Welcome to the ramblings of a man who really should have grown out of listening to "that sort of music" a long, long time ago...A place to share thoughts and photographs on music and related paraphernalia.
Welcome to this selection of some of our favourite gigs of 2024. There were some super shows this year, from intimate solo performances in churches to full-on orchestral shows and of course the usual raucous Rock 'n' Roll gigs in classic venues. Please click on the highlighted band name for links to access our videos from the relevant shows and I've added links to various corresponding reviews in our archive too.
For feature on ElectrAcoustic Vol. 3 check out the the Blog archive here
19. Bill Ryder-Jones - Islington Assembly Hall
20. Robyn Hitchcock - Foyles, London
For original videos from most of the shows above, please check out our Retromanblog65 YouTube channel, you can subscribe for free here. All photos and videos copyright Retro Man Blog.
In our recent Retrosonic Podcast Episode 53 you would have heard the excellent track by def.fo called "Play It Cool", well we liked it so much we named the episode after it and even featured the man behind the project, Tom Powell, on the cover. You might recognise Tom as the bassist with former Shack and Pale Fountains frontman Mick Head's latest outfit, Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band and here, in a thoroughly entertaining show, Tom discusses the concept behind def.fo and the superb album "Eternity", some of the varied musical influences that helped to shape the sound and the contributors that played their part in creating one of the best albums of 2023. "Eternity" is a concise and perfectly plotted debut that effortlessly moves between an eclectic mix of genres, from 60's West Coast Californian harmonies, pastoral Folk Rock with lush orchestral arrangements to 90's Trip-Hop and contemporary Neo-Psychedelia, but despite the varied reference points, it all sounds completely fresh and unique. It brings to mind the similarly studio-based project 5 Billion In Diamonds which was created by Nirvana Producer and Garbage drummer, Butch Vig along with the Bristol based Producers and DJ's James Grillo and Andy Spaceland and a list of impressive studio guests including Ebbot Lundberg from The Soundtrack of Our Lives, Damian O'Neill from the Undertones and members of Ocean Blue, Massive Attack, Spiritualised and The Blue Aeroplanes.
With def.fo, Tom has called on dad, Steve Powell from Ark Recording Studios in Liverpool who has worked with Mick Head, The Stairs, Cast and Echo & The Bunnymen among others and here his production and guitar work, lifts "Eternity" to another level, the album just sounds fantastic, especially on vinyl. Then there are contributions from Tom's Red Elastic Band colleague Phil Murphy on drums, Chris Geddes from Belle & Sebastian on keyboards and Mick Head himself, who adds vocals to a couple of songs and also more intriguing, the bongos! In fact, the time spent working with Mick Head, who the NME once dubbed as Britain's "Greatest Songwriter", has certainly rubbed off on Tom as "Eternity" is packed full of immediately memorable songs, ringing with superb guitar riffs, beautiful melodies and choruses that will stick in your head for days after the very first listen. His Red Elastic Band boss must be very proud. Talking of which, during our chat, Tom also covers the amazing reaction to the "Dear Scott" album and the wonderful experience of playing in Japan with Mick and The Red Elastic Band earlier this year. We were lucky enough to be there to catch one of the Tokyo shows and you can see videos over at our YouTube channel here. Anyway, please enjoy Tom's company in this latest episode which is also soundtracked with a selection of songs from the "Eternity" album - you can subscribe to Retrosonic Podcast for free at Spotify, iTunes, Apple Podcasts or direct from our SoundCloud site below.
You can order "Eternity" directly from the official def.fo website here and check out more news and information at the Facebook page here. With thanks to Tom and to John Johnson photography for use of the excellent photo in the Podcover. We recommend the Pale Fountains fan's Facebook group here for all Mick Head music-related chat and resource. Retrosonic Podcast has a valid PRS licence.
