C86 Show - Indie Pop

The Proctors special with Gavin Priest in conversation with David Eastaugh 

The Proctors were formed by Gavin Priest in 1993 following the demise of The Cudgels in which Gavin had been lead guitarist. The original line up also featured Gavin's sister Christina on vocals and ex-Cudgels Adrian 'Josef' Jones and Stephen Davies. The group recorded a well received demo tape which led to Albert of Sunday Records (USA) offering to release a 7" single by the band. 'The Baby Blue EP' was released in 1993. The single sold well and impressed by Gavin's songwriting skills, Albert asked The Proctors to commence work on an album.

Around this time Stephen took some time out, and the band settled down as a three piece. In 1994 the Moon Song 7" was released and various appearances were made on Sunday Records compilations over the next three years until in 1996 the album 'Pinstripes and Englishmen' was released. Again the record sold well and the band had begun to attract a small but loyal following, even though they had never played a live show. In 1997, Gavin's involvement with other musical projects left little time to concentrate on The Proctors and the group decided to take a break. Following the release on Cloudberry Records in 2009 of an EP of unreleased songs, The Proctors released a 7” Vinyl/mp3 Single on Shelflife Records (USA) featuring new tunes ‘All The Books’ and Morning Light’. 

Aberdeen special with John Girgus

The band formed in 1992 and in 1994 released two singles on the seminal British label Sarah Records; they were one of the only American acts on Sarah. Aberdeen also released recordings through Sunday Records and guitarist and co-founder's own label The Tremolo Arm Users Club. They disbanded shortly after Sarah Records folded. They reformed in 2001, signed to Tremolo, and released a full-length album, Homesick and Happy to be Here, two singles, and a maxi-CD (see discography below).

In 2002, the band embarked on a US tour with Robert Wratten, playing solo acoustic performances as Trembling Blue Stars. In 2003, the band again played with Robert but as Trembling Blue Stars for a series of Los Angeles shows at Cafe Club Fais Do-Do.

Possibly the band's biggest exposure came when one of their songs, 'Sink or Float' was featured on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The song was also included on the UK edition of the series's second soundtrack album, Radio Sunnydale.

Paul Mulreany special talking about life in music with David Eastaugh

Worked with the likes of The Jazz Butcher, The Blue Aeroplanes, Primal Scream and much much more

Colourform special with Matt Nagy in conversation David Eastaugh

Colorform formed in approximately 1990 were headed up by American singer/guitarist Matt Nagy. The band started as an indypop band (with a young Nathan Curran on drums before he went on to London music school to become a session musician playing with the likes of Basement Jaxx and others...).

But the band really found their place in its final incarnation, made almost entirely of moving hair, and kranking out a fast-paced funky set, that belied their vaguely crusty/hippy/west coast look, employing a nice line in funk, featuring didgeredoo as well for some time. They called their style of music Tribal Groove, writing songs centred around the notes the various lengths of didgeredoos were able to make.

TexasBob Juarez special - in conversation with David Eastaugh

TexasBob Juarez is a Rock Musician from Liverpool UK, also of UK group Television Personalities.Solo EP Ov Stars.Upcoming Album Through a Looking Glass Darkly Oct 2019 on Burger Records

Sam Cutler special - in conversation with David Eastaugh

Cutler worked for Blackhill Enterprises as stage manager and master of ceremonies on a series of 1960s gigs in the U.K. and Europe with different artists, including Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, Alexis Korner, et al. In 1969, he acted as master of ceremonies at The Rolling Stones concert in Hyde Park London.

Following the Hyde Park show, Cutler was asked to be the personal road manager to The Rolling Stones during their 1969 Tour of America, which culminated in the infamous Altamont Free Concert where Afro-American arts student^{[citation needed]}Meredith Curly Hunter, Jr. was killed in front of the stage.

Cutler is commonly credited with first uttering The Rolling Stones' famous intro line, “Ladies and Gentlemen, the Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World…The Rolling Stones!”

Cutler can be seen in many scenes in the documentary film Gimme Shelter which covers the events of the 1969 American tour, and can be heard on The Rolling Stones live album Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! introducing the band. He can also be seen in the film Festival Express and Stones in the Park.

