harry and me are greeks, but born in Augsburg. We moved 1976 with our parents from Augsburg to the Village Thierhaupten. Martin, our Bassman grew up in Thierhaupten. Martin and Harry became close friends and started to play music together when they were 14/15 years old. Walter was a big fan of The Specials, Dieter of The Beatles, Harry of The Who, Martin of The Beatles and Pink Floyd, Martl more The Kinks. Harry started with classical Guitar, Martin with Harp and acoustic guitar, Dieter was the only one who played already the guitar. Martl was a friend of Dieter and played the drums in other bands.

Martin: All of us learned to play our instruments auto-didactically. Also a close friend showed us some songs from The Stones, Kinks, Neil Young … As children we grew up with Beatles songs that were played on the Radio at home. Listening to music was playing a big role in each family of The Hyde Parkas members.

++ I read you were in Kiesgroup and Coconut Sprinter before The Hyde Parkas. How did these bands sound like? Similar to The Hyde Parkas? Are there any releases or recordings by these bands?

Harry: Yes, thats right. Kiesgroup was more punky and rougher than The Hyde Parkas. We were young boys and we made our first steps with Kiesgroup. We didn’t really know how to play our instruments at this time so we were just loud, wild and rattling. At this time, we mixed everything we had in mind, like Wave, Punk, Neue Deutsche Welle, Pop, Beat and Ska. No plan, no boarders … We recorded a demotape with 9 songs at the 8track analog studio of Peter Luebcke in Steinach.

++ Were you involved in any other bands before the The Hyde Parkas?

Walter: Martin and Harry made their first steps in a school band (just one gig) with some own songs and covers from Beatles, Neil Young, Stones, Simon & Garfunkel … Starting with Kiesgroup and continuing with The Hyde Parkas we were almost the same friends/members. This was very important to us, we didn’t ever want to have strangers in the band.

++ How was Augsburg back when you started the band? Were there any likeminded bands that you were friends with? What where the good record stores? Or what about the places or venues to go check out up and coming bands?

Walter: That was a great and exciting time. An new, an emerging spirit shook the town. So much new bands and artists. There was a Club called SUBWAY by a guy from Berlin. That was the first Punk- & New-Wave-Club in town and we loved this place, it was like our livingroom. We played a lot of times there, the club was giving us and other bands the possibility to be on stage. Subway was home of Punks, Mods, Poppers, Skins & Teddyboys … We had an old-established recordstore in town called “Music Durner”, where a real cool guy worked named Rudi. He was one of the first confessed gays in town, a glammy guy, DJ and maybe Augsburgs first Popstar. He knew always the hottest new stuff and ordered records for us. He also encouraged us to move on. Later he opened a small club named “Slip”. We loved this place.
Harry: By the way…. Walter was many years later (1993-2000) owner of Subway-Club. It was called “Kerosin” and it was one of the most famous clubs in South Germany. They played a lot of bands there, like The Gun Club, Pennywise, Selecter, Bad Manners, Rancid, SNFU, Man or Astroman and a lot of Crypt-Bands like Oblivians, New Bomb Turks….

++ When and how did the band start? How did you all know each other? How was the recruiting process?

Walter: We we´re friends for many years. Martin and Harry got really hooked on playing the guitar. After they realised, how cool it is, to create own songs, the idea for an own band arised.
Martin: Looking for a singer, we remembered Walter. He was DJ in our Youth Club, always singing and dancing while doing that. So we asked him. We started 1981 with Kiesgroup, right time – right place at our Youthclub, 2nd Show was at Subway! Quadrophenia was coming into the cinema. The Movie started a kind of beat and Modmania. Augsburg became a Mecca for Scooterboys (Vespa, Lambretta) and we got that virus too.

++ What happened to the first drummer Martin Glass?

Harry: He was five or six years older and he started working as a teacher. So Fant, a friend of us joined the band.

++ Why the name the The Hyde Parkas?

Harry: After a while we didn´t like the name Kiesgroup anymore and so we decided to change it (Kiesgrube is a Bavarian kind of lake we spent our summers). After a trip to London we decided to change the name. A perfect mix, sounding British, describing our sound and attitude and including the word Parka!

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

Walter: Most Songs were prepared from Harry and Martin, some from Dieter but all the songs were finished together in the practicing room.

++ There were more than a few good guitar pop bands in Germany during those mid and late 80s. Did you feel part of a scene during that decade? If you were to make a top-five of the best guitar pop bands in Germany, who would you include?

Walter: Spontaneous: Stunde X, The Standards, Dextrin, The Heartbeats, Merricks.

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

Harry: We had a lot of Influences. The Beatles, The Specials, The Jam, The Chords, The Who, The B 52s, XTC, The Pretty Things, Joe Jackson, The Smiths, The Milkshakes and later also Psychedelic Bands like The Byrds or The Church from Down Under.

++ The first song you released, as far as I know, was “Anyway”, on the compilation “2000 Töne” released by AuBuMu Records in 1984. Who were AuBuMu Records? And was this compilation what triggered you to sign with the label for the 7″?

Martin: AuBuMu was one of the few labels in town at that time. For the 2000th anniversary of the city of Augsburg a compilation was published. Then AuBuMu made us an offer to publish a 7 “on them.

++ The 7″, I Confess, was released the year after, in 1985. This is a superb record, both songs are great. So was wondering if you could tell me what inspired both of these songs?

Martin: The first Idea of I confess was generated in Dieters kitchen very spontaneously. The lyrics were actually a confession of Walters life with women/relationships at this time, haha… Of course, we tried to exaggerate the meaning just to make it sound cooler.

++ Where was the photo on the cover taken? Was that your car?

Walter: This was indeed an english cab. It was standing in the backyard in the Altstadt (ancient part of the city) of Augsburg. The owner was a friend of our manager Stone.

++ This record was mixed by Achim Zscheille and produced by B.B. Stonestein, what did they bring to the band’s sound? And where were the songs recorded?

Harry: The Studio was out of Augsburg, a analog 24track Studio in Illertissen. We described how we wanted to sound like, we had no clue about recording. Achim and Stone as originally ex 60s Teenagers did their best to make it sound 60s-like with an mix of 80´s sound.

++ Are there any recordings prior to the AuBuMu releases?

Harry: Only Anyway

++ You were to appear on a couple of tape compilations on the label Two By Art. Who were Two by Art and how did they get in touch with you?

Walter: Tom Wieland, Boss of Two by Art was a beat addict a friend and a fan of us. He was almost always present at our concerts. He has also arranged a concert by us in Linz / Vienna/Austria with the Austrian Beat scene.

++ So in total I counted 7 songs released. Were there any other compilation appearances or other releases? Are there more unreleased recordings?

Harry: Yes, there are actually 7-8 unreleased Demo songs recorded in Horgau at the United Ball’s Studio of Harry Kulzer. (Composer of “Pogo In Togo”, a big hit of the Neue Deutsche Welle-Era).

++ If you were to choose your favourite song from the whole Hyde Parkas’ repertoire, what would that be and why?

