Railcard & The Corner Laughers at The Betsey Trotwood London, Sunday 9th August 202

 

It’s my third Railcard gig already this year and I’m in danger of repeating myself, after all, there’s only so many ways of saying “I bloody love Railcard!” They are fast becoming our ‘Band of the Year’ and it’s not just us; the wind is undoubtedly in their sails as they cruise towards the release of their ‘proper’ debut album “Two Steps at a Time” in September. So, here we are for a Sunday afternoon matinee show at the Betsey Trotwood in Farringdon, it’s such a cool pub that the landlord is wearing a Felt “Me and a Monkey on the Moon” T-Shirt. There’s some Indie Royalty in the bright sunlit room, Railcard’s vocalist and guitarist Rachel Love’s former Dolly Mixture bandmate Debsey Wykes is there along with her partner Paul Kelly, once of Saint Etienne and Birdie. Jessica Griffin from Would-Be-Goods and Pete Astor of The Loft and The Weather Prophets are also present and correct. Yes, there’s a real buzz around Railcard now, so much so that they have even been acknowledged by British Rail, or whoever it is that runs the railways nowadays, with their very own official Railcard ‘railcards’. Handy for one of the best bits of band merchandise I’ve seen in a long while, the plastic Railcard railcard holder, I never leave home without mine. 

 

In fact, Railcard do have a pretty good imagination when it comes to their merchandise – the T-shirt on sale today sports a print of a mock rail network with the station stops replaced by this year’s tour dates and venue. This comes with a “You Are Here” button badge that you are meant to re-position on the shirt according to the gig you are attending at the time. There are also Rachel’s trademark berets in a variety of colours at the merch desk alongside a very fetching Tote bag and copies of their brilliant self-titled debut compilation album that gathered their previous three E.P.s in one glorious package. Last year they also produced some cool Northern Soul style patches together with the release of the “Northern Soul Dancing” E.P. They really seem to enjoy the creative process of coming up with inspired ideas for merchandise and it got me wondering just what new goodies they are going to dream up around the release of the new LP. 

Today’s set is quite different from their recent and rather splendid show at the Water Rats when they were supporting Brian Bilston & The Catenary Wires alongside Jetstream Pony, which you can read all about here. They included “Revolutionary Calendar” and “Daydream” from the E.P. collection alongside new songs “Foxy”, which features on the excellent Skep Wax Records compilation “Pets Sounds”. There’s the excellent latest single “Unstable Neighbour” with some spaced out Psychedelic trumpet from Allison and the album title track “Two Steps at a Time”, which comes complete with a catchy whistle-along refrain. Drummer and vocalist Ian Button does his best to explain the background behind some of the songs; however, he is often reduced to amusing Robyn Hitchcock style flights of fancy as his bandmates try to interject and put him off. Rachel is all smiles and occasionally she cracks up when she catches Allison’s eye – it’s this wonderful chemistry between the band that warms the heart of even this cynical old gig-goer. They play a great new Peter Momtchiloff penned track called “Paper Thin” and of course, favourites such as “Railcard”, “Northern Soul Dancing” and the set closer, the hypnotic “Disco Loadout” make their appearance. 

However, sadly there’s still no place for my favourite “Born in ‘62” though, which is after all, the song that explains the catalyst behind the band’s formation, fingers crossed that maybe they’ll play it one day. Then it’s all over until, enthusiastically spurred on by Debsey, we all join in to call them back for a well-deserved encore. They don’t take the easy option, deciding to play another new song called “Inspector Sands”, and it is fun watching the band give it a go for the first time. This song Rachel explains, appears on the bonus 7” single that comes with the limited Dinked edition of the new LP. I’d recommend ordering it now, as it appears that some stores have already sold out in advance. Judging on the quality of the recent singles and new songs that I’ve heard them play live, I’m guessing that the new LP is going to be pretty damn good indeed. I’ll be there at The Lexington on Sunday 20th September for the matinee “Two Steps at a Time” launch party, which also features Gina Birch and an Indie-label record fair downstairs. Now, that’s ticking a lot of boxes for yet another very special Railcard event, can't wait!

 

 

Special guests on the day were The Corner Laughers from Redwood City, California, or half of them at least, as we were treated to an acoustic duo version of the band featuring Karla Kane on ukulele and lead vocals and Khoi on guitar and backing vocals. The connection between them and the headliners is that Railcard’s Ian Button released Karla’s debut solo album “King’s Daughters Home for Incurables” on his Gare Du Nord Record label and he invited them to play as they were over in the U.K. It was an inspired choice, as their beautiful pastoral Folk Pop songs and Californian melodies made for the perfect soundtrack to the glorious summer weather outside. Karla has a wonderful warm voice and Khoi’s backing harmonies complement her perfectly and they quickly endear themselves to the audience.

