Retrosonic Podcast Episode 47 "This Is No Audition" with Special Guest, Rock Photographer Paul Slattery

Ronnie Mayor of The Tours/Da Biz - Photo by Paul Slattery

 

Welcome to Retrosonic Podcast Episode 47 where Steve is joined by Rock Photographer Paul Slattery to discuss "Retrospectively Yours", the excellent new compilation from Ronnie Mayor of The Tours, the criminally underrated, short-lived Power Pop/New Wave band who Paul first photographed and championed way back in 1979. There's a special feature on the album which highlights Ronnie's songwriting skills with The Tours and Da Biz and we pick a selection of songs from both bands. Steve talks about another great night of conversation at The Exchange in Twickenham hosted by Gary Crowley with his special guests Debsey Wykes from Dolly Mixture and Mick Talbot from The Style Council and we play a classic Dolly Mixture song. Then we have brand new releases from former bandmates in The Prisoners, Graham Day and Allan Crockford, Graham with his debut solo single and Allan with Sounds Incarcerated, the lockdown cover version project with Viv Bonsels. Then there's Autoramas, our favourite Space Age Garage Rockers from Brazil, some perfectly crafted modern day French Ye-Ye from Monsieur Paul et Les Solutions, there's the melodic Glasgow sound of Neil Sturgeon & The Infomaniacs and some blistering tuneful Punk Rock from Suzi Moon. Subscribe for free at Spotify, iTunes, Amazon music, MixCloud or direct from our SoundCloud site below:

 

Retrosonic Podcast · Episode 47 "This Is No Audition" with Rock Photographer Paul Slattery

 

Also in this episode, Paul tells us of the time he was kissed by Ronnie Spector and we have the photographic evidence to prove it as you can see below! Then he picks three of his favourite local bands from his time living in Boston including The J. Geils Band, Lyres and Duke & The Drivers. 

 

Paul in front of two of his iconic Smiths photos.

Paul also talks about a recent trip to Manchester and Stockport to see exhibitions featuring some of his iconic photos and picks a track by his favourite Mancunians, Howard Devoto and Magazine. "There's my Joy Division photos at The Stockport Museum where you can also see sound equipment used in the making of Joy Division's records. Here's some photos from the exhibition of Manchester Rock bands "There Is Light That Never Goes Out" which can be seen in the The Market, University Place, Manchester University, 176 Oxford Rd, Manchester M13 9QQ. In the photo of me with my two Oasis images there's also The Stone Roses by Kevin Cummins and Electronic by Steve Double."
 

 

 

Here Paul explains the early impact of Rock 'n' Roll on his life. "It must have been 1956 or '57. I was six but my neighbour Joe was a rocker and ten years older than me. He'd just got a new Dansette and he stacked up a load of his Elvis records for me to listen to. I'll never forget "Blue Moon of Kentucky" and after listening to that I knew somehow that rock and roll would play a major part in my life although at the time I didn't know actually quite how much that would be. It took me another couple of years before I bought my first Elvis record "Hound Dog" from saving my pocket money and doing odd jobs for neighbours and I bought records regularly after that. There was no pop music on the BBC and you had to listen to Radio Luxembourg if you wanted to hear anything that wasn't your mum and dad's era. My dad helped me string up an outside radio aerial so we could get a better Luxembourg signal. By 1960 we were listening to Elvis, the Shadows, Cliff Richard, Adam Faith, Duane Eddy and my favourite of the year must have been Johnny Preston's "Running Bear" the beat was just amazing. 1961 and '62 were more of the same although Billy Fury who I thought was so cool had crept in by then. So had the Everly Brothers, Chubby Checker, Ray Charles. My fave of 61 was John Leyton's "Johnny Remember Me" recorded in a bathroom by Joe Meek and my fave of '62 was Little Eva and "The Locomotion". 1963 though everything changed."

 

Ronnie Spector photographed by Paul Slattery

"For me it wasn't just The Beatles, I was just blown away by The Crystals. They were amazing cool black American girls with fantastic harmonies and a shimmy that was out of this world. "Da Doo Ron Ron" and "Then He Kissed Me" were scorchers. I was thirteen and thought these were the most amazing records I'd ever heard. I went straight down to the record shop and bought them. One early Saturday night in the autumn I was watching "Juke Box Jury" with the family on the telly, there was always a couple of good records played every week but when "Be My Baby" came on I was just blown away. I went out and bought the record the next day and played it over and over and over again. I couldn't get enough of it, I must have worn the stylus out playing that record. I noticed the same name on the record as on The Crystals records but Phil Spector wouldn't mean anything to me until I got a bit older. I saw the Ronettes later on the TV and loved them, and that record eventually became my favourite pop record of all time. A few years after I started my rock photography career I found out that Ronnie Spector was going to play a gig at the Venue in Victoria London so I just had to go and take pictures of Ronnie. Halfway through the gig I noticed Ronnie was looking right at me, she crouched down right next to me and let me take a photo of her and the next thing planted her lips firmly against mine with the tenderest of kisses. I couldn't believe it but it was recorded on film by fellow rock photographer David Corio, who got this amazing shot of me and Ronnie."

