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.

Punk and Beyond Art Show (Curated by Gaye Advert)

Following the success of last year’s ‘Beyond Punk’ art show, which included works by well known punk musicians including Adam Ant, Poly Styrene, Youth and Steve Ignorant, its curator Gaye Black (better known as Gaye Advert of The Adverts) has put together another show of work to celebrate the enduring creative force of punk.

'Punk and Beyond’ runs from 25th November to 17th December, and will enjoy the luxury of a new bigger gallery space at the Signal Gallery (near Old Street, London), which of course means more artists and more artwork than last year's show.

The list of those former punks showing work is also more varied this year. Alongside art by well-known UK punk stars including Paul Simonon, Marco Pirroni, Penny Rimbaud and Charlie Harper, you can expect to see work by US musicians Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth), Robert Pollard (Guided By Voices) and Marl Mothersbaugh (Devo).

The exhibition will also include a number of specially commissioned artworks that pay tribute to Poly Styrene who sadly lost her battle with cancer earlier this year.

To add to all this, over the four Saturday nights that the show runs, there will be live performances by a number of the musicians included in the show. Watch this space for more details of these.

Here’s a list of some of those showing:

GAYE BLACK (ADVERTS)
BEN BROWTON (THE SHAPES)
BILLY CHILDISH (POP RIVETS/MILKSHAKES/HEADCOATS/BUFF MEDWAYS/etc)
BEN EDGE (THEE SPIVS)
RAY GANGE (CLASH DJ)
GRANT HART (HUSKER DU)
JOWE HEAD (SWELL MAPS/TELEVISION PERSONALITIES)
ROBYN HITCHCOCK (SOFT BOYS)
BRON JONES (EVE LIBERTINE/CRASS)
DICK LUCAS (SUBHUMANS/CITIZEN FISH)
THURSTON MOORE (SONIC YOUTH)
MARK MOTHERSBAUGH (DEVO)
CHRISTIAN PARIS (WIRE/THE BEARS)
SAVAGE PENCIL (THE ART ATTACKS)
MARCO PIRRONI (SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES/ADAM & THE ANTS)
ROBERT POLLARD (GUIDED BY VOICES)
JAMIE REID
NICK REYNOLDS (ALABAMA 3)
PENNY RIMBAUD (CRASS)
PAUL SIMONON (THE CLASH)
TOM SPENCER (THE LURKERS)

POLY STYRENE TRIBUTE PORTRAITS:
CHRIS BRIEF (THE BRIEFS)
CHARLIE HARPER (UK SUBS)
KNOX (THE VIBRATORS)

PHOTOGRAPHY:
IAN DICKSON
JILL FURMANOVSKY
RAY STEVENSON

Review: Punks Not Dad & The Lone Groover at ROCK-TIL-YOU-DROP at The Alley Cat

Last night was the last regular ROCK-TIL-YOU-DROP gig... for a while, anyway.

After two years of trying, the 'brand' didn't make the difference to attendance levels that I had hoped it would, and I was left feeling like another small-time London promoter relying on bands to bring people through the door. I am not interested in being one of those - there are already plenty.

I have enjoyed the social aspect of the gigs, meeting some lovely people, many of whom I hope I will remain friends and acquaintances with for many years to come; I have enjoyed introducing musicians and bands to each other and helping to build small networks of musicians interested in the same genre. I have some great videos, photos and memories; so I'm happy about all that.

The whole promoter/host thing was also a little out of my comfort zone, especially at first, and this is always a good place to be if you want to move forward. As a result, my confidence as a MC grew - for what it's worth now - and, having to do the sound at a lot of the gigs, has given me some useful experience, too.

A break from regular promotion will allow me more time to focus on my own band and music. I still plan to organise the occasional one-off event, but I will definitely be taking the less-is-more/only-for-fun approach to these.

Last night's gig at the Alley Cat didn't draw the crowd I had hoped (What's new?! - Ed), but as usual this didn't stop it being a fun evening. As I cycled home through Camden where the streets were heaving with young people on the lash, it only reinforced to me how much I am banging my head against a wall trying to get the older crowd out in large numbers. These young people are our kids - or will be. We have long been usurped. Most of London's pubs, bars and small music venues are the stamping ground of the young. Even on a Saturday night, many of the middle-aged, and over, are firmly ensconced at home; having had tea, watched Dr Who and put the kids to bed, they are settling down to watch more TV culminating in Match of the Day and bed.

