Hipsville Soho-A-Go!-Go! Bank Holiday Weekend May 3rd, 4th & 5th Margate - Full Details Announced!

Hipsville, always Retro Man Blog's event of the year, is back in Margate over the May 3rd-5th Bank Holiday weekend and this time they are taking the mean streets of Soho to the seaside town. Check out the Hipsville web-site here for full details on the line-up of bands, DJ's, Go-Go dancers and happenings over the weekend along with info on tickets and venues. Let's hand you over to organisers Alex, Mr A and Ade for the lowdown on what you can expect. "Shady ladies! Spivs! After-hours nightclubs! Neon! All-night coffee drinking! Underground drinking dens! Dirty magazines! Held in the magical, old-school seaside town of Margate, the UK’s biggest trash party is set to celebrate seven years of mayhem by channeling the spirit of London’s seediest neighbourhood – this year’s theme is SOHO! Join us in the dark, neon-lit streets for a bold, brazen, bizarre and wild weekend amid the gangsters and good time girls that frequent the area’s late night clubs and coffee shops. ‘Ello darlin’! Garage, titty twisting' rock’n’roll, tiki, punk and hot slop! fans descend annually on the south east of the UK for a wild, riotous weekend of bands, Go-Go girls, gorillas and DJs for 3 days of crazed partying through the night and into the morning. Each year Hipsville has a theme; previous years have seen partygoers dress up for jungle, space, horror and carny parties, and this year’s Soho theme is set to be sleazier than ever – our guests really do put the world’s most jaw-dropping costumes together! This year’s travelling revue will take in Margate’s most incredible venues and showcase some of the world’s finest rock and roll bands, just look what we've got planned for you!"

This year one of our favourite bands Autoramas will be returning to Hipsville and they will be joined by a top selection of international Garage Psych Trash Tiki Punk bands such as Das Clamps, The Jack Cades, The Night Times, The Scaners, The Stags, MFC Chicken, Mighty Tsar, The Deadly Spirits and The Anomalys and more - check out the Hipsville event page here for links and info. Check the Blog archive for Hipsville and you can uncover features on previous Hipsville weekends over the years including loads of reviews and photos. The Retro Man Blog YouTube channel has loads of original 'down the front' action packed videos and various episodes of our Retrosonic Podcast include a host of Hipsville and Weirdsville related bands and too. Here's an episode from 2018.

It's going to be tough to beat last year's mind-blowing Hipsville (read our feature here) but every year I say that and they always do manage it! Here's the superb Schizophoncs from last year's show.

Get your advance tickets now, see you there!

Hipsville Carnival A-Go-Go Weekender May 13th, 14th & 15th 2016 Line-Up Announced!

The line-up for the 2016 Hipsville Weekender has just been announced and mighty fine it is looking too! The whole event has moved from Bisley to Bordon & Oakhanger Sports Centre, Bolley Avenue, Bordon, Hampshire GU35 9HG and dates are confirmed as May 13th, 14th and 15th. I don't think the sleepy Hampshire countryside knows what it is in for! There will be free camping on-site and free parking for cars, camper vans and caravans and you can check all the accommodation and transport options at the Hipsville website here. The Sports Centre has a fully licensed (and cheap) bar open until 3am and there will be various food outlets and a vintage market on site too. Not forgetting all the Hipsville favourites will be present and correct - the vintage car and bike show, the Tiki Bar, gorgeous Go-Go girls such as Dottie Gooseberry, Venus Raygun, Alexandra Beat Girl, Celia Aloha and Wanda de Lullabies and marauding stage-diving Gorillas. Then we get to the superb line-up of international bands which include Retro Man Blog favourites The Jackets, The Baron Four and The Missing Souls, all three responsible for some of our "Best Gigs of 2015" and a host of other great acts such as Archie & The Bunkers from America, The Wildebeests, The Weird Omens from France and The Stompin' Riff Raffs from Japan, who do some strange things with a theremin!

You can still check out our Retrosonic Podcast Hipsville 2015 Special in which we chatted to Mr A one of the main organizers in the build up to last year's event, talking about the history of Hipsville and their monthly Weirdsville club nights and You Got Good Taste Podcasts. The episode is generously sound-tracked by loads of great bands who have appeared over the years as well as a few of Mr A's favourite tracks and it's free to listen/download from iTunes or Soundcloud.

