The eclectic final night (Sunday) of LBB9 this year proved once again that we can all get on, with a musical journey from northern soul to psych and everything in between. The Crossfire allnighter also welcomed 70-year-old American R&B performer, Bill Bush, who was unable to perform on the night but took a bow when his record, ‘I’m Waiting’ filled the floor in the main hall. Nutsmag editor, Scotch Martin, was Bill’s guide for the night.
Remarkably, LBB9 was my first visit to Crossfire, with my other half usually getting the ‘pass out’ for this event while I babysit. But I had a very special reason for going this time as American Hammond player, Bill Bush, was over visiting Caroline and me and wanted to drop in to see what all the fuss was about.
Also travelling with us was Cassiobury Soul Club DJ, Martin Harland, and when we arrived the bands had already started in the main hall prior to the allnighter. Two live bands appeared and fellow Glaswegians, The Beatroots, were first to take to the stage. My old friend, and extremely talented, Groovy Graham, was playing sitar, which really added another dimension. Graham and vocalist Neil were previously in Figure 5, the fantastic power pop ensemble who brushed so close to fame they could taste it. But despite appearances across Europe, festivals, gigs at the Albert Hall and Camden’s Electric Ballroom, and an American TV advert major commercial success eluded them.
If you were lucky enough to pick up their free CD, you’ll already know that those years of training has produced a highly competent, psychedelic super group that are already making swirling, shimmering waves everywhere they play.
A big buzz followed for young Dutchman, Jacco Gardner, whose elf like persona fits well with his early Floyd / Sid Barrett-style cosmic sounds. A laid back affair with songs from the new album plus the singles. We were all curious to see if he could create the well-crafted studio sounds live.
I was bowled over with the musicianship, quality and imagination of both sets and although it’s not my ‘thang’, being more of a soul fan, I thought both bands impressive and talented.
The R&B room, at first freezing, later boiling, was hosted by long-running R&B club Mousetrap and DJ’s included Roger Banks, Alberto Valle (Barcelona) and Bill Kealy (Ireland) plus residents Rob Bailey & Chris Dale. The atmosphere is all very mod, with the whole black music spectrum covered from late fifties blues and R&B to late sixties Latin, boogaloo and reggae. That was where Bill and his entourage settled initially, signing autographs and meeting people before his appearance later. It all goes on at LBB!
Bill was particularly fascinated by the energy of the pysch room, where a DJ line-up from all over Europe had belted out the rarest and wildest garage, freakbeat and psych for two nights already and said it reminded him of New Orleans in the 60s. Special guests Sunday were Irish lads Paddy & Sarge, joining Miguel Ygarza (Spain), Carlo Espero (Italy) and NUTS own Dr Robert. The last record rang out at 6.15am with the lights on and a stage full off fun seekers still looking for kicks and shouting for more.
The Crossfire allnighter has a ‘London oldies’ music policy and didn’t disappoint. Most of the tunes from Sean Chapman, Ady Croasdell, Chris Dale, Derek Mead and Roger Stewart were guaranteed floor fillers, and the crowd showed their appreciation with a packed dance floor.
At 1am Chris Dale’s prized copy of ‘I’m Waiting’ shook the floor and Sean Chapman introduced Bill Bush, who thanked the dancers for supporting his music. It turns out that, at 70, it was ‘all a bit loud’ for the guy who played with Bobby Bland, Jerry Lee and Eddy Giles amongst others back in the day – but he left having fulfilled an ambition, to watch his obscure b-side from 1965 pack a dance floor in London, England in 2013. Job done.
Thank you to Ramees Farooqi, Esther Bellepoque & Cloat Culterior for all the great photos. You can see the full LBB9 Photo Albums from Ramees Farooqi & Esther Bellepoque here and from Cloat Culterior on Facebook here. You will need to login to see them!
Since the local youth club in the early-eighties Martin’s been Djing with records of one sort or another. Spots at the CCI National Mod Rallies across Britain in the 80s were followed in 1990 by the first in a line of successful northern soul and mod clubs in Glasgow. With four others he started Goodfoot in 91, with Acid Jazz-influenced playlists of Blow Up in London, and Brighton Beach in Leeds. Goodfoot arguably paved the way for a new generation of mod-influenced clubs in Glasgow over the past 20 years. Living in London in the late 90s Martin DJ’d at neuvo-modernist clubs including Where’s Jude and Lordy Lord, as well as regularly spinning at Duffer of St. George parties and other happenings. A career highlight was supporting legendary organist, Jimmy Smith, as well as pulling off 10 consecutive club nights during the 1995 Glasgow Jazz Festival. By 2001, back in Glasgow, Caledoniasoul launched. A definitive milestone in the Scottish soul scene, the club ran for six years and brought Butch, Mick Smith, Mick H, Arthur Fenn, Mike Ritson, Dave Rimmer and Ady Croasdell to Scotland for the first time to experience the sweaty, full-on atmosphere for themselves. As a journalist Martin has always written about music. In 2004 he tracked down singer and organist, Bill Bush, whose soulful, jazzy rarity, I’m Waiting on Ronn, was hitting on the northern soul scene. After visiting Bill in the USA and interviewing him for Manifesto he brought the band over to perform in the UK, complete with Hammond B3, and has helped Bill profit for the first time from the 1968 b-side. Martin is married to Caroline, has two children, lives in the London suburbs. Still collecting after 30 years!
Le Beat Bespoke Weekender, 229 Great Portland Street, London - Saturday (afternoon) March 30 2013
Out of all the bands that have graced the LBB stages over the years, legends from five decades and several continents, the one that would deliver the goods head and shoulders above all others for Nutsmag regular, Darius Drew, was West London’s very own, The Aardvarks.
First of all a few words for the barnstorming (if somewhat cartoonish and parodic) R’n’B support, MFC Chicken: equal parts Sonics, Feelgoods, Shondells and Ram Jam Band, with a touch of sweet Gene Vincent crooning, but adept writers of their own material, their earthy delivery provides the ideal aperitif for the upcoming sonic psych banquet, and unlike most of today’s pretenders found lurking around Hoxton fashion boutiques throwing this stuff on for kicks, they’ve been putting a fungus among the denizens of the Holloway Road for a good two decades.
And so on to the Aardvarks. I’m sure Gary – alongside his brother Mark on guitar – Jason Hobart on bass and Ian O’Sullivan on drums – believed that loads of old friends would come out of the woodwork for this special event, their first London show in almost a decade!
