John McKay's Reactor at The Face Bar Reading, Tuesday June 17th - the triumphant return of the legendary Siouxsie & The Banshees Guitarist

I was at a local Club Velocity promotions gig at the Face Bar in Reading on Tuesday night to witness the long awaited return of the legendary Siouxsie & The Banshees guitarist John McKay. The first thing that hit me was how good he looked; all dressed in black, hair slicked back into a Samurai style top knot. Similar to (the much-missed) Geordie from Killing Joke, McKay is effortlessly cool, making it look so easy when of course, we really know it's nothing of the sort. There’s a nonchalance to his playing style that belies the immense, razor sharp sound that he conjures from his equally cool black semi-acoustic Hagström guitar. I was just too young to see The Banshees play when he was in the line-up, but I’ve always loved McKay’s glacial guitar riffs – a sound that defined not only the early Banshees, but pretty much the whole Post-Punk genre. There was a palpable buzz running through the crowd as he struck the opening chords to first number “Black Five” and to hear that instantly recognisable, hugely influential sound, was a big thrill.

 

 

Earlier this year Tiny Global Productions released the beautifully packaged album “Sixes And Sevens” which features unreleased solo recordings made between 1980 and 1989. Former Banshees drummer Kenny Morris who along with McKay, jumped the Banshees ship mid-tour in 1979, features on some of these songs along with Soft Boys bassist Matthew Seligman and John’s partner Linda on vocals – sadly both Matthew and Linda passed away in 2020. Don’t be put off by the mention of ‘unreleased’ songs, as usually when record companies put out such recordings there’s a very good reason why they were unreleased in the first place. Not so with “Sixes And Sevens” as the songs and sound are excellent and it begs the question just why they were not ever released at the time. It gives a fascinating insight into what might have been after The Banshees, and the good news is that now, thanks to Tiny Global, the songs have been given a new lease of life. A few dates have been arranged to promote the album including the Reading show, a sold-out Lexington in London, the Forever Now festival in Milton Keynes on June 22^nd, The 100 Club on June 23^rd and the Hare & Hounds Birmingham on July 19th.

John has assembled a superb band around him, John McKay’s Reactor, and it is very much a band rather than just a solo project. One of Retro Man Blog’s favourites Jen Brown from The Priscillas is on lead vocals, a perfect choice, it’s a role she just had to play, and she looks fabulous next to John. It must have been a rather daunting task as comparisons with Siouxsie are bound to be raised, but Jen is superb, balancing her individual style while keeping a deference to Siouxsie's vocal delivery. Billy King is on bass and like Jen, looks every inch the epitome of Rock ‘n’ Roll, very cool. He also rather impressively keeps his leather biker jacket on for the duration of the whole show despite the soaring temperatures. Drummer Jola is a busy, blur of energy, managing the sometimes unusual tom-heavy tribal beats with real skill, she’s great to watch in her own right. The set list is perfectly balanced between tracks from “Sixes And Sevens” and Banshees classics, and the good thing is there’s a seamless transition between the two, that’s testament to the strength of the solo material, I guess. 

 

The set ends with “Hong Kong Garden” and there’s an encore of “Playground Twist” which both take the roof of the Face Bar. We also get treated to Banshees classics from the first two albums including “The Staircase (Mystery)”, “Placebo”, “Mirage”, “Suburban Release” and “Switch”. Of the ‘new’ songs “Taken For Granted” with its rumbling JJ Burnel style bass intro and “Vigilante” are personal highlights and I’m left hoping that this new line-up can find the time to write some brand new material in the near future. Check out the band’s Facebook page here and Instagram pages for news on the upcoming shows and Tiny Global on how to order “Sixes And Sevens” which is out on CD, download and limited edition vinyl which includes a signed booklet and bonus CD. For more videos from the show please subscribe to the Retro Man Blog YouTube channel here.

