The Last special with Joe Nolte in conversation with David Eastaugh

The band was initially inspired by the nascent CBGB’s scene as well as the first Modern Lovers album. Its sound was a mix of garage rock, surf rock, folk rock and psychedelic rock. The first settled line-up included Vitus Mataré (keyboards, flute), the Nolte brothers, and Jack Reynolds (drums). After three self-financed singles, the band was signed by Bomp! Records, who issued the debut album L.A. Explosion!in 1979 (described by Trouser Press as "a near-perfect debut").^[2] It was also issued in Germany (Line Records), Japan Trio/Trash Records), and the UK by London Records.

They recorded a second album, Look Again (1980), which has never been released. The original members began to disappear until its demise in November 1985, with David Nolte joining Wednesday Week and later Lucky, and Mataré forming Trotsky Icepick. The band was considered a major influence on the psychedelia-influenced LA bands of the mid-1980s, including The Bangles and The Three O'Clock, as well as the South Bay punk bands such as Black Flag and the Descendents.

Joe reformed the band in 1988 with Mike Nolte along with new members Luke Lohnes (guitar, vocals), Larry P. Manke (bass guitar), and Dave Nazworthy (of Chemical People) (drums). This line-up signed to SST Records, releasing three albums between 1988 and 1996. The early 80’s lineup of the band reunited for occasional reunion shows in Southern California between 2005 and 2013. That year, The Last released a new album for the label End Sounds featuring the Descendents/All rhythm section of Karl Alvarez and Bill Stevenson.

Darts special with Den Hagarty  in conversation with David Eastaugh

Founded in 1976, they built up a large following playing clubs and universities, although their break came after they appeared on Charlie Gillett's show on BBC Radio London in October 1976. This secured the band a recording contract with Magnet Records, where they were teamed up with record producer Tommy Boyce who had previously produced The Monkees. Covering 1950s rock and roll hits, they scored their first UK hit in November 1977 with a medley of "Daddy Cool" (originally a US 1957 hit for The Rays) and Little Richard's 1957 hit "The Girl Can't Help It".^[2]More cover versions followed in 1978 with "Come Back My Love" (originally recorded by US R&B group The Wrens in 1955), and "The Boy from New York City" (originally a US hit for The Ad Libs in 1965).

Craig Gannon in conversation with David Eastaugh

Gannon had played in bands with friends since he was 12 years old, and in 1983 joined Aztec Camera after replying to an ad in Melody Maker. In 1984 he briefly joined The Colourfield, and went on to join The Bluebells.

After another brief stint in The Colourfield, when bass player Andy Rourke was fired from The Smiths in early 1986, Gannon was hired to replace him. Within a fortnight, however, Rourke was reinstated and Gannon moved to rhythm guitar becoming the official fifth member, playing on the "Panic" and "Ask" singles and touring the UK, Canada and the US with the band. Gannon also played on the scrapped single "You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby", which was included on The World Won't Listen compilation album. After the tour ended in October 1986, Gannon was no longer part of the line-up. Gannon has been affectionately known thereafter as "the Fifth Smith".

Mark Saunders in conversation with David Eastaugh

Mark Saunders  is a British record producer and audio engineer who has worked on a number of albums since the 1980s, with artists including the Cure, David Byrne, Erasure, and Tricky.

The Mighty Lemon Drops with David Newton in conversation with David Eastaugh

Originally called the Sherbet Monsters, the quartet first formed in the spring of 1985 in Wolverhampton, in The Black Country. Paul Marsh, Dave Newton and Tony Linehan had played together in a band called Active Restraint in 1982, with Newton later leaving to become a founding member of the Wild Flowers. Dave Newton and Tony Linehan were the principal songwriters for the group. Their sound can best be described as a more psychedelia-influenced post-punk, played with a ringing Rickenbacker guitar as the lead instrument. They drew comparisons to Echo and the Bunnymen, who were also influenced by psychedelia.

