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.

Girlsville: The Story of The Delmonas & The Headcoatees - The Queens of the Medway Delta by Saskia Holling (Spinout Publications) Review by Ms Sheringham-Boom

 

I have been waiting for this book "Girlsville" for what seems like forever so I was over the moon to find a copy dropping through the letterbox a few weeks ago. Before I go any further, I should declare that I was asked to contribute to the book by the author Saskia Holling. I was thrilled to be asked and it was an absolute honour to be part of a book that so badly needed to be written. Saskia had mentioned that she was in the process of writing a book about women involved in the Medway music scene, one of the main reasons being that unfortunately these women had mostly been ignored or only briefly covered by previous authors. For example, "The Kids Are All Square - Medway Punk and Beyond 1977-85" (pre-Headcoatees times) by Bob Collins & Ian Snowball does mention The Delmonas somewhat in passing yet none of the female voices of the band are heard, Maybe they weren’t asked to contribute, who knows? I haven’t read "Do It Yourself: A History of Music in Medway" by Stephen H Morris, so can’t comment on that, but have sadly heard similar things said. Time to put that right? You bet. Saskia herself has been involved in music since the 1990’s and the book gives the reader a glimpse into her own musical life having made her escape from a small Scottish island to form her Riot Grrl band Sally Skull. She then went onto Lord Rochester and Big Russ & Lightnin' Hollins (with her partner Russ Wilkins of The Milkshakes and The Wildebeests) and latterly The Nettelles. Indeed, not a musical heritage to be sniffed at. 

Sarah (Ludella Black) on stage with Billy Childish & CTMF in 2016

Here she relates the stories of the women of two of the most important bands in post-1960's U.K. Garage & Beat history, The Delmonas and Thee Headcoatees. Meet Hilary, Louise, Sarah, Debbie, Holly and Kyra. The story of these wonderful women (told in two parts) is warm, amusing, dark, joyous, and lots in-between. Saskia has clearly gained the trust of these women and there is a stark similarity in their musical experiences. The frustration, the not being heard and to a certain extent of being controlled. Regrets and resentments can be expected, such is band life. I shed tears when I read these stories because there was a side of their musical lives that I had not anticipated. They were and always will be so much more than the sum of a Billy Childish project. Saskia has evidently carried out her research very thoroughly and has firmly put their stories into context by including musical reviews from those times, not only reviews of their bands, but of a wider variety of female musicians. It clearly shows the pervading misogyny of the male music 'journos' of that era and whatever one’s musical tastes, it makes for very uncomfortable reading. I’m happy that these women found their own ways of being creative. They have all since (and with Debbie The X-Men before) blessed us with numerous musical treasures such as The A-Lines, Ye Nuns, and The Buffets (to name a few) as well as Holly, Sarah and Kyra’s solo careers, in fact a new recording from Kyra is in the offing which is certainly something to get excited about. From start to finish "Girlsville" is an unputdownable read and I must mention the striking cover art provided by Sarah Crouch. Props also to Saskia for including a comprehensive discography, links and references and the book features many previously unseen photos of the band on and off stage, record covers and more.

Kyra on stage with Billy Childish & CTMF in 2016

With many thanks to Ms Sheringham-Boom. Ms Sheringham-Boom is the bassist in Edinburgh's premier purveyors of Garage Rock, Thee Girl Fridays. The book is the first from our friends over at Spinout Publications and you can buy a copy directly from them at their on-line store here. For your listening pleasure don't forget our Medway music related Retrosonic Podcast interview specials with Billy Childish, Ian Greensmith (Vic Templar), Graham Day, Wolf Howard, Allan Crockford & Viv Bonsels of The Galileo 7 and Ian Ballard from Damaged Goods Records. All episodes can be downloaded at our Soundcloud site or streamed/listened to at Spotify or Apple Podcasts all for free.

The Nettelles - Ms Sheringham-Boom Reviews their New Album "Do You Believe In..." (Back To Beat Records)

