Great bands no-one talks about (Not a List Thread)

[jamiefairlie]

King Of The Slums - saw THIS on SnubTV and immediately went out and bought Barbarous English Fayre, went and and saw them three or four times when they were in London (more than any other band I've seen). Seem to recall that some student even wrote a dissertation on Keigher's lyrics. Unfortunately they were peaking just at the moment when indie went baggy and they seemed to lose impetus not long after.

A lot of the lyrics are all the more prescient in these times...

Up The Empire/Balls To The Bulldog Breed

Me too, almost the exact same story.

[jamiefairlie]

Into Paradise. Early 90s Irish combo, a bit post-punk before it became fashionable again.

The Beloved 4 piece guitar version. Fantastic run of New Ordery singles before imploding and taking Drugs and dancing like eedjits.

Danse Society. Right at the cusp of where a strand of post-punk branched off and created Goth. Their first few releases were really good though.

The Yachts. Power pop done well. Debut album is just wall to wall catchy should have been hits.

[Jockice]

A great band that sadly only had one album's worth of stuff in them.  Still, I stand by my original position as stated in the mid-Nineties:  Oasis are the shit Molly Halfhead.

Their singer (Molly Halfhead's that is, not Oasis's) later went on to form Wireless, who contained an old schoolmate of mine on keyboards. They were tipped for the top (Alan McGee was a fan for instance) but their only album flopped horribly. It's not bad at all though.

[Jockice]

Danse Society. Right at the cusp of where a strand of post-punk branched off and created Goth. Their first few releases were really good though.

Now you're talking. I was a big fan in my late teens. The story of my trip to see them play in Birmingham will be an entire chapter in my autobiography. One of the most bizarre nights of my life. They reformed a few years ago, but then the singer Steve Rawlings (The Face Of 1984, I seem to remember The Face magazine calling him) left and they got a woman to replace him. They played a (very small) venue just up the road from me not too long ago but I couldn't go. Since then nothing.

Anyway, a band who came into my mind last week and then appeared on Cathal Coughlan's Spotify playlist a couple of days later. The Stars Of Heaven. 80s band.  They were good.

And there is another Irish band (this time from the late 90s/early part of the century I think) who I liked but their name has totally slipped my mind. Two of their songs were called CCTV and Afternoon Drinking, which makes it difficult to pinpoint on Google. Sounded a bit like Behaviour-era Pet Shop Boys or suchlike. Can anyone else remember them?

[holyzombiejesus]

And there is another Irish band (this time from the late 90s/early part of the century I think) who I liked but their name has totally slipped my mind. Two of their songs were called CCTV and Afternoon Drinking, which makes it difficult to pinpoint on Google. Sounded a bit like Behaviour-era Pet Shop Boys or suchlike. Can anyone else remember them?

Pony Club

[Jockice]

Pony Club

That's the ones ta! Not the New Young Pony Club. The Old Old Pony Club.

I am now going to find their album and play it to see if it's as good as I remember it as.

[bigfatheart]

Leatherface. They released one of the great punk albums Mush in 1991 but even a decent level of success evaded them. They folded in 2012 with a back catalogue of superb world weary melodic punk loveliness.

Absolutely; Mush has a tendency to tower over the rest of their albums but it's only because - in my view anyway - that's such a solid, unimpeachable 10/10. The rest are all 8's and 9's, and I especially love the tired sadness of something like Another Dance off their last album.

Tangentially, there's Hooton 3 Car, also from Sunderland and with Frankie producing a lot of their stuff. A few years back I picked up a load of complete discography releases of 90's punk bands from labels like Boss Tuneage and Crackle, and while most of these bands had a few decent songs but a lot of filler, Hooton 3 Car stand out because it's just solid banger after banger, spread out over two discs. One of John Peel's favourites, too.

[jobotic]

Now I've been reminded of Snowpony, what with all this pony talk.

Quite a line up. Had their first album, can't remember a thing about it.

[Gregory Torso]

Now I've been reminded of Snowpony, what with all this pony talk.

Quite a line up. Had their first album, can't remember a thing about it.

Snowpony! God I remember them. Released a couple of fantastic singles and then a disappointing album. I seem to remember a bit of hype around them due to connections with My Bloody Valentine and Stereolab.

