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| March 30. Gal recorded his latest Rancid Sounds podcast on Friday with guests Teddie Dahlin, Phil Templar and Superyob’s Frankie ‘Boy’ Flame, 97, plus some genuinely terrific tracks from Stiff Little Fingers, Bishops Green, Chris Pope, Rust, Nick Welsh, The Antagonizers, Laurel Aitkin, the Evil Turkeys, The Outfit, Superyob, The Warriors, Jonny Cola & The A Grades, Epic Problem, and Close Shave. It will be up and running at Radio Litopia sometime today. The show was recorded at Litopia because Total Rock have lost their pub basement studios – they’ve been moved on more times than an out-of-tune busker. So please don’t send CDs to the Cape Of Good Hope. Afterwards the merry band met up with Lorraine ‘Mudkiss’ Reeves and Chelsea Dom at a Baker Street boozer for a brief but pleasant session, cut short only by the need to head back to Chislehurst to film the final scene for the ‘Revenge Of World Cup Willie’ video... the single is still due out on April 7th... Gal’s new audio book Riff-Raff, Rebels and Rock Gods should be
on sale by Friday 4/4/2014. Described as “a journey through the
glory years of Sounds”, it packs in Iron Maiden, The Specials,
Rose Tattoo, the Angelic Upstarts, Ozzy Osbourne, The Exploited,
UFO, Twisted fuckin’ Sister, the Selecter, Hanoi Rocks, Judge
Dread, Ritchie Blackmore, the Cockney Rejects, ZZ Top and more...
watch this space for details.
The PM (praise him!) is back from Boston where he has been attending
to urgent Midget Protection League matters. The grey sage of Zampa
Road also found time to take in a few Dropkick Murphys’ concerts,
testifying that Matt Kelly and the boys are “second to none.”
He adds: “Every show was fantastic and the last gig they did was
in a small pub type venue just outside Fenway Park, where they
played the Do Or Die and Sing Loud Sing Proud albums in full.
They were absolutely top drawer!” Bejaysus, to be sure, we shouldn’t
wonder.
Gal and Wattsie are to wed! Yes the Renee and Renato of Geezer
Rock will tie the knot later this year – but relax divorce lawyers,
it’s only on film for Gatwick Gangsters. Fat Col is already anticipating
the “vigorous and physically demanding” honeymoon montage, and
has offered his services as a body double, which is ridiculous.
Col is 5ft 7, 18 stone and ginger, he looks nothing like Wattsie.
In other movie news: Pete Haynes aka Manic Esso has written a
scene for Steven Berkoff in Ricci Harnett’s new film, involving
a struck off doctor treating Carlton Leach after he over-doses
on Charlie. Although where you can get enough decent gear to OD
on these days is beyond us; the stuff you get in English pubs
is cut to shit, writes our own correspondent Cara Delevingne.
Viewers of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, were either shocked
or pleasantly surprised when Gibby Haynes from the Butthole Surfers
joined Jon Stewart last Tuesday with author Amy Yates Wuelfing
to reminisce about New Jersey punk venue City Gardens, where Stewart
was once a barman. No doubt an irritatingly smartarse, sardonic
one.
Gig news: New York hardcore herberts Agnostic Front are back
in Blighty this Summer. Their dates kick off at Rebellion, followed
by Aug 11: Dundee, 13: Buckley, 14: Newcastle upon Tyne, 15: Edinburgh,
16: York, and ending with the London City Invasion with Conflict
and The Business on 17th... and the next SkaMouth fest has been
confirmed for 21st – 24th November.
Not punk at all: our old mate Bruce Dickinson has just splashed
out more than £270,000 to buy the 'world's biggest aircraft',
a HAV Airlander which is a smidge under 100 yards long – 20 yards
longer than a Boeing 747. Seesh, and they say sports cars are
penis substitutes! (Although Col reckons his ten inch cock is
a substitute for his sports car). The Airlander weighs 38 tons,
can carry 50 tons of cargo, but flies at just 100mph. Bruce told
Top Gear: “I want to get in this thing and fly it pole to pole.
We'll fly over the Amazon at 20ft, over some of the world's greatest
cities and stream the whole thing on the internet” – which sure
beats watching West Ham, or Charlton come to that.
