Jan 31. The line-up of bands for Oi! This Is StreetPunk Vol 3 can finally be revealed. Released on 13-3-13 by Pirates Press, the vinyl album features thirteen tracks by thirteen thirsty artists: the Gonads, Crashed Out, Runnin’ Riot, Custom Fit, Bad Company Project, Bonecrusher, Dirty Filthy Mugs, Epic Problem, Razorcut, Stranglehold, Strongbow, The Shame and Twopointeight. Pre-ordering begins 12th February.

Here’s our mate Garry Johnson (Oi! The Poet) with the Stone Roses back in about 1984/5... Gal J was the first to rave about Manchester’s finest...

Jan 30. Here it is: the first look at the delayed Uprisers/Gonads split single, out sometime in February (no year yet specified)...

We popped down to Pat Collier’s studio in Forest Hill yesterday where Millwall Roi (pictured) and the Last Resort were putting the finishing touches to their brand new studio album. Inevitably Gal ended up singing along on the mob choruses of two of Roi’s fearsome new ditties, working titles ‘This Is My England’ and ‘Resort Bootboys’. Fit Bird reckons the album, which is out in April on Randale Records, is “blindin’ innit?” but reports Gal passed on the opportunity to sing the line ‘No-one likes us, we don’t care.’ Missing from the studio, Watford Jon who was apparently “waiting for a lift” (from Luton). By coincidence, we are still waiting for his round...

Missing Andy launch their new album ‘Guerrilla Invasion’ with a party at KOKO, Camden on 29th March.

Jan 29. Out now, issue two of Street Sounds featuring: Rancid, Jennie Matthias, Cock Sparrer, Punk & Disorderly, Squeeze, The Jam in Paris, Missing Andy, Neville Staple why he quit the Specials, Matt Worley on punk biographies, Pete Townshend, the making of The Mumper film Outside Bet, Bev Elliot's Soho punk diary, Skinhead art, Beki Bondage and much more... available to buy direct from here.

Music expert extraordinaire Chris ‘The Dust’ Weeks has pronounced the Gonads to be “South East London's Greatest Band of all Time”. It’s a big claim, especially when the area also produced David Bowie, Squeeze, Siouxsie & The Banshees, Billy Idol, Thunder, The Chords, Splodge, Kate Bush, the UK Subs, ATV, Tinie Tempah, Tommy Steele and Dire Straits, along with The Business, Boy George, Bill Wyman, and, the perhaps less noteworthy, Gary Glitter. But as Fat Col says: “No-one knows more about music than Chris Weeks” and who are we to argue? Besides, false modesty is a pain in the aris.

Random stuff: the Boomtown Rats are reforming for the Isle Of Wight fest (list this under ‘reasons not to go to the Isle Of Wight’)... Perkele have signed to play the TNT fest in Connecticut over US Labour Day weekend fest this year.

Jan 28. Out in days: Hooligan Sampler Volume Two featuring us, Stomper 98, Iron Cross and the fabulous Resort Bootboys (the Old Firm Casuals + Millwall Roi). Double single in a gatefold sleeve, limited to 100 copies on orange vinyl, 100 copies (blue), the rest black... available on iTunes etc from the 1st February and available digitally now from here. To order physical copies go to www.randaleshop.de or email diana@randale.de. Up the Addicks!

Our pals in the HSV Supporters Club are having an Oi! Night next Saturday in the Dr Ink Bar, Gerhartstrasse, Red Light District, Hamburg. They tell us “Any Oi-loving visitors in Hamburg next weekend who would like a break from the debauchery and depravity should take a stroll along to the Dr Ink Bar - just 20 yards from the Herbertstrasse.” Sadly, because of the Euro, there will be no repeat of Fat Col’s trip to the port’s infamous street of windows. When he tried to get away without paying, the fraulein shouted: “What about the marks?” “Ten out of ten,” the oaf replied.

