Thanks so much to Stefan Wesley for the interview! I wrote about Alfie some time ago on the blog, and Tore Höghielm, the band’s bassist got in touch. He then put me in touch with Stefan, who was the guitarist of the band, and he was so kind to answer all my questions concerning his band that was active in Visby, Sweden, in the late 80s. They only released one 7″ single, with two should-have-been classics, and some tapes that they sold at gigs and on demand. Online there is so little written about them, that it was a good chance to learn about them. Hope you enjoy this interview!

++ Hi Stefan! Thanks so much for being up for this interview. Alfie has always been a mystery to me, so I’m glad to get to know a bit about your band! Perhaps let’s start from the beginning, what are your first musical memories? when did you learn to play guitar? what inspired you?

My first musical memory is my mothers single- and EP-collection. It wasn’t big, it wasn’t great, but it had some records I enjoyed at very young age and that I still like a lot today. I was very much into cowboys and indians as a child, so I especially liked “Rawhide” by Eric Wilson-Hyde and Johnny Horton’s “North to Alaska”. Other favourites included Russ Conway’s “Matador from Trinidad”, Sam Cooke’s “Chain Gang”, plus instrumental bands like Johnny & The Hurricanes, The Fireballs and The Spotnicks.

++ When was Alfie formed? And had you been involved with any other bands before?

In 1980 we started a punk band at school. We changed name a few times before ending up with Castro. But quite soon I discovered The Sound of Young Scotland, fell in love with Josef K, Orange Juice, Aztec Camera and other Scottish bands like Fire Engines and Boots For Dancing. So we changed style and became more of a pop band. In 1982, I think, we translated the lyrics to English and changed name to Season’s Greetings, introducing The Sound of Young Gotland. We played our farewell gig in May 1986.

During this time, I had a couple of tape labels, CA Productions and Enjoy Tapes, releasing acts like Biljardakademien, Trumslagarpojkarna, Control Addicts, Eucalypso, M.O.M.S. and others, all including me and/or my brothers.

++ Why the name Alfie? Does it have to do with the movie?

When we started, we needed a name real quick because we already had a gig booked. So I looked through my record collection and came up with the name Too Sensitives, after an Orange Juice song. But it was too difficult for people to comprehend so we changed name to The Boy Wonders, after the Aztec Camera song. We were quite happy with that name but suddenly read in NME about a new British band called Boys Wonder, so we changed name again before “we make it big”. This time, I came up with the name Alfie and it’s of course after the 1966 Michael Caine movie, but it’s even more after the Burt Bacharach/Hal David song.

++ How did Alfie start as a band? How did you all meet?

After the final Season’s Greetings gig in May 1986, I took the bass player, Henrik Johansson, with me and started a new band right away. We had my little brother Magnus Häglund on drums but needed a vocalist. I shared an apartment with a few people and one of them was dating a guy called Mattias Ek who one day was sitting in the kitchen singing to the radio. So when we a couple of months later I remembered him singing to this song by Swedish band Ratata and that it didn’t sound that bad. So I asked Mattias if he wanted to try singing with us.

So we had our first rehearsals in June 1986 and played two songs at a local pop band competition in July (I think). Towards the end of the summer, my older brother, Kjell Häglund, said he had met a guy at a party who had good taste in music and played the guitar, so I contacted this Johan Arvidsson and recruited him to join the band. Johan had only been with us for a couple of weeks when Henrik said he was moving away for studies, so we needed a new bass player. I immediately came to think of Tore Höghielm who I first met years earlier in German class at secondary school. We didn’t hang out or anything but every time we ran into each other we used to say that we should start a band together. He already played in one or two other bands but didn’t hesitate to join Alfie.

++ What sort of music were you all into at that time? Who would you call as influences of the band? I assume the Postcard Records stuff because of the “Sound of Young Gotland” nod on the sleeve?

I don’t really remember any specific influences, as we always listened to everything and anything. But I remember sometime in 1986 or 1987 when I really discovered all those new indie bands like McCarthy, Jasmine Minks, BMX Bandits, Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine, The Pastels etc. Don’t think they changed our music though, but maybe a little.

++ You were based in Visby back then. Are you still there? And what were the places to hang out or catch a gig in town?

Yes, we were based in Visby. When Alfie quit, it was because three of out members moved to Stockholm. I tried to maintain the band with my brother Magnus, writing songs and recording demos, and Mattias came on visit to add vocals to the demos, but it didn’t work.
I still live in Visby, and so does Johan who came back after a couple of years of studying. Magnus lived here until a couple of years ago when he moved to Gävle. Mattias and Tore lives in Stockholm.
Visby in the late 80’s had no specific scene for catching bands, but the local music association Roxy arranged some concerts. A new café/pub called Schenholms also had bands playing.

++ Were there any other like-minded bands in town during those mid and late 80s?

Nope, not a single one.

++ What about in Sweden in general? Did you like any bands then? I’m always curious about that period of Sweden, it seems it was only in the 90s that there was a much more known explosion of guitar pop bands, but I always find, after digging a bit, obscure jewels from the 80s!

The 80’s was mostly into the dark side of post punk and you never heard bands like Orange Juice and Aztec Camera (that I tried to sound like with Season’s Greetings). But in the late 80’s bands like This Perfect Day and The Wannadies started to pop up and then came the explosion you mentioned. But I liked a lot of the Swedish music in the 80’s like Reeperbahn, Di Leva and garage bands like Pushtwangers and The Stomach Mouths.

++ You released the one 7″, with “Play On” and “Fool to Fall”, if you wouldn’t mind, would you tell me the story behind these two songs? What are they about?

There’s not much to tell, really. “Play On” was written a couple of years earlier and when we started Alfie and had our first gig just a few weeks later we needed a simple song to start with. And it can’t be much simpler than “Play On”. And “Fool To Fall”… I can’t remember anything from writing it. When we went to the recording studio, we had maybe five songs and these two we thought would be best.

++ Also, what do you remember of the recording session for the single at Sandvike Studio?

My brother, Kjell Häglund, worked on an album with Biljardakademien, and suggested that we could go there a weekend to record a couple of songs. There were place left on one of his 24 channel tapes we could use. Today, the studio is in Visby, but back then it was way out in the middle of nowhere. So we went there and recorded the background tracks the first day, slept over and then recorded the overdubs the day after. Not the most interesting story, guess we were a quite boring band.

++ And how did they creative process work for Alfie?

It always started with me sitting at home with my guitar trying to find new melodies and chord progressions. We rehearsed maybe once a week were went through our repertoire and then testing some of my new ideas. I guess I had a new song almost every rehearsal. I also used to have an idea how everyone else should play. Sometimes it worked, sometimes not, but we completed each other very well so it usually turned out quite ok, even if it sounded different in my head.

++ Did you ever consider making songs in Swedish perhaps?

No, we didn’t. As no one in Sweden were interested in our music, maybe someone was it abroad. But there wasn’t.

++ The record was released on a label called Enjoy. Who was behind it?

It was my (and Magnus) tape label’s only vinyl release.

++ On Discogs there’s a live tape listed. It’s a tape with a bunch of songs from a gig at the Roxy in Visby from March 11 1988. Was this tape sold? It says too that the whole B side was just encores! You must have had a very good following!

As all Enjoy’s tape releases, it was made on demand and we didn’t do much to sell it. So I have no idea how many copies we sold, but maybe 50. We liked to play a few covers as encores and the audience used to like it as well. It was songs by anyone from Depeche Mode to AC/DC, all played in a special Alfie style.

++ Were there any other tapes, or perhaps releases, or even compilation appearances by Alfie?

Yes, two more tapes actually. About a year after the single we started recording an album called “Home Again, Finnegan”. We never finished the recordings but a rough mix of it was released on cassette. And after the band split up, I made a bunch of demos with Magnus and had Mattias coming over to do the vocals. We released the demos on tape as “Welcome to Alfieville”

++ There’s also another song, “Another Girl”, that appears on a CDR compilation called “Recycled:Inhouse”. I’ve tried finding it, same as the single, with no luck, the label didn’t reply my emails. How did this song, recorded in 1989, got released many decades after? Also on this compilation you contribute with many other bands. Perhaps this compilation is the real Sound of Young Gotland?

Once again, I’m the one to blame. I was planning a website about the old tape label, but what’s the point when you can’t hear the music. So I was thinking about different ways to make the music available. I really wanted all to be free and downloadable, but at the time this alternative was quite expensive. So I found this on demand manufacturer and decided to make CD’s. The “Recycled: Inhouse” collection features music by me and/or my brothers.
Sorry to hear you haven’t had a reply on your email. A couple of the email addresses have been hijacked and locked so that could be the reason. But the CD is still available in the web store and it’s also available as download from various digital stores.