After losing original drummer Martin Gilks (later to join the Wonder Stuff), the Drops line-up settled as Paul Marsh (vocals), David Newton (guitar), Tony Linehan (bass), and Keith Rowley (drums). In December 1985 the quartet, now officially the Mighty Lemon Drops, released their first independent single "Like an Angel", on Daniel Treacy of Television Personalities' Dreamworld Records label which went to the top of the UK Indie Chart and sold 14,000 copies. They also recorded a session for John Peel around the same time. Becoming part of the C86 movement, which was championed by the New Musical Express, they were soon snapped up by Geoff Travis of Rough Trade for his new Blue Guitar label, a subsidiary of Chrysalis Records. They signed with Sire Records for the United States and Canada around the same period. Derek Jarman produced the video for the "Out of Hand" single in 1987 which was followed by their hit "Inside Out" in 1988.

Max's Kansas City special with Peter Crowley in conversation with David Eastaugh

Max's Kansas City was a nightclub and restaurant at 213 Park Avenue South in New York City, which became a gathering spot for musicians, poets, artists and politicians in the 1960s and 1970s. It was opened by Mickey Ruskin (1933–1983) in December 1965 and closed in 1981.

Jarboe special - Swans & World of Skin - in conversation with David Eastaugh

Between 1985 and 1996, she worked as a vocalist and keyboardist in the band, appearing on albums including Children of God (1987), The Burning World (1989), and Soundtracks for the Blind (1996). Jarboe's inclusion in the band marked a departure from their previous noise rock sound to a more melodic industrial and even folk rock sound. She also collaborated with Gira, forming their side project, The World of Skin in 1987, releasing several albums and singles.

Jarboe left Swans in 1997 when the band broke up and embarked on a solo career, releasing various experimental records (many of which she has self-released and distributed over the internet)^[10] including Sacrificial Cake (1995) and Anhedoniac (1998). She has continued to self-release solo albums and, despite not returning to the group, recorded vocals for two tracks on the re-formed Swans' album, The Seer (2012).

Jarboe completed a world tour in the autumn/winter of 2013, with Veil of Thorns' P. Emerson Williams on guitar. She released an experimental soundscape album, With Sun Falling, with Veil of Thorns in June 2015.

Mark Saunders - record producer in conversation with David Eastaugh

In 1984, Mark landed a job as an assistant at West Side Studios, London working with renowned production pair Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley who had great success producing Madness, Dexy's Midnight Runners, Lloyd Cole & the Commotions, Elvis Costello and later Bush.

Vic Godard & Subway Sect special - 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 Clash manager 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.

Tim Palmer special - discussing The Mission, David Bowie, Pearl Jam & much more - with David Eastaugh 

Palmer started his career in London. In the early 1980s, Palmer was an assistant engineer at Utopia Studios in London where he worked with musicians such as Mark Knopflerand Dead or Alive. By age 21, he had his first number one single, mixing "(I Just) Died in Your Arms" (1986) for Cutting Crew.

In the latter half of the 1980s, Palmer became a producer, and his ears and technical knowledge contributed to groups such as the Mighty Lemon Drops, The Mission, with whom he worked for several years, and Gene Loves Jezebel. In 1988, Palmer produced Now and Zen for rock singer Robert Plant (Top 10 U.S. album) as well as Tin Machine, David Bowie's debut LP with Tin Machine in 1989.

The Vibrators special with John Ellis in conversation with David Eastaugh

Ellis was a co-founder of the pub rock band Bazooka Joe in 1970 and a founding member of the punk rock band The Vibrators. He formed The Vibrators in 1976 while still at art school studying illustration. The Vibrators released two albums with Ellis and toured extensively. Ellis left the Vibrators in 1978 to form the short-lived group Rapid Eye Movement, before embarking on a solo career in 1979, releasing a couple of singles, one of which, "Babies in Jars" (a live Rapid Eye Movement recording) reached #34 on the UK Indie Chart.^[2][3]

In 1980, Ellis toured with Peter Gabriel on his "Tour of China 1984", and he appears on the album Peter Gabriel 4. From 1982 onwards, he recorded a number of albums with Peter Hammill, and toured with Hammill (off and on) from 1981 until 1989. From 1981 until 1984, he was a member of the K Group with Peter Hammill. Hammill was "K" (on vocals, piano and guitar), Nic Potter was "Mozart" (on bass guitar), Guy Evans was "Brain" (on drums), and Ellis was "Fury" (on backing vocals and guitar).^[4] The Peter Hammill album The Margin is a registration of live-concerts by the K group.

