"A Little More Time With…The Senior Service" with guest vocalist Rachel Lowrie. Ms Sheringham-Boom reviews the new 10" Vinyl E.P. out now on Damaged Goods Records

"Instrumentalists find their voice" by Ms Sheringham-Boom (January 2022)

Happy 2022 anyone, anyone? This year has gotten off to a shaky start, and like everyone else, I am totally over this pandemic. It is however shaping up in one respect due to the release of some much-anticipated new music. Hopefully more widespread live events going ahead will follow across the UK and further afield in the not-too-distant future. Hat’s off to the fortunate ones who have managed to continue with their music throughout this time. There is a very welcome return to one band who managed to do just that at Ranscombe Studios in June last year. They are of course our favourite instrumentalists, The Senior Service (who feature Medway musicians Graham Day, Wolf Howard, Darryl Hartley and Jon Barker) whose much anticipated mini-LP is due for release on the Damaged Goods label this Friday 14th January. The band cordially invite us to spend "A Little More Time With…" Don’t mind if I do. But wait, there are vocals you say? 

The story goes that around year ago, The Senior Service (on a drunken night out) decided that they wanted to add a ‘little more’ to their instrumental sound. Enter Rachel Lowrie a local singer/songwriter who has previously recorded with a fair few fellow Medway stalwarts. Cited as their best work to date, four of the tracks on "A Little More Time With…" were written with Rachel in mind, and in a recent interview with Glenn Prangnell for the Groovy Uncle Podcast she declared that it’s ‘probably the best recording I’ve ever done.’ Who are we, readers, to argue with that? So, I put the question to Rachel about the collaboration 

Q: How did you feel about being approached by the band to sing vocals for them? 

Rachel: We were at Mr Unswitchable’s Open Mic night at Rochester Social Club in 2019 and I sang "24 Hours from Tulsa" (me and my ukulele) with some level of intensity. Jon Barker approached me about singing on their album that evening. I wasn’t sure the recording would happen until it had. And it’s a thing because they have made instrumental music and now vocals. I wondered what the songs would be like. I felt like I got a sneak preview.

Q: Were you familiar with the band’s sound, the individual band members, and their musical heritage?
Rachel: Yes of course, but I’m lazy with the details. I have grown up and lived in Medway most of my life, so I knew their names and band names. I’ve been to various gigs over the years, Graham Day & The Forefathers, The Daggermen, The Buff Medways, and The Senior Service etc.

Q: What was it like to be part of the recording process?
Rachel: I got the tracks and lyrics and turned up and sang to be honest, and it was all quite nice. As a bunch they were kind and welcoming and they laughed a lot - they have been mates for years so it felt like a relaxed space to come into. I was excited-nervous of course. I really like the songs they wrote. And I enjoy being at Jim’s studio (Jim Riley, Ranscombe Studios).

Q: What can we expect from you at the launch at the end of January, are you excited about it?
Rachel: I’m just looking forward to singing the songs live, should be fun.

Then there’s Darryl Hartley. As well as playing bass he also designed the fabulously evocative artwork for the cover sleeve. I asked him about his inspiration for this… 

Darryl: The sleeve artwork follows the previous designs we’ve had. I really like the Saul Bass posters of the sixties, so we’ve adopted that look as we believe it suits the music. I think with this record we were going for a jazz/lounge type feel to the whole package, so it ties in nicely with that too. It’s important that the artwork compliments the music and the 10" format also helps with this.

…and whilst he was there, I asked him about his song, the cool and collected "Just A Little Time".

Darryl: "Just A Little Time’ was written some years ago when I was going through a bit of a Bacharach phase or at least trying to go a bit Bacharach (I’d never claim that I’d ever reach those lofty heights). Years later when we decided we were going to do this record I remembered the song and thought it would work well with a female vocal. I had in my head a Dusty Springfield big ballad type of thing, a bit of brass, a dramatic chorus. It has come out pretty successfully. There are some unintentionally Carole King elements to it, which I’m not going to complain about!

Indeed. In fact, each band member has contributed to the writing of the songs on this EP, and it is difficult to choose a favourite, so I won’t. As well as the originals the band have included two covers of more obscure instrumentals: John Schroeder’s "Lovin' You Girl" and "Mysterious Land" by The Chris Lamb Orchestra. With this mini-LP you can expect the sublime, the nonchalant, and music of cinematic proportions; Hammond draped around brass, a sometimes-explosive guitar complimented by a driving rhythm section, and the stirring voice of a cool chanteuse.

