Icons Of Filth - "Brain Death" and "The Filth & The Fury" EPs on Mortarhate

Label: Mortarhate Records; Year: 1985; Format: 7" EP

Immediately what's really striking about this EP is Squealer's artwork, just brilliantly morbid. Icons Of Filth hailed from Cardiff, Wales and were part of the Anarcho-Punk scene of the '80s. To be honest with you I was late to catch on to those bands but Icons Of Filth, Conflict and Rudimentary Peni were on my radar quite early on after having gotten into hardcore punk. 'Enough is Enough' is nothing short of an absolute scorcher of a song and 'Brain Death' on the B-Side is an equal contender along the short 'Success on a Plate'. The lyrics are just as expected loud and aggressive rants about the meat industry and the music is pounding with anger and harsh beats out of the boxes. This is definitely a winner and ideal if you want to piss off your neighbors. 

Label: Mortarhate; Year: 1986; Format: 7" EP

It's a real shame that this EP's production and mastering is just beyond bad because the songs are just as good as the ones on the "Brain Death" EP. I think it would be fair to assume that by this point Icons Of Filth were really fed up with the Punk Scene on a whole and really take a piss on this platter, and as bad as the production of this EP may be the lyrics and the artwork really make up for it. 

"Hello & Welcome To the Filth & The Fury Punk Rock Revolution? What started out to challenge social regulations & values turned out to be a right joke. There was & still is much more to be challenged than the clothes you wear or the music you listen to. Stereotyping goes much further than this. Your clothing doesn't automatically change your personality. This sort of change is purely external. Admittedly it is one way of saying 'No' to stereotyping of clothing but ask yourself Bisti enough?" 

Above text from 'Sunk Rock' is just a tiny snippet of the entire rant and goes to show how genuine bands like Icons Of Filth and others from the Anarcho-Punk scene were in their approach to music and the scene on a whole. There is never a bad time to make people think about their actions, no matter how well intended. Again, I just wish the production on this EP was on par with the music and artwork & design  as it would make it into a master piece. Never the less it's still a keeper and worth every penny of your hard earned money should you not have it yet. More Icons Of Filth reviews to follow in the future. RIP Stig.

Update 9-20-22: RIP Squealer having passed away last week. Your art will live on forever. 

V/A - Streets LP 

Label: Beggars Banquet; Year: 1977; Format: Vinyl LP

On the back cover of this Compilation the following statement is eternalized: 1977 was the year that the music came out of the concert halls and onto the streets; when independent labels sprang out of the woodwork to feed new tastes: when rock music once again became about energy and fun; when the majors' boardrooms lost control. Suddenly we could do anything. - Well apparently Beggars Banquet wasn't completely true to those words as one of the best tracks on this generally rather good Compilation is "isgodaman" by the Snivelling Shits, who on this record are called Arthur Comics as the Beggars folks decided against the word "shit" on the record sleeve. Punk? Anyhow that is a question for another rainy day as I am here to let you know that out of the seventeen tracks to be found on this platter only about three to four are shitty new wave tracks while the rest varies from decent to great. Especially strong on this record is the Mancunian fraction with Slaughter and the Dogs, The Nosebleeds and The Drones. "Lookalikes" by the Drones is one of my all time faves from the 1977 school of punk rock, just a real smasher. Other great songs are by lesser known acts such as "Disastermovie" by The Exile from Scotland or "19" by the French act The Dogs. With a record like this one I was wondering how it would hold up as I sure as heck have not played it in a long time, but I must say that for the most part I still enjoy it as the songs still sound fresh and energetic to my ears thanks to the bands having had their own sound and style before the copycats flooded the market. Beggars Banquet went on to become a much bigger label once Gary Numan became a hit and they sure as hell jumped on the bandwagon when punk hit the streets in the U.K, but so be it. Most of the songs for this LP were licensed from other labels and many of you might have them on singles, but it's still nice to listen to these hits one after another. Let's pogo! 

