Gaye Advert's Punk Memorabilia - A New Publication by Gaye and Leonor Faber-Jonker

Leonor Faber-Jonker of SAGO Press will release a collaborative publication along with Gaye Black in August. Titled "Gaye Advert's Punk Memorabilia" it collates twelve items from Gaye's own personal collection of memorabilia and looks at the stories behind each object. With photographs by Eric Waring and designed by Maud Van Rossum and Riso printed, the limited edition publication comes in two versions with some superb extras included. I spoke to Leonor and Gaye about this great project so please read on for the background behind it...

Leonor, how did you discover The Adverts and when did you first meet Gaye?

Leonor: I met Gaye at Rebellion Festival, I think it was in 2006 maybe. I was a big fan of The Adverts, when I was 14 I got my first Punk compilation CD and The Adverts were on there and it was one of the tracks that stood out. I didn't even have a computer at that age and then when I got a computer I started looking up things about The Adverts and I noticed Gaye of course and I thought she looked so cool so I kind of modelled my look on this one grainy picture I had of her, so yeah I was really a big fan.

So when you first met Gaye you didn't have any idea of doing a book or anything like that?

L: I must have been nineteen and I was still working out, finding out what I wanted to do and stuff so it was just more like being starstruck. Then I started organising gigs around that same time, I organised a couple of gigs for TV Smith in the Netherlands, and then I saw Gaye.

So that's similar to me, I also got to know Gaye through promoting TV Smith gigs, where were you putting on your shows?

L: In the Hague at a bar that was run by people who before they ran a squat and when that shut down they opened this very nice little bar with a stage called De Vinger. I put on a couple of shows there for TV Smith but also John Cooper-Clarke which is really wild as he's playing really big venues now. Of course I got talking to Gaye and she was just really sweet, I also bought some of her artwork, I think I bought two or three.

So, when did you get to the point of deciding on doing this project, how did you come up with the idea?

L: Well, I'm really interested in how objects carry a meaning so that's something I do a lot of research on and I'm very interested in family heirlooms or souvenirs. Also how objects change meaning over time 'cos if you carry it with you through your life then it will change, it will signify different things for different moments, so that's kind of the background. Then I have this publishing company SAGO Press and with that I want to make books that are based on archives and I also focus on female artists and musicians from the Punk era or the Post-Punk era of the 80's and started with Truus de Groot who was a Post-Punk pioneer in the Netherlands who went to New York when she was very young. So, it kind of went very naturally 'cos I was thinking for a while as I was organising gigs before and I'd stopped doing that I wanted to offer a platform again to other people or collaborate in a DIY way again. I was thinking maybe a magazine, maybe this or maybe that, and then I came across these photos by Truus de Groot and then I realised this would make a perfect book. Anyway, so I had this publishing house and then of course I thought of Gaye who I'd stayed in touch with as she also came to the HOK Gallery in the Hague and I wrote an essay for her exhibition she had there. I thought it would just be great to make a booklet together and we were just sitting talking, Eric was there too and it just came together and I think Eric might have said, what about the memorabilia objects, so yeah, it just happened.

Eric Waring is the photographer who took the majority of the photos in the book, it's lucky that Gaye has kept most of her memorabilia and prized possessions.

L: Yeah, in a very sort of conscious way and what she kept, she kept it carefully, or even not carefully like with the leather jacket she just put in the garden when it was finally returned by somebody who stole it after decades. She had this leather jacket that she was always wearing in all those iconic photographs and it was stolen from a dressing room in Ireland and she didn't see it for decades and then suddenly it was posted back anonymously. So, she just had this jacket but it was really mouldy and horrible when she got it back so she put it in the garden and it became a home for spiders, but even then it's a caring way to interact with an object.

It's amazing that she got it back, so you've chosen twelve items, how did you start off?

