C86 Show - Indie Pop

Zaine Griff in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://www.zainegriff.com/#home

In 1979 Griff started his solo career. He released two albums, Ashes and Diamonds (recorded in 1979, released in 1980), produced by Tony Visconti, and Figvres (1982), on which he collaborated with future successful film composer Hans Zimmer, and many colleagues from the new wave and new romantic era including Kate Bush, Warren Cann of Ultravox and Yukihiro Takahashi, of Japanese electronic band YMO.

The single "Tonight" peaked at No. 54 in the UK Singles Chart in February 1980, whilst "Ashes and Diamonds" reached No. 68 in the same listing in June that year.

Debsey Wykes in conversation with David Eastaugh 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Teenage-Daydream-Girls-Play-Band/dp/1917923090

Debsey Wykes was the bass playing singer in the first all girl punk group Dolly Mixture. Thrown into the musky, misogynistic, male dominated world of the UK music industry in the late 1970s, they enjoyed unlikely #1 success alongside Captain Sensible of The Damned on1982’s even unlikelier cover version of ‘Happy Talk’, whilst fame and success on their own individual terms alluded them.

Debsey went onto greater prominence with Saint Etienne with who she has performed since 1992, whilst in 2025, desirable Dolly Mixture reissues sell out around the world as quickly as they are printed.

Featuring a cast of contemporary post-punk heroes – rom Paul Weller and the Jam (their first record label boss) to Madness and the Pogues – Teenage Daydream is a unique coming of age story of youthful ambition, enterprising DIY musical ethics and how an unlikely bunch of school-girl friends ended up on Top of the Pops in home made hula skirts.

Micko Westmoreland in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://landlinerecords.com

https://www.facebook.com/MickoMellotronic/

The Mellotronics formed in 2017 with the intention of turning Micko Westmoreland’s songwriting skills into a dynamic live prospect. Expanding from their initial three piece to the current four strong line up, the band sees Micko’s rabble rousing vocals and spiky, agitational guitar work augmented perfectly by the crack squad of drummer Nick Mackay of hotly tipped rock duo Barricades, Owls of Now’s Vicky Carroll providing immovable bassline solidity and the intricate, effects-soaked fretwork of Jon Klein (Siouxsie & The Banshees, Specimen).
Since then they’ve been busy cutting their teeth with a series of shows around the capital and beyond, making return visits to the 100 Club in Oxford Street and earning multiple requests for support slots from acts as established as Evan Dando (Lemonheads), David Devant & His Spirit Wife, Blue Orchids, Sheep on Drugs, The Television Personalities and The Monochrome Set.

Bringing a new dimension of sharp and economic post-punk/new wave attitude to the diverse Westmoreland songbook, they’ve been already been favourably compared to The Jam, Pil and Wire as well as the mean, lean but undeniably powerful sound of young bucks like Idles or Shame.

Double Dee & Steinski in conversation with David Eastaugh 

https://ddski.com/

Double Dee and Steinski is a duo of hip hop producers, composed of Doug "Double Dee" DiFranco and Steven "Steinski" Stein. They achieved notoriety in the early 1980s for a series of underground hip-hop sample-based collages known as the "Lessons".

Their contest entry, "Lesson 1 – The Payoff Mix", was packed with sampled appropriations from other records—not only from early hip-hop records and from Funk and Disco records that were popular with hip-hop DJs, but with short snippets of older songs by Little Richard and The Supremes, along with vocal samples from sources as diverse as instructional tap-dancing records and Humphrey Bogart films.

The record was pieced together in DiFranco's studio in 12–14 hours over two days and was critically praised

Boz Boorer in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://westhampsteadarts.com/

https://www.facebook.com/ThePolecats/?locale=en_GB

English guitarist and producer. He founded the new wave rockabilly group the Polecats, and starting in 1991 had a 30-year collaboration with singer Morrissey as co-writer, guitarist and musical director.

Steven Seibold in conversation with David Eastaugh 

https://hatedept.bandcamp.com/

Seibold is a multi-instrumentalist who writes, records and releases Hate Dept. albums with minimal outside help. He formed Hate Dept. in 1991 in reaction to fickle 'electro' audiences and antipathy towards live electronic bands, taking his sound in a more punk direction.

