New Ace Records releases

It’s probably fair to say that 'various artists' rhythm & blues compilations are not issued with enough regularity to satisfy most blues fans (often insatiable) appetites. So when one does get released it is always worth stopping and taking note. Ace Records can always be relied upon to anthologise the output of great, small US labels, and this is what they are now doing with Dolphin.

'On With The Jive! 1950s R&B From Dolphin's Of Hollywood Volume 1' is Ace's first release since acquiring the rights to the back catalogue of John Dolphin's many labels based in downtown LA. This first volume, compiled by Tony Rounce, contains many unreleased versions of songs released on the Dolphin of Hollywood label. Pure, unadulterated west coast r'n'b joy!

Also, 2008 sees the 20th anniversary of Eddie Piller's Acid Jazz label, and Ace Records imprint BGP continue their repackaging of the labels best and most important work with the release of an extended version of The James Taylor Quartet album 'In The Hand Of The Inevitable'. The label's biggest signing and the band biggest album, it contains a number of modern soul classics that still get played out today (e.g. 'Stepping Into My Life'). If you haven't heard it before then perhaps now is the time to check its fine pedigree out.

On With The Jive! was released on Monday and is available from Amazon.co.uk here

In The Hand Of The Inevitable was also released on Monday and is available here.

Chess Records story to be made into film

The legendary blues label Chess Records were responsible for some of the best blues and rock'n'roll records of last century. Established by brothers Leonard and Phil Chess in Chicago in 1949, artists that appeared on their releases included John Lee Hooker, Elmore James, Bo Diddley, Jimmy Reed, Muddy Waters, and Etta James. And now the story of Chess Records is to be turned into a Hollywood movie.

The picture, entitled Cadillac Records (a reference to when the Chess brothers would sell records from the trunk of their car) will see Beyoncé once again on the big screen (following her appearance in Dreamgirls), this time playing Etta James! Also signed up for the film is Adrien Brody will play the role of Leonard Chess, and Jeffrey Wright will star as the one and only Muddy Waters.

The film, produced by Sony BMG Film, begins shooting in March in New Jersey and Mississippi (although why it isn't being shot in Chicago is baffling), with an expected released date of early next year. So plenty of time to get excited and once again listen to those old records in anticipation. May we recommend you start with Etta James, and perhaps some Chuck Berry too.

Win copies of Armchair Thriller on DVD!

Not something that comes under the 'mod' header, but if you're a fan of British cult TV, you might want  to win DVD copies of Armchair Thriller. If you're not familiar with the show, Armchair Thriller was a series of mini-dramas made by ITV, very much like other 'creepy' shows of the era (Thriller, Tales of the Unexpected and Hammer House of Horror), except this one was played out over a series of weeks, with each episode ending on a cliffhanger.

The show hasn't been available since on either video or DVD - until now. Network is reissuing all episodes, kicking off with Rachel In Danger and A Dog's Ransom. Both received high praise over at our cult film/TV site Cinedelica, both are available to buy now for £12.99 each and both are available to win in our latest competition.

Three lucky people will each receive a copy of the first two Armchair Thriller DVDs. To be in with a chance, all you have to do is enter your details on the competition page. Good luck!

Enter the Armchair Thriller DVD competition

Set The Tone 67 new dates

Continuing to pack in the skins and mods, Set The Tones 67 is the night to satisfy your ska and reggae cravings on a regular basis. The "rogues in brogues" have a monthly Saturday residence at The Social in London's West End, with resident selectors Dean Thatcher, Stephen Saunders & Nick Avinit joined by a guest DJ each month. They have just announced the latest batch of dates and guests:

23RD FEBRUARY: ALAN H. (THE REGGAE SHACK)
22ND MARCH: GIORDANO (TUNE UP)
26TH APRIL: KERRY FOSTER (THE REGGAE TRAIN)
24TH MAY: JAY & DEBBIE (NITTY GRITTY)
25TH JUNE: IRISH GREG (CAPITAL SOUL CLUB)

It's free to get in and runs from 7pm - 1am. Arrive early to guarantee entry as the night is very popular!

For more information check the Set The Tone website here and the Myspace page here.

The Alan Bown Set story

The release of Alan Bowns' biography has just come to our attention. The Alan Bown Set were a popular club 'soul revue' style band in the mid-60s and were regarded as an incendiary live act. Signed to Pye Records initially (the singles from this period are still highly sought after), they progressively developed their sound and began writing more of their own material and releasing, for various labels, some great psychedelia-tinged music into the early 70s.