My personal highlights were “Changeling”, “Terra Mia” and two songs which hint towards their appreciation of the U.K. “Victoria Sponge” with handy lyrical recipe included, and the single “Rainbow Cardigan”, which even namechecks the Lake Districts’ Kendal Castle. As Karla explained, on record with the full band, they sound a bit different to today’s stripped back affair, but to be honest, it kind of suited the vibe of such an intimate, sun-drenched afternoon perfectly. I picked up a copy of their latest album “Concerns of Wasp & Willow” and bagged one of the last vinyl copies of “Matilda Effect”, which included a free CD version and left the venue with a very large and contented smile on my face. You can see more videos of both bands by subscribing for free to our Retromanblog65 YouTube channel here.

 

With thanks to Karla and Khoi.

Heavenly - Live at the Cowley Worker's Social Club Oxford and New Album "Highway To Heavenly"

We haven’t even got to British Summertime yet, but Skep Wax Records have already released an impressive hat-trick of LPs that I’m sure will be vying for top spot in our ‘best albums’ of the year list come December. The label, run by Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey from the recently re-ignited Heavenly, Talulah Gosh, Marine Research, The Catenary Wires (and more…) have put out fantastic records by former Dolly Mixture Rachel Love’s new band Railcard, featuring one of our favourite guitarists, Peter Momtchiloff, then there was Would-Be-Goods sublime “Tears Before Bedtime”, featuring Peter Momtchiloff, and now Heavenly’s very own out-of-this world comeback album “Highway To Heavenly”, featuring, yes you’ve guessed it Peter Momtchiloff! As I said recently in my feature on the brilliant Bizarro Promotions night at the Water Rats with Would-Be-Goods, Railcard and Helen McCookerybook, I have been on a Dolly Mixture binge since reading Debsey Wyke’s quite brilliant autobiography “Teenage Daydream” and seeing her at various events recently. I then found out about Railcard and when ordering their new compilation album from Skep Wax, discovered that Heavenly had also just released a brand-new album entitled “Highway to Heavenly”, their first for 30 years or so. I loved what I heard so ordered that from Skep Wax too and bloody hell, is it great! It’s short but perfectly formed, I don’t think I have heard such an immediate, impactful record for a long time, one listen and you’re hooked. I’ve often discussed with guests on my Retrosonic Podcast what constitutes a perfect album, and it’s rarer than you think, even from your very favourite bands or artist. Off the top of my head, I can think of a few such as “Rocket to Russia”, “Parallel Lines”, “Forever Changes”, “Grand Prix”, “Never Mind the Bollocks” but many other albums that I love have got some flaw or other. 

 

Be honest and think about albums that you would consider ‘perfect’ – ones where you can’t help but listen from Track 1 Side 1 all the way through to the very end without skipping a single song. Where the artwork, production and running order is faultless and where every track would make a perfect 7” single in its own right. Where each song burrows into your ear and sticks in your head after just one listen and you wonder if you’ve heard this all before in a previous life. Where you feel somehow different after listening to it, whether it makes you feel inspired, motivated, moved, emotional or just happy enough to jump around the living room with a tennis racket as a guitar, well “Highway to Heavenly” has all these things and more. After digesting the album, I was desperate to see the band play but was soon disappointed to find out that all the gigs I could have attended were sold out. But there was a stroke of luck as their gig in Oxford was moved to a bigger venue, and it gave us the chance to snap up tickets for the Cowley Worker’s Social Club on the outskirts of the band’s ‘hometown'. The venue was an old-school Phoenix Nights style social club, but it was spacious, the staff were friendly, drinks were reasonable and I happily noticed lots of seats for all of us old folks in the audience. But hang on, I then noticed there was a fair proportion of youngsters there. It was an all-ages gig, and it was refreshing to see so many young people in the audience, quite a few sporting Heavenly “Riot Twee” and “P.U.N.K. Girl” T-shirts. As the band appeared, I roused myself from my seat and made my way to the front of the stage and was suddenly surrounded by some enthusiastic teenagers who I soon discovered were singing along to all the songs, even the new ones, word perfect. Guitarist Peter Momtchillof was also impressed, looking on intriguingly he even asked a bunch of excitable youngsters gathered in front of him “how do you know all the words, the album’s only been out for 2 weeks?!” 

