“Is Vic There?” Department S

This way: Is Vic There?

Department S are a British punk/new wave band formed in 1980, who took their name from the 1960s TV series Department S. They are best known for their debut single, "Is Vic There?", which was originally released in December 1980 and reached No. 22 on the UK Singles Chart the following year.

Department S evolved from a previous punk/ska combo, Guns for Hire, fronted by Vaughn Toulouse and also featuring former Madness drummer John Hasler. Mike Herbage joined them on guitar and wrote Guns for Hire's only single, "I'm Gonna Rough My Girlfriend's Boyfriend Up Tonight", released on the Korova record label. The group then became Department S with the addition of bassist Tony Lordan, drummer Stuart Mizon and keyboardist Eddie Roxy (born Anthony Edward Lloyd-Barnes), taking their name from the British spy-fi adventure television series Department S, produced by ITC Entertainment.

They debuted at the Rock Garden in London on 24 September 1980. Demon Records released their debut single, "Is Vic There?", in December 1980.[3] It was produced by former Mott the Hoople members Buffin and Overend Watts. The B-side, a cover version of T.Rex's "Solid Gold Easy Action", featured Thunderthighs on backing vocals.

"Is Vic There?" began to climb the UK Singles Chart, reaching No. 22. The single's initial success led to the better-equipped RCA Records reissuing the single in March 1981. This edition, featuring a remix by David Tickle, reached No. 67 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart, and the band appeared on Top of the Pops. Department S defied easy categorisation, but recorded a session for John Peel on 3 December 1980. The tracks featured were "Is Vic There?", "Age Concern", "Ode to Cologne (Stench of War)" and "Clap Now".

[Spotify] Is Vic There? 

“Okay” Girl and Girl

This way: Okay

Girl and Girl are a four-piece Australian rock band from Brisbane. They were formed in the Gold Coast by Kai James on lead vocals, Jayden Williams on lead guitar and Aunt Liss (Melissa James) on drums. Fraser Bell later joined on bass guitar. Girl and Girl were signed by Sub Pop in 2023, and their debut album was released on May 24, 2024.

Vocalist Kai James and guitarist Jayden Williams began cramming for their upcoming music exam in James' mother's garage. One day, James' Aunt Liss (Melissa James) joined them on drums after walking her dog. Girl and Girl were formed in Gold Coast, in 2020, by James, Williams, Liss and Jayden's brother Coby Williams on bass guitar. The quartet's early singles were "Shame Its not Now" and "White Tiles" (April 2021). Their first extended play, A Typical Friday Night (Shame, Sex And Misery), was released in September alongside a 10" released by Colossus Records, together with a music video for its single, "Doctor Marten". Initially intended as a temporary arrangement, Aunt Liss became a permanent member of the band.

Their second EP is the six-track Divorce, which was issued independently in September 2022.[6] Coby co-wrote "Dance Now" with James but had left the band before the EP was released.[6] He was replaced by Fraser Bell on bass guitar. In 2023 the band were signed by Sub Pop and released the single "All I See", and re-released "Dance Now".[8] Their second EP was re-released in June, which was extended to eight tracks, as Divorce+. On 24 May 2024 Girl and Girl released their debut album, Call a Doctor.[9] In February 2024 they issued its lead single, "Hello".

[Spotify] Okay 

“Warm Leatherette” Grace Jones

This way: Warm Leatherette

Grace Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a Jamaican singer, songwriter, model and actress. She began her modelling career in New York, signing with Wilhelmina Models. After moving to Paris, she worked for fashion houses such as Yves St. Laurent and Kenzo, while appearing on the covers of Elle and Vogue Hommes. Jones was photographed by Helmut Newton, Guy Bourdin, and Hans Feurer, and emerged as one of the most prominent Black models of the 1970s. She earned recognition for her androgynous appearance and bold features, and has been cited as influential in early discussions of gender expression.

Beginning in 1977, Jones embarked on a music career, securing a record deal with Island Records and becoming associated with New York City's Studio 54-centered disco scene. During this time, she was often referred to in the media as "Disco Queen", with Jet dubbing her "the greatest of them all" in 1979. In the early 1980s, she moved toward a new wave style that drew on reggae, funk, post-punk, and pop music, frequently collaborating with both the graphic designer Jean-Paul Goude and the musical duo Sly & Robbie.

