Love with Johnny Echols at Shepherd's Bush Empire, Saturday 2nd May 2026

Love with Johnny Echols are back at the Shepherds Bush Empire again, the scene of 2024’s triumphant “Forever Changes” show where they played 1967’s classic album in its entirety, backed by brass, keyboards and the excellent Parallax string quartet. This time round they are touring to promote their excellent new Record Store Day release “Love And Let Live” a white vinyl live album recorded at the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland last year, the first recording featuring the current line-up. A line-up which apparently is now the longest lasting in the band’s history and one that has been taken to the hearts of Love fans of all generations. As the band’s original guitarist Johnny Echols recently wrote on one of my Facebook posts, “the group is called LOVE, they are revisiting the music of Arthur Lee, and a group of individuals collectively known as Love!” Johnny is now 79 years old and apart from him occasionally having a sit down on a stool while playing, you wouldn’t believe it, especially not from his quite stunning, virtuoso guitar playing. I would say he has been somewhat underrated as a guitarist in the music media over the years, he certainly deserves to be mentioned more frequently alongside his 1960’s peers such as Robbie Krieger of The Doors and Jimi Hendrix, who were after all, both influenced by Love in some way back in their early days. I’m not sure why this would be but he certainly brought those idiosyncratic and often complicated songs of Love’s charismatic frontman Arthur Lee to life. Of course, he was ably assisted by guitar partner-in-arms Bryan MacLean and his bandmates, but the sheer scope of Love’s sound meant that they had to cover a huge palette of musical sounds and colours. From Psychedelia, Folk-Rock and all out Garage Punk attack to intricate orchestral arrangements, beautiful acoustic numbers and even Jazz. These songs were also often tinged with Flamenco, Mariachi and Baroque overtones. 

 

This is where Johnny’s current bandmates excel, in vividly bringing all of the many and varied aspects of Arthur Lee and Love’s musical palette to life. I think similarly to when The Wondermints backed Brian Wilson on his solo tours, taking their remarkable recreation of the Beach Boys intricate melodies to a new generation, then so did Baby Lemonade when Arthur Lee asked them to be his backing band back in 1993. This line-up, prior to Johnny re-joining, was brilliantly captured on “The Forever Changes Concert” live album and DVD recorded at the Royal Festival Hall in London in 2003. Johnny was invited back into the fold and did briefly join the line-up but unfortunately, this intriguing incarnation of the band did not last long as Arthur sadly passed away in 2006. However, it was decided to continue and the Baby Lemonade trio of David "Rusty Squeezebox" Ramsey on lead vocals and guitar, Mike Randle on guitar and drummer David "Daddy-O" Green were joined by the youthful James Nolte, son of David Nolte from the excellent L.A. Garage Power Pop Surf band The Last, on bass. Tonight, at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire, this now familiar line-up is once again augmented by Nick Frater on keyboards. However, this time Nick is on his own, yet he somehow magically covers all the intricate brass, strings, harpsichord, flute and organ sounds all by himself, it’s a mightily impressive display. By the way, for fans of Baby Lemonade, classic melodic song-writing and Power Pop, I can thoroughly recommend Nick's latest album "Oh Contraire!", it’s a belter! 

Opening with the snappily titled "Maybe The People Would Be The Times Or Between Clark And Hilldale" from "Forever Changes", the band continue to run through a perfectly paced and plotted one hour and thirty minute setlist. Rusty mentions that it was 60 years ago since Love released both their debut self-titled album and it's follow up "Da Capo". It's difficult to fathom that two records of such quality could be released within the same calendar year of 1966, and even harder to believe that the classic, ground-breaking and hugely influential "Forever Changes" was to be released just one year later. Of course, tonight they concentrate on the Johnny Echols era of those wonderful first three albums and I guess, once that line-up had disbanded and Arthur gathered new recruits for the next album "Four Sail", Love never quite recaptured those glories of 1966-67. Only the beautiful "Always See Your Face" from the post-Echols era makes it into the set and admittedly it is a wonderful song that sounds superb. It’s almost impossible to pick out highlights as I could just say “the whole bloody set was a highlight” but that wouldn’t be very insightful, so I’ll mention the tambourine and bass intro to Bacharach & David's "My Little Red Book" which always sends a shiver down my spine. The triple hit of “Alone Again Or”, “And More” and then “Andmoreagain” is astonishing, you’re going to find it hard to find a better trio of songs in any band’s back catalogue. 