[Gregory Torso]

I'm in a place where YouTube is a no-no right now, but when I get back to the UK you're all getting hit with a ton of links to bands like Long Fin Killie, Wingtip Sloat, World Of Pooh and Job's Daughters.

[Nice Relaxing Poo]

Absolutely; Mush has a tendency to tower over the rest of their albums but it's only because - in my view anyway - that's such a solid, unimpeachable 10/10. The rest are all 8's and 9's, and I especially love the tired sadness of something like Another Dance off their last album.

Tangentially, there's Hooton 3 Car, also from Sunderland and with Frankie producing a lot of their stuff. A few years back I picked up a load of complete discography releases of 90's punk bands from labels like Boss Tuneage and Crackle, and while most of these bands had a few decent songs but a lot of filler, Hooton 3 Car stand out because it's just solid banger after banger, spread out over two discs. One of John Peel's favourites, too.

Cheers for the heads up.

Leatherface at The Fighting Cocks in Kingston 2011 will always be in my top 5 gigs of all time. Just awe inspiring.

[jobotic]

I'm in a place where YouTube is a no-no right now, but when I get back to the UK you're all getting hit with a ton of links to bands like Long Fin Killie, Wingtip Sloat, World Of Pooh and Job's Daughters.

Wingtip Sloat - nice one. My friend at college (she was so cool) had this so I had it on tape. It was very good and dig those titles.

https://www.discogs.com/Wingtip-Sloat-Half-Past-Ive-Got/release/842381

[Pauline Walnuts]

Snowpony! God I remember them. Released a couple of fantastic singles and then a disappointing album. I seem to remember a bit of hype around them due to connections with My Bloody Valentine and Stereolab.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDgmiN5KGvc


Just look at her go!

[gilbertharding]

Snowpony! God I remember them. Released a couple of fantastic singles and then a disappointing album. I seem to remember a bit of hype around them due to connections with My Bloody Valentine and Stereolab.

I only got into them lately - that is, via whatever scraps there are on youtube. So the bass player is your Debbie Goodge out of MBV, and the singer is Katharine Gifford. I THOUGHT she was the singer in Moonshake (she was in Moonshake, but wasn't the singer) - who also qualify for this thread:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonshake#First_lineup_-_early_EPs_and_Eva_Luna_(1991%E2%80%931992)

[Gregory Torso]

Moonshake were a top band (I thought I saw someone in this thread with a Moonshake avatar? Rev?). Margaret Fiedler was one of the singers (she later left to form Laika), with Dave Callahan from the Wolfhounds as the other singer (although I hated his voice). Fantastic drumming on Eva Luna. Beautiful Pigeon is one of the best songs of the 90s.

[jobotic]

Another thumbs up for Moonshake here.

I had two EPs by someone called Caruso that are both really good - on Pickled egg Records. They're brilliant but I've never heard anything else by this bloke.

[Clownbaby]

Don't know if anyone mentioned them yet but Monks

https://youtu.be/63Agrr2qC78

[jobotic]

Think they mainly play around the South East and London but if you get a chance to see Ye Nuns then do, a great all woman Monks tribute band.

They're playing at The Lexington in May with the also great Big Joanie but it clashes with my daughter's birthday.

[the ouch cube]

Cop Shoot Cop.

Yep. "Release" is a favourite though I suspect fans consider it the polished/sellout /botched attempt at the big time.

Rollerskate Skinny - briefly noteworthy due to Kevin Shields' brother being in their first incarnation but he'd moved on by the time of their second and best record "Horsedrawn Wishes", which is as close as any non-American group ever got to that sort of "Boces"/Olivia Tremor Control/Beach Boys-if-they-were-actually-good sound. The bandleader Ger Griffin is a fireman now, I think.

[gilbertharding]

Don't know if anyone mentioned them yet but Monks

https://youtu.be/63Agrr2qC78

I only know Monks from the Nuggets compilation. They're a bit... different. Proto-Fall?

They remind me of a band called Knights of the New Crusade: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwZbwUNEbM4 which I hope are actually a fantastic parody and brilliant punk band - and not awful, awful Xtian Fundamentalists which they seem to be at face value.

[ToneLa]

Don't know if anyone mentioned them yet but Monks

https://youtu.be/63Agrr2qC78

What, the Sixties Monks? I love them, absolutely adore their album, they're still milking the vaults on Spotify on that too.