Martin: “Sometimes”. We love to play this songs after almost 30 years and we start every rehearsal with this song. It is a great mix of power and melody standing perfectly for our sound.

++ Was there any interest in your music by any other labels that for a reason or another it didn’t work out? Perhaps big labels?

Walter: Honestly, we never looked at things like that back then. We were young, just 19, 20 years old, loud and wild and always wanted to play live and have fun.

++ What about gigs? Did you play many? What was the farthest you played from your town?

Harry: Yes, we played for two or three years a lot of shows, mainly around our hometown. That time we could say, we belonged to the most popular bands around. But we played also some cool shows in Munich, Mod-Allnighter in South Germany, Austria and also Wales.

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

Harry: In the 80s school proms with live bands became very hip. The Quadrophenia virus had befallen us. A central spot in downtown, The Koenigsplatz, became a meeting point for the Scooterboys (which still exits today!!!. There were always 500-600 people at the shows including some Scooter-parade. The highlights were definitely the foreign shows in Wales and Austria. And we managed to sell out the Subway in 1986 twice in a row.

Martin: An anecdote? Our singer Walter used to improvise English lyrics to our new songs ´till there was a final text version. In Wales we had to play a new song without a final text version in English so he decided to improvise in German, what was quite exotic for the audience and also very funny for us, because not one sentence made sense at all. Do you want another anecdote?

++ Yes, please!

Harry: When our single arrived from manufacturing we met at a Bar close to the Stadtbach (a small creek). We went wild and partying this night, drinking too much. Martin fell into the creek, while he wanted to rest outside, laying on Walters car. When Walter woke him up, boozy and tired as he was, he stumped and rolled down the hill into the cold water. We heard them arguing and laughing and the whole Band run out and jumped into the water. It was October! We all drove home, just with our wet knickers, drunk and freezing, hoping no police will be around this night.

++ And today, are there any gigs coming up? I saw on Facebook your latest live appearances were in 2017?

Walter: As mentioned before, we want to play once a year. The shows should be something exclusive and special. We want people to look forward to our concerts and not say “oh, that again”. After the show in the KANTINE with over 400 people we did not want to go into a gigantomania and decided to play two shows within a week in small clubs. Both were sold out! We did not play at all in 2018, but 2019 will see a show for the 35th anniversary.

++ Did the band ever split of have you been steady all these years? I believe you also changed your name at some point to The Parish Garden but your sound had changed by then.

Harry: We quit The Hyde Parkas in end of 1988. We always were interested in different kinds and styles of music, although the 60s were our favorites. After a Mod-Allnighter, which was a great weekend with 60s spirit on the one hand but otherwise it showed up the intolerance of some ultratraditional mods. This spoiled the good mood of this festival a bit and we realized the mod thing has borders, a handicap for us in long term.

++ Did you get much attention from the radio or press? I read you were voted as the most popular Augsburg band one year!

Martin: Yes, in the mideighties we were one of the most popular band around. And the Reader of SZENE-City-Magazine voted The Hyde Parkas to best band of Augsburg.

++ What about from fanzines?

Walter: It was en vogue that time. Fanzines were the ultimate voice for the whole scene at this time. Whether punks, mods or skins, everyone has made their own fanzine. We too, our fanzine was called “SHIMMY”.

++ Aside from music, what other hobbies do you have?

Walter: That time? Of course football, scooters, girls and beer!

++ And what do you think of the German team in this year’s World Cup? Do you follow any team in your country?

Harry: The german national team was lacking heart & soul this time, so no big surprise! But we love football and of course we are supporters of FC Augsburg. Walter is also involved in that club, he is since 2003 member of board! I was some years responsible for graphic design and merch.

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

Martin: The trip to England and Wales was really impressing. The trip to Brighton with the Palace Pier and all the original locations of Quadrophenia … we made a lot of great Bandfotos there. And the first release of “Anyway” on Vinyl, the first professional recordings, also with the original engine scootersound Intro (Original stinking Kickstarter Vespa with Max, our local scooter dealer and mechanic)

++ Never been to Augsburg. So maybe I can ask for some suggestions? Like what are the sights I shouldn’t miss? Or the traditional food or drinks that you love that I should try?

Walter: Don’t miss the Augsburger Beer and swabian and bavarian food. Augsburg is the 2nd oldest town in Germany (over 2000 years old). Its not to big and not to small (300.000 citizens). We love to live there. And Augsburg has really a lot good bands.

++ Thanks again! Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Harry: So great what is going on with you. You made a great job with your report about us. This is like a way back machine for us, some of to the things you wrote in you blog … we had forgotten some of that!

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Listen
The Hyde Parkas – I Confess

Very happy to start this week with some FANTASTIC news. I can now announce our next 7″ which will be coming out this autumn!

You can now check out and listen the A side called “Every Story is a Ghost Story” from the upcoming 7″ by the Falmouth (UK) and Augsburg (Germany) based duo The BV’s! Formed by Josh and Fred, the band, who has released two singles and an album on the German label Kleine Untergrund Schallplatten, are in top form in this new single, the first on this side of the Atlantic. With a superb mix of classic sounding indiepop a la Sarah Records, dreampop, kraut and noise, the BV’s, have been gaining a faithful following and we hope you join too!
The 7″ includes this track on the A side and “Happy, Alright?” on the B side. The artwork was created by German illustrator Marie Doerfler.

In the next weeks I will be adding a pre-order button on the website, but don’t worry I will let you know when that happens. I’m very excited about this release as I’ve been a fan of the band for long, featuring on the blog many times. Also I was really thrilled the day I saw them play live at Madrid Popfest playing a precious set. I hope you all are excited about this news as I am!

So with that exciting news in mind,  here are a few finds I made this past weekend:

Happypills: a nice surprise from Fukuoka in Japan are these 4 songs from this band inspired by “indie pop, dream pop, shoegazer and power pop”. These bedroom recordings are part of an EP titled “Lazy Sun, Late Risers” and they are “Lazy Sun”, “Port Town”, “Circles” and “Whale(late riser)”. I don’t know much more about the band but they have a few more releases to listen.

June Parker: first time I’m listening to this Richmond, Virginia, band and I’m quite surprised I haven’t stumbled upon them before as they have many other releases on their Bandcamp. Anyways, their latest is a self-titled EP released on July 13 and it includes 6 songs of mid 90s sounding guitar pop: “Lava”, “Hold a Mirror”, “My Mantra (That You Said)”, “I Can’t Relate Anymore”, “Sit and Watch” and “Cardinal”. They are formed by Mike, Chris, David and Chad.

Goodnight Moonlight: it is a shame that only one song is available to stream from the “Letters to Japan” EP because it is a super track. It is called just as the EP, “Letters to Japan” and it is the last song, out of 4, included in this 7″ which is available to preorder from Coaster Records from Rotterdam, Netherlands. This Dutch band is formed by Jente Lammerts, Jim Luijten, Micha Zaat, Jasper Bogaard. Hopefully I can find myself a copy before it sells out.

