Sparks at Hammersmith Apollo, Thursday June 19th 2025

I’m back at the beautiful Art Deco Hammersmith (Odeon) Apollo, the scene of my very first gig back in 1981, to see the second night of two London gigs from Sparks whose incredible renaissance shows no sign of letting up. I’d seen the set-list in advance, and I must confess to being a bit underwhelmed at first glance. Personally, I would only have chosen around half of the songs, but then again, the perfect set-list would be nigh-on impossible considering the band released their first album in 1971 and well over 50 years later, have just unleashed the superb “Mad!” to a receptive public. I think “Mad!” might well be their 29th album if include the movie/musical soundtracks and FFS collaboration with Franz Ferdinand, not including the numerous compilations. So, back to the set-list, which is heavy on the high energy dancefloor smashes of the late 70’s-80’s  including “Beat The Clock”, and “The Number One Song In Heaven” (complete with Ron’s now trademark dance-moves) and the surprise inclusion of “Academy Award Performance” all from the Giorgio Moroder produced “Number 1 In Heaven”. 

Then there’s the 1990’s Electronica of “Music That You Can Dance To” and “When Do I Get To Sing My Way?” which ramp up the party atmosphere to the maximum. Sadly, the 70’s are not so well represented but we do get a storming “Reinforcements” from “Propaganda” and a curveball in “Goofing Off” from 1977’s “Introducing Sparks”. But then again, Sparks are not merely a nostalgia act and there is so much excellent new material to consider. Having said that, of course they can’t skip the classic “This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us” – which was the entry point for many of us Brits into the crazy world of Sparks. Seeing the classic Top Of The Pops performance on the Thursday evening and then the next day at school, the playground was buzzing with excited chatter - “hey, did you see that scary guy who looked like Hitler last night?”. Later you discover that this was repeated across pretty much every school yard from Land’s End to John O’Groats. However, the big surprise of the night was the inclusion of “Whippings And Apologies” from their second album, 1973’s “A Woofer In Tweeter’s Clothing” which tonight was a snarling Glam-Punk classic. 

The campfire singalong of “Suburban Homeboy” with Ron on deadpan lead vocals from “Lil’ Beethoven” was another delight. This was probably the album that relaunched Sparks career in 2002 and put them on the trajectory that now sees them playing in packed out venues to adoring audiences all over the world. The following four albums are skipped over, probably because they have previously toured them in their own right, but a real highlight is the emotional “Please Don’t Fuck Up My World” from “Steady Drip, Drip, Drip”, which Russell tells us, is probably more relevant than ever. Of course, they play plenty of “Mad!” and “Do Things My Own Way”, “Drowned In a Sea of Tears” and “Jansport Backpack” all sound marvellous played live. Unfortunately, there’s no “My Devotion” which I think is one of the most beautiful songs Sparks have written in ages, but like I said at the beginning, you can’t have everything. The band that Ron and Russell have assembled are absolutely superb, managing the complexity of the song-writing and the often bewildering variety in musical styles perfectly. The sound and lighting are stunning throughout and the audience reaction is phenomenal, quite a few times there is a rapturous standing ovation at the end of a song. So much so that they have to put the house lights up and the band just have to pause to just let the acclaim wash over them before they can start the next number. 

They encore with “The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte” and a rousing “All That” which sees the crowd singing along and waving their arms in unison and there’s a surprise when “Sparks Brothers” documentary director Edgar Wright appears on stage to take a photo of Ron and Russell in front of the crowd. Off the top of my head, of their generation I can only think of the 78 year-old Iggy Pop, who’s also out on tour at the moment, who can compare with Sparks full-on physically energetic live performance. Considering their ages, Ron is 79 and Russell 76, they could have been forgiven for continuing down the more restrained “Two Hands, One Mouth” route but no, Russell has not lost any of his incredible vocal range and instead they continue to tour with a vibrant excellent young band, performing shows bursting with colourful life-affirming energy. Maybe one day they will have to slow down a bit, but at the moment it’s only Ron’s dance routine that’s getting slightly shorter. So, for now, if you get the opportunity, make sure you enjoy the full on Sparks extravaganza while you can. Tonight, might well rank up there as one of the best shows I’ve seen from the band and despite my initial misgivings about the set-list, I wouldn’t have changed it for the world.

