In the Club 39 - April 2019

‘IN THE CLUB’, IS THE OFFICIAL TUESDAY CLUB

INTERACTIVE MAGAZINE - BROUGHT TO YOU IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE PERFECT POP CO-OP

Back To The Future...

Dear Tuesday Clubbers and Pop Pickers!

Welcome to the SPRING/APRIL issue of In the Club Mag

It’s been a generally great start to 2019. Our return to the 02 Islington Academy for the first time in 4 years with our support to Gene Loves Jezebel and Department S, the release of our first 7” vinyl single AND the very welcome readditon of not one, but two original members of the band! It’s great to have you both back - The Minx and J-Rod!

A near perfect start to 2019 also included a return to the Dublin Castle and was only tainted by our proposed BBC London session being cancelled by the powers that be!

“Unfortunately Sunny and Shay have taken a decision which has some rather sad consequences. As they have decided they want to diversify the arts guests on the evening show to include authors, poets, filmmakers, etc – not just musicians --it means sadly we will have to stand down a few bookings.”

Gawd knows it isn’t hard enough to get a break and it’s not like we’ve not diversified into all of those genres too!!!!!! Ho Hum, it don’t get easier folks! Anyway, enough of that non news...

We ARE massively excited about our next outing however! As you know we’ve been keeping our powder relatively dry this year other than the aforementioned Marquee nights, but we hope you’ll agree a Dreadzone support back at Harpenden Halls makes for a great hatrick of quality shows! And with The TCs now back to a 6 piece we really hope

you can make it an Easter to remember by coming down and supporting us on 21st April.

TC news isn’t the only news however, as you know we at the PPCO are working tirelessly to bring you top content and new music. This issues highlights include a fantastic 8 page interview with Pete Jones the former PIL and recently departed Department S - Bass guru, who is embarking on a solo project and a book, both of which you can read about courtesy of our top mate and collaborator Andrew from Rogue Sector.

You can also hear Pete’s single amongst the latest chaotic offering of Post Punk, New Wave, New music and Vinyl that is Andreas and the Wolf’s March radio show.

But that of course is not all. Apart from your fab regular features on the local St.Albans scene by Denise Parsons & Eatlife Productions (who we welcome!), there’s also new Dislocated Flowers & She Made Me Do It music. Australian band Do Re Mi are ‘In the club’ & there’s a brand new FREE 11 track Perfect Pop Co-Op Sampler to download, so please do it and keep supporting us on our mission to bring you something less ordinary!

DATE NIGHTS 2019

to: Design @andy8ecreative Content: Anna Thompson, Andrew Trussler, Denise Parsons, Will Crewdson, David Newbold, Pete Jones, Mandy McNeil, Graham O’Brien, Steve Honest, Manilla PR, Stephen Manuel, John

LATEST RADIO SHOW OUT NOW!!!

Perfect Pop Co Op Radio is back: mixcloud.com/perfectpopcoop now hosted by Andreas and the Wolf, just click, follow and enjoy! Lots of exclusives, oldies and rarities and that’s the music not the band!

Andreas and the Wolf have been making radio shows for almost 7 years now, but this year is the first one that they’ve been let loose on unsupervised!

Presented in their own inimitable and bungled style,

if you love Indie, indie dance, new wave, post punk, old school punk, vinyl and discovering new music, this has to be the show for you! This is not just an excuse to plunder their own musical heritage though, oh no, this eclectic show comes interspersed with both tracks that have influenced them over the years by established artists and also tracks by fellow ‘DIYers’, underground mavericks and tomorrows indie superstars. You gotta click this link and get yourself subscribed. The show comes out once a month and can be found on the: perfectpopco-op.co.uk and mixcloud.com/perfectpopcoop

Follow us!

@andreasandtwolf

instagram.com/andreasandthewolf

IF youhaven’t alreadypurchasedthe album...

You can do so or indeed stream it here: soundcloud.com/thetuesdayclub open.spotify.com amazon.co.uk/Art-Magic-Tuesday-Club deezer.com/album

Trials and turbulences are no strangers to most bands but few as acute as that which impacted on British outfit The Tuesday Club and almost brought it to an end. Now though they are poised to release “unlikely album 3” in the shape of Art Is Magic, a slab of multi- flavoured rock ‘n’ roll which certainly gets under the skin in no time but an itch which just gets more delicious and addictive by the listen. It is their finest moment built across ten bold devilish tracks embracing old and new sounds with a unique imagination and their inimitable touch.

Originally conceived in 2011 in Walmington-onSea, the renowned setting for British legendary comedy Dad’s Army, The Tuesday Club was an eight piece extravaganza of sound and creative revelry embracing the sights and mischief of their home town’s TV heritage. Their sound blossomed with the punk nurtured DIY attitude and inspiring sounds of the late seventies yet from day one cast its own aural image as proven by debut album See You Next Tuesday in 2013. It was a proposition though which was evolving from that first release and in open exploration by the band’s second album which was released as a quadrilogy of four EPs.

Devastation hit after the release of the first EP when drummer Terry Super Cockell tragically died. Though the band completed the album’s unveiling it was obviously without zeal; as they say the following EPs released in a ‘daze’, with the band falling to its knees and closing in on demise as members subsequently left. It was a challenging, life questioning and changing time which was not so obvious to the outside world at the time such the quality of those releases but maybe now best understood by checking out Reverse Family’s current project 365 days of songwriting, the band the solo project of TTC’s founding member Andreas Vanderbraindrain though he goes by Dermot Illogical for it. It is a still on-going colossal collection of tracks written across those times released as an EP a week for a year, many of its songs spawned from the darkness he personally fell into through those times.

TTC did survive though, its remaining members regrouping and finding a new breath and energy, stripping away “much of the old ‘glamour’ replacing it with a new urgency and directness.” Alongside vocalist Vanderbraindrain, the band now consists of guitarist Dave Worm, bassist/keyboardist Rogerio Marauder, and drummer Blairdrick Sharpely. As they suggested, the quartet has stripped back the TTC sound and brought forward its raw breath and instinctive imagination whilst broadening yet honing its creative flavourings and adventure.

Art is Magic opens with its title track, slipping in on a rhythmic coaxing until a lash of sound sparks a post punk lined stroll led by Vanderbraindrain’s distinctive tones. The song prowls the senses, keys simultaneously providing a melancholic yet mystique lined caress; it all uniting in an infectious swing and call to join its arcane devilry. Captivation was swift and only escalated as the track tempted and teased with its seventies lent enterprise.

It is a thickly potent start to the album keenly backed by the poppier rock exploits of Always taking things too far. It bounces around like a mix of Athletico Spizz 80 and Mammal Hum, a fusion of new wave and art rock which poked the appetite initially, whetted its lips further before thereon in fully teasing eager greed by the listen. It is a trait of the album as a whole, making an attention grabbing first impression but spawning lustier reactions by the play though some songs like Soulless City Syndrome had us instantly drooling. Its opening noir tinted intimation simply nurtured intrigue, the following electronic and tenacious punk ‘n’ roll of the song sparking the passions as it cantered lustfully through ears. The best track on Art is Magic, it twists and lures like an Adicts meets Zanti Misfits inspired dervish wearing a cape woven with threads of The Monochrome Set for one unique and gorgeous encounter.

It is a hard task to follow such a pinnacle yet Fruit Salad Girl with its spiky pop rock makes relatively light work of it, the infection loaded

romp a nagging rock ‘n’ roll roar which had the body bouncing and vocal chords blaring in no time before Drowning My Sorrows allowed a breath to be taken with its folk pop saunter. Not that it is a dormant on the catchiness, its easy going but boisterous swing leading feet and hips away like a collusion of The Farmer Boys and Swell Maps. Put your Faith in what you can control similarly has a laid back but tenaciously catchy gait and demeanour, again the band’s lo-fi instincts breeding a richly appetising temptation as rhythmically persuasive as it is melodically and lyrically sharp. Thus eager involvement was swift and as forcibly recruited by the bolder rousing punk ‘n’ roll of We are the Team, a song which is the band announcing they are undefeated and returning with new vigour and invention whilst creating a personal declaration for all to embrace.

It would be a shock not to have the scent of early Adam and The Ants somewhere within a TTC encounter, Let the kids run the country the irresistible moment within Art Is Magic as the band source their own earlier traits and another influences’ for a greed brewing slice of aural virulence before the darker tone and shadows of Rock and Roll’s not a science infests ears and psyche like a viral infection you cannot shake off, or in this case want to. The song reminded of short lived Welsh punks The Table at times but again TTC spin a web of sound and addiction all their own.

The album concludes with Who and youz army, a rhythmically tenacious and infectiously barbed slice of punk rock which would have aroused air punching crowds back in the day just as now. Its hooks are familiar yet inescapable and its character old school with the irritability of today; ingredients ensuring Art Is Magic goes out on a major high. Listening to their album just hits home what we would be missing without The Tuesday Club and how lucky newcomers will be now discovering them through such a glorious romp.

Produced By Steve Honest and The Tuesday Club at Hackney Road Studios, London All songs © The Tuesday Club 21st Century thisisthetuesdayclub.co.uk

Produced By Steve Honest & The Tuesday Club at Hackney Rd Studios, London All songs © The Tuesday Club 21st Century

Big thanks to Pete Ringmaster for his review below

Big thanks to everyone who made it to the 02, what a blast!

Special mentions to Frank at Flag for the gig, Department S for the kit share and Anna Thompson and Denise Parsons for the photos

And also big thanks to Denise Parsons for the photos from the DC too.

TCs at the DC

She Made Me Do It‘Drenched’ E.P.

“Through the captivation and intimation of Dax’s golden yet often almost portentously lined vocals and the descriptive yet rousingly tenacious antics of Crewdson’s guitar to the suggestive caresses and intriguing shimmers of their keys, She Made Me Do It create a captivating web to immerse in and dance with.”