There’s a neon sign above the bar in the Shangri-La venue in
Tokyo that proclaims “This is where the magic happens”. There have been
numerous books published on the Japanese misuse of English in their signage and
advertising – indeed on this trip I’ve seen ‘are you excited stretch hero’
outside a gym, ‘do not flash your sanitary goods’ on a toilet door and ‘no
dropping thing out of window’ on the Tokyo monorail. These signs can be confusing,
bizarre and often downright hilarious but this time, there’s no sniggering at any
poor translation as the Shangri-La nailed it perfectly. For tonight was
certainly magical – one of those special happenings when live music truly
transcends huge cultural differences, time zones and language barriers. Mick Head first came to Japan in 1985 with The Pale Fountains and it made a big
impact on the Anglophile Indie scene at the time, leaving a lasting legacy that
was apparent in the number of people in the crowd tonight that were there back
in ’85. In fact, one of my friends even bought along her original gig ticket
for Mick to sign. Now Mick is back and we were at the second of two nights with The Red Elastic Band at the Shangri-La in
Shimokitazawa, Tokyo’s less commercial and less tacky version of Camden – it’s
a lively area that’s crammed full of live venues, bars, record stores, vintage
clothes shops and you see countless musicians wandering about carrying guitars,
trying to look as cool as possible. It’s also home to probably the best ever
Punk Rock ‘n’ Roll bar ever, the Poor Cow, run by Fi-Fi of the brilliant
Japanese band Teengenerate. It’s the go-to place for touring bands to pop into
to relax after a show, King Salami & The Cumberland 3, The Courettes have
all visited and Baby Shakes told me about their love of the place in our
Retrosonic Podcast. It’s an area that’s also personally very important to me as
on my first trip to Japan in 1989, I was taken along to a superb Indie
nightclub called Zoo which was an unforgettable experience that’s stayed with
me to this day. So, to be able to see Mick in Japan was special enough but the
fact it happened to be in Shimokitazawa, made it even better.
Opening up the night was Red Elastic Band guitarist
Nathaniel Laurence with his second only solo live performance, the debut being
the night before. Apparently, he wasn’t quite as nervous to be alone under the
spotlight as the first show and he told me later, he found the experience quite
daunting and if he’s going to try out new material then the other side of the
world, far away from familiar, possibly more expectant or judgemental faces, is
probably the best way to do it. Nat, seemed rather unsure but he needn’t have
been, he did brilliantly. It was an emotionally charged performance which kind
of took me by surprise, and I could understand his concerns as when you lay
your soul on the line with such an intimate performance, it can be very
precious. Opening with “Zombie Girl” by Adrianne Lenker he also included
excellent covers of songs by Townes van Zandt and Fleetwood Mac’s Christine
McVie but it was his own songs that really shined. Nat was visibly moved on a
couple of occasions, particularly when he dedicated a song to Bill Ryder-Jones
for his support and friendship through some tough times and also before the
wonderful original song “Jaime” as he denounced the recent laws in Florida that
will suppress minority groups even more. The sadly all too short set is
received really well by the appreciative crowd. Nat has a great voice and if he
can capture that raw intensity he showed tonight in (hopefully) future recordings, he could easily carve out a spot for himself in the somewhat overcrowded
solo singer-songwriter market.
There’s
a brief respite and then the red velvet curtains are pulled back to reveal Mick and the Red Elastic Band and the first thing that hits me are the dazzling
smiles as the waves of love and affection flowed from the crowd. The band certainly
looked chuffed to bits to be in Japan. They opened with the brilliant “Kismet”,
the first track from the stunning current album “Dear Scott” and you realise
that ‘our greatest songwriter’ as the NME once dubbed him back at the peak of
Shack’s success in the 90’s, has if anything got even better as the years have
gone by. Songs like “Newby Street” from the “Artorius Revisited” E.P. and
tracks from “Dear Scott” such as “Gino and Rico” and “American Kid” rub
shoulders easily alongside the much-loved classics from The Pale Fountains and
Shack. Probably the most encouraging signs are that the as yet unreleased songs
played tonight promise even more greatness is to follow. The powerful, rocking
“Human Race” ups the tempo and is an immediate hit with the crowd. Then the emotional
nostalgia of “Shirl’s Ghost”, an instrumental teaser of which was included as
the run out track of “Dear Scott”. Tonight, we get the full vocal version with Mick
changing the lyrics to include tonight’s location “I’ve been to so many fabulous
places, marvellous stages, beautiful faces, I’ve danced in New York, Paris and
Tokyo”. It’s a beautifully evocative song. Then there’s more variety in the
unashamedly romantic “You Smiled at Me” with its Burt Bacharach strains telling
of a Parisian love affair.