The Pits - "Introducing My New High" and "Belief in Ruins" Rapid Pulse Singles 

Label: Rapid Pulse Records; Year: 2001; Format: 7" Single

For this blog an entry from 2001/2002 is new so to speak as unfortunately the loser typing this entry sold most of the '90s and early '00s records a long time ago. Many are not missed while some are, and some have luckily never left the collection. Very little to nothing is known about the Pits from Sunderland in the North East of the UK. I remember reading about them in the brilliant 3rd Generation Nation Fanzine from Germany all those years back and that's all the exposure they got I suppose. They certainly deserved more but most likely never made it much farther than beyond the local pub scene. Still, they managed to release some brilliant records of which two ended up on vinyl on the American label Rapid Pulse, which back then kind of specialized in '77 style punk and powerpop releases. The two tracks on this single are both mid tempo and anthemic in a very typical old school UK punk fashion. The band certainly reminds me of the Professionals and the likes hence if that's your cup of tea you'll love this one! 

Label: Rapid Pulse Records; Year: 2002; Format: 7" Single

While the above reviewed single is great and worth getting, I shall proclaim that this one is the better one and every loser with no life whatsoever reading these lines needs to get this one. Both tracks are upbeat '77 punk smashers with "Your Violence is Sinister" being one of my all time Pits favorites. The production on this single is also cleaner and louder, and I repeat myself if you like your punk rock anthemic with great hooks and choruses then you should give these Sunderland lads a chance. The band also released two CDs and a Mini CD which I shall review at some point in the future as well. The drummer also played in Red London for some time but considering how little Sunderland is that shouldn't come as a surprise, right? It's too early in the day to have an ale but this goes down well with some booze. Cheers! 

Buzzcocks with Howard Devoto - Time's Up LP 

Label: Raven Records (Unofficial); Year: 1979; Format: Vinyl LP 

I stumbled across this record not too long ago at my local record shop up the road from where I live and didn't hesitate a single minute purchasing it. Buzzcocks are one of those rare bands that I enjoy hearing even some of the newer material of as they never lost the magic touch of coming up with great songs. So, according to the little research I have done the version I have is an Australian bootleg released in 1979 and is basically a bootleg of an earlier bootleg for history's sake. More important is the music and that was taken from a session in October of 1976 even before these Manchester lads recorded their self-released first EP. So what you get is Buzzcocks at its rawest with Howard Devoto still part of the band. Now, some people will argue that Buzzcocks have never sounded better than at this point where they really had that unfiltered early raw punk sound as opposed to the cleaner and better produced sound of their later output. Now, that is up to everybody's own taste but this LP is definitely worth getting providing you with a chance hearing tracks like Boredom, Breakdown or Orgasm Addict recorded without dubs live in a studio when those songs were just ideas the day before so to speak. I think what is really enjoyable the most about this record is hearing the spontaneity of the time, and in that regard it is hard to beat. Domino Records have released the session in recent years officially but from what I saw the tracking list is a little different. Last but not least listen to the drumming on You Tear Me up and tell me whether that is not the beginning of D-Beat. 

