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The new DEAD TO ME album “African Elephants” coming out on November 10th (Fat Wreck Chords). Three years after their debut release, “Cuban Ballerina”, Dead To Me are back with the long-promised follow up full-length. The extra time spent crafting and honing the album, while agonizing for fans, proved to be well worth it. From the very first track, the dub inspired “X”, the maturation of Dead To Me’s sound is overtly apparent. What follows is a course of songs that both disarm and captivate the listener while seamlessly switching tempos and genres.
The first UK tour of PUBLIC IMAGE LTD. for 17 years will conclude with an
emotional family Christmas for frontman and founder John Lydon.
Lydon, 53, will return to his home borough of Islington, north London, to
support his brother, Jimmy, in a battle against throat cancer after performing
the first gigs with PiL since the band - the successor to the Sex Pistols - was
put on hold in 1992.
The controversial performer revealed his family angst after flying into London
this week from his home in Los Angeles to begin rehearsals with former bandmates
Lu Edmonds and Bruce Smith and new recruit Scott Firth.
His brother's ill health follows the death of their father, also called John,
last year. “It's been a tough old year or two. It affects you mentally,” he said.
But he is thrilled to be back performing nearly 31 years after PiL's debut gigs.
“Public Image Limited is the band I loved being in and around the most, which is
not to be in any way derogatory about the Sex Pistols but I can let rip
emotionally with PiL,” he said.
With no current recording deal or record company support, the PiL comeback has
been possible only because of the financial cushion provided by the adverts
Lydon made for Country Life butter. Some fans regarded them as a sell-out - but
which raised sales by 85 per cent.
“Here I am re-forming PiL or continuing PiL, but quite frankly I'm using Country
Life money to get this up and running. With any music, you find it's always
about the money. Touring requires such initial outlay,” he said.
Public Image Limited play the Brixton 02 Academy on 21 December and The Electric
Ballroom on 22 and 23 December.
NOVEMBER BRISTOL ARCHIVE RECORDS UPDATES:
“We are always on the look out for great pics of great bands from 1977 to 1985
so please don’t sit on them at home – share them with the outside world. Please
email mike@bristolarchiverecords.com
All the updates below should be live on the site by Sunday 8th Nov – please keep
checking back – www.bristolarchiverecords.com
NEW RELEASES: World Wide on all digital platforms now...
ARC116 THE SIDNEYS - ‘Wave Bye Bye’
ARC118 THE INANE – ‘The Only Fun In Frampton Cotterell’
THE PRIMATES ARC115 – ‘Live at Barton Hill Youth Club 1977’
The Untouchables ARC117- ‘Walk The Dog’
WHITE HOTEL ARC120 – ‘WHITE HOTEL’
We have added the The Pigs video shot at the reunion gig at The Thunderbolt
earlier this year
PICTURES: Many new pictures added to the individual releases but we always
looking for more – please get in touch – we are still working on a book on the
scene 1977 – 1984 but we need more fab pics and the input of some of the top
photographers in Bristol during that era.
Next Batch of Releases: OUR VIOLENT HOUR, ROYAL ASSASSINS LIVE, GARDEZ DARKX
LIVE, STARGAZER LIVE, CREATURE BEAT LIVE, CREATURE BEAT ALBUM, STEREO MODELS
The Best of Fried Egg Records (Bristol 1979-1981) will be released on cd first
week of Feb 2010. Its hould start to appear for presale on Amazon, Play.com, HMV
etc in the next few weeks.
Thomas Brooman CBE has agreed to write the sleeve notes for another cd release
of his favourite tracks and bands from the Bristol Recorder, Wavelength Records
era – we can’t wait!
Avon Calling 2 is currently being compiled by Simon Edwards (Heartbeat Records)
for cd release in the spring 2010 with sleeve notes from the great man him self....
And finally we have another compilation cd being compiled with sleeve notes by
Shane Baldwin (Vice Squad) called ‘Bristol – The Punk Explosion’ – more news on
the release date later this year.