L: The starting point was Gaye's memorabilia collages because she made this series of digital collages and the objects are all in there so that was the starting point, but then Eric had to re-photograph them for the book as the images were not so suitable for printing.

Gaye's left the music world and she's now an Artist and she does use a lot of her memorabilia in her artwork which is really effective isn't it.

L: Yeah, there are a lot of personal mementoes also from before and after the Punk era, all her artworks are filled with personal significant little things.

So the booklet itself is beautifully produced, I'm really happy as I've got to actually look at it finally, and Gaye is writing about the background to each item with some great photos by Eric. You've also included some postcards, you've got a reproduction of the rat sticker that was on her bass and you've even got a reproduction of the fantastic The Damned and The Adverts advert on newspaper, it's almost like it's come out of Sounds in 1976. That's 'The Damned can now play three chords The Adverts can play one, hear all four of them' and then you've got all the tour dates and that's the famous picture of Gaye and Dave Vanian which I'm sure will be familiar to many people. So you get these nice little extras which I think makes it a little bit special and you've done two versions of the booklet, you've got this version that I've got here and then you've got one in a deluxe special edition.

L: Yeah the special edition, I mean the regular version is quite special as it is, if I may say so myself! So the main extras are the poster and three postcards and the rat sticker, I had to cut out 300 rats so I hope you guys appreciate it! It's Riso printed which is quite a special technique and comes in a limited edition of 150 copies in total and numbers 1-25 are the special editions and they come with a signed A4 print of one of Gaye's memorabilia collages, a very nice print.

I won't give everything away on what's in the booklet, people will have to buy it to find out, but some of the more interesting items featured include Iggy Pop's dog collar and a Ramones baseball bat which are quite bizarre, and there's a battered tour suitcase along with other various bits and pieces which I won't give away yet but it's nice to hear the stories behind them. When I got this copy I thought, 'oh wow this must be the deluxe edition' but there's all the extras that come with the standard version too so it's very good value. So, the book will be available from August, you're going to be at the Rebellion Festival in August, will you be there over the whole weekend?

L: I will be yeah, Gaye will have a stall and I'm just a hanger-on, then there's a Q&A session where we're officially presenting it.  

So if you're at Rebellion from August 7th-10th you can pick up a copy or you can order the book from here. Leonor, you said you're getting orders from all over the place already.

L: Yeah from Australia and Mexico, I was really surprised, many orders from the United States, California it's quite surprising and then many from the Netherlands as well.

You've done some previous publications haven't you, including old fanzines and Dutch Punk and things like that as well.

L: Yeah, quite a few publications now, I started by writing a book about Dutch Punk that came out in 2012, and that was because I knew quite a lot about UK bands but I had no idea about what was going on in the Netherlands at that time so I became really curious what was here. Why do I know so many bands in the UK but what else was going on, so that was the starting points of my research. Then I also have quite a few other interests but I always come back to Punk and Post-Punk.

So do you think this idea you have here is something you could spread out to other musicians that you know?

L: I never like to do the same thing twice so I always want to reinvent myself or my work so the publications I've done with Sago now, so far one is photographs and snapshots taken in New York and then there's one coming out with drawings by Dirk Polak from the Dutch New Wave band Mecano. What I like is talking to underground musicians and artists, finding out what they have that has never seen the daylight, that people are not aware of, that's what I really like, digging that out. It's a private archive so what I like to do with my publications is that you have the feeling like you are actually visiting the person, you become a little bit closer to the person, it's biographical in the end.

We're now joined by Gaye and I was wondering how you both narrowed it down to 12 items?

L: Well, it started at Rebellion from the memorabilia collage artwork, there were ten of them, then the final selection was quite tricky actually.

Tell us about Iggy's dog collar Gaye...

Gaye: In 1977 The Adverts were asked to do the U.K. tour with Iggy and throughout the course of that he was always trying to give me items of his clothing, like that raincoat in that picture of him and Patti Smith but I said no, I don't have room for that, so he had this dog collar and he said "would you like that?" and I said OK.

