Introducing: The SuperMinx'70

The SuperMinx '70 have just emerged from the studio with four brand spanking new tracks - their first recordings actually, and rather good they are too. The tracks are "Farringdon's Finest" which was co-written by Alan May, the DJ at Retro Man Blog's favourite radio show, Glory Boy, which goes out live at 7pm every Sunday on 6Towns Radio, "Adrienne Posta", "What Would You Change?" and "Jeffrey's Song". I first saw the band play at D.J. and man-about-town, Jeff Munday's, birthday party earlier this year and I was really impressed. The thing is, they were really hard to describe, sometimes a nightmare when you're trying to review a band, but this is what struck me at the time. "It was my first time to see The SuperMinx '70 and they were a pleasant surprise - off stage I'd always seen singer and guitarist Paul Osborn dressed to the nines, perfectly suited and booted, so I was expecting their sound to be more of the Mod persuasion. However, the band are refreshingly different - on stage Paul was more casual - wearing a Mott The Hoople T-Shirt that gives a slight clue to their sound. They play brash South London street-tough tunes nicely augmented by Sax and Trumpet. There's hints of the rougher bovver-boot end of British Glam Rock such as The Hollywood Brats and Jook. If you've ever heard the early demos of the Sex Pistols where Glen Matlock plays his melodic bass lines then you might get an idea where SuperMinx are coming from. Paul's a great singer and his lyrics are also original and amusing".

The SuperMinx'70 - Photo by Steve Worrall

Get a good feel for the band by checking out their list of "interests": Nice clothes; Waltzers; Adrienne Posta; Candy-floss; Adam Faith in 'Budgie'; David Essex in 'That'll Be The Day' and 'Stardust'; Football; Novels by David Lodge, Kingsley Amis and Malcolm Bradbury; Black Forest Gateaux; Six Million Dollar Man; The Ipcress Files; The Likely Lads; Curly Wurly bars; Port and Stilton; Mott the Hoople; David Bowie; The 12 Bar Club; Late night drinking and cheap minicabs home...

The SuperMinx'70 - Photo by Steve Worrall

Paul R Osborn (Vocals & Guitar) was in The Peppermint Airgun with Carl Eugene Picot (Dave Kusworth/Nikki Sudden) in the early Eighties playing Psychedelic Pop and gigging with PWEI and The Wonderstuff. In the late Eighties his band The Overself, part of the Rugby Town scene along with the Spacemen3 and The Guaranteed Ugly, released the drone E.P. "Watchmen/Wings" and "Upsidedowntownthing", also appearing on the "Ahimsa" compilation album. Paul then gave up music for 15 years until Rob Symmons (Subway Sect/Fallen Leaves) advised him to start another band and so, suitably inspired he did just that and in 2012 he started The SuperMinx'70. Tom Slatter (Bass & Vocals) is a well known solo artist on the Steampunk circuit playing folk-prog and with his brother Joe produces independent videos. Matthew Irvin (Lead Guitar) is a painter who produced backdrops for Led Zeppelin and worked on the gold statue of Freddie Mercury in Tottenham Court Road, he was previously in North London avant-punk surrealists, The Twits. Drummer Johnny 'Bam Bam' Birdiani is a 'businessman' from Bromley with interests across South London, he recently took up drumming. Joe Squatt who plays Sax, Trumpet and Keyboards is a very talented young musician.

Here's one of their new tracks, if you like it, head on over to their Facebook page and hit "Like"...

The SuperMinx '70 will be playing at The Fighting Cocks in Kingston on June 14th with The WitchDoktors and The Bermondsey Joyriders, more details can be found here.