The LBB audience witnessed a heroes return, with even lesser-known numbers like the superbly Townshendian ‘Bad Clothes’ received like old friends (lest we forget, they were the band that helped unite the once-divided Mod scene in the 80s after all, bringing psych, garage, soul and pop strands together). The assorted members of the London gangs - The Masonics, Wildebeests, Of Arrowe Hill and even heavy rockers Leaf Hound, who (technically) predate them by a decade and a half, have come to bestow good wishes.
Forget all the legends told to me over the last two decades by various London faces, what I witnessed here was a show from a truly great British rock ‘n’roll band, period. They were even generous enough to share the good vibrations with some fat git from Aylesbury (I wonder who that might have been?) who they dragged up to play tambourine during a clutch of encore covers that included Easybeats’ ‘Sorry’, the Wimple Winch’s ‘Save My Soul’ and the Sorrows’ ‘Take A Heart’. In one hour they kicked the arse of practically everyone I’ve ever seen or reviewed here.
From the familiarity of such standards to the underground thrust of their own ‘You’re My Loving Way’ and ‘Girl On A Bike’ they really do sum up the feelings of a whole generation who were born too late to experience the greatest era of music first hand, yet decided they were going to try their damnedest to live in it anyway. Good on ‘em. But this is not simply a nostalgia trip. In fact, by some twist of bizarre logic, it would appear that after nearly three decades, the Aardvarks have not only finally become as much of a “classic” psych act as the 60s originals that influenced them, but a contemporary one. The future promioses collaboration with Adam Easterbrook and the Arrowe Hill chaps sounds promising. Watch this space, eh la.
So has the definitive retro band of the recent past finally arrived at their designated stop, coming round in a complete circle to meet themselves walking the other way? Possibly; and if that sounds like acid-drenched gibberish, then that in itself only stands as further proof that they’ve achieved their objectives and had precisely the level of influence they wanted.
Thank you to Ramees Farooqi, Esther Bellepoque & Cloat Culterior for all the great photos. You can see the full LBB9 Photo Albums from Ramees Farooqi & Esther Bellepoque here and from Cloat Culterior on Facebook here. You will need to login to see them!
Dashing Darius Drewe Shimon, aka just 'Drewe' 'Druid' or 'The Shim' to his mates, was born in East London in 1974. As a small child, both parents inflicted their musical tastes, from The Beatles and The Moody Blues to Ella Fitzgerald and Miles Davis, on him, and he was never the same again. Despite being born and bred a 'Cockney tosser', Drewe actually spent his teenage years in and around Birmingham, attending his first 60s/50s-themed nights there at The Ship Ashore, before "coming home" in 1993 to the South, where, with the exception of three years spent in Glasgow between 2007-2010, he has remianed ever since. In the almost two decades that have passed he has trod a strange meandering path from a shy 60s/70s-obsessed teen with no 'scene' to speak of to a Metalhead, sleaze-glammie, Goth, indie kid, glam-punker, garage-rocker, eventual Mod and psych freak (first attending Mousetrap in 2000) In that time he's also written for Shindig! Britmovie, DarkSide, Black Velvet and Get Ready To Rock, promoted various vintage and veteran acts at Camden Underworld, Glasgow Ivory Blacks and several other venues, DJed everything from psych, garage and soul to Metal at practically every well-known club in central London. Drewe is trying to build a time machine that will enable him to visit any period between 1960 and 1980 but still be able to use a mobile and Facebook. His ambition, aside from directing films and building said machine, is to morph into a cross between Jason King, Timmy Lea, Jerry Cornelius and Richard Hannay, and drift about the ether having adventures in a kipper tie, pinstriped flares and camel hair coat.
Le Beat Bespoke 9 split the atom once again with a great weekend featuring the full spectrum of mod / 60s music and Nutsmag’s Graham Lentz was there for (almost) the whole event. He joined Cerys Matthews, Chris Difford and Jeff Beck, to name just a few of the celebrities who realised something special was going on down Great Portland Street over Easter.
After the disappointment of Cornershop pulling out due to illness a hastily re-jigged line up saw the opening night (Thursday) get underway with indie/psych outfit theSee See. I hadn’t seen them before.
Stand out tracks were the title track from their latest LP, Fountayne Mountain, including ‘Painted Blue’ and the haunting new single ‘The Rain and The Snow’. The vacated headline slot was taken up by Alpha 9. I championed their latest LP ‘Gone To Ground’ in the most recent edition of Nutsmag but what I was interested in was whether they could get close to recreating the sophisticated sound and harmonies evident on the album – they did and LBB9 was off to a great start.
The Friday, arguably the most hotly anticipated night of the entire weekend, saw up-and-coming headliners, the Strypes, almost literally raise the roof with the cheer at the end of their frenetic performance.
My guess is that the packed venue (it really was rammed) was quite surprised by the in-your-face full-on Australian garage onslaught from the Frowning Clouds. As it turned out, most of the their set was made up of new material from their forthcoming LP, sounding like an equally impressive follow up to last years ‘Listen Closlier’.
The last time I saw the Strypes, they supported the Sorrows at 229 for the New Untouchables Crossfire back in late October 2012. Much has happened for the lads since then. A record deal with Mercury, a management deal with Elton John’s agency and a new single out, it’s all been going on. The Strypes are possibly the hottest ‘organic’ (as in NOT Simon Cowell created) band anywhere on the planet. These boys have genuine talent, they can play, they do it because they love music, not for 15 minutes of fame, and they have a massive future ahead of them.
I was elated, as were the crowd. It was clear to me that a lot of work has gone into sharpening the live show and what a show it was. Along with the now familiar R&B tracks we got the new single ‘Blue Collar Jane’, which I might add is fantastic. In all my visits to 229 The Venue, I don’t think I’ve ever heard a roar like it at the end.
Two of the three bands on Saturday had been reviewed in a previous edition of Nutsmag, so I had a very good idea what to expect, but even I was not prepared for the high-octane output of three of Wild Records extraordinary stable of rocking R&B artists.
First up was Omar and the Stringpoppers, they warmed up with numbers from their back catalogue and a few choice rockin’ covers. I found myself glancing around at an amusing sight of rockin’ ladies and gents, all of whom were very nicely turned out, at the front with curious mod-types, equally dapper, gathered at the back.
