In the Club Magazine Issue 044 - June/July 2020

FROM THE TCS & ALL AT THE PPCO STAY STRONG & KEEP ON KEEPING ON!!!

Dear Tuesday Clubbers and Pop Pickers!

Welcome to our Socially distanced Summer Issue (No.44) of In the Club Magazine, last time we spoke there was a loo roll crisis, since then all hell has broken loose I’m sure you’re all aware?!?!... as ever we at Perfect Pop will stick to what we know best to talk about... er, and that’s not a lot more than music and supporting the bands, shops and artists we admire!...

So here goes... with the dearth of anything approaching ‘gig like’, we’ve done a bit of ferreting around to find some alternatives for your lockdown pleasure...

A serious lack of TC action has resulted in little more than a Monday zoom where our rehearsals once were and most members of the band resorting to the oh so 70s hobby of making Airfix aeroplanes... (not I hasten to add, I was always more Subbuteo, but with it locked down at my mums)... I shan’t be painting any of the two thousand or so ‘naked’ fans I haven’t yet added to my stadium edition... Despite said lack of anything tangible, it’s not true that we haven’t met up once since lockdown... in fact it was last week in a field between St.Albans and Harpenden... click the youtube button above this intro... (if you haven’t already) and see what 3 months of no barbers has done to my barnet!

Oh and one date for your diaries... 18th July 2021 The TCs are very proud to be playing the first ever Fletcher’s Farm fest as part of a stellar line up promoted and curated by our friends at Manilla PR

In other and probably more exciting news for the PPCO, the long awaited Andreas & The Wolf vinyl LPs have a arrived at HQ and by golly do they look FAB! You can read more about them, the release date (sadly no longer launch party... though there is talk of a 2021 celebration of the fact) and where you can buy them,

having secured a physical distribution pact! In case you can’t be bothered to read on after this intro... IT’S OUT ON OCTOBER 9TH and is a LIMITED EDITION of 100 TRANSLUCENT HEAVY WEIGHT GREEN VINYLS...

In other news, the Minx gives us an insight into lockdown Russian style, there are new releases from Scant Regard, She Made Me Do It, a Pete Jones & Leigh Heggarty collaboration single & albums by Dislocated Flowers and Who Killed Nancy Johnson. We have a wealth of interviews from Manilla PRs ever eclectic and star studded roster, we have a feature on Denise Parsons local music expert on how she’s coped with no shows since March! And also the return in more ways than one of the fantastic Empire Records, back open and ready for business!

Other new stuff in this months mag includes a new discovery by us via Shoreditch Radio... MUR MAN and we showcase a fab new comic book STARMAN... The Man Who Sewed The World, where cartoonist Paul B. Rainey adapts Lee (Blair’s brother) Scriven’s musical of the same name which mythologises events surrounding David Bowie’s stunning metamorphosis courtesy of the brilliance of master tailor Freddie Burretti.

Obviously as things stand the likelihood of seeing anymore than a small group of you from a social distance (Hey that sounds like a TCs gig!) seems doubtful, but as we’ve had no confirmation to the contrary and things seem to change hourly we’ve left some forthcoming dates on the next page with big ‘?’s next to them, by the next mag (September) you’ll either have seen us at the 02 or are champing excitedly at the bit for your long awaited October gig return at the Andreas & The Wolf Album launch... OR, you’ll just see us back here with no clue on the future state of live music... Rest assured that once we do get the go ahead we will be attempting to re-book all of our cancelled 2020 dates.

In the meantime please keeping listening to the Andreas & The Wolf Radio show, please pre-order the vinyl, keep sharing the mag and social posts and sending the love to all of your locked down bands and artists in anyway you can, cos we need you and miss you! Be safe and hopefully see you by the next mag!

DATE NIGHT 2020?

THE TUESDAY CLUB, West Street Live. Sheffield

THURS 25 June 2020

THE TUESDAY CLUB, 02 Islington Academy

GENE LOVES JEZEBEL

SUPPORT - rescheduled

SAT 30 May 2020

SAT 22ND AUGUST

Andreas & The Wolf

The Barn. St.Albans, ALBUM LAUNCH

FRI 9 Oct 2020

THE TUESDAY CLUB, FARMERS BOY. St.Albans, Halloween Special SAt 31 Oct 2020

THE TUESDAY CLUB, FLETCHERS FARM FEST

Middlesbrough

SAT 18 July 2021

Thanks to: Design @andy8ecreative Content: Brad Wigglesworth, Andrew Trussler, Denise Parsons, Will Crewdson, David Newbold, Mandy McNeil, Graham O’Brien, Steve Honest, Manilla PR, Stephen Manuel, John Viney, Pete Ringmaster, Karen Lui, Roger Millington, The Minx, Atom Collector Records, Empire Records, Julie Hamill, Kevee Lynch, Grae Wall, Alan Hawkins, J-Rod TC

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!

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

Follow us!

@andreasandtwolf

instagram.com/andreasandthewolf andreasandthewolf.co.uk

This show was recorded remotely for the first the fourth month in a row due to our enforced isolation... we hope that this doesn’t detract from your listening experience... Have no fear, we can guarantee at least as any mistakes as usual!

ALL I WANT IS YOU EP 29.06.2020

Andreas & The Wolf have been partners in crime for many full moons, both as musicians, djs & label owners (Perfect Pop Co-Op). Their cult radio show is now in it’s 2nd year mixcloud.com/perfectpopcoop but they’ve been in bands longer: The Scratch, The Dodo, The Bleeed, Reverse Family & finally The Tuesday Club, (Where these personas were honed) and now as their own fully fledged ‘Alt Electronica’ duo.

An album born in the 80’s, conceived in the last decade, but born for NOW Fountain of Truth

The NEW EP ALL I WANT IS YOU; GOD’S GIFT, PLAY UP CHARLIE is released on Monday 29th JUNE through Perfect Pop Co-op & Blackdogmusic.net

The 9 Track album - Fountain of Truth: will be released in home town St.Albans at an exclusive party on Friday 9th of October at The Barn (The Horn), Victoria Street, St.Albans, AL1 3TE

hear the ep: ALL I WANT IS YOU, GOD’S GIFT, PLAY UP CHARLIE...

andreasandthewolf.bandcamp.com/ album/all-i-want-is-you-ep

See the video: ALL I WANT IS YOU andreasandthewolf/alliwantisyou

Follow us!

@andreasandtwolf

instagram.com/andreasandthewolf

andreasandthewolf.co.uk

NEW EP available from all digital stores 29th June 2020

See the video: ALL I WANT IS YOU

Great BIG thanks to the mighty Pete Ringmaster for this our first review of the forthcoming album. We’ve printed it from his website and also here’s a link via his facebook page...

RINGMASTERREVIEWINTRODUCES.

WORDPRESS.COM/2020/03/16/ANDREASAND-THE-WOLF-FOUNTAIN-OF-TRUTH

“An uncomplicated yet richly woven electro pop serenade swift captivation. Guitar & synth embrace their melodic hearts around the inimitable tones of Andreas, sleight but fertile hooks”

RINGMASTER REVIEW

ONLINE ?

WORLD IN SUNLIGHT - NEW SINGLE FROM PETE JONES & LEIGH HEGGARTY (RUTS Dc)

Recorded during the lockdown at JAM UK studios. Leigh Heggarty plays guitars, Pete Jones does everything else...

“I’ve no idea what the song is about other than it was a lockdown collaboration between me and Leigh. He wrote 5 tracks of guitar and I did the rest. He says, the repetitive nature of the guitar riff that builds through the song reflects the repetitive nature of this lockdown, building to a frenzy towards the end. Sounds about right for a load of bollox.”

digital download only

release date 24th July

Pete Jones - Leigh Heggarty (Ruts DC)

Close To Nowhere...