FUTURE PLANNED RELEASES: EITHER / OR, ANIMAL MAGIC, RESTRICTION, THE STARTLED
INSECTS, STATIK SOUND SYSTEM, NECROMANCY, THE GAS TAPS, FIVE YEAR PLAN, TEMPLE,
ANANDA MAYA, THE DIRECTORS, THE POSERS, CLAYTOWN TROUPE
Due out in November is the long awaited new studio album by THE VIBRATORS.
Called “Under The Rador” on Captain Oi! Records. it has 14 tracks of prime
Vibrators Punk, very much in the vein of the classic “Pure Mania” and “V2”
albums as opposed to some of their more recent studio albums. Great to see Knox
back on his feet as well after his recent illness.
“Kicking Up A Racket – The Story Of STIFF LITTLE FINGERS 1977-1983” by Roland
Link (Release Date: 12. November 2009)
Stiff Little Fingers are synonymous with Ulster punk. All of the energy and
excitement of the band¹s formation are captured in this examination of the early
years of an Irish phenomenon. From the first meetings of future band mates to
recollections of their gigs, there is a wealth of detail in this book. Including
personal recollections of band members, fans and musical contemporaries, there
is something new here for every Stiff Little Fingers fan as well as those with a
more general interest in the punk genre. The book also features two photographic
sections, capturing the band in action and behind the scenes many images are
previously unpublished.
THE CLASH have announced that they are re-releasing their classic album 'London
Calling'. Hitting shelves on December 14, the '30th Anniversary Legacy Edition'
comes five years after the '25th Anniversary Edition' of the album was released.
Full details on how the releases will differ are yet to be confirmed, but a CD/DVD
package is expected.
Meanwhile The Clash's Mick Jones and Topper Headon have been back in the studio
after 27 years. The pair came together last month to record a charity version of
their 1979 song 'Jail Guitar Doors'.
Beginning January 7, 2010, U.K. Royal Mail will be issuing a new series of
stamps featuring classic album covers from various British artists. With help
from several editors of U.K. music publications, the postal company recently
narrowed down a list of ten album covers that will appear on stamps in
circulation next year. The cover of The CLASH’s “London Calling” made this cut,
so if you’re a U.K. resident or in correspondence with somebody who is, be sure
to keep your eyes peeled for this little piece of rock history!
THE TOURS – “The Album Of The Year That Never Was” CD (Release Date: 30.
November 2009 on “Cherry Red Records”) In 1979, there was a buzz about Tours
that made them one of the hottest properties in the music industry. John Peel
played the self-released ‘Language School’ single for 50 consecutive nights,
declaring it at the time his second favourite 45 of all time behind the
Undertones’ ‘Teenage Kicks’ …
Here is the CD-TRACKLIST: Language School (1979 Own Label 45 A-Side) / Tourist
Information (1979 Virgin 45 A-Side) / Can’t Get Through / Don’t Stay Home / You
Know / She Said (1979 Virgin 45 B-Side) / I Lose Control / Bitter & Twisted /
Sliding In The Vee / Changed My Mind / Face In The Crowd / Foreign Girls (1979
Own Label 45 B-Side) / On The Beach / My Dream / Bonus Tracks - Jimmy’s Younger
Brother / She Said / Love On The Rebound / The Last One / Agony Colum
Honest John Plain from THE BOYS has confirmed the following US dates for his
Californian Rock 'N' Roll Holiday Tour:
Thursday 17 December 2009 @ Alex's Bar, Long Beach, California
Friday 18 December 2009 @ Coconuts, Capistrano Beach, California
Saturday 19 December 2009 @ The Redwood, Los Angeles
A fourth date on Sunday 20 December 2009 is expected to be confirmed (probably
in Orange County, California) shortly.
The full line-up for the band will be: Honest John Plain: vocals/guitar, Johnny
Witmer: guitar/vocals (The Stitches/The Crazy Squeeze), Tara Dunn bass (The
Crazy Squeeze), Johnny Sleeper drums (The Stitches/The Crazy Squeeze)
FAT WRECK CHORDS has announced their plans to release a 3xCD boxset titled
Wrecktrospective. Originally announced several years ago, but finally getting
released, the first cd will contain classic tracks from Fat Wreck Chords back
catalog, while disc 2 will contain demo and unreleased tracks, and disc 3 will
be the original 2001 Fat Club 7-inches on 1 cd.
