Avon New Wave broadcast

Gideon Coe BBC Radio 6 explores Bristol’s New Wave with the help of the musicians, labels and DJs that lived it.

Punk arrived in Bristol in the late 70′s and found a city primed to embrace its ethos. But as the dust settled, what did the bands represent, where did they go next, and what did they leave behind? Gideon leads a roundtable chat to piece together the stories and celebrate Bristol’s secret New Wave heritage.

With tracks from Glaxo Babies, Art Objects, Electric Guitars, Maximum Joy, Shoes For Industry, The Cortinas and The Pop Group.

The return of Glaxo Babies tonight 23/1/2016 at The Exchange in Bristol,UK

‘Bristol Boys Make More Noise!
Mods, Power Pop, Scooter Boys – 1979-1987’
VARIOUS ARTISTS
Released on CD and Digital Download 1st April 2016

Bristol Archive Records have been telling the story of the incredibly diverse Bristol Music scene for several years now. The label has gained incredible success with their three previous releases ‘The Bristol Reggae Explosion’ series – Volume one, two and three covering 1978 to the end of the 80’s. They followed the Reggae vibe with another critically acclaimed release, The Bristol Punk Explosion 1977-1983 which covered 1977 and The Cortinas through to Onslaught and the oncoming of Thrash Metal.
Now they turn their attention to another SUB CULTURE – Mods, Power Pop and Scooter Boys.

This album covers the period 1979 to 1987 and features 21 tracks. When punk rock started to fizzle out and Squat Punks started to appear on the streets, many of the UK’s disaffected youths had already moved sideways in Modernism and fell in love with bands like The Jam, Secret Affair and The Chords.

Mod was another gang culture, to some a way of life, to some it became life. The smart, striking fashion sense, the scooters, the music; (some from the 60’s, soul and motown), some from the 70’s and 80’s, guitar driven power pop. Wow, Mod was the real deal.

The West Country embraced the scene and produced its own Mod bands like Mayfair and The Newbeats. Other bands were in on the act but could be more appropriately described as Power Pop / Ska, namely The A.T’s from Bath, The Review from Clevedon and Sky High from Gloucester.

Success for some was supporting their heroes, a good example being Thin Air (previously called Out of Order) with their 14 year old guitarist and songwriter Paul Sandrone, who supported The Jam at The Locarno in 1980. Or The Rimshots, who played on the same bills as The Beat and The Bodysnatchers.

Most of the tracks on this album are previously unreleased or were issued on tiny runs of Limited 7” vinyl.

Some of our boys did make the grade though. Huw Gower with his band The Records, signing to Virgin in 1978 and had a number 56 Billboard Top 100 hit single with ‘Starry Eyes’, also playing on the same bills as the Jam. Huw recorded the track ‘She’s Still a Mystery immediately after he’d left The Records in 1981 with a big anthemic chorus, classic trademarks of The Who.
This album is a soundtrack to an era, remembering a period in time when Top of The Pops was full of Two Tone bands. Thatcherism was killing multi cultural Britain but to escape, it was ok to write a catchy pop song, it was ok to look smart and it was acceptable to wear a Parka (weirdly all the rage again now in the 2016).

Enjoy the soundtrack to their lives – Bristol Boys Make More Noise! Mods, Power Pop, Scooter Boys 1979-1987 is released April 1st 2016 on CD and digital download.

The novel provisionally entitled ‘To Be Someone’ Bristol Mod 1979-1985 written by Michael W Salter will follow later in the year published by Bristol Archive Records and Tangent Books which tells the story of the Bristol Mod and Scooter Boy scene.

www.bristolarchiverecords.com

ARTIST: Various Artists
TITLE: “Bristol Boys Make More Noise! Mods, Power Pop, Scooter Boys 1979-1987”
RELEASE DATE: 1st April 2016
LABEL: Bristol Archive Records
DISTRIBUTION: Shellshock / SRD
FORMAT: CD and Digital Download
CAT NO: ARC287CD
BARCODE: 5052571065822
GENRE: Punk, Mod, Power Pop, Ska
WEBSITE: www.bristolarchiverecords.com
PRESS CONTACT: Mike Darby, E: [email protected] / T: 07885 498 402

Track Listing:

1. The A.T’s Too Young Girl
2. Huw Gower She’s Still A Mystery
3. Thin Air A Thousand Burning Voices
4. The Rimshots Little Boys and Little Girls
5. Mayfair Traffic
6. The Various Artists Weekends
7. The Gross Club Second Chance
8. Sky High Maryanne
9. The Rimshots I Was Wrong
10. Joe Public Hermans Back
11. The Review Englands Glory
12. Cass Carnaby Five November Rain
13. The Untouchables Keep Your Distance
14. The Letters Nobody Loves Me
15. The A.T’s Sand In My Face
16. Thin Air Sentry’s Life
17. The Newbeats Somebody’s Girl
18. Mayfair The Legend
19. The Review Fleet Street
20. Blue Riverside Experiments in Colour (Live)
21. Blue Riverside High Time Baby (Live)

Rita Lynch has been a part of the UK’s underground music scene for 30 years. Her adopted hometown of Bristol is a key part of her incredible story and development through punk rock, squatting, hard drinking, experimentation, love and loss and some beautiful music. She has made 6 albums in a career where the key motifs are about funnelling emotion and experiences into music and developing her craft so that it becomes a soundtrack to people’s lives. Songs like ‘Beautiful Eyes’, ‘Call me your Girlfriend’ and ‘Rolla Coaster’ have been many people personal soundtracks and this compilation presents many more of Rita’s previously released and unreleased songs. Never easily pigeon holed, Rita Lynch is a gifted songwriter and talented lyricist.

‘Story To Tell’ Anthology 1988 – 2011 – soon come in spring of 2016

Another welcome addition to our team for 2016 is Michael W Salter

We are delighted to confirm that Dr Peter Webb has joined the team at Bristol Archive Records