"Identity is the crisis, can't you see."

What the fuck is going on when the President of the USA has to show his birth certificate to the people in order to prove that he was born in America. If as former President Franklin D Roosevelt believed that “The only thing to fear is fear itself.” it looks like both the Republicans and Democrats are running scared, how else can you explain such a news story! I mean there’s identity politics, but this is/was fucking ridiculous!

POLY STYRENE - R.I.P

"I live off you / and you live off me / and the whole world / lives off of everybody"

X-RAY SPEX - Live At The Roxy

You'll have to excuse this post, as I've been down the pub and had a few beers.

The smell of Barbeques, bare chested blokes walking around the place, must be a Bank Holiday, and the weathers still hot, aaah! Great Britain, St George and all that. I do hear that the weathers gonna change, might be showers on Friday….Royal Wedding washout! Does anyone apart from the media give a shit?* The Royal Family I suppose….What’s ever happened to James Hewitt? (a ’friend of Lady Di’s) I reckon the Royal Family must have some massive injunction on the media to not print any photos of him….because if they did they’d see that he’s Princes Harry’s dad! Not only does Harry look like him, he certainly doesn’t act like a ’royal’, I mean that Swastika arm band incident (when he dressed up as a Nazi for a fancy dress party) I can’t imagine any other Royal doing that….well maybe Prince Phillip. Prince Charles longest Royal in waiting to be King, it won’t happen….The media have already seen to that, making him out to be some ‘crackpot’ no, they want William and his ‘commoner’ wife Catherine, as the Royal family call her, Kate‘s too common.. The X-Factor Royals. If William does succeed Charles as heir, then it will make a mockery of the Royal family and it’s tradition, if anyone’s gonna be my king, I’d rather he was a ’crackpot’ not some slimy young man of the people, and his trendy wife. If it’s like any of the other Royal marriages it’ll end in infidelity and divorce, which brings us back to Harry. The bastard heir to the throne in waiting, who’ll only be king if Charles and William were killed in a car crash in Paris together.

*I don't care what her dress is gonna look like, she could get married in the nude for all I care, might get me to watch it on the telly though....Come on.... I wonder how many teenagers are gonna grow up wanking over the future Queen? How times have changed....when I was growing up, it was all about wanting to 'FUCK THE MONARCHY!

MC5 - Kick Copenhagen!

Today’s musical offering comes from the mighty MC5, at a time when they weren’t so mighty and should really have been called the MC2. Michael Davis had left the band in Feb, Dennis Thompson and Rob Tyner followed suite at the beginning of November, leaving Wayne Kramer and Fred Smith to carry on with some stand in session musicians, and share the vocals between them, it was the first time they’d sung some of the songs. not many MC5 classics, the set mainly consists of standard Rock’n’Roll covers Gloria, Louie Louie, but Ramblin’ Rose and Kick Out The Jams are there, and despite this not being a prime cut of MC5, more past the sell by date, for completist consumption only, Kramer and Smith still bring power and passion to their playing, This gig on Nov 23rd 1972 at The Beat Forum in Gladsaxe, Denmark was one of the last dates on what some refer to as the bands ‘Heroin riddled European tour’ the remaining gigs were cancelled by Italian promoters when they found out it wasn’t the complete band they’d booked. By the end of the year the band were no more and it would be another 20 years until they played together again, at a benefit for singer Rob Tyner who’d died suddenly in 1991 Fred’Sonic’Smith passed away in 1994, the remaining members still perform under the name DTK MC5, showing the young pretenders how it’s done. Thanx to stringybob over at the Bob Juice Forum for letting me post this.

AN EASTER SUNDAY SERMON OF SORTS!

If Jesus died for his sins, does that mean it’s a sin to be different and think differently from the norm? which, if and that’s a big if Jesus ever existed is essentially what he was and did, which is why his enemies nailed him to a cross. The bit when he rose from the dead is when the bollocks started. Sin was something created and perpetuated over the years by ‘his followers’ A powerful weapon for organised religion to use to keep people boxed up and in line, think out of the box step over the line and you’ll burn in the fires of hell. The only sin is to believe everything that we’re told by our leaders (Political, Religious.) and their propaganda machines, the media and the Bible/Koran and whatever other names are given to the good books, that make people do bad things to other humans in the name of Religion. Those who preach against sinning are the biggest sinners in my book!

