Talking About...
Music. It makes the world go round, it's imbedded in our lives.
Whether your taste was shaped from your parent’s record collection, friend’s mixtapes, or the latest hits from the radio, these artists form important memories, they make you sing, laugh, cry and dance.
Talking About… podcast was formed from an idea by two lifelong friends, James Gentle & Phil Reynolds' love of the band REM and along with fellow friend Gareth Norman has evolved in to a regular look in to all music both old and new.
Each episode will take a deep-ish yet light hearted dive into the history of a different band or artist. We'll discuss our take on their footprint in history whilst discussing how they've played a part in our lives...or not.
There’s lots of lists, laughs, guests and games! We even throw in a Spotify playlist for you to listen to our favourite tracks from each episode.
Talking About...
Talking About...The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Yes! EP.9 has dropped!
We're celebrating one of the most energetic, insane and criminally underrated bands of the 00's. The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster!
They mixed punk and psychobilly with a heavy dose of Buddhism and LSD to create one of the most exciting sounds of the 00s!
As well as chat on the band and their albums we talk beer, Buddhism, green bees, all the goths, bad 80's sitcoms, Top of The Pops, Edgar Wright, Phil completely screws up and of course there's another epic battle in the AI V Artist lyric game!
We've also got our awesome 15 track playlist of our favourite cuts from TEMBD!
Hope you enjoy!
Contact: kissthekerb@gmail.com
And who is it we've got tonight in discussion? 80s matchbox Beeline disaster.
SPEAKER_04Oh hang on. Is it? Oh, you're fucking joking me. I've been listening to TV on the radio. Is it not TV on the radio? Fucking hell. Are you kidding? No, I'm not. I've been doing it. I thought it was TV on the radio. Are you kidding? I'm not kidding. I literally I thought it was TV on the radio. Well, that other one completely bypassed me. I just saw TV on the radio. I was like, oh, who's that? And I typed it in and started listening to it. Yeah, I quite liked it. That's what I mean. I was like, he's that bad. I'm glad you said it then. I'd have been like, fuck it, what are we talking about? How many other how many albums has this other band got? Three. Three. Just go with it and I'll just add I'll ask questions on it and I'll do some research while you're talking. Well, we can't do it because we need the game as well. I could do that easily. That takes me five minutes to do that. Does it? Yeah, yeah. Is that what Thanks putting in the effort?
SPEAKER_02AI tis. Matchbox Beeline disaster.
SPEAKER_04I had a fucking good thing for the TV on the radio as well.
SPEAKER_02It's day until the 28th, and it's fine. That's how much we're going to learn about them by the time we get to it now.
SPEAKER_04What is it then called the 80s matchbox? What? Beeline disaster. It's not coming up. There we go. 80s matchbox.
SPEAKER_00This could be it. This could be the podcast. Just us going to do this and then feel going over.
SPEAKER_03You got the start of the podcast, chat. You fucking kidding me.
SPEAKER_04It starts listening to Max Fox 20. I love that song he did with uh Santana is brilliant.
SPEAKER_01What's up again though?
SPEAKER_02What? What's up again though? Don't try and get out of it. This is your one. Crack on. Alright. Now that old uh Luddite over here is caught up. Thanks for joining us, Phil.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, thanks.
SPEAKER_02So today we're doing TV on the radio.
SPEAKER_01You could have listened to their albums on the ball cup, isn't it?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I could have. So how are we all doing? We good?
SPEAKER_01Tired now.
SPEAKER_02Is it because it's late in the day? You need a little sleepy.
SPEAKER_01Watching you set up your little robot cameras.
SPEAKER_02It looks like we the big can. It's a pint. It's just the R Bore. It's um from Bristol. One of my favourite breweries.
SPEAKER_01He's just got really small hands.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. So where'd you get that from? There's a bottle shop up the road called Bottle Cave, where I'm from. 10% discount, please. Um yeah, just get all my bids get all my beers from there. I'd say send us some free samples.
SPEAKER_01Why am I 10%? Because you live in Sydenham or because you know them.
SPEAKER_04Well you actually get 10% off. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Oh, I thought you were trying to pump that you get one. So how much was that that can before your 10%?
SPEAKER_02Um that can I think was about $6.20. But it's a pine. Yeah, true. Pay that. In London, you know.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02London town. What are you drinking? Oh bullshit.
SPEAKER_01Um I didn't have time to go to uh a bottle shop. Or Sainsbury's. So I've just got brew dogs that I had at home. So various, various selection. Like a Christmas selection pack.
SPEAKER_02Nice.
SPEAKER_01So I've had a Christmas selection pack. Like that. Oh right. It's not actually a Christmas selection pack. But uh so I've had a punk IPA, I've had a wingman, I've had a hazy. Oh. And now I'm gonna go for an Elvis.
SPEAKER_02Always mixing them up.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I'm on the page.
SPEAKER_02It's gonna go for uh Tequila Slammer next and uh I should have bought my teeth. I'm on the blue dog as well. You wouldn't get me you wouldn't get me my beer. Because I was in the car on a two-hour journey down here. I really like the Elvis juice because it's like grapefruity. Does it make you sing and curl your lip like Elvis as well?
SPEAKER_01If I have enough. I mean they're six and a half percent. Are they really? Well, because it used to be, didn't it? And then they reduced the percentage. It's alright. And then there's a bit of a uh uprising, so then they put it back to six and a half percent. But I went to um their bar in Poland Street and I was like, I can have a pint of brood like that. We only serve that in two-thirds.
SPEAKER_02Really?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so I was like, well fuck that then, I want a pint. So I've got a pint of something else. Because two-thirds just same price as I think.
