WIRED UP! ISSUE #28 - FROM RICH KIDS TO BLITZ KIDS

 

The first issue of WIRED UP! appeared in the spring of 2017 with the intention of covering '' Glam Rock, Junkshop Glam, Boot Boy Rock, Hard R&B and whatever exists in-between ''. The fanzine is colour printed on glossy A5 paper and DIVES DEEP into it's subject matter with meticulously researched articles, insightful reviews and rare photos. Issue 28 focuses on the closing years of the 70's, a time when former BOWIE BOYS and ROXY GIRLS passed through THE PUNK SCENE and created new musical forms, clothing outlets and club nights that would later be characterised as the NEW ROMANTIC SUBCULTURE

THE RICH KIDS were a band instigated by the former SEX PISTOLS bassist GLEN MATLOCK and the gifted young guitarist STEVE NEW { who was turned down by the Pistols when he refused to have his hair cut! }. Vocalist MIDGE URE was formally with GLAM POP hitmakers SLICK and the precocious RUSTY EGAN secured a place on the drum stool. '' RICH KIDS - Guys Too Much For You '' is a six page article that details their woefully short tenure and includes a track by track examination of their stunning MICK RONSON produced LP '' GHOSTS OF PRINCES IN TOWERS ''

The 8 page feature: '' 1978 - The Cult With No Name '' centers on the origins of a legendary club night instigated by former RICH KIDS drummer RUSTY EGAN and ' face about town '  STEVE STRANGE. The club grew out of a '' BOWIE THEMED NIGHT '' at a tiny basement club in Soho. The flamboyantly dressed STRANGE stood the door and EGAN'S selection of primarily ELECTRONIC BASED DANCE MUSIC created a distinctive ambience. The night would move onto the slightly more salubrious BLITZ CLUB the following year and it subsequently took off in a big way. The club runners collaborated with another RICH KID: MIDGE URE to form VISAGE and after a false start with the independently released '' TAR '', enjoyed a EUROPEAN WIDE HIT with the momentous '' FADE TO GREY ''

 

The four page feature '' GLAM ROCK TELEVISION '' will be of great interest to 70's nostalgia lovers who simultaneously have a taste for the the arcane. It looks at two televised plays and a strange murder-mystery drama / panel show. Each of them feature POP MUSIC AS A CENTRAL THEME and there's some familiar faces on show. You'll have a gist of the style of these programs if you've already encountered the 1976 BBC ' Play For Today '  JUMPING BEAN BAG . Wonderful stuff! The POST PUNK / POST GLAM theme continues with PHIL STRONGMAN discussing his ACME BOY memoir. There's two short interviews with authors of recent GLAM RELATED band biographies. One with STEVE WRIGHT who wrote '' The Ultimate Guide '' to JUNKSHOP GLAM heroes JOOK and another with PETER CHECKSFIELD on '' HEY ROCK AND ROLL '' which examines the 70's ROCK REVIVAL hitmakers SHOWADDYWADDY. The issue is rounded off with the usual magazine, record and book reviews 

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LIGHTS OUT OVER LONDON

                           '' Lights out over London, lights out over London,

                             Now we've really got a crisis, have you seen the petrol prices? 

                             Peddle bikes are back again, but there's no oil to grease the chain

                             On the last transmission, they spoke these words of wisdom:

                             Take your time and you'll be fine, so take it easy! ''

                                                      

South East Londoner's LITTLE BO BITCH arrived at the height of the PUNK era. They played at the infamous ROXY CLUB in OCTOBER 1977 and gigged around the capital the following year. They signed to EMI subsidiary COBRA RECORDS in '79 and continued to play regularly at venues like THE MARQUEE, NASHVILLE, MUSIC MACHINE and even put in a ' first on the bill ' appearance at the REDDING FESTIVAL in AUGUST. The bands musicianship was strong and they had a charismatic GARRY HALTON like front man in the form of TONY WILSON. Their debut '45 '' It's Only Love '' dropped in SEPTEMBER and the year was finished off with a full UK TOUR to promote their DEBUT LP

                                               Cobra Records ad's for the Debut '45 and LP

The ANDY ARTHURS produced LP contained a dozen original, melodic and powerful numbers, all geared towards the prevailing NEW WAVE market. The LP's opener: '' TAKE IT EASY { LIGHTS OUT OVER LONDON } '' was released as as single in FEBURARY 1980. It's an arresting period piece , with lyrics informed by recent INDUSTRIAL UNREST and the 1979 OIL CRISIS. Curiously, the record garnered scant attention and subsequently COBRA RECORDS ran out of money and folded. The band immediately split and guitarist STEVE CARROLL joined the ' NEW WAVE OF BRITISH HEAVY METAL ' act PRYING MANTIS. Footage on YouTube indicates the band regrouped in some form a few years later, but sadly, no further records appeared

The 60's POP STARS WHO WENT GLAM

The flamboyant GLAM ROCK explosion of the early 70's was largely instigated by performers who'd previously been involved in the 60's BRITISH POP BOOM. MARC BOLAN and DAVID BOWIE both achieved a degree of recognition with PSYCHEDELICIZED FOLK-POP numbers towards the end of the decade and SLADE, SWEET, MUD and GARY GLITTER had collectively produced a catalogue of under achieving 45's during the same period. As the trend grew, a number of previously successful artists were looking to join the party in order to reignite their flagging careers

The latest post from the excellent YESTERDAY'S PAPERS YouTube channel examines ' THE 60's STARS WHO JUMPED ON THE 70's GLAM ROCK BANDWAGON ' It's a great 25 min round-up that highlights a number of JUNKSHOP GREATS and reveals a clear winner in the form of a ROY WOOD, who achieved more success as part of THE GLAM SCENE than he had done as a member of THE MOVE during the late 60's