However, 2023 saw a flurry of new activity from Cranes, straight from the source. Firstly, the band released a string of radio sessions recorded for the late, great John Peel in 1989 and 1990, many of which had never been circulated previously. Additionally, the band announced two shows, one in hometown Portsmouth and the other in the heart of London, both of which sold out immediately. Both shows were meant to celebrate the 30th anniversary of 1993’s Forever, one of the band’s most beloved recordings that also earned them a slot opening for The Cure’s celebrated Wish tour, which alongside a single remix of “Jewel” remixed by Robert Smith himself, helped usher in a new legion of fans. These new gigs reunited the Shaws with original guitarist Mark Francombe as well as Paul Smith, who began recording with the band with 2001’s Future Songs album. These shows were special occasions through and through, with fans (including myself) traveling far and wide to attend. While the band was originally unsure what would be in store next, they seem to have rekindled the spark and reclaimed their stake in today’s robust scene. More live dates have been booked for 2024 in Leeds, London, Brussels, and Rotterdam, and a new reissue has been announced – this time unearthing Fuse, the band’s very first release and one of their deepest obscurities. Originally released on cassette in 1986 via Bite Back!, Fuse has been lovingly remastered at Abbey Road and will be reissued via the band’s own Dadaphonic imprint on April 5th of this year. Like the Peel Sessions release prior, this new edition of Fuse features artwork by Chris Bigg of V23, who originally helped design much of 4AD’s classic artwork over the years. To sweeten the pot, this beautiful new edition features “New Liberty,” a song recorded during these early sessions that has not been heard until now.

We had the immense pleasure of speaking to vocalist, guitarist, and bassist Alison Shaw about all of this activity. Check below for our conversation, as well as a full list of upcoming tour dates and Fuse reissue details…

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Firstly, I just have to say it: WELCOME BACK! It’s really great that all these new gigs are popping up on the horizon. After years of radio silence, it really was so exciting to see this flurry of activity. What, what was the catalyst for getting back together? What got you thinking about it and what’s been fueling the fire so far? 

I guess it was the end of 2022 when, quite by chance, Jim and Matt (Cope) met up. Around the same time, Jason, who was our manager throughout the Dadaphonic years also got back in touch and told us that if there was any chance that we wanted to do something again, he’d help us. For the last ten years, it was the last thing on our minds, you know? We were all just doing other things in our lives. Somehow, things just fell into place. We all thought that we wanted to take it slowly, to see what happens. When we announced that first London show, we actually weren’t quite ready in our minds. We weren’t sure if we were able to do it, or if we really wanted to do it. But it went on sale and it sold out really quickly in a day and a half, and so we were like “oh my God, we’ve got to do it, we’re committed now.” It really was a good experience though. You were at the show, right? The audience was amazing! For us, it was a very happy show and it made us think that we might quite like to do some other shows.

Yeah, EartH is such a gorgeous venue and there was so much great energy in the room. It was a perfect fit! 

Yeah, exactly I think that was kind of a special evening for us all.

There aren’t a lot of bands out there like Cranes, so it’s great that you’re back in that sense. There was a big gap left in the scene when you left…

Yeah, our last record was in 2008. And I think our last gig was about 2012 or 13. So there’s been a long gap!

It seems like you just went dormant and life carried on for you all. Had people been asking for shows or for new material over the last decade? 

Well, when we went dormant, I also wasn’t connected to any social media at all for about ten years. I just couldn’t deal with it for one reason or another. I was vaguely aware that somebody out there was reissuing our records. It was the Music on Vinyl company in Holland, they’ve become good friends now and they’re really big fans of the band. They’ve reissued all our albums and they make really lovely vinyl editions. At the time though, I was only vaguely aware of this, but now I’ve kind of clipped my brain back into being doing Cranes stuff. We’re much more in touch with everything.

It’s been brilliant being back in touch with Mark (Francombe) again, because he was, as you know, he’s the original guitarist from the late 80s and early 90s. He’s been living a totally different life these days, because he lives in Oslo, in Norway. We’ve remained friends over all of these years, only seeing each other maybe once a year or something. But now we’re in contact every day, on the phone, or messaging or talking. He’s a very creative person and he helps with all the social media stuff.

So really, it’s weird. We’re just slowly motioning back into being a band again after such a long break, taking it at our own pace.

That’s great! And it’s great that Mark is so invested and so involved as well. So, these next batch of shows in the Spring, can you tell us a bit about those? 

Actually, we just announced another one in Brussels! It’s part of a really lovely festival called Botanique. We just announced we’re going to play there on April the 30th. There’s been a good response already for that one!

Will these upcoming shows still be part of the Forever anniversary celebration, or will you be doing a more varied set? 

To be honest, we haven’t decided yet! I think we might do more of a kind of a mixture, maybe a few songs from the Loved album, but we’re not quite sure yet.

Right, and Mark played on Loved as well, yes? That first era of the band with Mark and Matt on guitar and Jim on drums had quite a groove going throughout the nineties. But then you changed lineups and your sound evolved from there…

Yeah, Mark actually first played with us in 1988, I think. And then he left in 1997/1998, soon after the Population Four album. We did a long American tour for almost every album we did up until that point, but I think the last time we were there was for Future Songs in 2002.

Yeah, I was supposed to go to the NYC show back then, but I was nineteen at the time and couldn’t get in, sadly… I should have snuck in! So, I’d love to talk about the upcoming Fuse reissue. I was curious to hear about any great stories from the era. I’ve read a lot about the early days, recording in your garage and how Martin Hannett was one of the first people to have heard the Fuse recordings. It seemed like things really ramped up quickly for the band from there… 

Well, the Martin Hannett thing, that was kind of an isolated incident, because Fuse was only a cassette. It was the first thing that we released. Jim and I spent months working on it, literally day and night. We used to do it in shifts, and I would work in most of the daytime, and he would work most of the night. We were still developing our sound at that stage and we weren’t quite sure what we were doing! We were kind of experimenting and trying to find our own path. We did what we could given the time constraints. We weren’t sure, to be honest, if it was any good. We’d never released anything, we’d never had a review or anything like that. For some reason, we also decided that we didn’t want to send the cassette out to anyone. But Ian Binnington from Bite Back! heard that Martin Hannett was looking for unsigned bands, because there was potentially going to be a new TV show up in Manchester. So Ian sent him a tape with a lot of local Portsmouth bands on it. When he called Martin back a few weeks later, Martin wasn’t sure who he was, or who any of the bands were, but then he remembered our song from that demo tape. We were very, very honored.