How did you get hold of a Ramones baseball bat? 

G: It was the first time they played in London at the Roundhouse and at the end of the gig Joey came out from the side of the stage and he was giving out these promotional baseball bats and I had one. But I think most people probably couldn't be bothered to carry them home so they became really rare but I held on to it and I've had it ever since, it's not a full size baseball bat, it's there under the TV if you want to see it!

What about the battered old suitcase?

G: This is an old suitcase of my parents that they gave me when I moved to London that was living up in my attic room and it came with me when we went off on tour, 'cos it was the only thing I had. We didn't have rucksacks or things in those days, so I lived out of that for several years. The stickers, I'm a great one for sticking any stickers onto things, a random selection, that big Damned one on the front, that's from their first album I think, carefully unpeeled.

The suitcase is like one of your works of art, one of your collages in itself, you've got backstage passes, Motorhead stickers you've got the Damned one.

G: There's a couple of more contemporary ones too, like The Briefs, but that's quite an old Briefs one, that's probably vintage by now.

L: It's also kind of nice that you haven't kept it as a museum piece, it's just part of your life and still is.

G: Yeah, it was but it's kind of broken now so I can't use it anymore.

So what was it like for you going through looking at these items, was it interesting to drag up the back stories behind them?

G: Yes, I haven't kept all that many things but I had the idea for doing my memorabilia series at Rebellion in 2016 'cos that was their anniversary gig and they went down really well, so I've been doing variations on them. I don't have that many objects and Leonor is a great collector and object fan and she had this idea so she came round here and narrowed it down to what's in the book. 

Well it's great, it's a really unique way of looking at someone's musical life rather than a just a typical biography, list of dates or tour diary it's an unusual take 'cos of all the stories behind the items.

G: I very rarely get rid of anything, I value the things that have memories and if I do get rid of anything it's usually something that I've had more recently so the core things remain.

I don't want to give too much away, people will have to buy the book to find out what's inside. You'll be at Rebellion Festival doing a Q&A session and having your art on display and I guess the books will be on sale.

G: Yes, I'll be interviewed and Leonor will be doing a presentation during my interview and I'll be selling new art stuff in the adjoining room to the literary stage.

Thanks to Leonor and Gaye, as mentioned if you are at Rebellion Festival in Blackpool this year, you'll be able to pick up a copy directly and also check out Gaye's fantastic art. Otherwise, you can order from SAGO Press at this link, find out more about Leonor's projects at her web-site here and you can check out Gaye Black Art here.

Don't forget our thoroughly entertaining Retrosonic Podcast interview special with Gaye is still available to listen to, stream or download, where she discusses her life in Music and Art. Gaye takes us on a musical journey from growing up in a small town in north Devon and discovering music for the first time to buying her first record. We then discover what lured her into Rock 'n' Roll and what inspired her to play the bass. There are tales of her experiences of moving to London, being right at the heart of the early Punk Rock explosion and of course her time with The Adverts. This leads onto the bands and the characters she met and toured with along the way such as Iggy Pop, Lemmy and The Damned. We also cover her DJ'ing and the inspirations on her own Art as well as her time curating Art Exhibitions and working on the artwork for record covers by U.K. Subs bassist Alvin Gibbs. The episode is sound-tracked by Gaye's personal selection of her favourite songs from The Adverts and some of Gaye's most inspirational musical moments including Black Sabbath, Rolling Stones, The Stranglers, The Damned, The Beatles, Mayhem, Motorhead, The Phobics, Mayhem, Turbonegro, Cyanide Pills, The Men Who Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing, Iggy Pop, The Stooges, A Place To Bury Strangers, U.K. Subs and the Fireball XL5 Theme...! 

