Bobbie Dazzle at The Lower Third, London October 24th by David Leach

Once upon a time a review in the Melody Maker or a few listens to a new artist on late night BBC Radio 1 were enough for me to think about attending a gig. Nowadays in an age of a more fragmented media it's a sponsored Facebook advert for a new artist that brings me out to a gig in Central London. First, a little bit about the location. I used to come here not so long ago when it was the ‘12 Bar Club’, an iconic, small ‘spit and sawdust’ Rock and Roll venue that hosted mainly Punk bands. Its closure was met with understandable dismay as it went hand in hand with the gentrification of the whole area and there was a genuine feeling by many that a part of ‘Old London’ had been erased. The venue is now reopened, refurbished and renamed as ‘The Lower Third’ and has a very different appearance and ‘vibe’ to the 12 Bar. I'm guessing the name is a reference to the early David Bowie band name. Initial impression is it’s a very smart looking venue and the upgrade is actually really good - the original ‘12 Bar’ music room was built around an ancient forge, which now forms the smaller upstairs music hall while you have to go down a flight of stairs of Wetherspoons proportions to get to the newly created main venue where I am attending tonight's show. Bobbie Dazzle is the artists name and she and the musicians in her band hail from the Midlands, an area known for great Rock bands such as Slade, Wizzard, ELO and Black Sabbath. Musically, the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree and it's not an exaggeration to say they give all those great bands a run for their money during tonight's performance which features a set mainly consisting of their 2024 debut LP "Fandabidozi" plus both tracks from new single "Spotlight". 

Set opener "Flowers on Mars" makes me immediately realise that it was a great decision to dive further into that Facebook advert. Bobbie’s powerful rock vocal is an immediate attention grabber with the fabulous chorus (which becomes a theme) putting me in mind of the 5th Dimension's "Aquarius", the song pounds along with some great guitar flourishes and keyboard runs; it’s more Psychedelic Pop Rock than the advertised Glam Rock but rather wonderful all the same. We are hit with more and more ear worm rock tunes - "Merry-Go-Round' (another great chorus) has flashes of ‘Prog’ in its construction and a rather fetching flute solo from Bobbie herself. The music has many influences that work side by side with one another without getting in each other's way, the Glam Rock vibe doesn't feel forced or awkward or indeed a pastiche or a micky take, it feels genuine, cool and original. "Back to the City" (another great chorus) is the closest tonight gets to Glam Rock with the call and repeat nature of the chorus getting stuck in the brain - real ABBA vibes with this one and the same again with "Magic of Music" (another great and rather grand chorus) which Benny and Bjorn would have been proud of….which is funny as not long afterwards they throw in an ABBA cover, "Watch Out". 

 

Bobbie announces the end of the hour-long show by saying they've played all their songs, but to expect a new album in the new year. She follows this by explaining the process behind her writing the last song of the set "Lightning Fantasy"; finding a page of lyrics written by her late father amongst his record collection, she has worked his words into this song which kicks off like Motorhead and stays at the same pace throughout while highlighting Bobbie's soaring vocals. It's a powerful and spectacular show closer. Whilst it's fair to say Bobbie is the focal point of the show, her band were fantastic, putting in a tight dynamic and versatile performance. All that remained for me to do was to purchase the new single "Spotlight" and say a few words of praise for such a great show to Bobbie on the way out while she signed it. It was great to see a ‘busy’ venue for what turns out to be Bobbie Dazzle's first headlining gig in London, and I suspect that she and her band will be a ‘hot ticket’ in an even busier venue when they return.   

- Words, video and live photos by David Leach, October 2025

For more information on Bobbie Dazzle, please check out their official web-site here.

Glen Matlock "I Was A Teenage Sex Pistol" Documentary Screening and Q&A at The Barbican Centre, Thursday October 23rd

Last night, we went along to the first screening of the new Glen Matlock documentary "I Was A Teenage Sex Pistol" at the Barbican Centre, part of the excellent Doc 'n' Roll Film Festival. The movie was followed by a Q&A session with Glen and directors, Nick Mead and Andre Relis being interviewed and taking questions from the audience. The documentary is based on Glen's memoir "I Was A Teenage Sex Pistol", telling his often overlooked side of the story, his part in the formation of the Pistols and his contribution to the song-writing of many of those classic tracks. Glen explains how he got to work with Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood in their Kings Road store Let It Rock which would evolve into a hangout for disaffected local youth including Steve Jones and Paul Cook. He explains how the Pistols got together and the personal dynamics that made the band so unique. More poignantly he discusses the negative impact of the infamous appearance on the Bill Grundy TV show and the frustration he felt in not being able to get out there and play, which was always his priority. 

