The Rezillos to release a new live version of "Top Of The Pops" on coloured vinyl.

On August 20th, the fabulous Rezillos will release a brand new live version of their classic 1978 single "Top Of The Pops". It's released by Threads Of Sound/Rezillos Records and there is a choice of 7 Inch Single on Red or Clear vinyl, featuring two live tracks, "Top Of The Pops" and "Yesterday's Tormentor". The CD has the same two songs plus the bonus live track, "Bad Guy Reaction". You can pre-order via the "Just Add Music" site, and while you're there you can also pick up a copy of the amazing "come-back" single "Out Of This World". 

I rated The Rezillos gig at The Camden Underworld last December as one of my best of 2011, and you can still check out the feature, including some of my photographs and videos, on the Blog HERE. As I mentioned in the review, the new material played that night was really great, the new songs slotted in perfectly amongst all their old classics, so I sincerely hope that this release is a quick fix before a brand new album is unleashed. The band really are on top form at the moment, so please keep an eye on their tour dates and if they play near you, make sure you don't miss out on the fun.

TV Smith "Tales of The Emergency Sandwich" Part 3 of The Punk Rock Tour Diaries

TV Smith has just released Part 3 of his Punk Rock Tour Diaries this time entitled "Tales Of The Emergency Sandwich". It's out now and you can order copies direct from his web-site Store. TV Smith was the founder member and lead singer for The Adverts, who, in 1977, shot briefly to fame with their punk rock hit "Gary Gilmore's Eyes". Then the band broke up, the fame was gone and where to go next? The first book in this excellent series, "Getting There", dealt with this. Not knowing what to expect, TV set out on a series of unpublicised, low budget solo tours through Europe, and in this book he recounts the life-affirming and frequently hilarious experiences of what it's really like to be on the road, destination unknown. Along the way we encounter Attila The Stockbroker, Tom Robinson, Die Toten Hosen, Punk Lurex OK, Santa Claus, Henry Rollins, Garden Gang, The UK Subs, Sid Vicious (the dog)...and a cast of thousands!

The second volume of the Tour Diaries, "How To Feel Human", sees our hero armed only with a guitar, a suitcase and an emergency sandwich, as he continues his journey around the world as a solo troubadour for the punk generation. We travel with him as he discovers America, reveals the mystery of the Frankfurt green sauce, and finds out what happens when squirrels take crack and a duck flies in. Be by his side as he witnesses the construction of the 'Totem To Those Who See Beyond' and the epic battle of B Bang Cider versus the flying ants. Without leaving the comfort of your own home you too can be stranded in a forest in Finland, lose all your belongings in the Czech Republic, learn how to play swamp football, how to survive a fall from a three-storey building, and - most importantly - how to feel human!

You can listen to our Retrosonic Podcast special edition with TV Smith, where he discusses the books and his career from his very first Glam Prog band Sleaze playing church hall gigs on the edge of Dartmoor, to The Adverts and playing the Roxy and Top Of The Tops. We discuss The underated Explorers and his back-to-basics rock band Cheap, right through to his superb solo albums and current postion as a hugely respected solo live performer. The Podcast includes an exclusive four song session recorded in the Retrsosonic HQ, and you can discover our very own emergency sandwich recipe that even TV would have refused to eat!

 

The TV Smith Special Edition Podcast is available as a free download from our Soundcloud site.

