Bristol Archive Records Blog

Posts Tagged ‘punk 1977 bristol’

The Cortinas Reform for 2012 Tour

Wednesday, October 26th, 2011

Bristol’s very first punk band, The Cortinas, are to reform in 2012. They will be appearing at the Rebellion Festival, Blackpool, in August, as part of a major UK tour, their first for 34 years -The Defiant Pose Tour 2012’

The Cortinas formed in March 1976 when Jeremy Valentine (vocals), Nick Sheppard (guitar), Mike Fewins (guitar), Dexter Dalwood (bass) and Daniel Swan were still at school.“Jer put the band together, he definitely had a vision of what he wanted; he was very hip – Dexter and Mike went to the same school as him”, remembers Nick. “He found me via Mark Stewart, who I went to school with, and I brought Dan in; we had played in a band together before. We used to practise at the back of Jer’s Dad’s shop”. The Cortinas soon built up a big local following, and a break came when the band supported the Stranglers at the fabled Roxy Club in Covent Garden on 22 January 1977. Nick recalls how it came to be: “Hugh Cornwell was staying at a friend of his’ flat near the university, on holiday, and me and my girlfriend met him in the street. This would have been in the summer of 76. We started talking to him because we recognized him from seeing The Stranglers and hung out for the afternoon. I told him about the band. Later on, in January 77, he sent us a postcard asking us to play at the Roxy, so we rang up and said yes! I remember my mum telling me not to be too disappointed if people didn’t like us…”. Things then moved quickly for the band. Miles Copeland and Mark Perry’s Step Forward label released the classic singles ‘Fascist Dictator’ in June and ‘Defiant Pose’ in December, the band recorded a fine Peel session, and they appeared on the front cover of the April/May issue of Sniffin’ Glue. Heady stuff, but sadly, it was over all too soon. The following year, after a poorly received album, the band were no more, but in 1977 they were unstoppable – simply one of the best first wave punk bands around.

Nick famously joined the last line-up of the Clash, touring the world with them for over two years. He now lives in Australia. Dan moved to San Francisco and played with The Sneetches, then worked with a management company that handled Green Day and he now runs his own music management firm there. Jeremy moved into academia and is now Dr Jeremy Valentine, a senior sociology lecturer at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh. Mike later played with the likes of Stewart Copeland and Brian James, and is the fourth original member taking part in the tour.

Recent interest in the Cortinas is largely down to the Bristol Archive Records label, who first released two download-only albums, The GBH Demos 1977 and live set Please Don’t Hit Me. Such interest was aroused that the label released the album MK1, which included both of the band’s singles, plus demo tracks, on vinyl. The album has now gone into a second pressing on white vinyl.

Indie giants Cherry Red have also released The Cortinas – Punk Rock Anthology, which brings together the singles, the True Romances album and the Peel session, and to coincide, Record Collector magazine ran a major feature on the band.

Bristol Archive will be releasing a new CD including never seen before pictures of the band to tie-in with the tour. When the reformation was announced Nick said that “We are all still friends and the release of MK1 was an enjoyable experience, so I guess we feel that might continue.” He added: “The Cortinas is where I come from, so I feel like going back for a visit. I love a challenge, and the idea of reforming the Cortinas is extremely challenging, let alone the reality.”

www.bristolarchiverecords.com

The Cortinas

Sunday, October 23rd, 2011

The Cortinas are to reform and tour the UK in 2012

‘The Defiant Poase Tour 2012′

Wow!

More news on dates later

The X-Certs LP – Rated XXX

Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011

The release date has been moved back to August 22nd

SORRY ABOUT THAT

Bristol The Punk Explosion on Organ Radio

Thursday, April 22nd, 2010

ORGAN SHOW playlists

Postby SeanOrgan » Mon Mar 29, 2010 4:27 pm

Organ on Resonance 104.4FM, 9.00PM Sunday 28th March 2010. This week with Sean on DJ duties. On your FM dial all over London and worldwide via www.resonancefm.com.

This week’s playlist..