You can still check out our feature on Sparks "Two Hands, One Mouth" show from 2012 at London's Barbican Centre here. Don't forget our two thoroughly entertaining episodes of Retrosonic Podcast where original Halfnelson/Sparks drummer Harley Feinstein gives us a fascinating insight into the very early years of Sparks.

Retrosonic Podcast · Sparks: The Bearsville/Halfnelson Years Part 1 & Crash 74 with Harley Feinstein

 

Retrosonic Podcast · Sparks: The Bearsville/Halfnelson Years Part 2 with Harley Feinstein

 

John McKay's Reactor at The Face Bar Reading, Tuesday June 17th - the triumphant return of the legendary Siouxsie & The Banshees Guitarist

I was at a local Club Velocity promotions gig at the Face Bar in Reading on Tuesday night to witness the long awaited return of the legendary Siouxsie & The Banshees guitarist John McKay. The first thing that hit me was how good he looked; all dressed in black, hair slicked back into a Samurai style top knot. Similar to (the much-missed) Geordie from Killing Joke, McKay is effortlessly cool, making it look so easy when of course, we really know it's nothing of the sort. There’s a nonchalance to his playing style that belies the immense, razor sharp sound that he conjures from his equally cool black semi-acoustic Hagström guitar. I was just too young to see The Banshees play when he was in the line-up, but I’ve always loved McKay’s glacial guitar riffs – a sound that defined not only the early Banshees, but pretty much the whole Post-Punk genre. There was a palpable buzz running through the crowd as he struck the opening chords to first number “Black Five” and to hear that instantly recognisable, hugely influential sound, was a big thrill.

 

 

Earlier this year Tiny Global Productions released the beautifully packaged album “Sixes And Sevens” which features unreleased solo recordings made between 1980 and 1989. Former Banshees drummer Kenny Morris who along with McKay, jumped the Banshees ship mid-tour in 1979, features on some of these songs along with Soft Boys bassist Matthew Seligman and John’s partner Linda on vocals – sadly both Matthew and Linda passed away in 2020. Don’t be put off by the mention of ‘unreleased’ songs, as usually when record companies put out such recordings there’s a very good reason why they were unreleased in the first place. Not so with “Sixes And Sevens” as the songs and sound are excellent and it begs the question just why they were not ever released at the time. It gives a fascinating insight into what might have been after The Banshees, and the good news is that now, thanks to Tiny Global, the songs have been given a new lease of life. A few dates have been arranged to promote the album including the Reading show, a sold-out Lexington in London, the Forever Now festival in Milton Keynes on June 22^nd, The 100 Club on June 23^rd and the Hare & Hounds Birmingham on July 19th.

John has assembled a superb band around him, John McKay’s Reactor, and it is very much a band rather than just a solo project. One of Retro Man Blog’s favourites Jen Brown from The Priscillas is on lead vocals, a perfect choice, it’s a role she just had to play, and she looks fabulous next to John. It must have been a rather daunting task as comparisons with Siouxsie are bound to be raised, but Jen is superb, balancing her individual style while keeping a deference to Siouxsie's vocal delivery. Billy King is on bass and like Jen, looks every inch the epitome of Rock ‘n’ Roll, very cool. He also rather impressively keeps his leather biker jacket on for the duration of the whole show despite the soaring temperatures. Drummer Jola is a busy, blur of energy, managing the sometimes unusual tom-heavy tribal beats with real skill, she’s great to watch in her own right. The set list is perfectly balanced between tracks from “Sixes And Sevens” and Banshees classics, and the good thing is there’s a seamless transition between the two, that’s testament to the strength of the solo material, I guess. 