SPEAKER_04Same price as I think, yeah. So why did I only do it in two-thirds? Because they've done it from a cat.
SPEAKER_01Because it's so strong, I reckon. Um, it's all on it's all on tap. Um I think because it's six and a half percent, they kind of think especially in that area as well.
SPEAKER_02Probably there's too many people out to get absolutely lavered.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, probably. But you know, you have enough points, you can do that.
SPEAKER_02Get lavoured.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Anyway, we're not here to talk about drinking habits. Who are we here to talk about? We're here to talk about TV on the radio. No, we we decided that we would do um 80s the 80s matchbox beeline disaster, but Phil didn't read the messages. I mean, he he fucked up. I did, I fucked up, didn't I? So, Phil, what are your thoughts on 80s matchbox beeline disaster?
SPEAKER_04Very good. Give me a good yeah, no, so I've I've done a yeah, very quick listener, but a few.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, very quick.
SPEAKER_04So I'll be jumping in now and again, but yeah.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, nice.
SPEAKER_04I'll leave you two to mainly sing their praises or not, depends on how you like them.
SPEAKER_02I do distinctly remember buying the first was it the first single, Celebrate Your Mother? And just thinking that was like something I've never heard before. Yeah, anyway.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And at the time, I think 2002. 2002, somebody like Libertina's territory, wasn't it, for me? And um White Stripes. Yeah, it was all coming up.
SPEAKER_04So can I ask that they back if they formed in ninety nine, why it took three years for them to do an album? Do we know? Is there a reason, or do they just fucking lazy, isn't it?
SPEAKER_02But I guess that's the thing, like building out the singles and stuff, wasn't there? And you know you can form in ninety-nine, but not necessarily be picked up or yeah, yeah, I guess just doing clubs and pubs and stuff like that. And I guess that's the it's it's the sort of the time, right? Yeah, there's no social. Yeah, there's you can't self-produce an album and put it out. You still have to sort of wait for someone to pick you up, right?
SPEAKER_01You had to do the legwork and do the tours and you know the from Brighton, aren't they? So they probably did Brighton then you know get into London and doing gigs in London and want someone to kind of I guess uh discover, discover them, discover, yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_02You need their arm to go, I'd like that sound.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, there was no kind of you know, we're gonna just go to a local studio, record something, put it on Spotify, and yeah, you know, whack it over MySpace.
SPEAKER_02Was there much of was there much of a Brighton scene in um 2002?
SPEAKER_01I don't know really. I think there was uh there was a few bands, I think I see Electric Soft Parade, I think they were Brighton. Were they a bit earlier though? No, I don't think so.
SPEAKER_04Well did they have I remember you being into Electric Soft Parade? Yeah, you got me into the first album. I remember I remember buying the first album. Um, staircase, yeah.
SPEAKER_01They were Brighton. I think that was a similar sort of time, wasn't it? Phil, look up in the internet machine. Milk it up um and who else is from Brighton? I don't yeah, Norman Cook, fat boy's name. Um Nick Cave lives there, don't I?
SPEAKER_02Not from there. Nick Cave lives in Brighton. Interesting you said Nick Cave actually because I've I do find that um Guy McKnight vocally really uh sounds like Nick Cave in a lot of songs.
SPEAKER_01Who you know who else he reminds me of vocally is uh Scott Walker. I've listened to some of Scott Walker's solo stuff. I think yeah, just the kind of the the tone and the timbre of his voice reminds me of some of Scott Walker's solo stuff.
SPEAKER_02I've never really listened to Scott Walker stuff.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, you should. Yes sir. Noted. Um but yeah, so his first album, 2002, I think they had a few singles prior to that.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, they did, and can I also say they released it on their own label? No death. No death. And there was only ever one other artist on the no death label. Do you know that one?
SPEAKER_01James's been doing his research.
SPEAKER_02It was, it was a band called The Boogs.
SPEAKER_01Boogs. The Boogs Double O G S B D O G S, right?
SPEAKER_02Okay, and uh there's one single, one video, and it was filmed in America, and it's just a the band all dressed up as green and black bumblebees running around Manhattan.
SPEAKER_01That's incorrect, isn't it? Because bumblebees are yellow and black.
SPEAKER_02I know, it was I guess it's kind of you know their style.
SPEAKER_01For the colour blind, yeah.
SPEAKER_02And do you know who they are? No. 80s matchbox beeline disaster. Oh really? Yeah, I did not know that. Oh really? Um that's a good fact. The song is called Palomino's Dream, and it's all about a racehorse that dreams to be a man.
SPEAKER_04Nice, nice.
SPEAKER_02It's really bizarre. And drugs then. And I think Well that that's the thing, yeah. I mean old McKnight.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, they were drug takers, weren't they? I think eventually they kind of was their choice of drug, do you know? No, I don't know. LSD, everything LSD in there and there. Yeah, yeah. I think they eventually kicked it, didn't they? In uh 2006 or something. Yeah. People became Buddhists.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, but uh no death actually is rooted in Buddhism, apparently. Right. The label was sort of No Death is a promise to put an end to mortality forever.
SPEAKER_01What is it?
SPEAKER_02I think that plays into Buddhism, doesn't it? Eternal life, like uh reincarnation and all that sort of stuff.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, I think so. Yeah. Interesting, I did not know that.
SPEAKER_02So yeah, there's a lot of drug taking in that day, in those days.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I think that does come across in lyrically and the music, yeah.
SPEAKER_03I mean that that first isn't mixed with uh with LSD and definitely on a higher plane.
SPEAKER_01Electric Soft Parade for Brighton. There we go. What year did the first album come out? I didn't look at that, did I?
SPEAKER_02Hole in the wall? Other wall?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it was Hole in the Wall The Wall.
