C86 Show - Indie Pop

Jack Meille in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://www.tygersofpantang.com/

The Tygers of Pan Tang were formed by guitarist Robb Weir (born Robert Mortimer Weir, 1958), Richard "Rocky" Laws (bass), Jess Cox (vocals) and Brian Dick (drums). They played in working men's clubs and were first signed by local independent label Neat Records before MCA gave them a major record deal. After several singles, they released their first album, Wild Cat, in 1980.

'Bloodlines' was released in 2023 featuring their two new members, followed by 'Live Blood' in 2024 showcasing songs from across the bands career. Recent gigs have shown a significant upturn in attendances and the Tygers will return to their original stomping ground, Whitley Bay, in November 2024 for a show at the prestigous Whitley Bay Playhouse. 

Peter Watts in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://www.spygenius.co.uk/

SPYGENIUS frontman and songwriter Peter Watts got his start in the 80s as the lead singer with the Murrumbidgee Whalers, whose jangle-pop classic "Giving Way to Trains" has recently been re-released on the Cherry Red C88 compilation. The 21st century saw the Watts moving on to create Spygenius, a classic British four piece pop-combo based in Canterbury and South London, who have built upon and extended that musical legacy. Ruth Rogers (bass), Matt Byrne (keys) and Alan Cannings (drums) complete the line-up - and everybody sings. Their music has echoes of all those classic 60s ‘B’ bands – Beatles, Byrds, Beach Boys, Buffalo Springfield, Bonzos. But it equally resonates with college-radio darlings of later generations like XTC, The Smiths, Robyn Hitchcock, R.E.M. There’s a lot of musical bric-a-brac in there too – souvenirs from surf and psych, folk and exotica, lounge and blues, rock and roll. The songs are carefully crafted: memorable melodies, heavenly harmonies, gorgeous guitars, perfect percussion, bitchin’ bass and kinky keyboards abound. 

Margarita Vasquez-Ponte in conversation with David Eastaugh

The original members of the band were Andrew Tully (guitars/vocals), Eric Webster and Angus McPake (bass guitar), Fran Schoppler (vocals), Margarita Vasquez-Ponte (drums), Kevin McMahon (guitars), and Stuart Clarke (guitar). Tully and Vasquez-Ponte were also members of Rote Kapelle, a band that was active from 1985–1988.

This initial line-up recorded the first two singles, "Splashing Along" and "The Rain Fell Down" (described by one reviewer as a "pop gem that's not to be missed") on Narodnik Records.

Karen Haglof in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdAA7_gIr5w

http://www.howlinwuelf.com/clients/karen-haglof/

One Hand Up is the fourth full length release by guitarist/songwriter Karen Haglof.  The album was produced by Haglof and Mario Viele, recorded at Cowboy Technical Services and Excello studios in Brooklyn, primarily mixed by Viele. Three songs were mixed at the Fidelitorium in Kernersville NC by Mitch Easter and mastered by Scott Craggs at Old Colony Mastering in North Scituate, RI. One Hand Up is being released on CD, digital download and via streaming services on June 14.

One Hand Up is a collection of 14 songs that cover widely ranging sonic territory. The writing and production started prior to 2020 and was delayed by the pandemic. Because of a renewed interest in visual art, many of the songs on One Hand Up will be accompanied by visual components: hand-drawn 2D animation, motion graphics and video clips, adding up to a mixed media extravaganza.

Paul Haig in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://linktr.ee/paulhaig

Together with Orange Juice, Aztec Camera and The Go-Betweens, Josef K were one of the Postcard label's million dollar quartets, recording five smart singles and an album, The Only Fun In Town. Touring the album during July and August of 1981, however, the band split after a final show in Glasgow. The exact reasons behind the split - principally the decision of frontman Paul Haig - remain obscure, although it would seem that a combination of too-great expectations, too-small financial returns, Haig's dislike of touring, and unspecified disagreements over future direction were to blame. Fancifully, Postcard boss Alan Horne pointed the finger of blame at the NME... Whatever the truth, one of the Great White Hopes of the post-punk had self-destructed after just one long player, thus fulfilling their own brash prophecy.