Ronnie Spector & Paul Slattery photographed by David Corio

"I was so sad when I heard about Ronnie's death recently as memories of  me first hearing "Be My Baby" and that gig at The Venue flooded back. There is a great Wiki article on "Be My Baby" here, I didn't know that The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson also loved this song, as you can read in this article he was obsessed with it. I always knew Brian Wilson and myself would be soul brothers!" Ronnie Spector images. One by me and the one of me and Ronnie kindly donated by David Corio. For more info on David Corio's  photography please check out his official web-site or Instagram.

 

Tracklisting 

(Please Click on the highlighted links for info on how you can buy the featured music)

Tracks 1-6 from "Retrospectively Yours" by Ronnie Mayor

1. Da Biz "Can't Wait Till The Summer Comes"

2. The Tours "Language School"

3. Da Biz "This Is No Audition"

4. The Tours "Foreign Girls"

5. The Tours "Imagination"

6. Da Biz "Driven To Tears"

7. Graham Day "You Lied To Me"

8. Autoramas "Sem Tempo"

9. Neil Sturgeon & The Infomaniacs "I Just Wasn't Being Myself" 

10. Sounds Incarcerated "The Real Thing"

11. J. Geils Band "First I Look At The Purse"

12. Duke & The Drivers "What You Got"

13. Lyres "How Do You Know?"

14. Dolly Mixture "How Come You're Such a Hit With The Boys, Jane?"

15. Suzi Moon "Gold Record Autograph"

16. Monsieur Paul et Les Solutions "Pourquoi, Pourquoi"

17. Magazine "The Light Pours Out of Me"

18. The Ronettes "Be My Baby"

With many thanks to Paul Slattery and David Corio for the excellent photographs, copyright as stated. Retrosonic Podcast has a valid PRS Licence. Subscribe for free at Spotify, MixCloud, Apple Podcasts, iTunes or SoundCloud. You can also follow Retro Man Blog on Facebook & Instagram

Retrosonic Podcast Episode 45 "Waking Up The Band" New Release Special with Wet Leg, The Bug Club, Jamie Perrett, Monkey, The Senior Service and More...

Podcover Photo by Roger Degerman

Happy Xmas and a big thank you to all Retro Man Blog and Retrosonic Podcast subscribers and listeners, we really do appreciate the support. After all, this is just a hobby to promote some of the fantastic bands, artists and independent record labels that are keeping us all entertained in these difficult times so your continued support is what makes it all worthwhile. Anyway, I sincerely hope you've enjoyed the music and hopefully you've discovered some new favourite bands along the way! So here's a little Xmas gift to say "thank you" - our latest Retrosonic Podcast which features 21 superb brand new and recent international releases from Brazil, Sweden, Wales, USA, Canada, Taiwan, UK, France and Japan with some previously unreleased exclusive songs as a little bonus especially for you. So pour yourself a drink, crank up the volume, sit back and enjoy some quality sounds from The Senior Service (feat. Rachel Lowrie), Wet Leg, The Bug Club, Jamie Perrett, Yufu, Les Envahisseurs, Howlin' Jaws, Los Pepes, The Galileo 7, Jetstream Pony, Stupidity (feat. Keith Streng of The Fleshtones), The Most, Cat & The Underdogs, Autoramas, Monkey (The Adicts frontman's solo project), Suzi Moon, The Heat Inc, Kuunatic, Keller Machine, AlterModerns and Sounds Incarcerated.

Retrosonic Podcast · Episode 45 "Waking Up The Band"

 Here's the full tracklisting - please click on the highlighted links to investigate further...

The Bug Club - "My Baby Loves Rock & Roll Music"

Yufu - "Bad Intentions" (Coral Collective/Sunset Rollercoaster)

Les Envahisseurs - "Invisible" (Exclusive unreleased track)

Jamie Perrett - "Angel of Santiago"

Howlin' Jaws - "Love Makes The World Go Round"

Wet Leg - "Wet Dream"

Los Pepes - "I Want You Back" (Black Wax Records)

The Senior Service (feat. Rachel Lowrie) - "If You're Not There" 

(Exclusive unreleased track courtesy Damaged Goods)

The Galileo 7 - "Ella" (Spinout Nuggets Records)

Jetstream Pony - "Seven Days" (Spinout Nuggets Records)

Stupidity (feat. Keith Streng of The Fleshtones) - "Waking Up The Band"

The Most - "Fighting Man" (Exclusive unreleased track)

Cat & The Underdogs - "Positive I.D."