KID TESTED RECORDS will reissue the first full-length “Destroyed” from SLOPPY
SECONDS with 10 unreleased bonus tracks, featuring rehersal recording, demos,
alternate versions of some never before heard songs.
Seminal punk band X-RAY SPEX release a special live CD/DVD recorded at last
year’s sell out concert at The Roundhouse through new Future Noise Music.
X-Ray Spex first live outing since 1979, this performance of their classic album
‘Germ Free Adolescents’ saw Poly Styrene and bassist Paul Dean joined by friends
Sid Truelove (Anarcho Punk Drummer with Rubella Ballet and Flux of Pink
Indians), Gt. Saxby (Former Guitarist with Arnold signed to Creation Records and
Poptones) and Flash (Sax player formerly with Rip Rig & Panic, Jah Wobble, Don
Cherry and The Slits) at London’s Roundhouse on 6th September 2008 in front of
3,000 raucous fans. Release Date: 09. November 2009 on futurenoisemusic.com
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BACKYARD BABIES will release a deluxe 120 pages book named THEM XX containg
private photos, three CDs and a DVD-documentary that conveys the 20 years of the
Backyard Babies story.
BRENDAN MULLEN, the founder of the Masque punk rock club in Hollywood that
helped launch that vibrantly anarchic music scene on the West Coast in the late
1970s, died Monday, 12. October 2009 after suffering a massive stroke two days
earlier. He was 60.
Mullen died at Ventura County Medical Center, his companion of 16 years, Kateri
Butler, said Monday. The couple had been traveling through Santa Barbara and
Ventura celebrating his 60th birthday, which was Friday. “The doctors are
completely perplexed,” Butler said. “They can’t figure out why he had a stroke
-- he had none of the indicators, his cholesterol was perfect. One of the
neurologists summed it up best when he said, ‘Sometimes, your number is just
up.’ ”
At the Masque, Mullen created an underground space that served as a crucible for
the musicians and fans who felt alienated from mainstream society. Anger,
frustration and self-deprecating humor flowered in the assaultive music that had
been roiling in New York and London as L.A. bands including the Weirdos, the
Germs, the Dils and the Screamers turned up regularly at the Masque for some of
their earliest performances.
“He was the first promoter of punk rock in this town,” veteran promoter Paul
Tollett of Goldenvoice Presents said Monday. “Everything started with him."
Once those seeds had been planted, other bands quickly followed, and the Masque
became home to X, the Go-Go’s, the Dickies, the Plugz, the Flesh Eaters and many
more.
“Many bands existed before June ’77, when I moved into the space and got a free
month’s rent to clear out 15 years of debris from the Don Martin School of Radio
Broadcasting, the last business which operated in the basement,” Mullen wrote in
his book “Live At the Masque: Nightmare in Punk Alley,” published in 2007 on the
30th anniversary of the short-lived club that closed in 1979. “For the record, I
never claimed to have ‘started punk in L.A.’…I’d prefer the Masque epitaph to be
‘Where the SoCal scene originally came together.' ”
Mullen was born in Paisley, Scotland, near Glasgow, grew up in Manchester,
England, and moved to the U.S. when he was a teenager. After the Masque closed,
he went to work for more than a decade at Club Lingerie, which became celebrated
for Mullen’s eclectic bookings that ran from punk to pop to jazz to blues. He
also helped Johnny Depp and his partners open the Viper Room in 1993.
“What a tireless worker on behalf of his musical passions,” the Times’ former
pop music critic Robert Hilburn said Monday. “He played an absolutely essential
role in making the L.A. punk-rock scene one of the great musical scenes ever in
America.”
In addition to Butler, Mullen is survived by three sisters: Pauline Mullen, Una
Earley and Nuala Rainford. Plans for a memorial service are pending. In lieu of
flowers, the family has requested donations to the Musicians Union or the
Recording Academy’s MusiCares musicians’ assistance program.