++ There’s another song mentioned in the label page, “(A Lovely Day for) Goalkeeping”. It says it have been thought to be lost. What have happened to it?

The song was made for a tape compilation but didn’t make it. It was the last song Alfie recorded.

++ Now I wonder, were there many more Alfie recordings done in those late 80s that never got to see the light of day?

Only the unfinished album and the demos I mentioned.

++ Have you ever thought of releasing perhaps an Alfie compilation?

Yes, it was the plan when I started Bendi ten years ago, and it still is. Next year it’s time, I think!

++ Now time to talk about gigs. Did you play many of them? What cities did you play? What were the best and worst gigs that you remember? and why? Any anecdotes would be great!

Can’t say we did many gigs. We only played in Visby and a couple of other smaller places on Gotland. We were quite good live, I think, since the audiences used to like us, even if they hadn’t heard us before. But we were probably quite boring as well since I have no anecdotes to speak of.

++ And what about press, radio, that sort of thing, did you get support from them? How easy or difficult was back then in Sweden? Was there any sort of scene going on?

The local press wrote about us a few times, and they are always positive. We sent the single to music papers etc but no one bothered to mention us at all. It would probably have been easier if we was part of a scene, but we were the only happy guitar pop band around.

++ Then what happened with the band? When and why did you call it a day?

Most young people on Gotland leave for Stockholm or some other place to study or work, and so did three of our members. It was in 1989 I think, leaving me and my brother Magnus in Visby.

++ Were you all involved with music afterwards? What did you do?

We have all played in various bands of various kinds and quality. Tore played with Swedish legend Henrik Venant for a while, and Bendi released an album with his band Solicium. Magnus was one half of Kill Squad vs Doubleheader who released a couple of EP’s on Superstudio. I made an album as The Luckiest Citizen Of All a few years ago.

++ And today, are you still making music? Any other hobbies that you enjoy doing?

Tore is the only one playing regularly. I wish I had more time to make music! I’m involved in a couple of bands that only rehearse when we have a gig every second year or so. But I have a lot of plans for various projects.
There are so many fun things to do! I’m a part of a TV and film blog called tvdags.se. And for the last year I’ve been involved in local politics for the Feminist Initiative party. Notnas a politician, but behind the curtains.

++ You used to run a blog too, Unga Moderna, what happened to it? Are you still writing?

Everything takes time… I can’t remember exactly, but something else became more important at the time. Nowadays I only write a very little about TV on tvdags.se.

++ I always ask about the touristy side of things… I’ve been to Sweden a bunch of times, never to Visby though. Perhaps you can point me out what to do, what to try and what to drink that is really traditional in your town?

Visby is an old Hanseatic town and the whole island is a giant tourist attraction. Actually, there is so much to write about so I suggest you check on Tripadvisor, Virtualtourist or just Google. It’s a tourists paradise in the summer and very nice all other seasons.

++ Has it changed a lot since your Alfie days?

Not really. Of course it has changed, but not more than any other place.

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Listen
Alfie – Fool to Fall

Hola! Today I posted the first batch of Don’t Cry Shopgirl records. Also updated the website with The Suncharms information. Time to have a rest and get in the Christmas spirit?

There’s still a lot to do. Have to plan 2016 releases for example. And work on the new fanzine which I haven’t started yet. But new ideas keep coming. I believe it will be a great year for Cloudberry and hopefully for indiepop too. This wasn’t bad at all. I actually think was a bit better than 2014 when it comes to new releases and songs.

This past Saturday I went to see for the first time a band that I’ve been trying to catch for almost a year, the Mercury Girls. Every time they were playing in NYC I was out of town. Seriously. They are soon to release a 7″ on Slumberland and their two songs I heard on their bandcamp ages ago, I couldn’t stop championing on the blog and when I did the podcast. With high hopes I enjoyed their set, though I think it sounded much rawer than in the recordings. Maybe this is because they are a new band, or perhaps they just get like this on stage! Then I think I prefer a bit better the recordings, they are deliciously jangly and naive, but don’t get me wrong, still it was a very enjoyable set and it was a shame that they didn’t have any large size t-shirts. Would have loved to get one. Love the design.

Then the second band was EZTV. Not my cup of tea. Boring for me. I don’t mind derivative bands, you all know that, but at least spice it, add your own seal, a twist, something. Their sound didn’t move me, but then, I saw many people singing along. I wonder what they see in them? I mean, they weren’t bad, they were very proficient and all, it sounded good. But nothing special.

Last band at Cake Shop that night were Baltimore’s Expert Alterations. Ah! This is a fantastic band. Shambolic, fun, and with great melodies. They had Kevin from Mercury Girls join them to play second guitar and it was a great idea. The sound was fuller and even more shambling. Love it. Their fast paced guitars a la George Best era Wedding Present, and their ramshackle that remind me of the McTells, are just a treat. I wonder now if they are the band I’ve seen the most this year. I think they were either 3 or 4 times. Impressive as I think I have been to less gigs this year than ever before!

And that should be the last gig for this year, unless something cool gets announced all of a sudden! Next year I think I will skip Indietracks again, which is a bit sad, but I have NYC Popfest to look forward. And that Lush gig in September. Hopefully some exciting NYC bands will be born too.

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Castellón. 2000. Jabalina releases “Un Plato Pequeño” by Jonipai. Important day.

Castellón de la Plana , Castelló de la Plana, or simply Castellón / Castelló, is the capital city of the province of Castelló, in the Valencian Community, Spain, in the east of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Costa del Azahar by the Mediterranean Sea. The mountain range known as Desert de les Palmes rises inland north of the town.

Important day at least for me. This is one of my favourite Spanish releases all-time. This, and a couple of songs on compilations, will be all that this beauty of a band released in its lifetime.

This EP, or mini-album, included 6 songs. All of them pretty and precious, solid gold. These were “Él es tan Fatal”, “Bungalow”, “El Mar Dibujado”, “Paperclip People”, “Te Prefería Cansado” and “Un Plato Pequeño”. Three of these songs had been already part of their demo, “Paperclip People”, “Te Prefería Cansado” and “Bungalow”. As I have never heard the demo, I can’t say which versions were better or worse. Also I wonder if that demo, that on the Jabalina bandcamp is mentioned to have been red (I assume the cover was red?), included any other songs.

Yes, you can actually listen the whole record on Bandcamp. Though I insist that you try to find the CD. It’s better than streaming, and at the same time you’ll enjoy a piece of Spanish indiepop history. Perhaps a piece of the giant puzzle of that country’s indiepop that is a bit forgotten, but one of their best for sure. The bandcamp has a long text of pretentious metaphors and hyperboles, I guess written to lure people to buy the record. “Melodies as bright as the sun rays reflected on the sea of Castellon”… come on. I never understood that sort of poetry behind record descriptions. I remember Siesta Records also loved writing stuff like that. Elefant still does as well, could be a Spanish thing perhaps. The fact is that I love the records and the music, but never the descriptions these labels wrote. A bit pretentious I think.

What we do learn from these paragraphs is that the record was produced by Juanma Mas en Polka-Waves (Alzamora, Castellón). And that the band was formed by:
María Puig on vocals, guitars and keyboards
Juan Ribes on vocals and guitar
Félix Ribes on bass
Miguel Ribes on drumsLaura Pla on keyboards (who was the last to join the band)

It seems there was hope too that they were going to record and release new material, something it seems never happened. This EP was the fifteenth release on Jabalina.

They did record two more songs that were included in a compilation on the same label on the year 2000. The compilation was called “El Sol Sale Para Todos” and it’s a sampler of bands on the label. On this record they cover the Pixies’ “Havalina” as the opening track. It’s a very different song though. Not very faithful to the original and great in it’s own right (if you ask me, I prefer Joinpai’s!). Of course, it’s clear that they chose this song as a tribute to the label’s name. The other song was “Los Días Que Pasamos”.

They also appear on other compilations like “El 15 De Jabalina… (Teoría Y Práctica Melódica, Vol. RDL)” with the song “Él es Tan Fatal”. The same song was to appear too on “Don Diablo Disco 1” released by El Diablo! Discos in 2000. Then because they were to play the Benicassim festival they appeared on the “Benicassim2000”  4 CD compilation with the song “El Mar Dibujado”, and later in 2003 on “Diez Años de Espíritu Jabalina” with the song “Te Prefería cansado”.