You can search through the Retro Man Blog archives for lots of glowing reports, reviews, photos and videos of previous Weirdsville and Hipsville gigs from 2014 here, 2015 Day 1 here and Day 2 here, including some excellent exclusive live and backstage photos of Giuda, Les Grys Grys, The Autoramas and Kinoco Hotel by the legendary Rock Photographer Paul Slattery.

Here's a great video by Out of This World Pictures showing Hipsville In Space back in 2014.

Needless to say Retro Man Blog will be packing our rucksacks, donning the pith helmets and heading off on an expedition deep into the Hampshire countryside to file a report on Hipsville 2016! We'll also be previewing some of the bands who will be appearing here on the Blog and playing some tracks in future Episodes of Retrosonic Podcast, in fact you can hear check out tracks by The Baron Four, The Missing Souls and Archie & The Bunkers in our latest Retrosonic Podcast Episode 20.

You can buy tickets for Hipsville 2016 at the website ticket link here.

The Dustaphonics and The Mobbs at Weirdsville June 27th

The Dustaphonics - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog

Yet another great night at Weirdsville saw The Dustaphonics headlining with The Mobbs travelling down from their native Northampton to open the show. The last time I saw The Dustaphonics was supporting Graham Day & The Forefathers at 229 The Venue which I always find a pretty soul-less place with its high stage and ridiculously over-the-top jobsworth security staff. It turned out that lead singer Hayley Red had injured her leg earlier in the day so, although she bravely continued with the show, she did spend most of the gig rooted to the spot clutching her microphone stand for support. This was a bit of a shame as I had heard a lot about Hayley’s energetic performances but luckily nothing had affected her voice, which was still in impressively fine form. As if one injury scare wasn’t enough, proceedings came to an unexpected halt when the drummer passed out suddenly. Luckily he was OK and able to continue and the band went on to complete a really enjoyable show despite the set-backs. So, tonight I was really looking forward to seeing The Dustaphonics again, this time in the far more friendly and intimate surroundings of the Fiddlers Elbow but more importantly and hopefully with the band all fit and healthy!

The Dustaphonics - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog

The Dustaphonics - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog

The Dustaphonics are the brainchild of promoter, guitarist and songwriter Yvan Serrano Fontova, otherwise known as the DJ Healer Selecta and first of all Yvan, bassist Devid and drummer Eric take the stage as a trio and launch into the twanging Surf instrumental "Eat My Dustaphonics", then suddenly Hayley bounds on stage and we are off and away for a perfectly paced hour long set. "Don't Let The Devil Drive" closely followed by the single "Big Smoke London Town" is as excellent a double shot of pure Garage Rock & Soul as you are ever going to hear. Yvan is hunched over his guitar, feet tapping energetically, with his trademark flat cap and loud Hawaiian shirt. He smiles throughout the whole set, and I can’t blame him, I’d smile too if I could play in a band as great as The Dustaphonics! He seems to be having as much fun as we are in the crowd. They were joined on stage for "Ride On Louisiana Red" by Kevin Smith on some mightily impressive harmonica. It turned out that this was a pretty spontaneous appearance, apparently Kevin was a big fan of the band and he had just moved down to London from Glasgow that very day. Via some mutual friends Yvan was able to invite him to have a trial blast during their sound-check and it worked out so well that Kevin also jumped up on stage for a few more numbers during the set.

The Dustaphonics with Kevin Smith - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog

The Dustaphonics - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog

Kevin will also be appearing with the band at their show supporting The Sonics at The Forum in Kentish Town on July 30th. "Q Sounds Groove", from the new E.P. on Q-Sounds Recordings, is a nice 'n' sleazy down and dirty grind. The best thing about The Dustaphonics is that they cover a hell of a lot of bases - all your favourite good time genres are catered for, whether you are a fan of Surf instrumentals, Rock’n’Roll, raw R’n’B, classic Soul or Garage Rock you'll find something to love. Hayley is a stunning performer, a "force of nature" according to the Dirty Water Records web-site, and they are not wrong. With her long flame red hair flailing all over the place, she pulls out all the stops to grab our attention. She's a sexy and sassy non-stop blur of energy and there’s a nice chemistry between her and Yvan too. Tonight, it’s loud. On record the band tend to favour a lo-fi guitar sound but tonight standing right in the firing line of Yvan’s amplifier I nearly get my head blown off by the power. Eric and Devid lock in with their relentless solid groove and it punches you right in the guts. It works a treat, particularly on another of my personal highlights, a new song called "You Don't Love Me", which was a snarling Punk Rockin' delight. Actually, there are a lot of highlights, "Johnny & Bo" is a fun mash-up of the Ramones playing Bo Diddley that has us all singing along and the final song of the night "The Message" really brings the house down.