If anyone (like me) had relaxed a little too much after Omar’s session we certainly got a jolt from the Rhythm Shakers. With a set comprising many tracks from their current LP ‘Flipsville’, Marlene and the guys really did rock the joint. ‘But Still You Left Me’, ‘Rockin’ Daddy’ and ‘My Sweet Revenge’ really were outstanding. Marlene’s presence on stage is a sight to behold.
The audience barely had time to gather itself before the headliner. Gizzelle is also something special. She is the ‘Etta James’ of this generation. Power, subtlety, emotion and finesse – she has it all.
I handed over the batton for Sunday, but, there you have it, three nights, seven top quality bands and a lot of very happy customers. Le Beat Bespoke 9 could possibly be the best one yet.
Thank you to Ramees Farooqi, Esther Bellepoque & Cloat Culterior for all the great photos. You can see the full LBB9 Photo Albums from Ramees Farooqi & Esther Bellepoque here and from Cloat Culterior on Facebook here. You will need to login to see them!
Like many of his generation, The Jam started Graham's love affair with all things mod back in 1977.
He is the author of 'The Influential Factor - A History Of Mod' which was originally published in 2002. An extract from the book was re-printed in Paolo Hewitt's 'The Sharper Word - revised edition' in 2011.
Being a self-confessed 'broad-church' mod, Graham's interests range from Modern Jazz to today's up-coming new bands and everything in between. Although he has a passion for mod history, he also has a passion for the new. Whether it's music, clubs, media of every kind, clothing, scooters or art and photography, Graham supports, promotes and encourages as much as he can, because that's how we keep going. 'Give it a chance' is his motto. If it's not for you, that's cool, at least you tried it.
“I’m anti-contemplative, anti-nuance, anti-getting away from the tyranny of the rectangle, anti-movement and light, anti-mystery, anti-paint quality, anti-Zen and anti-all of those brilliant ideas of preceding movements that everyone understands so thoroughly.” Roy Lichtenstein – pop artist (1923 – 1997)
Lichtenstein at the Tate Modern Until 27 May 2013 - £14, concessions available
If you visited the original Tate Gallery at the fag end of the 60s, when Bankside Power Station was still smoking, you could have stood and marvelled at the vibrant, colourful and contemporary art of the Popfather himself, 44 year old American jazz-fanatic, Roy Lichtenstein.
An exhibition of the American artist’s work (to date) was showing at the gallery, now Tate Britain, and art students, hippies and hep cats from across the capital and the provinces were gaping in awe at the scale of the man’s ambition. To take a frame in a comic book and blow it up to gigantic proportions, what arrogance, confidence and self-belief. Could this really be the future of art?
Today, 45 years on and 15 years after his death, the striking work is part of the history of art and includes some classic mod iconography. This latest Lichtenstein retrospective at Tate Modern on the South Bank is this spring’s must see London event for anyone with an ounce of style visiting: and Londoners themselves must make the effort to go.
Most of you will know Lichtenstein, even if you don’t. Weller’s guitar graphics featuring the artist’s ‘Whaam’ painting, a frenetic dogfight between two cold war fighter jets, is iconic. I spent most of 4th year art trying to reproduce it, but his comic book canvasses are just part of the story of a genuinely ‘great’ artist who helped to define pop art as well as creating part of the backdrop to the 1960s.
There can be no argument that Lichtenstein was mod; modern, as an adjective. He was a mod-artist in the way that Quant, Sassoon, Stamp et al were mod designer, hairstylist, actor, respectively. He was part of the creative big bang that took the consumerism, conflict, poverty and narcissism of the era and reflected it back onto itself as thought provoking art, film, fashion, etc. More importantly, the famously smartly dressed American, a regular at the Harlem Apollo, painted f**king great big sexy pictures that scream ‘COOL’ at you from half a mile away.
The great quote from him at the top of this article is for me the embodiment of 60s mod philosophy, mirroring the Creation’s assertion that their music is, ‘Red with purple flashes’. His art defines the clean, uncluttered philosophy prevailing in architecture, fashion and music during the fantastic decade from 1957 to 1967; the mod years.
Lichtenstein died in 1997, but his work is a snap shot of the counter-culture, captured forever ‘cool’ applied to canvass, and just as relevant as it was in 1968 when it first showed at The Tate.
Since the local youth club in the early-eighties Martin’s been Djing with records of one sort or another. Spots at the CCI National Mod Rallies across Britain in the 80s were followed in 1990 by the first in a line of successful northern soul and mod clubs in Glasgow. With four others he started Goodfoot in 91, with Acid Jazz-influenced playlists of Blow Up in London, and Brighton Beach in Leeds. Goodfoot arguably paved the way for a new generation of mod-influenced clubs in Glasgow over the past 20 years. Living in London in the late 90s Martin DJ’d at neuvo-modernist clubs including Where’s Jude and Lordy Lord, as well as regularly spinning at Duffer of St. George parties and other happenings. A career highlight was supporting legendary organist, Jimmy Smith, as well as pulling off 10 consecutive club nights during the 1995 Glasgow Jazz Festival. By 2001, back in Glasgow, Caledoniasoul launched. A definitive milestone in the Scottish soul scene, the club ran for six years and brought Butch, Mick Smith, Mick H, Arthur Fenn, Mike Ritson, Dave Rimmer and Ady Croasdell to Scotland for the first time to experience the sweaty, full-on atmosphere for themselves. As a journalist Martin has always written about music. In 2004 he tracked down singer and organist, Bill Bush, whose soulful, jazzy rarity, I’m Waiting on Ronn, was hitting on the northern soul scene. After visiting Bill in the USA and interviewing him for Manifesto he brought the band over to perform in the UK, complete with Hammond B3, and has helped Bill profit for the first time from the 1968 b-side. Martin is married to Caroline, has two children, lives in the London suburbs. Still collecting after 30 years!
