Rumours

Rip It Up, Issue 97, 1 August 1985, Page 4

Rumours

UK & USA The Smiths, after a few weeks of indecision, have decided to stay with Rough Trade Records and fulfill their contract. They are currently in the studio working on a new album and single... droves of Sid Vicious lookalikes answered music paper ads looking for the right youth to play Sid in forthcoming Alex Cox (responsible for US cult movie Repo Man and the recent loopy Pogues video) movie Love Kills about Sid and Nancy. Speculation about who’ll play the Pistols and co. is rife ... Steve Lillywhite is in the USA producing the new Rolling Stones album while his wife Kirsty Mac Coll contributes backing vocals... Arif Mardin is producing the new Culture Club LP in Switzerland ... possibility of further gigs for the "reconstructed” Led Zeppelin, with Power Station/Chic man Tony Thompson on the drum 5t001... Chrissie Hynde has teamed up with ÜB4O to record the ole Sonny and Cher number I Got You Babe’... Yellowman currently recuperating after an operation to remove a cancer of the jaw in New York ... Tom Waits set to produce next Matt Johnson (The The) record ... and Miles Davis is reportedly keen to work with, um, Nik Kershaw ...

the best (and worst) of the writings of Julie Burchill is collected in the new book Love It Or Shove 1t... a recording of the same set that Hall and Oates did with former Temptations Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin is to be released. It was recorded at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem and includes both Tempts and Hall and Oates hits ... Brian Eno does the vocal work on new LP, Voices, by his classically trained brother Roger ... new Lloyd Cole LP to be produced by Langer and Winstanley. Albums: John Cale Artificial Intelligence, the Damned Phantasmagoria, Bobby Bland Blues In the Night, Giorgio Moroder and Philip Oakey, the Pogues Rum. Sodomy and the Lash, Dennis Brown Slow Down, Nico and the Faction Camera Obscura (produced by John Cale), Gun

Club Two Sides of the Beast, Aretha Franklin Who's Zoomin' Who, Toyah Mix, Lone Justice Lone Justice, Cabaret Voltaire Drinking Gasoline, Stanley Clarke Find Outi, Alex Chilton Feudalist Tarts, Rain Parade Beyond the Sunset, Pointer Sisters Contact, Roky Erikson Clear Night For Love, Mekons Fear and Whiskey, Tools You Can Trust Yet More Proof. Singles: Propaganda ‘Machinery’, Thomas Dolby 'May the Cube Be With You’, Madness 'Yesterday’s Men’, Frank Tovey (Fad Gadget) 'Luxury’, the Cure ‘ln Between Days’. Auckland Four of Auckland’s more significant bands of this year, Bird Nest Roys Goblin Mix Able Tasmans and the Fold, will have their debut EPs released about the same time this month on Flying Nun. Watch for EP release gigs and possible southern tours by the Roys and/or Goblins. Both the Roys and the Tasmans working on new stuff at Progressive ... Seven Deadly Sins are a soul-funk band who recently debuted at the Six

Month Club, Lineup is Manu McCarthy (vocals, ex Shoeshine Boys), Denis Tuwhare (bass, ex Coconut Rough), Wayne Baird (guitar) and former Diatribe members Ross France, Fiona MacDonald, Rafer Rautjoki and John Scott, plus guest-horns ... if you wondered about the faces in the flash video (courtesy regular RIU lensman Kerry Brown) for 'Bleeding Hearts’ by Everything That Flies recently, the lineup is Dianne Swann (lead vocals, guitar, keyboard), Bruce Sheridan (guitars, vocals), Clive Sheridan (guitars, keyboard), David Manning (bass, vocals), Peter Harrison (keyboards, vocals), Wayne Bell (drums, vocals). They are currently rehearsing for debut live performances and new recording. The Nitpickers’ Picnic at the Maidment was a definite artistic if not financial success. It also saw the last This Kind Of Punishment performances for at least 18 months, but the heedless Headless Chickens are gearing up to rattle audiences around. Arthole Productions is applying for a grant to stage further such happenings... and Chris Knox will

probably record the delightful version of Onward Christian Soldiers' he performed at the Picnic so we can all hear the words ... gotta H.U.G. badge yet? ... this month sees the last issue for the year of Campus Radio mag The Book Of BiFiM. Thanks, y'all... the Exploding Budgies first and last EP, recorded last year, is just out on F Nun,

Soul On Ice have completed their recording with Eric Johns and are touting the tapes around Gloria’s Peccadilloes have just released a debut EP, You Never Had It This Fresh on Ode Records. With a guitar and synth added to their lineup recently, they'll be playing the Performance Cafe and Shadows soon ... the Buckets Full are now simply the Buckets and undertake a short North Island tour this month ... Ross Mullins' Last Man Down will be playing a series of gigs in and out of Auckland to further plug the critically lauded State House Kid LP

... Radio Active are alive and well and living in Sydney. They have added jazz-rock guitarist Nick Panousakis to the lineup and are gigging lots ... current release from Pagan Records is 'I Like To Drive' by Scott Calhoun and friends. Single coming soon from another Scotty involvement, Wentworth Brewster and Co.