The Mobbs - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog

Although, I’ve known of The Mobbs for a good few years now, this was actually the first time to see them play live. Well, that is except for the closing bars on the last song of a set they played supporting The Fallen Leaves at their Minimum RnB Club night at the 12 Bar Club a while back. Actually, it would appear that The Fallen Leaves have made quite an impact on the Northampton scene, as The Mobbs latest album is entitled “Garage Punk for Boys”, which is a take on The Leave’s motto “Punk Rock For Gentlemen”. Their local mates, Snakeman 3, also got in on the act by penning a song called “Nice Cup Of Tea” in tribute to the Leave’s on-stage “tea ceremony” ritual. Tonight, The Mobbs kick off with “Get Your Hair Cut” from the new album which is also the opening track of Episode 16 of Retrosonic Podcast (which also features The Dustaphonics) and then slam straight into the superb "One Erotic Thought". Before we go on, I thought I’d mention that you can see a video of these two numbers at the Retro Man Blog YouTube channel here.

The Mobbs - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog

Looking very dapper in their waistcoats and cravats, The Mobbs are much tighter than I imagined, I’m not sure why I should have thought otherwise but I was expecting a bit of a chaotic gig. However, they are really on the money and boast an excellent rhythm section in Cheadle and Brendan. Cheadle certainly looks like he’s enjoying himself, bashing away behind his drum-kit and Brendan is a top bass player, one of the best I have seen for some time. The way he plays reminds of Noman Watt Roy, he has that fluid style that carries a lot of the melody. In fact talking of Norman leads me onto Wilko Johnson, as The Mobbs to me are not so much your typical Garage Rock band as a raw R’n’B band in the style of early Dr. Feelgood, Screaming Blue Messiahs or The Pirates. Lead vocalist and guitarist Joe B. Humbled also has that choppy, stuttering rhythm guitar sound pioneered by Mick Green but made better known by Wilko. Joe is an imposing front-man with his impressive beard and sculpted moustache and he machine guns the crowd with his guitar. One of my highlights of the night was the single "Ruby Sol". Lyrically they are a lot of fun and have you singing aloud some rather strange choruses such as the aforementioned “Get Your Hair Cut”, "Not a Sausage" and "Put It In Your Pipe and Smoke It". So, The Mobbs were the perfect opening act, it was a really enjoyable set and I hope it’s not another three years until I see the band play live again.

The Mobbs - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog

The Dustaphonics will support the legendary Sonics at The Forum in Kentish Town on July 30th, you can check out more details on the gig at their official web-site here. Information on The Mobbs can be found here. For details on forthcoming gigs at Weirdsville please check out their Facebook page or the You Got Good Taste web-site. For more photos of both bands please head on over to the Retro Man Blog Facebook page and if you are not already following, hit “Like” to get access to the photo album. There are also videos from the gig up now on the Retro Man Blog YouTube channel.

THE JACKETS, Speedball JR & The Shook-Ups! at Weirdsville

THE JACKETS at Weirdsville - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog

Going to so many gigs over the years, especially since starting up Retro Man Blog, I have been lucky enough to have seen some excellent bands play live. However, it’s pretty rare to see a band that blows your mind and kicks your ass so hard that you end up spiralling back in time, reducing you to a gibbering teenage fan-boy with stars in your eyes. Tonight I saw such a band and that band was THE JACKETS. The Switzerland and USA based band were over here to headline Weirdsville as a special treat for the club organizer, promoter and all-round good guy, Mr A, who was celebrating his birthday. Mr A had raved about the band to me during our recent chat for the Retrosonic Podcast “Hipsville” special promoting the upcoming Weirdsville spin-off weekender at Bisley Pavilion. I had heard a few songs and was pretty impressed but I was not really expecting the stunning, visceral impact of seeing the band play live. I was right at the front of the stage at the Fiddler’s Elbow, which was packed out with a capacity crowd of Weirdsville regulars, birthday well-wishers and gig-goers, and was well placed to get both barrels of THE JACKETS right in the chest. 