As you may have gathered, I’m a mod from the 1979 generation, and as such,
I have a love of all types of music within the mod spectrum and some outside of it. For this reason, I was really taken with this splendid EP from four-piece all-girl combo the Franklys. As reference points, they resurrect the spirit of Siouxsie Sioux, Slits, Au Pairs, the late Polly Styrene and even the pre-Everything But The Girl Tracey Thorn with her band Marine Girls. What about Debbie Harry and Blondie? No I don’t think so. The Franklys are too hard core for a Blondie comparison. The band comprise of Jennifer Ahlkvist on guitar and vocals, Fanny Broberg on guitar, Zoe Biggs on bass and Nicole Pinto on drums and what a great sound they make. Lead track ‘Weasel’ is a belter and rightly deserves it’s place at the top of the track listing. ‘Imaginarium’ gives a nod to early Joy Division with a delightfully haunting quality. ‘My Love’ takes the pace off, but picks up the un-nerving, unsettling mood. ‘Roadtrip Reality’ rocks. I can’t say anymore about it. It really rocks! And to complete the five track outing, ‘Some People Leave’ gives the Franklys the opportunity to show their potential with a song that shifts in pace, rhythm and complexity that the girls handle comfortably. This is a band I shall make a point of seeing live in the very near future because if their gigs are as full of energy and excitement as this EP, they will be well worth the admission price. Best of all, they are talented bunch of young ladies with their own sense of style (and I suspect) they have a habit of giving a two-fingered salute to anyone who gives them flak. You go girls! (as the saying goes).
Hypnotic Eye - Readin’ Your Will b/w Satisfaction
Hypnotic Eye are a six-piece psych outfit from south-west London who seem to be causing a stir on the gig circuit. They’ve been referred to as looking like they’ve just ‘stepped straight out of 1968′. I must admit, they do have a great look and the focus is very much on lead singer Grace Lightman. Her voice may be a touch ‘squeeky’ for some, but her vocal style definitely suits Hypnotic Eye’s music. ’Readin’ Your Will’ either by design or not, takes the riff from the Monkee’s ‘(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone’ and remodels it into a tasty slice of authentic up-tempo psych with Miss Lightman and (I’m guessing) Lindsay Murray sharing the vocal duties. ’Satisfaction’ sees Grace taking us through a scratchy-guitar fuelled psych dancer with her pleas to ‘satisfy me’ with plenty of ‘yeah, yeah, yeahs’ to back her up. This is a ‘must’ for any psych fan. They do have a great look.
Button Up - Inhaler Single
Let’s get the basics out of the way first. Button Up are a terrific band based in Coatbridge near Glasgow and yes, this is a cover of the Miles Kane track from November 2010 which was re-released in July 2011. Inevitably, if you are going to do a cover, you leave yourself open to comparison with the original version. So, if you’re going to do it, do it well. Fortunately, Button Up have done just that. They have done it well, with swirling Hammond organ runs, stabbing brass section parts and with the urgent pace that the song demands. Vocally, Sara Kerr does a splendid job and over all, Button Up have turned this into the kind of rip roaring dancer that it always had the potential to be. But don’t get me wrong, I love Miles Kane’s original. I always believed ‘Inhaler’ would eventually be regarded as a ‘modern’ classic among the new generation of mods who are setting their own standards and interpreting mod for themselves….much like my generation did in the 1979 period. I would imagine this is a very popular part of Button Up’s live set, and rightly so. Great song, great version. There will be more Button Up reviews in the next NUTsMag due out in May 2013.
Like many of his generation, The Jam started Graham's love affair with all things mod back in 1977.
He is the author of 'The Influential Factor - A History Of Mod' which was originally published in 2002. An extract from the book was re-printed in Paolo Hewitt's 'The Sharper Word - revised edition' in 2011.
Being a self-confessed 'broad-church' mod, Graham's interests range from Modern Jazz to today's up-coming new bands and everything in between. Although he has a passion for mod history, he also has a passion for the new. Whether it's music, clubs, media of every kind, clothing, scooters or art and photography, Graham supports, promotes and encourages as much as he can, because that's how we keep going. 'Give it a chance' is his motto. If it's not for you, that's cool, at least you tried it.
This entry is part 19 of 19 in the series NewBreed
Band Members:
Marlene Perez - Lead Singer
Victor Mendez - Upright Bass
Andrew Himmler - Guitarist
Ricky McCann – Drums
Discography:
Flipsville (2008)
The Young Breed (2009)
Hit The Road (45 RPM 2009)
The Wildest Party 10”
Record (2010)
The Wild Show Live (2011)
Shake Your Hips (45 RPM 2012)
New Record (2013)
1. How long have you been active for and how did you get together?
We have been a band for a little over five years.
2. What influences do the band members have in common?
A passion for music, kebabs, booze and sense of humour.
3. Are there any other bands you’d recommend from your area?
I would recommend The Neumans. They just joined Wild Records and they’re pretty amazing.
4. What’s the 60’s/underground scene like where you’re from?
There are some very good DJs and clubs out there and it’s very entertaining. There are quite a few scattered around Los Angeles. Wild Records has been fortunate enough to find great 60’s style bands like The Hurricanes, The Neumans, The Bosstides, The Bloodhounds & obviously Don Juan Y Los Blancos.
5. How would you describe the style you play?
Aggressive rock ‘n’ roll. I don’t really sing about mushy, lovey-dovey things. I write my songs based on how angry I am so it generally turns out that way.
6. What are your live shows like?
We like to feed off the audience’s reactions. The more the crowd is into our show, the crazier we get. Once I ended up on the floor with my hair soaked in alcohol and my hands bloody from pounding on the stage.
7. What are your main influences in music? Who do/would you play covers by?
We have lots of influences from different genres whether it’s Ronnie Dawson or Brody Armstrong from The Distillers. If we like what we hear, we take that same energy and try to incorporate it in our music.
8. What are your main influences outside of music?
Happiness.
9. Who writes your songs and what subjects do you deal with?
I usually write the lyrics but the band helps me put everything together. The subjects are along the lines of heartbreak or being angry as a result of it.
10. What’s your favorite song by another artist?
At the moment, it would have to be ‘Shake Your Hips’ by Slim Harpo. It always gets the crowd moving and dancing.
11. How would you describe the current underground scene? Do you participate?
Because there are constant shows all over L.A. I try to make it to as many functions as I can. Sometimes there are two to three shows in one night so it makes it a bit difficult to choose from. We’re pretty fortunate to have lots of people involved in the underground scene.
12. What has been the biggest challenge?
Working on music. I think I tend to over think lyrics, melodies and the music in general. I can have a whole song structured and finished then I’ll turn around and throw it out because I feel it’s not good enough.
13. How often do you Rehearse? Play Live? Record? Anything interesting coming up?
We don’t rehearse too often and we play live about once a month at least. Our next big gig is the Le Beat Bespoke Festival in London (30th March 2013), which we are all extremely excited about.
14. What do you think of the music coverage in the media?
It’s non-existent in the indie scene.
