Fred Perry Sample Sale

Good news if you're after a Fred Perry bargain - the Fred Perry Sample Sale is taking place in London this week.

You need to head for the Covent Garden Film Studios, 10 Mercer Street, WC2H 9QE this Thursday, 31st May and Friday 1st June. It runs from 8am until 6pm over both days.

It's hard to say what is there, we've just been told menswear, womenswear, youths, accessories and footwear - so we'll presume it's a bit of everything. And let us know if you pick up a bargain.

Fred Perry website

Aertex Paul Weller polo shirt

Yet more Paul Weller-related clothing, although this is claimed to be a replica as opposed to being endorsed.

According to Aertex, this Axe polo shirt is a special edition replica of the polo worn by Paul Weller on the cover of The Jam's Beat Surrender. Now I thought that cover featured a girl with a flag, but if you can place this top, please let us know in the comments below.

Anyway, it's 100 per cent cotton, with button-down collar and a fairly slim fit, retailing for £44.99. The company also has some other interesting retro-styled tops, so the website is well worth a look.

Find out more at the Aertex website

Biff Bang Pow label update

We've just received this message from Biff Bang Pow owner Paul Hooper-Keeley about the future of the label.

"The Biff Bang Pow brand and back catalogue has been acquired by Detour Records due to illness in the BBP family and a resulting lack of focus in the label over the last few months. It was a hard decision to make, but ultimately the best decision for all parties concerned.

The past releases can continue to be ordered from the website as Detour have also taken over the online shop (or directly from Detour Records), with orders via the post now needing the cheques payable to Detour Records and sent to them at PO Box 18, Midhurst, West Sussex GU29 9LD.

Watch out for further details from Detour on how the Biff Bang Pow label is to be progressed. I would like to thank you all for your kind support over the last 3 years and hope that you will all continue to support the Mod bands of today."

Paul Hooper-Keeley

Detour Records website

Mod five-a-side players wanted

There's a Mod five-a-side competition taking place at the Leeds Mod Weekender - and they still need a few extra players to make up an ideal number of entrants. If you fancy a kickabout, it's on Saturday 9th June at 11am - the venue is Goals on Kirkstall Road in Leeds.

Note also that the Friday night event at the weekender is now at Co Co Bar 9pm - 2am, with free entry.

If you want to know more about this or the five-a-side, contact the organisers at:
twentyfithhourcollective@yahoo.co.uk

Mod Tat: Mustard Mod Wallet

The first in a series of really bad Mod-themed items will probably be hard be beat. Yes for genuine tat, you've got to hand it to the Mustard Mod Wallet.

Available online from Mancunian fashion retailer Ark, this wallet is distressed (as well as distressing) - by that I  mean it has a worn look to make it look even cheaper than it already does. It also features the cast of Quadrophenia on the outside, along with a slogan saying "This is the modern world".

And the price? That's £19.95 plus postage. Take our advice, but something classy.

Find out more at the Ark website

Retro TV W/C 25th May 2007

Barry Murphy once more trawls the TV and radio guides (so you don't have to) to find anything worth tuning into this week. All listings are for UK terrestrial TV, Freeview and national radio, with the shows running from Friday 25th May to Thursday 31st May.

Highlight of the week: Seven Ages of Rock - Saturday 26th May, BBC 2. 9.10pm (Repeated Sun 27th BBC 1, 11pm)
White Light, White Heat: Art Rock - In the late 1960s and early 1970s, rock music enters its second age - an era of experimentation, surrealism and psychedelia. In New York, modern artist Andy Warhol establishes rock band the Velvet Underground to provide the soundtrack for his avant garde "happenings". Meanwhile, in London, the visionary guitarist Syd Barrett is leading his group Pink Floyd on a cosmic musical Journey. 

Followed by Film: Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1973) and Cracked Actor: David Bowie on BBC 4.

Win 60s Beat Classics DVDs

As one competition ends, another one starts - this time, we're giving away three sets of 60s Beat Classics DVDs.

There are three titles in the series - Catch Us If You Can, Pop Gear and Gonks Go Beat.

Catch Us If You Can is a band vehicle for the Dave Clark Five, but a decent one directed by John Boorman (who later directed Deliverance). Pop Gear is a band showcase from 1964/65, highlighting some of the leading bands of the day, while the real lost gem in the series is Gonks Go Beat - a tale of two warring musical islands - Beatsville and Ballad Isle. And with a guest appearance from hip 60s band The Graham Bond Organisation.

All three are released on June 4th 2007, but if you want to get three for nothing, enter your email address and you'll be in the draw.

Enter the Beat Classics competition now

Big Breadwinner Hog DVD winners

Somewhat later than intended, the Big Breadwinner Hog DVD competition has now ended. The winners are:

Neil Thatcher (Dover)
Theresa Curtis (London)
Mark Lewis (Perth)

Thanks all for entering . Two new competitions are due to start to replace this one, so watch this space.

This Is England DVD release details

Over at our sister site Cinedelica, there's an exclusive on the DVD release of Shane Meadows' This Is England, including the date of release and the content on the disc as extras.

The site also has an in-depth review of the movie too, just in case you're still undecided about going to the cinema to see it. And just about anything else in the world of cult cinema if you have some time to spare.

Find out details of the This Is England DVD release

Gene Drayton Unit gigs

If you want to catch top mod groovers Gene Drayton Unit, you're in luck, with the band playing two gigs in the coming weeks.

The first is this Saturday 19th May, at the 100 Club, 100 Oxford Street, London, W1. The night runs from  7.30 til 1.00 and support comes from DJ Tim Fuller. If you're one of the first 25 in, there's also the promise of an archive recording to take home with you - which means you'll be in pocket even after you have paid the door tax.

