The October edition of Dogrophenia is now up for grabs. David Woodcock and Angel Melodyhorn are live with exclusive reveals of brand new tunes, While Piley and I pitch in with Bowie covers, Blow Up belters, 70s rockers and Howling Black Soul on the pooch-based playlist...
Plus all the news on two charity events Dogtober and the HARP sleep out...
Dig in and dig it..
Was this the incident that got Dave Gahan on the long road to ruin - find out in Podrophenia..
The Lectro edition of Podrophenia is now up for download – with guests Lloyd Price of Massive Ego and Barry Cain ex-Record Mirror punk reporter and former Flexipop boss..
Wherein you’ll hear new tunes from Massive Ego and Barry's twin-fisted tales of Rat Scabies transatlantic raffle, Dave Gahan bothered with dead bodies and bananas (not at the same time tho), Ian McCulloch being a grumpy bunny and how Zodiac Mindwarp killed of Flexipop...
Plus a couple of exclusive Flexipop editions of Depeche and Marc Almond tunes
For further reading you can grab the Flexipop Annual here, and buy tickets for the upcoming Flexiparty..
And check in with Massive Ego here...
Download hereabouts or stream below
Like The Who sang - the kids are alright... As Piley and I are joined by P & M Jr for our Generations edition.
There's also a phone in from Eddy Pile (Piley senior) , tunes from our uncles (The Essex Brothers. and David Morley in The Habits) Plus surprise appearances from Ruben Caruana Steve Taylor and Liz van Gorkom 'n' Hans. Along with a new Mark Vidler Go Home Productions mashup and some genius impressions of the Dad's Army cast by Tiny Piley age 7
For those about to read - we salute you: rock. rollers and rumblers - fill your bovver boots with the latest Vive Le Rock - an Aussie special, featuring a piece from you know who on the Australian/NZ only Yoof Cult - Sharpies...
Dig around the back pages you'll also find me giving a critical ear to Johnny Thunders live L.A.M.F.
A couple of reviews submitted, which didn't make the final edit due to space issues were -
Beat Bespoke 6 and the Memphis Dawls - but nothing goes to waste, so dig in below
Le Beat Bespoké 6 Detour Records 7/10 Turn on, tune in, freak out - Underground, overground rumbling free
The essence of Beat Bespoké volume 6 straddles the 67-72 era when mods became rockers, rockers turned hippy and hippies got heavy. The mood of these freshly-picked finds is one of frizzy hair, fuggy clubs, open air freak-outs and underground festivals. From the fuzzy stoner rock of Jerry Holmes ‘I’m The Man’ and Spontaneous Generation’s ‘Purple Purple’ to Chris Rayburn’s ‘One Way Ticket’ with its thumping drums and Are You Being Served strings, to the in-kraut sound of Marian Ruxell’s ‘It’s So Much The Better’ and the galloping garage of The Tears ‘Rat Race’ - BB6 gathers together a collection of heavy mod, garage nuggets and psych pop that wouldn’t sound out of place on the Dracula AD 72 soundtrack. A new addition to an already healthy back catalogue, and where the New Untouchables begin to give Psychic Circle's Instro Hipster series a run for their money
Memphis Dawls - Rooted to the Bone Madjack Records 7/10 Hello Dawlies – potent debut from the Jack White endorsed all-girl trio
For all of its broad country trimmings and western trappings, echoing from The Carter Family and Tammy Wynette to The Handsome Family and Doc Watson, scratch beneath the surface of the Memphis Dawls Sun Studio recorded album and I wouldn’t be surprised to find a broader book of influences subtly colouring the collection that makes up Rooted to the Bone. ‘Liar’ has the soulful horns and harmonies of Aretha in Alabama for her Muscle Shoals sessions ‘Skin Like a Cage’ could be an Allen Toussaint twist on Bacharach and David standard. While the American Gothic of ‘Shadows’ shuffles with a dark-hearted gumbo groove. And ‘Please Don't Leave Me’ takes a transatlantic hop to tap up Kate Bush, Bridget St John and The Beatles. An album of folk-soaked confessionals and galloping cowgirl anthems with a pop sensibility that saddles it somewhere between Gillian Welch and Aimee Mann
Worra walloper, worra wing-ding worra way to celebrate our centenary and six years of Podrophenia
Huge salutes are due to the ever-glowing Jo Mondo and Citizen Marmite for bringing in the birthday bling. To George Crockford for the Ship Full of Bombs tech decks duties. Hubbs for the Jingles.. To the guests and chippers in Tommo and Sam (Mondo Jrs) Alan Cathouse, Drakey, Grant, Steve Swindle, Jack Gestures,. Mark Dredge, Ruben, Baz, Bob, Paul FSP – and roaring toot is due to The Long Run boys Darren Gavin and Joe for ripping the roof off the The Railway…
Sample a two tracks here - then full your boots with the full set below...
