27
Mar

Back to the indiepop research after a a few days.

On the last blog post, Natsubot, from the Japanese band For Tracy Hyde, left a comment telling us that they did release an album last year titled “Film Bleu”. I had written that their last releases dated from 2014, so definitely it is good to know that they are still putting out music. He also mentions that they have an EP on the works for this year. I guess my mistake comes from me not being aware of streaming services, “Film Bleu” is available in that format. Sadly, I never do that, and it is complicated for me, to twist my principles, and start supporting these platforms. But the fact remains, the band is still releasing good music and in the end that is what matters! Oh! And also their vocalist is not the same as in the 2014 releases I listened to on Bandcamp. Now their singer is called Eureka. Their previous singer, Lovely Summer, is now pursuing a solo career and you can check one of her songs here. It is quite good!

From Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, I just heard a superb new release (sadly only available on tape through Hidden Bay Records. Please stop releasing tapes!!) by the band Brunch Club. They have 6 songs and they sound like a good mix of Tiger Trap, Cub, and All Girl Summer Fun Band. It is good! The band is formed by Ellen Reade, Patrick Earles and Clay Francis. It makes me so happy to be able to find this sound again. They also have two demos dating from June 2016 on their Bandcamp. So quite a few cool songs to listen and discover. Top Pop!

It is true too that A Turntable Friend is back. The classic German band is releasing a few new records in this comeback. The first is a 7″ by the British band Drahla. There are two songs on it, “Fictional Decision” and “Dog Collar Guillotine”. Sadly this is not for me, not much indiepop here! On the other hand the label is releasing a 40 song compilation, as 3 LPs or double CD, titled “The Test of Time”. On it you’d see most of the fantastic bands that were once part of the label from Boyracer to Love Parade passing by Tree Fort Angst or My Favorite. The proceeds of these release will be for the William Wates Memorial Trust. There are old songs as well as many unreleased songs in it so it might well be a good thing not to miss it.

The two last new releases coming up from ATF are by the Isle of Man band Tea. They are the “Breathing EP” and the “Everybody’s Happy Sometimes” album. The EP is available only on CD while the album is available on both CD and vinyl. Both of these releases I want to get as they include band members that also were part of Stoliday a band we released a 3″ CD many years ago!

And last but not least the Darling Buds are also doing a comeback releasing a 10″ 4 song EP. The EP is titled “Evergreen” and sounds as if they never left (the same feeling I had when I saw them live at NYC Popfest). It is a surprise to see they chose to release with Oddbox, though maybe their Welsh connection had something to do with it. It is such an indiepop sounding record that doesn’t seem to fit in this label. But that’s the beauty of it.

Who are the Keep Left Signs? Some days ago I got a tip from a Spanish friend about them. It seems they’ve been going for some years now, but I had no clue even though they played a gig time ago when indiepop was in better health with many good friends of mine like The Fireworks, The Electric Pop Group and The Garlands. They have a bunch of very jangly and classy songs on their Soundcloud. I feel they are English, but I couldn’t say for sure. Would love to know more!

And lastly there’s a new video by Colour Me Wednesday for the song “Don’t Tell Anyone“. I have always enjoyed this band even though I have few things in common, I’m no vegan and I don’t enjoy the DIY bands they normally support for example, but Colour Me Wednesday do craft fantastic and catchy pop songs like this one.

—————————————————-

I finished yesterday with the plastic sleeves. I gave all my 12″s one. Now I think the next step would be buying paper sleeves so the record can be outside the sleeve. But that would be homework for later.

As I was doing that I picked some 12″s that are a bit obscure and I think would be appreciated by the blog readers, just like Rasca Cocous did last week. Among these obscure records I picked for this week the one 12” by Blam! Blam! Y.C.

As I don’t know much about this band it makes sense then that it would be good to do some research about them. When I try to remember how I discovered them, I think it was thanks to Youtube. I saw a cover of The Who’s “The Kids Are Alright” by this band. It said on the description that the band playing this song was a UK jangle pop band. So I had to find more, and as I couldn’t find anything else, I decided to buy their record.

And so I did. And this cover of The Who appears on the B side. It is a live version. The full tracklist is: on the A side only one song, “Rollercoasting Barbie & The Dumb Angels”. On the B side “Mandy Is”, “The Kids are Alright (Live)” and “Touch of Grey”. The record was released in 1988 by Pussy Face Records (catalog CLT 001) and it was their sole release both for the band and for the label.