Heavenly seem to have a struck a chord with a younger audience, apparently due to the video for “P.U.N.K. Girl” going viral here and in the States. But I guess it could also be down to Heavenly’s all-inclusive, D.I.Y. ethic and of being embraced by the Riot-Grrrl movement. There’s also the legacy stretching back to Heavenly’s forerunner, Talulah Gosh, who it could be said were one of the key acts of the 80’s ‘C-86 scene’ that set the template for countless Indie-Pop bands to follow. Whereas contemporaries like the Jesus & Mary Chain took to the dark side and out-fuzzed and out-feedbacked everyone else, Talulah Gosh and their like basked in the sunnier side of 60’s influenced Pop married with buzzing guitars. That lineage might stretch to The Velvet Underground to Buzzcocks to Dolly Mixture to The Pastels to The Smiths, bands that were ideal for lovestruck, confused, inquisitive teenagers to take inspiration from. Whether that might be in the lyrical content, of finding out you are not alone in the world or in the good old Punk maxim “anyone can form a band”. Heavenly are still continuing in that tradition and a good example of this is in tonight’s opening number, the fantastic new single “Portland Town” with its lyrical wish to be able to live your life how you want, on your own terms and not be bound by what society might deem as acceptable. It’s kind of naïve of course, but why not? In these increasingly confrontational and negative times with too much cultural dumbing down, a lack of funding for the arts and venues closing left, right and centre - why not wish for a better and more positive place? “Conformity stinks, creativity’s free” sings Amelia and I think to myself, maybe that’s a great slogan for a new Heavenly T-Shirt. 

 

 

The band, comprising Amelia on vocals and guitar complete with a “Hey Ho, Let’s Go” sticker, Rob on bass, Peter Momtchiloff on guitar, Cathy Rogers on keyboards and vocals and Ian Button behind the drums, take the stage and you can sense a huge collective smile emanate from the crowd. They proceed to play a set comprising most of the new album but peppered with some older numbers, a pick from all their previous releases except 1991’s “Heavenly Vs. Satan” for some reason. We get “Sperm Meets Egg, So What?”, “Me And My Madness” and “She And Me” from “The Decline and Fall of Heavenly” and “Our Love Is Heavenly” from “Le Jardin de Heavenly”. My smile gets wider when they play one of my favourites, “Space Manatee” from 1996’s “Operation Heavenly” which reminds me of Pixies with Rob’s bass line taking the lead and some splendid guitar work from Peter. Amelia’s brother and original Heavenly drummer, Matthew, sadly died just before the release of “Operation Heavenly” after which they decided they just couldn’t continue the Heavenly name without him. It meant that sadly this excellent album had an understandably low-key release, and Amelia writes about this difficult time in the updated sleeve notes booklet included with the Skep Wax reissue. 

In fact, it was the communications around the idea to reissue the Heavenly back-catalogue on Skep Wax and the excellent Damaged Goods Records releasing a singles compilation, that was to lead to the reunion. This was initially meant to be just a one-off gig at Bush Hall in London with Ian Button from Rob and Amelia’s project The Catenary Wires, on drums. However, this soon snowballed into more gigs which led onto new songs which would eventually find their way onto “Highway to Heavenly”, their first release since the afore-mentioned “Operation Heavenly”. The songs from the new album played tonight go down really well, as I said earlier, they are immediate and laden with catchy hooks and gorgeous harmonies shared between Cathy and Amelia. The up-tempo “Excuse Me” is excellent in a Buzzcocks kind of way, “Good Times” starts off as a swaying, beautiful Phil Spector style number before bursting into a stellar chorus. The self-referential “Skep Wax” is another goodie, Amelia tells us it’s all about the positive power of music, and there’s one of the album’s highlights “Scene Stealing” which tackles the worrying rise of on-line influencers. “Press Return” has a pulsating synth line reminiscent of Pulp, it’s superb and I realised it’s almost impossible to pick a favourite track from the album, they are all so good.

