Not Forgotten: John Foxx – Metamatic
It’s one of life’s cruel ironies that some people saw John Foxx as a Gary Numan wannabee, as just prior to his solo emergence, Numan had famously stated in the press that “I’ll never be as good as Ultravox!” He was referring to Foxx’s hideously underrated futuristic glam-rock pioneers, his comment instantly prompting millions to …
News: Spear of Destiny – New album and 35th Anniversary Tour
Kirk Brandon’s Spear of Destiny release their 14th album – ‘Tontine’, to commerorate the band’s 35-year existence. It coincides with a U.K. tour, kicking off with two nights in Crewe on the 11th & 12th of May, and visiting, North, South, East and West, as well as Scotland and Wales. Fans can expect to hear …
The Monochrome Set – New Album, Box Set and Tour Dates
The Monochrome Set have been producing arch indie-pop with a raised eyebrow for some decades now. Their wry sound, peppered with literary cultural references and barbed wit, typified the Cherry Red Indie assault of the early 80s and spawned admirers and imitators alike. Now a new album – ‘Maisieworld’ (their 14th!) will be released on …
Not Forgotten: White Noise – An Electric Storm
“Many sounds have never been heard-by humans:some sound waves you don’t hear-but they reach you. “Storm Stereo” techniques combine singers, instrumentalists and complex electronic sound. The emotional intensity is at a maximum.” So read the bold sleevenotes on this unique release on which David Vorhaus ,an electronics graduate, teamed up with two members of the …
See: The Damned release video for Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow
The Damned have released a new video for their single ‘Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow’, out now on Spinefarm Records. It’s taken from their forthcoming album ‘Evil Spirits’, released April 13th (their first in a decade), produced by legendary Bowie producer Tony Visconti. The video has a futuristic feel, evoking 2001 A Space Odyssey, …
Playlist: Poisoned Electrick Head – Tourbus Treats
Poisoned Electrick Head (Mk 1) were together twelve years (1986 – 1998), and probably spent ten of them in tourbuses of various types (the band officially reformed in 2009 and are now actively gigging and releasing albums). As an eight-piece touring psychedelic outfit, the choice of listening was never going to be a simple affair, …
Obituary: The Fall’s Mark E Smith
The Fall. 32 studio albums (and counting…compilations etc. one can only guess), 66 band members, and one constant element – the enigmatic, grumpy, exasperating Mark E Smith. And with his sudden passing, I must sadly use the past tense, no slur on those foot-soldiers, for whom membership in The Fall was almost some kind of …
See: Robyn Hitchcock releases new video for ‘Autumn Sunglasses’ plus UK tour dates
Prior to a UK tour comprising of two shows with a full live band, LA Squires, followed by an extensive string of solo acoustic shows around the country, Robyn Hitchcock releases a video for the song ‘Autumn Sunglasses’. Taken from last year’s self-titled album,and recorded in Nashville, it’s a slice of strings-driven dreamy psychedelia. The Ex-Soft Boy, …
Rude Bootleg – Cardiacs Live, Reading Festival 1986
Once a year in my adopted home city of Liége, Belgium, there’s a mini festival in a rough-and-ready part of town. One time a local character, sat smoking on his doorstep and looking like a cross between Al Pacino and Popeye, engaged me in conversation, energised by the influx of young revellers. He asked me …
OBITUARY : HOLGER CZUKAY 1938 – 2017
“We completely refuse to make a judgement about what is beautiful and what isn’t. We make something, that’s all, and the scope of possible sounds is immense. We’re not musicians, we’re universal dilettantes”. So said Holger Czukay in 1972, bassist and erstwhile leader of German avant-garde band Can. Though they famously stated that there was …