The Courettes, Oh! Gunquit and The Paul Groovy Pop Art Experience at the Wedgewood Rooms Portsmouth, April 6th 2023

The Courettes, living up to their reputation as the hardest working Garage Rock 'n' Roll band in showbiz, were back in the U.K. again for a short headline tour. These gigs were sandwiched between their first ever visit to America and their appearance at the Roskilde Festival which then leads onto a full Danish tour. There really is no rest for the wicked as yet more tour dates have been pencilled into Martin and Flavia's diary so it won't be long before you get the chance to see the band play again, no matter where in the world you are. They were so busy that I didn't even have chance to arrange an interview with the duo at their stunning Portsmouth show. I wanted to discuss their acclaimed mini-tour of Japan in the Autumn of last year but hopefully, we can speak to them soon about their experiences for a future Retrosonic Podcast. We decided to go down to Portsmouth to see the band, mainly as they have often claimed that they get the best crowd reaction there and also, another of Retro Man Blog's favourite bands Oh! Gunquit were supporting. 

Opening up proceedings on the night were local band Paul Groovy & The Pop Art Experience, who we have played on Retrosonic Podcast before but never managed to see play live. I'm glad we did in the end though as they proved to be the perfect appetiser on a tasty looking bill promoted by the enthusiastic Chris Abbott and his team at Pompey Punk N' Roll. The Groovies, led by the charismatic and energetic frontman Mr Groovy himself, treated us to some impressive original songs and a selection of cover versions of a few Nuggets classics that went down well with the crowd and really set the tone nicely. Their "He's a Liar" single is a big favourite here, more so as it was released by our good friends at Spinout Nuggets, I'm looking forward to some more records soon.

Of course, Oh! Gunquit never let you down with their nice 'n' sleazy Bop, Rock & Soul, guaranteed to put a smile on your face and a bounce in your step. Their voodoo infused swampy gumbo sound blends a mix of influences into their very own unique style. Vocalist Tina is wearing a rather risqué outfit that might need a bit of photo-shopping to pass the social media censors and is her usual live-wire self. Juggling the trumpet, hula-hoop, maracas and for "Whiplash" a scary looking cat o' nine tails that she brandishes at bandmates and audience alike, she is a constant blur of high-kicking knee-dropping energy. Tina spends a lot of time down among the crowd and if she's not literally whipping them into shape, then she is crawling between their legs or encouraging them to "Dance Like F*ck". Someone really should make a Monkees style cartoon series about Oh! Gunquit as all the band members are charismatic characters in their own right. There's the sultry Veronica on bass, Erg powering away behind the drums, Luciano straddling the barrier between stage and audience as he adds some soulful sax to the mix and of course there's Simon Wild, who must be one of the most innovative guitarists on the scene right now. Their distinct and individual personalities really do add to the colourful eye-popping explosion of an Oh! Gunquit live show. The band have been in the studio working on new material, so that's certainly something to look forward to.

Then, it's the turn of The Courettes and they are probably one of the very few bands who could follow on from Oh! Gunquit - surely a daunting task. But, follow on they do and considering there is just the two of them, husband and wife Martin Couri on drums and Flavia on guitar and lead vocals - they do indeed raise the ante and treat the packed out Wedgewood Rooms to a visceral wall of sound and vision. Despite the recent critically acclaimed album "Back In Mono" concentrating more on the Phil Spector/Beach Boys harmonies and layered production - live, on stage, The Courettes have lost none of their original energy and fuzzed-up Garage Rock  assault on the senses. It's great to see a band on the up, from the first time I saw them at a Weirdsville Club Night at the Fiddlers Elbow in Camden, to the Louisiana in Bristol, a matinee at The Prince Albert in Brighton - then their biggest London show at the Lexington but now they are packing out the 400 capacity Wedgewood Rooms - it'll be interesting to see where they will play next time they are over here.

The set is packed full of great tunes, Martin is a phenomenal drummer - a non-stop blur of energy, managing to provide impressive backing vocals even if the non-stop touring is messing with his timing, although luckily not the drumming kind - "It's Friday night, let's go crazy Pompey!" he keeps shouting, until the crowd and Flavia remind him politely that it's actually Thursday night. Flavia hops, skips and jumps about the stage in between singing and peeling off some blistering guitar. ""R.I.N.G.O.", "Edge of My Nerves" and "Night Time" are stand-out tracks and they only slow the pace for "Daydream", which Flavia sings in faultless Japanese. Yes, Damaged Goods Records released the Japanese version on 7" vinyl especially for the band's Japan tour dates and we were honoured to get a dedication on the night for our help with the cover art, translation and hooking the band up with friends in Tokyo, not forgetting recommending Poor Cow, run by Fifi of Teengenerate and easily the best Punk Rock 'n' Roll bar ever. During the last song "All About You", Flavia leaps over the barrier to crowd-surf while impressively still managing to play guitar, it's a great moment. Then finally for the encore The Courettes are joined onstage by all the bands, promoter Chris Abbott and the irrepressible driver, roadie and cheerleader Patrice, for a great run through of "Hop The Twig".  It was a thoroughly entertaining time - great venue, great crowd and of course great bands - all in all just what a perfect night of live music should be all about.

All photos copyright Retro Man Blog 2023. You can check out more videos from the night by subscribing to our Retromanblog65 YouTube channel. Don't forget our Retrosonic Podcast interview special with The Courettes is still available in our archives at Spotify, iTunes, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts or direct from Soundcloud below.

Retrosonic Podcast · Presenting the fabulous Courettes

Please check out the following links for further information. 