The Bascinets: 5 songs from Columbus, Ohio. That is what the “378 Vol. 1” EP is. This band formed by Nick Wellman, Nick Shew, Tristan Huygen and Trevor Joellenbeck is a new for me. And these songs are not by any means their only ones. They seem to have been going since 2016. There are some great jangly songs to discover here.

Sharesprings: I was recommending on my last post the new album by the fantastic Indonesian band called “Paraparlor”. Well the band has also put together a promo video for the song “Something Soon” and I think it is ace! Check it out!

—————————————————————–

From what I know, which is very little, The Sensible Pencils released only one 7″ back in 1983. It was self-released and had the catalog number SRTS83 CUS 1662 and it didn’t even come with a sleeve. Discogs doesn’t even list it.

Of course, I would love to get a copy. It’s been on my wishlist for years. I know I want it because I’ve heard the two songs that were included in the record. They are on Youtube. That helps of course. The names of the tracks are “In a Matter of Time”, which appears on the A side, and “Family Code” which is on the flipside. Will I be able to find anything else about them on the web?

The band was a four piece. That we know. They were formed by Jim Callanan, Phil Milburn, Ronny Slater and Steve Nesbitt. Both songs on the record were written by Jim.

Discogs does list a compilation called “The First Great Wave” where a band called The Sensible Pencils appear. Is it the same band? I wonder if that’s the case. The thing is, this LP comp was released in 1988, 5 years after the single. Could it be the same band? There are two songs credited to them, “Jumping On the Slave Train” and “Weekdays”. The label that put it out was Great Records (OGRT1) from Washington in Tyne & Wearm. Was the band also from the area? Is this the first mystery I need to solve?

To my big surprise I find a Facebook page for them that was created last year. What are the chances? Doesn’t look like there are lots of information but I’m sure I’ll find something. I look through the few photos they have uploaded and there is a newspaper clipping from the Sunderland Echo written by Paul Woods, later of the Kane Gang. On it he mentions that the band hailed from Low Fell and Wearside. Where is that?

Low Fell is a suburb of Gateshead situated in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead in Tyne and Wear, England. Built predominantly on sandstone, grindstone and clay. For centuries little more than part of a windswept, barren and treacherous heath, the settlement at Low Fell was initially established by a moderate influx of tinkers and miners in the 18th century. 

Wearside is an area of North East England centred on the continuous urban area of Sunderland by the River Wear, and in the wider sense, including separate neighbouring settlements such as Seaham.

Okay, the north east of England. Sunderland is a big name, there is a footie team. But let’s get back to the article which seems to have been written in 1983 as the writer mentions that the single is about to be released. It also says that the band’s live set comprised with many cover versions of bands like the Rubinoos or The Jam, and that they had a Postcard Records sensibility.

An important details is that only 500 copies was pressed of the record.

Another photo I find lets us know the band played more than a few times at The Honeysuckle in Gateshead. It seems this venue is no more and now a Tesco sits in its place. Another post lets me know the band played at a venue called the Gosforth Hotel and another one at the Biddick Farm Arts Centre in Washington, in 1981. Wow. So the band was around at that time already!

Something else that caught my attention on the web is that the band changed their name at some point to The Playground, and under that name they re-released the single, with the same two songs. The only difference being that the labels had changed. Now they were red and black with a different design. Why?

And just like that I hit a wall. There is nothing else written about them. Because of what I found on the Facebook page, I can tell that the band had many more recordings. I would love to hear them. And definitely find out why they changed their names. An email interview with them would be fantastic. Do you remember them?

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Listen
The Sensible Pencils – In A Matter of Time

So, my trip to Puerto Rico was good in the way of having some days off work. But I do feel that I wouldn’t recommend going there for more than 3 or 4 days. I was almost 6 days there. There were too many as there are not that many things to do unless you rent a car I suppose. But then the island is quite expensive so don’t know if you want to become poor there?

Definitely the best of it was the Old San Juan area, the historical area of the capital. It is colorful, picturesque and very pretty. The two old forts are also worth visiting. There are museums and nice areas to walk. The cathedral is not impressive though, it is a small church. All of  Old San Juan is a UNESCO world heritage site, so they take care of it. So that’s good, and good for a day or two walking experience.

Then the beaches are ok. Not impressive. I heard the best beaches are in the island of Culebra. Or in the main island but not on the North where San Juan is. We visited Isla Verde beach on Monday, and I think that was my favourite, but maybe because it was a Monday and there weren’t many people there.

The food wasn’t something to go crazy for sadly. I enjoyed some dishes of course, but they were more like pan-Caribbean dishes like picadillo, mofongo or ropa vieja. Their snacks, like the alcapurrias or sorullos, I thought were whatever. And again, the worst part was the prices of these meals. Much more expensive than New York!

And then, I really hated the hiking in the national park El Yunque. I got my shoes wet. Not for me. And then the bioluminescent bay kayaking? I barely saw those bioluminescent bacteria that are in the lagoon. Maybe there are not many because there are so many tourists going to that? And the tour price for these two? Steep, not worth for what you get. So, my suggestion again, go 3 days, enjoy Old San Juan and a beach there and you get a nice summer escape. That I would say is a good plan.

Of course, there was no indiepop there at all.

So that’s that. Now music time!

Nancy Sin: Joey Bautista and Nick Noble form this San Diego, California band. It seems these 3 new songs that form “Fall For You” EP are their first effort since the 2015 “Room for Rent/Again and Again” songs. Quite a break! On this new fun and upbeat EP we find three songs, all recorded at Earthling Studios and with the help of their friends Nicolas Lara and Clara Valenzuela: “Fall For You”, “Daydream” and “Two Words”. Great to see more latinos making indiepop!

Sharesprings: our favourite Indonesian indiepop band have just released 8 new songs! How can I not be happy about that? The band formed by Ardhi, Putriani, Rusli and Yehezkiel have penned in the past many favourite songs, even one of them included in a Cloudberry compilation. Now they show they are still in top form with these songs that form their first album “Paraparlor” which is available on CD from Dismantled Records. Oh! I need a copy!

Frankie Valet: out now on It Takes Time Records from St Louis, Missouri, is the tape album “Stop Apologizing”. Sadly I can’t say if it is all good as only 2 songs are available to stream out of 8. But they are fine songs, especially the first one called “Something To Do With a Mouth”. The other one is not as upbeat and is called “Why Blue”. The band also hails from St. Louis and is formed by Alison Setilli, Felix Nelson, Gram Tolish and Jack Elliott-Higgins.

Рыцарь Диких Яблок: a few Russian bands have been appearing in the last two years. This is the latest one, and I believe it translates as the Wild Apple Knights. They are based in St. Petersburg and have two collections of songs on their Bandcamp. I don’t know much as everything is written in Cyrillic, but I do know the songs sound good to me. In the end that is what matters, right?

Caramel Snow: lastly for this week these two new songs from Delmar, New York. The digital single “Who’s Afraid of Sasha Grey? / The Secret Diary” are the latest songs by this artist that has been on a few labels like Jigsaw Records and Shiny Happy Records.

—————————————————————–

Oostkamp is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. On January 1, 2014, Oostkamp had a total population of 23.016. The name Oostkamp comes from the Medieval name “Orscamp”, meaning place of the horses. The old word ors is a cognate of the English word horse.