Time to check the back sleeve, there’s a cool photo of the band, only in pink tint (as the whole record sleeve is) plus some more info. We know the band members were:
Isobel Cline – rhythm guitar and vocals
Ewan Grant – bass
Debbie Hutcheson – vocals and tambourine
Alan Berry – lead guitar
Graham Sanderson – drums

The record was recorded at Toad Hall in Glasgow and was engineered by Ian Carmichael.

Was the band Scottish then? The label has an address from Middlesex in England. I though it was a self-release. Then they would be from Middlesex, but their sound is very Scottish. I’ll keep digging.

As with this obscure bands it is difficult to find more information.  I want to know what the name of the band means. What does Y.C. stand for. I end up on Alistair Fitchett’s website, Tangents, on a post from August 2002 about St. Etienne. There he mentions the band on this paragraph:
There was a great record store at this time in Ayr, whose name I can no longer recall. The guy who ran it had been in the group Blam Blam YC and used to disappear off to Edinburgh when he was 15 to see Fire Engines play. I think his name was Euan. Euan used to play ‘Only Love Can Break Your Heart’ in his record store all the time, and that’s where I heard it first. He also spun it in the club night he ran down in some god-forsaken new bar in town, where it always got a fantastic reception.

Was the band from Ayr? The Scottish theory starts taking some shape.

Ayr is a large town and former Royal Burgh situated on the west coast of Ayrshire in Scotland, United Kingdom. It is the administrative centre of the South Ayrshire Council area and historic county town of Ayrshire. Ayr is currently the most populated settlement in Ayrshire and is the 12th most populous settlement in Scotland. The town adjoins the smaller town of Prestwick to the north, forming a single continuous urban area with the town.

The band is also mentioned on the Firestation Records old blog. Uwe doesn’t seem to be a big fan of them:
Not so much my cup of tea but everyone who is into bands like Motorcycle Boy, Fat Tulips or The Rosehips should check out their sole 12“ single which called “Rollercoasting Barbie and the Dumb Angels“, released 1988 on Middlesex-based “Pussy Records“.

I find another mention but this time I don’t understand anything as it is in Welsh. It is from a book by Rhys Mwyn titled “Cam O’r Tywyllwch: Hunangofiant “. I’m guessing here that he says the band played alongside The Wendys in Perth. There’s also something about “Rock Against the Rich” which I think was the name of the gig.

It is no surprise that I would find some information about them on an interview I did with The Wilderness Children years ago. They mention that: “really enjoyed when we played in Ayr at different points and anytime we played with Blam Blam YC who liked a drink too.

They must have been from Ayr then. And I can confirm it after I find a newspaper cutting from The List dating 23 February 1990. In it it says: “Ayr – The Coletranes and Blam Blam YC – Pavilion Ballroom, The Esplanade, 0292 265 489. Indie strummers Blam Blam YC play their hometown on an eight-day band exchange scheme wtih punchier Dublin band The Coletranes”.

Next stop is Avo-8’s gigography. They mention a gig at Rooftops in Glasgow on January 12th of 1989. They lineup for the gig was Avo-8, The Darling Buds and Blam! Blam! Y.C.

Remember I was talking about “Rock Against The Rich”. Now I find a fanzine I believe titled “Class of War No. 29”. It is all scanned and seems to feature the Rock Against the Rich Tour 88. This is very inspiring. On page 4 I find the mention of Blam Blam YC. It says:
The first ever Rock Against the Rich gig was in Ayr in Scotland. It was organised by a band called Blam Blam YC who are the support band in Glasgow. 
The gig featured The Cataran, Blam Blam YC, The Wilderness Children (support at Aberdeen), Hee Haw, The Flat Stanley, The Salt Cellar, Southern Approach and Memphis Hipshake.

So that is pretty cool, they were a political band. Sadly they only released the one 12″. I don’t know if there are more recordings by the band, perhaps demos. It seems they played quite a bit of gigs. Wonder if anyone out there remembers them.

