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Nancy Thompson in conversation with David Eastaugh  https://substack.com/@communekid75 Nancy spent her early years at Shrubb Family in Norfolk. This is her story about growing up in East Anglian during the 1970s and 80s. And what happens next

Mark Laff in conversation with David Eastaugh  He began playing drums as a teenager, being influenced by England's 1960s Mod fashion and music movement and the work of Keith Moon. After a failed audition for The Clash (he was one of two drummers to get a call back), his first drumming role was with Subway Sect, sharing the bill with the Sex Pistols, The Clash, and Siouxsie and the Banshees for the Anarchy and White Riot tours, however he left the band shortly afterwards. In April 1977, the 18-year-old Laff was recruited as a replacement drummer for the punk rock band Generation X, a few months before it signed to Chrysalis Records and released its first single, "Your Generation". He was Generation X's drummer through its two albums, the self-titled Generation X (1978), followed by Valley of the Dolls (1979); which saw the band amidst a heavy performance schedule across Great Britain gaining momentum, drawing recognition and impacting the British pop music charts with its releases.

Tony Fletcher in conversation with David Eastaugh  https://www.amazon.co.uk/POW-When-Punk-Went-1980-84/dp/B0GGGXLZPH POW! is the fascinating memoir of a precocious English teen in the early 1980s who published a music magazine, interviewed many of the era's top artists, befriended rock stars, ran a record label, appeared on television, played in a band and found first love -- all at the same time! In this sequel to his Boy About Town (2013), Tony Fletcher's incredible adventures in the world of British post-punk make for a compelling adventure of highs (an exclusive interview with Paul McCartney, friendship with Paul Weller of the hugely successful Jam, playing to huge audiences, discovering love and sex) and lows (heartbreak, learning the financial challenges of running a label the hard way, the collapse of his band). Despite the passage of time, he summons up all the enthusiasm he felt for the music and women he loved and marvels at the incredible experiences he had as a hard-working young striver. The generation raised on MTV, the New Musical Express and bands like Madness, Wham!, the Smiths, Echo and the Bunnymen, Dexy's Midnight Runners and Killing Joke will love reading this inside view of a knowledgeable fan who got to know them all.

Colin Moulding in conversation with David Eastaugh  https://burningshed.com/colin-moulding_want-it-bad_cd https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3X4vcRTFjk Moulding began jamming with another local musician, Andy Partridge, circa 1972–1973 and soon joined Partridge's band Star Park, convincing Partridge to hire Chambers as well. In July 1975, after a period in which the band were known as the Helium Kidz, they changed their name to XTC. Several of the band's early hits were penned by Moulding: 1979's "Life Begins at the Hop" was their first to chart in the UK, Australia and Canada; that same year, "Making Plans for Nigel", from the album Drums and Wires, became a Top 40 hit in the UK, Canada, Netherlands and New Zealand

Julie Grant in conversation with David Eastaugh  https://jgrant.info/ https://www.facebook.com/juliegrantmusic https://www.discogs.com/release/37653312-Crimson-Mints-Threadbare Award-winning Britpop musician, Julie Grant, has been collaborating with 60’s guitarist Peter Collard to produce a new album, What’s Not Said, which is out now. This ten-track CD features a collection of acoustic and electric songs that highlight Grant’s distinctive voice and unflinching lyrics, paired with Collard’s rhythmic, melodic style. The songs are inspired by the ten chapters from her forthcoming memoir, The Gatecrasher, set to be published in 2026. A respected and versatile artist, Julie has not only built a remarkable music career but has also performed on national television, recorded live sessions for BBC Radio, written for BBC television, and worked in theatre production.

Patrick Redsell in conversation with David Eastaugh  https://eafa.org.uk/work/?id=2038 Medieval style illustrations establish the theme of the Last Barsham Faire. Early morning reveals an encampment with caravans, makeshift tents and shelters.  The fair is held next to the round tower church.  Against medieval music, a stilt walker, jesters, minstrels and other musicians perform amongst the crowd.  There is a medieval play and maypole dancing.  One of the organisers tells how stall holders are encouraged to sell their own handmade goods, and to make their stalls look medieval.   Stallholders discuss their work: a bellows maker, women who spin by hand, and a lute maker.  The committee talk about what the fair means to them.  Other festivities include face painting, actors playing 'Punch and Judy', morris dancing and a man lying on a bed of nails.  A  performance takes place inside a tent, with children singing and dancing.  A firework display ends the day.