The Courettes

Damaged Goods Records

Oh! Gunquit

Paul Groovy & The Pop Art Experience

Paul Groovy Radio Show

Spinout Nuggets Records

Pompey Punk N' Roll Promotions

Wedgewood Rooms Portsmouth 

Retro Man Blog YouTube channel

Retrosonic Podcast

The Beatpack "All Good Things (Turn To Dust)" - New Album Review by Ms Sheringham-Boom

The Beatpack "All Good Things (Turn To Dust)" - Spinout Nuggets 

Finally, the second long-player from rhythm and beat legends The Beatpack has landed (thanks to Spinout Nuggets) . It’s been quite a wait (a decade or three) and I’m certain you’ll already be familiar with their sporadic 7” releases over the years. You may have even been to one of their formidable live shows. So you’ll need no convincing from me about how bloody fantastic this new offering is, I guarantee you will not be disappointed. The Beatpack take us on a journey that looks purposefully into a filter of ‘60s soundscapes. Each track whirls and winds it’s way though known territory, but that’s why we’re all here right? ‘All Good Things’ kicks off with the buzzsaw riff of ‘Black Sea Tobacco Pose’, this coupled with Dellar’s minimal yet meaningful descriptives, and the addition of breaks*, builds the anticipation to the max. Cool, very cool. Now frug along to the insanely groovy tracks like ‘Greek St 2am’ and ‘Footsteps, Echo’. Hear the sublime R'n'B/Psych-Rock of ‘Endless Halls Of Her Reflection’, and ‘Thru The Iron Gate’, both giving echoes of peak Yardbirds. Violin bow, anyone? Likewise, closing track ‘All Good Things (Turn To Dust)’ is a fitting end to this showcase. The 12 tracks, recorded at the prestigious all-analogue Gizzard Studios in London, captures their live voracity. Dellar and the boys bestow their undying love, fierceness, confidence, and pure joy to this LP. It’s a modernist masterpiece, and my personal favourite LP of 2022. Available now via the band's Bandcamp page, the trusty Spinout Nuggets shop, and all good records stores! 

*is the moment of silence - or "openness" - following the buildup and before the Drop (thanks Wikipedia!) - Ms Sheringham-Boom, January 2023

You can hear a track from this excellent album in Retrosonic Podcast episode 50 - subscribe for free at Spotify, iTunes, Apple Podcasts or direct from Soundcloud below. 

Retrosonic Podcast · Episode 50 "Something New"

Retrosonic Podcast Episode 49 "A Tonic For The Soul" - 21 Song New Release Special with Graham Day, Giuda, The Coolies, Cyanide Pills and Much More...

Steve from Retro Man Blog picks out 21 of the best new Garage Rock, Psych, Indie, Power Pop and Punk releases from as far apart as the U.K., Canada, Sweden, Italy, USA, Japan and the Medway Delta! Includes spotlights on some of our favourite record labels Spinout Nuggets, Chaputa, Beluga and Damaged Goods and the episode is packed with killer tracks from former Prisoners frontman Graham Day's debut solo album, The Coolies featuring special guests Clem Burke from Blondie and Kathy Valentine from The Go-Go's and an unreleased song from Les Envahisseurs. Then there's Mimi & The Miseries, The Sound Station, Los Pepes, Deviation Days, Smalltown Tigers, Giuda, The Mourning After, The Sellwoods, The Speedways, Thee Escapees, K.S. & The Mystery Jet Set, Kurt Shirt, Dirt Royal, Cyanide Pills, Thee Moot, Cat & The Underdogs, Thee Strawberry Mynde and a sublime song from Paper Lips, the new solo project by Mike Whittaker of The Baron Four and The Jack Cades. Please support these fantastic bands, artists and record labels so do check out the highlighted links below for further information on how you can buy all this wonderful music. You can subscribe to Retrosonic Podcast for free at Spotify, iTunes, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and SoundCloud and you can stream and download direct from the SoundCloud archive below:

Retrosonic Podcast · Episode 49 "A Tonic For The Soul"

Track-listing & Links

Graham Day - A Rose Thorn Sticking In Your Mind's Eye

Mimi & The Miseries - Security

Thee Moot - Tonic For The Soul

Paper Lips - Monday Morning

Les Envahisseurs - Back 266

Thee Escapees - Lose Your Head

Thee Strawberry Mynde - Try As I Might

Cyanide Pills - The Kids Can't Be Trusted With Rock 'n' Roll

Los Pepes - Never Get It Right

The Sellwoods - Searchin'

The Sound Station - Wild One

The Coolies - King of Confusion

The Mourning After - She Left Me Today

Kurt Shirt - Imaginary Friend

Dirt Royal - Shoot Me Now

K.S. & The Mystery Jet Set - Downtime

Cat & The Underdogs - Rich Kids

Deviation Days - Well of Trouble

Smalltown Tigers - Just Friends

The Speedways - Shoulda Known

Giuda - Roll On (live)

With thanks to Lee at Spinout Nuggets, Ian at Damaged Goods, Esgar at Chaputa Records, Melissa from The Sellwoods, Trevor at Beluga Records, Ake from Cat & The Underdogs and Hans Selander.