V/A - Digging in Water LP 

Label: Manic Ears Records/COR Records; Year: 1987; Format: Vinyl LP

My previous entry to this blog having reviewed Bob Suren's book made me think that there were a number of records back in the '80s that I used to spin over and over. A lot of them were Compilations as they were easily available and for a youngster with a limited budget they offered value for money. Digging in Water from 1987 is one of those LPs I dearly loved to bits and tonight was the first time in a long time I put this record on while enjoying a trip down memory lane. The A Side is the noisier and faster side of the two with great tracks my the likes of Chaos U.K., Concrete Sox, Extreme Noise Terror or Ripcord to name a few. Only Italy's CCM and Aussies Vicious Circle are not from the UK on this Comp. but they both deliver really strong songs with CCM's Ultracore one of the best in my opinion. Side B offers more variety and isn't as full on Stenchcore as the other side. One of the best songs on the entire record is Civilized Society's "The Fairer Sex", a superb melodic yet forward driving song. Also great are Depraved or the far lesser known Eyes on You, of which song I probably didn't enjoy as much back then as it's got almost a post-punk feel to it but being in my 50's now I thoroughly enjoyed it. Maybe the best song is Oi Polloi's "Pigs For Slaughter". This was their best phase if I dare to say with a brutal and loud bass sound making those songs instant pogo smashers. One little anecdote about ENT's fantastic contribution with the song "Bullshit Propaganda". Their sadly deceased shouter Phil (RIP) lived in Switzerland for a number of years, the country where I also lived for the most part of my life. Phil worked at Rec Rec Distribution in the Drum'N'Bass department as he was knowledgeable in that genre. A close punk friend of mine worked there as well and told me about Phil as he knew I liked ENT. One evening at a show I was drunk out of my mind and Phil was in the attendance. My friend introduced me to him and all I was capable of that night was shouting "Bullshit Propaganda!!!!!" all night at poor ole' Phil. A week or so later my friend told me that Phil asked him who his weird and crazy friend was. After Phil had relocated back to the UK and I myself moved to London Phil was nice enough to invite me to their shows when they were in London and I will always remember him as a funny and bright guy who I am sure is missed by many. 

UK Subs - The Singles 1978 - 1982 LP

Label: Abstract Sounds Ltd.; Year: 1991; Format: Vinyl LP

It was just a few days ago that Charlie Harper (born David Charles Perez) turned 78 years young. That's unbelievable considering that Charlie has been on the road performing with the Subs since 1977. I thought it was only fitting to spin one of the Subs releases from my record shelf. At first I thought about the "Another Kind of Blues" Album but I'll do that some other time. I instead opted for this compilation of their eight classic 7" EPs put out a bit over thirty years ago. At one point I had all the EPs in my collection as well, but quite frankly I really enjoyed listening to these classic tunes today in one go only having to lift my ass once flipping the sides. The UK Subs are next to Motorhead the band I have seen the most times live on stage. From the many times in Switzerland to the few times in London to the last two times I saw them in Southern California overall I always had a great time. Unlike some die-hard Subs fans I wouldn't go as far as saying that the UK Subs always delivered as Charlie had so many line-up changes throughout the decades that only true archivists of the band can provide you with that info. To me the line-up with Gibbs/Garratt always delivered and never disappointed. The tracks on this LP are taken from the classic EPs the band released from 1978 until 1982 and what you get here are true classics that are performed by the band to this day as these songs just never get boring. What one tends to forget these days is how big the UK Subs actually were around 79/80. Copies of "Tomorrow's Girls", "She's Not There" or "Warhead" sold in the tens of thousands, something well known bands can dream of today. It's hard to pick a favorite here as these 23 songs all excel in one way or another. I even like Keep on Running (Till You Burn) from 1981 where the band definitely toyed with the New Romantic look and sound. I also always loved "She's Not There", a great cover version of the Zombies track from 1965. The rest is history as they say because songs like Warhead, Stranglehold, Kicks, I live in a Car etc. are part of the UK Subs and punk rock history, period and end of. 

Back Cover of the LP: 

Original Poster from the 2000 Gig at the Sedel Club in Lucerne/Switzerland. That night the band played pretty much with the line-up seen on the poster bar the drummer. The picture is from the early '80s originally. This was probably my favorite gig seeing the band as they were on top form and played all the hits as if it were 1980 all over again. 

Discharge - Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing LP 

Label: Clay Records; Year: 1982; Format: Vinyl LP

It was yesterday forty years ago that this LP was released hence I thought it was a great idea to give this classic a spin. Discharge formed in Stoke-On-Trent in 1977 but sounded nothing like the wall of sound they would become famous for. According to their own words they kind of figured out their sound by just playing faster and harder and eventually created a style that would influence countless bands around the world and across genres. Of course by the time this LP was released Mike Stone of Clay Records has already released several of the infamous and classic Discharge EP's. Still and without doubt it can be said that this LP catapulted Discharge into a league on their own and leather studded punks in the squats of Berlin or in the rubbles of Sao Paolo took note and started to create their own wall of noise. One can have a million and one records on their shelves but let's be honest how many of them stand the test of their time? This one here has turned forty and will be celebrated equally another forty years down the road provided the human race has not eradicated itself. Free Speech For The Dumb! 

