C86 Show - Indie Pop

Gordon King  - World of Twist - in conversation with David Eastaugh

New book - When Does The Mind-Bending Start? by Gordon King

A short lived 1986 version of World of Twist featured Gordon King (vocalist and co-songwriter), Tony Ogden (co-songwriter), Andy Hobson (Bass, Keyboards), Neil Drabble (visuals).

The 1989 version of World Of Twist featured Ogden (now vocalist and co-songwriter), King (guitar and co-songwriter), and Hobson (synthesisers) joined by Alan Frost (visual effects, synthesisers), Julia aka M.C. Shells (swirls and sea noises) and Angela Reilly (visual effects). Nick Sanderson (drums) joined some time later.

A demo tape (featuring "The Storm", "Blackpool Tower Suite", "The Spring", and "She's a Rainbow") released in early 1990 drew attention to the band, and a recording contract with Circa Records followed. The record label issued the singles "The Storm" (produced by Clif Brigden) that same year with "Sons of the Stage" also (produced by Clif Brigden) and "Sweets" following in 1991. A cover of The Rolling Stones' "She's a Rainbow", originally issued as the B-side of "The Storm", was reissued with new dance mixes by Fluke in 1992. The original B-side version had been one of the last tracks produced by Martin Hannett, who died in 1991.

Nige Tassell -Whatever Happened to the C86 Kids?: An Indie Odyssey - in conversation with David Eastaugh

In 1986, the NME released a cassette that would shape music for years to come. A collection of twenty-two independently signed guitar-based bands, C86 was the sound and ethos that defined a generation. It was also arguably the point at which 'indie' was born.

But what happened next to all those musical dreamers?

Bid - The Monochrome Set - in conversation with David Eastaugh 

The Monochrome Set was formed in London in 1978 from the remnants of a college group called The B-Sides, whose members had included Stuart Goddard, later known as Adam Ant. Their first live gig was on 15 Feb 1978, at Westfield College in London. The original line-up consisted of Indian-born lead singer and principal songwriter Bid (real name Ganesh Seshadri), Canadian guitarist Lester Square(real name Thomas W.B. Hardy), drummer John D. Haney (formerly of The Art Attacks) and bass guitarist Charlie X. The band had two more bassists, Jeremy Harrington and Simon Croft, before Andy Warren of the Ants, a childhood friend of Bid, joined in late 1979.

Nick Evans - Elemental Records & Dawn Song - in conversation with David Eastaugh 

Has a new album out - Dawn Song & the album is titled 'For Morgan'.

Elemental Records Was a division of Workers Playtime Music Co. in the early 1990s, then became a subsidiary of One Little Indian.

Lawrence - Felt, Denim & Go-Kart Mozart - in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://shop.bfi.org.uk/lawrence-of-belgravia-blu-ray.html

Felt released ten albums in the 1980s, and Lawrence was the only constant member of the band from its inception in 1979 to its dissolution in 1989, though he doesn't appear at all on the band's penultimate album, Train Above The City, despite being present at the recording sessions. During his time in the band, he served as lyricist and co-songwriter, together with then-lead guitarist Maurice Deebank, who left the band in 1985.

In 2006, Lawrence began working on a new Go-Kart Mozart album entitled On the Hot Dog Streets that was eventually released in June 2012 to coincide with the nationwide premiere of Lawrence of Belgravia, which documented the making of the record. Though once again a commercial failure, the album has received the most acclaim and attention of any Lawrence related project since Back in Denim.

Pleasant Gehman in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://pleasantgehman.com/tarotreadings/

Pleasant Gehman is a true renaissance woman. A lifelong multi-disciplinary artist, she is a writer, professional dancer, actor, psychic, musician and painter; she has  often been called “a force of nature”.

A Hollywood rock ‘n’ roll icon, during the 1970’s, she was one of the first punks in Los Angeles, documenting the scene she helped create in her fanzine Lobotomy, which lead to writing for the top mainstream rock publications. During the 1980’s, she toured fronting her three bands, all of whom released multiple recordings: The Screaming Sirens, The Ringling Sisters and Honk If Yer Horny. Concurrently, she was the talent booker for the seminal Los Angeles “alternative” clubs Cathay De Grande and Raji’s.