Retrosonic Podcast · Gaye (Advert) Black, Artist & Former Bassist with The Adverts

U.K. Subs at Sub89 Reading, Friday January 10th 2025

Just before Xmas, the U.K. Subs announced that guitarist Steve Straughan was to leave the band after nine succesful years due to upcoming surgery, of course, we wish him a speedy recovery and hopefully, he'll be able to continue with Hi-Fi Spitfires in the very near future. Somewhat selfishly after reading the news I got a bit concerned as we had tickets for the Subs gig at Sub89 in Reading and I wasn't sure if the show would be going ahead. But, at short notice in stepped Abe Inglis, guitarist with Criminal Mind and any trepidation we felt of how such a late replacement would cope was soon put to rest as he put in a hugely impressive performance considering his first show with the band was only the night before at the 100 Club. I suppose I needn't have worried, as after the show I overheard frontman Charlie Harper talking to a fan about the latest line-up change, "I'm a football fan" he said "...and no matter who is in starting line-up, you still support the team and that's what it's like with the Subs". It was an amusing analogy and I had to smile as the band who have probably had more members pass through their ranks than The Fall and The Blue Aeroplanes put together have only gone and done it again. 

 

 

I asked Abe how many rehearsals he'd had before the 100 Club show and he said "none, the gig was it!" He told me he'd been a fan and friends with the band for some time now and knew most of the songs, although he had to check recent YouTube videos as often the live versions were different to the original recordings. He admitted to a brief attack of the nerves when he went to smash the opening chord to first number "Rockers" at the 100 Club, "I just looked down at my hands and suddenly realised I'm playing in the U.K.  Subs". When he hit that very same chord at Sub89 in Reading as the atomic explosion of intro music "World War" faded, nerves were certainly something that Abe didn't seem to be troubled by, in fact his supremely confident display was mightily impressive throughout the show. I don't think anyone would have guessed it was only his second ever gig with the band, he fitted in perfectly, not just with his playing but it was a superb visual performance too, reminding me of Mick Jones of The Clash. Funnily enough, he also reminded me of former Subs bassist Paul Slack from back in their heyday of Top of The Pops!

 

 

Of course, current bassist Alvin Gibbs is still one of the coolest bass players around and you can see why he fitted in so well with Iggy Pop's band in those great days around his "Instinct" tour. Clad all in black with a low slung black Fender bass, his meaty John Entwistle riffing during "Down on The Farm" and "You Don't Belong" in particular were a delight. Drummer Stefan also impressed and I loved the quick fire drum beat in the middle of "Endangered Species", very cool. The legend that is Charlie Harper continues to amaze, it's almost impossible to believe he celebrated his 80th birthday last year, he looks and sounds fantastic. The iconic and charismatic Punk Rock rabble-rouser is on fine form, leading us all in a singalong of "Warhead" and I feel 16 years old again, punching the air and humming along to the bassline that hundreds of young bass players (myself included) taught themselves to play back in the day. 

 

 

Talking of Subs basslines, the classic "Tomorrow's Girls" has always been one of my favourites, and of course it got an outing tonight. In fact, the riff was used in "Throw It To The Universe" by Swedish Psych Rockers, The Soundtrack of Our Lives. In our Retrosonic Podcast with frontman Ebbot Lundberg, he told me that they incorporated the riff into a track on their final album as an homage to the band as they actually formed their legendary pre-TSOOL band Union Carbide Productions after meeting at a Subs gig in Gothenburg back in 1981. It was a nice and heartfelt touch, paying such a tribute to one of their influences. Some personal highlights of the Subs' Reading show for me included "Barbie's Dead", "Limo Life", "Emotional Blackmail" and of course the classic "Stranglehold" but there was something for everyone in a brilliantly paced set-list. The appreciative and good-natured Reading crowd were treated to a triumph of a show that proved exactly why live music can be so very special and life-affirming. Long may the Subs continue to do what they do best. 