Taking a leaf out of the ongoing Sham/sham-Sham fiasco, two versions of Black Flag are about to tour. Both original singer Keith Morris (1976 – 79) and his replacement Ron Reyes (’79-80) have announced that they will be going out playing Black Flag numbers. Keith, who quit to front the Circle Jerks back in the day and currently plays with “hardcore supergroup” OFF!, will be fronting an up-date take on Black Flag called Flag (with Chuck Dukowski and Bill Stevenson, plus Stephen Egerton of the Descendants.) They’re playing US dates and Germany’s Monster Bash. Meanwhile Ron Reyes is teaming up with brilliant BF founder member Greg Ginn on guitar and Robo Valverde on drums to go out as Black Flag. They are already confirmed for Hevy Music Fest in Folkestone this August. Neither version of the band will feature alleged “macho asshole” Henry Rollins, who joined in 1981 and now turns his hand to acting, stand-up and spoken word performance.

Jan 27. Shoreditch goes Glam on Feb 15th as our pals the Feathers headline a gig at Paper Dress, a vintage bar and boutique in Curtain Road. Delicious Danie Cox promises us a blow, sorry, The Blow (glam era inspired rock band), DJ Dave Mondo and “a set from Andy Warhol” (Eh? Ed) before flock rockers the Feathers get us all in a flutter. Kick-off is 7.30, entry is “less than a fiver probably” on the door. Danie adds: “Great booze choices and vintage clothing available to purchase too” – as if any self-respecting herberts would confuse going to a live show with a shopping trip.

Big trouble in little Prankster Land, old buddies, as a gang of hard-drinking whippersnappers, disillusioned with Maidstone/Tonbridge Tone’s leadership, are promoting a radical break-away Hellfire Club. The 20-strong gang, known as the Young Eltham boys, are all in their late 20s and early 30s and are said to be bored with their elder brethren’s links to old school variety, formal cutlery and 60s sounds. The breaking point appears to have come when Tone issued an edict calling for all brethren to adopt the Onesie for lodge meetings. He was subsequently pelted with eggs. Led by Millwall Dan, the outspoken upstarts drink shots before Prankster ceremonies, hang out in lap-dancing bars, plot revolution, and indulge their taste in “macho racket music” and extreme food challenges. Older Pranksters view them as “unruly”, “street-fighters”, “radicals”, “avenging guttersnipes”, “militant patriots” and “intelligent louts”. An ashen-faced Effete El said: “Young Eltham had to leave before they were expelled. Their behaviour is outrageous and they lack all sense of whimsy. Proper Pranksters want nothing to do with them, do we Col? Col? COL! Get back here!”

Jan 26. Clarification. We wrote yesterday that Vegas was “off”; it isn’t. It’s actually just postponed, along with all of our proposed US dates. Fat Col’s angry/hysterical rants, though amusing, were completely out of order. At no point did PRB say we were “too Oi” for their fine fest. We were just too punk to appear at a Texas black metal and thrash snooze-in a week later. Col apologises for the misunderstanding, casually blaming the 18 pints of Stella. He has now climbed off of his high horse... and sold it to Tesco.

Actual news: the controversial Gonads bootleg album is expected to be released sometime in late April/early May, although certain songs including the unthinkable ‘Say What You Want’ will never see the light of day... Shona & The SkaNads will record their second e.p. this Summer... Gal and Mickey Pugh are writing the soundtrack to Cuthbert’s Last Stand, a comedy crime caper in the Ealing film traditional written by Mick and currently in pre-production; meanwhile Gal’s PA Fit Bird has confirmed that he is working on a second solo album; she tells us “there’s no recording or release dates yet, but it’s radically dif’rent. Ere, what about that Rylan?” (Continued ad nauseum)

You can pre-order the Louise Distras/Jenny Woo ‘Stand Strong Together’ ep from here.

Rumours reach us that the Ministry of Delusion has unilaterally declared war on Argentina and is “scraping up drunken women in micro-skirts from the icy streets of Newcastle” to be the vanguard of a task force. If there is any truth in this absurd development we daresay a statement will appear on the official MOD page in coming days.