She scored Top 40 entries on the UK Singles Chart with "Private Life", "Pull Up to the Bumper", "Love Is the Drug", and "Slave to the Rhythm". In 1982, she released the music video collection A One Man Show, directed by Goude, which earned a nomination for Best Video Album at the 26th Annual Grammy Awards. Her albums include Warm Leatherette (1980), Nightclubbing (1981), and Slave to the Rhythm (1985). She later continued to collaborate with contemporary artists such as Gorillaz and Janelle Monáe, and received another Grammy nomination for her work as a featured artist on Renaissance (2022) by Beyoncé. 

[Spotify] Warm Leatherette 

“Who's Landing in my Hanger”, Human Switchboard

This way: Who's Landing in my Hanger

Human Switchboard was an American punk rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1977. According to a Rolling Stone review, Human Switchboard "was of its time — mixing Velvet Underground guitar churn, Sixties garage-rock organ, rubbery Pere Ubu-like baselines, skronky sax and athletically spazzy drumming."

Human Switchboard consisted of singer-guitarist Robert Pfeifer, singer and Farfisa organ player Myrna Marcarian, Ron Metz on drums, Steve Calabaria, Doug Morgan and Paul Hamann on the bass.

The band was formed in 1977 when Robert Pfeifer met Myrna Marcarian at Syracuse University. They spent that summer back in Cleveland, where Pfeifer grew up. They, along with drummer Ron Metz, recorded an EP of four songs, enlisting David Thomas of Pere Ubu to mix the tapes. The EP was self-released during that fall.

The band next recorded their "I Gotta Know" single for Akron's Clone Records during a spring break in 1978. By this time, Pfeifer and Metz had moved to Columbus, Ohio to attend The Ohio State University. Marcarian soon followed after her year at Syracuse and the band re-formed as a three piece. After the school year ended, the band started playing shows, with its first in the basement of local Columbus High Street record store Magnolia Thunderpussy.

Soon after the summer of 1978, the band moved back to Cleveland briefly and then opened a used record store in Kent, Ohio. This store was to provide support for the band, which it did for the following three years. In the next few months, the band started playing shows in the area and gained followings in the Kent, Akron, Dayton, Columbus, Detroit and Pittsburgh regions. In 1979, the band recorded its next single at one of the better Cleveland studios named SUMA. With the help of Kent's famed The Numbers Band (15-60-75), they recorded their next single 'Prime of My Life / In My Room', later to be released on the band's own Square label. 

[Spotify] Who's Landing in my Hanger 

“FAKE” , Grace Cummings

This way: FAKE

Grace Cummings is an Australian singer-songwriter and stage actor from Melbourne. She has released three studio albums: Refuge Cove (2019), Storm Queen (2022), and Ramona (2024). She is known for her unique singing voice, which has been described as "commanding and magnetic", powerful, and as having a "devastating force". Cummings' musical influences include Irish folk music, Townes Van Zandt, Bob Dylan, and Lucinda Williams.

Cummings began as a drummer, later becoming a self-taught guitar player. She was signed by Melbourne record label Flightless after founder Eric Moore attended one of her live shows. Flightless released her debut album, Refuge Cove, in 2019. The nine-track album blended acoustic folk and blues and featured Cummings playing acoustic guitar. It was launched at the Tote Hotel and toured, with Cummings supporting international artists including Weyes Blood, Evan Dando, and J Mascis. Cummings received a Music Victoria Awards nomination for Best Breakthrough Act in 2020. 

[Spotify] FAKE 

“You Will Feel My Pain” Kira Roessler

This way: You Will Feel My Pain

Kira Roessler (born June 12, 1961) is an American musician who was the bass guitarist for the influential hardcore punk band Black Flag from 1983 to 1985. Since the mid-1980s, she has been a member of the rock duo Dos with her now ex-husband Mike Watt.

Roessler also works as a dialogue editor. She was on the sound editing team for Mad Max: Fury Road, which won a 2015 Oscar. She was also on the teams that won Emmy Awards for the John Adams episode "Don't Tread on Me" and on the series Game of Thrones.

Born in New Haven, Connecticut Roessler lived there until age eight when her family moved to the Caribbean until she was eleven and thereafter in California, mostly in Los Angeles. Her brother is Paul Roessler, a keyboardist known for involvement in several Los Angeles–area bands including the Screamers.

