20th August ... through the decades!!!

So I take a night off from seeing Ultravox! at the Marquee to witness PENETRATION, another of my main favourite punk bands, headlining the Lyceum on August 20th 1978, supported by The Fall, who I could just never get into, Ed Banger, who got a terrible reception from the crowd, and Punishment Of Luxury.

It’s possible I was at the Marquee on August 20th 1986 for FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM, supported by VICTIMS OF THE PESTILENCE but my gig entries are in turmoil that year so that gig may actually have been October 2nd. What I do know is I had a sort of blackout after the gig, having been out and about for days on end probably no food and just drinking. I suddenly came to in the middle of Wardour Street, with an angry taxi driver honking at me. Went back to Joan’s and she asked, ‘how was the gig?’ What gig, I thought? I pulled out my notebook and there were the general thoughts on the gig, so I was able to go into Melody Maker the next day and do a review. The memories themselves didn’t resurface for a couple of days which was really weird, but back then pushing yourself to the limit was far from uncommon.

FIELDS OF NEPHILIM / VICTIMS OF THE PESTILENCE

Marquee

“GET ready to be beautiful!” gushes the closet diamante Street-Porter at the Pestilence microphone. Half Davy Jones (pre-truss), half Cyndi Lauper, this engaging prospective mini-star welcomes the flowers thrown by the crowd and shimmies once more. Set to a gangly drum machine beat, Pestilence-pop (it’s far too appealing to be psychedelic) comes complete with robust bass and extravagant guitar from a Windy Miller lookalike; excellent vocal interplay carving joyfully through the abrasive melodies. Our guide wishes us a safe journey home! He loves us! Mutual dearie, mutual.

By elegantly gruff contrast, the pungently rocky helter-skelter of Nephilim drags you into the thrilling fields; exploding from their sleaze-bag opener with highly prominent, sky-scraping guitar ripping up the place, hunting out the pensive and hammering them senseless.

Limitations impose themselves swiftly, as the guitars play second fiddle to the grizzled vocalist. I don’t see why he needs to be so consistently dramatic; he’d probably make a meal out of having breakfast, for with his peculiar posture beneath the talc-dusted cowboy hat I kept expecting him to lead the band into ‘Freebird’. But hell, it’s a glorious racket, with preposterously powerful drums and a weird kinetic post-apocalyptic Joy Div bent axis ... and it’s fun.

In 1987 I am definitely at the Clarendon for Sinister Cleaners, Bad Contact and Jive Turkey, which I reviewed:

JIVE TURKEY

Clarendon

I knew it would be wretched when I spent an hour in the bar quite alone but for an idle baseball type. With the excellent Sinister Cleaners headlining you’d have expected a better turnout than the two or three dozen who eventually sauntered in, even though the SC’s proved to be surprisingly dull. Jive Turkey however played like hairy demons, and by that, I don’ t wish to demean them with any grebo tags. Not that I’m criticising greboes. After all, some of my beat friends have mental problems, not to mention hygienic deficiencies...

No, Jive Turkey look like New Modal Army fans. Scruffy, jovial, shorter than average and have that quaintly unorthodox manner of all trios. The songs nearly always sound good because they’ve nothing to bide behind. The single “Goodbye Johnny Ray” is a blindingly exciting burst of guitar suicide tied to a rapturous melodic department, not unlike a less foggy Wedding Present (that bad, eh? - Ed), and it got a good kicking tonight. All their songs did, with an instantaneous provocative spirit about them. I’d expect their traveling from the Southern region is fairly limited but don’t miss the chance.

On August 20th, 1990 I witness LEESON O’KEEFFE (R.I.P.), Ember Days and Cuckoo Club. The funny thing about the Leeson photos here is that this is not a woefully under-attended gig at all. Chris Hayes (pictured) and I were chatting in the bar when Leeson popped in for a drink. I think it was supposed to be a four band night but a couple had pulled out, so Leeson offered to play for us! By the end of his set some others had drifted in from the bar to watch. That was the sort of bloke Leeson was.