1: TRANSISTOR SIX – Back Yard Rocketship (Blackbean & Placenta)
2: HILLS HAVE RIFFS – The Countrysude Has Escaped Part 1 (Noisestar)
3: THE HARDY TREE – Seagulls And Chips (RIM)
4: THE BUFF MEDWAYS – Ivor (Transcopic)
5: THE PUNK ROCK ORCHESTRA – California Uber Alles (download)
6: CAPTAIN AHAB – Acting Hard (DeathbombArc)
7: THE POSERS – Good Advice (Bristol Archive)
8: DEATH OF LONDON – Kiri Kiri Kiri (Function)
9: THE WIND-UP BIRDS – There Won’t Always Be An England (Sturdy)
10: CASTROVALVA – That’s What I’m Talking About (Brew)
11: SUPER ADVENTURE CLUB – Hip Hop Hot Pot Pot Noodle (Armellodie)
12: CAPTAIN AHAB – Godlike (DeathbombArc)
13: RUDE MECHANICALS – Scary Fish Finger Woman (RIM)
14: CUTTHROAT CONVENTION – The Void The Vuv (Doubledgescissor)
15: BUFF MEDWAYS – You Piss Me Off (Transcopic)
16: CASTROVALVA – Hooliganz R Us (Brew)
17: THE CONFORMISTS – Tax Deduction (Africantape)
18: THE UNDEAD – It’s Corruption (Bristol Archive)
19: CAPTAIN AHAB – I Don’t Have A Dick (DeathbombArc)
20: ONSLAUGHT – Thermo Nuclear Devastation Of The Planet Earth (Bristol Archive)
21: TRICLOPS – With SARS, I’ll Ride The Wind (Alternative Tentacles) -
22: FUNKI PORCINI – Moog River (Ninja Tune)

Full details, notes, links…..

Early start tonight, technical problems with pre-recorded shows, we arrived to find studio chaos, crashing equipment wearing out and please do remember Resonance FM is run by unpaid volunteers, show presenters and DJ’s who do this because we all love the station, the idea and the whole being involve in something rather special… Imagine a radio station, imagine a something that isn’t run as a commercial enterprise and thus revolves around editorial and artistic diversity, around risk-taking wholesomeness (we’d never get to play these bands and such on commercial or mainstream stations, there just wouldn’t be a voice!). But but but, Resonance FM depends on your kind donations and support to keep on running, we need your support to maintain the overworked equipment, to pay the electricity bills and to fix broken computers, so please go to the website, www.resonancefm.com, and donate, every little bit helps… thank you…
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Right then, early start and twenty or so extra minutes at the start that confused some of you who though you hadn’t put your clocks forward….

1: TRANSISTOR SIX – Back Yard Rocketship (Blackbean & Placenta) – our adopted theme tune so you know where you are. Transistor Six is Frances Castle, there’s lots of fine art and creativity to explore from Francis so please please do. You can now get the whole tune downloaded for yourselves and find links to her artwork, albums, her new Hardy Tree project and lots more over at www.myspace.com/transistorsix – and this week, due to the unexpected early start you got the full track rather than just the slice of intro that you usually get…

2: HILLS HAVE RIFFS – The Countryside Has Escaped Part 1 (Noisestar) – Track from the forthcoming album The Countryside Has Escaped, Hills Have Riffs is DCW Briggs, front man with heavy post-rockers Cove. The album is a doom-folk coming together laced with reverb-soaked cello, touches of Swans, tastes of Fairport Convention and the whole thing comes out on April 5th. More from www.myspace.com/hillshaveriffs or www.noisestar.co.uk .
And we got home after tonight’s show to find an e.mail from the Club Clang people telling us they have Cove playing alongside Das Bastard and Feal Real here in London at Catch (Old Street) this coming Friday 2nd April – and all for free in terms of door price and such. More from www.myspace.com/clubclang

3: THE HARDY TREE – Seagulls And Chips (RIM) – Now this is a rather fine Hardy Tree cover of a Sexton Ming song that you can fine on a rather fine Sexton Ming tribute album called This Is Ming Beat. All done that delicate Hardy Tree way (see Transistor Six up above). Explore more via www.myspace.com/thehardytree or scroll down to the Rude Mechanical bit for more Ming Beat and Sexton doings and poetic gatherings and…

