C86 Show - Indie Pop

The Fire Engines with Graham Main in conversation with David Eastaugh

The Fire Engines comprise David (Davy) Henderson (vocals/guitar), Murray Slade (guitar), Graham Main (bass), and Russell Burn (drums), the band name inspired by a 13th Floor Elevators song. Henderson, Main, and Burn had previously been members of The Dirty Reds, along with Russell Burn's brother Tam Dean Burn,while Slade had played in Station Six. The Fire Engines' debut release was the "Get Up And Use Me"/"Everything's Roses" single, released on manager Angus Groovy's Codex Communications label in 1980; The band had recorded their entire set twice in a Fife bungalow with producer Wilf Smarties, at a cost of £46, with these two tracks selected for release.

Joey Arias in conversation with David Eastaugh 

Joey Arias is a multi-talented artist based in New York City, best known for work as a performance artist, cabaret singer, and drag artist, but also known as a published author, comedian, stage persona and cult-movie star. He also goes by the names Joseph Arias and Joe Arias.

Dodgy with Nigel Clark in conversation with David Eastaugh

Dodgy are an English rock band formed in Hounslow in 1990. The band rose to prominence during the Britpop era of the 1990s. They are best known for their hits"Staying Out for the Summer", "If You're Thinking of Me", and "Good Enough". The latter was their biggest hit, reaching No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart. They released their latest album, What Are We Fighting For in September 2016.

Steve Beswick in conversation with David Eastaugh

One time drummer with The Heart Throbs, Love Ambassadeux and much much more 

Ann Magnuson in conversation with David Eastaugh

American actress, performance artist, and nightclub performer. She was described by The New York Times in 1990 as "An endearing theatrical chameleon who has as many characters at her fingertips as Lily Tomlin does".

A founding member of the 1980s band Bongwater, she starred in the ABC sitcom Anything but Love (1989–92). Her film appearances include The Hunger (1983), Making Mr. Right (1987), Clear and Present Danger (1994), Panic Room (2002), and One More Time (2015).

Curt Weiss special - talking Rockats, Jerry Nolan & New York Dolls with David Eastaugh

American writer, television producer, and, under the name Lewis King, musician. His writing has appeared in Classic Drummer magazine, and as author of the 2017 book Stranded in the Jungle: Jerry Nolan’s Wild Ride. As a musician he has drummed with the Rockats and Beat Rodeo and with members of Holly and the Italians and the Modern Lovers.

Pylon, Supercluster & Pylon Reenactment Society with Vanessa Briscoe Hay in conversation with David Eastaugh

Pylon was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, United States.^[1] The band's danceable sound, a blend of new wave, post-punk, jangle pop, alternative rock and funk rock,^[2] influenced the Athens music scene and the 1980s American pop underground. AllMusic wrote that Pylon's "role as elder statesmen of the alternative rock explosion is unassailable".

The Prats special with Paul McLaughlin & David Maguire in conversation with David Eastaugh 

The Prats with Paul McLaughlin & David Maguire in conversation with David Eastaugh

The group was founded in 1977 at St. Augustine's Roman Catholic Comprehensive by Paul McLaughlin, David Maguire, Greg Maguire, and Tom Robinson, whose ages at the time ranged from 12 to 15. While their instruments were basic - including a cardboard drum kit - they were able to quickly produce a demo tape which they sent to a local indie label Fast Product, who also produced the Human League. Inspired by The Slits and Mekons, the Prats debuted with three tracks on the Fast EP Earcom 1.

In 1979, the band recorded a session for John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show. Peel also offered his fee from a DJing appearance in Edinburgh to finance a single release by the band. A series of singles then followed, including "General Davis" and "Die Todten Reyten Schnell," which was released on a German indie label.

A number of line-up changes saw Elspeth McLeod joining to provide additional guitar (including on the single "General Davis") and Jeff Maguire taking over bass duties from Tom Robinson.