Retrosonic Podcast with Saskia Holling on "Girlsville: The Story of The Delmonas & Thee Headcoatees, The Queens of The Medway Delta"

For episode 17 of our Lockdown Lowdown series we welcome Saskia Holling to discuss her new book "Girlsville: The Story of The Delmonas & Thee Headcoatees" which is out now on Spinout Publications. Saskia talks about the process of writing the book itself along with the history and legacy of both groups and each of the band members. We also find out more about Saskia, her own music with Sally Skull, Lord Rochester and Big Russ Wilkins & Lightnin' Hollings and her fanzine "Heavy Flow" along with encounters with Kim Fowley and the impact of seeing Poison Ivy of The Cramps. We then discuss the prejudices and barriers faced by women in music and the positive effect of the Riot Grrrl movement. The episode is sound-tracked by Saskia's personal selection of her favourite Delmonas and Headcoatees songs, a pick of her own music and some of her influences and most memorable musical moments. Here's a description of the book from Spinout Publications. "Following the arrival of Post-Punk in the UK, an explosion of musical wonders flourished in the South East of England. Two such wonders, The Delmonas and Thee Headcoatees added to the burgeoning flow of music from the Medway Delta; a current started by The Pop Rivets, The Milkshakes and The Prisoners. Fronted by women from the Medway area and beyond, The Delmonas and Thee Headcoatees are regularly labelled as ‘Billy Childish projects’, yet the women involved added their own stamp to the musical beat. Hear ye for The Queens of The Medway Delta! Here, we find out more about these women – Hilary, Louise, Sarah, Debbie, Kyra and Holly and just how their paths intertwined to create memorable records (without musical industry intervention) and just what has happened to them all since…Collated and related by Saskia Holling, herself a music maker (The Nettelles, Lord Rochester, Sally Skull, Big Russ Wilkins & Lightnin’ Holling) and fanzine writer, who is seeking to help keep women in musical history. Published under the Spinout Publications imprint, with front cover painting by Sarah Crouch (Miss Ludella Black), and packed with photos and contributions from key figures within the Medway Delta, and related, and beyond!"

 

Retrosonic Podcast · The Delmonas & Thee Headcoatees "Girlsville: Queens of The Medway Delta" with Saskia Holling

Tracklisting (click on the highlighted links for more info)

Oscar Brown Jr - "Mr. Kicks"

B Bumble & The Stingers - "Nut Rocker"

The Cramps - "Human Fly"

Babes In Toyland - "Handsome & Gretel"

The A-Bones - "Take Up The Slack Daddy-O

Sally Skull - "You Better Go"

Thee Headcoatees - "Wild Man"

The Delmonas - "Wo' Now"

The Go-Go's - "We Got The Beat"

The Raincoats - "Fairytale In The Supermarket"

The Delmonas - "Black Ludella"

The Delmonas - "Farmer John"

Thee Headcoatees - "The First Plane Home"

Thee Headcoatees - "Teenage Kicks"

The A-Lines - "Nothing Personal"

Miss Ludella Black - "You Don't Know Right From Wrong"

Ye Nuns - "Higgle-Dy-Piggle-Dy"

Holly Golightly & The Broke-Offs - "Burn Your Fun"

The Nettelles - "I Don't Want To Talk To You"

Lord Rochester - "Don't Understand"

Sally Skull with Big Russ & Lightnin' Holling - "Sentimental Tuesday"

Skinned Teen - "Dancing Alice"  

Links & Credits

"Girlsville" can be bought directly from Spinout Publications at their on-line store here. The book is dedicated to the memory of Claire Scrivener of Sally Skull and The Nettelles and any kind donations would be greatly appreciated to either Maggie's Edinburgh or Girls Rock School Edinburgh. For Ms Sheringham-Boom's review of "Girlsville" please check out the feature here. Saskia has set up a new "Girlsville" Facebook page to share information on the book along with archive material of The Delmonas and Thee Headcoatees, you can check the page out here. Loads of lovely Delmonas, Headcoatees and Billy Childish records can be ordered from Damaged Goods Records and you can check out our Retrosonic Podcast with label boss Ian here. Our Podcast with Billy Childish can be found at our Soundcloud site here. With thanks to Saskia & Ms Sheringham-Boom. Retrosonic theme tune by Adam Donovan. You can subscribe to Retrosonic Podcast for free at Soundcloud, Spotify or Apple Podcasts/iTunes.

Jetstream Pony "If Not Now, When?" - Ms Sheringham-Boom on Their Excellent New 7" Single on Spinout Nuggets

Jetstream Pony, a four piece from Brighton/Croydon, make a sound synonymous with my teenage years, when indie music really was indie, John Peel was god (kind of), and the NME was still worth the paper it was printed on. "If Not Now, When?" greets you with a bouncy bassline, lots of guitar-riffing, and is frustratingly short and (bitter) sweet. The opposing female vs male vocal style (think a post-punk version of Sinatra & Hazelwood) conglomerate to make this a refreshing shot of dopamine which will help to keep us afloat through the final months of 2020. From naturally induced neurotransmitters to the flipside; a cover of 20/20’s "Yellow Pills" which presents as a shambolic poppy-psyche slice of happy bunny kitty pony loveliness. Clearly, it’s not that straightforward, as the title suggests. JP’s take on this unofficial power-pop anthem (thanks Google!) is preferable to this listener’s ears than the original at least, and I’m off for a chemically induced dance around the kitchen. Whilst JP make undeniable nods to various nostalgic touchstones, their sound feels timeless. ‘Schrammelig’ as those in the know say. 

- Ms Sheringham-Boom, November 2020.

You can order the record from Spinout Nuggets or the band's own Bandcamp site here. For more information on Jetstream Pony please check out their official Facebook page here. Thank you to Ms Sheringham Boom. Please click the highlighted links for further information. Ms Sheringham-Boom is the bassist in Edinburgh's premier purveyors of Garage Rock, Thee Girl Fridays. 