Check out our review here on Alvin's latest fantastic book "Diminished Responsibility - My Life as a U.K. Sub and Other Strange Stories Vol. 3" (published by Time & Matter) and the good news is that I hope to be speaking to Alvin about the book in our next Retrosonic Podcast, so please subscribe to make sure you don't miss out on further news. Charlie's memoirs are also completed and discussions with publishers will be taking place once he gets back from the "Tokyo Rock 'n' Swindle" JP Subs show in Japan. This looks like a great event organized by the wonderfully named Punk/vintage store More Tea Vicar and also features Gaye (Advert) Black, Tenpole Tudor and various other Japanese bands and DJ's.

You can subscribe to our Retromanblog65 YouTube channel here for free to see more videos from the U.K. Subs Reading Sub89 show and loads more original live videos too...

Alvin Gibbs – Diminished Responsibility: My Life as a U.K. Sub and Other Strange Stories Volume 3

"Diminished Responsibility Vol. 3" starts off with the familiar tale of an unexpected phone call, this time from U.K. Subs frontman Charlie Harper. “Alvin, what are you doing tomorrow?” and then we are off on another adventure in the company of genial bassist Alvin Gibbs. Yes indeed, if you have read and enjoyed the first two volumes of Alvin’s autobiographical trilogy then you will know it’s like the roll of the dice when he picks up the phone. Who knows who will be on the other end of the line with an offer to pack his bass and get moving. Volume 3 of this quite brilliant series of memoirs opens with Charlie asking Alvin to re-join the Subs in 1994, and he duly obliges. What follows is an exhilarating roller coaster of a ride through Alvin’s experiences travelling the world and back with, what turns out to be one of the most disorganized, chaotic but of course much loved bands in Punk Rock’s musical history. Yep, if you thought being a touring and recording musician was a glamorous job, then you might be in for a shock as Alvin tells all with his usual searing honesty and superb descriptive prose. At the centre of the maelstrom of U.K. Subs activity is of course legendary and loveable frontman Charlie Harper who, it seems had a habit of saying “yes” to pretty much any suggestion of gigs, tours, record releases from people who, sometimes don’t have the band’s best interests at heart. These include reunion gigs with former line-ups (without telling the members of the current line-up), playing gigs in far-flung locations without the proper logistics in place, using fans and non-professional promoters and tour managers, trying to keep it ‘Punk’. But the long list of jaw-dropping misadventures is frustrating enough to us as a reader and you can easily imagine why the Subs have possibly had more musicians pass through their ranks than The Fall and The Blue Aeroplanes put together.

Alvin with U.K. Subs - photo by Retro Man Blog

Alvin recounts tales of promoters running off with their gig money, reneging on deals, support bands stealing their riders, band mates going missing, issues with record labels and crazy tour van drivers. It gets so bad that Alvin steps in, taking over the role of tour manager in order basically just to ensure they all have Hotels and get paid their promised fees. Things improve when Charlie’s Japanese wife Yuko takes on most of the unenviable managerial tasks and they also find a settled line-up with Alvin and Charlie joined by powerhouse drummer Jamie Oliver and super-cool guitarist Jet. This purple patch produced a run of fantastic, well received albums (now packaged together as a great boxset “The Jet Age 2006-2016” by Cherry Red Records) and the band’s profile skyrocketed. Along the way, Alvin talks candidly about the various colleagues he has shared a stage with since his return to the Subs line-up including their iconic guitarist Nicky Garratt and drummers Steve Roberts and Jamie Oliver. A word of warning, no spoilers, sometimes they are not painted in a very complimentary light, but you think if Alvin can forgive them, then we should too and he is always fair in his explanations on the various trials and tribulations he encounters. 