Autoramas - "Dia Da Marmota"

Monkey (The Adicts frontman's debut solo record) - "Sharkbite" (Dr. Strange Records)

Suzi Moon - "I'm Not A Man"

The Heat Inc. - "Down In The City"

KUUNATIC - "Full Moon Spree" (Glitterbeat Records)

AlterModerns - "She's Not Yours"

Keller Machine - "(I'm In Love With A) Monster"

Sounds Incarcerated - "Space Xmas" 

Proceeds from Sounds Incarcerated's "Space Xmas" on Bandcamp go to Shelter U.K.

Additional Links:

Write Wyatt Blog (Beth from Jetstream Pony interview)

Monk's Junk (Monkey's Art web-site)

Nymphet Noodlers - The Story of one of Sweden's most influential yet underrated bands

This Episode's Cover Stars The Most photographed by Roger Degerman. Retrosonic Theme by Adam Donovan. Retrosonic Podcast has a valid PRS Licence. You can subscribe to Retrosonic Podcast for free at Spotify, Soundcloud, iTunes, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music or Mixcloud.

Retrosonic Podcast Episode 41 "Nosferatu Elegant Debauchery" featuring Baby Shakes, Oh! Gunquit, 5 Billion in Diamonds, Autoramas, The Len Price 3, Spizzenergi & More

Cover Star Wanda De Lullabies by Steve Vonlanthen

Welcome to "Nosferatu Elegant Debuchery", episode 41 of Retrosonic Podcast and it's another totally non-retro show featuring some more superb new music. As it's going to be our last episode of 2020 I'd like to say a huge thank you to all those who have contributed to the Retro Man Blog and Retrosonic Podcasts during this extremely tough year, in particular my colleague the 'legendary' Rock Photographer Paul Slattery, Ms Sheringham-Boom, Amy K-B, Mayumi and Adam Donovan. I still find it hard to believe that since the lockdown started in March, I've managed to release four whole episodes solely dedicated to brand new releases and I have nothing but the utmost respect and appreciation for all those Bands, Artists and DJ's that put aside the incredible disappointment of not being able to perform live and channelled it into some absolutely fantastic records and/or on-line broadcasts that kept us all entertained. Also, to the record companies such as Spinout Nuggets, Dimple Discs, Damaged Goods and many more that made a lot of the records possible. I also thoroughly enjoyed doing the twelve episodes of the Lockdown Lowdown series too and massive thanks to my very special guests, Damian O'Neill of The Undertones/That Petrol Emotion/The Everlasting Yeah, Mary, Judy & Claudia of Baby Shakes, Duncan Reid of The Boys/Big Heads, Raymond Gorman of That Petrol Emotion/The Everlasting Yeah, Buddy Ascott of The Chords/Fallen Leaves, Mike & Elsa from The Jack Cades, Leigh Heggarty of Ruts DC/The Price, Ian Person of The Soundtrack of Our Lives/Pablo Matisse, Allan Crockford & Viv Bonsels from The Galileo 7, Ian Greensmith of The Dentists/Armitage Shanks and DJ Jawa Jones of Wanita Music. All of the episodes are still available at our Soundcloud site here. I hope you enjoyed listening to them as much as I did making them. Actually, as the lockdown looks set to continue and I have lots more interesting special guests on the wait-list, I might well do some more episodes in the New Year. Finally, huge thanks and cheers to all the regular readers/subscribers/listeners to Retro Man Blog and Retrosonic Podcast, it is very much appreciated and I hope to see you at a gig somewhere, sometime in 2021. So, pour yourself a drink, turn up the volume, sit back and enjoy Episode 41!

Retrosonic Podcast · Episode 41 "Nosferatu Elegant Debauchery"

Track-listing

Groovy Uncle (featuring Miss Modus) "The Man Who Calls The Shots"

5 Billion in Diamonds (featuring Ebbot Lundberg) "Weight of The World"

Baby Shakes "Sweet & Sour"

Oh! Gunquit "Attack of The Killer Cranes"

Autoramas "Boneco"

The Len Price 3 "Weekend Hippies"

The In-Fuzzed "Lost Time Rock 'n' Roll"

The Ace "Nosferatu Seduction" 

Jetstream Pony "If Not Now, When?"