That’s where we are heading with today’s post. Definitely the first time I feature a band from there. It is also true that not many Belgian bands have appeared on the blog. But it is definitely worth it.

I discovered His Royal Fume this year. I stumbled upon their music on Youtube and I have been getting their records. So far I’ve got their first 2 7″s and I’m missing their last 7″ and their album. I hope to complete my collection sometime soon. Crossing fingers.

As I said, I only found out about this brilliant guitar pop band this year, about three months ago. So I know very little about them. Time to get to work then, find out who were His Royal Fume.

According to Discogs their first release dates from 1991. It was a 7″ released on Boom! Records (BOOM! 41) that included two songs, “Miles Away” on the A side and “Closing the Gap” on the B side. I may dare to say that my favourite of their songs is “Miles Away”, a brilliant jangly track.

Their label, Boom! Records, is new to me too. I learn that it was founded in 1987 by Jean-Pol Van Haesendonk in Halle, Belgium. But there are other details in this record, we know that the cover was designed by Carlo Wauters and JP Van (that is Jean-Pol from Boom! Records) with the photography of Olivier Matthys. Carlo it seems did a lot of the art for the label.

It is worth mentioning now the band members. The band was formed by:
Patrick Provoost – vocals
Filip Depreeuw – guitar
Geert Maertens – guitar
Johan Isselée – drums
Peter Vanlandschoot – bass

On this first 7″ they got Jan Hautekiet, a well known Belgian National Radio host, to play keyboards. The record was produced by Paul Despiegelaere and engineered by Peter Bulkens.

Their next 7″ was released that same year, 1991, again on Boom! Records (BOOM! 54). This 7″ also had two songs on it, “Cut To Heal” on the A side and “So Confused” on the B side. Now playing keyboards on the songs was Jeroen Ravelsoot. The producer and engineer were the same as in the first 7″ though this time Paul Despiegelaere helped playing percussion, walga and vocals too. The songs were recorded at Ace Studios on October 1991. The art this time was a painting created by Peter Jonckheere while the layout for the art is credited to Herman & Isabelle.

Then there is a small silence by the band. They return in 1993 with their last single, “I Can’t Follow”. This 7″ had on the B side the song “Words Don’t Come”. This 7″ was released to promote their self-titled album that was going to be released that same year. Both of the songs on the record were written by the drummer, Johan Isselée. But there is also another difference. The band had changed labels. Now they were on Play That Beat! (AMC 10.3.310). This was also a Belgian label that according to Discogs is a dance-related label. Odd, as His Royal Fume doesn’t sound dance at all!

The self-titled album came out in 1993 on Play That Beat! Records (AMC 59305). It was released on CD and all 10 songs were recorded at Ace Studio and Square Studio. The songs from previous 7″s were included, the tracklist being: “I Can’t Follow”, “Words Don’t Come”, “Cut To Heal”, “Falling From Grace”, “Beautiful Crime”, “Digging Holes”, “Little Hands”, “Miles Away”, “So Confused” and “Closing The Gap”. The art, the photography of a crown, was created by Jo Clauwaert.

The band have a few compilation appearances listed. The first on a 1992 tape called “No Songs to Waste / Vol 1” released in Belgium. It has no label nor catalog number but we do know it was compiled by Peter Slabbynck, who had been in bands like The Brilliant Drumheads, The Boy Wonders and more, trying to document a part of the local scene around the city of Bruges. On it the band appears with a song called “Do Or Die (Demo 1989)”.

In 1993 the contribute the album opener, “I Can’t Follow You”, to a Play That Beat! compilation called “Die Nieuwstraat Van Studio Brussel Vol. 1” (AMC 59310). It would take more than 10 years for their next contribution. In 2006, the same song, “I Can’t Follow You”, appears on the compilation “Bel 90 – Het Beste Uit De Belpop Van 1993”. I suppose a sort of greatest hits of Belgian pop of 1993?

Lastly, the same song, appears on “Bel 90 – Het Beste Uit De Belpop Van 1990-1999”, which is actually a box set that includes the 1993 CD compilation they were on.

Are the band members listed in other bands? Well Patrick Provoost, Geert Maertens and John Isselée were part of the postpunk band Red Zebra in the 80s. John was also part of a band called The Man With 2 Faces in the 2000s. Peter Vanlandschoot was involved in Birkenhead, Sooner, Gloin and Substance 69.

I look for more information on the web but it doesn’t seem to be my lucky day. Whenever the band is mentioned it is through Red Zebra. It seems Red Zebra was a pretty popular band in Belgium. Much more than His Royal Fume it seems. I do find a listing of a gig on May 3rd, 1993, at the Ancienne Belgique in Brussels.

So I will have to resort in the few Belgian readers of the blog. Help me out here. Do you remember them? Whatever happened to them? Are there any other recordings by them? They had very fine songs, and two songs that for me should be classic of Belgian pop like “Miles Away” and “So Confused” which are brilliant!

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Listen
His Royal Fume – Miles Away

Thanks so much to Stewart for the interview! I wrote about The Marigolds a few months ago on the blog and he was kind enough to get in touch and to answer the many questions I had about his band! The band didn’t release many records but they recorded more than a handful of songs that appeared on two flexis and many tape compilations in the 90s. If you have never heard them, this is a good time to discover them!

++ Hi Stewart! Thanks so much for being up for this interview and getting in touch! How are you? Still making music?

Hello! I’m good thanks, and very flattered someone’s still interested in the Marigolds! Yep, still playing guitar a bit, currently in a garage punk band in Margate, just doing covers so far. We’re still trying to decide on a name.

++ I guess my first question is if I was right, that the band was based in Watton, Norfolk?

Yeah, sort of. We were all from that mid-Norfolk area. Mark (aka Skyflower) the singer lived in Watton, Liam the drummer lived in nearby Ashill, I lived in a place called Dereham 10 miles or so up the road. We all met while doing our A’levels at college in King’s Lynn.

++ Let’s start from the beginning. 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?

I had an exceptionally cool uncle who was a massive influence. I borrowed a bass guitar from him when I was 12 or 13, and he got me into a lot of great music. He was into the Smiths in a big way, and had seen loads of groups like the Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks and The Damned back in the days that bands like that used to play in Norfolk. I got into what you’d call ‘indie’ music when I was 12 or 13, started reading the music papers, listening to Peel and all that, and gradually my interest moved from bands like Pixies, The House of Love and The Wedding Present towards more indie-pop stuff like The Pastels and The Pooh Sticks.
As far as first instruments go, I picked up some amazing guitars from car boot sales around Norfolk – 1960s Burns semi-acoustics, Fender Musicmasters, that kind of thing, for like £50 a go. It was crazy. People were just chucking this stuff out and had no real idea of its value. I can’t remember which was first, but I usually just sold them on and regretted it instantly.
I learned to play (if you can call it that) using some decidedly dodgy Burt Weedon ‘Play in a day’ books from the 1950s. I think I cut a lot of them up and used them in my fanzine, actually. I got the hang of a few chords and then kind of stopped bothering!