 

I’ll digress slightly and get onto a couple tracks from the new album that they didn’t play tonight. I was a bit disappointed they missed out “She Is The One” as I love the way the beautiful melodies soar. It’s a masterclass in dual-vocals, reminding me of the chemistry between Belinda Carlisle and Jane Wiedlin in The Go-Go’s back in their prime. And then the album closer “That Last Night” starts with an upbeat tune which initially disguises the serious subject matter of dementia, loss and grief, “when we saw you that last day, we wondered if you knew that we were even there” is heartbreaking, and as someone who has a parent suffering from Alzheimer's, it is comforting knowing that this terribly distressing illness is being talked about. Amelia sings about embracing the happy memories, with one scene bordering on an irreverent Dave Allen TV sketch, involving a wheelchair accident in a church. But then a crunching, discordant chord interrupts proceedings to remind you of the seriousness of the situation. The song ends on a plaintive note “and did I do all that I could?” It’s a haunting end to the album that shows the real depth to Heavenly, they are not just there for the innocent days of youth but they’re facing up to the realities of our generation too.

Back to the show and the oldies “P.U.N.K. Girl” and “Atta Girl” are superb, with everyone around me joining in on a mass sing-along, a brilliant end to a quite wonderful set. The band just had to return for an encore, but Amelia took the stage alone, guitar in hand and apologised to her Heavenly bandmates before playing a solo rendition of Talulah Gosh’s “Beatnik Boy”. This was thanks to someone in the crowd requesting a dedication to his mum and as it was Mother’s Day the day after, I guess Amelia couldn’t refuse. The rest of the band then returned, Amelia put down her guitar to dance, and they played “C Is the Heavenly Number” which went down a storm. All the band members hung around for quite some time after the show to happily sign merchandise and chat to fans. I saw one comment on the band’s social media from another mum saying how happy her 13-year-old daughter was that Amelia took the time to chat and sign her records. It’s these little things that mean a lot and can guarantee another Heavenly fan for life. You can’t beat being amongst a friendly crowd on a night of joyous, life-affirming live music and Heavenly delivered the perfect tonic to all the bad news swirling around at the moment.

You can read about the recent Would-Be-Goods, Railcard and Helen McCookerybook gig at the Water Rats in our Retro Man Blog feature here, which drew a crowd packed with Indie-Pop and Punk celebrities including Lester Square and Dave Morgan from The Monochrome Set, Pete Astor from The Loft and The Weather Prophets, Jon Klein from Specimen and Siouxsie & The Banshees, Ian Greensmith and Bob Collins from The Dentists, Debsey from Dolly Mixture and Gaye Black from The Adverts. Our feature on the Dolly Mixture movie screening and Debsey’s Q&A with author Daniel Rachel can be found here. More videos from these events and from Heavenly’s Oxford show can be seen at our Retromanblog65 YouTube channel here, you can subscribe for free to access our whole archive of all-original live videos. For more information on related bands and labels please check out the links below.

Heavenly

Skep Wax Records

 The Catenary Wires

Would-Be-Goods

Railcard

The Penrose Web

Swansea Sound 

Bizarro Promotions

Damaged Goods Records

 All photos and videos copyright Retro Man Blog 2026

Debsey Wykes Q&A on her book “Teenage Daydream” and screening of “Take Three Girls The Dolly Mixture Story” at the ICMP London February 19th 2026

I went along to the ICMP Music College in Queen’s Park for the first time for a rare screening of “Take Three Girls – The Dolly Mixture Story” directed by Paul Kelly from Heavenly Films and the partner of Debsey Wykes bassist and vocalist with the band, who met when touring as part of St. Etienne’s live line-up. The screening was followed by a Q&A session with author Daniel Rachel interviewing Debsey about her excellent, critically acclaimed autobiography “Teenage Daydream: We Are The Girls Who Play In a Band”. They discussed various key aspects of both the book and the film along with the process of writing and the background of collating all the information from Debsey’s suitcase full of diaries along with the ‘brutal’ editing process. I think it’s testament to Dolly Mixture and their legacy that they set a template for many an all-girl and female fronted Indie-Pop band for years to come. Not just with their vintage 60’s style look and timeless songs of seemingly wide-eyed innocence but that most crucial of things - the classic song writing and gorgeous vocal harmonies, which still sound as fresh today as they ever did. Unfortunately, it’s a sad fact of musical life that true originators and talent often get commercially overshadowed by the impersonators. For example, take three of my favourite bands, The Prisoners, Shack and That Petrol Emotion, they too never hit the mainstream heights that they deserved but were somewhat crushed in the rush to copy their sounds and for record companies to later cash in on the slipstream. I think Dolly Mixture suffered from this too but I sincerely hope that Debsey’s superb book, along with a wider release of the documentary, might go some way to redressing that balance.