She Made Me Do It featuring Shaheena Dax (Rachel Stamp) on vocals and Will Crewdson (Rachel Stamp, Adam Ant, The Selecter) on guitar release their new E.P. on Feb 1st, 2019 on Catranstic Records.

Unabashedly brazen new wave styled anthems come easy to She Made Me Do It. Their new E.P. never shies away from delivering a short sharp verse/chorus hit of adrenaline perfectly mixed with a dark lyrical realism. The band has become heavier and even more guitar driven while still retaining their electronic edge and knack for huge choruses.

The E.P. is available to pre-order on 10” vinyl or CD now from SheMMDI.com

”

She Made Me Do It

with”

create a captivating web to immerse in and dance

Music Releases – Dislocated Flowers 2019

Music has always been the most potent forum to get ideas and messages across…all of you reading this will have been affected by the Sex Pistols, The Clash, Buzzcocks, PiL, Magazine, Joy Division and a whole bunch of Bands and Musicians that exploded onto the scene immediately before and during the last overt and obvious right wing coup in this country.

And here we are 40 years later with her disciples having convinced a small enough majority of people that it’s best for the UK to ‘Leave’ Europe…never has history been so obvious in its repetition and dire in its consequences.

In the USA an extreme right-wing billionaire functioning clinical psychopath is President.

Read the ‘Hare Psychopathy Check List’ to see what I mean about the Wall fetishist Trumpty Dumpty…you might also notice our very own blonde-haired narcissist old Etonian displays the same character traits minddisorders.com/Flu-Inv/Hare-Psychopathy-Checklist.html

Across Europe and the Globe the far right has rebranded and is finding mass appeal again as wealth and power consolidates in ever fewer hands.

People are becoming desperate and fearful while falling for the Rights’ seductively easy solutions of blaming ‘the other’ and not the greedy and egregious behaviour of the wealthy and powerful.

These thoughts and observations are purely my own though I don’t think I am far wide of the mark. The Dislocated Flowers LP ‘Hegemony’ is my reaction to this.

In our present age of instant global communication the ability to organise, educate and inform ourselves has never been greater…by the same token the ability to sow discord, misinform and incite has also never been greater.

It seems to be a reality that the most creative era’s in music, the arts and writing occur in times of huge political, economic and societal unrest and upheaval…as unfortunate as that may seem it is where we are right now and as musicians we are well placed to comment on this and to join the narrative by influencing and affecting change.

I know that without Lydon and others doing so 40+ years back there wouldn’t have been the social/political revolution that followed and the backlash against the Right and Authoritarianism.

Those same forces have now reasserted their dominance and it’s time to fight back against them.

We all know the struggles and difficulties of getting our music noticed out there or even heard let alone paid for.

The monopoly power of the massive Digital Tech Vampires that pay only a fraction to musicians whilst raking in billions in profits in much the same manner as the remaining ‘Big 4’ record labels (Rather like the ‘Big 4’ accountancy firms eh?) means there is very little chance of being heard unless you over expose your music, push and have some luck in the zeitgeist…

2019 is going to be a year of chaos, disruption, confusion and social upheaval much as it was in 1979 when the Thatcher ideology was unleashed on the UK.

Hegemony – An LP of 14 tracks commenting on what’s been brewing, festering and now exploding globally since 2016.

dislocatedflowers.bandcamp.com/album/hegemony-lp

Life is Good E.P – A 7 track E.P of guitar driven Garage/Psychedelic Pop. A nostalgic nod to another period when music really did make a change.

dislocatedflowers.bandcamp.com/album/life-is-good-e-p

Exotica Electronica E.P – A 5 track EP sampler from the Exotica Electronica LP. Headspace music drawing on many global and internal synesthesiastic influences.

dislocatedflowers.bandcamp.com/album/exotica-electronica-lp

“2019 is going to be a year of chaos, disruption, confusion and social upheaval much as it was in 1979 when the Thatcher ideology was unleashed on the UK.”

'JOYLESS'

THE PETE JONES INTERVIEW

Let’s start with your ‘Joyless’ nickname. Are you a glass-is-half-empty kind of guy?

Musician

and producer Pete ‘Joyless’ Jones goes head-to-head with Rogue Sector’s Andrew Trussler and talks PiL, pills, bass and bananasand much more besides.

Pete Jones was born in 1957 and grew up in Watford. As a teenager, inspired by David Bowie and Yes, he started playing bass guitar. His first serious band was a prog rock group called Blonde.

By 1982, he was living in New York City, recording and performing with Public Image Ltd and Brian Brain. He played bass on PiL’s Commercial Zone album, including their biggest selling single, This Is Not A Love Song.

After leaving PiL he went on to play and record with many other bands, among them Cowboys International and The Creepy Dolls, as well as making music and producing under his own name.

In recent years, he’s been a key member of Department S; playing bass, writing songs and producing their 2016 album, When All Is Said And All Is Done. He’s also been a great supporter of local bands in the St Albans area. He is, quite possibly, the nicest miserable sod you could ever meet.

In June he releases a solo album, Contrivances For The Soul, with an autobiography to be published later in the year.

Call me what you like. I quite like the ‘Joyless’ tag and you will often find me playing up to it on occasions when the circumstances allow. It’s all show because underneath that miserable and joyless exterior is a very happy bunny. I’m at my happiest when I’m being miserable.

You release your first solo album in June, which I’ll return to later. But you’ve also written a book that chronicles your life; from growing up on a Watford council estate, playing bass for Public Image Ltd, Brian Brain, Department S, right through to your current projects. Why now?

Writing a book was something I never thought of doing until recently. It was a good friend of mine who actually suggested it. Every other two-bit rock god seems to have written one so I thought, ‘Why don’t I?’ It’s been quite cathartic going back and writing it all down, and it makes me realise how much I’ve done over the years.

Tell me about your early life in Watford.

Well, it was a fairly normal upbringing, albeit at the poorer end of the scale. We lived on a tough council estate; no heating, phone, carpets or other such niceties, but I didn’t know any better. Everyone else was just as skint as us.

How did you get on at school?

It was shit, I hated every fucking minute of it. I went to a large comprehensive, made from two schools. One was a grammar school, the other a secondary modern. So the mix of pupils was

very diverse. Luckily, I had an older brother, Terry, who kept a look out for me. He was a tough skinhead and had a reputation, so nobody dared lay a finger on me. Did you feel like an outsider?

Not in an obvious way, no. I had plenty of friends when I was growing up, I just didn’t seem to think in the same way as them. I was a very shy kid and always worried about all sorts of shit. What was the first music you gravitated to?

I remember playing my dad’s old records at home: Lonnie Donegan and George Formby mostly. But I wasn’t touched by the music, I was more interested in how the record player worked and wanted to take it apart.

As a young teenager, I listened to all sorts of rock music, then Bowie came along and he was really the first artist to make me want to play in a band. I got into music halfway through my A-Levels and, from that point on, that’s all I wanted to do. I would have gladly chucked that all in if I could have joined a band and gone on tour!

If I hadn’t got involved in music,

Musical leanings - Pete as a boy

'He's also been a great supporter of local

He is, quite possibly, the nicest miserable sod you could ever meet."

" local bands in the St Albans area.

I would have had to get a job like everybody else, but I didn’t have any particular skill that I could draw on. I did get offered a job in a surveyor’s office, after my A-levels, but I turned that down and signed on the dole instead.

When did you first start playing bass? What drew you to the bass rather than, say, guitar?

I only ended up in a band called Cosmosis coz my mate Tony said we were going to start one! He said he was the lead guitarist, my mate Dave said he was the drummer, so it was a toss-up between keyboards and bass. Didn’t you get punched by Tony simply because you’d written a song?

when I was learning bass and I guess he was a big influence on me. What was your first ‘proper’ band called and what style of music was it?

We were called Blonde and we played prog rock. We thought we were the bee’s fucking knees, full of bluff and bravado. We went round telling people we were the best band in Watford.

We played opuses and songs with odd time signatures. We built our own drum riser out of pallet wood for our drummer. He had a massive kit, with a gong. It weighed a ton. Our keyboard player had a Mellotron and that weighed even more. My hair was past my shoulders and I looked like a girl.

This would have been around 1975/76, just as punk was bursting through. We all thought it was a joke and totally and utterly missed the boat. So, when punk exploded you never thought, ‘This is a scene, a milieu, there’s something interesting happening here’?

exciting though…

As far as we were concerned it was getting a deal with a major record company that mattered. The DIY ethos seemed silly to us, you needed to get a deal with a big advance, etc… Pathetic really how naive we were.

With that in mind, how did you end up in Public Image Ltd?

I met Martin Atkins when he auditioned for the drummer’s job in my Watford-based band, Bogart, and he eventually joined us. We changed our name – thankfully - to the equally awful The Hots. We played in and around London for a while, until Martin left us to join PiL.

I then met John Lydon when I gave Martin a lift to the Manor Studio in Oxford, where PiL were making Flowers of Romance in 1981. By 1982, PiL were based in NYC and having trouble finding a bass player who would fit the band. Martin suggested me and the next thing I knew, I was in. I didn’t have to audition.

Having been in a prog rock band before the advent of punk, did you feel like you were slumming it when you joined PiL?

Ha ha! He was jealous when I wrote a song called Shit Man. He kicked me in the stomach and jumped on me like a madman. He ended up with a bad drug habit years later. He was a bit of a loon, that one.

What was the point when you thought, ‘Hey, I’ve got some ability here’? Did it give you a sense of identity in your teenage years?

I’ve never been very aware of my own ability. People always said I could play a bit, but I always thought other musicians were better. I never felt playing bass defined me, it was just something I did.