Marco Pirroni in conversation with David Eastaugh https://www.simonandschuster.co.uk/authors/Marco-Pirroni/266126980 Marco Pirroni is a songwriter, guitarist and producer. A lynchpin of the UK punk scene, Marco’s first appearance on stage was with Siouxsie and the Banshees at the 100 Club in 1976. He went on to join bands the Models and then Rema-Rema before teaming up with a little-known punk outfit – Adam and the Ants – in 1979 and within a year the band was on the brink of worldwide acclaim. An integral part of the band, Marco acted as lead guitarist and co-songwriter with Adam. Marco’s work with Adam left an indelible commercial and creative stamp across the 1980s and pop music in general. Marco went on to work with other artists including Sinéad O'Connor and had become regarded as an authority on the punk movement.

Anton Barbeau in conversation with David Eastaugh https://antonbarbeau.bandcamp.com/album/come-home-to-me https://manbird.antonbarbeau.com https://www.facebook.com/antonbarbeau After the conceptual weight of 2025’s Dark Mystery Temple trilogy, Anton Barbeau clears the table. Come Home To Me offers fourteen songs with no grand scheme beyond his enduring faith in pop music. Recorded mainly at Barbeau’s home studio in Auburn, California, the album moves from clipped new wave and jazzy piano balladry to Cocteau Twins-tinted psychedelia and deep P-Funk. Colin Moulding and Dave Gregory of XTC appear alongside Andy Metcalfe, Donald Ross Skinner and Terry Edwards. “World Calls Love” grew from a cassette fragment found while clearing Barbeau’s childhood Sacramento house; “All Thru The Night” was written during his final days there, around the last cup of tea in its kitchen. An old tape, a last brew and fourteen fresh reasons to come home. credits

Dean Pianvani in conversation with David Eastaugh  https://portioncontrol.net/ https://portioncontrol.bandcamp.com/music Portion Control have been creating electronic dissonance for techno industrial pilgrims since 1979, rising as pioneers from the UK industrial electronics scene

Martin McAloon https://www.martinmcaloon.com/ Prefab Sprout are an English pop/rock band. Formed in 1978 by brothers Paddy and Martin McAloon and joined by vocalist, guitarist and keyboard player Wendy Smith in 1982, they released their debut album Swoon to critical acclaim in 1984. Their subsequent albums, including 1985's Steve McQueen and 1990's Jordan: The Comeback, have been described by Paul Lester of The Guardian as "some of the most beautiful and intelligent records of their era". Frontman Paddy McAloon is regarded as one of the great songwriters of his time and the band have been credited with producing some of the "most beloved" pop music of the 1980s and 1990s.

Welsey Stace in conversation with David Eastaugh  https://wesleystace.bandcamp.com/ https://www.wesleystace.com/albums Recorded at Studio 1935 in Philadelphia’s historic BOK Building, One Last Heist is produced, arranged and written by Wes and longtime collaborator David Nagler. The core band comprised Nagler himself (keyboards), Eddie Carlson (bass), and Stéphane San Juan (Caetano Veloso, David Byrne, Marcos Valle) on the drums. These backing tracks were supplemented by stellar guitar work from Joe Gore (Tom Waits, Tracy Chapman) and Justin Mazer (Bob Weir), extra drums from Patrick Berkery (The War on Drugs) and backing vocals by Chris von Sneidern. The bells and whistles - string quartets, clarinets, flutes, flugelhorns etc - were contributed later by friends all over.    This heist began with frustrations about the one before, Stace recounts: “We'd intended the previous album Late Style to be the most elegant record imaginable, but COVID was a scruffy time and much of it was recorded in isolation in far-flung locations, without the chemistry and esprit de corps of musicians playing together in real time in the same space. It just couldn’t be done how we wanted. So the prime motive here was to go one better, to arrange the songs first, then record them as a band, playing live in the studio, to let it be a ‘players’ record, allowing for expressive solos, room to relax a little. Studio 1935 is open plan, very welcoming, not lots of isolated booths, so we were all able to congregate, interact, and improvise.”