So rumour has it that Jamie Tayler, Pete Renzullo and Jordan (aka J-Rod TC) have all got bored enough during lockdown to start up a little corner of Recharged Radio again. Apparently, it’ll take the form of a live stream on YouTube (yup, they’re going to be Youtubers... make of that what you will) and will go under the ‘Close to Nowhere’ monniker, as all three hosts are in different parts of the world these days, it’ll be broadcast from as close to...er... nowhere... as you can get. What we know for certain is that a pilot has been recorded, it’ll be about an hour long with some music, animations and Jamie and Jordan still thinking that they’re funnier than they actually are. More info as we get it but keep an eye on Scudley Records’ YouTube channel and FB page in the meantime. If nothing else, it’s impetus for the TC to record a new video to send to them!

‘Mic check’ 1-2

It’s been a few long years since the demise of the much loved Recharged Radio... with many of it’s stars scattered to the four winds... so it was with great excited one of the aforementioned has been tracked down to the good old US of A our own J-Rod TC caught up with mighty Mike Lidskin

So, how are you keeping...?!

Hey Jordan and Andy! We’ve been keeping safe and healthy here under quarantine. I’ve been fortunate enough to work from home for the past 14 weeks. Honestly, I’ve got family, food, internet, and a roof over my head. Also, a nice big backyard, so we’re not hemmed in too much. And with less traffic out there, our neighborhood is quieter. We hear lots of birds all the time.

Have you still been broadcasting from home?

I’ve been broadcasting live from home more than ever! The studio where I produced Twirl Radio closed down in mid-March, due to quarantining, so I picked up a second day on Woody Radio. This isn’t really public yet, but it’s official: I’ve left the station, and am going to be doing all my radio at Woody Radio, even after quarantine is over. I like broadcasting from home, am having a lot of fun with it, and I’ve even sorted the tech to enable live radio interviews (see next question--I just have a feeling you’re going to ask me about my gear.)

Boring tech stuff (cos someone will want to know) - what’s your home studio made from and made up of?

My home studio is a small, 7’x7’ space on the far side of the kitchen, next to the sliding glass back door to our patio. It’s not soundproofed, and in fact, it has hardwood floors and lots of hard surfaces, which can get rather echoey. Because of that, it’s all about the legendary Shure SM-58 microphone--the “vocalist’s mic”. With its close-in cardioid pattern, it rejects pretty much all background noise, which is why I can get away with broadcasting in a non-soundproof space. Since it’s XLR, I have it going into a small Behringer Q802 USB mixer. That plugs into my Windows 10 laptop, and our station software takes care of the rest. Fun note: I plug my cell phone into one of the channels on the mixer, and that enables me to do interviews via phone, Skype, or any number of software programs. But for curious technical reasons too hard to explain, when I’m conducting interviews, I wear a set of earbuds to talk to my guest, underneath a set of headphones, to monitor the radio show. Over to music now; has anyone sent in anything that they’ve recorded while they’ve had some time on their hands?

I’ve received a lot of music over the past three months, although admittedly, most of it was already in the works. I do know that many musicians have been doing Facebook Live shows on the internet, some of us for Woody Radio, including Dolph Chaney (from Chicago)

Mike Lidskin chats to J-Rod TC for a Recharged reunion

and Lindy LaFontaine (from Oakland, CA).

If they have, what tracks/artists have stood out?

A few albums:

Sunshine Boys (Work And Love)

Anton Barbeau (Kenny vs Thrust)

Migrant Pickers (Beat This Town)

A few single tracks:

Kat Jones (Blood Under The Redwoods)

Dolph Chaney (If I Write It Down)

Corner Laughers (Sisters Of The Pollen)

And do check out what’s going on over at Big Stir Records. They’re doing an incredible job of bringing together independent artists, and even forging alliances with other record labels. They’re doing a full release schedule, even during the pandemic. A good place to start is with their weekly singles series. The music is needed now, more than ever.

Musically, what have you missed most during lockdown?

I really miss having musicians perform live in the radio studio. I am definitely working out the tech for having them come to my home studio, once we’re all safe to do so.

Which band(s) are you planning to see first when you get your freedom back?

I’ll be looking forward to seeing the Natalie Cortez Band, from right here in Sacramento, and The Corner Laughers, when they visit from Sacramento. Dream trip: to go to Chicago in September and see Sunshine Boys (in their rescheduled album release show), with The Bobbleheads opening up for them.

One personal question: Roger and Jordan from the Tuesday Club have regressed to their 10 year old selves and have started making model aircraft (they swear that they’re not in competition with one another) - have any past hobbies come back to light over the last few months?

Well, aside from cooking--a lot, growing vegetable, and drinking more coffee, um, I’m growing my hair longer than it’s been since the 1990s. It’s just an experiment, to see if I still can!

Finally - and obviously - where can you listen to your show these days?

My shows can be heard on Woody Radio--www.woodyradio.com, or find Woody Radio on the TuneIn Radio app. I’m on live from California on Tuesday nights, 8-11pm Pacific time (4-7am Wednesday mornings in the UK), and Saturday mornings, 10am-2pm Pacific (6-10pm in the UK). Great chatting with you, and please say hello to the old Recharged Radio gang for me!

From the heavy riffs and kinetic new wave sensibility of Love’s Demise to their incredible take on The Cure’s Three Imaginary Boys to the dark, dense and heavy pounding of Poison Aura, this EP is a rollercoaster trip inside the band’s hook-laden psyche.

shemademedoit.bandcamp.com/album/ scorched-e-p

THREE IMAGINARY BOYS

"A Sci-fi tinged mission to bombard your senses"

Full on surf guitar intertwined with fat electro beats to elegantly mash your psyched up frontal lobe.

Scant Regard’s 6th album, You Know The Drill embarks on a sci-fi tinged mission to bombard your senses with Will’s

trademark frenetic twanging guitar placed deftly on an electronic bed of beats. From the sarcastic knowingness of Ulterior Motives to the brooding mournful soundscape of Heart Torn Blood Ratio, You Know The Drill is all banger, no clanger.

scantregard.com/store

In the club

This month we are delighted to welcome Sarah Garrod, who writes, sings and plays multiple instruments for the band Zara. Look out for the “Breakables” EP, recorded with our old friend, Mr Steve Honest.

We’re sitting in the cyber pub doing this interview and it’s our round. What would you like to drink? Mine’s a Babycham with a cherry (on the rare occasion I drink alcohol)

What was the last thing you heard or watched that was so good, you had to tell someone about it?

True Blood

What does Punk Rock mean to you? I grew up in the Suffolk countryside where nothing at all was going on, except for a few cows and pigs and Punk Rock (bands like the Addicts, the Stupids). I was classed as a weirdo because I got into futuristic synth rock. Punk was the beginning of everything for me, and I still support the DIY way of doing things.

Who was the first artist you paid to see?

Gary Numan

Who is the most influential person in your life? David Bowie. I admire his lifelong quest for originality and experimentation.

Sarah (ZARA)

Which song do you wish you had written? Avoiding the obvious hits, I’ll go for “Many of Horror” - Biffy Clyro. I’m not a great fan of the band but the song hits me right between the eyes.

What would you older self tell your 16 year old self? Hang on in there. Things will get better. I’d give myself a big hug.

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

Right now I see the internet as a malevolent force - we are all being sucked into never-ending Zoom meetings and bedroom music videos during lockdown. I want face-toface music back in sweaty underground venues, where I can see the whites of their eyes.

