It’s hard not to keep thinking about how disappointing is the state of indiepop right now. It does feel labels are losing their magic, their power, their allure. I mean indiepop labels. I do see bands finding home in other sort of labels, ones that are not boutique labels but labels that release all sorts of music. Maybe that’s the future. Indiepop labels with the exception of a few are struggling these days. It would be silly to not notice that the problem is economic. Records are much more expensive these days. They are pressed in limited quantities, and then the shipping costs double the price of the record. Also the lack of festivals, where you’d set up a merch table and was able to sell many records, is another big factor. With the inflation that’s going on right now, there are definitely other priorities for people. I don’t know if this will be fixed someday. I want to be positive, but I don’t want to be naive now. What’s your take on this? Will we get back someday to what it was?

An Ocean of Embers: what a superb song is “Butterfly Girl”! The duo formed by Jimmy Arfosea and Elsa Muller cover here the classic song by The Nightblooms and they do it just right! The Nantes band gives us here different versions of their cover, 5 different versions. So do check them all out!

The Caraway: the Japanese band is back with “Starry Eyes EP”. That’s great news. The bad news is that this limited pressing on Blue-Very Label is already sold out. Two of the songs, “Starry Eyes” and “Flash Back” are available to listen on the band’s Bandcamp, and as you can expect, they are great.

Cheerbleederz: “Even in Jest” is the naame of the new album this London combo formed by Kathryn Woods, Phoebe Cross and Sophie Mackenzie are releasing on July 27. As far as I know Alcopop! Records is putting it out but I don’t see a physical release. The album will have 10 songs, and three of them are up to preview. Also the band is touring the UK in July, so if you are lucky and they play your town, check them out!

Grazer: The Melbourne shoegaze band is back with “Melancholics Anonymous”. The duo formed by Matt and Mollie are releasing their new album on August 12. No physical release it seems, just digital. One song to preview on this one, out of 9, the really really good “These Days (Pass Me By)”.

The OK Nines: on my previous post I recommended their EP “Chien Renaissance”. Today I recommend a new digital single called “Puppy Pants (I Lost My)”… a very surfy, 60-vibe track!

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So stoneeyedkiller shared a killer song called “I Remember” by a band called Moose Club. I was immediately hooked and went on a detective investigation, see if there was anything I could find about this band!

Turns out the band is more of a solo project by Dean Gifford. Bill Blair had originally uploaded a 2-song demo back in 2019 with the songs “Don’t Want to Talk About It” and “I Remember”. This demo dates from 1990, and the only other detail Bill shares was that he played keys on this demo. He played a Korg M1.

I notice my friend Joel from Portugal beat me to it and asked Bill about more songs by Dean. Bill shares us another demo by Dean. It is a superb song, right? But we don’t know the name of it. Was this also a Moose Club track? Or on this one Dean preferred to just use his name?

But we do know too that Bill Blair and Dean Gifford were in a band called Rhythm Method prior to Moose Club. While looking at Bill’s account I notice I have written about his Youtube account before! When I wrote about Apple Mosaic! Bill was an early member of the Gloucester band.

I wonder why I didn’t listen to the songs by Rhythm Method or Dean Gifford’s projects before. They are there and maybe there’s even more to discover.

I definitely would love to find out more about all the projects Bill and Dean were involved with.

Anyone remember these cool bands?

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Listen
Moose Club – I Remember

Thanks so much to Johnny Dutton for the interview! I had written about A Month of Sundays time ago and was hoping to learn more details about the band. I had tried interviewing Neil Preston but I guess live got in the way and never got a chance to hear his insights. Happily Johnny, who was early on on A Month of Sundays, was able to share some interesting stories about the band! Also he has shared a photo of the band playing in 1998 and a press clipping from 1989! Enjoy!

++ Were you or any of the members involved in other bands before being in A Month of Sundays?

Terry, Neil and myself all went to St Mark’s College together. At the age of 14 we decided to put together a band when we realised we all played an instrument. In fact looking at a interview with a magazine in 1989, Terry says “Neil and I were jamming one day when John rode past and heard us. It was just me on drums and Neil on guitar. John rolled up and he came in and started playing scales.  I thought, wow man, scales, this is where rock ‘n’ roll begins and ends.”

We then recruited another friend from school, Neil Magro and he played synthesizer. We started playing school dances and parties as Mirror Images (we thought that was a fitting name because of Neil and Terry being twins). Somewhere between 1985 and 1987 Mark (who also went to St Mark’s but was a year older than us) joined the band and on Wed 2nd March 1988 we played our first pub gig at the Fitzgerald Hotel.

So yeah, to answer your question, none of us had been in other bands before AMOS.

++ Were you all originally from Perth?

Neil, Terry and Mark were living in Morley and I was living in Dianella (neighbouring suburbs east of Perth City) and we’d all head to the back shed at Neil and Terry’s place nearly every Sunday to jam.

++ How was your city at the time? Were there any bands that you liked? What were the good record stores? Or what about the pubs or venues to go check out up and coming bands?

DaDa Records and 78s were the best. We even did a live performance at DaDas once in their basement.

The Old Melbourne put on a lot of good days and really tired to help out the local bands. The Shenton park Hotel and the Seaview Tavern were also really great places to play as well as check out other up and coming bands.

++ Were there any lineup changes?

After I left the band they brought in Caleb Merry and after Caleb they brought in Grant Fersat. I believe (and I could be wrong so you might want to check with the boys) that after Grant they decided to perform as a three piece. To be honest, they have always had a big sound so they really didn’t need an extra guitarist.

++ What’s the story behind the name A Month of Sundays?

This is a quote from Neil taken from an interview in 1989 “We actually went up to the state library and took out a book on colloquialisms, and after picking a few terms, decided on that one”.

++ How was the creative process for you? Where did you usually practice?

In the shed behind Neil and Terry’s parents’ place. After many years of doing that we started hiring a studio in East Perth. In fact it was right near the Claisebrook Station where the cover of Bell Book and Candle was taken (if my memory serves me correctly).

++ You were around in the late 80s and early 90s and I feel there were lots of great Australian guitar pop bands at the time. Did you feel part of a scene at all? What were your favourite Aussie bands then?

The Stems

++ And who would you say were influences in the sound of the band?

It started with The Smiths, The Church, REM, Big Star, Matthew Sweet and other jangly pop bands then moved onto more heavier guitar bands like The Replacements.

++ Your first release as far as I know was “Bell, Book and Candle” a 6-track tape. I suppose this was a self-release, but I wonder because of the format if this was a proper release or more of a demo?