CUCKOO CLUB were interesting as there’s not many punky violin-playing singers out there. I have never been able to find out anything about the band although someone on the Bull & Gate facebook group I run says one of the band members is Alex from Flowers In The Dustbin?

August 20th 1993 and it’s RUBY ZOOM plus MY FAVOURITE THINGS at the Bull & Gate. Nothing to recall there, sadly.

LIVEJOURNAL

20^th August 2022

Onto some sites.

Band-wise let’s start with the non-G bands.

ARCHITECTS EYE at http://www.ampcast.com/music/16801/artist.php

Wide-ranging electronics from CONSCIOUS STRUCTURE at

http://www.consciousstructure.com/

There is a seriously impressive site from Swedish Goth Metallers BESEECH at

http://www.beseech.net/ who have a wonderfully informative and smoothly flowing approach. Great pics too, all light blue and non-hoary, and their Links section has masses of Metal variants for the committed. Also

http://www.beseechfanclub.com/

MIDNIGHT SYNDICATE at http://www.midnightsyndicate.com/ is perfectly straightforward for the Goth Horror outfit with album details and downloads but I couldn’t find a decent bio or anything more than a few pics, which is pretty silly, considering what they probably have knocking around in their archives, and might have used to really dazzle visitors. Fansite promised soon at http://www.geocities.com/solemnreflections/ which may prove useful as the official Polish site the band list doesn’t currently exist.

Haven’t managed to find a track listing or “Into Temptation - The Best of Gothic Rock” on Universal Records. Could be interesting, but may be a general German comp.

Sad gossip from the Popbitch crew will certainly depress you. I can’t stand The Osbournes because although they love each other and that’s all very charming it’s a show which is essentially gloating over its capacity find total dimwits. I imagine a fair percentage of the old school rock fraternity find it hilarious, almost wishing they too lived that way, but it’s a gross idea. Anyway, the BBC are all too desperate to get into the act and who have they got lined up for the 24/7 thrill-a-minute reality ride? Yup, Simon Le Bon! Crazy name, crazy guy. Let’s hope they see sense and send him scuttling back to obscurity where he belongs.

Similarly addled is poor Pete James, although not quite up there with Adam Ant, yet.

“Poor Pete Burns. The Dead Or Alive singer has been sectioned by the police for his own safety. The problems began when Pete was seen in Notting Hill trying to superglue one of his stiletto shoes to a parked car. A friend saw him and, thinking he’d been on a drink or drug binge, suggested he go home and sober up. Pete tried to go home, but he had forgotten where he lived, so broke into his neighbour’s house. She came home a few hours later and heard singing and music coming from upstairs. Upon reaching the bathroom, she found Pete sitting in her bath in full drag, singing

“You spin me round” in a trance-like state. Pete is currently being held in a maximum

security “celebrity relaxation centre”.

Courtney Love is apparently in London hoping to star in Macbeth, which may happen because Sean Bean is in it and he’s not the most gifted of actors. Might also be interesting to see the big C as her facelift apparently hasn’t gone quite as swimmingly as she was hoping! “Yes darling, Lady Macbeth suits you to the ground, no questions asked, but the darker elements of a witch, have you considered it?”

Don’t laugh (too much):

http://www.jesus21.com/poppydixon/product/panties/panties.html

http://www.fursuitsex.com/

That Buffy book I mentioned earlier is ‘Crossings’ by Mel Odom, supposedly a tale based round Xander but needless to say that isn’t true. This involves the return of two mighty Demons, one using computer gamers, shunted into some alternative reality, to create the necessary spell to bring back the other. Xander gets sucked into it. Outside, Buffy spends time worrying about Dawn to the extent it seems like a soppier young novel, but then things take a welcome change for the better when Bobby Lee Tooker, demon hunter from the Bayou area turns up, and pisses Spike off nicely, but they all work together well to defeat the relevant nasties. There’s even some amusing offshoots involving a genuine TV ghost hunter who starts seeing demons. I was pleasant surprised.