Being a resident of Edinburgh I’ve been lucky to see The Nettelles play most of their gigs here, and was certainly in attendance at their first and last shows. It was always a pleasure to see this band live because of their contagious energy in doing what they did best; playing trashy girl-gang garage-punk. In this small city they were the band I had always looked up to and the band I wanted to be in. "Do You Believe In..." (released on the Norwegian label, Back To Beat Records) is a fantastically put together LP; artwork by friends Danny Carr & Bruce Brand and the sleeve notes, written by Lenny Helsing, are a fitting tribute to singer/songwriter and guitarist Clare Campbell, who sadly lost her life following a long battle with cancer in August this year. With production by Russ Wilkins plus offspring and partners helping with vocals and photography and recorded at band member Angus McPake’s prestigious Ravencraig Studios, this LP is truly a family affair. Onto the music, and there’s a few choice covers inside the tangerine fuzz forest if you dare to delve in, notably a cracking version of "Get Off The Road" from Herschell Gordon Lewis’s 1968 exploitation flick "She Devil On Wheels" and ‘66 garage-snarler "You Lied To Me Before", originally by The Treez. For me, it’s their self-penned songs where they really shine, and sting. I honestly cannot pick a favourite, but if you like proper garage-punk, then you should go and buy this record because it will not disappoint. Songs like "I Don’t Want To Talk To You", "You Better Go", "I’m Over You" are full of attitude, and I know that Clare was a huge fan of garage big sisters The Brood and The Pandoras (pre-hard rock phase), and I can hear their influence in her songs. Tracks like "Wasn’t Meant To Be" and "Baba Yaga" are both angsty teen rants. The darkly psychedelic sounds (think The Red Crayola rather than Sgt. Pepper) of "The Incredible Disappearing Woman" clearly has a deeper message. Overall, it’s rollocking good Rock 'n' Roll, no frills and no gimmicks required. Get yourself stung!
- Ms Sheringham-Boom, December 2020

You can hear The Nettelles debut single "We Are The Nettelles" (released on Spinout Nuggets Records) in Episode 31 of Retrosonic Podcast. Listen/stream/download directly below:

Retrosonic Podcast · Retrosonic 31 "Rumble In The Jungle A-Go-Go - A Hipsville and New Music Special

All proceeds of the LP will be donated to Clare’s nominated charities, MacMillan Cancer Support and Girls Rock School Edinburgh. You can order the album from The Nettelle's web-site here or from the Back To Beat Records Bandcamp site here. With thanks to Ms Sheringham-Boom. Ms Sheringham-Boom is the bassist in Edinburgh's premier purveyors of Garage Rock, Thee Girl Fridays.

Retrosonic Podcast Lockdown Lowdown Episode 9 with Ian Greensmith (A.K.A. Vic Templar) from The Dentists & Armitage Shanks (and much more...!)

Photo: Jokin Misterklin

For Episode 9 of our special Lockdown Lowdown series we welcome Ian Greensmith into the virtual Retrosonic Podcast studio. Ian, a.k.a. Vic Templar, Herbie Greensmith, Vic Flange or just Ian Smith is not only a man of many names he's also a man of many talents as drummer with Medway Indie legends The Dentists, Armitage Shanks, Ye Ascoyne D'Ascoynes, The Dirty Contacts, Sine Waves, Rubberman 12 and The Nuevo Ramon 5. He's also a DJ, one of the promoters of The Fratcave club night and Beatwave Weekenders, author of the hilarious semi-autobiographical "Taking Candy From a Dog", keen gardener, badger watcher and retired cricketer. So yes, you can guess that this episode is packed full of many fascinating musical memories, inspirations, tales and adventures and, of course, some bloody great music! Ian takes us on a musical journey from his very first memory of hearing Aretha Franklin in the canteen at Butlins in Bognor Regis (he was wearing a red cardigan with white piping at the time fact fans) to the first record he bought with his own pocket money, his first gig and first time behind the drumkit. We learn about the early shows with The Milkshakes and The Prisoners, discovering the MIC Club and some legendary Medway Delta names such as Billy Childish, Graham Day, Russ Wilkins, Sexton Ming and more. There's the stories behind his own bands including The Dentists, Ye Ascoyne D'Ascoynes, Armitage Shanks and Nuevo Ramon 5 along with a pick of the best of their music. Then there's a stash of great tunes from his DJ bag, the gig he would travel back in time for, his perfect LP and 45rpm single and some of his favourite bands that he has put on at his own Club nights and Weekenders. There are brushes (excuse the pun) with Buddy Rich, Mark E Smith, The Monochrome Set and Johnny Echols and the story behind his superb semi-autobiographical book "Taking Candy From A Dog". Includes music from The Dentists, Armitage Shanks, Ye Ascoyne D'Ascoynes, The Milkshakes, The Prisoners, Aretha Franklin, Elvis Costello & The Attractions, Sammy Davis Jr & Buddy Rich, The Fall, The Byrds, Love, Buzzcocks, The Kingsmen, Gary McFarland, The Monochrome Set, The Wildebeests, The Fallen Leaves, Ye Nuns, Ramon 5, Little Richard and The Allisons. So sit back, turn up the volume and enjoy!