JOHNNY THUNDERS - Live @ Pustervik, Goteborg, Sweden 11/12/85

Another day, another memory….Nikki Sudden, Joey Ramone, and now…. Johnny Thunders, who passed away in a New Orleans hotel room 20 years ago today. My personal supply of Thunders stuff has run out. I have a vast stash of other Thunders gear, but the majority has come from torrent sites, with specific instructions from the uploaders not to convert to MP3. So I’ll respect their requests, unlike those Bastard Bootleggers trading illegitimately and making cash from Johnny’s name by using the torrent files as masters for their illicit trade. If yer thinking of buying any of these from Ebay, don’t! Search the web and torrent sites, because the stuffs out there and you aint gonna be lining any ones pocket. Alternatively purchase Jungle Records officially released Bootlegging The Bootleggers, a great CD of Johnny’s work recorded between 1985-1989, and compiled by the man himself from the various bootlegs of his he’d come across, the spoken word intros from Johnny to the songs are classic. Anyway, enough….Time to put yer ears around a memory, with this here recording, I cant remember where I got it from, but it wasn’t a torrent. Dunno if it’s a copy of one of those bootlegs though, whatever, it’s a great listen. I don’t much care for the title it’s been given though, yeah I’m guilty of using drug related puns in my posts, Johnny was a drug user, but he was not a zero!

AV, Yes, No....errr????? I dunno (Conclusion)

This should have been included in Fridays post, but due to a slip up with cutting and pasting and a lack of quality kontrol was omitted from the end of the writing/ranting.
　
No doubt the winner on May 5th will be apathy, because 1) The No campaign have made AV sound so complicated that people have turned off. 2) Both the Yes and No supporters have fought a negative battle by trading insults with each other which has also turned people off. 3) The media have said that in economic hard times it is a waste of money, which has fucked people off. Or 4) The people were never turned on in the first place, don’t give a fuck and just take the freedoms they have for granted. If the last one is the reason, it will be a sad day for our democracy, but a good one for theirs.

PRIMAL SCREAM - Are You Ready to Testify?

Something old and new from Primal Scream. The Old; a Smash Hits interview/article from March/April 1990. The New; a recording from their recent appearance on 3rd April 2011 at XFM’s Benefit for the disaster in Japan. It’s a short but sonically sweet and rawkus set, with Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols/Rich Kids/Johnny Thunders) standing in on Bass for Mani. Get yer Rocks Off , get Loaded, and Move On up, by hitting the Accelerator here!

AV, Yes, No....errr????? I dunno.... (A Few Thoughts)

The Alternative Vote….This is what Nick Clegg and his Liberal chums sold out the students for. What do we think….Yes or No? Good or Bad for our democracy, I say our democracy, but it’s really their democracy, which is why some politicians from across the parties are backing the No vote; because they want the present political system to remain, where the first party past the post is the winner, which is ultimately un democratic in its nature because as often happens in an election when the votes of all the other parties are added up, more people didn’t want the winning party in power than did. AV is like it says on the tin…an Alternative to this, were the winning party must receive 50% of the vote, if they don’t then the other choices of the voters are taken into account, by a process of elimination a winner will be decided. But it is their alternative, which is why some politicians Liberals in particular are backing the Yes vote, because they want your vote at the next election, or at least the students votes, as under AV it may give them a chance to gain more power. The referendum takes place on May 5th, when they will ask us what we think of their ideas about their democracy for us.
The idea of AV seems to have the politicians a bit scared, and they’re not to keen on the idea, which makes me think it’s the better option of the two, but ultimately even with AV the politicians from the three main parties will be the winners, as come election time they will have access to more funding than any of the smaller parties to run their election campaigns, so the reality will be that the alternative is not really an alternative to the status quo.

I don’t need no Government Smog Warning to tell me what I’ve seen with my own eyes during these unseasonal high temperatures, there’s a hazy, smokey blanket in the atmosphere, same as most years when it gets hot. With any luck 'the smog' will descend on London on the 29th and obscure the smug and their poxy Royal Wedding, or hopefully we’ll get some more seasonal April showers to piss on their parade!

JOEY RAMONE & FRIENDS - Live @ The Continental Divide NYC 19/7/95

In keeping with the spirit this is gonna be short and sweet. Hey, Ho, Lets Go! In memory of Joey Ramone who passed away 10 years ago the other day, here he is with some friends, blastin’ through nine numbers in 1995. There’s also a photo of an old Sounds cover of mine with Joey on the front from back in 1985. Gabba, Gabba Hey!

