X-Ray Spex Review, Punk Rock News and Album Reviews

Welcome back to Banned Biographies, I'm back to cover some of the reaction to the Teenage Kicks: The Story of The Undertones episode, give some shout-outs and to let you know that the next episode will be a very different affair. Instead of a documentary episode I've conducted my first interview for the show. You may remember during the Love Bites: The Story of Buzzcocks episode that I mentioned the Pete Shelley Memorial Campaign. They recently unveiled a blue plaque at Pete Shelley's childhood home in the first of many initiatives to memorialise him. It will be out on Friday, 25th December 2020 as a present to all of you who have listened over the last eight months, or even if you've just started listening, but it's especially for those who may be spending the season alone because of lockdowns or protecting their family members. 2020 has been a bit crap, here's to a better 2021. As a present to me, why not tell your friends to subscribe and listen. Also, don't forget to leave a rating and review, it only takes a few seconds and really makes a difference. But most of all; enjoy! Contact Twitter: @BannedBiogs Facebook: @BannedBiographies Instagram: @bannedbiographies E-mail: bannedbiographies@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

21 Des 202010min

It all started on a two-week camping trip in County Donegal, Northern Ireland in August 1974. Friends Michael Bradley, Billy Doherty and brothers Vince and John O’Neill decided they wanted to start a band. The group had existed as an idea for about six months in the minds of John, Vince and Billy. For a while, the unnamed group hade no instruments with which to practice, so there were no songs either. But it didn't stop them discussing the future of the band, who would play what instrument, and what kind of songs they were going to make.  There was one more obvious problem that needed to be overcome: They didn't have a singer. Doherty invited local Irish Dancing legend and choir boy, Feargal Sharkey to join as singer and soon The Undertones were born, playing scout halls, school halls and social clubs before their big break. This unlikely group of lads from Derry, a town which was in the midst of getting over the Bloody Sunday shootings of 1972, made a point of rebelling against the fervent political and sectarian turmoil of their surroundings by making some of the most innocent, pop-influenced music of all the 1970s punk bands, a couple of which have stood the test of time and feature on compilations to this day. Teenage dreams really are hard to beat. Contact: Twitter: @BannedBiogs Facebook: @BannedBiographies Instagram: @bannedbiographies E-mail: bannedbiographies@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

28 Nov 20202h

Welcome back to Banned Biographies, I'm back to cover some of the reaction to London Calling: The History of The Clash episode, give some shout outs, announce the winners of the Joe Strummer badge giveaway with Pin Icons and to let you know that the next episode will be about Northern Ireland's originators of pop punk, The Undertones! I seem to have lost a week somewhere this month, hence this episode coming out on Thursday rather than Monday. I have a fair amount of editing to do on The Undertones episode, but not a staggering amount, so I'm hoping that I may even get it out on time on the 27th November, but if not I'm confident it won't be more than a week late. In the meantime, why not go and leave a rating and review on iTunes, call it an early Christmas present from you to me! Enjoy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

26 Nov 20209min

The Clash are so much more than simply a punk band, they infused elements of reggae, dub and later R&B and rap which marked them out as unique in a sea of Sex Pistols soundalikes that were springing up in Britain in the late 1970s. They were also the most genuinely political bands of the original wave of UK punk. While the Sex Pistols’ debut gig at Manchester’s Lesser Free Trade Hall has been acknowledged as the starting point of that city’s punk and new wave scene, The Clash’s first gig at Eric’s, supported by The Specials on the 5th May 1977, was a similar watershed moment for Liverpool. The gig was witnessed by people who would later form Big In Japan, The Teardrop Explodes, Wah!, Dead or Alive, The KLF, Frankie Goes To Hollywood fame and Echo & The Bunnymen. The Clash's influence can still be heard in American political punk bands such as Rancid, Anti-Flag, Bad Religion, NOFX, Green Day, and Rise Against! as well as in the political hard rock of early Manic Street Preachers. Outside of rock music, Chuck D has credited the Clash as an inspiration for Public Enemy, in particular for the way their use of socially and politically conscious lyrics gained attention from the music press. Join me on the deepest of dives Banned Biographies has taken so far into the lives and careers of the members of probably THE greatest UK punk band ever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