From memory it was a “proper” release. I think that format was all a bunch of young kids could afford at the time. Any money we made from gigs went into a kitty for recording or gig related expenses. I never saw a cent from this band, but that’s the way we wanted to do it.

++ “Faithfully Patient” 7″ was next. This one was released by Amos. Who were they? Who was behind this label and how did you end up signing with them?

AMOS = A Month Of Sundays. So, self released basically.

++ I really love the A side, “Faithfully Patient”, and was wondering if you could tell me the story behind this song? What inspired it?

Neil will have to answer this. He wrote the song. In fact I think he wrote all the songs and brought them to us to mould into the AMOS sound.

++ “Seesaw Child” was your next record and on this one Dom Mariani guest appeared! How cool! Were you friends? Or how did this collaboration come to be?

Dom was a friend of the band. I think Neil and Dom got to talking and arranged for Dom to co-produce.

++ “Idiot Star” came out in 1994 and something that always caught my attention from this release is the art, the photos on it.  Who is the kid in the photos?

I believe that’s an old photo of Neil. (But I could be wrong) I know the single cover for Faithfully Patient is Neil’s legs.

++ You also appeared on a few compilations. For example on the classic “Out of the Woodwork” that featured many of the best Australian bands at the time. Do you remember how you end up there?

I can only remember the studio session. Not sure how we came to do it or who asked us to get involved.

++ If you were to choose your favourite A Month of Sundays’ song, which one would that be and why?

Any of the ones I recorded with the band. ha ha  I really enjoyed all the songs Neil wrote during my time in the band. He’s one very talented songwriter.

++ Was there ever interest by other music labels? Perhaps big ones?

Not that I know of. We were hoping the momentum would keep going after our Eastern States tour but it all kind of seemed to slow down a bit and that’s when I started contemplating leaving the band.

++ And what were the best gigs you remember? Any anecdotes you can share?

One of my personal favourites was supporting Spy vs Spy at Curtain Uni on 9th Sept 1988. I was a big fan of that band at the time so they were rock Gods to me.

++ What about the rest of the band, had they been in other bands?

Once I left AMOS I started up a band called Cartoon Horrors for a few years and then got into Rockabilly in a big way. I form a Rockabilly outfit called Johnny Law & The Pistol Packin’ Daddies and released 4 full length albums and 1 single. We’ve played in places like Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Seattle, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, France etc. As of Dec last year the band has been performing for 20 years.

A few years ago I also started up another band called Atomic Stagecoach where we take 1980s songs and tweak them to sound like they may have been written and recorded in the 1950s. It’s a really fun band.

++ Has there ever been a reunion? Or talks of playing again together?

Not with me there hasn’t.  I turn up to their shows when I can. Sometimes Neil even gives me a shout out from the stage. ha ha

++ What about the press? Did they give you any attention?

E-press magazine loved the band. I have all the articles ever written about the band while I was with them.

++ Looking back in retrospect, what would you say was the biggest highlight for the band?

For me it was working with legends like Dom Mariani, Errol Tout and Greg Dear.

Winning a West Coast Rock award for Most Popular WA Cassette.

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Listen

A Month of Sundays – Faithfully Patient

After the bad taste of the issue about the Feverfew sleeve that was copied by another label, I’m trying to start this week a bit more positive.

But it is hard. I can’t deny I’m disappointed. There was no acknowledgement of the wrongdoing. I was told I could have waited more than half a day to listen their points of view. Maybe that’s right. But at the same time, they took months to put the release together and, with the front cover of the records being essentially the same, I was never contacted. So being demanding for more time to share their views (which turned out to be a simplistic and wrong, ‘you don’t own the logo and the photo’), before I made public my discomfort of the situation, it’s a bit out of place.

I’m beyond sad. As you know it is a label I like and I have championed because their music taste is excellent. But things like this and other questionable practices, do affect my idea of them.

Anyhow, last time I touch this topic, you all saw the images, as they say the speak louder than words. You all know what’s right and what’s wrong.

The Postcards: wow! this is a blast from the past. I worked many years ago with the wonderful UK band The Postcards on a split mini CD. Now to see 6 of their recordings pop up on Bandcamp is exciting! These 6 songs date from around the time I was releasing mini CDs, from 2008-2009. The EP is titled “At Home with the Postcards EP” and I totally recommend it!

Laundromat Chicks: the Austrian band quickly became a favourite of mine last year. They know how to make some superb indiepop tunes and it is no exception in their latest release, “Trouble”. This mini-album that consists of 7 songs is now up on Bandcamp. No physical release as of yet for these Vienna combo.

Captain Cocoa: here are 27 songs by the classic Melbourne band! This collection that is on Bandcamp includes songs recorded between 1985 and 1989. That means the full “Kite” album, three singles, B-sides and demos. There’s also live recordings from the Melbourne community radio station 3CR.

The Baggage Handlers: this Edmonton, Canada, band released digitally a 5-song EP titled “The Baggage Handlers Collected” a few weeks back. These 5 songs were recorded for the 155pod covers section. I am not sure what that covers section is, but maybe someone can tell me. Anyhow, 5 good lo-fi pop gems here.

The OK Nines: last May I discovered this Berkeley band. So cool that a month after we get 5 more songs by them! “Chien Renaissance” is the name of this new EP. The band, that clearly loves dogs, surprises here with some great pop melodies, hooks and fun lyrics. A band to keep an eye for sure.

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Another fantastic find. This time on the Brighton based label Slightly Off Kilter who specialize in short-run cassettes, cds and vinyl.

The band’s only surviving recorded output is up on this label’s Bandcamp. It consists of just 6 songs: “Faded Pictures”, “Illusion”, “Invisible Man”, “Perfect Day”, “Magic Pixie Dance” and “Beatonthebrat”.

We know the first 5 tracks were recorded back in the day, between 1989 and 1990 by Pete Dale. Pete Dale from Milky Wimpshake? The studio they used was the Electric Drum in Westbourne. That’s in Dorset. In the south.

The 6th song, “Beatonthebrat” dates from 2013. This one was recorded at Absolute Studios in Wallisdown in 2013 by Paul Khimasia Morgan. That’s also in the south, close to Bournemouth. Did the band hailed from this area?

Also when did they get back together? Was it a proper reunion of sorts? or just the recording of one song?

We know the first names of the band members, but no last names. Mark on guitar, Paul on guitar and vocals, Tony on drums and vocals, Marc on bass and vocals and Pete on keys.