The Alan Bown Set: Before and Beyond contains many never before seen images, and along with contributions from many of their musical contemporaries Bown lays bare the personal and musical story of his band.

The 230 page book is only available in hardcover,  so you'll have to stump up £18.99 for it. Though any fan of the band will tell you it's worth every penny we're sure.

To buy the book visit the publisher Badland's website here.

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings UK tour

Everyone's favourite modern-day vintage soul/funk outfit Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings are touring the UK and Ireland, throwing in an appearance on Jools Holland's Later... as well.

The dates are all in April, where you'll catch them at:

10th Button Factory Dublin
11th Mint Lounge Manchester
12th Concorde 2 Brighton
13th Yardbird Birmingham
15th The Sage Gateshead
16th 17th 18th Jazz Café London
19th Fiddlers Bristol.

Find out more at the Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings website

Via Electric Roulette

New wild blues bands

It seems to us here that a few new bands are forming around Europe recently who are executing a wild take on 1960s rhythm and blues. From London we have King Salami & The Cumberland Three, who recently released their first single on Butterfly Records. In King Salami they have a fantastic showman (who passion and knowledge of r’n’b is exemplary) and a frantic backing band, all of whom have worked in several hot rockin' London combos over the past few years - and know how to put on a show. And indeed you can catch their live act most weekends somewhere in the capital and often beyond too.

And following the recent coverage of The Branded, here is another dose of heavy r’n’b from Sweden in the shape of Stockholm’s The Vanjas. Mixing blues covers (e.g. 'Shake', 'What I'd Say') alongside their own material, they are ready to showcase their music all over Europe very soon. You wouldn’t want to miss them, for The Vanjas are sharply dressed, incendiary groovers.

Do keep us informed of other similarly styled bands forming out there; we maybe seeing the birth of a new scene!

See King Salami & The Cumberland Three on Myspace here

See The Vanjas Myspace page here

Glasgow mod scene anthologised online

For those north of the border this should be of great value; Glasgow Mods, a website dedicated to documenting the Glasgow mod scene from the late 1970s through to today.

The site is still in its infancy and is heavy on YouTube footage and photos that illustrate the development of the mod scene through the years, but we’re sure much more will be added in the upcoming weeks. On that note the Glasgow Mods  site encourages people to contribute, so do get in touch if you are or were once involved in that scene. There is a monthly newsletter to sign up to as well.

Perhaps other regional cities will take inspiration from this and set up a similar site dedicate to their particular stories…

See Glasgow Mods here

David Barrow Mod/Soul paintings

David Barrow has exhibited his paintings at some of the country's leading galleries, counts Paul Weller amongst his fans and designed the cover for Ocean Colour Scene's Live At The Jam House album. He also has prints of his mod and soul-based work available on is website.

The two series probably of most interest are his Northern Soul and Mod paintings. The Northern Soul images are based around the Wigan Casino (Barrow was born in the town), with the Mod paintings being more generic 'parkas and scooters' images.

Many of the images of display are in private or museum hands, but you can purchase prints of the work on 300g card, signed by the artist in either A4 or A3 sizes. Prices range between £9.99 and £19.99. Or if you have the money to purchase an original, contact the artist.

Find out more at the David Barrow website

Make It 'n' Shake It! in London

Sunday 3rd February sees the launch of a new London club night called Make It 'n' Shake It!

Jean-Paul Séculaire from Right On! and Mistah Brown from Tighten Up promise to salvage what's left of the weekend with a riotous mix of Stax stompers, Motown movers, heavy Hammond groovers, scorchin' ska, Southern-fried soul, hip bumpin' funk and good old rockin' rhythm 'n' blues for all the hipsters, flipsters, finger-poppin' mamas & jive-talkin' daddies thinking about taking Monday off work.

The Old Queen's Head on Essex Road is a popular venue in an increasingly hip area of London. It comes complete with a wooden dancefloor too and there's a back garden for the smokers. And to top it all off, it won't cost you a penny to get in!

Make It 'n' Shake It! @ The Old Queen's Head (UPSTAIRS)
DATE: Sunday 3rd February
TIMES: 5pm - Midnight
ADDRESS: 44 Essex Road, London, N1 8LN
ADMISSION: FREE

Find out more at the London Dossier website

"Ready Teddy Go" mod-inspired figurine

Now he's something you don't see every day - a teddy bear riding a scooter!