THE JACKETS at Weirdsville - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog

The band, all kitted out in black with a nifty removable white collar and tie ensemble, took the stage and blasted straight into a powerful grungey new song “Tricky” which reminded me a bit of Nirvana or The Muffs. Vocalist and guitarist Jackie, eyes hidden behind black and white checked shades, hair pulled back into a kind of Samurai top-knot, is one of the most charismatic performers I have seen in quite some time. One of my favourite tracks is up next, the catchy "Get Back With You" from their debut album "Stuck Inside", with bassist Samuel and drummer Chris adding those memorable backing vocals to the chorus. It’s really difficult to take your eyes off Jackie as she careers around the stage, high-kicking, leaping about and rolling on the floor, never missing a riff on her guitar. Eyes are quite the theme with THE JACKETS as Jackie removes her shades at the beginning of third song "Make You Mine" and reveals large painted-on Clockwork Orange style eye-lashes and a false eye painted on each of her lids, so when she blinks it really freaks you out. 

THE JACKETS at Weirdsville - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog

"Sometimes Maybe", another new track is next and it's based around a cool bass riff, apparently they will be releasing their as yet untitled third album on Voodoo Rhythm Records later in the year and if all the songs are as good as those played tonight, then it will really be something special. During a raucous "Wasting My Time" from the latest album "Way Out" Jackie entices a girl from the crowd to get on stage and dance “it’s all in those hips…” she says, indeed they are a band that are made for dancing and jumping around to. Not to be outdone, Samuel and Chris are also all-action performers, both competing with Jackie for the crowd’s attention. The start of “Freak Out” sparks off a wild mosh-pit at the front and people and drinks go flying all over the place, someone is on the floor, then someone else is spread across the monitors, its chaotic and great fun at the same time. Suddenly, half way through a brilliant "Hang Up" Jackie leaps out into the crowd and is lifted up and carried across people’s heads, right to the back of the venue and back to the stage again, still strumming away furiously. Of course the band are called back for a well deserved encore and they power through "Escape" before ending with a manic "What We Gonna Do" and that's it, it's all over bar the shouting for more from a very happy crowd. The video archivist Steven Tagg-Randall, who was there to film the show, declares it “one of the best gigs ever!” and as he must average a good 3 or 4 gigs every week then who am I to argue…?!

THE JACKETS at Weirdsville - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog

The night kicked off with a cracking set by The Shook-Ups! who were certainly a great choice to get the party started. This was the first time I’d seen them and I was intrigued as just before they came on, a friend told me, “be warned, the singer wears a wig!” I didn't know what to make of that, I have their excellent album "Bad Reception" but it didn’t really prime me for what was to come. The Shook-Ups! are a strange band, they take the stage dressed all in black with matching roll neck sweaters and vocalist Dan Coyote wears a badly fitting Beatle wig, a large silver medallion and one black glove – a kind of tribute act to The Music Machine’s Sean Bonniwell I suppose. 

The Shook-Ups! at Weirdsville - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog

Dan's between-song antics are basically a comedy routine of exaggerated dancing, larking about and bantering with the audience, but that’s not to say that The Shook-Ups! are a mere parody. I don't want it to sound like they are the Barron Knights of the Garage Rock scene, for those that have the album will already know that they do have some bloody great songs, in particular "Second To None" and "Reason To Complain", both played in a quick-fire hit. But watching tonight, if I’m honest, it’s sometimes a bit disconcerting as the songs are played totally straight. At one point I’m left wondering, what if they ditched the act? Maybe they could be one of the best Garage bands around, but then again, there are a lot of those generic Garage bands around and only one Shook-Ups! When they play a rousing cover of the Bobby Fuller Four/Melba Moore classic “The Magic Touch” and everyone is dancing and singing along, the pontificating soon went out the window. Indeed, better just to stop analyzing it all and hop on board for the ride, join in the fun and get all Shook Up! During the last track, a version of "What'cha Gonna Do About It", the band ambush Mr A and he is presented with a birthday cake decorated with the "You Got Good Taste" logo.