The Dupont Circles "Everywhere Girl"

OHMS "Horizon Lines"

Keller Machine "The Sink"

The Nettelles "You Lied To Me Before"

The Know Escape "The Eyes of Angel Blake"

Eileen Gogan & The Instructions "More Time"

Dragon Welding "Lights Behind The Eyes"

Hederosgruppen "Protokoll För Bohemer"

Mattias Bärjed "Jakten På en Mördare Intro"

Ian Person "Forever"

Jonny Magus & The Bursting Bubbles "Melody Delight"

Dirt Royal "Lose Our Way"

Human Toys "He Said Yeah"

The Folk Devils "Forever"

Spizzenergi "Christmas In Denmark Street"

Please click the highlighted link above to check out more information on the featured bands and more importantly, how to buy their lovely records. This episode's cover star Wanda De Lullabies photographed by Steve Vonlanthen. Title from "Nosferatu Seduction" by The Ace. Retrosonic Theme Tune by Adam Donovan. Retrosonic Podcast has a valid PRS Licence. You can subscribe to Retrosonic at Soundcloud, iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Mixcloud and we are now at Spotify - please subscribe/follow so you don't miss an episode!

Retrosonic Podcast Episode 38: Get Sa-Ni-Ti-Zin' - with The Parkinsons, BMX Bandits, Elephant Stone, Autoramas, Shack etc.

Photo (and mask) by Maki

In Episode 38 of Retrosonic Podcast, Steve from Retro Man Blog plays some great brand new and recent releases from the worlds of Garage Rock, Punk, Indie, Psych and Power Pop to help ease the Lockdown Blues. In this episode there's a look back at some of the gigs we did manage to attend so far this year and there are songs from Jah Wobble (featuring Keith Levene & Richard Dudanski from Public Image Ltd, Mark Stewart from The Pop Group and Youth from Killing Joke), Shack as Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band played this rare Shack song at Earth in Hackney, The Parkinsons, The Past Tense and Elephant Stone. Then there's more brand new releases from The Jack Cades, Alvin Gibbs & The Disobedient Servants, The Sanitizers, Martin Savage & The Jiggerz, The Veras, Palooka 5, The In-Fuzzed, Groovy Uncle and Goodbye Victory Road. There's a look back at our last proper night out at the Poor Cow bar in Tokyo before the Lockdown and a track from the owner's old band, Japanese Punk legends Teengenerate. Then, inspired by the superb "Teenage Superstars" documentary there's a couple of classics from BMX Bandits and The Shop Assistants. Finally, as it should have been our favourite event of the year, Hipsville-A-Go-Go down in Margate, there's one of the best bands we've seen at the Weekender over the years, Brazil's Autoramas. Anyway, here's the full track-listing, please click on the highlighted links below for more information on the relevant band, artist, record company, promoter etc.

THE SANITIZERS - "Sa-Ni-Ti-Zin' "

MARTIN SAVAGE & THE JIGGERZ - "This Broken Heart"

ALVIN GIBBS & THE DISOBEDIENT SERVANTS - "History"

AUTORAMAS - "Homem-Cliche" 

THE PARKINSONS - "Heavy Metal"
JAH WOBBLE - "A Very British Coup"

ELEPHANT STONE - "Darker Time, Darker Space/The Court and Jury/Land of Dead"

SHACK - "Up"

THE IN-FUZZED - "Motor City Baby"

TEENGENERATE - "Dressed In Black"

THE STRIPES - "Tell Me Your Name"

THE PAST TENSE - "She's Got The Time"

GOODBYE VICTORY ROAD - "Grandad's Miscellaneous Military Memorabilia"

GROOVY UNCLE - "God on a Bike"

PALOOKA 5 - "Ultramarine"

THE VERAS - "I'm Not Afraid"

THE JACK CADES - "Dead Star"

THE SHOP ASSISTANTS - "Safety Net"

BMX BANDITS - "E102"

Please kindly support the bands! This Episode's cover star Eric Baconstrip. Photo (and mask) by Maki. Retrosonic Podcast has a valid PRS licence. Thanks to Amy K-B, Lee Grimshaw at Spinout Nuggets, Mark Chadderton at Time & Matter, Michel Moimême at Wattsville, Daniel Taylor, Pat McVicar and Eric Baconstrip. You can subscribe to Retrosonic on iTunes or listen/download directly from our Soundcloud archive, all episodes still available.

Retrosonic Podcast Episode 34: Featuring NEW releases from The Night Times, The Jackets, L'Epee, The Fallen Leaves, Das Clamps, The Galileo 7, Nika and much more!