 

Then there’s “The Red Telephone” with its unsettling coda “they're locking them up today and throwing away the key, I wonder who it will be tomorrow, you or me?” which could well soundtrack any news bulletin today. It’s not just the band’s music that is timeless, but I think their political outlook still hits home, for example, “ask your leaders why?” Rusty sings plaintively in the stunning “Live and Let Live” and that one simple question should reverberate across the world. Also, the current line-up is racially diverse, as was Love when they first formed and that is another positive message that highlights music really does transcend all cultures, regardless. I’m sure Love must have broken down some cultural barriers in their day just as multi-racial 2-Tone bands like The Specials, The Selecter and The Beat did in my youth. Along with acts like The Clash and The Ruts turning us kids onto Reggae, it can only be a positive force for good, especially when I think of all the many and varied people I’ve met, friends that I have made and places that I have visited all thanks to music. I’ve written before on the influence that Love had on some of my other favourite bands, particularly those from Liverpool such as the Head brother’s Pale Fountains and Shack (who also backed Arthur Lee for a few shows) and later Mick Head’s Red Elastic Band. Swedish Psych Rockers The Soundtrack of Our Lives were also big fans as you can hear in tracks such as “Where’s The Rock?” and “Lone Summer Dream” and of course, bands such as Ramones and The Damned who actually released Love cover versions. Love seemed to be a band that were and still are, just as revered by other musicians as much as the fans. 

As for the current line-up, I think it’s the evident joy that emanates from the band being able to play these remarkable songs that really endears them to the crowd, they seem to be having as much fun as we are, there are smiles everywhere. Rusty is a wonderful singer with a sublime voice but it must have been daunting to take on the mantle of frontman, following in the musical and vocal footsteps of the iconic Arthur Lee. But, as anyone who has seen the band play live will know, he does a fantastic job. Mike's guitarwork is something else too and it's a thrill to watch him play as he's obviously so engrossed in the music. James effortlessly spins out those inventive basslines and I love the pulsing riff to an excellent version of "You Set The Scene". Johnny takes on lead vocals for the highly emotional “Signed D.C.” although he ends with the line “Signed J.E.” which is a nice touch. They close the night with a raucous charge through the Garage Rock classic “Seven And Seven Is”, which I first heard on the reissue of Lenny Kaye’s “Nuggets” compilation back in the 80’s and it still sounds as vicious and charged as any Punk Rock band that I’ve enjoyed over the years. David Green's tremendous drumming really propels the song along at breakneck speed. The love and affection pouring from the crowd as the guys take a bow at the end of the show is tangible, there’s just something very special about this band that grabs your heartstrings. Bear with me here, but in the (highly unlikely) event that I had to pick just one band to see play live, my ‘desert island’ gig so to speak, I'd have to choose Love with Johnny Echols every time. They just encapsulate everything that is good about music to me, life-affirming, emotional and timeless songs that sound as fresh and vital now as they must have done back in the day. And I can vouch for that, as I was chatting to my friend David Arnoff (the legendary Rock photographer) afterwards and the gig got his seal of approval. After all he saw Love back in 1966 at the Hollywood Bowl, and if it’s good enough for him…! 

You can see another video from the show at our Retromanblog65 YouTube channel here, where you can also find more videos from previous Love gigs at The Garage and Shepherds Bush Empire in London and The Stables in Milton Keynes. It's free to subscribe. There is also a feature on the 2024 "Forever Changes" gig at the Shepherds Bush Empire in the Retro Man Blog archive here.

Stupidity with Chris Spedding at Dalton's Brighton, Sunday April 26th supporting The Cynz

It was great to see my Swedish pal Tommy with his Stockholm based Garage R'n'B band Stupidity back on U.K. soil again after a long absence, in fact it was the first time I'd had chance to see the 'new' line-up as original members Tommy on drums and vocalist Erniz have now been joined by guitarist Janne and bassist Ulrika. This line-up was responsible for last year's excellent album "AI (Alternative Intelligence)" where they were joined by Keith Streng from The Fleshtones, who records and plays live with the band when his busy schedule allows. Kicking off with the double hit of "King Midas" and the brilliant "A Monkey In A Suit (Is Still A Monkey)", the band didn't take their feet off the gas for a minute. Their tight and catchy Garage R'n'B, driven by Tommy's insistent drumming was out of this world with the superb "Cheap Thrills" being a perfect example. They play their latest single, a cracking version of Jesse Hector & The Gatecrashers "Carolina" which also features on their forthcoming album "Beyond Stupidity" out soon on Little Steven's Wicked Cool Records. It really highlighted Erniz's raw vocals, he's a great frontman flanked by the impressive riffing of Janne and the ice-cool Ulrika on the bass.

 

For tonight's gig they called upon the services of another legendary guitarist and friend Chris Spedding, who they backed during his recent Swedish tour. They played Spedding's "Get Outa My Pagoda" and the classic "Motorbikin'" and he stayed on stage to finish the main set which included one of my favourites, the soulful blast of "Save Me". They encored with a spirited version of "BBC", the raucous Psych Punk song from Mike Myers spoof band Ming Tea that featured in the first "Austin Powers" movie. This was an apt and amusing choice considering we are in this English seaside town famed for it's saucy seaside postcards and kiss me quick hats, and it rounded off a thoroughly entertaining show perfectly. I can't wait for the new album!