A big turn-out for the Soul Driver – Ocean Colour Scene book
launch in Holborn Studios on Friday, including the likes of Rick
Buckler! Tom Hardy! Cass Pennant! And er, Spizz who apparently
spent some time giving Hardy acting tips... if Stalin remembered
to book a photographer we might even read about it one day...
March 22. Morning chaps, we’re only popping in once a week at
the moment, so there’s plenty new to tell ya about. First off,
the SkaNads are just hours away from finishing ‘Rude Boy’s On
The Rise’; this cracking song will be available in mid-May as
a vinyl split e.p. with Girls Next Door to be called Rude Boys,
Rude Girls. Our cheeky spin-off combo have also written another
belter called ‘Deep Probe (Shona & The Space Man)’ which will
see the light of day on their debut album. Meanwhile half of the
SkaNads are featured in the video for ‘The Revenge of World Cup
Willie’ – they’re getting more work than we are! The glorious
football anthem, shot last Sunday, also features terrace herberts
from as far afield as Newcastle, Coventry, Brum, and Watford as
well as most London clubs... it’s England United... behind Stief!
The final scenes are shot this week...
In the meantime, the Gonads are rehearsing and DMG are recruiting...
the dawn of Geezer Rock is but weeks away. We’ve even had a decent
review for Glorious Bastards from Tom Chapman here.
Not to be out-done, Wattsie has teamed up with Tim Jones, ex
of the Noxious Toys, to write her own musical selfie; the chorus
goes along the lines of: ‘I'm Wattsie Watts/I’m a bit of class/And
you are just a wrong un/And I want more than a crafty grope round
the back of Woolwich Common... ’ We don’t know who this song is
aimed at, but why is Fat Col blushing?
All four of the brilliant Oi! This Is Streetpunk compilation
albums will be given away as a fifty-track CD with Vive Le Rock
magazine this Summer. Pirates Press won’t be selling the CDs directly
but some will be available through indie record stores, and we
will have a limited quantity to sell via the Nads shop... The
full track listing is expected to be: NOI!SE ‘Coming Storm’, THE
OLD FIRM CASUALS ‘Blood Suckers’, KNUCKLEHEAD ‘Boomtown’, LOWER
CLASS BRATS ‘America's Standard’, MARCHING ORDERS ‘Minimum Wage’,
CONTROL ‘High Time I Hung Up My Boots’, YOUNG OFFENDERS ‘Trelawny's
Army’, 45 ADAPTERS ‘What’s Right?’, SYDNEY DUCKS ‘Esprit de Corps’,
HARRINGTON SAINTS ‘No Justice’, BOOZE & GLORY ‘Until The End’,
THE BUSINESS ‘Here’s Johnny’, RANCID ‘Fuck You’, MARCHING ORDERS
‘Something More Than This’, STREET DOGS ‘Greed’, STOMPER 98 ‘40
Jahre’, THE CLICHES ‘They’ve Got To Go’, ARGY BARGY ‘This Is Me’,
FLATFOOT 56 ‘Work For Them’, RAZORBLADE ‘Live & Die’, STRANGLEHOLD
‘Double Set Trigger’, BROKEN HEROES ‘Walk Tall’, BOOZE & GLORY
‘Paradise’, THE GONADS ‘Go Motherfucker’, BAD CO. PROJECT ‘Mission
Mohawk’, EPIC PROBLEM ‘Not Dead Yet’, RAZORCUT ‘Combative Attitude’,
DIRTY FILTHY MUGS ‘Drinks On Me’, BONECRUSHER ‘Fight For Freedom’,
CRASHED OUT ‘Get A Life’, THE SHAME ‘Daytime Drinking’, RUNNIN'
RIOT ‘End Of The Line’, STRANGLEHOLD ‘Trouble’, CUSTOM FIT ‘Love
Hate’, TWOPOINTEIGHT ‘Cannibal’, STRONGBOW ‘Almost Gone’ – plus
all the tracks from Oi! THIS IS STREETPUNK, Volume FOUR which
is out in 14th April, line-up announced soon.
Last weekend was action packed. SkaMouth was sensational again,
and the Rejects live rendition of The Wild Ones rock album, with
Vince on bass, went down a storm – and not a quiet one either.
The lads also played ‘The Rocker’ and ‘Penitentiary’. One fan
tells us “I’ve waited over thirty years to hear those songs performed
live and they didn’t disappoint.” So will that be the last we
hear of them? Not if we’ve got any say in the matter... By the
way if you’re reading this in the US do NOT buy the Rejects live
show tickets that are currently on sale – the dates were never
finalised and the band are not coming over this Summer. Meanwhile
Gonads US dates in early July are still planned but not yet confirmed.
Come on, Todd, sort it fella!
In Gatwick Gangster news, Gal and Wattsie are filming two more
major scenes over the next six weeks as millionaire ‘businessman’
East End George and his cheeky but sophisticated PA Lucy Linfield...
according to Fat Col one of the scenes involves a large chopper,
that “has seen better days but still rises to the occasion whenever
needed.” (Unlike his own ‘Max Clifford’ – Janette Gannon)
Richie Rocker tells us The Crows’ latest gigs are in Liverpool
and Amsterdam. He says: “What more could you want, a city full
of drugs and prostitutes? The other gig is in Amsterdam.”
Random guff: Hooligan Dublin’s new ditty ‘Cops
& Robbers’ inspired by Jacques Mesrine is now up on YouTube
– have a butchers at the burly French cop 1min 43 seconds in,
does he look familiar to you?... Hollie Cook’s new album is out
on 12th May... coming soon: the new album from Rust: Doctors,
Lawyers, Strippers & Fools (released 1st April)
Cryptic Corner: Dear Stacey, Thank you for the cucumber, and
the instructions on how to use it...
R.I.P. Scott Asheton, the Stooges drummer who died of a heart
attack last Saturday, aged 64.
West End audiences were shocked on Wednesday when our Gal appeared
on stage during Spamalot armoured-up. We think he was playing
Sir Knight Who’s Not Appearing In The Show tonight although he
could have just been modelling his new stage gear for Rebellion...
March 16. This blog is off-air for a few days, take it easy
folks and as Phil Esterhaus used to say: “Let’s be
careful out there.”
March 15. Fat Col today launches a drive to find new flag girls
for the Gonads’ 12 Bar show in May. He says: “I am looking for
performing artistes; jugglers, contortionists and fire-eaters
are particularly welcome, as are burlesque dancers.” Col dismisses
claims that the flag girl position is ‘sexist’, saying “It’s up
to her what position she takes, I’m easy.” Oaf. He goes on: “Really,
the term ‘flag girl’ is antiquated now. I am looking for skilled
entertainers and the job is open to all, even double-jointed pensioners,
Wattsie’s aliens or full-on transvestites... after twelve pints
of wallop you tend to stop caring.” Double oaf.
The video Stief’s world cup single, ‘The Revenge of World Cup
Willie’ is recorded tomorrow on a closed set in beautiful downtown
Charlton. The song is available as a download from Monday 7th
April. Guest singers include Gal and Neville Staple and the collective
name for the project is English Pride.
Last night’s Rejects gig was “a triumph” according to our man
on the scene, the Beast. The lads played their Wild Ones album
in full live for the very first time at the BH2, with Vince Riordan
making a guest appearance on bass.
Pussy Riot’s Maria Alyokhina and Nadia Tolokonnikova have launched
a prisoners’ rights group called Zona Prava (Law Zone.) Nadia
said: “In our country, as long as cases of prisoners’ rights violation
take place, we are sure that there will be a need for our organisation.”
Random guff: Kenney Jones and Friends will perform Small Faces
anthems at London’s Modstock next month... Murphy’s Law’s 1991
album The Best Of Times has been re-issued on vinyl and CD by
I Scream Records; the vinyl comes with a full digital download;
CD version comes with an extra track... Reel Big Fish hit the
UK in July and August playing July 6th: Sonisphere (6/7), July
12th – Princess Pavilion, Falmouth, July 13th – Nass Festival,
Shepton Mallet, August 1st – Y-Not Festival, Matlock, Derbyshire,
Aug 3rd – Kendal Calling, Lowther Deer Park, Aug 10th – Boardmasters
Festival, Newquay, Cornwall.
STOP PRESS: Jamaican dancehall star Vybz Kartel has been found
guilty of murder. Kartel (real name Adidja Palmer) was charged
with the 2011 murder of Clive ‘Lizard’ Williams and tried at Kingston's
Supreme Court. Prosecutors said Williams had been beaten to death
after being lured to Kartel’s house in a row over two missing
guns. His body was never found. Shawn Campbell (aka Shawn Storm),
Kahira Jones and Andre St John were also found guilty by majority
verdict.
March 14. Controversial developments as Wattsie Watts announced
last night that “aliens are amongst us”. After spending an evening
sharing wacky baccy with The English Beat, la belle Wattsie assured
us that aliens are “for real”. Her evidence was as follows 1)
Ancient pyramids 2) Cave paintings of ‘UFOs’ 3) The TV documentary
series Star Trek: The Next Generation 4) The observations of the
renowned philosopher David Bowie, to wit: ‘There’s a star man
waiting in the sky, he’d like to come and meet us but he thinks
he’d blow our minds’ 5) Her own semi-suppressed memories of being
“deeply probed” by an “unearthly monster” in Coventry (Stop this,
it’s too silly – Waistrel). Wattsie’s Beat review will surface
in the next issue of Street Sounds, Martians permitting.
Hilariously, our old nemesis Paul Devine once appeared on an
ITV documentary claiming to have been abducted by aliens who kept
him in “a five-cornered room”. Cobblers of course but they paid
him so well for it even he was tempted to pay for a round. Sadly
the temptation passed.
March 13. Gal and Nads super-fan Nellie were accosted tonight
at the Jimmy Jones show in Dartford by women of a certain age
demanding “more Gonads gigs in North West Kent”. Blue collar comedy
legend Jones, 76, also discussed the possibility of the Gonads
opening for him on tour. We’d be in good company – Jones fans
include Iron Maiden, Quo, Keith Emerson and, um, Prince Philip.
But how would pensioners react to the full-on attack of ‘Alconaut’?
(Charlie, Frankie, any thoughts?). Maybe it’s a job for the SkaNads.
Me First & The Gimme Gimmes release their next album Are We
Not Men? We Are Diva! on Gal’s birthday, the 13th May, on Fat
Wreck Chords. This is thought to be a complete coincidence but
we thought we’d mention it in time for you to buy him a present.
Why is the PM in Boston? We’re forbidden from telling you, but
let’s just say for once Midget Protection League business has
taken precedence over Prankster affairs...
March 12: The long proposed Gonads rarities compilation edges
slowly towards reality with news that Fat Col has found an audio
cassette of ‘Antigallican Last Bell’ – it’s not of sufficient
quality to release, but it is clear enough for us to be able to
reproduce it at some stage. Other 70s songs guaranteed to make
the cut include ‘Ripper’s Delight’, ‘Red Army’, ‘Darling Harold’,
‘Filthy Rich’, ‘Whelks’, ‘Mystic Meg’, ‘Give Her A Dog For Christmas’,
‘Oh! Zoe Bailey!’, and ‘The Legend of Sam Bartram’. The jury is,
understandably, still out on ‘Say What You Like’ but Clyde’s 1994
Cotton-Eyed Joe style remix of ‘Lotto’ will not be included. Says
a tearful Col, “Antigallican takes me right back to the summer
of 1977, what a song!” What a twerp.
Our fraternal buddies Maninblack are STILL at #1 on ReverbNation's
NYC Punk charts. They’re also crashed back into the regional top
40 at #36 with a bullet. Remember, says André Schlesinger: “Every
time you click on the link our manager Gal skims a little off
the top... ” Maninblack headline New York city’s Double Down saloon
on 30th April.
Out now: The Terraces’ album The Season So Far on Rebel Sound
Records, said to be packed with “songs about the honesty of working
class life: unbridled football passion, street-life serenades
written about suburban life; anthemic yet snarling punk at its
raucous best.” Also out now, Bored Teenagers Volume 7, featuring
rare UK punk tracks from The Singles, In The Gym, Katz, Chaos
UK, The Hobbs and many more...
March 11. Here's a shot from yesterday's SkaNads' studio day,
and a chance to pick your own caption: a) Gentleman John reacts
badly to the recording session's last minute scrapping b) When
we asked John to get a new 'axe' for the studio, we didn't quite
have this in mind... c) John misunderstands Wattsie's request
to show her his chopper...
Random News: supporting the Gonads at the 12 Bar in May will
be the fabulous Featherz and the Hideous Bitches (Wot? Is the
Growler coming? - Fat Col)... out now and extremely rare: 'Idle
Threat' by the Skabbs, seventeen 'lost' tracks by the Skabbs,
from Hermosa Beach, California, recorded in 1977/78 - includes
'Who Killed The Kennedys?' and 'You Are The Hillside Strangler'...
March 10. The SkaNads are in the studio today, recording their
brand new number ‘Rude Boy’s On The Rise’ for a split single with
Ska duo Girls Next Door... more reports will no doubt follow.
As of last night though, it looked like Gal would have to be stretchered
in after sustaining painful back injuries while rock-climbing
in Kent. We hear he lost concentration when the Charlton Boys
rang his mobile with the Blades/Addicks score halfway up the slipperiest
part of Toad Rock. It was almost a case of Brokeback Mountain
(in the broken back sense only, before Esso gets excited). Fat
Col got higher than everyone though, he was on skunk. (Incidentally
Toad Rock is the scene of the first murder in Gal’s new novel
Facedown; judging by his tenuous grasp of maths the local landlord
is still getting away with murder to this day).
With regret we have dropped ‘FrankenSkin’ from our set. Said
Fat Col: “The song does not fit the band’s new direction, and
on stage the creature has gone from menacing if slightly camp
monster to great flouncing nitwit.” Frankie will be killed off
in a number called ‘The Death Of FrankenSkin’ (with a video filmed
in Berkley Square). He will be replaced by new song/character
‘Son Of FrankenSkin’. Let’s take a moment to recall the all-time
greatest FrankenSkins: 1) Gentleman John – staggeringly good when
he played the beast in Swindon, or at least staggering, he’d necked
our entire rider 2) FB – masterfully scary at the 100 Club 3)
The Beast – no-one who saw his PND display will ever forget it,
truly he ‘wowed the crowds in Old Berlin’ 4) Stief A’Billy – Duncan
Norvelle meets the Hammer House of Horror 5) Pavel – our Russian
mate, don’t know what he did to the crowd but he didn’t half terrify
us; it looked like his critter might annex Crimea and probably
IKEA at any minute. To the others who have played Frankie: thank
you and gawd bless ya! Col is convinced the character mask is
cursed. He tells us: “Four out of five people are transformed
when they put that face on. It’s weird. It’s a bit like that film
The Mask, except they don’t get magical powers, just an inflated
sense of importance. It’s evil I tell ya, evil.”
Good news! The great Neville Staple yesterday added his unique
vocals to the dance mix of Stief A’Billy’s World Cup single ‘The
Revenge of World Cup Willie’. The great man is now looking for
a collective name for the single – possibly Glorious Albion, England’s
Dreaming, English Pride or even Tudor Tone. This is looking promising,
we hope the excitement doesn’t go to Stief’s head.
Out Now: Steven Dilodovico and Amy Yates Wuelfing’s book No
Slam Dancing, No Stage Diving, No Spikes: An Oral History Of The
Legendary City Gardens which tells the story of Trenton, New Jersey’s
City Gardens club. Interviewees include Henry Rollins, Ian MacKaye,
Tesco Vee, Peter ‘Hooky’ Hook, Jello Biafra, The Dickies, Agnostic
Front, and many more. With photos by Ken Salerno and a foreword
by Mickey Ween. Published by DiWuelf at $29 a pop.
March 9. The first London show for the slim-line Gonads line-up
is confirmed: it’s 31st May at the 12 Bar in Denmark Street. Supports
to follow...
Big Jim Brooks is reforming the Ejected for a few gigs this year
and possibly an e.p. The East End Kids’ first gig is being announced
tomorrow... not too far from home...
The near-legendary first version of the Dead Kennedys’ In God
We Trust, Inc album is out now for the first time on vinyl. Recorded
nearly 33 years ago, the original tapes were buggered, but a video
feed of the session survived and that’s now up for grabs.
March 8. GRROC Update in headlines: The Gonads and the East End
Badoes to play joint shows... London's 12 Bar Club and Awkwright's
Bar in Rainham to host the first gigs, perhaps as early as Easter
time... joint single "discussed"... other bands "poised to join
bandwagon"... Donkey Laugh "tempted"... SkaNads say "Don't involve
us"...
GRROC fever is sweeping the nation, write our own correspondents
Dee Lewded and Tab Lloyd. "The movement, also known as G-Rock,
Geeze and Generation YTF, is picking up steam amongst those disaffected
with the narrow backwards-looking confines of other genres. GRROC'ers
reject the dumb-arse politics of what they call a dying scene
and chose instead the pursuit of nirvana through fine wine and
extra-strong lager... " (Continued Sidney Arms)
Random but Actual News: Gal finished doing the pick-ups for
his Riff-Raff, Rebels & Rock Gods project today. More tantalising
details soon... Epic Problem (featuring Mackie from Blitz) are
back with a limited edition 7inch EP called 'Lines'... Bad Cop/Good
Cop's new 7" 'Boss Lady' is available for pre-order from Fat Wreck
Chords now... Disorder's The Singles Collection LP has been reissued
by Radiation, and includes the UK hardcore outfit's three early
7" EPs ('Complete Disorder', 'Distortion To Deafness' and 'Mental
Disorder' plus the eight-track 12inch 'Perdition' (once accurately
described as "sounding like "shit" by the legendary John Peel.)
The phone rings. It's Stief. He's landed us a supporting role
in a play. Great, we say, where? John O'Groats, he replies. Who's
the star? He is. How much does it pay? Not actual money, but we'd
get a case of crabs from Cromarty Firth at the end of the week.
And how would we get there? He'd drive. He's thought of everything.
Twelve hours in a van listening to Steps and Stief's own ditties
on a loop-tape for a walk on part in an am-dram production...
why, that's surely worth more than mere money. After weighing
up his generous offer for all of five seconds we can only say
"Haud yer wheesht, ya balmpot; awayyego."
March 7. Back in stock! The 'Live Free, Die Free' eighteen track
vinyl double album is finally available again from our shop
page. It has two songs more than the CD version - the original
'Franken-Skin' and the demo version of 'Charlton Tel's Stag Weekend'
- as well as more superb zombie artwork by Sucker from Oxymoron.
Hurry while stocks last!
March 6. Lord Waistrel has declared that the Gonads are “no longer
an Oi band.” In a shock statement, leaked without any consultation
with the group, the arrogant aristocrat announced that “The Gonads
are in the vanguard of an exciting new cross-generational rebel
scene.” Asked what the new scene was, his Lordship rocked on his
feet for a moment and said simply: “GRROC” before vomiting into
a champagne bucket. GRROC? What could this possibly mean? We approached
a professional rock critic, Adrian Titt who demanded £50 for “expenses”
before explaining that GRROC “could well be a contraction of Ger-Rock,
which itself is probably a contraction of Geezer-Rock.” Pushed
on the matter, for a further £30, he suggested that GRROC is a
form of street-punk played by “bad-tempered ’erberts of all ages
and backgrounds... It’s Giffer with attitude, bigger songs and
better groupies... but also with credit card bills, mortgage arrears
and parking fines.” Titt cited the Gonads and the reformed East
End Badoes as the leading figureheads in this new “non-political,
pro-human” street movement. And who are we to argue? Up the Gers!
(Now you’ve done it – Ed)
March 5. Exciting news from Jeff Turner who is launching his
own spin-off band The Outfit shortly. The gifted Custom House
based trio will raise a few eyebrows in Oi circles however, as
they’re not punk at all, but modern urban pop with reggae and
soul influences. Think heartfelt inner city lyrics with air-play
friendly sounds. Joining Jeff are Louis Bowers, a hip-hop, soul
and drum and bass whizz-kid, and Wayne Maynard the guitarist from
East End Promises. The Outfit will release an eleven track debut
album called The Forgotten Class this summer. Their website is
coming soon.
Here’s Gal with our new guitarist Phil Badoe during his first
full rehearsal last night. The marathon session took place in
a studio located in what some have described as “a dogging car
park near Dartford” – which may explain the absence of Wattsie
Watts, she probably had ahem ‘other things’ to do. Rhythm guitarist
Gentleman John moved to bass for the practise set with Paul SkaNad
standing in on drums. The sound was “rocking” according to music
expert Fat Col, and more intense rehearsals will follow before
this slimmed-down Gonads line-up play low-key gigs inside the
M25. But do not fear. The full Gonads line-up will return later
this year, we’re told, after Phil has “bedded in” (with the band
presumably and not with the Yeti). Then John will go back on rhythm
guitar, with Mick Maverick on bass. We might even have two drummers
– Paul on stage with us and South Coast Steve in another venue,
in another city, preferably in another country...