Wanda de Lullabies at Hipsville by Retro Man Blog

Steve from Retro Man Blog presents a selection of superb new releases and the pick of some of the best live bands we've seen over the past few months. From the recent Hipsville Soho-A-Go-Go Weekender there's the brand new single from The Night Times along with Autoramas, Deadly Spirits and Das Clamps. There's two new singles from the Spinout Nuggets label by The Voo-Dooms and Treasures of Mexico and new songs from two bands who will appearing at the Beatwave Weekender - The Galileo 7 and The Beatpack. Then there's reports and music from some of the best shows we've been to over the last few months including The Jackets, Straight Arrows, The Future Shape of Sound, The Fallen Leaves and The Way Out. Then there are more new releases from Nika Leeflang, The Go Go Cult, Thee Moot and the stunning new band called L'Epee formed by Marie and Lionel from The Limiñanas along with Anton Newcombe from The Brian Jonestown Massacre and the French actress Emmanuelle Seigner. Please do support the bands, records labels and events - click the highlighted band/event/label name for the direct link to their official web-sites where you can find out more news and information and more importantly, how to buy the music!

Deadly Spirits "Valley of The Spirits"

Autoramas "Catchy Chorus" from the LP 'Stress, Depressão e Sindrome do Pânico'

Das Clamps "Bad Taste" from the new LP 'Sh*t Music For Sh*t People' on Trashwax Records

The Night Times "Watch Your Step" from the new 7" Single on State Records

The Beatpack "Howlin' Fever Blues" from the new 'Rhymes & Blues' EP

The Galileo 7 "Everything Is Everything Else" from the new LP on Damaged Goods Records

The Future Shape of Sound "The Time Is Now" from the LP 'Shakedown Gospel'

The Jackets "Queen of The Pill" title track of the new LP on Voodoo Rhythm Records

Straight Arrows "21st Century" from the LP 'On Top!'

L'épée "Last Picture Show" from the new 12" Single on A Records/Cargo

Nika Leeflang "Hey! Right" from the EP of the same name

The Way Out "This Working Way" from the new 'Singles & Demos' compilation

The Fallen Leaves "Begin Again" from the new 7" Single on Parliament Records

Treasures of Mexico "The Last Thing" from the new 7" Single on Spinout Nuggets

The Voo-Dooms "Goin' Away Baby" from the new 7" 4-song EP on Spinout Nuggets

The Go Go Cult - "Go Go Beat" from the LP 'Beat of The Go Go Cult

Thee Moot "My Fixation" from the new LP "Peel It To Reveal It"

Deadly Spirits "Try To Get Away"

Retrosonic Podcast holds a current and valid PRS Licence. This Episode's cover star is Wanda de Lullabies, photo by Retro Man Blog. You can listen /download directly below or from our Soundcloud page. Otherwise you can subscribe to Retrosonic Podcast for free on iTunes.

Hipsville Soho-A-Go-Go Margate - Feature with Photos & Videos From The Best Event of The Year

Wanda & Dottie in front of Dave Taylor's lighting - Photo by Retro Man Blog

Hipsville, our favourite musical (and social) event of the year never disappoints and although I probably say this every time, I think this really was one of the best so far. Despite various setbacks with location and venue changes over the years, I believe that the tireless and enthusiastic organisers Andrew, Ade, Alexandra and their team hit on a winning formula that managed to combine all the very best Hipsville elements that we have grown to love. Hipsville is the perfect antidote to all the current greyness, bad news and depression enveloping Brexit Britain – it is a bright and colourful splash of Hawaiian shirts, fez’s and fancy dress. Bands and fans from all over the world congregate to enjoy the music, make new friends and basically, party! After two years at Margate’s vintage Dreamland funfair, Hipsville has relocated to the town’s Cliftonville area to the Lido and the nearby historic Winter Gardens, which once hosted Laurel & Hardy and The Beatles.

The Jack Cades at Hipsville - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog

I thought both venues worked perfectly – the suitably scuzzy Lido was ideal for this year’s Soho-A-Go-Go theme with its red upholstery, dark nooks and crannies and sticky carpets – just like an old-school Soho boozer or afterhours drinking den. Dave Taylor from Enjoy Yourself provided stunning lighting and visuals and his impressive oil projections transformed the Lido into a seething multi-coloured Psychedelic dreamworld. This all made for a perfect backdrop for the gorgeous Hipsville Go-Go dancers to strut their stuff - Wanda de Lullabies, Miss Diabolik, Alexandra Beat Girl, Celia Formica, Tina Tuna, Nocturna, and although sadly there was no Miss Ge Veve this year, we did have the welcome return of Dottie Gooseberry. This year saw the official introduction of two Go-Go boys too, Steve and Khalid from The Action Men, who both seemed to thoroughly enjoy the whole experience. The Jack Cades opened up proceedings in the Lido on the Friday evening and despite only just releasing their excellent debut album “Music For Children” on Dirty Water Records last year, they included a few really promising sounding new songs in the set. I sincerely hope this means that there will be more good stuff released by the band very soon indeed.