What four things would you put in a time capsule? My book of backstage selfies (taken at every gig I have played , most of these small venues have closed down, some just for Corona, but its a historic record); some of my broad bean seeds; one of my Cyanotype blueprints; my Fostex 4 track cassette recorder.

I'm working on some new material in Lockdown , it will be a new gothrock EP. Really missing the band and gigging . I was despondent to begin with, with all the death and disaster going on, but now its all starting to drip out in new lyrics and songs .

If you had a time machine and could go back to any year in music, what would it be and why? It would be sometime in the 80’s, we’ve gone downhill since then musically. I loved the New Romantic Era for its energy and flair. I also missed out on the grunge era so I would happily relive that, preferably in Seattle.

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

Captain Kirk in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

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

Whirly-gig. More colourful than your average goth club. I could dance all night. Ahhhh clubs, don’t get me started - it could be yonks until they re-open.

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, or those instruments)

Guitar - Dean Fertita , Vox - me, Backing Vox - Pete Murphy, SynthsAmanda Kramer, Bass - Peter Hook, Drums - Dave Grohl

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

“What are you working on now?”

I’m working on some new material in Lockdown , it will be a new gothrock EP. Really missing the band and gigging . I was despondent to begin with, with all the death and disaster going on, but now its all starting to drip out in new lyrics and songs .

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

www.facebook.com/listenZara

www.zaramusic.co.uk

insta: @Zara_band

Photo by Alan Hawkins

Based on the fable of Freddie Burretti, David Bowie’s very close friend & key early 70s Ziggy Stardust costume collaborator.

The comic-book is 40 pages, full-colour cover, two-colour interiors. It’s designed and printed to look like a 7’’ single. For £7.00.

In 1970, Freddie Burretti left his hometown of Bletchley and moved to London. Fate led him to become a close friend of David Bowie. Together they created the Starman persona that propelled Bowie into rock super-stardom. In Starman, Freddie Burretti; The Man Who Sewed The World, cartoonist Paul B. Rainey adapts Lee Scriven’s musical of the same name which mythologises those events. Rainey sets out to capture the positive and energetic spirit of the original production using the silent artform of comics.

Starman: The Man Who Sewed The World is the story of Freddie Burretti, a young, working class gay man living in Bletchley, now part of the very young new town, Milton Keynes.

Freddie is passionate about designing and making clothes and dreams of one day meeting his “Starman”. Unfortunately, 1960s Bletchley isn’t an ideal place to be if you’re young, talented and gay with dreams of changing the world. Freddie’s family are concerned for him, his friends don’t understand him and he’s often the victim of torments from local thugs.

Eventually, Freddie decides to accept his uncle’s offer of work in his tailor’s shop and moves to London. There he establishes a life for himself in which he feels accepted by his new colleagues and friends.

One night during the early 1970s, he meets his “Starman”, a young, imaginative musician with dreams of pop super-stardom. The two strike up a close friendship and partnership that results in the creation of a pop persona the likes of which no one has seen before. One night in 1972, after a memorable appearance on Top Of The Pops, Freddie’s Starman achieves international success.

My comic-strip version of the story is an adaptation of the musical written by Lee Scriven, created with permission from and in cooperation with the author. I’ve attempted to capture the spirit of Lee’s production in forty pages using an artform that doesn’t have any sound.

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 the Atom Collector GANG!

Dislocated Flowers Juxta Trendlaser

Gweniplodokus

Aja NB (Aja Novolia) Black Eye Butterfly Mysterioso

Beats for Change

M U R M A N

Forming in 2018 through a Gumtree ad, three-piece MURMAN have gone on to deliver high energy, raucous live gigs. Inspired by post-punk and indie classics, David Murdoch, Abbi Knell and Loz Blundell of MURMAN create emotion-driven songs, through relatable lyrics, reverb-fuelled guitar hooks, and driving bass and drums.

Their first release, ‘Christian Boys’ was produced by David Allen (The Cure), and their latest single, ‘Panama’ was produced by Wayne Adams (JOHN (TimesTwo)). MURMAN have since drawn large crowds supporting the likes of Lucia & The Best Boys and ShitKid, playing venues including Scala, Camden Assembly, Old Blue Last and The Windmill.

You can find out more about the band and upcoming gigs over at their website here: murmanband.com and head over to Spotify to have a listen to their releases here: spotify

YouTube: MURMAN

Instagram: @murmanband

Soundcloud: murmanmusic

Facebook: MURMAN

MUR MAN - Panama

THE MINX DIARY

pics by Stephen Manuel

The Minx is back in the Club. Minx have missed cowbell too much. Was time to come back in new disguise and spy more on Club of Tuesday. This also involve changing some minions and auditioning new. Minx has now upgraded to select few of best minions. Continue quest for rid world of disgust shoe and have survived summer of much flip-flop.

MONDAY

Minx cannot believe is so long since last diary and writing at start of lockdown. Now living in country pile, Minx Mansion, is very different life. Chief Minion much happier as has more room in house for man cave. I snort at this, much better to have Minx Cave. Much more fun for all in there.

Have manage to not kill Chief Minion in lockdown, nor any Minion for that matter. Minx not known for patience, though have many other virtue. Having less Minion to take core of Minx is more difficult but still can manage. Having 2 sheds now, in garden so what Minion left, are comfortable has help as happy Minion also help happy Minx. Of course, Chief Minion live in house with Minx as have said before. Boredom is big problem. Minx to not like to do nothing. Well, Minx do nothing anyway, but when enforced nothing is boring and Minions also get bored at Minx do nothing. Is not good.

So, Minx try to do some new skill to try improve lockdown. Read up on ‘top things to do in lockdown’ and will work through each day until find something Minx like. Today Minx and Minions try online keep fit. Everyone tell me to get fit with personal trainer. Check out some. Cannot listen to the man Joe Wicks, The Body Coach though he very skilful with keep fit and apparently the best. He sound like Cockney Rebel Lahndaner, and Minx do not do Apples and Pears Cor Blimey Guvnor, so download app instead call Six Pack In 30 Days. Have never heard of a six pack? Sound like something builder Minion has at end of day. Only exercise I like in whole routine is Russian Twist, so just do 20 minutes of that. Feel bit sick afterward which make Minx most disgust. Have to suck many mint to settle stomach.

Try yoga but has such silly name of pose, give up after Downward Dog as sound like a pub and Minx miss pub so have cheeky Monday drink.

TUESDAY

Minion tell me I can sit and twiddle thumbs today. I try for a while but is boring. What is point? Exercise for thumbs? Minx drinking a lot of lockdown tea. Builders’ tea, very strong with lot of sugar and shot of vodka. Builder Minion keep telling me that builder tea do not have vodka in but I tell him obviously British Builders are namby pamby men. Minx have more hair on chest than British Builder. (Of course, is metaphorical not literal. Is joke!)

To go with copious amount of builder tea, Minx decide to try and bake. Lovely Banana Bread #bananabread is trend. Of course Minx supervise Minion to mix ingredients and put in oven, but Minx bake!! Banana bread is good but do not last long in Minx household. But baking put big tick on lockdown list.

WEDNESDAY

Minx try gardening today. Minion cut lawn to within an inch of its life. Looks very neat and neighbours vastly approve. (Minx make note to let grass lawn grow and order lawn green, green grass of home fertilizer.)

Minx make Builder Minion make hammock for Minx. As all shops close, get him to cut up spare bed for to make hammock frame. No one come to visit in lockdown. No one come to visit anyway as Minx’ family in depths of wildest Russian forest living on Kvas and cigars and Minx’ friends are non-exist.)