Yeah, you never know who hears things or how music travels around, especially in the cassette culture days…It’s amazing you got that kind of feedback early on.

Yeah, after that we kind of went back to the drawing board for a couple of years. We weren’t playing live at that stage, it was just me and Jim in my dad’s garage that we turned into a little tiny studio with the drum kit and everything in there. It took us a good two or two-and-a-half years to come up with the Self Non Self material which, at the time, we felt was more our identity, our real identity if you know what I mean.

I tell you what, literally dozens of people have asked us to reissue the Fuse tape, and we’ve always said no because we just thought that it was just our very early thing – that it was just a tape and we were happy to let it stay that way. It’s taken us decades to consider it, and it was really because of Jason (White), who is also the manager at 4AD. He’s so in tune with music and has very good instincts. He said “listen to it again Ali, would you just listen to it again for me?”

Do you often listen back to your music, or? 

Not often, no. But I listened to it with fresh ears and I could see what he was talking about. It was so early for us, listening to it now I’m kind of taken back – how did we produce those sounds with such basic equipment!?

Well, that’s exactly what I wanted to ask you next! How DID you produce those sounds with just the bare bones guitar and drums setup that you had back then? There was a lot of sonic experimentation taking place in those early days. 

Yeah! Well one of the key things that we were we were using very early on was a tiny sampler pedal, which was a similar size and shape as a distortion pedal. It was one of the very first sampling instruments that you could buy that didn’t cost a zillion pounds, you know? Jim used that for some of the drum sounds and we also used it on the voice as a delay and echo thing. Other than that, it was just guitars and the way we played. Jim always dreamt that his first instrument would be the drums, but he also plays guitars and bass and cello and keyboards, and, you know, whatever else. He’s kind of a multi instrumentalist, I guess.

Great to have that in your back pocket!

Yeah that definitely helps! So, I think everything we’ve ever done emerges quite naturally. We just make sounds and then see if it elicits a response in either Jim or me. The things that we both instantly connect to – that’s what ends up being a Cranes song. If one or the other of us doesn’t get it, then it gets left behind.

So I guess that leaves it pretty wide open to create whatever feels right and whatever comes to mind. I can’t imagine the two of you back in the day carefully selecting and mimicking records over the years, trying to carve out your sound that way, as some bands do. It sounds like this has always been a very organic process for you.

Yeah. It was quite important for us not to sound like anyone else directly. We used to edit ourselves. Jim’s kind of obsessed with the idea – if anything sounds remotely like someone else he’ll get rid of it. We were fans of other people’s music at the time of course, but it was a key thing in Cranes, to choose our own path…

Well, that’s certainly what’s always appealed to me about your music – that you’ve done your own thing. There are definitely bands that you’re peers with, like Slowdive, who you played live with in the early nineties, or Chapterhouse, who you were label mates with. But really, when I got into the band in the late nineties – I had never heard anything like your music. It was so singular, so different, so eclectic, and I haven’t heard all that much out there that I feel the same way about. I’ve always appreciated that. With that in mind, from the early days of being in the garage to the electronic material you’d produce in the 2000s, how did your writing process evolve over the years?

Well, I guess there were two big musical shifts for us. The first shift was, when we first signed to Dedicated. We were able to buy some new equipment, and we bought keyboards, which Jim had always wanted. Up until that point, we’d never had a keyboard that could make string sounds and orchestral sounds and piano sounds. So that was a big shift for us. On Fuse and Self Non Self, there were no keyboards. Wings of Joy, Forever, and Loved were all recorded in the same studio in London, called Protocol Studios. It was the same studio where everyone at the time recorded, including The Sundays, or My Bloody Valentine, who were recording Loveless at the time. So many bands who were recording in the early nineties recorded there, and that place felt like our home, just off Holloway Road in North London.

The more electronic stuff that you you mentioned, that was our third phase, after the year 2000. The old version of Cranes had finished – we ceased to be around 1998. Mark left in 1997 and got married after we did that last tour in America, and we pretty much stopped for a good three years. We weren’t sure what we were going to do or if we were going to record again. But then Jim and I just got together, I guess because we’re brother and sister, it’s hard to split up completely…  I had been living in London at that time and during that break at the at the end of the 90s, I’d been doing some other stuff. I had a couple of ideas for some songs and I came back down to Portsmouth one day, and Jim had couple of ideas for some songs. We basically just started to write and we felt that there was the basis for some new material, and that’s when Future Songs started to come together.

I recall that you considered changing the name of the band, but at heart, it was still just you and Jim, so it still felt right to be a Cranes record. Is that the case?

Yeah, that’s kind of right. They are quite two sort of distinct phases of the band, I guess. But it’s still Jim and I at the center of it.

I mean, it’s not like the electronic material came out of the blue – there were hints of that direction on Population Four, La Tragedie D’Oreste et Electre, and a lot of the EP material from that era. Some more delicate moments, electronic touches, and so on. So while the early, chaotic nature of the band wasn’t present on Future Songs, it wasn’t a total 180, in my opinion, minus the lineup change. So now that the original catalogue has been reissued, is there any talk of reissuing the most recent trio of records, the ones on Dadaphonic? 

Well, we haven’t started on that project yet. But people are asking, you know, especially because those records weren’t originally released on vinyl. It’s a bit early for us at the moment, but it’s definitely possible!

