C86 Show - Indie Pop

Richard Bellia  in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://richardbellia.com/

Photographer Richard Bellia was there when it mattered carrying his trusted camera to capture moments in music’s vast cannon of historical importance, some which now forms his own tapestry of work in Un œil sur la musique 1980-2016 i.e. An eye on music 1980-2016.

The intro to the book says ‘’a thousand photos: breathe the same air as the musicians, feel the bass, the riffs and the silences, sixtieth of a second per sixtieth of a second.’’ With this in mind its hard not to get stuck straight in with the mammoth heavyweight volume of photos infront of you. The first striking images come from prime Punk era via Denmark Street, John Lydon looking grimacingly at the camera in the studio and on stage with PiL, Joe Strummer looking cool as holding his guitar towards the camera, Topper Headon, Mick Jones and leather clad Paul Simonon all looking equally stunning in separate shots.

Graham Bonnet in conversation with David Eastaugh

English rock singer. He has recorded and performed as a solo artist and as a member of several rocks bands including Rainbow, Michael Schenker Group, Alcatrazz, and Impellitteri. He is known for his powerful singing voice but is capable of also singing soft melodies.

In 1979, Bonnet was approached to join  Sweet to replace Brian Connolly. However, he was chosen by Ritchie Blackmore to replace Ronnie James Dio as the vocalist of hard rock band Rainbow. This was something of a musical departure for Bonnet, who had previously identified himself more as an R&B singer. Bonnet would later credit his time in Rainbow and his collaboration with Blackmore, in particular, as fundamentally changing his musical outlook to a more hard rock focus. He sang on the Down to Earth LP, which would become his most successful album. It spawned two hit singles in 1979 and 1980: "Since You Been Gone" and "All Night Long". During Bonnet's time in the band, Rainbow also headlined the inaugural Monsters of Rock festival at Donington Park, Castle Donington.

Angel Eye in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://www.sunsofarqa.co.uk/

Suns of Arqa are a world music collective founded in 1979 by Michael Wadada. Since the group's formation, over 200 people from around the world have played and recorded with them, and in many cases these were like-minded musicians Wadada met as he travelled the world.

Pioneers of World Beat, Ambient, Downtempo and Electro-Dub, Suns of Arqa draw inspiration from around the world, interpreting indigenous, tribal and classical folk traditions. They have created an impressive legacy and earned worldwide recognition.

Alan Buckley in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyCcKAa35PE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ayh-vWqDzBU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2ioIhmzGEI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVfK1tbeGwk&list=PLcDwkXhr5uEwekhN-p-OKHqcY_cLxvWjR

Mid 80s proto-janglers Here Comes Everybody inspired Andy Bell (Ride/Oasis) to buy his first guitar, then, mission accomplished, broke up in 1986. Singer/ guitarist Richard and drummer Pete were introduced to bassist Alan by some HCE fans at St Paul's Arts Centre later that year, and The Anyways' core trio was born. Their goal was to wear black and sound like The Velvet Underground, but luckily they got it slightly wrong and ended up sounding like themselves (while still wearing black). Jennie used to read the newspaper onstage and on one occasion shorted out the keyboard by pouring fizzy pop into it. Trudy, a volunteer mental health worker, brought a big following from the Mill Drop-In Centre, to liven up the usual anoraked indie audience. Sounds reviewed the band's second gig, The Television Personalities offered support slots at the 100 Club in Oxford St, and Notown Records put out the first single, Confession, in 1987. Overcome by the excitement of being played on John Peel (once), Jennie left, and Ali took her place. The Anyways became regular performers at the Camden Falcon, where Bobby Gillespie told them they needed more guitar solos. Two tracks (no solos) were featured on The Jericho Collection in 1988 alongside Notown label-mates Shake Appeal (lots of solos). A video of rousing revolutionary anthem Levitate the Pentagon was shown on satellite TV at 2.00am. The Anyways played in Oxford, London, and Bristol with Talulah Gosh, Razorcuts, The Mission and Ride... and on their own at a Hindu wedding in Hendon (kicking off the evening with that cheery toe-tapper, Love Gone Bad). Band mantra Welcome to Psychedelic Country became even more appropriate when Hamish and Karen joined in 1990. An album (Love Lies) was recorded by Rich Haines at Dungeon Studios, but sadly not released. A swirling cover of George Harrison's If I needed someone graced a charity album called Revolution No. 9. Despite their sterling work on the swirling, Hamish and Karen decided to go more Country than Psychedelic, and left to form Lucky and The Losers in 1991. The final incarnation of The Anyways was completed by guitar maestro Mark, who had previously acted as friend and multi-tasking facilitator to the band for some time - in celebration, chilled Frascati was served to the new line-up onstage at the Zodiac in front of hundreds of delighted Heavenly fans. The Sunshine Down EP came out on Marineville Records in 1993, by which time Richard had received stage-fright counselling from Jonathan Richman and the band had supported Bad Manners at a college ball. Wider (not inspired by Buster Bloodvessel) was featured on the Days Spent Dreaming compilation. By now people wanted to spread their musical wings, so The Anyways' Grand Finale gig was held in 1994 at the Jericho Tavern (the band's spiritual home for many years). 