Daniel confronts the sexism that the band were subjected to, from the ‘male obnoxiousness’ of the times to the more ingrained discrimination from the record companies and music press in general. There’s a harrowing tale of the time that Debsey was assaulted on stage by a skinhead at a Bad Manners gig which is quite shocking but it’s a reminder of the gig-going times of the late 70’s and early 80’s. Touring with Bad Manners also opened them up to being spat at and being subjected to outbreaks of sieg-heiling from a hostile audience. Bad Manners as a band were very supportive and protective of Dolly Mixture though but it must have been disheartening for the band to have to endure. Although, the sexism they faced from the male dominated music industry was sadly to be expected in those times, what surprised me most is the antagonism and outright hostility they faced from some of their female peers – most noticeably from The Modettes. They think they are in for some welcome support from a female journalist who then proceeds to complete slag the band off for no apparent reason in print. It’s spiteful and unnecessary and you wonder why this kind of bullying would exist, especially towards a band such as Dolly Mixture, who whatever you thought of their music, were hardly controversial or antagonistic.

They did however receive some unexpected support from Captain Sensible, who along with The Damned’s bassist Paul Gray offered to help them in the studio. He then asked them to back him on his new solo career and they eventually reached Number 1 in the charts together with the single “Happy Talk”.  This led to various appearances on Top of The Pops and despite Captain generously promoting Dolly Mixture in their own right, they still couldn’t seem to break out. Despite the good intentions and success, maybe it was more a curse than a blessing as they were more likely to get labelled as just the Captain’s backing band. More support came from some very unexpected people such as Eric Faulkner of Bay City Rollers, Dave Goodman the sound engineer for the Sex Pistols and Buffin from Mott the Hoople who all helped them out in the studio. They even wrote a comeback single for the child-star Lena Zavaroni. Terry Hall gave them Single of The Week in Melody Maker and invited them to play with The Fun Boy Three. Paul Weller’s Mum, Ann and Dad, John were also extremely supportive and Debsey talks very warmly about Ann in particular, who she wished had been their manager. Paul Weller signed them to his fledgling label Respond but sadly soon lost interest to concentrate on his next protégé. John Peel was also a huge fan but apparently his producer John Walters hated them and they never got their session repeated, which was very rare. The Undertones continue to cement their place in music history as being the nicest guys in Rock ‘n’ Roll as they offer Dolly Mixture a support slot the very next night after the girls hung around with their demo tape outside a gig in Cambridge. Debsey asked for Damian O’Neill’s autograph and he told her he had loved their Peel Session. “Just bring your guitars to Aylesbury Friars tomorrow” they said and this led to a proper tour with The Undertones. So despite these welcome offers of generous help and support it’s even more unbelievable why the band could not break out into the mainstream. There’s also the irony of having U2 support them at the Moonlight Club in West Hampstead, a gig that my Blog colleague Rock photographer Paul Slattery attended, they had no idea at the time that U2 would go on to be such global superstars, sometimes there’s no justice!

The book is a charming collection of diary entries, fan letters and reminiscences about what it’s like to form a band, of playing in bedrooms, swapping instruments and taking those first steps out to play live. Debsey captures those innocent times perfectly, of going up to London with a stash of demo tapes and heading to a phone box to call various record companies plucked from the telephone directory. She also discusses the band’s influences such as Glam Rock, The Monkees, Blondie and Debbie Harry, Patti Smith and Poly Styrene of X-Ray Spex and the Ramones. They also started delving back into the 60’s of Bacharach and David, Motown, The Shangri-La’s and the Ronettes and you can see touches of all these in the Dolly Mixture sound. It’s shocking to think Dolly Mixture didn’t even release an official album until their own self-released “Demonstration Tapes” compilation just a year before they called it a day. Even to this day, it’s quite difficult to track down copies of their records and surely, some proper record label with sense should consider a thorough reissue plan. 

The Long Play Sessions is a series of talks with musicians and music related authors about their current books held at the ICMP campus in Queen’s Park. They have already hosted Daniel Rachel being interviewed by Miranda Sawyer about his latest book “This Ain’t Rock ‘n’ Roll” and have upcoming talks booked in with Lawrence from Felt and Will Hodgkinson about their superb book “Street Level Superstar”, Keith Cameron on his history of Manic Street Preachers and Melissa Auf Der Maur from Hole and Smashing Pumpkins discussing her forthcoming autobiography. It’s a great venue and Paul Wilson seems to be doing an excellent job in attracting some top names to his sessions and being a music college, of course they have good access to enthusiastic staff and top audio/visual facilities.

For more on Daniel Rachel's books including the superb "Too Much Too Young: The 2 Tone Records Story", please check out his website here. 