 

The set ends with “Hong Kong Garden” and there’s an encore of “Playground Twist” which both take the roof of the Face Bar. We also get treated to Banshees classics from the first two albums including “The Staircase (Mystery)”, “Placebo”, “Mirage”, “Suburban Release” and “Switch”. Of the ‘new’ songs “Taken For Granted” with its rumbling JJ Burnel style bass intro and “Vigilante” are personal highlights and I’m left hoping that this new line-up can find the time to write some brand new material in the near future. Check out the band’s Facebook page here and Instagram pages for news on the upcoming shows and Tiny Global on how to order “Sixes And Sevens” which is out on CD, download and limited edition vinyl which includes a signed booklet and bonus CD. For more videos from the show please subscribe to the Retro Man Blog YouTube channel here.

Oh! Gunquit "Flex" Album Launch at The Fiddler's Elbow Camden with Industry Standard

Oh! Gunquit have been one of our favourite live acts since we saw them for the first time at this very same venue courtesy of a much-missed Weirdsville club night back in 2014. They are here headlining a sold out show to promote the release of their fourth album "Flex" (Beluga Records), which is another superb collection of their trademark genre-defying blissed out good time Rock 'n' Soul. With the quality and diversity of Oh! Gunquit's songs it means that they now have four albums and assorted singles worth of killer material to choose from and tonight's set-list is a packed full of irrestistible nuggets. The songs from "Flex" sit easily alongside the more familiar classic Gunquit numbers as the hugely catchy riffs and choruses bounce around the walls of the packed out venue, it's getting hot in here. New single "Shark Bait" distills all that is great about Oh! Gunquit with it's twanging Surf Rock guitar intro, rumbling drums and blasts of sleazy Saxophone and it's one of the highlights of the night. The Punky rush of "Sniffing Glue" and crunching riff of "Gutter Stars" are also real standout moments in a set that's packed full of them. 

Visually the band are as energetic and exciting as ever, vocalist Tina is decked out in a Top Gun cheerleader style outift and bassist Veronica is their very own Wonder Woman superheroine. Ergi on drums powers everything along while guitarist Simon Wild and Saxophonist Luciano are throwing shapes, immersing themselves in the music. Tina is busy as always, one minute she's down in the crowd crawling through people's legs during "Caves" then she's back on stage playing the trumpet while hula-hooping at the same time and then she's whipping assorted band mates and audience members with a cat of nine tails. It's all go at an Oh! Gunquit show. The band just get better and better and with "Flex" they have produced what I feel is their best album of an already impressive back-catalogue, it's thoroughly recommended and can be ordered from Beluga Records or Rough Trade here. Here's some more photos and a video from an extremely memorable show.

 

I must also mention the support act Industry Standard, who were the perfect choice to warm up the crowd. They shared some similarities with Oh! Gunquit - a livewire charimastic vocalist and some catchy guitar riffs, I'll definitely be checking them out further. You can see another video at our Retro Man Blog YouTube channel here.

 

All photos and videos copyright Retro Man Blog 2025

Wilko Johnson "Love and Death and Rock 'n' Roll" a Play with Live Music by Jonathan Maitland