Retrosonic Podcast · Lockdown Lowdown Episode 9 with Ian Greensmith (A.K.A. Vic Templar) of The Dentist

Tracklisting (please click on highlighted links below to investigate further)

Aretha Franklin "I Say a Little Prayer"

Elvis Costello & The Attractions "(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea"

The Milkshakes "Shimmy Shimmy" & "After Midnight"

The Prisoners "Better In Black"

The Kingsmen "Haunted Castle" 

The Dentists "I Had An Excellent Dream" & "She Dazzled Me With Basil"

Ye Ascoyne D'Ascoynes "Favourite Stuff"

Ramon 5 "Amor Perdido"

The Fallen Leaves "Did You See Her"

Ye Nuns "Cuckoo"

The Wildebeests "Lucinda"

The Allisons "Surfer Street"

Love "The Daily Planet"

Little Richard "The Girl Can't Help It"

Gary McFarland "Fried Bananas"

Armitage Shanks "Look Out Here Comes Uncle John"

Sammy Davis Jr & Buddy Rich "Come Back To Me"

The Monochrome Set "Apocalypso"

The Fall "I'm a Mummy"

The Byrds "Eight Miles High"

Buzzcocks "Time's Up"

Louis Jordan "Bullitt"

You can buy "Taking Candy From A Dog" by Vic Templar from Blackheath Books here. Please check out the Facebook page for The Fratcave to keep updated on this and Beatwave as soon as things return to normal. Please do visit the excellent Spinout Nuggets Records for releases by Ye Ascoyne D'Ascoyne, Armitage Shanks, Treasures of Mexico and lots more Medway related bands.

Ian at The Marquee with The Dentists

You can also check out our other Medway related special Podcasts with Billy Childish, Graham Day, Allan Crockford and Wolf Howard at the Retrosonic Podcast archive here. Retrosonic Podcast is also available to subscribe for free at Spotify, iTunes, Apple Podcast & Mixcloud. With thanks to Ian.

 

Retrosonic Podcast Lockdown Lowdown Episode 4 with Mike & Elsa from The Jack Cades

Mike & Elsa from The Jack Cades

In this episode of our Retrosonic Podcast Lockdown Lowdown series we welcome Mike and Elsa from one of our favourite new groups, The Jack Cades, following the release of their superb second album "Perfect View". Mike and Elsa take us on a musical trip through some of their favourite albums, singles, gigs, happenings and people that had an influence on their own impressive work with Thee Vicars, The Baron Four, The Missing Souls and of course with The Jack Cades. Generously soundtracked by some of their favourite songs including Nirvana, The Milkshakes, The Masonics, Rodriguez, The Stone Roses, Buzzcocks, The Beatles, The (International) Noise Conspiracy, Spacemen 3, The Squires and The Brian Jonestown Massacre. There's also a pick of their very own music from Thee Vicars, The Missing Souls, The Baron Four and of course The Jack Cades.

Track-listing

James Brown "I Got The Feelin'"

Nirvana "All Apologies"

The Missing Souls "The Alligator"

Thee Vicars "Introduction To Thee Vicars"

Thee Vicars "The Beat"

The Baron Four "Shut Your Mind"

The Milkshakes "Out of Control"

The Masonics "When You Cry At Night"

The Brian Jonestown Massacre "Vacuum Boots"

The Stone Roses "What The World Is Waiting For"

The (International) Noise Conspiracy "Smash It Up"

Buzzcocks "Time's Up"

The Zombies "Friends of Mine"

The Beatles "You Won't See Me"

The Squires "Going All The Way"

Rodriguez "I'll Slip Away"

Spacemen 3 "Losing Touch With My Mind"

The Jack Cades "Child"

Please click on the highlighted links above for more information on the featured bands and how to buy their music. The Jack Cades Facebook page is here for news about on-line performances and releases. Please kindly do what you can to support Bands, Artists, Record Companies and Venues in these difficult times. Subscribe to Retrosonic Podcast for FREE at iTunes or at our Soundcloud site/archive here. This episode can also be downloaded or streamed directly below.