Abrasive Wheels - When The Punks Go Marching In! LP

Label: Riot City Records; Year: 1982; Format: Vinyl LP

Recorded and released in 1982 on Bristol's Riot City Records should give you quite a hint as to what to expect from this album. It is one of my favorite UK82 records as it just ticks many boxes. It's well produced, it's full of hits and quite frankly there isn't a single bad song on this first full length by Leeds' punks Abrasive Wheels. I haven't listened to this cracker of an album in some time but almost instantly I was able to sing along to most of the songs as they would be played on many a mixtape or punk disco after a show. Paying a bit more attention than usually it did not escape me that the album has a very '79 feel to it in the sense that while most of the songs are played at high speed with Dave's buzzing guitar sound and Shonna's aggressive singing typical in the foreground the choruses and melodies will be more reminiscent of 2nd generation punk acts like Sham 69 or Angelic Upstarts for instance. It all makes sense as I opened my copy of "Burning Britain" and read over the story of the Abrasive Wheels reminding myself that they actually had their beginnings in the late '70s hence those influences do not surprise at all. On this LP the band had also their strongest and most stable line up which led them to signing with Clay Records and releasing another LP in 1984 which in my opinion was nowhere near as good as this one having attempted to sound poppier and more accessible and failing miserably. The band reformed years later and actually released a record in the more recent years but I have never heard it. This one is a pure classic and whether you have the original or not what counts is that you have it and crank it up loud! 

Welly Artcore - Directions To The Outskirts Of Town

Publisher: Earth Island Books; Year: 2021; Format: Book

Look at me actually reviewing a book that has been published just very recently and which I just finished reading. To those of you having been into punk/hardcore since the ‘80s or ‘90s the name Welly Artcore should ring a bell as he is the man behind the excellent Artcore Fanzine still running to this day. “Directions To The Outskirts Of Town” basically combines Welly’s two tour diaries from the ‘90s, once as a roadie with Chaos UK in ’94 and then again with his own band Four Letter Word four years later. While the chapters with Chaos UK are funny and entertaining, they are often also short and could have used a bit more detail considering how crazy this tour was as it took them across the United States. Welly does make up for it big time when it comes to his entries for the ’98 tour with Four Letter Word. Not only did the band cover an insane amount of miles across the United States and Canada, but the tour was really in support of their album released on BYO Records. Welly himself admits that his band having been released on such a renowned label was due to the gold-digging punk rock decade the ‘90s was. This should in no way discredit Four Letter Word, a band I quite frankly am not familiar with at all though. Regardless, the tour diary of their tour is worth alone to get this book as it is full of funny and honest stories of four guys from Cardiff, Wales traveling thousands of miles across North America and quite often playing to a handful of people not knowing how to react. On said tour Four Letter Word did quite often open up to well-known acts such as Youth Brigade or 7 Seconds and it is during those shows that the hierarchies within the punk rock circuit are described with a high degree of honesty and humor by Welly. The DIY spirit of those days literally seeps through the pages of the book with bands crashing at the parent’s houses of people in attendance and surviving on shitty food and cheap beer for weeks on end. I am too old to know whether tours like the two in this book are still organized the way they used to but with Sat Navigation in the cars or on phones life as we know it is different from the ‘90s. Reading the book I often reminisced about those days where spontaneity ruled in the pre-internet days. 