This takes some beating http://www.wankerscorner.com/wank/directions.html - don’t forget to check out the clothing. What do they think the word means in America?!!!

20 August 2003

T.O.Y.
WHITE LIGHTS
Drakkar

Their last album might have reminded somebody of Wolfsheim but this is pure pop aimed at the widest market imaginable and seem to have absolutely no depth whatsoever. I’m not saying it’s shallow, because it’s standard club fare, a form of Ministry Of Unsound if you well, but it isn’t what you can honestly call credible.

This is going for the big bucks are and good luck to them if it helps them establish their reputation. Strung somewhere between late 90’s lipgloss dance anthems, and mid-80’s Thomas Dolbyisms, they fling out twelve songs in thirty seven minutes and for the most part leave you speechless with the easy listening sounds flooding your room. The key to their obvious charm isn’t the music because sounds like this and straightforward dance rhythms are ten a pfennig, but Volker Lutz has a wonderful voice with which he peddles the most inconsequential lyrics imaginable.

‘Beyond Sleep’ is a fabulously soppy single, making all the right moves, as the voice bleeds into the commercial pop electro, and ‘The Sky Is The Limit’ is where they show how easily they could write superlative car ad music. The rest slips into that category, just right for wine bars or modern art galleries; stick this on in the background and people will pay it scant attention. So in terms of creating the perfect modern dance-inspired record they’ve done it with a vacuous vacuum and one line of lyrics from ‘Two Souls’ sums it up perfectly: ‘the taste of creamy sickness’.

FLY AWAY
BEYOND SLEEP
WHITE LIGHTS
THE SKY IS THE LIMIT
LONG DISTANCE RIDE
FAIRYTALE
CHARISMA SHE SAID
THE LIQUID CIRCLE
TWO SOULS
INNER CINEMA
JUST YOU AND ME
ANOTHER LOVESONG

http://drakkar.de

http://www.focusion.de - press

Saturday, August 20th, 2005

FUNERAL CRASHERS
PROMO
Fc

Jesus this crackles! Mooching into life, ‘Faithless Sons’ has a sour, slow bass trundle which suggests gloom, but then the evil guitar swoops upon you and while it has clearly, weedy rock tendencies, the way the drums kicks so hard instantly has you up and expectant. Then they keep you stuck in an exciting groove as the vocals dribble out in an interesting morose fashion. This is a seething pit of anti-despair it’s so lively, crouched and filthy. You’ll love it.

Check the website for their basic history of antipathy and aggravation, and their influences are laid out quite clearly which explains their thin, piercing sounds and clattering ballast. ‘Safe’ has a modern Punk take on Deathrock as it shuttles back and forth. On the verge of rickety it’s a shuddering mini-marvel with endless guitar sparks and ‘Malediction’ emits more intriguingly trampled dark sounds that are close to eviscerated psyche-rock, but with vocal yearning in place of anything oblique.

‘Nuclear Man’ is a simpler, pulsing beauty with a crude rhythm rubbing against the lean guitar sheen which is a glint of style in their sensible cesspit of subtle angst, moving with the same ungainly stealth of early Bauhaus with a muzzy hope in place of severe haughtiness and a pleasant final boom, then ‘Blackout Days’ ticks over with lovely fumbling tumbling guitar and patient vocal drama. Gradually it starts to bleed and flap and toss and turn in some torment before slowing again and slumping in disarray.

Hopefully they can put any remaining differences aside and concentrate on developing this potential still further, because they’re on the verge of something superb.

http://www.funeralcrashers.com

Did anyone watch that Jack The Ripper movie last night? It was so boring I forgot it was on and missed the end.

An Australian production, it moved unnecessarily slowly, with such naff direction that even in crowd scenes where people were gathered around the latest victim nobody seemed overly concerned, but the weirdest element was the Inspector’s sidekick had the broadest Aussie accent imaginable, which just seemed so wrong, like Dr Watson suddenly beguiling Holmes with casual patois. But, did they ever find the Ripper, or were they too laid back?