It also says on the small text in the Bandcamp that members of the band went to different bands including The Cherryblades, Hybrid Kid and Imitation Electric Piano. Doesn’t say who was in which band, but maybe we can find out.

Then there’s a link to a blog called “The Stigs are VAGUE“. By now I don’t know what a stig is. What is it?

On the blog we find a discography.

There was a 1990 self-titled tape. On thiis one we find the songs “Perfect Day”, “Shadows in the Nursery”, “Magic Pixie Dance”, “Faded Pictures”, “Illusion” and “Invisible Man”. These were recorded at The Electric Drum by Pete Dale. So here are the songs from Bandcamp. Missing one. This is their only releasee as The Stigs.

It does look like that many of the members, Mark, Paul and Marc, went to form a band called VAGUE. This band released “Apocalypse Now” in 2017.

There is also a section of posters. In there we see that the band opened for a band called The Spoons at a venue called Whisky’s.

Lastly the band made a video for the song “Magic Pixie Dance” in 1989. Wow! This is indeed a find!

By now I think Paul, guitarist and vocals, is actually Paul Khimasia Morgan. Could I be right?

I see that he is the one behind the Slightly Off Kilter label. And he has been in many bands including Brambling, Imitation Electric Piano (a band with Simon Johns of Stereolab), Rubber Bus, The Seen and Vitamin B12.

That’s what I could track down about this obscure band. Anyone remember them?

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Listen
The Stigs – Perfect Day

Lunarways: Paska Records from Surabaya, Indonesia, has released “Sun/Daze” a two-song single by Lunarways. The two songs are “Be the One” and “Flowering Hearts”. There is no information about the band or the release, just that it came out last May. But it’s ok, the songs are really lovely and that’s what matters in the end, right?

The Guild: now a jingle jangly band formed in Claire, Australia. Yes, you guessed right, if it is from Claire it will feature Caleb Carr from the superb English Summer. It also includes Susan Anne Messner of The House of Silence and Kris McAleese from Hi, Kate. Their latest single is “Murder at Dawn”, which is ace.

The Summer Triangle: last May our friends Dale and Connie put out two new songs on their Bandcamp. Somehow I missed them. This is their first release after the fine Melotron Recordings self-titled record they put out a year ago. These two new songs are “Cassiopeia” and “Nimbus Clouds”.

Smile: Torino, Italy. Michele, Hamilton, Mariano and Francesco are Smile, a four-piece from Italy’s motor town. Their latest single is quite a nice surprise. “What a Heart Is” sounds really good! It is not common to find some great sounding Italian indiepop bands and this is definitely one!

Snow Coats: Doetinchem, Netherlands. We will end this week’s reviews with this four-piece that know how to make some upbeat top tunes. “Chevy” is the latest track by this group fronted by Anouk van der Kamp. It is a fun song indeed. And I just noticed our UK friends will be lucky that they are touring their country with upcoming gigs in Manchester, Leeds and Cardiff.

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After my post about the band Double Vision, where I could find very little info, I have to write about another band that I found on the same Soundcloud account. It was called Those Guilty Minutes and it also featured John Henrywood.

Hailing from Coventry in the UK, we find 6 tracks for this band. They are all demos.

They all date from 1988 and they are credited to Gavin Yates. The songs are: “Games You Play”, “Hurrying Man”, “Dark Yesterdays”, “Those Guilty Minutes”, “So Hip it Hurts” and “Social Worker”

I find their name listed on the A2Z of 1990s Coventry Music Scene. But that’s it. There is no info whatsoever about them.

But then I hit something. Something interesting! Nicola from The Applicants has a great Instagram account. There she has posted a photo of Those Guilty Minutes playing live at The Dog.

The interesting detail here is that it mentions that Robert Dillam from Adorable was the band’s drummer. Wow!

On the photo we see the band being a four-piece. We have the names of three of them. Maybe I am missing the tambourine man’s name? The setup is an acoustic guitar, an electric guitar, tambourine and drums. No bass?

I mentioned too on the post about Double Vision a few details about John. He works as a test analyst and he was in a band called Spill in the late 80s, early 90s.

And that’s what I could find. More than I expected to be honest. Hopefully we can find out more about this cool sounding band!

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Listen
Those Guilty Minutes – Games You Play

I’m still bummed by the no-qualification of Peru to the World Cup. The game against Australia was probably the worst we’ve played in so long. Australia did well, and they deserved to tie the game, take it to penalties and win it there. They did much better than anyone expected. But still, I am unable to digest this blow and my head and heart are not working properly. Anyhow, that’s football. And will have to watch the World Cup as a neutral, as it used to be before Gareca took over the team. We all had so much hope on this team for them to choke at the last game…

The Wendy Darlings: I wasn’t aware that the Clermont Ferrand faantastic pop band had released a digital record last March. Titled “The Insufferable Fatigues of Idleness” has 14 songs of upbeat popsongs! Fun and catchy, Suzy Bo’s vocals, this is a great record and you wonder why no a physical version of it. Lovely as always.

Poppurabu: Temuco, Chile. That’s where we go now to find a demo tape bby this obscure band. The tape has been uploaded as is, there are no tracks, just the one long track. The music is lo-fi pop punk, but can I call it twee punk?

The Sensitive: one of the best Indonesian bands is back with a digital single! That’s great news of course. “Mono Donkey” is the name of this new track that sounds great. It’s being released by the Let’s Kiss a Secret label from Jakarta.

Stella Star: now to Poland, to Cracow to be exact. Stella Star first release is a self-titled EP of 5 songs. Their music? We can described it as shoegaze and dreampop. It has a lot of punch. The songs are strong and well-produced. They sing in their native Polish so that gives it an extra I think. Nice discovery!

Jetzt!: There’s a new album coming out on Tapete Records by Jetzt!. It is titled “Können Lieder Freunde Sein?”. It came out just a few days ago and it is available on CD and vinyl. On Bandcamp you can preview 3 tracks out of 12, one of them being the superb “Hilf Dem Widerstand”.

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7 years ago John Henrywood from Coventry, UK, uploaded songs by his 1980s band Double Vision to Soundcloud.

The first track we find is “Like You Do” which was recorded in 1986 on a Tascam 388 (Studio 8). This song had been written by John and Steve Hawkins.

Then we find “It’s Always the Same“. It was recorded by Gary Watson at Perky Benson Studio. Again written by John and Steve.

The last song is called “Shadows“. Same details for the recording, but this one is credited just to Steve Hawkins.