USELESS GENERATION

Everyone’s being told to party like it’s 1981, when Charles and Di got married, yeah the same year Brixton, had its own street party, what a riot that was. In cash strapped Britain 2011 people are being encouraged to spend, spend, spend on souvenir shit; plates, mugs etc. The only mugs are those buying into this celebration of nothing. Two rich fuckers get married. Let them choke on their cake! "REPEAT AFTER ME; FUCK QUEEN AND COUNTRY" - Manic Street Preachers

Now I'm back, to let you know....

that after a week away in Scarborough abnormal service will be resumed shortly.

UK SUBS - Scum Of The Earth

What can I say about the UK Subs…. No lover of Rock’n’Roll should be without at least one UK Subs album, and there’s a fair few of ‘em to choose from. Their latest Work In Progress is one of their best ever, and one of my favourites. Available from Captain Oi Records. Scum Of The Earth is a best of compilation, which I found on tape in a charity shop for the bargain price of 25p. The recordings on it are drawn from what some say is their golden age between 1978 - 82, when the Subs were beamed miming badley into the nations living rooms with appearances on Top Of The Pops, it was a time when Punk Rock shook the walls. So if you haven’t got any UK Subs here’s something for ya! If you have and you don’t wanna be wasting your time here, why not take a trip to Time and Matter; for all the latest old’n’new news on those United Kingdom Subversives. They gonna be supporting Motorhead on Tour in November.

CHELSEA - Live and Well

Here’s a blast of Chelsea, captured Live and Well. There’s no details as to where and when this was recorded, but I remember talking years back to Jon Thurlow who played guitar on this and he was pretty sure it was in October 1983 at The Lyceum when they supported Johnny Thunders. I think this is the only recording of this line up which also included Jonny T’s fellow ex Chron Gen member, Pete on Bass, plus Geoff who’d previously played drums with Jon and Pete in Stevenage's legendary punk band, Optional Xtras. This Chelsea line also included Guitarist Willie, who went on to find fame and fortune with The Grip in the 80’s and Honeycrack in the 90’s. As ever the front man ….Gene October, who along with Knox and Charlie Harper are still keeping the punk rock spirit alive, even though Gene‘s been a bit quite of late, although I did hear he was doing/or has done an acoustic gig in Brighton recently.

Just a quick reminder.

In times of economic crisis, unemployment, political uncertainty and general social shit, far right politics usually rear their ugly head. Whether Britain is in crisis, uncertainty or the shit depends on yer view point and how much you believe the media.

For every ’illegal immigrant’ who’s travelled thousands of miles to Britain and got a job, there’s a hundred Brits who can’t be bothered to get off their arses and walk a hundred yards down the road to try and find one. For every ‘foreigner’ claiming benefit there’s a hundred Brits falsely claiming benefits. If we want someone to blame, we should blame the successive governments and their immigration policies and benefit systems, and the bosses and their low wage/cheap labour maximum profit margins.

Rather than change their systems they will try and tell us that the Alternative Vote will enable far right parties like the BNP to gain political power, yeah….but that’s only if people vote for them, but lest we forget….the biggest Fascists are the ones controlling our lives at the moment, with their Big Reich Society idea.

I heard one of those the TV gardeners on the BBC telling people to get together and “bully their neighbours into tidying up their garden if it was scruffy!” Forcing people into work….yeah I know there are people taking the piss out of the benefit system, or are there….whatever, there are also genuine cases. Anyway….their capitalist system requires an underclass to keep it turning, people to blame, to judge and portray to the rest of ‘respectable society’ as a reason for all its laws and policies and why we have to be controlled.

We don’t want to end up like them do we, no we’ll aspire to be better, to own our houses to be in debt, to work as slaves for their machine, until they tell us we can stop, with no pension because they’ve spent it on wars to bring democracy to other countries, and let the bankers gamble it away, then….they cut our services, our wages get frozen, people lose their jobs and they talk of ‘getting everyone into work’ But….the private sector will ’pick up the slack’ yeah….pay shit wages, cheap service for maximum profit for the shareholders and bosses.

But we know this already, its what we do about it that matters from civil disobedience, to challenging Racist views in the workplace to writing letters to the local papers, to engaging with people about how we are all in it together and their way isn‘t the only and best way out of the shit they produced. We are their big society so lets tell ‘em what we want and how we want to live, not how they want us to live.