Chris Musto, Neal X from Glen's band, Glen and Kathy Valentine from The Go-Go's

 

The machinations going on behind his back to get John Lydon's mate Sid Vicious in to replace him and Malcolm's preposterous press release to say he had been sacked for "liking the Beatles" is something that clearly still rankles. I guess his book and this movie must go someway to putting those demons to rest and he also busts some long standing myths about his relationships with Sid, his bandmates and manager. Although of course the movie concentrates on the Pistols, it does touch on his musical career after he left the band such as his time with The Rich Kids, touring with Iggy Pop and Blondie and his solo music too. "I Was A Teenage Sex Pistol" paints a picture of a man who basically just wants to get out there and play, to experience the shared joy of performing and writing music with like-minded people. Throughout the movie there are enlightening interviews with some impressive guests including Steve Jones, Paul Cook, Billy Idol, Debbie Harry, Chris Stein and Clem Burke, Dead Boys guitarist Cheetah Chrome, Kenney Jones from The Who and Neal X. In fact Neal was there at the screening along with drummer Chris Musto, both from Glen's current band. Also in attendance were Kathy Valentine from The Go-Go's, Billy Doherty from The Undertones and Tony Major from The WitchDoktors.

For more info on the Doc 'n' Roll Film Festival please check out their web-site here. For news and information on Glen Matlock's current recordings and gigs etc. please check out his official web-site. You can see a feature on his superb gig at The 100 Club in London earlier this year with Kathy Valentine supporting in our Blog archive here.

Picture This: A Public Image - Punk, New Wave & 2-Tone in L.A. 1978-80 - Exhibition and Book featuring the photos of Spike Waltzer

We went down to Brighton to catch the last day of the excellent exhibition of Garageland promoter Spike Waltzer's music photography at Gallery 40. Originally from Brooklyn in New York, Spike moved to L.A. in 1975 where he studied photography and got snapped up by a photo agency, ending up working as a paparazzo. His direction was to change after a neighbour introduced him to Punk via The Clash's "Give 'em Enough Rope" album in 1978 and he was hooked. He started going to gigs at now legendary Hollywood venues such as the Whisky A Go Go, Roxy and The Starwood, seeing early shows by local bands such as X, Fear and The Go-Go's alongside other touring acts like Blondie and The Cramps. Spike also captured lots of British and Irish bands touring the States often for the first time, and he has some superb onstage and candid offstage photos of The Undertones, Stiff Little Fingers, The Clash, Public Image Ltd, The Specials, The Selecter and Madness. Spike's photos of these bands are superb, really capturing the excitement of the live scene in L.A. at the time and it's great to see so many previously unseen pics of some of my favourite acts.

Spike has collated the best of his photos in a brillant book "Picture This: A Public Image" which is well worth getting hold of. Please note that the exhibition has now closed but the good news is, due to the demand, they will be back at Gallery 40 from December 9th-13th, ideal for picking up some Xmas presents for those friends and family members with good taste in music and photography! There are plans for more showings in London, Manchester and hopefully more locations will be added in due course. In the meantime, the book, postcards and prints (framed or unframed) are still available to order, so for more information you can message Spike at the Garageland Facebook page here or email to jasebick at gmail.com

Patti Smith "Horses" 50th Anniversary at The London Palladium, Monday October 13th

Here are some photos and videos of Patti Smith's fantastic show at the London Palladium, part of her tour celebrating the 50th anniversary of her classic, hugely influential album "Horses". We saw the second of two nights from the Royal Circle balcony which meant I couldn't take many decent photos or videos, but I'm pleased I could capture a few moments from a truly magical evening. Joining Patti were her original longtime partner in crime Lenny Kaye, her son Jackson on guitar and bass and Tony Shanahan on bass and keyboards. Unfortunately, drummer Jay Dee Daugherty who played on "Horses" couldn't make the Monday night show which was a shame, but his stand-in for the night did a superb job. Patti looks amazing and her unmistakable voice has lost nothing over the years, she is in fine form. She switches between good humoured chat with the crowd and blistering put-downs of Trump and the genocide in Palestine. She tells us stories of her first meeting with Jimi Hendrix and of strange dreams about Jim Morrison which influence her songwriting. 

 

Patti also has some fun with an inebriated audience member who wants to get up on stage to dance "I get paid to be up here" and once he has calmed down, "there's always one at every gig!" Of course, we get treated to the whole of "Horses" from those spine-tingling opening words "Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine" that heralds the beginning of their cover of Van Morrison and Them's "Gloria" through all eight of the original album's tracks. I think the Reggae stylings of "Redondo Beach" work much better live and the slow burning "Free Money" is immense as it builds to a raucous ending. I've always had a soft spot for "Kimberly" even though some people think it's a bit lightweight next to such emotionally raw companion pieces as "Break It Up". 