The Jack cades at Hipsville - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog

The Deadly Spirits from Sweden were great fun and their raw Rock ‘n’ Soul went down really well with the crowd. The band are from Karlstad so it was nice to bump into a couple of them and chat about mutual friends and bands such as Tonbruket, Cat & the Underdogs, Nymphet Noodlers and Mattias Hellberg. The final band, The Anomalys, powered through a set of fast and raucous Punk Rock and then it was over to our favourite Hipsville DJ's who over the weekend included Neil ‘Sick’ Smith, Adam Diddy Wah, Carl Combover and Fritz Buzzsaw who all ensured the party never stopped.

The Deady Spirits at Hipsville - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog

Mighty Tsar at Hipsville - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog

On Saturday afternoon, the Glass Jar hosted the Tiki cocktail Bar and we enjoyed a drink while being serenaded by The Mighty Tsar and theur swampy Skiffle Calypso and some suitably mellow tunes courtesy of DJ Ian Greensmith. We then wanted to see Das Clamps for the first time and just managed to squeeze our way into the superb, but tiny, Fez Bar that was so packed it resembled a Tokyo subway train at rush hour. The duo comprise Miss Tangerine Tassels on guitar and vocals and then there is her sidekick on drums and vocals, Tina Marina who for some reason reminds me of Tina from Oh! Gunquit...anyway, they played foot stomping stripped back Cramps inspired songs from their forthcoming album “Shit Music For Shit People” which is out soon on the excellent Trash Wax Records. Unfortunately, French band The Scaners had to pull out at the last minute due to one of the members breaking their leg, which was really bad news as I was looking forward to seeing them very much. However, the good news was that The Baron Four stepped in at short notice and proved more than capable substitutes with their own brand of upbeat Garage R'n'B.

Das Clamps at Hipsville - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog

Das Clamps at Hipsville - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog

Autoramas at Hipsville - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog

Then it was over to the grand Winter Gardens and there were more excellent visuals from Dave Taylor – movies of Swinging 60’s London and Soho Street signs and the stage had red telephone boxes on either side for the Go-Go girls, boys, and gorillas to dance in. The DJ booth was imaginatively transformed into a seedy sex shop. Tonight’s opening act were the fabulous Autoramas and as regular Blog followers will know, the Brazilian space age retro rockers have fast become one of our favourite bands ever since we first saw them play courtesy of Hipsville back in 2015. Their unique blend of Bubble-gum Garage Rock and B-52’s/Devo style New Wave with crunching bass sound and Gabriel’s trademark vibrato effects pedal was simply mind-blowing. The always glamorous Erika adds keyboards, Theremin and guitar and dances non-stop, even getting down to dance with the audience too. They are a fantastic band, one of those that you really have to try to see play live and such lovely people too.

Autoramas at Hipsville - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog

The Night Times with Celia & Wanda at Hipsville - Photo Retro Man Blog

Next up it’s the U.K. debut for the hotly tipped Californian band The Night Times who wowed the crowd with their traditional nuggets era Psych. They have a superb drummer who was a blur of hair as she thrashed away behind her kit and the lead vocalist/bassist was throwing himself about so much that his bass kept going out of tune. They were such a great live act and there was a tangible buzz about them throughout the whole weekend. Next on stage it was the turn of MFC Chicken who played a thoroughly entertaining set of Fabulous Wailers songs that had everyone dancing along. Classics like “Mashi” and “Out of Our Tree” went down a storm and they even made the perennial classic “Louie Louie” sound fresh. There was also a surprise appearance by Elsa from The Jack Cades who joined the band to wow everyone with a soulful vocal performance.

The Night Times at Hipsville - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog

MFC Chicken at Hipsville - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog

The Action Men entertained us with an amusing dance routine, which featured a cameo from Mr A, and then the winners of the fancy dress competition were announced. In the sad absence of Davros and his Deep Space Deviants, this year saw The Stags put in a hilarious performance with a Mary Whitehouse lookalike on vocals and a band comprising Policemen in a uniform of helmets, tunics and suspenders. What a perfect ending to a fabulous day. On Sunday, it was back to the Fez Bar to be serenaded by Professor Baba and His Invisible Band who bewitched us with some entertaining Voodoo Blues and general mumbo jumbo. I thought it was strange how the Professor reminded me of Simon from Oh! Gunquit – that band must have many lookalikes running around Margate. We made it into the Lido just as Spanish band Los Wilds were finishing their set and the wild-eyed frontman was down to his underpants and cowboy boots. A normal Sunday afternoon at Hipsville then.