 

Roessler began studying piano when she was 6 but quit at 11. At 14, she picked up the bass guitar and committed to learning the instrument. Her first band was called Waxx and she played her first gig at 16 at Whisky a Go Go.Other early bands were Sexsick, the Visitors, and the Monsters. She then joined with a post-Germs Pat Smear to form Twisted Roots.

[Spotify] You Will Feel My Pain 

“Evening Star”, Fripp Eno

This way: Evening Star

Evening Star is the second studio album by British musicians Robert Fripp and Brian Eno. It was recorded from 1974 to 1975 and released in December 1975 by Island Records.

Evening Star and the preceding seven-show European tour by Fripp and Eno marked Fripp's first musical output after King Crimson disbanded for the first time, and his last before temporarily retiring from music to attend John G. Bennett's International Academy for Continuous Education.

The second side of the album consists entirely of a twenty-eight-minute piece of Frippertronics-based drone music titled "An Index of Metals", in which distortion increases as the track progresses. This side of the album is described as "less playful" and "more shocking" than the first half. 

[Spotify] Evening Star 

“Shove” L7, RIP Jennifer Finch

This way: Shove

Sad to note the passing of Jennifer Finch Lead singer, bass guitarist for L7. L7 is an American rock band founded in Los Angeles, California, first active from 1985 to 2001 and re-formed in 2014. Their longest standing lineup consists of Suzi Gardner (guitars, vocals), Donita Sparks (vocals, guitars), Jennifer Finch (bass, vocals), and Dee Plakas (drums, vocals). L7 has released seven studio albums and has toured widely in the United States, Europe, Japan, Australia, and South America. "Pretend We're Dead" was heavily played on United States alternative radio and entered the top 10 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart in 1992.

Due to their sound and image, L7 is often associated with the grunge movement of the late 1980s and early 1990s, and as an all-female band, L7 has, at times, been linked to riot grrrl, although they preceded and are outliers of both the grunge and riot grrrl movements. L7 has been supportive of political causes, and formed Rock for Choice in 1991. A documentary film about the band, L7: Pretend We're Dead, premiered in 2016.

[Spotify] Shove 

“Mannequin Man”, Cornelius deVallance

This way: Mannequin Man

Two new songs just dropped on to streaming services from Cornelius deVallance. Cornelius deVallance are an experimental rock and punk project formed by Michael Cornelius and Brendan deVallance. Known for their minimalistic, quirky songs, the duo initially collaborated in the early 80s as part of the Phoenix punk scene and later revived their musical partnership to release tracks like "The Takeaway".The duo has been highly active in the local Arizona music scene, performing live sets on a recurring basis. Michael Cornelius, who previously played with the notable skate-punk band JFA, performs alongside Brendan deVallance. They typically blend off-beat, infectious melodies over continuous rhythm tracks, treating their live shows as experiments in "recombinant musical DNA". They are also widely known for reuniting their classic 1980s Phoenix punk band, the Jr. Chemists. The band, which originated in the early Phoenix underground punk era.

[Spotify] Mannequin Man 

“Sick Inside”, Young Pioneers

This way: Sick Inside

Oregon band of some repute. High Again is the 2017 debut LP by the Olympia, Washington post-punk band Young Pioneers, released on the legendary K Records. The 12-track album, recorded at Dub Narcotic Studios, showcases the group's signature post-punk pop psychedelia and energetic Northwest underground sound. 

[Spotify] Sick Inside 

“Godsend”, Beat Happening

This way: Godsend

One of my all-time fav LPs. Beat Happening was an American indie pop band formed in Olympia, Washington in 1982. Calvin Johnson, Heather Lewis, and Bret Lunsford were the band's continual members. Beat Happening were early leaders in the American indie pop and slacker rock movements as well as pioneers of twee pop, noted for their playful disregard for the technical aspects of musicianship that contributed to lo-fi music, and songwriting with carefree and coy themes.

Beat Happening met while attending the Evergreen State College and began recording in 1983. The band took its name from a student art film, Beatnik Happening, made by Lunsford's girlfriend. The year prior, Johnson had founded the label K Records. The band's basic line-up was drums, guitar, and vocals, though when they formed, their only instruments were a pair of maracas and a Sears Silvertone guitar purchased at a thrift shop. Lewis once joked in an interview that she believed the history of the band could be readily told through a list of people whose drums they had borrowed. She and Johnson had been members of a previous band and approached Lunsford, who had no musical experience at the time.