The band was born in 1998 and their first demo is actually not the red one mentioned in the bandcamp, but a blue one. On this demo they were still called Honey Pie (Jonipai is the phonetic way in Spanish to pronounce the English name). The songs on this demo were written in English. It was only on the red demo, the second demo, that they include Spanish songs.

According to a biography I found on Last.fm it seems that after releasing the 6 song CD, the band evolved into a somewhat different sound, one that Jabalina wasn’t keen on supporting. Can’t say if this is true or not, but if it was the case, it might explain why the band just faded away.

I keep googling and I find an interview with the band on the Spanish fanzine El Planeta Amarillo, the one that our good friend Rafa Skam from Vacaciones and The Yellow Melodies still runs I believe. When he asks the band why the name change, if it was because they now only sing in Spanish, the band replies that it has mostly to do that the music is different to the one they made in their earlier days, that there was more use of distortion before.

That they met Laura Pla, the keyboardist, at an Automatics concert, and that they ended up happy with the result of the recordings of the EP, among other things.

The last thing I know was that Félix was part of another Castellón band called Lula which I believe are still around. Much more power pop than the low key, nostalgic and naive Jonipai. Aside from that, I don’t know when Jonipai stopped making music, and what happened to the rest of the band. If they continued in other projects or not.

I wonder too if they had more recordings. And also would love to hear those two early demos, the red and the blue. Would be great. Perhaps many Spanish fans remember them. Maybe some even saw them at the FIB. For me it’s a mystery how a band with such a fantastic debut release just disappeared into oblivion.

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Listen
Jonipai – Él es tan Fatal

I was scared when I saw the boxes on my doorway. It was raining. Not pouring, but raining. How long have they been there? I recognized instantly what they were. These were the boxes for the new Cloudberry release, the Don’t Cry Shopgirl 7″. Why was UPS so irresponsible? Why have they left them there? Wasn’t it raining when they arrived to my place?

I ran and felt the soggy cardboard. I was terrified. What if? What if all the records were ruined? The thought crossed my mind. I immediately opened my door and carried the three heavy boxes into safety, into the warmth of my apartment. I disposed the boxes. Inside there were a bunch of smaller boxes holding the records. I had hoped they were going to be the second defense against the rain. And they luckily were.

I felt relieved. You can’t imagine how. That was yesterday night. I couldn’t even imagine that the records might be ruined. I remembered the story of the famous Episode Four records. That they were mostly lost in a flooding of some sort. That’s why that record is so rare. Happily this time all 300 copies are safe. And I’m happy to let you know I’ll start shipping them right away.

This is definitely an early Christmas gift for me. And I hope it is for you two. I love this record and it did take some time to get it out, but finally it is out there. This will be the last release this year, a year that I think was pretty good all things considered. Better than the last one, even though sales keep dwindling, the label has put out quality music with beautiful artwork. I’m very proud.

I think next year will be as good. The first release for next year will be The Suncharms retrospective compilation, part of the Cloudberry Cake Kitchen series. I will update the website with all the information about this release, and a pre-order button very soon. After that I should be putting out a new fanzine. There will be a couple of 7″s too, looking into making the 50 7″s mark that would be a true milestone! The first 7″ to be released next year will be Pale Spectres. Yes FINALLY.

So that’s the update on my side. It feels so good every time a record arrives home. Don’t you think?

On the day to day, I have to say I started reading the Popkiss book. The story of Sarah Records by Michael White. So far, 3 chapters in, I’m really liking it. Love the introductory chapters, I appreciate when the writer knows what he is writing about, mentioning bands, fanzines, and people, that are really important and that he doesn’t just forget them because they are obscure. That’s something I respect. Also this will create curiosity on readers, so they can discover, google, by themselves.

On the CD player this week, two Scottish bands. The Hermit Crabs and The Spook School new albums. Great stuff by both of them. The Spook School particularly have some indiepop anthems written in their record that if the world was perfect would be radio-hits right away, today.

And with Christmas around the corner I think I finally will get around getting that Creation Records first singles boxset. So tell me, what have you asked Santa for a present?

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In the mood of sticking to Sweden this week. You know, with all this Stockholm thing of Don’t Cry Shopgirl.

One of my biggest regrets in indiepop is that I never got around to release the second volume of The Starke Adolf compilations. And the third and fourth volume. I tried. I really tried. But to be honest it was very complicated convincing 18 Swedish bands for every volume. They either never replied or didn’t care.

Hard to believe. I loved all these bands. They were the introduction for me to indiepop in a way. I’ve written extensively how the scene of Sweden from 2002 to 2006 or so affected me deeply. It was grass-roots, it was all about DIY, from fanzines, photocopies, CDRs, festivals and clubs. Everything done in a small scale, with love, and especially with fantastic music. It was such a prolific time that I look back with fondness.

I wasn’t in Sweden. That’s true. But the internet was a great tool for me to connect thanks to Soulseek. I met many of the people involved. I heard the most obscure bedroom pop, and eventually felt inspired to do my own label. It had a lot to do with the swedes. I wanted to pay back for it, many years after, with my compilations that would document that era.

An era that I feel might be forgotten. That needs to be written about. There’s so little online about many of these bands. Perhaps here in the blog, from time to time, I could try covering some of these bands like Ive done before with Fibi Frap (who were even so kind to release a compilation with me), Gang of One, Crime Time, Sugar Spun Charge and some more.

Today I want to show you one of the least known band from that period: The Déjà Vu Experience.

This was a solo project started by Jenny Westerlund. I assume when she was already living in Stockholm as she was originally from Skellefteå. By the time she released her one and only CDR she had already been playing with two much more known bands from the period: Funday Mornings and The Tidy Ups. Two bands I sincerely love and that maybe deserve a post here, though you could actually find some information about them online.

The CDr that only bore the band name on the cover, wasn’t released by any label. It was 2004 and Jenny had recorded these songs on the summer of that year. On the record she got some help from friends: Terese Nordström (from Crime Time), Frida Danielsson and Patrik Granlund.

I don’t know how many copies were burned of this CDr. The name of the band is hand-written on the disc itself according to Discogs. Also a lyric sheet was included, I like when that happens.

I missed this CDr when it was released. I remember I had little money back then. I was in school and couldn’t afford buying stuff from abroad. I think the only store I bought from abroad was Popolar in Toronto. Do you remember them? They had great prices.

The CDr included four songs. I remember hearing them all back then. They were so pretty. Today I could only track one of the songs, “Shortcut to Satisfaction”. The tracklist was:
1. Time Awake
2. In a Coma
3. Shortcut to Satisfaction
4. Parachute Jumping with Amy Johnson

Amy Johnson, CBE (1 July 1903 – 5 January 1941) was a pioneering English aviator and was the first female pilot to fly alone from Britain to Australia. Flying solo or with her husband, Jim Mollison, she set numerous long-distance records during the 1930s. She flew in the Second World War as a part of the Air Transport Auxiliary and died during a ferry flight.

I lost these songs when my hard drive died. It shows you digital music suck. I learned that physical records are better. But I lost these songs and would love to hear them again. Maybe someone can help me? Or even better if anyone has a spare copy for me? I would love that so much.

I tried contacting Jenny years ago to include this project of hers, but never heard back. But perhaps some of you remember it? Maybe she played live some of these songs? Maybe there were more releases or more songs recorded? I can only remember this CDr. Perhaps you know more.

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Listen
The Déjà Vu Experience – Shortcut to Satisfaction

Another week of little noise in the indiepop world as we approach Christmas. Some year end lists start to appear and I see the same names over and over, Spook School and Chorusgirl. To be honest I haven’t heard the full albums yet, but I’ve heard some of the songs included in them and they are ace. Then I’m not surprised. The other bands people mention, sadly I don’t care about them.

I see some people suggesting good bands, great records. For example Jessica and The Fletchers or The Sun Days debut albums. The Brits and the Americans don’t pick up these suggestions. They disdain them, and keep praising mediocre bands. Is it all about being British these days? If you are not, no one will care about you? Perhaps. I can’t say it’s like this, but seems this way at least.

Previously there was  bit more openness. In a far fetched analogy I could think of the anti-immigrant sentiment in Europe. But that’s not it. Definitely not. But there is a conservative approach in the indiepop scene at the moment. It feels like that. People are forgetting amazing releases this year. I’m not one of making year end lists. I feel they always tend to forget the best records and only praise the ones released in the last quarter of the year. That annoys me. But, then I wonder that possibly it has to do with the time available for people to listen and find new music?

Do we work so much? Or have we gotten old and have less curiosity, or house chores are just eating up our leisure time? There’s a Club 8 album this year. Has it been that horrible that no one mentions them? Or that The Legends record? I mean, they were big names in the indiepop scene for such a long time. To see no mention to them surprises me.