Throughout his rock and roll career, Cutler was around and was agent for some of the largest rock and roll shows in history outside of Woodstock including The Rolling Stones in Hyde Park, the Grateful Dead's Europe '72 tour and the Dead's participation in the Festival Express train tour across Canada.

The Triffids special with Robert McComb with David Eastaugh

The Triffids were an Australian alternative rock and pop band, formed in Perth in Western Australia in May 1978 with David McComb as singer-songwriter, guitarist, bass guitarist and keyboardist.

They achieved some success in Australia, but greater success in the UK and in Scandinavia in the 1980s before disbanding in 1989

Dream City Film Club special with Michael J Sheehy in conversation with David Eastaugh

Vocalist Michael J. Sheehy had been working as a solo singer/songwriter for several years when he met Alex Vald and Laurence Ash, who quickly began writing songs with Sheehy. Upon the demise of another local group, Breed, bassist Andrew Park joined. The band's name came from a news story Sheehy had seen about an arsonist who had burned down a members-only porno theatre. They played their first gig as Dream City Film Club on 31 July 1995.

They released a single, "Crawl" for the underground fanzine, the Organ in early 1996. Soon after, they were contacted by Beggar's Banquet and recorded their eponymous debut album in late 1996, later releasing it on 26 May 1997.

The Ex special with G.W. Sok in conversation with David Eastaugh 

The Ex's music has undergone significant evolution over the years from their beginnings as a punk band. Founded by singer Jos Kley (better known as G.W. Sok), guitarist Terrie Hessels, drummer Geurt and bassist René, the band debuted with a song titled "Stupid Americans" on the Utreg-Punx vinyl 7" compilation released by Rock Against records in Rotterdam. The release of their first 7" All Corpses Smell the Same followed shortly after that, in 1980. Through the decades their music has gradually developed into its current form of highly intricate, experimental punk/post-punk/no wave-inspired work.

Expanding beyond punk rock, The Ex have incorporated a wide array of influences, often from non-Western and non-rock sources. Some include Hungarian and Turkish folk songs, and more recently music from Ethiopia, Congo and Eritrea (the independence song of Eritrea is covered by The Ex to kick off their 2004 album Turn). Other examples of branching out stylistically include the improvised double album Instant and a release under the moniker Ex Orkest, a 20 piece big band assembled for performances at Holland Festival.

Throughout the early 1980s The Ex went through many line-up changes before settling on the core quartet of G.W. Sok on vocals, Terrie on guitar, Luc on bass and Kat on drums. In the early 1990s, Andy Moor served double-duty with tourmates Dog Faced Hermans before becoming The Ex's permanent second guitarist in 1991. In 2003 Luc left the band after 19 years, to be replaced by double bassist Rozemarie Heggen. In 2005 Heggen in turn left the band and Colin (formerly of the Dog Faced Hermans) served as the band's bass player for recordings and tours with Ethiopian saxophone legend Getatchew Mekuria before becoming The Ex's sound board operator. Guitarists Andy Moor and Terrie Hessels have since filled in bass parts by switching off on baritone guitar.

Showaddywaddy special with Dave Bartram in conversation with David Eastaugh

Their first single, "Hey Rock and Roll" (written by the band), was released in April 1974. It reached number two in the UK Singles Chart. Showaddywaddy then went on to have a further 22 UK hits until late summer 1982. They had most of their biggest hits with covers of songs from the 1950s and the early 1960s. These cover versions included "Three Steps to Heaven" (originally by Eddie Cochran in 1960), "Heartbeat" (originally written and recorded by Buddy Holly), "Under the Moon of Love" (originally a US hit for Curtis Lee in 1961 and co-written by Tommy Boyce), "When" (originally by the Kalin Twins), "You Got What It Takes" (originally by Marv Johnson) and "Dancin' Party" (originally by Chubby Checker). These six singles were all produced by Mike Hurst (a former member of the Springfields).

REM special with Bertis Downs in conversation with David Eastaugh

R.E.M.'s drummer Bill Berry instigated Downs' connection with the band. In 1978, John Huie, a rep for the booking company Berry worked for at the time, suggested Berry look up Downs, whom he knew from Davidson College who had since graduated and was then in law school at the University of Georgia.