++ Were you involved in other bands before the Marigolds? Is it true that the band was formed when two local bands The Rosemarys and The Chocolate Mopeds joined forces? And are there any recordings by any of these bands?

Haha, The Rosemarys and The Chocolate Mopeds were both entirely made up. I’m not sure why we did that.
I played bass for a shoegazey band called Holland before we formed the Marigolds with a friend called Jez, a guitarist called Jamie, and Carl, the drummer, who later played bass for The Spinning Jennys and also played with The Marigolds once. I’m sure there’s a tape somewhere.

++ How was around your town back then? Were there any bands that you liked? What were the good record stores? Or what about the pubs or venues to go check out up and coming bands?

There wasn’t much going on in Dereham or Watton. We’d spend most of our time in Norwich. The Wilde Club at Norwich Arts Centre was a really special place. We’d spend most Monday nights there, and saw some incredible bands. Great indie-pop like Heavenly, 14 Iced Bears, The Field Mice and The Orchids, but loads of wider indie stuff… The Stone Roses, Lush, Pale Saints, Thrilled Skinny, King of the Slums… even Nirvana, and usually for about £2.50. We were spoilt really. It was the club were Richie Manic famously carved ‘4 Real’ into his arm, though I missed that one.
Backs Records was great for rummaging through the singles box in front of slightly intimidating staff. Lizard and Andy’s were pretty good too. Even HMV was good for picking up indie-pop stuff.

++ When and how did the band start? How did you all meet? How was the recruiting process?

Mark and I started the band after making friends over a shared love of The Brilliant Corners in the library at Kings Lynn college. We were just a two-piece for a fair amount of time. That’s how most of the songs were written. We used a drum machine on our first demo then added Liam on drums around the time of the Two Of A Kind flexi.

++ There were a few lineup changes too, right?

Yep, there were. Carl and Phil played drums and bass for one gig at a friend’s party, which was a pretty shambolic affair. I think we managed to play one song all the way through. Mark’s brother Paul played bass very briefly. In fact, I think it was just once in Mark’s living room! But myself, Mark and Liam was the best-established line-up. Later Liam took over on vocals after I lost touch with Mark somehow. We recorded a few more songs, and played a gig in Leeds supporting the Fat Tulips with the help of Christine from Milky Wimpshake on bass, my housemate Zoe on Farfisa organ, Neil from Bouquet on guitar and (I think) Stewart from Boyracer on drums. I can’t bloody remember!

++ Why the name the The Marigolds?

It was a nod to Amelia Fletcher’s one-time pseudonym in Talulah Gosh. About as twee as it gets…

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

Mark wrote the lyrics and I wrote the music, and we somehow cobbled the two together. We either practised at his house or mine when our parents were out.

++ You were around in the early 90s, but whoever listens to your music might categorize you as a C86 band. What do you think of that term? Do you like it? Were you fan of the bands from this period?

I don’t mind the term at all, and we definitely embraced what people consider to be the C86 sound. We were massive fans of bands from that period, and while I can understand why a lot of bands weren’t happy being lumped in with it, for us, who were just a bit too young at the time but latched onto it a few years later, it was synonymous with the jangly, shambling sound of early Primal Scream, The Pastels, McCarthy and Mighty Mighty. But yeah, I can see why a lot of the less-than jangly bands on the original compilation might have taken issue with it. I always preferred the term ‘indie-pop’.

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

We were big fans of Sarah bands, a lot of the Subway and 53rd and 3rd bands. I was a huge Pastels fan, Mark was a huge BMX Bandits fan. We actively tried to sound like a lot of those acts, but I’m not sure we pulled it off.

++ You first released a split flexi in 1992 on the label Mindgasm Records. Who were behind this label?

It was Stuart and Sharon from Weasel’s label. They pressed the flexi to sell with their fanzine Mummy Magazine. Weasel were based in Birmingham, part of the Sensateria crowd that spawned the Sea Urchins and The Field Trip. We never actually met, but exchanged dozens of letters as was the way back then. Stuart did me a couple of awesome ‘60s psych/garage tapes than which had a big influence on my music tastes. I still listen to them!

++ On the flexi you cover Syd Barrett’s song “Two of a Kind”. Why did you choose that song? Did you usually play other covers?

I was really into Syd Barrett and early Pink Floyd at the time. I used to work weekends on a milk round, and the milkman I worked for was a massive Pink Floyd fan and turned me onto it. I was even paid with a gatefold version of the two Syd Barrett LPs for some overtime.

++ Then most of your songs appeared on various compilations. I think my favourite might be “Sherbet Girl”. If it is not much to ask, what is the story of this song, what inspired it?

Mark wrote the lyrics to that one, so you’d have to ask him. I guess it’s a love/sweetshop metaphor taken to extremes. Or it’s about cannibalism.

++ You appear on a superb compilation called “The Secret of Confident Dressing” that was released by Kaw tapes where there were so many classic bands in it. To me it seems that during these years there was quite a scene for compilation tapes. How did you usually end up on them? What was the process?

Yeah, there were hundreds of them around. People just wrote to us and asked if we’d give them a song and we always said yes. I have no idea how many we eventually ended up on.

++ You appeared on the “C92” tape too and also in continental Europe, on two tapes on Elefant Records. But I’m curious about the labels I don’t know, maybe you remember them, Flaming Katy, Rainbow, Does This Work? or Meg Records. Have any clue about them?

Haha, no idea whatsoever! Sorry! We were asked if we’d appear on tapes all the time and we never said no.

++ I know you released a demo tape called “Doing the Washing Up with the Marigolds”. Was this the only demo tape you released? Were the tracks on it all of your recordings?

We were always recording demos. I think that’s just the one we gave a title to and made an inlay card for.

++ And where did you usually record your songs?

We recorded our first demo at a friend of Mark’s place somewhere in the Norfolk countryside. He had a little studio in his house. The ‘Two Of A Kind’ flexi was recorded up in Nottingham. Neil from Bouquet/Windmill Records produced it for us using a Tascam portastudio. Looking back, it’s by far the best thing we did. It was ‘Two of a Kind’ (with Rachel from Bouquet on backing vocals), ‘Let the Sun Shine’ and (I think) ‘Everything I Had’. It was a really, really memorable weekend.
After that, I got myself a little portastudio which we recorded all the later stuff on.
For some reason, I haven’t got a copy of any of these demos, so if anyone out there does have them, please give me a shout!

++ Lastly there’s your contribution to the “Searching For the Blake Hall” 7″ on Pillarbox Red. Will that be your whole discography? Or am I missing anything?

Yep, just the two flexis, and songs on dozens of compilation tapes.

++ Why weren’t there any proper releases?

Haha, I’ll leave that for the readers to decide! There was talk of a Pillarbox Red 7”, but we kind of fell apart before anything happened.

++ Was there any interest in your music by any labels?

Just Pillarbox Red, really. From what I can remember we had a split single in the pipeline before we went our separate ways, so that never came off. We sent a few demo tapes to Sarah and Heaven records, which was the dream, but didn’t get anywhere. I seem to remember hassling Matt from Heaven Records on a pretty regular basis!