Moritz R in conversation with David Eastaugh 

https://derplan.bandcamp.com/album/save-your-software

https://chakchak.de/

https://gerireig.blogspot.com/

Der Plan was founded in 1979 by Frank Fenstermacher, Moritz R, Robert Görl & Chrislo Haas. Görl and Haas left after the first release, and were replaced by Kurt Dahlke. This trio remained constant until the group disbanded in 1993.
In 2004, Moritz R reformed the band with new members Achim Treu & J.J. Jones, but due to disagreements with old band members with the slightly changed bandname: Der Plan V. 4.0
For the 50th birthday parties of Andreas Dorau in Hamburg and Berlin in January 2014 Der Plan was reformed again for two short sets by Frank Fenstermacher, Moritz R and Kurt Dahlke.
In May 2017 a new single "Lass die Katze stehn" had been released and in June the album "Unkapitulierbar" came to light.

Genny Schorr in conversation with David Eastaugh 

https://hozacrecords.com/product/pre-order-all-roads-lead-to-punk-book-7-record-set-by-genny-schorr/

https://gennyschorr.com/

As a founding member of one of Los Angeles’ earliest female-led bands, BACKSTAGE PASS, Genevieve Schorr lived and breathed rock’n roll growing up like a lot of teenagers at the time. What set her apart was forging her unique band so early in the punk timeline (a direct shot from her glam & pub rock influences) and eventually evolving her life into becoming a professional rock’n roll stylist to the stars.

Genny’s book reads like a lost diary trapped in a punk house time capsule from the era, complete with tales of dereliction and unsuspecting victories along the way. Crossing paths with such wildly diverse characters such as The Screamers, The Mumps, Dr. Feelgood, The Damned, The Quick, Jon Stewart, Jim Carrey, The Bangles, and Linda Ronstadt, All Roads Lead To Punk is an invigorating flash through a wild life not to be forgotten. This book comes also with a limited edition BACKSTAGE PASS 7″ single

Emma Pollock in conversation with David Eastaugh 

https://emmapollock.com/

https://emmapollock.bandcamp.com/

A founding member of Glasgow band The Delgados, Emma Pollock has been a solo artist since 2006, releasing 4 solo albums on 4AD and Chemikal Underground. Her new album Begging The Night To Take Hold is out now.

Andrew Perer in conversation with David Eastaugh 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Turn-Head-Into-Sound-Valentine/dp/1916829147

Turn My Head Into Sound: A history of Kevin Shields and My Bloody Valentine tells the story of one of the great sonic innovators of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. My Bloody Valentine have released only three albums in their forty-year career, but each of them has made a seismic impact. Isn’t Anything (1988) is often cited as one of the Ur-texts of shoegaze and dream rock; Loveless (1991) is an undisputed masterpiece heralded by many as the best album of the 1990s; m b v (2013) is one of the best-loved comeback albums in recent memory.

For those who know Kevin Shields and his work already, he is an indie-rock icon, but by other measures he’s still a relatively obscure figure in the musical mainstream, and to date there has been no full-length appraisal of his work or his band’s career. Until now. Shields is truly a one-of-a-kind musician, and this book—which fills in the gaps, corrects errors, and takes an objective look at the band’s entire career, warts and all—paints the full picture of one of the most revolutionary sonic artists of our time.

Turn My Head Into Sound is based on numerous interviews with people who were there (some of them speaking on the record for the first time) as well as an exhaustive archive of band-related material that the author has been assembling since 1990. Longtime fans of the band will find plenty of new information here, including the full story of the tumultuous period at Island Records following the release of Loveless. The lost years that followed would see Shields employed as engineer, producer, and remixer while also becoming an auxiliary member of Primal Scream. This book’s analysis of this diverse but lesser-known work offers reader a much fuller picture of the relentless creativity and perfectionism at the center of his process.

Steve Boltz in conversation with David Eastaugh 

https://www.steveboltz.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/920848814634353/

In 1971 he was recruited into the band Atomic Rooster, part of a new line-up for a tour supporting the band's third album In Hearing of Atomic Rooster and their No. 4 charting single "The Devil's Answer". The band was also recording their fourth LP Made in England which was released in 1972 with a more funky sound replacing their original progressive rock leanings. Bolton also appeared on Devil's Answer: Live on the BBC released in 1998, and on the release of In Satan's Name: The Definitive Collection.