Between late 1990 and 2000, Ellis was a member of the punk rock band The Stranglers, starting with the album Stranglers in the Night.^[1] During that period he also created music for European Art exhibitions and several short films. Ellis left the Stranglers in 2000. He is an exponent of the E-bow guitar.

Ellis has contributed to the recordings of Judge Smith, a founding member of Van der Graaf Generator.

In 2005, Ellis formed a community organisation called 'The Luma Group', that delivers arts based training and workshops.

In 2009, Ellis started his own record label, Chanoyu Records, in order to release his own music. The first release was Wabi Sabi 21©, an album of electronic instrumentals inspired by the Japanese Tea Ceremony.

This Heat special with Charles Hayward in conversation with David Eastaugh

This Heat were an English experimental rock band, formed in early 1976 in Camberwell, London by multi-instrumentalists Charles Bullen (guitar, clarinet, viola, vocals, tapes), Charles Hayward (drums, keyboards, vocals, tapes) and Gareth Williams (keyboard, guitar, bass, vocals, tapes).

This Heat were active in the ascendancy of British punk rock and post-punk, but stood apart from those scenes due to an experimental, confrontational, and politically charged approach. This Heat's commercial success was limited, and their discography consisted of only two albums and an EP, but in later years the band have been widely considered a link between early 1970s music styles such as krautrock and later experimental genres such as industrial music and post-rock.

Rob Duprey discussing life with Iggy Pop, The Mumps & much more  with David Eastaugh

Rob Duprey is an American rock guitarist, keyboardist and songwriter best known for his collaborations with Iggy Pop.

Duprey was also a guitarist for the mid-1970s New York City underground pop band Mumps, led by Lance Loud and Kristian Hoffman

Patrick Hannan in conversation with David Eastaugh - talking about life in The Sundays, Arnold, the audience & much much more

Wheeler had played gigs with Cruel Shoes, an early incarnation of the band Jim Jiminee. The duo soon augmented the band with bassist Paul Brindley and drummer Patrick Hannan.

The Sundays secured a recording contract with Rough Trade Records. Their debut single was "Can't Be Sure". Their first album, Reading, Writing and Arithmetic, was released in 1990, along with their next single "Here's Where the Story Ends". The album was a UK Top 5 hit.

Alan McGee in conversation with David Eastaugh

record label owner, musician, manager, and music blogger for The Guardian. He co-founded the independent Creation Records label, running it from 1983 until its closure in 1999. He subsequently founded the Poptones label, running it from 1999 to 2007. He has managed or championed acts such as The Jesus and Mary Chain, Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine, Oasis, and The Libertines. He was also the lead singer and guitarist for the indie pop group Biff Bang Pow!, who were active from 1983 to 1991.

Peter Bonas special - in conversation with David Eastaugh

Played with the likes of Peter Murphy, Jim Capaldi, The Hundred Men, Zen Attack and now Fran Pegg & The Blu Band 

Global Village Trucking Co special with Jon Owen in conversation with David Eastaugh

James Lascelles was a co-founder of the Global Village Trucking Company, known to its fans as "The Glob's", in the early 1970s.
The band, the road crew and their families all lived together in a Norfolk (UK) commune, and undertook numerous benefit concerts and free festivals, playing extended free-form jams, making them a well known UK live act. The band shunned record companies, but played on the Greasy Truckers Live at Dingwalls Dance Hall benefit album at Dingwalls in 1973, and in November 1974 they recorded an eponymous album at Rockfield Studios, Monmouth, Wales.

In 1973 the BBC made a documentary about Global Village Trucking Company, their communal living and their aim to make it without a record company. The BBC updated the documentary for the What Happened Next series, shown in May 2008, which included their first gig in 30 years. This re-union led to other Global Village gigs at Glastonbury 2008 and other festivals.

