Some FEATURED ARTISTS on this week’s Stronger Than Dirt (Saturday,
February 5, 8-10pm) include Tomorrow, Deviants, Shoes, Oingo Boingo, Girls at
Our Best, Three Johns, Passage, Algebra Suicide, Hollows, Ausmuteants, lots of
new music, as well as the weekly Dusty Diamond.
PICTURE SLEEVE OF THE WEEK: The Deviants were an underground rock
band from London, and were founded by journalist and singer Mick Farren.
Active mainly in the late 60s, Farren frequently reprised the band (with varying
backing musicians) in later years. Their debut album “Ptooff!” was released in
1968 on the Underground Impresarios label, and has been reissued several
times (as recently as 2018) on different labels. Its sleeve was a 3-fold 2-sided fly-
out color poster featuring the work of London artist Kipps (real name Peter
Broxton) along with liner notes by John Peel. This copy is a 1983 reissue on
Psycho Records. Click on image to enlarge.
LAST WEEK’S DUSTY DIAMOND (a forgotten gem from the STD vaults):
Firestarter were a Japanese neo power pop band that included Fifi, Sammy and
Fink of 90s garage punk titans Teengenerate. They were active mainly in the
early 00s, releasing two albums and a few singles. “Bop All Away” is an energetic
rocker with ample guitar riffing (the power) and pleasing melody (the pop). It
appeared in 2000 on their self-titled first album on Mangrove Records. Listen to it
Promo art from the Shoes’ 1979 “Present Tense” album on Elektra Records. Art
direction by Ron Coro, and photo by Elliot Gilbert.