Retrosonic Podcast - Gary Crowley "Lost 80's Volume 2: 1980-1986" Live Talk and Q&A from Sounds of The Suburbs Records

Last Sunday (August 1st) we went along to our favourite record store Sounds of The Suburbs in Ruislip to see Gary Crowley, the legendary DJ, TV and Radio show presenter, A&R man, schoolboy music journalist and former receptionist at the NME - give a talk and Q&A session to promote his excellent new compilation "Lost 80's Volume 2: 1980-1986". This has just been released via Demon Records as a beautifully packaged 65 track 4 CD deluxe edition all housed in a hardback cover including a lavishly illustrated booklet packed full of photos, notes and background information. The tracklist itself features an eclectic mix of hidden gems and unusual choices from some familiar and not-so familiar names. Gary's picks certainly highlight the diverse musical styles that made the early to mid-80's such an exciting time - from Post-Punk, jangly Indie-Pop, Ska and Reggae, Jazz and Soul to Rap and Electronica - this compilation covers all the bases. So, in the discussion you're about to hear, which was introduced by singer-songwriter John Donegan, Gary not only talks about the compilation itself but we were also treated to a thoroughly entertaining romp through his life in music. Along the way we find out who he interviewed for his school magazine (wearing his school uniform), which soon-to-be pop star he had a secret crush on, who were the nicest stars he's interviewed (and the worse...), who he wished he'd seen play live, why The Jam just shaded The Clash as his favourite band and why he dreams of a fifth ginger Beatle! To compliment the chat, the Podcast features clips of great music from Big Audio Dynamite, Altered Images, Style Council, Theatre of Hate, Working Week, Bananarama, Paul Blake & Blood Fire Posse and Leisure Process.

Gary Crowley with Tony Smith at Sounds of The Suburbs, Ruislip

"Lost 80's Volume 2" is out now from all the usual outlets but it'll sound even better if you pop along to Ruislip and buy yourself a copy from Sounds of The Suburbs Records. You can listen or download directly below or subscribe to Retrosonic Podcast at Spotify, Apple Podcasts or Soundcloud.

Retrosonic Podcast · Gary Crowley "Lost 80's Vol. 2" Talk and Q&A

This Podcast has been kindly authorised by Gary Crowley. Sincere thanks to Gary, Tony Smith at Sounds of The Suburbs and John Donegan. 

Sounds of The Suburbs Records, 110 Victoria Road, Ruislip HA4 0AL (open Thu, Fri & Sat)

Introducing: Souvenir Stand - Ronettes meets The Beach Beach Boys, Dreamy 60's style Pop from Stephanie Cupo

Stephanie Cupo from Souvenir Stand

Souvenir Stand is Stephanie Cupo's solo project turned Indie-Pop band. The songwriting aspect began to form while she was studying classical saxophone in college. The Beach Boys quickly became a prominent musical influence and time was soon split between saxophone study, songwriting at the piano, and exploring arranging and production. The result was a debut three track EP "Days I’ve Spent With You" which was made available for digital download on Bandcamp in June 2012. Next on the horizon is a cassette release "Days" via the UK Indie label Beautiful Strange, featuring a new analogue recorded single and accompanying music video (release date to be confirmed). Overall the sound reflects the influence of Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys in addition to The Zombies, Phil Spector productions, Duane Eddy, Bobbie Gentry, Aimee Mann, Nirvana, The White Stripes and Chalk and Numbers among countless others. Souvenir Stand has recently developed past just a solo studio endeavour and Stephanie has formed a live band that’s gearing up to play in NYC in early Spring 2013.

Some Review Quotes: “…60s styled beautiful, dreamy pop in the vein of the Beach Boys, had they been blessed with a female voice of course!”
- Ice Cream Man Power Pop and More!  

“…her soft and dreamy voice will send your heart all fluttery while the yesteryear melodies, effortlessly precise and pretty, fit perfectly with rose-tinted memories"
– Just Music That I Like 

The Songs certainly have that Ronettes meets the Beach Boys vibe about them, beautifully layered and arranged, so that they grow with repeated listens. It will be interesting to see how Stephanie can translate this into a live environment, so once the dates are announced and if you are in New York, please go along and support Stephanie and the band. You can keep in touch with all Souvenir Stand news by checking out their Facebook and Twitter sites.

Souvenir Stand's excellent EP "Days I've Spent With You" is available for download at their Bandcamp site. Here's a taster, the sublime title track itself...

With many thanks to Stephanie Cupo, Photos by Julianne Karr.