It will oil be worth it in the end....

or will it ….is it about the oil anyway? and how will it all end? I heard somewhere that Libya produces 2% of the worlds oil supplies, not that much really. So it must be about regime change, and protecting a nation of people from their government, but I don’t see cruise missiles being dropped on the Ivory Coast. So it’s selective regime change; with the help of the West perhaps Libya can increase the percentage of oil it produces, unlike the Ivory Coast were all the wealth was taken by Europe during the age of Empires, and whatever wasn’t has been left for China to capitalise on, the only support that the West gives to Africa is charity. It’s either oil bollocks or one big distraction from something a lot bigger, something that no government can really control….but all know is happening….. The power and force of nature which is going through it’s own regime change, and could bring an end to oil of it!

DOGS - Turn Against This Land

Dogs came from the same breed as The Libertines, The Others and The Paddingtons. Turn Against This Land was their debut album, released by Island Records back in 2005. It’s a feral blast of 1977 Punk Rawk fed through a 1990's Brit Pop blender. Chiming, Chopping and Crashing Guitars, banging thumping and clattering rhythms, topped with some passionate from the heart vocals. The politics are personal “Oh my darling, I’ll bring you firewood, and I’ll burn your house down” - Selfish Ways, or there’s End Of An Era with its chorus of “What a wanker” the twelve tracks on the album are songs of emotional and physical suffering, which are so catchy they leave you feeling positive and excited. Dogs are still going, but nothing else they’ve released matches this album. I can’t recommend it highly enough. Enjoy or Destroy!

Some wriOting.

So, the streets of London were full of protesters, the numbers vary depending on who’s telling the tale, but there were quite a few looking at the pictures on TV and in the papers, many were public sector workers on a day out with their families, no doubt concerned about the impending job cuts, for some people it was the first demo they’d been on. It all seemed very middle class, the £25,000 undeserving we’re poor brigade. It was all going spiffingly well until those nasty naughty troublemaking anarchists decided to take some direct action.

We live in a violent society were the state kills protestors and tries to cover it up; lest we forget Ian Tomlinson. Our children are bombarded by images on DVD’s, while bricks were being thrown through bank windows bombs rained down on Libya, the fighting continues in Iraq and Afghanistan, as paint is poured over a policeman there’s a kid in his bedroom with a Playstation or X Box; shooting, punching and kicking a virtual enemy, all this must be thoughtful violence, because when people take their frustration, anger and rage out on symbols of power and wealth it is described by the media as being mindless violence.

If the clean up is gonna cost £1 million then so be it, I’d rather pay for that than some poxy census or missiles for regime change, unfortunately we end up paying for everything whether we like it or not, as some of those first time marchers are gonna find out when they can’t afford their foreign holidays, or the up keep on their second car. From Marks and Spencer’s to Poundland; go past go, do not collect £200! and some of the toffy nosed rioters, are gonna find out what it’s like to get on the wrong side of the law, I wonder if mummy and daddy are gonna post their bail or pay the fines? I’m sure not all those who were rioting came from a privileged back ground, but ….If this is a class war, who’s fighting who?

Any action that involves violence not prescribed by the state or consumer market is gonna be denounced as bad and unacceptable, but it’s something that we need to accept will happen, that’s the nature of the beast. The media report the facts by manipulating the truth, and the truth is, the powers that be are scared that what’s happened on these recent demonstrations is affecting Britain’s image abroad and may put people off coming to London for The Royal Wedding or The Olympics, but more to the point…they are scared that the bricks will be flying and fires are gonna be burning at both those events, they are fearing the fear and are planning to use anti terrorist laws to stop and search suspect people in London in a bid to stop any violence. Oh the irony….the SUS laws in the 70’s and 80’s saw a large number of black people stopped because of the colour of their skin, now in 2011 everybody who’s dressed all in black and attending a protest stands a good chance of being stopped and searched ….because after all in the medias eyes that’s what an anarchist looks like.

Setting The Record straight.

When I reviewed The DeRELLAS stomping slab of a digital download single She Kissed The Gun, I was bemoaning the fact that digital downloads weren’t the same as vinyl or CD. It turns out She Kissed The Gun was also released as a 7” single, and not on just any old vinyl… no it’s red! Just like an old UK Subs single, and it’s got a b-side. The DeRellas take on The Vibrators classic Baby Baby and turn it into a glamtastic classic of their own. It’s available from CrushWorld Records, for the princely sum of…. well I dunno how much cos my copy was a freebie, cheers Timmy. One last thing The Vibrators and The DeRellas are playing in London at The Boston Arms, Tufnel Park on Sat 23rd of April, it promises to be a Rawk’n’Rolling night.

Essential Ephemera #11

Remembering Nikki Sudden (19th July 1956 - 26th March 2006), with an article from a 1993 Record Collector Magazine.