Meet ‘Ready, Teddy, Go!’, a hand-made, hand-painted figurine brought to you by The Bradford Group. Wearing the traditional parka, suit and penny loafers, our hero is sat astride a heavily customised red scooter. This little piece of art would love great on the mantelpiece, and may spark debate as to whether a 'Ted' can also be a mod...perhaps one for the modabilly in all of us then.

Reddy Teddy Go retails at £19.95 and is available from The Bradford Groups website here.

New Band: Thee Attacks

It's not hard to knock out a rehashed 60s guitar riff - the hard work is making it sound authentic. And that's something Thee Attacks do with some style.

Hailing from Aalborg in Denmark, The Attacks describe themselves as 'a melodic garage band of the kind you didn't think they made anymore' - and if you happen to be crying out for some fast-paced rhythm and blues with a rough-edged vocal, thumping drums and a guitar sound straight out of 1966, you should give them a try. Likewise if you love The Sonics, the original Nuggets box or early Who/Kinks.

But don't take out word for it - check out the band's MySpace page for plenty of tunes, background on the band and a step back in time. I bet they're a cracking live act.

Thee Attacks MySpace page

Send Modculture your news stories

We're making an effort to bring you news stories everyday - but we do need your help.

We need your news stories. This can be just about anything - club news, clothing (things you've seen online or in stores), music news, events, art/design, films, scootering, new band recommendations, cool websites, things you've seen in the media, new books - in fact, whatever you see that has any interest to a mod audience rather than just related to the mod scene.

So we can get things online quickly, we have set up a new inbox for your stories. Email anything you have to:
modculturenews@gmail.com

Please note:
You can still contact us in the normal way for general Modculture business, but unless you send details to the news email address, you'll not have your club, event, gig etc featured in the news section/frontpage (as this area is being looked after by separate people from the general site).

Levi's 307 Sta-prest trousers

Oi Polloi just got in a stock of Levi's 307 Sta-Prest trousers.

In a 'stone' colour, they have a plain front, slim fit, zip-fly with angled slash pockets and trademark creased leg. There's also two rear welt pockets and a small black and gold Levi's Sta-prest tab, tapered leg and a narrow bottom.

If you fancy a pair, they retail for £74.99

Find out more at the Oi Polloi website

Mondrian 60s-style shift dress

Just got a bonus or an unexpected windfall? You might be able to afford this Diane Von Furstenberg Mondrian effect round neck dress.

Essentially it's a 60s-style shift dress, with a design based on Piet Mondrian's artwork from the 1920s, a mix of black, red, whit and beige and with a length that sits on the mid thigh.

A mix of viscose, polyamide, elastane and cotton, it retails from Browns at £290. And if you like the look of that, there's also a jacket and skirt in the same design.

Find out more at the Browns website

Scooter Lifestyle book coming soon

Here's a treat for all you scooterists out there: a new book chronicling the modern scooter scene. Scooter Lifestyle, written and researched by longtime scene stalwart Ian Grainger, aka 'Iggy', who is known as a regular contributor to Scootering, TAG and Scooterist Scene.

Scooter Lifestyle is a 128 page, full colour book containing over 150 photographs of award-winning custom scooters, best-selling scooter models, rallies and events.It details a range of stories and many interviews with well known scootering personalities that help illustrate what the UK scene is really all about. The book promises to reveal 'the antics of Scooter Boys, Scooterists and Mods as they rampage and cavort their way through a rally season'. That sounds just up our street...

The book is published by Veloce and is due out in early April. Get your orders in now.

See the Scooter Lifestyle website here.

Thee Exciters debut album released

One of the best live garage bands in the UK over the past few years has undoubtedly been Thee Exciters. And now at long last they are releasing their debut album.

'Spending Cash, Talking Trash' contains 14 tracks on pure primal garage beat and is out on Monday on Dirty Water Records.

Available on both LP and CD, the CD version also contains the band's entire live set at the Dirty Water Club's tenth anniversary weekend in October 2006. 'Spending Cash, Talking Trash' is heartily recommended to anyone with even a passing interest in this sort of thing (that 'thing' being wailing vocals, fuzz guitars, and busy drumming). The album launch is tomorrow night (Friday the 25th) at The Dirty Water Club, (178 Junction Road, Tufnell Park,  N19 5QQ), where the band will perform live. Get down if you can!

Thee Exciters myspace page

Dirty Water Records homepage

Retro TV W/C 25th January 2008

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 25th January to Thursday 31st January.

