C86 Show - Indie Pop

Hugh Vivian - Omega Tribe - in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://omegatribe.bandcamp.com

Omega Tribe are an anarcho-punk band,  in 1981. With the roles of Hugh Vivian on guitar and vocals, Daryl Hardcastle on bass, Pete Fender on guitar and Pete Shepherd on drums, their first EP, Angry Songs, was produced by Penny Rimbaud and Pete Fender for Crass Records in 1982.

Their subsequent LP, No Love Lost,  won the hearts of many hardened anarchos and secured their place in anarcho-punk history. A far more melodic style, encouraged by producer and new guitarist Pete Fender created a highly influential template that many other bands were to build on.

Peppy Castro - Blues Magoos - in conversation with David Eastaugh 

https://www.peppycastro.com/about.html

The Blues Magoos are an American rock group from The Bronx, a borough of New York City, United States. They were at the forefront of the psychedelic music trend, beginning in 1966. They are best known for the hit song "(We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet".

The band was formed in 1964 as The Trenchcoats. The original members were Emil "Peppy" Thielhelm a.k.a. "Peppy" Castro (vocals and guitar), Dennis LePore (lead guitar), Ralph Scala (organ and vocals), Ron Gilbert (bass) and Jon Finnegan (drums). The band made a name for itself in various clubs in Greenwich Village. The band changed its name first to the Bloos Magoos and by 1966 to the Blues Magoos. Mike Esposito joined as lead guitarist and Geoff Daking as drummer.

Jeff Drake - The Joneses - in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://hozacrecords.com/product/guilty/

The Joneses were a punk band from Anaheim, Southern California. In 1981 guitarist and singer Jeff Drake and professional skateboarder, Steve Olson, formed its nucleus but over the years the Joneses included numerous players with Drake being the only constant member. 

The Joneses' first seven-inch, 45 rpm single was "Criminals in My Car" b/w "Jonestown". They next released a pair of songs, "Graveyard Rock" and "Pillbox", on the 1982 BYO Records compilation, Someone Got Their Head Kicked In. The EP, Criminals, was the Joneses next released recording. Hell Comes to Your House Volume 2, included the two Joneses tracks: "I'm Bad" and "She's So Filthy".

Paul Roessler in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://paulroessler1.bandcamp.com

American musician and record producer. Roessler was a prominent member of the L.A. punk scene during the late 1970s and 1980s. He played keyboards in bands such as The Screamers, Twisted Roots, 45 Grave, Nervous Gender, SAUPG, Geza X and the Mommymen, Mike Watt and the Secondmen, Nina Hagen and The Deadbeats. Roessler has also released solo recordings such as "Abominable," "Curator," "The Arc," "6/12" and a rock opera entitled "Burnt Church" with Jeff Parker. He currently works as a record producer at Kitten Robot Studios in Los Angeles, California.

Vashti Bunyan in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://www.whiterabbitbooks.co.uk/titles/vashti-bunyan/wayward/9781474621939/

In 1968, Vashti Bunyan gave up everything and everybody she knew in London to take to the road with a horse, wagon, dog, guitar and her then partner.

They made the long journey up to the Outer Hebrides in an odyssey of discovery and heartbreak, full of the joy of freedom and the trudge of everyday reality, sleeping in the woods, fighting freezing winters and homelessness.

Along the way, Vashti wrote the songs that would lead to the recording of her 1970's album Just Another Diamond Day, the lilting lyrics and guitar conveying innocent wonder at the world around her, whilst disguising a deeper turmoil under the surface.

From an unconventional childhood in post-war London, to a fledgling career in mid-sixties pop - recording a single written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards - to the despair and failure to make any headway with her own songs, she rejected the music world altogether and left it all behind. After retreating to a musical wilderness for thirty years, the rediscovery of her recordings in 2000 brought Vashti a second chance to write, record and perform once more.

One of the great hippie myths of the 1960s, Wayward, Just Another Life to Live, rewrites the narrative of a barefoot girl on the road to describe a life lived at full tilt from the first, revealing what it means to change course and her emotional struggle, learning to take back control of her own life.

Trevor Tanner - The Bolshoi - in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://www.thebolshoibrothers.com

In 1985, the band released their debut single, "Sob Story", followed by the mini-album, Giants, and their hit song "Happy Boy". Word of mouth was such that the Bolshoi were able to sell out many of their early headlining performances.

The band moved to London in 1985, and their line-up expanded to include Paul Clark on keyboards - In 1986, they released their first full-length album, Friends, and expanded their touring schedule to the U.S., South America and Poland. It was followed in 1987 by the album Lindy's Party, on which the sound was more pop-oriented. TC Wall, reviewing the album in Underground magazine, described Lindy's Party as "completely confident, commercial, professional, and dangerously catchy" and "a fine album that'll be caressed for generations."