++ What about gigs? Did you play many? What was the farthest you played from your town?

Just two – one at John’s party in Watton, and the other upstairs at The Fenton in Leeds, supporting the Fat Tulips. Stewart from Boyracer and Steve from Octopus fanzine also played as The Golden Spires, doing a set of Golden Dawn covers.

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

We were pretty drunk for the first one. We were all 16 or 17 playing at a friend’s house party while his parents were away. These were the days of Thunderbird and MD20/20, before British teenagers swapped binge drinking for social media. We stumbled through about two songs. I seem to remember Mark singing while slumped in an armchair. There’s a tape somewhere, and we somehow got a good reception.
The Fenton gig was funny too. Liam sang with a fake Rickenbacker slung over his neck. It had Rickenbacker felt-tipped over a patch of Tipp-Ex on the headstock. He couldn’t play guitar, and didn’t even mime. Zoe played a weird sort of Hammer Horror organ soundtrack over the top of the songs. Christine from Milky Wimpshake sang ‘Two of a Kind’ that night. I remember that being amazing. Definitely the highlight.

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

We all left Norfolk to go to university. I headed to Leeds, Mark to Middlesbrough and Liam to London, so it all just fizzled out really.
I joined Boyracer for about six months or so, just before they got signed to Sarah, playing 12-string guitar on a short tour with Blueboy. I played bass in a band called Quant a few years later – kind of mod/psych ‘60s stuff. They released a single on Detour Records. I left the band in rather acrimonious circumstances and hung up my bass for a couple of decades as a result.

++ What about the rest of the band, had they been in other bands?

I have no idea! I haven’t seen or heard from Mark since 1992. I’ve tried tracking him down, but can’t find him anywhere.

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

There hasn’t, no. We’ve all lost touch, and I’m not sure it’d be a massive crowd-puller! I’d definitely be up for it, though!

++ Did you get much attention from the radio or press?

None whatsoever! I don’t think we ever expected any coverage. It was all very DIY, and we embraced our ineptitude. We never expected to be on the cover of the NME or anything like that!

++ What about from fanzines?

Yeah, we got loads of coverage in fanzines. We all wrote our own (Cherry Fizz Pop!, Flowers in the Sky and Colour Me Pop) and were very involved with that scene. I can’t recall which ones we appeared in, though – apart from our own and Mummy Magazine.

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

Definitely the ‘Two of a Kind’ flexi. I think it stands up pretty well. I love the backing vocals on it, and think it’s a pretty good stab at an amazing song. And it’s great to have something tangible to remember The Marigolds by.

++ Been in the UK many times but never visited your area. So maybe I can ask for some suggestions? Like what are the sights I shouldn’t miss? Or the traditional food or drinks that you love that I should try?

Ha, OK. Well, I live in Margate these days, which is a seaside town in the south east. I’d definitely recommend coming here. Nice sandy beach, great restaurants and bars, nice seafood, and a very good music scene. Norfolk is really beautiful, too. Not so much Dereham and Watton where we were based, but the North Norfolk coast is stunning.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Listen
The Marigolds – Sherbet Girl

Just got back from a small break in Puerto Rico and I wanted to start blogging immediately, being sure that I’ve missed a lot of music these past few days! What have is new in the world of Bandcamp?

The Perfect Kiss: “Filter” is the name of the 10″ mini-album that the band released on Elefant Records late in June. There are 8 songs of terrific synth-pop that I’m already hooked with. I definitely need to order this record in the next couple of weeks after I recover of my trip expenses! I hope by then it is not sold out. It does look as its 500 copies are only available on vinyl.

Ultra Material: Sarah Deasy, Nick Skepper, Zuzana Kovar and Matt Deasy form this band from Brisbane, Australia, a city that in the past few years have given us so many great bands and songs. The band are releasing their second full lenght titled “Cosmic Anti Stuff” on August 29th on Black Wire Records and you can hear/stream two of the songs to be included, “Rhodamine” and “Transfer” at their Bandcamp. They sound ace!

яблоня: I have no clue about this Moscow, Russia, band. But it sounds AMAZING. At least that was my first impression when I played “мысли”, their latest song on Bandcamp. Who are they? There is very little information. But there is a trove of super bedroom indiepop with boy/girl vocals. Would be great to know if their music was available in physical format.

Hyperdream: the new project by Jesús Sandoval from Emma’s House Records and many great bands, shoegaze and indiepop, from Culiacán in Mexico. There are three songs on his Bandcamp (with lyrics!), “Abstention”, “Selfish Dream” and “Someone Like You”, were their trademark are a fuzzy wall of guitars. My favourite is the oldest one of them all, “Someone Like You”, which perhaps is also the poppiest of them all!

Arsenic!: this New York band which I have never seen live have two lovely classic sounding songs on their Bandcamp: “What Tone Colors The Whole?” and “Amy”. Please have a listen to both of them, they do sound great! The band formed by (two Italian-Americans or second or third generation, am I guessing right?) Tony Fischetti and John Mazzoni (with help from friends) may have recorded their best two songs!

—————————————————————–

I stumbled upon “Crashing Down” by The Gift on Youtube and wondered how come I have never heard about this brilliant track before? I’ve been an avid guitar pop fan for a long time I think, but had no clue about it. Well, it happens. Of course you can’t know it all, though I do try to find out as much information about the songs and bands I like. I will have to find out now, anything, any details, related to this obscure band.

Discogs lists one record the one that has “Crashing Down” and “It’ll End In Tears”. A double A-sided record. But the mystery starts here. There are two versions of the same single! Let’s investigate!

The first version was released in 1982 on Venus Records (Orbit 1). It is no surprise to anyone that this is the only record listed on this label. It might have been a self-release. Also notice the year. 1982. It was pre-indiepop. Around the time where a bunch of bands were starting to create what I like to call proto-indiepop, bands that were punk and new wave influenced, like many that appear on the Messthetics comps. Though it must be said that The Gift sound more elegant, more proficient than the bands on those comps.

Both songs were recorded at Spaceward Studios. This was a recording studio based in Cambridge, in the UK, that was founded by Mike Kemp and Gary Lucas. The studio was around from 1972 to 1988.  The producer for the record was of course Mike Kemp and the band. We do get some credits on the sleeve for the band members. We get to know it was formed by Carl Walker, Dave Hodges, Daz, John Jacques and Nick Halliwell. We also find an address for Venus Records in Exeter.

The second version of the single came out two years later, in 1984. This time it was released under the name Nick Halliwell & The Gift. I wonder why they changed the band name, why now Nick’s name was on the front. Also as I mentioned earlier, the A side was now “It’ll End in Tears” and the B side was “Crashing Down”. Maybe because “It’ll End in Tears” was written by Nick while “Crashing Down” was written by Carl? The art also changed, before we had seen the band’s name typed big using kind of a Japanese looking font, whereas this new version had the black and white photo of a woman. This 7″ was released by Off Chute Records (OCS1), and as you imagine, it was the only release on the label. So probably a self-released record.