At Popfest we had such a great time with Brideshead. They put out a superb album. But then they are German. Brits are not willing to listen to them? What about Los Bonsáis? Cola Jet Set? Persian Rugs? Sleuth? Tiny Fireflies? Alpaca Sports? Iko Chérie? And more and more and more? Even in the US, Expert Alterations put out a very enjoyable record.

And even from their isles, The School, Horsebeach and Desperate Journalist were putting out great songs. So, what’s the matter? If the Twee.net polls opens up this year, I think one will have a better idea of what’s going on. I’m still in between two answers to the big question, one being that we’ve fallen into lazyness, the other being that we indiepop have lost our rebelious soul and now celebrate the likes of Courtney Barnett and other similar dumb stuff that the hipster crowd love.

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It’s not often that I cover Belgian bands on the blog. So why not do it today?

Have you ever heard of Radio Bangkok? I have, but only recently, thanks to Youtube really. There are two songs uploaded, “Brilliant Books” and “Johnny Jones” and I like them a lot!

What do they remind me of? I’m thinking of The Driscolls perhaps? 80s indiepop for sure, funny lyrics and catchy choruses. Up my street for sure.

What do I know about them? Barely anything. I guess there’s not much written about them online. I don’t own the records, which is a shame. I wonder how easy are they to find. Maybe if I was to go to Belgium I could find them in the discount bins of the record stores. They seem a bit too obscure to be popular and sought after? But maybe I’m wrong? Would love to own them anyway!

Would love to hear all their songs. From what I know, thanks to Discogs, their recorded output are 7 songs. Maybe there are more? Maybe demo tapes? Who knows. But between 1993 and 1994 we know they released 3 singles. Two vinyl, one CD.

The three of them were released on Motorpshycho Records. I’m assuming this was their own label. There are no other releases in their catalog, at least on Discogs. The first release they did was “Brilliant Books” on the A side and “No One in the World” on the B side. This was catalog 93-S-001. This is naive pop at it’s best. The back cover comes with the lyrics for both songs and a photo of the “band”. Well, it’s really three old dudes that definitely aren’t in the band! From the sleeve we know that the band was formed by:
Koen Wostyn on vocals, guitar and bluesharp
Kristof Ysabie on bass and vocals
Marc Lambert on drums, piano and vocals

This first record was produced by Dostoevsky and his Team. The songs were written by Wostyn and we also get the chords for both songs, so anyone can learn and play the songs.

Second single was “Johnny Jones” on the A side and “Liza Liza” on the B side. Catalog number was 93-X-002. This time they give credit for production to the Beat Messiahs. Funny guys.
The Side A was engineered by Staf Verbeek at Umbrella in Ghent whilst the B side was recorded live at The Wostyn Residency. Also in Ghent. Thus we know now that the band was based in this city.

Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Leie and in the late Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of northern Europe with some 50,000 people in 1300. Today it is a busy city with a port and a university.

Now on the back cover we find again the lyrics and the chords for the two songs. Also we find a Pop Quiz asking who is on the cover. Very easy answer, it’s Elvis. Of course, on the options we get as answers, we would have to pick C, Someone Else.

Last single was on a CD and it included three songs: “A Hell of a Bullet (Is Gonna Be Shot”, “No One in the World” and ” Revolution N°9″. The last song being a cover of The Beatles. Now we don’t get any chords, just the lyrics for the first song. Again the record has been produced by The Beat Messiahs.

“A Hell of a Bullet (Is Gonna Be Shot)” was recorded and engineered at Umbrella by Staf Verbeek. The other two songs were recorded on a 4-track at Koen Wostyn’s home. Additional noises and heavy breathing on the Beatles cover were done by Lieven Vandewoestyne and Armand Bourgoignie.

That’s all there really is online. Perhaps some of you are better detectives than me and can find out if they put out any other records. Or perhaps if they were involved with any bands before or after Radio Bangkok. And why the name? Googling, I can find it was a popular radio programme in Argentina in the 80s. Would that be a connection with the band? Let me know if you know anything else about this obscure band from Ghent!

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Listen
Radio Bangkok – Brilliant Books

Just came back from a week in Peru. And I’m quite tired to be frank. I got to go to work straight from the red eye flight. That’s how it is. In any case, it was all worth it. I really had a good time.

The day I arrived I was already on top form, attending a gig in the bohemian district of Barranco. It was an early afternoon show where a Spanish band called Beach Beach were headlining. I mainly went to see the two opening bands: Almirante Ackbar and Dan Dan Dero. Sadly I only could catch the last two songs by Almirante. They sounded great, but I was left hoping to hear more by them. Then Dan Dan Dero was on stage in this small venue called Bar Victoria. My old time friend Erik had joined the band months ago as a guitar player and I was very curious about it. I had heard the songs on Bandcamp and liked them. They didn’t disappoint. They have a proper hit in the song called “La chica que gusta de chicas que no gustan de chicas”, and another one in a yet unnamed and unrecorded song. Typical I thought when today I wanted to listen to that song.

Soon I was traveling to Puno, south of Peru, very high in the Andes and on the coast of Lake Titicaca. I wanted a side trip, some sense of adventure, and I’ve always been fascinated by this area of Peru. I wasn’t affected by altitude sickness but ended with a bad sunstroke. I didn’t think about how much the sun burns you in high altitude! I should have bought a hat or some protection.

That first day there I visited the floating islands of the Uros with my friend Jal, the guy who is mainly behind Plastilina Records these days. We learned about their culture and were fascinated by the architecture of their houses, all made out of reed, the crunchy feel of the reed island, their ducks, cats, and their souvenirs for sale. We were shown their kitchens and their rooms. They also owned very cool modern solar panels for electricity. And at the end they gave us a ride on one of their reed boats. It was such a different experience.

Next day we decided to cross the border and go to Bolivia to visit the Tiwanaku ruins. Since school I was always curious about this pre-Incan culture that was such a big influence to all the Andean region. This ended up being quite an adventure as that day there were protests all over Puno, with roads closed with rocks and broken glass. It took us perhaps double the time to get to the border, to a town called Desaguadero that feels so much like the wild west. After doing all the documentation needed to cross to Bolivia, we took another car all the way to the ruins.

It does show that Bolivia is much more of a third world country sadly, the infrastructure for their most famous pre-Columbian ruins are not the best really. It seemed like they cared not too much about their heritage, so different to places of the same importance in Peru. Anyhow, the place had so much beauty that I forgot that it costs 8 times more for a tourist that for a Bolivian (high way robbery!) and enjoyed the amazing Kalasasaya temple, and the super famous “Puerta del Sol”. Then the Bennett Monolith that I wasn’t allowed to take photos of was of such beauty that I was kind of speechless. I didn’t know about the existence of this big slab of carved rock. It was a great surprise. And among alpacas roaming the fields we left the area, all the way back to Puno on a highway that surrounds the Titicaca Lake.

The last day, after traditional guinea pig meals, and after visiting the impressive cathedral, we went to Sillustani. This peninsula on the lake Umayo has such great geographical beauty, something I wasn’t prepared to see. I was loving it. And on top of the hill, surrounded by water, the chullpas awaited for us. Beautiful cylindrical funerary buildings of perfect stone masonry that predate the Inca. Tall and imposing. One felt little next to them. This was definitely my favourite moment, you could just not understand why or how these were built. And the landscape was out-worldly. I totally recommend visiting Sillustani.

And that was that. I wanted to visit many other cool places in the area but time played against us. Maybe one day I return. I hope so. I’m happy now that every time I go visit my family I can allow myself a side trip. On top of it all the dollar is really good in Peru at the moment, and that helps a lot.

I got to DJ a bit last Friday too. I played a selection of Spanish pop from the 80s to today. But that wasn’t important. Seeing friends was the best. And also to see bands place. I saw Dan Dan Dero again and they were ace again, and the Chilean band Planeta No (which I accept they sound ok but they say nothing to me about my life). I had a really good time with the opening band Fiebre Aviar. Their lyrics were great, they sang about football and my favourite game ever, Pro Evolution Soccer (or Winning Eleven as it’s known back home). Fun pop punk that reminded me the days when I had a similar band. And closing the night were Eva & John, my favourite Peruvian band. They only played four songs because the venue decided that it was too late or something and disconnected all the equipment!! So bad. But the four songs they played were received by the crowd with pogo and sing alongs. It was amazing. They were tight and they were having so much fun. Manuel, Muriel, Daniel and Erik were the stars of the night.

The rest of my trip was hanging out with friends, drinking, eating amazing seafood. But now back to reality, back to work in NYC.

