Tag Archives: Action Records

And the beat goes on – in praise of Life’s a Gamble: Penetration, the Invisible Girls and Other Stories by Pauline Murray

Catching up with Pauline Murray at Action Records in Preston, Lancashire, last week, she seemed somewhat surprised about the positive reaction to her autobiography, and genuinely chuffed that I thought it any good. Played down reactions and not going out … Continue reading

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Journey to the Art of Darkness – talking The History of Goth with John Robb

Ah, the dreaded label. An integral part of music culture down the years, but an all too easy way to categorise, and often proving nonsense. Punk, post-punk, alternative, indie, indie pop, twee pop, shoegaze, soul, funk, jazz funk, heavy soul, … Continue reading

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WriteWyattUK’s Guide to Finding Inspiration … In Spite of These Times, pt. II

In which WriteWyattUK takes a look back – in quotation form – at the pick of our feature/interviews from 2020, the dreaded year the coronavirus carved a devastating impact on the music and arts scene. Click on the highlighted name … Continue reading

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Independents’ Day – fighting the lockdown from behind closed doors at Action Records and Vinyl Exchange

As the UK returned late last week to ‘non-essential’ retail limbo – aka Lockdown 2 – amid the on-going coronavirus pandemic, I felt it was high time I caught up with two treasured independent North West record shops among many … Continue reading

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A passage to indie garage psych-punk rock’n’roll – introducing Ginnel

I can’t really think of a more Northern band name than Ginnel, and in a sense this emerging Lancashire four-piece offer – as per the dialect definition behind their handle – a passageway between the houses. While they’re fairly new … Continue reading

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Totally wired for the Soundation experience – talking Bhajan Bhoy with Ajay Saggar

Holland-based musical maverick Ajay Saggar may have been locked down in recent weeks with partner Yoke and their 20-year-old son Arun, a University of Amsterdam student. But don’t think for one moment he’s been twiddling his thumbs since his last … Continue reading

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Exploring the story of Optic Nerve Recordings – in conversation with Ian Allcock

Ordering a few classic and soon-to-be classic indie records in recent times, I was surprised to find an emerging label I was getting to know through an impressive catalogue happened to be operating from just up the road in Preston, … Continue reading

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Reverend and the Makers – Action Records, Preston

Half past six it said on the advert, so there I was – unfashionably early – going twice round the block to find a space, sheepishly passing a long queue outside the shop. Having checked parking restrictions several times, convinced … Continue reading

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The Best of Times with the Right Reverend – back in touch with Jon McClure

Reverend and the Makers’ frontman Jon McClure was enjoying a little home time in South Yorkshire ahead of his band’s latest UK jaunt when I called. And Sheffield is clearly still at the epicentre of his universe, a dozen years … Continue reading

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Introducing The Amber List – in conversation with Mick Shepherd

In the 1980s, several independent bands based around Lancashire played a part in an emerging regional scene that ultimately brought wider success for a few North West acts. Of course, not every act involved would end up on the front … Continue reading

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