David Arnoff "Shot In The Dark" Book Resurrection Party at The Dublin Castle, Camden, Sunday March 19th 2023

Here are some photos from a thoroughly entertaining afternoon at the legendary music venue and pub The Dublin Castle in Camden, a suitably Rock 'n' Roll setting for the re-launch (or resurrection...) party to celebrate the new edition of "Shot In The Dark - The Collected Photography of David Arnoff" which is out now on Red Planet Books. David was there to sign copies and chat about his work, and there was a selection of iconic shots taken from the book on display, including superb photos of The Gun Club, Ramones, The Damned, Blondie, The Fuzztones, Thee Hypnotics, Television, The Cramps and many more. There was a DJ providing an excellent soundtrack to the book with loads of great CBGB's era-Punk Rock and classic tracks by some of David's many photographic subjects. I spotted some familiar faces in the crowd too, including members of Jim Jones All Stars, The Phobics, The Priscillas, The Charity Case and Gaye (Advert) Black among others. The new edition of "Shot In The Dark", which includes 16 extra images and a deluxe slipcase, is available to buy from Red Planet Books here. For more information on David and his photography, please check out his Instagram page here or his official web-site here.

All photos copyright Retro Man Blog, 2023

The Mild Perils "(I'm Going To My) Happy Place (For Christmas)" - Amy Kilroy-Buck finds the perfect Xmas song for people who don't like Xmas

As I trudge through the snow to the Retroman offices this Christmas, weaving my way through groups of Victorian street urchins, I'll have a particular tune stuck in my mind. It will echo around my head as I struggle to type wearing gloves, and I'll be whistling it when I'm plucking up the courage to knock on the Editor's door to ask if his team of hard working writers might possibly be allowed to finish early on Christmas Eve. He'll say no of course, but who knows, maybe a nocturnal visit from the spectral forms of Roy Wood, Noddy Holder and Mariah Carey will change his mind. Yes folks, this year's Christmas ear-worm is "(I'm Going To My) Happy Place (For Christmas)" by The Mild Perils, a new project from front-woman of The Priscillas, Jenny Drag. It's a song that ticks all the boxes for a Christmas hit; catchy chorus, bells, festive video, more bells and even that 'footsteps crunching on snow' effect that you used to get, but this packs the additional punch of a bit of Yuletide realism; in short, it's a Christmas song for people who don't much like Christmas. This is the stuff that Christmas is made of but nobody normally sings about, with a full supporting cast of passive aggressive relatives and drunk guests, and a hoot of a video with Jenny resplendent in a backless catsuit and some tinsel. "(IGTM ) HP (FC)", as it shall henceforth be referred to, has exactly the right mix of wry humour and slightly festive chirpyness to bump it onto the list of Christmas songs I actually like, and I'll definitely be keeping an ear out for future offerings from The Mild Perils. So if, like me, you're not really too keen on the whole Christmas thing, tune out, tune in and go to your happy place. - Amy K-B Xmas 2017

You can download the song from The Mild Perils Bandcamp page here and find out more information on the band at their official Facebook page over here. Thanks to Amy for the review. Ho Ho Ho....

Jonny Cola & The A-Grades to headline "Naked & Wired: Bowie & Beyond" at The Archway Tavern August 03rd

Heidi Heelz (currently of The Priscillas and The Retro Bar, formerly of Dice Club, Proxy Music, GlamRacket, The Guillotines), Joe Pop (Wild Thing) and DJ Sonic Medusa (The Lexington, Suffragette City) bring you a riotous party night, NAKED & WIRED. Celebrating not only all things Bowie but also the great man's legacy and influence. NAKED & WIRED unites glam, punk, disco, trash, performance art and gender-bending fabulousness all under one roof!  With live music from:
glam-punk darlings JONNY COLA & THE A-GRADES and the splendid CHARLES HOWL, plus Bowie-themed drag cabaret from TRINDY ET SES CHIENNES DES DIAMANDES! Also, BARBARA ANDROID will be beaming down to Earth specially...and there will be plenty of other exciting secret surprise guest appearances too. Add to that the chance to win free shots and set it all against the exotically kitsch Tiki Club and you've got yourself a winning formula for a night to remember!

Club name: NAKED & WIRED: Bowie And Beyond...