15. Do you rate any current mainstream or underground bands?
By underground, do you mean outside of my own scene and the soul scene? If so, then I really enjoy stuff by The Black Keys, The Alabama Shakes, Jack White, The Dead Weather, Imelda May… I can keep going for days.
16. Who/Where would you most like to record with and why?
I would love to record with Imelda May. I think she’s a brilliant entertainer.
17. What should we expect from you in the future? What are your plans and ambitions? What interesting gig dates have you got coming up?
We are currently working on new music and planning to record in the next few weeks. I would love to play more gigs with the band overseas. I think we are very fortunate that we have opportunities like that. There are 2 European tours in 2013 and an Australian tour in 2014. I hope the World doesn’t end before then.
I run The New Untouchables organization and events like the Brighton Mod Weekender, Le Beat Bespoké Festival (and compilation series of the same name) and I co-organize Euro Ye Ye with the Trouble & Tea crew. I have run many clubs over the last 20 years in London, where I live and current nights include Timebox, Zoo Zoo, Crossfire, 100 Club and Mousetrap allnighter which has just celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2011. I have been lucky to DJ all over the globe including Japan, Canada, USA and Europe and met some great people on my journey. I run RnB Records to offset my vinyl addiction: newuntouchables.com/rnbrecords for rare vintage vinyl.
Owner, producer, baby momma for the Wild Records bands. Based in Hollywood, CA.
1. At what age did you first discover Rock’n’Roll music?
In my mother’s womb, or around 12 years of age.
2. What artists and styles of music were you listening too as a teenager?
Glam rock; T-Rex, Bowie, Roxy music… then first wave punk; Buzzcocks, Pistols, Clash, Penetration. Along with Elvis, Roy Orbison, The Animals, Mavelettes, and all of Motown/Sun records.
3. You were a well known DJ and socialite on the London Rock’n’Roll scene many years ago. What were your reasons for moving to the UK from Dublin, was it’s totally music related?
I moved to the UK to work at Rough Trade Records who at the time were releasing fantastic punk and new wave. I worked there for about five years.
4. What were your favorite hangouts and clubs during your time in the Capitol?
The Hope & Anchor, The Lycum, the Marquee Club, Acklam Hall, The 100 Club allnighters, Station Tavern & Dingwalls.
5. There were some truly fantastic young bands around in the 80’s and 90’s in Great Britain who were the cream of the crop in your opinion and do you think that music has progressed since then?
Chords, the Clique, the Aardvarks, The Blue Rhythm Boys, Carlos & the Bandidos, The Jumping Jacks, Big Town Playboys, Electrocuting Elvis and too many more to mention. I think music has definitely progressed since then.
6. You moved to the USA, was it always your intention to start a record label and why?
It wasn’t my intention to start a record label. I started the record label because I found artists that I felt were unique and were unlikely to find a record label.
7. When did you first start Wild Records and who was your first artist on the label?
I first started Wild Records in 2001 and the first band was Lil Luis y los Wildteens followed by Omar & the Stringpoppers.
8. How do you compare the acts of today on Wild to say the bands from Europe during the 90s?
The main difference is originality. A big difference, what I mean by this is by most bands in the 90’s were not writing original material. Currently, almost all the acts on the label write their own material.
9. There seems to be a huge following of the Wild bands worldwide why do you think this is?
See previous question and also the Wild bands I believe offer a fresh approach to the rock’n’roll music they play. All our bands look to the future, not the past. The Wild bands don’t feel they need to fit into a box, that is, rockabilly, punk, garage, just be a wild band–unique, honest, passionate and a little messed up. Our audience, I believe, have the same passion as our band members about music.
10. Who is the most booked act from Wild Records since Its birth?
In this order; Omar Romero, Gizzelle, Luis & the Wildfires, Dustyn Chance & the Allnighters, The Rhythm Shakers, Hi-Strung Ramblers but Omar Romero would be the #1 act booked since the beginning, someone has to be.
11. What does the future hold for California’s Wild Records and do you think that the Rock’n’Roll scene Worldwide is still a healthy one?
We have the movie coming out this year which is a feature length documentary that spent nine months filming in 2012 about myself, five featured characters from the label while also filming all the wild bands and a lot of major shows. Our recording sessions are booked through 2014. Our release schedule is also full through 2014. We will continue to hold quarterly auditions for new acts and I remain astonished at the huge amount of people that have been attending these auditions. So things are looking good.
12. Who is ‘the’ most influential person in your life?
My son, Hayden Kennedy, who inspires me to love and have passion for life who inspires me to appreciate my wife, Jenny and my Wild family.
13. And finally Reb, you are stranded on a desert island with just a record player and three of your most prized nuggets on 45rpm. What would they be?
Warren Smith, any of his Sun 45s (I have them all), Barbara Lynn–Lonely Heartache, The Undertones–Teenage Kicks; I could give you 3,000 prized 45s but that would get boring.
Cosmic Keith - Long time collector and owner of the small independent record label ‘Boparama’ since 1992 and the ‘head honcho’ in London's Metro & Boston Arms Rockabilly clubs .
Along with the Clique, the Aardvarks transformed the Mod and Sixties live music scene in London during the late eighties and nineties. Up front in this cool quartet the suave Pietronave brothers Mark (guitar) and Gary (lead singer/semi acoustic) were accompanied by a tight rhythm section, including Jason Hobart, and later Kev White, on bass with Ian O’Sullivan on drums. We caught up with Ian ahead of their much anticipated live performance at Le Beat Bespoke 9 in London this Easter.
DR: When and how did the Aardvarks get together?
IOS: (Ian O’Sullivan) Gary and Mark started the band at their school back in ’83. They were knocking out standard Kinks, Beatles, Stones and The Who covers. They were initially a 5-piece with an occasional keyboard player. One of the guys I worked with was at school with the Pietronaves, and knowing that I was well into my 60s stuff, suggested I hooked up with them. I’m a little bit older and was at college so it did seem a bit weird sitting in this little office at their school where they rehearsed.
DR: What bands influenced the Aardvarks in your early days?
IOS: Apart from the obvious ones, we were into early Deep Purple, Vanilla Fudge, Cream – heavy stuff. I liked US garage and UK freakbeat so started making tapes for Gary and Mark, which I think got them into that side of things a bit more. Bands like The Chocolate Watchband, The Litter, Creation, Birds are all part of the canon now of course but back then you were definitely showing off by citing bands like that. The Prisoners were a seminal influence of course, and their appearance on The Tube in 1984 was one of those seismic moments for a lot of youngsters putting bands together.
