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.
Wanda & Dottie in front of Dave Taylor's lighting - Photo by Retro Man Blog
Hipsville, our favourite musical (and social) event of the year never disappoints and although I probably say this every time, I think this really was one of the best so far. Despite various setbacks with location and venue changes over the years, I believe that the tireless and enthusiastic organisers Andrew, Ade, Alexandra and their team hit on a winning formula that managed to combine all the very best Hipsville elements that we have grown to love. Hipsville is the perfect antidote to all the current greyness, bad news and depression enveloping Brexit Britain – it is a bright and colourful splash of Hawaiian shirts, fez’s and fancy dress. Bands and fans from all over the world congregate to enjoy the music, make new friends and basically, party! After two years at Margate’s vintage Dreamland funfair, Hipsville has relocated to the town’s Cliftonville area to the Lido and the nearby historic Winter Gardens, which once hosted Laurel & Hardy and The Beatles.
The Jack Cades at Hipsville - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog
I thought both venues worked perfectly – the suitably scuzzy Lido was ideal for this year’s Soho-A-Go-Go theme with its red upholstery, dark nooks and crannies and sticky carpets – just like an old-school Soho boozer or afterhours drinking den. Dave Taylor from Enjoy Yourself provided stunning lighting and visuals and his impressive oil projections transformed the Lido into a seething multi-coloured Psychedelic dreamworld. This all made for a perfect backdrop for the gorgeous Hipsville Go-Go dancers to strut their stuff - Wanda de Lullabies, Miss Diabolik, Alexandra Beat Girl, Celia Formica, Tina Tuna, Nocturna, and although sadly there was no Miss Ge Veve this year, we did have the welcome return of Dottie Gooseberry. This year saw the official introduction of two Go-Go boys too, Steve and Khalid from The Action Men, who both seemed to thoroughly enjoy the whole experience. The Jack Cades opened up proceedings in the Lido on the Friday evening and despite only just releasing their excellent debut album “Music For Children” on Dirty Water Records last year, they included a few really promising sounding new songs in the set. I sincerely hope this means that there will be more good stuff released by the band very soon indeed.
The Jack cades at Hipsville - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog
The Deadly Spirits from Sweden were great fun and their raw Rock ‘n’ Soul went down really well with the crowd. The band are from Karlstad so it was nice to bump into a couple of them and chat about mutual friends and bands such as Tonbruket, Cat & the Underdogs, Nymphet Noodlers and Mattias Hellberg. The final band, The Anomalys, powered through a set of fast and raucous Punk Rock and then it was over to our favourite Hipsville DJ's who over the weekend included Neil ‘Sick’ Smith, Adam Diddy Wah, Carl Combover and Fritz Buzzsaw who all ensured the party never stopped.
The Deady Spirits at Hipsville - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog
Mighty Tsar at Hipsville - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog
On Saturday afternoon, the Glass Jar hosted the Tiki cocktail Bar and we enjoyed a drink while being serenaded by The Mighty Tsar and theur swampy Skiffle Calypso and some suitably mellow tunes courtesy of DJ Ian Greensmith. We then wanted to see Das Clamps for the first time and just managed to squeeze our way into the superb, but tiny, Fez Bar that was so packed it resembled a Tokyo subway train at rush hour. The duo comprise Miss Tangerine Tassels on guitar and vocals and then there is her sidekick on drums and vocals, Tina Marina who for some reason reminds me of Tina from Oh! Gunquit...anyway, they played foot stomping stripped back Cramps inspired songs from their forthcoming album “Shit Music For Shit People” which is out soon on the excellent Trash Wax Records. Unfortunately, French band The Scaners had to pull out at the last minute due to one of the members breaking their leg, which was really bad news as I was looking forward to seeing them very much. However, the good news was that The Baron Four stepped in at short notice and proved more than capable substitutes with their own brand of upbeat Garage R'n'B.