Tot Taylor in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://www.tottaylor.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thgIeoqRyok

https://www.riflemaker.org/

London-based songwriter, composer, record producer, author and art curator. He was a songwriter, singer, performer and band member throughout the seventies, eighties and nineties as well as composer of film soundtracks and theatre scores including stage-productions for the UK's National Theatre. In 2003 he founded the Riflemaker Gallery in London with the curator Virginia Damtsa, which featured feminist, audio and performative art for galleries and museums.

Chris Wilson in conversation with David Eastaugh

guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, most known for his role as the lead singer of the San Francisco band the Flamin' Groovies, having replaced original singer Roy Loney in 1971. With Wilson on lead vocals, the band released their influential 1976 album Shake Some Action.

His song "Shake Some Action", co-written with Cyril Jordan, appeared in the 1995 movie Clueless.

He was also a long-term member of The Barracudas and in 1993 he released the mini-album Pop backed by The Sneetches and the debut solo album Random Centuries.

Mark Hoyle in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://www.route-online.com/all-books/swerve

https://dubsex.net/about

Dub Sex are often cited as one of Manchester’s greatest ‘lost’ bands. Formed in the concrete landscape of 1980s Hulme, their music is appropriately raw and intense, bass-led with wiry guitar patterns swirling around the impassioned vocal style and presence of frontman Mark Hoyle. 

They came to prominence over the release of five critically acclaimed EPs and mini-albums in the late 80s. John Peel picked up on them from the outset playing a demo recording of ‘Tripwire!’ later describing the band on-air as “one of my very favourites”. Dub Sex went on to record 4 sessions for his BBC Radio show, the first of which incredibly aired 3 times in just 6 weeks during Feb/Mar 1987.  

‘Tripwire!’ saw a formal release later in 1987 on the band’s debut EP. The mini-album ‘Push’ and ‘The Underneath’ EP soon followed. Enthusiastic music press reviews helped the band’s profile rise amongst the post-punk fraternity and incendiary live shows led to several TV appearances including BBC’s influential ‘Snub TV’ and Tony Wilson’s Granada show ‘The Other Side of Midnight’.  

By early 1989 and the release of the ‘Swerve’ EP, Dub Sex had become Indie Chart regulars with ‘Swerve’ also making John Peel’s ‘Festive Fifty’ at the end of that year.  

Lenny Helsing in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://preciousrecordingsoflondon.bandcamp.com/album/pre-048-the-green-telescope-andy-kershaw-session-230186

Forerunners to The Thanes, The Green Telescope started out in 1981 as ardent ambassadors for 60s-style psychedelic sounds, soon becoming well known around Edinburgh for putting together exotic-sounding shows featuring freak-out style lights.
A couple of line-up changes later, they took fresh inspiration from the British beat group era plus the US/European teen garage-punk explosion – think ‘Nuggets’ and ‘Pebbles’.
There were only two singles – including the much-sought-after ‘Face In A Crowd’ seven-inch – so this, their only BBC session from 1986, is a proper one-off, capturing the spirit and sound of the times via a swirling organ, a psych heart and three totally unreleased tracks. Plus one that was recorded only 20 years later in a different version by the Thanes.