Date: Saturday 3rd August 2013

Opening times: 9pm - 4am

Venue: The Tiki Club @ The Archway Tavern

Acts: Jonny Cola & The A-Grades + Charles Howl + Trindy + Heidi Heelz + Joe Pop + Sonic Medusa + Barbara Android

Entry: £5/£4 advance from We Got Tickets

The Ruts "A Tribute to Paul Fox" new fund-raising album - Plus a look back at The Ruts 2007 reunion concert

The Paul Fox Social Club have announced the November 16th release of "A Tribute to Paul Fox", the legendary guitarist with The Ruts, who sadly passed away due to cancer in 2007. The twenty four track compilation boasts some of the biggest names in Punk Rock, it's available from Foxy's web-site and hopefully at gigs by the featured Artists. The album features a mixture of previously released material along with exclusive live and studio recordings from Bands and Artists including Ruts DC, UK Subs, Chelsea, The Priscillas, TV Smith, Duncan Reid of The Boys, Texas Terri, Menace, The Phobics, The Urban Voodoo Machine and Laurel Aitken amongst others. The album was mastered by Chris Kimsey at Olympic Studios and the cover art has been designed by Gaye Advert. The idea behind this charity compilation came from the simple desire to help raise more funds and continued support for the Michael Sobell Hospice who made Paul's life more comfortable during his terminal illness. Profits will be added to those raised by The Paul Fox Social Club, which is an annual fund raising event for the Hospice. The Club was originally set up a few weeks after Paul passed away by family and friends to celebrate the life and career of one of the most energetic, versatile and influential guitarists of his generation. Every year since 2007, on or around October 21st, an annual gig is arranged to raise funds for the Hospice to say thank you for the palliative care received by Paul during the final months of his life.  

Paul Fox at The Ruts reunion 2007 - Photo by Steve Worrall

Michael Sobell Hospice is a specialist centre at Mount Vernon Hospital, Northwood, Middlesex. The hospice is a 16 bed In-Patient Unit, Day Therapy Centre and Outreach Service as well as providing a wide range of complementary therapies. There is no charge for the care they provide but Michael Sobell Hospice relies heavily on charitable donations. It costs £6,000 a day to maintain their current levels of care, £2,500 of which is provided by fund raising. For more info please check out the Michael Sobell Hospice web-site or the Paul Fox "Foxy's" web-site. 

For me, The Ruts were always one of the best of the second wave of Punk Rock bands, and their appeal was mainly down to Paul Fox's guitar work. Their debut, "The Crack", was certainly one of the most diverse and exciting of all the Punk albums, and probably only America's Bad Brains could play such great reggae one minute and then such visceral aggressive rock the next. A hugely exciting future was so tragically cut short when vocalist Malcolm Owen died of a drug overdose in 1980 and the band decided to continue as Ruts D.C. playing mainly dub reggae. Unfortunately they never reached the heights of the original Ruts but the band, and Paul Fox in particular, remained hugely influential and popular. In 2007 it was announced that The Ruts, Paul Fox on guitars, bassist Segs and drummer Dave Ruffy would reform for the first time in 27 years, with Black Flag legend and huge Ruts fan, Henry Rollins taking over the vocal duties.

Henry Rollins - Photo by Steve Worrall

I remember there was a moment of euphoria when I first heard the news, the chance to hear those classic songs again, and as a big fan of Black Flag I thought that Rollins was the perfect choice to do justice to the legacy and memory of Malcolm Owen. The euphoria dissipated quickly when I found out that the reunion gig, to be held at the Islington Academy on July 16th 2007, was a benefit for the Ruts very own Paul Fox, who had been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. It was terrible news but the gig was a huge success, a joyous yet highly emotional celebration. It must have been very daunting for Rollins to try and fill the Dr. Martens of Malcolm Owen, but he took to the task extremely well. Showing the perfect balance of respect for Malcolm, the band and the audience along with an impressive knowledge of the material and compassion for Paul. Yet you could feel the unbridled honour and joy of a fan's dream come true, the rare opportunity to actually perform with their heroes. A stellar line-up compered by John Robb, including the UK Subs, The Damned, Tom Robinson, TV Smith, Tenpole Tudor, Splodgenessabounds, John Otway and fittingly, Southall's Misty In Roots, all played short sets and paid tribute to Paul Fox and The Ruts. Then it was the moment we had all been waiting for and Rollins, Segs, Ruffy and a frail looking Fox took to the stage to an amazing reception and tore into "Something That I Said", closely followed by "Staring at The Rude Boys".