29 Okt 20204h 5min

So, there wasn't a main episode last month, but that doesn't mean I wasn't busy. In this short preview episode I tell you a little about what's gone on this month including getting on two UK radio stations, figuring out that there have been more iTunes reviews than I realised, and the chance for three lucky listeners to win a limited edition Joe Strummer enamel pin badge from Pin Icons (@PinIcons on twitter). The Clash episode will be out on Friday, 30th October 2020 and is the longest episode yet. Make sure you check the social media channels and that you're subscribed to the podcast on the podcast platform of your choice so you get the episode as soon as it drops. In fact, why not tell your friends to do the same, and don't forget to leave a rating and review, it only takes a few seconds and really makes a difference. But most of all; enjoy! Contact Twitter: @BannedBiogs Facebook: @BannedBiographies Instagram: @bannedbiographies E-mail: bannedbiographies@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

25 Okt 202011min

Welcome back to Banned Biographies, I'm back to cover some of the reaction to the Love Bites: The Story of Buzzcocks episode, give some shout-outs and to let you know that the next episode will be about my favourite of all the original UK punk bands, The Clash! It should be out on Friday, 25th September 2020. But, i's easily going to be the longest episode to date and I'm not far into the editing. It could happen, but as ever, make sure you check the social media channels and that you're subscribed to the podcast on the podcast platform of your choice so you get the episode as soon as it drops. In fact, why not tell your friends to do the same, and don't forget to leave a rating and review, it only takes a few seconds and really makes a difference. But most of all; enjoy! Contact Twitter: @BannedBiogs Facebook: @BannedBiographies Instagram: @bannedbiographies E-mail: bannedbiographies@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

21 Sep 202015min

One day in 1975 Howard Trafford placed a notice on the Bolton Institute of Technology's noticeboard saying he was looking for musicians that shared a liking for The Velvet Underground song "Sister Ray". Peter McNeish, a fellow student at the Institute, responded to the notice. The pair travelled to London to see the Sex Pistols play and were so impressed and excited by what they'd seen they invited the Pistols to play in Manchester at the Lesser Free Trade Hall, a gig that has gone down in history as the birth of punk, new wave and independent music that remains a large part of Manchester's musical identity to this day. McNeish became Pete Shelley and Trafford became Howard Devoto, the pair formed the Buzzcocks and produced the UK's first independently recorded and distributed records, the Spiral Scratch E.P. Devoto then quit to form Magazine leaving Shelley to continue on his own bringing his idiosyncratic views on love to the punk song, fusing pop and punk in a genre that continues to thrive to this day. The story of Buzzcocks is one of sudden ups and downs, join me on this rollercoaster ride that doesn't look like it's going to stop any time soon! Contact: Twitter: @BannedBiogs Facebook: @BannedBiographies Instagram: @bannedbiographies E-mail: bannedbiographies@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

31 Aug 20202h 16min

Welcome back to Banned Biographies, I'm back again cover some of the reaction to The Scream: The Spellbinding Siouxsie and the Banshees episode, give some shout-outs and to let you know that the next episode will be about the first non-London band; Buzzcocks!   I can't wait for you to hear it and, as it stands right now, it'll be out on Friday, 28th August 2020. But, life is slowly returning to normal so be sure to keep your eyes glued to the social channels just in case I need to push it back a few days. Make sure you're subscribed to the podcast on the podcast platform of your choice so you get the episode as soon as it drops. In fact, why not tell your friends to do the same, and don't forget to leave a rating and review, it only takes a few seconds and really makes a difference. But most of all; enjoy!   Contact Twitter: @BannedBiogs Facebook: @BannedBiographies Instagram: @bannedbiographies E-mail: bannedbiographies@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

24 Aug 202010min