If you were there, or want to be hear the hi-jinx and hat-popping performance from The Long Run, download and dig it here…
One bumbly summer evening in July 2009, Piley and I parked up at his place with a few scraps of adhoc tech, borrowing Tiny Piley’s toys and trimmings as mic stands – to record our first Podrophenia podcast...
who'da thought 6 years on and 100 episodes later, Piley and would still be trundling along with our ol' Podro-biz. Or, Adam 'n' Eve some of the capers, characters and carry ons we've been involved with during the duration..
If you've ever listened, downloaded,chipped in, phoned in, been a guest, bought a single, made a jingle, played, danced or drunk at a live night, whether your an early joiner or late adopter - salut! And it would be a roaring treat if you could tune in (tell a pal) and join us for our 100th edition tonight
We’ll be live from 8 at Ship full of Bombs. With our first ever musical session guest Darren Jones joining us for an indoor/outdoor broadcast upstairs at The Railway, Southend. And bringing his full band - the appropriately named The Long Run (and an audience of pals) with him..
Darren Jones - in our first ever Podro-session 2011...
Theme-wise, we’ll be winging in some unplayed favourites fitted around some of the 100 themes Podrophenia has rolled out over the ages. You can tune in here from 8 at SFOB – or chip in via the chat room here..
For further Podrophonic shenanigans - you can also catch us doing our tune-spining thing at Southend's biggest music festival Village Green Festival this Saturday...
Piley and I will be parked up in the games tent between 12 and 6 (ish). Then appearing on the idea13 stage between 7 - 7 30 along with some of fave band Howling Black Soul and The Ends
The VG programme, map and guide is grabbable hereabouts
Fill your boots with scoops and tunes by way of the latest Podrophenia.
Where else will you find James Last doing the Small Faces, Harry Nilsson doing Popeye, the Banana Splits getting on the good-foot and an appearance from Larry Grogan of the Funky 16 Corners soul site
It's all yours and it's all free. Dig in and dig it
Our 99th Podrophenia live tonight on SFOB has a theme of 'ice cream': 12 flavours of mashups, funk, soul and psych - with a special guest Larry Grogan from Funky 16 Corners joining us from New Jersey for a lowdown on this Banana Splits twister.
We're also after any ice cream theme songs/bands/albums: Cherry Lee Lewis/Flaking Stevens/ Arctic roll monkeys/Mivvi Ripperton/Blind Lemon Sorbet/ Screwball Wizard/Another brick in the walls
Buckle up rockers and rollers - Issue 27 of the UK's boomiest music mag Vive Le Rock has just hist the shelves. Featuring, The Who at 50, Brian James on his new band and life after The Damned, gig, new music and reissue reviews - including a a critical ear from me on Suzi Quatro's Greatest Hits...
One review that didn't make ish 27, is The Payroll Union's new album.. but nothing goes to waste so dig in and taste test below...
Paris in America - The Payroll Union
Philadelphia freedom. Virtue, liberty and independence - from South Yorkshire!
From ‘Sgt. Pepper’ to SHAM’s ‘That’s Life’ to Beck’s Grammy winning ‘Morning Phase’ – the appeal of the concept album is format that’s never faded – certainly not for frowny-browed song-scribblers . Although Payroll Union take an unusual spin on the medium of story-arcs-expressed-through-music, aligning themselves more with Jeff Wayne’s ‘War of the Worlds’ than your usual long-form haul.
An album produced in collaboration with University of Sheffield, where folk ‘n’ roll meets battle re-enactment. ‘Paris in America’ takes as its source – ‘a narrative of Philadelphia in the 1840s and '50s, based on the antebellum with its tales of violence and conflict’, for an authentically academic take covering a specific time-slice of American history (with annotated sleeve notes), which could act as a metaphor for today’s current political climate.
Sonically it’s a Philadelphia experiment shifting between shades of Handsome Family meet Fleet foxes and Divine Comedy communing with Arcade Fire