 

The album running order is changed so they can end the main set with a blistering freak-out of "Land" which was a great decision as it gets the hugely appreciative, adoring audience to their feet. For the second set, the band return to the stage minus Patti and play a medley of three Television songs from "Marquee Moon" which although they sounded great, in all honesty I'd rather have had another song or two with Patti. She returns in familiar white T-shirt and black waistcoat for her version of The Byrds "So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star" then it was probably her most well known number, the Springsteen collaboration "Because The Night" which of course turned into a massive singalong. Next up was my personal highlight, a truly stunning "Dancing Barefoot" from "Wave" and then Patti introduced her friend Johnny Depp on guitar and her daughter Jesse on piano for the encore of "People Have The Power". This was much more than just a gig, it was a truly special experience that will live on long in the memory.

For more info check out the official Patti Smith web-site here.

All photos and videos copyright Retro Man Blog 2025

Groovy Uncle "The Dealbreaker" - Amy K-B on Glenn Prangnell's Final Groovy Uncle Release

All good things must come to an end, and it seems that Groovy Uncle is no exception. After 15 years and 14 albums, singer songwriter Glenn Prangnell is hanging up his guitar, although this won't be the last we hear from him. I spoke to Glenn about the 14th and final Groovy Uncle album, "The Dealbreaker", about Groovy Uncle in general and the virtues of DIY album production. Groovy Uncle, as fans already know, came into being in 2011 with "Play Something We Know". After the breakup of Goodchilde, Glenn's former bandmates all had their own projects to work on, and although he felt no inclination to play live, he did want to keep making music, leading to meeting Suzi Chunk on Myspace and writing for her on "Girl From The Neck Down". Glenn told me there was never a plan for Groovy Uncle to be as long lasting as it became, and the intention was just to make music, which gradually snowballed into further albums. Obviously with such a huge catalogue of work to choose from there are going to be favourites, and Glenn admits to having a soft spot for "Persuaded", partly for the songs and partly for how much fun the album was to make. 

 

In the years since Groovy Uncle started, there have been a huge supporting cast of musicians involved, usually all recording together, but the restrictions of the pandemic led to Glenn taking a more DIY approach on the last few albums, and for "The Dealbreaker" he's on his own, apart from guest vocals from Jane Wrangham on "Deja Vu", backing vocals from regular collaborator Jules Winchester and spoken word from James Worse, who fans will remember from "A Clip Round The Ear's" "Oil and Colour Man". I asked if there was a slight element of showing off in playing everything himself, which got a wry chuckle 'yeah, a little bit'. Glenn told me the DIY approach pushed him to work harder at the elements that he doesn't usually do, and the end result is a very polished, intricate album. "The Dealbreaker" is not a 'standard' Groovy Uncle album, whatever that may be. It was originally intended to be darkly funny, but just became pretty dark, although there are flickers of trademark humour. Written between October 2024 and September 2025, there is a strong political influence to some tracks, and a general reflection on the mood of society. It's a bit angry, a bit reflective and decidedly thoughtful. The lyrics to "I Soldier On" are especially poignant; 'it's not much of a leap from a day without care to a night without sleep', and "On A Sixpence" riffs on the uncertainty of life. The instrumentals groove along nicely, with a particularly authentic Sixties bass sound on "Escape Goat", and there's a slightly spooky feel to some of the tracks, inspired by experimental arrangements recorded with Jane Wrangham. "You Are Loved" stands out as more of a classic Groovy Uncle track, a reassuring ballad that feels like an auditory hug. 

 

 

 

"Sixty Odd Years" (double meaning intended ) closes out the album as a look back, but reassures us that Glenn's not done yet, and although this may be the end of Groovy Uncle there is still more music to come. I asked Glenn why he's decided to call time on the project, and much of it comes down to the financial side of making and selling physical records, but he also explained that any future projects will be free from the idea of what a Groovy Uncle album should sound like. Because of the breadth of genres Glenn covers, I've never really thought that there was a particular blueprint, but he's right; we expect a bit of those powerhouse singers Suzi Chunk and Miss Modus, some witty wordplay, soaring strings, poignancy and a sprinkling of nostalgia. Where's he going to go next? Physical records are off the table for now, but there may be downloads, and there is a very wide ranging selection of covers on the way. Glenn told me that he views writing songs in much the same way as John Lennon did; a series of postcards from where you are now. 'After all, what's the point in having a mind if you can't change it?' Wherever his musical travels take him next, I'm sure we'll be in for a treat. 

- Amy K-B, October 2025

 

You can buy the CD or Download of "The Dealbreaker" and more goodies from the Groovy Uncle back-catalagoue at their Bandcamp site here. You can check out our previous features on Groovy Uncle in our Blog archive here. Album cover artwork by Darryl Hartley.