Professor Baba at Hipsville - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog

The Night Times at Hipsville - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog

Next came The Day Tymes, the not-so-subtle alter ego of The Night Times who blew the Lido apart with their ‘secret’ show. During a wild version of “Gloria” the singer put his bass down and jumped into the crowd for the duration of the song prompting David Arnold of The Stags to take over on bass duties, he should have quickly tuned it up while he was about it. The good news is that the band are hanging around in the UK for a couple more weeks and as I write they are in North Down Sound Studios with Lois and Mole from State Records recording songs for a new single. They will also be playing Brighton on May 17th and Weirdsville in London on Saturday May 18th so if you missed Hipsville be sure to catch them play if you can, you will not be disappointed. The Hipsville team could finally relax and let their hair down at the Sunday night after show party at the Cinque Ports pub – they had invited legendary DJ Mike Gunn (himself no stranger to a bit of sleaze) over from L.A. to close the weekend in his inimitable style. We all kept our eyes on our wallets and our whisky and ensured that no Go-Go dancer was left unchaperoned in the presence of the lascivious titan of the turntable! What a great weekend, I just cannot wait to do it all again next year.

DJ Neil 'Sick' Smith & Hipsville Organiser Mr A

Hipsville organiser Ade, or is it Mike Gunn...with Dave Taylor

Please take the time to click on the highlighted links throughout the feature to check out more information on the relevant bands. You can find more photos of the Hipsvile Soho-A-Go-Go weekend at our Facebook page here and more videos over here at our Retro Man Blog YouTube channel. Check the Blog archive for lots of features on previous Hipsville weekenders and Weirdsville club nights. We have also played tracks by many Hipsville/Weirdsville related bands in our Retrosonic Podcast and all episodes are available to listen to or download from our Soundcloud site here.

The Night Times at Hipsville - photo copyright Retro Man Blog

The Hipsville Go-Go Dancers

For news and announcements on future Weirdsville and Hipsville shows please keep an eye on the You Got Good Taste web site. Dave Taylor runs the Enjoy Yourself club nights in Swanage and more information on this and his lighting can be found here. Finally, once again huge thanks to Andrew, Ade and Alexandra and their team of helpers for once again putting on such a fantastic event.

Hipsville Soho-A-Go!-Go! Bank Holiday Weekend May 3rd, 4th & 5th Margate - Full Details Announced!

Hipsville, always Retro Man Blog's event of the year, is back in Margate over the May 3rd-5th Bank Holiday weekend and this time they are taking the mean streets of Soho to the seaside town. Check out the Hipsville web-site here for full details on the line-up of bands, DJ's, Go-Go dancers and happenings over the weekend along with info on tickets and venues. Let's hand you over to organisers Alex, Mr A and Ade for the lowdown on what you can expect. "Shady ladies! Spivs! After-hours nightclubs! Neon! All-night coffee drinking! Underground drinking dens! Dirty magazines! Held in the magical, old-school seaside town of Margate, the UK’s biggest trash party is set to celebrate seven years of mayhem by channeling the spirit of London’s seediest neighbourhood – this year’s theme is SOHO! Join us in the dark, neon-lit streets for a bold, brazen, bizarre and wild weekend amid the gangsters and good time girls that frequent the area’s late night clubs and coffee shops. ‘Ello darlin’! Garage, titty twisting' rock’n’roll, tiki, punk and hot slop! fans descend annually on the south east of the UK for a wild, riotous weekend of bands, Go-Go girls, gorillas and DJs for 3 days of crazed partying through the night and into the morning. Each year Hipsville has a theme; previous years have seen partygoers dress up for jungle, space, horror and carny parties, and this year’s Soho theme is set to be sleazier than ever – our guests really do put the world’s most jaw-dropping costumes together! This year’s travelling revue will take in Margate’s most incredible venues and showcase some of the world’s finest rock and roll bands, just look what we've got planned for you!"

This year one of our favourite bands Autoramas will be returning to Hipsville and they will be joined by a top selection of international Garage Psych Trash Tiki Punk bands such as Das Clamps, The Jack Cades, The Night Times, The Scaners, The Stags, MFC Chicken, Mighty Tsar, The Deadly Spirits and The Anomalys and more - check out the Hipsville event page here for links and info. Check the Blog archive for Hipsville and you can uncover features on previous Hipsville weekends over the years including loads of reviews and photos. The Retro Man Blog YouTube channel has loads of original 'down the front' action packed videos and various episodes of our Retrosonic Podcast include a host of Hipsville and Weirdsville related bands and too. Here's an episode from 2018.