DR: Where were the bands early performances held and what memories do you have of those gigs?
IOS: The first gig I did was at Gary and Mark’s school social. Playing to all these mums and dads I remember the DJ introducing us as ‘The Hard Fucks’ and just playing to a swathe of empty floor while the parents just nattered away at their tables. We did a posh girls’ school one Christmas and went down a storm there. After that, we did a couple of gigs at the Swan in Kingston, a tiny pub by the river with a function room out the back. There were some Hell’s Angels in there one night who thought we were all hilarious in our paisley shirts and what-not. They came into the back room and starting spitting beer over people. After that we became regulars at the Clarendon in Hammersmith until it closed down. Downstairs at The White Horse in Hampstead was another brilliant venue. That was the early days of the Zombie Club. Captain Sensible used to come and see us back then; he was a bit of a fan.
DR: Your debut EP was recorded with Billy Childish how did that come about and are there any other unreleased tracks from that session?
IOS: I can’t remember if it was his or our idea to make it an EP but that’s how it turned out. I don’t think we’d given much thought to the logistics of how and where we would record it so one night in November ’89 we’d supported Thee Headcoats at the Falcon in Camden and I drunkenly asked Billy Childish whether he’d produce. He agreed and a few weeks later we’re trundling down the A2 to Rochester on a freezing night to meet him in a pub.
Billy was still drinking back then so the night turned into a boozy affair. We went from the pub back to his old house. I remember Gary trying to convince Billy about the merits of The Marmalade and then going off to puke. We eventually crashed out in a cold, empty room. I’d had the foresight to bring a sleeping bag I remember the others just lying on the floorboards in their clothes, and the wind rattling on the old sash windows.
Three hours later Billy’s shouting up the stairs: “Get up you shower of shit! You fucking psychedelic wankers.” We come out and he’s going: “What were doing in there? I didn’t mean that fucking room I meant the OTHER room!” Sure enough, in the adjacent room were blankets and pillows.
There aren’t any unreleased tracks I’m sorry to say. It was a miracle that we recorded the four tracks that are on it.
DR: How did the James Whale television performance come about and what did you think of your performance?
IOS: Jason got it in mind to write to the James Whale show. I don’t remember him telling us. I just remember him calling me to say that he’d written in and that we were going to be on it. I always thought it was live. It was a pretty ramshackle show and was scheduled perfectly for the post-pub crowd. I couldn’t believe it when it turned out to be pre-recorded on a Monday afternoon in a little studio off Carnaby Street. They recorded two shows back-to-back and ours was the second programme.
The first programme was all about the music industry so they had all these industry big-wigs and Radio DJs in the studio discussing the state of the business. I can’t remember which band played on that show, or even if there was one, but I do remember thinking that it would have been good if we’d got on that show in front of all those people. As it turned out, we were on the second show and the theme of that was testicular cancer.
We were setting up and Mike Mansfield came down and said hello which was exciting. I used to love watching Supersonic on Saturday mornings when I was a kid so it was great seeing him with his mane of swept back white hair. Arthur C was a bit shaky but Fly My Plane was great I thought. All our mums and dads had their videos on.
DR: As a massive fan of the band I remember many great live performances what shows stick out in your mind and why?
IOS: Sometimes you just know that everything’s going good and you’re doing a great set. I fondly remember The Purple Weekend back in 1999 being particularly good. Saarbrucken was brilliant too. No mean feat given we were the last band on in a four day festival and hadn’t slept for days. The live tracks on the live LP which I mentioned earlier bear that out.
We did some great gigs in the early days at the Clarendon. I recently heard a tape of us from 1987 from there and it’s real hi-octane stuff. There were no flies on us that night.
DR: I also remember shall we say some more casual performances during the bands lifetime, what was the most disastrous and humorous?
IOS: Yes, we could be a bit, err, “loose” in that way sometimes. I think complacency used to rear its ugly head from time to time. We played a real stinker one night at the St John’s Tavern in Archway and it got reviewed in a fanzine which quite rightly didn’t pull any punches. The points made were totally valid and I think it gave us a bit of a kick up the backside.
I don’t think we’d ever have gone abroad just to turn out a crap performance. I’ve fallen off my stool a few times (most memorably at Dingwalls supporting The Creation), Gary’s puked up once or twice and I remember a bass amp falling on Jason midway through a number. Playing at a strip club in Hamburg, which had been an old boxing gym—in fact, the stage still had the ropes around it—and trying to talk an enthusiastic fan out of getting The Aardvarks tattooed on his arm.
DR: How did the Cherry Red best of the Aardvarks album come about and when will it be released?
IOS: John Reed at Cherry Red is an old friend and he was keen to get the idea off the ground again about a year ago. Richard Allen from Delerium and Dizzy at Detour Records have helped out a lot too. It’s been fun doing it and we’ve called upon some old pals to help us out. Dan Abbot is an amazing graphic artist and primarily works with Storm Thorgussen who is of course famous for designing the covers for Pink Floyd albums. Dan used to design the most incredible gig flyers – absolutely psychedelic and very witty. Dan did the titling on the original Arthur C Clarke EP back in 1990 so it was great to have him back on board.
Andy Morten in another old mucka whose band The Nerve used to play with us a lot. Andy’s even sat in for me on the drums on a few occasions. These days he does a lot of the artwork for Cherry Red releases as well as producing the marvellous Shindig! magazine. My good friend Lenny Helsing has done the liner notes, which is a real thrill for me as an old Green Telescope/Thanes fan. It also features lots of great photos taken by Darren Russell too.
DR: Are there anymore unreleased recordings not included on the best of and will they ever see the light of day?
IOS: The well has pretty much run dry I’m afraid! Given how long we were knocking around for we didn’t actually record that much. There were a few things which we would have included but were limited by the physical capacity of CDs.
The two live cuts from the Saarbrucken weekender in 1994 (Stephanie Knows Who, and When the Morning Comes) didn’t make the final compilation sadly. Pity, as they give some idea of the band live. There’s also a demo of Mr Inertia but I’m sure Mark’s not losing any sleep about that not being included. The session which produced Drive Me Wild also resulted in covers of The Chocolate Watchband’s “Are You Gonna Be There (at the Love-In)” and the Kinks’s “I’m Not Like Everybody Else – both are pretty decent. I doubt they’ll be released now but I think you can catch them on YouTube!
