David Arnoff "Shot In The Dark" - Photo Book Featuring Iconic Images of The Damned, The Cramps, Blondie, Ramones and more gets Deluxe Reissue & Launch Party

Photographer David Arnoff celebrates the 'resurrection' of his excellent book "Shot In The Dark" with an afternoon event at the Dublin Castle in Camden on SUNDAY MARCH 19th from 1:30-5pm. The book, full of his iconic photos of bands and artists such as The Cramps, The Damned, Nick Cave, Lydia Lunch, Blondie, The Gun Club, Ramones and Patti Smith, has been given a deluxe reissue make-over by Red Planet Books and features new text, a limited edition signed slipcase and 16 new images. The afternoon at the Dublin Castle will see David signing copies of "Shot In The Dark" and there will be a display of photos from the book along with a DJ supplying a suitably atmospheric soundtrack. It's shaping up to be an event that's not to be missed! PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A RE-SCHEDULED DATE (originally March 12th).

If you can't come along to the re-launch party then you can order the book from Red Planet here. 

For more information on David Arnoff's photography, please check out his official web-site here.

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

For more photos of the Punk Art Show opening night, please check out the Retro Man Blog Facebook page here to access the Photo Album. If you are not already following, please give us a 'Like'.

Billy Childish & CTMF with Johnny Moped - Exclusive Photos by Paul Slattery from Damaged Goods 30th Anniversary Gig

Billy Childish & CTMF at Koko - Photo Copyright Paul Slattery

I thought my Retro Man Blog colleague, Rock photographer Paul Slattery had first started taking pictures of Billy Childish when he was in The Milkshakes back in the early 80's, so did he...! But it took an email from Billy to set the record straight as unknown to Paul at the time, he had actually captured Billy at a historic gig totally by coincidence some years before. I found out more when we both met up with Billy down in the Medway a few years ago for our Retrosonic Podcast special. I started off the interview by asking Paul: "You've photographed Billy on and off for how many years?" Paul replied, "30 years" but Billy interrupted "Oh, don't forget it's actually 37 years". Then Paul explained further, "I've just given him some pictures that I took of the Sex Pistols playing at Brunel University in 1977 which Billy saw on the NME web-site and he said, 'that's me in the front row shouting at Johnny Rotten, have you got any more of those pictures?' So I looked through my negatives and sure enough, I had four shots with Billy in". Indeed, you can clearly see a young Billy Childish down there at the front clutching a monitor as Johnny leans over the audience with Sid looking on. It's a great moment captured for posterity and I can see why Billy was keen to get some copies. Paul has photographed Billy occasionally since The Milkshakes days right up to the cover photo on CTMF's recent single "A Glimpse of Another Time" and he was down the front at the show on September 6th to celebrate Damaged Goods Records 30th anniversary at Koko (or the Music Machine, as it might be better known) with special guests, Johnny Moped.

Billy Childish & CTMF at Koko - Photo Copyright Paul Slattery

Nurse Julie, Billy Childish & CTMF at Koko - Photo Copyright Paul Slattery

Billy Childish & CTMF at Koko - Photo Copyright Paul Slattery

Wolf Howard, Billy Childish & CTMF at Koko - Photo Copyright Paul Slattery

Billy Childish & CTMF at Koko - Photo Copyright Paul Slattery

Billy Childish & CTMF at Koko - Photo Copyright Paul Slattery

Johnny Moped at Koko - Photo Copyright Paul Slattery

Johnny Moped at Koko - Photo Copyright Paul Slattery

Johnny Moped at Koko - Photo Copyright Paul Slattery

Damaged Goods Records continue to celebrate their 30th anniversary with a special 7" Singles Club and more gigs in December at The Lexington including Graham Day & The Gaolers, Holly Golightly, Cyanide Pills and Johnny Moped. For more information, check out the label's web-site here. Don't forget our two-part Retrosonic Podcast special with Damaged Goods boss Ian where he tells us the history of the label and plays a selection of his releases from throughout the years. Then we have our Billy Childish special where Paul and I travelled down to the Medway to chat to Billy about his career and his favourite records which you can listen to or download directly from our Soundcloud site below or subscribe for free at iTunes:

Thanks to Paul Slattery. All photos copyright Paul Slattery 2018.

Tours at The King Charles in Poole, 9th March 2018. Paul Slattery Photos and Report on the Power Pop Legends Reunion

Tours Photographed by Paul Slattery March 2018

Back in 1979 John Peel played Tours "Language School" on his show for 50 consecutive nights declaring it his second favourite 45 of all time behind the Undertones "Teenage Kicks". 39 years years later, The King Charles pub in Poole was the venue for Tours' first gig in all that time where a packed upstairs medieval room saw Dorset’s favourite sons shake off the intervening years with a blistering set featuring all their favourite tunes from their "Album Of The Year That Never Was". The Band rehearsals, which I had previously reported on for Retro Man Blog (see here for details) had obviously paid off as the band blasted through their three minute power-pop classics.