Downs attended an R.E.M. show at the 11.11 Koffee Club in Athens, Georgia on April 19, 1980. By that time, Downs also knew Peter Buck from Wuxtry Records, a downtown Athens shop where he would buy Neil Young records.

Blancmange special with Neil Arthur in conversation with David Eastaugh

English synth-pop band formed in Harrow, London, in 1979. The band were a duo for most of their career, composed of Neil Arthur (vocals) and Stephen Luscombe (keyboards). They came to prominence in the early 1980s releasing four singles that entered the Top 20 charts in the UK, such as "Living on the Ceiling", "Waves", "Blind Vision" and "Don't Tell Me", and they released three albums during that decade, Happy Families (1982), Mange Tout (1984) and Believe You Me(1985). The duo broke up in 1986 but reformed in 2011 and released their fourth album Blanc Burn (2011). Luscombe left following the release and since then Arthur has continued to perform under the Blancmange name. He has released six further studio albums and a number of compilations, including a re-recording of the band's debut album, titled Happy Families Too....

Th' Faith Healers  special with Roxanne Stephen in conversation with David Eastaugh

Th' Faith Healers were an English indie rock band who were originally active between 1990 and 1994. The members of the group were Roxanne Stephen (vocals), Tom Cullinan (guitar and vocals), Ben Hopkin (bass), and Joe Dilworth (drums).^[1] They recorded multiple EPs and singles along with two full LPs.

Tom Cullinan, who handled the bulk of the songwriting, went on to help form the band Quickspace. Signed to Too Pure in the United Kingdom, their albums were released by Elektra in the United States. Both albums feature clear krautrock influences, most evident in their cover of Can's "Mother Sky", from Lido.

Since their initial break-up in 1994, the band have reformed intermittently. They embarked on a short reunion tour in 2006 in conjunction with the release of their compilation Peel Sessions the previous year. The band reformed in 2009, playing at the All Tomorrow's Partiesmusic festival twice, first in May (curated by The Breeders) and then again in December (curated by My Bloody Valentine).

Shelia Chandra special - Monsoon, The Imagined Village, Ancient BeatBox - in conversation with David Eastaugh

As a teenager she formed the band Monsoon with Steve Coe (who became the band's producer) and bassist Martin Smith. Monsoon created a fusion of Western and Indian pop styles. The band recorded its only album, Third Eye, in 1982 from which it had a hit single, "Ever So Lonely", which peaked at No. 12 in the UK Singles Chart.^[1] Monsoon followed-up with the single "Shakti," which peaked at No. 41, but this was to be the band's final charting single. The album also includes a cover of the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows", featuring the distinctive EBow guitar sound of Bill Nelson. Resenting pressure from their record company over musical direction, Monsoon dissolved in 1982 and Coe and Smith set about promoting Chandra as a solo artist on independent Indipop Records.

Go West special with Richard Drummie in conversation with David Eastaugh

In 1982, Cox and Drummie formed the band Go West, with Cox as lead singer and Drummie on guitar and backing vocals. Go West had a publishing deal and possessed a portastudio, but lacked a band or recording company. Cox and Drummie decided, with support from John Glover, their manager, to find a musical producer, and record just two of their songs. The tracks "We Close Our Eyes" and "Call Me" found Go West landing a recording contract with Chrysalis Records.

Nazareth special with Pete Agnew in conversation with David Eastaugh

The band moved to London, England in 1970 and released their eponymous debut album in 1971.

After getting some attention with their second album Exercises, released in 1972, Nazareth supported Deep Purple on tour, and issued the Roger Glover-produced Razamanaz, in early 1973. This collection spawned two UK Top Ten hits, "Broken Down Angel" and "Bad Bad Boy". This was followed by Loud 'N' Proud in late 1973, which contained another hit single with a cover of Joni Mitchell's song "This Flight Tonight". Then came another album Rampant, in 1974, that was equally successful although its only single, "Shanghai'd in Shanghai", narrowly missed the British Top 40. A non-album song, again a cover version, this time of Tomorrow's "My White Bicycle", was a UK Top 20 entry in 1975.