Early recordings made use of an Echoplex machine to add heavy reverb to Lunsford's guitar, in an attempt to mask his unkempt performance.

The band traveled to Tokyo in 1984 with intentions of touring. Their first show in Japan was at the high school of a former exchange student Calvin knew. The band members recorded Three Tea Breakfast, a five-song EP that marked the band's first release.

[Spotify] Godsend 

[Charming Live 1992] Godsend 

“Let's Go”, The Cars

This way: Let's Go

Candy-O is the second studio album by American new wave band the Cars, released on June 2, 1979, by Elektra Records.

Produced by Roy Thomas Baker, the album spawned two singles, "Let's Go" and "It's All I Can Do". The album outperformed the band's debut, peaking at No. 3 on the U.S. Billboard 200. The cover art was painted by Peruvian-American pin-up artist Alberto Vargas.

Unlike their debut studio album, Candy-O was created under a more democratic approach. Ric Ocasek said of this, "When one of my songs goes to the band in barest cassette form, we sit around and talk about it. If I'm outvoted, we don't do it. We almost didn't include 'Double Life' on the new album, it had been dropped. I think everybody in the Cars is open-minded and creative enough that they would do anything – nobody's holding anything back. Everybody appreciates the more radical, experimental kinds of music and likes it. But sometimes, when you're put together with five pieces, things are not as minimal as they could or should be. Everybody's developed a unique personal style, and we rely on their input. If they did it, it's good enough."

Most of the songs on Candy-O were written after the release of The Cars, meaning that most of the leftovers from the first album (including the popular encore "Take What You Want") were scrapped; "Night Spots", a reject from the first album, was still included.

[Spotify] Let's Go 

[Charming Live] Let's Go 

“Whiskey in the Jar”, Thin Lizzy

This way: Whiskey in the Jar

"Whiskey in the Jar" is an Irish traditional song set in the southern mountains of Ireland, often with specific mention of counties Cork and Kerry. The song, about a rapparee (highwayman) who is betrayed by his wife or lover, is one of the most widely performed traditional Irish songs and has been recorded by numerous artists since the 1950s.

The song first gained wide exposure when Irish folk band the Dubliners performed it internationally as a signature song and recorded it on three albums in the 1960s. In the U.S., the song was popularised by the Highwaymen, who recorded it on their 1962 album Encore. Irish rock band Thin Lizzy hit the Irish and British pop charts with the song in 1973. In 1990, the Dubliners re-recorded the song with the Pogues with a faster rockish version charting at No. 63 in the UK. American metal band Metallica in 1998 played a version very similar to that of Thin Lizzy's, though with a heavier sound, winning a Grammy for the song in 2000 for Best Hard Rock Performance.

[Spotify] Whiskey in the Jar 

“We Want the Airwaves”, Ramones

This way: We Want the Airwaves

Pleasant Dreams is the sixth studio album by the American punk rock band Ramones, released on July 20, 1981, through Sire Records. While the band members wanted Steve Lillywhite to produce, Sire chose Graham Gouldman in an attempt to gain popularity with a well-known producer. The recording process brought about many conflicts between band members, most notably the strife between Joey Ramone and Johnny Ramone due to Johnny starting a relationship with Joey's girlfriend. There were also disputes about the overall direction of the album, with Johnny leaning towards hard rock and Joey towards pop punk. Ultimately, the album incorporated high production values and varying musical styles, straying from traditional punk rock on songs such as "We Want the Airwaves", "She's a Sensation" and "Come On Now". It is the first Ramones album not to feature any cover songs and their first that does not feature a picture of the band on the front cover.

Despite Sire's efforts to broaden the band's appeal by enlisting Gouldman to produce, the album was not commercially successful, peaking at No. 58 on the Billboard 200 and only charting outside of the US in Sweden. The album also met with mixed critical reception.

[Spotify] We Want the Airwaves” 

Song vs Song, Frightened

Frightened first entered my brain via the Falls "Live at the Witch Trials". And Magazines "Because you're Frightened" is another blistering track of love. New Model Army rounds it out . . . But they seem to be marginal.