Gerry Colvin in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://www.gerrycolvin.co.uk/index.html

In the 1970's Gerry joined pop band 'The Man Upstairs'. They released three singles and toured with 'The Smiths'.

In the early 1980's he co-founded and fronted the legendary John Peel favourite skiffle-cowpunk indie outfit 'Terry & Gerry'. This seminal band toured Europe and the USA and appeared on countless Radio and TV shows including "The Tube" and "The Old Grey Whistle Test". Their five singles and album all reached No.1 in the indie charts. In 2010 Cherry Red released 'Let's Get the Hell Back to Lubbock', the definitive 'Terry and Gerry' compilation.

Gaye Black in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://www.gayeblack.co.uk/

English punk rock musician, who played bass guitar in the band The Adverts in the late 1970s. She was one of the first female rock stars of the punk rock movement, whom The Virgin Encyclopedia of 70s Music called the "first female punk star". She was "one of punk’s first female icons". Dave Thompson wrote that her "photogenic" looks, "panda-eye make-up and omnipresent leather jacket defined the face of female punkdom until well into the next decade".

Gered Mankowitz in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://mankowitz.com/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rolling-Stones-Rare-Unseen-afterword/dp/1802797335

"Mankowitz (Goin' Home with the Rolling Stones '66), who at 18 became the official photographer for the then newly formed Rolling Stones, gathers a rich and revealing trove of images from the band's early years. Capturing the group as they were "finding their style and... becoming themselves," Mankowitz's photos depict the rockers in motion onstage; in their homes and luxury cars; and in heated exchanges with concert security, incidents that underlined their reputation as a more boisterous and rowdy alternative to the Beatles

Richard & Julian in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://redmoney.co.uk/

http://www.firestation-records.de/catalogue.html

Red Money emerged as an acoustic band in January 1990. Originally performing as a larger line up, fate stepped in to change both the format and sound of the band. Booked to play their first gig of the year at the Fulham Greyhound in London, various members then dropped out due to other commitments. Rather than cancelling, founder founders Richard and Jules hastily arranged a stripped down set and took to the stage with saxophone player Roz Bateman (who played on the single).

Rin Lennon, Michael George,Jay Smith-drums &  Alias Wilde  in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://monogroove.bandcamp.com/album/the-flip-side

http://www.rinsrescues.com

https://www.youtube.com/user/rinlennon4/featured

Johnnie Johnson in conversation with David Eastaugh

http://jawbonepress.com/through-the-crack-in-the-wall/

https://www.roughtrade.com/en-gb/product/johnnie-johnstone-foreword-by-stewart-lee/through-the-crack-in-the-wall-the-secret-history-of-josef-k#paperback-exclusive-signed-plus

Through The Crack in The Wall is the first ever biography of the band, tracing their story from their origins in the leafy suburbs of Edinburgh through to their untimely implosion four years later. It’s a tale of fun and frenzy, filled with highs and lows. From their thrilling live shows, which left onlookers spellbound, to more anxious occasions confronting a baying audience of rioting anarcho-punks in Brussels; from a brief spell as press darlings of the inkies to the fateful decision to pull their debut album just as pop stardom beckoned—one that continues to haunt them today.

Drawing extensively on new interviews with the band members and those around them as well as contemporary press articles, the book explores the band’s inner workings and analyses their relationships with Postcard Records supremo Alan Horne, labelmates Orange Juice, and manager Allan Campbell. It re-evaluates their position in the pantheon of post-punk greats and considers how their music helped shape the UK independent scene of the eighties. More than anything else, though, the book’s primary purpose is to celebrate the incredible music Josef K made and consider what makes it more vital today than ever.