THE GODFATHERS - Birth, School, Work, Death.

Birth, School, Work, Death was The Godfathers major label debut, it lacks the rawness of their Hit By Hit album, it doesn’t however lack the tunes, or the anger and frustration of living in 1980’s Britain. This was a real kick in the teeth to the Rave Culture that was polluting Britain in 1988, The Godfathers were no loved up smiley faced ravers; more amphetamine fuelled rage-ers. Songs with passion, power and feelings that were all too real, rather than escaping the times in a field The Godfathers embraced them on a run down council estate before punching them in the face. No baggy tops'n'flares or electro beats here this was sharp suits and guitars. If you fancy a bit of Birth, School, Work, Death. You know what to do. Enjoy and Destroy!

Some shit about some shit!

I was shocked and surprised to hear about the death of Elizabeth Taylor.... I thought she was already dead…. and another thing….If as the news reported Colonel Gaddafi’s airforce has been rendered useless, why then are the West still bombing Libya? I thought the whole no fly zone thing was about stopping his air capabilities, seems to me the job’s been done, unless there’s more to it….Like regieme change. Is he a target? Isn’t he a target? And when the bullets fly past his head will his guards be shouting “GADDAFI.. DUCK!”

Here we, here we, here we Fucking Go!

Rewind 25 years. In 1986 the US, with the help and backing of Britain launched air strikes on Libya. In retaliation for terrorist attacks across Europe that had been linked to Gaddafi’s government, including one at a Berlin disco when one American was killed. These air strikes did not have either the backing of the UN, or countries in the Arab world, ironically 1986 was the UN year of peace.
Here we are in 2011and off we go again, this time the US have taken less of a lead in the rhetoric, which may go some way to explain the support this latest intervention has received from the UN and Arab world. Rather than let a sleeping mad dog lie, the West pokes him with a stick. Rightly or wrongly, when Blair and Brown cosied up to Gaddafi, it kept stability in the region, and moderated Gaddafi’s excesses, now after the recent uprisings across North Africa and Egypt the region has been plunged into turmoil, I’m sure Western forces have been involved in covert operations in the region prior to the uprisings, I mean look at that recent Diplomatic Mission to Libya, were the group was arrested and found to be in possession of Guns and ammunition. When the Libyan people rose up unlike Egypt, their government was prepared to turn the guns against its citizens, who in turn were prepared to stand and fight. It seems that the West like this idea, and after 25 years have decided that enough is enough and an alliance of countries led by Britain and the US has developed, who despite what they tell us are involved in an operation to oust Gaddafi, something they could have done years ago, but for economic and political reasons they chose to leave him in power and after 9/11 go after Sadham Hussain instead, who was a nasty man to his people, but unlike Gaddafi had no links to terror attacks against the West, from allegedly supplying money and munitions to the IRA, to the Lockerbie Bombing, Libya’s name was in the frame. The rhetoric of this latest action taking place in order to protect Libyan citizens from Gaddafi’s forces is just a smokescreen, because by that logic and argument why aren’t and haven’t missiles rained down on China for its treatment of the Tibetans, why is Robert Mugabe still in power and why aren’t we supporting the people of Bahrain in their struggle. No this is regieme change through bomb bay doors. Will it be another Iraq? Well I can’t see Gaddafi going quickly or quietly, but then can Britain afford another fight? What price for freedom and democracy across the world when the Armed Forces budget is being cut, but then….this latest military involvement could be used as a reason by some for not making as many military cut backs as originally planned! Or alternatively the West lets the Arab nations sort it all out amongst themselves, because at the end of the day who are we to impose our values on other nations. In the bombing raids that have taken place already and those that will no doubt take place in the future days, I wonder how many of the civilians the West is supposed to be protecting will die. Probably less than did 25 years ago, what with all the hi-tech weaponry that has been developed and tested in Iraq and Afghanistan, perhaps Libya is gonna be another testing ground for some more state of the art guided missiles. When and if the pictures of the innocent casualties of these attacks are beamed in to our living rooms, that’s when we’ll find out just how much the people of the West are prepared to pay for the freedom and democracy of others, and whether it can be achieved through force, and does it make our leaders any better than those they wish to depose? No….they’re all the fucking same! It’s just the way they treat their people that is different!

