A few words on Skin and Bone: taking in John Robb’s Death to Trad Rock, the post-punk mid-80s fanzine scene, Five Go Down to the Sea?, The Mekons, The Membranes, The Fall’s Brix Smith and Craig Scanlon, A Witness, Big Flame, and more.

A few words on Skin and Bone taking in: John Robb’s Death to Trad Rock, the post-punk mid-80s fanzine scene, Five Go Down to the Sea?, The Mekons, The Membranes, The Fall’s Brix Smith and Craig Scanlon, A Witness, Big Flame, and more.*

* When I published this post Seán Ó Cuireáin (producer of the great Dreamland radio series) commented on Facebook, “Try to explain to the kids that podcasts used to come on C90s and they’ll think you’re mad.” Seán’s comment is so perfect that I just had to add it here.

When John Byrne, Olan O’Brien and myself compiled Hiding From the Landlord, the Nun Attax / Five Go Down to the Sea? / Beethoven compilation (Allchival, 2020), we wanted to venture beyond official releases. As well as sourcing a few Fanning session tracks, the rare tune ‘Another Spark’ that was originally on Skin and Bone - a C90 compilation cassette released in 1986 - was also included. To us this was a lost gem worthy of inclusion alongside the Reekus, Kabuki, Abstract, Creation and Setanta releases.

John gave me a lend of his copy of this curio a few years ago but I was thrilled to recently find an unopened copy.

*Death to Trad Rock* by John Robb (2009, Cherry Red Books) and *Skin and Bone* (1986). Photograph by Paul McDermott.

Skin and Bone is an illustrative time capsule of the post-punk scene outlined in John Robb’s Death to Trad Rock published by Cherry Red Books in 2009. Cherry Red subtitled Robb’s book “The Post-Punk Fanzine Scene 1982-87” and describe the scene as, “a diverse collection of bands brought together by independent releases and a never-ending series of gigs performed in off centre venues the length and breadth of the UK, aided by reportage in fanzines and radio play from John Peel.”

The book explored this, “loose confederation of noisenik outfits reacting against the bland conformity of the mid-Eighties.” Skin and Bone is a perfect aural manifestation of this scene.

The compilers of Skin and Bone declared that the tape was “packed with the very best in music emerging from the murkiest corners of these isles.” The tape came packaged in a plastic bag and was accompanied by a 68 page folded booklet/fanzine which is in “a staggering new CONCERTINA FORMAT”. One of those compilers was AC Temple guitarist Noel Kilbride who told Robb in Death to Trad Rock that:

“By the time I was a few months out of college, I was soon at The Garage in Nottingham putting on many of the bands - the Three Johns, the Membranes, Blurt, the Nightingales, Big Flame, Ted Chippington, and Swans amongst others. I had also done the Skin and Bone cassette compilation with its concertina’d booklet.”

*Skin and Bone* (1986). Photograph by Paul McDermott.

Skin and Bone was a mix of unreleased and live songs from both known and new bands.

Alongside Five Go Down to the Sea? are heroes The Mekons and The Membranes. The Mekons contribute a live version of ‘Roger Troutman’ and The Membranes contribute a remix of ‘Kafka’s Dad’, a track originally found on their 1983 debut album, Crack House.

Miners Benefit gig with The Mekons, Five Go Down to the Sea? and the SheeHees — Thames Poly, 02 March 1985. Poster courtesy Dave Skull/Andi Panayi/Simon Birch/Brian Moulton.

Skin and Bone also includes tracks from:

A Witness, the Stockport band who released their debut album I Am John’s Pancreas on the great Ron Johnson label in 1986, contribute a live version of ‘Kitchen Sink Drama’. Splat!, another band on the Ron Johnson label contribute ‘Eve’ and Big Flame, the Manchester band who also appeared on the NME’s C86, contribute ‘Sargasso’.

The compilation also includes a track by Marc Riley and The Creepers as well as an interview with his former bandmates: Craig Scanlon and Karl Burns. Scanlon and Burns join Brix Smith for the interview which is also partially transcribed in the booklet.

Other highlights include: Yeah Yeah Noh (who released one album in 1985 - the brilliantly named Cutting The Heavenly Lawn Of Greatness...Last Rites For The God Of Love), poet Nic Toczek delivers the spoken word ‘West Yorks Nurse’. One of my own personal favourites on the tape is Thrashing Shit’s deranged 8 minute version of Frankie’s ‘Relax’.

The cover art of Skin and Bone is by The Mekons’ Jon Langford. I’ve uploaded The Fall interview to Soundcloud and the 68 page fanzine is scanned below. Enjoy!

“I come from a part of Éire best known for its flowers and catering equipment.”

**Skin and Bone:** Five Go Down to the Sea?

Interview with The Fall’s Brix Smith, Craig Scanlon and Karl Burns

Skin and Bone: When I first saw that Gavin Friday was on the new album, it initially struck me as being a bit strange. How did that come about and do you have any plans for doing anything with him in the future?
Brix Smith: Well Mark played me this record called ‘Sandpaper Lullaby’ by the Virgin Prunes. And I’d never heard them, but I’d heard of them. And I thought it was the most beautiful song I’d ever heard practically, and it made me cry. I’ve never been moved like that by music, very rarely like that. And I thought that Gavin’s voice - the texture of it and the tone of it - would sound really good with Mark’s voice. And I said to Mark, do you think this would be a good idea, and he said it’s very interesting. So I wrote Gavin a letter and said would you be interested, and he said yes. Cause they were friends, you see.