I was intrigued when a friend suggested going along to see “Wilko: Love and Death and Rock ‘n’ Roll” which was advertised as a “play with live music” (as opposed to the dreaded ‘musical’) about guitar legend Wilko Johnson and his influential pre-Punk raw R&B band Dr. Feelgood at the Southwark Playhouse Theatre. I checked it out online and the reviews were unanimously ecstatic – to win over passionate, die-hard fans of a band is something of an achievement but that’s exactly what writer Jonathan Maitland and his quite remarkable cast seemed to have pulled off. We went along to the sold out matinee performance on the very last day of the show’s run at the Playhouse, but don’t worry if you missed out because they announced that the play will be transferred to the West End with a well-deserved additional set of dates at the Leicester Square Theatre in July. Maitland, a well-known author, journalist and playwright has managed to distil pretty much all the essential ingredients of Wilko’s inspiring and quite remarkable story into the thoroughly entertaining two hour show. It starts off in the unique landscape of Canvey Island in Essex, reclaimed land in the Thames estuary that is mostly below sea level and dominated by a huge oil refinery and flood defence systems which were erected much too late to stop the fatal flooding in 1953. Canvey Island boy John Wikinson meets his beloved Canvey Island girl Irene and invites her to see his band that will be playing at the local venue the Monico that evening. It turns out that this band is actually a rag-tag ensemble of mates playing skiffle outside the Monico, busking their jug band sound to drunks and punters making their way home. 

The Labworth, Canvey Island - Photo by Retro Man Blog

Irene and Wilko become inseparable, they marry young, and her presence looms large across the whole arc of the story. Wilko is unable to afford his coveted Fender Telecaster guitar but Irene generously steps in and pays for it in full. So, hugely inspired by American Blues, R’n’B and Rock ‘n’ Roll, Wilko decides to form a proper band with three of his mates who all live within a stone’s throw of each other on Canvey. In thrall to the Mississippi Delta Blues, they name themselves Dr. Feelgood and decide on a stripped back raw sound and image far removed from the Prog and Glam Rock excesses of the early to mid-70’s, ditching most of the cover versions in their set in favour of Wilko-penned originals. Toying with the hard and rough reputation of Canvey Island, the band look mean and moody, and they play on the swampy backwater atmosphere that they name the Thames Delta. The charismatic Lee Collinson takes on the role of lead vocalist and is renamed Lee Brilleaux partly due to his hair looking like a Brillo pad but given a New Orleans style twist. John B. Sparks on bass becomes Sparko and drummer John Martin is christened The Big Figure and due to the proliferation of ‘Johns’, Wilkinson becomes Wilko Johnson. The casting of Johnson Willis is inspired (and not just because of his real name!) he has the look and captures, not only Wilko’s wide-eyed incredulous stare and vocal mannerisms, but his unique guitar style too. This guitar style was influenced by Wilko’s attempts to emulate his hero Mick Green from Johnny Kidd & The Pirates, he can’t quite manage it but ends up with his own choppy rhythm and lead all-in-one sound that will in turn go on to inspire countless guitarists. The stage is set with drums and amps and there is another really pleasant surprise when the cast hammer out some early Dr. Feelgood classics, they sound bloody amazing. David John on drums and Georgina Field on bass are a wicked rhythm section – and yes, it does seem a bit strange at first having Sparko played by a female actor, but she nails his “walking backwards and forward” style and any doubts are very quickly dispelled. 