Jan 25. STOP PRESS: Vegas is off! Fat Col issued this furious statement last night: ‘Right bad news, folks. The Punk Rock Bowling people say we can't play their little shindig in Vegas now because we're "too Oi!" Well FUCK THEM! We'd rather be true to ourselves and play Charlton than sell out and be what they want and play in a poxy desert. The Gonads: STILL CHARLTON YOBS!!!!’ Later Col (South London’s angriest man) qualified this by adding: ‘They can poke their 'Golden Nugget', cos when the Gonads play Vegas it'll be at Caesar's ’Kin’ Palace, and the band will be introduced by the ghost of Lucky Luciano with Celine Dion selling our ’kin’ merch.’ It sounds unlikely but we’ll have it!!! On a more positive note, he assures us that “Bletchley is still on for Feb 23rd with Citizen Keyne supporting. Who needs Nevada when you’ve got Milton Keynes?” (Rubbish, you’re sacked! Bring back the Beast! – the band).

STOP PRESS 2: StreetSounds issue #2 has been slightly delayed by the ice and snow (from the midnight sun where the hot springs flow) but Paul Hallam (the Stalin Of Style) assures us he will have finished copies by Tuesday, when, to continue the tenuous Led Zep link, the hammer of the gods will drive the sales to new lands...

OK, listen up folks, Ska News! The London Ska International Festival happens over Easter weekend (28-31 March); featuring fifty acts from around the globe across ten events at various venues. On the bill: Rico Rodriguez, Freddie ‘Montego Bay’ Notes, BB Seaton (The Gaylads), Owen Gray, Vin Gordon aka Don D Jnr, Pama International, 100 Men starring our mate Mik Whitnall, Rhoda Dakar, Buster Shuffle, Mungos Hi Fi and many more. For full line up details/who's playing when/where go here: More still to be announced! 4-Day tickets & day tickets available now from here.

In an unrelated story, our sensational spin-off band Shona & The SkaNads play their DEBUT live gig at a ‘2-Tone Taster’ event at Bournemouth Pier on March 2nd. The Dualers are headlining, there are five other Ska bands on the bill and the SkaNads will be on at about 8pm. Details here: and tickets here.

Congrats to our buddies Buster Shuffle who were the featured ‘band of the month’ on Fred Perry's Subculture page. Head there for a free download. It’s a busy year for Jet and the band who are playing the Scarborough Scooter Rally (March 30), P&D in Berlin (April 13) and Endless Summer in Torgau (Aug 9) in between gigs in France, Belgium, Germany and the Czech Republic as well as opening for Chas & Dave at the 02 Indigo on 18th May. Gertcha.

Jan 23. Madness will play Carlisle Racecourse this Summer. If you recall, their appearance at the Cumbria track last summer was scuppered by torrential rain. (My God’s mad at me...) They’ve now signed up to play the Stobart Summer Festival on Saturday, July 6. Suggsy said: “A day at the races, British summer time — sounds suitably nutty to us.” Tickets are now on sale from www.carlisle-races.co.uk, priced from £25 for adults. They’ll be 30 sovs on the door. Don’t eat the burgers.

The Selecter’s UK tour dates are up here.

The Green Day documentary ¡Quatro! has its world premiere at the Winter X Games that start on Saturday in Aspen, Colorado. The fly-on-the-wall doc, directed by Tim Lynch, covers the band's '¡Uno!', '¡Dos!', '¡Tre!' trilogy, and include live US show footage.

In US Oi news, Victory’s single ‘Laced Up’ is out in March on Oi! The Boat records. Hear it here.

On this day in 1982: Black Flag released their classic West Coast hardcore punk album 'Damaged' on SST Records, a 100mph downhill-with-no-brakes thrill ride; Gal gave the album a 5-star review in UK music weekly 'Sounds', calling it "15 salvos of some of the rawest, red-eyed ANARCHY NOISE you'll ever experience, yeah, that exciting, that orgasmic, that vital..."

New Swinging Utters tune here

Jan 22. Dr Feelgood legend Wilko Johnson will play an extra farewell concert in London due to popular demand. The new show is set to take place at KOKO in Camden on March 10. The guitarist announced the mini-tour after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. Wilko, 65, is said to have turned down chemo so that he can carry on playing live for as long as possible. His four previously announced dates have already sold out.

En moins d'un mois, les Dropkick Murphys essayer de remplir le Zénith de Paris. 6300 personnes! Exactement les mêmes numéros que nous attirés en France (à plus ou moins 6187.)

Fat Col’s latest rant target? Sonic Boom Six, who the plump plum of Plumstead reckons have “sold out” and “released an album of electronic shite.”

