Tag Archives: John Peel

Getting the run down on The Higsons, four decades on – the Terry Edwards interview

Among this weekend’s 2023 Record Store Day releases, I was intrigued to hear word of the vinyl release of a mini-album featuring two cult early ‘80s 12” singles by post-punk/funk pioneers The Higsons, celebrating their brief liaison with 2 Tone … Continue reading

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Going back to my roots – talking an crann and more with The Undertones’ Damian O’Neill

Getting on for 45 years since The Undertones recorded debut single ‘Teenage Kicks’ at Belfast’s Wizard Studios, there’s still plenty of love out there for the band and its members, as seen in recent acclaim from critics and fans alike … Continue reading

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Moving Inside Out with The Mighty Lemon Drops – the David Newton interview

A look at my (mostly trusty) list of live shows attended reminds me it was 37 years ago this week (November 17th, 1985) that I first chanced upon The Mighty Lemon Drops, supporting That Petrol Emotion at The Agincourt in … Continue reading

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Dream on – catching up on The Orchids with John Scally

It’s always a pleasure to discover a band you previously knew little about, but instantly chimes with you. And that was the case for me in early 2017 when I chanced upon The Orchids live for the first time. When … Continue reading

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Remembering the Bickershaw Festival, 50 years on – back in conversation with Chris Hewitt

With Glastonbury behind us for another year, give or take BBC iPlayer highlights, there’s still plenty to savour on the festival calendar, but in this feature I’ll head far further north and back 50 years, to one of the most … Continue reading

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Examining the Pleasure principle – the enduring appeal of Girls at our Best!

‘We’re not looking forward and we are not looking backWe’ve lost the warranty, we’ll never get our money backMy baby’s buying me another life, getting nowhere fast.’ One of the most influential bands to emerge in the early 1980s, Girls … Continue reading

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Pip Blom / San Lorenz – Preston, The Ferret

We waited a long time for this, but it was definitely worth the delay, Amsterdam visitors Pip Blom on fine form at The Ferret in Preston, Lancashire, more than seven months after they were first scheduled to visit. This four-piece … Continue reading

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Following The Country Line – from The Farmer’s Boys to The McGuilty Brothers with Mark Kingston

Whatever happened to The Farmer’s Boys? Those early ‘80s, Norwich-based, unlikely pop stars who found affinity with influential broadcaster John Peel, scoring three indie hits before signing for EMI Records and having a somewhat unexpected crack at the big time. … Continue reading

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Dig your way back out with The Undertones – in conversation with Mickey Bradley

As The Undertones gear up for a run of rescheduled UK live dates this month and next, 46 years after their first shows and 22 years after reconvening with a new singer, I felt it was high time I had … Continue reading

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Altered Images: songs sung blue, pink and with added Mascara Streakz – the Clare Grogan feature/interview

Early ‘80s new wave pioneers Altered Images are back, a number of headline shows about to commence, with a new album, Mascara Streakz, landing this summer. Formed in 1979 as teenagers inspired by the punk scene, this Glaswegian outfit – … Continue reading

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