Das Clamps at Hipsville - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog
Das Clamps at Hipsville - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog
Autoramas at Hipsville - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog
Then it was over to the grand Winter Gardens and there were more excellent visuals from Dave Taylor – movies of Swinging 60’s London and Soho Street signs and the stage had red telephone boxes on either side for the Go-Go girls, boys, and gorillas to dance in. The DJ booth was imaginatively transformed into a seedy sex shop. Tonight’s opening act were the fabulous Autoramas and as regular Blog followers will know, the Brazilian space age retro rockers have fast become one of our favourite bands ever since we first saw them play courtesy of Hipsville back in 2015. Their unique blend of Bubble-gum Garage Rock and B-52’s/Devo style New Wave with crunching bass sound and Gabriel’s trademark vibrato effects pedal was simply mind-blowing. The always glamorous Erika adds keyboards, Theremin and guitar and dances non-stop, even getting down to dance with the audience too. They are a fantastic band, one of those that you really have to try to see play live and such lovely people too.
Autoramas at Hipsville - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog
The Night Times with Celia & Wanda at Hipsville - Photo Retro Man Blog
Next up it’s the U.K. debut for the hotly tipped Californian band The Night Times who wowed the crowd with their traditional nuggets era Psych. They have a superb drummer who was a blur of hair as she thrashed away behind her kit and the lead vocalist/bassist was throwing himself about so much that his bass kept going out of tune. They were such a great live act and there was a tangible buzz about them throughout the whole weekend. Next on stage it was the turn of MFC Chicken who played a thoroughly entertaining set of Fabulous Wailers songs that had everyone dancing along. Classics like “Mashi” and “Out of Our Tree” went down a storm and they even made the perennial classic “Louie Louie” sound fresh. There was also a surprise appearance by Elsa from The Jack Cades who joined the band to wow everyone with a soulful vocal performance.
The Night Times at Hipsville - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog
MFC Chicken at Hipsville - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog
The Action Men entertained us with an amusing dance routine, which featured a cameo from Mr A, and then the winners of the fancy dress competition were announced. In the sad absence of Davros and his Deep Space Deviants, this year saw The Stags put in a hilarious performance with a Mary Whitehouse lookalike on vocals and a band comprising Policemen in a uniform of helmets, tunics and suspenders. What a perfect ending to a fabulous day. On Sunday, it was back to the Fez Bar to be serenaded by Professor Baba and His Invisible Band who bewitched us with some entertaining Voodoo Blues and general mumbo jumbo. I thought it was strange how the Professor reminded me of Simon from Oh! Gunquit – that band must have many lookalikes running around Margate. We made it into the Lido just as Spanish band Los Wilds were finishing their set and the wild-eyed frontman was down to his underpants and cowboy boots. A normal Sunday afternoon at Hipsville then.
Professor Baba at Hipsville - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog
The Night Times at Hipsville - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog
Next came The Day Tymes, the not-so-subtle alter ego of The Night Times who blew the Lido apart with their ‘secret’ show. During a wild version of “Gloria” the singer put his bass down and jumped into the crowd for the duration of the song prompting David Arnold of The Stags to take over on bass duties, he should have quickly tuned it up while he was about it. The good news is that the band are hanging around in the UK for a couple more weeks and as I write they are in North Down Sound Studios with Lois and Mole from State Records recording songs for a new single. They will also be playing Brighton on May 17th and Weirdsville in London on Saturday May 18th so if you missed Hipsville be sure to catch them play if you can, you will not be disappointed. The Hipsville team could finally relax and let their hair down at the Sunday night after show party at the Cinque Ports pub – they had invited legendary DJ Mike Gunn (himself no stranger to a bit of sleaze) over from L.A. to close the weekend in his inimitable style. We all kept our eyes on our wallets and our whisky and ensured that no Go-Go dancer was left unchaperoned in the presence of the lascivious titan of the turntable! What a great weekend, I just cannot wait to do it all again next year.
DJ Neil 'Sick' Smith & Hipsville Organiser Mr A
Hipsville organiser Ade, or is it Mike Gunn...with Dave Taylor
Please take the time to click on the highlighted links throughout the feature to check out more information on the relevant bands. You can find more photos of the Hipsvile Soho-A-Go-Go weekend at our Facebook page here and more videos over here at our Retro Man Blog YouTube channel. Check the Blog archive for lots of features on previous Hipsville weekenders and Weirdsville club nights. We have also played tracks by many Hipsville/Weirdsville related bands in our Retrosonic Podcast and all episodes are available to listen to or download from our Soundcloud site here.