GLASVEGAS - Live in Berlin 10/3/2011

In this post I was gonna tell you about Glasvegas having been away for a couple of years, how they’ve changed their Drummer and that they’ve got a new album ‘EUPHORIC /// HEARTBREAK\\\‘ coming out, but….Shock breaking news in this weeks NME….James Allan (Glasvegas’s Singer) OD’d on an unspecified substance….Two years ago! Quite why the press now think this is news is beyond me. Who cares now? And who would have cared then? Sex, Drugs, Rock’n’Roll! And all that. I’m just waiting for the “James Allan caught in hotel corridor wearing only a latex Lou Reed mask and with a prostitute for company” story to break. Until then here’s Glasvegas with their brooding and pounding Rock’n’Roll. ‘ENJOY /// DESTROY \\\’

OH FUKushima!

Meltdown / Nuclear fear / Three Mile Island / Chernobyl / Radiation // Blanket media coverage / Pull out colour supplement / Souvenir Edition / This aint no Hollywood Blockbuster / No Armageddon or Day After Tomorrow / This is now / This is real / The medias reality with page after page crashing down on the reader / TV Channel after TV Channel / Music makes the visuals even more harrowing / Create the compassion / 24-7 / This is a Sky TV fear fest / A war zone / Hiroshima / World War Two / Third World War / Iraq / Afghanistan / No…. Libya! / Quick change the channel / There’s a whole new drama starting //

Spot The Difference?

From Boarded up, to botched up!

It's Oil Going Down the Shitter!

A Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On.

I Can’t let this weekend pass without comment on the Japan earthquake/tsunami disaster. Once again Nature shows it is the most powerful and indiscriminate force on the planet; the only true global super power, and more unpredictable than any mad dog dictator. Our planet is going through another cycle, there are systemic shifts going on in the natural world, you don’t have to be a scientist to work that out, you only need to have watched the news recently, Floods in Australia, Earthquake in New Zealand, they say all things come in threes. On a national level look at the increase in Britain of what’s been labelled ’extreme weather’ Yeah global warming may have something to do with it, but is this really true or just a case of the emperors new clothes; because these cycles of nature are nothing new, they’ve gone on for millions of years. Ironically in the wake of the Japanese disaster the biggest concern is the damage to a Nuclear Power station; the natural world meets the human world where Nuclear Energy has been seen as an alternative to the depleting sources of natural fuels, such as coal, gas oil etc. Nature takes no prisoners when it’s forces are unleashed, lest we forget!

JOHNNY THUNDERS - Live @ The Hope and Anchor, London 21/4/82

Here’s another show from Johnny Thunders stay in London during 1982. This one was at The Hope and Anchor, in April 1982. Some of the tracks were released on the Wanted: Dead Or Alive - Reward $10 bootleg album, this tape is a different source and was recorded by a mate of mine in the audience. Johnny is on fine form, or as fine as Johnny is depending on yer point of view.
After asking for some more reverberation Thunders first words are to a heckler, ”Hey scumbag, shove it up yer mothers left nut” before launching into Alone In A Crowd, quite a bit of crowd interaction, Johnny even gets political asking the punters what they think about The Falklands and Nuclear Weapons. For reasons long forgotten, I never went to any of these 1982 gigs, and had to wait until Oct 1983 at The Lyceum for my first hit of Johnny live, still ranks as one of the best gigs I’ve been to….ever! Pretty much saw most of his London gigs since then, and a fair few around the country and had the privilege of promoting an acoustic show of his in 1990 in Stevenage. What made him special as a performer for me was that no gig was ever the same, depending on his mood and state of mind, but they were all pure and honest. Johnny Thunders was the real deal!

SATURDAY 26th MARCH....

A date for yer diaries; When everyone who is a no-one in the eyes of this government of ours are planning to descend on the streets of London to voice their discontent, through the democratic act of protest against the government cu*ts. The day promises to be even more interesting now that the Police force are facing having to make their own cut backs, who’s side are they gonna be on ? Or will this government back down just like previous governments have when faced with the prospect of a protesting police force? The Police unlike other Public Services don’t just serve the public, they protect the public, and are there to maintain the laws of The State and its Government, and keep order in society, without them there’d be anarchy, and we wouldn’t want that would we….. Much better to have our lives controlled by people who don’t give a shit about people other than what they can take from them. We have the power! and they’ve made us feel like we haven’t, remember that if you take to the streets of London on Sat March 26th They are only our government because we allow them to be, they only do what they do because we let them, and it’s about time everyone where ever they are said “NO!” to the cunts! and kicked against the pricks!!

THE CAEZARS - A Review and Some Tunes.

