Retrosonic Podcast Episode 3: TV Smith special

TV Smith live at the Retrosonic HQ - Photo Steve Worrall

TV Smith, the legendary voice of The Adverts and hugely respected solo performer, joins us (Steve from Retro Man Blog, Rock photographer Paul Slattery and Adam from The Jetsonics) in this brand new special edition of the Retrosonic Podcast,  to discuss his influential career and play an exclusive four song acoustic session.

TV takes us on a journey from his early gigs on the edge of Dartmoor with Sleaze to moving up to London with Gaye Advert and playing the Roxy with The Adverts at the very beginning of the Punk Rock explosion. He then brings us right up to date with the release of his latest album "Coming Into Land" and the publication of his excellent "Punk Rock Tour Diaries", "Volume 1: Getting There" and "Volume 2: How To Feel Human", which cover his adventures as a travelling solo performer armed only with a guitar, a suitcase and an emergency sandwich. This special Edition of the Podcast  is soundtracked by a choice of prime Adverts, Explorers, Cheap and solo material and we were also very honoured to be treated to an exclusive and intimate acoustic session of four songs, live in the Retrosonic HQ. 

Photographer Paul Slattery first saw The Adverts at The Nashville in 1977 and here he meets up with TV Smith for the first time in over 30 years. Paul discusses the impact of seeing the band in those early days of the Punk Rock explosion, and chats about his experiences of being caught up right at the front of a rather scary crowd. On the right is one of Paul's great photos of Gaye Advert taken backstage at The Nashville. Paul also talks about the scene in more depth in Part 2 of his story which can be found on the Retrosonic Podcast Soundcloud site HERE. 

For more information on our TV Smith gig at the Railway Hotel in Southend-on-Sea on June 22nd please click the gig poster on the right or visit the Railway Hotel's web-site. For other tour dates, merchandise and news please check out the excellent TV Smith.com web-site which is a really great resource for fans, including a Forum  and lots of interesting archive material to browse such as interviews and set lists from many gigs.

Many thanks to TV Smith for a thoroughly entertaining and inspiring evening, we really appreciate it. And thanks also to Paul Slattery for contributing the great Gaye Advert at The Nashville Photo.

Retrosonic Podcast Episode 3 Bonus Track: Dick York of Cryssis with Photographer and Artist David Apps

I met up with Dick York, from Cryssis and Photographer and Artist David Apps, recently for a special edition of the Retrosonic Podcast. Dick will be appearing at the Retro Man Blog Gig with TV Smith at The Railway in Southend-on-Sea on June 22nd, along with Andy J Gallagher and Radio Podrophenia DJ's Piley & Mondo. We talk about his early days in the Mod Revival band Sta-Prest and then how he resurrected his next band as Cryssis with Vom Ritchie (Dr. & The Medics, Die Toten Hosen), after over 20 years. Cryssis have a superb album out on Drumming Monkey Records called ”Simple Men”, which is packed full of tight and powerfully melodic rockers. Dick will be kicking things off at 8pm on Friday 22nd so make sure you arrive early so not to miss anything. Dick will be appearing solo and will treat us to acoustic renditions of some of his extremely tuneful and catchy songs from the album such as "Words", "London" and hopefully, my favourite "Could It Be". Cryssis are currently recording a new album.

Check out more information on Dick York and his band at the Cryssis web-site and you can also order merchandise including the latest album ”Simple Men” from Drumming Monkey Records.

Dick York (top) and Vom Ritchie in Cryssis - Photos by David Apps

Then next up on the Podcast, David Apps chats about his excellent "East London Photography" book, which charts the huge changes to the surrounding neighbourhoods around the development area of the new Olympics site. His images capture an East End and Cockney culture that is slowly being overshadowed, first by the Docklands developments and now the Olympic village. David also talks about his artwork and photography and how he ended up playing in a band with a founder member of the Sex Pistols..! Hopefully David will be bringing some copies of the book along on Friday for sale, so please be sure to check out the merchandise stand.

David Apps' East London Photography Book (top) and "Cowgirls" artwork

David Apps' Artwork and Photography can be found at his Artificial Designs site, where you can also order copies of the superb "East London Photography" book, which is well worth getting hold of.

Here's the Podcast, I hope you enjoy it. Sorry about the background noise, but trying to find a quiet place on a Saturday afternoon in Camden proved quite a tough task, I hope it doesn't spoil the enjoyment too much!

 

Many thanks to David Apps and Dick York for taking the time to chat to me, it was a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon and I really appreciate their patience and good humour.

Mattias Hellberg to release new album...