The Monico, Canvey Island - Photo by Paul Slattery

The real revelation is Jon House as Lee Brilleaux, who has the physical presence and gruff vocal delivery down to a tee and proves himself to be a mean harmonica player too. The four of them could quite easily go out on tour as the UK’s premier Dr. Feelgood tribute act. The only thing missing is Johnson (the actor) doesn’t attempt Wilko’s uniquely wired skittering across the stage, moves and poses which is a bit of a shame. The script skips the fact that Dr. Feelgood were absolutely huge at one point, with a number one live album “Stupidity” in the charts and were a big influence on Punk Rock, both with New York’s CBGB’s crowd and on Joe Srummer, John Lydon and the early London Punk explosion. But I guess these are minor quibbles after all. The play does cover the somewhat unusual circumstances around the band’s break-up – of course there are the usual tensions between band mates constantly on tour, pretty normal for many a band and there's the frustration over Wilko’s diminishing songwriting prowess and the others lack of contributions. However, they do gloss over the differing drug and booze habits that did cause a divide between Wilko, who favoured speed and the solitude of his own room and the heavy drinking, hard partying of the others. But it’s a song called “Paradise” about Wilko’s somewhat blasé attitude to monogamy that finally causes an irreparable divide between Lee and Wilko who considers it his masterpiece. Despite his love for Irene, he professes his affection for another woman in the song’s lyrics and the band take exception to the morally dubious sentiments. Wilko leaves the band and the once tight frontman and his trusty guitar wielding sidekick were never to be reconciled. There are some touching scenes in the play where Wilko is visited by the ghost of Brilleaux, who very sadly died of cancer in 1994, and the pair reminisce on their times together and the chemistry they had. “You love the Stones but there’s a reason you don’t own any Mick Jagger or Keith Richards solo albums, it’s because they are shit, they need each other” Brilleaux tells Wilko, before twisting the knife a bit reminding him that they actually scored their biggest chart hit with “Milk and Alcohol”.  After Wilko had left Dr. Feelgood he formed Solid Senders and then also joins Ian Dury & The Blockheads but is hampered by his own perceived lack of musicality among the virtuosity of the rest of the line-up. He then forms the Wilko Johnson Band with drummer Dylan Howe and the Blockhead’s legendary bassist Norman Watt-Roy, who has actually appeared in the play on occasion. 

Down by the jetty, Canvey Island - Photo Retro Man Blog

Wilko’s beloved Irene (played by the excellent Georgina Fairbanks) passes away with cancer and this terrible disease is of course going to play a big role in the next part of the story. Before we get to that, I must mention that the play also touches on Wilko’s early career as a rebellious teacher, his love of Astronomy and English literature and his tendency to pepper his speech with quotes from Shakespeare and the poets. There’s also his appearance in Game of Thrones where he plays the mute executioner Sir Ilyn Payne, lucky for him as he didn’t have to learn any lines, just look mean. In 2013 Wilko is diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer and given less than a year to live. He decides against chemotherapy, claiming that he feels alive and ready to enjoy what time he has left including a final farewell tour of the UK and a trip to his beloved Japan. Then another unexpected twist occurred when a photographer, who happened to be a doctor, was astounded that he was still careering around the stage when in reality he should have been at death’s door. The photographer referred him to a colleague for a second opinion and it turned out Wilko had been misdiagnosed and there was a chance that the supposedly inoperable tumour could be removed. The doctor warns Wilko of the dangers of the operation and that it would be a lengthy procedure, “I’m going to need a lunch break” he quips. Wilko agrees, the operation is a success and a 3kg tumour ‘the size of a watermelon’ is removed, meaning that he has to now come to terms with the fact that he will not be dying anytime in the near future after all. I was promoting a Retro Man Blog night at Wilko’s local The Railway in Southend-on-Sea in December 2013 with TV Smith from the Adverts and supporting were Eight Rounds Rapid who included Wilko’s son Simon on guitar. Wilko turned up and of course was mobbed by well-wishers all desperate to chat and with his usual self-effacing humour he claimed that the cancer diagnosis was a good career move, and he was now playing bigger venues than he had in years. It was this inspirational attitude that won him even more admirers and I’m sure that “Wilko: Love and Death and Rock ‘n’ Roll” will hopefully encourage many more people to check out the music of Dr. Feelgood and the remarkable story of Wilko Johnson, a truly inspirational musical icon.

Wilko and son Simon (Eight Rounds Rapid), Retro Man Blog Night, The Railway Southend, 2013 by Paul Hughes

You can see our Canvey Island location report, including photos of Dr. Feelgood on the Naughty Rhythms Tour in 1975 by photographer Paul Slattery, in our Retro Man Blog archive feature here. Thanks to Paul Slattery, Paul Hughes and Buddy Ascott. Photos of the play by Retro Man Blog. To book tickets for the Leicester Square Theatre in July please check out the box-office link here and for more information please visit the official Facebook page here.