Alvin with U.K. Subs - photo by Retro Man Blog

Again, as I found with Alvin’s previous books, I really enjoy his more personal thoughts away from the music, and in Volume 3 there’s certainly a hell of a lot to take in over the time scale covered in the book. He muses on the negative aspects of Covid, 9/11 and Brexit and on the scarily debilitating illness that hit him for six. He touches on the perils of social media and does battle with keyboard warriors on internet fan’s forums. Alvin does not shy away from on-the-road encounters of the romantic kind, but he is never gratuitous, and this is a big plus in his favour. He also documents his struggles with relationships, loss and divorce – often caused by said Rock ‘n’ Roll lifestyle - with a refreshing honesty. It’s heartening to read about his unbridled passion for karate (he has a black belt) and history (he has a degree) and his love of France (he has a house near Bordeaux) not forgetting his support of Crystal Palace football club, ah well… 

But back to the musical adventures, and he tells us about the royalties lottery win of Guns ‘n’ Roses covering the Subs “Down on the Farm”, and there’s some welcome gossip on his encounters with some famous names - the surprisingly friendly (The Misfits) and the not so friendly (Marky Ramone if you must know…). He brings us up-to-date with the current Subs line-up and discusses his own side project Alvin Gibbs & The Disobedient Servants along with Leigh Heggarty of Ruts DC and that's it, the trilogy draws to a highly satisfactory close. I’m now just as interested to see what Alvin comes up with next in the literary world as I am about his next musical venture – I said before, his books are part travelogue and part tour diary and personally, I’d like to see him explore more of the travel and historical aspects of some of the amazing places he has visited, how about a three volume set of those writings?

The book has been published by Tome & Metre, the publishing wing of the brilliant Time & Matter Recordings, the go-to place for any self-respecting U.K. Subs fan. It features loads of fantastic previously unseen on-the-road and on stage photos mostly from Alvin’s own personal collection, there's a comprehensive discography and a foreword by Gaye (Advert) Black too. You can still listen and download our Retrosonic Podcast episodes with Gaye and two episodes with Leigh Heggarty, just subscribe for free at our SoundCloud site here and check out the archive, or subscribe at Spotify, Amazon Music or iTunes/Apple Podcasts.

You can read my reviews on Alvin’s two previous volumes at the highlighted links below:

Volume 1 - Childhood and early music up to his first stint in the U.K. Subs 1980-83.

Volume 2 - Leaving the Subs, almost joining Hanoi Rocks, moving to LA, touring with Iggy Pop, then joining the Hanoi Rocks spin-off Cheap And Nasty.

David Arnoff "Shot In The Dark" Book Resurrection Party at The Dublin Castle, Camden, Sunday March 19th 2023

Here are some photos from a thoroughly entertaining afternoon at the legendary music venue and pub The Dublin Castle in Camden, a suitably Rock 'n' Roll setting for the re-launch (or resurrection...) party to celebrate the new edition of "Shot In The Dark - The Collected Photography of David Arnoff" which is out now on Red Planet Books. David was there to sign copies and chat about his work, and there was a selection of iconic shots taken from the book on display, including superb photos of The Gun Club, Ramones, The Damned, Blondie, The Fuzztones, Thee Hypnotics, Television, The Cramps and many more. There was a DJ providing an excellent soundtrack to the book with loads of great CBGB's era-Punk Rock and classic tracks by some of David's many photographic subjects. I spotted some familiar faces in the crowd too, including members of Jim Jones All Stars, The Phobics, The Priscillas, The Charity Case and Gaye (Advert) Black among others. The new edition of "Shot In The Dark", which includes 16 extra images and a deluxe slipcase, is available to buy from Red Planet Books here. For more information on David and his photography, please check out his Instagram page here or his official web-site here.

