The Charlatans Oh! Vanity video

The Charlatans new single Oh! Vanity is available to download FREE from xfm.co.uk. Check out the cool new video!

New gig announcement!

We will be providing DJ support to The Ladyboys at the Atrium, Leeds on Saturday April 12th. Details on flyer above. For further information check out the Ladyboys myspace page here. The Ladyboys are Damien Thackray, Nick Lonsdale, Paul Clarke, Daniel Mallin and Richard Waite. All have been local legends on the music scene for years now and this is their brand new band. It promises to be a busy night so, if you are coming, get down early!!!

Also, for more music don't forget to check out Nick & Paul's equally excellent acoustic venture Saturnines here.

RSG club band spotlight: The James Dean Syndrome

>>> The hip-groove-setting-cats that are The James Dean Syndrome put the 'hip' in Hip To The Trip.

These wildcats have plenty of mojo that not even Sgt. Pilcher himself could raid. From the heavy bass lines to the cream filled guitar licks and not forgetting the dandy drum beats, the Jimmy Deans have an arsenal so suave (in which any 'grunts' plodding through the Vietnamese 'boonies' would give their last pouch of 'Mary Jane' for) they could take on the Viet-Cong.

If your waiting for that new sound that hits you faster than a Porsche 550 Spyder then Jimmy Deans rhythm 'n' blues infected beats to their pysche-acoustic explosion will blow your mind.

So if your a would-be-hip fortysomething or a tree-huggin peacenik tune in, turn on and drop out to The James Dean Syndrome.

The James Dean Syndrome play @ RSG on Feb 28th 2008.

Listen to the JDS @ www.myspace.com/thejamesdeansyndrome

Eddie Bo new release on Vampisoul

Eddie Bo is one of the funk icons. Ace re-issue label Vampisoul are set to release a brilliant retrospective due on March 3rd 2008. The New Orleans funkateer was a perfomer, composer, and producer on many funk classics, many of which we regularly spin at our ready steady go club nights. The compilation will be available on vinyl and CD and will include tracks from his early and formative years to the present days, including both his own recordings and his productions for other artists. The package will include a massive essay, biography, and liner notes penned by journalist/specialist Bryce White. In the meantime, for more on Eddie Bo, check out Radio Leeds’ very own DJ James “down in the grooves” Addyman’s tribute to the great man himself in our RSG archive.

You can pre-order the CD here but I’ll be going for the vinyl myself!

RSG club band spotlight : Delmonica

Spotlight on one of the bands playing RSG this month....

Delmonica as a band has existed for a couple of years, growing and evolving. In one of their earlier incarnations the musical leaning was towards Detroit punk, New York garage & Motown, but the eclectic musical tastes of the band has resulted in the current line up and sound taking a more refined yet lo-fi twist.

The feel is retro, but still fresh. The current line up of Delmonica came into existence after a chance meeting of two old friends at a Love gig in Leeds, and an advert in the NME.

Over the past twelve months, locked away in a rehearsal studio, the band set about generating a completely new set, taking inspiration from artists such as Love, The Beach boys, The Byrds, Bob Dylan and the Kinks.

Drummer, Neil and Bassist, John are the longest standing members of the band and have played together in several bands, developing an understanding that is rarely achieved. The two guitarists Dave and Andy bounce off of each other with a chemistry that adds a rich texture and melody to the solid backdrop of the rhythm section, and on top off all this are the vocals. Scott leads the vocal line with confidence not arrogance but too much swagger to shoe gaze, and the backing vocals layer up harmonies resulting in tones reminiscent of the Beach Boys.

Delmonica are playing live on Friday Feb 29th 2008 as part of the Ready Steady Go club night.

Listen to Delmonica @ www.myspace.com/delmonicatheband

The Action Video Clip

Big thumbs up to Milanomods for posting this ace clip of The Action strutting their stuff back in the day. You can find more amazing Action footage on Youtube.

Ready Steady Go Club Night Feb 08

Here is the line up for this month's Ready Steady Go Club on February 29th.
Check out our myspace for more info...
Hope you can make it!

The Action Interview!

Exclusive RSG interview with 60s Mod Legends The Action!

Here are the highlights from an interview we did back in 2000 with original bassist Mike Evans. Click here to read the whole interview.

The Action were one of the best Mod bands from the sixties.

In an article from Paulo Hewitt's 'A Sharper Word' (an excellent collection of writings on the cult of Mod), original Portsmouth Mod Ian Hebditch describes a typical Action live show consisted of two lengthy sets.