Hammock a success. Minx love gardening.

THURSDAY

In top things to do in lockdown it say at number 8, to write novel. Minx considered writing book for many times. Many famous Russian authors with top selling book. Many books about Russia. Russia very famous for literature.

Minx order notebooks and 6 different pack of pen as is very important to have right implement, along with writing desk and bureau new chair, very old antique typewriter from eBay (for inspiration and look nice on shelves for Instagram) and job lot of filing cabinet. Minx then exhaust and feel very accomplished. Writing is success.

FRIDAY

A good thing to do in lockdown, article say, is to learn new language. Pah! Am already speaker of perfect English language. Am novelist, after all, so I perfect example of Minx ability for masterful capture of language. Minx love words. But learning language not necessary. So look at other courses online.

Try online mind reading but no successful. Video lesson on Pre-record, so how possible?

Minion (Chief) and I try online pottery course – end up like film Ghost. More clay on us than on table. Builder Minion say first contraption he build for make pottery wheel, using kitchen table, rotary washing line whirly thing and microwave, did not work, but using electric drill, toilet seat and washing up bowl work more successful. Still, decide do not like pottery. Laptop now covered in clay so look like Fred Flintstone computer.

SATURDAY

Minx decide to do organising and writing down goals for 2020 (now have 50 notebooks delivered). This is good thing also to do in lockdown. Is more frustrate than anything though. Make goals to ‘go out’, ‘do not do online learning’, ‘do more hammock testing gardening’. Is easy to write list but do not make Minx feel better.

So try organising part instead. A ‘good clear out’ as Builder Minion say. So much rubbish in Minx household. Always is after moving.

So have a lot of items now listed online shop. Minion has persuade Minx to edit shoe collection. Minx take lot of persuade but make more room for more shoes when shops open again.

Did not realise how long take to list items for sale online. It take Minion hours. Choose eBay for shop as refuse to use Shpock as silly name and sound like Scottish man from Star Trek series. Beam me up Scotty.

Minx also try to eBay spare Minion who is taking up room in 2nd shed and not that useful, but eBay say not allow sell live people. Now ‘spare’ Minion apologise for try to bulk sell ALL Minx shoe and has promise to buy more for Minx. He forgiven. He quite sweet really.

Spare Minion tell me I need to get PayPal. Sound good. Like a Pen Pal but one who give Minx money! Selling online a success.

SUNDAY

Minx bored again. List finished so nothing left to do. Minions are obsess with watch TV and films. They subscribe to all boxset channels. They watch lot of gangster bad boy movie. They tell me they have done the whole series of The Sopranos. Am surprised and a bit impressed as did not know Minions liked opera.

Minx demand remote control and have found TV Guide and search feature. There is Russian programme call Sunny Bunnies. Is crazy film about multi coloured rabbits getting into trouble. Strange, film only last 5 minutes. But now means can watch more. Watch all 104 episodes. Minx now obsess with Sunny Bunnies. Make Minx happy.

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.

This month our mates at Manilla PR have got on the interviewing bandwagon with us and fired some quickfire questions to some of their current roster...

LE FIL

What are you listening to right now?

My next single! It’s so fun and I’m currently in planning mode and working on some choreo for it so have been listening to it a lot. Aside from that, Charli XCX’s new lockdown album is fab. I’ve been following her journey on all the socials. She’s got a lovely large house doesn’t she?!

Who was the first musician you paid to see? Spice Girls and it was amazing. Though there was only four of them at the time. I convinced my sisters to take me and drive us an hour down the motorway into Manchester to watch it. I had a ball! Last year’s stadium shows were fab too, and I finally got to see Geri stomp about too.

What have you been reading lately?

Call Me By Your Name, I wanted some fairytale romance during this quarantine and finished it a bit too quickly. Also, I’ve spent a lot of time reading a giant Jean Paul Gaultier coffee table book full of anecdotes and interviews. It’s so hard reading those large books, the text is tiny and my thighs go numb from the weight of it all! Right now I’m reading ‘Diaries Of A Drag Queen’ by my drag queen friend and singing buddy Crystal Rasmussen. To clarify, I sometimes dabble with drag as part of my work with Sink The Pink – but I’m more of an androgynous boy in case anyone asks.

Which song do you wish you had written?

Who is the most influential person in your life? My parents, I have so much admiration for them working hard to bring up such an amazing family with not a lot. I don’t think it’s ever been easy, but they show what can be achieved with love, commitment and energy, and for that, I’m so grateful. Professionally, I’d say Melanie C. Working with her whilst on tour this last year with Sink The Pink has lit a fire in me. We visited so many countries and seen how much music can touch and unite everyone, and it’s so inspiring.

Which song do you wish you had written?

Creatively, I’d have to say all of Anonhi/Antony & The Johnson’s album ‘I’m a Bird Now’. It’s so beautiful and raw. Business wise, it’d be Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas. It’s such a genius song, and it gets to Number One every year. It’s quite literally an annually guaranteed chart hit for decades. Retirement fund sorted. Iconic.

We’re at the bar. What are you drinking? Whatever you’re buying. Or a classic and chic Hendricks and Tonic please. I have drank a lot less this year actually, and I’m not even a big drinker to begin with. I have been known to ask for a mug of hot water at the bar, don’t judge me!

Who would you dread getting stuck in a lift with?

Someone who wasn’t wearing a mask! There’s

'Creatively, I'd have to say all of Anonhi/Antony & The Johnson's album

'I'm a Bird Now'.

actually not many people I’d dread being stuck in a lift with. Even if there’s someone I dislike, I can always find some common ground to interact with them and get us both out of there. I think that’s the Northernness in me. Being gay, femme and Chinese, I’ve definitely had to defuse many a situation in the past!

What did you want to be when you grew up?

I’ve always wanted to be an artist, to be creative, or entertain and sing. I grew up to Kylie Minogue as my sister used to play her videos for me. In fact, I only ever really spoke Cantonese as a child and I learnt English while watching her and singing things like ‘I Should Be So Lucky’. I found myself quite at ease with all things creative like drawing, sculpting and making costumes. I even studied ceramics and made performance art! But music was my first love, and it’s the thing that allows me to explore all sides of my creativity – making videos, doing my clothes, choreo, websites, imagery. I love all of it!

What would your older self tell your 16 year old self?

There’s no such thing as being normal, it’s all a mirage! Enjoy being creative and sing all the time. Fight for the opportunities to do the things that make you happy and through your art, you will naturally become the person you want to be. Seize every

opportunity and take in every moment as the next couple of years can be overwhelming, and you don’t want to feel like you’ve missed them. Enjoy being you!

When can we see you live?

Oh, ask Boris. I miss performing live! We had so many exciting events lined up, especially for Pride season, which sadly may not happen now. Pride is such an important moment in the global calendar for the visibility of the LGBTQIA community everywhere, and it’s upsetting not to be able to celebrate with everyone this year. Hopefully, we can do something extra special when we’re fully allowed back out. Otherwise, keep an eye on the virtual world.

How can we find out more about you?

I love chatting with people so get in touch via my socials Instagram, Facebook, Twitter You can also find all my music and videos on my website, with lots of my artwork to explore too over on www.lefil.co.uk Whilst your there, sign up to my mailing list and keep an eye, as I’ll also be launching a special Patreon account this summer for all my Le Fans with exclusive content and lots of my ‘Pop Sculpture’ - pop culture as a work of art!

What are you listening to right now?

Just re discovered a band called the Virgins and the album from 2008 called ‘the Virgins’

Who was the first musician you paid to see? Blur

What have you been reading lately?

‘Anything is possible’ by Elizabeth Strout. Highly recommended.