But also back to blogging, to listening to music, finding out about new songs, old bands and more. So let’s do that.

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And as I’m all into Peru today, I want to show you a band that I was all very curious about for years. More than a decade: El Sueño de Alí.

It all started when me and my then roommate Jose, while living in Miami, had a band. I had some songs that we wanted to record and so our friend Arturo offered to help. Thing is we went to his house a couple of times but we didn’t record anything. We weren’t that good playing our instruments and it took forever. But the good part of it all was that he showed us many songs by unheard, obscure, Peruvian bands from the late 80s and early 90s. Bands that recorded some demos and that was that.

One of these bands he showed us, because he knew we loved pop music, was El Sueño de Alí. I recall that he told us that in this band were two important people in Peru, Pelo Madueño (who had been in so many bands, two very representative like the punk band Narcosis and the more mainstream pop band La Liga del Sueño) and Johanna San Miguel (who was mostly known for being an actress on TV and on stage). That was a surprise. But even more surprising was how beautiful, how incredible, was the song “Podemos Ir”. I was thrilled.

I wasn’t going to hear this song again for more than 10 years after.

In the meantime, in the Myspace days I remember writing to Pelo Madueño on the social network, asking about this band of his. I remember he was kind to answer and told me that when he returns to Lima he was going to try and find the songs and digitise them. I believe at the time he was living in Spain. I wanted to release this song on Plastilina Records. I told Jal about it and he started his search too.

Years passed. And then this song appears on Youtube. I see the 80s pop aficionado Diego, alias Rockas Vivas, has been also asking around about this band. There is some interest around. Jal finally talks seriously with Pelo and perhaps one day, crossing fingers, the songs by El Sueño de Alí will be released on a CD for a wider audience. I think that’d be a dream come true.

What we know though about this band is very little. So I think if a release of some sort ever happens has to have a good biography of the band. Put it in perspective. They released one tape with 10 songs. The tape was called “En el Valle del Placer” and it’s a lo-fi beauty of guitar and techno pop beats.

The band was formed by Jorge “Pelo” Madueño (guitars, keyboard, programming, lyrics and vocals), Félix Torrealva (keyboards, programming, and vocals) and Johanna (vocals). The tape had on the cover the art of Jean Delville, the Belgian painter. They chose perhaps his most notable work, “Tristan et Yseult”. Arthurian fans perhaps like me?

The record was recorded and mixed in 1990, in the “El Perfil” studio with a Tascam 244, a TR-505 Roland and a 3000 Casio. The songs were written between 1988 and 1989.

The ten songs were:
01. Podemos Ir
02. Sólo una Vez
03. Volando
04. Una Negrita de Buen Corazón
05. Nos Iremos
06. Tu Corazón
07. Everytime (Volví a Sentir)
08. Hasta Mi Lugar
09. Pandemonium
10. Adónde

That’s really all I know. I wasn’t around really in the Peruvian scene back then. I was too young. But I wonder though if they recorded anything else. I also wonder about gigs, if they played any. How many tapes were released by themselves under the label name “Producciones Inyectables”. And why did they break up? I wonder what were they listening at the time, I mean, it’s very different music compared to any Peruvian band of the time. So many questions that I hope one day get answered. And even better, that these songs get re-released.

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Listen
El Sueño de Alí – Podemos Ir

It is still quiet here. I did buy my Lush tickets for a concert that is still a year away. A bit crazy if you ask me. But that’s how it is in the days of modern capitalism. I don’t even book my flights with such anticipation. I did with Lush though. Who knows what will happen in a year time. Perhaps I have to be somewhere else other than NYC and they’ll probably keep my money if I can attend. Or I would have to sell the tickets to someone else for a lesser value. Ah! It makes me a bit annoyed but at the same time I’m really excited to see them!

Now I think I should start fixing my record room. It’s been messy for months and I have records in places they don’t belong. I need to do some sorting. Put the 7″s in alphabetical order at least. The CDs are growing everywhere and there are no shelves left for them. I need to invest in new shelving furniture in IKEA soon. Especially as boxes of Cloudberry stock are piled everywhere. As it’s also my guestroom in my small apartment, and assuming next year friends will come visit at least for NYC Popfest, I should fix this room soon! It’s not very comfy at the moment.

Then on Saturday I fly to Peru for a week. I guess it won’t affect any orders as there hasn’t been any on the past two weeks (!!!!). Cloudberry becoming less and less popular. These are the times we live in! But if you place any order next week, be sure they will be sent on the first week of December to your place.

I have booked a side trip too while in Peru. Can’t be all the time in Lima as I know it so well (though eating there is like paradise, everyday you can eat amazing and delicious dishes). I’ll be flying to Puno, so I can visit Lake Titicaca and the Uros people and their floating islands made of reed. Will also try to cross to Bolivia and see Tiawanaku. And in Puno visit Sillustani and Aramu Muru. Places so mysterious that I’ve always wanted to visit. Hopefully I don’t get any altitude sickness!!

And that’s what’s been happening. Don’t know of many new releases that came out the last week. Have you heard of anything worth getting? I still haven’t got my hands on the Sun Days and I feel it’s taking forever to get this record. It’s never on Jigsaw and not on Discogs either. I probably just need to make up my mind and order it all the way from Sweden. I think it’s the only record that has came out this year that I really want that I haven’t got.

Though perhaps that is not 100% true and now that December is coming and everyone starts doing their year end lists I will see what I’ve been missing.

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Mystery in indiepop is synonymous to Nomad Pop.

I heard this band for the first time on my Japanese “nemesis” PomPomTakashi’s myspace. I thought it sounds so fresh and fun. Trumpets here and there.

A nomad (Greek: νομάς, nomas, plural νομάδες, nomades; meaning one roaming about for pasture, pastoral tribe) is a member of a community of people who live in different locations, moving from one place to another. Among the various ways Nomads relate to their environment, one can distinguish the hunter-gatherer, the pastoral nomad owning livestock, or the “modern” peripatetic nomad. As of 1995, there were an estimated 30–40 million nomads in the world.

Of course I don’t have any contact with Takashi. He hates everything about Cloudberry as he wants to keep his bands and discoveries secret or at least he needs to be credited as the great discoverer, the Columbus of indiepop. Bit childish. But it’s been a long time, perhaps he has changed, I don’t know. To be honest though, many indiepop collectors know about this record and I would love to own to have a copy.

The problem with this 7″ is that there is absolutely no clues on their sleeve to know who were Nomad Pop. We do know that they liked art. Their sleeve has two nice modern art paintings. One on the front, and one on the back. The one on the back is signed by a Caroline Hepburn. I looked for her, but no luck. There seems to be an actress that appeared on a movie called “One Night Stand” in 1997 alongside Dennis Quaid. But I assume that’s not her.

We do know that the record was released in 1986. The label was Redhouse Records (catalog RHR 1). And it included two songs. They were both A sides. The A one was “Dignity”, which I have never listened before, and “Best Man” as AA, double A side.

That’s really all there is for this band. I assume they were British. But that’s all I dare to guess. Does anyone remember them? Did they play many gigs? Did they record any other songs? Would love to know more about Nomad Pop!

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Listen
Nomad Pop – Best Man

Some weeks ago I wrote about The Divorce Brothers on the blog. Happily Ged Lerpinière got in touch with me some days ago and was kind enough to answer all my questions about the band in the 80s. It was great as I got some facts wrong on my post and now I know a bit about that scene of Dundee thanks to his thorough answers! Hope you enjoy reading it as I did!

++ Thanks so much Ged for the interview! How are you? It seems I totally got it wrong earlier on, you weren’t from Perth but from Dundee! Are you still based there?

I’m fine Roque thanks for asking. Yes The Divorce Brothers were from Dundee. I think only one of us lives there now. I live outside of Edinburgh.

++ How was Dundee back then? Were there any other like-minded bands? In what venues or places would you usually hang out?

Well Dundee was a lot of fun back then. The music scene was kind of centred around Fat Sams which still seems to be going strong. The Associates and Danny Wilson were contemporaries of ours and I’m sure you know all about them. We hung out with Gary Clarke, Ged Grimes and Kit from the Danny’s Ged is now bass player for Simple Minds. And The Divorce Brothers had a lot of cross over from The Associates. Billy was a pal and Alberts brother in law. Ian MacIntosh played guitar in the Associates, Roberto Soave played bass for them (good friend who turned out for us once or twice I think?) he also played with The Cure briefly. Liz McKenzie was Billy McKenzie’s sister. Jimmy McKenzie also played bass with us for a while towards the end. Martin Lowe also played guitar for us for a while and he made an album with the great Scottish Musician Martin Bennet in the mid 2000’s.