Were there any bass players you really rated?

I was a big fan of Chris Squire [Yes]

Not at all, I didn’t get a whiff of it. I remember seeing the Sex Pistol’s debut TV performance and I couldn’t believe how bad it was. I’d been playing for a while and had been practicing like mad, so the young punks who played simple songs, or couldn’t play very well for that matter, seemed like a piss take. Coming from the leafy suburbs of Watford we didn’t get the ‘angry yoof’ bit either. It totally went over our heads. By the time we realised what it was all about it was too late.

Anarchy in Granada: The Sex Pistol’s debut TV performance: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=rrjcsMidMNY

The DIY ethos must’ve been

I didn’t really want to join them. I couldn’t really stand the music. Compared to what I had played before, it was pretty simple stuff, not exactly taxing bass lines. Had any of their earlier stuff caught your ear? After all, it wasn’t just punk noise. There was disco, jazz fusion and dub reggae in there too…

Not really. I knew their sound wasn’t some act of combined genius. I’d seen how they worked: noodle about in the studio and wail some words over the top.

What did you think of the album they made just before you joined, the bass-less, tribal-rhythm sound of The Flowers Of Romance?

I quite like the album coz I know how instrumental my mate Martin was in making it. I like that it’s different and

Prog Rock in Watford: Pete Jones (left) in Blonde

that’s something you can’t take away from PiL. It wasn’t mainstream and I liked that.

The Unlikely Lads: PiL perform The Flowers Of Romance on TOTP 1981: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLMlHe2CslY

Tell me about the first time you entered a recording studio as part of PiL.

When I joined PiL in NYC, I got off the plane and went straight to Park South studio to record what would become Commercial Zone. I got handed a bass and they said “play along to this.” We worked through the night and I was offered a pile of drugs to help beat the jet lag.

Was there a producer?

No, it was self-produced. I didn’t get a look in, as Keith Levene and Bob Miller [sound engineer] would take up the seats in front of the desk and twiddle knobs. I’d chuck my sixpence-worth in now and again, but to little effect.

Were there times when the whole band recorded ‘live’ in the studio? Or did you all lay down your respective parts separately?

PiL never recorded as a band. It was always piecemeal, one layer of shit at a time.

Did you write any of the songs on Commercial Zone? Martin and I wrote Solitaire at a sound check, so we decided to record it one afternoon on our own. We worked on the Miller High Life track too, without Keith or John. The band was a hotch-potch of ideas from various sources.

PiL Solitaire – written by Pete Jones & Martin Atkins: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1nqEQlYsVU

You played bass on what turned out to be PiL’s most successful single, This Is Not A Love Song. It reached...

Bitter PiL? - Pete Jones and John Lydon

L-R:

Keith Levene, Pete Jones, Martin Atkins

"By 1982, PiL were based in NYC and having trouble finding a bass player who would fit the band. Martin suggested me and the next thing I knew... I was in."

number 5 in the UK singles chart in 1983. Did you have any inkling that this was going to be a hit when you were working on it?

No, when it was recorded nobody really liked it much. I preferred what became the B-side, Blue Water.

Didn’t Keith Levene steal the master tapes at one point?

Keith and John had an almighty row because Keith was mixing This Is Not A Love Song on his own. John told him to fuck off. So he did, with the master tapes…

PiL This Is Not A Love Song - Pete Jones on Bass: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Kzk1xZCiv8

Did you enjoy doing live gigs with them?

The live gigs were pretty immense, John was at his best as a front man during this period and there was always a sense of menace and energy. The set was different every night, very under-rehearsed. Songs would vary in length depending on the mood and we never had a set list before going on stage. We’d decide what song to play next as we went along. My parts were piss-easy so I would just stand and watch John working the crowd.

In a sense, you were part of a major cultural shift, seeing it from the inside. Was there a point where you looked around and realised you were in the midst of something big?

Not once. I never saw much money so I certainly wasn’t getting rich. I was quite blasé about the whole thing. I was playing for one of the most influential bands on the planet and I couldn’t have given a toss.

In interviews at the time, PiL talked about destroying rock n’ roll, as though they were on a mission. But did they actually have one?

Not at all, it was all by accident rather than design. There never was a plan, scheme or mastermind. It was all bullshit.

Jah Wobble once said that PiL was a group of emotional cripples, all on different drugs. Were there a lot of substances around during your time in the band and what effect did they have on the camaraderie (or lack of it)?

I did notice a lot of substances around at the time, I think that’s where most of the money went. Cocaine was a popular drug at the time and it was being hoovered up by the noseful.

Did the drug taking exacerbate a bunker mentality within PiL at the time?

It just led to a lot of weird conversations and paranoia. We were very protective of the band, so it was difficult for fans to get close. Everybody just wanted to get to John, so I would get pissed off if people approached me and asked the inevitable question ”is John around?” after 5 minutes.

What were the individual members of PiL like as people?

They had their moments. I got on okay with John and Keith, as difficult as they were. John could be socially awkward at times, a right little rotter. Martin was my mate, so we stuck together for the most part.

Did Lydon ever say to you, ‘That was a great bit of bass playing Pete’?

He only ever said one positive thing to me in that respect. Shortly after I joined we went to the Danceteria in New York. At the bar he said, “I’m glad you’re here.” He was very guarded and difficult to get close to. He didn’t give much away.

Why did you leave PiL when you did?

The drip, drip, drip of shit. After 8 months or so I thought, ‘fuck it,’ I’m going home. I told Martin on the way to the airport, then just jumped on a plane. I wasn’t getting paid. We were only playing a couple of shows a week, with loads of time hanging about, either at the hotel or the studio.

When I left PiL, I walked away from the music business for a while. I went to work for Kodak Limited [back in the UK], where my mum and dad worked.

Did you ever regret leaving?

Not once did I ever regret leaving. Perhaps it wasn’t the best career move, but I never look back. I got offered work when I returned to the UK, a tour with Kim Wilde of all people, and an up-and-coming band called Southern Death Cult. But I turned them both down. How stupid was that?

In some ways, is your forthcoming book an attempt to put the record straight regarding your time in PiL?

Not really. I know what happened during that time. I don’t feel a need to make sure everyone else knows it too. John’s been placed on a pedestal and become an icon, but I’m not bothered one way or the other by that. I often hear it said that John is a genius. I don’t think that for one moment.

So be it. John’s bread landed very much butter side up when he walked into Malcolm McLaren’s shop in the 1970s. Now the Emperor is standing stark bollock naked, and nobody has the nerve to tell him.

You and Martin Atkins (along with Bobby Surgeoner) were also playing gigs as Brian Brain throughout your involvement with PiL. How did you find the time?

PiL were only playing twice a week so we had loads of spare time to fill. We played some USA dates in between the PiL gigs. We also took shitloads of speed, so we had the night time hours to use as well. We did contemplate opening for PiL, but that idea was soon shot down in flames!

Brian Brain –

They’ve Got Me In The

Bottle: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=Nc96BWiY6pA

In your book you’re quite disparaging about Brian Brain’s output! And yet, they had an indie hit in 1980 with They’ve Got Me In The Bottle, and club hits with the singles Jive Jive (1981) and Funky Zoo (1982). So you must have been doing something right.

Well, I wouldn’t call them hits as such. But, by today’s standards, we sold quite a few records. This was all pre-digital don’t forget, even pre-CD, so everything was on vinyl. We shot a video for Jive Jive on 16mm film whilst in NYC and this was shown quite a bit in the North American new wave clubs that existed back then.

Brian Brain – Jive Jive: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=9r6JRVfGwlk

How widely did you tour?

Brian Brain did four tours of the USA, up and down the UK, plus a couple of trips to the Netherlands.

During our first gig, at the John Bull pub in London, we threw bananas into the crowd and it ended up as a banana fight. There was banana mulch everywhere. We moved on to throwing inflatables, ping pong balls, cabbages and even raw chickenswith the heads still attached.

We decided it would be fun to throw things into the audience during the last number. But we never really thought that through, in as much that whatever we threw would be thrown back at us again.

The gigs were quite confrontational, weren’t they?

We didn’t set out to be confrontational as such - honest! We would drink an awful lot, especially Martin. He would invariably end up in the crowd, fighting with someone or other. He even ended up fighting our roadie on stage once. He also got punched by a sound guy for causing too much feedback through the monitors.

After one gig I gather Martin got head butted in the toilets.

That was after our second American

tour. We had an after show party at a club in Boston with our friends. Martin had been winding up the band we were watching. He started pulling microphone cables, pushing monitors over, unplugging leads, etc. It was really funny, or so we thought. Martin went to the toilet and, mid-piss, had his face smashed into the wall and then he was kicked in the face. His jaw was broken in two places, his nose was busted and he could only drink through a straw for a few weeks.

His assailant… GG Allin!

Why did you leave the band?

During a USA Brian Brain gig, I suddenly had a moment on stage where I thought what we were doing was complete and utter shite.

Tell me about the bananas!

‘I’m glad you’re here” - Pete Jones and John Lydon (photo: Maureen Baker) Brian Brained

I was actually embarrassed to be on stage watching Martin rolling around drunk, wailing through our somewhat terrible songs, even though I’d written half of them! I came off stage and said that was it, I was done. Ex Go-Go’s bassist, Margot Olavarria, took over bass duties and Brian Brain carried on for a couple more years.

Having seen the music biz up close, what one thing would you do to reverse the decline of the music industry, as a barometer of culture, art and fashion?