Barrence Whitfield in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://www.facebook.com/BarrenceWhitfieldSavages

White adopted the stage name Barrence Whitfield to avoid being mistaken for superstar Barry White and began performing as Barrence Whitfield & the Savages.

The band garnered a strong reputation for explosive stage performances, described as "raucous and rough, in high gear from the moment they hit the stage." Whitfield himself was described as "a soul screamer in the spirit of Little Richard, Wilson Pickett, Solomon Burke, and early Don Covay." In 1984, the band released their self-titled debut album, mostly comprising cover versions of obscure soul and R&B songs. It received good critical reviews. The following year, they released a second album, Dig Yourself, on Rounder Records. Their music was heard by English radio DJ Andy Kershaw, who taped a Boston performance for airplay in Britain, and brought them to the UK for a tour.

David Miller, Simon McGlynn & Chris Connelly in conversation with David Eastaugh

THE SHEER ACTION OF FINI TRIBE is the first retrospective of the band, curated and designed by the band. It includes a wealth of archival photographs, an essay by original member ANDY MCGREGOR, who also designed the sleeve, and essays by longtime friend SHIRLEY MANSON and author ALASTAIR MCKAY, an early champion of the band.

The release features the first legendary JOHN PEEL SESSION produced by DALE GRIFFIN and originally broadcast in May 1985.

FINI TRIBE was born into the cash-poor but culturally-wealthy environs of post-punk Edinburgh in the very early 80s – 1980 to be almost precise. A tiny three piece with no drummer would soon swell into a muscular six piece with inherited or cheaply-purchased instruments. Band members CHRIS CONNELLY, SIMON MCGLYNN, ANDY MCGREGOR, DAVIE MILLER, PHILIP PINSKY, and JOHN VICK haunted the cold, damp warrens of the Niddry Street and Blair Street rehearsal rooms, just off the high street in Old Town Edinburgh.

Audrey Golden in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://store.whiterabbitbooks.co.uk/products/shouting-out-loud

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shouting-Out-Loud-Lives-Raincoats/dp/1399624865

Art students Gina Birch and Ana da Silva formed The Raincoats in 1977. Since the release of their seminal early records, the 'godmothers of grunge' have been revered by punk, queer, feminist and indie pop artists alike. The Raincoats reimagined the nature of experimental music and DIY design and went on to inspire Sonic Youth, Nirvana, and an entire generation of Riot Grrrl and queercore musicians.

Shouting Out Loud: Lives of the Raincoats tells their astonishing story in three extraordinary lives. In The Raincoats' first life, they recorded three full-length albums now regarded as classics and were the first punk band to play behind the Iron Curtain in Warsaw. Nearly a decade later in 1992, the band's second life took off when Kurt Cobain's love of the band catalysed their renaissance.

Steve Avo Lindsey in conversation with David Eastaugh 

https://linktr.ee/steveavolindsey

A nervous suitor, a guitarist at the end of his Strat and his tether, wistful ex-partners on a work trip to Wales. Art school Futurists and singalongs in Cooper’s Bar, Denmark Street and suburbia’s (two) ups and downs – and earbudded Londoners on the Tube, sailing away on their own private playlists. “In my head,” confides STEVE ‘AVO’ LINDSEY, making his solo long-playing debut just five decades into his music career, “this sounds like a Nick Lowe album.”

But given that PING is the work of the Wirral-born bassist of DEAF SCHOOL and frontman of new wave chart act THE PLANETS who would later become a music exec known for his ears and acumen, it’s hardly surprising that these twelve tracks offer more than just fond footnotes to Lowe.

Factor in Lindsey’s love of Donald Fagen and Jimmy Webb, Arctic Monkeys and Tom Waits, Todd Rundgren and Nashville-style storytelling, and his lo-fi, groove-driven takes on Motown, and you’ll have an idea of what to expect from this joyful, playful, gorgeously varied sheaf of love letters to music and Merseyside, sweaters and Swordfishtrombones.