The other bands that were around were Sweden Thru The Ages led by Stephen Knight who is still making music and released an album ‘Rope and Vine’ last year which I recommend you look up on line. Inca Rhodes which featured Colin Knight and Setting Fires whose singer was Kim Pallas. I’m a bit hazy after that. Before this period 84-87 ish there were a lot of punks bands and before that big hitters like the Average White band also with Perth connections. Then Skeets Boliver, which featured the wonderful Marra brothers (Michael, Chris, and Eddie) amongst others.

++ Before The Divorce Brothers, were you involved in any other bands? Or was this your first experience in a band?

I had played drums and percussion in a pretty terrible free form mess called ‘The Soul Vibration Posse’ I think. The name was the only good thing about us. And I had played drums on a couple of bad demo recordings and did some working mens club gigs, but that is going back a long way and can’t remember much about them. Ian roped me in to the band to add some colour on percussion we were a gang as much as a band.

++ How did the band start? Where did you all meet?

Ian and Albert are brothers, Paul was their brother in law and Derek and I were pals of theirs. They had a previous incarnation as Loco Jonny Mince! I think; and you guessed it, that band featured another McKenzie; Billy’s brother John was the singer. But it kind of morphed into the Divorce Brothers.

++ And where does the name come from?

Well Ian was divorced and Albert was his brother I think Roberto Soave suggested the name I can’t remember exactly.

++ What bands would you say influenced your music back then?

A lot of what would be called ‘Indy stuff’ now, so yes the Associates as Ian supplied the guitar for many of the tracks on ‘Perhaps’ and toured with them and was involved in the writing. But we had lots of different ideas. Albert was very much of the rock and roll Eddie Cochrane and Punk ethic. Ian was into; Small Faces, Zombies, Steve Marriot stuff but also very classy pop so I remember we were very taken with The Propaganda Album ‘A Secret Wish.’ The Cure Album ‘Head on the Door’ was a big favourite as was ‘Stop Making Sense’ and ‘Remain in Light’ the Talking Heads ideas on rhythm interested me a lot, still do. Roxy Music were always an influence and Ian still thinks Avalon is one of the classiest albums ever made. I think we nicked the girl vocals on the end of the track Avalon for ‘To Understand’ (attached). We had eclectic taste though I went from The Clash and Ry Cooder to plenty far out prog and jazz stuff that everyone hated. But if It’s worth nicking you can find things in all sorts of places. Two of my favourite bands at the time were Microdysney and the Railway Children. Perfect pop music and some great lyrics especially Microdysney.

++ You only released one record in 1986. It came out on Separation Records. Who were they?

Separation records was our own label. We distributed it through something called the Cartel it sold poorly, very poorly.

++ What do you remember from the recording session for that record?

Gibson studios was a tiny space in Carnoustie so I remember it being small! The control desk was in a space under an elevated bed. I can remember doing the timbale break on To understand thinking I might bash my elbows off the wall. We had rehearsed and knew our parts but it was our first real experience but Ian had done it before so he was the ‘guvnor’. But to be honest its 30 years ago so pretty hazy.

++ There were 5 songs on the record, which one was your favourite and why?

Well I think we wrote some better songs later. I loved The Divorcee as this was the song we opened with and Paul and I would open up on percussion. But I think ‘To Understand’ is the best song. The Liquidator is our homage to Sergio Leonne.

++ And how did the creative process work for The Divorce Brothers?

Well it changed as we evolved. But originally Albert and Ian wrote everything and brought it to the group and we worked on refining it into structured songs everyone chipping in ideas. We rehearsed often in Fat Sams as Derek was also an employee there. Then later others started to bring ideas in, a bass line here, a groove there, a lyric or melody. But the Divorce Brothers EP is very much the MacIntosh brothers writing.

++ How did Liz, the sister from Bill McKenzie of The Associates, collaborated on the record? Were you from the same scene perhaps?

Well yeah as I say she was married to Albert and we all hung around together.

++ And what about the Soul Kiss Club that is thanked on the sleeve. How important was it to you guys?

That was Nick and Chris Wright who were a couple of friends who ran what would maybe called ‘Pop Up’ events now. They would hire say the Tayside Bar or The West Port bar and play music’. I think they put on bands occasionally as well so we probably played with them. I remember a great gig at the Blue Mountain pub where both of us were involved. Chris and Nick were good guys, great taste in music always something new, oh and Steff I think?

++ So what about gigs? Did you play many? Any anecdotes you could share?

Er yes we played many gigs over 100 I believe but could be wrong Ian probably knows. There are some stories that cannot be told or you and I would be sued! But the personnel changed and after Derek left. We got in a very good keyboard player Drew Scobie and at his first gig there was fight and Ian was hauled off stage, in his second a girl danced onto the stage and we all parted like the Red Sea and allowed her to dance in front of Drew and she started playing with his bald head, in the third he was accosted by a drunk in Peterhead who kept sticking his head in front of Drews keyboard so Drew couldn’t see what he was doing. I think Drew had a good time though! Our ‘manager’, a bloke who shall remain nameless, was also a bit of a spoofer (liar) so we could turn up at gigs and not know what he had told the management before we arrived. So we once saw a poster telling the audience to watch Top of The Pops on Thursday because we would be on it. It was all rubbish of course but maybe we got a few more quid as a result.

++ What about press then? Did you get much radioplay? Or perhaps appearances on magazines or fanzines?

Yes we got a bit of local air time Radio Tay and Radio Forth and it got played on Radio 1 I think but I might have imagined that. Ian and Albert occasionally get a cheque for 9p (not much) so someone has played the record every now and then. We had gigs featured in local press all over the place, the NME etc. Local fanzines covered us the names of which are sketchy in the memory I think 99 Free? called us ‘Ignoble’, we had to look it up! Albert and I took issue with the reviewer, we turned him upside down in Fat Sams and tickled him!

++ You were around during those mid, late 80s, there was a big explosion of guitar pop bands in the UK, so I think it’s fair to ask why do you think this happened?

I think that scenes develop for lots of reasons most are a reaction to what went before. What went before was Wham and a lot of glossy horrible pop, what went before Punk was overblown Symphonic rock. Fashion I suppose. There will always be guitar bands it depends what you do with it as to whether it’s popular or fashionable which are not the same thing And neither of those things necessarily make you good!. The Stone Roses were I suppose the epitome of cool at that time. But you can hear, The Byrds, Small Faces, The Who in that sound but after that they went a bit Dance orientated as a response to the fashion, and the drugs at the time.

++ You were telling me you recorded many more songs. Were they sold on demo tapes perhaps? Or perhaps they haven’t been heard yet by the no one? Do you remember the names of them?

There are some demos’ and if I can get them into some form of digital format I’ll see if we can forward to you but most of it is lost I think. The names: There is: ‘Experience’ which is groove and bass thing, ‘Shake the hand of a Millionaire’ which would have been a number one on all continents and made us Millionaires (maybe `8¬) )’One Night in a small Town Cabaret, ‘Go’, ‘You bring out the worst in me’ and some others I can’t remember.

++ And why didn’t you release these songs?

We were falling apart in about 1988 as we had to get on with our lives. It started to be not that important; that and we were not very well organised. We didn’t get signed so we didn’t have the energy to try again. We didn’t want to be the guys in the bar who people would mutter at ‘Jesus give it up guys’.

++ Was there ever any interest from other labels?

Yes we had a show case for Warner Brothers and London records. London records ‘apparently’ decided to spend the money on Love and Money instead. Some you win. But it was already becoming a bit of challenge to keep the enthusiasm going at this point. And I think a lot of the responsibility was falling on Ian which wasn’t fair.

++ Have you ever thought in maybe putting together some sort of compilation of all Divorce Brothers songs?

No as I can’t find much more than 8 tracks. I don’t think it has crossed anyone’s mind. Who would listen to it? But if we do you’ll be the first to know Roque.

++ So when and why did you split?

Split is a bit dramatic. The Divorce Brothers petered out in about 1988. Ian and I went into education, Albert concentrated on his business, I have lost touch with Drew, Paul was already an engineer doing very well and Derek left to work in the entertainment business.

++ Were you all involved with music after The Divorce Brothers?

Well in about 2010 Ian and I formed a band called Sinderins with our friend Ian Caddell, who sadly passed away in 2011 we have some demo’s and I’ll see what I can come up with for you. Attached is a file of a song Ian and I recorded a few years ago I’m singing, did the drum pattern and a bit of percussion, Ian played everything else. I wrote the song in response to the summer 2011 riots in England. Hence ‘5 Days in July’. We performed briefly as ‘The Jyne’ with two other friends but this split in 2012.