Last night it was their loss, as ROCK-TIL-YOU-DROP at The Alley Cat played host to the hilarious Punks Not Dad and the ever-entertaining Lone Groover. These two acts deserve bigger audiences than they got last night. And I don't enjoy feeling at least partly responsible for this.

The Lone Groover, as always, played a bespoke set of original and cover songs from his ever-growing repertoire, throwing in punk classics by Stiff Little Fingers and the Clash, as well as airing a new song inspired by the recent scenes of protest in London and civil unrest around the world.

Before the show, the Lone Groover and I shared the pleasure of greeting and chatting with Gaye Advert as she entered the venue; and she even remembered me, which was cool. She was there to support Punks Not Dad (again!), whose song Gaye Advert's Eyes is a staple of their live set and features on their debut LP We Are The Dads (The Lone Groover, by the way, was gutted because he nearly brought out his copy of Gary Gilmore's Eye's as one of his 7-inch vinyl props, so missed this opportunity to get it autographed last night ).(Me too! - Ed).

Tonight, Punks Not Dad are plugging their new EP Retail Therapy, which features the euphemistic I Can't Get It Up. Not a song about erectile dysfunction; More meaningful than that, it is about the frustration caused by constructing IKEA furniture - we all know the feeling. They perform all the songs on the EP and a selection from their debut LP including In Me Shed, all punctuated by Sid Life Crisis's between-song comedy-punk routine, of which he is a master. The band go on to play Glastonbury in June and Bestival in September, with a gig in Brighton in between. Go on the Dads!

You can listen to their new EP at the ROCK-TIL-YOU-DROP-RECORD-SHOP and follow links to purchase a copy from there.

A ramble on the storm before the calm

November is a busy month for RTYD. We have the RTYD-SOCIALs in Surrey, Oxford and London: the first, kindly organised by Paul Santilli of the Greedies, the second by Guy Pearce, and the latter by Mark Thirkell, my London apprentice. We also have the voting for the 2010 RTYD Awards, and four gigs, including one with my band Pocket Rocket on the bill.

In December there's another couple of events, but come 2011, I'm cutting back to just the one a month at 4 Denmark St, recently renamed The Alley Cat.

The last year and a half that I have been promoting gigs has been really interesting, but I'm not sure a promoter's life is for me. Not at this level. There have however been highs, such as the PUNK-ROCK-TIL-YOU-DROP night when TV Smith and Gaye Advert came out to see Punks Not Dad, and I got to meet them both and have my photo taken with them. And there have been lows like The Boileroom Disaster, Guildford, 2008.

The problem, and one of the reasons I'm knocking most of the gigs on the head, is that I never got past the point that I didn't have to rely on the bands to bring a good crowd.  I refused to hassle bands about bringing people, which of course you have to do to make any money at this level. I am just not interested in becoming an absent promoter who doesn't give a damn about which bands he puts on as long as they bring people through the door. There are enough of these. And my mission has always been to primarily help bands that struggle to develop a following, that are hobbyists and who play original material, by helping to provide them with an audience to bolster the half-a-dozen friends they do manage to get out.

I have to confess, too, that more recently, I have started to feel some complacency creeping in. I've found myself promoting bands I don't even like. I've found myself having to fill bills with bands I don't really like. Promoting more events than I can find bands I like, to play. A lot of the bands brings a handful of people, expecting a RTYD audience, and one doesn't exist. The audience is largely the other bands. Truth is, this is the only time you are going to get old gits out to watch old gits playing: when they're sharing a bill with another band.

My band has just finished getting a new drummer up to speed on eight songs, and is making its debut with its new 3-piece lineup on 20th November in support of Spirit of Play at The Alley Cat. In 2011 I need to focus on my band for a while. I need to get it some gigs, for a start.

I try to make an effort to get to as many gigs as I can, but with my band rehearsing once a week, having three gigs a month, and needing the occasional night out with friends, I'm pushing it 'indoors'.

I'd like to go to all the Outbursts gigs, they're fun, I love watching them, but it's just not possible.

In some respects I dread going out and playing live again; without a real shtick, with just a bunch of original alternative-rock songs, and no real following. It's no secret that I set RTYD up to create a scene for bands like mine. I know that there's a lot of very good bands out there, in the same boat, and in a way seeing them struggle to develop a following hasn't helped.