Proto everything. Catchy as fuck. I like comparing them to other bands releasing stuff at the time as their album... Love the sound, Boys Are Boys... got used to flog Apple products which annoyed me as they became my pet band a few years ago after randomly listening to the album walking through woods on LSD

There's a local Merseyside band called The Monks so Spotify have been emailing their fucking gigs to me as if they're this legendary band. 'Look, go see the Monks!!' That door has fucking closed!

[jobotic]

Yeah love The Monks.

The Fall covered them donctha know?

Well worth seeing The Transatlantic Feedback film about The Monks. Saw it at an arts centre here followed by a gig from Ye Nuns. Top night.

Only problem was no subtitles so the bits of talking heads chatting away in German were slightly dull.

[Brundle-Fly]

Toasted Heretic- had a go at reviving the early Prefab Sprout sound , with added quirkiness, a few
years after the fact, with very, very limited success.

The Bitter Springs- Go Betweens influenced band from North London or somewhere. Their debut single from 1996, The ( Something ) Brothers ( can't be fucked to Google, soz ), remains a most gorgeous tune.

I have the Toasted Heretic album. Galway to Los Angeles was a good single. Hint of an Irish Momus about him.

I also liked The Bitter Springs. I bought album, Benny Hill's Wardrobe on the strength of the title alone.

[Brundle-Fly]

The Shortwave Set.

Post Saint Etienne early '00s sampled sixties pop downbeat charm. Two quite well-received albums but alas, nada since 2008.

Slingshot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5s3MVRWIvGE

No Social
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSu0HeaHWeg

Harmonia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV_8Bqaqb2w

[ToneLa]

Yeah love The Monks.

The Fall covered them donctha know?

Well worth seeing The Transatlantic Feedback film about The Monks. Saw it at an arts centre here followed by a gig from Ye Nuns. Top night.

Only problem was no subtitles so the bits of talking heads chatting away in German were slightly dull.

I like the Fall cover more for the fact its a Monks cover than for musical reasons.

Huvnae seen Transatlantic Feedback :( upside, it's still there to be absorbed. Fair bit on YouTube shows them and it's ace.

The only people I've met who actively disliked the Monks were tediously technical guitarists. The sheer fucking charm! Love the album's drum sound, love it. Boxy, crash bang, with fuzz bass. I've rarely heard a garage band sound I adore more.

Saw a quote on their Wiki annoyingly can't source saying Colin Greenwood of the Radioheads admired em, and I can sort of see that with the fuzz bass and how it services the songs (not clearly enough to describe it more than that I'm afraid), but I'd love to know where that came from.

Probably the list of lipservice on a label's website...

"Their melodies were pop destructive and must be played to your younger brother"
- Jack White, The White Stripes

"The Monks will always be a great band"
- Colin Greenwood, Radiohead

"Monastic Madness – Hard Driving Garage Rock!"
- Krist Novoselic, Nirvana

"This is a damned enjoyable slightly kinky 60's garage record"
- Iggy Pop

"Fuckin listen to em"
- ToneLa

[dex]

Casiopea Japanese jazz funk from the late 70/80's.

These boys are rapist-tight musicians.

[Brundle-Fly]

I love Monks but think they do get comparatively name-checked enough for an obscure garage band from half a century ago. You could reel off most of the bands included on sixties U.S garage compilations that are less well known to your average MOJO subscriber.

[MattD]

Idlewild

[Crabwalk]

The Shortwave Set.

Post Saint Etienne early '00s sampled sixties pop downbeat charm. Two quite well-received albums but alas, nada since 2008.

Slingshot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5s3MVRWIvGE

No Social
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSu0HeaHWeg

Harmonia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV_8Bqaqb2w

Good shout. Their first record is excellent. No idea what had happened to them after that.

I'll suggest The Mummers. Released a gorgeous baroque pop album in 2009, got a lot of good press, then the main composer in the band killed himself and that was it. They made one more EP and  were instantly forgotten. Very sad.

[ToneLa]

The Bees? Plenty to enjoy in the vaguely 60ish vain. Totes recs. Nary seen mentioned.  But I live in a literal plastic bubble so soz if they're like, super massive. Ditto Go Team who are boss samply dancey. Not obscure but I remain baffled why seemingly nobody else talks aboot drinking their boss tunes in daily in this fetid era of snide