4: THE BUFF MEDWAYS – Ivor (Transcopic) – And because tonight’s show started early we had to raid the CDs we had brought with us for the hour long show, thus an extra Who style slice from Sir Billy Childish and one of his bands, The Buff Medways. Wanted to play something Childish tonight to flag up his show at the ICA (The Mall, central London) that’s on right now. Spread over several of the gallery rooms, you’ll find is paintings, his poetry and some of his musical history, well worth your time… A whole pulling together of several bodies of work, more than worthy of your time – www.billychildish.com or www.ica.org.uk for news of the exhibition that’s on now and runs until May. Well worth picking up a copy of the ICA publication Roland, current issue is full of Childishness, pick it up at the ICA or explore the ICA website…

5: THE PUNK ROCK ORCHESTRA – California Uber Alles (download) – Not sure if the PRO are still about, just happened to have this old download with me tonight and we had a extra slice of time to fill up with the finest of earfood to hand…
“Hailing from San Francisco, CA the Punk Rock Orchestra is a 50+ piece strong orchestra that plays punk rock tunes you know and love that are specially arranged for symphonic instruments and operatic voice. The orchestra is run under the auspices of the Institute For Unpopular Culture, a San Francisco not-for-profit organisation. Punk Rock Orchestra’s set list is a journey through the great punk bands: Dead Kennedys, Black Flag, Sex Pistols, Circle Jerks, Fear, Suicidal Tendencies and so on. All the members areclassically trained, many of them by recognised masters of their respective instruments. From mosh pits to orchestra pits, you won’t hear anything like this anywhere else…. .” . Go hit those search engines….

And then we got to 9pm and our proper start time, this week the Captain Ahab show….

6: CAPTAIN AHAB – Acting Hard (Deathbomb Arc) – “How good was that opening track tonight?!” That’s what we said last time and we just had to do it all over again this week, maybe the show should open every time with this track? Here’s the cut’n paste from the last playlist: “Sometimes you hear a piece of music and yes! Lots of exciting cutting edge music waiting to challenge if you know where to look. Captain Ahab are from Los Angeles, Brian from Foot Village and Deathbomb Arc brought them to our attention, he talked of a “strange mix of Viking chants, harsh noise, Hyphy and Steve Reichian timing” and yeah, but he was only telling half of it. We got a new favourite band here (and judging by the response we’re not alone!). This is why we do this Organ thing! Bands like this, bands who sound like no one else and who sound so damn good while they go about their business of sounding unique. This track of the forthcoming (6th April) album called The End Of Irony, but but you can have this track right now as a free download via http://captainahab.bandcamp.com. You can chase up Captain A via www.myspace.com/captainahab and you can find out about the constantly good DeathbombArc via www.deathbombarc.com

7: THE POSERS – Good Advice (Bristol Archive) – Slice of classic English punk, just over two minutes of on no messing late 70’s punk from Bristol. There’s a new album from Bristol Archive Records, goes by the name of Bristol The Punk Rock Explosion – twenty tracks that chronicle punk rock in the city of Bristol from The Cortinas and the initial explosion of ’77 to the point where it all headed off in a million hardcore, thrashcore anarcho directions somewhere around ’83 with bands like Onslaught. This rather fine compilation is released in June, couldn’t resist diving straight in tonight though. Sounds dated now but still sounds so fresh and alive. The Posers track is a previously unreleased slice of treasure from 1978. Lots of unreleased previously unheard slices of treasure on here amongst the tracks – The Pigs, Vice Squad, The Media, The X-Certs, Disorder, Lunatic Fringe and more – www.bristolarchiverecords.com

8: DEATH OF LONDON – Kiri Kiri Kiri (Function) – Never mind no unfriendly flag or badge of whatever, it is all about the music isn’t? Yes it damn well is and Death of London certainly are that. They’re from Leicester, they got a new five track CD on the way called The Independent State Of Death Of London. More of their fiercely alternative post-hardcore flavoured challenge and alternative guitar attitude that comes with a defiant twist of difference. The wreckord is out on April 5th and you can go to www.myspace.com/deathoflondon for more, or maybe www.functionrecords.com will give you more answers to any questions you may have….