Retrosonic Podcast Contemporary Mod Scene Special Editions

We have now released two new Special Editions of the Retrosonic Podcast, both looking at the contemporary Mod Scene. While I was promoting my first Retro Man Blog gig for The Len Price 3, The Past Tense and The Jetsonics, I was blown away, not only by the network of web-sites, radio shows and club nights, but mainly the amount of great bands out there who have been influenced by Mod. Admittedly most of the young bands are taking their cue from Britpop and Paul Weller, and as Hipster Lee from Royale Records told me in our recent interview, he hopes that these bands do delve back further into the musical history of Mod and see what a diverse movement it was. I think if you look a bit deeper and sort through the Oasis soundalikes, the contemporary scene does have some of that original 60's eclectic Mod feel from Jazz and Soul to raucous Guitars, and I think these Podcasts will hopefully show some of that diversity. So, in Part 1 we highlight the brand new label and management company, Royale Records who are busy adding some great bands to their quickly expanding roster. We interview one of Royale's bosses, Hipster Lee and chat about the label's plans and philosophy, as well as playing great tracks from some of their bands, such as Retro Man Blog favourites, The Past Tense, along with The Universal, Monkeeman, Mr. Bridger, The Lemontops and The Electric Stars.

In Part 2 we take a wider view on the scene and turn the spotlight on some more of the movers and shakers, such as Alan May's Glory Boy Radio Show, The Alley Club in Cambridge, New Untouchables and The Mod Generation. We pick some of the best contemporary bands showing the diversity of the current Mod scene, from the Soul of DC Fontana, Button Up and Brandy Butler and The Fonxionaires to energetic guitar bands such at The Loop, The Cycle Paths and The Theme. There's also some classic Garage Pop sounds from the The Len Price 3 and The Past Tense along with International bands like French Boutik from Paris and Spain's Stanley Road.

The Podcasts can be downloaded for free via our Retrosonic Podcast Soundcloud page.

The ClockTower - Debut album "Days of Rosey Row" out now.

I first heard The ClockTower on Alan May's Glory Boy Radio Show last Sunday and was pretty impressed by the track "Kiss Ya Glass" that Alan played. It seemed I wasn't alone, as there was a flurry of positive comments on the Glory Boy message board from other admirers. I wanted to find out a bit more about them, so contacted the band and Vocalist/Guitarist, Ryan kindly whizzed back some info. I haven't seen the band live yet or heard the album, but I will certainly be investigating further. In the meantime, here's the low-down on the band.

The ClockTower are a British Indie ''Rock n Roll'' Band who formed in Wolverhampton in Late 2009. The Band's influences are worn on their sleeves - Beatles, Oasis, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, Small Faces, Byrds, The View and Ocean Colour Scene. After tirelessly building up a fan base in their local area, there became a popular demand from their fans for the band to release an E.P. At this point Lead Singer Ryan and Guitarist Ian had already written a catologue of songs. After a band discussion it became clear that they would not just release an E.P. but record a full Album. Weeks after, their Manager David Michael, took the band to Zip Rock Studios in Wolverhampton where they worked on 11 tracks with Producer Ryan Pinson. Whilst recording, the lads got all experimental with a Dictaphone, recording samples of clanging doors and scratching the upstairs radiator with a drum stick. You can hear this especially on the track ''Black River Forest''. During a break in recording the band headed up north to work alongside Paul Holmes Of "Indie Rocks Manchester", where they helped to celebrate their 2nd anniversary with two live gigs at Gullivers and The Ducie Bridge, following that with a live session for Manchester Radio Online.

In January The ClockTower played at Proud Camden, London as part of Hot Vox Promotions. The venue is known for its' commitment to programming the very best live music, becoming a celebrity hang-out and developing a cult following along the way. Recently the band have been back down to London at Camden's legendary pub and music venue, The Dublin Castle, with London based band Scenic Life. They have played on the bill with The Vortex, who feature Bonehead, the ex-Guitarist of Oasis, Tom Hingley of Inspiral Carpets and Chris Helme, the vocalist with John Squire's other band, The Seahorses. Also, they've appeared recently with Bez of The Happy Mondays at this years' Osfest, Razorlight & Hard-Fi and Scottish Indie Rock Band The View, at The Wulfren Hall in the band's home-town of Wolverhampton

The Debut album "Days Of Rosey Row" is out now and has been named as "Album of the Week" on Salford City Radio, as well as already mentioned, getting a  preview on the excellent Glory Boy Radio show. It's also already received some glowing reviews and comments including:

"Absolutely Superb!" - BBC Introducing

"Fantastic piece of work, definitely worth a listen" - BRIT Events

"'Kiss Ya Glass' is an incredible anthem and a great advertisement for this fast emerging band" - Sam Davies (Big Mouth Strikes Again)

The Album is available from The ClockTower's official Merch Store at all their U.K. shows, not forgetting ITunes, Play.com and Amazon. The band are also currently planning a U.K. Tour to promote the album and dates will be announced on their web-site and Facebook page.  