You can hear a song from the new E.P. in our latest episode of Retrosonic Podcast.

Retrosonic Podcast · Episode 45 "Waking Up The Band"

"A Little More Time With…The Senior Service" the new 10" Vinyl E.P. with guest vocalist Rachel Lowrie is available to order from Damaged Goods Records here. For more info on The Senior Service please check out their Facebook page here. With thanks to Ms Sheringham-Boom. Ms Sheringham-Boom is the bassist in Edinburgh's premier purveyors of Garage Rock, Thee Girl Fridays.

Billy Childish & CTMF at The Lexington London May 21st - Paul Slattery Photographs

Billy Childish at The Lexington photographed by Paul Slattery

Billy Childish made his long-awaited return to the stage with his current line-up Wild Billy Childish  & CTMF with two sold-out shows at The Lexington in Islington on May 21st to promote his excellent new album "Sq 1" which is out now on Damaged Goods Records. There was an afternoon matinee followed by a more traditional evening gig and both sets were crammed with a crowd-pleasing selection of classic tracks from pretty much all of his many line-ups over the years - from The Milkshakes to The Buff Medways, Thee Mighty Caesars to Thee Headcoats and The Musicians of The British Empire to CTMF. There was even the added bonus of Ludella and Kyra from Thee Headcoatees joining in on the encores. Rock photographer Paul Slattery has worked with Billy over the years ever since unintentionally capturing him in the front row of a Sex Pistols gig back in 1977! Paul took some great early photos of The Milkshakes too and now one of his pictures of Thee Headcoats appears on the cover of the CTMF's latest single "A Glimpse of Another Time". Here, Paul kindly shares some of his excellent photographs taken at both the Lexington shows:

For more photos of both sets please head on over to the Retro Man Blog Facebook page and hit "Like" and "Get Notifications" (if you are not already following) for access to the Photo Album. Videos can also be found at the Retro Man Blog YouTube channel here. Then, you can hear us chat about the Lexington gigs and hear a track from "Sq 1" in the latest episode of Retrosonic Podcast, available to listen/download for free from Soundcloud or via iTunes.

All Photos Copyright Paul Slattery 2016

Then don't forget our special Billy Childish edition Retrosonic Podcast when Paul and I traveled down to Billy's studio in Chatham Docks to watch him paint while we chatted about his career, playing a selection of some of his own favourite tracks and influences along the way.

The new CTMF album "Sq 1" is available from here at Damaged Goods Records along with a huge selection of Billy's back catalogue, often in special limited edition versions.

The Milkshakes photographed by Paul Slattery in 1983

With thanks to Paul Slattery for the photographs.

Billy Childish London Gig announced & New 7" Single released on Damaged Goods Records.

The inspirational Medway Garage Rock legend, author and artist Billy Childish has finally announced his long-awaited return to the stage with a gig at The Lexington on Pentonville Road in London on May 21st with his latest line-up Wild Billy Childish & CTMF. The band will play two sets, an all-ages matinee kicking off at 3pm and then an over-18's only set from 8pm. Please note that tickets only went on sale this morning and already the evening show has SOLD OUT! Tickets for the matinee are still available at the time of writing but I can't guarantee they won't have sold out too by the time you read this. It just goes to show the overwhelming interest in seeing Billy play live again.

Thee Headcoats - Photo Copyright Paul Slattery

Damaged Goods Records have also released a brand new 4 track 7" vinyl EP by The CTMF entitled "A Glimpse of Another Time" which precedes their forthcoming (and fourth) album. The title track of the EP is a song about the scene based round Slim Chance’s Club at the Wild Western Rooms in the 1990′s (The club was out the back of the St. John’s Tavern in Archway, North London). The club later moved down the road to the Boston Arms. Billy’s  group Thee Headcoats used to play a regular monthly stint there, which explains the cover photo taken in 1991 of  Billy fronting Thee Headcoats with Bruce and Johnny on that tiny, legendary, wild west themed stage. The cover photo was taken by my Retro Man Blog colleague Paul Slattery who worked closely with Billy during that period. You can order the single from the Damaged Goods Records on-line store at this here link.