SPEAKER_02The Wall.
SPEAKER_04The Wall Well they formed around 2001. Oh, yeah. It's 2002, Hole in the Wall came out. Okay.
SPEAKER_01So yeah, same yeah.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. It's an interesting time, wasn't it, for music, I think. I probably say this quite a lot, but there's Yeah, I think so. There was sorry, um there was a lot. Sorry, I was saying sorry to Barry because I knocked the mic. So I wasn't saying sorry to you.
SPEAKER_04Barry, sorry.
unknownSorry.
SPEAKER_04Let's all say sorry, sorry. Sorry. Sorry, sorry.
SPEAKER_02Do you remember sorry?
SPEAKER_04Yes.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, what with your uh Ronnie Corbett, yeah.
SPEAKER_04It was a crap, crap fucking sitcom, wasn't it? Yeah, it was crap, wasn't it? It was bad, yeah. But but we all watched it, right? I think so. Yeah. Well, not of it. I don't know if it was religious in a house, I'm not sure. But I remember being on.
SPEAKER_02Can you imagine Ronnie Corbett praying to Ronnie Corbett?
SPEAKER_05Story's on running down the stairs.
SPEAKER_02Get your asses down, then the story's on. And it's not with the other Ronnie. Show a little bit of fucking respect.
SPEAKER_03Oh dear. What were you talking about?
SPEAKER_00TV on the road.
SPEAKER_01Um but no, the first album, yeah, drugs, yeah. I mean, the first album's very frantic. Um, so yeah, at the same time, I mean, we'd had kind of the New York kind of strokes, yeah yeah, we'll come over, and we so they're a bit different to anything that I mean that I was listening to from British bands at the time. Yeah, we were kind of kicking the kick in the gut, I found when I listened to it.
SPEAKER_02Well, British bands were big early 2000s. Well, Libertines, yeah, released up a bracket in 2002, didn't they? Yeah, 2001 and 2002, kind of. Yeah, around that time. So I mean, this is the start of the sort of Indie Slea's yeah scene, right? But then there was a little scene which I think 80s matchbox beeline disaster played a part in. And there was bands like Pulled Apart by Horses, oh yeah, yeah. Um, A Carra Cult, kind of Cooper Temple Claws, a little bit. Yeah, a little bit, a little bit. Um Clusky, Sons and Daughters, you know, there's all that sort of stuff going on. So there was this there was a scene of similar stuff, but not quite the same.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I think so. And I think it never kind of I mean those bands never kind of made it like into the mainstream. Like I mean the Libra scenes were were pretty huge, weren't they? And I don't think any of those, while they had a a following, none of them ever really made it into the mainstream. Like Cooper Temple Clues, I remember they were very like a quite a cult following, but they never really made it.
SPEAKER_02I probably started the church. I loved that band so much. See this through and leave is one of the greatest albums of all time.
SPEAKER_01I bought that when it came out on a it's a bot it was a box set and every song was on a seven-inch album. Was it really? Yeah. I sold it now, but oh you tight.
SPEAKER_02But there were there was another scene going on as well, along with the Indies Leagues. I mean, you heard Queens of the Stone Age, right? Uh yes Songs of the Deaf came out in 2002. Oh, is that 2002? It was listening to them earlier. Yeah, uh Hundred Reasons, ideas above our station. Yeah. Idle Wild, the remote part.
SPEAKER_01Nice, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Yeah, that's right. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. The streets released original pirate material. And Interpol turned on the bright lights. Oh yeah. So it's a real around, yeah.
SPEAKER_01And a lot and a big mix of kind of styles, I think. I mean they were they're all kind of like guitar bands apart from the streets. Yeah. I think I the first album I really like because it was so short. You know. You like that it ended. Well, it's just no, it's just so um so direct, isn't it? It's kind of like Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, it starts, it drags you in this done. Yeah, yeah. And you know, I don't think there's I think it's like one song that's over three minutes on there.
SPEAKER_02Right, okay.
SPEAKER_01So it's like it's got that punk ethos to it, like short songs. Yeah. But yeah, I remember when it came out, and I remember buying I bought I bought it on like vinyl when it came out. Yeah, I love it. And I it's one of those albums I revisit now and again, like every so often I'll pull it out and I'll play it. And it it never gets you don't I don't like listen to it 25 years later and think, oh, this is this is of its time. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I still listen to it and think, yeah, this is you know, this could have been released yesterday. I think it's quite if I feel it's quite timeless.
SPEAKER_02And there must be a hunger for it because didn't they re-release it a couple of years ago? Uh last year. Last year.
SPEAKER_01They re-released it on vinyl, yeah.
SPEAKER_02With um a special B-side sort of set of tracks as well.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, they might have done. They might have done.
SPEAKER_02He sort of mentioned that all the B sides were he thought were good enough to be like a second album.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02So they wanted to do it justice and um re-release it as a whole.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, because they re-released it, I think it was last year, or the year before, I can't remember. Right. Which um annoyed me a bit because it meant my original vinyl copy went down in price quite a bit. Oh, did it really? A little bit, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02But surely original means.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, no, it's still it's still worth a couple of hundred quid, I think.
SPEAKER_02A couple of hundred quid, wow.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it's uh hand hand numbered. Like on the sleeve, yeah, handwritten. But um that reissue last year was uh had uh linear notes by Edgar Wright, who's a huge fan, director Edgar Wright.
SPEAKER_04He directed a video, didn't he? He did. Which one, Philip? Psychosis Safari.
SPEAKER_02Psychosis Safari. And I I I love Edgar Wright. Like I was obsessed with spaced, and I do like at least two of the trilogy that he did.
SPEAKER_01Which two?
SPEAKER_02Sean of the Dead, Hot Uzz.