9: THE WIND-UP BIRDS – There Won’t Always Be An England (Sturdy) – Debut single from a new Leeds band and some clever words about tattoos with three lions on and what is England now and what does it matter and all in time for the world cup and pubs full patriots. The Birds operate in a vaguely Wedding Present kind of way, I guess that’s the northern angle covered as we search for words here, hey I only heard it for the first time an hour before the show.. These are vacuous times and scathing satirical bite is what we need to transcend the mundane flow of the match via the barstool and a pint of chemical froth and notions of meathead Engerland and think Our Friends In The North, think the bite of Mark E.Smith, think Morrissey and all the contradiction that thinking that throws up. Uncertain times? Enemy within? Ben Sherman shirts? www.myspace.com/thewindupbirds or www.sturdy-records.co.uk

10: CASTROVALVA – That’s What I’m Talking About (Brew) – the debut album is nearly here, out on April 12th, UK tour starts in London on the 14th April at the Gaff, Holloway Road, London, see track 16 for more details, links and prepare to fight for your marbles and your greenhouse plants…

11: SUPER ADVENTURE CLUB – Hip Hop Hot Pot Pot Noodle (Armellodie) – – Back in February we played their single, that week’s Organ magazine single of the week, we said this of it – they’re from Glasgow, they’re alive with energy and oh here’s the single review again…
“An attention-demanding tuneful three piece get me out of this rat-race trio from Scotland. Twisting and tuning and there they go with a bit of Cardiacing in that big instrumental bit that comes in the middle of an almost twee attack of being hung up on things they need to give up and fighting like marsupials and eat your beans, brush your teeth, feed the cat, avoid zombies. We’re under attack like a dog named Sparky and lock the door, feed the cat, cancel plans, avoid zombies. They get all jazzy, ninja-jazz they say, and she has one of those sweet no-it-wasn’t-me-I-would-never-do-that type of voices, a voice that compliments his reason so much, two fine voices bit like those Bobby McGees actually. Ghoulish tune-wielding so they say and bad luck comes in threes, but not here, good luck comes your way here and stranger things have happened than this and attempting deconstructive thinking and this is a brilliant debut single and the more you dance around in it the more you tend to notice it. They don’t really sound like anyone, but they do sound like lots of things we like and there’s lots of sticks to pick up and every time I play it it makes me smile a little more, eat you teeth, wash your hands, avoid zombies, what a brilliant debut single, especially the second of two very fine clever songs and read the news, put on your shoes, prepare for a riot” This week the debut album, Avoid Zombies, landed here and guess what? The excellent single is not the best track on there! Super adventures indeed. The album is out on April 12th, these are indeed super musical adventures – www.myspace.com/superadventuremusic

12: CAPTAIN AHAB – Godlike (DeathbombArc) – see track Six and remember where you were when you first heard the Captain, I was at a graden party, all edgy eggs and it really is a word of mouth thing…

13: RUDE MECHANICALS – Scary Fish Finger Woman (RIM) – Now then several birds fed with one stone shaped piece of bread here. Rude Mechanicals covering Sexton Ming, another track you’ll find on rather fine Sexton Ming tribute album called This Is Ming Beat that we were telling you about earlier when we played The Hardy Tree track. Rude Mechanicals are the band controlled by Miss Roberts and Miss Roberts and Her Putrid People (who I guess are a different band to the Rude Mechanicals) are doing some kind of “scary spoken word and soundscape” thing at an evening of Sexton Ming related events, poetry, music, art, and a chapbook launch. The whole thing happens on the 18th April over at venue called Pangea Project that you’ll fine over in Stoke Newington, London N16. Poetry from Sexton Ming, Colin Shaddick, Bill Lewis and a “Poet Of Domination” called Lilith Payne – www.sextonming.co.uk is where you find out more about the night and this compilation tribute album and the chapbook and stuckists and a whole bag of things… Lilith Payne is an occasional contributor to Organ, she brings her poetry from over the sea, all the way from Boston…