Highlight of the week

Radio 2 pays tribute to blues musician and broadcaster Alexis Korner (1928 - 84) on Thursday 31st January 11.00pm, with Alexis Korner: Rhythm and Blues Champion. Korner is generally seen as the catalyst for the 1960s British blues explosion that greatly influenced the Rolling Stones, the Animals, Led Zeppelin and many others. The series starts with a look at Korner's troubled early life, his role in the 1950s blues and skiffle scenes in London's Soho, and his championing of American blues masters. Expect to hear a tape of him performing in his front room with Muddy Waters and Otis Spann. Contributors include Charlie Watts, guitarists Andy Frazer, Danny Thompson and Big Jim Sullivan, trombonist Chris Barber, musician Zoot Money, and, in a new interview recalling his early days at Korner's Ealing Club, Mick Jagger, whose musician brother Chris Jagger presents this show.

Gene Drayton Unit at the 100 Club

The Gene Drayton Unit are back on London's live circuit,  supported by Orgestra Koolberg at the 100 Club, 100 Oxford Street, London W1

The Koolbergs will play a short set around 9pm to showcase the new 'Vesparation' / 'A Man Alone' single, which will be followed at 9.45 by the Draytons performing the new 'Done 'n' Dusted' album in its entirety in track order. After a short break in which Tim the Mod will be spinning appropriate classics, GDU will return with a second set made up entirely of old favourites.

Saturday 15th March 2008 2000-0100hrs
Admission £10, £7 with money-off flyer

Gene Drayton Unit at MySpace

New bands: The Branded

Malmö may not make you think of snotty fuzz, as Sweden is generally more famous for the likes of Ace of Base, but if you ask The Branded who the hell Ace of Base are, they just shrug, snigger and whack you 'round the head with a big simple fist. This is my kinda grooop.

The Branded have studied their garage well. They don't ever eat. Just listen to records by The Yardbirds, Count Five and The Sonics. They don't do anything else. This has left them gaunt and slightly cabbaged. Thankfully, this state of ill repair has produced a back pocket full of great singles that strut like a damaged peacock. You gotta love that huh?

Jean Paul Seculaire's 30th birthday bash

Love him or hate him, but not many people have done more for keeping vintage black music alive in London clubland over the past few years than Jean Paul Seculaire. The man behind Right on! celebrates his 30th birthday at his new monthly Sunday bash Home Cookin' on February 10th; and he has pulled out the stop for this one.

Guest DJs Smiler (Rude, Steppin' Out) and Mary Boogaloo (Rome) will be joining JP on the decks and Hammond jazz combo Andy Fairclough-Larry Clack Duo will be playing live. And to top it off its free entry .

Home Cookin @ Filthy Macnasty's
68 Amwell Street,
London EC1
Sunday 10th February, 5.30pm onwards (band on at 7.30pm)
Free entry

For more see The Modculture events listing

There Was A Time in York

Up for a night of dancing in York? Make a note of hitting There Was A Time.

It's held at the Slug and Lettuce in Lower Ousegate, York city centre on Friday 1st February and every alternate Friday afterwards. The 1st February night sees a special guest too - Andy Lewis, who is well worth paying the £2 entry fee to hear.

For the rest of the details, see the flyer above or email Jason by clicking here.

Last-ever Sheffield Brighton Beach

After a brief return to the venue, Friday February 1st will be the last-ever Brighton Beach at the City Hall in Sheffield.

The main room has gone a bit too indie/Britpop these days (a waste of that flashing dancefloor), but you're guaranteed top notch 60s Soul, Northern, Jazz, Garage, Psych and Freakbeat in Room 2 from DJs Gav Needham & Gav Arno. All on original 45s naturally.

Admission is £5 advance and the night runs from 10pm until 3am. If you want to know more, check out the website.

Find out more at the Brighton Beach website

New issue of Shindig! magazine out now

Just hitting the shops now is the new issue of Shindig! magazine. After its relaunch issue a couple of months back the bi-monthly publication deals in vintage "rock'n'roll, pop, beat, garage, psychedelia, soul, & folk".

Featuring the usual high quality news, reviews, and interviews bought to you by creator Jon 'Mojo' Mills, this issue we're treated to features on Gary Walker & The Rain, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Moby Grape, The Flintstones, The Sonics and Procession, as well as a rundown on the longevity of 'garage fashion'. The reviews section is really worth checking out, and will have you spending money on old and new music before you know it.

Published by Volcano Publishing, Shindig! costs £4.25. Subscribing will save you money (and having to go to the shops).

