C86 Show - Indie Pop

Nick Kent in conversation with David Eastaugh 

In the mid-70s, Kent played guitar with an early incarnation of the Sex Pistols,^[2] and performed briefly with members of the early punk band London SS, under the name Subterraneans. Brian James, later of The Damned, said of him: "Nick is a great guitarist, he plays just like Keith Richards. He's always trying to get a band together but he just can't do it. Nerves, I guess. It's a shame, though, because he loves rock 'n' roll and he's a great bloke."^[3]

Kent's relationship with the punk scene was strained. Already a well-known music critic and a symbol of the music industry, he was assaulted by Sid Vicious with a motorcycle chain in the 100 Club. Kent relates the incident in Johnny Rogan's book on rock management, Starmakers & Svengalis; in The Filth and the Fury, director Julien Temple's 2000 documentary of the Sex Pistols; in Jon Savage's book England's Dreaming; as well as in his own books, The Dark Stuff and Apathy for the Devil. Despite this infamous incident, Vicious claimed in a 1977 interview that Kent was 'good fun' and that 'he bought me a meal a little while ago, it was really nice of him'. 

Valentine Guinness in conversation with David Eastaugh

Singer, songwriter, TV drama, movies, stage plays. Member of Panic and The New Forbidden

A founding member and original drummer of The Brian Jonestown Massacre, he then switched to guitar and finally on to bass guitar before leaving the band in 1993. He rejoined as 12-string guitarist in 2003.

In 2013 Maymi toured with psychedelic shoegaze band LSD and the Search for God and The Telescopes as a guitarist and in Canada as a drummer with Flavor Crystals.

Maymi has collaborated with Liverpool's The Wild Swans, fronted by Paul Simpsonand has worked with Steve Kilbey of The Church.

Kilbey and Maymi recorded the album The Wilderness Years by David Neil, released in July 2011. The David Neil of the title is a fictional rock star "from days past" described in press material as the project's original songwriter. This pseudonym was created, Maymi has explained, as a means for the duo to achieve "creative liberation by not exactly having to be 'ourselves'".

Red Lorry Yellow Lorry with Dave Wolfenden in conversation with David Eastaugh

Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, also known very briefly as the Lorries, are an English rock band formed in Leeds in early 1981 by guitarist and songwriter Chris Reed, vocalist Mark Sweeney, bassist Steve Smith and drummer Mick Brown. After breaking up in 1991, the band reformed in 2003 and have released 5 studio albums over the course of their career.

Melanie Safka in conversation with David Eastaugh

Initially signed to Columbia Records in the United States, Melanie released two singles on the label. Subsequently, she signed with Buddah Records and first found chart success in Europe in 1969 with "Bobo's Party" which reached No. 1 in France. Melanie's popularity in Europe resulted in performances on European television programs, such as Beat-Club in West Germany. Her debut album received positive reviews from Billboard, which heralded her voice as "wise beyond her years. Her non-conformist approach to the selections on this LP make her a new talent to be reckoned with."

Later in 1969, Melanie had a hit in the Netherlands with "Beautiful People". She was one of only three solo women who performed at the Woodstock Festival in 1969 and the inspiration for her first hit song, "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)", apparently arose from the Woodstock audience lighting candles during her set (although most of the "candles" were actually matches or lighters).

The Names with Michel Sordinia in conversation with David Eastaugh

The early lineup of the band featured Sordinia, guitarist Marc Deprez and drummer/keyboard player Christophe Den Tandt; Robert Frankson and singer Isabelle Hanrez were briefly also members. After local gigs as The Passengers, they changed their name in time for their debut single, "Spectators of Life", released by WEA in 1979 to test the market for homegrown new wave music.

The band were keen to sign to a British label, and connected with Factory Records at a Joy Division gig at the Plan K venue in Brussels.^[2] The Names, augmented by new drummer Luc Capelle, recorded "Nightshift" in Manchester in August 1980 with producer Martin Hannett. The single was representative of their overall sound: dark, controlled modern rock in the mould of Magazine, Comsat Angels and Joy Division/early New Order. It peaked at No. 35 on the UK Indie Chart. In February 1982, the band recorded a session for John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show, later released in 2009 as the Radio Session 1982 digital EP.

JoBoxers with  Dig Wayne (born Timothy Wayne Ball in conversation with David Eastaugh

The band's debut single, "Boxerbeat", peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart. while the group were the opening act on the Madness 'Rise and Fall' tour. At numbers 1 and 2 at the time were David Bowie's "Let's Dance" and Duran Duran's "Is There Something I Should Know?", respectively.^[5][6]

However, it was their next hit, "Just Got Lucky", that broke the band internationally. This single sold over 250,000 copies, made the UK Top 10, and cracked the US Top 40, reaching number 36 during November 1983^[3] and has been featured in a number of films including Just My Luck and The 40-Year-Old Virgin.