‘Fancy a tinny Inspector?’
‘That I do mate!’

And the fog closed in.

If I’d been there, in my guise as Catman, things would have been different. Be

August 20th, 2006

DR ARTHUR KRAUSE
BEFORE AND AFTER
M&A MUSICART

The other day we found that Funhouse have a nicely dated approach which still works perfectly but will never see them inspiring any new generations, and now we find another band on the same label who are rooted firmly in the sterner past and yet who sound brilliant. It’s still a question of having wholly dusty Goth antecedents, but an almost inversion of expected tricks sees them bizarrely benign

http://www.ma-musicart.se

August 20th, 2010

Apparently KINGMAKER are back. This is very definitely A Good Thing.

Now, do we have any flyers?

1986

1987 and Jon Beast (R.I.P.) organised an all-dayer thing in Plaistow which turned out to be a disaster.

1988 - a cute note from AND ALL BECAUSE THE LADY LOVES …

FACEBOOKISHNESS THEN!

20 August 2011

THE SPIRITUAL BAT

CRUEL MACHINE

Danse Macabre

Think of Goth for a moment as an old doll, discarded and partially buried in your garden. Moved by its discovery you pick it up and brush it off, captivated

by the sullen visage and dusty hair, with something deeply intriguing about the

placid face, the eyes boring out of the cracked porcelain patina. You bring it

closer to your own face and its mouth opens, teeth snapping at your ungrateful

nose. That’s how it’s supposed to work, anyway. That’s how The Spiritual Bat work.

Always a fascinating band, going way back to 1992, The Spiritual Bat

have always been masters of atmosphere but with this album we see something

much more different and striking. Full-on power and forthright melodic Goth

with guts, gusto and character dripping from every verse.

‘Cruel Machine’ has scalded, dripping Goth guitar from Dario Passamonti

and the hotly quavering, sustained vocals of Rosetta Garri, with a warm bass

idling meaningfully through the corridor of dark drama. ‘Thunderstorm’ is like

a wonderful modern day take on the whirling compressed vitriol of early Toyah,

vocals at the centre of a centrifugal display with the guitar spreading out

from the middle to the edges. ‘Sento’ is brilliantly inventive with its

burbling quick bass, and fluttery guitar flecks as the vocals remain placid and

poised amid the controlled rumpus. ‘One Upon A Time’ has added synth streaks as

the vocals narrow into witchiness, as the guitar spins a sticky web, where flamboyance

meets creepiness galore, all moving like a bastard. ‘Tormented Body’ opens with

trudging bass, optimistic guitar of a subtle drum kick, with more synth ghosts,

which rise and chill behind the opulent bass and moaning, troubled vocals. As

the bass stroils nobly the scathing vocal agony rises.

Exquisitely beautiful vocals slowly flood ‘The Other Side’ as more delightful

delicate bass tiptoe relentlessly through guitar clouds that shudder sweetly,

as a magical mood descends and emotion echoes into desolation. ‘Chance’ may

have a synth buzz at the start but this moves with a determined, sinfully supreme

Deathrock gait as words are scattered artfully: “Looking for an answer in a

strange house, here where giants live…” You see, I simply wouldn’t go in a place

like that. Problem solved.

‘Empty Halls’ is like a hostile sounding Ethereal, simple and demurely

seeping out, ‘Crucifixion’ a dainty murderous dalliance, skipping about. ‘Lament

For The Poisoned Mother’ brings the mood down, pulled in tight, as the vocals

rotate on a roasting spit of their design, with the guitar brighter but dour in

tone. The high octane fretting of ‘Deceiving’ is like that of Scarlet’s

Remains, vigorous in all departments, with a diseased detachment perfect for

its demented declarations. It’s only with salty, desperate ‘Sacrament’ that they

do something comparatively ordinary, and even that bustles fit to burst and has

you easily hooked. Then we drift off with the weirdly shimmery ‘Acquoreo’ its

guitar gracefully bowing down before the a wonderfully overwrought, weeping

operatic vocal extravaganza.