 

I really enjoyed the headline act The Cynz, who have also played with Stupidity in New York and Sweden and they extended the invitation for the Swedes to join them for their gigs in London on the Saturday and in Brighton which was a nice touch. The Cynz are fronted by the charismatic vocalist Cyndi Dawson, and although they're actually from New Jersey, they have the raw and dirty sound of a classic downtown NYC/CBGB's Punk Rock 'n' Roll band. Songwriting partner and guitarist Henry Seiz not only adds some mean riffs but his backing vocals lift the songs to another level. My personal highlights were "Weight Of The World" from their "Five Mortal Cynz" E.P. and a trio of tracks from their latest LP "Confess" which is out now on JEM Records, the blistering "My Father's Gun" and "Woman Child" and the melodic almost Go-Go's sounding "Love's So Lovely". They also threw in a great cover of 13th Floor Elevators '60's Nuggets classic "You're Gonna Miss Me" for good measure. I'm enjoying checking out The Cynz new album and discovering their back catalogue and hope to see them play live again one day. 

  

For more videos from the gig please check out our Retromanblog65 YouTube channel here.

Lenny Kaye's "Nuggets Live at The BBC" - E.P. Launch, Listening Party & Movie Screening at the Spice of Life, London April 18th

Alan Blizzard, Marty Love, Jim Jones, Joe De Lorenzo, Guy Griffin and Alan Clayton

Back in 2023, Patti Smith Group guitarist Lenny Kaye played some successful and well-received shows in the States to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the release of his iconic and hugely influential “Nuggets” compilation. Lenny was backed by a stellar line-up consisiting of some of his many musician friends, playing cover versions of some of those classic tracks that he had included on the album. The U.K. based Damned aficionado Kevin Shepherd, then suggested to his friend Joe De Lorenzo, the promoter and tour manager for The Damned, that Lenny should consider bringing the Nuggets show to London. Somehow, using his extensive contacts, Joe made it happen and he assembled an impressive Transatlantic cast for a two-night stand at the 100 Club back in April 2024. The core band backing Lenny featured bassist Dave Treganna of Sham 69 and Lords of The New Church, Jim Jones of Thee Hypnotics and Jim Jones All Stars on guitars and vocals, drumming duties were shared between Rat Scabies of The Damned and Marty Love of Wingmen and the Johnny Moped Band. The other ever presents were Derek Cruz from the Jesse Malin band on Guitars, Harmonica and Percussion and Greg Rice on the keyboards, who both did a superb job considering they were in for the long haul.

Joe with Richard England, Marty Love and Jim Jones

Jim Jones on stage at the Nuggets 100 Club show from Alan Blizzard's movie

We were also treated to various special guest vocalists including Clive 'The Doctor' Jackson of Dr & The Medics, Jon King from Gang of Four, Alan Clayton of The Dirty Strangers, Peter Coyne of The Godfathers, Anita Chellamah from Cherry Bombz and they were joined by New Yorkers, Roxanne Fontana and Amanda Cross. Then we had the guest guitarists, Cheetah Chrome from CBGB's legends Dead Boys, Japanese guitarist Tsuyoshi Kitagawa, otherwise known as Go Ohgami, Billy Shinbone from The Sinclairs and Guy Griffin of The Quireboys. Most memorably of all, it also featured Brian James of The Damned with what was to be his last ever live performance before he sadly passed away. If that wasn't enough, former Clash compatriot DJ Barry 'Scratchy' Myers warmed up the crowd perfectly and Go-Go dancers Moana Santana and Helene de Joie provided some suitably 60's style atmosphere.

Nuggets promoter Joe De Lorenzo

Brian James filmed at rehearsals by Alan Blizzard for his "Nuggets: The Movie"

Then recently it was announced that Johnny Depp’s record label IN-2, in conjunction with the U.K. based Cadiz Music, were going to release a “Lenny Kaye’s Nuggets Live at The BBC” E.P. consisting of a Marc Riley session that they had recorded while they were in London for the 100 Club shows in 2024. It was a special Record Store Day release, so on Saturday, we went along to the Spice of Life in London’s Soho for the E.P. listening and launch party organised by Joe De Lorenzo and Cadiz Music. The afternoon event also included an exclusive preview of the forthcoming LP “Riot On Oxford Street: Live at the 100 Club” and a screening of Alan Blizzard’s excellent behind-the-scenes documentary "The Nuggets Movie” filmed during the 2024 London trip. There was also the added bonus of a Q&A session with Jim Jones, Marty Love and Joe, hosted by Richard England of Cadiz, and there were appearances from ‘Nuggeteers’ Alan Clayton, Greg Rice and Guy Griffin who were happy to chat to members of the audience and sign copies of the E.P. 

Lenny Kaye at the 100 Club Nuggets show on April 4th 2024

It was a thoroughly entertaining afternoon and there was some good news too, there are plans underway for some gigs later in the year to promote the release of the live LP, so please keep an eye out for more information on that. Can’t wait! You can read all about one of the 100 Club gigs in our Retro Man Blog feature here, which also includes lots of photos and videos from a truly remarkable night. More videos from the gig can be found by visiting our Retromanblog65 YouTube channel here, it's totally free to subscribe. Here's an example of one of our videos, Lenny Kaye with "I Wanna Be Your Dog" featuring Brian James it what was sadly to be his last ever live performance, Cheetah Chrome of The Dead Boys, Rat Scabies of The Damned and Dave Treganna of Lords of The New Church...