I seem to have been going on some weird Rock’n’Roll trip recently, triggered by the Jim Jones Experience and their firebrand howl, but then again I’ve also been listening to the Trailer Trash Orchestra and their Neo Country Punk to death, and the new Social Distortion album isn’t shy on country/rockabilly influences.
The trip continued for me on Fri when I popped along to a gig . The write up in the local paper sounded interesting enough to get me out on a cold night and the venue was quite literally up the road from me. The Caezars, are a 4 piece 50’s Punk/Garage/ Rock’n’Roll band. The band played a blinding set, and considering it was the first time I’d heard ’em my foot was tapping throughout. It was a stripped down sound with the stand up bass and minimal drums slapping out the rhythm and beat while the surf tinged guitars and wired vocals rattled and rolled with intensity. The band looked the part and played with passion, soul and honesty, something that’s lacking in these days of technologically over produced music. They’re supporting current NME Faves The Vacinees on tour next month, so does a Rockabilly revival start here? Who knows? Who cares! But if The Caezars ever roll into your town, go check ‘em out. If you like Link Wray and The Cramps I don’t think you’ll be disappointed, anyway as a little taster here are 3 tracks from their Shakedown album. Enjoy the ride!

MAYDAY! MAYDAY! The Workers Are Under Attack!

So the powers that we let be are talking of moving the Mayday Bank holiday in order to extend the tourist season???? Apparently Britain is lagging behind Germany and France in attracting visitors. How moving the Mayday Bank holiday to Oct is gonna help makes absolutely no sense to me, but what it does mean is that we will lose a historic celebration, and replace it with a new state sanctioned celebration of Englishness Day. The history of Mayday can be traced back to pagan times
Dancing round the Maypole and Morris Dancers are part of the tradition, (now there’s an idea for the opening ceremony of the London Olympics.) It also coincides with the International Workers Day celebrations on 1st May. Why not have an extra Bank Holiday instead? So what if the economy loses money because people had an extra day off work each year, after all British workers work longer hours than those in say France and Germany, but no our Government would rather continue the tradition of taking things away from the workers, rather than giving them something back, and they tell us that this is an era of new politics! Bollocks!! It’s just the same as it ever was, and will continue to be as long as we let it be. Workers of Britain and Morris Dancers Unite!

Our government kisses the arse of another dicktator: Rupert Murdoch, whose mass media empire is set to gain even more power and control over what the people can watch and read, or should that be what he wants the people to watch and read. Pluralism in the media has been sacrificed at the alter of free market capitalism in the Church of consumerism were alternative choice becomes less in a world of more, never mind changing the channel, people need to be watching a different program!

THE LOVELESS - Film Soundtrack (Vinyl Rip)

Carrying on with the stripped back rock’n’roll from the last post, here’s the soundtrack to independent film The Loveless, which was released in 1984 and featured William Dafoe, in his first film role. He looks better in biker leathers than he did wearing a loin cloth in The Last Temptation of Christ. The film also featured Robert Gordon, who was primarily a musician, having been the singer for New York punk band Tuff Darts, before going solo. In the wake of Elvis Presley’s death he was the next major US Rockabilly artist which led some people touting him as his successor, he went on to play with the likes of Chris Spedding and Link Wray, and still performs regularly, as for his film work….that seemed to dry up after The Loveless. In the film Robert was a member of a group of leather-clad bikers en route to some blistering racing action in Daytona, they make a pit stop in a backwater Georgia town. While waiting for one of their bikes to get fixed, the gang decides to raise hell. But they get more than they bargained for when the townsfolk battle back in this moody homage to Marlon Brando's classic biker movie, The Wild One. The film was poorly received, unlike the soundtrack, which featured several Robert Gordon compositions. I bought this album for a couple of dollars in a second hand record shop in Los Angeles way back in 1987, and it’s here if you want a blast. Enjoy or destroy! We can also link Robert Gordon to Phil Lynott (Thin Lizzy) Neal X and Tony James (Sigue Sigue Sputnik) as they’ve all played with Johnny Thunders, who in a parallel universe was the only successor to Elvis Presley as the king of Rock’n’Roll.