Kicking off the first set with a cover of 'Heatwave' and whipping the packed crowd up into a frenzy that never fades away. The band return for a final set with 'In My Lonely Room'…

"The beat, the heat and the sweat carry on for about an hour, then the Action leave the stage to thunderous applause having done two encores, they look completely fagged out and they're wet with perspiration, so am I and my throat feels hoarse with shouting"

They released a legacy of five fine timeless singles between 1965 and 1967 produced by Beatles producer, George Martin and featuring the gruff but silky, emotive and truly soulful vocals of Reggie King. Listen to their unique interpretations of soul classics like 'I'll keep On Holding On' and 'Land of a 1000 Dances'. These classic black sounds are effortlessly transformed into something completely different whilst retaining the utmost respect for the original sound.

It's a crying shame that the Action never went on to release more records but Edsels' 'Ultimate Action' compilation tells you all you need to know about this fascinating band. The subtle, teasing and playful arrangements highlight a band on top form, at the peak of their powers. Heavenly harmonies and the tight pounding back beat combine with Reggie King's effortlessly soulful crooning create a magical brew of classy Motown flavoured pop soul.

Evocative ballads like 'Since I lost my baby' and 'Just once in your life' smothered in vintage echo with Reggie pouring out his wounded soul sit neatly beside the uptempo swagger of 'Hey sha-lo-ney' and 'The place'. Their legacy doesn't disappoint.

RSG: How do you rate Reg King's voice amongst his better known contemporaries?

Mike: "I always thought that Reg was as good as anyone if not better. I remember the first time I heard him sing, in a pub in Kentish Town I went there with Keith Moon. Reg was singing "Stand by me" and I thought, Yeah. Later Keith sat in on drums and proceeded to smash them up much to the resident drummer's horror".

RSG: How influential was George Martin? What are you memories from those sessions? How much input/influence did the band members have in the studio? Were you allowed to run riot in the studio or were you kept in check and told what to do and when to do it?
Mike "He was a massive influence on us musically and from a recording perspective. However it was all our input George embellished and got it right for the recording process. There was never enough time to run riot and anyway we were far too polite".

RSG: The Beatles must have been close by when you were recording with George Martin. Did your paths ever cross? Have you any memories/anecdotes you could share with us?
Mike: "Yes it did happen and it was always amazing, but we were always in awe of them like most people. Once they turned up when we were rehearsing at the Marquee and sat and watched us running through applauding every song we thought we were dreaming".

RSG: What do you hear when you listen back to those Action records?
Mike: "Sometimes only half the story because the Action were a live club band, and recording was a different process, which was always intense and frustrating. It has a very sixties sound".

RSG: Tell us about your live shows/gigs - do you feel the Action were a better live band than on record? What cover versions did you used to do?
Mike "I thought we were a much better live band for the above reasons. Some of the songs by Don Covay were my favourites, 'Have Mercy', 'See Saw' I still do not who the bass player was on those records if anyone knows please let me know. I believe Jimi Hendrix actually plays guitar on 'Have Mercy'".

RSG: What music were you into in your teens? I guess rock'n'roll hit you first and then soul/r&b inspired you to make music? Who were your heroes?
Mike: "I had run through early rock n roll and started modern jazz before I left school after that I met Geoff Bradford, one of the greatest English Blues players, he introduced me to blues music and then I progressed to R&B and deeper into modern jazz and soul music. Practically every singer musician from Motown, Stax and Chess plus Mingus and Coltrane".

RSG: Your sound evolved from Black American records, yet the big thing at the time was Merseybeat. Was there a reaction to that scene in London by hardcore Mods and bands like the Action.
Mike: "You have to remember that Merseybeat was influenced by black American music too. We were in the unusual position of being produced by the same man who made the Beatles records who epitomised Merseybeat, I think that shows how it all comes together".

RSG: The Action never had a hit record, yet today you still mean a lot to many young people who were not even born in the 60s. Your sound is a fresh and timeless as ever and puts many modern bands to shame. What do you make of it all?
Mike: "It is a real knock out to see and we often wonder if we have entered a parallel universe. I have noticed it is not just a look but the same enthusiasm, and the knowledge of the music is incredible, we have tried to say as much in the video we have produced about the band. "In the Lap of the Mods" because we felt it had to be said".

You can contact the Action at their web site: http://www.actionmightybaby.co.uk/ where you can also purchase the video "In the Lap of the Mods".

Purchase The ultimate Action CD here.

The above interview was conducted in the year 2000 exclusively for RSG! Read the full interview here.

Welcome!

>>> Hello and welcome to our first ever RSG blog!

The website is about to undergo a bit of revamp shortly. We will be adopting a blog style format to allow for more interaction and keep to you updated more regularly with our events and hot tips.

Watch this space!

In the meantime, check out our myspace page for details of our forthcoming gigs...The next Ready Steady Go club night takes place on Feb 29th with the James Dean Syndrome with guests playing live plus yer RSG DJs spinning sixties grooves and indie classics into the night.