The Damned 50th Anniversary Show at Wembley Arena with The Loveless, Peter Hook & The Light and The Courettes

My first introduction to The Damned was watching them play "Love Song" on Top of The Pops as a kid back in 1979 and the first thing that hit me was that immense blast of a bass riff by Algy Ward. I got the album from where it came, “Machine Gun Etiquette”, and it still stands out as one of the very best Punk Rock LPs of all-time, certainly one of my favourites too. However, what came next was a big departure, not just with the line-up as Paul Gray from Eddie & The Hot Rods replaced Algy on the bass, but in the sheer scope of the songs on their next release, an ambitious double album entitled “The Black Album” which included the 17 minute Gothic masterpiece “Curtain Call”. I finally got to see them play live in 1981 at the Lyceum in London on the tour promoting the album, and I was totally blown away. I still think of that fantastic line-up of Dave Vanian, Captain Sensible, Rat Scabies and Paul Gray as 'my' Damned and "The Black Album", "Strawberries" and "The Friday 13th E.P." from that era are absolute classics. So, it was quite emotional to see that very same line-up on stage at the Wembley Arena to celebrate the band's 50th Anniversary with a setlist that featured many of the songs they played back at my first ever Damned gig! When the gig was announced I must admit to being disappointed to see they had chosen such an awful venue, I am not a big fan of such large soulless places, and I was in two minds whether to go or not. However, I didn’t want to regret missing out on such a special occasion and when I saw the superb support acts lined up, I snapped up a ticket. I must admit I was very pleased and relieved that I did, in the end it was a triumphant and hugely successful show despite my initial misgivings about the venue. At least I wasn’t the only one to dislike the place, even Captain Sensible held the same view, “I prefer the Hope & Anchor” he announced, “Wembley Arena is a big concrete shithole, but at least tonight it’s our big concrete shithole!” 

 

Dwarfed by a huge backdrop and screens showing some fantastic spooky graphics, the band opened with “Street of Dreams” from the “Phantasmagoria” album, (which ironically didn’t feature the Captain or Paul Gray) and then treated us to a first set that was an absolute treat for us “Black Album”/”Strawberries” generation of fans. The brilliant “Wait For The Blackout” was one of the highlights of the night for me and this was followed by the epic “History of The World (Part 1)” and an atmospheric “Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde” complete with old horror movie back projections. It’s a song that highlights Paul Gray’s immense bass playing, and the sound is spot on tonight so you can really appreciate his talents and wonder why he is such an underrated bassist. Maybe it’s because his playing didn’t define The Damned in the way that maybe JJ Burnel, Peter Hook (more on him later) and Jah Wobble did on their respective bands. Captain Sensible in his trademark beret, black and red stripey jumper (with the addition of an oversized ‘50’ badge) and Gibson SG guitar, looks as good as he sounds, defying the years, it’s hard to believe the band are celebrating their 50th year as he’s barely changed since that first time I saw him. We then get two tracks from “Strawberries”, the brilliant, soulful “Stranger On The Town” is an absolute delight that gets the crowd moving and the Psychedelic Pop strains of “Under The Floor Again” is an unexpected gem. Dave moans about Su Pollard keeping “Eloise” off the top of the charts, I’m not a big fan of the song but I guess it has to be included as it was their biggest hit, and I guess an entry point for a lot of new fans at the time. 

The band remind us that it’s not all about nostalgia and that they are still releasing new material with “Wake The Dead” from the 2023 “Darkedelic” album. Personally, I think the band were rejuvenated when Paul Gray re-joined and they released the brilliant “Rockfield Files” E.P. and it got me interested in their new material again. It was a similar situation when Baz Warne took on lead vocals with The Stranglers and the quality of their music and live performances shot up to another level and seemed to re-energize the band, and their fans. Captain takes over on lead vocals for the whimsical “Life Goes On” underpinned by another superb Paul Gray bassline that I’m sure Nirvana pilfered for “Come As You Are” and the pure pop of “Is It A Dream?” are pointers that The Damned weren’t always just about Anarchy, Chaos and Destruction, we’ll save those traits for the second set. My love of “Machine Gun Etiquette” is rewarded by “I Just Can’t Be Happy Today” which highlights the skills of keyboard player Monty Oxymoron who has now become an integral part of the band, “Hurry up Beethoven”, Dave jokes with him at one point. The first set draws to a close with the classic “Smash It Up Parts 1 & 2” after which the band retire for a short interval, and we are kept entertained while we wait by the Pearl and Dean music and loads of old nostalgic TV adverts.