The third single, "Johnny Friendly", is a homage to the Marlon Brando film On the Waterfront. British boxer Frank Bruno appeared in the promotional video for the song.

Mona Mur in conversation  with David Eastaugh

In 1982, "Mona Mur and die Mieter" recorded the 12" Jeszcze Polska. This gained National and International attention, taking NME's single of the week slot by Chris Bohn and getting airplay by John Peel. The group decided to disband soon after this release.

Another Mona Mur incarnation was in Berlin, between 1984 and 1986. She played with members of Einstürzende Neubauten, Stricher Flucht nach Vorn and organist Nikko Weidemann in the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Bremen with Sonic Youth and Berlin.

In 1986 Dieter Meier of Yello became her producer. They hired JJ Burnel and David Greenfield of The Stranglers and the album "Mona Mur" was released in 1988.

With Joachim Witt she wrote and recorded two songs called "Casablanca" and "Wild ist die Welt" for a 7". This, according to Mona Mur, was never released.

Jesus Jones with Jerry De Borg in conversation with David Eastaugh

Jesus Jones are an English alternative rock band from Bradford-on-Avon in Wiltshire, formed in late 1988, who recorded and performed into the 2000s. Their track "Right Here, Right Now" was an international hit, and was subsequently globally licensed for promotional and advertising campaigns. The single was also nominated for a Grammy award at the 34th Annual Grammy Awards in 1991, as was It's album, Doubt. They also achieved chart success with the songs "Real Real Real", "International Bright Young Thing" and "Info Freako".

Laura Cantrell in conversation  with David Eastaugh

Cantrell reached wider recognition in 2000 with her debut album, Not the Tremblin' Kind. The album reached the attention of legendary UK DJ John Peel, who wrote of it, "[It is] my favourite record of the last ten years and possibly my life". She went on to record five sessions for Peel and dedicated her 2005 album, Humming by the Flowered Vine, to his memory.

In the spring of 2011, Cantrell released Kitty Wells Dresses: Songs Of the Queen of Country Music, "a recording she made in honor of one of her heroines, the great Kitty Wells", taking its title from an original song of Laura's written in tribute to Wells.

The Nightingales - with Stewart Lee & Michael Cumming in conversation - discussing King Rocker A film about Robert Lloyd & The Nightingales 

PREMIERES: SATURDAY FEBRUARY 6TH ON SKY ARTS (9pm)

Direct Hits with Colin Swan in conversation with David Eastaugh

Way back in 1982, Battersea based mod heroes The Direct Hits had released one single on Dan Treacy’s Whamm! record label, ‘Modesty Blaise’ earlier in the year.
This was singled out in the music press as not just one of your average Jam crash / bang /wallop mod revivalist tunes.

Live gigs showed they had a mighty powerful set of catchy mod / pop tunes in the back pocket. Whamm! were struggling to provide the funds to record an album, the songs were too good not to commit to a full 12’ set, so the Direct Hits pooled their limited resources and self financed a very cheap one day recording session in a tiny studio in Tooting, South London called Broadway Sound.

Early on the morning of August 12th 1982 the band, comprising of Colin Swan, Geno Buckmaster, Brian Grover and their trusty roadie ‘Robbo’ assembled at the tiny studio to begin recording as many of their songs as they could get down on tape for the tiny budget they had scraped together.

Oxbow with Eugene Robinson  in conversation with David Eastaugh

Oxbow began as a recording project. In 1988 bandmates Eugene Robinson (vocals, lyrics) and Niko Wenner (guitar, bass, keyboards, music) wrote songs with an approach decidedly different from their band at the time Whipping Boy. Wenner concocted an underlying musical architecture for his abrasive-then-plangent music, through use of arch form and musical palindromes unusual in the noise music genre the band was often placed. This organizing structure later grew to encompass the second Oxbow recording as well, and drew relationships between the two. For his part Robinson changed his vocal approach to include in-the-studio improvisations and extensive vocal multi-tracking. This first record, titled Fuckfest has drumming split evenly between Greg Davis and Tom Dobrov. Dan Adams (bass in Oxbow, drums in Whipping Boy) joined immediately on completion of the first recording.

Robin Mayhew talking about David Bowie, Presidents, Lou Reed & much more with David Eastaugh 

Begun life in the Presidents from 1958 to 1965 - and then becoming a roadie and sound engineer for a band named "Tucky Buzzard", produced by Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones. 