Who is the most influential person in your life? Mmm that is a hard one. I can’t say really.

Which song do you wish you had written? Reptile by the Citizens

We’re at the bar. What are you drinking?

Rum and Coke

Who would you dread getting stuck in a lift with?

Nigel Farage

What did you want to be when you grew up?

A musician

What would your older self tell your 16 year old self?

Do the right thing all the time, write more songs

When can we see you live?

As soon as the lockdown is lifted. We had shows booked in the UK and Italy and we had to cancel all of them. I guess we are all on the same boat

How can we find out more about you?

Instagram.com/matineebandofficial Facebook.com/thematineeband

www.matineeband.net

What are you listening to right now?

John Lee Hooker Detroit Recordings

Who was the first musician you paid to see? Maybe the Sensational Alex Harvey Band

What have you been reading lately? Sherlock Holmes- Comfort reading!

Who is the most influential person in your life? A hard one , as it changes through life - but I guess my Mum and Dad shaped my way of looking at the world from an early age

Which song do you wish you had written? Song to the Siren by Tim Buckley

We’re at the bar. What are you drinking? I’m dreaming of a pint of Guinness

Who would you dread getting stuck in a lift with? Robert Plant after he’s just had a plate of beans for breakfast…

What did you want to be when you grew up? In the early 70’s it was a member of Pink Floyd or Roxy Music

What would your older self tell your 16 year old self? Lighten up, be confident , have fun , work hard at what you love

When can we see you live?

I have gigs in late November with great Taranta musician Mauro Durante scheduled for November @justinadamsmaurodurante fingers crossed

How can we find out more about you?

Check out my albums Ribbons, Desert Road and Burning Men

What would your older self tell your 16 year old self?

JUSTIN ADAMS

“Lighten up, be confident, have fun , work hard at what you love.”

What are you listening to right now?

Angel/ Sarah Mclachlan

Who was the first musician you paid to see? Madonna when I was junior high school.

What have you been reading lately?

Haruki Murakami

Who is the most influential person in your life? My Mother

Which song do you wish you had written? A song for you

We’re at the bar. What are you drinking?

Margarita

Who would you dread getting stuck in a lift with?

Eddie Redmayne

What did you want to be when you grew up? An actress

What would your older self tell your 16 year old self? Never give up. Study hard!

When can we see you live? At the moment, it is difficult to say but Planning in Sep.

How can we find out more about you? Please seen my Web or Facebook. naomisuzuki.co.uk facebook.com/naomi.suzuki.9659

ONTHESCENE, LIKEA RECORD MACHINE!

In unbeliveable times, it’s truly unbelieveable that it’s been three and a half years since we last caught up with the guys from pur favourite record shop. Empire Records, here we aim to put that and the world to rights!

Hi guys and thanks for taking time to chat, first off how are you both safe and well we hope? Empire was closed during lockdown from 23 March and has only just re-opened…

1) What are your current days/hours?

We’re very well thanks, it feels good to be back! We have resumed our regular hours, weekdays 11.00am - 5.30pm, Saturdays 10.005.30pm and Sundays 12.00pm - 4.00pm.

2) It’s great to see independent retailers re-opening again but how will it work for the time being with social distancing still in place?

We’ve got strict social distancing and sanitising measures in place in the shop, with customers being asked to sanitise their hands before entering and leaving, to ensure safe browsing, and no more than two customers in the shop at the same time, to ensure a safe distance is kept. So far it’s working really well, and we’re very thankful to our customers for adhering to the rules and being patient when waiting outside whilst the shop is “full”.

3) How did you occupy your time during lockdown?

Dave: I’ve not really stopped working during lockdown, mainly in the background, making sure we continued to engage with our customers and suppliers throughout. With mail order our only option for getting records to our customers, I maintained that

and would like to thank all of our customers who supported us by continuing to order and buy from us while we were closed. While at home I enjoyed the fantastic weather we were lucky to have, probably drank too much, caught up on some reading and listened to loads of music!

editing! Scroll back through our Facebook feed and check them out. I’ve also enjoyed finally having the time to organise my record room, alphabetising and filing all my CDs, having gained units to store them on. Nice to have them all out of boxes at last! (Pics attached) I did also set up the DJ decks again but haven’t managed to become a turntable master yet...

4) We’ve missed so many new releases. Can you give us your top 5 albums released during lockdown?

Dave: My top pick would have to be the long awaited RTJ4 by Run The Jewels which didn’t disappoint, currently available digitally, it will be released on vinyl and CD in September. Ghostpoet returned with the superb “I Grow Tired But Dare Not Fall Asleep” which got a lot of play during lockdown, I also enjoyed the new Thundercat, EOB, the new project from Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien and “Viscerals” by Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs.

Eddie: I’ve been terrible at keeping up with what’s been coming out myself! I’ve been immersing myself in older stuff instead. A couple I can recommend though are the new Thundercat album, and an essential reissue in the form of Kruder & Dorfmeister’s K&D Sessions. Wonderfully chilled summer vibes aplenty on both of those. I’m also looking forward to the physical release of Laura Marling’s new one on July 10th.

(note we’ve purposely not included links to the above, so you can go into the shop and order them yourselves ;-)

Eddie: At the start it was all work work work as I piled as much as I could onto our website and Discogs page to enable us to still trade, but once I was furloughed that slowed down! I became chief Facebook-poster, and during April I really enjoyed doing a daily ‘vinyl challenge’ with different themes each day. I really learned a lot about video

5) Record Store Day 2020 obviously didn’t physically happen, but incase we missed it. What’s the news on the RSD ‘Drop Dates’ Are you taking part and if so how?

Yes we’re taking part! The new Drop Dates are August 29th, September 26th, and October 24th. The list has been revised and releases have been split across those three dates. We’re currently

Lockdown Labours! If you need your cds putting into alphabetical order? We know a bloke!

Dave decides it’s far more sensible to stay where he feels most comfortable behind the counter at work, 3 months in his wife’s wondering if he’s ever coming home for his tea?!

working out a strategy to ensure the days run smoothly with maximised health & safety measures in place. Watch this space! The same rules apply with regards to first come first served, no reservations, and only one copy of each release per customer. Check out the new lists here: recordstoreday.co.uk/news/ posts/2020/rsd-drop-dates-revealed/ and email over any requests to us at sales@empirestalbans.com ASAP!

6) For those self isolating or shielding how can you still get the Empire Records Experience?

Your best bet is to follow us on social media, for all the latest updates. Our website is still up and running (www. empirestalbans.com), with plenty of new releases, bestsellers and sale items up there, and we have plans to add even more over the coming weeks. We

also have a Discogs page where we sell some of our second-hand stuff (https:// www.discogs.com/user/EmpireStAlbans), and we’re always available via email, telephone, and our social media pages if anyone has any orders or queries about anything they can’t find on the website or Discogs.

7) What’s the best way to use you online?

As mentioned above, the website and Discogs are the best way to shop with us, and you can always contact us via our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages. Facebook in particular has been where we’ve been posting a bit more, with things like the April Vinyl Challenge being a great way for our customers to get involved in musical conversations with each other from the comfort and safety of their own homes.

8) Have you had to cancel any events and will they be rescheduled?

Only Record Store Day really, which has been postponed worldwide, but luckily we hadn’t got too far into our plans when the delay was announced. We did have folk pop duo Elizabeth & Jameson scheduled to play in May in support of their new album, but they’ll likely reschedule for some time early next year, all going well.

9) It’s now almost 3 and half years since our last In the Club Interview apart from the obvious how has business changed? It looks like there has been a large shift from old to new vinyl in store?

