Cardiffian coincidences

A couple of days ago someone asked if the lettering on the cover of Not Unloved's recent Current Affairs 7" was a sly tip of the wink to that on the cover of a Current Obsessions e.p. from the early 80s. Current Obsessions was a new name to Not Unloved so some investigation work was in order. A Google image search turned up the cover in question:

There is a definite similarity in the hand-drawn lettering but I'm guessing that that's just a coincidence. The sleeve screams early 80s DIY punk so it came as a bit of a surprise to hear that the lead track from it is actually a slice of minimal jazz pop with surprisingly narked lyrics and which ends with a decidedly fluttery flute solo that may not be to everyone's taste:

Interesting, for sure. On the same day that I became aware of Current Obsessions, I finally got round to listening to Stuart Moxham's post-Young Marble Giants group The Gist's "Holding Pattern" lp (Tiny Global Productions) which I'd bought in Rough Trade East on a recent trip to London. On first listen, the track which made the biggest dent was the sparse, chirpy "Assured Energy":


A quick rummage revealed that the singer on "Assured Energy" was called Debbie Pritchard who, it transpired, had been the singer in Current Obsessions. What a cool coincidence! If I'd looked more closely, I would've noticed that there were Cardiff addresses on the Current Obsessions sleeve so it all makes perfect sense A different version of "Assured Energy" also appears on "Always Sunshine, Always Rain" (also on Tiny Global Productions), Debbie's cd with Spike - the same Spike thanked on the Current Obsessions sleeve - that was released in June, 2018. Another one for the wants list along with "Bimini Twist" (yet another on Tiny Global Productions), Spike's recent lp with the wonderful Alison Statton. Phew.

PS There's an in-depth article from September 2017 on Stuart Moxham's post-Young Marble Giant work here. (Thanks for the link, Esther!)