New address for TV Eye Records, if you didn’t know, is PO Box 1639, Christchurch, from which the fine recent albums by the Hyphenears and Say Yes To Apes can be had ... also from ChCh is the most impressive Rank and Vile comic/magazine, which is published by the Invisible Opera Collective Of Tibet (!) and includes work from Mark Rastrick, Robert Scott and a swag of others. It and the forthcoming second ish are $5 each from 48 Worcester St, ChCh ... look out for the sumptuous new This Is Heaven EP/book package.

One-time Blerta member Corben Simpson has re-recorded the song which won him a Silver Scroll in 1971, 'Have You Heard A Man Cry’. It's out on Ode ... at Lab Studios the Mumps are recording a single and Shayne and Murray Hancock are working on new material... Car Crash Set recorded their recent Six Month Club gig on the Lab’s mobile 16-track ... new about are the Frocks; Yoh

(drums), Dave Major (bass), Drew (guitar, vocals), Shona (guitar, vocals) and Reina (vocals, guitar)... also Guava Groove; Craig Bracken (vocals), Troy Shanks (guitar, vocals) and Darrin Kennedy (drums). They describe their sound as “pyschedelic ska 'n' b for soul children”. They're looking to fill out the line, so if you play bass, horns or organ, call Troy, ph 410-8438 ... Progressive

has acquired a 9-foot Bechstein grand piano, and the engineering services of Roland Kileen ... expect the new Coalition tape out in August. It’s called Radiophonic Workshop and features the Williams brothers, Kevins Hawkins, Chris Todd, Ashley, Selwyn and Alan Windinstros. Watch for the odd live, performance ... ? Fog will release their first single in August. It heralds the arrival of their sportsminded superhero, ‘Fat Man With A Big Dork! Former Ist XV and Freedom for Sheep guitarist Blaise is now part of the ensemble. They play live with a few extra treats at Shadows August 9 ... local synthesiserists may be interested in Patches a mag published by Korg and featuring articles on Korg gear and synths in general by world experts. It’s available from, natch, Korg stockists for $1 ...

and, still in the world of musical microprocessors, Greg McKenzie of the Lifeboats and Nigel Russell of the Car Crash Set are offering tuition on how to get the best out of your synthesiser. They can be reached at 793-139 during work hours. Russell Brown

Christchurch Reformed Pop Mechanix debuted at ChCh’s second Greenpeace concert at the Gladstone. Brent Williams has taken Chris Moore’s place, but otherwise the line-up of Snoid, Emmet, Mason and Scott remains. They’ll spend the next few weeks touring the South Island before deciding on future plans... someone suggested Shane and the Sheds should also reform, but as no one knows who they are it seems unlikely. The new five-piece which includes Martin Morris and Peter (Wastrel) Cooke have finally decided on the name Pathfinder after playing a few support gigs as the band without a name. Their

sound is very English and it should be interesting to see how far they go ... former Wastrels singer Anton Jenner has been travelling overseas with expromoter Peter Waller. Anton and new band should be seen in town around November... also returning home for a while are Maiden China, who’ve been based in Auckland, where they’ve been recording.

The Punch have recently finished a successful tour around the South and whilst dreaming of warmer weather are likely to record a single, with a promising recording deal coming from Auckland under consideration... Speaking Jivanese have had a major line-up change and are presently in the studio recording two songs to accompany a video. Hopefully a single should also emerge.

The Connoisseurs are busy filming a documentary with Lawrence Lens as well as. having a weekly hour-long show on Wednesdays on Radio U entitled ‘Cooking With the Connoisseurs’. The country buskers are presently off to the West Coast for a short tour... No Idea have recorded an album in Wellington, entitled Class War. It should be out on Jayrem early September ... latest from Flying Nun includes the Not Really Anything EP, the Tall Dwarfs EP/LP, The Short and the Long Of It, the Doublehappys Cut It Out and Sneaky Feelings 12" 'Husband House! All should be out within four weeks. Latest venue, the Zetland, is in full swing with Bird Nest Roys, Scorched Earth Policy and the Jean Paul Satre Experience proving big crowd pullers. The JPSE are responsible for some very interesting publicity, including a tape in a can ... the poster war continues in the streets of Christchurch, between those with glue and those with the council. Seems the Christchurch City Council are considering providing a few more “legal" poster places, fingers crossed ... Jim Wilson is slowly creeping back into the scene and is teaming up with another promoter, Lee Hubber, to host a Friday night comedy show on Radio U ... September should see another Shazam/RWP concert at the Town Hall.

John Greenfield