Henry Rollins - Photo by Steve Worrall

What a start, and what a sound! Paul Fox's guitar was a joy to behold and Segs and Ruffy locked into their Rhythm, propelling those two classic singles along at breakneck speed. Rollins' guttural voice was perfectly suited to the material, and with his shaved head and barely controlled aggression, he certainly looked the part too. He self effacingly asked the crowd to sing along to help him and the audience responded enthusiastically. Next up was the menacing intro to "S.U.S." with that ominous bass line building to the slashing chords of the chorus which then fades into reggae to allow Fox's superb guitar lines to shine. "West One (Shine On Me)" was always a very underrated single, and tonight it gets a well deserved play and it sounds amazing. Vocalist Molara joins the band to sing The Ruts own reggae classic "Jah War", and you get the surreal sight of Rollins skanking away in the background covering on backing vocals. "Babylon's Burning", one of the classic Punk Rock singles, and one of my favourite Top Of The Pops moments, sees the crowd going crazy and as the song fades they start up a football terrace style chant of "Foxy, Foxy"...Paul is visibly moved. The full on onslaught of "Society" gives way to the singalong "In A Rut", which sees all the bands who appeared invade the stage to join in on the chorus. It's a chaotic but fun ending which gradually dissolves to leave Rollins, Segs, Ruffy and Paul Fox to take a well deserved bow and lap up the applause. There are mixed emotions of course but to see Paul Fox's huge smile, despite the pain he must have been in, as he stood in front of the crowd, was hugely inspiring. So, please buy the new compilation album and get out all those great Ruts records, they are a wonderful legacy for us to celebrate the unique talents of both Malcolm Owen and Paul Fox. Here's a few more of my photographs of some of the great bands who appeared at the July 16th 2007 gig.

TV Smith with Tony Barber - Photo by Steve Worrall

Charlie Harper from the UK Subs - Photo by Steve Worrall

John Otway - Photo by Steve Worrall

Misty In Roots - Photo by Steve Worrall

The Damned - Photo by Steve Worrall

Retro Man Blog featured in The Guardian!

The Guardian picked out Retro Man Blog for inclusion in their "Blog Jam" series yesterday, which was a very nice surprise. I had to answer a questionnaire, and managed to get in a few plugs along the way, including Retrosonic Podcast, Rock Photographer and Blog contributor, Paul Slattery and some of our favourite acts, such as The Soundtrack of Our Lives, The Priscillas, TV Smith. My choice of song of the day went to The Len Price 3 with "Rentacrowd", and they posted up the video for that too. Hopefully that, along with the Blog screen-shot they used, can only be good publicity for our gig with The Len Price 3 at The Half Moon in Putney on December 07th.

Blog Jam is a twice-weekly series where The Guardian invite independent bloggers to tell them about what they do and you can see the full feature here. Thanks to Adam Boult at The Guardian.

The Priscillas - Live at the Buffalo Bar London August 17th

Jen & Suza of The Priscillas - Photo by Steve Worrall

Considering I've liked The Priscillas for some time now, for various reasons of bad luck and timing, I only got round to seeing them live for the very first time last month. That was as support to Rat Scabies, Brian James & Texas Terri at the Retro Venue, which you can read about here. Then, as the old cliche goes, you wait for ages for a Priscillas gig to arrive and then two come along...yeah yeah. So, last Friday I got the chance to finally see the band headline at The Buffalo Bar, next to Highbury and Islington station. The Buffalo Bar was a great little basement venue, a nice dimly lit atmosphere with a pretty decent, well mixed sound system. The Priscillas kicked off with "Rip Up Your Photograph" and then treated us to a faultless set of their infectious bubble-gum Punk Rock & Roll. They are a band who immediately make you smile and sing along, with their catchy backing vocal harmonies and choruses.