COLBERT HAMILTON and THE HELLRAZORS (Vinyl-Rip)

I first heard Neo-Rockabilly hero Colbert Hamilton the UK's original Black Elvis. when he supported Sigue Sigue Sputnik at Kilburn National Ballroom in 1986, I think it was. I ‘m pretty sure he came on before the Tai boxing fight, which was the other support act, the ticket and advert say he did but I’m fucked if I can remember. I also recall someone letting off some tear gas during Sputniks set, Ultra Violence and all that. I digress. Colbert blew me away in his silver suit and with his Rockabilly rhythms, so much so I bought this, his debut album, when I got paid next, and played it quite a bit. It was released in 1984 and is more stripped down than I remember him being live, it’s also a lot cracklier than it was when I bought it, the rip kinda gives it an almost authentic 1950’s feel, apologies for that folks but it’s here if you wanna blast of some Rootsy Rock’n’Roll Rhythm. Here’s a little bit of Rock trivia for yer: Colbert Hamilton was quite possibly the last person to record with Thin Lizzys Phil Lynott, The track, called 'Do You Want To Rock?', was recorded three weeks before his death it was produced by Lynott and sung by Colbert Hamilton, Phil also featured on bass and backing vocals. As we’re on the subject of trivia, here’s a little question for yer: Can anyone tell me what the connection between Phil Lynott and Neal X from Sigue Sigue Sputnik is? No prizes for the correct answer, cos it’s all about the taking part. This post goes out to brutha Nekro and his death party.

Olympricks!

I was gonna suggest that the good folk of Britain boycott the 2012 London Games, but after seeing the prices….a good many people aint gonna be able afford to go. The cheapest price is £20, but…. that’s not for a whole day in the stadium, that’s just for a couple of hours; watching a heat of the athletics and some Javelin throwing, if you wanna stay and watch some more, that’s another £20 for another couple of hours, and when it gets to the finals the price races up to £50.…Rip Off Britain can fuck off! Still at least the proles can watch it on TV because I should imagine there’s gonna be blanket coverage and you aint gonna be able to go out with out being reminded of the games, and how it’s great that we’ve won a gold medal, and shouldn’t we be proud of what a great nation we are. Yeah right Great Fuckin’ Britain a shining example of Democracy, where London mayor Boris Johnson wants the peace camp at Parliament Square to be gone by the time the games open, can’t let the world see that people aint happy in the Green and pleasant lands.
In a bid to increase Britain’s standing in the world of realpolitik, politicians from all parties have embraced the spending of millions of pounds of taxpayers money on a couple of weeks of friendly international competition ; a world war fought on running tracks, in swimming pools and gymnasiums, were there’s only room for winners.
No doubt the sportswear manufacturers will be gearing up ready to sell even more tracksuits and lycra to the unhealthy unsporting proles joining in the sportification of society. Still if it encourages young people to get involved that can’t be a bad thing can it? Well that’s if they get the chance, because thanx to the cunts and their cuts, the same people that have backed the games, there’s lots of funding being taken away from not just sports programs for the young but youth services in general. The Government’s hoping the private sector will fill the gap, which is all well and good if people can afford the services. If not there’s gonna be a lot of losers, and a small elite of winners. Pretty much like life in general in a free market liberal democracy where we pay for what they give us.

SINGLED OUT: Nikki Sudden / The Godfathers / The Derellas

No music with this post, just 3 short reviews of recent singles released by some NPW faves. I say singles, but they aint really singles, well not like I remember singles being, they’re single downloads, and it’s just not the same as buying vinyl or CD, there’s no real product to hold in yer hands, no cover or case, just the music. Quick and convenient maybe, but also sterile and clinical, which is something that can’t be said for the three tracks:
NIKKI SUDDEN - I Know You is a Rocking little foot taper taken from Playing With Fire; a carefully selected compilation of completely unreleased songs recorded for Nikki's last two studio albums "Treasure Island" & "The truth doesn't matter " which is available from Easy Action Records. THE DERELLAS - She Kissed The Gun is action-packed and inspired by the downfall of legendary producer Phil Spector, it spits out classic 77 guitars like The Clash meeting The Ramones.
THE GODFATHERS - Back Into The Future finds the band as rawkuss and angry as they ever were; “What’s the problem? I’ll tell you the problem / You’re slaves to money and it don’t mean nothing”

Sheikh Rattle and Roll!

Its all been about Libya this week. Calls for democracy by Libyans haven’t fallen silent despite the sound of gun fire from weapons bought from the West filling the air, and bullets ripping through flesh. The world watches and waits….just like the British citizens trapped in a situation their governments have created through years of shaking hands with and hugging despotic dictators like Gadaffi, the blood of PC Yvonne Fletcher and the victims of Lockerbie is on his hands, the failure of any justice for the families has been down to democratically elected governments whose only interest has been….oil. and the fear that he’d stop the pipelines flowing. That’s the only peace in the Middle East Tony Blair wants to see ….a piece of the profits! Which is also what the people of Libya want, difference being, it's theirs to have!