SPEAKER_01The last one uh The End of the World, wasn't it? The End of the World, I'm not too sure on. World's End. Shawn of the Dead, there's one of the songs was a sound on the soundtrack, wasn't it? I can't remember which one. It was, I can tell you Mr. Mental uh Mr. Mental, yeah. So yeah, he he wrote the uh what'd you say for an album for The Forward? That's a book, and I don't know. But yeah, he wrote uh he's he's a huge fan of the forward, forward forward forward that's that's Johnny Five. Forward uh hello listeners. Welcome to my podcast. Um yeah, he's a huge fan. Yeah, he loved that first album. Well, he probably loves all the albums, but yeah.
SPEAKER_02Um can I just say I I it's not a good video though. I I don't know it.
SPEAKER_01I don't I don't know. Definitely not anymore, you know, back back in the day when like you had the charts. When you had MTV, MTV and the chart show, you know, MTV raps. MTV raps. But yeah, I can't say I very often seek out music videos on the YouTube.
SPEAKER_02Apparently they had a car, right? Do you know about the car? The hearse, yeah, like an old 19 it looked like um a less fucked up monsters car, I think. Had like hot rod flames down the side and stuff like that, and that was in the video. But apparently it kept on breaking down all the time. But um that was their little uh get around. Okay. It looked like a black cab but like elongated. Right, yeah. With hot roddy hot rod hot rod flames at the back.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, that rings a bell now. You saying about the car then? Yeah. Is that why the word matchbox comes into the title of the band? I have no idea why I couldn't find it.
SPEAKER_02The 80s matchbox beeline disaster is called the 80s matchbox.
SPEAKER_04Because that was what used to be down the side of matchbox, wasn't it? You used to have flames down some of the cars, didn't you?
SPEAKER_02No, wasn't that hot hot wheels?
SPEAKER_04Hot Wheels. Hot Wheels. Maybe you've kind of you've kind of um just gone on to something that nah doesn't matter.
SPEAKER_03No, go on, go on. No, you've got to say now. Come on, come on, it's kind of ruined my you've got nothing else to quit. You've ruined my band thing. Oh, right, it's a game thing.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, it'll make sense later.
SPEAKER_02Okay. Um it didn't do very well in the charts, though, this album. No, it doesn't surprise me. I don't think it did.
SPEAKER_01I don't think there's any of those. I mean, even the singles, there's none of those songs there that they're gonna go on top of the pops and players there.
SPEAKER_04When did Top of the Pops finish? It's still going in, it was, wasn't it?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it's a bit of a 2007, 2008, it's quite late. It's quite late, wasn't it? I finished. I can't remember now.
SPEAKER_02I thought it was in the tens. Might have been. I'm not looking it up as well. Fucking top of the top. But it did make the Krang top 20 in 2002. Oh, did it? Yeah. Which I can imagine it would do. Yeah. And I don't I don't think we've really spoken about what they actually sound like.
SPEAKER_01Uh Psychobilly, isn't it? You kind of kind of like got it punky.
SPEAKER_02Psychobilly is such an interesting like what does that even mean?
SPEAKER_01No, I know. But it's like all music, isn't it? Everything tries to get pigeonholed into kind of like a genre. And when it's a band that you're like, oh I don't know what they are. Let's just let's combine some words. Let's combine a genre and which you know is fine, but yeah, psychobilly. It's a great word though.
SPEAKER_02It is a great word. I really I really enjoy that word. Psychobilly.
SPEAKER_04I'm gonna interrupt. Oh, sorry. Points each, who can give me the year of when Top of the Pop stopped airing, and you get bonus point when you give me the exact date. Well, no one's getting the bonus point.
SPEAKER_02I'm gonna say 27th of July uh 2010.
SPEAKER_01I'm gonna say the 10th of January 2008. Jim was very close on the date.
SPEAKER_04It was the 30th of July. It was 2006. Oh, so I was closer with the year. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Well then Gareth wins. What does he want what we thought? What does he win?
SPEAKER_02Point for what?
SPEAKER_01For what? It's not a fucking nectar point, is it? It can be, it could be what you want. Just keep keep hold of it for now.
SPEAKER_04We'll think about what we'll do with that point later.
SPEAKER_01Anyway.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, but we're talking about TV on the radio.
SPEAKER_01Completely off topic, haven't we? So I was basically saying that you know I could never see them on top of the pops, like the kind of style they were and the music they were doing at that time. Right. Are you not gonna see Celebrate Your Mother? Yeah. You're not gonna see that on top of the pops, are you? So yeah, that's I don't think that's why. I mean, I don't know if it ever would I mean some more drug-infused, crazy But then the Libertines were like fully drug-infused. But I suppose they're a bit more they're a bit more romantic and melodic in their stylings than Albion, you know, all that sort of stuff, you know. More than like, you know, I'm gonna kick you in the nuts and run off kind of thing. But no, they're you know the album was just you know standard vinyl, but all their singles came on like a uh seven-inch picture disc with like, you know, yeah, and they were kind of you know manic, manic looking faces or eyes or whatever. Yeah. So I think they're you know, there's a lot of their cover eyes. Yeah, there's a lot of styling around them as well. They kind of remind me of like, you know, if you listen to like the cramps and stuff like that. There's kind of that kind of gothic punky kind of horror, horror y kind of theme to them, you know.
SPEAKER_02Then what happened after um Horse of a Dog? They recorded a second album. Did they?
SPEAKER_01They did. And two years later, what should be birthed but the Royal Society? The Royal Society. Which is it's longer. It is longer, it's about 15 minutes longer, innit? It feels more polished to me than whole. Of the dog.
SPEAKER_02Interesting.