All photos copyright Retro Man Blog, 2023

Retrosonic Podcast Lockdown Lowdown Episode 16 with Gaye (Advert) Black

For the latest episode of our Lockdown Lowdown Podcast series we welcome former bassist with The Adverts, Gaye Black into the virtual Retrosonic studio to discuss her life in Music and Art. In this thoroughly entertaining episode, Gaye takes us on a musical journey from growing up in a small town in north Devon and discovering music for the first time to buying her first record. We then discover what lured her into Rock 'n' Roll and what inspired her to play the bass. There are tales of her experiences of moving to London, being right at the heart of the early Punk Rock explosion and of course her time with The Adverts. This leads onto the bands and the characters she met and toured with along the way such as Iggy Pop, Lemmy and The Damned. We also cover her DJ'ing and the inspirations on her own Art as well as curating Art Exhibitions and working on the artwork for record covers by U.K. Subs bassist Alvin Gibbs. The episode is sound-tracked by Gaye's personal selection of her favourite songs from The Adverts and some of Gaye's most inspirational musical moments including Black Sabbath, Rolling Stones, The Stranglers, The Damned, The Beatles, Mayhem, Motorhead, The Phobics, Mayhem, Turbonegro, Cyanide Pills, The Men Who Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing, Iggy Pop, The Stooges, A Place To Bury Strangers, U.K. Subs and the Fireball XL5 Theme...! So, crank up the volume, sit back and enjoy!

Retrosonic Podcast · Gaye (Advert) Black of The Adverts

Track-listing (click on the highlighted band name for further information)

The Beatles "She Loves You"

Don Spencer "Theme From Fireball XL5"

The Rolling Stones "19th Nervous Breakdown"

Black Sabbath "Paranoid"

The Adverts "Gary Gilmore's Eyes"

The Stranglers "Walk On By"

The Adverts "One Chord Wonders"

The Adverts "Bored Teenagers"

Motorhead "Motorhead"

The Damned "Neat Neat Neat"

Iggy Pop "Lust For Life"

Iggy Pop "Tonight"

The Adverts "Love Songs"

The Adverts "Great British Mistake"

Mayhem "Freezing Moon"

Turbonegro "Are You Ready (For Some Darkness)"

The Phobics "When You're Dead"

Ramones "Teenage Lobotomy"

The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing "Victoria's Secret"

Iggy & The Stooges "Search & Destroy"

Cyanide Pills "Suicide Bomber"

A Place To Bury Strangers "I Know I'll See You"

U.K. Subs "Warhead"

With many thanks to Gaye. For further information on Gaye's Artwork please check out her official Gaye Black Art web-site here. Retrosonic theme tune by Adam Donovan. Podcover photos and artwork by Minna Waring (top left), Retro Man Blog & Gaye Black. You can subscribe to Retrosonic Podcast for free at Soundcloud, Spotify or Apple Podcasts/iTunes. 

Correction from Gaye: "I meant the Marquee, not the 100 Club when I was talking about The Stranglers!" (22mins:23secs)

Alvin Gibbs - U.K. Subs Bassist to Release New Autobiography "Diminished Responsibility" & "History" E.P. with The Disobedient Servants

Alvin Gibbs & The Disobedient Servants

Time & Matter Recordings have announced their brand new venture "Tome & Metre Publishing" with news of the forthcoming release of the first-of-two-volumes of U.K. Subs bassist Alvin Gibbs memoirs entitled "Diminished Responsibility: My Life as a U.K. Sub and Other Strange Stories Vol. 1". In the book's foreward Henry Rollins writes "Alvin puts his experiences across with energy and excellent detail, cheerful, hilarious and armed with insight, you are immediately pulled in by this book’s contents. A mark of not only a great story teller, but of one who has truly lived in full and continues to do so". The book's tentative release date is July 1st, with pre-orders available sometime in May or June so please keep an eye on the T&M web-site here for further announcements. To help T&M with the funding of this new project, they are offering fans the chance to have their name printed in the book for only £5.00, for which your full name will be featured, alongside your town or city and your country, in what will be the world’s first ever book about your favourite band – the U.K. Subs. Please be aware that this payment doesn’t buy you a physical copy of the book, but when it goes to pre-order later this year (retailing at £15.00) you will have played your part in a bit of U.K. Subs book publishing history.