 

The band return for a second set and take no prisoners with a far Punkier selection of songs, the back projection shows a clip of the band’s appearance on the classic comedy show The Young Ones and we get the rush of “Nasty”, which is a fantastic and unexpected surprise. That awesome bass intro of “Love Song” is like a rush of adrenaline and that’s followed by the blistering “Machine Gun Etiquette/Second Time Around” which almost careers off the rails. Despite missing his cue on occasion and some dodgy Elvis style hip swings, Dave Vanian is in fine form, starting off in trilby, black mask and long black coat, there must be a Dorian Gray style portrait hanging up in his loft, as he is defying the years like his bandmates. Rat Scabies proves that he is one of the best drummers to have come out of the Punk explosion and it’s so great that he is back in the line-up where he belongs. Dave pays tribute to Brian James and also to Algy Ward and Bryn Merrick which is a nice touch, and they slam into “Fan Club” from the debut album. 

I’m over the moon as next up they play what could well be my all-time favourite Damned track, “Disco Man” from what must be the best ever 4-song E.P. of all time “The Friday 13th E.P.” and I can feel a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye. It’s impossible for a band to satisfy everyone, especially one that’s been going for 50 years with such an immense back catalogue, but I think they got the setlist just about right. After all, if every fan submitted their ideal setlist, I’m sure every single one would be different! Also, we already had the special treat of the original line-up reunion with Brian James at the Hammersmith Apollo, so they could be forgiven for missing a lot of the early material. Personally, as it was their 50th anniversary, I would have liked to have heard “Problem Child” or “Stretcher Case”, but I was happy that I got a fair few of my favourite songs. Talking of favourite songs, “Ignite”, the opening track from “Strawberries” was incendiary, if you pardon the pun, and it turned into an immense call and response singalong with the crowd. The classic “Neat, Neat, Neat” sparked off some mosh pit action but then the mood changed for the epic, cinematic classic “Curtain Call”, a duo of songs that couldn’t highlight the scope of The Damned’s musically ambitious eclecticism any better. Of course, the set closes with “New Rose”, that very first Punk single released in 1976, fifty years ago. I’ll say that again, fifty bloody years ago, hard to believe it when the band you are watching are looking and sounding as fresh, energetic and vital as ever. Let’s hope for a few more birthday celebrations to come.

I mentioned earlier that one of the reasons I decided to go was the great line-up that didn’t just consist of the usual Punk bands that I was expecting. The Loveless is Marc Almond’s fun Rock ‘n’ Roll side project and they played a great set mainly consisting of covers with a couple of originals thrown in. They had that down and dirty sound down to a tee and some highlights included takes on 13th Floor Elevators “You’re Gonna Miss Me” and a rousing, Glamtastic “Hell Raiser” by The Sweet. Guitarist Neal X was in top form and the version of his old band Sigue Sigue Sputnik’s “Love Missile F1-11” really worked. As did, Soft Cell’s classic cover “Tainted Love” which was out of this world played in the Rock ‘n’ Roll format. Marc Almond’s voice was fantastic, and he really seemed to enjoy fronting this excellent band.

 

Peter Hook & The Light also delighted the crowd with their set of Joy Division numbers that all sounded immense. The band were formed out of the ashes of Hook’s own Monaco with the addition of his son Jack on second bass, in fact Jack seemed to carry most of the burden, playing more than his Dad, who concentrates on singing, legs wide in familiar pose. Hooky, who’s wearing an Oasis T-Shirt featuring one of my Retro Man Blog colleague Paul Slattery’s photos, has such charisma that he seems to shrink the size of Wembley Arena, and Joy Division’s icy songs flourished in the environment. Talking of T-Shirts, guitarist David Potts is wearing one featuring the cover of The Damned’s “Friday The 13th EP” and he said he was chuffed to bits to be on the same bill as one of his favourite bands, it was a nice touch. We get a superb selection of songs such as “Transmission”, “Disorder”, “Shadowplay” and “Ceremony”, which was the Joy Division song that crossed over to New Order and inevitably, the set closed with “Love Will Tear Us Apart” and the crowd sang their hearts out.

 

Opening up the night were one of our Blog favourites, the Brazilian/Danish duo The Courettes, and I must admit I was a little worried about how they would fare in the cavernous Arena. But I needn’t have been concerned, and I was so pleased for Martin and Flavia that they went down so well despite the extremely early start. In the end they owned the huge stage of the Arena, it was certainly a far cry from the first time I saw them at the Fiddlers Elbow in Camden, but Flavia’s electric presence and Martin’s dynamic drumming style, more than compensated for the huge empty space around them. Of course, having such memorable and timeless songs helps and their trademark wall of sound, bubble-gum harmonies and fuzzed up riffs really endeared them to the thankfully, quite large crowd that were there early enough to see them play. “Boom! Dynamite!” was a real highlight with Flavia machine-gunning the crowd with her vintage guitar and “Hop The Twig” with its Cramps style intro went down a storm and I’m sure they gained a whole bunch of new fans. So, overall it was a superb night and I must admit that the sound and lighting at the venue were excellent, it was loud and powerful even from where I was sitting at the side of the stage, but I don’t think I will attend many more Arena sized shows, as just like the Captain, my heart is at The Hope & Anchor.