Tours Photographed by Paul Slattery March 2018

I’d never been to a gig in a medieval room before replete with all the details, hammer beams, inglenook chimney and lancet windows - what an amazing venue for a reunion gig. Although most of the songs are nearly forty years old, the late seventies was a golden age of great Power Pop and the songs sound as good today as they did back then.

Tours Photographed by Paul Slattery March 2018

Tours Photographed by Paul Slattery March 2018

Basher on drums and Steve on bass are excellent throughout and keep the whole gig moving right along, and this is the first time the band has appeared as a five piece with original member John Hole back in the band. When Ronnie, Richard and John are on-song the guitars really are a "wall of sound" and what they lack in perfection they make up in passion. They complete their rousing set in just about 55 minutes to a huge ovation and I can’t tell you how good it is to listen to these great songs played live once again.

Tours Photographed by Paul Slattery March 2018

Tours Photographed by Paul Slattery March 2018

Ronnie tells me that the band should be doing another gig at The King Charles later in the summer, although Basher has commitments with his band "The Electric Shakes" and Richard has to fly in from New York. But hopefully things will come together next year for a 40th anniversary tour, I really hope they can pull it off. If tonight’s performance was anything to go by then I hope by next year it’s full steam ahead. (Paul Slattery, March 2018).

Tours Photographed by Paul Slattery March 2018

Tours Photographed by Paul Slattery in 1979

You can hear Paul talking about his trip to see the gig and listen to the band's classic "Language School" single in our latest episode of Retrosonic Podcast (episode number 30). 

Thanks to Paul for the feature and great photos. We'll keep you updated on future Tours news.

Joy Division on The Streets of Stockport: Photographer Paul Slattery on his iconic 1979 photo session and Strawberry Studios Exhibition

Joy Division on the streets of Stockport photographed by Paul Slattery

In July 1979 I was working for Sounds magazine as a freelance photographer and I drove up to Strawberry Studios in Stockport with writer Dave McCullough to photograph Joy Division for an article in the mag. Dave had been listening to this demo tape very loudly in the Sounds office above Covent Garden tube station but I can’t say that I or anyone else in the office liked it at the time. Dave though had a sixth sense when it came to music, he was an absolute legend. In the evening we went to the Funhouse at The Mayflower to see Joy Division play along with The Distractions, The Fall and Ludus at a gig entitled "Stuff The Superstars". Tickets were £1.50 and I thought Joy Division were a load better live than on the demo tape though. You can still read Dave's original interview from Sounds magazine first published back in August 1979 here.

Strawberry Studios Stockport photographed by Paul Slattery

Roll on 37 years. In the late summer of 2016 Peter Wadsworth from the Stockport Museum got in touch with me about the Joy Division photo session I did on the streets of Stockport as he wanted some of the images for the upcoming exhibition "I Am In Love" about Strawberry Recording Studios. After the exhibition finishes my photographs will be on permanent display at the museum. This is a really excellent exhibition and has been hugely successful since its opening in January this year and if you still haven't been then you are lucky as it’s open until 29th January 2018. There are some great artefacts in the exhibition from Graham Gouldman and Martin Hannett from the studio made famous by 10cc and Joy Division among others. This was a golden age of British rock music and I was utterly privileged to be there. 

Photo by Tracey Holloway

Last month I was invited up to Stockport to give a talk about the Joy Division photo session at the Seven Miles Out Art Cafe. I was truly humbled by everyone letting me rattle on for about an hour or so, and to a packed crowd so I’m told. As a photographer you may hope that some of the photographs you take come out OK, but I’m truly touched at the love that this crowd showed for these Joy Division images.

Paul Slattery in front of his iconic Joy Division photographs - Photo by Peter Wadsworth

Before the talk I went to visit Hopes Carr where I took some of the photographs - little has changed except some idiot at the council decided to cover what was a beautiful cobbled street with tarmac. I was gutted. Save your history Stockport! I hadn’t been in the centre of Stockport before and I must say that it has a very attractive little town centre with many period buildings and a covered market. It also has the Robinson’s Brewery where you can book a tour. It looks like a town trying to reinvent itself for the future and there is no doubt that the preserved building fabric of the town centre, the beautiful market, the really superb and eclectic Stockport Museum and the Seven Miles Out Art Cafe are all contributing to its revival.

Strawberry Studios memorabilia on display - Photo by Paul Slattery

Many thanks are due to both Peter Wadsworth who arranged the talk and to Rosemary and John Barrett who run this excellent Arts centre in Stockport. Thanks for the coffee Rosemary!

- Paul Slattery December 2017

Lee McFadden (musician with Cult Figures, Alternative TV etc.) interviewed Paul for the Joy Division Central web-site back in 2014 and he mentions the Stockport photo session and his first experience of seeing the band perform live.