Ronan Fitzsimons - I'm An Upstart - the Decca Wade Story

Publisher: Ardra Press; Year: 2013; Format: Book

Very little is known about this book, and if it wasn’t for a specific mail-order operating from the North East of England I probably would have never even heard about it. Taking into account that Mensi of the Angelic Upstarts sadly passed away this past Friday I thought it was about time to revive this blog of mine as I haven’t made an entry in literally years but always planned on keep going. It’s been a while since I even read this book, and while it’s not about the Angelic Upstarts per se, the band definitely plays a big part in it due to Decca Wade having been their original drummer. The author of this book is Ronan Fitzsimons and he draws on dozens of interviews with Decca and those who know him best. The author himself was born in Newcastle upon Tyne in the North East of England and one would assume not only grew up with punk rock, but punk rock specifically from that region. The book provides readers with an excellent picture of the landscape of North East England far away from the relatively bright lights of London. In this landscape Decca was among the people who were inspired by the likes of the Clash or the Sex Pistols and who knew that they too could start a band and make something of it. The chapters on the early days of the Upstarts are a fascinating read bringing to light the many challenges the band had to endure, including a management that acted outright criminally ending in the main person actually being locked up in 1980. While Decca played an integral role in the early Upstarts days he did leave the band only to reunite with them some years down the road. The book takes us on a rather shaky road of a highly influential and gifted drummer with many a funny story shared but sadly also deals with Decca’s succumbing to alcoholism. All in all this comes highly recommended to fans of the Angelic Upstarts and/or fans of regions neglected in the history of punk rock. 

Angelic Upstarts - Live LP

Label: EMI Records; Year: 1981; Format: Vinyl LP + 7" Flexi Disc

Once this blog of mine will have established itself, and I will have gotten off my lazy arse more often in order to write about music I love and own, you will notice that there will be bands that will appear more often than others, and quite frankly for a good reason. Rest assured that the Angelic Upstarts will make future appearances on this blog since they are one of my favorite bands, or at least their early material. This LP recorded live in June of 1981 at City of London's Polytechnic University is a rare example of a great live LP. I am sure EMI was able to provide the band with the necessary technical know how to make a live LP sound great, and it sure does! At this point in their career the Upstarts have just released "2'000'000'00 Voices" so it shouldn't come as a surprise that there are quite a few tracks off said record to be heard on these live recordings which in my opinion is a good thing as I personally love that LP. Of course you'll also get to hear some of their early classics such as "Teenage Warning", "Police Oppression" or "I'm an Upstart" to name a few. If you are an Angelic Upstarts fan then you will most likely own this record, but if you're not that familiar with their back catalogue then track down a copy of this, preferably with the free flexi disc. Enough said, stay tuned until another Upstarts entry in the future.  

Wasted Youth - I'll remember you/My friends are dead 7"

Label: Bridge House Records; Year: 1980; Format: Vinyl 7"

Let me start off by telling you that these east London blokes should not be confused with the L.A. band going by the same name. Since this is the only release I have by this band, and can't even remember how it got into my hands, I had to do a bit research in regards to the history of this band, and learned that these guys started out in post-punk 1979. Apparently the band members were previously in bands ranging from power pop to hard rock, but with Wasted Youth settled on creating an interesting mixture of dark, psychedelic sounds predating goth rock and fitting well into what is widely considered as post-punk. I especially like "My friends are dead", a goth/post-punk hit with fantastic song arrangements and good production. When it comes to the label this was released on, one could fill many pages on the history and importance of the Bridge House in the Canning Town area of east London. This place established itself as a pub, rock venue and record label at the same time, and interestingly enough also served as the stepping stone to the careers of bands such as Iron Maiden or Depeche Mode. I might as well get more of Wasted Youth's back catalog at some point as the history and the sound alike are intriguing.

V/A - Messthetics # 103 - DIY '77-81, Midlands, Part 1

Label: Hyped To Death; Year: 2007; Format: CD

Fans and collectors of obscure DIY punk and post-punk bands from the UK and North America will be familiar with Chuck Warner's Hyped To Death website and compilation CDs. Chuck has put an incredible amount of time and love into his little DIY empire, enabling many of us to hear the most obscure sounds of times past. This particular compilation deals with bands from the Midlands part of the UK and as Chuck put it in the CD; between 1977 and 1983 literally hundreds of bands released their own records and cassettes throughout the UK. As one can only assume, some were more talented musicians, whereas others weren't, but didn't lack anything when it comes to drive and true DIY spirit. The songs compiled on this CD sum up what was just said, offering hidden gems such as the Prefects "Things in General", or The Shapes "I saw Batman in the launderette", whereas other songs are rudimentary to the bone without lacking originality and charisma. Overall you get over twenty songs on this Messthetics volume, a great booklet with tons of information about the bands and the times where everything seemed possible. Not many people can own all the originals found on these compilations, hence I see no reason to not stocking up on these. Essential stuff!

