The Shend (The Cravats, The Very Things) will be doing the thing, at The Rebellion Ponk Festival, Blackpool in Aug 2009
Featuring The Shend and Svor Naan (original Cravats sax behemoth!)
Okay, it's not the Very Things but it's the closest you're going to get, matey!
1982 saw the implosion of the brilliant but unstable dwarf star, jazz/punk fusion The Cravats. Staggering away from the debris, the two founding fathers Robin Raymond Dallaway and The Shend took refuge and fed themselves on a late night diet of episodes of The Twilight Zone and Outer Limits, Tamla Motown singles, hyper bad 50s sci-fi films and psychedelic grooves from the 60s. They went back into the studio in 1983 and built The Very Things. They were a band loved by many people, including John Peel, who soon gave them a session. Their critical and record buying popular acclaim led to a film made for and in conjunction with The Tube, a black and white pastiche of low budget B films based around two of their tracks. Ken Russell declared the piece wonderfully gothic, adding that it made him want to destroy his greatest work.
Still one of my favourite bands ever. The Shend, you are a musical hero of mine.
I was lucky enough to find the CD copy of Bushes Scream While my Daddy Prunes in a used cd shop for a decent price. Along with a DOLLAR copy of the 12'' Mummy You're a Wreck.
I always thought you were great and when I went to Uni in London late 80s I became friends with a girl in my year, who it turned out was going out with your drummer Rob at the time. I was thrilled to meet him! Saw you live in 1987 when you were supported by the Sugarcubes.
Well, I am honoured, thanks for accepting me, we have a friend in common, Edmund Cake, aka Teddy (aka many things). He kept hollering out your songs with a big grin on his face for a solid week and made me sit through your video clips. I have since recovered and here I am, I do like your stuff! thanks.
When I was 12 I transcribed by ear all the lyrics to Mummy you're a wreck, I haven't heard that song for 22 years although it's pretty burnt into my memory. I taped it off a radio show here in Auckland NZ in the early 80's.
I've been concerned that I might not enjoy 'mummy' 22 years later (I've still not re-heard it) however, The bushes scream while my daddy prunes is incredible so I'm expecting that 'mummy' is gonna sound great when I eventually hear it again..
After you've been working out in the desert fifteen years like I have, you hear a lot of things, see a lot of things too - sun in the sky, and the heat - all that sand out there - the rivers and lakes that aren't real at all; and sometimes you think the wind gets in the wires, and humms and whistles and talks, just like what we're hearing now.
Now that we're friends let's do something together. Let's become religious, put on funny clothes, dance silly and start a riot! Friends do such things, don't they? Are you with us?!
Hey, cheers for adding me as a friend. After meeting RR Dallaway as friend and not knowing his background, i can only say how pleasing it is to find this stuff out about my mate bob!! cheers all.