Glad to say it’s gotten busier, although lockdown has proven quite a challenge and we hope that people will return to their old shopping habits in time, but there’s still a long road ahead on that front. We’ve experienced an upsurge

in the sale of new vinyl in the last few years, but we still like to try and keep a relatively even split between new and second-hand, as we know every customer has different needs and we pride ourselves in offering the full record shop experience. We’ve seen a slight decline in CD sales, but are always happy to order them in. We’ve also massively expanded our online presence, and have been taking part in more out-of-store events like record fairs and other music events.

10) It’s probably too early to say, but are you planning any outdoor events, such has record fairs for the end of the year? or are you focusing more on 2021? If it’s safe to do so and those events resume before the end of the year, we’ll certainly consider them! Would be great to get back to Harpenden record

fair and also get a stall at the new Rickmansworth fair, and maybe The Horn, if they continue to host them. Like you say, time will tell!

11) Where have you been getting your musical fix with no live music to go too?

Dave: I was lucky enough to enjoy a number of gigs (Supergrass, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, Glass Animals, Cage The Elephant and And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead) just before lockdown kicked in and have only had one date postponed. At home, it’s a mix of vinyl and digital.

Eddie: I’ve been playing a lot of records!! I have hundreds I’ve never listened to so I’ve been enjoying discovering those. I’ve also taken advantage of ‘Bandcamp Friday’

daily.bandcamp.com/features/bandcamp-covid19-fundraiser

where Bandcamp have waived their

fees to artists on the first friday of every month to help them out, and I’ve enjoyed a few downloads and compilations put together for good causes, such as R&S Records’ excellent ‘In Order To Care’

randsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/in-orderto-care

12) Who are your 3 best lockdown musical discoveries? Dave: I’ve mainly discovered new stuff via previewing upcoming releases and have particularly enjoyed Key Elements, Nicole Atkins and Kaytranada, who were all new to me.

Eddie: All old stuff again... Three albums I’ve loved are 1: Brother Jack McDuff ‘Silk And Soul’ (wicked soul jazz guy), 2: Ulli Mattsson ‘Feral’ (alt-folk niceness) & 3: Gypsy ‘In The Garden’ (70s heavy/prog rock madness. Think Deep Purple with Hammond organ x10 and CSNY harmonies. Great!)

It’s so great to have you back guys thanks again, stay safe and get your arses back down to Empire folks... here’s the timings again just for you!

Weekdays 11.00am - 5.30pm

Saturdays 10.00 - 5.30pm

Sundays 12.00pm - 4.00pm

and if you can’t get in for whatever reason contact the chaps here!

empirestalbans.com

REWIND IN THE CLUB APRIL 2017

WHO KILLED NANCY JOHNSON? are a punk/ post-punk band from Reading, England. Influences range from early British art punk (Wire, Magazine, Gang of Four, Killing Joke) to later US bands like Black Flag, Fugazi and the Adolescents, right up to current acts like No Problem and Idles.

Since 2016 the band has gigged in the UK, Italy and France. They have gained a reputation as an incendiary live act.

In 2019 the band released three Eps - They Reap Sessions (Feb), a split 12” EP for Sounds of the Suburbs (April) and Punish the Poor & Clown (December).

I SEE SIX is WHO KILLED NANCY JOHNSON’s first all-new full-length album. It was recorded DIY in a village hall in Oxfordshire - part of the band’s increasing efforts to get away from studio polish and make records that mirror their live show. The album has a single loose theme throughout: the distance between appearances and reality. Whether it’s politics, social media or humanity’s care for the planet, what we do and how the world is doesn’t fit what we say, are taught, try to present, and try to believe. The title is a deliberate off-centre reference to a scene in 1984 where Winston Smith is asked to count four fingers as five to prove his submission to the

Party’s point of view.

Release date for the album, via Bandcamp and CD and a host of scalping streamers, is on Friday 26th June 2020.

Recorded by Stefan Ball at the Jubilee Pavilion, Brightwell-cum-Sotwell, December and January 2019.

Mixed by Mark Batey, February and March 2020.

Mastered by Daniel Husayn, North London Bomb Factory, April 2020.

Mark Wren - Drums

Pete Moulton - Guitars

Dawid Bychowski - Bass

Stefan Ball - Vocals

Additional vocals by Wren, Moulton, Bychowski.

WKNJ online: www.wknancyj.com

www.wknancyj.bandcamp.com

whokillednancyjohnson wknj/Youtube

@wknancyj

@whokillednancyjohnson

https://open.spotify.com/ artist/2xEmW2pshuDVfo72PfFYJg

WKNJ - City

REWIND IN THE CLUB APRIL 2018

Magic Mattie Band

New Single – The Grind Makes the Man OUT 1st July 2020

Taken from forthcoming album Work in Progress (Mobile Recordings)

Work in Progress is the remarkable new album from the Magic Mattie Band, AKA Nice-based singer-songwriter Matt Anderson. Sonically intriguing and lyrically astute, this release sees Anderson effortlessly switching gears from roots to rock to pop to conjure a set of songs that are by turns angry, elegiac, compassionate and wise.

This is Anderson in top form as he marshals his considerable melodic gifts and lyrical dexterity to interrogate the joy, pain and messy reality of being alive. The third Magic Mattie Band record in three years, this is an ambitious and eclectic release from an artist who has seriously hit his stride.

Work in Progress is Anderson’s third album in three years.

Reflecting on the themes he returns to he says, “A lot of my songs are about getting as much out of life as you can. My experience has taught me that we need to make the most of the time we have – and that often means persevering when times are tough, seeing the positives in adversity and coming out the other side a wiser and better person.”

Anderson is also interested in how we relate to each other on social media. “It’s a little scary,” he says. “We seem to communicate through these rage machines, where everything is definite and entrenched. I find that frightening – there’s no room to say I don’t

know anymore. So I try to make the case for perspective and reason in my songs where I can.”

One of the songs on the album we wanted to know a little more about is the beautiful On Tenterhooks. Anderson says, “I wrote that song around the time of the Iraq War. My son had just been born and I was trying put myself in the position of a father whose son wants to go off and fight in a war that, for better or worse, he believes is just. What do you do in that position?”, he asks, “and what would it feel like to be waiting for the phone to ring with the worst possible news?”

There is also a very soulful cover of Move on Up that Anderson says made a lot of sense for him. “I’m a big soul fan,” he says, “and I love Curtis Mayfield’s music. And his outlook was very similar to mine. He was a very positive guy, so upbeat and so much of his music’s about trying to make a brighter future – he was a really beautiful soul.”

Anderson is based in Nice but works with musicians across the world. “It’s a very collaborative process,” explains Anderson, “both with people I know near here and some from further afield. A lot of the music on this album is played by a group of Norwegians I met one night in an Irish bar!! They were all incredible musicians –they’d represented Norway in Eurovision at one point – and we hit it off and have stayed in touch. I’ve played with them at festivals in Norway and they’ve made a big contribution to my last two albums.”

Anderson’s experience collaborating remotely means that he’s

been able to keep on track despite the challenges of coronavirus. “I’ve been sharing and writing music with people in the UK and other parts of the world for quite a while,” he says, “so I’m used to developing projects and ideas remotely. So while coronavirus has meant lots of changes it hasn’t disrupted my process too much.”

It does mean Anderson won’t be touring any time soon but he has no plans to slow down. “I think I will focus more on singles in the future,” he tells us. “It seems that’s the way music is going now anyway. I’m releasing a new single in a month or two and will continue to do that rather than albums for the next while. I’ve also got an EP of songs in French that I hope to release at Christmas. That will be something very different for me but I’m really excited to see how it turns out.”