Going back to the gigs you’ve been playing – once you were committed to doing the shows and were back in the rehearsal room, was the focus really just on the older material? Did you happen to do any writing, whether it was accidental or intentional? 

To be honest, it was a lot of the focus was on the Forever songs, because quite early on, people asking if we were going to play the entire album. There are several songs on the album which we’d never played live before..

Yeah! I remember you mentioned at the EartH show that one of the songs had never been performed before, though I can’t remember which it was…

It was “Sun and Sky” – I don’t think we’d ever played it before and I’m not sure why we hadn’t… It’s not a difficult bass line, but I guess because I’m playing it and singing at the same time, I guess we just didn’t have enough time back in the day to rehearse it properly. But this time, I had months to practice it, so I did, and it eventually came together. I think when we first met up to rehearse after not having played together with this lineup for thirty years, our first song was “EG Shining.” And you know, it sounded the same as it always did all those years ago, which was kind of nice.

That’s one of the first tracks Mark had played on, right? 

Yeah, and it was it was one of the first songs we ever wrote, to be honest. Even though it didn’t come out until we were signed, we did it early on at a Peel Session. It was written a couple of years before we recorded it and released it on the Espero EP. It was an original Cranes song, that was one our earliest moments together.

It was great hearing such an intense response to songs like that, as well as “Inescapable” and “Starblood” when you played them. Do you still feel a connection to that material, or was it just something from the past that you exhumed for these shows? How does it feel to play those songs again?

So, that’s the weird thing, if you’d asked me a year or two ago, I’m not sure if I could have played those songs or if it would feel right at this point in my life. That said, there’s something that happens when Jim’s on the drums. One of those key moments in our past was when Jim decided he didn’t want to play drums live at that stage, so he changed to guitar. We had two or three different drummers in the years from 2000-2008. They were all great drummers, but the drumming style of those later albums were different, and of course these drummers used more electronic drum kits and pads and things like that where you can have more control and make more interesting electronic sounds. The earlier tracks were all oriented around Jim’s drum sound. For me, playing these early tracks needed to have Jim Shaw on the drums in order to feel right. That’s what made authentic and believable for me – Jim on drums and Mark on guitar, with Matt joining us for early rehearsals. It really made me connect to the material again. Something was there that I can’t quite describe but makes the songs come alive again.

I hate to jump the gun or anything, but do you think you’ll do any writing together – or are you still taking it one day at a time?

Well, you never know, you never know… There’s some writing going on but I can’t really elaborate! *chuckles*

Well, since we’re hinting at some vague things here – what’s the scoop on returning to America? Is that something we can look forward to in the coming years?

Ahh, well, I can’t say much at the moment, but I’ll give you a hint. Just recently we have been offered something in America and it’s looking very positive…

Well, I accept that you can’t tell us more, but that’s very promising news! We’ll stay tuned for some more details on that, if and when the time is right! So, here’s a more open ended question – do you have a favorite moment throughout all the years you’ve been together as a band? 

Favorite moment? Well, I mean obviously the tour with The Cure was completely awesome for us. I remember especially on the American leg of that tour, I remember just being happy every day, like every moment of every day, driving from city to city and playing these incredible arenas and auditoriums and stadiums, even…

How did that come about – how were you first approached by the band?

Apparently, Robert, and Simon had heard the Wings of Joy album, and they liked it. We had an agent at the time, and I think that’s how they approached us. We met them around that time, they did a few warm up shows before the tour, playing in much smaller venues in the UK. They played in our local town hall, which is called the Guild Hall in Portsmouth. We were invited to the show, and that’s where we met the band and that’s when they invited us on the tour.

Well, it was a perfect match, and obviously they’ve invited you back regularly since then, for the Trilogy shows and some other one-offs over the years. It seems like the door is always open!

Well, they’ve been so amazing to us over the years. Every few years we’ll get a call. I’ve chatted to Robert a few times recently, over email, and he’s really supportive of what we’re doing now. They’ll always be a really important part of our journey.

I’m so glad it’s still be so positive over the years. It seems like it’s a lifelong friendship with the two of you, and some of the other bands they’ve been friends with over the years, like And Also the Trees… 

Yeah, he’s pretty amazing…as you might imagine.

So what else are you planning with the back catalogue at the moment? It was great to see you bring the Dadaphonic brand back into the mix…

Yeah, the Peel Sessions release that came out last year was also under Dadaphonic, and Fuse is going to be on vinyl and CD as well. We weren’t sure if people would want a CD, but people are still requesting it. We won’t do a huge amount of them, but it’s there if people want it.

Yeah, people come back around again when it comes to physical media. I mean, after growing up in the CD era, I’ve switched fully to vinyl and digital. I don’t miss having to pack and carry a CD wallet to take things with you, and really like having a lot of music at your fingertips these days, through all kinds of mediums and services. It’s great to see the back catalogue has been well cared for after all these years… How has streaming treated you? 

I think most of our catalogue is now streaming, which helps for people who haven’t discovered us or heard most of what we’ve recorded, even some of the more rare things like La Tragedie… For many years, we didn’t think anyone would be interested in all that stuff. But Jason’s really helped us to find that focus again.

What about the Inrain single you did with Rudy of A.R. Kane? Is that something people still ask about? 

Yeah, and actually, Rudy and I have stayed in touch over the years. Every few months we get together on the phone. We’ve had several people offer to reissue it for us, and I suppose we’re just waiting for the right moment there as well. He just did a really great A.R. Kane reissue box set and has a few other projects in the works, so perhaps we’ll see an Inrain reissue in the near future!

I love seeing bands reactivate on social media, to come out of a long slumber and just poke their heads out on social media, like you or A.R. Kane and maybe even Catherine Wheel are doing at the moment. As a fan, I always get extremely, almost scarily excited when this happens. I feel like Cranes were one of the last bands from my youth that I never had the chance to see over the years, and I’m glad you’re back. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, as they say, and with so many bands reforming and having a second victory lap, so to speak. I hope it’s been great experience for you. 