So, by now it is safe to assume both John and Steve were in the band. Were there more members?

The only other Double Vision thing I found on this Soundcloud account is that in 2010 John and Steve reunited and revised the song “Shadows“. Recorded at John’s own JBHStudios, it is an interesting take on the original.

Then we find recordings by another band called Those Guilty Minutes. John was in this band and I feel that my next post should be about them! They sound good too!

What else could I find about this band?

I found that John  works as a test analyst. Also he was in a band called Spill in the late 80s, early 90s.

And that’s it. Not much to go on. But some nice tracks to share with you all.

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Listen
Double Vision – Like You Do

I was to publish this post yesterday but wasn’t feeling well. It was a bit of a rough day in general, but well… at least I am feeling much better today.

Still expect a post tomorrow and Friday.

Love, Burns: 3 out of 5 songs that were recorded for the Tom Gallo podcast, are available on the Love, Burns’ Bandcamp. These songs are “To Say Goodbye”, “Wired Eyes” and “Something Good”. You can also check the full session plus interview if you follow this link.

Midlife Poetry: here’s a fun pop punk indiepop band from Berlin. Their latest release were two songs they put out last April. These are “Miss” and “Tomorrow”. The band is formed by Flowzee on drums, Lucy on bass and vocals and Ber Von Largue on guitar. Do check their previous release that includes a song called “Entre Rios” that is ace.

The Age of Colored Lizards: the Norwegians have been featured many many times on the blog. So yes, you know I like them. Their latest song is a mellow one. It is called “Sirens” and it is a pretty one.

Calamity Jane & Wild Bill: the synth-pop duo from Berlin/Malmö is back with “Midnight Praises”, a 4 song EP. Always fun and with smart lyrics, they know how to craft catchy poppy songs. I highly recommend this EP. Hopefully gets released on physical format.

The Orchids: and lastly the legendary Glasgow band, one of the best bands ever, is releasing a new album on September 2. “Dreaming Kind” will be available on vinyl and CD and you can pre-order now. And that’s not all, one of the songs, “This Boy is a Mess”, is up on Bandcamp for everyone to listen on repeat. The album will include this song and 12 more. This track is gorgeous… the album seems promising. I can’t wait for September!

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Back in 1994 the Australian label Phantom Records released “The Corridor” (PHCD-34). This CD was a compilation of 4 EPs recorded by four prominent Newcastle (NSW Australia) bands of the early to mid 90s.

The bands on this CD were Burning Winter, Golden Section, Me Me Me and Bugbears. The band I want to investigate today is Burning Winter.

The four songs they included were “Sandcastles”, “Cecile”, “Denial” and “Wrong”. The only other song I know they properly released was called “Killing Me” which appeared on another Phantom Records compilation, “My Beautiful Pigeonhole” (PHCD-26). This was also a compilation of Newcastle bands but this time only one song each.

I don’t own any of these releases, not sure what information is available about the band in them, in the liner notes.

The thing is that on Youtube there are more than a few songs by them, including official music videos.

“Sandcastles” that appeared on “The Corridor” comp has one video. I learn from the details included that the band was formed by Darren Rowe (lead vocals/guitar), Rachel Rose (guitar/vocals), Craig Beck (bass) and Mark Hetherington (drums). This song was produced by the band and engineered by Rob Taylor.

“Killing Me” That was on the “My Beautiful Pigeonhole” also has a video. Heree the band is a bit different. Instead of Rachel Rose we find Phillippa Rees on keyboards and vocals.

I believe this was the original lineup of the band.

This same lineup is credited for the video of the song “Mesmerised“. This track had been recorded by Dave Henderson.

Then we find a song I really enjoy a lot, “Painful Memory“. On the details it says that this was a live favourite. The footage was filmed by Simon Kokins in the band’s rehearsal studio in Hunter Street. It says that the 12-string Rickenbacker was the signature sound of the band’s early days. No wonder I really enjoy their sound!

Then there’s “Typical Life” but no information is available for this song.

Also good to mention a song called “Fireglow“. This one doesn’t have a video but it was recorded in 1990 by the band’s original lineup.

The only other upload in this Youtube account is a song by a band called Moonscope. It seems this band was the predecessor of Burning Winter. It features Darren and Phillippa. It sounds great too! Would be a good idea to write about them next!

Then I find that the band released in 1991 an EP titled “Lap of the Land”. It is not listed on Discogs. I know the songs were recorded and mixed by Dave Henderson.

They were four songs, “Lap of the Land”, “Mesmerised”, “Let Her Out” and “Relic”.

Then probably the best find. A soundcloud account that has 11 more songs by the band! The songs are compiled under the title “The 90’s Vault” and include the tracks “A Crystal, A Clover”, “No Surprise”, “What I Need”, “Take it Away”, “Sunday”, “Stranger (So it Goes)”, “Sheryleisha”, “Her Aura”, “Enchanting” and “What Goes On”. The account is by Purpelelf Records from London, UK. Who were behind this label? Someone from the band moved to London?

Another piece of the puzzle that I found was that Craig Beck, the bassist, was later in the band Skybaby Siren.

And I think that’s it. A lot of great stuff. Hopefully someone reading this remembers them and can shed some light about their releases. Did they put more stuff out? Tapes? Where do all of these songs come from?

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Burning Winter – Lap of the Land

The Leaking Machine: two new songs by this group that features ex-Mighty Mighty members. The Birmingham combo has been making superb indiepop songs for years and after a few years in silence they are back with “The Love Lawn” and “Chocolate & Cars”. Great stuff!

Overly: here’s a lovely song from this Portland, Oregon, project. It is called “Effortless” and we have very little info about who is behind Overly. I guess we just enjoy the music.

R.E. Seraphin: now to Vallejo, California. A 7-song EP titled “Swingshift EP” is out now on 12″ vinyl. 7 songs is more of a mini-album than an EP for me. But what do you think about this? I have never had it that clear! The album is quite nice. Seraphin says he was influenced by the Television Personalities. That’s always good.

My Raining Stars: a new single from the upcoming album “89 Memories” is now available to listen! And as always our friend Thierry delivers. “Behind Her Lovely Smile” is a sensational song that will bee included in this record that will be released on June 18 by Shelflife in the US and Discos de Kirlian in Europe.

Gabriel’s Dawn: and lastly the English band, from the Midlands, is releasing a self-titled album in October! Available on CD and vinyl, on very limited quantities, the 10 songs sound superb and jangly. There’s actually a song titled “Gentle Chimes” and I think that describes the album, it chimes and chimes. Katie’s vocals sound great too.

