Featured post

Yesterdays news is still today's truth!

They only tell us what they want us to know.....An Anti Austerity Demo gathered outside the BBC headquarters in London the other weekend, ...


.

.

.

.
MAKE SENSE OF THE SENSELESS ! / QUESTION THE QUESTIONABLE ! / SHOUT ABOVE THE NOISE !

Friday 20 July 2007

2 Names, 1 Gig, 1 Record and a Interview.























From out of Letchworth Garden City, North Herts, Lets hear it for ..................................THE CLEFTS. Formed in 1978, they started out with 2 acoustic guitars and a cymbal nicked from school. In 1980 They played their only gig; supporting 'Acoustic Punk Poet' Patrik Fitzgerald at Bowes Lyon House, Stevenage. They'd only found a drummer two days earlier, and had called themselves The Reekers. In 1981 they recorded and released this prime slice of 'DIY punk', under the name The Clefts, this is another fine example of The Desperate Bicycles philosophy; It Was Easy It Was Cheap Go and Do It. Released on their own label; Rifle Rack and sounding like UK Decay and Joy Division meeting the Swell Maps and Crisis in the Garage of a suburban house, this is great and well worth a click of yer mouse and a save as, John Peel even gave it a spin, so what are ya waiting for here yer go, its the Red, White and Blue EP, in all its anarchic and chaotic gory. There's also a scan of their only interview here, and that's about it. Ladies and genitals that was.................................THE CLEFTS.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

What no mention of The Crypt studios Nuzzer? Local heros to a man, plus most of Stevenage and areas would be wearing Clives t-shirts soon after! Penguin

Anonymous said...

Hi Nuzz
I guess the same as stevenage punk scene
Thanks for the kind memories of The Clefts
Amazingly there are few new songs being worked on at the moment.
The only person doing this is Frank being me Im recording the whole lot myself
Just felt I had a little more to offer and a few music demons need to be killed
My creative glass overflows with bile.
Frank

John Liedown said...

Liking this Nuzz. Can see the Crisis comparison. Couldn't have been made at any other time. I believe our American friends like to call it KBD. Nice post mate.
John

Nuzz Prowlin' Wolf said...

Alright Penguin, yes indeed SWELL DESIGNS what a range, wot a price. Gonna stick an old flyer/price list on the NPWMYSPACE page, and yes indeed the crypt, which was actually in the crypt of a church, tiny studio, watched The Astronauts mix and record some of peter pan in there when I was a lad, after interviewing Mark for the fanzine. Mob recorded there, shame most of the other stuff recorded and released by gargoyle records(studios record label)was of the more metal, prog related apart from Chron Gen and the Paramedic Squad. I believe Clive is still doing t-shirts, and I wasn't sure what Frank was up to until he posted a comment, and know we know. Frank how ya doing?
long time........When you've finnished releasing your musical demons and creative bile, would luv to hear it. Can't imagine what THE CLEFTS would sound like after 26 years. Do us an mP3 and we can give it a world exclusive on this here blog, that is if your not busy negotiating a major record deal for it as I type. Cheers John glad you liked it, definetly from an era, great guys as well, like Penguin said local heroes with th t-shirts they produced in the garage they used to rehearse in. Anyone else with memories,recollections of 'The Stevenage scene' circa 80's leave a comment. We live and die in these towns.

Anonymous said...

Hi Nuzz
Nice to see someone still cares and can see the world for what it is. Hope your well after all these years. The Clefts first musical belly rumble for 26 long years is almost complete. Amazing 26 years in the making and 1 take and about an hour and there its done, just like a Blue Peters diy space station rigged of course.Thanks for the mention Red White & Blue was recorded live with 10 mins of studio time left we printed the cover and centres and glued the lot together the b side was what ever we could do which wernt a lot. John Peel played it twice after we spared him from the Black Plague. Let me know how to get a mp3 to you and may be The Clefts can once again bring joy to this maggot infested boil of a place we call planet earth.
Frank

Nuzz Prowlin' Wolf said...

Cheers Frank,
Time where does it go? good memories of popping round to yours, all those years ago, even remember jamming with yer at a rehersal place in Hitchin at some point. The Clefts single still stands the test of time, and the t-shirts you guys did, styling the area in cheap good quality garments. Anyway enough, this is now (but one should never forget were one came from) If you wanna email us the mp3 as an attatchment to Nusseynuzz@aol.com we will indeed bring joy to the world. What about a gig? now that would be fun, i'll play guitar if ya want. Drop us an email perhaps we can meet up. Take care great to hear from ya.

Anonymous said...

Ah, it's great to see The Clefts mentioned after so many years! I thought I was one of the only people in the world who had heard of them! The single still gets a regular play on my turntable - my favourite 'dark' English punk band (along with Part One)...
Were they really only in one fanzine?I remember reading the V-Sign interview...but I am sure I read another fanzine interview as well...

By the way, Nuzz: it's great reading your posts and your memories - back in 'ye olde days' I had a few issues of your zine, and I'm sure I had a cassette of Dead Loss as well...
Anarcho-punk was the biggest inspiration for me in my pre-teen and early teenage years: I ended up making fanz\ines, trading cassettes, having a band (Napalm Death), and it still has an inspirational effect on me today: still a veggie after 26 years, still go on demonstrations, still drink cider! hehehe...

Thanks!
Nic

Nuzz Prowlin' Wolf said...

Small world Nic, Part1 what a band, your fanzine wouldn't have been called Twisted Nerve by any chance? Dead Loss, shit maan that was a time ago, same with my fanzine, don't it fly when yer having fun. Couldn't agree more about the influnce of anarcho punk, it's still with me, but in a slightly matured and refined way, thats whats wrong with the world these days, kids are growing up without any positive influences that let 'em know that things don't have to be this way, they're told they are and just accept and perpetuate it. Anyway great to hear from ya Nic, pop back again.

Gaviotas Blindadas said...

Ei,
how are you?
i'm from Argentina, can you put this cd again online??