With examples like this it is hard to believe there are people that say indiepop is conservative and can’t be political. What nonsense.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Listen
Blam! Blam! Y.C. – Rollercoasting Barbie and the Dumb Angels

19 Responses to “:: Blam! Blam! Y.C.”

hi Roque, I found last night CD release of Film Bleu is available via cdjapan. http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/PCD-20371 I plan to buy it as well, I ordered from them a few times already (to Europe), and they’re very pro. They even send you a photo of your package before it being sent 🙂 I read about tape releases of Apple Orchard and The Arctic Flow. Unfortunately. I really don’t understand what it is about cassettes these days, they’re the worst ever, and yet it’s just more and more. Isn’t it at least equally cheap to release cdrs? btw, do you know if Some Other Day will be available somewhere in Europe, e.g. Hands and Arms or Rough Trade ? RT have it on NotifyMe (which i requested), dying to have it of course..

tweepop
March 27th, 2017

Good call! Wasn’t aware of CD Japan. Will check! Probably the shipping costs will kill me but if that’s the only way!
And yeah, tapes are the worst ever. I don’t understand why people are into them. A CDR is cheaper and better, easier too!
About Some Other Day I left copies at Rough Trade NY this weekend. Hopefully they’ll ship them to London very soon.
About Hands & Arms, I hope they will ask for some new Cloudberry Records soon.

Roque
March 27th, 2017

Hi Roque

I am pretty sure Keep Left Signs are Swedish, when they first put stuff up on Soundcloud a while back they mentioned ( since removed) they were connected to Secretly French ( who had connections to The Mare and We.ThePigs ).

Those new songs are very impressive!!!

B

Bruce Dale
March 27th, 2017

Hi Roque,

Here’s my latest ‘discovery’:

https://jigsawrecords.bandcamp.com/album/pzl121-secret-meadow-same-old-fear-ep

Jigsaw have released some excellent EPs recently.

John

John Quarmby
March 27th, 2017

Bruce, from what I’ve been told around The Keep Left Signs are Swedish, from Stockholm, and it would include Gustaf, a good friend of mine, who has been part of The Lost Homeboys and The Electric Pop Group… though I’m not 100% sure! I need him to say something haha.

John, Secret Meadow sounds good! Will need to order their EP indeed!

Oh! And made an account at CD Japan and ordered the For Tracy Hyde album… seems it may take up to 12 weeks to arrive haha, crossing fingers.

Roque
March 27th, 2017

Ah Trev’s done lots of indiepop records over the years, he’s just not interested in genre confines. A lot can be said for both approaches but I like almost everything he puts out. He has a lot of history with The Darling Buds in South Wales so it was a no-brainer that he’d put out their records.

Tim
March 28th, 2017

There are some great indiepop records there Tim, I never said otherwise. I can think of Chorusgirl, the first Kick Inside 7″, The Blanche Hudson Weekend… but the rest is not my cup of tea, actually I think it is quite terrible. That’s fine I guess, not all labels or people have to have a line to follow or the same principles. My main problem with Oddbox is that it has purposely distanced itself of the name indiepop by bashing the it. But I’m glad they are releasing The Darling Buds’ comeback, I’ll try to get it when Jigsaw stocks it.

Roque
March 28th, 2017

Regarding the post on the Tangents website, the Record Store in Ayr referred to by Andrew Fitchett was Speed Records. I lived in Ayr back then and frequented the Shop on a regular basis. It was initially situated in Parkhouse Street but moved to Sandgate when the lease on the first property ran out. The owner’s name was Martin ( I cannot recollect his surname ) and Euan ( I cannot recollect his surname either ) was his assistant. Euan had a girlfriend named Debbie and both she and Euan were members of Blam! Blam! Y.C. Debbie was a Student at Glasgow University at the time. I am pretty sure that the two individuals in the front row of the sleeve photo are Euan and Debbie. I spent many happy hours in both shops over a number of years. I was very much into Australian / New Zealand bands at the time ( The Church, The Go-Betweens, The Triffids, The Chills and The Bats ) and the boys would order in albums for me and invariably listen to them before I collected them. I lost touch with Martin and Euan when the Store closed down. It was long time ago. My recollection is that Y.C. was an abbreviation for Young Club but don’t quote me as I could very well be wrong.

Hugh Nimmo
March 28th, 2017

Thanks Hugh! Someone on Facebook said that Y.C. was Young Communists… another one said that it was Ya Cunts. haha. I wonder what it is! I also would like to know which one is Euan in the photo on the back cover. I mean, they all have names there and none is named Euan! Though there is a Debbie for sure.