Paul: It was one of those photoshoots where you felt the band really didn’t want to be choreographed. You just took them down to a place – “look over here”. I think the image they were – or Hooky was – trying to project – wasn’t a playful image. It reflected the music, which I thought at the time was melancholy. They’re not love songs. It was a different kind of vibe to what I was used to. I’d been taking pictures of punk, power-pop bands who project this kind of pop song vibe, so you get three guys and they’re all smiling. Joy Division was a different vibe. I just got them on the corner, saw how they interracted and took a few frames. Obviously in retrospect I wish I had taken about ten rolls of film (laughs).

 

Lee: You saw them at the Mayflower that night. People often remark on the marked difference between their live and studio sound. You’d heard “Unknown Pleasures” in the office – how did you react after seeing them live for the first time?

Paul: I thought they were amazing. I felt they really came alive. Hooky was there with his low-slung bass and I thought – “Well he’s learnt something from Paul Simonon anyway!” (laughs).

Lee: He’s admitted the same to me!

Paul: They were great. Ian Curtis had so much charisma. Live they were tremendous. There were some great bands on there – Ludus, The Fall, The Distractions were a really great pop band from Manchester, and Joy Division. I never knew whether Joy Division’s band of music would surpass the Distractions. I’d seen the Distractions a few times and I like that kind of pop music. But for me, the gig was very powerful and Ian Curtis was amazing live.

Photographer Paul Slattery - Photo by Peter Wadsworth

The full original interview can be found at the Joy Division Central web-site/resource, extract used by permission. Thanks to Paul Slattery, Peter Wadsworth, Lee McFadden & Tracey Holloway.

The Skids - Part 3: Rock Photographer Paul Slattery & Richard Jobson Re-Trace Their Dunfermline Steps 38 Years Later...

Richard Jobson at Fire Station Arts Creative, Dunfermline photographed by Paul Slattery

Rock Photographer Paul Slattery was so blown away by seeing The Skids in Southampton during their 40th Anniversary Tour that he trekked up to Dunfermline to catch the last night of the tour in their home-town. While he was there he met up with Richard Jobson to visit the "Scared To Dance" exhibition (which includes some of Paul's excellent early Skids prints) and to re-trace their steps some 38 years on from his first Scottish photo-session with the band. Over to you Paul: "On a warm night in April 1978 I went to see The Skids for the second time at The Red Cow in Hammersmith. Just a week before I’d been impressed with this band at the nearby Nashville and on this particularly hot night The Skids, stripped to the waist, gave it everything a band possibly could. The guitarist was an ace and the front-man threw himself around like no-one I’d seen before. I liked them a lot and a year later, just soon after they signed to Virgin Records, I photographed them in Dunfermline and in North Queensferry by the Forth Bridge. One of the photographs was used on the front cover of Sounds magazine in March 1979 with "Skid Row" on the cover. 

The Skids, Glen Pavilion Dunfermline photographed by Paul Slattery

Just thirty eight years later here I am down the front of a Skids gig again in Dunfermline! I’d finally seen the reformed band in Southampton (photos on the Blog here) the previous week and was so blown away that I decided to come up to Dunfermline and see their home-town gig. It was like the wheel had turned full circle. During the afternoon walking through the town I spotted many Skids fans who were not only from all over the country but all over Europe as well. They have an unbelievably dedicated fan-base and they paid back that dedication in spades by paying a truly stupendous gig at the Glen Pavilion here. The musicianship, the charisma, the passion and the energy is all there, The Skids have so many great songs to choose from and the set list just a dream. Read Steve’s report in the blog from the Roundhouse gig here and you’ll get the picture. 

Richard Jobson, Glen Pavilion Dunfermline photographed by Paul Slattery

This was a great night to remember and a truly remarkable performance from a band who had only recently got back together.
 The next morning I met Richard Robson at The Fire Station Creative where I had Skids photographs on display in the "Scared To Dance" exhibition curated by himself and Ronnie Gurr. We chatted over a coffee in between Richard signing things for fans and went for a walk round the town retracing the steps I had taken with the Skids back in 1979. There were still loads of Skids fans in town and Richard spent a good part of our walk chatting to them and doing more signing. The landmarks were still there but of course health and safety prevented us from climbing into the Abbey as the band had done 38 years before! 

Richard Jobson photographed in Dunfermline, 2017 by Paul Slattery

The Skids photographed in Dunfermline, 1979 by Paul Slattery

Richard Jobson photographed in Dunfermline, 2017 by Paul Slattery

The Skids photographed in Dunfermline, 1979 by Paul Slattery

There’s a huge buzz about the band at the moment, they will be playing more gigs this year and have already pencilled in dates for next year. Go and see them! Here are some of the new and old photos together, all the old ones can be found in my new book "Scared To Dance – The Skids 1979/80" published by Hanging Around books and available to buy from here."

The Skids, Glen Pavilion Dunfermline photographed by Paul Slattery

The Crowd at Glen Pavilion Dunfermline photographed by Paul Slattery

Paul talks more about his experiences with The Skids and picks a couple of his favourite tracks in our brand new Episode 27 of Retrosonic Podcast, you can listen/download for free below: