C86 Show - Indie Pop

David Walker in conversation with David Eastaugh https://www.facebook.com/groups/952963613406389 https://www.cloudberryrecords.com/blog/?p=2806 Manchester-based indie four-piece, active in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Three members went on to form Brassy.

Robert Dean in conversation with David Eastaugh https://lightofdaycr.bandcamp.com/album/dimensions https://vivabeat.bandcamp.com/album/the-house-is-burning-the-best-of-vivabeat https://vivabeat.bandcamp.com/album/party-in-the-war-zone-expanded https://robertdeanmartinbirke.bandcamp.com/album/triptych Perhaps best known as the original guitarist in the British band Japan. Upon leaving the group after the "Gentlemen Take Polaroids" album, Robert provided guitar backing to a number of artists including ABC with his good friend Martin Fry as well as Gary Numan & Sinéad O'Connor. Robert also was a member of several subsequent bands including Illustrated Man and the Australian-based The Slow Club who released a number of singles & an album "World Of Wonders" Now lives and enjoys a lifestyle as an ornithologist & published artist (usually the Costa Rican bird population).

Dominic Silvani in conversation with David Eastaugh https://www.facebook.com/people/Dominic-Silvani-Music/100037388325690/ Formed by Dominic Silvani, Penelope's Web were around for some years between the mid 80's - early 90's. During that time the band released two 12" singles. 'The Gap' EP was put out on their own label in 1987. At the end of the 80's the band signed to Cherry Red for their second EP which was released eventually in 1990. A compilation album, "Retrospective 86-89", was released in 2014 on Firestation Records. Penelope's Web were: Dominic Silvani: vocals Gavin Abbs: guitar John Thompson: bass Steve Oldham: drums

Mark Goodall in conversation with David Eastaugh https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bright-Young-Things-philosophy-records/dp/3955752372 https://rudolfrocker.bandcamp.com/ el records was created in 1984 by Mike Alway. Alway was A&R man for Cherry Red signing artists such as Everything But the Girl, The Monochrome Set and Felt. Alway left Cherry Red to help run Blanco Y Negro (an offshoot of WEA) but soon felt constrained but the conservativism of the commercial music sector and left to set up his own label. el was once described as 'the most innately English record label there has ever been' and yet had a global appeal. Alway must be the only record label boss to have had four songs written about him... Alway's mercurial approach was to take complete control of the repertoire, the philosophy of the label's releases and even the titles of songs in the manner of pop impresarios of the past. Alway became a curator, selecting, shaping and overseeing the records issued on el.e  

Derek Shulman in conversation with David Eastaugh https://gentlegiantband.com/ ‘Playing The Fool: The Complete Live Experience', will be released across several formats including double CD, triple vinyl, Blu-Ray and digital download. The album has been remastered and painstakingly remixed from the original source tapes by Dan Bornemark with the Blu Ray containing a stereo 96/24 bit mix, 5.1 surround sound and Dolby Atmos mixes. You can purchase the album here:  https://gentlegiantuk.lnk.to/PTF   Containing new sleeve notes by Alan Kinsman together with a plethora of photographs along with a track list that reflects the original running order of the setlist played on the tour including three previously unreleased songs and the between song banter from Derek Shulman, this represents the most accurate account of Gentle Giant live at the very peak of their powers.   Check out trailer for the album here:  https://youtu.be/f0mqNUE3T6Y   Watch the video for Free Hand here: https://youtu.be/uk_xE116U0Y   Derek Shulman: “Effectively what you're hearing on this album is the whole show with all the bells and whistles included with me speaking to the audience and to the band just like it was on the night.”

John Wills in conversation with David Eastaugh https://pumajaw1.bandcamp.com/ Multi-instrumentalist John Wills has been a member of two British bands, 'Loop' and 'Hair & Skin Trading Company'. He is a long time collaborator of Pinkie Maclure. Together, they are working under several aliases including 'Hello', 'Fingerfood', 'Lumen' and 'Pumajaw'.

Sarah Jane Morris in conversation with David Eastaugh https://www.sarahjanemorris.co.uk/home The Sisterhood is ten songs I have written with my right hand man Tony Remy about the lives of ten female singers and singer-songwriters who have inspired me over the years and who have made their marks on musical history. Bessie, Billie, Miriam, Nina, Aretha, Janis, Joni, Ricky-Lee, Annie, Kate – who needs a second name in company like this? Pioneers of Music, we have respectfully researched the lives of these women who were/are all great artists and great cultural transformers. My lyrics tell their stories, as does the music we have created for each song, using the characteristic genre and stylistic markers appropriate to each artist. We fell in love with each one of these extraordinary women as we gained insights into their lives, their minds and the challenges they faced … and I am sure that you will too. We are excited to finally see the project come to life. Now is you chance to experience the same joy and excitement listening to it as we had making it.

Greg Keeffe in conversation with David Eastaugh https://preciousrecordingsoflondon.bandcamp.com/album/peel-sessions-84-86 Big Flame (often rendered bIG*fLAME) were a post-punk/indie rock three piece band, based in Manchester, England, and active from 1983 to 1986. The members were Alan Brown (bass, vocals), Greg Keeffe (guitar) and Dil Green (drums). After a debut EP ("Sink") on their own Laughing Gun label, they joined the Ron Johnson roster for a series of mid-1980s singles as well as an appearance on the NME's C86 compilation.

Knox Chandler in conversation with David Eastaugh https://knoxchandlermusic.com/ https://www.facebook.com/knox.chandler.3/ Knox Chandler's career has spanned for over four decades including long stints as a member of The Psychedelic Furs, Siouxsie and the Banshees and the Cyndi Lauper band, extraordinary experiences in recording and performing live around the world. The Sound is the new debut album from Chandler -  at the core is Chandler's “Soundribbon” style of meditative, powerfully cinematic instrumental performance on guitar, accompanied by upright bass and percussion which comprises the audio component of the release. The visual portion is a book of paintings, photographs, sketches and written meditations, interpreting nature through technology. The blending of these mediums is Knox's attempt to make the diaristic intent of his music explicit. The Sound is being released on Knox's new label Blue Elastic on May 30. The album is available on digital download and on streaming platforms on its own, or the book comes with a download code. I hope you'll consider covering Knox with an interview, feature, news story or album review.

Vicki Peterson & John Cowsill in conversation with David Eastaugh https://www.vickipetersonandjohncowsill.com/ ‘Long After The Fire' sees Vicki Peterson of The Bangles (whose work includes worldwide smash hits such as ‘Eternal Flame' and ‘Walk Like An Egyptian') team up with John Cowsill, drummer/vocalist for The Beach Boys for over 23 years and an original member of the platinum-selling family band The Cowsills, Their debut album as a duo, ‘Long After The Fire' is a set of Americana songs written by John's late brothers, Barry and Bill Cowsill.A new single from the album entitled ‘Is Anybody Here' is out today (21st March), with Peterson revealing that “it is the song that kicked off the entire ‘Long After The Fire' record. John and Paul Allen recorded this track at Sun Studios in Memphis, without me, in the spur of the moment and absolutely set the template for the album. At this stage, John and I were considering calling the project Dead Brothers!”

David J Haskins in conversation with David Eastaugh https://davidjhaskins.com/music Both album & book are being released 6th June 2025 The Mother Tree is a poignant five-track album featuring David reciting his poetry to the accompaniment of lush, dramatic, atmospheric music, showcasing his multidimensional musical artistry. The bulk of the title piece was composed over the course of 3 days, in a remote part of Massachusetts where he was living in 1997, this following the passing of his mother, Joan Nancy. Rhapsody, Threnody & Prayer is a book of his poetry collected over the course of many years. The poems encompass a large array of experiences, places, relationships, infatuations and obsessions. Love found and love lost. They include tributes to departed cultural icons like Ian Curtis, Kurt Cobain, Mark Linkous, Jeff Buckley, and Jack Kerouac. David J Haskins Live Dates: June 10 - HQ (Record release event), Denver CO June 12 - Electron Gardens, Atlanta, GA June 14 - Fleetwoods, Asheville, NC June 18 - The Slipper Room, NYC, NY June 24 - Zebulon, Los Angeles, CA

Martin Vincent in conversation with David Eastaugh https://www.facebook.com/groups/44800212324 Band members included Mike West (vocals and guitar) Sheila Seal (bass), Martin Vincent (guitar and harmonica), and Howard Goody (drums). The band members had little in common with most Manchester bands. Goody was a graduate of Winchester School of Art. Vincent had been an art critic and painter. Seal, a Glaswegian, was a classically trained musician who had run an art gallery. West, who wrote the songs, was the Australian-born son of the author Morris West.

Ben Devenezia in conversation with David Eastaugh The Story "Where the Kids Still Scream" explores the evolving spirit of New York City's punk scene and asks: Does punk still hold true to its roots? Has the ethos of the '70s–'90s been diluted or reshaped in the internet age? Is it still possible to live a punk lifestyle in 2025? Through interviews with legendary voices from the past and present, this documentary dives deep into what punk meant, what it still means, and where it might go next. Kickstarter:  https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thekidsstillscream/where-the-kids-still-scream-0   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/streetphotjournals?igsh=MTVld2dncmk1MzV5dQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

Sally Carr & Ken Andrew in conversation with David Eastaugh https://middleoftheroad-popgroup.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QllFI1jwd8  

Robert Darlington in conversation with David Eastaugh https://translatorlive.bandcamp.com/album/beyond-today-live-at-the-farm-san-francisco-july-12-1986 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NhHVZ-320c A celebrated group of the new wave era, Translator has announced details of their first live concert release. Beyond Today: Live at the Farm – San Francisco 1986 arrives May 9 on LP, CD, and download from Liberation Hall. The vinyl LP will feature eight tracks from the final show of the group's period at Columbia Records (1982-1986). The CD and download will include an additional four live tracks, including the previously unreleased “Puzzles,” as well as two brand-new songs mixed last year by renowned producer Ed Stasium. All formats are distributed by MVD Entertainment Group (USA) and Wienerworld (UK).

Mic Jogwer in conversation with David Eastaugh https://pinkturnsblue.com/ https://pinkturnsblue.bandcamp.com/album/black-swan Formed in 1985, they were part of the first generation of gothic rock in Germany and released their first LP, If Two Worlds Kiss with a sound reminiscent of new wave with very dark undertones and use of synthesizers, and went to become part of the developing sub-genre of dark wave.

Paul Roland in conversation with David Eastaugh http://www.paulroland.info/ https://paulroland.net/ English singer-songwriter, author and music journalist. Roland typically writes his songs in the form of stories, often addressing historical figures, characters from literature and film, or his own creations. He has explored genres including gothic rock, psychedelic pop, folk and baroque. Described by Music Week as a "psychedelic cult celebrity", Roland has enjoyed an underground career as opposed to mainstream success, gathering a stronger fanbase in mainland Europe than in his native UK. He has been credited with spearheading steampunk music. Aside from his recording career, Roland has written for various music magazines, and has authored numerous books on subjects including popular music, crime, World War II, and the supernatural.

Trevor Tanner & Paul Clark in conversation with David Eastaugh https://thebolshoibrothers.com/ https://thebolshoibrothers.bandcamp.com/ Trevor Tanner and Paul Clark started working on their debut album during the Covid lockdown. They recorded the album together remotely, Trevor from Florida and Paul from Seattle. The album release will be followed by live shows featuring songs from new album as well as a selection of songs originally recorded by The Bolshoi.

Nick Nicely in conversation with David Eastaugh https://nicknicely1.bandcamp.com/track/or-a-brockley-afternoon English singer-songwriter who records psychedelic and electronic music. He is best known for his 1982 single "Hilly Fields (1892)". Nicely released only one other record in the early 1980s, the single "D.C.T. Dreams", before retreating from the music industry. The influence of "Hilly Fields" has been noted on Bevis Frond, Robyn Hitchcock, Robert Wyatt, and XTC's psychedelic alter egos the Dukes of Stratosphear, as well as the hypnagogic pop movement of the 2000s. In September 2014, Lo Records released Nicely's second full-length album, Space of a Second. A third Nick Nicely album, Sleep Safari, was released on 26 September 2017 through Tapete Records. In 2018, "Hilly Fields" appeared in the Timothee Chalamont film Hot Summer Nights. From the start of 2018 Nicely has been working on live performances accompanied by the musician Bug Lover and generating new versions of old tracks and adding visuals. First came secret gigs in Frappant (February and April) in Hamburg, then on 14 June 2018 at the Electric Ballroom in London supporting John Maus, followed by a December show in Moscow and then a US East coast tour again with Maus in 2019.

Wendy Robinson in conversation with David Eastaugh https://www.thecalmzone.net/ The band was formed by Wendy Robinson (vocals) and Polly Hancock (vocals, guitar), initially with a drum machine. This line-up recorded the debut "Don't Go Back" EPon Big Cat UK (catalogue number BBA02) in August 1988) achieving "Single of the Week" in Melody Maker. A John Peel session, produced by Dale Griffin and recorded at the BBC studios in Golders Green, London, was first broadcast on 21 September 1988 and repeated on 11 October 1988. It featured four original songs; "Perfect Dream Home", "Fine Lines", "Dr Fell" and "Backward" Daydream. They then recruited Dana Baldinger (born Seattle,), and signed to One Little Indian Records, releasing "Please Let Me Go" as a single in April 1990; this too attained Single of The Week in Melody Maker. Baldinger was eventually replaced by Anne Rogers of The Crowd Scene.

Susan Rogers in conversation with David Eastaugh American professor, sound engineer, and record producer best known for being Prince's staff engineer during his commercial peak (1983-1987), including on albums like Purple Rain, Around the World in a Day, Parade, Sign o' the Times, and The Black Album. During this time, Rogers laid the foundations for Prince's now-famous vault by beginning the process of collecting and cataloguing all his studio and live recordings.

Keith West in conversation with David Eastaugh https://hozacrecords.com/bands/brats/ Before there was KISS, before there were The Ramones and Blondie, there was The Brats. The Brats and The New York Dolls were at the forefront of the NYC music scene of the Seventies. Brat, Rick Rivets, actually quit The Dolls to form The Brats. The Brats would become the biggest draw in NYC from 1972 to 1981 and every band hoped to open for them for the exposure. Just ask any one of the members of KISS or The Ramones (“Beat on The Brat!”) or any other NYC band for that matter, The Brats were a big influence on them and the whole NYC music scene of the Seventies. Their story begins one night while hanging out with Alice Cooper downstairs at Max's, Keith West and the boys were giving the waitress a hard time. Alice leaned over and said “You guys are a bunch of Brats” and they took him literally. Early on, The Brats rehearsed in a loft on Bleecker Street, where they would stage their infamous loft parties, often with an then unsigned band, KISS, as their opening act. They headlined all over the New York City area with other up and coming bands like Blondie, The Ramones, Television, Talking Heads and The Heartbreakers

Gary Asquith in conversation with David Eastaugh

Christoph Menningen  in conversation with David Eastaugh https://www.facebook.com/colognepopfest mail@colognepopfest.com https://colognepopfest.blogspot.com/?fbclid=IwY2xjawJWi5VleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHd3R4gg0iuW4A2ZBvJDJ0oqzCvYA2JNTMgfyN0fdEsEPSiJtzKFbd9WuRg_aem_a6rMBrOhdGnpc8KLlBf45A

Matt James in conversation with David Eastaugh https://musicmattjames.bandcamp.com/ https://www.facebook.com/geneofficialband Matt is a musician, singer, songwriter & former drummer & co-songwriter in the UK guitar band Gene. Gene had success around the world including many UK top 40 hits & top 10 LP's. They also toured the world extensively in their active years. Matt left the music industry in 2008 but returned in 2021 as a solo artist & has recently finished recording his debut solo LP with producer Stephen Street.

Terry Newman in conversation with David Eastaugh https://www.accartbooks.com/uk/book/marilyn-monroe-style/ Marilyn Monroe Style celebrates Marilyn's impact on fashion by revealing the influence of her many iconic looks. Her wardrobe encompassed sensual femininity as well as low-key minimalism. Outfits span from shimmering showpieces such as the Jean Louis gown worn to serenade JFK on his birthday, to Pucci slacks and cats-eye spectacles. Born Norma Jeane Mortensen, whenever she ‘became' Marilyn, she mesmerised onlookers with showstopping outfits that helped make her a legend, yet throughout her life the clothes she wore represented many ways of being a woman. Written by Terry Newman – the bestselling author of Taylor Swift and the Clothes She Wears – this book tells the story of Marilyn's life through clothes and is essential reading for Marilyn Monroe fans everywhere.  

Jim Walters in conversation with David Eastaugh https://www.facebook.com/DasDamenOfficial The band was formed in 1984 by Jim Walters (vocals, guitar), Alex Totino (guitar, vocals), Phil Leopold von Trapp (bass, vocals), and Lyle Hysen (drums). Totino and Hysen were previously in the New York hardcore band The Misguided. Das Damen released their self-titled debut album on Thurston Moore's Ecstatic Peace! in 1986. They subsequently signed to SST Records and released Jupiter Eye in 1987, which has been described as "quasi-hardcore that touched on MC5-like garage psychedelia". A third album, Triskaidekaphobe, followed. It featured a guest appearance by ex-MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer.  

Colin Gregory in conversation with David Eastaugh https://preciousrecordingsoflondon.bandcamp.com/album/pre-028-one-thousand-violins-john-peel-session-021286 https://preciousrecordingsoflondon.bandcamp.com/album/pre-027-one-thousand-violins-john-peel-session-250985

Leah Andreone in conversation with David Eastaugh Andreone's first album, Veiled, produced by Rick Neigher, was released by RCA in 1996. It included the hit single "It's Alright, It's OK", which charted in the U.S., Europe, and Australia. It was introspective whereas her next album, Alchemy, was more sexual and intimate. Andreone's lyrics are often treatises on psychology, reflecting her interest in the subject.

Paul Rappaport in conversation with David Eastaugh https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gliders-Over-Hollywood-Airships-Promotion/dp/191682918X Gliders Over Hollywood tells the exhilarating true story of a blue-collar kid nicknamed ‘Rap' who grew up in thrall to rock'n'roll, then found himself right in the middle of many of his heroes' lives as he became the most renowned rock promotion man in the USA. Paul Rappaport enjoyed a storied thirty-three-year career at Columbia Records, where he was instrumental in the careers of everyone from Bob Dylan to Bruce Springsteen, Pink Floyd to The Rolling Stones, Elvis Costello to Billy Joel, Judas Priest to Alice In Chains, and many, many more. The music business from the late 60s through the 90s was an exciting time that mirrored the music and the musicians making it. It was also a time of new and creative ideas on how to market this groundbreaking cultural phenomenon. Eccentric characters were everywhere, and often the managers, promoters, disc jockeys, and record company staff were just as big a show as the performers themselves. This dynamic, entertaining memoir captures the magic of these times and the people who made it happen, revealing the never-before-heard secrets of the promotion and marketing that turned the music industry on its head. From creating the Pink Floyd airship to sword-fighting with Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden and receiving a guitar lesson from Keith Richards, it's a book packed full of extraordinary adventures with some of the biggest names in rock.    

Craig Wedren in conversation with David Eastaugh https://www.craigwedren.com/ American singer-songwriter, musician and composer, who began his career fronting post-hardcore band Shudder to Think. Following the disbandment of Shudder to Think, Wedren pursued a career as a television and film music composer, as well as releasing solo material.    

Sharon Smith in conversation with David Eastaugh https://www.ideanow.online/cameragirl https://store.magalleria.co.uk/products/camera-girl-sharon-smith   In New York in 1979, Sharon was a 28- year-old photographer who walked into the Ritz, an East Village club that was the center of the New Wave music scene. She went on to work at the Savoy, the Red Parrot, Studio 54, Roseland Ballroom, Merlyn's, 4D, Area, Palladium, Mars and the club called New York, New York. The book is of course full of unseen Polaroid pictures of Madonna, Andy Warhol, Sylvester, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Grace Jones, Debbie Harry and many, many club kids and disco dancers. The main text features Sharon Smith with the book's editor Bill Shapiro. The introduction is by 2024 legend Honey Dijon. It is the perfect package.  

Jon Ronson in conversation with David Eastaugh http://jonronson.com/ In the late 1980s, Ronson replaced Mark Radcliffe as the keyboard player for the Frank Sidebottom band for a number of performances. Ronson was the manager of the Manchester indie band The Man from Delmonte

Justin K Broadrick in conversation with David Eastaugh https://jesu.bandcamp.com/ https://avalancherecordings.bandcamp.com/ https://www.facebook.com/officialgodflesh Best known as the lead singer and a founding member of the band Godflesh, followed by Jesu. He was briefly in the English grindcore band Napalm Death when he was a teenager in the mid-1980s, writing and recording guitar for their debut album, Scum. Broadrick has also maintained a parallel career as a producer, producing records and remixes. Since the 1990s he has worked with Kevin Martin as Techno Animal an electronic music project based in a fusion of industrial, dub, ambient and hip hop, which disbanded in 2001 and was reactivated in 2017 under the new name Zonal. Since 2012, he has been releasing hard techno music under the solo moniker JK Flesh. Broadrick has set up record labels such as HeadDirt, Avalanche Recordings, Post Mortem Productions (briefly renamed Uprising Productions), Lo Fibre and Heartache.

Simon Barber in conversation with David Eastaugh https://preciousrecordingsoflondon.bandcamp.com/album/pre-049-the-chesterfields-janice-long-session-060187 https://simonchesterfield.bandcamp.com/album/simon-chesterfield PRE 049: THE CHESTERFIELDS – Janice Long session 06.01.87 Leading lights among the generation of indie pop outfits that thrived in the post-C86 environment, The Chesterfields released three singles on the Subway Organization label before reaching the dizzy heights of No.2 on the independent charts with their debut album ‘Kettle'. Various line-ups reappeared over the years – as, indeed, did another three LPs – but this is the classic early line-up, captured in a four-song blast session for the BBC in early 1987. As well as featuring a handful of the Somerset-based group's best-loved songs, the session features a guest appearance from soon-to-be-legendary West Country-based PJ Harvey producer John Parish – masquerading as ‘Scott Tracey' for a spot of percussion and backing vocals! Songsheet: Two Girls And A Treehouse, What's Your Perversion?, Oh Mr Wilson!, Love Mountain

Amy Rigby in conversation with David Eastaugh https://www.amyrigby.com/ https://www.amazon.co.uk/Girl-City-Memoir-Amy-Rigby After playing with several New York bands she began a solo career, recording several albums which had only modest sales despite enthusiastic reviews. She settled into a career of touring while raising a daughter, then formed a duo with Wreckless Eric, whom she also married. As of November 2011 they continue to tour from a base in upstate New York. She is the author of a memoir, Girl to City.  

John McKay in conversation with David Eastaugh https://thejohnmckay.bandcamp.com/album/sixes-and-sevens McKay's influence lives on; many of the most influential guitarists of the past four decades credit him as a major influence - Geordie from Killing Joke, Jim Reid of The Jesus And Mary Chain, U2's The Edge, Thurston Moore, Johnny Marr and even the two guitarists - The Cure's Robert Smith and Magazine's John McGeoch - who followed him in The Banshees. 

 McKay's burgeoning status as the anti-guitar hero was halted when he and Banshees drummer Kenny Morris - at odds with Siouxsie and bassist Steve Severin - fled the band just after the start of a tour supporting the group's second album, Join Hands. It was a weekly music paper scandal, later the subject of a BBC documentary, and Siouxsie's vitriol working its way into the lyrics of a later Banshees b-side, "Drop Dead / Celebration". Aside from a solitary single on Marc Riley's In Tape label nearly a decade later, no music was heard from McKay again. So it comes as a major surprise to learn of a pile of excellent recordings made in the years just after he left The Banshees, unheard by all but a very few, some of which feature drummer Kenny Morris, plus Mick Allen from Rema Rema, Matthew Seligman of the Soft Boys and longer-term collaborator Graham Dowdall and John's wife Linda . . . the latter three of whom are now sadly deceased.

 Sixes And Sevens is an historic lost album. Brazenly genius and bearing fair claim as the lost treasure of the post-punk era, the album collects eleven studio tracks, carefully mastered from original tapes. It's a masterpiece which best speaks for itself. 

Angela Jaeger in conversation with David Eastaugh https://www.amazon.co.uk/Feel-Famous-Punk-Diaries-1977-1981/dp/1955125570 I Feel Famous: Punk Diaries 1977-1981 is a girl's coming of age story set to the pulse of punk rock. The book tracks 17-year-old Angela Jaeger's exciting discovery of punk music and its accompanying lifestyle in 1977. A music enthusiast living in New York's East Village, Angela's story unfolds chronologically, charting her late adolescence in tandem with her transition from observer of the nascent punk scene to eager participant. Gradually becoming a nightly fixture of her neighborhood's vibrant underground rock milieu at CBGB and Max's Kansas City, by 1978 she had continued to fulfill her punk fantasy abroad. She followed the Clash on a tour across England, finally returning home in 1979 to start her own band. Angela encountered an impressive cast of characters on her adventures, including Lydia Lunch, Joe Strummer, Billy Idol, Klaus Nomi, and Sid Vicious. Laced with humor and wide-eyed curiosity, Angela's daily first-hand accounts take the reader on a personal journey not found in other punk histories. Additional commentary by the author provides context and further anecdotal material. The text is illustrated with the visual expressions of Angela's enthusiasm—her drawings of punk personalities and fans, previously unseen photos and ephemera culled from her personal archive—affording a unique insight into the relationship between the music, the media, and the audience. The diaries touch on a variety of themes including identity politics, downtown NY, anglophilia, fandom, fame, and fashion. Contrasting the stark black and white of 1970s New York with the exuberant beat-up color of a decaying London and its disenchanted youth, a lost era is brought back to life through a dedicated fan's own reportage. Creative, funny and endlessly cool, the result is an unprecedented perspective into an ever-popular moment in contemporary cultural history.

Brian Nevill in conversation with David Eastaugh Since the 80's he has worked with many artists including Shriekback, Pigbag, Kirsty MacColl, Pete Molinari, Luc Van Acker, Virginia Astley, Big Joe Louis & His Blues Kings, Ronnie Dawson, Planet Rockers, Ray Sharpe, Eddie Angel, Neanderthals, Sonny George, Holly Golightly, Carl Sonny Leyland, Teddy Paige, Carlos & The Bandidos, Duffy Power, Jerimiah Marques. Sister Suzie. 

Sue Tilley in conversation with David Eastaugh https://www.amazon.co.uk/Leigh-Bowery-Life-Times-Icon/dp/034069310X Bowery's closest friend, Sue Tilley recounts the life of Leigh Bowery, the costume designer and performer who posed for the painter Lucien Freud. The biography follows Bowery's life from his arrival in London in 1981 to his death from AIDS in 1994 and was written with the co-operation of his friends and family.

Thomas Walsh in conversation with David Eastaugh https://pugwashtheband.bandcamp.com/ https://westhampsteadarts.com/events/ Pugwash are an Irish pop band fronted by Drimnagh-born musician Thomas Walsh. Pugwash has released six albums since its debut LP Almond Tea in 1999. Influences on the band's sound are regularly cited as including XTC, Electric Light Orchestra and Jeff Lynne, the Beach Boys, the Kinks, Honeybus and the Beatles, though Walsh dismisses the Beatles comparisons as "lazy"    

John Aizlewood in conversation with David Eastaugh http://www.johnaizlewood.com/ https://www.amazon.co.uk/Joy-Division-New-Order-Decades The definitive illustrated story of Joy Division + New Order. There's no template for making it as a globally successful pop group. Some of the ingredients remain constant and beyond the music, there's a mix'n'match selection of premature death, drugs, drink, destroyed friendships, lukewarm solo projects and bungled finances. The saga of Joy Division and New Order has all those clichés, yet both groups defined their times and overturned their musical landscape. First, there was Joy Division. Their music reflected both the barren urban landscape of their native Manchester in the late 1970s and singer Ian Curtis's heart of darkness. They remain forever set in aspic, not merely – if “merely” is the right word – by the suicide of their extraordinary and extraordinarily volatile singer, but by two albums as close to perfection as music can come. From the ashes of Joy Division rose New Order, who recruited a keyboardist because of – rather than in spite of – the fact she couldn't play. On the cusp of the British dance music boom, with what seemed like remarkable prescience, they invested in The Haçienda, a club in their native Manchester. In its pomp, the queues were around the block, but its debts would sink their heroically hopeless record label, Factory. If Joy Division were sublime musical darkness, New Order were bathed in sunlight and their globally popular music bridged the chasm between indie and dance and inspired a generation. Having conquered the world while maintaining their credibility, they snatched defeat from the jaws of victory and imploded in a tsunami of recrimination, while still making fabulous music to this day. You couldn't make it up: there's no need to.