Jan 21. The Puke Box Jury edition of Gal’s podcast is up and running; judges Max Splodge & Paul Hallam weigh up the hottest track of 2012. Did it come from Case, King Brillo, Missing Andy, Night of Treason, the Cockney Rejects, King Hammond, Argy-Bargy, Buster Shuffle, Honest John Plain, Chris Pope or one of ten other worthy contenders?? Ooh the excitement, ooh the tension... ooh, the shocking language throughout as Max channels the spirit of an AWOL Bev Elliott (snowed in in Soho): (We won’t give anything away, but what a year for punk and Ska; among our favourites are Argy Bargy’s ‘Looking For Glory’, the Cockney Rejects’ ‘Your Country Needs You’, King Brillo’s ‘Hoxton Square’, Taurus Trakker’s ‘Lucky’, Night of Treason’s ‘Ballad Of The Teddy Boy’, Missing Andy’s ‘Dave’, Discharger’s ‘We Are The Boys Of 033’... shit, to be honest, we like em all!)

This just in: issue 2 of StreetSounds goes to press tonight...

Jan 20. We’ve seen the line up for Oi! This Is Streetpunk Volume Three, and although we’re sworn to secrecy at this stage we can say that the 13-song compilation is an absolute stormer. The album is released by Pirates Press on vinyl on 13-3-2013. We are on it with one of our most blistering new songs for many a year – full details to be revealed very shortly. The only small setback is they’ve had to change the format from a “6" and 7" release” to a “12" with a 1" button” (we’re not sure what that means but it’s no doubt very modern.)

Jan 19. A band called the Herberts have started trying to plug their wares on our facebook page. Who they? you may ask, as did we. Turns out they’re a South Coast Steve side project playing the songs of the Jam, the Ruts, the Members and many more. Or to put it bluntly: another ’kin’ covers band. The news sent Fat Col into a state of apoplexy. “The Herberts?” he thundered. “The Thieving Herberts I call ’em! Covers bands are scum, stealing bread from the mouths of proper creative artists, nicking their songs and taking the glory. I despise ’em.” Easy, big fella. Steve protests that the lads are just having a laugh. This upset Col even more. He went into a semi-familiar rant about this being “the sort of blinkered philistine pig ignorance I’ve come to expect from you non-creative garbage.” He continued saying cover bands were “loathsome, sitting there on their spotty behinds squeezing blackheads, not caring a tinker’s cuss about the struggling artist... You excrement! You lousy hypocritical whining toadies!” (Further insults, involving the freemasons, were smothered by the sound of incoming police sirens). By Monty and Python! It seems we might have to employ minders to keep the two apart. South Coast may boast a black belt in the martial arts but Fat Col has a pair of green braces and he ain’t afraid to use ’em. Up the Addicks.

Jan 18. Gal recorded the ‘Puke Box Jury’ edition of his Rancid Sounds podcast today, but the blizzard conditions in East London caused havoc. Max Splodge soldiered on through the snow, with the help of a passing St Bernard, but a stricken Bev Elliott couldn’t get out of Soho and Paul Hallam (Stalin of Style) broke down in the City Road. We’re told it was “so cold Bev switched from vodka to flaming samboucas with hazardous consequences” while Paul “was done for drink-driving his sledge.” After the show, Gal found himself stranded in New Cross due to our useless train system, but was given a lift to Lewisham by a passing Rastafarian who remembered his old ITV show with affection. The Puke Box show pitched some of 2012’s greatest punk, oi and Ska tracks into the mix to find the song of the year, and with sterling ditties from the likes of Argy Bargy, Missing Andy, the Cockney Rejects, Night Of Treason, King Brillo and Taurus Trakker competing it was always going to be a close run thing... we’ll let you know when it’s up.

Jan 17. Joe Strummer will have a city square named after him in Spain. More than 2,000 residents of Granada signed a facebook petition calling for him to be honoured. City officials agreed and a local square is being renamed Plaza de Joe Strummer. In a related story, Fanny Hands Lane will be back-connected to Neville Staple and Fat Col is laying claim to Butts Wynd. It is not thought that Wino Way was named in honour of Pete, but you never know...

