The Raincoats

And I was reminded of that era and those sounds when listening to the new album called Hello World from the French band Context who played a track from before Vivian Goldman.

The, uh, Slits and Raincoats are clear reference points, but Context seems to have what I describe as a darker, maybe more melancholic edge, uh, even in their poppiest moments on the album.

And what you heard was the, uh, closing track from the album.

It's called By the Sea.

So my, my roots were very much in a sort of punk, new wave, and, and the, well, what would come to be called the indie world.

I think it was called independent at the time, and that was a world inhabited by people like The Fall, and, um, and Scritti Politti, and the Raincoats, and lots of bands, you know, that, that y- you might never have heard of.

A couple that we'll get to play maybe later in this show.

Um, so yeah, new romantics were a big thing, and, and they were very well made for MTV, and that was where I think people started realizing that there was money to be made, um, out of, out of making pop music.

And it, it's interesting, you know, it was a vital point in, in this post-punk scene.

I write about it quite early in the book.

I talk about The Au Pairs, and Delta 5, and Girls Are Best, and The Raincoats, and The Slits, and groups that, um, really had to challenge, um, this notion that, uh, like, uh, just a lot of sexism.

This notion that girls can't play, or that boys can take their tops off but girls can't, you know-

Yes.

'Cause it's amazing, 'cause you're 16, but your, your musical taste at this point is, is quite incredible, 'cause you've got all this post-punk period with these kind of, um, quite, you know, scratchy bands like Girls At Our Best, um, Delta 5, the All Au Pairs, and The Raincoats.

I mean, that's, that's something for a 16-year-old to already have that kind of, um, palate really, or that maturity of taste.

There's w- It, it is one thing that I'm, if, uh, if I'm allowed, you know, one thing I'm allowed to be proud of is that as Jamming, my fanzine, got going, it, you know, I was a, I was a big fan of the Jam.

And on the other hand, I'd be listening to Totally Wired by The Fall.

Right.

I'd be listening to Mind Your Own Business by Delta 5, Fairy Tale in the Supermarket by The Raincoats.

Like, like you say, Girls At Our Best.

Mm-hmm

... that stuff ended up on MTV, and then you read interviews with Kurt Cobain, and he's talking about The Pixies and The Raincoats and all those bands, and then you realize, oh, there's this whole world that's not just in front of me.

Mm-hmm.

And I mean, it's such a hokey thing to say now.

in there.

Um, a couple of guys from Rip Rigging Panic, uh, Vicky from the Raincoats.

And then you had, um, a lot of, of actual reggae artists.

You had, um, Errol Holt from the Roots Raddix, uh, George Oban, who played with Burning Spear and Uswad.