There's an exhibition on at the Manchester City Art Gallery of the works of Derek Jarman, a wide ranging selection of paintings from his time at the Slade to his activist paintings on the 1980s and early 90s and some of his films. In one of the film booths there is a loop of various videos he made in the 1980s and 90s- the still amazing films he made for The Smiths (The Queen Is Dead, Panic, There Is A Light, Ask) which had the power to make me hear the group anew for the first time in ages. The pair of videos he made for the Pet Shop Boys were there as well- Rent and It's A Sin- plus videos he made for The Mighty Lemon Drops and Easterhouse.
Easterhouse were formed in Stretford, just up the road from me, by singer Andrew Perry and guitarist Ivor Perry. Perry would later become embroiled in the messy ending of The Smiths when he was invited to play with the remaining members after Johnny Marr left. Perry wasn't much happy with the situation and according to Ivor neither was Morrissey. All this is besides the point of this post though which is that their 1986 single Whistling In The Dark sounded very good playing on a big screen and at some volume. In some ways they sounded (and looked) like the epitome of the mid- 80s indie guitar scene- trebly Telecasters, serious, political lyrics, signed to Rough Trade, quiffs and Levis 501s- but they served very well as a flashback to that time.
What a great time for music the mid eighties was. If you were young and political, bands like Easterhouse and The Redskins really walked it like they talked it. Whistling In The Dark should've been huge.
ReplyDeleteYep, great time for guitar groups and tying yourself to them.
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