Mick looks in great shape and seems visibly touched
by the reaction of the Japanese fans (not forgetting us visitors and ex-pats in
the crowd of course…), he’s wearing a Love T-shirt so it’s no surprise that we
get a rollicking version of “A House Is Not a Motel” which goes down a storm.
But the audience really goes wild during the two Pale Fountains songs “Reach”
and “Jean’s Not Happening” which are absolutely superb and spark off much
singing along and audience participation. At one point, Mick gently coerces
daughter Alice on stage to join him on “Broken Beauty”, a song they co-wrote
and there’s a touching scene when they hug as the song finishes. I think one of
the key aspects of Mick’s resurgence is the support that he is getting from
Alice and his sister Joanne, who is also present tonight, it’s a tight knit
family unit and is so refreshing to see. Of course, the Red Elastic Band
concept was always meant to be flexible with a revolving cast of musicians and
collaborators but the current, more settled, line-up seems to be an extension
of the family and the freedom Mick gives each of the band members to express
themselves creates a wonderful chemistry, particularly on stage. Too many
frontmen and women from successful bands embark on solo careers and surround
themselves with faceless session musicians – but I think fans and audiences
really respond to that ‘band as a gang’ atmosphere.
It’s a five-piece line-up
tonight, second guitarist Danny Murphy missing out on the trip due to other
touring commitments. Martin Smith on trumpet also shows off some nifty dance
moves, there’s bassist Tom Powell’s smile as he loses himself in the music,
long hair swaying (Tom's a popular guy, Mick superfan Ana once dubbed him ‘Jesus’ and another friend
commented ‘he looks like Keanu Reeves’). Then of course there’s Nat’s brilliant
guitar work and when you think he has to cover for the absent Danny and also
follow on from the guitar genius that is John Head, it’s mightily impressive. He
does such an amazing job and also adds his very own charismatic stage presence
to proceedings. Phil Murphy on drums is another key component in the success of
the Red Elastic Band as he nails the various styles and genres that snake
through Mick’s music – tonight, I’m particularly struck by his work on
“Stranger” with its Bossa Nova and Tropicalia feel and it kind of reminds me of
The Doors’ John Densmore Jazzy style of accentuating the vocals and feel of the
song. Having a supportive and empathetic record label also helps and Modern Sky
have certainly delivered with “Dear Scott”, building on the great work that
Violette did in establishing the Red Elastic Band with their stunning graphics and
beautifully designed releases. Having Nathaniel involved in the recording
process along with Bill Ryder-Jones superb production and orchestration is also
a vital cog in the wheel that also includes the stunning photography of John
Johnson – another important element that should not be overlooked and all the
pieces of the jig-saw seem to be perfectly in place right now.
There’s an acoustic interlude when just Nat and Mick play
“As Long as I’ve Got You” and “Freedom” and then Joanne joins them to deliver a
stunning performance of “Daniella” from Shack’s “HMS Fable”. There’s something
so emotional in Mick’s music – the tough looking Scouser who has battled
trials, tribulation and addiction as documented in tonight’s superb performance
of the “Streets of Kenny”, he just has this knack of gnawing at your
heartstrings and often at his shows, I find myself with a lump in the throat
and a tear in the eye – it must be the dry ice eh? I think it’s the way he wears his heart on
his sleeve, allied to a totally down-to-earth attitude that endears Mick to his
fans. I’ve seen some great shows by Mick over the years, but this was something
else, another Shimokitazawa experience I’ll always treasure. The band were
buzzing after the show, happy to meet and chat with fans, signing memorabilia
and gushing about the fact that they were in Japan. They seemed as happy as we
were and in these often cynical and jaded musical days, that’s a very
refreshing thing. Super fan Hiro, proprietor of the unofficial Mick Head Museum
(his apartment in Tokyo!) and his lovely wife Rie had made some Red Elastic
Band Japanese tour souvenir wristbands which he generously handed over to us
and it was nice to see Mick and the band all wearing them onstage. It was so
great to be there to witness Hiro get his wish of Mick’s return to Japan and he
made the most of every minute. He also stocked up on more merchandise to add to
his huge collection and to paraphrase Chief Brody’s famous line in Jaws, “Hiro,
you’re gonna need a bigger apartment…!” The only thing that could make the
evening any better was a nightcap or two at the Poor Cow so a gang of us headed
off to marvel and talk excitedly about the wonderful night that we’d all been
lucky enough to have experienced.