The ClockTower are:

Lead Vox/Guitarist/Songwriter - Ryan Evans

Backing Vox/Guitarist/Songwriter - Ian Dowdeswell

Bass Guitar - Andy O'Brein

Drums & Percussion - Connor Dowdeswell

You can check out more information and news on The ClockTower at the following links:

Official Facebook Fan Page : Facebook.com/clocktowerofficial

Official YouTube Channel : YouTube.com/OfficialClocktower

Official Website : Clocktowerofficial.com

The band will headline the Main Stage at OtterFest in Ludlow tomorrow, Saturday 11th August.

London: The Modern Babylon a film by Julien Temple

Julien Temple's remarkable portrait of London takes his now trademark documentary approach of juxtaposing witty and surprising historical archive footage against contemporary film of his subject. He has already successfully used this technique in his supreme portraits of the Sex Pistols in the "Filth & The Fury", along with Dr. Feelgood and Canvey Island, in "Oil City Confidential". This time round, the subject is not a band though, but the City of London. He creates a wonderful aural and visual assault on the senses with a kaleidoscope of images and music. Exciting and chaotic, but most of all uplifting and positive, just like London itself. The movie starts with a colourful montage soundtracked by the slashing chords of The Clash's "London Calling", and then flashes back to amazing flickering black and white footage of late Victorian London with horse drawn carriages and trams packing the dirty streets. The main premise of the movie is based on how London has dealt with the influx of immigrants into it's communities following the collapse of the British Empire. It's that multicultural London that Temple loves so dearly, and we meet various residents of all ages, faiths, colours and creeds, talking about their experiences of life in the Capital. 

Photo by Steve Worrall

One of those residents turns out to be the star of the film, 106 year old Hetty Bower, a Hackney resident, recalls some vivid scenes from her long life. Her childhood treat consisted of a trip to the River Thames to watch the drawbridges of Tower Bridge being raised and lowered. She also poignantly remembers waving off the troops as they left for the First World War and later, resisting Oswald Mosley's Nazi Black-shirts in the Battle of Cable Street, "...they did not pass", she proudly exclaims. Hetty also provides a note of common sense when, somewhat unexpectedly, instead of admonishing the recent Anti-Capitalist protesters, she praises them for their courage in questioning our society. It's another main theme of the film, that cyclical nature of London's history. As Madness singer, Suggs, announces as he walks through his home turf of Camden Town, "...there never were any 'good old days'". After all, there has always been that divide between rich and poor, always been traffic congestion, pollution and civil unrest. We see footage of the Suffragettes, neatly soundtracked by X-Ray Spex's "Oh Bondage, Up Yours!", and there is Winston Churchill in the midst of the Sidney Street siege in 1911. Of course London is also no stranger to riots, from Notting Hill in 1958, Brixton in 1981 right up to the looting and arson of last year's riots. London has had to deal with some terrible acts of devastation, from the Blitz, to the terrorism of the IRA and the sinister threat of the suicide bomber. Temple expertly brings all these situations sharply into focus and we realise that every generation has to deal with such issues.

Photo by Steve Worrall

Music of course, is key to the movie and Temple's beloved Kinks play a large part in the soundtrack, most effectively with the beautiful "Waterloo Sunset" playing over stunning images of the River Thames. Ray Davies is featured in footage from Temple's documentary "Imaginary Man", the programme that inspired my own little Kinks Walking Tour, which you can read about here. Then of course there's the Sex Pistols, the band with which he made his name as a film-maker. He cleverly puts images of old Music Hall against the scenes of Punk Rock, showing the historic lineage of London's knack of producing rebellious, bawdy and irreverent music. The Q & A session after the screening was very interesting as Temple talks about the Olympics and how the movie probably would not have happened without it. He also pays tribute to his late father who passed away this year, and who was once attacked and injured by one of the right wing Nazis featured in the film. 