Yeah, it certainly has. We’re taking it slowly but we’re really, really happy that people seem to be receiving the idea of us in a such a good way. We’ve always been flattered when people ask after all these years, but it never was the right moment until now. But really, we’re glad to be here! §

Cranes – Fuse LP/CD
1. Pillow Panther
2. Fuse
3. Valentine
4. Gas-Ring
5. Things That I Like
6. Wrench
7. Fracture
8. New Liberty (previously unreleased)

Order via Bandcamp (UK and US) and via Linktree

Cranes 2024 tour dates: 

• Tue April 30th – Brussels – Orangerie (Boutanique Festival)
• Thu May 2nd – Rotterdam – Maassilo
• Thu May 9th – Leeds – Brudenell Social Club
• Sat May 11th – London – Islington Assembly Hall

Header photo by Phil Nicholls

The post Hopes Are High | A Conversation With Alison Shaw of Cranes appeared first on Post-Punk.com.

Cranes are set to ignite the stage once again in a long-awaited reunion concert featuring Alison Shaw, Jim Shaw, Mark Francombe, and Matt Cope. This marks the first time the quartet has performed together since 1995, promising to be a monumental event for die-hard fans and newcomers alike.

At the heart of the reunion lies Forever, a timeless masterpiece that captured the band’s ethereal style: shoegaze and dream-pop fused with gothic rock elements. The album, released in 1993, received widespread critical acclaim and has since attracted a cult following. Notably, Robert Smith from The Cure is a fan. He even remixed the single “Jewel” from Forever after inviting Cranes to join him on the 1992 Wish tour.

Now, as we approach its 30th anniversary, the Cranes faithful fans will witness the band’s signature sound come to life on stage once again.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to relive the magic of Cranes’ original line-up. Expect to be transported back in time: EartH Theatre, a beautifully restored 1930’s former cinema located in the heart of Hackney, provides the perfect setting for this momentous occasion. With its Art Deco-inspired architecture and intimate atmosphere, the venue will transport fans back to the golden era of Cranes’ music.

Listen to Forever below to get in the mood:

Tickets for this once-in-a-lifetime event are on sale now and available here.

Given the rarity of this reunion and the significance of the ‘Forever’ album, tickets are expected to sell out quickly. Fans are advised to act fast to secure their spots fast.

Additionally, Cranes recently announced the release of a new video release of the track Da Da 331 from the band’s upcoming Peel Sessions LP, which should now be available on all your favourite streaming platforms.

Follow Cranes:

• Facebook
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• Twitter

The post Cranes Reunite with Original Lineup for 30th Anniversary of “Forever” appeared first on Post-Punk.com.

We’re excited to feature this excellent podcast from Frankie’s favorite archives, the second in a regular series (click here to listen to the first installment). As before, this podcast focuses entirely on female-fronted projects, running the gamut from experimental industrial dirges to minimal post-punk, jumping between countries and continents with only the feminine mystique to string these songs together. Without any further ado, click above to listen, with tracklisting and descriptions to follow below.

1. “Don’t You Go”- Pinkie Maclure & David Harrow (UK, 1985, Bite the Hand That Feeds You 12”, Ink Records)
One-off collaboration between Scottish experimental musician Pinkie Maclure (known for both her 4-octave range as well as her synth and programming work on a series of field-recording and avant jazz releases) and David Harrow, a frequent collaborator of Anne Clark.

2. “Mary Chinese”- Baroque Bordello (France, 1985, Via LP, Garage Records/Contorsion)
Classic French coldwave with chirpy, playful energy. Though he was absent from these sessions, The Cure’s Lol Tolhurst produced this band’s first 12” from 1984. Contorsion’s roster is otherwise incredibly strong, featuring releases by Opéra De Nuit, Movement, and the similarly Tolhurst-produced Bonaparte’s.

3. “Morgenstern”- Stimmen Der Stille (Germany, 1988, Morgenstern LP, Sneaky Pete Records)
I generally loathe when people compare female-fronted bands to Siouxsie & the Banshees but this German band (whose name translates to “Voices of Silence”) edges close, especially with a killer tom breakdown reminiscent of “Spellbound.” This track is the highlight of their lone LP, a perfect slice of obscure post-punk well worth re-discovering.

4. “The Triangle Man”- Sally Patience (UK, 1984, The Triangle Man 7”, Disc International Records)
Truly the epitome of “death disco”- taking otherwise cliche disco strings and adding an almost Penderecki-esque sense of dread for a unique twist on an old standard. This track is the a-side of an obscure 7” that flirts with dystopian science fiction across two very different, but excellent tracks.

5. “Delirium Tremens”- Leda Atomica (France, 1982, Docteur Jekyll Et Mister Hyde 7”, RCA)
The flip-side of an otherwise forgettable campy horror-themed new wave track, this gem explores the darker and more bombastic side of the spectrum.

6. “Pretty Day”- Marie Möör (France, 1982, Pretty Day 7”, AAAA)
A French wave classic, featuring a classic Casio VL-Tone beat and detached spoken word vocals. Marie has since enjoyed a long career in French pop music. She’s been especially active in the 2000s, with several LPs under her belt.

7. “Down My Spine”- Lelu/Lu’s (UK, 1987, VA- Insane Music For Insane People Vol. 13, Insane Music)
Equal parts experimental and sensually catchy, this electronic outfit was a darling of the Insane People series, which primarily featured industrial and experimental acts across several cassette compilations. This track hails from the label’s lone vinyl release. Lelu/Lu’s would release a handful of singles and one cassette, but resurfaced in 2014 with a compilation of demos and outtakes.

8. “Odlazak”- Paraf (Yugoslavia, 1984, Zastave LP, Helidone Records)
A legendary staple in the Yugoslavian punk scene, this band’s first record featured a male vocalist and an otherwise streamlined sound. Immediately after their debut, Pavica Mijatović took over on vocal duties and the band incorporated a more new wave/goth-tinged style to amazing results.

