C86 Show - Indie Pop

John Whybrew in conversation with David Eastaugh 

https://portioncontrol.bandcamp.com/music

https://portioncontrol.net/

Emerging from the immediate post-punk musical landscape, Portion Control swiftly developed a raw, minimal sound utilising sequenced synthesisers, samplers and strident vocals built on driving, rhythmic structures. Their fiercely independent approach and experimental use of early technology positioned them as pioneers of the electro-industrial genre, as exemplified by their 1982 debut album, ‘I Staggered Mentally’, mini-LP ‘Hit The Pulse’ (1983) and second album ‘..Step Forward’ (1984), all formative works in the evolution of hard-edged dark electronic dance music.Following a hiatus that began in the late ’80s, Portion Control staged their return in 2004. Symbolically plotted on the steps of the British Museum, they introduced a darker, tighter style that nevertheless retained their uncompromising edge. Releases such as ‘Wellcome’ (2004), ‘Filthy White Guy’ (2006), ‘Pure Form’ (2012) and the trio of ‘SEED’ EPs issued in 2020-25 documented this renewed phase, combining the band’s original aesthetic with contemporary production techniques.Throughout their career, Portion Control have remained resistant to commercial pressures while continually exploring new directions in sound. Their body of work stands as a significant contribution to electronic music history, both for its originality and for its lasting influence on subsequent artists within genres such as industrial, EBM, techno and darkwave.

Gregor Gall in conversation with David Eastaugh 

Link to book is https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/marxism-in-music-9798765140888/ 
 
the discount code is MARXISM35
 
In Marxism in Music: Constructing a Communist Contra-Culture with The Redskins, Rock'n'roll and Revolution, Gregor Gall examines how The Redskins, so-called for their skinhead aesthetics and commitment to a socialist ideal, were a deliberately political band and built a counter-hegemony through their music and activism.

At the height of Thatcherism in Britain, The Redskins were aligned with the politics of the Socialist Workers Party, though the party did not accept their idea of that a working-class culture could exist. Despite resistance and contradiction, The Redskins created stirring and danceable music that introduced young people to socialist politics, playing over 250 gigs between 1982 and 1986, of which one quarter were benefit gigs for, as an example, striking miners.

Featuring a foreword by Redskins bass player Martin Hewes this book analyses the band's political intentions, interpersonal and inter-party tensions and the outcomes of their ideological, political and creative choices by drawing upon interviews with Hewes, other musicians like Billy Bragg, and the band's followers.

The book uses as a comparison another left-wing band of the same period, Easterhouse, to tease out how and why The Redskins were and are influential amongst a certain milieux and how going against the grain, even among comrades, made for the group's particular contribution to music culture and politics.

Steve Addabbo in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://www.steveaddabbo.com

https://shelterislandsound.com

American record producer, songwriter and audio engineer, who helped launch the careers of Suzanne Vega and Shawn Colvin. He had a vital hand in Vega's hit single, "Luka" and Colvin's album Steady On.

He has produced and/or engineered for artists including Bobby McFerrin, Bob Dylan, Jeff Buckley, Gary Lucas, Richard Shindell, Suzanne Vega, and Dar Williams.

Matt Eaton in conversation with David Eastaugh 

https://www.facebook.com/pushthepram/?locale=en_GB

https://pram.bandcamp.com/music

Pram are an English post-rock band formed in Birmingham in 1988 by singer-keyboardist Rosie Cuckston, guitarist Matt Eaton, drummer Andy Weir and bassist Samantha Owen.

Subsequent lineups have changed frequently, most notably with Cuckston's departure in 2008. Their electronic pop sound, described as "equally quaint and unsettling," employs unconventional instruments and draws on stylistic influences such as krautrock, exotica, and dub.

The group signed to Too Pure Records in 1993, where they released their debut LP The Stars Are So Big, The Earth Is So Small... Stay as You Are. They later signed to Domino. Following the 2007 album The Moving Frontier, they took a lengthy hiatus, returning in 2018 with Across the Meridian.

Dave Jackson in conversation with David Eastaugh 

https://theroomtheroominthewood.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/p/The-Room-100063702032127/

The Room are a new wave band from Liverpool formed in late 1979. They released three albums and several singles before breaking up in 1985. Two of the band members went on to form Benny Profane, Dust, and Dead Cowboys. The band reformed in 2023.

he Room, returned in 2023. Original members Clive Thomas, Dave Jackson and Becky Stringer are joined by new bloods, Ethan Kyme and Darren Brown. They have since released two albums, Restless Fate (2023) and The Telling (2024) on 9x9 Records, will release their third album, Doom Pop! in September 2026.

Album opener, Drill, Baby, Drill is a response to the orangepig-who-would-be-king and his enablers. Nine new dark-tinged pop songs, plus a re-recorded version of their 80's John Peel favourite, Things Have Learnt to Walk that Ought to Crawl. Pressed on eco-vinyl giving each copy of the LP a random colour mix.