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Here’s another good find on Soundcloud, Dancing with the Bride from Guildford, UK.

There are three songs: “Wheels Within Wheels”, “Man of Sorrows” and “Another Time Another Place”. The three of them were part of a demo tape the band recorded in 1984. They were on the tape in the order I mentioned them.

The songs were recorded at University Studios in June of 1984.

The band was formed by Paul Carey, Jonathon Snowball, Paul Beckwith and Andy Cragg.

That’s all the info we find for them on Soundcloud. The songs had been uploaded 8 years ago and there are no images either.

I keep digging. And finally found something.

There’s a band called Hemantic. On this project we find Paul and Jonathon (Jonny), two of the members of Dancing with the Bride. Something interesting we find is that they make Christian music. Also that Jonny continues to be in Guildford while Paul has moved to Porirua in New Zealand. The Soundcloud was updated last 4 years ago.

So what happened in between these two bands? Were any of them involved with other bands? Did they record more songs? Were they for sure based in Guildford? Many questions that I hope we can solve soon!

Any details you might have, please share with me!

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Dancing with the Bride – Wheels Within Wheels

Thanks so much to the Gula Gången gang for the interview. Gula Gången is a superb Stockholm band that formed a few years ago, who released one album and is about to put out their second one. As I really enjoy their music I thought to learn more about them! Check their Soundcloud if you haven’t so, you’ll be surprised by their songs!

++ Hi there! Thanks so much for being up for this interview! How are you? I hear there is a new album coming up?

Yes we’re good. John is back from Berlin with a crystal meth addiction, but he’s loving every second of it. And yes that’s right, the album is out on Spotify 10th of June, please listen to it so John can keep up with his brand new lifestyle.

++ Tell me more about the album? Will it be released in physical format or will it be only available digitally?

This album is more eclectic than our previous albums. All the uncertainties in the world and all the changes, made it impossible to keep our mind focused on a theme or sound. We are also a diverse group with many different influences so it feels natural to just go with the flow and try new things.

It will be released on spotify but we are also planning to release one copy (yes, ONE copy) of the LP on Vinyl for a special event. We are not really sure when yet, but we will keep you posted when we do.

++ There’s a cool photo on the artwork for the album. Looks like a big family photo. What is the story behind it?

We are like a big family. Shiva is the street smart savvy mom, John is a sexy mom with a drug addiction, Leo is the bad mom with a bad taste in men, Adam is the talking dog and Simon is the awkward step dad who time to time knocks on your door while you are playing “The Sims 2” and asks if you can play together. A traditional family with great values and traditions in a spooky cursed house (right next to the lake).

++ There’s one song on the album, “Sommaren 21”, that made me wonder how you spent the last few summers, with the pandemic. We would get news that Sweden was doing things different Covid than the rest of the world. How did the pandemic affect you and how did it affect this album.

The weird part was that everything was allowed except for Rock’n’roll. We didn’t have any lockdowns so we could rehearse and hang out as usual. But almost all our shows got canceled due to restrictions. We were worried at first about everything that was happening but it felt good doing music together. It helped us, being able to focus on something creative and take a break from reality for a while.

++ There’s a video for this song too. It’s a super cool one. Where was it recorded? And who came up with this fun idea?

Thank you! It’s filmed in a gazeebo and a park named “Vita bergsparken”. We usually celebrate our birthdays and summer holidays with friends there. Fun fact! Carl Anton (famous swedish singer) used to have a tv-show theire. The music video was made by Andre Cordova Rudstedt, Elias Ljungberg and Erik Lokind. They were studying film so we asked if they could make something with us, they came up with the concept. All we did was show up and they told us what to do, a great luxury. Also, the music video is a fruit fetisch propagande video. Made to advocate the fruititarian lifestyle.

++ Let’s go back in time. What are your first music memories? Do you remember what your first instrument was? How did you learn to play it? What sort of music did you listen to at home while growing up?

Leo: my first records was mainly hip-hop: Eminem, Fattaru, Gorillaz etc. But when I was around 10-11 I fell in love with early Swedish punkrock, hanging round in the parks skating and listening to bands like Ebba Grön, Grisen Skriker, KSMB. At that time I started playing everything I could get my hands on but primarily trying to play all of their songs on guitar.

John: The first music I remember hearing was Cantaloop by Us3. My first CD was Rockafellars skank- Fat boy slim. The first album I bought with my own money was Fresh by Teddybears STHLM.

Shiva: When I was 15-16 I started to listen to 80’s pop music (Depech Mode, Duran Duran and A-ha). I loved 80s music and movies, the bright and horrible clothes, the big hairs and synthetic sounds.

++ Had you been in other bands before Gula G´ången? What about the other band members? If so, how did all of these bands sound? Are there any recordings?

Yes, here is a list of all the bands we have played in.

On Spotify:
Psykofant
Makeout Point
Paint sniffing survivors
Stockholmskretsen
Turbotutte
AK47

Not on Spotify:
Husband
Kennedy
Bacchus
Johnny Swish and the Bitcoin boys
PC-Cat
Hommeage
The scars
Vii är fett två
Personlig utveckling

++ Where were you from originally?

We are all born and raised in Stockholm, except Shiva who is born in Uppsala. Simon also spent some of his childhood in Varberg, a small coastal town. This might explain his love of the ocean.

++ How did you all meet? How was the recruiting process? What instrument did each of you play in the band?

Leo was just about to graduate at Chalmers University, his parents had pressured him to become a lawyer all his life. But when he stood there with the student hat in hand, he threw it on the floor and exclaimed: “No, I do not want this! I’m going to be a musician! ”

Leo quickly packed his bag and moved to Stockholm, a city where he did not know anyone. During a wild evening at Marie Leveau, he met John, who also liked music. They came in contact with Simon Hjort who demanded that they do dubstep, otherwise they might as well play guitar pop. Said and done.

They recruited cabaret singer Shiva Kazemi and provided a rehearsal room. Outisde of the rehersal room, they heard the janitor drum a beat on his broomstick and rassle with his keys. They noticed he had a perfect sense of beat, that man was Adam who becamse the bands drummer.

Gula Gången was born. And it was beautiful.

++ How is Stockholm these days? Are there any bands that you like? Any good record stores? What about the pubs or venues to go check out up and coming bands?

