Today 25 February , we mark the sad passing of Talk Talk front man Mark Hollis (25/02/19). One of the most acclaimed innovators of the eighties synth-pop and new wave scene, he rose to prominence with Talk Talk and steered the band until they disbanded in 1992.

They began life as a quartet, consisting of Mark Hollis-vocals/main songwriter, Lee Harris-drums, Paul Webb-bass guitar and keyboardist-Simon Brenner. Comparisons with Duran Duran were quickly shaken off, with a band name consisting of a repeated word, the two shared a glam rock and Roxy Music-inspired musical direction. They also shared the same producer in Colin Thurston although Talk Talk supported Duran Duran on tour in late 1981.

Their first single release-'Mirror Man', hit the streets in February 1982. The single bombed but was quickly followed by their self-titled single in April 1982 which reached No.52 in the UK. After the green shoots appeared the band released their debut album-The Party's Over released in July 1982.

The band had their first UK Top 40 hits with the singles 'Today' (No. 14) and the re-release of 'Talk Talk' (No. 23). These singles also were hits in other countries including Ireland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. The re-release of the 'Talk Talk' single reached the U.S. Top 75.

‘The Party's Over was a moderate success in the UK reaching No.21, though reaching top-ten in the UK. Though it was Its My Life in 1984, both the album and same-titled single which broke Talk Talk into the stratosphere of the mainstream.

The genesis of the band continued through lineup changes until 1991, through an experimental phase and the album dark and claustrophobic-Laughing Stock, Talk Talk disbanded, Hollis stated that he wished to focus more on his family.

He did however come back with a self-titled solo album in 1998, though well received Hollis more or less retired fully from music shortly after.

[Kevin Burke 25/02/19]

Today, it’s 46 years ago (23 February 1978) that renowned BBC DJ John Peel broadcast the second John Peel session recorded by Siouxsie & The Banshees on 6th February at the BBC studios in Maida Vale.

At the time of broadcast all songs where previously unreleased. In fact, their very first release, the 7” Hong Kong Garden, was only released on 18th August that same year.

In 1989 these studio recordings were released by the Strange Fruit label.

The John Peel Sessions (The Second Session)

Tracklist:
Hong Kong Garden
Overground
Carcass
Helter Skelter

Discogs

International EBM Day celebrates Electronic Body Music!

On February 24, Body Beats productions and De Casino will celebrate once again the fantastic genre of Electronic Body Music and the musical influence of for instance Front 242, Belgium's best known EBM export product!

This year they'll have 5 live band on stage while resident DJ Borg will play the obligated EBM records on the afterparty!

CAT RAPES DOG (DK/SE)

Fast, hard and furious! These Scandinavian pioneers of electropunk return to the city of Sint-Niklaas after no less than 37 years! Their previous, first and only visit to St-Niklaas took place in the late, but renowned Cadillac Club. In 2024 the band is back, alive and kicking which they proved successfully at festivals like Wave-Gotik-Treffen (Leipzig) and Amphi (Cologne).

SPIKE HELLIS (USA) from Los Angeles is coming to Belgium for the first time! The electronic duo with their typical American Wax Trax sound, previously toured with ADULT., Kontravoid, Choir Boy, Soft Kill, Portrayal of Guilt, Plack Blague, Pixel Grip and Twin Tribes. The combo played at renowned festivals such as Cold Waves, Substance, Sanctum, Sound and Fury and Vampire's Ball. Expect a harsh musical gospel of disappointment in life and sarcasm!

MILDREDA (B) is one of the projects with which the musical jack-of-all-trades Jan Dewulf has been expressing himself since the 1990s. With a brand new album 'Blue-Devilled', the successor to the brilliant and well-received 'I was Never Really There' (2021), Mildreda's thundering freight train is firmly back on track.

HUMAN STEEL (D) consists of two seasoned musicians, from Poland and Germany respectively, who serve us a creative cocktail of electronic music powered by acoustic drums and their international friendship. The sound is powerful, mechanical yet lively and, above all, extremely danceable. The songs are intense and often surprise with interesting breaks and tempo changes. The texts are largely written in English, but also in German and Polish.

ZYNIK 14 (B) is "Old School EBM" made in the Belgian East Cantons! Zynik 14 is formed by brothers Frederic and Lancelot. These gentlemen have released 4 studio albums since their inception and also on stage they do not hide their passion for electronic music.

More info & tickets:
www.bodybeats.be

www.bodybeats.be/en/international-ebm-day-2024

The severed alliance of Johnny Marr and Morrissey which exists today seemed a million miles away from the creative force that once was, 40 years ago.
On the 20th of February 1984,-35 years ago today, The Smiths self-titled debut album hit the streets. The legend was quickly born and fully impacted as the album debuted on the UK charts at number two. It was at this moment that The Smiths heralded their arrival onto the international music scene. From this point and over the next four-years they would become the dominant force on the indie and alternative music scene.

Preceded in January by the teaser single-‘What Difference Does It Make?’, supposedly Morrissey’s least favourite single, the song did however build the momentum for what was to come, hitting a high of number-twelve in the charts. The previous singles, one included here, ‘Hand In Glove’, had failed to make an impression on the charts, although the beautiful single which sparkled of Marr’s fully recognized guitar orchestra, did however catch the eye of the critics and media, they had already tipped something big from this band, thankfully they were right.

The second single ‘This Charming Man’ faired better but only broke the top-30. Such a staple of Smiths songs failed to break the top-twenty seems strange now but the public had not fully caught on. Though not originally on the album, ‘This Charming Man’ however did appear on U.S versions of the album distributed by Sire Records.

The Smiths could very well be the most significant release of the eighties. Setting a tone for the rise of other such bands at the close of the decade, unsurprisingly from the same area of Manchester-The Stone Roses, The Happy Monday’s and what came to prominence in the nineties Brit-Pop era owe a debt of gratitude to not only The Smiths as a band, but the foundations they laid in a short four-years.

The Smiths (Original 1984-Rough Trade Track List):

Side A

1. "Reel Around the Fountain" 5:58
2. "You've Got Everything Now" 3:59
3. "Miserable Lie" 4:29
4. "Pretty Girls Make Graves" 3:44
5. "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" (quotation from "Sonny Boy" by Ray Henderson, Lew Brown and Al Jolson) 4:38

Side B

6. "Still Ill" 3:23
7. "Hand in Glove" 3:25
8. "What Difference Does It Make?" 3:51
9. "I Don't Owe You Anything" 4:05
10. "Suffer Little Children" 5:28

DISCOGS

[Kevin Burke - Feb 2019]

Negative Gain Productions recording artists, BESTIAL MOUTHS recently unveiled their new full-length release, BACKBONE.

The companion piece to their latest LP, R.O.T.T.(inmyskin), BACKBONE. finds these searing darkwave-industrial condemnations reworked into synth pop ballads and peak-hour technoir dancefloor destroyers.

Deeply personal songs of trauma and perseverance are ripped to shreds, re-stitched into lurching sonic monstrosities or big room bangers haunted by the memories of what they once were.

BACKBONE. features reworks from R.O.T.T. by Broken English Club, Actors, Rebeka Warrior, Curses, XTR Human, Modern Men, Lana Del Rabies, IV Horsemen, Crune, Orphx, GenCAB, Trace Amount, Carrellee, Daniel Myer, Maduro, Snowbeasts and Bedless Bones.

BACKBONE. is available now on all major digital platforms including Spotify and Bandcamp.

* Photo by Elemental Eyes Photography

open.spotify.com/artist/0vHo9GceFuSSJjSbF49Uzt