Boris Williams in conversation with David Eastaugh https://vamberator.bandcamp.com/ Boris Williams was present during the Cure's most successful period and is often cited by fans as the best drummer in the band's history. Vamberator - From the dying embers of Shelleyan orphan (with the late Caroline Crawley), jem Tayle plucks out its heart, and along with Boris Williams of the Cure, they forge the beast that is Vamborator: a magical funky hybrid; a frisky colt on a journey to find a meaning in this age of loneliness. This is Vamberator growing in the shade where the most interesting plants grow: a rebellious beast!

Richard Dudanski in conversation with David Eastaugh https://www.amazon.co.uk/Squat-City-Rocks-protopunk-beyond This musical memoir traces the author's life in the corrugated-iron clad ruins of West London's Squat Land during the two years immediately prior to the Punk Explosion of '76, playing with Strummer's seminal garage band “The 101'ers” in the spit-and-sawdust music bars of the capital. The thrills and spills of a crazy, quirky, hand-to-mouth existence gives way to relative disenchantment with the oncoming of the Punk Uprising, which for the author represents, at least partly, a sell-out to the Machiavellian Managers, as much as the vaunted revolution in British popular culture. After an aborted venture with the iconoclastic “Tymon Dogg and the Fools”, a stint with Lydon's metal box period “Public Image Limited”, a term with the Dantesque-dub of “Basement Five”, Dudanski's tale relates the ups and downs of his involvement in a myriad of bands forming part of a fringe underground London scene through the late 70's and 80's - “Bank of Dresden”, “The Raincoats”, “The Tesco Bombers”, "Vincent Units", “The Decomposers”, and his eventual move from London to Granada...Forming an integral part of the book are the illustrations by Esperanza Romero (Richard's partner) many of which were drawn "in situ" back in time...

Andy Saunders in conversation with David Eastaugh https://www.velocitypr.co.uk/ Andy Saunders joined Creation in 1992 as a press officer and remained with the label until the end. He now runs a company called Velocity PR. Velocity Communications has been the leading provider of corporate communications to the music industry for over 20 years.   

Alan Childs in conversation with David Eastaugh https://soundcloud.com/alan-childs-4 Originally from New York City, now lives in Las Vegas - worked with Julian Lennon, toured with David Bowie on the Glass Spider Tour and is currently on tour with John Waite 

John Etheridge in conversation with David Eastaugh https://www.john-etheridge.com/ https://softmachine.org/ John Etheridge is an English jazz fusion guitarist, composer, bandleader and educator known for his eclecticism and broad range of associations in jazz, classical, and contemporary music. He is best known for his work with Soft Machine from 1975 to 1978, 1984 and 2004 to present. In late 1972, Etheridge joined Curved Air violinist Darryl Way's band Wolf, which went on to record three albums in the progressive rock canon for the Deram label: Canis Lupus (1973), Saturation Point (1973), and Night Music (1974). It also provided an outlet for his first compositions, at a rate of one or two tracks per album. Following Wolf's break-up, Etheridge briefly played in the Global Village Trucking Company for a UK tour supporting Gong in early 1975, before a recommendation from fellow guitarist Allan Holdsworth led to him joining Soft Machine, now in full fusion mode having just released Bundles. Etheridge went on to record two albums with the band, Softs (1976) and Alive & Well: Recorded in Paris (1978). He also played on the more recent release, British Tour '75 (2005). With Soft Machine's activities slowing down in the late 1970s, Etheridge began to develop parallel ventures. It was at this time that he began what would become a long-term collaboration with French violinist Stéphane Grappelli, with whom he performed on numerous world tours between 1976 and 1981. The late 1970s also saw Etheridge form the band 2nd Vision,[1] with fellow Soft Machine member, violinist Ric Sanders. Though the band released an album in 1980, they struggled to achieve broader recognition in the hostile post-punk environment and broke up in 1981.

Alan Tyler in conversation with David Eastaugh http://www.alantyler.com/ https://alantyler.bandcamp.com/merch/how-to-never-have-a-hit-the-confessions-of-an-unsuccessful-singer-songwriter Alan Tyler is the singer of The Rockingbirds, the chaotic, swashbuckling country-rockers who galloped haphazardly into the 90s Camden indie scene, got signed, appeared on Top Of The Pops, went head to head with Nirvana at Reading ‘92, and produced, eventually, four albums of unsurpassed Americana. From DIY/punk beginnings, in 1980 Tyler arrived at the experimentalists' haven of the London Musicians Collective and was soon playing swingy pop at Bernie Rhodes' Club Left, sharing the agitpop aspirations of Scritti Politti and other Rough Trade acts before being there at the dawn of Creation Records. At various times he's been a choirboy, a fanzine writer, a Young Socialist, a tap dancer, a polytechnic philosopher, a cycle dispatch rider, a news-monitoring video pirate, an ill-suited civil servant, and a Deptford Creek dwelling river poet. Long after his Heavenly Recordings heyday, Tyler remains a stalwart of London's roots music scene: a critically recognised singer-songwriter who has never had a single hit.