The music industry isn’t in actual decline as far as I know. It was worth about $17.3 billion in 2017 in a year in which it grew by 8.1%. It’s still a massive, fat pie, it’s just that the slices for most are getting smaller. Someone is making shit loads of money out of it, and it isn’t me and you! What has changed is how the music industry is structured, and the ways new distribution models work. You asked what I would do to reverse a perceived decline. I would pump as much money as possible into grassroots music initiatives: venues, schools, education, theatre groups, community radio and arts. Invest in shared community facilities with music and dance studios

etc. Fund the arts properly in our schools and give everyone the opportunity to create.

Okay, how did you come to be the bass player for the revitalised Department S in recent years?

In 2014 I went to see them play a charity gig in Enfield. I got asked to stand in on bass duties for Back To Zero and Sam, their guitarist, was also in Department S. I did the one gig with them. Then Department S needed a bass player for a show supporting Chameleons Vox. I did that gig then stayed!

As well as playing bass, you wrote many of the songs for the band’s 2016 album, When All Is Said And All Is Done. You also produced it. How did you end up in the producer’s chair?

That was down to cost. We couldn’t really afford the studio time to record and mix a whole album, so I offered to do a lot of the work in my studio. We recorded all the drum parts at U2 studio in Wembley and the rest we did at my house. We saved a lot of money, but it was a lot of work for me to do all that on my own. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to do it, but I persevered and got it all done.

Department S – When All Is

Said And All Is Done: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=zGPzciZTpfM

How did long did the recording/ mixing process take and what challenges did you encounter on the way?

It took about 3 months. The challenge was mixing the songs with limited studio resources and choice of microphones. Ed [Eddie Roxy] recorded the vocals under the stairs with the coats and my dog snoring at his feet!

You played a lot of gigs with them, across the UK and Europe. Which ones did you enjoy the most and why?

I always enjoyed the bigger crowds, so I liked the Rebellion and Undercover festivals in the UK. The W-Festival in Belgium was a belter. I enjoyed the jaunts over to Europe. The hospitality you receive at even the smallest gig is second to none and puts the UK gig scene to shame.

Department S performing Is Vic There at Rebellion 2017: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=-DJmaAOAYQo

You’ll be leaving Department S after April this year. What made you decide to call it a day?

Brian Brain - L-R: Bobby Surgeoner, Martin Atkins, Pete Jones

During our first gig, at the John Bull pub in London, we threw bananas into the crowd and it ended up as a banana fight.

When I first joined the band I wanted to move them forward and reach for bigger and better things. It was a real battle getting them to record a new album. It was only after Phil Thompson joined us [on guitar] that it happened.

I also wanted to see the band develop artistically, with an expanded line up and more of a visual element. Unfortunately, artistic differences within the group meant they were happy just being a ‘rock and roll band’ which is not what I’m about at all. I want to do things that are different and push boundaries, not just play rock and roll. That’s been going on for 50 years, it’s dull and it’s dead.

Will you be sad to leave? What will you miss most?

I will really miss carrying my heavy bass rig in and out of the van and up flights of stairs at gigs! I will miss the camaraderie on the road, especially with Phil Thompson, as we have become good mates over the last few years.

You’re also part of an ongoing project called the Southdown Laundry Club. What’s that all about?

In 2014, I moved to Harpenden after I met Mieke, my girlfriend.

I would often drink down at the Carpenters Arms in Southdown. That’s where I met [local poet] Irvine Hunter. We were waiting for our laundry to dry at the launderette across the road.

if I went (go forth) and made (manufactured) an album called Contrivances For The Soul.

What was the initial motivation to record and bring out a solo album now?

I had demos of some songs that were destined for a new Department S album. But, after 18 months, we still hadn’t done anything about going into the studio. So after my dreamlike epiphany I decided to use the songs for my own album and set about re-recording them.

You wrote all the songs on the album, you’re playing pretty much all the instruments and you produced it. Was it difficult juggling all those roles?

The only problem is trying to remain objective about it all. Producing is the easy part, you just have to make the songs sound as good as possible and there are certain set ways and tools do that. It was much harder to stand back from it all and say “is this any good or not?”

Department S - L-R: Pete Jones, Phil Thompson, Alan Galaxy

We started Southdown Laundry Club as a bit of fun, which then grew to incorporate Irvine’s poetry and my soundscapes. We plan to release more material this year.

Southdown Laundry Club – Songs For Someone Else: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/songs-forsomeone-else-ep/1164398225

Let’s talk about your new solo album, Contrivances For The Soul. That’s definitely not a punk title! What’s the story behind it?

It came to me at night while I was fast asleep. I heard a voice in my ear say “go forth and manufacture contrivances for the soul.” It woke me with a start and I wrote down what I’d heard.

I’m not spiritual, I don’t believe in god or higher powers and all that malarkey, but it did scare me a bit. The voice was as if someone was speaking very close to my ear. It didn’t make any sense, until I realised that it would

Some days I would listen back to a mix and think it was shit, another day it might move me to tears. Really hard to know which response is valid. I relied on good friends and people I trust to tell me if it was any good, knowing they wouldn’t just be blowing smoke up my arse.

Do you work fast when you’re in the studio? What system do you use?

I run a Pro Tools based set up with Reason V10, that has all my soft synths and samplers in, running alongside. I do tend to work quickly. I like to strike when the iron is hot and crack on. If I come up against a roadblock or some creative blockage I just shut everything down and take the dog for a walk, or go down the pub!

The track Basket Of Hands has an electronic, nightmarish quality to it and an off-kilter time signature. What inspired the song?

This was inspired by the story of King Leopold II, who bought the Congo in the late 1800s and proceeded to strip the country of its riches, namely rubber. He enslaved a whole nation and killed 10 million or so of its people while he was at it, the fucker.

If rubber quotas were not met by the villagers, they

Friends reunited?

could be shot, and to prove they had been dispatched, hands would be cut off. This became a sort of currency, local people would raid other villages to collect hands if their own quotas were short.

It was a truly awful period in Belgian history. It’s very well documented in a book called King Leopold’s Ghost by Adam Hochschild. Recommended reading.

My favourite track on the album is Spanish Snow. The arrangement is so lush and it’s the only song I’ve ever heard that features Flamenco bass! Talk us through the development of this track.

It opens with “The Spanish snow falls on/in my heart” spoken in Spanish by a friend of mine. I never realised that you do get snow in Spain, up in them there hills. The song developed over a couple of weeks, as I added the Spanish flavours. The lyrics are a bit cryptic and I’ll leave it to the listener to interpret what they mean!

There’s a song off the album that you’ve just released as a single, Psycho Drill. Who or what are you referring to in this song?

The Psycho drill is just another way of describing those thoughts that get in your head and drill down until they cause damage. “I got a drill it’s killing me….” etc.

Psycho Drill by Pete Jones: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/psycho-drillsingle/1451574007

It features Leigh Heggarty on guitar. How did you two become friends? Is he easy to work with?

Leigh is lovely. He plays for Ruts DC and Department S have shared a stage with them a few times. I first met him when I played that gig with Back To Zero. Leigh was playing 2nd guitar for them at the time. He has a knack of coming up with really great guitar parts in the studio, he will throw out 3 or 4 really good ideas. He’s a top geezer with a lot of experience under his belt and he just loves playing guitar.

Are you planning to tour the new album with a band?

No, I’m not going to tour. But I may do a live show or two later in the year, once I get my supergroup together. I have spoken to a few really good players who are interested in helping me out with a live show. It’s a question of whether I can overcome the crushing selfdoubt to pull it all together… Watch this space; you’ll be the first to know.

When’s the album coming out?

The album is due out on June 21st, on coloured vinyl, limited edition, numbered gatefold sleeve.

The book? Who knows!

Okay, a few final thoughts on PiL… You’re an interviewee in The Public Image Is Rotten documentary, released last year. What did you think of the film?

It’s a very good account of PiL history from the Sex Pistols up to the present day, with some great interviews. Unfortunately, there are a few people missing from the film (Richard Dudanski, Jeanette Lee and a proper interview with Keith Levene for starters), and it’s a bit long.

In the film, Martin Atkins says the darkness of PiL’s music in the early days is missing from the current version of the band. Do you agree with at? You saw them at the 100 Club last year.

Yes I do. At the 100 Club it all seemed so sterile. It was a bit like the Johnny Rotten show. The band were playing the songs without any edge whatsoever. It was really quite sad for me to watch.

At the end of that gig you met up with John Lydon, for the first time in 35 years. Was it a good experience or a rotten one?

After the gig I paid a visit to the dressing room. I had a nice chat with him and his wife Nora, all very amiable and friendly.

Are you proud of your time with PiL or has it become a bit of a millstone?

I’m very proud and no, it’s not a millstone at all. I’ve dined out on it for 35 years and I still get my royalties for playing on This Is Not a Love Song. I’m proud that I played on PiL’s highest charting single, I’ll take full credit for that!

Pete Jones with John Lydon, backstage at the 100 Club, 2018

In the club

Joining us in the club this time around is Helen Carter, bassist with Do-Ré-Mi, one of Australia’s most respected and successful Post-Punk bands. Our Rogerio Marauder saw them play a gig in 1986, and he bought their “Domestic Harmony” album the very next day because they were that good. We’re pleased to report that they’ve recently reformed, and they’re still that good! Ladies and Gentlemen, Helen Carter...

Hey Helen, welcome into ‘The Club’! A great big PPCO thanks for joining us...

We’re sitting in the cyber pub doing this interview and it’s our round. What would you like to drink? If it’s warm weather I’ll have a G & T with lots of ice and fresh lime, please. If it’s cooler I’ll have a hearty Australian red. If we’re near Dublin I’ll have a Guinness on tap.

Do Ré Mi Helen Carter

What was the last thing you heard/watched that was so good you had to tell someone about it? Spoon live on US radio KEXP. https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=9xAVeoCS4qM

I’ve been sharing it with anyone who listens! There’s some awesome drama happening on Australia’s ABC TV as well. Fortunately, we followed in the UK’s footsteps rather than the US when it comes to good, dark drama. I don’t watch STAN or Netflix or pay TV – I don’t seem to have the time.