DR: When was the last Aardvarks show and why did the band decide to finish?
IOS: Funnily enough, our last show was actually at the first Beat Bespoke back in 2004. I think we’d had one or two “last shows” before that but LBB1 was definitely the last one. I guess we just decided that after such a long time and not having written any new stuff for quite some time, that there wasn’t much point in going on with it.
DR: Your gig at Le Beat Bespoke 9 this Easter is eagerly anticipated how are rehearsals going and what do you have in store for the fans?
IOS: I think we’re clearing the pipes and shaking off the rust pretty well so far. Just knocking things into shape really and trying to ensure the harmonies are at least passable! We’ve called upon another old pal, Parsley, to enhance the sound a bit with keyboards. Hopefully we’ll catch up with a few old faces and hopefully turn on some of the younger crowd too. Can’t wait!
I run The New Untouchables organization and events like the Brighton Mod Weekender, Le Beat Bespoké Festival (and compilation series of the same name) and I co-organize Euro Ye Ye with the Trouble & Tea crew. I have run many clubs over the last 20 years in London, where I live and current nights include Timebox, Zoo Zoo, Crossfire, 100 Club and Mousetrap allnighter which has just celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2011. I have been lucky to DJ all over the globe including Japan, Canada, USA and Europe and met some great people on my journey. I run RnB Records to offset my vinyl addiction: newuntouchables.com/rnbrecords for rare vintage vinyl.
Watching Omar on stage is like watching a tornado unleash. The StringPoppers live show never disappoints, setting records for encores at all of the major Rockabilly festivals. Omar’s talents extend beyond the stage as he is the Head Sound Engineer and session musician for Wild. Don’t miss a rare chance to see one of thee WILDEST Rock n Roll acts of the 21st century here in London this Easter at LBB9.
DR: Omar, When did you first come to Europe to play?
O: I believe it was 2003, we did a series of gigs starting in Germany then England, Switzerland, Holland and Spain.
DR: How much do you think you have changed as a musician since then?
O: It has changed me a lot. It has showed me that there is a massive world out there that loves music. Different kinds of it too, which keeps it very interesting for us all.
DR: What are your biggest influences and inspirations in the style of music you play?
O: Well, Hayden Thompson and Jimmy Wages are my favourites on Sun Records, but I also really look up to Bob Luman along with Marty Robbins and the very talented Jerry Reed.
DR: We know you’re a huge Sun Records fan, who are your favourite artists on the label and why?
O: Like I said, Hayden Thompson because of his very cool, suave flamboyant style, Jimmy Wages ’cause he’s a nut-case, and Charlie Rich, ‘cause he has the voice of an angel.
DR: Who did you listen to as a kid and has your musical taste changed much over the years?
O: A lot of different artists. My dad was a fan of surf and the Beatles so heard a lot of that. I myself am not a fan of the Beatles, but I am a fan of my dad having a good time, so I listened to the records with him. It was around the age of 14 that I heard proper Rockabilly from my lifelong friend Victor Arreguin. My musical taste is so varied that some people think that I’m not a “true Rockabilly”.
DR: At what age did you first pick up and guitar and learn to play?
O: When I was eight. My dad showed me a few chords and I’m still trying to perfect them.
DR: You were the first artist on Wild Records, what impact has it had on your musical career?
O: Actually Luis Arriaga was the first, I just jumped on board. It has made me fulfil my little dreams of working with music in many, many levels.
DR: Do you prefer to play live or record bands at the ‘Wild’ studio?
O: It all depends on my mood, but I actually love doing both.
DR: Which artists are you most fond of today?
O: Funny enough, my friend/label mate Alex Vargas and also Rusty Pinto, Big Sandy and Barrington Levy.
DR: How many releases have you had on Wild Records and do you have favourite?
O: I have four in total. I really dig the song we covered on my 45rpm ‘Shake the hand’.
DR: What other styles of music do you listen to apart from rockabilly?
O: Reggae/ska/rocksteady, soul, blues, country, house and some old hip hop and a lot of indie due to where I live.
DR: Is there any particular country in the world you most like playing and why?
O: Every country I’ve played so far is special in its own way, they all seem to have friends of mine there that make it fun and special.
DR: What about the future?
O: I’m not sure, but I hope I can keep people happy and still have them enjoying my music and shows.
DR: And finally. Elvis or Gene Vincent?
O: Elvis! Cool hair, cool style and a lot of ladies!
Cosmic Keith - Long time collector and owner of the small independent record label ‘Boparama’ since 1992 and the ‘head honcho’ in London's Metro & Boston Arms Rockabilly clubs .
There has always been an individual spark about Cornershop, While Paul Morley, the Observer, has said, ‘as interesting and adventurous as the Beatles’ and fans have described them as ‘instant aural sunshine for a grey day’. In the live arena they have toured extensively in mainland Europe and America with the likes of Beck and Oasis. Man about town, Darius Drewe, caught up with Tjinder Singh of Cornershop for an exclusive interview for NUTSmag.
DD: Why such a massive gap between albums? Five years passed between ‘When I Was Born’ and ‘Handcream’ and then a further seven before ‘Judy’. Are you perfectionists, extremely busy or just lazy?
TS: ‘When I was Born’ and ‘Handcream’ had a Clinton album between them, and between Handcream & Judy I did a film and we released a couple of singles through Rough Trade, and then set up our own ample play label. Also we all had kids except our percussion who bought more congas and became a qualified nurse. In the last three years we have had three albums out. The average is plain to see even if you are not a further maths prog rock tutor. More seriously though, there is no point in pushing albums out unless you play the game, and we are not in it as part of the game.
DD: Back in the day you were photographed burning pictures of Morrissey due to a throwaway comment made and a misinterpretation of a lyric. How do you look back on all that 22 years on?
TS: Here was a person whose music with The Smiths we had all liked, putting out dubious feelers using Skinhead imagery, unqualified lyrics, Union Jack drapery, and like his denial on his sexuality (which is his right) not elaborating on the issue. The unfortunate thing is that not elaborating on the issue of fascism still breeds race crime, from someone whom was very influential at the time. As an Asian at a time when Asians were seeing increased street violence this wasn’t something I, and we could let pass. All these years later, I think we did the correct thing, and our stance on other issues has borne out that we did it with the right intentions.