The new double a-sided single from the Noxious Toyz is aht nah (curse you, phonetics). On side A: 'Jog On' guest-starring Jennie Belle Star, on side AA: 'Southend Rhapsody' guest-starring Gal and his bosom buddies the Skarettes... It's on iTunes and all that jazz...

Okay, one for the Mods: The Spitfires, The Scene and the Sandpilots are doing this...

Jan 16. Shona & The SkaNads play their first ever gig at Bournemouth Pier on March 2, supporting the Dualers; with MC Jennie Matthias, Rat Race, The Raptures, Mighty Shrimp, Offbeat Offensive & Dirty Revolution. The SkaNads are: Mark McMighty (guitar), Gentleman John (bass), and Wattsie & Gal (vox). Scruffy Paul joins the band on drums. In the meantime, here’s some great artwork from Steven Friel...

Jan 14. Great night at the New Cross Inn on Saturday as Argy Bargy put on a sparkling show, along with the mighty Geoffrey Oi!Cott, The Uppercuts, Angry Agenda and Underclass UK. Great turn out, too. Good to see Oi alive and kicking in Sarf London...

Watford, 43 (in leap years) panics when told “It’s your shout!”

Raymond Cowie – Mond - from the original Angelic Upstarts will be playing on the forthcoming Moscow Mules album. The Mules, who also feature good old Decca Wade and Tony Van Frater from the Rejects in their Muscovite ranks, have just released a version of Cozy Powell’s ‘Dance With The Devil’ on Belfast’s Scarred For Life label.

THIS JOOST IN: Never mind Westfield, the place to be shopping on a Saturday afternoon is Oi-Oi The Shop in Camden. Here’s Evil Conduct bassist Joost treating himself to an Argy t-shirt as the One Direction ones had sold out. (All Argy t’s come in three sizes: XL, XXL and Colin Gannon).

One to watch: new band Gripper from the Lake District, who specialise in sing-a-long punk with a sense of humour. “Think Lurkers with a pinch of Gonads” we’re told (though we rarely think anything else). Their best number is said to be ‘Windy Miller (Is A Psycho Killer)’. Other ditties include ‘Flat Cap Hero’ and ‘Pre-Op Pete’. Our sort of band.

Jan 13. Something big is happening in November. We’re sorry to be cryptic, but if you like rock (hard and heavy as opposed to punky), then keep November 9th free for a proper event. Think metal, think the Midlands, and think about a Gonads spin-off as part of something moderately mega...

Jan 12. Wow! Found in a box of old photos and memorabilia from the 80s, the words and music to two unheard and never recorded Prole songs called ‘Unionise!’ and ‘Unchained Malady.’ Now all we need to do is track down Steve Kent and record them... Also in the box the lyrics to ‘Fire Down Under’ (written by Gal while on the road with Rose Tattoo in the USA, and recorded by the Business).

Random news: the wonderful Tommy Schitt & The Punishment Fuckers are getting back together to do a one-off show “sometime in the next couple of months”... Steve Harris’s British Lion play UK dates at the end of March, specifically London, Brum, Glasgow and Manchester... horror rockers the Misfits release a new live album – their first since 1988 – next month; called Dead Alive it features fourteen songs...

Jan 11. Out next Thursday: the new four track Hooligan Classics Volume II. Featuring new songs from us, Stomper 98, the Resort Bootboys and Iron Cross. Who are the Resort Bootboys you ask? Only yer actual Millwall Roi Pearce singing with the Old Firm Casuals...

Things you didn’t expect to hear – Gonads: Slovakia Gigs Possible; Wattsie Watts ‘Loved Up with Oi Oi Legend’ Shocker; Leah McCaffrey Debut Single out this year... all true, oh our brothers, sisters and only friends, all stone-cold certs.