What does Punk Rock mean to you? Freedom, having a voice, and shouting about injustice. When I first started playing bass in ’77 I felt like I’d joined the most amazing scene. Punk suited my personality – angry at authority, anxious to understand the world unfiltered by hype and propaganda. I liked the fact that the

mainstream was slightly afraid of me, even though I wasn’t a full-on zipper ‘n’ safety pin punk.

Is the internet a help or hindrance to a) new acts. b) established acts?

I think both apply. On the down side, live music in smaller venues has carked it, at least in Australia. A band – new or established – used to be able to play 5-6 days a week if they so desired. It’s not just the venues closing either; getting people out from behind their computers and getting them to the pubs and clubs is hard work. Another down side is that noone wants to pay for music since it’s freely available on the internet. On the upside, if you’re clever you can reach a lot of folk with your tunes.

What four things would you put in a time capsule? This moment; a Leasingham Bin

7 Riesling; a love letter to

Deb and Helen (with 2019 drummer Julia Day) in 2019.

Deborah Conway (Left) and Helen Carter (R) in 1986.

Bridie, Deb and Helen

my closest friends and a copy of Pink Flag by Wire.the pistols and that encouraged bands to be weirder. and a good idea.

If you had a time machine and could go back to any year in music, what would it be and why?

1982, which is when Do Re Mi recorded our first independent EP. What a joy, so liberating! And at that time I was wallowing in the most awesome amount of English punk and new wave (oh, and the Ramones of course).

If you could be any character in a film, what film and who would it be?

Any bird in any sky. I want to fly.

You are now In The Club, but what club do you actually wish it was?

I’m completely happy with THIS Club! As far as I know it only admits non-wankers and is a Fuckwit-Free Zone (FFZ). Although as Groucho said, ‘I don’t want to belong to any club that admits people like me!’

Who’d be in your 4 piece fantasy band. Guitar, Bass, Drums and Vocals? (Although you don’t have to restrict it to a 4 piece)

I would like to play the drums in an AC/DC cover band. I would have Johnny Marr on guitar, Flea on bass and Bon Scott on vocals.

What question haven’t we asked you that you wish we had?

‘Is it OK if we pay you and your band to tour the UK and Europe staying in 6 star hotels?’ Answer: Well fuck yeah!

Where’s the best place to find your musical endeavours on the internet?

Probably YouTube and Discog. I’m very slack with social media & web pages.

Thanks Helen, here you go folks, get listening...

discogs.com/Do-Ré-Mi soundcloud.com/renegadegav/do-re-mi

Do Re Mi 2019 line-up left to right: Bridie O’Brien (guitar), Deborah Conway (original member, vox), Helen Carter (original member, bass), Julia Day, (drums), Clio Renner (keys and BVs).

It started on 1st January 2015, caused by tragedy in December 2014 and finally ended with a 'closing party' on October 6th 2018. If this is your introduction to the #rf365 you have a lot of catching up to do! In case you missed it first time round, as of 1st January 2019, The Perfect Pop Co-Op have been re-issuing the collection on Bandcamp for the first time in conjunction with the posting of 'compilation' videos on youtube to accompany each release, for more go to...

“It’s outsider pop that’s you need binoculars

FROM PETE JONESFORTHCOMINGBOOK!

24th August 1982, I was sitting at my mum’s house doing fuck all and twiddling my thumbs as per usual. The phone rang; it was Martin Atkins calling from New York. He was still in the USA following our last Brian Brain tour. He had managed to ingratiate himself back into the PiL camp whilst we were in NYC, made his peace with Keith Levene and had started recording some new songs with them. The problem was the band was running short of money, and none of it was forthcoming from a record company of any sorts, least of all Virgin Records. It was all a mess. John Lydon had just finished filming a movie in Italy along with Harvey Keitel and had been paid very well for doing so. It was money that was helping to keep the band afloat. The only way to get out of the financial mess was to play some gigs but nobody seemed very keen to do so.

The last PiL gig had been the infamous riot show at the Ritz in May 1981 so obviously some people were nervous about what might happen if they booked the band. They tried to find a bass player who was a good fit to fill the vacated Jah Wobble slot but for some reason, they hadn’t found anyone in America they thought would be suitable (nor willing) and Martin had suggested getting me over to do it, hence the call. I didn’t say yes straight away though, I had a real problem on two counts; one was that I couldn’t stand the music, I had always personally considered PiL to be shit, and secondly, I thought John was a complete arse. I liked a few of their early songs but to me, the rest was just self-indulgent crap, you know what they say about experimentation often being the domain of the talentless right? I really couldn’t tolerate Lydon’s social inadequacy, my previous meetings with him hadn’t exactly been full of grace and charm so playing in the same band I knew might be difficult. On top of all this, I was told Ken Lockie was involved too as he was an old friend of Keith living in NYC and had been hanging round the studio. He was ostensibly there to play live keyboards with the band. What is this a conspiracy? This wasn’t

looking too good. Martin had previously told me how difficult Keith had been to work with during the 1980 tour and that there were often a lot of drugs around (well there’s always a bright side!). I was finding it hard to put a positive spin on it. I’d already been to America coast to coast with Brian Brain 4 times, so I didn’t feel a burning need to go there again in a rush. I had a feeling if I went, it might be for some considerable time away from my friends and family. It wasn’t just going to be for a few dates. On the up side, I had wrongly assumed that money wouldn’t be an issue. As far as I was concerned, the finances were in order as they were still signed to Virgin Records and I was expecting to be well paid for the honour. On that score, I was perhaps a little naïve.

I said to Martin that I would think about it and I asked him to call me back the next day. An obviously irritated Keith then got on the phone and was banging on about how great PiL were and that did I realise I was being offered the chance to join the best band on the planet and why was I hesitating? He said I should just get on a plane to NYC there and then. Yes Keith, OK. I told him I’d think about it. I could tell he was none too pleased but I was genuinely not overly impressed at the thought of joining.

a couple of hours John Lydon suddenly popped up from behind the mixing desk like a gnarly old jackin-the-box where, unbeknownst to me, he had been lying down since before I had arrived. He always had to make an entrance that boy, he couldn't even make the effort and show some basic social skills or respect when I arrived, just to say hello and how are ya?"

'They're waiting for you at the studio for you to put a bass part down.'

'What? Who? PiL? Are you fucking serious? I'm fucking shattered after the flight and I could really do with a shower and a lie down!'

"After

Pic courtesy of Maureen Baker

OUT MAY 3

Despite my better judgement, the next day in another phone call I told Keith I would do it and by the second week in September I was waiting for the necessary work visa and plane ticket to arrive. I went out and bought all the available PiL albums to learn the old songs. It didn’t take long. Wobble’s bass lines weren’t exactly the most challenging. I learnt them all in an afternoon. (Wow, this is going to be easy). I couldn’t believe how bad some of them were though, apart from the odd tune most of their stuff sounded like a complete dirge to me, tuneless drivel, particularly most of Metal Box. Flowers of Romance was OK even though it had hardly any bass parts on it and I had been there at the Manor Studios while it was being recorded remember? I had seen first hand how much dithering about was involved. Otherwise, I felt I could easily deal with any childlike antics of Messrs’ Lydon, Levene and Lockie on a personal level, that didn’t frighten me one bit and at least I had an

ally in Martin. We were mates so I was sure we’d be able to watch each other’s backs. I eventually had decided to suck it up and after waiting a while for the work visa to come through, off I went. I gave no thought to terms and conditions, as I said, I thought money wasn’t going to be a problem especially once we were touring. I didn’t think to ask for a contract, it just wasn’t the done thing to ask for.

The first PiL gig since the infamous Ritz riot was planned for 28th September 1982 so there was plenty of time to settle in. I thought I’d have a few days to get rid of the jet lag before we set to work, you know, get settled in my room at the Iroquois Hotel, have some fun, see the sights again and see who was knocking about. But on that score, I was very much mistaken. When I landed at JFK airport, Martin had come out to meet me. I thought that was a bit odd as I knew full well how to get to Manhattan from JFK using public

J.A.M. UK, available from all digital outlets...

transport and I didn’t have a lot of stuff with me, not even a guitar. Martin was looking a bit red-faced and flustered and after saying a quick hello rushed me out of the arrivals hall.

‘They’re waiting for you at the studio for you to put a bass part down.’

‘What? Who? PiL? Are you fucking serious? I’m fucking shattered after the flight and I could really do with a shower and a lie down’ Well he was serious. PiL were recording at Park South Studios on West 58th Street and they were indeed waiting for me, keeping their studio session open and thus forcing another band, who were there to record for an evening session, waiting and waiting. When I asked Martin what we were supposed to be recording he tried singing the song to me in the back of the cab. He wasn’t famed for his tunefulness bless him, and the notes he was singing all sounded the same, as if through a sock and it sounded like he had a severe sinus problem. I didn’t know what the tune was.

‘It’s ok Martin, I’ll work it out when I get there, for fuck’s sake’ I really was pissed off with them putting me on the spot like that, it was a bit inconsiderate. No thought at all for how I was feeling or what state I was in. As it happens, I had been knocking back large vodka and tonics through the flight and was half pissed but of course, I knew empathy wasn’t going to be featuring in anyone’s skill set in that band. We duly arrived at the studio and I was swept in, past a gaggle of really pissed off musicians from the waiting band who were sitting with their gear in the studio foyer. Their eyes followed me like daggers into the control room, I felt quite sorry for them. Go home boys, I think it’s gonna be a long night.