Shindig! website

Beat Boutique in Manchester

Beat Boutique opens its doors on Friday 8th February with a very special guest -legendary funk DJ Jazzman Gerald, alongside Andy Madhatter (Vox Pop records) and resident soul spinners Paul 'Jnr' Walker, Liam Q and Paul B for a playlist of black american soul music on 100% vinyl.

The idea is to offer a regular alternative to Manchester's tired old indie and dance scene - whether it works depends on whether you turn up to support it.

Manchester Met Students Union
99 Oxford Rd -  just up from the BBC
Manchester
Time: 10pm till 3am
Admission: £5 students, £6 others

Find out more at the club's MySpace page

Leeds 24th Hour charity event

The old Leeds 24th Hour members are getting together to put on a do in honour of their friend Gillian Haigh, who sadly died last year, with all proceeds going to Cancer Research.

The night will be held on Saturday 2nd February and the playlist will be the best soul, R’n’B, jazz and ska from that era for people who knew Gillian and for those who just want a good night out for a good cause. Confirmed DJs are Mark Ellis (Brighton Beach), Paul Molloy (Friday Street), Nick Wain, Lesley Robshaw and Nick Brady, with the night running from 8pm until 2am, admission just £5.

It takes place at Coco, Arch 6, Heatons Court, Trevelyan Square, Leeds, LS1 4LJ.

Find out more about the night at the MySpace website

Retro TV W/C 18th January 2008

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 18th January to Thursday 24th January.

Highlights of the week

BBC 4 continues it's Pop, What is it Good For? season, this week focusing on the 1980s and 90s. The 3 part Pop Britannia series is repeated in full on Monday 21st, with episodes of the excellent Girls and Boys: Sex and British Pop showing on Wednesday 23rd & Thursday 24th. Record labels Factory and Stiff are both profiled this week, with the story of Madness told in Young Guns Go for It on Monday 21st.
Radio wise, the highlight this week is Radio 4's examination of the song Tainted Love on Soul Music, broadcasting Tuesday 22nd at 1.30pm.

Events listings updated

There's still a few to add, but for the first time in a very long time, the Modculture events listings are now up to date.

New events include Beat Bespoke 4, the Italian Job rally in Rimini and the Pow Wow Club. The total number of events should double by the end of the week or when time permits for adding more. If your event isn't yet listed, drop us a line using the contact us form on the left hand menu.

View the events section at Modculture

Vintage/knitted tie clearout

I am running down the sales at Modculture, but still have a huge amount of vintage stock available. With this in mind, I'm selling off many items in bulk.

First up will be ties. I have a large number of vintage and knitted ties in a variety of styles and colours, which I am selling at the following bulk prices:

5 knitted or vintage ties = £15 (including free UK delivery)
10 knitted or vintage ties = £25 (including free UK delivery)

All ties will be shipped randomly, with condition varying from very good to excellent (a few are actually as new, still in packets). I'll try and mix up the colours of each batch, but cannot guarantee certain colours for each batch. If you want to purchase, just drop me a line at:
david@modculture.co.uk
with the header 'ties', saying if you want vintage, knitted or a mix of both. I'll get back to you with payment details (Paypal will be preferred). Any questions, email me at the same address. Overseas purchasers, drop me a line for postage rates.

Coming soon: Le Beat Bespoke 4

Easter is coming and with it Le Beat Bespoke 4.

Yes, back for a 4th year (and to coincide with the Le Beat Bespoke 3 album) is the three-day event in central London (21st - 23rd March 2008), headlined by legendary garage band The Sonics - the band's first-ever European appearance. Much of the supporting bill has yet to be announced, with Austria’s The Staggers and The Jaybirds, UK bands the Good Time Charlies and The Excellos, The Phantom Keys and Los Chicos from Spain and Sweden’s The Branded the only names listed so far.

As well as the bands, there's the club nights, with everything from garage, psych and rockabilly to soul, ska and jazz, along with go-go girls, cult cinema, an all-night bar, a large retro/vintage market, art exhibitions and a scooter run.

More details announced soon. In the meantime, you can book tickets here.

Find out more at the New Untouchables website

Retro TV W/C 11th January 2008

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 11th January to Thursday 17th January.