The Night Times at Hipsville - photo copyright Retro Man Blog
The Hipsville Go-Go Dancers
For news and announcements on future Weirdsville and Hipsville shows please keep an eye on the You Got Good Taste web site. Dave Taylor runs the Enjoy Yourself club nights in Swanage and more information on this and his lighting can be found here. Finally, once again huge thanks to Andrew, Ade and Alexandra and their team of helpers for once again putting on such a fantastic event.
Heatwave Magazine are organizing a Launch Party at The Moth Club, Valette Street, Hackney, London E9 6NU London on February 20th to coincide with the release of Issue 2. Tickets are £6.00 in advance from this link or £8.00 on the door and you will also get a free copy of the magazine. Apart from the three bands, Heatwave DJ's will be playing a mix of Punk, 60's Soul, Post-Punk and Garage Rock until 1am. So, let's have a look at the three bands on the bill. THE ANOMALYS (Netherlands)
"Acclaimed as "national heritage" by critics-turned-fans, The Anomalys are truly The Dutch Kings of Rock'n'roll or Slop'n'Drool, as the tequila flows during their devastating live set that must be seen to be fully understood." (Zuma Bookings)
The Anomalys Photographed at Hipsville 2015 by Paul Slattery
"Two guitars and a drum kit is all that this band needed to create one of the most interesting, unflinching rock n’ roll records in a long time. Only bad thing about this record is that it’s only nine tracks long, forcing me to listen to those nine tracks over and over again, and it’s just not enough, I want more." (www.slugmag.com)
"Wild, primal, and mere millimeters from becoming completely unhinged, which is exactly how rock’n’roll should be." (www.razorcake.org)
HUMAN RACE (ITALY) "Having an opportunity to check out Human Race’s release, these guys have 1977 written all over them with hints of Adolescents and Descendents thrown in for good measure. The tracks are explosive and to the point; however, it’s highly addictive. Human Race offers a style of rock ‘n’ roll with which I identify – an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality. Kudos to these dudes for bringing something to the table that’s not trying to reinvent the wheel, so to speak, but is just good rock ‘n’ roll. More of this approach, please." - Justin Crumpton (Heatwave Magazine/Nightmare Boyzz)
FUZZY VOX (FRANCE)
French Garage/Rock band from Paris. They release their new album "No Landing Plan" recorded and mixed in Los Angeles by Andy Brohard & Ryan Castle.
"No Landing Plan" ought to have a disclaimer that warns listeners of the involuntary volatile spasms that follow from listening to the infectious nature of this upbeat poppy garage rock ‘n’ roll. Fuzzy Vox manages to capture a sound that reflects something that borders on rock ‘n’ roll music that is not overplayed. Rather, this group has a garage feeling that is fresh and easily infectious". - Nick Kuzmack (Heatwave Magazine)
Keep a check on the Heatwave Magazine web-site for news on future issues and events.
Giuda photographed backstage at Hipsville by Paul Slattery
My Saturday afternoon started off with Thee Jezebels playing in the smaller Tiki-Bar next to the main Bisley Pavilion ballroom and they were a great tonic to pick me up and get me straight back into the swing of things again after the previous night's Hipsville fun and games. The last time I saw singer and guitarist Laura and bassist Letty they were playing in the Neasden Bees and Drummer Lois used to be in The Embrooks. The Embrooks also featured Mole who is now in The Galileo 7 and running the splendid State Records who have coincidentally just released Thee Jezebel's debut single on 7" vinyl. The band play both sides of the single today, a scorching rendition of "Black Book" and the frantic lovelorn "Cried Over You" which are both classic slices of high-tempo Garage R'n'B.