 

You can see more videos from the show at our Retromanblog65 YouTube channel here. Also, don't forget our thoroughly entertaining Retrosonic Podcast with Flavia and Martin from The Courettes, which can be found at our Soundcloud archive here.

Retrosonic Podcast · Presenting the fabulous Courettes

Paul Gorman "London Calling: The Clash In The Capital" A New Map of the Band's London Landmarks

We went along to the Showroom Gallery to see author, music journalist and cultural commentator, Paul Gorman discussing his excellent new annotated map "London Calling: The Clash In The Capital" at a launch party hosted by the gallery owner Andrew Renton. Situated just off the Edgware Road in the heart of "Clash country", a stone's throw from the Westway, it's the perfect location for the pair to cover just a few of the 130 landmarks relating to The Clash that are featured in the map. Some of these included the nearby Joe Strummer Subway where one of Mick Jones' early Rock & Roll Public Library exhibitions was held and the DHSS office on Praed Street close to Paddington Station where Mick worked during the height of the IRA's mainland bombing campaign, a stint that inspired the line "I won't open a letter bomb for you" in the classic "Career Opportunities". Also on Praed Street was the basement where the pre-Punk London SS held auditions that saw various luminaries try their luck for a place in the line-up including Tony James, Mick, Rat Scabies, Terry Chimes and Brian James. The London SS never actually got to play a gig but the various budding musicians did go on to form bands such as The Damned, Chelsea, Generation X, The Boys and of course The Clash. There's the story of Joe Strummer in the queue to collect his dole money at the Lisson Grove Labour Exchange noticing two guys furtively looking at him. He thinks they are going to beat him up but it was just Paul Simonon and Mick Jones plucking up the courage to go and talk to Joe after seeing his band The 101'ers with the intention of inviting him to join their band. 

Paul and Andrew discussed the proliferation of abandoned and derelict buildings in the area at the time, many of which had still not been renovated after the war. This enabled students, artists and musicians to squat in these often large houses and this active scene spawned Joe's Pub Rock band The 101'ers, named after their squat at 101 Walterton Road. Joe also shared a squat with Sex Pistols roadie John Tiberi in nearby Daventry Street which now boasts an English Heritage Blue Plaque. The pair also talk about the gentrification of London, with areas such as Notting Hill which used to be run down, now only being affordable to millionaires. Some more locations included Mick's Gran's 18th floor flat in the high-rise Wilmcote House where Mick would look down from the balcony onto the lights and traffic of the Westway below. This would inspire the line "up and down the Westway, in and out the lights, what a great traffic system - it's so bright" in "London's Burning". Of course there are more iconic locations covered in the map such as the Hammersmith Palais where Joe and Don Letts attended a tension-filled Reggae all-nighter which was to lead to one of The Clash's best moments, "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais". There's the Camden Stables Market, home of the band's "rehearsal rehearsals" practice space and site of the infamous pigeon shooting escapade. Of course, there's also legendary venues such as the 100 Club on Oxford Circus and the Roxy Club on Covent Garden's Neal Street where the band made some of their earliest appearances. That's just a few of the locations covered in this superb, comprehensive round-up of London places that featured in The Clash's history. On our way back to Paddington station we made a quick stop at Paul Simonon's local, The Royal Exchange, which must boast one of the coolest pub signs around.

"London Calling: The Clash In The Capital" is designed by Scott Sugiuchi, who has also worked on album cover art for one of our favourite bands The Woggles, and comes with a postcard and London Calling stencil. It's published by Herb Lester Associates and is another addition to their fantastic collection of music-related maps that include London guides on David Bowie, Rolling Stones, Sex Pistols and Malcolm McLaren, all written by Paul Gorman. Then there are guides on The Velvet Underground and CBGB's era Punk in New York, Serge Gainsbourg in Paris and 1960's Los Angeles. You can order directly from Herb Lester here. Author Paul Gorman has written books on legendary Pop boutique Granny Takes A Trip, The Face magazine and biographies of Malcolm McLaren, Goldie, Barney Bubbles and Boy George and you can find out more information by visiting his Instagram site here.

Here's Paul Gorman discussing the map with David Hepworth and Mark Ellen for their excellent "A Word In Your Ear" Podcast.