9. “Lonely Girl”- Sys of Choi (Germany, 1986, Get Wet LP, Ja! Music)
German punk band who issued one LP and two singles, including a raw version of the Moody Blues’ “Nights In White Satin.” This same track appeared as a single as well under the title “(He Was A) Lonely Girl.”

10. “Cat’s Cradle”- Laughing Mothers (UK, 1985, Tunnel/Cat’s Cradle 7”, Motherkare Records)
The flip of an otherwise strong DIY post-punk/deathrock single, featuring razor sharp guitars and driving melodies. Laughing Mothers would release one additional song on The Timebox compilation in 1987.

11. “When We Two Parted”- Unlimited Systems (Germany, 1985, Half Broken Hearted LP, Schnick-Schnack-Tonträger)
Four-piece darkwave band complete with saxophones and tape loops in the mix. This track is a rare moment of dream-like haze on an otherwise intensely cacophonous and extremely underrated record.

12. “Today The Disco”- Geneviève Pasquier (Germany, 2003, Virgin Thoughts LP, UMB/Adore)
Powerful and hard-hitting minimal electronic track by this German chanteuse, also a member of The Musick Wreckers, Jägerblut, UMB-Kollektive, and Thorofon. This track hails from her first of three LPs.

13. “Princess Poison”- The Vanishing (USA, 2003, Songs For Psychotic Children LP, Gold Standard Laboratories)
Another “latter-day” favorite, The Vanishing operated in a time when dark-flavored indie rock took the world by storm (more on this soon!), additionally kicking off a fruitful deathrock revival. This track is a re-recorded version, the original which appears on the band’s debut 10” EP. Vocalist Jessie Evans also makes up 1/2 of the duo Autonervous, alongside Malaria’s Bettina Köster.

14. “Marked Man”- The Limp (Australia, 1981, Marked Man 7”, Primate Records)
This otherwise obscure band shared ties with Pel Mel and Scattered Order, two additional bands in the underground Aussie scene. Pel Mel and The Limp performed together in 2012, though no additional material has yet to surface.

15. “We Are the Sub-Machines”- Toccata (UK, 1987, We Are the Sub-Machines 7”, Self-Released)
Equal parts Eurythmics, torch ballad, and militaristic neo-folk, very little is known about this project, the pairing of Pete Ward and Jan Sinclair.

16. “Make Up”- Walk the Walk (Denmark, 1986, Walk the Walk LP, Generation Record)
This Danish punk band’s roots date back to the early ’80s, when they were known as Johnny Og De Kolde Dæmone (Johnny and the Demons). Nico’s manager discovered the band and passed their demo to Martin Hannett of Factory Records fame, who produced the newly dubbed band’s debut LP.

17. “Grow”- Inrain (UK, 1991, Grow 7”, Rough Trade)
A curious collaboration of two dreampop titans, this track features Rudy Tambala of A.R. Kane and the incredible Alison Shaw of Cranes on vocals.

18. “Waiting For Tomorrow”- Shadowboys (UK, 1983, Waiting For Tomorrow 7”, Pete-Nik Records)
Fantastic DIY synth-heavy post-punk from London. This is the band’s lone release, though you can track each member’s previous and future projects via late guitarist Steve Maidens’ tribute page.

19. “Lamina Christus”- Isolation Ward (France, 1982, Lamina Christus 7”, Radical Records/Crépuscule Section Française
Classic coldwave from Belgium (though this single was released in France). Arguably their best known track, this song was also featured on the B9 Bis complilation, which showcased several prominent Belgian new wave and post-punk artists.

20. “Watching You Dance”- The Passage (UK, 1981, Devils and Angels 7”, Night & Day)
A more forcefully percussive re-recording of this bleak new wave classic, originally featured on their debut LP Pindrop. The original version was sung by founding member Dick Witts, while this version appears as the B-side of a 1981 7” and features Lizzy Johnson on vocals, her only recorded appearance with the band.

21. “Singing to French”- Indians in Moscow (UK, 1984, Indians In Moscow LP, Kennick Records)
A superb album cut from this cult new wave/synthpop act from Hull. The band achieved cult success in the UK with their singles “Naughty Miranda” and “Big Wheel” before splitting acrimoniously. Vocalist Adele Nozedar would briefly resurface in 1985 with The Fever Tree, featuring members of Japan and Stiff Little Fingers. Founding members Pete Riches and Stuart Walton reformed Indians In Moscow in 1998, featuring a male vocalist and a more techno-inspired sound.

22. “There Is No One”- Primary Colours (USA, 1985, Paint Love Blue 12”, After Hours Records)
This two-piece synthpop project released just one single, the infectious “Paint Love Blue.” This track offers a much moodier counterpoint to an otherwise club-centric single.

23. “Boring Sunday”- San Vito Dance (Italy, 1983, VA- St. Anthony’s Fire LP, Grillo Rekords)
Plucked from an extremely rare (and stellar) compilation of Italian post-punk and indie bands, this is the band’s only known release, fading further into obscurity. What’s left is a track featuring the perfect blend of gloomy string synths, rickety bass, and moody female vocals, not to mention an incredible sax solo!

24. “Words Never Said”- 17 Pygmies (USA, 1984, Jedda By the Sea LP, Resistance Records)
17 Pygmies existed as a vehicle for Philip Drucker (aka Jackson Del Rey) of Savage Republic, who have gone through several stylistic shifts and lineup changes over the years. The LA band proved to be incredibly prolific and influential, and their best-known track “Chameleon” was listed as one of the 100 greatest unknown techno songs, despite sharing more sonic similarity with Savage Republic and other Independent Project Records artists. Debbie Spinelli, who provides vocals on several 17 Pygmies records, was also active in Food and Shelter.

25. “Still, Forever”- Cry Of The Innocent (UK, 1982, The Haunting/Still, Forever 7”, Pagan Records)
The flip of this UK band’s debut single, sharing sonic territory with Situation Two artists from the era. It’s been noted that the band turned down an offer to release on Beggar’s Banquet, deciding to self-release this single on their own imprint instead. The band (minus vocalist Lee Jones) would release a second, more U2-esque single on a French label.

