C86 Show - Indie Pop

Juliana Hatfield in conversation, talking about her new album 'Weird', Olivia Newton-John, The Lemonheads, Blake Babies & much much more

Brix Smith in conversation, talking about the new band, album, life in music and much much more. 

American singer and guitarist, best known as the lead guitarist and a major songwriter for the English post-punk band the Fall.

She is currently the lead vocalist and guitarist with Brix & the Extricated, along with brothers Steve and Paul Hanley.

John Robb in conversation talking about life in music, The Membranes, life and much much more.

John Robb writes for and runs the Louder Than War website and Louder Than Words monthly music magazine. He has written several books on music and occasionally makes media appearances as a music commentator.He is also the vocalist in the punk rock band Goldblade and bassist and vocalist in post punk band The Membranes.

Stuart Moxham in conversation with David Eastaugh - talking about life in the band and making music. 

Young Marble Giants were a post-punk band formed in Cardiff, Wales in 1978. Their music was based around the vocals of Alison Statton along with the minimalist instrumentation of brothers Philip and Stuart Moxham. Their early sound was a sharp contrast with the more aggressive punk rock that dominated the underground at the time. Young Marble Giants have only released one full-length studio album, Colossal Youth, in 1980.

Pauline Murray interviewed by David Eastaugh for the C86 Show - talking about life in music, Penetration, punk and much more. 

The band's lineup was lead singer Pauline Murray, Robert Blamire (bass), Gary Smallman (drums) and Gary Chaplin (guitar). Chaplin left in March 1978 being replaced with Neale Floyd, with second guitarist Fred Purser joining in July. The band dissolved in late 1979. They reformed in 2001 with original members Murray, Blamire and Smallman, and Steve Wallace and Paul Harvey drafted in as new guitarists.

David Gedge in conversation talking about life in music, John Peel and much much more. 

The Wedding Present are a British indie rock group originally formed in 1985 in Leeds, England, from the ashes of the Lost Pandas. The band's music has evolved from fast-paced indie rock in the vein of their most obvious influences The Fall, Buzzcocks and Gang of Four to more varied forms. Throughout their career, they have been led by vocalist and guitarist David Gedge, the band's only constant member.

Interview with Richard Jobson from The Skids.

Skids are a Scottish punk rock and new wave band, formed in Dunfermline, Fife in 1977 by Stuart Adamson (guitar, keyboards, percussion and backing vocals), William Simpson (bass guitar and backing vocals), Thomas Kellichan (drums) and Richard Jobson (vocals, guitar and keyboards). Their biggest success was the 1979 single "Into the Valley" and the 1980 album The Absolute Game. In 2016 the band announced a 40th anniversary tour of the UK with their original singer Richard Jobson.

Age of Chance were a British alternative rock-dance crossover band from Leeds, England active from 1983 to 1991. They were perhaps most known for their mutant metallic cover of Prince's "Kiss" which topped the UK Indie Chart in 1986, and peaked at No. 50 in the UK Singles Chartin January the following year.

Despite signing for major label Virgin, and being favourites with the UK music press, they never enjoyed a major hit in the UK, although "Don't Get Mad… Get Even" reached No. 8 on the US Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play chart.

The Go Betweens special with Amanda Brown in conversation 

Monochrome Set special with Bid in conversation 

The Monochrome Set was formed in Hornsey, London in 1978 from the remnants of a college group called The B-Sides, whose members had included Stuart Goddard, later known as Adam Ant.

Their first live gig was on 15 Feb 1978, at Westfield College in London. The original line-up consisted of Indian-born lead singer and principal songwriter Bid (real name Ganesh Seshadri), Canadian guitarist Lester Square (real name Thomas W.B. Hardy), drummer John D. Haney and bass guitarist Charlie X. The band went through several bassists in the next few years, including Jeremy Harrington, Simon Croft and Andy Warren of the Ants, a childhood friend of Bid.

Named after the Easterhouse area of Glasgow, the band was formed in Stretford, near Manchester by brothers Andy and Ivor Perry, Peter Vanden, Gary Rostock and Michael Murray in the early 1980s.^[2] Andy Perry, intrigued by communism and inspired by Bob Marley's direct delivery of political content, was invited to join the band in order to improve its lyrical content. Perry's political stance reflected the perspectives of the then active Revolutionary Communist Party, with particular regard to Irish politics.

Easterhouse played their first gig on 30 August 1983 at Dingwalls in London as the support band for The Smiths after Ivor Perry convinced Morrissey to let them have the opening spot.

Their Rough Trade singles "Whistling In The Dark" and "Inspiration" were both Top 5 independent chart hits. Their energetic first album, Contenders, featuring their signature song, "1969", has been compared to The Chameleons, New Model Army, and The Smiths.

In July 1986, Easterhouse participated in the Festival of the Tenth Summer.

After Contenders, Ivor left the band; by the time second album Waiting for the Redbird was released in 1989, Andy Perry was the sole remaining member of the original line-up. It produced a minor hit, "Come Out Fighting", which had significant airplay in the US, and spawned a Justin Strauss remix version of the same song.

The Dentists were an indie/pop band from the Medway towns (as part of the Medway scene) in England who were active from 1984 to 1995.

The band's permanent members were Mick Murphy (lead vocals), Bob Collins (guitar) and Mark Matthews (bass).

The band also had three different drummers: Ian Smith (1984–1986), Alun Jones (1986–1991) and Rob Grigg (1991–1995). All members participated in writing songs. Mark ('Jock') Reid was Mick Murphy's predecessor as lead singer for the band in 1983 when they were known as The Ancient Gallery.

