Hard News by Russell Brown

Big ups on some of the reggae links above Russell - I've got that Augustus Pablo album, and find all of the historical stuff super interesting. Will digest over the weekend, when I get a minute. The Trojan catalogue is deep, and there are certainly a tonne of comps out there (personal softspot for those put out by Heartbeat, back in the late 80's).

And Gregory, the smooth ruler - this is one of my favs:

Curiously a few reggae bands have sprung up in Melbourne of late and clearly they're all big fans as there have been some fantastic and unexpected covers. Earlier this year I was floored to hear 'Cry Tuff' being done live, and last Saturday night - in addition to John Holt's 'Riding for a fall' - we got Hemsley Morris's 'Strange Things' .. under the golden moon shines a silver light ...

Hopefully this works ... 30 seconds of 'Strange things' by the Moonhops

http://yooying.com/p/1295740447242971140

Augustus Pablo! It's not even spelled properly on the sticker. Awesome. (Never gonna quibble about that apostrophe.) I think people cherish this stuff because slickness is so easy to come by these days.

In further news, anyone who watched Spray Tan Mussolini give his conquest speech this arvo needs to watch this immediately afterwards. God I pray this woman sticks around.

fuck me I need some musical resuscitation after Trump's harangue-athon. waiting for the vocoder version over some doom metal now.

nurse, the wine, stat.

Some of us die-hard Cure fans went to see Robert Smith and his band on Friday. Seriously, whatever concert she was at, I only looked at my watch in the hope there was another encore.

In the middle of the set they played an unreleased song that friend Matthew and I hadn’t heard, and I looked at him and said ‘that is really good!’. Like, Disintegration good.

And FWIW I give zero fucks about any opinions of his angst and Gothic schtick. The song is for his mum, who passed away last year, and for me it shows that after 40 years he is still one of the best song writers of our generation.

Don’t @ me. :-)

ETA: The Setlist.

AO.. AO…AO…
more paraphernalia going out the door..
see:
http://www.trademe.co.nz/music-instruments/music-memorabilia/posters-prints/pop/auction-1129582536.htm

and
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Members/Listings.aspx?member=1629586

as well as..
The Clean Boodle EP poster
http://www.trademe.co.nz/music-instruments/music-memorabilia/posters-prints/pop/auction-1129594042.htm
and The Fold and Tall Dwarves (sic)
http://www.trademe.co.nz/music-instruments/music-memorabilia/posters-prints/other/auction-1129597523.htm
and R.E.M.
http://www.trademe.co.nz/music-instruments/music-memorabilia/posters-prints/rock/auction-1129591502.htm

I saw the Violent Femme's in the early 1990's at Auckland Town Hall, but it might have been the tour after that for which you have the poster Ian (I have vague recollections of them coming out quite often for an OS band at the time) ..

And on the bonus beat, came across a radio show special on the Cool Ruler himself, the mighty Gregory Isaacs:

https://www.mixcloud.com/ReggaeRevolutionRadioShow/reggae-revolution-7-19-16/

I saw the Violent Femme's in the early 1990's

Their first tour here was in I'm pretty sure 1984. A blinder of a show at least at the Sandridge in Sydenham - with Chills and Sneaky Feelings supporting. I remember clearly the closing number - which brought the house down - Dance Motherf*cker Dance

They also had a crazy interview on RDU before the show including Brian the bass player making a quip about our 'exotic delicacy' Kiwi bacon, imagining how the little fella would jump up from the fire - into the frying pan!

Just reading Roger Sheppard's book, he doesn't mention the VF but they were here not long after that first (and memorable) Doug Hood Looney Tours orientation shows. Does anyone recall who brought the VF out in '84? It was about April/May.

Their first tour here was in I’m pretty sure 1984.

1984 would be right. Great gig. I don't remember The Chills or Sneaky Feelings - for some reason I thought it might have been The Great Unwashed - memory can play odd tricks.
The Sandridge was a funny venue. We smuggled in a mate who couldn't get a ticket through a toilet window. But VF were on fire. I seem to remember hearing they did some busking round town beforehand. For a stripped back 3-piece they were very danceable.

Does anyone recall who brought the VF out in ’84? It was about April/May.

It was Doug. I remember hanging out with them at the house in Summer Street.

When they returned in 1986 he even managed to get them into one-day cricket!

New song from Shaft is kinda mellow 'indy-pop' Meteor in your mind
Should be something they play Friday night at the Darkroom?

Nice track, should be a good night Rob, I'm in...the event is Darkspace, 6 bands across two venues, Darkroom and very near neighbours across the road, Space Academy.

A pretty damn fine local lineup: Shaft + Minisnap, Dance Asthmatics, Nakey, Wurld Series plus the Situations down from Auckland - whom I note do a version of the Bluestar's Social End Product - plus I love their short and sharp (1:09) new single No Worries.

Sold out :( At least it looks that way.

1984 would be right. Great gig.

11.04.84 at the Sandridge (from The Chills definitive gig list)
Looney Tours would've been acting as the NZ leg for Aussie promoter Zimblis
(I found this poster from Melbourne on line)
Lees and West did subsequent VF tours including the inaugural Big Day Out

My memory serves me well! Great digging Ian to confirm that.

And Rob, yes, the 80s were the days when one could get in to gigs through toilet windows. And fake tickets if need be (my cousin did just that for Jonathan Richman at the Gladstone a couple of years later). I remember the LCR/Ballroom at Ilam had a number of suitable ingress points, not exactly suitable for those desperate young punk girls in short skirts.

And fake tickets if need be

The perils of hand drawn tickets became clear at the reconciliation of tickets after The Fall's University gig - a completely hand drawn facsimile of Chris Knox's ticket design - all done in biro on matching coloured card showed up - How we laughed, I think even Doug was impressed - kudos for the effort!