Frank Deserto in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://www.cherryred.co.uk/no-songs-tomorrow-darkwave-ethereal-rock-and-coldwave-1981-1990-4cd-box-set

•    FEATURING THE CURE, DEAD CAN DANCE, CLAN OF XYMOX, COCTEAU TWINS, SOFT CELL, TONES ON TAIL, IN THE NURSERY, ATTRITION, IRON CURTAIN, ALIEN SEX FIEND, CRANES, KIRLIAN CAMERA, NEON AND MANY MORE.

•    4CD SET EXPLORING THE 1980s’ DARKWAVE/COLDWAVE SCENE THROUGHOUT THE UK, EUROPE AND THE UNITED STATES

•    A BROAD CHURCH TAKING IN ELECTRONICS, DARK AMBIENT, NEO-CLASSICAL NEW WAVE, GOTHIC SOUNDSCAPES AND COLD DREAM POP.

•    CURATED BY THE TEAM WHO BROUGHT YOU ‘CHERRY STARS COLLIDE’, ‘SILHOUETTES AND STATUES’ AND ‘STILL IN A DREAM’.

•    SLEEVENOTES COURTESY OF FRANK DESERTO.

Pat Thomas in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://allenginsberg.org/2023/11/w-n-29-2/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Material-Wealth-Personal-Archive-Ginsberg/dp/1648230369

There are hundreds of thousands of items carefully stored and archived at Stanford University's Allen Ginsberg collection. Counterculture historian Pat Thomas, with the full cooperation of the Allen Ginsberg Estate's Peter Hale, has compiled and annotated a remarkable volume of material, unearthing in the process one astounding find after another. The result is a tome of previously unpublished historical paperwork and vintage graphics and photographs and ephemera that promises an unprecedented look inside one of the most prolific poets and agitators of cultural mores of the 20th century.

A poster for Patti Smith's first-ever poetry reading. Correspondence from Allen's stint as literary agent for William S. Burroughs and Herbert Huncke. Yippie manifestos from Jerry Rubin, Abbie Hoffman, and John Sinclair of the MC5. A ticket for a 1974 concert by Bob Dylan & The Band (with Yoko Ono's phone number scribbled on the back). Posters documenting early Beat Generation readings in 1950s San Francisco as well as later ones capturing the 1960s Haight-Ashbury Hippie era. 

Scott Phares in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://www.hollywoodstarsband.com/

https://thehollywoodstars.bandcamp.com/track/cant-do-it-right

American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in late 1973 by manager/impresario Kim Fowley. The band was created as a West Coast answer to the New York Dolls during the height of the popularity of the glam rock genre. The band signed with Columbia Records in 1974 and with Arista Records in 1976, releasing one self-titled LP with the latter label in 1977 and opening for The Kinks on their Sleepwalker tour the same year. The band's song "Escape" was recorded by Alice Cooper and released on the album Welcome to my Nightmare (1975), while their song "King of the Night Time World" was recorded by Kiss and released on the album Destroyer (1976). Two archive albums recorded in 1974 and 1976 were released in 2013 and 2019 to critical acclaim, prompting the band to reform in 2018.

Roberto Amaral & David Clark Allen in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://www.cherryred.co.uk/carmen-the-albums-1973-1975-3cd-box-set

CARMEN initially came together in Los Angeles as seven-piece band formed by guitarist DAVID CLARK ALLEN and his sister ANGELA ALLEN in 1970. The band’s unique style blended both Progressive Rock and Flamenco styles, with Angela Allen also being an accomplished Flamenco dancer aside from being keyboard player.

Despite interest from music mogul Clive Davis, the band failed to make any headway in getting a record contract they relocated to London in 1973. The Allens soon assembled a new line-up of the band with Flamenco dancer and vocalist ROBERTO AMARAL and British musicians JOHN GLASCOCK (bass) and PAUL FENTON (drums).