Good bands in stockholm that we like: Urban Dentist, Viagra Boys, Mama Sonic, Cinadriel, Madminton, Nya karolinska, Albano Spa, Lucifers Sunshine, Hnny, John Död.

Best bars: Loch Ness in Mariatorget, Piloten in Skarpnäck, Mickel Räv i Hökarängen and Patricia (party boat) in south stockholm. Nomad  and Patricia is good place to discover new upcomming bands.

++ Something that is always impressive is the amount of quality bands that Sweden produces. Do you have a theory for why that is? I’ve heard all sorts, even the water that you drink!

John’s says that he heard Sweden is the only culture in the world that dances to melodies instead of beats. Its deeply rooted in our culture. Which explains the most popular club song which is ‘Shoreline’ by Broder Daniel, which is impossible to dance to. Leo pointed out that even when Swedes made famous death metal we made “melodic death metal”.

++ How is the creative process for you? Where do you usually practice?

We rehearse in Skarpnäck, Mostly we all just add on eachothers tunes or someone has an idea and then we create the song together off that idea. For example, “discovampyr” was based on Shiva’s idea to make a disco song about vampires. No band in the world really knows how a song is written, it kinda just happens in different ways.

++ What’s the story behind the band’s name?

Gula Gången was a tunnel in South Stockholm famous for being creepy and disgusting. But it was quite funny because it didn’t look so creepy because the walls were covered with this tacky bright yellow tile. John and Simon actually met there for the first time when they were 18 which is funny because Sid Vicious real name was John Simon and John has a cat named Sid after Sid Vicious.

++ You released in 2020 the album “Spela Allt Från Ditt Hjärta”. It quickly became a favourite. I always wished that I had a CD or a vinyl version of it. Why didn’t that happen?

We are too poor

++ Has there been any interest from labels in releasing your music?

Not that we know of. But you never know what’s cooking in the halls of glory.

++ On this album you collaborated with Olle Strandberg. How was that?

John: Olle is known as the swedish Robert De Niro, a professional through and through. Always gives his best, always does his homework and never lets a production down. He’s always joking and playing around being hilarious but the second you step into the studio it’s strictly business. Listen to his new debut solo EP 2 poplåtar & månladningen and his old band New Feelings. It’ll make you feel young again.

Simon: I would also say that he is somewhat of a party animal as soon as the work in the studio is done, but mostly he is an animal on stage.

++ Where was the album recorded? Who produced it? Was it you? Was it your first experience at a recording studio?

We did it all by ourselves, but Simon can probably tell you the most about it. We did it in our rehearsal room in Skarpnäck, which is pretty small but it does the trick.

++ I like the simplicity of the art for this record. And the second album artwork is nice too. Is any of you a graphic designer perhaps?

John: Everyone in Sweden is a graphic designer in some capacity. The difference is some make money of it while other make records.

++ I notice your albums are on the short-side. Just 9 songs on both. Why is that?

We have a short attention span and like to release our music as quickly as possible, ideally close to summer because we make “summer fun music”, but we also feel like albums are cooler. So short albums are the way to go for us! We have only been active for 3 years and released two albums, imagine our discography in 10 years!

++ And I have to ask, why did you choose to write and sing in Swedish? I ask as many Swedish bands prefer singing in English.

John: We like to do a lot of local references in our songs. For me the songs come alive that way, like a miniature Sweden that exists in our songs, filled with people and places we know, love and hate. Perhaps one day we’ll do an album with translations of our songs to learn people about Sweden, called it Sweden for beginners.

++ My favourite song of yours is “Vi Är Det Nya Normala”, wondering if you could tell me what inspired this song? What’s the story behind it?

John: After the first chord round you can hear a beer can being opened (2 seconds in). We did that live in one take.

Simon: John also kept drinking the beer and we kept on recording, you can’t hear it but it’s there.

++ And from the new album “Ensam” is also a top track. What can you tell me about this track which is also your last single?

John: Last summer we reread The Lord of the Rings so all the songs we wrote back then all had that theme. The old Swedish translation of the book is really beautiful so we wrote a lot of songs about Bucklebury Ferry  and the Green Dragon. We find the Shire very inspiring as a way of life. Ensam is a play on words. Ensam = Alone, En = One, Sam = Samwise Gamgee. It’s about the relationship between Sam and Frodo and Sam’s struggle to help Frodo through these dark times. Really it’s about the friendship dynamics, when you wan’t to help a friends who either you can’t help or are resisting your stretched out arm. It’s also a bit about asymmetric friendships, that horrible feeling that your relationship means more to you than it does for the other part. Being alone in a relaptionship, therefore the title Ensam (alone). And it’s also about that even the smallest of us can make the greatest difference. Which is what The Lord of the Rings is about. – J

Musically for me it’s based around the guitar riff in the chorus. I take inspiration from difference guitarists on difference songs where I try to write a write like they would. Sommaren 21 is based on a riff I wrote years ago with a friend when we tried to play like Graham Coxon of Blur. With Kommunikation from the last album I wanted to play like Conny Nimmersjö and Johnny Essing from the swedish band bob hund, which is much more melodic rather than chord based. With Ensam I tried to write a riff like Bernard Sumner played in Joy Division. When we wrote our first song Likfärd (never released) we translated our favourite Ian Curtis lines into to swedish.

Simon: The bass riff that starts and drives through the song is based on a Cat Stevens-inspired acoustic piece I’ve written. I showed it to the band and Leo played the bass-notes and instead of Cat Stevens it sounded very post-punk/joy division. I’ve also made a full version of the acoustic piece with lyrics inspired by The Hobbit instead of Lord of the Rings, hopefully it will be on our next album. The Swedish translation of Tolkien’s works is quite hard to read but contains lots of beautiful poetry.

++ If you were to choose your favorite Gula Gången song, which one would that be and why?

John: Mine is Till Besvär , which is the most fun to play. I was really proud of us when we wrote it, the first song I used a capo to and I love the complex chord structure, and it has a great tempo when we play it live. Perhaps in hindsight the studio version we released is not very representative of how I imagine the song, it’s a lot harder with distorted guitar than we usually play it. From the new album it’s the second track which I forgotten the name of, although I had nothing to do with that recording. I was in Berlin working on my crystal meth addiction when they wrote that so I first heard it in the finished form and I thought it was the most beautiful song ‘we’ve’ written. Sommaren 21 is also really fun to play and has great tempo to it. Usually the favourites are the ones that are fun and easy to play with a good tempo, that you can rely on when playing live. If a gigs doing badly the complex songs are a hassle, when you have to get the sound perfect. Its difficult to recreate the sound from rehearsal to live, I never understand how band does it. But then again I never really tried.

