LTW newsletter 46

Welcome warriors!

Normal service has been resumed on the weekly LTW column as my book The Art Of Darkness - The History Of Goth’ has now been printed and is in the best sellers list! I can now breathe out and get on with life!

In the meantime this week I will be on a book tour - if anyone wants to come please message back for an exclusive guest list place available only to LTW subscribers!

Would be great to meet some of you. Each event has an in-conversation and then a book signing

John Robb book tour dates

12 Glasgow Mono with Stuart from Mogwai

13 Liverpool Museum of music

London Rough Trade East with Youth from Killing Joke

15 Bristol Rough Trade

16 Nottingham Rough Trade

Meanwhile, as spring decorates the barren concrete just outside of my humble city centre abode with flecks of green and the magpies start the wonky construction of their nest which I can spy on from my 8th-floor crevice, I can feel the sap rising backdropped by the endless grey skies. This week I was busy being filmed for a new Noel Gallagher video which will be unveiled in the next week or so and shivering in the typical April gloom. Finally opening my laptop for hours of typing, I was back in LTW world and it has been a frantic week with lots of great stuff going and some poignant sad moments as well.

We got an exclusive interview with Andrew Fearns - the quiet one from Sleaford Mods - who rarely if ever gives interviews and normally hides behind his noisy singer, luxuriant beard and sweating laptop full of beats that back up the much more vocal vocalist Jason. So it was fascinating to hear his side of the story of the band who have consistently been making great albums with most of the music coming from Andrew.

We were sorry to hear of the death of Nora the wife of Public Image’s John Lydon. It was sad to see her struggles with Alzheimer's in the past few years after such a colourful and engaging life and the dignified way she dealt with it.

Everyone has their opinion of Brexit but for musicians, it's been a nightmare to deal with. Endless paperwork and hours of waiting in queues to get in and out of the UK to get your carnet forms stamped have fucked up quite a few tours. The latest twist in what seems to be the authorities making it up as they go along was German band Trigger Happy who were refused entry into the UK for a seven-date tour because of some arcane piece of paperwork. Do we really need all this bullshit?

Elisabeth Elektra has released a new single and it’s a glorious slice of futuristic sci-fi pop.  A captivating and pulsating slice of cimmerian dark pop, this is the sort of luscious ground-breaking future music that Grimes and maybe even Charli XVX has also turned into an art form.

The Damned are having a great autumn to their venerable and explosive career. A couple of decades ago their gigs were drunken affairs played to diehards in backwater venues. They are currently on a sell-out tour of grand venues and with a great new album to share. We celebrate the band getting their richly deserved encore and appreciation for their groundbreaking punk noir.

These days Hawkwind are the undisputed kings of space rock, but over their 50 year career they’re tried a few different styles, and on this box set featuring their late seventies output, they were dabbling with a more hard-edged new wave influenced style.

6music is undergoing changes and it's caused a lot of online anger. The evening's schedule is getting remoulded with Marc Riley and Gideon Coe having to share their shows and a raft of new shows are coming in. Of course, to be cutting edge, a radio station can't stay in the same place forever and it has to embrace younger generations but was there another way of doing this?

Bush Tetras announced that former Pogues bass playing legend Rocky O'Riordan has joined them. Rocky joins founding members Pat Place and Cynthia Sley and drummer Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth) who joined the band last year.

Dressed in exquisite finary and with the voice to match Kevin Rowland has returned with the Dexys new single - and it's as achingly brilliant as you would have hoped for.

Sorry to hear of the death of Seymour Stein we had met him. A few times at those music conventions where he would recount his endless war stories that went back decades. The old stagers are leaving the stage and there are very few people left from back the beginning rock n roll.

One day the only person left will be Keef Richards.

God’s speed Seymour…

The iconic Ritz played host to Ist Ist this week, their biggest headlining show to date, in what will become a real were you there moment! The band’s dark Joy Division atmospherics are heading for the breakthrougth. Nigel spoke with Andy Keating on the morning of the gig, and reviews the performance for Louder Than War.