Heavenly - Live at the Cowley Worker's Social Club Oxford and New Album "Highway To Heavenly"

We haven’t even got to British Summertime yet, but Skep Wax Records have already released an impressive hat-trick of LPs that I’m sure will be vying for top spot in our ‘best albums’ of the year list come December. The label, run by Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey from the recently re-ignited Heavenly, Talulah Gosh, Marine Research, The Catenary Wires (and more…) have put out fantastic records by former Dolly Mixture Rachel Love’s new band Railcard, featuring one of our favourite guitarists, Peter Momtchiloff, then there was Would-Be-Goods sublime “Tears Before Bedtime”, featuring Peter Momtchiloff, and now Heavenly’s very own out-of-this world comeback album “Highway To Heavenly”, featuring, yes you’ve guessed it Peter Momtchiloff! As I said recently in my feature on the brilliant Bizarro Promotions night at the Water Rats with Would-Be-Goods, Railcard and Helen McCookerybook, I have been on a Dolly Mixture binge since reading Debsey Wyke’s quite brilliant autobiography “Teenage Daydream” and seeing her at various events recently. I then found out about Railcard and when ordering their new compilation album from Skep Wax, discovered that Heavenly had also just released a brand-new album entitled “Highway to Heavenly”, their first for 30 years or so. I loved what I heard so ordered that from Skep Wax too and bloody hell, is it great! It’s short but perfectly formed, I don’t think I have heard such an immediate, impactful record for a long time, one listen and you’re hooked. I’ve often discussed with guests on my Retrosonic Podcast what constitutes a perfect album, and it’s rarer than you think, even from your very favourite bands or artist. Off the top of my head, I can think of a few such as “Rocket to Russia”, “Parallel Lines”, “Forever Changes”, “Grand Prix”, “Never Mind the Bollocks” but many other albums that I love have got some flaw or other. 

 

Be honest and think about albums that you would consider ‘perfect’ – ones where you can’t help but listen from Track 1 Side 1 all the way through to the very end without skipping a single song. Where the artwork, production and running order is faultless and where every track would make a perfect 7” single in its own right. Where each song burrows into your ear and sticks in your head after just one listen and you wonder if you’ve heard this all before in a previous life. Where you feel somehow different after listening to it, whether it makes you feel inspired, motivated, moved, emotional or just happy enough to jump around the living room with a tennis racket as a guitar, well “Highway to Heavenly” has all these things and more. After digesting the album, I was desperate to see the band play but was soon disappointed to find out that all the gigs I could have attended were sold out. But there was a stroke of luck as their gig in Oxford was moved to a bigger venue, and it gave us the chance to snap up tickets for the Cowley Worker’s Social Club on the outskirts of the band’s ‘hometown'. The venue was an old-school Phoenix Nights style social club, but it was spacious, the staff were friendly, drinks were reasonable and I happily noticed lots of seats for all of us old folks in the audience. But hang on, I then noticed there was a fair proportion of youngsters there. It was an all-ages gig, and it was refreshing to see so many young people in the audience, quite a few sporting Heavenly “Riot Twee” and “P.U.N.K. Girl” T-shirts. As the band appeared, I roused myself from my seat and made my way to the front of the stage and was suddenly surrounded by some enthusiastic teenagers who I soon discovered were singing along to all the songs, even the new ones, word perfect. Guitarist Peter Momtchillof was also impressed, looking on intriguingly he even asked a bunch of excitable youngsters gathered in front of him “how do you know all the words, the album’s only been out for 2 weeks?!” 

Heavenly seem to have a struck a chord with a younger audience, apparently due to the video for “P.U.N.K. Girl” going viral here and in the States. But I guess it could also be down to Heavenly’s all-inclusive, D.I.Y. ethic and of being embraced by the Riot-Grrrl movement. There’s also the legacy stretching back to Heavenly’s forerunner, Talulah Gosh, who it could be said were one of the key acts of the 80’s ‘C-86 scene’ that set the template for countless Indie-Pop bands to follow. Whereas contemporaries like the Jesus & Mary Chain took to the dark side and out-fuzzed and out-feedbacked everyone else, Talulah Gosh and their like basked in the sunnier side of 60’s influenced Pop married with buzzing guitars. That lineage might stretch to The Velvet Underground to Buzzcocks to Dolly Mixture to The Pastels to The Smiths, bands that were ideal for lovestruck, confused, inquisitive teenagers to take inspiration from. Whether that might be in the lyrical content, of finding out you are not alone in the world or in the good old Punk maxim “anyone can form a band”. Heavenly are still continuing in that tradition and a good example of this is in tonight’s opening number, the fantastic new single “Portland Town” with its lyrical wish to be able to live your life how you want, on your own terms and not be bound by what society might deem as acceptable. It’s kind of naïve of course, but why not? In these increasingly confrontational and negative times with too much cultural dumbing down, a lack of funding for the arts and venues closing left, right and centre - why not wish for a better and more positive place? “Conformity stinks, creativity’s free” sings Amelia and I think to myself, maybe that’s a great slogan for a new Heavenly T-Shirt. 