Roque Ruiz  in conversation with David Eastaugh http://www.cloudberryrecords.com/blog/ http://www.cloudberryrecords.com/ "Indiepop label purveying the sound of jangly guitars based in Astoria, NY. Far away from the hipsters."

Aaron Tanner in conversation with David Eastaugh https://officialmerchandise.store/collections/melodic-virtue https://www.melodicvirtue.com/collections/books/products/cardiacs Compiled and designed by Aaron Tanner, Cardiacs: A Big Book and a Band and Whole World Window spans the group's formative years as Cardiac Arrest to their last single, Ditzy Scene (2007). This new release features rare and unseen photos, artwork, and other ephemera that will captivate long-time fans and newcomers alike. With an introduction by Shane Embury of Napalm Death, this book is both a tribute and a comprehensive chronicle of the band's artistry as a whole, providing a wealth of behind-the-scenes looks from the perspectives of band members past and present, alongside fans and contemporaries such as: Mike Patton (Mr. Bungle, Faith No More), Billy Gould (Faith No More), Todd Sucherman (Styx), Boff Whalley and Dunstan Bruce (Chumbawamba), Mike Keneally (The Zappa Band), Joanna Wang, Martin Atkins (Public Image Ltd), Rob Crow (Pinback), Amon Tobin, Rhodri Marsden (Scritti Politti), Charlie Harper (U.K. Subs), Ego Plum, Pitchshifter, Dan Mongrain (Voivod), Paul Masvidal (Cynic), J.G. Thirlwell (Foetus) and many more! The book also contains a black vinyl 7" record of the previously unreleased track, "Aukamakic/Dead Mouse,” from the sessions of their 1979 debut, Cardiac Arrest E.P., as well as the track previously unreleased on vinyl, "Faster Than Snakes with a Ball and a Chain.” This song was originally intended for their 1999 full-length, Guns.

Clive Langer in conversation with David Eastaugh https://newclang.bandcamp.com/album/new-clang Best known as one of the UK's most successful record producers with a string of high-profile credits in his portfolio, CLIVE LANGER returns in the new year with a second album from his band project, THE CLANG GROUP.A belated follow-up to 2016's Practice, the Group's maiden outing for Domino Records, New Clang was recorded with Deaf School co-conspirators John Wood (aka Max Ripple) and Gregg Braden, along with former Klaxons bassist Jamie Reynolds. Written and recorded in the aftermath of Clive's 70th birthday, New Clang is adeeply personal but incredibly vibrant album; catching Clive in reflective mode, the songs address the process of ageing and the state of the world,as well as confronting his own addiction to alcohol.“ After the pandemic, the dust settled, it felt like it was time, a new time, to play again,” he explains. “Not to revisit but to write and rehearse with my Clang Group mates. We were missing a bass player and fortuitously I met Jamie Reynolds and he filled the vacancy. The songs started to flow, we were back in the groove!”“The new album is the first sober songwriting I think I've done in almost 50 years,” he adds. “I've known and accepted that I was an addict for decades... I just didn't do anything about it. I thought I could live with it, I still enjoyed it. Someone once asked me ‘What do you do?' I replied ‘I drink'. Anyway, making an album sober was like making an album drunk except I wassober!!” Packaged in spare black-on-white, suggesting a tabula rasaof sorts, New Clang's distinctive sleeve artis the work of British artist Edwin Burdis, whom Clive met during his time with Domino Records. “Clive asked me to a studio in London to listen to his new album, still a work in progress,” recalls Edwin. “I was struck by the contrast between the upbeat music and its underlying melancholy, evoking clowns and cartoon characters and a nostalgia for London's recent past. At the time, I had been drawing simple cartoon motifs that aligned perfectly with Clive's songs. I wanted the campaign to be cohesive—black-and-white graphics that blend humour with a sense of tragedy and sadness.” A founder member of pioneering Liverpool art-rockers Deaf School, Langer is noted for a string of production credits (usually in collaboration with Alan Winstanley) on hits forthe likes of Dexys Midnight Runners (the no.1 single and album ‘Come On Eileen' and Too-Rye-Ay)andDavid Bowie(‘Absolute Beginners') plus numerous landmark releasesfor Elvis Costello, Madness, Morrissey, The Teardrop Explodes, China Crisis, Bush, They Might Be Giants, The Rockingbirds and, more recently, Fat White Family.