Listen to tracks like the finger-clicking soul of ‘Beautiful 45’ and the bottoms-up vaudeville of ‘Cheers My Dears’, the rockaway baroque pop of ‘Royal Iris’ and the sultry Latinisms of ‘To Know You Better’, and you’ll also hear warm and winning musical contributions from family and friends: Lindsey’s daughter Uainín Lindsey on backing vocals; the late Tony ‘Wims’ Wimshurst, ex-Planets and Nasty Pop, on lead guitar; and drummer Josh McCartney, the nephew of a local lad named Paul.

But first, some back story. When Deaf School invented itself in 1974 at Liverpool College of Art, Lindsey, one of two Steves in the band, modestly opted for the moniker Mr Average. Deaf School would become (nearly) famous for its extravagant Sparks-via-Kurt Weill pop and its distinctly un-average cast of sirens, showmen, keyboard philosophers and future superstar producers.

Jon Poole in conversation with David Eastaugh

A multi-instrumentalist, he is best known for his work as guitarist for Cardiacs and as bass player for the Wildhearts and Lifesigns.

Poole is the frontman and main performer of God Damn Whores, co-fronts the Dowling Poole with Willie Dowling, and has released two solo albums. He has also been a member of Ad Nauseam and Dr Brighton, and worked with the bands Ablemesh, La Momo, Crayola Lectern, Two Worlds Collide and Celebricide (as well as various projects founded by Ginger Wildheart),

Peter Bruntnell in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://peterbruntnell.co.uk/

In the early 1990s, Bruntnell returned to the UK and formed the band Milkwood, although he soon reverted to solo work and recordings with Matt Backer and Felix Harper as the Peter Bruntnell Combination. He was signed by Almo Sounds, who issued his debut album, Cannibal, in 1995. He recorded a second album for Almo, Camelot in Smithereens (1997), before moving to the Slow River label for his 1999 album Normal for Bridgwater.

Jesse Hartman in conversation with David Eastaugh

www.facebook.com/laptoptheband

http://laptoptheband.bandcamp.com

www.laptoptheband.com

Laptop is the pioneering electro-pop project from Jesse Hartman — the sharp-witted New York songwriter who first made waves as a teenage guitarist/keyboardist on Richard Hell’s
1990 legendary tour of Japan, then again in the ’90s as the front man of indie rock duo Sammy (with guitarist Luke Wood, Geffen/Fire Records).

After Sammy’s brief but buzzy run (two albums: Debut Album on Sonic Youth’s Smells Like Records/Fire Records in the UK and Tales of Great Neck Glory on Geffen/Fire), Hartman shifted gears, re-emerging in 1997 under the name Laptop with a sound that was years ahead of its time: sarcastic synth-funk, deadpan vocals, and emotionally raw themes filtered through cold drum machines and warm analog nostalgia.

Ken Sweeney in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://www.facebook.com/needlemythology

Brian formed in 1989 comprising Ken Sweeney (ex Instant Party) and Niall Austin. Often said to be named in honour of suave Blades' bassist Brian Foley.

They released a single on their own label and then relocated to London where a second single was recorded. Response to both singles was good and the band was signed to London Irish label Setanta Records. Niall Austin decided to leave around this time and Brian became essentially a solo vehicle for Ken Sweeney.

Keith Cullen liked the demos for the debut LP so much Setanta released them unadorned as "Understand" in 1992. A follow up EP "Planes" came out the same year but there was then a lengthy silence, during which Ken Sweeney returned to Ireland, in 1995. The second album "Bring Trouble" finally emerged in 1999, recorded by a four man lineup of Ken Sweeney (guitars), Marcus Holdaway (keyboards), Mitsuo Tate (bass) and Vinnie Lammi (drums). Response to this more upbeat version of Brian was less immediate and Brian haven't recorded since. 

Annabella Lwin in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://www.annabellalwin.com/

Bow Wow Wow signed a recording contract with EMI Records in July 1980, and released their first single, "C·30 C·60 C·90 Go!", shortly afterwards. Originally only released on cassette, it was the world's first-ever cassette single. EMI did not promote the cassingle due to lyrics ("Off the radio I get constant flow/Hit it, pause it, record and play/Turn it, rewind and rub it away") that promoted home taping during an era when music piracy was a hot button issue and the use of cassette recorders to record music from the radio was still a controversial practice.