I bumped into JC Carroll of The Members after the screening, which was a nice surprise. We had recently interviewed JC for a special Edition of our Retrosonic Podcast, in which he talked about his involvement with the soundtrack music of "London: The Modern Babylon". JC has also worked on previous Julien Temple films and you can hear him talking about this, along with a fascinating trip through his career with The Members and as a solo artist, in the Retrosonic Podcast Episode below: 

 

"London: The Modern Babylon" will be shown on BBC2 on Saturday August 11th at 9:20pm.

Viv Albertine - Report on book reading at The Social and news of forthcoming Autobiography

Viv Albertine in 1980 by Paul Slattery

The Bookseller have announced that Faber & Faber will be publishing the long-awaited autobiography by ex-Slits guitarist, Viv Albertine. Here's the new press release from the Publisher: "Faber and Faber has added to their growing music list by acquiring the rights for the memoirs of legendary punk, Viv Albertine. "Clothes Clothes Clothes, Music Music Music, Boys Boys Boys" will describe Albertine's career from starting a band with Sid Vicious, to her time with The Slits, and her later years as a filmmaker, wife and mother. Rights were acquired from Becky Thomas at WME Entertainment, and the book is set to be published in spring 2014. It follows books by rock critic Nick Kent and The Pogues musician James Fearnley, on Faber's growing music list. Publishing director Lee Brackstone said: "Viv's story is inspiring and it is a pleasure to spend time with her on the page. The heart of the book is, of course, the much mythologised punk scene of London in the late 1970s. "For the first time, we witness familiar events and characters, Sid Vicious, Lydon, Thunders, Mick Jones, Strummer, Ari-Up, Siouxsie etc from a female perspective". Albertine said: "The enthusiasm for this project from everyone at Faber has given me the confidence to keep writing and developing, to tell the truth, however painful. I have to write this book now, I've fought it for years, but it just won't stay in any longer." 



Viv Albertine at The Faber Social - Photo by Steve Worrall

When we attended the Faber event  at The Social, back in April, to mark the launch of James Fearnley's Pogues book "Here Comes Everybody", Viv was on the bill reading from her memoirs. Although at the time there was no official announcement that Faber were going to publish them, it seemed highly likely, so this confirmation is really good news. The passages that Viv read on the night were mainly anecdotes from her days right at the heart of the London Punk Rock explosion. She talked about her friendship with Sid Vicious and how upset she was to be sacked from their band The Flowers Of Romance. There was also a searingly honest account of the destructive fascination with Johnny Thunders. Thunders not only drove a wedge between her and Mick Jones, her Art School boyfriend, but also introduced Viv to Heroin for the first time too. In the short Q&A session after the reading, she was also brutally frank about the way she had repressed her love of music and creativity during her time spent out of the public eye as a wife and mother. But now with the unfortunate break-up of her marriage - "my Telecaster broke it apart" - she is at least, able to express herself again creatively. From the passages we were treated to on the night, this book promises to be a great, emotional read, and I am really looking forward to it's publication.

As well as her art and sculptures, Viv is currently working on her debut solo album. There is, however, an excellent E.P. available right now, entitled "Flesh", featuring four great tracks "Never Come", "I Don't Believe/In Love", "If Love" and "False Heart". This was released on Thurston Moore's Ecstatic Peace! label and you can order copies via Viv's web-site. Also, if you are interested in the history of The Slits, then I would thoroughly recommend Zoë Street Howe's extremely entertaining biography of the band "Typical Girls? The Story of The Slits". (Published by Omnibus Press 2009).

Thanks to Paul Slattery for the great 1980 Viv Albertine Photo.



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)