Admission is  £7 with flyer from the band's myspace site.

If you cant make that, you can catch them in Birmingham on Saturday 2nd June. Venue is The Yardbird, Paradise Place, Birmingham B3 3HJ, time 8:00 til 2:00 and support is from DJ Roy Roastbeef.

Admission is £5

Find out more about the band

Retro TV W/C 18th May 2007

Barry Murphy once more trawls the TV and radio guides (so you don't have to) to find anything worth tuning into this week. All listings are for UK terrestrial TV, Freeview and national radio, with the shows running from Friday 18th May to Thursday 24th May.

Highlight of the week: Seven Ages of Rock (1/7) Saturday 19th May BBC 2. 9.10pm (Repeated Sunday 20th 11pm).
Excellent new series about the development of rock music. The Birth of Rock. It's 1966 and young US guitarist Jimi Hendrix arrives in Britain to find a music scene on the brink of change. Artists like the Beatles and the Who were all eager to move in new directions, but Hendrix had the pedigree and vision to ignite the revolution.

Followed by Joe Boyd's film Jimi Hendrix (1973) on BBC 4.

The forum is back online

Well, after about two days work, the forums are now back online just as they were. if you spot any problems, please contact me and I'll look into them.

There are some other areas of the site that need updating (including the homepage), which will be sorted out throughout this week.

Visit the Modculture forums

Mother Earth at London's Jazz Cafe

Is there some kind of Acid Jazz anniversary right now? After Corduroy announced some reunion gigs, Mother Earth are back together, playing a single show at London's Jazz Cafe on Friday 22nd June.

The show does actually coincide with a reissue of arguably the band's finest album, People Tree, which returns as a two-disc set courtesy of BGP - that extra disc being made up of alternate mixes and outtakes of tracks from the era. we should have a review if the reissue online very soon.

Tickets are £17.50 each and doors open at 7pm.

Find out more at the Jazz Cafe website

Paul Weller in The Observer

For someone who is supposed to be taking some time off, Paul Weller is certainly putting himself about right now.

His latest interview is in today's Observer magazine - and it's quite an in-depth and interesting one, covering mainly fashion (including his desire for his own fashion label), but also a few other bits and pieces, including a one-off single for later this year with Blur's Graham Coxon.

If you don't want to go out and buy a newspaper, you can read the interview (less images) online. In fact, just follow the link below.

Read the Paul Weller interview in The Observer

Scorched Rhythm & Soul Club

June 2nd is the next Scorched Rhythm & Soul Club in London, with special guest DJ Gav Evans.

The night is quarterly and promises the best in Vintage R&B, Big City Soul, Popcorn, Rockin R&B,and Ska, from 1958-1964, with DJs Alan Handsombe, Neef Lynch, Mya Green and Ian Grinham, plus special guests. And if you like that kind of thing, get there early for a free 25-track CD.

For full details of the night and a list of all future dates, check out the full listing in the club guide.

Find out more on the London club guide

British psychedelia four CD box set

If you're a fan of British psychedelia, Real Life, Permanent Dreams: A Cornucopia Of British Psychedelia 1965-70 from Castle is well worth investigating.

Around 100 tracks in the set, largely pulled from the vaults of the Pye, CBS and RCA labels and including previously unreleased tracks, rare alternative takes, US versions radio and live broadcasts.

It;s due out at the end of the month, with Freak Emporium and Amazon offering it at a pre-order rate of £28. If you want to see the tracklisting, read on after the turn.

Find out more at the Freak Emporium website

Paul Frank Mod Cruiser bike

Paul Frank has a new range of bikes out in time for summer - including this Paul Frank Mod Cruiser bike.

Inspired by a vintage one-speed city bikes, these new models have that vintage feel but with a modern-day construction and three-speed Shimano gears. There's also ergonoic handlebars, a chrome rear view mirror, headlight and rack. And of course, that mod-themed design - which effectively means targets galore!

Just announced, with no news of suppliers or indeed a price as yet. If we hear more, we'll let you know. Or if you see them for sale, drop us a line in the comments box below.

Find out more at the Paul Frank website

Via Retro To Go

Ronnie London's - date change

Ronnie London's, the only regular mod night in Nottingham, normally has its night on the first Saturday of the month. But due to rallies, there's a change for May - with the night now on Saturday 19th May, running from 8pm until 1am.

Expect to hear traditional mod sounds, including soul, R&B, beat, Northern soul, boogaloo and hammond grooves from the regular team of DJs. And i's probably worth getting there early, as the capacity is just 120.

Upstairs at The Grosvenor
291 Mansfield Road, Nottingham NG5 2BY

For more information, email ronnie_londons@yahoo.co.uk

Modculture forums down

Due to circumstances beyond our control, the Modculture forums are currently down.

A virus that's affected the hosting company has done some damage to the site (most of which has now been repaired) and more widespread damage to the forums. I'm working hard to rescue all the data and posts from the forum, but right now, I cannot guarantee it will return as it left.

I should know more by Monday - but expect the forums to be down for some time. In the worst case, I might have to start again, but this is a very last resort.

Retro TV W/C 4th May 2007

Barry Murphy once more trawls the TV and radio guides (so you don't have to) to find anything worth tuning into this week. All listings are for UK terrestrial TV, Freeview and national radio, with the shows running from Friday 4th May to Thursday 10th May.

Highlight of the week: Steve McQueen: the Essence of Cool. Tuesday 8th May ITV 4. 8.00pm
Showing as part of ITV 4's Steve McQueen night, this excellent documentary about the movie icon features interviews with his first wife Neile Adams, son Chad McQueen, Martin Landau, Robert Vaughn, Eli Wallach and Richard Attenborough. Followed by Papillon (1973).