For Mayumi, Kaz, Kurt, Hiro, Rie, all the Mick fans we met on the night, the Red Elastic Wristband Gang, Fi-Fi and all at the Poor Cow. For more videos from the show please subscribe (for free) to the Retro Man Blog YouTube channel here. For our features on previous Mick Head & The Red Elastic Band, check out the Index/Archive. For more information on Mick & The Red Elastic Band, check out their official web-site here.
Welcome to Episode 51 of Retrosonic Podcast where we welcome former drummer with The Chords Buddy Ascott into the 'studio' on New Year's Eve to look back on 2022. Buddy, now playing with The Fallen Leaves, is currently writing his memoirs and he treats us to a reading from a chapter about an unfortunate incident in Guildford Civic Hall in 1979 involving The Undertones, Jimmy Pursey and some ex-Sex Pistols. He also talks about more recent gig experiences which include drumming with The 79ers as specials guests at The Vapors' weekend event at the iconic Portmeirion village, location of the cult TV show The Prisoner. Then we cover The Fallen Leaves shows at the Dublin Castle and the Don Craine tribute at the Half Moon Putney, plus we get a sneak preview of a song from the Leaves' next album. We also take a look at some of Retro Man Blog's favourite LPs, Singles, Compilations and Gigs of the year and play a selection of great tracks from The Clash with Ranking Roger, Rhoda Dakar, The Limiñanas, The Prisoners and Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band. We also announce our Band of The Year - The Undertones - for some superb gigs, their compilation "Dig What You Need", Damian O'Neill and Billy Doherty joining Baby Shakes on stage for "Teenage Kicks" and related releases such as That Petrol Emotion's stunning box-set compilation and Damian's solo album "An Crann". Then there's a more sombre look at just some of the influential musicians who sadly passed away in 2022 including Chris Bailey, Wilko Johnson, Jet Black and Terry Hall but we celebrate their legacy with music from The Saints, Dr. Feelgood, The Specials and The Stranglers. Happy New Year to you and here's looking forward to more great music in 2023, we hope you enjoy the show! Please click the highlighted links in the tracklisting below for more info on the featured Bands and Artists and how to buy their music.
This episode is dedicated to the memories and music of Terry Hall, Ronnie Spector, Jet Black, Wilko Johnson, Chris Bailey, Martin Duffy, Keith Levene, DH Peligro, Mark Lanegan, Taylor Hawkins and all those creative souls who sadly passed away in 2022. You can subscribe to Retrosonic Podcast for free at Spotify, iTunes, Apple Podcasts or Soundcloud. Retrosonic Theme by Adam Donovan. Retrosonic Podcast has a valid PRS certificate.
For more information on the forthcoming book "A Taste of Ink: The Prisoners Sentenced By Their Fans" compiled and edited by Thomas Buch, Michael Langer, Elinor Crockford and Jeremy Stride, as discussed in this episode, please check out the Facebook page here or official web-site here.
Here's Retro Man Blog and Retrosonic Podcast's top 22 new album releases of 2022, we hope you enjoy this selection and if you do, please follow, like, subscribe to the Blog and Podcast and please support all the featured bands and artists. Thanks for all the support throughout the year!
1. Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band "Dear Scott'
2. Graham Day "Master of None"
3. Damian O'Neill "An Crann"
4. Ruts DC "Counterculture"
5. The Schizophonics " Hoof It"
6. The Guy Hamper Trio "All The Poisons In The Mud"
7. The Brian Jonestown Massacre "Fire Doesn't Grow On Trees"
8. Cat & The Underdogs "Punk Rock Overdrive"
9. The Bug Club "Green Dream In F#"
10. Thee Moot "Mood Swings And Roundabouts"
11. Viagra Boys "Cave World"
12. Suzi Moon "Dumb And In Luv"
13. AlterModerns "Side Effects of Reality"
14. Paper Lips "The Sound of Sound"
15. The Senior Service "A Little More Time With..."
21. Luke Haines & Peter Buck "All The Kids Are Super Bummed Out"
22. Autoramas "Autointitulado"
Thanks to all contributors, bands, Podcast special guests and co-presenters, record labels and people who have shared and supported what we have done over the past year. Retro Man Blog and Retrosonic Podcast are an extension of the spirit of my old 1980's D.I.Y. cut 'n' paste fanzine Out of Step and are strictly non-profit without advertising or sponsorship, set up purely to promote music that we like. We hope you have discovered some exciting new music along the way, your support is very much appreciated.
This was the third time to see Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band in London this year and each show couldn’t have been more different yet all were equally as memorable. First of all, back in May we squeezed ourselves into the tiny packed out basement bar of the Heavenly Social where only drummer Phil and guitarist Nat accompanied Mick. After this show, the crowd filed out of the venue and followed Mick to a nearby pub to watch Liverpool in the Champions League Final. Then in June we went along to the superb 2,000 capacity Shepherds Bush Empire where we were treated to a full-on eight-piece Red Elastic Band line-up including brass, woodwind and cello to hear the songs from the new album “Dear Scott” in all their glory. Then it’s another change of direction for tonight’s intimate show at the St. Pancras Old Church, the grounds of which were used as a photo shoot location by those other Scouse musical legends The Beatles during their 1968 “Mad Day Out” jaunt around London. The grounds and the church itself are stunning and we’ve got front row seats although I was a bit disappointed to find out they weren’t pews though. It’s as though Mick and the band are right there in your front room, well that is if your front room just happens to be a chapel that pre-dates the Norman Conquest of course. It really is a beautiful setting and Mick seems taken aback “I know we’re standing on gravestones but I’m sure it’ll be OK” he says, the stained glass window above the altar behind him adds a suitably ecclesiastical backdrop.
It’s great that Mick doesn’t just follow the routines of the traditional touring circuit, it’s as if he’s determined that each gig be treated as a very special one-off event, something to be treasured and remembered. The flexibility that he has carved out for himself since Shack’s indefinite hiatus is admirable, he’s working on his own terms so seems to be able to escape the pitfalls, pressures and clichés of the corporate music industry and that’s such a rare commodity these days. Tonight’s line-up of The Red Elastic Band features Nathaniel Cummings on guitar, Tom Powell on bass, Phil Murphy on drums and Martin Smith on trumpet, but unfortunately guitarist Danny Murphy is missing as he’s currently on tour with Jamie Webster. The band kick off with “Gino & Rico” from the new album "Dear Scott" and the sound is surprisingly excellent – I say surprising, as Church’s tend to work best for acoustic or orchestral performances but rarely for a full-on Rock band. However, tonight it really works and the impressive acoustics really highlight the nuances of Mick’s intricate songs. I do notice that Phil has dampened his snare drum with what looks like a tea towel but otherwise, the band put as much into the performance as if they were on the stage of a large traditional Rock venue. Tonight’s set consists of a dip into most aspects of Mick’s musical career post-Pale Fountains so we get “Undecided” from “Waterpistol”, the always emotional “Comedy” and a blistering “Pull Together” both from “H.M.S. Fable”. “As Long As I’ve Got You” is the choice from “Here’s Tom With The Weather” and then there’s the superb “Something Like You” from “The Magical World of The Strands”.
