Under the Westway: 1979 Portobello Punks

Emerging from the squats, free gigs and improvised studios of late-70’s Portobello Road, F*ck Off Records operated at the volatile intersection of hippie idealism and punk DIY. Active between 1979 and 1982, the label released copied-to-order cassettes alongside a small number of vinyl EPs and LPs with music by Alternative TV, The 012, Danny & The Dressmakers, Here & Now, The Instant Automatons, The Androids Of Mu and their many collaborators.

Founded by Kif Kif Le Batteur and Jonathan Barnett in a period when Portobello was dense with creative possibility: vacant houses, squatted venues, free festivals and heaps of talent.

We join Jonathan Barnett to trace the roots of the label through the influences of Sniffin’ Glue and Mark Perry to Here & Now’s free-music ethos and open minded approach to supporting others. Central to the label’s emergence was Street Level Studios, a low-cost recording space that allowed bands to record without compromise, and the cassette as a format that made duplication, circulation and autonomy possible.

Hosted by Martin Franklin.
Theme music “This Is Concrete” by The Happy Citizen

KIF KIF
We would like to dedicate this episode to the memory of Keith Dobson aka Kif Kif Le Batteur, who passed away in July 2025. His influence runs through the whole scene that we document in Cassette Culture, and joins many dots in my own life. We are proud to be able to tell at least a small part of his story and so sorry that we just missed him.

(https://www.eatsdrinksandleaves.com/rip-keith-dobson-1956-2025/)

DISCOVER THE VIDEO
You can find videos of cassette tapes, artefacts and unboxings from the cassette underground on our YouTube channel: youtube.com/@CassetteCulturePodcast

LINKS
Portobello Film Festival (https://www.portobellofilmfestival.com/)

“Floating Anarchy” Here & Now documentary (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsg8cMdYtuM)

Good article on the late-70’s Punk/DIY scene by Bob Stanley:
Birth Of The Uncool (https://www.theguardian.com/music/2006/mar/31/popandrock1)

IN THIS EPISODE

VOICES
Martin Franklin
Jonathan Barnett
Keith Dobson, aka Kif Kif Le Batteur
Mark Automaton

MUSIC

“The Ballad of F*ck Off Records” The 012, Weird Noise EP (F*ck Off Records 1980)

“Allez Alibaba” Planet Gong, Floating Anarchy 1977 (Charly Records 1978)

“Terrified of Dogs” Alternative TV, Back To Sing For Free Again Soon compilation (F*ck Off Records 1979)

“Pretty Nun” Androids of Mu, F*ck Off Demo Tape (F*ck Off Records 1979)

“Too Big” The Instant Automatons

“Drop Dead” / “Don’t Make Another Bass Guitar, Mr Rickenbacker” Danny and the Dressmakers, Back To Sing For Free Again Soon compilation (F*ck Off Records 1979)

“Total Disregard for Greenwich Theatre” ATV/The Good Missionaries, Scars On Sunday (F*ck Off Records 1980)

Fish From Tahiti — The 012, Weird Sampler (F*ck Off Records 1981)

Asbestos Lead Asbestos — World Domination Enterprises, Let’s Play Domination (Product Inc 1984)

Many thanks to Jonny Zhivago and the invaluable resource for underground music that is Die Or DIY (https://dieordiy2.blogspot.com/)

FIND US
https://cassetteculturepodcast.com

SUPPORTERS
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Cassette Culture is produced by Martin Franklin for East Coast Studio (https://eastcoaststudio.com.au)

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