Jen of The Priscillas - Photo by Steve Worrall

I think vocalist Jen is a fantastic presence up front, maybe it's because a lot of bands I see recently seem to have three-piece line-ups, it just makes a noticeable and refreshing change to see a singer freed from not having to play an instrument and to have the opportunity, and the charisma, to "work the stage"! Although Jen, and guitarist Guri, are often to be found off the stage amongst the audience at various times of the set. They are a tight rocking unit, and again bassist Suza and drummer Stu provide the solid foundation for guitarist Guri and Jen throughout. Unfortunately, Stu is leaving the band and the band are looking to replace him with a female drummer so they can revert to their all-girl line-up. They play a couple of songs I hadn't heard before, one of which was called "Where's Lydia?" which was a fun call-and-response number. The more familiar songs still sound great, "All Of My Friends Are Zombies" and "Holloway" are top notch garage-pop nuggets, but it's "Superhero" that sums it all up for me, a brilliant track, one of those perfectly formed singles that deserves to have been a huge hit.

(L/R) Guri, Jen, Stu and Suza - Photo by Steve Worrall

So, another great gig from the band and I hope another one comes rolling along pretty soon. In fact the only negative of the evening (apart from them not having any merchandise!) was the rather sparse crowd. Those that were there had a fantastic time, but I am sometimes a bit non-plussed at the lack of support for live music, especially for such a fantastic live act such as The Priscillas. So, please do yourself a favour and get out to support hard-working bands such as The Priscillas, The Past Tense, The Jetsonics, The Len Price 3, to name a few. It's not easy for bands to get venues and promoters on side these days, especially without big record company backing, and most bands are managing themselves too. So if you think you can help get The Priscillas a gig please get in touch, maybe you're a Promoter, own a venue or run a Club night, if you are in a band or even if you can just recommend a good local venue, then it all helps. Often the only rewards for bands these days are just the chance to sell some CDs and T-Shirts but, I think the most import reward is a great reaction from a happy crowd that has had a thoroughly entertaining and fun evening, just as we all did at the Buffalo Bar last Friday!

All Photos Copyright Steve Worrall Retro Man Blog 2012

Here's a video I shot of the opening number, the superb "Rip Up Your Photograph". You can see more exclusive videos of The Priscillas, and many more, at the Retro Man Blog YouTube Channel.

             

And finally, don't forget their excellent album "10,000 Volts", which is available to order now from iTunes, Amazon and of course, the band's own Store on their official web-site.

Scabies/James play "Damned, Damned, Damned" with Texas Terri at The Retro, Westbourne Park July 27th

Photo by Paul Slattery

I couldn't make it to the recent Scabies/James gig at the 100 Club, but I was in two minds anyway, maybe even a bit sceptical about it. How was it going to work? How were the drummer and guitarist going to pull this one off, not only with the absent, but still imposing presence of Captain Sensible and Dave Vanian looming over them, but with a girl singer taking the lead? Not only is "Damned, Damned, Damned" one of my all time favourite albums, but all those classic songs, with Vanian's somewhat Americanised drawl, they are all etched into my brain. So I was curious but not a little dubious too. However, after the 100 Club gig, I heard back from people that were there and it was all pretty much positive. Most of the reviews and comments were all glowing red hot and it did indeed seem that Scabies/James and Texas Terri had in fact pulled it off extremely well. 

Texas Terri by Paul Slattery

So I was really keen to see them play and made my way to the Retro in Westbourne Park, where an excellent set from The Priscillas warmed things up nicely. This was a special gig to celebrate Rat's birthday and also the 35th year of what was to be the first ever U.K. Punk Rock album, "Damned, Damned, Damned". The Damned were always ahead of the game, the first Punk single, first to tour in America and the first ever Punk album too. It's iconic custard pie splashed cover photo, heralded originally by those rather sinister adverts suggesting you should "Play It At Your Sister", The Damned's debut was a raw and chaotic statement of intent. That live, youthful energy was captured perfectly by producer Nick Lowe, and on first listen it felt almost as though the band were leaping out of the vinyl and bashing you around the head with their guitars and drumsticks. Back to the present, and I'm getting a breather outside the venue when I hear that familiar elastic bass riff to "Neat, Neat, Neat", I rush inside and make it down the front, a quick drum burst from Rat and then I'm almost blasted back outside again by the sheer power and volume of Brian James' guitar amp. 