Mambo Taxi special with Lenie Mets in conversation with David Eastaugh

Mambo Taxi were inspired by the UK garage rock scene and US punk. They formed after Lenie was invited to join Anjali, Ella, Andrea and Delia - who were all living together (bar Delia) in a squat in Islington- to form a band. They became part of a vibrant music scene in the early 1990s which centered around three indie labels in London at the time, namely Clawfist, Too Pure and Wiiija. Their sound was a mixture of garage, punk, and pop and they had links to British riot grrrl bands such as Huggy Bear. Drummer Anjali Bhatia left in 1992 in order to form the Voodoo Queens and guitarist Ella Guru joined her in 1993. The other members of the 1992 line-up appearing on the first single - a double 'A' side of "Prom Queen" written by Anjali and "Insecure" written by Lenie - were: Lenie (lead vocal/bass), Delia (guitar/vocals) and Andrea (organ/vocals). Karin Rapp (drums/vocals) joined the band from the second single onwards.

The Pooh Sticks with Hue Williams - Part 2 - in conversation with David Eastaugh

Pooh Sticks special with Hue Williams Part 1 - in conversation with David Eastaugh

The Pooh Sticks were an indie pop band from Swansea, Wales recording between 1988 and 1995. They were notable for their jangly melodiousness and lyrics gently mocking the indie scene of the time such as on "On Tape", "Indiepop Ain't Noise Pollution" and "I Know Someone Who Knows Someone Who Knows Alan McGee Quite Well". The band changed direction on their 1991 U.S breakthrough The Great White Wonder, eschewing the 'twee' British indie pop sound for a more American-styled power pop sound, akin to bands like Jellyfish and Redd Kross. Subsequent albums Million Seller, released on 11 January 1993, considered by some power pop fans to be the band's best work, and Optimistic Fool, released on 24 April 1995, followed in this style.

Madder Rose special with Billy Cote in conversation with David Eastaugh

Madder Rose was a New York City-based alternative rock band who recorded in the 1990s. After a 20-year hiatus, a new album was released in September 2019. The band was fronted by Mary Lorson, who shared songwriting duties with guitarist Billy Coté. The two singer/songwriters continued their collaboration after Madder Rose disbanded, Coté as guitarist and producer on Lorson's three album with Saint Low, Lorson as guest vocalist on Coté's Jazz Cannon album.

The Perfect Disaster with Phil Parfitt in conversation with David Eastaugh

The first incarnation of the band was named Orange Disaster, with Parfitt joined by Ken Renny (bass), and Alison Pate (guitar). This line-up released a seven-inch EP called "Something's Got To Give" on Neuter Records, Catalogue Number OD 01. Often mislabeled as 1982 - the release date that is given on the labels is 1.9.1980 (1 September 1980). After this they changed their name to The Architects of Disaster. Parfitt was then joined by Tony Pettitt (bass), Nod Wright (drums) and Paul Wright (guitar). This line-up disbanded, having released one single, "Cucumber Sandwich"/"Friendly Fire." Nod Wright and Tony Pettit then left to form Fields of the Nephilim with Parfitt recruiting Grant Davidson (bass) and later John Saltwell (bass), Dan Cross (guitar), and Malcolm Catto (drums).^[1] They returned in 1984 as The Perfect Disaster, with an eponymous debut album issued on the French Kampa label in 1985. In 1987, the band signed to Glass Records, which reissued their debut album, and followed it with a twelve-inch EP later that year. There were further line-up changes when Saltwell and Pate departed, replaced by multi-instrumentalist Josephine Wiggs. The band moved on to Fire Records, releasing the Asylum Road album in 1988. Catto also left, with Phil Outram and Martin Langshaw joining for their third album, Up, which reached number fifteen on the UK Indie Chart, and saw the band touring with The Jesus and Mary Chain. In 1989, Wiggs left to join The Breeders, with Saltwell returning. In 1990, the band issued the Rise EP, and a final album, Heaven Scent, before splitting up the following year

The Cockettes with Pam Tent in conversation with David Eastaugh

The Cockettes were an avant garde psychedelic hippie theater group founded by Hibiscus(George Edgerly Harris III)^[1] in the fall of 1969. The troupe was formed out of a group of hippie artists, men and women, who were living in Kaliflower, one of the many communes in Haight-Ashbury, a neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Hibiscus came to live with them because of their preference for dressing outrageously and proposed the idea of putting their lifestyle on the stage.

Their brand of theater was influenced by The Living Theater, John Vaccaro's Play House of the Ridiculous, the films of Jack Smith and the LSD ethos of Ken Kesey's Merry Pranksters. The troupe performed all original material, staging musicals with original songs. The first year they parodied American musicals and sang show tunes (or original musical comedies in the same vein). They gained an underground cult following that led to mainstream exposure.