26. “She Likes Me”- Vita Noctis (Belgium, 1986, VA- Climax Production Presents, Climax Productions)
Stellar Belgian minimal synth, haunting DIY tape vibes from an otherwise prolific band. While the majority of their recordings feature early electronic instruments and childlike melodies to add an experimentally artistic and unsettling edge, this track was featured on a more club-centric release from Climax Productions, known primarily for early, edgier EBM and New Beat recordings. An all-inclusive Vita Noctis compilation was released in 2013 by Dark Entries records, and is well worth picking up.

27. “Party Mood” – Out On Blue Six (UK, 1981, Party Mood 7”, Hungry Rooms)
Fast-paced post-punk with an anarcho edge and sonic similarities to both Wire and Kleenex. Like many from the era, this band, who were favorites of John Peel, released one single and a handful of compilation tracks before fading into pseudo-obscurity.

28. “Som En Tiger” – Zon 6 (Sweden, 1983, Som En Tiger 7”, MNW)
A chaotic, yet incredibly infectious track featuring avant-garde sax, churning synths and arpeggiators that almost flirt with prog-rock excess, and driving NDW-inspired percussion. This band rose from the ashes of the equally obscure Elegi.

29. “Paper House”- Beautiful Pea Green Boat (UK, 1987, Obsessions LP, Mr. Slaughterback’s Records/Third Mind Records)
Third Mind duo, featuring powerful percussion and haunting ethereal vocals. The band would often re-record their material, aiming to create a more dancefloor-friendly sound out of their nervous, grinding durmstrang, but this particular track is a rare barn-burner, opening their debut record and closing this mix with a heavy dose of doom and gloom.

The post La Mystique Féminine Vol. 2 appeared first on Post-Punk.com.

I had never been backstage at Agra Hall, which fits well over 10,000 people.  It felt very Spinal Tap having security escort me to the poorly ventilated dressing room where I fumbled while unpacking my recording equipment.

While I did so, Neil Halstead popped his head in for a moment, and then went behind the venue to catch the breeze (while not heeding the advice given to Alison—I’m afraid). The other” indie” fellow in the band, Christian Savill, I had met in the toilet, so of course there was that awkward moment where I could not immediately shake his hand.

Finally however I met with the goths(!?), and Nick Chaplin and Rachel Goswell sat down with me to answer my questions, with Simon Scott walking through occasionally, looking like he belonged with The Cure circa Prayer Tour. I needed to give Nick and Rachel the initial fanboy disclaimer, as I was feeling a bit Wayne and Garth when they were backstage with Alice Cooper…”We’re not worthy!” However, I did not need to break the ice (which the heat had already melted at this point).

After reuniting, I was quite surprised that Slowdive had been booked to play the world’s largest Goth festival, being that they are the most famous shoegaze band (right up there with My Bloody Valentine), but it began to make sense when Nick and Rachel revealed that they were “goths” as teenagers, listening to Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure, Fields of the Nephilim, and Christian Death (featuring Gitane Demone).

Post-Punk: So you were goths when you were younger?

Nick: Not all of us, not all of us. But Rachel was a bit of a Siouxsie Sioux look-alike when I first met you, weren’t you?

Rachel: Yeah, she was kind of my inspiration to start singing.

Nick: And I was brought into the band by the drummer at the time because the band was looking for a new bass player – they didn’t get on with their bass player at the time, particularly – and erm…

Rachel: Who was the bass player at the time?

Nick: Michael Cottle. And I remember I walked into the first rehearsal and Rachel was a bit intimidating. She didn’t mean to be but she was just a bit intimidating. And Neil said, “Oh no, not another bloody goth.” That was the first thing he ever said to me. So yeah. So the two of us, you know, we were the “dark couple” really, I suppose.

Rachel: But not a couple.

Nick: But not a couple.

Rachel: No. Hahaha!

Post-Punk: But Neil was the one-he was the jock among the goths?

Rachel: Kind of. He was an indie kid, Neil, wasn’t he?

Nick: Well I wouldn’t call him a jock.

Rachel: Just an indie kid. He was into, like, Talulah Gosh and The Primitives – what I would call really twee indie shit. That was my terminology for that kind of music because I didn’t really like it.

Nick: He had the whole indie bowl haircut going on, so yeah, Rachel and I were a bit different.

Rachel: He did like The Cure, though, didn’t he?

Nick: Y-yeah.

Post-Punk: Well The Cure weren’t always goth. They were a kind of poppy rock band at first, and then again later.

Rachel: Yeah they did get quite poppy, didn’t they.

Post-Punk: I think it was Siouxsie Sioux that turned Robert into a proper goth.

Rachel: She still looks amazing now.

Post-Punk: Oh yeah. She’s still awesome. She and Severin are talking again; I’m hoping that they do something this year. It’d be great. I know that there was some friction between him and Budgie during the, like…was it fifteen years ago when they toured?

Rachel: Don’t know.

Post-Punk: No, not fifteen, it was twelve. 2002. Yeah so maybe…I don’t know but…

Nick: So is she still with Budgie?

Post-Punk: No they got divorced.

Nick: Did they?

Post-Punk: He lives in Berlin.

Rachel: Everyone lives in Berlin! We’d be right at home there.

Rachel: I was kind of hoping there’d be some bands here at this festival that I’d recognize. And then I looked at the line-up and thought, I don’t actually recognize any of the band names here. I was really hoping, given the goth heritage, that somebody like the Nephilim would be here, you know?

Post-Punk: Oh yeah, I saw them here a few years ago.

Rachel: Which would be amazing. I mean we saw them back in the day, didn’t we?

Nick: Yeah.

Rachel: Quite a lot.

Nick: We probably shouldn’t overstate our goth heritage, should we, really? But I mean…

Rachel: It’s nothing to be ashamed of.