"Diminished Responsibility" book cover

"History" EP Cover by Gaye Black

Talking of History - Time & Matter will be releasing a fabulous new four song E.P. by Alvin Gibbs & The Disobedient Servants entitled "History". The record is limited to 500 hand numbered copies and comes as a double 7" Black & White vinyl single in a gatefold cover designed by Gaye Black, formerly Gaye Advert, the iconic bassist with The Adverts, now a succesful artist. The four new songs "Bad About You", "History", "If Only" and "Pavlovian" continue with the high standard set by the Disobedient Servants' excellent debut album. Alvin is backed by his Subs bandmate, drummer Jamie Oliver and Ruts DC guitarist Leigh Heggarty. The release date for the "History" EP is 30th June and it's now available to pre-order from the Time & Matter web-site here. Alvin has punctuated his stints with the U.K. Subs with spells in Urban Dogs, Cheap And Nasty and of course in one of Iggy Pop's most celebrated backing line-ups around the release of the "Instinct" album. I will never forget a superb show at the Brixton Academy on the "Instinct" tour in 1988, Iggy was in a back-to-basics mood after the commercial success of "Blah Blah Blah" and had assembled a suitably rocking line-up including Alvin and Hanoi Rocks guitarist Andy McCoy. In fact, you can read all about Alvin's experiences of working with Iggy in his thoroughly entertaining book "Neighbourhood Threat: On Tour with Iggy Pop". You can also read our review of Alvin's excellent debut album with The Disobedient Servants in the Blog archive here. 

Alvin Gibbs - Photo by Retro Man Blog

Punk Art Show Opening Night Party at The Underdog Gallery

Gaye (Advert) Black at The Punk Art Show - Photo by Retro Man Blog

We went along to the opening night party of the Punk Rock 'n' Roll Art Show at the Underdog Gallery, a great space situated underneath the railway arches of London Bridge station. Curated and hosted by Martin Stacey from The Bermondsey Joyriders and Luigia Minichiello we were treated, not only to a fine display of Art by various notable Punk Rock musicians and Punk-inspired Artists but also some entertaining live sets too. First onto the Art itself and there was a real variety on offer including some fine pieces by the legendary Buzzocks designer Malcolm Garrett, Gaye Black (Advert) and Clara Basoni of Raw Cuts. There were impressive displays by JC Carroll of The Members and Nick Cash and it was really great to finally meet David Worth and see some examples of his superb Punk Rock Cartoons. It was also nice to bump into Ian from Damaged Goods Records and Andy from Fear & Loathing fanzine and my Retro Man Blog colleague Paul Slattery was pleased to catch up with fellow Rock Photographers Ray Stevenson and Erica Echenberg. I didn't get chance to chat to the night's DJ Jeff Munday as he was spinning some great tunes from what must be the most precarious DJ booth I have ever seen! The Action Men monkeyed around to our amusement and live music was provided by Taurus Trakker, Spizz and our good pals The Fallen Leaves. Overall, it was a excellent night and a great exhibition, the only problem is that it closes on Monday October 29th which is a shame as it deserves a much longer run. Great work by Martin, Luigia and their team.

Punk Rock Raffle! - Punk Rock 'n' Roll Art Show

The Punk Art Show - Photo by Retro Man Blog

Martin Stacey at The Punk Art Show - Photo by Retro Man Blog

The Punk Art Show - Photo by Retro Man Blog

The Fallen Leaves at The Punk Art Show - Photo by Retro Man Blog

The Punk Art Show - Photo by Retro Man Blog

Spizz at The Punk Art Show - Photo by Retro Man Blog

The Punk Art Show - Photo by Retro Man Blog

Erica Echenberg, Gaye, Ray Stevenson & Paul Slattery by Retro Man Blog

David Worth from Punk Rock Cartoons - Photo by Retro Man Blog

The Action Men at The Punk Art Show - Photo by Retro Man Blog

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