Roque
March 28th, 2017

Roque, I have a copy of the 12 inch but I boxed up all my vinyl many years ago and I don’t have a filing system so finding it will take some time. Are you able to scan the back cover and send it to me? My wife and I attended a Go-Betweens gig at the Queen Margaret Union, Glasgow, with Euan ( Ewan? ) and Debbie in the 1980s. Debbie, who was a member of the Student Union, signed us in as guests on the night as guests. It was a fabulous show.

Hugh
March 28th, 2017

Hi Hugh!
Sorry you are right, it says Ewan (or Euan). I had taken some photos of the back cover on my phone but I think they came out blurry and I made a mistake! I will try and scan the back cover tonight. There is a scan on Discogs too https://www.discogs.com/Blam-Blam-YC-Rollercoasting-Barbie-And-The-Dumb-Angels/release/3590851
Thanks for insisting about it, I may have not noticed my mistake!

Roque
March 28th, 2017

I checked out the images on Discogs. Debbie is wearing the white jacket and Ewan is on her left as you look at the photo ( hands in pockets and wearing leather jacket.)

Hugh
March 28th, 2017

yes they were from Ayr, and YC is Ya Cunt.

Bryan
October 9th, 2017

Blam Blam Y.C. – saw them quite a number of times playing in Kilmarnock, Ayr, and maybe elsewhere in Ayrshire back in 87-89. I was at the Darling Buds Rooftop gig mentioned above too, also a gig at the Third Eye Centre in Glasgow I think(?). They played a few gigs in Glasgow which seemed to be something that not many Ayrshire bands could manage. Got a few posters and things with Blam Blam Y.C. As mentioned, the “Y.C” is supposed to be “ya cunt.” Well, this was Ayrshire so that passes for humour.

Giles
November 28th, 2017

Just looking at some old posters and things and noticed there was another Rooftops gig I was at where Blam Blam YC played – James Taylor Quartet in November 1987. They also played with Primal Scream at a gig in Kilmarnock on 24/9/87 and also opened for Joe Strummer at the Glasgow Barrowlands in August 1988 – part of the “Rock Against the Rich” thing.

Giles
November 28th, 2017

…was friends with Ewan and Debbie backbin the day and can confirm that Y.C. definitely stood for”Ya Cunt!”. Not prepared to divulge any details other than what is already in the public domain and relates solely to Ewan Grant. Ewan went on to make a name for himself in the music industry after a move to London in the early 90s. He currently runs the Notting Hill Academy of Music with NHAM patron and Radio DJ, Trevor Nelson. I will leave a couple of links for your information. In the discography, “Sandgate Remix”, is a reference to his old music shop in the Sandgate in Ayr, “Up Records”, which was also the name of his first record label. I wandered in one Saturday and asked if he had and Rick Astley albums and I swear he nearly spat his coffee clean out the door! He also made headline news for selling poppers as well as records…fun times!

https://nottinghillacademyofmusic.com/our-team/

https://www.discogs.com/artist/1319597-Ewan-Grant

https://www.discogs.com/label/4753-Up-Records

Merlyn Holmes
March 20th, 2021

Re Blam Blam YC, the Middlesex connetion was the band’s manager and the man who you see on the front . Known by all in Ayr as Spook, . He sadly passed away in 2012, he had moved to London in the 70s, never forgot Ayr and we visited frequently. We were living in Middlesex when the record was made. I am still in contact with Ewan and Alan . When we moved to a new home he always painted blam blam somewhere, usually in a cupboard , I could never paint over it.

June Lucas
July 8th, 2021

Roque, Saw the band many times back then, we all hung about together. The fella at the back was known as Stoker. They played support to Sweet at the Ayr Pavilion in the eighties. I shot the video of the gig, and you’ll find me credited on the inner sleeve, which was pure filth with superimposed head shots of Kylie and Jason on porn models.

Geoff Bryce
September 20th, 2022

I remember going to see The Sweet at the Ayr Pavilion in about 1987/88 and they were supported by Blam Blam YC. Wasn’t sure what the YC stood for that we’d seen on the posters, until the singer announced in no uncertain terms after a couple of tracks … ‘Good evening ! We are Blam Blam Ya Cunt !’ !! Ahh … so THAT’S what it stands for !! 🙂

Ian
April 5th, 2023