That Petrol Emotion special with Steve Mack in conversation -  Initially featuring two former members of celebrated Derry pop-punk band The Undertones (plus ex-members of fellow Derry bands Bam Bam and The Calling and Derry Hitmakers), they recorded five albums between 1986 and 1994, exploring an eclectic fusion of alternative rock, post-punk, garage rock and dance music (including sampling) which in part anticipated and overlapped with the dance-pop era of the 1990s.

Following a 14-year break, the band reunited in 2008 for various dates, tours and festival appearances before returning to hiatus in 2010. Four members of the band went on to form The Everlasting Yeah.

The Field Mice initially formed as a duo from South London suburb of Mitcham comprising Robert Wratten (for vocals and guitar) and Michael Hiscock (on bass guitar). The group's first EP, Emma's House, was released in November 1988, and reached number 20 in the UK Independent Chart.

But it was with their second single "Sensitive" that they first received significant critical attention, giving them a top-20 indie hit and with a subsequent placing in John Peel's 1989 Festive 50.

Debut mini-album Snowball reached number 3 on the indie albums chart. The original duo were joined by Harvey Williams (of Another Sunny Day) on guitar: the first fruits of this new line-up being the Skywriting mini-LP and in late 1990 the band expanded to include Annemari Davies on vocals, keyboards and guitar and Mark Dobson on drums. This five-piece line-up later recorded what was to be their final album (but their first full length for Sarah Records), For Keeps.

Barry Adamson in conversation talking about his life in music as he releases a new compilation of his work titled, Memento More Anthology 1978-2018 - a Mercury-nominated English pop and rock musician, composer, writer, photographer and filmmaker. He came to prominence in the late 1970s as a member of the post-punk band Magazine and went on to work with Visage, The Birthday Party, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and the electro musicians Pan Sonic. In addition to prolific solo work, Adamson has also remixed Grinderman, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and Depeche Mode.

He created the seven-minute opus Useless (Escape From Wherever: Pts. 1 & 2) remixfor the latter band in 1997. He also worked on the soundtrack for David Lynch's surrealistic crime film Lost Highway.

Goodbye Mr Mackenzie were a Scottish 1980s and 1990s rock group formed in Bathgate, near Edinburgh, Scotland. At the band's commercial peak, the line-up consisted of Martin Metcalfe on vocals, John Duncan on guitar, Fin Wilson on bass guitar, Shirley Manson and Rona Scobie on keyboards and backing vocals, and Derek Kelly on drums.

Marine Girls were a post punk group from Hatfield. The group was formed in 1980, by two sixth form school friends: Tracey Thorn Gina Hartman. Originally, Thorn just played guitar and Hartman was the lead vocalist and percussionist. Thorn overcame her shyness and started singing too by the time they started making records. They were later joined by Jane Fox on bass and her younger sister, Alice, on joint vocals and percussion.

Stiff Records special with Dave Robinson in conversation talking about life in music - 

Stiff Records is a British independent record label formed in London, England, by Dave Robinson and Jake Riviera (real name Andrew Jakeman). Originally active from 1976 to 1986, the label was reactivated in 2007.

Established at the outset of the punk rock boom, Stiff signed various punk and new wave acts such as Nick Lowe, the Damned, Lene Lovich, Wreckless Eric, Elvis Costello, Ian Dury and Devo. In the 1980s, with most of their early signings having moved on, the label found commercial success with Madness, The Pogues, Tracey Ullman, The Belle Stars, Kirsty MacColl and others.

When Candy Opera release 45 Revolutions Per Minute on February 23rd 2018, it will be a belated introduction to a very special band sired during Liverpool's 1980s golden age which has taken almost thirty years to happen. Lovingly unearthed and compiled by Firestation Records of Berlin and available on limited edition CD and deluxe vinyl, the result is a lost gem that points to a million what-might-have-beens. When Candy Opera first appeared on the kaleidoscopic early 1980s Liverpool music scene, by rights they should have changed the world. Here was a classic four-piece, after all, steeped in the symphonic pop of Love's Forever Changes and the Beach Boys' Surf's Up. Taking such influences as a template, alongside contemporaries such as Aztec Camera, The Pale Fountains and Prefab Sprout, Candy Opera were in the throes of crafting a 1980s song-book in their own image, and the band's 1983 Honeysuckle Rose demo has become something of a holy grail. By 1985 the band had played alongside the likes of The Pogues, The Go-Betweens and The Redskins, as well as appearing on Granada TV. Reviews in NME, Sounds and Jamming magazine followed. Forming on the tough Phythian Estate in Liverpool's Kensington district in 1982 and based around the song-writing of Paul Malone, Candy Opera offered up a nouveau classicist sensibility which had seen the band listen without prejudice to The Monkees and Karen Carpenter. With assorted Candy Opera line-ups augmented at various points by baroque flourishes of clarinet, flute or violin, such a sophisticated musical palette went way beyond notions of indie-band purism to create something grander, none of which remotely fitted in with the voguish scene-setters behind shoe-gaze, baggy and brit-pop. After a decade ploughing their own stubborn furrow in various guises, despite interest from EMI and Go! Discs, Candy Opera called it a day in 1993 with only a fistful of demos to their name.

Felt were an English alternative rock band, formed in 1979 - In 1989 Lawrence declared it had been his intention all along to release ten singles and ten albums in ten years and, having done so, announced the end of Felt. After releasing their last album, Me and a Monkey on the Moon, and undertaking a short tour the band split up. Lawrence went on to form Denim and later, Go Kart Mozart.