The now classic “Newby Street” from The Red Elastic Band’s debut E.P. “Artorius Revisited” raises the tempo and temperature with Martin blasting out that insistent trumpet riff. Then of course, there’s a large chunk of the current critically acclaimed Bill Ryder-Jones produced album “Dear Scott” which has raised Mick’s profile to heights not experienced since the peak-Shack era of the late 90’s/early 2000’s. In fact, as much as I love Shack and in particular John Head’s guitar work, I don’t find myself longing for a reunion anymore as the quality of the new songs and the excellent chemistry between Mick and the Red Elastic Band members certainly stops you getting all nostalgic. Rather like Ebbot Lundberg did when The Soundtrack of Our Lives split up, Mick has surrounded himself with super-talented younger musicians who don’t only do justice to familiar classic songs but they manage to inject their own personalities and styles into the music. Interesting that both front men decided to cherry pick the nucleus of already established bands, Ebbot from the Stockholm based Side Effects to form The Indigo Children and Mick took from The Peach Fuzz, augmenting them with other musicians to suit. They both seem to understand that the dynamic and chemistry of a band works far better than any bunch of assembled faceless session musicians will ever do and The Red Elastic Band embody this, all have their own characters which really helps them connect with the fans. Phil is a really great drummer, navigating the twists and turns and sudden tempo changes of Mick's songs perfectly. When he's not playing trumpet Martin spends his time dancing away in the background and in front of him, bassist Tom Powell grooves away, long hair swaying around him as he immerses himself in the music. Guitarist Nat is a bit of a star, after all he is the frontman of The Peach Fuzz and his guitar playing is superb, especially tonight as he has to cover for the absence of Danny. It can't have been easy for both of them having to follow in the footsteps of John Head but they have both excelled. Not only are they all great musicians but they are great guys too as was proven by their concerns over the health of one of their biggest fans Ann. In fact, Mick dedicates a song to her tonight and the band make sure they all sign a set-list to present to her at the next opportunity, it’s such a nice touch of class.
There are too many highlights to mention, but the vocal version of “Shirl’s Ghost” is truly beautiful and it’s strange that they only included a short instrumental take to close “Dear Scott”, it’s almost as though that was put there as a tantalizing trailer for the next album. New song “The Human Race” is a cracker, it’s more of a powerful straight-ahead rocker than the material on “Dear Scott” and Nat’s guitar work is immense. As the song builds to a climax, Mick drops to his knees thrashing away on his acoustic guitar hunched over and as the song finishes he realizes he’s kneeling on a gravestone and I catch him put his fingers to his lips and blow a kiss in way of respectful apology. It’s this church thing, it seems to be making everyone come over all saintly. However, Mick just can’t stop swearing and each time an expletive escapes he cringes and says “sorry” as if a big bolt of lightning is going to flash from above and strike him down. “I blame my Ma,” he says, “She was always swearing” and then corrects himself, “sorry Ma” with a glance to the heavens. The set closer “Meant To Be” is almost like a cathartic experience when the crowd take over the main riff singing along and turning it into something akin to a football chant. Mick even joins in as he and the band take a bow and lap up the well-deserved applause. They are called back for an encore and we get the excellent “Stranger” from “Waterpistol”, but then it’s all over sadly despite the calls for more. So, another memorable night in the magical world of Michael Head and The Red Elastic Band and I'm already looking forward to the next adventure.
Special mention for tonight’s support act, the engaging Harry Tonks who went down really well with the crowd and was a perfect choice to get us in the mood for Mick. Harry was joined on stage by Mick’s sister Joanne for a cover of The Civil War’s “20 Years” and his own “Community Church” before which Harry commented that he’d always wanted to play the song in a church. Anyone who has seen Joanne sing "Daniella" with Mick at recent shows will know she has a wonderful voice and her appearance was a real highlight. Harry introduced a new song “Middle of The Night” with self-deprecating humour, saying it was a difficult one to play and he wondered why he always made things difficult for himself. Indeed the intricate guitar work was pretty mind (and finger) bending and it reminded me of none other than The Strands. Harry has some excellent songs and a great voice, free of the gimmicks and affectations of many modern day singer songwriters and I look forward to hearing more from him in the future.
Harry Tonks at St. Pancras Old Church
The Red Elastic Band - Martin, Nat, Phil and Tom
For more information on Micheal Head & The Red Elastic Band please check out their official website here. You can find out more about Harry Tonks here and you can see more videos of the show at our Retro Man Blog YouTube channel here.
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