My favorite is dum dum dum, of all songs I’ve ever contributed to this is the one i’m the most proud of. When I first time I heard it recorded I knew that we had something great going on with this band. The song just kinda happened by itself, with Shiva behind the genius behind the foundation of it. It’s really simple with only 2-3 chords through the entire song which makes it easy to find new elements to play it. When people ask me to show them a song from my band, this is the song I show them first.

The song John forgot the name of is called “Skymningssagor” and it has quite a weird story behind it. I was looking for a recording of “ensam” and I found a project on my computer called “emo” and it was the guitar and synthesizers from that song. I had no memory of ever recording this but I loved what I heard and then Leo added electric guitars and Shiva some ambient singing to it. And it was beautiful!

Simon: I have some sort of memory of trying to make something in the style of “summer ends” by the band “American Football” and I think this was it…

John: Dum dum dum is the right answer. Just a perfect piece of popmusic. It’s like Simon says, I started playing C and F and then Shiva just started singing the chorus which really is the whole song. I stopped playing but Simon told me to keep going because something special is going on here. It’s important to give each other compliments when you play in the band, if you like something someone is doing you should tell them that. When we recorded it wasn’t supposed to be a duet but for some reason we came to that conclusion. We love Olle we’re all good friends and he lived closeby so we called him and 20 minutes later he arrived on his bike, happy go lucky. Me and Leo went out on a beer run during recording of Olles part and when we came back he’d come up with the “oh wama” part we sing in the 3rd verse which backs the harmonica solo. The spice that Olle gave the song was really the sriracha on the cake.

++ What about gigs? Have you played many?

John: A few. Not that many that we might hoped for. We debuted in the summer of 2019 and recorded our first album during that fall, come spring when the record was about to come out and we were looking forwards to festival gigs the pandemic happen which halted our progress. The gigs we have played have all been great really.

++ And what were the best gigs so far? Any anecdotes you can share?

John: Last year we played a gig in Malmö in the south of Sweden. It was our first gig as a quintet since Adam joined which gave us all a great boost. We had a great train ride down and had ate great food but got way too drunk, at least I did. I don’t really remember much of the gig other than that I spend more time on the floor with the audience than on stage, but the audience were great. It was the first time the clubs were open for a long time so everyone was exuberant and it got really messy and loud. As I said I don’t remember much but afterwards I was told that I played a solo version of Obladi Oblada which I really hope isn’t true because I don’t know how it’s played. I was the first one home that night.

++ And were there any bad ones?

John: For every like four good gigs you always get a bad one, which can vary in badness. Some are horrible, some are just not that good. You can’t really avoid doing a bad one every now and then unfortunately, you used have to learn from it and move onwards. Usually it has to do with being too tired or having too much to drink. Ironically some of the best ones are also due to having too much to drink so you can’t really read too much into it. It’s good if the audience also had too much to drink then you’re in symbios. If not you’re in trouble.

++ Has there been any interest from the radio? TV?

We have played two times on P3 (one of Swedens biggest radio stations) when they had a show called “Pop and Indie” which played lots of smaller acts. It was such a good show but they stopped making it earlier this year? What the fudge?

A German podcast called “Eleven Pop Songs” has also featured our music, which is really nice cause we always love it when our music manages to get through to people in other countries. Like now!

++ What about the press? Did they give you any attention?

No, but we don’t give them any attention so it’s OK.

++ What about fanzines?

Not that I know of, but isn’t that the point of fanzines that you don’t know about it? Simon, Shiva and Leo have a fanzine about skeleton factories or something but I don’t think they’ve written about us.

I’ve put a Gula Gången-cameo in one of my comic book fanzines- Simon

++ Looking back in retrospect, what would you say was the biggest highlight for the band?

We wrote a new song the other day. It was my first rehearsal back from Berlin and it was great being back playing rock and/or roll again. Simon started playing a bassline and sang a song about us as a band on a bus and I joined in playing the simple chords, then Leo added a great melody on his guitar and Adam added a great beat on the drums. Shiva played something beautiful on her synth and in the matter of seconds we all knew we had a great new song which we’re looking forwards to working on. The best songs are the simplest to write. Sometimes you work on a song for years and you never really work it out, other times you just play something and sing something and you have your biggest hit. Those times when you try something for the first time and you can all know that it’s special and you can feel each others energy, those times are the biggest highlight. Also last year we played in Örebro we had an open bar and tried every cocktail they had was a highlight. Cocktails are really expensive in Sweden due to high alcohol taxes so if you get the chance to get loaded for free you cherish it.

++ Aside from music, what other hobbies do you have?

Crystal meth and Pokémon cards.

++ I always like to ask my UK friends, what football team do you support? I thought why not ask my Swedish friends now! Are you Hammarby fans? AIK? Djurgårdens? And if you go to the matches often?

John: Hammarby, all of us. That’s a dealbreaker, sooner or later bands break up if they don’t support the same club. Some of us have season tickets, others attend sporadically, but we all share the love.

++ Been more than a few times to Stockholm and I love it. But I’d like to ask a local about what you would suggest checking out in your town, like what are the sights one shouldn’t miss? Or the traditional food or drinks that you love that I should try?

“Bottleshop” is a must, it’s a brewery and beer store and we released a “Gula Gången”-beer with last year. When it comes to food, “Günthers” is worth checking out, it’s a sausage stand (“korvmoj” in Swedish) that’s often compared to the soup nazi in Seinfeld.

“Fuang Yuan Shi Wu” makes the best affordable Chinese food and “China!” makes the best pricey Chinese food.

Most of these places are very close to Medborgarplatsen and Skanstull in Stockholm, those places are filled with hidden and not so hidden gems.

++ Anything else you’d like to add?

John: Disco sucks and Free Palestine.

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Listen
Gula Gången – Vi Är Det Nya Normala

Regional Creeps: lo-fi indiepop from Barnsley, UK. The band’s latest release was a digital single back in March. It was titled “Streak Must Go On” and it is really nice. For some reason I thought of London Popfest, of Indietracks, how a band like this would fit perfectly. Will we ever get those festivals back? I will keep an eye on the Regional Creeps.

TV Sets: now to Toronto to discover this project formed by Joshua Parrett, Angela Hughes, Josh Chamberland and Rob Butcher. The band’s latest is a digital album titled “An Embarrassment of Riches” that was released just a few days. 10 songs of melodic folk-tinted indiepop. Pretty.