It’s one of those records where you’re almost exhausted by the end as

it’s so rich in ideas and superbly realised content, but it has the added attraction

that the more you listen the more you uncover.

A true triumph.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Spiritual-Bat/128593959630

http://www.revernation/com/thespiritualbat

http://www.myspace.com/thespiritualbat

20 August 2011

1990 Bull & Gate Quiz tomorrow - Noon kickoff, or thereabouts.

20 August 2012

Just taken Mack for his vet appointment and popped next door to the place where you buy nuts and washers so now I am ready to venture out onto those wild garden planes, to tame them. An Alexander The Great of horticulutural daring! Honestly, I was born for this moment...

Then…

Ready to mow the lawn, noticed one handle of the pushy bit was loose, as a nut from it has vanished! Removing the nut on the other side, to take to a shop for replacements, when that disappears in the long grass. Clip it all back with shears but no joy! Try using magnetised flap of Lynda’s compact camera like a miniature metal detector. Nothing! Lynda looks on...laughing, positively mocking my abject state as I lay seemingly stroking the ground. Life can be cruel.

Later…

They laughed at Hannibal when he said he would cross the Alps despite elephantiasis. They laughed at Louis Pasteur when he said, “I’ll get you a decent pint of milk” and even today the truly noble and inspired are mocked. I’m sad to say that even Lynda doubted my gardening prowess, but I showed her. I showed them all!

FREDWATCH August 19th 2012, 23.4Op.m. Mabel looks on as Fred does the back feet kicky thing and appears utterly demented.

LUCYWATCH August 19th 2012, 23.45p.m. No idea why she has her leg there!

FREDWATCH August 20th 2012, 18.00p.m. Actually yes, Fred, your bum does look big in this. You should be outside enjoying yourself in the garden.

Chris Hayes is at The Dublin Castle.

20 August 2012 at 00 34 · London ·

I saw this journalist earlier this evening who wanted me to say Hello to Mick Mercer

The great Dele Fadele (R.I.P.) with an equally great Chris Hayes.

20 August 2014

FESTIVAL OF FOOLS, Aug 23-24. Secret location! (15 mins drive from Harrogate). Bands, DJ,s performance art. Pay-whay-can-tickets (£10 donation suggested) and it says ‘Bring an open mind and DON”T FORGET TO WEAR YOUR MASK.’ They’re expecting lots of ugly people, clearly. Best to be honest. Double Echo are definitely playing (but that’s a secret too) and I’m sure there’ll be other cool bands. An ‘art rave in the woods.’ https://www.facebook.com/events/1436112919983321/

Awesome new sounds, commendably varied oldies and utter bilge throughout from me as your host.

http://www.mixcloud.com/.../mick-mercer-radio-broadcast.../

MICK MERCER RADIO Broadcast 32 - August 17th, 2014

20 August 2016

Prawntathlon highlights: https://www.facebook.com/Catolympics2016/videos/594960330710746/

PURRDLES results are in, complete with enhanced audio. https://www.facebook.com/Catolympics2016/videos/595503350656444/

Mick Mercer updated his profile picture.

Maybe time for a diet?

20 August 2017

Tonight’s live radio show (9pm, UK time, onwards) should include A Thousand Years, Aztec Camera, Geschlect Akt, Iggy, Manuskript, Serqet, Starcrawler, Hamsas Xiii, Luxury Stranger, Killing Joke, Palissade, Ruts DC, The Glass House Museum, The Teardrop Explodes, Joy Division, Haldol, Elvis and New Order.

Event Page:

https://www.facebook.com/events/114436155888674

HOW TO LISTEN? This is a direct link

http://server2.luschaudio.com:2199/start/stream246/

Or go to

http://server2.luschaudio.com:9162/

and hit ‘listen.’ That will download a small file so you can connect you to the live stream. Hit play on your media player. You can listen using iTunes, VLC, WinAmp and various other media players.