John Schmersal in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://3ra1n1ac.com/

Schmersal was originally in the band Brainiac and formed Enon (named after the village in Ohio, which is close to Schmersal's hometown of Dayton) with Lee and Calhoon following the death of Brainiac's singer Timmy Taylor and their subsequent disbandment.

After Brainiac, Schmersal made a solo album under the name John Stuart Mill. Rick Lee and Steve Calhoon were both previous members of the band Skeleton Key, a befriended band Brainiac had toured with. Together they formed Enon. Lee created a number of percussion sounds for the band playing a "junk kit" including a Radio Flyer wagon, propane tank, and old hubcaps.

Valor Kand in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://officialchristiandeath.com/

American rock band formed  in 1979 by Rozz Williams. Williams was eventually joined by guitarist Rikk Agnew of the band Adolescents, James McGearty on bass guitar and George Belanger on drums. This line-up was responsible for producing the band's best known work, their 1982 debut studio album Only Theatre of Pain, which was highly influential in the development of the style of music known as death rock, as well as on the American gothic scene which also produced bands such as Kommunity FK and 45 Grave.

Following the release of Only Theatre of Pain, Christian Death's line-up fell apart, and by the time of the band's second studio album, Catastrophe Ballet (1984), Rozz had been joined by Valor Kand of tour mates Pompeii 99 on vocals and guitar. Following the release of the band's third studio album, Ashes, in 1985, Williams left the band and Kand became frontperson, with no original members of the band remaining. This resulted in a divide in the band's fanbase and created controversy that has continued to this day.

Man Parrish in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://www.manparrish.com

Parrish's early live shows at Bronx hip-hop clubs were spectacles of lights, glitter, and pyrotechnics, which drew as much from the Warhol mystique as the Cold Crush Brothers.

His first release was "Hip Hop, Be Bop (Don't Stop)" issued in 1982, which Parrish said faced a racial backlash from the African-American hip hop community: "I was making the music that they played, and then they found out I was white and gay they pulled it. It didn't hurt sales but it was shocking." The song was featured in the film Shaun of the Dead, the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City which sold millions of copies. It was sampled in Sway & King Tech's 1991 song "Follow 4 Now", from their second album, Concrete Jungle. His biggest chart success in the UK was his recording of "Male Stripper" with Man 2 Man, which peaked at No. 4 in the UK Singles Chart

Christopher Merrick Hughes in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://www.chrismerrickhughes.com/

music producer, songwriter, and former drummer of Adam and the Ants. Best known as producer of Tears for Fears' Songs from the Big Chair, and as the co-writer of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", Hughes has a joint background as a musician, songwriter and producer. His career began with Adam and the Ants as drummer and producer of the "Cartrouble" and "Kings of the Wild Frontier" singles, then the Kings of the Wild Frontier album. Yielding three hit singles, the album earned Hughes Music Week's 'Producer of the Year Award'.

Simon Heavisides  in conversation with David Eastaugh

You can pre-order the book from Stichting Opposite Direction, Jean-Paul van Mierlo: vanmierlojeanpaul00@gmail.com

https://louderthanwar.com/destiny-stopped-screaming-the-life-and-times-of-adrian-borland-book-review/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Destiny-Stopped-Screaming-Adrian-Borland/

Adrian Borland, was singer/guitarist and main songwriter with The Sound, a band which between 1979 and 1987 released seven albums that never failed to be at the very least full of passion and raw emotion. They made their debut in 1979 with the "Physical World" e.p, but it wasn't until the release of the "Jeopardy" album in 1980 that it became clear how special the band was. Two more albums for WEA followed, "From The Lions Mouth" and "All Fall Down", which resulted in the band leaving the label. Indie label Statik signed the band and released "Shock Of Daylight" and "Heads & Hearts" along with the double live album "In The Hothouse". A move to the Belgium based Play It Again Sam brought with it
the band's final album "Thunder Up". They disintegrated at the end of 1987.