Say Sue Me: “The Last Thing Left”, the new album by Busan, South Korea, band Say Sue Me will finally hit the shelves on July 1st. Available on CD and vinyl LP, the 10 song album continues with the trend of the band. Everyone loves them, everyone raves about them, and that’s totally ok. Their songs are great. Now I hope to see them live later this year in NYC.

Slut: here’s a nice EP by this München band. Not sure about the band’s name. Not the best. But the 4 songs on the “Are We Bored My Dear EP” sounds good to me. The record is available now on vinyl directly from the band.

Sunshine Boys: two new songs by this Chicago combo formed by Jackie Schimmel on bass and vocals, Freda Love Smith on drums and Dag Juhlin on guitar, keyboards and vocals. “Underwater” and “The Beginning” are two fine pop songs, with great melodies and quite a surprise to me as I had never heard them before!

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I keep checking out the discoveries by the Youtube account stoneeyedkiller. The songs are great and so I need to find out more information about these bands. I have to thank that lately he has been tagging the videos with the country of origin. That is nice.

Dream is perhaps not a great band name in this day and age. How could you google it? And probably there must be thousands of bands with that name. I wonder what Peter Duggal thought of it when he named his band like that.

He continues being involved with music with his project Moonraider for which he has presence in Bandcamp, Twitter, Facebook and more. But he also put together a Soundcloud with older projects of his. They are different styles of music and so the one I was interested in was the indiepop band he had in the late 80s called Dream.

He has uploaded two songs for this project, “New Kind of Love” and “My Favourite Place”. Both from 1989, probably from the same demo tape? There is no more info about these two tracks, or who was involved in this band other than himself.

On Soundcloud it says he is based now in Hebden Bridge. Hebden Bridge is a market town in the Upper Calder Valley in West Yorkshire, England. It is 8 miles (13 km) west of Halifax and 14 miles (21 km) north-east of Rochdale, at the confluence of the River Calder and the Hebden Water. The town is the largest settlement in the civil parish of Hebden Royd. The town itself has a population of approximately 4,500. It is known for being an LGBT-friendly town, and has been called “the lesbian capital of the UK”.

But I think he originally hailed from Handsworth in Birmingham. I wonder then if Dream was based there.

On his different bios he never mentions Dream. His music career starts in 1990 with an acid house project called Doggy.

During his career he has made music for Nintendo, recorded under the name Demonik, The Hollow, and lately he is a music partner with Wolfgang Flür from Kraftwerk.

Again nothing about Dream. I wonder of course, most importantly for my interests, if there are more songs. I really like the two I’ve heard. Where were they based? Who were the other band members? Had they been in other indiepop bands? Would be great to know. Anyone remembers them?

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Listen
Dream – My Favourite Place

Good morning all. Summer is almost here. Remember I’ll be heading to France and Belgium next month. Let me know if you’d like me to bring any records so you can save on shipping. Just drop me an email!

The Photocopies: three new songs by the Michigan project from Sean Turner. The Londoner that now lives up north in the US presents us here “Holiday Romance”, “(Wishing I Had) Tickets for Saint Etienne” and “Surrender”. It does make you wonder when is Saint Etienne going to play in Michigan? When was the last time?

David Christian: a new 10 song collection by the Comet Gain leader! “Electricity from Other Planets” work as a proper album. Here we find lo-fi songs, acoustic and electric. I always find them interesting, thinking of theme as a part of the creative process of Comet Gain.

Marine Research: finally we can pre-order the John Peel Session, double 7″, on Precious Recordings from London! The four songs Marine Research recorded on May 18 of 1999 were “I Confess”, “Angel in the Snow”, “Bad Dreams” and “Capital L”. This is really cool! For example “Bad Dreams” features David Gedge, and it says that “Capital L” would have been a single if the band hadn’t split up. A must have for sure!

Herr Wade: this is a nice surprise. 6 new songs by the project of Jørn Åleskjær (The Loch Ness Mouse, Monobird, Sapphire & Steel) asked his like minded fellow Sebastian Voss (Nah…, The Fisherman and his Soul, Cinema Engines). Sung in German, and sounding ace, like 90s German pop, think Elegant, Busch, and you know you want one of the very limited edition CD.

David Westlake: the legendary David Westlake from The Servannts is releasing a new album called “My Beautiful England”. 14 songs, 7 of them available to preview, and you know this is also a must-have. An essential record! The album will be available on August 24 on both vinyl and CD.

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Another band that could have been in my so-far failed compilation of Australian 80s and early 90s indiepop would definitely be Adelaide’s Rhymes with Fish. They have a Soundcloud with many of their recordings.

The band seems to be active again or were active recently. They released a digital EP in 2018 called “Fitzroyalty”. On this EP they re-recorded and re-interpreted songs from back in the day. Songs that had been forgotten in lo-fi tapes made during rehearsals. Three songs got this treatment, “Verisimilitude”, “Kitchen Window” and “Can We Make Money Out of It”.

Rhymes with Fish actually had formed in 1986. They were active for 3 years where they gigged the inner city pubs of Adelaide.

The band wrote about 40 songs. I guess only a few got properly recorded. Some of these recordings did get the chance to be played at radio station MMM.

The songs that I am aware that exists that are properly recorded were part of a tape release called “Six Songs for Six Dollars” that came out in 1987. These were “Media Man”, “Talk Talk”, “The Getaway”, “There’s a Hitch”, “My Shirts too Thin”, “Success”, “Have a Holiday” and “Nobody Told Me”. These were recorded by Tony Elliot in the Bartel St. Studios. It was mostly recorded live to tape!

The only other interesting bit about this tape is that Craig Tidswell played the sax on the song “There’s a Hitch”.

We also know the band member names during that first period:
Quentin Gore on guitars, Trevor King on vocals, Ivan Motley on drums and Richard Upton on bass.

The band set up an Instagram back in 2018. There I read that 3 out of the 5 members decided to get the band together after the passing of Trevor King. The remaining 3 members are the ones playing the “Fitzroyalty” EP.

In 2019 the reformed band released more songs. “Arthouse” was released digitally and included 3 tracks, “Festival Day”, “Country Psalm” and “Eugene”. Not sure if these are reworkings of old songs or brand new ones.

This is all the info I could collect. The songs are great, and you wonder how come they didn’t have any proper releases back in the day. Hopefully some of you aussie fans remember them and can fill in the blanks!

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Listen
Rhymes with Fish – Talk Talk