14: CUTTHROAT CONVENTION – The Void The Vuv (Doubledgescissor) – Another package from the London band (with more spray paint stencil-scissors on the front) and a band who do things a little differently. They really don’t sound like anyone else and you never quite know what their next release will sound like. Experimental otherness and a new single that features this track on the b-side, real other rock goodstuff and you can sound a little different if you really want to challenge yourselves, why do so many bands jsut sound like their rather obvious record collections? – www.myspace.com/cutthroatconvention

15: BUFF MEDWAYS – You Piss Me Off (Transcopic) – You see, this one was the Buff Medways track we intending to play tonight, but extra time and rare chickens from Kent fly in twos and we had extra time so go see track four and sit on Ivor the engine driver’s lap. Just wanted to play some Billy Childish and recommended you visit the ICA. And this was especially played for ordinary Dave from Eton, he really does do as the song said… Long live the free state of mind that is the art of Billy Childish.

16: CASTROVALVA – Hooliganz R Us (Brew) – Now. like we said last time, we were expecting good from the new album, we were expecting different, we expected the unexpected, didn’t expect this good though (how could we?). The debut album from the Leeds band (who’s early moves have featured quite a bit on this here radio show) is out in the UK on April 12th. They’ve pushed their boundaries once more! They’ve taken their instrumental post rock/hardcore base and built on it until it has become a glorious vocalised beast beyond recognition. Think NWA for Oxes fans, think Notorious B.I.G meets Made In Mexico, think Prince for Lightning Bolt followers and you’re getting somewhere near something like their current sound (alright, nowhere near but it gives you a vague starting point while they stomp on your greenhouse and run off with your best marbles). www.brewrecords.net or www.myspace.com/castrovalvamusic

17: THE CONFORMISTS – Tax Deduction (Africantape) – They’re from St Louis, MO and they’re liars, they don’t conform! This is from their forthcoming re-issued Steve Albini produced album that originally came out (on what we suspect is the now defunct 54 Degrees 40 or Fight label) back in 2005, out again on April 6th and not heard by us before, new fresh and real experimental envelope pushing other rock indeed – www.myspace.com/theconformists or www.africantape.com

18: THE UNDEAD – It’s Corruption (Bristol Archive) – See track seven for more details. Another Bristol punk band and a track that originally came out on Riot City in 1982 as the whole scene moved towards anarcho confrontation and system questioning bluster, more details up there with track seven – www.bristolarchiverecords.com

19: CAPTAIN AHAB – I Don’t Have A Dick (DeathbombArc) – see track Seven…. this is one of the albums of the year and…

20: ONSLAUGHT – Thermo Nuclear Devastation Of The Planet Earth (Bristol Archive) – And another track from that Bristol punk compilation (see track seven for full details). Final track on the compilation and Bristol punk moving on to embryonic thrash metal with the first very raw moves from an early demo tape from 1983. First moves to the soon to be cult metal band, they didn’t stick with this hardcore anarcho crust-punk sound for long, catch up with what they’re doing these days via www.myspace.com/onslaughtuk

21: TRICLOPS – With SARS, I’ll Ride The Wind (Alternative Tentacles) – – Triclops have just this last week dropped their second massive slab of a rock album – Helpers On The Other Side – the beast is every bit as big as the first. Epic collision of prog and punk from a band featuring members of (the legendary) Victim’s Family as well as people from Fleshies, Bottles And Skulls, Lower 48. “An acid punk version of avant-garde classical composition with cinematic textures…” so says the AT bat. We’re talking punkified prog, heavy psych, we’re talking Butthole Surfers, Melvins, Cardiacs, Zappa, No Means No, Sun Ra and a whole bag of secret x factor in the twisted beauty of it all. The legacy of Victim’s Family indeed (ask your big sister, they were an oasis of experimental punk/prog in the desert that was the 80’s/90/s, those of us who saw them in London still talk of it) – www.triclopsband.com or www.alternativetentacles.com