Photo by Josefine Larsson

Mattias Hellberg is currently recording in Silence Studios with his new line-up, The Fur Heads, which includes bassist Nikke Ström from Nationalteatern, working on tracks for a quick follow up to his excellent "High In The Lowlands" album. The demo songs I have listened to are some of the strongest material I have heard from Hellberg so far. They seem to be back to ensemble pieces rather than the more introverted solo-orientated "Lowlands" album. "Minor Me" is a loose and funky number which is split by a squall of guitar feedback. "Heart" would make a great single with it's fuzzed up organ sound and stabbing rhythm. There's a similar sound to the raw psychedelic groove that he captured so perfectly on the White Moose album "Out Of The Frying Pan". "Wait For The Morning" is another perfect single in-the-making with it's bongo led percussion and gospel backing vocals, a wonderful chorus and soulful guitar riff. This is shaping up to be Mattias Hellberg's defining album and I can't wait for the finished product to be released.

Cover Art - Alan Forbes

If you are waiting impatiently for the new album, and haven't yet done so, don't forget to get hold of a copy of the excellent current record, High In The Lowlands (Kning Disk Records). Described as "Sad Souled Songs of Scandinavian Despair", it's the beautiful result of a week stuck in a cabin in the woodlands following a boost from friend, co-songwriter and producer Mattias Areskog to get back into the soundscapes of sadness he handles so well. This fusion of nostalgic Swedish woodland folk songs and a somewhat rootsy approach to the ancient troubadour tradition -  whose lineage Hellberg's music clearly represents - be it with Hederos & Hellberg, Healing Hand or Mattias Hellberg & The White Moose. The songs are tainted in the darker shades of blue, bringing to mind psychedelic junkies like David Crosby, Skip Spence and British acid casualty Syd Barrett.

Mattias Hellberg & Nikke Ström - Photo by Josefine Larsson

Mattias Hellberg will play the Peace & Love Festival in Borlänge, Sweden on June 29th and Liseberg, Gothenburg on August 01st. Check the Tour Dates page on the web-site for further news.

Photo by Josefine Larsson

Mattias DJ nights at Moozy Moozy at Pusterviksbaren in Gothenburg every third Tuesday.

Photo by Jonas Kernell

Here is the video for the current single "Oh No" taken from "High In The Lowlands" album.

With sincere thanks to Mattias Hellberg for the Jonas Kernell Photo and to Josefine Larsson for contributing the excellent live photos. You can check out more of Josefine's great photography by visiting her own Blog HERE.

The Stone Roses "Third Coming" Exhibition Opening Night

Photo by Paul Slattery

Legendary music photographers, Kevin Cummins, Paul Slattery and Ian Tilton, collaborate for the first time in an extraordinary exhibition of photography and memorabilia to celebrate the generation-defining ‘Madchester’ band, The Stone Roses. 

In celebration of their long awaited comeback this summer, Whiteleys Shopping Centre is bringing the Manchester scene defined by the Roses to the heart of London in an exhibition of photographs and memorabilia from the classic line-up.

This unique exhibition documents the band’s rapid ascent from the small club scene in Manchester to arenas in Japan and their legendary Spike Island concert. All the key moments of their career are illustrated: on the road, live on stage, in the studio and formal (yet somehow still very informal) portrait sessions with three legendary photographers who had intimate and exclusive access. Curator Dave Brolan has brought together renowned photographers Ian Tilton, Kevin Cummins and Paul Slattery, who will exhibit over 70 images of The Stone Roses under one roof, “These three photographers have between them captured pretty much every major artist of the last 30 years, many as they were still unknown or emerging. Each photographer has a distinct style but a similar honest, photojournalistic approach, showing subjects as they really are and creating iconic images that stand the test of time.  Together, they helped shape the image of The Stone Roses.”

Ian Brown - Photo by Paul Slattery

The exhibition will provide a chance to re-live the high energy and passion that bands such as The Stone Roses ignited in the British music scene. As guitarist John Squire said at the Stone Roses reformation launch last year: “In some ways, it seems like 15 years ago was yesterday.”

(L-R) Paul Slattery, Kevin Cummins & Ian Tilton - Photo by Steve Worrall

The launch night of the exhibition was excellent, very well attended and organized with a superb selection of photographs by Retro Man Blog regular Paul Slattery, which included his fantastic shots of the band off stage in Japan and at the legendary Spike Island gig. Ian Tilton is probably best known for his Jackson Pollock inspired photo shoot, the Ian Brown "orange" picture and seated portraits of each band member. Kevin Cummins has a selection of his Paint Sessions with the band almost completely covered in colourful emulsion, one of which went on to become one of the most iconic NME covers of all time. You can also see Reni's paint splattered hat along with an interesting collection of memorabilia including artwork, set-lists, record covers. All three photographers were present, Paul Slattery proudly sporting his Len Price 3 T-Shirt.