I played in Steve Knights band ‘Any Wednesday’ and have sat in as dep drummer for loads of people. But having kids takes up time and joining a band is a big commitment. Ian more or less gave up music after he qualified as an Engineer until I persuaded him to join Sinderins. He remains a great musician in my book.

++ Are you all still in touch? What are you up to these days?

I work in Education.

Ian is an Engineer running his own business. Albert still runs a business in Dundee and I’ve seen him recently. I keep in touch with Derek but don’t know what happened to the other guys. Maybe I should use Facebook? And sadly some of the people mentioned above are no longer with us.

++ Aside from music, what other hobbies do you enjoy doing?

I am an artist http://www.marchmontgallery.com/Lerpinire-Ged(2386281).htm I have two exhibitions next year and will be exhibiting at Summerhall Gallery in Edinburgh on the weekend of 22nd November. And I run a lot.

++ I’ve been to Scotland a couple of times and I love it, never to Dundee though. Wouldn’t mind some tips on what to see and what’s traditional to eat there?

In Dundee!! You should eat: Pies, White puddings and Sare heid Cakes (sore head cakes) pretty unhealthy food!

Have a walk up the Law and you can see for miles around. I used to drink in the Tay Bridge Bar which is immortalised in song by the wonderful Michael Marra https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1X0rqVVAmXw

++ And one last question, looking back, what do you think was the biggest highlight for The Divorce Brothers?

I really enjoyed the gigs and being the first Dundee band to headline Fat Sams Dance Factory and hanging out with my friends. It was all part of growing up.

++ Thanks a lot! Anything else you’d like to add?

No just hello to Paul, Ian, Derek, Abe, Drew, Roberto, Bryan McDermott, Alison Burns and Martin Lowe who were all Divorce Brothers at one time or another and I didn’t mention Irene so hello Irene.

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Listen
The Divorce Brothers – That First Kiss

This past week has been a very quiet week for the label. Not so much for indiepop as the Sarah Records book and DVD are out now. I have ordered the DVD and waiting for the book to be out in the US so I can order it from Amazon probably. But as I don’t have them with me yet, can’t really give an honest review! So I’ll wait for them first before rambling!

Then there has been some interesting releases that I’ve picked this last week. One was the Saint Marie Records reissue of Secret Shine’s “Untouched” album (the CD version, vinyl was already sold out). Another was the new and second album from De Montevert (titled “De Montevert”) on Nomethod Records. And last but not least The Stems’ “1984 • 1987” book and CD on High Voltage. On top of it all I manage to get the “Only Ugly People Smoke” album by Nixon at last. I think it was a good shopping spree as I didn’t even put a food in any record store in Italy while on vacation.

In two weeks I’m off again for a small vacation, a week in Peru. Mostly visiting Lima but also doing a side trip to lake Titicaca. Very excited about that trip as I always wanted to go there. Hopefully upon my return the Don’t Cry Shopgirl will be arriving home. That would make me super happy!

So this post will be short then, as I want to write questions for a couple of bands I plan interviewing. I’ve sent a bunch of questions in the last months to different bands, but many haven’t send them back. Which is a shame. But I keep trying in finding out the whole story, the full picture, of the bands, the scenes, indiepop in general. Maybe one day, as Jessel always asks me, this will become a proper book.

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I was looking onto some bands I have on a long list. A list of bands I want to know more about them, that they are obscure and have so little written about them on the web. Mostly from the 80s and mostly from the UK. One of them was The Lovehearts.

As far as I know they only released 2 songs. Both of them appearing on a compilation called “The New Bowery” that was released by Tees Beat Records  (TBLP 1) in 1984.

The Bowery  is a street and neighborhood in the southern portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan. The street runs from Chatham Square at Park Row, Worth Street, and Mott Street in the south to Cooper Square at 4th Street in the north,[1] while the neighborhood’s boundaries are roughly East 4th Street and the East Village to the north; Canal Street and Chinatown to the south; Allen Street and the Lower East Side to the east; and Little Italy to the west.

I’m quite familiar with the Bowery. Why a label in the UK called the compilation like that, and even included a photo of the Empire State building on the back baffles me. I have no clue. I don’t own the record, but there’s a very blurry photo of the back sleeve on Discogs. I can read something about the Bowery during prohibition. It seems they are relating the Bowery art and creative scene with that of Teeside. Teeside being the New Bowery.

Teesside is the name given to the conurbation in the north east of England made up of the towns of Billingham, Middlesbrough, Redcar, Skelton-in-Cleveland, Stockton-on-Tees, Thornaby and surrounding settlements near the River Tees. It was also the name of a local government district between 1968 and 1974—the County Borough of Teesside. Teesside remains an important centre for heavy industry, although the number of people employed has declined. Traditional industries, primarily steelmaking (‘British Steel’) and chemical manufacture (‘Imperial Chemical Industries’ or ‘ICI’), have been replaced to a large extent by high technology activities, science development and service sector roles.

Interesting, right? On this LP, we also find other bands like Flower Drum People, Gunboat Johnny, Tec, Must Valk and Dogflesh. It’s really a post punk record.

The best song on the record, I think, without a doubt is The Lovehearts’ “Love Holds Out”. It’s great! Guitar pop, with male vocals and those girl choruses that I love. A true lost classic.

The other song that they included was “It Doesn’t Matter at All”, a pretty but much mellow song.

All songs on the record were produced by Dimmer Blackwell and they were recorded at Teesbeat Recording Studio between May and June of 84.

As I couldn’t find information on the band I went into digging about this label. On a forum I found this:
Boro_Calling: Dimmer’s Teesbeat studio. (not to be confused with Teesbeat Records wot I ran – Dimmer kindly asked my permission to use the name as I had wound up the label)
The studio grew out of the ad hoc set up that Dimmer had on the family farm in Norton, he moved to a room above Pharoes night club opposite Maxwells Corner in Stockton, where he stayed for several years. He released 3 or 4 compilation LP’s featuring local bands with titles like “All Friends In The Bath” and “The New Bowery”. Later he moved to new premises by the Riverside in Stockton (near where that old boat is moored), and then to the old Radio Tees building in Dovecot Street.
He stayed there until around 1994, releasing a compilation CD of local bands called Whispers and Screams. He also recorded Tony Christie (Amarillo) and did the live sound for Roy Chubby Brown.
Of course he did much more but I’m just picking out stuff from my memory.
The studio closed down and Dimmer worked at TFm as a sound engineer, editing broadcasts and jingles etc.
I haven’t seen or heard from Dimmer for a few years now, I understand he got married again and is living in Norton.

And that’s when I hit a wall. Nothing more about the label or the band. I wonder if anyone knows anything else about The Lovehearts? If they recorded any other songs? Did they participate in any other compilations? And if maybe they released anything on their own? Would be great to learn a bit about this long lost band.

Edit: Kevin McGrother, our good friend, just emailed me and told me some interesting facts: “I actually played violin on the two tracks on The New Bowery. The band had a brilliant front man – Sean Brockbank”

Edit Aug. 1 2021: Found a Soundcloud page with many songs by The Lovehearts: “It Doesn’t Matter at All”, “Love Holds Out”, “Coming Home”, “Flicking Through a Lifetime”, “So Fine”, “Roll back Those Years” and “Fall Down”.

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Listen
The Lovehearts – Love Holds Out

Now we start November. Almost done with 2015 and it looks like it was a good year afterall, with more releases than I expected. I thought I’d be putting something like around 3 records out this year, as things have been slower than usual but in the end there are going to be around 5 to 6 releases (if you count Parcel Post) out this year, with Suncharms to be released in January very early next year. So it’s kind of like 7! That’s a good amount! I’m happy and proud!

This past week, after my vacations, indiepop came back to my life. On Thursday I met with my friend William Jones, the great songwriter, vocalist, guitarist, you name it, behind one of my favourite bands ever, Friends. We had some Mexican dinner and some beers. He was here in the city for the marathon. Yup. He was going to run yesterday, on Sunday. It was quite interesting for me as I didn’t know all the logistics, and the process, and even the organization that goes behind the most important marathon in the world.

Among the most amazing facts that surprised me was that the runners have to be at 6am at the NYC Public Library, at the main building in Manhattan, so they can take free buses to Staten Island. Then after arriving there, they just wait. Wait until it’s time to start the race. Seems like so much pain! It’s so early! Couldn’t they just get the bus at 8am? How can someone go running if they wake up at 5am or 4am to be ready to catch the bus? A cool thing though was that your bag that you take with yourself to Staten Island, then you can pick it up after the race in Central Park. That seems organized.

