Hot Wax Allnighter 2nd May 2010

The New Untouchables hold their first ever Northern Soul/Mod allnighter at the excellent Wardrobe venue in Leeds city centre on May 2nd 2010..

NUTS hold many events including the hugely successful Le Beat Bespoke festival in London which has included live acts Arthur Lee and Love, The Sonics, The Chocolate Watchband, The Undertones, The Horrors, Little Barrie, The Remains, The Buzzcocks, The Fuzztones, The Action, The Pretty Things and The Yardbirds to name just a few.

Allnighter over two floors with Modernist sounds ground floor and Northern Soul in the basement, kicks off 22.00 On Sunday 2 May (Bank Holiday weekend).

DJ Dr Robert (compiler of the renowned compilation album series also titled Le Beat Bespoke) and his New Untouchables team have assembled a killer line-up of DJ's from all over the north of the UK for your dancing delight. Deejays include Lancs legend Ginger Taylor, Keith Money (Scotland), Paul Welsby (Manchester) Pid (Birmingham) and Yorkshire lads Gav Needham (Brighton Beach), Jools Metcalf, Ian Gee, Nige Grice, Nige Brown & Lee Miller.


For full info go http://www.newuntouchables.com/

New Shakermaker date...Sat 22nd August

If you are in the West Yorkshire area on Saturday 22d August why not check out 'Shakermaker' at Bar Deco, Bradford Road, Batley?

Ready Steady Go DJs Phil and Paul along with Paul Auty will be spinning a melting pot of mod, ska, indie, northern, motown, britpop and sixties beat classics from 9.30pm until 2.30am.

For further info contact Jay Tel: 0775 198 3217.

Check out the pictures from the Shakermaker launch night back in June at : http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/album.php?aid=2009285&id=1517822090

SHAKERMAKER LAUNCH PARTY @ CASALOCO, LEEDS 5th JUNE 2009

RSG! are proud to be associated with a brand new club night in Leeds kicking off Friday 5th June. Featuring a fantastic line-up of 6 DJ's covering the greatest and rarest anthems in Indie - Mod - 60's beat - Northern soul - Britpop - Ska - 2 tone, 2 Live Bands & very competitive drinks prices, all spread over 3 floors of one of Leeds' finest nightspots, Casa Loco (previously Atrium), Grand Arcade, Leeds, LS1 6PG.

DJ's
Paul Ritchie & Phil Cunningham (ready-steady-go.org.uk / strictly vinyl)
Mark 'Liquidator' Young (beatauthority.co.uk)
Tidsey (beatauthority.co.uk)
Jackie Robson (Step On)
Paul Auty (Shakermaker)

Bands
The Finnlys (www.thefinnlys.co.uk)
The Persuasion (www.myspace.com/thepersuasionsonicsoul)

Be a face and dress to impress the in crowd, for what promises to be the start of one of Leeds' greatest club nights...

Tickets £5 O.T.D or advance via website (www.shakermaker.info)

My Favourite 45 by Adam, Rowed Out Records

As technology gathers pace the punk DIY spirit of yesteryear seems such a long lost time ago. The buzz you got from vinyl, fanzines and word of mouth tip offs serve only to remind you of a nostalgic era long before t’internet, IPODs, CDs and MP3s came along.

Here at RSG! we feel it’s important to embrace new technology at the same time as keeping the old ethos alive. So, as much as we still love and desire vinyl, we treasure the fact that the internet is a unique facility for indulging our musical desires like never before.

In a world of fake celebrity and superfluous celebration for the non-talented it is both satisfying and inspiring to see small, independent labels like Rowed Out Records steadfastly keeping the spirit alive, releasing limited 7” singles from up and coming bands, whilst at the same time using technology to connect with like minded souls.

You can’t but help admire label boss Adam for his dedication to the cause. His mission is a pure labour of love, devoid of any selfish aspirations for fame and fortune. Of course, it would be nice to have a bit of dosh and gratitude along the way but that’s not the primary reason for wanting to stick your neck on the line and run your own label. It’s this grassroots level RSG! applauds. This label, like many other small, enterprising labels, represents the life blood of a music industry that never properly pays its dues to the people like Adam, whose obvious devotion to music and supporting others is beyond question.

Do yourself a favour and have a punt on one of Rowed Out records 7” singles and help keep the fire burning. In the meantime, we asked Adam to tell us about one his favourite 45s from his record collection and he has plumped a pure mod gem by the Eyes, ‘I’m Rowed Out’ –

“So good I named a record label after it!!” says Adam.

The Eyes - I'm rowed out (Mercury MF 881)

“There are many sounds from the 60s that will stay with me as they were the first records I got into as an 11/12 year old, 'Green Onions', 'Be My baby', 'Louie Louie' etc. and I still love the thrill of hearing something new from that period of music. Although 'I'm rowed out' is a blatant rip-off of The Who's 'I can't explain' is has stuck with me from the first time I heard it, which would have probably been in a London club in the late '80s ( I also remember top '90s mod band THE CLIQUE covered it). The intro is not as shrill as The Who's and the lyrics are a lot harder - it could have been written about a mod, the lyrics reflecting an attitude akin to a teenagers thoughts on living in the fast lane, sod the mediocrity”

“The opening lyric of "You got a grey suede coat and a soul like fire" sum up a mod's pilled-up attitude. It has parallels with The Kinks 'Dedicated follower of fashion' in creating a vision of some hip young thing lording it up around the London hot-spots”. “I named the second release on Rowed Out Records 'Soul Like Fire' as a tribute and the third release 'Join the tea set' is a lyric from another of their tracks - 'My degeneration'. Release #4 is entitled 'Do it for kicks' (from a line in 'Rowed out' - "You don't want money, you do it for kicks")”.“The Eyes are a VERY under-rated mod band, look at the back catalogue they left, they were ahead of their time, recording freakbeat monsters 'You're too much' and 'When the night falls' long before other bands took R&B and made it heavier”.“The record still gets plays in clubs now and is one of only a few British R&B tunes that can be heard between the US soul and R&B, proving it's longevity on the mod scene”.“A truly classic 45”.

For more information on Rowed Out records go to http://www.rowedout.co.uk/ or http://www.myspace.com/soullikefire

If you run your own label and would like to be featured in Ready Steady Go please drop us a line @ soulboy_69@yahoo.com

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.

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.