Here are some photographs taken at the opening night launch party:

Stone Roses Memorabilia - Photo by Steve Worrall

Reni's hat - Photo by Paul Hughes

Ian Tilton - Photo by Paul Hughes

Photo by Paul Hughes

Stone Roses Memorabilia - Photo by Steve Worrall

The Gallery - Photo by Paul Hughes

Paul Slattery & Ian Tilton - Photo by Paul Hughes

Stone Roses Memorabilia - Photo by Steve Worrall

Paul Slattery, Kevin Cummins and Ian Tilton - Photo by Paul Hughes

The exhibition is now open to the public at The Space Gallery at Whiteleys in Bayswater, London W2 4YN and runs until August 12th. It's free so well worth a visit if you are in London. Limited edition signed and numbered prints along with other merchandise are available for sale at the gallery.

Many thanks to Paul Hughes for contributing the excellent photos of the launch night, you can check out a full set of his shots of the party at his Flickr site HERE. I'd also recommend you to check out Paul's other photos which include the extremely well received set of photos of the Retro Man Blog gig for The Len Price 3 at The Railway in Southend HERE. 

Rock Photographer Paul Slattery on Retrosonic Podcast. Part 2 "The Punk Rock Years and being led astray by Lemmy..."

As we are poised to release Episode 3 of Retrosonic Podcast, which I am pleased to announce will be a TV Smith special edition, don't forget you can catch up with all our previous Episodes on the Retrosonic Podcast Soundcloud site. Our current Podcast is Part 2 of our feature and interview with legendary Rock Photographer Paul Slattery, where he talks about the impact of Punk Rock, The Ramones at the Rainbow, on stage with the Pistols, The Adverts, avoiding Richard Jobson's flailing limbs, Penetration, The Runaways, Elvis Costello, U.K. Subs, Johnny Thunders, meeting Paul Slack, Charlie Harper and the U.K. Subs 30 years later and being led astray by Lemmy...

Sign up to Soundcloud to download the Podcasts free of charge or email retromanblog'at'gmail.com to register for our mailing list and request an MP3 version.

You can see a selection of Paul's superb photos of The Stone Roses now at Whiteleys in Bayswater, London. This is a joint exhibition "The Stone Roses, The Third Coming: The Definitive Exhibition", along with Ian Tilton and Kevin Cummins, and opens to the public today. We'll be featuring on the opening night in the next day or two. In a future Retrosonic Podcast episode, we'll talk to Paul about his time with The Stone Roses, including touring with the band in Japan and the now legendary Spike Island gig. One of Paul's photos has also been chosen to illustrate the posters, catalogue and flyers and the exhibition will also stock Paul's excellent books on those other famous Mancunians - The Smiths and Oasis.

The Members + The Jetsonics at The Tropic Ruislip June 03rd

The Members - by Steve Worrall

I got a bit lost on the way to the venue, it actually turned out to be the social club of Wealdstone FC, overlooking the pitch and was a pretty impressive set-up. It reminded me of a good old-school working man's club but with a really decent stage, P.A. and lighting set up, good lay-out and well organised staff. The turn-out was impressive too, considering it was a Bank Holiday Sunday evening and there was apparently some big Event or other on in London earlier that day. Thanks to a local convenience store letting me check their A-Z, I made it just as The Jetsonics were powering through "Amazing" and the audience reaction was very positive. I think the band are a good match for The Members, with their West London sing-a-long New Wave numbers such as "White Capri" nestling alongside the Reggae influences on the excellent "Somewhere Else". The band are currently finishing off their third E.P. in the studio so keep an eye on the Blog or the band's web-site for news on the release date. New number "She Wolf" is based around a cool bass riff from Adam Donovan, and adds a different dimension to their sound. Another new one, "Chelsea Drugstore", which will feature on the new E.P. is fast becoming a favourite and tonight they end on the punch the air classic "New Romance", which has just been made into a superb "Minder-esque" video filmed in their local. It's well worth checking out. There was quite a queue of eager customers hoping to purchase the band's previous two E.P.s so things are certainly looking up for The Jetsonics.

The Jetsonics - Photo by Steve Worrall

The Members are now playing as a three piece with original "Members", guitarist JC Carroll and bassist Chris Payne joined by The Damned's legendary drummer Rat Scabies. This stripped down line-up serves the songs really well and adds a rawness to proceedings and the band look like they are having a lot of fun. The crowd are certainly having fun too as they are treated to a perfect set-list of hits, new album tracks and cover versions. "Soho-A-Go-Go" is superb, one of the highlights of the night, and the thrashing chords of "Chelsea Nightclub" brings to mind The Who's "My Generation", especially with the sudden instrumental break where Rat powers round his drum-kit, proving that he really is Punk Rock's very own Keith Moon. "New English Blues" from the excellent new album ”InGrrLand” has a huge chorus, it's a real "all join arms and raise your pints in the air" moment. It's a folk song for the modern age, and I could almost image it replacing Sinatra's "New York, New York" or "Auld Lang Syne" as the song to sing as a party draws to an end! 