Thee Jezebels - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog
Laura is an engaging front-person with a self-deprecating wit and she jokes around with the crowd and her band-mates. Letty is dressed in Rude Girl style, Fred Perry and Doctor Martens, and as she bends over to plug in a lead Laura comments "I bet you regret wearing a mini-skirt now..." Letty quips back "I regret nothing!" They are a band who straddle genres easily, whether it's the pre-Punk Canvey Island R'n'B sounds of Dr. Feelgood, a bit of early Kinks Mod or lots of raucous Garage Rock with a touch of Punk attitude, it's all there. A couple of stand-out songs include a cover of the Cryin' Shames "Let Me In" which highlights Laura's cool, sassy voice and "Just Ain't Worth The Time" which harks back to those great 1970's Suzi Quatro singles like "48 Crash" and "Can The Can", in fact there's also a slight hint of that early Glam sound about Thee Jezebels. A cover of The Flamin' Groovies' "Jumpin' In The Night", with the addition of some friends in the crowd joining in on maracas, was one of the highlights of a thoroughly enjoyable set. The show ends with a rough and ready version of the Dr. Feelgood classic "Going Back Home" and I was left thinking Thee Jezebels are a great band to make you smile and jump around and forget the hangover, perfect!
Andrews Surfers Deluxe entertain the Hipsville Crowd
The weather was so nice that Thee Andrews Surfers Deluxe shifted all their gear outside onto the Pavilion’s veranda and played an energetic alfresco set flanked by gyrating Go-Go dancers. They asked members of the crowd to pick out songs from their set-list which included covers of good-time instrumental classics such as "Comanche!", "Pipeline" and "Popcorn" and more.
The Anomalys take off - Photo by Paul Slattery
Saturday evening saw people really going to town with the Horror themed fancy-dress and there were some stunning, hilarious and occasionally quite gruesome costumes. I didn't catch the beginning of the Amsterdam based band The Anomalys set, but their brand of Punked-up Psychobilly slowly drew me in, “like The Cramps on speed” Mr A. told me afterwards and I'm not going to argue with that. The encore was something special, with the drummer playing the floor tom with maracas and main-man Bone on some superb harmonica. The set built to a wicked climax with all three band members in amongst the audience, yes even the drummer! Bone then climbed the P.A. stack before jumping back in the crowd again and ended up on the floor getting everyone to lie down too, some great showmanship, and then it all dissolved into one big glorious and chaotic noise!
Tenda of Giuda photographed by Paul Slattery
Giuda, the bovver-booted, denim clad Glam Punkers from Rome might have been a surprise choice for Hipsville but I was really glad to get the chance to see them again. After all, this was the band that we voted as our "Gig of the Year 2013" following their stunning show at an impossibly packed-out Buffalo Bar. The band, comprising Lorenzo and Michele on guitars, Danilo on bass and drummer Daniele took the stage and struck up the brilliant instrumental theme tune “Racey Roller” before the imposing and charismatic singer Tenda joins them and they it crank up into "Rave On".
Giuda photographed by Paul Slattery
Giuda photographed by Paul Slattery
The singles are all present and correct, "Teenage Rebel", "Yellow Dash" and my favourite "Get It Over" but it's the peerless football terrace rocker "Number 10" that tops the lot, a perfect blend of football anthem and Rock 'n' Roll. Then again pretty much every Giuda track could be a classic single in it's own right and wouldn't be out of place on an old mid-70's Top of The Pops. One of my highlights was the memorable riffing and chorus of "Maybe It's All Over Now", which deserved much better than to be hidden away on a B-Side, but that only goes to prove that the quality of Giuda's songwriting means they are far from being purely a novelty Glam tribute act. "Wild Tiger Woman" sees dancer and Giuda fan Celia Formica leap on stage to join in on the fun, and who can blame her!
Giuda photographed by Paul Slattery
Giuda photographed by Paul Slattery
"Speak Louder", with its call and response chorus almost takes the roof off of Bisley Pavilion and the band leave an exhausted crowd baying for more. They encore with a cover of “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting” with Lorenzo on lead vocals and then Tenda appears for a headlong rush through "Roll On" and that's it all over! I thought Giuda were a great choice by Mr A. as they were the perfect Saturday night party band with their singalong choruses, hand-claps and feet stomping and I can't wait to see the band play live again, hopefully very soon indeed.
Giuda photographed by Paul Slattery
Giuda's albums are available on beautifully designed and packaged vinyl from Damaged Goods Records. With thanks to Paul Slattery for the excellent photos. For more photos of Day 2 of Hipsville then please head on over to the Retro Man Blog Facebook page and if you're not already following hit "Like" and "Get Notifications" for access to the photo album. There are also videos up on the Retro Man Blog YouTube channel, with more to be added over the next few days. Enjoy!