Jan 10. R.I.P. Gateshead Mac who is buried today. Mac, pictured here with his son Howey, was a legend in rockabilly circles for two things – his appreciation of the Camberwell carrot, and his passion for booze cruises. Well we say booze cruises, they were more like Viking raids. Mac and the lads would head to Belgium for booze and fags, hit a garage or two over there, strip them of lighters and peach schnapps and then spend hours trying to convince UK Customs bods that they weren’t smugglers. Stief tells us: “Mac was always the main character; he liked a drink and a joint or ten and always got us into mischief on the boats and buses.” Mac also had the good sense to ban Stief from his own house while he was laying his floor for being “too bossy”. (Not to mention too camp – Fat Col). The floor was never finished, but the beer always was. Mac saunters into the next life with a large spliff on the go and his trademark Tyne & Wear swagger... (PS. Shocking to recall but about 15/16 years ago a foreign tourist was refused a visa to the UK because an immigration official couldn't believe her reason for visiting - that she wanted to have a week's holiday in Gateshead. Bloody cheek! Why, as well as Mac the city gave us Gazza, Michelle Heaton, Jill Halfpenny... hmm, on second thoughts, maybe they had a point.)

Jan 8. Listen up all you doubters and unbelievers! Oh ye of little faith! We are within a gnat’s pube of clinching Las Vegas for May, along with a string of other quality US dates. Contracts are being worked out and logistics worked on by the finest brains at our disposal (Charlie the Beagle). Other shows are likely to include Texas, SF, LA and possibly Boston. Watch this space for developments. Up the Addicks!

Jan 6. The Bad Brains have just launched their own “hardcore hot sauce.” Called Fire Burn Babylon, it promises “a punky reggae party in every bottle.” Which reminds us, wasn’t FB in charge of launching the great Gonads Curry back in 2009? Whatever happened to FB? According to rumours, he commissioned 37 Indian chefs to produce their finest dishes which he duly sampled in one sitting. He vanished during the ensuing gales and has not been seen since.

R.I.P. reggae herbert Lloyd Charmers who died in London on December 27 after suffering a heart attack behind the wheel of his car. Lloyd, born Lloyd Tyrell in Kingston, JA, was taken to Homerton Hospital in Hackney, but was pronounced dead on arrival. The singer released his first two solo albums, 'Reggae Charm' and 'Reggae is Tight' on the Trojan label in 1970, but is perhaps better known for producing other artist’s hits, including Ken Boothe's mighty, chart-topping version of 'Everything I Own'.

A good piece about Burial here - one of the neglected greats of the early 80s Oi/2-Tone cross-over scene.

Cause of the day: justice for Catalonia.

Jan 5. Quick update: we will have a brand new track featured on Oi! This Is StreetPunk volume 3, watch this space for details.

NADS EXTRA: Bletchley flag-girl training camp, snapped by Fat Col

Those celebrated Polish-Irish West Ham herberts, Booze & Glory must be doing something right. Their latest video, for the song ‘London Skinhead Crew’, has clocked up around 325,000 views on YouTube just since October, and mighty fine it sounds too.

MAD Marc tells us that the line-up for this year’s Punk & Disorderly mega knees-up includes The Exploited, Argy Bargy, Buster Shuffle, City Saints, Cock Sparrer, Deadline, “the return of Discipline”, Foreign Legion, Infa Riot, the Last Resort, Lokalmatadore, Louise Distras, Mark Foggo's Skasters, Middle Finger Salute, On The Job, Oxo 86,The Varukers, Toxpack and many more… So Wattie, Watford, Roi and Slippery Lee Wilson in one hotel?? Lucky chamber-maids, we say. But expect bar takings to be way down…

The new Dropkicks album is out: ‘Signed And Sealed In Blood’. The two-disc vinyl version on Born & Bred includes digital download and one additional track.

Controversy is already dogging the latest Pranksters WM, Maidstone Tone, after claims were made by Scouse Dan that he isn’t from Maidstone at all. Effete El, still ashen-faced from the jazz-punk debacle, tells us that the brethren are “considering evidence” that their newly elevated Master is “actually Tonbridge Tone – and if so, why is he pretending to come from Maidstone?” It beats the hell out of us. Perhaps it’s time for Terence Hayes (PM), to apply his Holmes-like insight and Solomon-like wisdom to the mystery. Tel says he has finally received copies of the East End Badoes’ awesome ‘Poplar Boys’ ep on vinyl. In another six months or so, he might get round to selling some.

German Stalinist label Mad Butcher has asked us to tell you that they have recently repressed Red London’s five track Pride & Passion 12incher, and released albums by Italy’s Linea, French band the East Side Pirates and the uncompromising RedSka. Maybe Hallam put them up to it...