Mark Wilson & Pete Barker in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWEISh0MznA

Anarchic rockabilly beloved by the late John Peel. "If Elvis had been a Marx Brother, he would have invented Pink Peg Slax" (James Brown, NME) With a name derived from an obscure Eddie Cochran rocker, Pink Peg Slax promise rockabilly revivalism, but these veterans of the Leeds 80s music scene deliver musical subversion. Borne out of punk, the Slax line-up were original members of the Mekons, the Sisters of Mercy and The Gang of Four. Celebrated by John Peel and Andy Kershaw (4 Radio 1 sessions), the NME (3 singles and 2 albums gained 5-star reviews) and TV chef Keith Floyd (who wrote sleeve notes) Pink Peg Slax knocked out 100% original tunes with a deft rockabilly-cajun approach.

Pink Peg Slax provided the necessary knowing wink to counter the gothic scowl on the face of indie music in the mid-80s. The Smiths released Meat Is Murder; the Slax released Eat More Meat. The only band ever to offer James Cagney impressions as serious musical output on night-time Radio One, Pink Peg Slax busked their way onto C4's The Tube, annoyed legions of Goths by supporting The Mission on tour and wrote songs about drunken pigs, deaf railwaymen, murderous Frenchmen and Holsten Pils. Frontman Vince Berkeley, often at odds with the world and the time of day, once thanked an audience of fairground workers for not being "gippos", told an indifferent audience in Dusseldorf to "go away and make some chemicals" and regularly spat on, kicked or threatened audience members he felt were disrespecting the band. And yet the band's Roman Catholicism led to album reviews in The Universe, the premier UK religious weekly. After a break of 20 years to raise families and conquer the world of work, Pink Peg Slax return with their original line-up and most of their hair intact..

Stuart Bruce in conversation with David Eastaugh

Stuart Robert Bruce is an English recording engineer. He was the engineer for the recording of the Band Aid's charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" on 25 November 1984.

Bruce started his career at Trevor Horn's Sarm West Studios. When Horn offered Bob Geldof and Midge Ure the studio free of charge for 24 hours to record the charity single, but was unavailable to produce it, Bruce was approached to engineer and mix what became one of the biggest selling singles ever. With many of the most famous artists of the time participating, and seven film crews in attendance, he worked straight through that day and night.

The reputation Bruce gained of being able to get a track down in difficult circumstances later led to him being chosen to engineer the Guitar Trio album by Al Di Meola, Paco de Lucía and John McLaughlin.

Richard Witts in conversation with David Eastaugh

The Passage were a post-punk band from Manchester, England, who appeared on several record labels including Object Music, Cherry Red Records, and their own label Night & Day, a subsidiary label to Virgin Records.

https://richardwitts.com/

Joe Dilworth in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://bildbandberlin.com/products/joe-dilworth-everything-all-at-once-forever?srsltid=AfmBOop7qFncpNI6g3QxwWIi_P1wOGycmFmfMmgE2wP6t9pW7Egjs87v

http://joedilworth.com/

Th' Faith Healers were an English indie rock band who were originally active between 1990 and 1994. They recorded multiple EPs and singles along with two full LPs

Andrew Reich, Jeffrey McDonald & Steve McDonald in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://www.reddkrossfilm.com/

https://reddkross.com/

From inventing Beach Punk to influencing the Grunge and Hair Metal movements, Redd Kross have maintained the highest level of musical integrity, originality and quality for over forty years.