Greg Jarvis  - The Flowers of Hell - in conversation with David Eastaugh

The Flowers of Hell are a transatlantic experimental orchestra made up of a revolving line-up of 16 or so independent musicians based in Toronto and London. Their mostly instrumental sound builds bridges between classical music and post-rock, shoegaze, space rock and drone music, often resulting in their being described as an orchestral extension of the work of The Velvet Underground and Spacemen 3. They are led by synesthete composer Greg Jarvis. Much of their repertoire is an exploration of the timbre-to-shape synesthesia that causes Jarvis to involuntarily perceive all sounds as floating abstract visual forms.

Vince Rogers - Testcard F - in conversation with David Eastaugh 

Norwich, experimental synth pop band formed in 1981 -  formed in the early 1980s at the UEA. Famously had an indie chart hit with Bandwagon Tango. They completed a second EP and also did a Peel Session. 

Before releasing solo material as alpha seven, Pete used to be in Testcard F, an early experimental synth pop outfit based in Norwich, reaching the dizzy heights of a Peel session in 1982 and two singles on the Backs record label.

Instrumentation included electronic percussion built from Maplin kits, augmented with a coat rack and waste bins to give a human feel. There was a borrowed EDP Wasp, 1960s Farfisa organ, Casio VL-Tone and a drum machine that held a single song, hence they used backing cassettes

Paul 'Bee' Hampshire - Into A Circle, Futon, Getting The Fear, & Panache in conversation with David Eastaugh 

thebeenow.com

Anne Mari - The Field Mice, Lightning In A Twilight Hour & Trembling Blue Stars - in conversation with David Eastaugh

Lightning In A Twilight Hour is an alias of The Field Mice and Trembling Blue Stars’ frontman Bobby Wratten, one of indie-pop’s most undervalued cult figures. The project’s second album ‘Overwintering’ was co-produced by Ian Catt, with Field Mice lieutenants Anne Mari Davies (vocals) and Michael Hiscocks (bass) featured throughout the album.

Benjamin Berton author of a new book on Daniel Treacy  in conversation with David Eastaugh

"Dreamworld: The Fabulous Life of Daniel Treacy and his Band Television Personalities"

Alan Rider - Stress, Dance Naked & Attrition - in conversation with David Eastaugh

Alan Rider is a musician and editor of iconic 1980s Coventry post-punk fanzine Adventures in Reality.  He also co-edited 1980s Coventry Agit-Zine Not The Jobhunter, produced one off Coventry fanzines Certain Substances, Sticky Fingers, and Negative Response as well as contributing regularly to national music publications including Spiral Scratch and NME.  Alan and Adventures in Reality were featured in the 1983 Channel 4 documentary ‘Enough is Enough’.  He also ran the 1980s Adventures in Reality Recordings independent record label, releasing albums by a wide range of underground acts internationally, including Coventry bands such as Attrition, Furious Apples, and his own electronic band Stress. Stress went on to record and release four albums and numerous compilation album appearances on labels across the world.  His other band Dance Naked, released albums in the UK and Germany.

Robert Courtney - Skin Patrol & One Million Fuzztone - in conversation with David Eastaugh

Skin Patrol became One Million Fuzztone Guitars in 1981 and released two singles “Heaven / Annuese” and “Men’s Hearts / Creepy Crawl” and an LP “26″ all now remastered and re-released on Cherry Red Records. Rock Section was remixed by Julian Cope And Andrew Weatherall in 2014 as Dayglo Maradona. One Million Fuzztone Guitars/Skin Patrol continue to record and release new material on TuneCore/BMI.

Lolly Hayes (Lorraine Hayward) - Johnny Boy & Sister Lover - in conversation with David Eastaugh 

Formed in 2002, Johnny Boy took their name from Robert De Niro’s character in Martin Scorsese's film, Mean Streets. Their debut single, "Johnny Boy Theme" featured Scorsese's opening voice-over from the film.