It's going to be tough to beat last year's mind-blowing Hipsville (read our feature here) but every year I say that and they always do manage it! Here's the superb Schizophoncs from last year's show.

Get your advance tickets now, see you there!

Retrosonic Podcast Episode 31: Rumble In The Jungle-A-Go-Go - Hipsville and New Music Special

Photo courtesy of ZigPix

Retrosonic Podcast Episode 31 is out and available for your listening pleasure now. This episode is a decidedly 'non-retro' affair as we'll feature only new and recent music from the best international contemporary Punk, Psych, Mod, Beat, Soul and Garage Rock acts and we even have a couple of unreleased songs too. There's a report on the fantastic Hipsville Jungle-A-Go-Go weekender and we pick some of the musical highlights over the three days including songs from The Parkinsons, The Oddballs, The Schizophonics, Les Lullies, Black Mambas and The No-Things. There's songs from new albums by artists such as Autoramas and The Most and the new single from Magnus Carlson & Fay Hallam with a report on their recent show at The 100 Club. There's also news on our next Retro Man Blog Night with ex-Soundtrack of Our Lives and Union Carbide Productions frontman Ebbot Lundberg and his new band The Indigo Children at The Half Moon Putney on October 13th. Here's the complete track-list to this episode, please click on the highlighted band name to check their web-sites and how to order copies of the featured records.

The Past Tense "The Supergrass" taken from their new LP "7A"

Professional Againsters "Long Live Rock 'n' Roll" from the Swedish band's LP "Everybody Hates The Professional Againsters". The band are part of Hans Selander's Record Union A&R roster so if your band needs help on getting your music onto digital platforms then contact Hans here

The Most "Girl Sees Daylight" another great Swedish band with a track from their new vinyl album "Beat Beat Boom!"

Autoramas "Stressed Out" from Brazil's Space Age Garage Rockers new LP "Libido". For full feature on the album including track-by-track guide, please check the Blog feature here

Autoramas "Libido" cover art by Julian Weber

The Oddballs "We Are The Oddballs" taken from their album of the same name

Les Lullies "Don Craine" from their "Don't Look Twice" E.P.

Black Mambas "Baby, I'll Give It To You" from The Witmer Sessions

The Schizophonics "Streets of Heaven & Hell" from their new LP "Land of The Living"

The Schizophonics at Hipsville - photo by Retro Man Blog

The Parkinsons "Numb" from the album "The Shape of Nothing To Come"

The No-Things "Miracle Man" unreleased song from Edinburgh based band's forthcoming single

For full feature on the Hipsville Jungle-A-Go-Go weekend including photos and links to videos, please check the Blog feature here

Thee Girl Fridays "Too Much of a Good Thing" from their new digital E.P.

The Past Tense "The Other Side" from their new LP "7A"

OHMS "6-8-1-6-79 (For A City Boy)" from their new LP "Melodies of Our Lives". For a review of the album please check the Blog feature here

The Moot "Backs Me Down" from their new mini-album "Tomorrow's Calling"

Magnus Carlson with Fay Hallam "Now That It's Over" new single from the Swedish Soul singer's forthcoming album "A Nordic Soul" out soon on Cosmos Music

Fay Hallam & Magnus Carlson at The 100 Club - photo by Retro Man Blog

French Boutik "Loin de Moi" a brand new track to promote an Indiegogo fundraising campaign for the band's forthcoming album. For more information on how to pledge, please check here

For review of the Fay Hallam, Magnus Carlson & French Boutik gig at the 100 Club including photos and links to videos, please check out the Blog feature here

The Nettelles "We Are..." new Russ Wilkins produced limited edition 7" vinyl single on DJ Lee Grimshaw's Spinout Nuggets label

Dirt Royal "Glory Days" one side of the Brighton based band's new single

Ye Nuns "Don't Worry" new limited edition single from State Records featuring unreleased songs written by The Monks' original bassist Eddie Shaw.

Andre M "Kenzy's Dream" new 7" vinyl single released on Crocodile Records

You can listen/download directly from our Soundcloud page below or subscribe for free at iTunes or stream at our Mixcloud page. Lots of our original videos from the Hipsville Weekend and of most of the bands featured in this episode can be found over at our Retro Man Blog YouTube Channel here and there are lots of photos at our Facebook page here. Check out Gwen Ever's "A Low Life In High Heels" radio show on Mixcloud here for some reports from the Hipsville front-lines. Thanks to ZigPix for this Episode's cover photo. Please click on the highlighted links above for more information on the bands and how you can order the featured LP's or singles. I hope you enjoy listening!