C86 Show - Indie Pop

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.

Martin Carr - The Boo Radleys - in conversation with David Eastaugh

In 1990, the band's first album Ichabod and I was released on a small British indie label, Action Records. Although not a commercial success, this release brought the band to the attention of Rough Trade Records, to whom they signed. 

Almost immediately after the release of the Every Heaven EP in 1991, Rough Trade collapsed and the Boo Radleys were signed by Alan McGee's Creation Records.

Rob Miller - Amebix & Tau Cross - in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://www.castlekeep.co.uk

English musician and swordsmith. Beginning his musical career in 1978, he is primarily known as the lead vocalist and bass player of pioneering crust punkband Amebix. He also plays in the international supergroup Tau Cross.

David Conway  - My Bloody Valentine - in conversation with David Eastaugh 

Irish author and former musician. He was the original vocalist of the alternative rock band My Bloody Valentine, which he formed in 1983 with guitarist Kevin Shields and drummer Colm Ó Cíosóig. In 1987, during their minor underground success, Conway left the band and was replaced by Bilinda Butcher.

Since 1991, Conway has written four novels, including 2009's Tokyo Gothic and 2010's Celebrity Bedlam, published numerous short stories and contributed his writing to a selection of comic books. His writings are published by Radical Robot Books—his own publishing company—and Double Dragon Publishing. Conway lives in London.

Alex Novak Venus Fly Trap, Religious Overdose, Attrition, and The Tempest - in conversation with David Eastaugh

The band was formed by Alex Novak (vocals, formerly of Religious Overdose, Attrition, and The Tempest) and John Novak (guitar, vocals, formerly Where's Lisse?), and Tony Booker on bass guitar prior to their debut twelve-inch single "Morphine" in March 1988.

A further single followed later that year - the three-track Desolation Railway 12 inch EP -  released their debut mini album Mars in 1988, collecting tracks from the earlier singles alongside several new numbers.

Edsel Auctioneer - Ashley Horner Park 3 - in conversation with David Eastaugh 

Aubrey Powell - Hipgnosis - in conversation with David Eastaugh - promoting his new book Through the Prism: Untold Rock Stories from the Hipgnosis

British graphic designer. He co-founded the album cover design company Hipgnosis with Storm Thorgerson in 1967. The company ran for 15 years until 1982, and created some of the most acclaimed record cover art of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s for many of the most famous rock bands of the era including Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Paul McCartney, Yes, Genesis, 10cc, Peter Gabriel, Bad Company, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Scorpions, Styx, Syd Barrett, and Black Sabbath. The company was nominated five times for Grammy Awards.

Terry Reid in conversation with David Eastaugh 

Reid came to the attention of producer Mickie Most, who became his manager and who was in partnership with Peter Grant at the time. His first single with Most, "Better By Far", became a radio favourite, but the album

Reid was signed by Ahmet Ertegun to Atlantic Records with his band of David Lindley, Lee Miles and Alan White; they began recording in the UK and later switched to the US. White left to join Yes and Lindley left to tour with Jackson Browne. However, Lee Miles remained and was Reid's trusty sidekick for many years to come. Other musicians on the album, titled River, included Conrad Isodore on drums and Willie Bobo on percussion. Produced by Reid, engineered by Tom Dowd, and mixed by Eddie Offord this third album was released in 1973 and received favourable reviews

Stuart Moxham - Young Marble Giants - in conversation with David Eastaugh 

Young Marble Giants formed from the ashes of the band True Wheel which also included friends Matthew Davis and Louise Porter who later signed to EMI. Stuart Moxham wrote the majority of the band's songs. Their sound was characterised by Phil's prominent bass lines, Stuart's rhythm guitar and Galanti electric organ lines and Statton's vocals. Stuart Moxham's girlfriend, Wendy Smith, lent him the money to buy the Rickenbacker. Smith, an art student in Cardiff at the time Young Marble Giants formed, photographed the band's US tour, and also designed cover art for several singles and albums by Weekend.

Moira Lambert - Faith Over Reason & Saint Etienne (Only Love Can Break Your Heart) in conversation with David Eastaugh 

Lambert began singing, playing acoustic guitar and song-writing as a child in Africa, largely influenced by the Celtic folk songs her parents taught her. While at school in the UK she became a fan of the British indie scene, enjoying acts like The Smiths and The Cure, later exploring vintage records by artists like Sandy Denny, Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. She is also a fan of avant-garde cinema.

Lambert studied at the Conservatory of Music, played in coffee bars, and worked with Spanish cellist, pianist and composer Dan Anies, who co-wrote two of the songs on her first solo album 'Coming Up Roses' (released October 2006).

Cass Browne - Senseless Things, Deadcuts Circle & Loup GarouX in conversation with David Eastaugh

He was a member of the band The Psychotics who became Senseless Things in 1986. Senseless Things had a couple of top 20 hits and many other singles in their nine years together, they split up in 1995. Jamie Hewlett was a big fan of the band and designed many of their sleeves. When the Senseless Things split up, Browne formed a new band Delakota, which he toured with for a couple of years. Cass Browne also worked with Damon Albarn as his drummer on 2002's Mali Music

John Henderson - Tiny Global Productions - in conversation with David Eastaugh 

Dave Morgan - Alternative TV, The Loft, The Weather Prophets & much more - in conversation with David Eastaugh 

The Associates - Alan Rankine Part 2 - in conversation with David Eastaugh 

The Associates with Alan Rankine - Part 1 - in conversation with David Eastaugh

The Associates  were a Scottish post-punk and pop band, formed in Dundee in 1979 by singer Billy Mackenzieand guitarist Alan Rankine. The group first gained recognition after releasing an unauthorized cover of David Bowie's "Boys Keep Swinging" as their debut single in 1979, which landed them a contract with Fiction Records. They followed with their debut album The Affectionate Punch in 1980 and the singles collection Fourth Drawer Down in 1981, both to critical praise.

They achieved commercial success in 1982 with the UK Top 10 album Sulk and UK Top 20 singles "Party Fears Two" and "Club Country

Edsel Auctioneers - Ashley Horner Part 2 - in conversation with David Eastaugh

Edsel Auctioneer - Ashley Horner Part 1 - in conversation with David Eastaugh

In early 1988 they recorded a number of songs for a small independent record label in Glasgow but this never got released. Instead the songs found their way to BBC Radio 1 DJ, John Peel, who described in Offbeat magazine the moment he heard the cassette he drove off the A12 to Suffolk in shock. Peel subsequently invited the band into Maida Vale to do a session. They recorded four songs ("Brickwall Dawn", "Blind Hurricane", "Between Two Crimes" and "Place In the Sun") and it was broadcast in late 1988, and again in 1989. On the back of this they signed to Decoy Records, a sub-division of Rhythm King Records that also was the home of Mega City Four. They recorded their first single "Our New Skin" / "Strung" in Camden with Iain Burgess and followed this with an EP "Stickleback" / "Bed, Table, Chair" / "Necessary Disease" / "Unbroken Line". These first two releases were collected as a mini-album, Voice of the Harolds.