SPEAKER_01I mean it's still it's still you know raw, but compared to Horse of the Dog, I think it's it feels a bit more produced. I think it was produced by what's the guy's name? I did write this down. Chris Goss, who produced Quatza, Queens of the Stoner, and Caius. So yeah, and I think it's got that kind of you know, that kind of deserty rock kind of stoner feel to it more than Horse of the Dog's kind of punky. Do you know where they actually recorded it? No gone. The Joshua Tree. Oh, is it in the Mojave Desert?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah. Nice. But the lead guitarist left Arthuris, right? Yes. Andy Huxley went on to form a um a jazz goth band. Jazz Gough. Jazz Goth. Gough. Yeah, um, Joff. Uh Vale Imbeciles. That's a good name. He went off and did that. Okay. Interesting. But this actually did chart. This charted at 68 or something. 68? Yeah, on the UK charts. I think it did better.
SPEAKER_01I think it's a bit I guess it's a bit more accessible, maybe. Yeah. I think you know, by that what was coming out in 2004, so you'd like Queens of the Stone Age who had Songs of the Deaf, which was huge. What else? I mean, was like when was what was Biffy Claro doing at that sort of time? Because that was kind of, you know.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, that would have been the first album around in 2001, 2002.
SPEAKER_01Black and Sky. Yeah. That would have been around that time. So I think there's kind of you know bands like that coming a bit more into the mainstream, I think, at that time. So it's probably why it's maybe why it kind of charted, I guess. I don't know.
SPEAKER_02I don't feel that Royal Society is quite as it it's definitely a a change. There's a couple of decent tracks on there, but it's it's definitely a change, isn't it?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it is. Yeah, it is. Yeah, it's less chaos, it's more polished, I'd say, and expansive and horse of the dog. And I liked it, but it didn't kind of do as much for me as the debut did.
SPEAKER_02The beauty of Horse of the Dog was its rawness and its kind of unbridled exuberance, it's like anger and fucking less. Yeah. Whereas for Royal Society was it was trying to find a more polished version of that. Yeah, I think so.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I think you're right. And I think Horse of the Dog, I think from what I read, most of it was recorded live. Like a band playing live in a studio. Right, okay. And then they didn't do that for the second one. And I think that kind of that kind of shows. I think you know, as you say, that kind of first album just feels like you know, you're kind of just stuck in a room all playing in a sweaty. Yeah, in a sweaty room.
SPEAKER_02And can I ask you about that? Like when you recorded, did you record your parts separately or did you just do everything in one room? Is that how it works? Is like the big bands would do like George come in and play uh I think it depends how you want to do it, but we when we recorded at a a proper studio, but I think we did it yeah, we did it separately.
SPEAKER_01Is that weird, isn't it? Yeah, I didn't I can't say I enjoyed it.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I always thought you'd I always thought you'd start off doing the the beginning bits like all together and then maybe polishing up, coming in and doing I don't know, little pickups and separately.
SPEAKER_01I remember doing some like guitar parts, like sitting by the mixing desk, just recording bits. I can't remember now. I think we did do like the initial bit all together, but like in separate rooms, which I found a bit weird.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, that is weird.
SPEAKER_01But yeah, I can't know. I've really weird, I can't actually fully remember what we did. It's because you're old. Yeah, because I'm old. I remember there was one bit that was like, oh, what should we do on this bit? And like one of the guys was trying to do something a bit fancy. I was like, well, just press this key on the key wouldn't do that. It's like oh yeah, that sounds alright. That's even simple, yeah, get out. But yeah, I don't actually remember. I think if I was doing it now, I'd much rather do it as like you know, in a room, the whole band playing. Okay. But like like that first 80s matchbox album, it just feels like the band going in and playing. It doesn't feel like they've kind of gone back in and done like loads of overdubs and like extra parts. No, it feels to me listening to it, it's just like you know, the five guys all just hitting stuff. That's it, just hitting stuff, hitting their head against the wall. Yeah, but yeah, the royal stadium kind of I mean, I like it, I like it, but after the first one, A, it feels too long for me for what they do, yeah. And B, it feels too produced and polished from you know, from what I what I would have wanted after the first album. Not like I want bands to kind of just keep regurgitating the same shit, but it just it's like if you go back to the Liberson, it's like those first two albums I really love. Then you listen to their third one, which I know is quite late. I don't think I've listened to it, but it just feels so kind of produced and clean, it kind of takes away some of the kind of you know the love you have for like the scuzziness and the band and what they kind of did at that time.
SPEAKER_04I guess that lends itself to a music that needs to be like that, doesn't it? Yeah, yeah, absolutely. It's like like you say, if you go back to Nirvana days, yeah. If you start to tidy it up and polish it like it ain't gonna sound, everyone should be like, what's this about?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it's certain that there's certain music that needs to be raw and dirty and the interesting thing with Nirvana is obviously within Utera, I think they kind of knew that, and that's why they kind of tried to go back to being raw. It's probably it's a weird situation, isn't it? It's like, well, you've had these hits, now you've got to kind of do the same thing and make it a bit more radio friendly to kind of have the kind of you know foresight to go. Well, no, because that's gonna kind of take away from what we are as a band.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Not that I'm saying AC's matchbooks did that, because I think it is a good album, but yeah, it just didn't, you know, for me it just didn't hit as hard as the first one, I guess.
SPEAKER_02I would I would actually say that it hit harder. Yeah. My overriding feeling with the Royal Society was I came out of it just feeling like I'd been battered. Like I'd just been punched in the face, kicked. Was this the first time you kind of listened to it? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, because I only did horse of a dog. But I I mean I've listened to it a few times, yeah, yeah, but overwhelmingly I come out feeling bruised and drained.