Ms Sheringham-Boom On New Releases from Billy Childish and Bang Bang Band Girl/Trash Colapso

Wild Billy Childish and CTMF "Poka Hontas"/"True to You" - Spinout Nuggets Records

It is a real coup for the Spinout Nuggets label to finally snag the lesser spotted Mr Childish and his Chatham Forts. I know label boss Grimmers is a huge fan of most things Medway (who isn’t?). Here Billy Childish and CTMF comprising trusty Wolf Howard on drums and wife/bassist/vocalist Julie Hamper, present two ‘re-energised’ tracks from his considerable back catalogue. These tracks were recorded at Ranscombe Studios for Marc Riley’s BBC Radio 6 show in February this year. Instrumental "Poka Hontas" (originally recorded in 1989 by Thee Headcoats) is exactly what I expected it to be and I’m happy to hear it again, but if you’re here looking for something different then you should really know better by now. That is not a criticism in any way, but for someone (i.e. me) who has grown up with and revered Childish in his various guises, it’s no surprise at all. In fact, it is the musical equivalent of putting on a pair of old moccasins (get it?) but nobody said that you can’t dance in them! It’s Garage, it’s Beat, it’s no frills Rock’n’Roll, and its jolly good fun along the lines of "Comanche" by Link Wray (1960) coincidentally also covered by Childish. Backed with the wistful "True to You". This time with Medway compatriot Mr Graham Day (of The Prisoners, Forefathers, Senior Service, Gaolers etc) on organ. Day and Childish having of course previously made beautiful music together in Thee Mighty Caesars and The Buff Medways. Again, no surprises thankfully! (phew, it wasn’t the ‘90s acid-house remix I’d had a nightmare about last night!) At a push I would say that I prefer the original and Thee Headcoatees version, but that’s just my personal taste. I remember a certain Mr Day jesting that Mr Childish only had one song, but what kind of a genius can keep on re-working the same tunes and still be as adored as he is? Possibly because there is no one quite like him, or maybe because he writes the best songs? Is he the antidote to today’s musical detritus? Maybe a budding beat girl or boy of the younger generation will hear this and discover the treasure trove that lies beneath? Whatever the answer, at the time of writing this, the single has already sold out at Spinout HQ. Punk Rock is not dead, thank bloody goodness for Billy Childish.

Bang Bang Band Girl/Trash Calapso "One Foot on Death Road" Split LP - Trash Wax Records

Bang Bang Band Girl - One Lady Band aka Sheri Corleone, has been a presence representing the darker side of Rockabilly, Surf, Garage Punk and Trash Blues for a good few years now and she’s got talent in abundance. Not only does she write, play, sing, and produce most of her own material, she also hosts her very own internet radio show "It’s Monster Meeting Time" with the strapline ‘Whether going or coming from the grave, all monsters welcome!’ (which at the time of writing is on its 172nd show). I’ve much admired her doing her own thing and putting herself out there in a male dominated scene and I’m glad to see that the Trash Wax label have decided to release this split LP with her compatriot, Trash Colapso and his One Man Band. BBBG’s side of the LP opens with "Schizo". Sticking true to her grassroots, this heavy Bluesy number is thick with distortion and riffs. Her breathy vocal style is more ghostly than it is Marilyn Monroe, and she’s very fond of spooky theremin sounds as it reappears on a few of the tracks, but what’s not to be fond of? "Apache", a collaboration with Trash Colapso, is not the cover I was expecting, but it’s certainly got enough fuzz to give Davie Allan a run for his money. "Sweet Talk" is what I imagine a collision between Janis Martin (on acid) and Hasil Adkins would sound like. It’s difficult to pin BBBG down to a genre because she’s diverse within her Roots foundation. There are glimpses of twang, trash, good old Rock ‘n’ Roll, and echoes of bands such as The Birthday Party, Gun Club, The Cramps, Rev Beatman & Sister Nicole Garcia, The Flaming Stars, Bantam Rooster and The Detroit Cobras. All tied up with a David Lynch bow on top. Trash Colapso’s side is, as you would expect, of a similar lo-fi, stripped back sound. His bandcamp page sites his influences as The Stooges, Black Sabbath, Hasil Adkins, Suicide, The Cramps, and Pussy Galore and I definitely get some of those throughout. However, it just doesn’t quite have the same kind of enchantment as BBBG’s side. With songs such as "Snake Woman", "White Trash" and "Alligator Wax" it’s all a bit Americana. "Black Charm Boogie" is probably the most melodic offering and is my favourite from the six. Being a one-person band is something that often works much better live and in front of a crowd, for me at least. But who knows when that will happen again? - Ms Sheringham-Boom, September 2020

Thank you to Ms Sheringham Boom - please click the highlighted links for further information. Ms Sheringham-Boom is the bassist in Edinburgh's premier purveyors of Garage Rock, Thee Girl Fridays. Don't forget our special edition Retrosonic Podcast with Billy Childish is available to listen/download from iTunes/Apple Podcasts, our Soundcloud archive or directly below:

Retrosonic Podcast · Billy Childish

Ms Sheringham-Boom with a Round-Up of New Releases from Fleur, The Voo-Dooms and Surf Muscle

The Voo-Dooms "Step Inside The Doom!" Mini-LP on Spinout Nuggets - Following 2018's debut "Destination Doomsville" LP on Trash Wax Records, last year's "And It Goes Like This…" EP on Spinout Nuggets, and many gigs later, The Voo-Dooms are back from the grave, if you will. Not that they have been dormant for that long, but I have been looking forward to hearing this new offering and have been following the recording progress from Ranscombe Studios in Kent (thanks to social media). I must admit, a large part of the excitement was because I had heard that the Doomettes, Mary Tee and Jo-Jo A Go-Go, were to be involved. "Step Inside The Doom" opens with "Stop Haunting Me" which is SO darn catchy it catapults me right back to my early teens when I was hearing Garage, Beat and/or Trash (as it was called back then, yes I’m old...) for the first time.