Alan Clayson in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://alanclayson.com/

https://alanclayson.bandcamp.com/album/ancient-and-modern-highlights-of-half-a-century-2

Singer-songwriter, author and music journalist. He gained popularity in the late 1970s as leader of the band Clayson and the Argonauts. In addition to contributing to publications such as Record Collector, Mojo and Folk Roots, he subsequently established himself as a prolific writer of music biographies. Among his many books are Backbeat, which details the Beatles' early career in Germany, Ringo Starr: Straight Man or Joker?

Christina Bulbenko & Rex Broome in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://bigstirrecords.com/the-armoires

https://thearmoires.bandcamp.com/

The new record from the Burbank, CA indie pop quintet represents both a fresh start and the distillation of the potential inherent in their unique sound – somewhere between the sunshine pop of the '60s, the college rock jangle of the '80s and the Sarah Records/C86 chamber pop aesthetic of the '90s – and a lyrical approach that's always felt untethered to any one era or place. They've even put a name to the soundscape they inhabit: Octoberland, both the title of their forthcoming album (appropriately due on October 11, 2024) and a destination frequently referenced in its songs.

Leah Kardos in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://www.leahkardos.com/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kate-Bushs-Hounds-Love-33/dp/B0CYP75PF3

Peter Kelly in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://beerjacket.bandcamp.com/

Beerjacket is Scottish singer/songwriter, Peter Kelly, who has opened for The National, St Vincent, Kristin Hersh & Frightened Rabbit.

In 2018, Scottish Fiction released album/book of songs & short stories, Silver Cords, leading to an appearance at Edinburgh International Book Festival, a sold-out show with Cairn String Quartet at Celtic Connections, & radio play from BBC Radio 6 Music and KEXP.

Kazuko Hohki in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://www.kazukohohki.com/

https://www.cherryred.co.uk/frank-chickens?srsltid=AfmBOooDDNlbGuF-rplim_W0Q1z4FFliWJ_ehN3sGCtlLFB0W4kpAGNM

Frank Chickens are a Japanese musical group based in London, who have performed songs mainly in English since 1982.

They were nominated for the 1984 Edinburgh Comedy Award for their performance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. In the same year, their single "Blue Canary" was number 42 in BBC DJ John Peel's Festive Fifty, a poll of his listeners' favourite tracks of the year. The band recorded 28 songs over five sessions for Peel between 1983 and 1989.

In 1989 they hosted a television chat show on Channel 4 entitled Kazuko's Karaoke Klub.

One of the founders of the group, Kazuko Hohki performs as a theatre artist and performance artist. She also sang with the group Kahondo Style who released 'My Heart’s In Motion' (1985) and 'Green Tea and Crocodiles' (1987). She is married to record producer Grant Showbiz.

Joe McKecknie in conversation with David Eastaugh

The Passage were a post-punk band from Manchester, England, who appeared on several record labels including Object Music, Cherry Red Records, and their own label Night & Day, a subsidiary label to Virgin Records.

https://ra.co/dj/joemckechnie/biography

Kristi Callan in conversation with David Eastaugh

Vocalist and rhythm guitarist originally from Texas. Kristi Callan has performed with Wednesday Week, David Gray, Wondermints, Cruzados, Dave Davies, The Ventures, Big Soul, Lucky, The Roswell Sisters and others. 

Founders of the band were the sisters Kristi and Kelly Callan—daughters of actress K Callan. The sisters formed their first group, The Undeclared, in 1979. The duo evolved into a trio, Goat Deity, in 1980, when they were joined by Steve Wynn. Wynn left to concentrate on his other band, The Dream Syndicate, and Kjehl Johansen (of The Urinals) joined on bass guitar, with the band name changing again to Narrow Adventure. With David Provost replacing Johansen in 1983, the band became Wednesday Week (named after the Undertones song), and they released their debut EP, Betsy's House, later that year.^[1][2] Further lineup changes followed, with Provost being replaced by Heidi Rodewald at the end of 1983, and Tom Alford joining on lead guitar in early 1984. In 1985, David Nolte (of The Last) replaced Alford, giving the band its most stable lineup.