SPEAKER_01Is that because you're old?
SPEAKER_02Maybe. I think the beauty of horse of a dog, like you said, it's quick, it's in and out, it is heavy, yeah, it is ear bleeding, but it's funny ear bleeding. Whereas I think with the royal society, they're just like, we're gonna fuck you up.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I mean I sit I stay here and say like it's more polished, but don't get me wrong, when I say it's more polished, it's not you know, we're not talking like abba-polished, you know. Yeah, you know, it's more polished than Hall to the Dog, but yeah, it's still um But the music is darker, yeah. It's definitely darker and harder to listen to. Yeah, I think some of that's his voice as well, isn't it? I kind of find his voice a bit because it's so dark, isn't it? It's quite it's low and it it's repetitive, it's repetitive and there's no real vocal range to it. Yeah, it wears you down a bit, but uh yeah, I love that. I do like it.
SPEAKER_02It's a bit like you know, when we were uh talking about Canon Crows, where he has those sort of similar phrases and similar style like words that he uses to get him through the verse, it's the same with Guy McKnight. His his delivery pretty much on every song is very rhythmically the same. But yeah, is it you mean it's not necessarily in a bad way, but no, it works, it works for their sake. It does, but but also it you do start to feel repetition that like as as you are listening to all the albums. Yeah, can I just say um Ross Say, Puppy Dog Snails, yeah. That is one of the worst songs I've ever heard in my life. Puppy Dog Snails, yeah, it's a bit of a stinker. Oh bad. Well, just going, oh, just so bad. Apparently, he um he wrote just going back to Celebrate Your Mother, he thought of a lyrics to that um whilst riding a bike and working in a cinema, like taking people's tickets, tickets and popcorn. Apparently, he found it really, really bizarre when he was doing gigs and like all these people were singing his lyrics back to him. And he goes, Oh yeah, made that up on my bike. Yeah, like can you imagine that?
SPEAKER_01Like it must be a weird thing. Yeah, I think about that a lot about people who write songs. It's like, you know, when was the moment they wrote that? And then to kind of play in front of people and get them singing based on it. That's odd. You're just like some some words I thought at some point, yeah, and now everyone's singing it back.
SPEAKER_04And sometimes I become like really famous and and like broken down into and people trying to analyse what you mean, and you could have just been like just come up in your head, yeah. But people analyse it and make it into this big thing.
SPEAKER_02And I always think this. Do you think that the lyrics gain importance by what people think of them, or do you think the artist already has that idea of the importance of them in their mind?
SPEAKER_01No, I don't think they do. No, I think a lot of it they write for themselves. I don't I can't imagine there's many songs. It's like someone's go, these lyrics are gonna appeal to thousands of people and they're gonna send them back to me.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it's interesting though. I I find that in like the whole lyric thing and the importance of lyrics is quite a fascinating thing.
SPEAKER_01It is, and I think the importance is that while the you know, if you write it for yourself and what like a hundred different people could take from that, yeah, it could mean completely different things to every person. Yeah, it's how you interpret it. Yeah, it's interesting.
SPEAKER_04But you I guess that's why, to be fair, things like love songs are now so popular because everyone's having that feel had that feeling of a breakup or and then you just got your own version of that, haven't you?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, but that's why love songs, breakup songs are so popular and yeah, because everyone can relate it to a time when that's kind of happened to them, you know. Yeah. But yeah, he there was a quote I read that he said about when they were kind of coming up with like the sound, and he said he wanted it to be like the fear of being chased through the woods at night, terrified but exhilarated. I thought that that fit quite well with it. Definitely with Horse of a Dog.
SPEAKER_02I think that's I think that's completely true. Yeah. Yeah. And then there's the third album, right? Yeah, long hiatus. But they had a they had uh the In the Garden EP in between that in 2007. Oh did they? I didn't know that. Yeah, released in uh 23rd of July. Yeah, six years. I don't know why.
SPEAKER_01I think they kind of just decided to.
SPEAKER_02Well they lost Andy Huxley, didn't they? Um and didn't someone did someone else leave? I can't remember. I think the drummer went drying nine inch now, so yeah. Two to the thing. That's uh step up, innit?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it's a bit. That's odd, isn't it?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, you're a bit of a fan of nine inch now, aren't you? Downward spar was great.
SPEAKER_04Like some of their stuff, yeah. No, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02So blood blood and garden, known blood and fire. Blood and fire. I've written down blood and garden. Blood and garden. Um staring out your back your bedroom window at the garden.
SPEAKER_01Garden. Blood and blood. And there's blood down the window.
SPEAKER_02Uh recorded in France and London, and that's all I know about this album.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I didn't know apart from what I've listened to. I don't really know this one.
SPEAKER_02Did you get into the albums at the time?
SPEAKER_01Yeah. First two, yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02First two.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and I think six years is a long time, isn't it?
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01For a for a band that's not like really mainstream.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01So I guess I kind of, you know, by what was it, 2010, was it? 2010. 2010, yeah. Yeah, I think I've just kind of I think I'd not forgotten about it. You'd found another lover. I'd found another lover, but by another mother. I mean the reason I've got back into them is because like in the early like 2002, I I was buying records, I was still working on HMV, and then that stopped because we had kids and we didn't have the money. I never got sacked. Um and uh my records all went into you know, I didn't they were just packed away still at my parents' house, and I only got I got them like bought them back, I got a record deck and got them again a few years ago. And yeah, I think that's why I kind of got back into them because I had that first album.
SPEAKER_02Were you like, No way, I remember these.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, a bit, a bit, yeah, a bit. And then um the second one I think I had on CD, it's probably somewhere buried. But um by that point, obviously, I I'd I had no idea they'd release a third album. It wasn't like I kind of looked it up that they had. And it's alright. It's alright, it's not it's not a bad album, but it didn't do an awful lot for me when I listened to it.
