Some FEATURED ARTISTS on this week’s Stronger Than Dirt (Saturday, April 23, 8-10pm) include the Saints (RIP Chris Bailey), Wayne Fontana, Nina Hagen Band, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Unclaimed, Les Calamités, Vaticans, Peach Kelli Pop, lots of new music as well as the weekly Dusty Diamond.
PIC SLEEVE OF THE WEEK: Melody, hailing from Amsterdam, had but two singles to their credit, both in 1977, and both on the Dutch label Negram. Looking at the cover of the “Steppin’ Stone” single, you might think, oh, these guy probably play power pop, or something similar. Well, you would be wrong. The music is an odd mix of skiffle blues with slide guitar and a touch of glam. Somehow it works. The cover art and photography is uncredited, but we do know that their clothing was provided by Club de France. Also, it was sponsored by Himalaya Oriental Beauty Products, and the sleeves were drenched in their Strawberry Perfume. Sadly, my copy no longer retains the scent.
LAST WEEK’S DUSTY DIAMOND (a forgotten gem from the STD vaults): The Kent 3, a garage punk band from Bellingham, Washington, were active from the early 90s until the early 00s. They released several singles and albums in that time. The high energy “Estrogen Cruiser” is an absolute fuzz burner with a gritty guitar break that avoids wankery. This… song… smokes. It appeared in 1993 on the “Coin of the Realm” EP on Empty Records. Listen to it here:
Promo art from the 1980 Nina Hagen Band s/t 10″ EP on Columbia records. Photo by Alain Bizos.