Out now on coloured vinyl from Triple B Records: America's Hardcore Volume Two – sixteen brand new tracks from a bunch of h/c acts including Bane, United Youth, Shipwreck AD, Ringworm and Dead End Path. Each song is exclusive to this comp which comes with a 20-page insert booklet featuring pages designed by each band. LP includes digital download.

Alteau’s New Year message. Happy New Year à tous nos amis, an alle unsere Freunde,
a todos nuestros amigos and a tutti i nostri amici! Up the Addicks!

JAN 1st. Happy New Year. We’re back on the road next month, with our gig in Bletchley (the magnificent Ronnie Bottom is stepping in on guitar); followed by the Black Forest mega piss-up in March and the Scream Lounge Croydon in April. US dates are up in the air right now, but fingers crossed we’ll be hitting the West Coast like a hurricane of puke, phlegm and rabid dogs’ piss in May, with Scotland to follow... various musical projects and releases are also in the pipeline to make this, our final year, an extra special one. This blog will return when we have something to say. Our thanks as ever to wondrous webmistress Batttttty, the tiresome, sorry tireless Fat Col, and the hyper-organised Allison Maverick. Meanwhile, Gal’s awards of 2012 are now up on his own website here.

In Prankster News, Maidstone Tone has stepped into the chair as WM for 2013. Tone is already the distinguished chairman of the Upper Dicker Unionist society, a Patron of the Society for the Protection & Lubrication Of the Distressed Gentlewomen of England (SPLODGE), life-long rambler, bacon enthusiast, proud owner of one of Kent’s first prosthetic noses, and a former acting secretary of the Burwash Nude Hang-Gliding & Newt-Tickling Association. We can tell you nothing of his installation ceremony other than that through a crack in the curtain it seemed to involve “folk” lap-dancers and a fluorescent green Medusa wig. But we did hear that the festive board afterwards witnessed a furious row involving “a small but vocal minority” (Fat Col) who wanted to introduce jazz-punk to Prankster events. An ashen-faced Effete El tells us “Ska-Jazz is one thing, but jazz-punk is a step too far. Not bleedin’ likely.” Let’s hope Tone contains the controversy and that his sojourn at the top of the mysterious brotherhood is not sullied by scandal and misdemeanours as the reigns of some of his predecessors have been.

In more mundane actual news, Neville Staple has quit the Specials; more on that in issue two of Street Sounds. Jennie Matthias and her 1-STOP-EXPERIENCE will be headlining Tattoo World, Strasbourg on 11th May 2013. And Thomas ‘Mensi’ Mensforth has announced he will not be doing any Upstarts shows this year. He states: “I have lost the heart and I don’t think it will ever return. I still have passion about my beliefs and feel just as strongly as I did when I started, but it’s just not for me anymore. I will concentrate on my family again next year and there is no time for the Angelics. I will never say never but not 2013. I can’t get interested or excited about playing. If I ever change my mind you will be the first to know. Don’t hold your breath.”

What bands called themselves before making it big: The Who – The Detours, Green Day – Sweet Children, The Beatles – The Quarrymen, Elastica – the Onk; Cockney Rejects – the Shitters; Sham 69 – Jimmy & The Saviles (Are you sure? – Ed)... Oh and watch out for Brand New Adele, tipped to break through to a massive (conned) audience this year. They started life as the SkaNads...

While we were away... Cashing In On Xmas volume 4 was released in the States, featuring ‘The Greatest Cockney Xmas’ by us. See/buy the comp here. We hear that the blinding Blades will be recording a track for volume five.

R.I.P. soul legend Fontella ‘Rescue Me’ Bass and Iron Butterfly bassist Lee Dorman who both died over the Xmas period...

New this year: Bad Religion release new album True North on 22nd Jan...

Love and best wishes to our pal Dave Cairns of Secret Affair who has been suffering from kidney stones. We dread to think what the pain must be doing to his normal cheery disposition...

The modtastic New Untouchable have announced details of their ninth annual ‘Le Beat Bespoke’ London fest, which takes places over four days at Easter. Live bands include The Frowning Clouds, The Strypes and Cornershop.

PREVIOUSLY