Discogs also has 3 compilation appearances. One of them dating from the 80s and the other two much more recent. The 80s one was a tape called “Advice From a Caterpillar” that was released in 1985 by Acid Tapes (TAB 022). I’m familiar with Acid Tapes as they released the Stormclouds, a big favourite band of mine, but to be honest don’t know much more of their output. This label was started by Alan Duffy in 1983 and released records until 1998 I believe. Anyhow, on this tape, The Gift contributes a song that wasn’t included in the 7″, one called “I Saw Blue”. I wonder then if the band had more songs, more recordings. I definitely would love to hear them.

Then in the year 2000, the band contributes “It’ll End in Tears” to a compilation called “Year Zero: The Exeter Punk Scene 1977-2000” that was co-released by Hometown Atrocities (Home 008) and Boss Tuneage (Bostage 509). To be honest I don’t know any of the bands that appear on the comp, but what I do get from it is a very important detail, what each of the members of The Gift played. Daz Coles played bass, Dave Hodges played drums, Carl Walker played the guitar and sang while Nick Halliwell sang and played the guitar.

Lastly there is an unofficial CD listed called “2008 Choking on Cufflinks Gift Pack” that was given away to the people who pledged to the Choking on Cufflinks show during the 2008 WFMU fundraising marathon. It is a CD compilation put together by this US radio station. I wonder if they got permission by the band to include their song “Crashing Down”?

I look as always into the band members, if they have been involved in any other bands. I see Daz Coles had played for The Lou Reichner Band who released a 7″ in 1980. The only other band member who seems to have other bands listed on Discogs is Nick Halliwell. He was also in The Lou Reichner Band but most interestingly he was in bands that I have recommended in the blog before like The Distractions or The Granite Shore. And that’s not all, in 1984 he released a solo album called “Tender Hours”. It was put out by Acid Tapes on tape. Would love to hear that too!

More interesting details. Nick Halliwell also runs the label Occultation Records who released the comeback of The Wild Swans for example. And of course I was aware of the label and his bands, but never knew about his 80s past, about this great record by The Gift.

I find an article on the page Velvet Sheep where Nick picks 7 songs. On there he mentions that when he was in The Gift he used to play Kim Wilde’s “Kids in America”. Are there any recordings of that? Then on another interview, on the Stereo Embers magazine, Nick mentions The Gift but he doesn’t seem to be pleased with the record, he says it wasn’t noteworthy.

I can’t find any more information about The Gift. Of course there is quite a lot written about Nick’s other projects, and there are a few interviews with him. But none really mention this band. But I’m curious. I would love to know more about The Gift. And if possible listen to more recordings. Do you remember them?

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Listen
The Gift – Crashing Down

I’m publishing this post just hours, minutes, before I head to the airport for a few days in Puerto Rico. I will be away for 6 days, so no posts on Friday or Monday. Any orders placed these days will be mailed next Wednesday. So don’t worry!

But before I leave I’m leaving you some cool music to check out!

Zimt: “Empathielosigkeit”, one of the songs that was included in “Glückstiraden”, the debut album of the German band, has just got a video. And it is top class. Zimt is one of my favourite bands and I owe discovering them to Ronny, but now the band is on Tapete and I suppose they keep getting bigger. Maybe one day I’ll get to see them in New York? Or in Germany? It is been a while since I’ve visited!

The Sunbathers: “If Only” is the new song and video our old friends The Sunbathers have shared with everyone as they promote their upcoming album “A Weekend Away With…” that will be released by the good Chris Mac on Jigsaw Records. It is gorgeous. It brought me such good memories of the time I got to release a few of their songs, and even better when I saw them at Indietracks, when on the platform they played a few songs for me and a friend. It makes me nostalgic, their precious music. One of the albums I’m looking forward the most this year.

The Lousy Pop Group: the one man project from Depok, Indonesia, has uploaded a brand new popstatic song to Soundcloud called “I’m Waiting For You to Shine”. Will it be released in any other way? Will some of the fine pop labels in Indonesia pay attention to this brilliant song? I hope so!

Tracey Read: this is a new discovery for me, that I found through David, but it does look as these recordings are older. They date from 2001. Tracey Read had released before the “Buster Keaton” 7″ on Chapter Music, and this 8 song album called “Everything is Real” is long sold out on its CD version but it is available digitally. Lovely indiepop in the vein of Tiger Trap or Tracey Thorn (?).

Glider: there are a few copies remaining of the Falmouth’s band new 7″. It includes two songs, “See You There” and “Wen (Summer1991CE)”. The duo formed by Tom Lobban and Louie Newlands recorded these songs back in 2015 and the record was released in 2017. Now, I want to buy everything I recommend, but it is not easy. Bands that I feature, I’d love to get your records and review them, but I don’t want them for free, maybe we could trade. Drop me a line if interested. If not, doesn’t matter. I do it for the love of music. And I’m really loving what I hear from Glider. Are they still going?

—————————————————————–

This might surprise you, but Cyclon86 will be the first band I do some “investigative blogging” since I came back from Mexico. Yes, that’s right, I’ve had a bunch of posts ready, always a step ahead.

As I’ve been rotating the countries of origin of the bands featured on the blog, I thought it would be a great idea to return to Japan. And even better with a band I know very little about, whose records I still don’t own, a blank page. I only know the songs that I’ve been able to hear on Youtube, which are just 4. Are there more? Where were they released? Interested? Then join me in this search.

Cyclon86 on Discogs has very little listed, mostly compilation appearances. There is one split 7″ though, one that they shared with Soft Parade sometime in the early 2000s I believe. It is also the only record listed for the label, Pillow Case Records, having the catalog number PCR-001. Was it a self-release by one of the bands on the split? Or perhaps it was a joint effort? Or maybe just a label that was interested in both bands? How could we find out?

The band had the A side for themselves. There they had two songs, “K Girl” and “Shooting Star”. Soft Parade on the other hand appears on the B side with “Blue Blouse Female” and “Sunday”. The first song by Cyclon86 catches my curiosity, is it about a K Records fangirl? And what about the band’s name? Is the 86 in their name a homage to C86?

The first time I heard the band was through a 2002 compilation I had Mp3s of. Must have been through Soulseek ages ago as I don’t have those files anymore. It was the “Bluebadge Compilation Vol.2 Pop Comes Up!” that was released by Bluebadge Label (BBCD-002) back then. On this gem of a compilation (there are many obscure Japanese bands on it) the band contributes the song “Letters”.

But that wasn’t the first compilation appearance by the band. A year earlier, on another CD comp, they had the song “Running Planet”. This CD was titled “Mo-Rough” and was released by Coa Records (COAR-0008) in 2001. Something interesting about this release is that Cyclon86 appears as Cyclon 86, with a space between letters and numbers. Was it how they were called originally? Or did they change a little bit their name after this compilation?

Lastly, in 2005, on another Bluebadge compilation, “Guitar Pop Crazy! (Bluebadge Compilation Vol.3)” (BBCD-009) the band had the song “Scapegoat”. I believe I’ve talked about this CD before, when I featured the fine band Margarets Hope*.

