These are the shownotes that go with The Infected Season 4 Episode:

Here we go!

HN03 – Doughnut Dollies

We’ve played some New Beat before from Shakti with the track “Forbidden Dreams” I’m not sure if you remember.  A nice and dark one again. The track was made by a famous Belgian DJ from the 80’s called Eric Beysen. He was resident DJ in the world-famous Boccaccio club and La Rocca. He died prematurely in 2016 from cancer I found out.

The story behind New Beat is as follows: There was a track called “Energy Flash” by Joey Beltram that was played at 33 RPM for a split second by accident in club Boccaccio in 1987.

The crowd reacted so well, that this was the start of New Beat. The genre is mostly recognizable because of the slow tempo (90-120 BPM max).

By the way, we mentioned a New Beat documentary on YouTube; here it is, a glimpse into early nineties new beat madness:

Children on Stun – Sidelined (1991)

They were formed in August 1991, taking their name from a song by the band The March Violets. The band’s first gig took place at a club called “The Crypt” in Hastings. In the same year, the band also recorded their first demo, entitled “Elegance”. In 1992, they supported the goth rock band Rosetta Stone on their UK tour.

In 1994 released their first album Tourniquets of Love’s Desire. This album was well-received within the UK goth scene and boosted the band’s popularity. You’ll find Sidelined on this album.

In the summer of 1994, bassist Pete Finnemore left the band. Kyle Whipp joined the band as their new bass player, and they played their first show with this new lineup in 1995 at London’s Camden Underworld. 1997 their second album, Mondo Weird, appeared, but in 1998, the band announced that they would be splitting up. They played their final gig at the Camden Underworld on 24 May 1998. The live CD of this show is quite good; it’s titled Seven Year Itch.

Then 17 years later, on 15 May 2015, Children on Stun played a reunion gig and announced they would be reforming. However, two months later, on 4 July 2015, guitarist Simon Manning died in his sleep from a heart attack. On 24 October, the band held a charity fundraising birthday party in memory of Manning. They were joined by his long-term bandmate and friend Stuart Harper who stood in his place. The money raised was split between the British Heart Foundation and the Sophie Lancaster Foundation. 

The band decided to continue with Stuart Harper joining permanently on guitar, playing more charity events in memory of Manning and releasing a limited-edition CD, This Sideshow Burlesque, with all profits from the release going to heart charities.

In 2018, Harper left the band and was replaced by Ex-Dream Disciples guitarist Gordon Young. In December of that year, Children on Stun signed to Armalyte Industries, leading to Echoes, a five-track EP of new material released in 2019. They are still together and touring.

Ulterior – In Vitro (2013)

Ulterior were a London based English post-punk band formed in 2006. I saw them live at the Grauzone Festival in 2012 in Amsterdam. They were a side act supporting Echo and the Bunnymen and The Chameleons. Where the big acts let me down, Ulterior totally rocked the house.

I bought their album called “The Bleach Room” right then and there in the merchandise booth. I still play it but have never looked further into Ulterior until now. They have disbanded in 2014 I found out.

The lead singer is a former professional football player called Paul McGregor. His brother did the synthesizers and there were 2 other members.

Following a disastrous break-in at the band’s house when all their recorded archive, demos and recording equipment was stolen, the band withdrew from live performances. Maybe that’s also the reason for their stop in 2014.

How Soon Is Now – Johnny Marr Live At The Crazy Face Factory (2023)

We all know this track, at least I hope you do, from The Smiths, where Johnny Marr was the genius that provided the music and production as a backdrop for singer Morrissey to shine. He is an amazing guitar hero who is not all that well-known outside of his fans. His guitar layering and production skills are brilliant. This is one hell of a live mix. Timing and tones from the vocals and instruments are impeccable!

What is particularly impressive here are Johnnys live vocals. They’ve gotten SO MUCH better over the years. Impressive. I won’t say he tops Morrissey’s vocals, but I didn’t miss Morrissey when I first heard this track, which is saying a lot. Also, bassist Andy Rourke deserves kudos for laying down that fat groove that makes this track even more special. Still sad about the recent loss of Andy Rourke. Another exceptional musician whose contribution to the Smiths can’t be exaggerated.