If you have any problem listening I advise you download the VLC media player. That always seems to work. When you open VLC from the menu pick Media > Open network stream…and pop the url in there. It goes without saying there will be nothing there until the show starts (usually a few minutes before the hour so you can get your levels sorted).

20 August 2018

I know a lot of you know your plants so I was wondering/hoping if someone can confirm I am cultivating weeds? Three large stone pots on our patio were left by the previous owners. I figured I should look after what’s in them, regardless of what they are. They have responded well, so I have done my job. Weeds or not, I like them and will continue to see they flourish. But what exactly are these? Anyone know? Thank you in advance....

Mystery Garden Pot 2 (of 3) - more help required, thank you. This has a tall yellow object plus maybe another tree twig thing? And other bits.

Final Mystery Pot (of 3), if anyone could please identify the contents? All looks the same to me, except there seems to be no aspiring trees involved.

20 August 2019

No napping allowed when Casper’s around. Straight onto my chest.

20 August 2020

ADAM & THE ANTS at the Lyceum, 1979. I saw them several times at the Lyceum that year but only photographed them there once. I always knew these weren’t the last one, but couldn’t accurately date this. Then - forehead on desk - I realised I have Essential Logic from the Lyceum, and they supported the Ants! So I now believe these are from April 22nd, 1979. #adamandtheants

20 August 2021

Sunday’s radio show from 9pm (UK time) will include ANGEL’S ARCANA – ARIEL MANIKI AND THE BLACK HALOS – BURIED IN ROSES – BYRONIC SEX & EXILE – DEAD ANYWAY – DEAD BORN BABIES – DEATHSOMNIA – DELIVERANCE – DOUBLE ECHO - GHOSTFIRE GOTHZILLA – HARRY STAFFORD & MARCO BUTCHER – JULES COHEN – LOST MESSAGES – NEW SKELETAL FACES – OUTSIZED feat. NINO SABLE – PILGRIMS OF YEARNING - PROJECT - RAVENS MORELAND – ROBBIE QUINE - STRANGE FUTURES – THE GALLEY SLAVES – THE GOTHS - VERSARI and WHISPERS IN THE SHADOW, but not in that order.

Go to the stream at http://server3.luschaudio.com:10126/index.html a few minutes before kick-off and click on Listen or the black play triangle.

There is also our event page : https://www.facebook.com/events/911887186205902

MICK MERCER RADIO #233

20 August 2022

Only lightweights need a straw!

I don’t know about where you live but here it’s still too hot to be sitting huddled up next to a roaring computer so no radioness this week either. Normal poor quality service resumes August 28th.

20 August 2023

En route to the Folkestone air show earlier today these three flew right over our house. (Except the Spitfire had D-Day markings.) A nice surprise in the garden!

Thing is ... it stinks!

Tonight’s glorious live show from 9pm (UK time) will bring you the following, and enrich your life immeasurably: Attrition, Bob Vylan, Bruma, Closterkeller, Das Fluff, Dead Crush, Death Cult, Death Party UK, Grieving State, Heartbreak Noir, Heathen Apostles, Je T’Aime, Maletas Vacias, Mauve Angeles, Motuvius Rex, Shadows To Ashes, Terminal Kiss, The Coffinshakers, The Cult, The Merry Thoughts, The Palace Of Tears, The Samples, The Tacks and The Upper Classes, but obviously not in that order.

To listen visit http://server3.luschaudio.com:10126/index.html and click on Listen or the black play triangle. Anyone can also come to the event page and chat with the regulars:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1928663534176666

MICK MERCER RADIO #320

20 August 2024

ON THIS DAY(-ish) ... in 1982 - THE DANSE SOCIETY. 30 photos taken in 1982 during an interview for my fanzine, Panache, uploaded just now to my Substack. Subscribe for free at

More tomorrow, you unlucky people …

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