Leonard Smalls

I saw this a few weeks ago... Enjoyable enough and all very nice and nostalgic, but there was nothing that hadn't been shown in plenty of BBC4 music docs - it's all well-known history of all the mainstream British pub rock bands. It would be nice if they explored some more recent music, or more obscure music, or some jazz! Frinstance, I've never seen any docs on the Liverpool scene from 1977 on. Or the goth scene, or UK jazz funk... There's been nowt (that I've seen, at least!) on any sort of improvised jazz, or Industrial, or even on the dance scene in the late 80s on. So rather than yet another documentary on the Stones, Faces etc let's see something on Throbbing Gristle, Mutoid Waste Company and the Ozrics! Or even what The Kids are doing nowadays - or perhaps BBC4 think they're all hunched over their phones sexting each other?

Here's one - this inspired by the classic climb Aviation at Hay Tor Lowman... Tried out some new production techniques and synths as well.

My introduction to the freer end of jazz back in the 80s!

Play it like this and you'll be fine! 😁

Dub!

Heavy Duty Funk!

It's entirely subjective, there's lots of FX (I like FX!), but:

Any of Bootsy's bass tones... But was always amazed at the noise Steve Jameson (died last year I recently discovered - shame!) from World Domination Enterprises could produce:

Amazing guitar work by Adrian Belew, and Carlos Alomar even plays drums!

He played guitar on the first album, and on the 1st single - all of which were very guitar based... I even bought That's Too Bad/Oh Didn't I Say for the riffage!

In particular the fantastically raw guitar solo in "It must have been years"

Funnily enough we supported Carter loads in the early 90s and we always thought we were shedloads better than them... Their fans didn't necessarily agree, but then we were a bit odd! Anyway: 01 Ever played a gig sitting down? Yes - did about 10 gallery openings improvising weird ambient stuff with a guitar playing mate 02 Ever gigged on a different instrument? Yes - 1st ever gig, keyboards 03 Ever shared a stage with a musical hero of yours? No, but I once DJed with Mikey Dread at the Warehouse in Leeds 04 Any fan ever had a tatoo of your band's logo? Not Yet! 05 Ever signed an autograph in a dressing room? No, but the whole band once signed their names in wee in the dressing room of a particularly poor venue (or perhaps we were a little "over-refreshed" 06 Ever cried on stage? With laughter! 07 Ever worn a hat on stage? I once played a gig wearing 9 hats on top of each other 08 Ever gigged with a band you hadn't met before the gig? Sort of - played bass for Bang Bang Romeo once (a mate was managing them) never having heard any of their songs, or knowing any chord structures... 09 Ever been in a relationship with a fellow band member? Only as house mates 10 Ever played in different bands on the same day? No 11 Ever had anything thrown at you while playing? No 12 Ever crashed on the way to the gig? No, but we got lost backstage once at (I think!) Gloucester Town Hall 13 Ever left a band over the choice of set list? No 14 Ever slept in the venue despite it not being a hotel? No 15 Ever been supported by a band clearly better than you? Arguably... We were once supported by Lawnmower Deth, who I thought were terrible but had much more success than us. And we did many gigs with a band called The Meanies, which contained a member of The Cardiacs! 16 Ever played a gig suffering from some debilitating medical condition? No, but I remember the whole band getting "over refreshed" on all sorts of stuff to make sure we played well for the record company types due that night. We didn't... 17 Ever been in a band where the guitarist was your favourite bandmate? No 18 Ever played in the grounds of a stately home? Yes - we played a wedding at one in Sussex. I rode there on my Yamaha TR1 café racer, parked it right by the stage, played the gig in full black leathers and immediately after, rode off. It was the only time the singer carried any gear! But I suspect there might have been some pointing and laughing at me... 19 Ever injured yourself on stage? No 20 Ever been told that your bass isn't loud enough? No. And Yes.

Indeed! If I hear the Italian Concerto played by anyone else it just sounds Rong!!!

Sort of in between Jazz and Bach, like a Jach piece.

Here's a pic of me and my first bass playing one of the first Roco gigs... King's Head in Fulham, perhaps 1988?

I couldn't get past the boringly strummed jangly guitar, droney voice and worst of all, the violin bass. 😁

Good raucous start to the day for me...

Bit of early raprock from Holland... Saw them in 1990ish in Amsterdam with Primus, iirc!

Bootsy!

I'm a big fan of the Suicycos... Heavy and funky...

Kind of incongruous!

I've just made a video with my band.... We all shot some footage of ourselves miming along (or in the case of our guitarist, hanging the washing up with guitar round neck), and I did a multiple green screen overlay with footage of the Battle of Orgreave in the background. It came out quite well and helped keep us a little sane. (See it on the "Show us your playing videos thread or on Choked FB link below)

Video I've just finished for one of our band's recent songs using footage we all shot at home...