Horrorcomic - I don't mind/England 77 7"

Label: Fan Club; Year: 200?; Format: Vinyl 7"

What we've got here is a bootleg pressing of an incredibly rare, and incredibly good 7" that was originally released on Lightning Records in 1978. Horrorcomic are a bit of a mystery when it comes to their band history, and in the past it has been said that the band actually recorded these tracks as '60s R&B act Downliners Sect in disguise. I could not find any information backing this up, but rather found facts that before becoming Horrorcomic, these fine gentlemen were active as the Crackers since the early '70s, and released a pretty good glam influenced 7" in 1975 with "Judy, Judy, Judy" on it. Since they didn't see any future in continuing playing that type of sound, they jumped on the punk wagon, and as a result of that released three 7"s, with the last one having been withdrawn and resulting to be the rarest of all of them as only a handful were pressed. The one herein reviewed was the middle one, and often viewed as their best one. Both tracks are stomping '77 punk hits at their very best with choruses and chords that will definitely get you out of your armchair to pogo around like crazy. The singer, Roger Rep aka Roger Semor, is an executive of the Sanctuary Records company and therefore it should be of no surprise that a compilation CD of the entire Horrorcomic catalogue was released on said label a few years back.

Gobblinz - S/T CD

Label: Nat Records; Year: 2006; Format: CD

This is a real mixed bag of a CD, compiling all the recorded material by UK band Gobblinz, whom were from Peterborough. Until I was given this CD by a friend of mine, I knew very little about this band, and looking at forums and groups on the net I discovered that their two original 7"s that came out in '78, and '79 respectively are sought after records. But, no worries, Nat Records also reissued those in their original artwork, and the five songs to be found on those two platters are the best this band recorded, and I mean by miles. And that's where I question a release such as this one, consisting of thirteen songs, of which two are pure disaster and could have been recorded by Queen for all we know, while the other six pass as okay, but not really worth the time. On a positive note though, and if you don't care whether you have their good songs on vinyl or CD, then the CD will save you some of your hard earned money. So, those five songs I have been mentioning, being "London", "Women in Love", "Love me too", "Communique" and "All this and more" are damn fine powerpop/punk tracks, without a single doubt. These guys came together as a band in 1975 and played in other bands before, which one can clearly hear as these people were seasoned musicians by the time they started Gobblinz, and the influences ranged from glam rock to pub rock, eventually being all incorporated into a New Wave sound. An interesting release for sure, but I would have been perfectly fine with just about half of the songs on the CD. Last but not least it might be worthwhile to mention that singer and guitar player Ian Graham went on to form The Name in late 1978, a band well known in the revival Mod scene of the late '70s. End and over.

The Sconeheads - Larry Grayson is a Gestapo Agent EP

Label: Nailed On; Year: 1999; Format: Vinyl EP

Larry Grayson was a well known English TV presenter, famous for hosting BBC's series 'The Generation Game'. I would only assume that the Sconeheads were not particularly fond of Mr. Grayson and made a Gestapo Agent out of him. All three songs on this EP were released posthumously and were originally recorded in 1981. The title track is my personal winner on this EP as it is an excellent primitive pogo smasher with really aggressive drumming, just loving it. The other two tracks are by no means bad, and I would describe them as sing along drunken punk rock in a real DIY way. This EP will appeal to people who like bands such as The Shapes for instance. Not an absolute must, but definitely worth discovering.

