John Smedley sample sale dates

A little short notice, but if you are able to get to the John Smedley factory shop or you happen to be in London, the company is having a clearout of slight seconds and end of range items.

There are always classic knitwear bargains to be had, so it is well worth the effort. Details of the events below.

Saturday & Sunday 3rd/4th November:
John Smedley factory shop, Lea Mills Matlock Derbyshire DE4 5AG
Time: 10am until 4pm.
Prices from £10 for slight seconds and end of range styles.

Monday 5th November:
London College of Fashion,off Oxford Circus, central London
Time: 10am until 6pm.
Current season sample styles at clearance prices.

Browse the current range at the John Smedley website

New reviews online at Modculture

Just getting into my stride for the great review catch-up, with hopefully at least one (of not more) new album reviews every day for the forseeable future.

First up, two new albums from contemporary acts. Andy Lewis' second album, You Should Be Hearing Something Now! , has just been released on Acid Jazz, containing the Weller collaboration 'Are You Trying To be Lonely' and 13 other new tracks.

Secondly, Scottish Mod faves Modus also have a new album out, entitled 'Sounds From The Kitten Casino'. 10 self-penned tracks, with the album available by contacting the band,

For reviews of both, check out the reviews section of Modculture.

The Who's subscription web service

The remaining members of The Who must be short of some Christmas spending money - launching an online subscription service for the band's output.

For $50 (around £25), you get to become a 'Wholigan', giving you exclusive access to content, priority booking for gigs, discounted merchandise and access to blogs and message boards (which all used to be free incidentally). But on the plus side, you also get an exclusive, Wholigan-only 2-CD set of live rarities called View From A Backstage Pass and from 2008, access to every song in the Who’s back catalogue - and the option to download to an MP3 player. Oh yes - and a 'Who' email address of your own.

Good value? Depends how big a fan you are I guess. If you want the album, that's about £12 worth, so an additional £13 for the rest. If you decide it's worth the money, you can sign up from 5th November.

Find out more at The Who website

Fred Perry mid season sale

Might be worth nipping into your local Fred Perry shop this week, as the mid season sale has started and there's a few interesting items there at markdown prices.

The bulk of the stock is still full price, but I noticed that the Italian-made knitted three-button polo shirts (with embroidered logo) are all marked down in all sizes, most at half price (£45). Some items seem to be marked down on the website too - couldn't see the knitted polo shirts there, but I might just have missed them.

Either way, it's worth checking the store if you are passing.

Fred Perry online store

TV Film Memorabilia magazine

Whilst out shopping today, I noticed (and indeed bought) TV Film Memorabilia magazine, which claims to be a publication for 'fans of TV, film & collectables from the 1960s to the present day'.

And while not everything in there appeals, it's certainly worth a browse, especially for fans of 60s TV. The current issue includes an extensive feature on The Avengers (and classic collectables and merchandise), vintage tie-ins from Adam Adamant, Monkees memorabilia, Batman vs The Green Hornet, a feature on 1967 and various buyer's guides for vintage items.

It does occasionally go a bit too sci-fi geek for my own tastes (and there's the worry that future issues might go a little too far that way), but this first issue is certainly worth a look in your local newsagents. It retails for £3.

Find out more at the TV Film Memorabilia magazine website

Gene Drayton Unit live gigs

Mod favourites Gene Drayton Unit are out and about again, with two gigs in November.

On Saturday 3rd November, they play the Oval Tavern,131 Oval Road, Croydon, CR0 6BR. GDU will be doing two sets, on around 9pm,and it's free to get in - as is the DJ support. For more details of that show, click here for more venue info.

A fortnight later on Saturday 17th, they're heading off to Hitchin - Club 85, 74 Winbush Road, Hitchin, Herts, Hitchin, SG5 1PZ to be precise, supported by the Petty Hoodlums and DJs. £5 to get in, with the night running from 8pm until late.

Gene Drayton Unit MySpace site

Gabicci retro range cardigans

Wandered into Ran in Manchester this weekend and noticed they had the Gabicci retro range cardigans in stock - and they also have them online.

The range is inspired by the 'classic' range of tops from years gone by (before the label became synonyous with Del Boy and pensioners), with the Wing Tip Zip Cardigan here typical, in camel, a substantial piece of knitwear with full zip and suede detailing.

Prices are around £70 for all the cardigans. You can probably still get cheaper vintage ones - but if you want new, they're certainly worth a look.

Find out more at the Ran website

Aertex adds Gabicci-style tops

Aertex has added some new stock to its site, most notably new shirts, but most interestingly, some Gabicci-style knitwear.

This particular top is available in three colours - burnt orange, black and the stone featured here. The downside is what seem to be the wrong details on the site - this isn't the 'short sleeve knitted button through shirt with two front patch pockets' as described.

As such, I can't give you specific details on material or indeed price, though I suspect the £42.51 (excluding VAT) is correct. If you want one, drop them an email or call them to find out more - they are very easy to deal with.

View all the latest items at the Aertex website

Wonder Wheel - new mod brand?

Just had a cryptic email about a 'new brand' under the name of Wonder Wheel.

Know absolutely nothing about it, except for the ink to the website, which is in Italian and right now, only has fairly bland t-shirts in its collection section (although the link to the winter 2008 range isn't working as yet, so more may follow).

Anyway, if you want to check out the initial stock and bookmark for future reference, check out the link below.

Wonder Wheel website

Retro TV W/C 26th October 2007

Barry Murphy returns once more trawl 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 26th October to Thursday 1st November.

Highlight of the week

30 years after its first appearance on BBC's Play for Today, Mike Leigh's play Abigail's Party gets the BBC 4 treatment on Sunday 28th October, with a night of programming celebrating this 70s suburban classic. As well as a re-showing of the original, a new hour long documentary explores the enduring appeal of the play with contributions from cast and crew. And if that's not enough, Abigail's Party Pack provides music and fashion tips for anyone wishing to stage their own re-enactment. Get some light ales - as a chaser.