Flying Nun Records special with Roger Shepherd in conversation with David Eastaugh

The label was formed in the wake of a flurry of new post-punk-inspired labels forming in New Zealand in the early 1980s, in particular Propeller Records in Auckland. The intention was to record the original local music of Christchurch, but soon the label rose to national prominence by championing the emerging music of Dunedin.

The Pin Group's "Ambivalence" 7" (the first band of Roy Montgomery) was the first release from Flying Nun, although it is widely assumed that "Tally Ho" by The Clean was the first release, as it unexpectedly reached number nineteen in the New Zealand charts, bringing the label unanticipated profile and income. This was followed by the seminal Dunedin Double, a release which cemented the place of the southern city in the forefront of New Zealand independent music. Flying Nun moved into the full-length album market in 1982 with the Ego Gratification Album by Chris Knox and Beatin Hearts by Builders (recorded 1982, Auckland).

Many of the most prominent kiwi rock and alternative bands have been signed to Flying Nun at some stage in their careers. In 2000, Australian youth radio network Triple J produced a list of the thirty "Greatest New Zealand acts of all time", twenty of which were Flying Nun artists. The label has been home to various styles of music, including the much-debated Dunedin sound, "high-end pop with a twist", lo-fi experimentation, strongly Velvet Underground-influenced pop, minimalism, industrial, and rock-electronic crossover.

The Hepburns special with Matt Jones in conversation with David Eastaugh

The Hepburns are a Welsh indie band from Llanelli, South-West Wales. They have recorded twelve albums, two EPs, one single, and three BBC sessions and have been signed to Berkeley-based label Radio Khartoum since 1999. They toured the United States and Scandinavia in 2007. 'Electric Lliedi Land' is due for release in September 2020.  

The Fabulous Poodles special with Bobby Valentino in conversation with David Eastaugh

Valentino's first success was as a founding member of The Fabulous Poodles, but he is most often recognised as the violinist and co-writer of the hit single "Young at Heart", by The Bluebells.

After leaving the Fabulous Poodles in the early 1980s, Valentino was a member of the Electric Bluebirds before joining the Hank Wangford Band at the beginning of 1984: the British country band already included pedal steel guitarist B. J. Cole (Cochise) and former Liverpool Scene/Scaffold/ guitarist Andy Roberts.

The Verlaines special with Graeme Downes in conversation with David Eastaugh

The Verlaines were noted for their angular, "difficult" song structures, wordy and downbeat lyrics, unusual subject matter, which was all contained in often frantic up-tempo playing. The Verlaines were led by songwriter and vocalist/guitarist Graeme Downes, although many other New Zealand musicians played guitar, bass, drums and brass instruments during the different stages of the band. Downes is an academic at the University of Otago, where he is head of the Department of Music. He teaches contemporary music and has research interests in Mahler and Shostakovich. He has released one solo album, Hammers and Anvils, which came out on Matador Records in 2001.

Their signature songs include "Death and the Maiden", "C.D. Jimmy Jazz & Me", "Bird-dog" and "Ballad of Harry Noryb."

The band's recorded debut was on the seminal Dunedin Double EP, which was released by Flying Nun Records and was the debut of several bands who would go on to be central to the mythology of the Dunedin sound.

In 2003, a career retrospective, You're Just Too Obscure for Me, was released.

The Verlaines contributed the soundtrack to the film Eden, collaborating with actor Adetokunbo Adu, and screenwriter Rebecca Tansley. A song from Eden, What Sound is This? appeared on their album Untimely Meditations in 2012.

New Fast Automatic Daffodils special with Andy Spearpoint in conversation with David Eastaugh

The band was formed in 1988 by former members of the punk rock group Pariah.^[1] Dolan Hewison, Justin Crawford, Perry Saunders and Icarus Wilson-Wright were former students at Manchester Polytechnic, while Andy Spearpoint attended drama school. The name comes from a poem by Adrian Henri that mixed an advertisement for a yellow Dutch car with a Wordsworth poem. Often associated with the 'Madchester' scene of the late 1980s, but never really part of that scene,^[3] the band's debut single, "Lions" was released in 1989 on Playtime records (then home to Inspiral Carpets), followed the same year by the Music Is Shit EP. In 1990, they signed to Play It Again Sam (record label)|Play It Again Sam Records, September of that year seeing the release of "Fishes Eyes", and debut album Pigeonhole appearing in November, which reached the UK top 50.