Mr A gets his cake, and eats it...! Photo copyright Retro Man Blog

Following The Shook-Ups! must be tough for any band, more so if you are an instrumental Surf band, which is exactly what Speedball JR are. So, although the gears did shift down a bit, at my age I was thankful for a bit of a breather. It was excellent to finally see the band and they played a great set of their fuzzed-up cinematic Rock ‘n’ Roll Surf songs that kept the dancing going, albeit in a slightly more civilized manner. Tonight the line-up comprised Scorchin' Sascha on guitar, the super-cool Alexandra Beat Girl on bass, Frantic Frank on drums and a saxophonist Johan temporarily replacing their usual organist, and if you like your Dick Dale, Link Wray, trashy B-Movie themes and Sixties Spy movie scores then Speedball JR are certainly a band worth watching out for.

Speedball JR at Weirdsville - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog

Speedball JR at Weirdsville - Photo by Retro Man Blog

Weirdsville is held at the Fiddler’s Elbow in Camden on the last Saturday of every month. Hipsville Weekender is at the Bisley Pavilion on Friday 15th, Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th of May and you can get more details on all the bands, DJ’s, Go-Go Dancers and other assorted fun and games at the Hipsville site here. To get you in the mood for the weekend don’t forget our Retrosonic Podcast “Hipsville Special” where I chat to Mr A about the story behind Weirdsville, Hipsville and his You Got Good Taste Podcast and we play tracks from a selection of bands appearing over the weekend including Kinoco Hotel, Giuda, Thee Jezebels, Oh! Gunquit and many more. You can listen and download the episode for free at our Soundcloud site or subscribe for free at the iTunes store.

THE JACKETS at Weirdsville - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog

For more photos of the night please head on over to the Retro Man Blog Facebook page and then hit "Like" if you're not already following, for access to the exclusive photo album.

Retrosonic Podcast Hipsville Weekender Special Edition

In the build-up to this year's Hipsville Weekender, we are pleased to announce this very special Retrosonic Podcast where Steve from Retro Man Blog talks to Mr A, one of the event's main organizers, and the man behind the "You Got Good Taste" Podcast and "Weirdsville" club nights. Generously sound-tracked by many of the bands that will be playing over the weekend such as The Jackets, Giuda, Les Gry-Grys, Oh! Gunquit, Thee Jezebels, The Autoramas and many more, Mr A not only explains about his various ventures but also gives us a fascinating insight into the world of the festival and gig promoter. Taking his inspiration from The Cramps and the early 80's Garage Rock and Psych scene, based around venues such as The Hammersmith Clarendon and Clapham's 101 Club, Mr A tells us about his influences, the current bands that inspire him to put on shows and the other people behind the scenes who help make it all a reality. Never taking the easy option, Mr A offers a stage for many international acts from far and wide such as Brazil's Autoramas and Japan's Kinoco Hotel, who will make their first ever U.K. appearance at this year's Hipsville. We also find out the elusive and mysterious band that is number 1 on his Hipsville wish-list!

This special edition Retrosonic Podcast is available to listen to or download for free below from our Soundcloud site or you can subscribe for free at the iTunes store if you prefer.



Hipsville will be held at Bisley Pavillion in Surrey on May 15th, 16th and 17th and features 14 live acts, international DJ's, Go-Go Dancers, vintage market stalls, record stalls, an auto show and much more. For more information on all the bands and activities please check out their excellent and comprehensive web-site. Here's a great video with a taster of last year's Hipsville fun and games.

You can check out our Retro Man Blog archive for a feature on previous Hipsville's here, and our report on Oh! Gunquit and Les BOF! at Weirdsville here. With thanks to Mr A. Here's the Play-list.

The Cramps "You Got Good Taste

The Cramps "Queen of Pain"

Pussycat & The Dirty Johnsons "Trouble With The Devil"

Becky Lee & Drunk Foot "Lies"

The Felines "Daddy Walk"

The Jackets "Freak Out"

Sick Hyenas "Surf 'n' Blood"
Thee Jezebels "Cried Over You"

Les Grys-Grys "Hot Gully Wind"

Naz Nomad & The Nightmares "I Had Too Much To Dream Tonight"

The Cramps "Under The Wires"

Oh!Gunquit "Cindy's Got a Tiger"

Giuda "Number 10"

King Salami & The Cumberland 3 "Marabunta"

Autoramas "Lugar Errado"

Les Kitschenette's "Eh, Jolie!"

Kinoco Hotel "Peacock Baby"

Speedball Jnr "Beat Girl"