Then I’m pretty sure the band contributed to a compilation called “Sunshine Pop Show! Vol.3” released by the Smile Pop Label in 1999 with the song “Summer in the Pool”.

But most importantly, what Discogs is missing, is a split CD with the band Harmony Hatch. I could find a tracklist for the CD on Amazon Japan but doesn’t specify which songs belong to who. There are 8 in total so I’m going to guess there were 4 for each band. If that was the case Cyclon8 contributed “K Girl”, “Scapegoat”, “Summer in the Pool” and “Ice Coffee” while Harmony Hatch had “White Pearl Worts”, “Blue Blue Bicycle”, “My Red Watch” and “His Honey Bunny”. Would love to hear this records sometime, discover Harmony Hatch as well.

My next big find in this investigation was to find out that one of my favourite Japanese shoegaze bands, Bertoia, has at least one member that was in Cyclon86. That is Yuta Ikawa or Shokk as he likes being called. According to a blog I found, he also was a support musician for the one-woman band Murmur.

There used to be a Myspace for Cyclon86 too, but it doesn’t exist anymore.

On Twitter, on the Philia Records account, I find a post where I clearly see a cassette by Cyclon86, a red cassette. What is in that one? I would love to know. The mystery becomes bigger and bigger. It is strange, but I can’t find gigs they played. It usually is easy with Japanese bands to find that. Usually gigs are very much recorded on the web, on old geocities pages and such. Not this time around.

I can’t find the other band members names either. Who were they? What was their complete discography? When did they start as a band and when did they split? Where they based in Tokyo or another Japanese city? The questions are many. But there are little answers. Do my Japanese friends remember them?

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Listen
Cyclon86 – Shooting Star

So all Okama Flannel Boy 7″ pre-orders are on their way to everyone who placed an order. Very excited about it. Looking forward to what you think, and any reviews that may appear in the next few weeks. I will also make sure the Bandcamp with Okama Flannel Boy songs is updated.

There is no time for being lazy now as I have a new 7″ around the corner by a superb band. I will be announcing it this Wednesday. I do have to say that there won’t be any posts this Friday or Monday as I will be away in Puerto Rico for a small break. I will return next week of course.

What did I find this weekend when it comes to new indiepop? Let me share with you:

Jasmine Minks: definitely a great thing is to see surface the “Scratch the Surface” album demos on Soundcloud. There are 7 demos available to stream that were recorded as demos for the 1989 album. Some of them made the final cut, others didn’t, some became live favourites, and some haven’t been heard publicly before. And I urge you all to have a listen! I remember when I got the chance to interview Jim Shepherd, and later meet him in the UK, happy times!

Space Daze: not sure if Seapony is still going, but Danny Rowland, their guitarist and main songwriter has been making available songs for his solo project Space Daze. The latest is a 5 song digital EP titled “Miss the World”. The music is a bit different to the poppier Seapony, but don’t be afraid. There are some very sweet moments like the song “In the Dark”, with a jangly guitar and a dreamy vibe.

Citrus Clouds: the Phoenix, Arizona, band that I have featured in the past is back. The trio formed by Erick, Stacie and Angelica, have two brilliant new jangly tracks on their Bandcamp, sort of a digital single. They are called “Golden Sun” and “Nothing Familiar”. Also worth noting for those in the Arizona area, the band will be touring this August, so please don’t miss them!

The Jangle Band: the brilliant Perth, Australia, band is back with a limited CD single! The band formed by legendary Australian musicians like Ian Freeman, Jeff Baker, Joe Algeri, Dave Wallace and Mark Eaton, is sharing with us “The Guy Who Used to Care” and “Now That’s Over” which I’m hoping are a teaser of a second album to be released in the near future (?). I hope that’s the case, but if not, it doesn’t matter, these are superb songs to have on repeat.

March, April & May: there is a new fanzine by February Records. It features a bunch of great bands, interviews with Tracyanne & Danny, Night Flowers, Sushi Backpack or Math & Physics Club. It also comes with access to download the 6-track EP that you can stream on the label’s Bandcamp with bands like Famous Problems, Gabardine, Mini Dresses, Sushi Backpack and Kevin Hairs.

—————————————————————–

The name Justine is a girl’s name of French, Latin origin meaning “fair, righteous”.

I go back to the Kittenish CD. I still don’t own a copy but most, if not all, of the songs are on Youtube to stream. I should try to get a copy soon. The bands on it are mostly unknown to me so I keep discovering new sounds and new bands from Sweden thanks to it. Last time it was the Soapflakes, who I got in touch with and I hope to get interview answers pretty soon. Today I want to investigate about a band whose song I also liked quite a lot, a band called Justine Ahead.

The song they contributed to this compilation CD released jointly by Ceilidh Productions (CEI 037) and the Ultra Magazine in 1994 was called “Popflower”. And it is brilliant. If you want to read a bit more about the Kittenish CD and also about the Soapflakes, I leave you the link of my previous post here. As you’ll see for Soapflakes at least I could find a poster, an image, to create the top image of the post. For Justine Ahead, I haven’t found any photos nor memorabilia of the band. Were they that obscure?

Well, the band doesn’t count with any other release listed on Discogs. Maybe this song, “Popflower”, was the only one that was properly put out on a physical record. But I’m sure they must have recorded some more on that same recording session. It has to be that way. And I would love to listen to any other songs by the band.

I find a blog called Tidskriften Pop Revisited. There is a mention of the band, more like a small review. They mention that the band could be the next Stevepops, that they are the typical Ceilidh band. Maybe they are right, but the truth is Ceilidh didn’t release ay records by them.

Then the Kristina venue page mentions them. I can’t recall, but I’m sure I’ve mentioned this Växjö classic venue on the blog before. In the about section the Cafe/Venue, writes about the bands that hailed from Växjö and played at their club in the 90s like Wagon, The Ark or Justine Ahead.

But after after searching and searching I’m going to have a break. The website Svensk Mediedatabas, which I assume is a database of records and the sort of Swedish artists, has another release listed other than the Kittenish appearance. There was a 1994 release called “Catchy Tunes” that seems to have been self-released by the band on cassette. There were three songs included in it, “Rain”, “Weekend” and “Summersong”.  Oh my! Would love to hear these songs someday. Anyone can hook me up with that?

Lastly I found another hit, on the Scandinavian Indie Mailing List of the 90s, as usual there is a list of addresses for fans to get in touch with bands. Justine Ahead appears among them, and here it confirms that they were based in Växjö. Also it adds a name, surely one from the band, Jorgen Westergren. What did he play in the band is of course the first question one asks?

As you can see, lots of blanks left to fill. Not much more to go on. I could find a Jorgen Westergren still in Växjö, but couldn’t find him connected to any music bands. Maybe it could be him, maybe not. Who knows. The truth is, I would love to listen to more songs by them. Would love to know who else was in the band. How many years were they active? Where in Sweden did the play gigs? Why no proper releases? Maybe some of my Swedish friends could help me out with this mystery?

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Listen
Justine Ahead – Popflower