The Crazy Face Factory, by the way, is Johnny Marr’s place. In his own words: “The Crazy Face Factory is more than a workplace; it’s where I chase my ideas, dreams of music, imagination and plans. Industrial and industrious. I spend days on end there, nights there alone. It’s Call The Comet, Armatopia… where I live Fever Dreams.”

The last part of that quote refers to his 2022 album Fever Dreams, recorded in isolation during Covid. It’s worth a listen; it has a wide set of influences and an expansive sound, introspective but with many strands of music. Check it out!

Soviet Soviet – Ecstasy (2013)

This post-punk trio, Soviet Soviet, started in 2008 on the Adriatic coast of Pesaro in Italy. You don’t hear that every day. They don’t waste time and shred hard on every track. I must say that their tracks look alike too much. Mainly because of the singing, let’s say it’s a specific kind of voice 😊

In 2017 they were flying to the USA to do some promotional gigs without pay. But they were interrogated for several hours, held overnight and deported back to Italy. They had all the right papers and waivers. Border control saw that the venues they were going to perform in charged the audience entry fees and assumed the band would also get paid. What a bummer.

‘I’m Not In Love’ – 10CC (1975)

Now we like dark tracks and sad songs, but this isn’t a typical dark or post-punk track. I picked it for this show because it has exactly the sort of melancholic sadness I like. The track I am talking about is ‘I’m Not In Love’ by 10CC, our Infected Classic.

Now 10CC had been discussing writing a love song but did not want to write a cliché. I’m Not In Love was the perfect title. It has a charming backstory; Eric Stewart’s wife Gloria asked him why he didn’t express his love more frequently. During that time, Eric was under the impression that repeating ‘I love you’ too often would make it lose its meaning. So when Graham expressed his desire to write a love song, Eric suggested they’d call it ‘I’m Not In Love’ but fill it with reasons why he was indeed in love. Some irony, added for good measure, which was typical for their sense of humour.

They had been working on the song for quite a while, wrote all the words, took it into the studio and completed it as a Bossa nova guitar song. In the podcast you can hear a quick clip of how that sounded.

When they heard that back, everyone was underwhelmed. Nobody had any real enthusiasm to carry on… Eric hated it. They all recognised something was in there, but that treatment didn’t bring it to life. They weren’t sure what to do with the song; it remained unfinished for quite a while.

And then an idea emerged—to use voices instead of instruments, creating a massive tsunami-like effect, like an imaginary choir. The vision was clear, but this was no easy task being just four members. They had to improvise. Now you have to remember; this was in the ’70s. No computers, just a 16-track tape recorder. So, they recorded the many vocal harmonies with tape loops.

This meant that in the studio, for three weeks straight, Kevin, Lol and Graham sang tirelessly. The recordings were layered sixteen times over on their 16-track machine. They ended up with an astonishing 624 voice options, the process yielding 13 notes, spanning from top C to bottom C. Then, while recording, together they played these voices live on their huge control desk, like an oversized keyboard. Quite hectic because all four band members had to manipulate the desk’s faders at the same time to lay down the vocals, mass harmonics bleeding together and resulting in these harmonically rich sound layers that add an enchanting charm to the track, making it truly special.

The song was intended to be an acapella with new lead vocals to be recorded, but it all turned out differently. The beat and keyboards were assumed to be temporary, but once the vocals were laid down, they didn’t want to touch anything anymore. They didn’t want to take out the rhythm track because there was something magic about it, so it became a permanent fixture. And then there was the guide vocal. Despite re-recording the lead vocal, they kept the initial rendition. And then, the finishing touch was applied by the studio secretary, Cathy Redfield. She provided a last-minute stroke of inspiration, whispering the phrase “Be quiet, big boys don’t cry” halfway through the song. It became a big hit. It worked out well for Eric and his wife and Gloria, too, because they are still married today, 57 years later.

Eric and Gloria in 1970