Their single "You Are The Generation That Bought More Shoes And You Get What You Deserve" was produced by James Dean Bradfield (of Manic Street Preachers) and achieved critical acclaim.

Bradfield also co-produced their debut album, Johnny Boy, which received mixed reviews.

Philip Drucker - 17 Pygmies, Savage Republic, Them Rhythm Ants - in conversation with David Eastaugh

John Buck  - The Polecats - in conversation with David Eastaugh

The band were first signed by the fledgling British rockabilly record label Nervous Records, and recorded their first single "Rockabilly Guy" at guitarist Alan Warner's "Lane Studios" in 1979. Formerly with the "Foundations" band, Warner toured and recorded with the Polecats for about a year.

In 1980, the band signed to Mercury Records, and released their most successful LP, Polecats Are Go! They had UK chart success with a David Bowie cover, "John, I'm Only Dancing", a reworking of "Rockabilly Guy", and another cover version of the T-Rex (Marc Bolan) song "Jeepster".^[2] In 1983, they hit the charts in the United States with their song, "Make a Circuit with Me".John Buck replaced Neil Rooney in 1982 playing drums.

Claire Hamill in conversation with David Eastaugh

www.clairehamill.co.uk

Active in the music business since age 17. In 1971, she was launched as one of Britain's first female singer-songwriters. Shortly following the release of her debut album, One House Left Standing, Hamill went on her first UK tour, supporting John Martyn. She performed at the Concert 10 festival in the United States July 1972 before a crowd of 200,000. By 1973, she had toured the United States with Procol Harum and Jethro Tull, and returned to Britain to record her next album, October, at Manor Studio in Oxfordshire. She next toured with King Crimson.

In 1973, she met Ray Davies of the Kinks, who signed her to his Konk label for her third album Stage Door Johnnies. She toured America for the second time that year and went on another UK tour supporting Gilbert O'Sullivan. In addition, she recorded what would be her final album of the '70s and the second one for Konk, Abracadabra.

In 1979, she provided vocals on the song "Look Over Your Shoulder" on The Steve Howe Album. In the early 1980s she worked with Wishbone Ash, appearing as a guest performer on their albums Just Testing (1980) and Number the Brave (1981) and joining the group for their 1981/82 tour. She returned as a guest on Bare Bones in 1999.

Tony Sales - Iggy Pop and David Bowie/Tin Machine - in conversation with David Eastaugh

Son of 1950s/'60s TV comedian Soupy Sales and younger brother, Hunt Sales 

Tony and Hunt went on to work with Chequered Past, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Todd Rundgren, Bob Welch, Andy Fraser of Free, Harry Dean Stanton and The Cheap Dates, The Hunt Sales Memorial, Tin Machine (with Bowie), and others from 1989 to 1994.

Provided the rhythm section for Pop's album Lust for Life (1977), which was produced by David Bowie, who also played keyboards The brothers joined Pop on his subsequent tour, recorded as TV Eye Live 1977 and released in 1978.

Medicine - Brad Laner - in conversation with David Eastaugh

Medicine was formed by ex-Savage Republic drummer Brad Laner, based on some 4-track recordings Laner was working on in 1990. After playing the tapes for music industry representatives, he was told that if he formed a band that sounded like the tapes, he could get a record deal. Laner then assembled a band of musicians from the Los Angeles music scene. Medicine's early lineup included Laner, drummer Jim Goodall (Severed Head in a Bag, Jon Wayne, Lopez Beatles), guitarist Jim Putnam, bassist Eddie Ruscha and singer Annette Zilinskas (an original member of the Bangles). Zilinskas left before any official releases and was replaced by former Fourwaycross singer Beth Thompson. 

Andi Sex Gang in conversation with David Eastaugh

Sex Gang Children are an early gothic rock and post-punk band that formed in early 1982 in Brixton in London, England. Although the original group only released one official studio album, their singles and various other tracks have been packaged into numerous collections, and they remain one of the more well-known bands of the early Batcave scene and have reformed for new albums and touring at various times since the early 1990s.