Ah, that life changing moment, if only it could be bottled. Well maybe it has been? The theme continues with "She's Gonna Cry Tonight" a song about dumping a girlfriend, but he does not care and he’s gonna let her know - no no no no no NO! Ouch. "If I Can’t Have You" is a short but melodious affair which could tie in with the aforementioned track and there’s more 'No's' than you can shake a stick at, but this time the track has the added deliciousness of the Doomettes which undeniably elevates their sound. "She Wouldn’t Harm A Fly" is segued in with a voice clip from the 1960 film Psycho, which aptly sets the scene for the closing track "Is She (Dead Or Alive)?". It has that haunting "Johnny Remember Me" feel to it, furnished with Theremin from Jo-Jo A Go-Go. This is a monstrous (in the affirmative) record, and I expected no less. The Voo-Dooms are who they intrinsically are; song-makers, performers, enamoured by vintage horrors and writers of lyrics that evoke a knowing and wicked smile. One cannot deny their clearly overt (thanks again social media) influences. The overall sound pays homage to bands such as The X-Men, The Clapham South Escalators and The Sting-Rays to name but a few. Those and the thousands of musicians who recorded the most horrible hidden gems during the mid-century. My only slight disappointment was that I would have liked to have heard more of the Doomettes integrated in these six tracks. Maybe it’s time to start their own band, what do you think?

Surf Muscle "Theme from Surf Muscle" b/w "Hall of The Mountain King" (Sonido Polifonico) - Surf Muscle present their second single, a follow up to 2018’s "Revenge of The Pencil Necks" entitled "Theme from Surf Muscle" which is a quirky, mid-tempo instrumental offering from Sheffield’s, nay, Earth’s finest Surf band. This is available as a limited-edition lathe cut on clear vinyl, of which I have very generously been gifted No 13 out of 57. Lucky for me! It is always such a pleasure to receive their records because they are DIY in the truest sense. The front sleeve art conjures up cute '60s B-Movie terrors from beneath the sea, whilst the back features the band in an '80s video game. All artwork lovingly created by Guitar Muscle himself aka Oliver Allchin. "Theme From…" whisks me away to a swinging sorority beach party circa 1964. Cut to the resident band in their matching striped regalia, who carry on playing as a groaning monster staggers heavily out of the water draped in seaweed towards the bikini wearing girls, knocking over the rum laced punch and swiping at the incompetent Frat boys. Who can save the teens from this deep-sea terror? The band of course! Drum Muscle beats the monster with her sticks, Bass Muscle mesmerises him with hypnotic pulsations, and Guitar Muscle finishes him off with brain-frazzling reverb. "Hall of The Mountain King" is an instantly familiar tune and synonymous with the video game but the Muscle’s take on it is double the fun because they mix it up with another recognisable melody. Since their first release, the band have gigged around the UK and Drum Muscle, aka Katherine, also has a Garage Punk band with Missy Tassels of The Sleazoids called The Mean Girls Club, go check them out too at their Bandcamp site here. They also run a night in Sheffield called The Green Slime, a club for greasy finks and fiends serving Garage, Surf and trashy Rock ‘n’ Roll. 

Fleur - "Petit Homme De Papier" b/w "La Reine Des Abeilles" (Bickerton Records) - "Petit Homme De Papier", in English "Little Man of Paper", is a very welcome follow up to Fleur’s excellent debut single of 2019 "Mon Ami Martien". It is just as sweet, sultry, swinging and seductive as it’s predecessor. Quintessentially Yé-Yé "Petit Homme De Papier" is full of sunshine and flowers, tinged only with a little sadness et voila! It’s the kind of pop perfection that could have been lifted straight from the Eurovision Song Contest circa 1966. Do check out the dreamy video for this single below which features our chanteuse and her familiar looking paper lover. Sigh, we’ve all been there. The more garage-y of the tracks "La Reine Des Abeilles" (Queen Bee) is my favourite of the two. It is buzzing with fuzz and like the life of a bee it is short but meaningful with a sharp sting if aggravated. All tracks were written, recorded, and produced authentically by Arjan Spies & Dave Von Raven (both of Les Robots) at Studio Teepdek, which may give you an idea of the quality you can expect here.

You can also hear a track from Fleur and her other band The Colour Collection in Retrosonic Podcast Episode 39. Please click on the highlighted links for infomation on the bands and how to buy the featured records. Ms Sheringham-Boom is the bassist in Edinburgh's premier purveyors of Garage Rock, Thee Girl Fridays.

Ms Sheringham-Boom reviews brand new releases from Palooka 5 and The Space Agency

- The Space Agency "The Celestial Sounds Of…" (Tremolo Records)
These Brighton based instrumentalists formed out of a serendipitous meeting in 2002 (see bangbang.music.blog for the whole story) and now present their fifth (but first vinyl) LP of 'out of this world instrumental sounds’. The thing I really love about a good instrumental LP (and I do LOVE a good instro) is that the music tells the story without those pesky things called lyrics getting in the way, thus allowing the listener to set their imagination free, and because this LP is fully instrumental (unless you count the chattering birds) there is a requirement to keep things fresh and somewhat varied, which of course The Space Agency do with aplomb. In their owns words they offer ‘music and sounds inspired by places, avian disputes, descriptions of sound, nature, cravings, spicy Eastern foods, other worlds, euphoria and glittering galaxies of nonsense & stupidity’.