Tara Milton - Five Thirty - in conversation with David Eastaugh 

Tara Milton and Nick Baker formed Five Thirty whilst still at school near Oxford in 1983. They met and recruited drummer Steve Beatty and played their first official gig in May 1984. This initial line-up played a number of gigs supporting bands like The Truth, Makin' Time and Direct Hits.

Baker decided to leave the band in March 1985, and American replacement Shawn Gwin (formerly of the bands East Cambodia and The Numbers in New Orleans) was spotted advertising his services in the then popular weekly Phoenix List. They quickly recorded a demo of Gwin's songs "Weight of the World", "Catcher in the Rye", "Mood Suite" and "Suburban Town". After Gwin left to return to New Orleans (and before Paul Bassett took over the reins) Five Thirty released their demo on 12" vinyl "Catcher in the Rye", was also included on a compilation entitled The Cutting Edge, a mod revival vinyl record that also contained songs by Purple Hearts, The Blades and The Dansette. Paul Bassett took over on guitar and vocals after Gwin left. Eventually, the original drummer Steve Beatty was replaced by Keith McCubbin and finally Phil Hopper. This line-up (Milton/Bassett/Hopper) then signed to Atco/East West Records in 1990 and released four singles and one album, Bed

Ivan Julian in conversation with David Eastaugh 

Julian is now releasing Swing Your Lanterns, his latest solo offering. Ivan’s had a long and distinguished career as a provocative songwriter and one of New York City’s most distinctive guitar stylists. As a founder member of Richard Hell & The Voidoids, Julian was an essential part of the original Punk scene while sowing the seeds for Post-Punk with the pointedly lopsided rhythms structures and scorched, askew guitar lines that comprised the Voidoids’ oeuvre. Swing Your Lanterns is being released by Pravda Records as download, CD, 12” vinyl LP and on streaming platforms. I hope you'll consider covering him via an interview, feature, news item or album review. Let me know if you need a download or CD.

Brian Vincent & Heather Spore - Make Me Famous - Edward Brezinski - in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://www.red-splat.com

This documentary brings forward a popular era while unearthing many artists, photographers, and stories that you may not already know. The 1980s art scene is famous for break-out artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring, but there were many other artists who made a powerful impact.

Make Me Famous is the story of the Lower East Side art movement through an unknown artist, fully allowing the creativity itself to take centerstage. Set during arguably the last great art explosion in American history, Make Me Famous tells the story of unknown painter, Edward Brezinski in his quest for fame. Our film gives an intimate portrait of what it was like to be an artist in N.Y.C. in the 1980s. It delves into the spirit of the artists themselves, what drove their generation and what they were up against.

Michael Conroy - Modern English - in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://modernenglish.me/

English band formed in 1979. They are best known for their songs "I Melt with You", "Hands Across the Sea", and "Ink and Paper". The group disbanded in 1987, only to re-form two years later and then disband after another two years (1991). They reunited again in 1995 and have continued in various lineups since that time.

Mark Reeder in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://mfsberlin.com/mark-reeder/

https://markreeder.bandcamp.com

Reeder has been living and working in Berlin since 1978. He is the founder and owner of the German electronic dance music labels MFS and Flesh. In 1991, Reeder discovered the teenage Paul van Dyk, guiding and paving his way to build up his now international DJ superstardom.

Reeder's career has spanned more than four decades. He has been a participant and behind the scenes influence for many now-famous artists, spread over a wide cross-section of contemporary musical genres.

Daved Hild - The Girls, The Wooden Birds & The Pale Orchestra - in conversation with David Eastaugh 

Hild formed the experimental punk band The Girls with Robin Amos, George Condo and Mark Dagley. Their first and only studio release was the seven-inch single "Jeffrey I Hear You"/"The Elephant Man", produced by David Thomas of Pere Ubu fame. Eventually Hild joined Thomas in his band The Wooden Birds and played on Monster Walks the Winter Lake, released in 1986. He released several albums on Shimmy Disc with Ralph Carney and Kramer, serving as the primary lyricist, vocalist and drummer for the compositions.^[2]

Arturo Bassick - 999 & The Lurkers - in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://www.nineninenine.net

999 are an English punk rock band, formed in December 1976. From the period of 1976 to 1985, the line-up of 999 consisted of Nick Cash (vocals, guitar), Guy Days (lead guitar), Jon Watson (bass guitar) and Pablo LaBritain (drums). LaBritain was temporarily replaced in 1980 by drummer Paul Edward aka 'Ed Case' while he recovered from a motor accident. Bassist Jon Watson left the band in 1985 and was replaced by Danny Palmer, who was succeeded by Arturo Bassick in 1991.