22: FUNKI PORCINI – Moog River (Ninja Tune) – yes that was an interpretation on Moon River to end tonight’s rather frantic show. James Braddell A.K.A Funki Porcini has a new album called On, out on May 3rd and yes that was Moon River on a Moog – www.ninjatune.net or www.myspace.com/funkipoercini

And we shall do it all next Sunday, next week with Marina at the decks with her OTHER ROCK SHOW and the further exploration of rock musicbeyond mere 4/4 convention, provided the studio equipment survives another week. If you like what we do here please go to the Resonance FM website and donate, every little helps – all you bands and labels who get so much support here, we’re calling a little of it back in now please… www.resonancefm.com

Lots more of all this kind of thing over on the Organ magazine website at www.organart.com

SeanOrgan
http://forum.resonancefm.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3800&start=75

Bristol The Punk Explosion – Press Release

Sunday, March 14th, 2010

 

 

VARIOUS ARTISTS

‘BRISTOL THE PUNK EXPLOSION’

Released worldwide on 14th June 2010

20 STUNNING TRACKS 7 OF WHICH NEVER PREVIOUSLY RELEASED

The Cortinas were the first. They played the Roxy Club, released two singles on Mark Perry and Miles Copeland’s Step Forward label, graced the front cover of Sniffin’ Glue and recorded a Peel Session. Guitarist Nick Sheppard remembers the night it all slotted into place: “I think a real turning point for us was seeing the Ramones at the Roundhouse on July 4 1976 – we definitely started to write our own songs after that gig. We had been playing and doing gigs for about a year by then – all covers apart from one song, Tokyo Joe as I remember. After that gig we started writing stuff like Television Families. I think we saw people like us in the audience at that gig, and it must have given us confidence.”

 

Taking their cue, bands like Social Security (the first band on Heartbeat Records), The Pigs (whose Youthanasia single was released by Miles Copeland’s New Bristol Records), The Primates, The Media, The Posers and The Verdict gave Bristol one of the strongest provincial early punk scenes, mainly centred around the Clifton area of Bristol and Barton Hill Youth Club.

 

Barton Hill also gave us The X-Certs, who by 1978 could already pull audiences of 500 into Trinity Church, without the aid of a safety net or record contract. Though we didn’t realise it at the time, they effectively bridged the gap between the late 70s Bristol scene and what our American cousins like to term the UK82 bands.

 

Vice Squad and Heartbeat Records boss Simon Edwards formed Riot City Records toward the end of 1980, releasing the band’s first single Last Rockers in January 1981. It sold well and after a second Vice Squad single the label recruited other Bristol bands like Portishead lunatics Chaos UK, Court Martial and The Undead, while Disorder recorded for their own label, all achieving impressive sales. The less said about Chaotic Dischord, the better.

 

Lunatic Fringe, with the mighty Bear Hackenbush on vocals, recorded their first single on the short-lived Resurrection Records label.

 

The Bristol Punk Explosion brings you all these bands, and closes with a track from Death Metal Monsters Onslaught. Before all this “Spitting blood in the face of Gaaaahd!” malarky, Onslaught were a Discharge-style hardcore punk band, and here we include the snapilly-titled Thermo Nuclear Devastation Of The Planet Earth from their first demo.

In short, this is the history of Bristol punk, from its very beginnings, through the early 80s, and up to the point when hardcore began to morph into thrash, metal, and, um, thrash metal.

 

(Sleeve notes by Shane Baldwin – Vice Squads Drummer and Record Collector / Big Cheese Journalist)

 

TITLE: Bristol The Punk Explosion

LABEL / DISTRIBUTION: Bristol Archive Records / Shellshock

CAT NO: ARC154 CD

FORMAT: CD plus digital download

WEBSITE:  www.bristolarchiverecords.com

PRESS CONTACT: Garry Hutchinson / SaN PR. garry.hutchinson@s-a-n.co.uk  - T / 01429280582.

 

S-a-N Agency Ltd | Booking Agency | Record label | PR | Registered in England No. 5171652