This way The Fall: Frightened

This way Magazine: Because You're Frightened

This way New Model Army: Frightened

“Don't Drag Me Down”, Social Distortion

This way: Don't Drag Me Down

Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. It consists of Mike Ness (vocals, guitar), Jonny Wickersham (guitar), Brent Harding (bass), and David Hidalgo Jr. (drums).

Emerging from the Orange County hardcore scene of the late 1970s, alongside Agent Orange and the Adolescents, Social Distortion went on a temporary hiatus in the mid-1980s, due to Ness's drug addiction and troubles with the law which resulted in extended stints in various rehabilitation centers that lasted for two years. Following their reformation, the band shifted its style to have strong influences from country, blues, and early rock and roll. Since its inception, the band's lineup has seen significant turnover, with Ness as the only constant member. Past longtime members have included guitarist Dennis Danell, bassist John Maurer and drummers Christopher Reece and Charlie Quintana. Social Distortion's current lineup, intact since 2010, is the band's longest-lasting lineup. After 48 years of performing, Social Distortion continues to tour and record music.

[Spotify] Don't Drag Me Down 

“Nosedive”, Man/Woman/Chainsaw

This way: Nosedive

Man/Woman/Chainsaw is an English rock band from London, founded in 2019. The band are currently signed to Fiction Records. Man/Woman/Chainsaw. Origin. London, England.

Ward and Leppänen were school friends and started making music together in 2019, at age 14. The pair had several different bandmates before, in sixth form, they decided upon the current line-up—all of whom, apart from Starwood, went to school together.

In October 2023, the band released the single "What Lucy Found There". In November 2024, the band released the EP, Eazy Peazy on Fat Possum Records, which was produced by Daniel Fox, of Gilla Band. In May 2025, the band released the single "Adam & Steve". In November 2025, the band released the single "Only Girl", which was recorded by Seth Evans and Margo Broom at RAK Studios. In 2025, the band were named as one of NME's 100 Essential Emerging Artists.

[Spotify] Nosedive 

“Blood”, Mary in the Junkyard

This way: Blood

Mary in the Junkyard (stylized in all lowercase) are a British band from London. The band consists of vocalist and guitarist Clari Freeman-Taylor, viola and bass player Saya Barbaglia and drummer David Addison. The band are signed with All My Friends (AMF) Records. They have been compared to Adrianne Lenker[3] and Wolf Alice.

The band began while all three members were teenagers. Freeman-Taylor and Barbaglia first met at classical music summer camps, aged 14, and Freeman-Taylor and Addison were part of a band called Second Thoughts before the creation of Mary in the Junkyard.

In 2022, Freeman-Taylor managed to get a gig at the Cavendish Arms in Stockwell, for which she enlisted Barbaglia and Addison to be a part of her band; this effectively became the first Mary in the Junkyard performance. Following this, the band soon became a regular name on the billing at The Windmill, Brixton.

[Spotify] Blood 

“Do We Exist”, Spacemoth

This way: Do We Exist

⁣Producer, engineer & noisemaker ⁣⁣

New album ‘Inward Eye’ is out now !

[Spotify] Do We Exist 

[Charming Live] Do We Exist 

“Hotel”, Big Special

This way: Hotel

Big Special are a musical duo from the Black Country in the English West Midlands, consisting of vocalist Joe Hicklin and drummer Callum Moloney.

Moloney is from Birmingham, Britain's second-largest city, and Hicklin grew up in nearby Walsall. The two first met aged 17 years old, more than a decade before Big Special was formed.

Hicklin began working on the music for what would become Big Special during the COVID-19 lockdowns, which lasted from March 2020 to around May the next year. He sent a demo of the track "This Here Ain't Water" to Moloney, who was playing drums in wedding bands at the time, to persuade him to join the new outfit. They were signed to SO Recordings in December 2022.

After signing with SO Recordings, in May 2023 they released "Shithouse", which had previously appeared on their second EP Black Country Gothic (2022). on 6 December 2023, the single "Trees", was released. Following its underground acclaim, the duo went on to release three more singles in 2024: "Dust Off/Start Again" on 6 February alongside the announcement of their debut album, "Butcher's Bin" on 13 March,[6] and "Black Dog/White Horse" on 2 April. In the midst of these singles, their first LP, Postindustrial Hometown Blues, was released on 10 May.

[Spotify] Hotel