Nick: No, no, but you know, in terms of the band, it was you and I with that sort of influence but…

Rachel: Yeah.

Post-Punk: I’m curious, speaking of being labeled as something, a lot of people were writing really aggressive bullshit about the kind of dreamy music you guys were doing back in the late ’80s, early ’90s. And nobody thought it was cool and then afterward, there was the whole grunge thing the press embraced – that kind of killed Creation Records and the whole “shoegaze” thing.

Rachel: Well it was all the journalists. Everything was led by journalists in England. We didn’t have all the stuff you have today to access music, so…

Post-Punk: So one snarky person…

Rachel: Yeah, yeah – just had the power to effectively…

Nick: And I mean, when you actually look back, they made the band – because Melody Maker in particular were all over us for the first three EPs, you know, each EP was single of the week, which in those days was an accolade, especially for a band like us.

Rachel: Even being on Creation was an accolade – sort of the coolest label.

Nick: So, you know, there was the positive side of it, but then again you’re right, there was one sort of bad review. We had a bad review for the first album.

Post-Punk: That doesn’t make any sense, considering the other stuff that was coming out at the time.

Nick: Well I think they were just looking for something else.

Rachel: It’s all egos.

Nick: They were looking for something else and, yeah, there was a lot of…the journalists in those days were almost more important than the bands themselves. Or at least they saw themselves as more important.

Rachel: They totally did.

Nick: They saw themselves as kingmakers and king-breakers, I suppose. Erm, so really we…They were on our side to start with but then yeah, it did flip and it did turn and we found it-

Rachel: Didn’t take long.

Nick: We found it very difficult getting positive comments in the press after that point. But, you know, the shows were still good, people were still coming to see us. It became difficult towards the end but…

Post-Punk: Was that kind of the breaking point? I know that’s such a cliché but I mean yeah, if you’re getting so much shit and the label’s giving you shit-

Rachel: Being in a band is just one big cliché. All of it is Spinal Tap. No matter what genre of music it is, there will always be Spinal Tap in your band. You can’t avoid it.

Nick: Yeah, you can’t get away from it.

Post-Punk: And this venue is a classic “Hello Cleveland” place. Yeah so…But these days it seems cool to say-

Rachel: Well it’s shoegaze!

Post-Punk: Which really makes no sense to me, that term. It was a reference point for the music… But I mean I guess it’s what, you’re supposed to stare at your shoes, not moving? Playing-

Rachel: Well it was from the guitar pedals really. In my case I’m looking at the fretboard when I play…

Nick: Yeah, there are elements as to where it came from. But I think, yeah, there is a lot of looking down because, you know, there’s the guitar pedals thing. And also a lot of the bands were not fantastic musicians, you know, it was almost like a punk ethic at the time.

Rachel: Quite introspective though as well.

Nick: So there was an element of, Oh, what am I playing? You know, none of us were musical virtuosos that could kind of, you know, jump around. We had to look at what we were doing. And the music kind of lends itself to not being particularly active on stage. And so yeah, it was just coined – I think Neil remembered – the term was coined in a review of Moose. I don’t know if you remember the band Moose?

Post-Punk: No, actually, I don’t.

Rachel: They weren’t very good.

Nick: They were erm-

Rachel: -rubbish.

Nick: I don’t really remember but they were part of that genre. And it stuck.

Post-Punk: I’m going to go off on a tangent but I just have to say this just to take the piss a bit but, erm, have you ever seen the comparison between Neil and Michael C. Hall?

Rachel: What? Who?

Post-Punk: Michael C. Hall. Dexter. They look like twin brothers.

Nick: Oh really?

Rachel: Do you think? I suppose he does without the beard.

Post-Punk: Well that’s the funny thing about it, the end of Dexter when he went over to the mountains and grew a beard…

Rachel and Nick: Hahaha!

Nick: I mean his beard does stand out.

Rachel: He did trim it last week.

Nick: Yeah, it’s tidier than it was.

Rachel: He had a haircut and a beard-trim…

Post-Punk: He’s dressed like a trucker.

Rachel: He’s been like that for the last, well, about the last fifteen years. That’s just Neil. That’s just the surfer dude. He surfs.

Post-Punk: He surfs?

Rachel: He’s been surfing since the early ’90s.

Nick: He lives in Newquay down in Cornwall, which has a big surf community. Well, it’s the biggest surf community you can get in England.

Rachel: The first surfing thing was in LA when we were on tour. That must have been with Slowdive. It was with Slowdive. Somebody took him surfing and that was that. He’s been doing the surfing thing for over 20 years now.

Post-Punk: Speaking of surfing, where does the kind of ’60s stuff come from?

Nick: Neil primarily.

Post-Punk: Neil?

Nick: Primarily, yeah.

Rachel: Velvet Underground.

Post-Punk: Velvet Underground? Lee Hazlewood?

Rachel: Hmm yeah. I suppose we did Some Velvet Morning didn’t we?

Nick: I mean all of us have certain influences from the ’60s. I mean I love the late ’60s, early ’70s Rolling Stones. I was always much more of a Rolling Stones man than a Beatles man. In that narrow timeframe. Not like Start Me Up-era Stones or anything like that.

Rachel: [sings]

Nick: I mean Christian has, you know, those same sort of influences, the Velvets and things like that. But Neil- especially as Neil’s a primary songwriter as well, so that’s, you know, his influences sort of come through in the songs. I think he just admires the classic ’60s pop tunes because whatever we do, even though we’re associated with all these soundscapes and all that kind of nonsense, we always do try and have a good pop tune in the background somewhere. We want to have a hook, we want to have a melody; we don’t want to just have like a dirge. So I think that’s probably where it shows through.

Rachel: A dirge is nice sometimes.

Nick: Mmm, as long as there’s a tune somewhere.

Rachel: Yeah. I like a dirge.

Post-Punk: I’m all about the dirge. So…Many people I know got into Slowdive from Doom Generation and Nowhere– have you seen any of those Gregg Araki movies?