The New CTMF Single with cover photo by Paul Slattery

In our Retrosonic Podcast Billy Childish special at our Soundcloud site here. Retro Man Blog and Photographer Paul Slattery visited Billy in his Medway studio to chat about some of his musical influences such as Hamburg-era Beatles, Link Wray, Muddy Waters, The Voidoids and more and the effect they had on his own work. Along the way we discuss and play some tracks from a selection of his many line-ups including The Pop Rivets, The Milkshakes, Thee Mighty Caesars, Thee Headcoats, The Buff Medways, The Musicians of The British Empire and his latest band The CTMF.

For the Blog feature to accompany the Podcast which has some exclusive Paul Slattery photographs of Billy from throughout the years from the crowd at the Sex Pistols Brunel University gig in 1977 right through the various line-ups to the present day, please check out the link here.

Billy at work in his Medway studio - Photo by Retro Man Blog

Billy Childish: Retrosonic Podcast Special Edition

Billy Childish, Chatham June 2014 by Paul Slattery

Welcome to the latest Retrosonic Podcast Special Edition, this time we feature the hugely influential Medway based musician, author, poet and artist Billy Childish. We visited Billy in his Medway studio and interviewed him as he painted a huge canvas, chatting about his early musical influences and the effect that they had on his own songwriting and sound. Along the way we take in a selection of some of his own many and varied line-ups, discussing and playing tracks from The Pop Rivets, The Milkshakes, Thee Mighty Caesars, Thee Headcoats, The Buff Medways, The Musicians of The British Empire and then bring it right up to date with his latest outfit, The CTMF.

You can listen or download directly here or visit the Retrosonic Podcast Soundcloud page.



Rock Photographer Paul Slattery took his first Billy Childish photo in 1977, although he didn't know it at the time. By complete coincidence when Paul was photographing the Sex Pistols at Brunel University he happened to capture a young, vociferous, peroxide-haired Punk Rocker in the front row of the crowd, and that was Billy Childish. So 37 years later Paul could finally hand over a set of those prints to a grateful Billy. This episode takes the story of those photographs and Billy's experience with the Seventies Punk scene as the starting point of the interview and we talk about the songs and the sounds that inspired him to this day, informing his various musical projects.

Sex Pistols at Brunel University December 1977 by Paul Slattery
Billy in the centre to the right of Johnny Rotten...

Paul Slattery photographed Billy Childish in his various line-ups for many years and we are pleased to publish some of his rare photos from The Milkshakes to the Musicians of The British Empire.

The Milkshakes at The Frontline Theatre Brixton February 1983 by Paul Slattery

Thee Headcoats at Camden Lock, London June 1990

Thee Headcoats at St. John's Tavern London June 1990

Billy at the Cubitt Gallery, London June 1995

Thee Headcoats at The Monarch London September 1997

The Buff Medways, Boston Arms London March 2001

Musicians of The British Empire, Boston Arms London June 2009

Billy Childish, Chatham June 2014 by Paul Slattery

For other Special Edition Retrosonic Podcasts including dedicated episodes featuring in-depth interviews with TV Smith, Chris Wilson of The Flamin' Groovies, Ian from Damaged Goods Records, Ian Person and Mattias Barjed from The Soundtrack of Our Lives, Harley Feinstein from Sparks/Halfnelson, Mattias Hellberg, Rob Symmons and Rob Green of The Fallen Leaves, the excellent Swedish Psychedelic band The Movements and much more, please check out our Retrosonic Podcast archive on Soundcloud here. All episodes are free to download.

Check out the Damaged Goods Records on-line store for all your Billy Childish musical needs - CD's vinyl and downloads from all of of his various line-ups. For Billy's Art, including Prints, Woodcuts, Sculpture and Special Editions and books then please visit the L-13 Studio store.

Billy Childish, Chatham June 2014 - Photo Copyright Retro Man Blog

Thanks to Billy, Steve from L-13, Ian from Damaged Goods Records and Paul Slattery for sharing all the excellent photos. All photographs above copyright Paul Slattery 2014. For more photos of our visit to the Medway please head on over to the Retro Man Blog Facebook page and, if you are not already a subscriber, hit "Like" for access to the exclusive photo album.