I don't know? Is RTYD making enough of a difference? I'm not sure. When the Outbursts play in East London, when any band that has posted there gig on the RTYD calendar, plays, I will Twitter/Facebook,etc. it. Does it make a difference. I doubt it. I need to concentrate on making it make a difference. Me putting on gigs does not make a difference. So, I have to find something that will.

I hope the RTYD-SOCIAL events are a success. But I'm sure these too will suffer from lack of interest. From members who don't see the benefit of socialising in the real world with a bunch of other musicians.

I was in two minds about going to the first of the November Socials in Guildford, but my presence has been requested, so I will go. It is my first return to Guildford since the disappointing gig there last year. I suppose if it's going to be a poor show, I should at least be there to share any disappointment.

Looking on the bright side, RTYD has a healthy following around Guildford and in Surrey now, healthier than two summers ago. So, I hope to be pleasantly surprised by the turn out.

TV Smith and Gaye Advert at the punk ROCK-TIL-YOU-DROP gig

There was a rumour that Tim Smith (AKA TV Smith, former front-man for The Adverts) and Gaye Advert (former bassist) were coming to watch Punks Not Dad at the punk Rock-Til-You-Drop gig at The Dublin Castle last night.

This rumour became a likely event about 8pm when I added their names to the guest list. And the likely event became a reality, when they walked into the pub about 9pm.

The Adverts are my favourite punk band. At secondary school, just before I belatedly discovered The Doors and decided I wanted to be Jim Morrison, I wanted to be TV Smith. I prized myself into the tightest drainpipes, bought the skinniest black ties and made my own badges like he did from newspaper headlines, in order to think, and feel something like I thought TV Smith did - which was probably quite uncomfortable, especially around the groin.

I wanted to write songs using the kind of imagery that TV Smith did. I was into all things apocalyptic back then and his lyrics always really inspired me to write more songs about, what in the early 80s appeared to be, inevitable Armageddon. And this was before I could even play guitar. I didn't have to know what his words meant, I just knew they sounded cool. I even called my first band and proper song, which included a bar-chord progression, 'Subterranean', after this line in The Drowning Men from 'Crossing The Red Sea with The Adverts'.

We're the subterranean vandals,
Tying air lines around door handles.

I like this one too:

The mutant freaks fantastical.
Knife's edge, unreal or actual.
Ambition stunted, the future fated.

(© TV Smith)

Having once before stood only six feet away from Tim at a back-stage bar, and on that occasion not plucked up the courage to say hello, I wasn't going to miss the opportunity last night. Anyway, this time I had a good reason, as promoter of the act he and Gaye had come to see, to introduce myself. Which I did.

Both Tim and Gaye we're lovely and were happy to pose for a photograph with me, which was sweet, and also meant I didn't need to Photoshop one up this morning.

The gig:

The gig itself was a real hoot and another great opportunity to socialise with active members of the RTYD network. The night opened with a storming set by South London three piece Probing Cranks, whose sound seems to owe something to the likes of The Stranglers and Killing Joke. They were followed by Punks Not Dad, who did not disappoint. They played all the faves, including In Me Shed, We Are The Dads and of course, Gaye Advert's Eyes, as well as their newest song I Can't Get It Up. They even bought a piece of IKEA furniture for the audience to assemble and graffiti during the latter song, which was a nice touch.

Although Punks Not Dad would have been a hard act for most bands to follow, 14 Carat Grapefruit managed to equal the entertainment value of their comic-punk allies. They unveiled two new songs My Mate Dave and a two-chord wonder, written especially for the occasion, and Otto Pthrugg had us in stitches all over again, ranting and raving his way through songs from the band's album Long Time Coming.

The Outbursts also put in a fantastic performance playing their own brand of garage punk with menace. Lead singer and keen fisherman Ian put in a suitably snarling vocal performance, and new-boy, guitarist Neale, played like he had been in the band for years.

DJ Dog-Headed Men entertained us between bands with quirky cover versions of punk classics, like To Drunk To Fuck and Gary Gilmore's Eyes, in bossanova and easy-listening styles, which added even more humour to the ocassion.

Great night, great bunch of people.

We must do it again, before too long.