SPEAKER_02But it's decent, but I feel that this is the album that they probably wouldn't have made as a second album.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it's shorter, isn't it?
SPEAKER_02It's well it is shorter, but it's also there's some really good variety in there. I think the Royal Society tried to add the variety, but it still sounded the same. Whereas this album, I just really think they now have some really good tracks on here.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, there is uh, but his voice is good, but he just feels a bit more doesn't feel as raw to me, his voice. Now I suppose that's comes with that comes with age, doesn't it? Yeah, yeah, he's not gonna be doing that kind of stuff still. But but no, yeah, I I enjoy it. I enjoy it, but I suppose I've never really because I didn't get into it at the time and I kind of just kind of went back to it. Yeah, I don't suppose it kind of kind of grabbed me like the other ones did and had that kind of effect on me. But no, it's it's you know, it's a good album.
SPEAKER_02Um you know is you know yeah, I re I really enjoy it, and and there's some real references in that album as well. Like Love Turns Tate for track one, there's like a real you might you can probably you will take the piss out of me for this. There's a bit of a do you remember a band called The Bravery? Do you remember?
SPEAKER_01I uh yeah, it was quite the uh shit haircut, wasn't it? Yeah, I think so.
SPEAKER_02Angular kind of but but they that song sounds like their biggest hit.
SPEAKER_01Right, okay.
SPEAKER_02And then I think So Long Good Night, which is track number three, that's a rip-off of The Animals.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_02Um, House of the Rising Sun. Yeah. I mean, it's just there's some like surfer goth. Is that like a a thing that we can get?
SPEAKER_01That does run through a lot of the albums, though. It's kind of like some of the guitars are kind of got that surfery kind of filter my thing. Yeah, yeah. I think that does, yeah. Surfer goth, though.
SPEAKER_02Surfer goth.
SPEAKER_04You've just created a new thing, a new genre in your black outfit with your lipstick on as well.
SPEAKER_03Mascara coming down there.
SPEAKER_02Unless you're good at it, of course, then it's okay. Yeah, and he really nailed Nick Cave's sort of style in this album, actually. Yeah, yeah. I find this is like um a really it's much more bluesy, there's much more tone and I hate this word, but I can't really think of a better word, but there's much more musicality to it. Musicality, do you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_01Like beautiful words when you say that because it's got a song in there called I Hate the Blues.
SPEAKER_02But never be the same is really bluesy, it's like got a real blues vibe, really soggy drums, the blues blues drive, really good sound to it. I I got I've got a lot a lot to say for this album, actually. Yeah, no, I like blue.
SPEAKER_01I like I did like it. I probably need to spend a bit more time with it, maybe.
SPEAKER_02But yeah, and then what happened to them after 2010, Gareth? Split up. That's it, done. Well, what's your point? What was the fucking point?
SPEAKER_01One of them went on to do a band, another band, I can't remember what they're called.
SPEAKER_02Well the McGu uh McKnight went on to do the D V4s. That's it, yeah. Which is Synth Goth. Synth Goth. They're very around at the moment. Surf Goth. Not Surf Goth, Synth Goth. Synth Goth. Surfing on a keyboard. Yeah, they're around at the moment. But they did do a reunion, I think, didn't they, in 2012? Did they? Around that time they did a few shows. No, I didn't know that. I didn't know that. Yeah. But they didn't release anything, and they just didn't know.
SPEAKER_01Well, I think that's good though. I think you know sometimes with bands you kind of feel like, yeah, that's it, you've done. You leave it there. That's good. Yeah. Take note counting crows. Um too late. Too late.
SPEAKER_00But yeah, yeah, it was good. Yeah, interesting.
SPEAKER_02It was a good it was a good time actually, I think, 2002, for this sort of like for for music. Yeah, it was. Loads of different things coming in, you know, like Brit Pot was dead.
SPEAKER_01I think America took its turn, didn't it? Kind of like the New York scene, the Detroit scene going on with the white stripes and that. So yeah, it was a lot going on. And I guess you had the punk.
SPEAKER_02Did you have a punk scene around that time? Like the the Green Days and the Blink 182s and stuff like that.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, what you was American Idiot, because that was about 2004 or something. That was huge, wasn't it? That was huge. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Do you ever see him live?
SPEAKER_01No, no, it's kind of a band I'd like to have seen live in like a really small, sweaty pub kind of venue. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Use him or did you use a TV until tonight, right?
SPEAKER_03You turned up and tell me. Come on, TV on the radio! Alright. Wolf like me.
SPEAKER_05Oh my dear.
SPEAKER_03Who's this shit? Oh dear.
SPEAKER_02No, I love them. I thought they were really good.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and I enjoyed revisiting them. Um I'd say the first album always kind of listened to now and again, but giant bones.
SPEAKER_02That's a fucking track. Yeah. I like the titles of their songs as well. Fish Fingers. Chicken.
SPEAKER_00Fish Fingers, good.
SPEAKER_02Like what you can have for dinner.
unknownChicken.
SPEAKER_00What have we got here? So yeah, so we do uh do you want to do some like we can do the albums in order?
SPEAKER_04Would you want to do a lyric game first?
SPEAKER_01Oh have you done one?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, yeah, yeah. Cool.
SPEAKER_01So I've come prepped.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, of course you have. I'm not bloody, you know.
SPEAKER_01He's come up, he's come off cocked.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. Just forgot to take the blue pill. Yeah, so shall we? Lyric game?
SPEAKER_01Oh, I'm never gonna get these. I can barely understand what he's saying.