Cock Sparrer - Still A Teenager At Heart EP

Label: Unknown; Year: 1994; Format: Vinyl 7"

Cock Sparrer have become a world wide phenomenon in the last fifteen to twenty years, entertaining an ever growing fan base at festivals around the world, and they must have surely made a good buck out of that. I don't think they have seen a single penny from this release though, as this obscure EP came out well before they became everybody's favorite band in the new era of Cock Sparrer. While I have never been a huge fan of 'the Sparrer' I must say that the Decca years songs do appeal to me, and this EP contains six songs including smashers like 'Sister Suzie', 'Running Riot', and especially 'Run for Cover', an unbelievably good song. The difference between the Decca year songs, and the later material is that the glam/hard rock influence in the early songs shines through, whereas later releases started to lose that edge to them and evolved into more standard Oi-Punk. That's the way I have always felt, and many of you might see it very differently. I think you ought to be a die-hard Sparrer collector to chase this EP down, but if you see it somewhere laying around for a good price, then definitely pick it up as you won't regret it.

Sex Pistols - Screen on the Green Cinema, Islington, 1976 EP

Label: Unknown; Year: 2007; Format: Vinyl 7"

An interesting little platter here from the good ole' Sex Pistols. When I put it on for the first time I was dreading that the sound quality would be so bad as with many Pistols bootlegs, but to my surprise I discovered that the three songs on this EP are actually of decent sound quality, and are taken from a gig in 1976 in north London. (Don't Give Me) No lip, an original by Dave Berry makes up for a great cover version and is one of the tracks found here, amongst 'Submission' and 'No fun'. I do believe that there is a second EP from the same gig floating around, but I am not a die-hard collector of the Pistols, and will leave that up to the Rotten Army. Not a bad boot at all if you can find it somewhere cheap.

Terri Hooley & Richard Sullivan:  Music - Mayhem - Good Vibrations

Publisher: Blackstaff Press; Year: 2010; Format: Book

I would assume that anybody reading this review with an interest in DIY labels and the history behind them will be familiar with Good Vibrations, and the man behind the label and the various stores associated with it, Terri Hooley. Richard Sullivan, who has been an avid follower of Terri's fortunes since he was a teenager visiting Good Vibrations store in Belfast is the co-author of this book, and with having said this, it seemed like the right choice was made in regard to Terri's co-laborator for this book, which is a fantastic account of Terri's life with all its highs and lows, and there has been many of them. Of course I personally loved Terri's memories of discovering the Undertones, Rudi and countless other great punk rock/powerpop acts of the Northern Ireland scene, but I especially enjoyed the beginning of the book and the stories of Terri as a young kid and teenager, growing up in Belfast, being a hippy, and standing up for what he believed in, something he has done throughout his entire life. Needless to say that he hasn't just made friends, and this book also talks about arson, the paramilitaries and their actions against Terri, the many different locations his shop was forced to take as a result of that, and so on. This is a great read, from cover to cover!

Fred Burns: Basically, Johnny Moped - The Story of Punk Rock's Great Lost Legend

Year: 2013; Format: Limited DVD

First and foremost, I am thankful to a dear friend of mine in the UK for having sent me this limited DVD release, as some of us die-hard Johnny Moped fans like myself couldn't wait until finally seeing the light of this documentary. One of the interesting facts about this movie is that the director, Fred Burns, is the son of Captain Sensible of the Damned, and up until recently Fred had no idea at all about Johnny Moped, a band that is part of his dad's musical career. Anyhow, one day before a Crystal Palace game Fred and his dad were at a pub warming up for the game, and Johnny Moped entered the scene, much to Fred's amusement, but above all curiosity. The idea to make a documentary about Johnny Moped started then and there, and the end result is stunning. The story of this band from Croydon in South London is rich in characters, failures, success, and true punk rock spirit. In my opinion Johnny Moped has always remained a somewhat unsung hero of the first generation punk rockers, but if you were lucky to have ever seen the band live, and that includes the modern days, you know exactly what I am talking about. And I was lucky enough. As a fan you will not be disappointed by this movie, as it will not only provide you with some great early, and more recent footage, but will also connect all the dots that were missing in the history of this cult band. I am not sure whether this movie will get an official DVD release, hopefully landing the band a wider fan base and appreciation of its history. I'll go as far as saying that you don't even have to have ever heard of Johnny Moped, and you'll still get a kick out of watching this touching music documentary!

Update July 2022: The documentary is currently on Netflix, but for how long I don't know. Watch it while you can!