Retrosonic Podcast · Lockdown Lowdown Episode 4: Mike & Elsa from The Jack Cades

The Nettelles: "We Are.../I'm Over You" Second Limited Edition 7" Vinyl Release of Prime Garage Rock from the Spinout Nuggets Label

Our friends over at Spinout Nuggets, the record label set up by Spinout Productions, follow up their debut release by the Medway Garage Rock outfit Sergeants Mess with another limited edition 7" Vinyl Single this time by the Edinburgh based band The Nettelles. Just like they did with Sergeants Mess, Spinout have uncovered another gem by an act that might not be familiar but some of the names of those involved most certainly are. So let's find out some more...

We are The Nettelles and we're gonna sting you! The Nettelles are a Garage Punk band based in Edinburgh, Scotland, who sprung up in 2016 after former Sally Skull members Clare and Saskia got together for a reunion. Following the reunion, they wanted to keep making music together and wanted to make it bigger and louder and thus recruited close friend Caitriona on keyboards as she’d 'always wanted to be in a band’, and enlisted Angus in on drums. The Nettelles was formed! Together, they make Garage influenced music and have also been known to cover songs by The Pandoras, The Brood, Shadows of Knight and Sally Skull of course. On this limited hand numbered 7” vinyl release of 300, the ‘We Are….’ double-A side release is the first for this line up as The Nettelles, but it won’t be the last! ‘I’m Over You’ is a Garage-Punk hit, with an intro that sucks you in, swirls you around, and spits you out some three minutes later. ‘We Are….’ is the answer to your question ‘Who are The Nettelles?’, providing a sting or two with an introduction to the band themselves. Recorded in June last year at Ravencraig Recording Studios, Edinburgh, both tracks are boldly produced by a combination of The Nettelles and the multi-talented Russ Wilkins (Lord Rochester, The Wildebeests, The Gruffmen, The Len Bright Combo, The Mindreaders, The Pop Rivets, The Milkshakes) who also famously produced The Prisoners "The Last Fourfathers" LP, amongst many other musical wonders. The Nettelles members can also be found in other musical combos. Saskia also plays bass in Rock ’n’ Roll combo Lord Rochester and Angus plays various instruments in various bands including Scottish Garage legends The Thanes, French popsters Les BOF!  and The Sensation Seekers. Keep an eye out for The Nettelles live outings.

This release will be available via Spinout Productions from 4th June.

The Masonics, The Baron Four & The Beatpack - Exclusive Paul Slattery photos from the Retro Man Blog Night November 18th

The Masonics by Paul Slattery

I'd like to take the opportunity to say a huge "thank you" to all of you who came along to the last Retro Man Blog Night of 2016 at the Half Moon Putney on November 18th. Judging from all the comments it seems like you agreed with me that all three bands were on top form and I appreciate all the great feedback, it really does make it all worthwhile. Thanks of course to The Masonics, Miss Ludella Black, The Baron Four and The Beatpack, it was a pleasure and honour to be able to host such excellent bands. I also really appreciate the many recent requests from bands wishing to play at a future show but unfortunately that was my last Retro Man Blog Night for the foreseeable future. Of course things may change in 2017 but at present I am having a bit of a break from promotions to concentrate on Retrosonic Podcast. However, I have already been in discussions about a couple of very special events next year so please watch this space...!! 

Bruce of The Masonics photographed by Paul Slattery

John of The Masonics photographed by Paul Slattery

Mickey of The Masonics photographed by Paul Slattery

My Retro Man Blog colleague the Rock Photographer Paul Slattery was there to capture the action as usual and I hope you enjoy this selection of some of his great shots from the night. There are more photographs at the Retro Man Blog Facebook page which you can access by 'Liking' the page here.

Miss Ludella Black photographed by Paul Slattery

The Masonics photographed by Paul Slattery

There are also a selection of videos at the Retro Man Blog YouTube channel here and full sets from all three bands can be found at the excellent Archivist of London web-site here.

The good news is that The Masonics and The Baron Four will be playing together again very soon on December 21st at The Lexington in Islington along with Ye Nuns. This is a charity fundraiser for War Child and you can get tickets and further details from here. A nice warm up for Xmas!

The Baron Four photographed by Paul Slattery

The Baron Four photographed by Paul Slattery

The Baron Four photographed by Paul Slattery

The Baron Four photographed by Paul Slattery

The Beatpack photographed by Paul Slattery

The Beatpack photographed by Paul Slattery

The Beatpack photographed by Paul Slattery

Finally don't forget the night was the launch party for The Masonics excellent brand new album "Obermann Rides Again" and if you weren't at the gig to pick up a copy then you can order on-line from here. The Beatpack also have a cracking new E.P. out on State Records too and you can get hold of that over here. Thanks again to everyone for the support over the past year! Cheers!

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.