SPEAKER_04Okay, so play the lyrics game where you've got to guess the lyrics by the real band or from AI. So, are the lyrics from the 80s matchbox Beeline disaster, or are they from the 70s Hot Wheels AI travesty? Okay, so you've got to tell them you gotta you've got to repeat that. Sorry, the 70s Hot Wheels AI Travesty. Exactly what I said.
SPEAKER_03Don't mention Hot Wheels.
SPEAKER_04Are we ready? First lyric. I said I've had enough of all your vicious lies, your heart's as black as sin, and there's grudges in your eyes. Who's going first? Me?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it's yours, isn't it?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I've got 80s matchbox be lines as also.
SPEAKER_02I will do the same.
SPEAKER_01It is. Do you know the song? Nope. There's no actual points far as we as we said on the colour crows. I'm not if it's n I got a point earlier. No, no, that's why Jim needs a point to catch up.
SPEAKER_02Psycho Safari.
SPEAKER_04That was so long, good night. Right, another one. I threw my stones at her. I left her in the road, good night. I'll leave her for the crows. Hello. Are you friend or foe? What should we do?
SPEAKER_02I'm gonna go uh seventies travestees, hot wheel, disaster, fireball, death.
SPEAKER_01Yep. Yeah, 70s 70s, Hot Wheels, AI, Travesty.
SPEAKER_04Well done. You don't get a point for that. It was the 80s matchbox B Line. Oh, okay. Song called Chicken.
SPEAKER_02Oh, second travel.
SPEAKER_04Uh right, another one. I drank your silence, it made me choke. A prayer half dead, a promise broke. 70s Hot Wheel AI Travesty. Oh, he's good on that.
SPEAKER_02What he said.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. You just copying it, mate.
SPEAKER_02No.
SPEAKER_04It is. Seventies Hot Wheels AI Travesty. Can I get an extra point if we keep getting the name right? Yeah. Are you ready? One more. That's only four though, isn't it? Yeah, there might be another one.
unknownOkay.
SPEAKER_04Got a fever made of circus lights. My shadow eats what my heart ignites. Mother says, Boy, don't lose your head, but I sold it cheap to the nudie dead.
SPEAKER_02I'm gonna say 80s matchbox beeline disaster.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. 80s matchbox beeline disaster. It's the 70s Hot Wheels AI travers there.
SPEAKER_04It's good, isn't it? This AI guy. Yes, fuckers. Right then, last one. Fuckers. City's heartbeat made of rust and gin. Broken angels crawl beneath my skin. I see the saints in petrol rain, singing backwards, whispering pain. Beautiful lyrics. Yeah, 80s matchbox V line disaster.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_0470s Hot Wheels out of Travesty. He'd been outdone, these guys. Outdone, I tell you.
unknownNice.
SPEAKER_01We'll do albums in order. Yes. Worst uh best or best, not so best. However you wish to do it. Uh go kind of three to one. Three to one. Dusty B. Go on. Do you want me to go first?
SPEAKER_02Yeah. I'm gonna go three, Royal Society. Yeah. Two Blood and Fire. Yeah. Blood and one, horse of the dog.
SPEAKER_01Uh Phil? Uh yeah, I'm slam. Could do what Jim done on the thing. Yeah, I'm the flam. Oh, this is boring because Yeah, same for me, I reckon. Tracks. Yeah, any offer of horse of the dog, really. Nice. Yeah, anything. Celebrate your mother. Yep. Morning morning is broken. Morning is broken.
SPEAKER_04That's a uh morning is broken. That's even a lot of things. My favourite's Love Turns to Hate.
SPEAKER_01Psychosis. Love Turns to Hate.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, it's my favourite.
SPEAKER_02Oh cool.
SPEAKER_01And Under Under My Chin. I even like the longer one at the end, Presidential Wave. Yeah, it's quite good. Yeah. I could pick anything off that first album if I'm honest. Okay. Yeah. I could be an Angle, I really like. Oh yeah, yeah. Eye Rejection and Mr. Mental off a Royal Society. Yeah. And off uh Blood and Fire, I've got Under My Chin and Monsure Cuts, because I really like the title. It's a great song as well. So yeah, you know.
SPEAKER_02I've got an Eye Rejection at number five.
SPEAKER_01Nice.
SPEAKER_02Oh you're gone in order.
SPEAKER_01You're doing an order.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Monsieur Cuts at number four. Yeah. Rise of the Eagles at number three. Giant Bones at number two. And Celebrate Your Mother. Yeah. Because that last crescendo into the chorus. It's just they are going for it, aren't they?
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Yeah, it's great. He really means it. He really means he really gives it some welly. Oh. His mother would be proud.
SPEAKER_04Phil? Top five tracks? Yeah. Um, I'd said Love Turns to Hate Under My Chin. Put your laptop away. Celebrate your mother. Did like chicken. Did you? Yeah, infectious bass line.
SPEAKER_02Is that what AI said?
SPEAKER_00Later used the user than ICAD. 70s Hot Wheel Way Travis, didn't you?
SPEAKER_04And uh could be an angle you like now. Rise of the Eagle's not bad one either.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, that's like sharp, amphet, you know, amphetic. Represents their mid-period style, really.
SPEAKER_00That's a good one. Okay, that's good.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01All right, fuck it.
SPEAKER_00Should we do it again sometime?
SPEAKER_01Yes, why not? But let's pick a different band.
SPEAKER_02Uh how about TV on the radio?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, but let's let's tell Phil we're doing something else. Never heard of them.
SPEAKER_02This has been uh Kiss the Curve production produced by Barry at Backwater Channel Studios. Music by Ben Bailey. Talking about is presented by Gareth Norman, James Gentle, and Philip Reynolds.