Rachel: Yeah, I’ve met Gregg a few times.

Post-Punk: Yeah?

Rachel: Yeah. They’ve got Slowdive tunes in them. He’s a massive Slowdive fan. Yeah, I’ve met him a few times out in LA. When we played they would always come to all of the Mojave 3 gigs. He was always there with Jimmy Duval; Jimmy supplied a spliff for us. Jimmy’s very excited we’re back together.

Nick: Is he?

Rachel: You’ll meet him. Did you meet him back in the day?

Nick: Don’t recognize the name.

Rachel: Well he’s in The Doom Generation; he’s like one of the main characters.

Post-Punk: Have you ever met Scott Heim?

Rachel: Yes.

Post-Punk: I’ve talked to him online. He’s been very supportive of many cool things, Actually I was very thrilled when he messaged me. I thought Mysterious Skin was one of the best films I’d seen and then I went and read the book and I was just like, Wow!

Rachel: I haven’t read the book. I’ve seen the film but it was a long time ago.

Post-Punk: and there’s this character called Avalyn…

Rachel: Yeah he’s a massive Slowdive fan. Scott actually – on Twitter a few months ago – I think I probably tweeted something; I was practicing singing Slowdive songs at home and he tweeted me saying, “I’d pay you a thousand dollars to come and sing in my lounge!” Neil was like, “Well you should go then!”

Nick: Make sure you get your flight paid for as well, though. And expenses.

Rachel: Scott’s nice though.

Post-Punk: Yeah he’s a sweet guy.

Rachel: He’s an überfan. As is Gregg, really. I haven’t seen Gregg for years but I would expect him to be there when we go to LA. Not that we’re doing an American tour.

Nick: Well we’re playing Fuck You Festival…Fuck Yeah Festival, not Fuck You Festival.

Post-Punk: There’s a Fuck Yeah Festival?

Rachel: Yeah, yeah.

Post-Punk: Have I been under a rock?

Nick: FYF.

Rachel: FYF. How do you say it? Is it “Fiff”, “Fyfe”, or is it “F-Y-F”?

Post-Punk: I have no idea. I’ve never heard of it.

Rachel: Of course not. You’ve never heard of it?

Nick: It’s relatively new, Rach. I think they’ve been going a few years. It was in LA Historic State Park – that was the original location – but they’re renovating that park at the moment apparently so it’s in the LA Sports Arena or something? I dunno. But we’re doing it in August with Phoenix and Interpol and a bunch of others. We’ve got a good day actually, we’re on the same…At the top of the bill there’s us and then Interpol and then Phoenix on that day so-

Rachel: They’re at the top of the bill, we’re not.

Nick: Phoenix are top of the bill, yeah.

Rachel: I don’t know what they sound like. Or Interpol, really.

Nick: Interpol are great. Well I like them.

Post-Punk: I liked Interpol alot back when Carlos was in the band.

Rachel: Have they been going for a really long time?

Nick: A wee while, yeah.

Post-Punk: Oh, twelve years at least?  You mentioned Mojave 3 a moment ago…I remember going to a Mojave 3 show over at the TLA over in Philadelphia, it was like ’98 or ’99 and everybody was requesting Slowdive songs-

Rachel: Yeah, that happened throughout Mojave gigs for ten years. “When the Sun hits, Catch the Breeze! Dagger!” All the time. Yeah, all the time.

Post-Punk: That’s exactly what happened. And you said, “This is the late ’90s, not the early ’90s.”

Rachel: “Get over it!” That happened a lot.

Post-Punk: One of the few bands that I ever bought bootlegs of, like, burned CD bootlegs, was you guys because I think, like, all the EPs were out of print I think, after a point. And the songs weren’t available until the reissues.

Rachel: Yeah, Sony own everything now, so they’ve been recycling stuff out via reissues.

Post-Punk: Yeah,  before you couldn’t get Avalyn at all unless it was a bootleg, or Pygmalion via import.

[a man walks in and out of the dressing room]

Rachel: That’s Michael, our sound engineer.

Nick: Who worked with The Cure.

Post-Punk: Oh really?

Nick: So another connection, you see.

Post-Punk: I am a big Cure fan.

Rachel: So are we.

Nick: The best sound engineer they’ve ever had, apparently. Which is why he’s back with us.

Rachel: Yeah! Hahaha!

Post-Punk: I wonder if Robert’s a fan of you guys.

Nick: You know what, there have been times where there have been interviews that he’s done, like on radio in the UK or print interviews, where he has dropped our name in as bands that he was interested in around that time.

Rachel: Has he?

Nick: Yeah, yeah. Ride opened for him at Wembly Arena back in, I don’t know, ’91 or ’92 or something and they toured with Cranes, who at the time we were really close to.

Post-Punk: They played here once.

Nick: At this festival?

Post-Punk: Yeah.

Nick: Oh did they? Well that kind of makes sense. We did a European tour and a UK tour with Cranes and we got on so well and they’re such a lovely bunch of guys – guys/girl – there was a real kind of kindred spirits thing going on with us. So they played with The Cure. But our paths have never sort of crossed, you know? It was something that I’ve always thought, you know, even if it’s only for a couple of one-off shows or something, I think our audiences would maybe overlap quite well.

Post-Punk: I think definitely.

Nick: But it’s just- no, it’s never happened. So you know, maybe that’ll be something for the future.

Rachel: That’s Nick’s ultimate dream.

Nick: Well, I’ll just have to throw myself at Simon’s feet, won’t I? “I’m not worthy!”

Rachel: Simon’s his hero.

Post-Punk: Oh yeah?

Nick: Well, you know, he was one of my sort of early reasons where I thought, Yeah, I wanna play bass guitar.

Post-Punk: He’s still got it.

Nick: He’s on it!

 http://www.slowdiveofficial.com/

The post Listen close and don’t be stoned: An interview with Slowdive appeared first on Post-Punk.com.