Tucky Buzzard had recently signed with the same management company that had signed David Bowie. Robin quickly became adept with the band's unique Turner PA system, a sound set-up that Bowie fell in love with. When David created his "Ziggy Stardust" persona he brought in Robin - along with the sound system - to handle his front-of-house sound. Robin engineered every Ziggy Stardust performance until Bowie broke-up the Spiders from Mars in 1973.

The Nightingales with Rob Lloyd in conversation with David Eastaugh

A feature-length documentary about the band - King Rocker - fronted by comedian and writer Stewart Lee and directed by Michael Cumming will be shown on  Sky Arts channel on February 6, 2021.

Daniel Takes a Train with Dan Synge in conversation with David Eastaugh

London based Daniel Takes A Train started as an 80's guitar pop band, rehearsing in a cellar off the King's Road and playing West End nightclubs, attracting a cult following before splitting in 1988.  They famously signed their first record deal in 2018 and have recorded enough new material to release their first studio album, Last Ticket To Tango. Here the band revisit their earliest musical influences -- new wave, soul, ska and synth pop -- for one last spin on the dancefloor.  

The Roxy - with Andrew Czezowski and Susan Carrington in conversation with David Eastaugh

The Roxy was started by Andrew Czezowski, Susan Carrington and Barry Jones.The main entrance was on street level where you would walk into a small bar and seated area. Downstairs there was a small stage, bar and dance floor.

In December 1976, Czezowski, Carrington and Jones organised three gigs at the Roxy.They financed the venture with borrowed money (Jones, a musician, pawned his guitar to stock the bars, and hire sound equipment, etc.). The first show, on 14 December, was Generation X, a band Czezowski managed. The second on the following night was the Heartbreakers. The third, on 21 December, featured Siouxsie and the Banshees and Generation X. 

The Folk Devils with Kris Jozajtis in conversation with David Eastaugh

Founding member Ian Lowery had previously been the original singer in late 1970s punk rock band The Wall and then signed to Killing Joke's Malicious Damage label as leader of the group Ski Patrol.^[1] Politics and the general tensions that seemed endemic to the Killing Joke scene led Ian to leave Ski Patrol and recruit long-time friend of Jaz Coleman - Alan Cole on drums, Kris Jozajtis on guitar (now Dr Kris Jozajtis at Greenfaulds High School) and Mark Whiteley, from Wales, on bass to form another group, Folk Devils, in 1983.^[1] Mark had been active in both the London and Welsh music scene. He worked with Anrhefn, Wales' seminal punk band and with the ill-fated Hack Hack on the album Despite Amputations. He left the band midway through a gig at The Fridge in Brixton unhappy with the band, their label (Shout Records), and musical direction. A fight ensued and Mark became a Folk Devil.

JoBoxers with Sean McLusky in conversation with David Eastaugh

The band's debut single, "Boxerbeat", peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart. while the group were the opening act on the Madness 'Rise and Fall' tour.At numbers 1 and 2 at the time were David Bowie's "Let's Dance" and Duran Duran's "Is There Something I Should Know?", respectively.

However, it was their next hit, "Just Got Lucky", that broke the band internationally. This single sold over 250,000 copies, made the UK Top 10, and cracked the US Top 40, reaching number 36 during November 1983^[1] and has been featured in a number of films including Just My Luck and The 40-Year-Old Virgin.

The third single, "Johnny Friendly", is a homage to the Marlon Brando film On the Waterfront. British boxer Frank Bruno appeared in the promotional video for the song.

Senseless Things & 3 Colours Red with Ben Harding in conversation with David Eastaugh

The definitive Senseless Things line-up formed in summer 1987 when Nicholls returned to take over bass, with the new recruit, former BBC clerk Ben Harding acquiring the vacant guitarist's role. The band regularly appeared at The Clarendon in Hammersmith, London playing both downstairs in the Broadway bar and upstairs in the main auditorium.

Taking their musical cue from the Ramones and the Dickies, and their spiritual lead from fellow guitar outfit Mega City Four, the quartet embarked upon a hectic touring schedule, often playing on the same bill as Mega City Four, Snuff and Perfect Daze.

The band's first releases were singles given away with issues of Yo Jo Jo^[8] and Sniffin' Rock fanzines.^[7] By March 1988 the band had attracted the attention of the BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel, who invited them to record the first of three sessions for his programme. The "Up And Coming" 12" followed, then "Girlfriend" the following year, both on Way Cool Records.

Their first album, Postcard CV, was released in 1989, capturing the energy of their concerts by packing ten tracks into twenty two minutes. Record Collector called it "sprightly pop-punk/ indie with touches of Buzzcocks and the Undertones". The album was rounded off by "Too Much Kissing", which was released as a single and was to become their signature track.