Make no mistake, this is an album packed full of all of the above and held within a retrofuturistic context. There may be fads in instrumental music, for example the third wave of Surf with it’s heavy metal connotations and booming basslines, which honestly leaves me stone cold. I prefer a sound that is in keeping with the rawness, energy and experimentation of the original masters, and mistresses. Another thing that endears this LP to me is that I can hear the distant waves of Japan throughout, so much so that I swear it’s Kayama Yuzo playing his Mosrite on "Teringo". "Bombay Potatoes" takes us to South Asia with it’s psychedelic fuzzed-out sitar sounds. "The Devil’s Saddle" evokes the sound of Mr Space Age Pop himself, Joe Meek (we are not worthy), and as hard as it is to choose a favourite track from the LP, this is one of them. So here it is, The Space Agency presents "Celestial Sounds of The Space Agency". What else can one say except superlunary! - Ms Sheringham-Boom (August 2020)

- Palooka 5 "Ultra Marine" LP (Spinout Nuggets)

With a bent for dressing like extras from Apocalypse Now, the Palooka 5 certainly aren’t the fools that their name suggests. With regular airplay already secured on Radio 6, they return  with a follow up to 2018’s "Rough Magic" in the form of mini LP number two "Ultra Marine" this time on the Spinout Nuggets label. Based in the heart of Somerset, the Palooka 5 have broken out of camp and made it to London (which is no small feat) and have done the rounds of a few festivals to boot; a wealth of gigs under their camouflaged belts. Hopefully the other boot will propel them further afield into Europe, the US and beyond. Despite the difficulties that 2020 has presented, with no live gigs since April and an uncertain future for grassroots music venues, I admire theirs and the label's ‘the show must go on’ spirit. Actually, it’s perfect timing because we, the people, definitely need a shot of this upbeat Garage-Surf-Pop conglomeration to brighten up the current climate.

So, just what is it the Go-Go girls are getting their tassels in a twist about? Well, to start, title track "Ultra Marine" comes on like The B-52’s kicking the whatsit out of "Rockaway Beach". Yes, I know every man and his dog uses that comparison when there’s a female vocalist in a band with a certain twang or fuzz, but in this case it’s actually true. I’m grateful that we get to hear more of Mrs BE Baigent other than the backing vox and maraca shaking she so deftly dispenses. It’s my favourite track of the eight for sure.  Other tracks such as "Possession of the Surf Tsar" (it’s where you’ll find the Cossack-tion), and  "Missy Mousetrap" which conjures up mid ‘60s Californian Garage R&B at its very peak, are just a few of the stomp, shout and work it on out numbers on this mini but majestic offering. A great balance of vocal and instro with some crackley radio bits thrown in for fun. If this record doesn’t sell out quickly then the world truly has gone AWOL. - Ms Sheringham-Boom (August 2020)

For more information and details on how to buy the albums please check out the following links:

The Space Agency

Tremolo Records 

Palooka 5

Spinout Nuggets

Ms Sheringham-Boom is the bassist in Edinburgh's premier purveyors of Garage Rock, Thee Girl Fridays. You can hear a great track from Palooka 5 in Episode 38 of Retrosonic Podcast.

Retrosonic Podcast · Episode 38 - Get Sa-ni-ti-zin'

Ms Debbie Sheringham-Boom Reviews Two New Spinout Nuggets Releases from The Hurricanes and Paul Groovy & The Pop Art Experience

Paul Groovy & The Pop Art Experience "He's A Liar"

Ms Debbie Sheringham-Boom, bassist with the fabulous Thee Girl Fridays has a listen to two new releases from our busy friends over at the rapidly expanding Spinout Nuggets label. 

Paul Groovy & The Pop Art Experience "He’s A Liar / You’re Gonna Miss Me" (Single)
"With a musical history spanning no less than four decades, Paul Groovy and his band The Pop Art Experience release their first vinyl offering on Spinout Nuggets with original composition "He’s A Liar". From the get-go, Groovy’s gnarled vocals let you know that he’s in a bit of a tizzy about something, and luckily backing vox Jane Hornet provides a soothing counterbalance. If you like your Garage with the emphasis on Rock a la The Fleshtones, The Miracle Workers, The Stooges and even The Saints then this will be a sure fire hit for you. The flipside is a cover of a ‘60s garage holy grail classic - The 13th Floor Elevators "You’re Gonna Miss Me". It is a brave move to attempt such a monumental tune, but as it is done in their own Pop Art style, it is more of a compliment than a copy and thus sounds, you guessed it. Groovy."

The Hurricanes "Look Out! It's The Hurricanes"

The Hurricanes "Look Out! It’s The Hurricanes" (LP)
"I have been looking forward to hearing this The Hurricanes 2nd LP since last year’s single release on Spinout Nuggets "Look Out!/Shake It", the latter of which was a personal favourite from 2019. Although I admit I hadn't heard their output prior to that, but that’s not always a bad thing. The album opens with the velocity of a souped-up Vespa burnout, and indeed it is aptly named for the first track "Take A Ride Tonight". Shall we take a ride with The Hurricanes? The Hurricanes employ that powerful ‘dun-duh-na dun-duh-na’ guitar sound - the accumulation of many British ‘60s bands such as The Eyes, The Creation and of course The Who, and latterly that of many revivalist bands. Tracks like "Right Down Inside The Blackout" and blazer "Don’t Hold On" evoke a touch of pre-Brit Pop Mod Indie rock reminiscent of the criminally underrated Five Thirty, but theirs is a less frivolous, more mature model thereof. Jones’s wall-of-sound guitar barely lets up throughout the whole album. There is no room for ballads here. Stand out tracks for me are power pop driven "The New Contenders" and the more garage-esque "Look Out!" and "Dancing On The Rubble". Why? Distortion, fuzz guitar, and the addition of a keyboard adds an extra layer of sound synonymous with that of their influences; and in this case it is a triumph. Loud Garage Mod. Does what it says on the tin." - Thanks to Debbie, don't forget you can check out Thee Girl Fridays here and grab their brilliant 7" vinyl EP "The Love Witch", also released by Spinout Nuggets, directly from the label here.

