Not Unloved presents: 30/07/2023 - Barbara Manning & Gerard Love @ The Glad Cafe (Glasgow)

Exciting news: Not Unloved is putting on a show at The Glad Cafe (Glasgow) featuring two of our favourite artists!

Barbara Manning 

Barbara has released music on some of the greatest labels of the indie-rock era (Matador, K, Siltbreeze etc.) both solo and with an array of fabulous groups (San Francisco Seals, 28th Day, World of Pooh, Glands of External Secretion etc.) and collaborated with some of New Zealand's finest. She also had the ultimate honour of gracing the cover of an  issue of esteemed indie zine/lifestyle guide, Chickfactor. I've written before about my love for her sublime "Optimism Is Its Own Reward" but there is so much to love across her stellar back catalogue including this sonically inventive ode to The Fall's 80s power pair, Mark E Smith and Brix, from her crucial debut lp "Lately I Keep Scissors":

This song is so great!

It's been many years since Barbara played shows in the UK so this is an incredibly rare opportunity to catch her in Glasgow. If you still need convincing, check out this cool Chickfactor interview from a few years ago. Anyone who dreams of writing a song for Kendra Smith is fine by me!

Gerard Love

Gerard Love needs no introduction having written and played on some of the most era-defining music of the last three decades with Teenage Fanclub, The Pastels and, most recently, with his group Lightships. I penned a few words that didn't quite do justice to the sheer loveliness of Lightships' "Electric Cables" upon its initial release in 2012 (wisely, it was restored to print on vinyl late last year). When Gerard returned to the stage in July, 2022 Not Unloved waited expectantly in the queue outside Glasgow's Stereo. Of course, his set was nothing short of beautiful. A subtly stunning return!

This is a thrilling version of one of the most brilliant songs to be released in my lifetime:

While I'm at it, how gorgeous is this Moondog cover?

Keep an eye out for the all the usual stuff like posters, Facebook events, ticket links etc. in the next wee while.

When: 30th July 2023 (N.B. That's the Sunday night after Glas-Goes Pop!, POP fans!)

Where: The Glad Cafe

Tickets: TBA

Priced outta the game wishlist!

Whilst idly rummaging on discogs for bargains the other day, I noted with interest that one of my favourite tunes from the brilliant "Teenage Shutdown, Vol. 9: Teen Jangler Blowout!" comp. - The Jackson Investment Co.'s rollicking "Not This Time" - had sold for 1,200 GBP in February:

Prices for the most sought-after garage rock 45s seem to be going the way of Northern Soul 45s with prices spiraling upwards at a wild rate in recent years. That got me wondering about what Not Unloved's money-no-object 60s garage/pop/psych/freakbeat 7" wishlist would look like and how much each record would cost by discogs past sales/current listings. After way too much deliberation the other day, this was my list*:

1. The Selfkick "Gosh, I'm Your Woman and Not Your Wife" (640.00 GBP) The wildest Dutch single of the 1960s?
2. The Whatt Four "Our Love Should Last Forever" (391.26 GBP) The best US Yardbirds-style rave-up to blast Not Unloved's ears!
3. Tracy Rogers "Baby" (150.00 GBP) The Toughest 60s Brit-girl 45 to hit these ears.
4. The Harbinger Complex "Sometimes I Wonder" (320.00 GBP) One of the coolest singles ever. The vocal is just perfect for us folks who came of age during the Sarah Records heyday!
5. Tol Puddle Martyrs "Time Will Come" (257.72 GBP) The intro reminds me a little of "Rock Lobster" by The B-52s. Brilliantly restrained.
6. The Gentlemen "It's A Cryin' Shame" (1200.00 GBP) The quintessential guitar cruncher with shredded vocals. Everyone knows this!
7. The Foggy Notions "Need A Little Lovin'" (799.99 GBP) Effortlessly cool vocals and some of the most memorable guitar bits...ever.
8. The Zoo "Sometimes" (never sold on discogs) The weepiest moody teen garage sounds - adorable.
9. Him and The Others "She's Got Eyes That Tell Lies" (429.53 GBP) One of the heaviest 60s UK cuts - a wall-shaker but also singalong-able.
10. Flash and The Memphis Casuals "Uptight Tonight" (never sold on discogs) Sounds like The Rolling Stones hopped-up on adrenaline cruising for a bar brawl.

It could've been worse, I guess! I'm sure that if Not Unloved were a DJ with an eye on getting feet moving on a dancefloor this list would have been very different.

* Of course, on another day this list would have The Dovers, The Fly-bi-nites, The Shades of Blue, The Stoics etc etc on it.

N.B. These listings haven't been included (13K for The Fly-bi-nites? 8K+ for The Gentlemen etc.)