Mick Jones Rock & Roll Public Library - Exhibition of The Clash & Big Audio Dynamite Legend's Memorabilia

It was great to visit the Rock & Roll Public Library which is just part of Mick Jones' collection of memorabilia and 20th century pop culture now on display courtesy of former Subway Sect and JoBoxers drummer Sean McLusky and his team at the excellent Farsight Gallery. We'd been to the two previous Rock & Roll Public Library exhibitions at the Chelsea Space and Subway Gallery and it's always a huge pleasure to marvel at the hundreds of nostalgic and evocative items on display that include books, comics, fanzines, games, posters, clothes, electrical equipment along with tons of music, movie and football memorabilia. Of course there are many items that will be familiar to fans of The Clash and Big Audio Dynamite including handwritten lyrics, posters, guitar cases, T-shirts and clothing, record covers and even a ticket and poster from The Clash's very first London show. Here's a walk-through of the exhibition...

 

The exhibition is being held at the Farsight Gallery at 4 Flitcroft Street WC2H 8DJ (just off London's legendary Denmark Street) and has just been extended to March 22nd due to popular demand. Don't be surprised if you bump into some famous faces if you visit, Bobby Gillespie, Ian Brown, Clare Grogan, Phil Jupitus, Glen Matlock, Neal X and Steve Diggle are just some of the celebrities to have popped in. There's a fantastic magazine/programme to go with the exhibition too and issue 1 is available to buy at the gallery or via mail-order after the closing date. The magazine is beautifully produced on high-quality paper with some stunning photographs by one of Retro Man Blog's favourite photographers Jeff Pitcher, and there are plans to publish more issues which will hopefully be available at Rough Trade Records and other outlets in the future. Here's a few words from the organisers.

"The Rock & Roll Public Library (RRPL) is a large, material archive of 20th century pop culture, collected over a lifetime by British musician and songwriter Mick Jones. An archive encompassing many varied items, including books, comics, magazines, musical equipment, literature, art, clothing, ephemera, as well as music and film in every format, revealing a wide network of influences. The most comprehensive and in-depth exhibition of the RRPL to date, showcasing previously unseen material and artefacts and featuring new installations created from the unique collection and personal items from Mick’s life and times as an art student, to The Clash and Big Audio Dynamite. The show celebrates the physical pop culture history of the 20th century and beyond - the aim being to inspire others to create, make connections and remember. Visitors are invited to interact with the exhibition: relax in the recreation of a living room and use items from the archive including Mick’s home recorded VHS tapes, books, comics and newspapers from another time; browse through and listen to a selection of his record collection in the recreation of a 1970’s listening booth; or visit the RRPL Kiosk to shop for new merch. The exhibition marks the launch of Issue #1 of the RRPL Magazine. A portable exhibition in itself, it invites the reader to find their own connections and inspirations from the Library’s wide-ranging artefacts. Edited by the RRPL team and featuring three different covers, the first issue focuses on DIY culture - from punk rock fanzines to fashion, art school to dole queues, four-track home cassette demos to high-tech studios - a ragged map to aid further exploration and, hopefully, to inspire yet more creation. The exhibition and magazine are made up entirely of items sourced from the Rock & Roll Public Library that have been selected by Mick Jones & The RRPL Team."

"The magazine to me is like a record, with each article a separate track and it tells a story - my story and by extension through our shared culture, all of our stories. I hope that anyone who reads it will enjoy it." - Mick Jones

 

 

The Rock & Roll Public Library exhibition has been extended due to popular demand. The show is open every day including weekends from 12 noon-7pm. Now ending at 7pm on 22nd March 2025, it's free to enter and no pre-booking required. Farsight Gallery, 4 Flitcroft Street, London WC2H 8DJ

 

 

 

Check out the RRPL site here for further details. You can also see our features on the previous exhibitions at Chelsea Space here and Subway Gallery here.