Trond

Tarjei

Fabrice

Phingers

“I love Curtis Mayfield’s music. And his outlook was very similar to mine. He was a very positive guy, so upbeat and so much of his music’s about trying to make a brighter future – he was a really beautiful soul.”

The Parsons Knows

Denise Parsons – Music Promoter

St.Albans and Radio Verulam DJ

... And now for something a little different, instead of Denise providing us with news of local bands and events, we’ve turned the table and decided to ask her a few questions about herself instead!

1) We first met back in about 2013 when you contacted us about booking The Tuesday Club for a show at your new night at Trestle Arts base in St.Albans. Most people now know you for your excellent new music show on Monday nights on Verulam radio or your succession of Open Mic nights around the City, but can you give us a bit of background pre 2013 on how and why you decided the time was

I have always been a big live music fan and hung around with bands since I was about 14, most of my friends are musicians, but prior to working at Trestle I had only done corporate events so when I started at Trestle Arts Base, having been to live music there in the past I couldn’t understand why they were not doing any live music! Turns out they really wanted to but had no one to run in so I decided to step up and organise something and so was born ‘The Live Music Project’.. The rest they say is history!

2) Who was your first idol? Music or Otherwise?

My first idol has to be Elvis Presley! I have an older sister Diane who is 15 years older than me and we shared a bedroom until I was about 8 when she got married and she was a huge Elvis fan I just

inherited it I guess. Diane would always play music in our room and at the tender age of about 5 or 6 I remember going through her vinyl collections and just been fascinated with vinyl, music and movies. My Mum was also a huge music fan so there was always music in our house. Elvis has stayed with me all my life but as I grew a little my attentions turned to David Cassidy ( he was just so pretty!) and then it was rushing home from school for The Marc Bolan show – the very 1st album I brought with my own money aged about 11 was Ride A White Swan by TRex – an album I still love and play to this day, this lead me to David Bowie and Glam Rock which by the age of about 14 led to me to punk and reggae. These early influences have stayed with me my whole life – they are like friends.

3) As a woman in music. Which women in music have inspired you and why?

I don’t think I realised until I started promoting music and doing radio how much of a male dominated industry it was and possibly still is. More recently I have been delighted to see women rise in this field from promoters to sound engineers and more.

4) Who is you favourite all time band and why?

Umm, that’s hard – there are so many! TRex & The Clash, Del amitri

5) Which band makes you wonder how they ever made it and why? Again, way too many but that’s the thing about music it’s fickle and great bands don’t always make it.

6) Live music has always been a big part of St.Albans, when did you first start going to gigs, what was the venue and can you remember who the band was?

That’s easy – The Horn, aged 14 – Street Band – everyone was talking about them at school and as I had friends a couple of years older than me, I went with them to see what all the fuss was about!

7) If you were putting on a festival in St.Albans and budget was no issue, which 3 bands would you choose for the bill. Can you give us 3 current and 3 bands from the past, any era and they can be dead or alive (not necessarily Dead or Alive) but you can choose them if you like!

Current – Hootie & The Blowfish. Adam & The Ants & Del Amitri Past – The Clash, Ian dury & the Blockheads, X Ray Spex

8) On the subject of Festivals, you have had your own stage for the last couple of years at Balstock in Baldock. We know of a brilliant one in every August in Herford run by Kev Saunders which involves the whole town putting on live events, why do you think St.Albans, hasn’t or doesn’t have their own festival for local bands? I know there is Time Turner and the Christmas lights etc and there was the Food one in Verulamiam last year but there is nothing like the ones mentioned above that incorporates the whole City, with the wealth of bands and pubs that do live music in St.Albans surely there’s demand?

There is demand but generally no budget and the rigmarole of putting on something like that is huge – it would be a full time job on it’s own. Licencing and planning is hard in St Albans, people have tried and I have thought about it but I also have a day job so its tricky.

9) What was the first record you bought for yourself and which shop did you get it from?

Think I answered this earlier – ride a white swan – Trex

10) Music played a big part in youth culture from the 50s until the millennium, since then everything seems to be more fragmented, with retro now being the new, old bands reform and tour which back in the 70s and 80s was more or less unheard of, in your experience of putting on shows do you think music has now gone out of fashion?

I don’t think music has gone out of fashion – it’s just moved to you tube/ online – getting live audiences especially at grass roots level is getting harder and harder – maybe after covid 19 people will appreciate it more! Everything is at the tip of your fingers now so maybe it is less appreciated – I don’t know!

11) Once again in a hyperthetical scenario, with an imaginary budget... What do you think could be done if anything to bring music back to the forefront of our culture?

That’s hard – there are so many demographics to consider – without young people going to live gigs its difficult to get any kind of movement going other than online.

12) What’s your all time favourite place to see live music?

Been to some great venues but my favourite is Brighton Dome

13) Do you have a record player? What was the last vinyl you played?

I have 4 record players, including one for my caravan. The new Hootie & The Blowfish album

14) What is best the film you’ve seen about Music? Can be a documentary or fiction & What’s the worst!

Films – best - A star is born – original version with Judy Garland

15) You have a strong independent image, have you always been independent or when did you decide you wanted to stand out from

the crowd?

I think I was born independent – I was very lucky to have a warm loving family who thought the best gift they could give me was confidence. My Mum was very independent too so I guess I take after her.

16) If you could be anybody else for a day who would it be?

I’ve always been happy to be me to be honest – but if not Marilyn Monroe

17) Who has been the biggest influence on your musical journey?

Punk – right age at the right time for an explosion of music, fashion and politics.. I kinda of think of punk as my religion in a way..

18) With numbers at live gigs already declining throughout the country before 2020 as someone who has been promoting a large amount of shows for at least the last 7 years, How do you think the Corona Virus will effect live music in the future?

I am really hoping that people start to appreciate what they had and start supporting live music again but it’s really hard to know how people will react

19) Once the lockdown is over, what musical related things are you most looking forward to getting back to (And yes plug, plug, plug away!) After lockdown – I want to finally get to Graceland and Nashville –always wanted to go...I am now more determined than ever...

20) And finally here’s some quickfire a or b answers, which would you choose?

a) The Sex Pistols b) The Clash -

a) Siouxsie Sioux b) Debbie Harry -

a) Carling b) Stella - B

a) Diana Rigg b) Joanna Lumley -

a) Reading Festival b) Glastonbury -

a) String section b) Brass Section -

a) Reggae b) Ska - A

a) Punk b) Glam - A

a) 50s b) 70s - A

a) Bolan b) Bowie - A

a) Cat b) Dog - B

a) Bass b) Drums - B

a) Kebab b) Pizza - B

a) Oasis b) Blur - HATE BOTH

a) Tea b) Coffee A

a) Beatles b) Stones - A

a) Radio b) TV - A

a) Chocolate b) Cake - A

a) Fame b) Fortune - B

theparsonsknows.com

soundcloud.com/denise-parsons-1

facebook.com/theparsonsknows

twitter.com/RVparsonsknows

radioverulam.com

‘IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT!’

by Paul Eccentric June 2020

world’s excess population, or whether you think that it is simply nature’s way of correcting a perceived imbalance in the system, 2020 will likely forever be remembered as the point when everything changed.

‘Where were you when the music stopped?’ we’ll ask of people, in the years to come. For we could have been anywhere on that perilous printed board at the time, and wherever we were; not only had we to deal with the problem at hand, but we ALSO had to deal with the consequences of the square on which we were stood...