DD: You were away for a few years, then returned with quite a different style, and a runaway no.1 hit thanks to the remix of ‘Brimful of Asha’. For five minutes, it looked like world superstardom beckoned, but somehow that never quite happened. Why do you think that was?
TS: After the ‘Women’s Gotta Have It’ album we spent a lot of time in America and then the ‘When I Was Born’ album did very well there. We would have been happy as we were to be John Peel’s festive 50 no. 1, but the Brimful Mix change things somewhat. Even the label gave up on things after that, but for us we had started a Clinton album and that needed to be finished, and we continued as we were.
DD: The album ‘When I Was Born for the Seventh Time’ was very influential and innovative in that it took the ‘Britpop/indie pop’ template of the time (and the usual retro trappings thereof), your own Asian influences, and married both to hiphop beats, breakbeats and samples. Do you feel that, in a way, you were paving the path for a lot of the DJ culture that has followed? And prog rock men, the likes of Gruff Rhys and Gary Cobain, bringing guitar tunes to dance sets mining Eastern playback music?
TS: That is a lovely thought.
DD: What do you think of the recent compilations of Bollywood and Lollywood psych that have been doing the rounds? Do you think the compilers are finding the best tunes? And if not, give us the names…
TS: I’ve not heard much of it in comp’ed form, but there is some great stuff out there, as the music makers at the time mimicked western sounds, sometimes to hilarious results, and sometimes with the passing of time proves how great music can be.
DD: The album ‘Disco and the Halfway to Discontent’ came out under the name Clinton rather than Cornershop. Why was that? And will there be another Clinton record?
TS: Clinton was done so we could work with other people and take a fresh approach to what and how things were done. The music was not radically different, but more of the technology test department of what Cornershop did. In fact, the two are so similar that there probably won’t be another Clinton album. We are very pleased though that some say it predates much music by a decade, and even more pleased that not a week goes by without an inquiry about Clinton.
DD: After that came my personal favourite ‘Shop album, ‘Handcream for a Generation’ and the single, ‘Lessons Learned from Rocky I to Rocky III.’ The single itself, and some of the rest of the album, bore the influence of 1970s glam, while other tracks such as ‘Spectral Mornings’ delved further into the trance-like psych rock hinted at on ‘When I Was Born’. Who are the lyrics on that single referring to, the ‘soft rock shit’ and the ‘overgrown supershit’?
TS: Very glad you favour that album, and that’s why I said earlier that the record company gave up on us. A lot of brain cells and effort went into that album. Otis Clay opened it, & by touring with Oasis we had Noel on Spectral Mornings, and Guigsy did the bass on …Rocky I to Rocky III, then we had East London’s Nazerite reggae vocalists on Motion The 11, from USA we asked Rob Swift to help produce a couple if tracks. At the time I think I considered a lot of American groups as being ‘soft rock shit.’ I’m from the Black Country so considered groups like Metallica and Maralyn Mason as ‘soft rock shit’ and overgrown ‘supershit’ but in the fullness of time, I think they’re just shit. They certainly deserve everything that can be chucked at them.
DS: ‘Judy Sucks a Lemon for Breakfast’ seemed to consolidate that same early 70s sound, as if the band had finally reached their ‘happy home’ in an almost retro-rock World. Are you all a bunch of old mods and rockers at heart? And who are your greatest influences throughout? The first thing you tend to notice is a lot of Velvet Underground in the song construction and guitar riffing, and a lot of “soul-chick” backing vocals, which could hint at either the Stones or the Floyd, but how knowledgeable are you on your obscurities?
TS: ‘In terms of production I like the 70s sound, mainly because I lived through the 80s and no musician got out of the 80s unscathed. I liked the rawness of a lot of Indian music, so that always played a part too. In terms of influences, there has never been a strong defining one. I think the Velvets are a big influence…
DD: The promo videos from that period, particularly ‘Who Fingered Rock N Roll’ all seem to be similarly retro as if you’re hankering after a Britain long past. Isn’t that the imperialist, semi-racist and narrow-minded Britain that you once railed against?
TS: The Who Fingered Rock N Roll video used old footage because friends of ours were helping certain London Borough to archive such footage. The line from the song of ‘Who built the city’ seemed to go well with such footage so that was that.
DD: And now to 2012, and ‘Urban Turban’ Where would you say Cornershop stand in relation to the 2012 music scene?
TS: The Urban Turban album only became an album after a series of singles under the banner of ‘The Singles Club’ were released. I had a good few songs that we not related in any way, and it seemed a good way to put them out, and give something different to our supporters. Then, the tracks seemed to work with each other once they were mastered, and so it became the album.
It’s good to be able to do that, to just put things out, and in relation to the music scene of now, we feel that we are happy to continue as we always have done, without much regard for what others are doing. People seem to be slowly catching up with Cornershop, and that’s an even bigger thing we have in common with the Velvets than just their music.
We look forward to hearing their well crafted and unique psychedelic sound of sitars and guitars at Le Beat Bespoke 9 on Thursday 28 March 2013.
Dashing Darius Drewe Shimon, aka just 'Drewe' 'Druid' or 'The Shim' to his mates, was born in East London in 1974. As a small child, both parents inflicted their musical tastes, from The Beatles and The Moody Blues to Ella Fitzgerald and Miles Davis, on him, and he was never the same again. Despite being born and bred a 'Cockney tosser', Drewe actually spent his teenage years in and around Birmingham, attending his first 60s/50s-themed nights there at The Ship Ashore, before "coming home" in 1993 to the South, where, with the exception of three years spent in Glasgow between 2007-2010, he has remianed ever since. In the almost two decades that have passed he has trod a strange meandering path from a shy 60s/70s-obsessed teen with no 'scene' to speak of to a Metalhead, sleaze-glammie, Goth, indie kid, glam-punker, garage-rocker, eventual Mod and psych freak (first attending Mousetrap in 2000) In that time he's also written for Shindig! Britmovie, DarkSide, Black Velvet and Get Ready To Rock, promoted various vintage and veteran acts at Camden Underworld, Glasgow Ivory Blacks and several other venues, DJed everything from psych, garage and soul to Metal at practically every well-known club in central London. Drewe is trying to build a time machine that will enable him to visit any period between 1960 and 1980 but still be able to use a mobile and Facebook. His ambition, aside from directing films and building said machine, is to morph into a cross between Jason King, Timmy Lea, Jerry Cornelius and Richard Hannay, and drift about the ether having adventures in a kipper tie, pinstriped flares and camel hair coat.