You can hear the new single from Paul Groovy & The Pop Art Experience and a song from "Look Out! It's The Hurricanes" in our brand new Retrosonic Podcast Episode 39. Check it out here...

Retrosonic Podcast · Episode 39 "Be Seeing You!"

Retrosonic Podcast Episode 39: Be Seeing You - with The Clash, The Courettes, Jetstream Pony, The Prisoners, Fleur, Eight Rounds Rapid and more!

Podcover Star: Flavia Couri/Photo by Martin Couri

Welcome to Episode 39 of Retrosonic Podcast and you can probably tell that we've been watching a lot of TV during the lockdown as there are some musical montages inspired by two of our favourite shows (the original) Star Trek and The Prisoner. So, we have tracks by The Clash, Ron Grainer, The Vapors, The Prisoners, SpizzEnergi, The Times, The Galileo 7, The Wedding Present and William Shatner, yes indeed, Captain Kirk singing The Cramps no less...seriously! Then there's a round-up of some fantastic new releases from Damaged Goods Records with the new single from The Courettes, Bickerton Records give us some superb Dutch Ye-Ye from Fleur and also The Colour Collection and then our busy friends at Spinout Nuggets have yet more great stuff out now from Paul Groovy & The Pop Art Experience and The Hurricanes. The Plastic Pals provide their cinematic new single, there's a track from the excellent debut Jetstream Pony LP and a blistering unreleased taster from the forthcoming album by Eight Rounds Rapid. My original Podcast colleague Adam is back with Sam, the singer/guitarist of his old band The Jetsonics, in a new duo called Keller Machine and there's a track from the first of three EP's by The Cult Figures. Then there's some rip-roaring Punk Rock from The Anabollic Steroids and one of Sweden's first Punk bands, GLO. I hope you enjoy this episode, if you are interested in finding out more information on the bands/artists/record labels or would like to buy any of their music, then please click on the highlighted links below to take you directly to their web-sites. Thanks to all the featured bands and you for listening, be seeing you!

Full Tracklisting:

Ron Grainer "The Prisoner opening sequence"

The Clash "The Prisoner" (Studio version)

The Prisoners "Be On Your Way"

The Vapors "Prisoners" 

The Times "I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape"

The Clash "The Prisoner" (Live version from the Rude Boy movie)
SpizzEnergi "Where's Captain Kirk"

The Galileo 7 "Too Late"

William Shatner "Garbageman"

The Wedding Present "Shatner"

Jetstream Pony "The Very Eyes of Night"

The Cult Figures "Under The Overground"

Fleur "Petit Homme de Papier"

Eight Rounds Rapid "Passive Aggressive"

Paul Groovy & The Pop Art Experience "He's a Liar"

The Hurricanes "Baby Move On"

The Courettes "Want You! Like a Cigarette"

Keller Machine "Mystery Bag"

Anabollic Steroids "Abnormal"

GLO "Bajs!"

The Plastic Pals "Hangin' In The Louvre"

The Colour Collection "Ne Decide Pas Pour Moi"

Podcover Star: Flavia Couri, Photo by Martin Couri (The Courettes). Ms Debbie Sheringham-Boom from the fabulous Thee Girl Fridays has reviewed the latest Spinout Nuggets releases featured in this episode - you can check out her feature here. Retrosonic Podcast has a valid PRS Licence. You can listen/download/stream directly below or via our main Retrosonic archive on Soundcloud or subscribe for free on iTunes so you don't miss an episode!

Retrosonic Podcast · Episode 39 "Be Seeing You!"

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

Photo (and mask) by Maki

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

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

MARTIN SAVAGE & THE JIGGERZ - "This Broken Heart"

ALVIN GIBBS & THE DISOBEDIENT SERVANTS - "History"

AUTORAMAS - "Homem-Cliche" 

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

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

SHACK - "Up"

THE IN-FUZZED - "Motor City Baby"

TEENGENERATE - "Dressed In Black"

THE STRIPES - "Tell Me Your Name"

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

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

GROOVY UNCLE - "God on a Bike"

PALOOKA 5 - "Ultramarine"

THE VERAS - "I'm Not Afraid"

THE JACK CADES - "Dead Star"

THE SHOP ASSISTANTS - "Safety Net"

BMX BANDITS - "E102"

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

Amy Catches up with Dave Diamond from The Voo-Dooms & The Primitive Club

The Voo-Dooms - Photo by Grant Unstead

Amy caught up with Dave Prince (aka Dave Diamond), drummer with The Voo-Dooms to find out more on the band and the growing success of their Primitive Club nights.

Q: Tell me about The Trash-O-Men and The Primitive Club! How did you get started?

A: Since 2016 I had been discussing with my wife Susie about opening my own 1950's/1960's club night to showcase bands that have either not played London for some time, or for an exclusive show with two DJs playing records to keep everyone dancing to the early hours! We had already been looking at Clapham Junction as a possible location in those early days and around West London too, then the following year we started to consider The Dublin Castle or The Fidler's Elbow in Camden. At the tail end of 2017 I really started looking at putting on a club once again and started to realise that this project was not something that I could do on my own; it was around this time that myself and my best mate Mike were starting to form The Voo-Dooms and after going over the idea with him, we decided to join forces and run a 1960's beat, garage and twist night.