Discounting those who reside at ‘the top’, of course; those who never had to compete: those whose way of life was inherited rather than earned, and is thus perpetually protected against all eventualities, the rest of us seem to spend our time in constant, spiritbreaking pursuit of those elusive ladders, whilst trying to avoid the bite of the inevitable snakes; shaking our fists at fate each morning, in the hope of rolling that statistically improbable double six that’ll take us all the way to the top of the board and our place among these elite.

Because this is how life is for most of us: sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. The playing field is not even; there are more traps to contend with than there are ‘leg-ups’, and we never know from one day to the next, quite which square we will be standing on when the bomb drops.

Because there is another famous childhood game of chance at play here, too: a further random element to our lives that helps to divine our individual fates. We’re living in a giant game of ‘Musical Chairs’, following those aforementioned dice, day by day until eventually the music stops.

And it HAS stopped; for the moment, anyway, and we’re calling this temporary pause ‘LOCKDOWN’!

Where were you when it all went to shit? Were you halfway up a ladder or halfway down a snake?

Whether you believe that the virus that caused this suspension of normality is a man-made phenomena: that it has been engineered as a way of culling the

‘Lockdown’; as the world’s media have chosen to name our present state, has been a different experience for different people, depending; obviously, on the hand that we were dealt. For many it has been a living hell, whilst for others it has been an unexpected extra holiday. Many people have lost everything, having been denied the ability to work and therefore to pay for even the bare essentials of life, causing them to lose their jobs; their savings and even their homes, with little or no chance of ever coming back from it. For a few; those who had been in a reasonably secure position beforehand, they have been able to profit by the crash, investing in stocks whilst they are at their lowest price; loaning others ‘help’, which will reap them financial reward when things go back to normal.

Some people have been trapped in high rise flats, with no safe outside space within legal reach; sweltering in a summer heat that came too early; unable either to shop for themselves; entertain their children, or get a priceless ‘delivery slot’, whilst others have lain in their comfortable, country gardens, sipping from their collection of fine wines, and marvelling at the fact that there are fewer planes in the sky to spoil their view.

Some have received government help; help that was denied to so many others, such as the already wealthy MPs who were given an immediate and substantial ‘inconvenience allowance’, whilst small business owners and the self employed were made to wait three months to receive paltry grants and crippling loans, while still others received no government help atall.

I’ve been lucky. I have a nice house in a nice area and although I am self employed, I have been kept afloat by clients who didn’t want to see me go down, who sent me money in lieu of work that I will do for

I’ve often compared life in twenty first century England to that of a game of chance, specifically a board game, such as ‘Snakes & Ladders’. However, never has that analogy felt more appropriate than it does right now...

them when I’m allowed to go back. For me it HAS been a holiday: a chance to sit back and reflect on where I go from here, whereas for so many people that I have spoken to, it’s been a nightmare that they may yet not survive.

People have died. Not just from the virus, but from Lockdown itself, and those who haven’t, will bear the scars of it for years yet to come. We have seen daily figures representing the horrendous, painful deaths of the thousands of unlucky people who have contracted the virus, but we have lost so many more to the ‘cure’ itself. What of all the people who have died of ‘unrelated’ ailments, because they couldn’t visit a doctor’s surgery or a hospital? What of those who have taken their own lives because they were imprisoned alone, or could not get to a shop or a chemist?

But it’s also brought out the best in people. Some have used their time to help others. As a nation, we have finally noticed and gained due respect for those who do all the important work in our country; work for which they are paid less for than those who run the show and happily flout the laws.

Of those of us who have survived, is it just possible that we may have gained something positive from the experience? We may have learned that we don’t need quite so much stuff, as evidenced by the ques at local tips and all the ‘free’ stuff being offered at the end of every other driveway.

We may have learned that we can get by on less food and fewer modern luxuries; that we can live without driving as much or FLYING as often.

We may have taken the opportunity to get fitter; to re connect with our families and neighbours and to enjoy some of the simpler things in life.

We may even have become less vain, not caring so much about how we look and what we wear, and possibly gained a little humility into the bargain; realised, even, that however bad things seem, we’re luckier than many I could mention.

Our vocabulary has gained a few new phrases:

‘Lockdown Dance’- when neither you nor the person approaching you can decide whether or not to cross the road to maintain distancing.

‘Lockdown Hair’- self cut hairstyle.

‘Lockdown Juice’- that bottle of old booze that you found whilst you were clearing out the cupboard under the stairs.

With luck, the world that we return to when all this is over, will be a better; cleaner, more humble world than it was before it all kicked off. Maybe we’ll keep it that way?

Our vocabulary has gained a few new phrases:

'Lockdown Dance' - when neither you nor the person approaching you can decide whether or not to cross the road to maintain distancing.

'Lockdown Hair' - self cut hairstyle.

'Lockdown Juice' - that bottle of old booze that you found whilst you were clearing out the cupboard under the stairs.

Has Lockdown changed our collective attitudes to things? I know I’ve been one of the lucky ones, but it’s changed mine. pauleccentric.co.uk

In 1984 a journalist writing for The Watford Observer dubbed ‘wannabe enigmatic pop star’ Paul ‘Eccentric’ because he refused to give his surname during an interview. It stuck. For the past thirty years he has been writing, directing and performing under this ridiculous moniker, but at least it got him noticed. He is a published songwriter, poet, playwright and novelist.

COSEY FANNI TUTTI

INTERVIEW

Performance artist, musician, sound manipulator and writer, Cosey Fanni Tutti has led a fascinating life, often in the face of adversity. It’s all chronicled in her autobiography, Art Sex Music, published in 2017. Rogue Sector’s Andrew Trussler catches up with the industrious artist.

Cosey Fanni Tutti (born Christine Newby in 1951) grew up on a council estate in Hull, the daughter of a controlling, emotionally distant father and a loving mother.

By the late 1960s she’d been thrown out of the family home, joined a commune, met Genesis P-Orridge (with whom she was to have a turbulent and increasingly abusive relationship) and become a founder member of subversive art collective, COUM Transmissions.

After being run out of Hull by agitated neighbours, skinheads and the police, Cosey and P-Orridge moved to London. She began working as a model in pornographic films and magazines, using the photos this produced in further COUM artworks. By this time, Peter ‘Sleazy’ Christopherson had joined the collective, the ‘actions’ and performances becoming darker and more controversial.

In 1976, COUM’s Prostitution exhibition at the ICA created a furore in the tabloid press and parliament, prompting Tory MP Nicholas Fairbairn to brand them as the ‘wreckers of civilisation’, and Cosey’s parents to disown her.

The ICA show also saw the official launch of Throbbing Gristle (Cosey, P-Orridge, electronics expert Chris Carter – with whom Cosey was now in a secret relationship – and Sleazy). Even in the punk era, TG’s work was provocative and confrontational. Their ‘throbbing’ sound and lyrics which included references to serial killers, fascism, and death, led to

further conflict with the police, government and art establishment.

Typically, Cosey’s take on TG’s intentions was far more clear-eyed: ‘We wanted to short-circuit people’s notion of what music could be... so that emotions were stirred and questions were asked within, rather

than a superficial Saturday night dance... We wanted to give some life back to music, and some meaning’.

After TG split up, Chris and Cosey (now openly together) moved from London to a converted Victorian school in Norfolk, where they’ve lived since 1984.

There they built a home studio, recording many albums as Chris & Cosey, and where they still work to this day.

The turn of the century saw Chris & Cosey become Carter Tutti and, in 2004, the reformation of Throbbing Gristle after a 23-year hiatus. They

"We wanted to short-circuit people's notion of what music could be... so that emotions were stirred and questions were asked within, rather than a superficial Saturday night dance... We wanted to give some life back to music, and some meaning".

Cosey Fanni Tutti