In the control room was Keith Levene, Ken Lockie, the new PiL manager Bob Tullipan and his girlfriend Maureen Baker plus Bob Miller who was the engineer for both the studio and live sessions. Quite an audience I thought. After saying a quick hello I sat down and was given a Fender bass to play and it was plugged straight into the desk. A track was played and Keith said have a listen to this and play along. It was a song called Mad Max and was a simple disco ditty in G minor that I soon worked out the bass line to and off we went. Take after take after take after take, on and on it went, late into the night like death itself, I thought it was never going to end. This was being thrown in at the deep end for sure and I wasn’t sure if it was some sort of test. Normally I would have expected to record in the main room of the studio with a full amplifier rig rather than record stood in front of a load of strangers in the control room. I soon realised that it was just typical PiL, pure chaos. I felt totally unfazed by it all, I was confident in my ability and the bass line wasn’t very taxing. Nobody said much, polite conversation wasn’t the order of the day, but as the hours slipped by

I was getting more and more tired. I declined the offer of ‘something to help me stay awake’ from someone and I just plodded on. Ken Lockie was the same as he ever was, he had very little to say about lots.

After a couple of hours John Lydon suddenly popped up from behind the mixing desk like a gnarly old jack-in-the-box where, unbeknownst to me, he had been lying down since before I had arrived. He always had to make an entrance that boy, he couldn’t even make the effort and show some basic social skills or respect when I arrived, just to say hello and how are ya? The session went on until god knows what time, the last take was no better than the first and we seemed to have spent most of the night watching Keith twiddle knobs on the mixing desk and talking shit, what a start. I was again offered various powdered substances to help with the jet lag but I preferred to work fairly straight in the studio, I learnt from the quality of the early Brian Brain recordings that drugs and studios don’t mix. Martin and I eventually retired to the Iroquois Hotel, grabbed a few beers and some welcomed sleep. This is going to be a challenge I thought. The Mad Max song we worked on sounded average until I beefed it up a bit; Martin’s drums were solid, that was to be expected, there was some poorly played bass and synth parts on it played by Keith but not much guitar and what I assumed was some sort of guide vocal from John. It nearly made me laugh out loud when I heard it. For some reason, he was singing in a really high, tuneless wail and it sounded dreadful. I’m pretty sure everyone else thought so too but no one had the audacity or the guts to say anything to John about it. It was a bit like the Emperor’s new clothes story and here was the Emperor, standing stark-bollock naked for the world to see and no one said a word. I wasn’t going to speak out that’s for sure. A lot of the other tracks we worked on during my time there were in much the same vein; the backing sounded passable (though a lot of that seemed as though they were unfinished ideas) but the vocals were all over the place. I gave John a nickname ‘Johnny Two Note’ not to his face of course, you can’t go calling your boss names now can you? But I must say that I am very pleased to see that name is just as relevant today as it was 35 years ago.

After a couple of days, the focus quickly shifted to the live set and our first rehearsal was planned at a Manhattan studio space, Blondie’s old hangout I believe. It was good to be playing with Martin again, we were a tight rhythm section that we had worked on and cemented over a number of years and the PiL tunes sounded great on that score. We ran through some of the old stuff from First Issue and Metal Box. It was a piece of piss to play those simple Wobble bass lines but I wanted to make my own mark on the sound and add a bit of grunt. The Wobble sound was very fat and heavy on the bottom end. Bob Miller had never listened to Metal Box so didn’t really know or understand what that original PiL sound was all about. I could have just copied that sound and rolled all the mid and top end off the bass but I was keen to make my own, distinct sound. What I played and sounded like seemed to go down all right with the others, nobody said anything to the contrary and we soldiered on for a while and knocked a semblance of a set into shape. I was given some cash to go out with the roadie to buy a couple of Fender basses which I thought was cool, there seemed to be loads of cash floating around, it reinforced my belief that there was plenty of money, there was always enough for pharmaceuticals and beer.

To be continued……….

Keep up with all the news at

"I soon realised that it was just typical PiL, pure chaos. I felt totally unfazed by it all, I was confident in my ability and the bass line wasn't very taxing."

Interesting Times - Dislocated Flowers

Valerie Leon, Queen of Neon - The Bleeed

Broken Morning - She Made Me Do It

Fiction - Reverse Family

Beat Oven Extended Mix - The Tuesday Club

Just A Game - The Dodo

Superslider - The Venus Overload

Public Domain - Andreas And The Wolf

Logical Mind Pv Remix - The Scratch

I’ve had Enough - TAGAS

In the evening - Jordan Thomas

Dislocated Flowers Interesting Times - Title taken from the Apocryphal Chines proverb ‘May you live in interesting times’ meaning ‘May you see chaos, destruction and conflict and remember what you have lost’. To shine a light on the madness of now it’s necessary to remind yourself of what has gone before. Delivered with a wall of guitar feedback and text from WW2.

twitter.com/DislocatedFlow3

Dislocated/Soundcloud

The Venus Overload SuperSlider - A song of delusion referencing anger at wilful stupidity. Written and recorded in 1996 during the last period of tory hegemony. Sometimes only a sledgehammer will do to make people listen. Unless of course a person wants to be part of the problem and not the solution. Gawd Bless Yer MC5.

TVO/Soundcloud

The Bleeed Featuring 4 Tuesday Club members and recording this and 7 other tracks in 2013. The Bleeed looked sure to become a regular PPCO feature until the death of drummer Terry. With an 80s tinged production, 1 finger guitar riffs and a very healthy obsession with Hammer Horror films, the 3 surving members, have vowed to return in a modified retro styling... watch out 2019!

theperfectpopco-op.bandcamp.com/album/the-silentscream-ep

Reverse Family Made ‘famous’ by 2017/18’s 365 project (incase you missed it!) 365 songs released over 365 days, the now defunct band once headed by missing in action front man Dermot Illogical, treat us to an unreleased track ‘Fiction’ from the days when a Mid Life Crisis was something old people had! theperfectpopco-op. bandcamp.com/album/way-it-goes

The Scratch - Played XFM & BBC introducing sessions, around 200 gigs, played Versus cancer 07 at the M.E.N. Manchester, released 4 albums and numerous singles and then went on hiatus in 2012... GirlsWorld

The Tuesday Club - Formed as a break from the ‘day job’ in 2011 by 8 members of different local bands including The Scratch, We are White Worm, The Daves and 50ft Woman. The Tuesday Club started rehearsing on a Tuesday with tracks deemed ‘back burner’ material and from there grew into something unique. Today 8 years on and despite tragedy and the shedding and regrouping of some of the

original members, the band is now back to a 6 piece. The TC’s have metamorphosised into a three album institution. 2019 is already looking promising with decent supports to Gene Loves Jezebel and Dreadzone. thisisthetuesdayclub.co.uk

The Dodo - Another Scratch splinter faction The DIY or DIE Organisation were formed by Andy Scratch, Steve Filth and John the Bassist as mini album side project with Crane Fly aspirations. They recorded one album in 2010 over 3 frantic weeks and then demised. theperfectpopco-op. bandcamp.com/album/the-diy-or-die-organisation Andreas & The Wolf Before the Radio show there was the TCs now there’s a psycho pop duo. The basic concept came from the Bwolf reimagining his twenty year old self & trying to keep true to his original bedroom DIY cassette culture ideals - throw an Andreas into the mix and see what mutates... influenced by early 80s electronica, dub and wonkiness. The debut album is due out in 2019. @andreasandtwolf mixcloud.com/perfectpopcoop instagram.com/andreasandthewolf

TAGAS - Reclusive star of the last 3 Andreas and the Wolf Radio shows Tagas bring us strangely uplifting Melancholy with their tracks of lost and unrequited love. Something like Momus, meets the Pet Shop Boys with Marc Almond definitely considering making it a threesome. Facebook/tagasmusic SoundCloud.com/tagas-music

Jordan Thomas - Better know to us in the PPCO and the wider world as J-Rod the former and now new guitarist with the Tuesdsay Club, treats us to his unique slice of solo surf pop from the wilds of deepest Norfolk!

She Made Me Do It A Living legend in these parts Will Crewdson returns to the PPCO sampler this time with She Made Me Do. Shaheena Dax (Rachel Stamp) on vocals and Will Crewdson (Rachel Stamp, Adam Ant, The Selecter) on guitar. Broken Morning is one of four great tracks on their latest E.P. ‘Drenched’ which came out 1st Feb, 2019 on Catranstic Records.“Unabashedly brazen new wave styled anthems come easy to She Made Me Do It. ” SheMMDI.com/store

Big thanks to all for their great creative contributions. As with all we do, our aim is to spread the word of great underground DIY exponents and with all your help to ultimately bring PERFECT POP back to the Saccarin Sodden Masses collective consciousness...or at the very least create for ourselves an alternate world where PERFECT POP is the weird/ obscure/creative/diy cult/ that can exist and get the airing it deserves!!!

To Celebreate Now Over 50 issues of the Perfect Pop Co-Op Magazinbe in it’s 2 guises from ‘Sound of the Suburbs’ to ‘In The Club’ but also The 2nd year of Andreas & The Wolf Radio Shows... We’ve put togehter A 2nd free sampler of 5 of our favourite acts played over the last years shows & Half a Dozen + PPCO projects Old and New!

TAGAS

Tagas is born

Tagas was never really part of the plan. He kind of evolved from a culmination of circumstances, like it was fate or always meant to be. He grew from years of writing poems and stories, both of which were important to the way I processed events in my life at the time. It was only as the years went by and as a result of writing songs with a friend of mine, that I began to find my love of creating music.

After the musical collaboration with my friend ended, I started to write songs on my own and could appreciate the value of using music in an open and honest way - in a way that was cathartic and helped me make sense of things. I had grown up loving synth bands, so it felt natural that this would be the direction that Tagas would go in, that I would use electronic music to create a world in which my lyrics could exist alongside erratic bleeps, repetitive drum beats, deep baselines and sequencers. Almost straight away, right from the very first early songs I wrote, it felt like a part of me had found its voice. It was then that Tagas was born.