Dave Diamond, Eric Baconstrip & Bruce Brand - Photo by Susie Prince

Dave & Mick, The Trash-0-Men - Photo by Susie Prince

The Primitive Club name is from my style of drumming and the old drums that I collect and Mike came up with the pseudonym The Trash~O~Men to use when we are putting on the event nights. I then decided to bite the bullet and contacted The Fiddlers Elbow in Camden in 2018 and booked three dates for 2019. For our opening night on 17th August 2019 we wanted to go for an explosive headliner; King Salami & The Cumberland Three. Then we chose The Hurricanes, an exclusive band to play London for the first time, and as our band The Voo-Dooms were now up and running, it was a natural choice to have us as openers for our debut night. We used a We-Got-Tickets advanced ticket booking link and sold 80 tickets and then on the day over 70 more which made the night a sell out with some coming as far as Germany and France just for the night! The first 25 through the door got a free limited edition Primitive club badge and the place was buzzing for the whole night. All three bands were amazing and the finale was King Salami & Cumberland Three ending with their version of "Tainted Love" which sent the audience into raptures. It was so fab to see Bruce 'Bash' Brand and Eric Baconstrip DJing together for the first time in over 15 years and CK Smith spinning some fab tunes til 2am! The night was captured by our official photographer Jeff Pitcher and at the end of the night the 100 leaflets we had printed to advertise our next event in November had all gone!

The Masonics - Photo by Sara Louise Bowrey

The King & The Prince - Photo by Susie Prince

For The Primitive Club #2 on November 2nd we booked The Masonics as our headliners with Ludella Black, and for our support we chose Thee Girl Fridays for their debut London Show. I had been speaking to the band at Beatwave in 2018 and said how fabulous they were and that they had to play London soon, so it was ironic when I messaged them the following year to book the band for The Primitive Club! Then we had our resident band The Voo-Dooms to kick off the night and DJs Lee 'Grimmers' Grimshaw from the Spinout Show and CK Smith to end the night playing back to back top tunes. Due to the huge success of the opening night we booked Steven Tagg Randall from The Archivist of London to capture everything on video and Sara Louise Bowrey as our official photographer. It was so amazing to see people coming through the door right when we opened at 7:30pm, and by the time The Voo-Dooms kicked off the night there were already nearly 100 in attendance. Once again all three bands stormed it with Thee Girl Fridays throwing big knickers into the audience and The Masonics with Ludella Black crowning yet another very successful high octane night! The Primitive Club #3 we billed as The Leap Year Twist Night; we had 80's garage legends The X-Men headlining, The Go-Go Cult and The Voo-Dooms and our DJs were Lee Grimshaw and Bruce 'Bash' Brand. There was a real buzz in the audience once again and this time many 80's legends had turned up on the night, including Nick Garrard (The Meteors manager), Mike Spencer (The Cannibals), Bal Croce (The Sting-Rays), and Miles, the original X-Men guitarist. Yet another electrifying night with all the bands receiving an encore and playing their socks off! At the end of the night Bal joined The X-Men on stage for an impromtu version of the Kenny and the Kasuals track "Come On"; the crowd went wild jumping and twisting! It was an amazing experience and such a phenomenal end to yet another fab night at The Primitive Club.

The Primitive Club - Photo by Jeff Pitcher

Q: You've played host to a diverse range of bands and DJ's - what kind of audience are coming to your gigs?

A: So far we've had a very diverse audience, with Beatsters, Twisters, Rock 'n' Rollers, Surf lovers, 60's Groovers, Hipsters, music lovers, Garage, Trash and European music lovers from France, Spain and Germany. Even some original musicians from the 80's have turned up to all three gigs so far which has been amazing to see. Also, it has been great to see all the bands after their show staying and watching the other bands, chatting to everyone who has attended the night and then dancing the night away once the DJs start spinning their tunes! Obviously, current events are making things very tough for promoters.

Q: What do you hope to return with when the lockdown restrictions are lifted? 

A: All being well our future nights will be:

1st August: our debut Primitive Bop #1 with headliners Carlos & The Bandidos, The Danny McVey Trio with Lil Di and Demon Barber DJs.

22nd August Primitive #5 with The No-Things (exclusive London show), Paul Groovy & The Pop Art Experience (Exclusive first London show since 1986!) & The Voo- Dooms.

21st November Primitive #6 with The Wildebeests (exclusive London show) and Kings of Hong Kong (Exclusive London show) and The Voo-Dooms...and then we will be looking at dates for 2021!

Unfortunately, due to the current Corona Virus situation, we have had to CANCEL the 30th May: Primitive #4 with The Courettes.

King Salami & The Cumberland 3 - Photo by Jeff Pitcher

Q: And while we're here, what's the latest from the wonderful world of The Voo- Dooms?

Dan Whaley (Dustaphonics, Charles Napiers, Shockwaves etc.) has joined the band on lead guitar this year and we have just finished recording six original tracks at Jim Riley's Ranscombe Studios that are due for release on Lee Grimshaw's Spinout Nuggets label in June, and then we are really looking forward to our next gig and playing live once again. Stay safe everyone, thank you to all the bands, DJs, Primitive Club team and to everyone for all the support during the past year and remember Trashin' n' Twistin' in London town at The Primitive Club - stay tuned folks! 

- Amy K-B, May 2020

Primitive Club signed poster

Photographers: Grant Unstead, Jeff Pitcher, Sara Louise Bowrey & Susie Prince. For further information on The Voo-Dooms you can check out their official Facebook site here, and to keep up to date on the Primitive Club please check out the site here. Please also do take the time to click on the highlighted links above to support the featured bands, photographers and labels etc.