Now Streaming! Two New Songs by 14 Carat Grapefruit

Now streaming! Two brand new songs - 'Tamara Never Comes' and 'Let's Get Fuckin' Pissed' - from the Grapefruits' 'difficult' second album - if it ever comes! Follow this link to the ROCK-TIL-YOU-DROP-RECORD-SHOP to have a listen.

The band play The Dublin Castle in Camden, London, this coming Wednesday. On stage at a sensible 8pm.

New Gig, New Material, New Grapefruit: 14CG play the Dublin Castle, Camden, 14th March

14 Carat Grapefruit have just announced they will be playing at The Dublin Castle in Camden on 14th March. Expect new material, and a new Grapefruit in the shape of yours truly. More about that soon.

Cockney Rejects - East End Babylon, KOKO, Camden, 26th April 2012

I have been a fan of the Cockney Rejects since I was 14. I have my older cousin to thank for including them on a series of a dozen or so compilation cassettes he lovingly made for me from about 1980 of some of the best of his British punk collection, which included a fair amount of street punk and Oi! 

Along with Sham 69, the Cockney Rejects were one of my favourite of that second wave of punk bands. I was too young to be allowed to travel to London to see them play live, and by the time I was old enough, I had moved on to listening to and going to see more contemporary early-to-mid-80s bands that were less punk and more electronic. But I have never lost my passion for punk rock, and still listen to the first two Rejects albums regularly - albeit not quite as loudly as I once did.

Thankfully, over the years I have got to see many of the bands that I missed the first time around; I saw the Damned for the second time last month playing their 35th anniversary show at the Roundhouse in Chalk Farm, and it blew me away just how good they were - just as Stiff Little Fingers, the Stranglers, and others have. I'm sure the Rejects will leave me feeling the same.

I remember driving around Godalming, where I grew up, with my cousin playing Police Car by the Rejects at full volume on his car stereo. I though it was so cool. I was a rubbish punk, though, I wasn't angry, scary or hard - I spiked up my hair, wore the drainpipes turned up, and the DMs, but I was far too sensitive to be a convincing street punk. But it didn't stop me loving the music, and if it wasn't for punk, maybe I would never have started writing songs and playing guitar. 

Since setting up ROCK-TIL-YOU-DROP I have got to meet  a couple of my teen punk idols: TV Smith and Gaye Advert (I was even invited by Gaye to the private view of her art show Punk and Beyond, recently); Captain Sensible has tweeted about RTYD, and the Cockney Rejects are following me on Twitter. It might not seem like much to you, but it means a lot to me.

So say 'hello' if you're going to Koko in Camden on 26th April next year for the preview of East End Babylon, the punk-rocumentary based on singer Jeff 'Stinky' Turner’s biography 'Cockney Reject'. The film promises to tell the real story of the band, and give a true picture of the East End of London in the late 1970s; and what's more, it is followed  by a performance by the Cockney Rejects themselves.

I can't wait.

Spizz Energi + Department S play the Purple Turtle, Camden

Spizzenergi + Department S play the Purple Turtle, Camden on Sat 11 June: http://bit.ly/ej3GHM @TheGoldenDawn punk postpunk

Recommended London Gig: Spizzenergi + Department S at the Purple Turtle, Camden

Spizzenergi + Department S play the Purple Turtle, Camden, on Sat 11 June: http://bit.ly/ej3GHM punk newwave

14 Carat Grapefruit announce their next gig: 4th May at the Dublin Castle, Camden http://bit.ly/dLybpa punk comedy

Video and review of Glamweazel at the Dublin Castle, Camden

Video and review of Glamweazel at the Dublin Castle, Camden: http://bit.ly/fD8olO

Video: Glamweazel at the Dublin Castle

Jerry T. Jones, AKA Lushi Lee of 1980s band One The Juggler, these days goes by the name of Glamweazel or at least when he is performing his own songs. On Thursday night, he performed with his band at the Dublin Castle, Camden - a gig I had a little hand in setting up - and which I thoroughly enjoyed.

The turn out was very good, and I was touched by Jerry dedicating the last song Tangled Leads to me (a video of which is above). It's an anthem in a 70s rock-stylee for all of us that continue to live the rock 'n' roll dream - if only in our heads.

Rock 'til you drop, Jerry!

Bristol punk band The 4th Suit are coming to town!! Camden Calling: http://bit.ly/eNEJHp RTYD

77 minus 70

It's my band's last gig of the year tomorrow night. At the Unicorn on Camden Road. It's free entry if you're around? This is where our new line-up had it's first outing back in December 2007.

That makes a grand total of....
....
....
....
....
....
....
....7 gigs, this year.
Gulp.
That's right, 7.
Not 77, but 77 minus 70.
Seven.
That's one gig every seven weeks or so?
Is that enough?
Not really.
So what you gonna do about it?

Well, we don't just need more gigs, we need better gigs too. I need to crack on with the idea that inspired the Rock-Til-You-Drop site and that is facilitating older musicians joining forces and playing gigs together. This will help maximise attendence. These events can also double as social networking occasions for mature musicians. This will be my New Year resolution. This is my mission for 2009. You read it here.

I have a few friends coming tomorrow night. The loyal few. Maybe they'll be ten or twelve of them. But what happened to the days when you could get thirty or forty people out? Here lies one of the main problems with gigging as a mature musician.

The band got up to speed last night in rehearsal and we've finally got round to including three or four of the newer songs. Thank fuck for that. After two run-throughs we we're firing on all cylinders. We don't get a warm-up tomorrow night, though.

The wife is working late but is coming to the gig. She is bringing some mates too, which is good. I have to let the babysitter in at 6pm. At which point, I have to dash across Camden with my guitar, my 100w Marshall combi and my kit-bag. I put my amp on a trolley and my guitar on my back. Soundcheck is 6:30 - if you believe it?

I shall let you know how the gig goes.