David Bowie special with Woody Woodmansey in conversation with David Eastaugh

Woodmansey joined Bowie's backing group The Hype, which later became The Spiders from Mars. He played on Bowie's albums The Man Who Sold the World (1970), Hunky Dory (1971), The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972) and Aladdin Sane (1973).

Woodmansey was replaced in The Spiders from Mars by Aynsley Dunbar, who played on Bowie's next album, the 1973 covers album Pin Ups. Woodmansey re-formed The Spiders from Mars for one album, along with bass player Trevor Bolder. This necessitated a change of personnel, with Dave Black on lead guitar because Mick Ronson was unavailable and Pete McDonald supplying lead vocals. Guest keyboardist was Mike Garson, who had been a major part of Bowie's line-up from the Ziggy Stardust days. Bowie made no contribution to the album which was named The Spiders From Mars.

U.K. Subs special with Charlie Harper in conversation with David Eastaugh

The U.K. Subs were part of the original punk movement in England. The band formed in 1976, initially using the name the Subversives. The band's founder, Charlie Harper, selected guitarist Nicky Garratt, bassist Paul Slack, and various drummers (eventually with Pete Davies became fairly stable) under the initial name "U.K. Subversives".

The London-based band's early line-up changed frequently.

Their style combined the energy of punk and the rock and roll edge of the then-thriving pub rock scene. The band had hit singles such as "Stranglehold", "Warhead", "Teenage", and "Tomorrow's Girls", with several of their songs managing to enter the Top 40 

The band played several John Peel sessions in 1978 for BBC Radio 1, and played some opening gigs for The Police, and recorded a set at The Roxy (a punk club), which was issued in 1980 as Live Kicks. They signed a recording contract with GEM Records in May 1979.^[2] Under GEM, the U.K. Subs recorded their most successful studio albums, Another Kind of Blues and Brand New Age.Their biggest selling album came with 1980's Crash Course.^[5]Crash Course was recorded at the Rainbow Theatre in London on 30 May 1980 during the Brand New Age tour.

In 1979, Julien Temple wrote and directed a short film Punk Can Take It, a parody of wartime documentaries, that consisted mainly of the U.K.Subs playing live on stage. The film was released theatrically.

Holly Palmer talking about her life in music with David Eastaugh

Palmer started playing live gigs during the period she lived in Boston. She particularly enjoyed stripped-down shows at small clubs, and she still loves intimate engagements offering the opportunity for spontaneous chemistry with the audience. Also during her time in Boston, Palmer began to seriously delve into songwriting, and landed a demo deal with Island Records.

In 1999, David Bowie invited Palmer to sing background vocals on his album Hours; she was featured on the album-opening track "Thursday's Child." Palmer subsequently toured worldwide with Bowie and his band as a vocalist and percussionist throughout 1999–2000.

After completing the Bowie tour in 2000, Palmer settled in Los Angeles, where her music publisher Marla McNally introduced her to Grammy-winning, Emmy and Tony-nominated composer Allee Willis (whose songwriting credits include Earth Wind & Fire's "Boogie Wonderland" and "September", Broadway's "The Color Purple", "I'll Be There for You (Theme from Friends)", etc.). They began a songwriting collaboration, at the time primarily focused on songs for what would be Palmer's next solo album, I Confess. Palmer made a new deal with Tom Whalley and Jeff Ayeroff, the new heads of Warner Bros. for the album's release but, after completing the album, once again, she and the label saw things differently and went their separate ways. This time, Palmer was able to take the masters for both Tender Hooks and I Confess with her.

I Confess album highlights included the single "Just So You Know", a Don Was-produced cover of the Holland-Dozier-Holland classic "You Keep Me Hangin' On" and Dr. Dre's mix of "Jumping Jack". Late, great keyboardist Billy Preston was spotlighted on the track "Down So Low", also featuring Joachim Cooder on drums. Holly launched her own label imprint, Bombshell Records, and independently released both I Confess and Tender Hooks on it in 2004.