Texas Terri is a vivid blur of bright red hair and tattoos, she's been compared to a female Iggy Pop and it's not hard to see why. Terri was previously in sleaze trash rock outfits The Killer Clowns and The Stiff Ones, and has just released an album under the name Texas Terri Bomb! brilliantly titled, "Your Lips...My Ass!". That album features a guest appearance by Wayne Kramer of The MC5, one of The Damned's big favourites. Tonight, although they do play all the songs from the album, it isn't in strict track-listing order, for example a brilliant "Born To Kill" is followed by a storming run through of "You Take My Money" from the follow up album "Music For Pleasure". Hearing that makes you wonder why that second album is so maligned as it is a really great song. Maybe it was the production or the dynamic of the band changing, what with the the band expanding to a five piece with the addition of Lu Edmonds as second guitarist, incidentally now playing in the revamped Public Image Limited. I do think it's an album that deserves a second chance. Texas Terri is really getting into her stride as an unrelenting blast of high octane tracks follow, including "So Messed Up", "See Her Tonight" and an immense "Fish", with Rat's drumming blowing the cobwebs away. After seeing Rat recently drumming for the Members, where you get to appreciate the true skills of a drummer not usually noted for his subtlety. But, tonight we get the full on assault of the Punk Rock Keith Moon, crashing round his kit. Not a bad songwriter either, as two Rat penned numbers follow, the brilliant single "Stretcher Case Baby" and the brutal, short sharp shock of "Stab Yor Back". 

Scabies & James - Photo by Paul Slattery

Terri leaps off the stage and makes her way to the back of the room where she balances on a partition and belts out her vocals. I thought having an American singer would be strange but she makes it work so well, and really injects her own personality into the songs. Anyway, as I mentioned earlier, I always felt Vanian was singing with a bit of an American twang on the album. Plus, Brian James was always steeped in that Stooges/MC5 influence and did go on to work with The Dead Boys' Stiv Bators in Lords Of The New Church. My slight cynicism was quite literally, blown away, maybe because I'm standing right in front of Brian's amp, it is loud, he turns up the volume. Rat later tells me that Brian's volume can cause a bit of consternation for some venue's sound engineers, I can understand why, my ears were not to recover for the whole weekend. It's great to hear those familiar riffs though, Brian is a hugely underrated guitarist, he has that unique angular way of playing chords, and I find myself playing air guitar along to "I Fall". I look around, sheepishly hoping nobody noticed, but it was just an involuntary reaction, and I guess I wasn't the only one!

Photo by Paul Slattery

So, a short but ultimately satisfying set draws to a close with "I Feel Alright (1970)", and a quick happy birthday singalong to Rat. The band kick off the encores with their crazed cover of "Help!" with more energy and power than most young bands can seem to muster. The Bass player Austin, who has worked with Brian before, handles his role really well, taking a bit of a back seat next to Terri, Rat and Brian, he nevertheless deserves a big shout as he played brilliantly too, keeping it locked in as Rat and Brian bash away respectively on the Stooges style free-form wig-out "Alone". "Sick of Being Sick" is a great choice and of course there can only be one closing number, yes it's "New Rose". I was converted, it was a really fresh take on the reunion/come back and play a classic album scenario, and I suppose if you are going to recreate something like this, you might as well do it with a totally different slant. Unless you can pull off the ultimate trick, as the Buzzcocks did recently, and get all the original members back on board, then what's the point of roping in some karaoke tribute band style lookalike/soundalike. Yeah just do it different and do it well, just like they did tonight. So, all in all it worked perfectly, a great idea and I wouldn't be surprised if they couldn't make this into an interesting little side-project band with maybe some new material to come in the future? Now, that really would be something!

All Photos above - Courtesy & Copyright Paul Slattery 2012

Photographer Paul Slattery with Texas Terri - Photo by M. Worrall (Copyright 2012)