Morgan King in conservation with David Eastaugh  https://morganking.bandcamp.com/ King's musical career began in 1979 as drummer for Manchester band Illustration, who were subsequently signed by the indie label, "Some Bizzare" featuring on the Some Bizzare Album. After several years immersed in the UK indie scene, King's musical direction changed considerably with the advent of house music in the late 1980s. In 1988, King moved to Chicago and started writing with Kym Mazelle and Marshall Jefferson on Mazelle's first album, Crazy, which was released the following year. In 1989, King joined his third band, the Manic MCs who had a UK top thirty hit with their first release, "Mental".

Vince Hunt in conversation with David Eastaugh A Witness are an English post-punk/indie rock band, who were originally active in the mid-1980s alternative music scene. Their first EP Loudhailer Songs brought them to the attention of BBC Radio 1 disc jockey John Peel, for whom they recorded four sessions. Their career was brought to a halt with the death of guitarist Rick Aitken in 1989. Founder member and songwriter Vince Hunt revived the band with a new line-up for a series of UK-wide dates in 2014 marking the 25th anniversary of Aitken's death, and the band continues to play live.

John Whybrew in conversation with David Eastaugh  https://portioncontrol.bandcamp.com/music https://portioncontrol.net/ Emerging from the immediate post-punk musical landscape, Portion Control swiftly developed a raw, minimal sound utilising sequenced synthesisers, samplers and strident vocals built on driving, rhythmic structures. Their fiercely independent approach and experimental use of early technology positioned them as pioneers of the electro-industrial genre, as exemplified by their 1982 debut album, ‘I Staggered Mentally’, mini-LP ‘Hit The Pulse’ (1983) and second album ‘..Step Forward’ (1984), all formative works in the evolution of hard-edged dark electronic dance music.Following a hiatus that began in the late ’80s, Portion Control staged their return in 2004. Symbolically plotted on the steps of the British Museum, they introduced a darker, tighter style that nevertheless retained their uncompromising edge. Releases such as ‘Wellcome’ (2004), ‘Filthy White Guy’ (2006), ‘Pure Form’ (2012) and the trio of ‘SEED’ EPs issued in 2020-25 documented this renewed phase, combining the band’s original aesthetic with contemporary production techniques.Throughout their career, Portion Control have remained resistant to commercial pressures while continually exploring new directions in sound. Their body of work stands as a significant contribution to electronic music history, both for its originality and for its lasting influence on subsequent artists within genres such as industrial, EBM, techno and darkwave.

Gregor Gall in conversation with David Eastaugh  Link to book is https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/marxism-in-music-9798765140888/    the discount code is MARXISM35   In Marxism in Music: Constructing a Communist Contra-Culture with The Redskins, Rock'n'roll and Revolution, Gregor Gall examines how The Redskins, so-called for their skinhead aesthetics and commitment to a socialist ideal, were a deliberately political band and built a counter-hegemony through their music and activism. At the height of Thatcherism in Britain, The Redskins were aligned with the politics of the Socialist Workers Party, though the party did not accept their idea of that a working-class culture could exist. Despite resistance and contradiction, The Redskins created stirring and danceable music that introduced young people to socialist politics, playing over 250 gigs between 1982 and 1986, of which one quarter were benefit gigs for, as an example, striking miners. Featuring a foreword by Redskins bass player Martin Hewes this book analyses the band's political intentions, interpersonal and inter-party tensions and the outcomes of their ideological, political and creative choices by drawing upon interviews with Hewes, other musicians like Billy Bragg, and the band's followers. The book uses as a comparison another left-wing band of the same period, Easterhouse, to tease out how and why The Redskins were and are influential amongst a certain milieux and how going against the grain, even among comrades, made for the group's particular contribution to music culture and politics.