March 4. Gal’s latest podcast is up and running right now on
Total Rock, with guests Rhoda Dakar and Angie Brown, plus songs
from Booze & Glory, Stief A’Billy, Control, the East End Badoes,
Chris Pope, Secret Affair, Dave Wakeling, Kill For Eden, The Angry
Agenda, the Damn Vandals, the Versatiles, System Of Hate, Bad
Manners and a whole load more. It’s all about as laid-back and
smoothly organised as a fist-fight in the House of Fools. Hear
it here.
The London Intl Ska Festival returns to the capital over Easter
next month (17th-20th April) with fifty acts from around the globe
across fifteen venues. Headliners include Horace Andy, Derrick
Morgan, Keith & Tex, Ken Parker, Mad Professor, Dennis Bovell
and King Prawn. And on top of all that the organisers have launched
The London Intl Ska Festival Collectors LP series, which features
nine exclusive and limited edition vinyl albums from acts performing
at this year’s events. These comprise of such renowned legends
as Dennis ‘Blackbeard’ Bovell, as well as lesser heroes the Phoenix
City All-Stars, the Goldmaster All-Stars, The Sidewalk Doctors
and The Indecision... Only 100 hand-numbered copies of each album
are being manufactured. The first twenty of each come in an oak
box-set branded with The London Intl Ska Festival logo. Buy them
from here.
For show tickets and line up details go here.
A campaign objecting to “rampant sexism” on this blog led by
long-time fan Sandra Lane has won the unexpected backing of Fat
Col. “There just ain’t enough on it,” observes the chunky Confucius
of Charlton Village. Oaf.
March 3. Today kicked off with an intense song-writing session
between Gal and Mark McMighty which has produced two brand new
SkaNads songs – ‘Rude Boy’s On The Rise’ and the more serious
‘Standing Strong’ – at least one of which will be recorded next
week...
Random News: Dave Grohl has joined new supergroup Teenage Time
Killer, a combo put together by Reed Mullin and Mike Dean of C.O.C.,
Jello Biafra, Corey Taylor of Slipknot, Keith Morris of Black
Flag and Lamb Of God’s Randy Blythe are also involved. The band’s
name comes from the Rudimentary Peni song... Randy, C.O.C. & Corey
would have tickled us more.
Loyal Gonadettes, led by the ravishing Wattsie Watts, have rallied
to Lord Waistrel’s cause and are now working as bunny girls to
raise cash (and other things – Fat Col) to pay off a “ruinous”
tax demand apparently “imposed by the treacherous Treasury” to
“line the pockets of Brussels fat-cats.” Suggestions that this
is all “demeaning, sexist nonsense made up to titillate vulgar-minded
readers” are too insulting to merit a reply.
The Bitch has been less than kind about the new San Miguel advert
featuring Stief A’Billy. “No wonder Estrada is out-selling it,”
she sniffs. “Carlsberg don’t do San Miguel ads but if they did
they probably wouldn’t use Stief... they’d use actual A-list celebs...
” Meow!
March 2. Yesterday’s Pranksters’ deluxe weekend break-away and
ladies night, “incorporating Mexican fine dining”, in Kent was
reportedly blemished by the activities of a black-hearted maverick
known locally as the Phantom Head-Shaver of Pembury Road. This
vile creature struck when senior lodge officials were in a state
of advanced meditation (shortly after chucking out time last night)
and shaved off their locks. The effects were first noted at breakfast
this morning when a distraught Effete El streaked through the
lobby of Big Dick’s Halfway Inn screaming “Oh no, he’s balded
me!” Security officer Martin Sporrell (aggressive gooner) was
then heard bellowing “I’m balded too! The little fucker!” Fear
and loathing spread rapidly through the hotel as brethren woke
up to discover that they had suffered the same awful fate. Some
even blamed the long banished ‘enemy within’ Paul Devine (round-dodger)
for the outrage. Said an ashen-faced PM (whose fine locks were
unharmed): “Pembury has become a city of terror – even though
it’s not actually a city. We are now officially in a state of
alert.” So mote it be.
The Gonads, as any fule nose, run at a significant financial
loss, so Lord Waistrel was horrified to receive a “ludicrous”
tax demand from HMRC yesterday. His Lordship has urged the band
to raise cash urgently “by any means necessary” to see off this
menace and we’re proud to report that Wattsie Watts has risen
to the challenge. She has also shimmied, back-scuttled and gyrated
to it... as this exciting picture shows...
The spiffing new Stiff Little Fingers album No Going Back is
out now as a download... CD and vinyl versions to follow... |
