The Crystal Teardrop, The Jack Cades & The Embrooks at the Alice In Wonderland Psychedelic Summer Shindig, Water Rats London Aug 15th

Here's a selection of photos and videos from a great Alice In Wonderland Psychedelic Summer Shindig at The Water Rats in London's Kings Cross featuring three superb bands The Crystal Teardrop, The Jack Cades and The Embrooks that are right up Retro Man Blog's street. It seems that recently Christian, from the legendary 80's Psychedelic club has started putting on shows again, I remember it used to be held at Gossip's in Soho (the same club that also housed The Batcave) and Clive the singer from Dr. & The Medics was a regular DJ. We'll definitely be keeping an eye out for future gigs and events, especially if they can attract such a great line-up of bands, all three headliners in their own right. The Embrooks' Psych-pop classics are always a joy to hear, it was just a shame I couldn't take any videos of their set. This was my first time to see the current Jack Cades since the departure of Mole and Alex, and as much as I loved that line-up, the new look JC's were on fire. They treated us to some fantastic sounding new songs from their forthcoming album that channelled their appreciation of The  Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Velvet Underground into memorable riffs and driving rhythms. This was my first ever time to see The Crystal Teardrop and I could quickly see why there is such a buzz about the band at the moment. They look great on stage, a blur of energy and in Alexandra Rose they have a charismatic and engaging frontwoman. The songs were impressive, I particularly liked their use of the electric sitar and I picked up a copy of their new album "The Crystal Teardrop Is Forming" which is a great listen. You can see more videos from the show over at our Retromanblog65 YouTube channel.

The Crystal Teardrop

 

 

The Jack Cades

 

The Embrooks

All photos and videos copyright Retro Man Blog 2025

Luke Haines & Peter Buck with The Minus 5 - Photos & Videos from The Barn Theatre Oxted, Aug 25th

The intriguing collaboration between The Auteurs frontman Luke Haines and Peter Buck from R.E.M. continues with a U.K. tour to promote their superb new album "Going Down To The River To Blow My Mind". We caught their show at The Barn Theatre in Oxted and they were backed by Scott McCaughey's Power Pop legends The Minus 5, the pair repaid the favour by joining the Minus 5 line-up for a cracking support slot, with Peter taking on bass duties and Luke on guitar and backing vocals. The Minus 5 are also challenging Luke and Peter for early contenders of Album of The Year as they are also promoting a fantastic new release entitled "Oar On, Penelope!" Here are some photos and videos from a memorable night...

Luke Haines & Peter Buck "Judy Chicago" at The Barn Theatre Oxted

Luke Haines & Peter Buck "56 Nervous Breakdowns" at The Barn Theatre Oxted

 The Minus 5 "Let The Rope Hold, Cassie Lee" at The Barn Theatre Oxted

The Minus 5 "I Don't Want To Hate Anyone" at The Barn Theatre Oxted

 

 

For more videos of both bands from the show, please check out our Retromanblog65 YouTube channel, you can subscribe for free to access our whole archive of original live music videos and podcasts. All photos and videos copyright Retro Man Blog 2025.