Highlights of the week

On TV this week BBC 4 continues its Pop on Trial season with the second part of the Pop Britannia series (Friday 11th, 10pm) concentrating on the rise of the new star-makers of 1960s popular music, including Brian Epstein, Andrew Loog Oldham and Chris Stamp. Cult films Beat Girl and Slade in Flame get rare screenings this week as well as archive editions of Top of the Pops from boxing day 1967 and Christmas 1978. Finally Stuart Maconie presents The 1960s: Pop on Trial (Wednesday 16th, 10pm) where he is joined by Tony Blackburn and Neil Innes and our very own Eddie Piller.

The radio highlight this week is undoubtedly I'm on My Way - the Dean Parrish Story (Radio 2, Saturday 12th), in which Northern soul enthusiast Pete Mitchell travels to New York to meet the legendary soul singer.

Timothy Everest Swank clasp cufflinks

Still got some Christmas money left? You'll need plenty of it if you want to buy a pair of Timothy Everest limited edition Swank clasp cufflinks.

The trendy London tailor has based them on original 1940s Swank designs, producing a pair in 9 carat gold and a pair in silver with lapis lazuli stones. Just five pairs of the gold will be made and 20 of the silver, all being sold exclusively by the 20ltd website.

Now the downside - that price. If you want a pair, it will cost you £500 to join this exclusive club.

Find out more at the 20ltd website

Rhoda Dakar CD launch party

Saturday 19th January sees the CD launch party for the new album from ex-Bodysnatchers, The Specials and Special AKA member Rhoda Dakar - and you are welcome to come along to this free event.

She will be at Filthy MacNastys with Nick Welsh, playing as an acoustic duo - Nick has played, written and produced with acts such as Bad Manners, The Selecter and Lee Perry. Rhoda’s debut solo CD, Cleaning In Another Woman’s Kitchen is produced by Nick and available on Moon Ska World.

Dj for the evening is Dave Edwards.

The venue is: Filthy Macnastys, 68 Amwell Street, London EC1

Filthy McNastys website

Sweet But Deadly upcoming events

The Sweet But Deadly crew have a number of events and club nights coming up for 2008 read on for details and if you need to know anymore, check out the website.

Raise Your Head Allnighter
@ The Cellars
125 Newington Green Road
London N1 4RA
Rail: Canonbury Station (3 mins)
Tube: Highbury & Islington
Buses: 73, 476, 341, 236
26th January, 12th April, 14th June
Time: 10pm-6am
Admission: £8 entry
- spinning rhythm’n’blues, southern soul, mod jazz, hammond grooves, latin boogaloo. Resident DJs: Smart Phil & Southern Sam.

Ska band Top Cats in Brixton

If you happen to be in the Brixton area on Friday 11th January, you should make an effort to head down to the Dex (said to be the area's hottest venue of the moment) to see nine-piece ska band the Top Cats.

The band are onstage at midnight, with full DJ support including Jazzman Gerald and Tim Keenoy playing a mix of soul, jazz, northern, ska etc. Tickets are £3.50 in advance - the price is purely to cover the price of hiring the band.

If you're interested, get down there or drop Tim a line at timkeenoy@yahoo.com for details of buying a ticket or just to find out more.

Target coasters in a tin

For your mod-themed home, the perfect accessory - these target coasters in a tin.

Not much else to say really, except that you get four coasters, made of metal with a cork base and sold in a metallic tin,

You can pick them up online, priced at £3.99.

Find out more at the Contemporary Home website

Via Retro To Go

Retro TV W/C 4th January 2008

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 4th January to Thursday 10th January.

Highlight of the week

This month BBC 4 launches its Pop, What is it Good For? season, a series of programming which scrutinises British pop from the 50s to the 90s. The season starts with Pop Britannia (Friday 4th, 10pm, repeated Saturday 5th, 12.10am) which begins with a look at British pop from post-war to the early 1960s. In Pop! What is it Good For? (Tuesday 8th, 10pm) Paul Morley reviews the role of music on post-war British identity and culture during the 50 years of his life, while in Pop on Trial (Thursday 10th, 10pm) Stuart Maconie presides as guest panellists discuss the merits of pop music from the 1950s. Also showing are archive episodes of Top of the Pops, Juke Box Jury (both Monday 7th) and Six Five Special (Thursday 10th) as well as three feature films Expresso Bongo (Friday 4th), Mojo (Wednesday 9th) and Absolute Beginners (Thursday 10th) which depict the London pop scene of the 1950s.

Other recommendations for shows that you might have overlooked over the Christmas period, are repeats of the Dance Britannia season (Saturday 6th, Sunday 7th) and Last Man at Hammersmith Palais (Monday 7th) the story of the west London music venue.