The Hergs "Style of Love"

Everything I know about Adelaide, Australia's The Hergs was gleaned from this Garage Hangover article. "Style of Love" is the a-side of the group's sole contribution to the avalanche of great 45s released in the mid-60s. It's an admirably snotty, vaguely psychedelic rammy that takes a trip to the twilight zone. Singer Eddy McPherson could teach Liam Gallagher a thing or two about drawn-out, sneering delivery but he's also surprisingly precise when it comes to enunciating his t's and d's. The slow bassline married to frenetic guitars is a great trick with the overall effect that the listener is left a bit battered and bruised when its 3 minutes are up. Being a bit of a masochist, Not Unloved gleefully places the needle back to the start of the groove in anticipation of another ear bashing.

An ambient/minimal mix for a friend

Consumed by spring fever, Not Unloved compiled a mix for a friend. It's by no means the sort of overtly melodic pop music that usually gets posted here but if you're needing a lullaby, then it could be worth a spin. 

Tracklist and approximate timings:

1:  Intertoto - DSK8 (00:00)
2:  JJ + JS - 6am (05:46)
3:  Blackwater - L Line (09:08)
4:  Tacita Trjj - Non-Human Year (16:13)
5:  Deepchord w/ Convextion + cv313 - Vantage Isle (Spacecho Dub) (19:04)
6:  A New Line (Related) - Belle Ile En Mer Dub Night (Perfume Advert Remix) (21.59)
7:  Unearth Noise - Sleep Well, Sweet Friend (26:07)
8:  Hollie Kenniff - Shifting Winds (31:56)
8:  Seefeel - Industrious (36:04)
9:  Oliver Coates - Caregiver Part 2 (4am) (42:39)
10: Marlene Ribeiro - Toque No Sol (48:19)
11: Mary Lattimore - Princess Nicotine (53:59)
12: O Yuki Conjugate - Discrepant (57:48)
13: Dania - Whale Song (1:00:53)
14: Princes Diana of Wales - Fragments of Blue (1:04:44)
15: HTRK - Kiss Kiss and Rhinestones (Eurodance version) (1:08:27)

The Fenians "Got A Feeling" (Dee Gee Records)

Recently, a post on Not Unloved made reference to 'rummaging on discogs for affordable 60s bangers '. A recent example of the riches to be had is "Got A Feeling" by The Fenians (Dee Gee, 1966). Despite costing less than a tenner for a near mint copy, it's absolutely one of my fave 60s janglers. It's so chirpy, romantic and wholesome that it can't fail to lift the mood whenever it plays. There's something incredibly endearing about the big showbiz ending, too. The Fenians only made one 45 so I'm glad they really went for it to the best of their abilities. I'll bet that in 1966 they could've had no idea that nearly 60 years later a middle-aged bloke in Scotland would be playing it on repeat and (ill-advisedly) singing along. What a lovely legacy.

Avalon Emerson "Sandrail Silhouette"

A week off work means more opportunities to listen to the radio whilst doing mundane tasks. Easily the most enjoyable new track to alleviate the boredom of hanging-up the laundry is Avalon Emerson's "Sandrail Silhouette". I think it's safe to say that it'll find broad appeal among fans of late period Cocteau Twins and their 4AD label-mates of the early 90s, the majestic Ultra Vivid Scene (those guitars at the start are a dead ringer for something UVS would've done). Emerson's vocals are so lovely and really cut through on the radio. I see a fair amount of folks bemoaning the fact that BBC 6Music is 'not what it used to be' or is 'too mainstream now' but as long as presenters like Nemone are giving airtime to music as pretty as "Sandrail Silhouette", I'll happily turn the dial in its direction whenever there's a spare half hour that would benefit from being sound-tracked by someone other than me.

Senza Di Te

"Feel A Whole Lot Better" by The Byrds is rightly considered one of the finest pop tunes of the 1960s. It also features Not Unloved's favourite guitar solo ever. A solo which I've been accurately, but smugly, referring to as 'a ceilidh in 30 seconds' for more than three decades. One of Not Unloved's most cherished gig memories is seeing Sid Griffin with his post-The Long Ryders group The Coal Porters absolutely nailing a rendition of it at Glasgow's King Tut's Wah Wah Hut sometime in the early 90s. Sublime stuff! Whilst rummaging on discogs for affordable 60s bangers recently, I spied an Italian language version by Swiss beat group Les Sauterelles which appeared on the b-side of one of the issues of their excellent "Routine" single. It's a little less refined than the original but makes up for that through the sheer attack of the performances. Unfortunately, at around 500 GBP for a near mint copy, it's the very opposite of an 'affordable 60s banger' so Not Unloved will have to make do with significantly increasing the view count on the clip, below.