Penny Arcade in conversation with David Eastaugh

Penny Arcade Aka Susana Ventura is an internationally respected performance artist, writer, poet and experimental theatre maker known for her magnetic stage presence, her take no prisoners wit and her content rich plays and one liners. She is the author of 16 scripted performance plays and hundreds of performance art pieces. Her work has always focused on the other and the outsider, giving voice to those marginalized by society. Her willingness to speak truth to power at the expense of career concerns has made her an international icon of artistic resistance. Her decades long focus on the creation of community and inclusion as the goals of performance and her efforts to use performance as a transformative act mark her as a true original in American theatre and performance. Since 1992 Penny has collaborated with Steve Zehentner , a former architect turned video producer. In 1999 Penny and Steve launched The Lower East Side Biography Project “Stemming The Tide Of Cultural Amnesia” an oral history video project that has broadcast and streamed weekly since its inception..introducing highly self individuated people to the general public

Hugo Race in conversation with David Eastaugh

http://www.hugoracemusic.com

Originally from the 1980's Melbourne post-punk music scene, Hugo began writing for avantgarde theatre in Melbourne after winning a playwriting prize at age 16. Recruited by Nick Cave for his nascent Bad Seeds, he recorded on the first Seeds album and toured the world. Following this full immersion in the global post-punk scene, Hugo returned to Melbourne to create his first major band The Wreckery. Although The Wreckery produced several hit independent Australian singles and some remarkably ahead-of-their-time albums, the band never played outside Australia/NZ. By the end of the 1980s, Hugo had moved to Europe, first to London and then to West Berlin, where Hugo signed a record contract with German indie Normal Records (as Hugo Race & The True Spirit) releasing 5 albums– Rue Morgue Blues, Earls World, Spiritual Thirst, Stations of the Cross and Second Revelator (produced by former Bad Seed bandmate Mick Harvey). In 1995, Hugo signed with German independent label Glitterhouse Records who continue to release his work today with both The True Spirit and the Italy-based Hugo Race Fatalists who have released 3 critically acclaimed albums with a 4th album ‘Taken By The Dream’ in 2019. Fatalists’ 5th album, Once Upon A Time in Italy, is set for release in 2022.

Nick Chown - The Bolshoi - in conversation with David Eastaugh

The original lineup consisted of singer/guitarist Trevor Tanner, drummer Jan Kalicki, and bassist Graham Cox. After eight gigs bass player Graham Cox was replaced by Nick Chown. In 1985, the band released their debut single, "Sob Story", followed by the mini-album, Giants, and their hit song "Happy Boy".

In 1986, they released their first full-length album, Friends,^[1]and expanded their touring schedule to the U.S., South America and Poland. It was followed in 1987 by the album Lindy's Party, on which the sound was more pop-oriented.

Marco Porsia - Rema Rema - in conversation with David Eastaugh 

https://www.docnrollfestival.com/films/what-you-could-not-visualise-rema-rema/

Marco Porsia is an award-winning director and editor - directed and cut music videos for a variety of bands, including The Wedding Present  and most recently a live concert film for Swans.

Rema-Rema rode the first wave of post-punk between 1978-1980.  Members Mark Cox, Mick Allen, Gary Asquith, Marco Pirroni, and Dorothy ‘Max’ Prior played only 11 gigs around London in 1979, and split up before the release of their one and only record.

James Elliott - Filigree & Shadow - in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://www.filigreeandshadow.co/

Founded in 2013, the name Filigree & Shadow emanates from a twice-borrowed reference to the song by Fever Tree. 

The late Robert Hermann wrote, “His series of ethereal and complex fragrances established him as a first-class natural perfumer, proving small indie perfumers can more than hold their own when running with the big dogs.

Jon Caffery in conversation with David Eastaugh

http://joncaffery.de

British music producer and engineer, born 1960 in Dorset, England, UK. Began his career in London, but moved to Germany in 1983.

Simon Jones - And Also the Trees - in conversation with David Eastaugh 

https://www.andalsothetrees.co.uk

The band made their live debut on 12 January 1980 at Grieg Memorial Hall in Alcester. A home demo tape was sent to The Cure, who were looking for support bands on their tour, leading to a friendship between the two bands. In 1981, And Also the Trees played several shows in support of The Cure'sUK tour. Their second demo tape, From Under the Hill (1982), was partly co-produced by Robert Smith and Mike Hedges. Graham Havas was replaced at this time by Steven Burrows.

In 1983, the band released their first single, "Shantell", which was produced by The Cure's Lol Tolhurst. Their second single, "The Secret Sea", followed in 1984 and was also produced by Tolhurst. Tolhurst also produced their debut studio album, And Also the Trees, which was released in February 1984. The band received the attention of BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel, and were invited to do a session in April 1984, which was produced by Dale Griffin for broadcast on 24 April.