 

 

The band, comprising Amelia on vocals and guitar complete with a “Hey Ho, Let’s Go” sticker, Rob on bass, Peter Momtchiloff on guitar, Cathy Rogers on keyboards and vocals and Ian Button behind the drums, take the stage and you can sense a huge collective smile emanate from the crowd. They proceed to play a set comprising most of the new album but peppered with some older numbers, a pick from all their previous releases except 1991’s “Heavenly Vs. Satan” for some reason. We get “Sperm Meets Egg, So What?”, “Me And My Madness” and “She And Me” from “The Decline and Fall of Heavenly” and “Our Love Is Heavenly” from “Le Jardin de Heavenly”. My smile gets wider when they play one of my favourites, “Space Manatee” from 1996’s “Operation Heavenly” which reminds me of Pixies with Rob’s bass line taking the lead and some splendid guitar work from Peter. Amelia’s brother and original Heavenly drummer, Matthew, sadly died just before the release of “Operation Heavenly” after which they decided they just couldn’t continue the Heavenly name without him. It meant that sadly this excellent album had an understandably low-key release, and Amelia writes about this difficult time in the updated sleeve notes booklet included with the Skep Wax reissue. 

In fact, it was the communications around the idea to reissue the Heavenly back-catalogue on Skep Wax and the excellent Damaged Goods Records releasing a singles compilation, that was to lead to the reunion. This was initially meant to be just a one-off gig at Bush Hall in London with Ian Button from Rob and Amelia’s project The Catenary Wires, on drums. However, this soon snowballed into more gigs which led onto new songs which would eventually find their way onto “Highway to Heavenly”, their first release since the afore-mentioned “Operation Heavenly”. The songs from the new album played tonight go down really well, as I said earlier, they are immediate and laden with catchy hooks and gorgeous harmonies shared between Cathy and Amelia. The up-tempo “Excuse Me” is excellent in a Buzzcocks kind of way, “Good Times” starts off as a swaying, beautiful Phil Spector style number before bursting into a stellar chorus. The self-referential “Skep Wax” is another goodie, Amelia tells us it’s all about the positive power of music, and there’s one of the album’s highlights “Scene Stealing” which tackles the worrying rise of on-line influencers. “Press Return” has a pulsating synth line reminiscent of Pulp, it’s superb and I realised it’s almost impossible to pick a favourite track from the album, they are all so good.

 

I’ll digress slightly and get onto a couple tracks from the new album that they didn’t play tonight. I was a bit disappointed they missed out “She Is The One” as I love the way the beautiful melodies soar. It’s a masterclass in dual-vocals, reminding me of the chemistry between Belinda Carlisle and Jane Wiedlin in The Go-Go’s back in their prime. And then the album closer “That Last Night” starts with an upbeat tune which initially disguises the serious subject matter of dementia, loss and grief, “when we saw you that last day, we wondered if you knew that we were even there” is heartbreaking, and as someone who has a parent suffering from Alzheimer's, it is comforting knowing that this terribly distressing illness is being talked about. Amelia sings about embracing the happy memories, with one scene bordering on an irreverent Dave Allen TV sketch, involving a wheelchair accident in a church. But then a crunching, discordant chord interrupts proceedings to remind you of the seriousness of the situation. The song ends on a plaintive note “and did I do all that I could?” It’s a haunting end to the album that shows the real depth to Heavenly, they are not just there for the innocent days of youth but they’re facing up to the realities of our generation too.

Back to the show and the oldies “P.U.N.K. Girl” and “Atta Girl” are superb, with everyone around me joining in on a mass sing-along, a brilliant end to a quite wonderful set. The band just had to return for an encore, but Amelia took the stage alone, guitar in hand and apologised to her Heavenly bandmates before playing a solo rendition of Talulah Gosh’s “Beatnik Boy”. This was thanks to someone in the crowd requesting a dedication to his mum and as it was Mother’s Day the day after, I guess Amelia couldn’t refuse. The rest of the band then returned, Amelia put down her guitar to dance, and they played “C Is the Heavenly Number” which went down a storm. All the band members hung around for quite some time after the show to happily sign merchandise and chat to fans. I saw one comment on the band’s social media from another mum saying how happy her 13-year-old daughter was that Amelia took the time to chat and sign her records. It’s these little things that mean a lot and can guarantee another Heavenly fan for life. You can’t beat being amongst a friendly crowd on a night of joyous, life-affirming live music and Heavenly delivered the perfect tonic to all the bad news swirling around at the moment.

You can read about the recent Would-Be-Goods, Railcard and Helen McCookerybook gig at the Water Rats in our Retro Man Blog feature here, which drew a crowd packed with Indie-Pop and Punk celebrities including Lester Square and Dave Morgan from The Monochrome Set, Pete Astor from The Loft and The Weather Prophets, Jon Klein from Specimen and Siouxsie & The Banshees, Ian Greensmith and Bob Collins from The Dentists, Debsey from Dolly Mixture and Gaye Black from The Adverts. Our feature on the Dolly Mixture movie screening and Debsey’s Q&A with author Daniel Rachel can be found here. More videos from these events and from Heavenly’s Oxford show can be seen at our Retromanblog65 YouTube channel here, you can subscribe for free to access our whole archive of all-original live videos. For more information on related bands and labels please check out the links below.

Heavenly

Skep Wax Records

 The Catenary Wires

Would-Be-Goods

Railcard

The Penrose Web

Swansea Sound 

Bizarro Promotions

Damaged Goods Records

 All photos and videos copyright Retro Man Blog 2026