Pentagram special with Bobby Liebling in conversation with David Eastaugh

In 1971, Bobby Liebling and Geof O'Keefe decided to leave their previous bands (Shades of Darkness and Space Meat, respectively) to form a new band that reflected their interest in emerging metal and hard rock acts such as UFO, Black Sabbath, Uriah Heep, and Sir Lord Baltimore. At Liebling's suggestion, the group was named Pentagram, a name that reflected the gloomy subject matter of their material. Although the band would change its name several times during 1971 and 1972 (Virgin Death, Macabre, and Wicked Angel were all considered during this period), they would eventually (and permanently) return to Pentagram. Contrary to popular belief, they were never called Stonebunny; this was the name given to Space Meat when Liebling joined them briefly.

The Jack Rubies with Ian Wright in conversation with David Eastaugh

The Jack Rubies - Witty and slightly sinister guitar combo with furious bongos to the fore - the black cutting edge of 'Blue Velvet' and the tinsel town sex appeal of '61 Elvis.

Ian Wright: lead vocals, guitar/ SD Ineson: guitar, vocals/ Steve Brockway: bass/ Lawrence Giltnane: percussion/ Max: drums.

Ivy with Spencer Harrison in conversation with David Eastaugh 

Ivy formed in 1992 when Spencer Harrison sought some additional musicians to play a batch of songs she had written for her previous band, which split before gigging. She was joined by brothers Paul (ex-Shine!) and Julian Cator on guitars, and later by Justin Rolph on bass. After failing to recruit a suitable drummer they decided to continue to use their Cheetah drum machine, and played their first gig at Norwich Arts Centre on April 26 1993, supporting the Bardots.

Their first release was the track "Wish You Would" on the Noisebox compilation 12" Backwater One, released in autumn 1993. The song was immediately picked up by Radio 1, getting played on both the Evening Session and the John Peel show, and an Ivy session recorded at Radio 1's Maida Vale studios was broadcast on the Evening Session in January 1994. Drum programming from now on was taken over by Noisebox boss Pete Morgan.

Vic Godard in conversation with David Eastaugh

In 1976, Godard formed Subway Sect with three other fans of the Sex Pistols at the suggestion of Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren, who wanted another band for the line-up of the 100 Club Punk Festival. Despite their inexperience, Subway Sect made a successful debut at the festival and were taken on by Clashmanager Bernie Rhodes. They appeared with The Clash on the White Riot Tour in 1977 and released their debut single, "Nobody's Scared"/"Don't Split It", in March 1978. While recording their debut album at Gooseberry Studios, Rhodes suddenly fired the entire band except for Godard. Two tracks from the album's recording sessions, "Ambition"/"Different Story", were released by Rough Trade Records; the single was a major hit on the alternative charts.

Godard re-formed Subway Sect in 1980 with new musicians and signed to MCA Records sublabel Oddball, releasing the album What's The Matter Boy?

Following a summer tour with Buzzcocks, Subway Sect disbanded again. Guitarist Johnny Britten formed a rockabilly band with Chris Bostock, Sean McLusky, Rob Marche and DC Collard, but was soon forced to leave the group, at which point Godard stepped in to take his place. They recorded the album Songs For Sale in 1981, but were disappointed with the results and disbanded soon after; members of the band, without Godard, went on to form JoBoxers.^[3] Godard also recorded an LP at Olympic Studios, called T.R.O.U.B.L.E., with a group of London jazz musicians known as Working Week, which was eventually released two years later by Rough Trade Records.

In the mid-1980s, Godard retired from music and became a postman.

In 1990, Godard wrote the song "Johnny Thunders", a tribute inspired by reading an obituary of the New York Dolls guitarist. It was recorded at the home of Paul Baker, a fellow postman. Godard also recorded ten other tracks and the recordings, with Paul Cook on drums, eventually became the album The End of the Surrey People. Produced by Edwin Collins, it was released on the Postcard Records label. Collins' group Orange Juice had made the Subway Sect song "Holiday Hymn" a feature of their set in the early 1980s.

Later in the 1990s, Godard formed the band The Long Decline with Kenny Wisdom and Mark Perry. The band released an album on the Overground label before disbanding in 1998, but re-formed in 2000 with Godard, Wisdom, Lee McFadden, and Mina Sassoon, among others. Godard contributed guitar and some songwriting, but not lead vocals,

In 1998, Godard released the album Long Term side-Effect on Tugboat Records.^[3]

A 2002 album recorded by Godard, Sansend, was released under the name Subway Sect, rather than his own.