Rat Scabies - by Steve Worrall

"Offshore Banking Business" and a storming version of "Solitary Confinement" sandwich their inventive reggae version of Kraftwerk's "The Model" from the "Uprhythm Downbeat" album, which spotlights Chris Payne's great bass playing. Another cover version, this time a raw run through of Bolan's "20th Century Boy" gets people moving. However, as much as I enjoy the rousing renditions of the classic Members tracks, it's actually new song "Bleak" that is the stand-out of the evening for me, a fantastic song with JC's cool little sixties style guitar riff. Of course "Sound Of The Suburbs" gets the biggest cheer of the evening, it's probably their defining song and the charismatic JC prefaces most of the songs with little anecdotes of life just outside London. These included working in a bank in the City and going home to an empty bed-sit to the joys of living near the Airfix model factory, wondering what life would be like to be part of the glittering scene in the capital. "Working Girl" keeps everyone singing along and they are called back for a well deserved encore, their powerful version of "Larry Wallis' "Police Car" and then it's all over. A thoroughly enjoyable evening, with band and audience all enjoying themselves and I'm now looking forward to the gig at The Half Moon on June 30th even more! Make sure you book your tickets in advance as I can see this one being a big hit and I would not want you to miss out on the fun!

You can get more info on the Half Moon gig on June 30th and book reduced rate advance tickets here. The line-up will be completed by The Jetsonics and Monica & The Explosion who feature original UK Subs bassist Paul Slack. For more information on The Members new album "InGrrLand" check out the earlier Retro Man Blog feature here. Check The Members web-site for news on future tour dates and merchandise.  JC has also just released a brand new album ”21st Century Blues”.  

This is out under the name Jay-Cee Carroll and available from Anglo-Centric Recordings, featuring a cast of Legendary Guitarists from all over the world via Internet collaborations.This is Jay-Cee's follow up to the critically acclaimed "New English Blues Volume 1". JC takes the English Blues Genre and extends it into the 21st Century adding Fat Synth Basses, Drum Loops, zithers, mandolins, Rap versions of Folk Songs, Punk Blues updates on Spoonfull, culminating in the Blues Prog oddyssy the 17 and a half minute "Voodoo Childe Surrey Boy Keytar man". As it says on the Cover this is not an album for Blues Purists, but it is another bold experiment from the Surrey Maverick.

All Photos Copyright Steve Worrall 2012

Andy J. Gallagher - Countdown to June 22nd at The Railway Southend-on-Sea with TV Smith

If you're a regular face at some of the Capital's livelier, more intimate, (ok, smaller and more down 'n'  dirty), music venues, chances are you've already come across Andy J. Gallagher and enjoyed his unique talent. If not, it really is time you did. Since first hitting the scene with punky avant Britpopsters 'The Shopkeeper Appeared', Andy has carved his own niche in the London circuit, while broadening his musical horizons with sorties into Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia – plus a spell on New York's alternative rock scene. With a new world of riffs, experiences and ideas in his head, he returned to England armed with his most inspired, creative and personal writing to date. Writing that spurred Roman Jugg, legendary guitarist with punk big noises The Damned, to call Andy a 'lyrical genius' and insist on producing his first solo album, 'Helicopter, Dolphin, Submarine'. 

The album's already creating waves in the music press, with 'Vive Le Rock' describing it as 'sophisticated and rewarding, drawing on the finest in pop punk and mod rock from across the decades'. In fact, they loved Andy so much, they put stand out track 'Something Else' on one of their showcase CDs. 'Vive Le Rock' were pretty accurate in their assessment as it goes, with influences as diverse as The Velvet Underground, The Ramones, The Kinks, David Bowie, Elvis (both Presley and Costello) and Buzzcocks all playing a part in Andy's musical mix but never overwhelming his own personal sound. 

You may have heard Andy on Radio One, you may have even seen him gigging with global megastar bands like Radiohead - but if you haven't been to one of his own gigs or given 'Helicopter, Dolphin, Submarine' a listen, you really are missing out. So go on, treat yourself, meet Andy J. Gallagher soon.

I'm extremely pleased to announce that Andy will be appearing as support to TV Smith at The Railway Hotel, Southend-on-Sea on June 22nd. This is Retro Man Blog promotions' return to The Railway, promoted in conjunction with Radio Podrophenia and Southend Punk Web-site. As an added bonus, Roman Jugg (The Damned, Phantom Chords & Naz Nomad) who produced Andy's debut album, will be joining him on stage to run through a few numbers. You can listen to Mondo & Piley's interview with Roman on Radio Podrophenia, check the Planet Mondo Blog for more details.

Here's a superb video from Andy entitled "Something Else", it's one of the best videos I've seen for ages so I hope you enjoy it! Be sure to come along early on June 22nd so you don't miss anything!