Tagas grows

Initially Tagas was a very solitary experience. He was almost a journal, somewhere to explore those things that I struggled to process. His music was rarely shared, for fear he divulged too much of me. I was too protective of him and felt it best that he lived his life as a passionate hobby of mine. However, as a result of tentatively sharing Tagas with friends and beginning to believe their words of encouragement, it felt as though the time was right to start letting my music reach out to others. It began to dawn on me that Tagas might be able to connect with people and that the experiences and feelings I wrote about were not unique to me.

The songs of Tagas are universal to all of us. They are songs that explore those darker moments in our lives, when we feel at our most hurt or vulnerable, when we struggle or search for something better, when we don’t know fully who we are, those times when we feel broken.

Tagas lives

It is only now that I can truly see how important Tagas has been in my life. It is only now, as he starts to exist outside of the privacy of my personal world, that I recognise that there might be an audience out there somewhere for him.

It feels like the time is right to reach out to people and find the ones that might be looking for something different, might be looking for something like Tagas, and who might just grow to love his little melancholic universe. You can find more of Tagas online.

Head to Facebook/tagasmusic and like him. Or follow him on SoundCloud.com/tagas-music

What is AtomCollectorRecords.com ?

At its core it is a FREE site where you listen to music and earn credits which you use to get your own music heard. But it is A WHOLE LOT MORE than that - read on!

You can add up to 50 SoundCloud, Spotify, BandCamp, YouTube, ReverbNation & FanBurst tracks. You listen to other musician’s tracks and earn a credit every time you listen for at least 60 seconds. You can vote for your favourite tracks, leave comments and follow their social media accounts.

There’s a chat room which is always friendly and a good laugh. We really do have a fantastic community already and it is growing fast! There are message boards to find collaborators, post upcoming gigs, discuss music promotion, find Spotify playlists, etc.

Tracks that are in play also get added to playlists on various platforms and there is even a weekly radio show featuring selected tracks that is aired on Radio Beacon.

We also make frequent use of Twitter to spread the music so make sure you set up all your social media accounts so you can get tagged and people can follow you. Go to www.AtomCollectorRecords.com and sign up.

Check out the video above and the FAQ for more information. Maybe see you in the chat room! JUXTA JOHN

www.atomcollectorrecords.com

Here’s our latest PPCO guide to our new & fave ‘LIKED’ artists on ACR

Conor Lane

Wide River BetaPSI

Walter Mmari

Lukowig

Dislocated Flowers Juxta

Black Eye Butterfly

Music, Event, Live and Sports Media PR since 2005

Drawing on the knowledge and contacts built up over two decades in the music industry, Manilla Public Relations can offer you the professionalism, work rate and results to meet the demands of all musical styles. Over the years we have handled all manner of campaigns and events from acoustic to punk and we deal with hundreds and hundreds of media contacts from regional radio to flagship national radio and TV shows.

find out more at... manillapr.com

Verity White storms into 2019 with a brand new album Reclaim Set Fire Out on Mar 8th

Fade Away video : youtube.com/watch?v=o-q_Ug1UzCQ&feature=youtu.be

Verity White is an exciting, emerging artist from Cheltenham showcasing a unique and emotional twist on female fronted rock. She takes influences from the 90s scene, mashing it up with synths, strings and intricate vocal lines to create brutal yet beautiful alternative, rock music. Energetic and engaging her band puts on a compelling live show; loved by fans of female fronted rock stalwarts like Dream Wife, Halestorm, Skunk Anasie, Garbage, The Pretty Reckless and She Makes War.

Verity is well recognised in the indie music scene in the U.K. and uses her strong social media presence to actively support mental health awareness, the arts and female empowerment. Her riot grrrl inspired track Own Me was recently chosen by Exposure Skate to feature on the video of their 2018 championships, supporting women in skateboarding.

Prog Radar exclaimed Verity as: “arguably one of the best female artists of her generation”. Recently, Verity and her band have been impressing gig-goers at festivals (Lechlade, FeckFest, Frogfest) and live music venues (Pizza Express Live, Camden Assemly, The Slaughtered Lamb) across the U.K., as well as a live lounge slot on BBC Radio Glos.

They’re now booking dates for their second tour in Spring 2019, to coincide with the release of their eagerly awaited second album, Reclaim;Set Fire. Verity writes with her husband, Alex White who also produces the music, and records at their studio Arpeggio Creative in Gloucestershire. They’re joined on stage by Joe Kelly on bass and Alex McIntosh on drums.

www.veritywhite.com

www.veritywhite.bandcamp.com

www.twitter.com/veebear

www.facebook.com/veritywhiteband

www.instagram.com/Original_Verity

www.youtube.com/TheVeeBear

Manilla PR’s Ones to watch

“Breaking Out fits very well alongside the canon of female artists who found success in the 90s which includes such names as Garbage and PJ Harvey.... White’s debut album is quite novel and incorporates all of those influences with a more modern sound.”

Fireworks magazine

Landed on Your Feet is the brand new single from Glenn Hodge Banned.

Glenn also filmed a special thank you to fans who helped him make the single and video possible. You can see the video at : youtube.com/watch?v=Aku707lFG3A&t=2s

A music man in the style of Frank Turner and according to Billy Bragg - Glenn Hodge’s music is “Really good stuff” . Glenn has previously featured on BBC Radio London.

Glenn himself says “I think of myself as a folk singer but many do not. Maybe alternative folk would better describe my bastardization of the genre? Reviewers have described my lyrics as thought provoking and my musicianship energetic. Perfect Gentleman is my fifth work to be released and is probably the closest to traditional folk music as I have been. Enjoy... please.”

In what he does we find an honesty and passion that is all too rare. This isn’t music written for the A+R department, it’s relevant, resonant and dynamic, both musically and lyrically.

DK1

Born in Ashford, Kent Glenn has made a name for himself on the London stage and has been staring things up around the country throughout the festival season. Alternating between one man shows, and collaborations with a group of musical misfits, Glenn’s live performances are ever changing, but universally powerful. The live experience has been the principal aspect of Glenn’s musical outlook with recordings acting as a snapshot of musical moments. And these recordings are all the stronger for it.

A mix of the thoughtful and playful is ever present in his work. Songs full of energy, catchy and emotive in equal measure showcase his unique talent. 2014 saw the release of his first single. Faces on Tables which demonstrates this combination of thought provoking lyrics, and energetic musicianship. This single release, with accompanying video whet the appetite for what was to come.

A working class ethos formed the backdrop for Hodge’s EP Iconoclast. An irreverent take on the slog that is urban life for a great many Londoners can be found in “Ignoramus” and “C U Next tuesday”, dealing with the gauntlet that is the morning commute and the intense frustration of a working life free from fulfilment.

It’s not difficult to find an empathy for the themes and thoughts on display. An eloquent everyman tackling issues to which we can all relate. Whilst romance is far from absent, tired and trite romanticism is thankfully nowhere to be seen. Be it the thoughtful treatment of his own chosen Genre in “English Folk” or the nature of personal relationships and the home life, there is an honesty and an abundance of passion on display.

www.glennhodge.com www.facebook.com/ GlennHodgeBanned www.twitter.com/ GHodgeBanned

A prolific producer, DK1 has an extensive back catalogue and is re-releasing several of his albums through F&G Records including the piano/acoustic guitar led Into the Woods and Messin’ with Maslow – a more beat driven, electro production.

The new album sees DK1 explore a broad range of styles from acoustic rock to piano ballads to electronica. Many tracks are infused with the artist’s wry sense of humour and each tells a unique story –sometimes global in theme, other times very personal. The infectiously catchy lead single Skinny Jeans is a classic example of how DK1 combines these different elements to create his unique music.

fandg/sets/dk1-coulds-shoulds

Manilla PR’s Ones to watch

Manilla PR’s Ones to watch

What's Happening Harpenden Public Halls?

at

Spring is shaping up to be a busy one for the Halls, with some great live music seeing us through to the early summer.

We kick off the season with the ethereal sounds of MOYA BRENNAN, who is best remembered as the lead vocalist from CLANNAD on Tuesday 2nd April, in what will be an enchanting and intimate evening of traditional Celtic and modern Irish music.

On Saturday 6 th April we welcome HAZEL O’CONNOR for the first time to the Halls, in what will undoubtedly be an unforgettable show. She’s joined by saxophonist Clare Hirst (Communards, David Bowie) and Sarah Fisher (Eurythmics) on keyboards performing all of her hits.

We complete our trio of female performers in April with the superb CHANTEL McGREGOR on 12th April. If you’re a fan of blues-rock then you’ll be completely captivated by her mesmerising performance.

Things get a bit more lively when DREADZONE join us on Sunday 21st April. Don’t worry, it’s not a school night – it’s Easter bank holiday weekend, PLUS a certain band are also supporting, so there’s really no excuse for not coming along! (lovely big poster overleaf!)

TOYAH joins us on 3rd May. Still making a noise, this is a unique chance to experience the high-priestess of punk with a full live band performing a set of her hit singles and classic songs.

April and May sees a few quality tributes swinging by: CILLA & THE SHADES OF THE ‘60S need no explanation and are with us on Tuesday 30th April and THE ZOOTS on Friday 17th May, performing an authentic ‘60s tribute

THE ZOOTS

show featuring music from the Beatles to the Monkees and the Kinks to the Stones and everything in between. If folk/rock is your thing then you really shouldn’t miss out on THE SIMON & GARFUNKEL STORY who join us on Friday 24th May and THE BOB DYLAN STORY on Thursday 6th June.