On Friday I went to see Joanna Gruesome at Rough Trade. Expert Alterations were playing much earlier, at 7pm, at the same venue their release gig. Sadly because of work I missed them, but got to see the guys after at the Joanna Gruesome gig and secured their new release, and their back catalog that I was missing. On top of that, some posters too. With Joanna Gruesome, well, I already have all their releases, minus the Trust Fund split one (I dont like Trust Fund, but I should have bought it, I know), so I bought a t-shirt. A black t-shirt of course. Then talked a bit with one of the new vocalists and she was nice, was telling me she wasn’t Welsh, as I assumed, but from the north, from Manchester. Cool beans. The gig was very nice and shouty as expected, but it seemed a bit short to my friends. I thought it was fine. Oddly there was no encore.

And then on Sunday I went to see the marathon around Queensboro Plaza. There was very loud music, songs like “We Will Rock You” or “Eye of the Tiger” were pounding on the streets. A huge crowd was cheering the runners. And me, with this new app William had told me about, was tracking him. That was really cool. I couldn’t take a photo of him, and I regret that. Thing is, I started shouting “William!, William!” as soon as I saw him sporting his Torino FC kit and keeping his pace. He didn’t hear me the first time around, so instead of taking a pic I kept shouting until he noticed me and waved back! Then he kept running towards the bridge, towards Manhattan. That was really cool.

I loved the atmosphere at the marathon. It seemed like a party! Even I thought of the Rio carnival when I saw the runners. They were all so happy, some were dancing, waving or singing so loudly. They were having so much fun. Some of course were focused, some others very tired and walking a bit. They all dressed whatever they wanted. I saw a psychadelic skirt, Sweden jerseys, Denmark socks, German flags and so on. Some even carried video cameras. Others were Facebooking. It was so much fun that I would love to participate if not next year, then the next. I guess I need a lot of training but, it looked like a great experience.

And that was it. It was a good weekend. How was yours? Did indiepop came back to your life as well?

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So because of the week’s visit, I thought checking out a band from the Summerhouse stable that I barely know anything: Quinn the Eskimo. When I asked about them to William on an interview we did he told me:

Quinn The Eskimo were from Newcastle and were recommended to us by Red Rhino, who gave me a tape of their album, which was fully recorded but unreleased as they had no label. It was acoustic indiepop/rock, and if you want a comparison I’d relate it to Miracle Legion who I thought were great. I liked it and thought it was just right for the label. Again it got caught up in the Red Rhino debacle, and we never got back the unsold copies to remarket. We didn’t keep in touch and I don’t know what happened to them. No, there won’t be any CD.

I still don’t own their LP. I believe that’s all they released.

They took their name from a Bob Dylan song it seems:
“Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)” is a folk-rock song written by Bob Dylan and first recorded during The Basement Tapes sessions in 1967. The song was first released in January 1968 as “Mighty Quinn” by the British band Manfred Mann and became a great success. It has been recorded by a number of performers, often under the “Mighty Quinn” title.

The LP “The Mountain is a Dandy” (Summershine 002) was released in 1988. It included 10 songs: “Samantha Rain”, “Breathing”, “Big Hedge”, “The Haymaker”, “Like a Flame” on the A side, and “Eternity”, “Once Upon a Day”, “The Wreck”, “Eastwood” and “The Importance of Being Honest” on the B side.

The artwork is credited to Dawn Main, the photography to David Lyons and Event Horizons. The producer was Quinn the Eskimo (with some tracks produced by John Steel who produced some stuff for Martin Stephenson and the Daintees). The engineer for most of the tracks was Ian McKie while for A1 and B2 was Martin Holle.

The band members were:
Dave Cook on vocals
Richard Scott on guitar, vocals and mandolin
Graeme Cooper on bass guitar
Ken Goodinson on drums

Strange thing is that lyrics are credited to Andrew Wilkie as he doesn’t appear to be part of the band. There was also some piano played by Martin Holle and John Steel. The record was produced at Cluny Studio in Newcastle and also at Desert Sounds in Felling. On the back sleeve there are photos of all the members but Richard Scott. There’s a drawing of his face instead.

On the Summerhouse page there’s a small press note about the record that says:
Quinn The Eskimo’s only recording on Summerhouse was a classic set of acoustic guitar-based pop songs, drawing on the English folk tradition and American guitar rock to produce a refreshingly original sound that is hard to locate in any particular era. Ranging from the upbeat pop of Samantha Rain and Once Upon A Day, through the dreamscape of The Haymaker to the folky barnstorm of The Wreck, the album is a one-off gem which was never to be followed up.

Also there we find a bunch of reviews of the record on this page.

Aside from that I couldn’t find much more online. So I wonder if anyone know whatever happened to them? If they ended up releasing any other songs? Or if they went to form another band? Were they involved in bands before Quinn the Eskimo? Or if anyone has a spare copy that would like to find a home in NYC?

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Listen
Quinn the Eskimo – Samantha Rain

Back from vacations. A bit of a shame they last so little, but I had such a good time in Italy that I can just wait another month until I get my last vacation week this year. In the meantime it’s time to work, to get things done and keep discovering new music.

This week I received the final master for the Suncharms release. I’ll get the details on the website pretty soon and will send the CD compilation to press too. Together with Don’t Cry Shopgirl, these will be our last offerings this year. The Pale Spectres 7″ should come out shortly though, most possibly around January.

On my vacations I was totally out of the loop and didn’t listen to any indiepop songs and I didn’t even check if there was any indiepop news. So this post is a bit short because of that. I need to recoup and check what’s been cooking the past few weeks. I know there are some interesting releases that I need to get a hold and I will definitely recommend them to you the next week. I just need to organize a list of which are the ones worth checking out.

The only interesting bit of contact with indiepop was a tweet I received while I was away. Brucey from the 1,2,3 Alright blog was asking if anyone could help him find any information about the band Daisycutters that appears on the Hoopla compilation. I remembered that long time ago I wanted to write about them on my blog (and I don’t know really why I forgot to do that). So I said, I’ll take on the investigation.

Today while looking for clues about this band I felt so empty-handed that it’s a bit of a shame to write this post. I wanted to help find something but I really found nothing! The only information really that exists about them is that they appeared on the Hoopla tape released in 1988 by La Di Da, that amazing label that I’ve mention a ton of times here in the blog, and also on the LP version of this compilation released by Accident Records in 2000.

On the tape compilation they only contributed one song, “Friends”. On the LP reissue, because of the unavailability of the original masters of some of the songs, they included one more song “The Sea”. So that’s more or less what I know about them. That they at least recorded 2 songs.

Another safe bet is to assume they were from Brighton. Most bands on the La Di Da compilations and releases were based there, and they even recorded in the famed Grant’s Kitchen. That’s Grant Lyons, La Di Da’s brain, place. The credits though just say that the songs were recorded by Daisycutters. No other names. That makes it even more difficult to track them.

I googled and looked under every rock. There were other Daisycutters bands. They were not very good. I learned that a daisycutter is a actually a bomb, an immensely powerful aerial bomb that derives its destructive power from the mixture of ammonium nitrate and aluminum powder with air.

But that’s really all I could find. The thing is, I’m pretty sure some of you might be able to help me. If Accident Records, in 2000 was able to find them and get in touch, when there was no social media, and get another song from them to be included in their reissue of sorts of the Hoopla tape (just making sure you know that the tape and the LP are not the same, they have a different tracklist!), well, I think we might be able to get in touch and learn more about them.

Why do we want to get in touch? Well, their two songs are just pure indiepop bliss. They have the girl vocas, the chiming guitars, and the catchy melodies, all of that that remind me of Nine Steps to Ugly or The Fat Tulips. The kind of indiepop I love.

So if you can help Bruce, me, and the whole indiepop community to find out more about this band that be great. Anything you remember is good, gigs they played, demo tapes they released, any other song name you remember, their band members, where they were based exactly, what year did they split, if they were involved with other bands, anything will do!

Edit: Uwe from Firestation sent me a message saying: I think Daisycutters were pre Fabulous Friends. If I remember right, they changed their name after the Hoopla-tape was released and then released that split flexi with Jason Smart soon after.

Edit #2: Ben from Did Not Chart blog shared a scan from the Hoopla fanzine. With it we confirm they were based in Brighton and we get to know the first names of the band members and what they played (Jill sang and played tambourine, Tom played guitar and 12 string, Grant played the bass, Jason played his guitar and Billy played the drums).

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Listen
Daisycutters – Friends