Meanwhile, our RECOND FAIR on April 13th ties in beautifully with RSD, which means once you’ve thawed out from standing outside Empire Records since 5am, you can pop along to the Halls and get your fill of second hand vinyl. It’s always packed with dealers selling vinyl, CD’s and memorabilia of all genres, and it’s FREE to get in as well, so come along for some crate digging.

We’re already taking bookings for a range of shows over the summer: FROM THE JAM (Saturday 15th June), THE KILKENNYS (Friday 21st June), EDDI READER (Saturday 22nd June), SPECIAL KINDA MADNESS (Friday 5th July) and PETTY CRIMINALS (Saturday 20th July).

Make sure you keep an eye on our website – there’s new shows being added all the time! We hope to see you soon.

Cheers, Glenn (General Manager at the Public Halls)

harpendenpublichalls.co.uk

THE KILKENNYS

Parsons Knows

championing local music

MY LATEST TOP BANDS, ARTISTS & EVENTS!

Springy spring is here!

Very sad to say that The Hare & Hounds events are no more. Elaine & Paul have left the pub! I just wanted to thank them for all their support over the last 3 years putting on live music & supporting original artists rather than doing what most pubs do & just put on covers bands! The ‘Harey’ events were brilliant and such a great community pub… Elaine & Paul – you will be missed but Good Luck for your next adventures and hope to see you at a gig soon! We had an amazing last couple of gigs with songs being written for the pub! Very humbling to see such support. There are videos – check out the newly named FB pagefacebook.com/roseyopenmic

As you can imagine I was worried about finding a new home for these events but seems that I have more support than I realised, and all events have now been covered at other pubs including a new extra event too.

Huge thanks to The Rose & Crown in St Michaels for taking on ‘Rosey Open Mic’ in exactly the same format as before. Looking forward to working with this lovely old pub in a picturesque part of St Albans. Same dates as before –2nd/4th Wednesdays of the month. (see flyer)

The #HareyLounge has kindly been taken by Dave at The Lower Red Lion. Dave is a great supporter of local music. So slight time change – we are no Live@5! The only slight difference with this event will be the audience must be 12+ so kid free zone! But all dogs very welcome – there is even a jar of dog treats on the bar! Another historic pub.

The White Lion were keen to have me too, so we now have another Open Mic Night running on the 1st Tuesday of the month. So, thanks very much to the team there. Looking forward to a new night and another outlet for local music. (See flyer)

So, all in all, local music is safe in St Albans…

In other news I have programmed live music for Larks in The Parks across 3 stages in Fleetville, Victoria Playing Fields & Sopwell for 30/6 – all family friendly events in local parks!

NEW Nights out!!!

I’ve been asked to be one of the judges for M festival line up. Great local festival on 6th July at Marlborough School with upcoming young acts being featured.

Balstock is back this year 13/14/15th September. I will again be hosting the stage at The White Lion with The Tuesday Club confirmed headliners. This is a fab event with so much going on… one of my favourite festivals of the year.

My other favourite festival is ‘The Rickmansworth Festival’ I’m not hosting a stage, but I will be going along to just enjoy the event. Over 2 days 18/19th May – alongside the beautiful canal. can’t wait!

My new website launched a couple of months ago so please go and take a look!

www.theparsonsknow.com great design by 8ecreative

Radio shows going from strength to strength with guests galore.. 5 years old this October!

Thanks to Mathew Turvey for being my assistant this last year!

New releases

Li- Li – the long-awaited album from this fantastic local artist is now available. Over 2 years in the making but worth the wait. Deliciously infectious. Catch her live when you can, and you can hear one of the funniest songs ever – ‘Inflatable Men’ it’s not on the album! I will leave that one to your imagination! Find out more...

facebook.com/Li-LiLiadain-328535777304793/

Jack Hobbs- New album ‘Revival’ another album that’s taken is time to land but again well worth the wait. Jack was my sound engineer at The

Live Music Project for many years & I am delighted that he’s back to his solo act. Jack also runs Jacket Studios over in Childwickury & Jacket Records too !

This is a well written & produced album as you’d expect but I love the richness of sound & you can feel how much of his heart he has put into this project. Checkout ‘The Keys’ which I love & another favourite ‘Go For Gold’ has a lovely jazzy feel.

jackelliotthobbs.com

Southbound – New album ‘Rocking Horse’

These boys are growing up & it’s showing with a slightly more mature offering that showcases how hard they have worked this last couple of years on honing their craft with countless live performances. A tremendous sound engineered & produced by none other than Steve Honest who also produced The Tuesday Club albums! You’d be forgiven for thinking that this band has been around since the 70s – it has that feel & quite frankly its astonishing knowing they are probably still not in their 20’s (or only just!) If you like your blues/rock to be modern with a throwback to the supergroups of the 70s rock scene then you will love this! Find out more here: facebook.com/southboundbandblues

Other new releases worth a quick mention are The Papersnakes, The Greyhound Factory, Charlotte & The Glovers, Pete Jones & Written In Ink.

Thanks for reading – please come check out some live music with me when you can & don’t forget to tune in every Monday night on 92.6Fm radioverulam.com for my radio show!

Thank

theparsonsknows.com

soundcloud.com/denise-parsons-1 facebook.com/theparsonsknows

twitter.com/RVparsonsknows

Eat Life Productions is a collective of specialists in branding, media and promotions.

"We work for small independent businesses, not for profits and community groups, who want a branding and social media campaign that is definitely not 'corporate' but reflects who they are and what they are about."

We are about showcasing the people, their story & their heart; sparking the connection. We are about #communityovercompetition

"Grass Roots, Old Skool Super Cool, Affordable, Visual Appeal, Indie"

“We are also Independent producers of radio, podcasts and video content for various social and media channels, including Eat Life TV and Eat Life Radio”

Street Food StAlbans

Since 2016, St Albans has been hungrily watching as the vintage food trucks rolled into Hitchin, Hertford, Welwyn and Hatfield every summer, for the fabulous Street Food Monthly. All around Hertfordshire, towns centres are creating vibrant community events while championing hardworking foodie entrepreneurs, several of whom have gone on to take the plunge into bricks and mortar.

However, we’ve had some great news. Get your glad rags on, grab friends and family and get ready to head to Christopher Place and Street Food St Albans!

This new, fantastic familyfriendly event, is on the second Friday of every month starting May 10th. It is open to everyone, no age restrictions and it will be amazing. There’s going to be street food truck/ trailers including Peddling Pizza, where every pizza is hand stretched to order with their own 24 hour slow fermented dough, using just four ingredients (keep an eye out for the seasonal Figgy Stardust) peddlingpizza.co.uk

Dapper Dog Hotdogs will also be joining the crew. Try their Cubano, (pork sausage topped with maple pulled ham hock, Monterey Jack cheese, gherkins, mustard mayo and

sriracha). Or try their Vegan Afel, with a hand crafted vegan sausage. dapperdoghotdogs.com and other street food vendors to be added as it grows. Hot food prices will be £5-£9. Local indie business, Tomoka Spirits Boutique, tomokaspiritsboutique.co.uk are going to be running the bar for all the boozy needs, with local distillery offerings including, Black Bridge Blue Admiral Gin, Puddingstone and

pistachio baklava sandwiching a layer of sweet cream ice cream.

Christopher Place will be laying out toys for the children, there will be live music from local performers and the fun runs through the evening, from 5-10pm. Top quality food, drink and entertainment in the heart of the city.

The brain child of the winner of the 2018 St Albans and Hertfordshire Food & Drink Award Best Market Stall, community champion and self-confessed pizza nerd, Adam Atkins (Peddling Pizza), Street Food St Albans is a community initiative with Christopher Place. To quote Adam “it’s gonna be epic!”

Street Food St Albans feels really rock ‘n’ roll to us. Like any gig, a big turnout will lead to a more diverse offering. We can’t wait for the launch on May 10th, love the collaborative approach and we are looking forward to seeing St Albans city centre get it’s Friday night groove on - grass roots style. We’re awarding Adam and the crew our #SuperKoolOldSchool ‘thumbs up’ for this initiative.

You can find Street Food St Albans on SM including Instagram

Flowerbomb. Local ice creamery like no other, Darlish, darlish.com will be rolling in their very elegant ice cream cart and serving up Persian inspired, naturally flavoured, ice creams and sorbets. You have to check out their Baklava Ice Cream Sandwich, luxury

#streetfoodstalbans

@peddlingpizzas

@darlishicecream

@dapperdoghotdogs

@tomokaspiritsboutique

WIN STREET FOOD GOODIES with Eat Life Productions EXCLUSIVE NON COMPETITIVE COMPETITION!

Here: facebook.com/EatLifeProductions

Sounds of the Suburbs

Sound of the Suburbs is a record shop in Ruislip. On 13th April though record store day - it makes its debut as a record label, with the release of a 12" EP featuring punk bands Religion Equals Decay (R.E.D.) and Who Killed Nancy Johnson?

Sounds of the Suburbs Sessions no. 001 is the first of what are planned to be a series of releases. The inspiration for them comes from the John Peel sessions: and as in those days, the bands involved went into a studio and recorded fresh versions of two of their songs, exclusively for this release.

Limited to 300 copies and with a choice of white, black or red vinyl, this first release includes another exclusive, in that Who Killed Nancy Johnson's second track, Blood in the Soil, hasn't been released before and won't be re-recorded, so this really is the only way to get it. All proceeds from selling this first EP will go towards funding the next one. It's hoped in this way that the series will become a living record of current bands doing new things, just as the old Peel sessions were.

You can get a copy of the EP direct from Tony at Sounds of the Suburbs - email him on soundsofthesuburbs@yahoo.co.uk - or via Who Killed Nancy Johnson's Bandcamp page www.wknancyj.bandcamp.com