Black 2 Comm 15 December 2019

Featuring Goldfrapp, Jimothy, Otis Redding and more. When you mention San Francisco and punk rock, the Dead Kennedys are about the only group that immediately spring to mind but there was a thriving underground scene in the city. Cheq out this clip of one of the city's lesser known groups, Toxic Reasons performing the brilliant "Destroyer". The band formed in Dayton, Ohio in 1979 but upped sticks (after recording their debut LP) and moved to 'Cisco, where their record company was based. The footage was captured by Target Video who did a great job of documenting the scene. The availability of video equipment probably had a lot to do with this and the reason why the UK punk scene of the same time wasn't really captured in the same way.

Black 2 Comm 8th December 2019

Featuring Ian Dury, Wu-Tang Clan, The Shop Assistants and more. Cheq out this video of The Fall's "Big New Prinz". The track was featured in a ballet called "I Am Curious, Orange" in which the band collaborated with the Michael Clark dance company. The video sees the band playing while Clark prances about on crutches in front of them. The ballet, which included artist Leigh Bowrey, was performed at the Edinburgh festival and then at the Saddlers Wells theatre and was very well received. Around the same time, the group performed on The Old Grey Whistle Test. It was one of the few occasions that they made it onto mainstream television so the members of the group (sans Smith) stayed up late to watch it with their parents and were treated to the sight of Michael Clark's bare arse while the band were hardly visible!

Black 2 Comm 1st December 2019

Featuring Jeff Beck, Joya Landis, The Durutti Column and more. Cheq out this black and white footage of GG Allin's Ted Talk which took place in Boston inna 1980 . . . enjoy!

Black 2 Comm 24th November 2019

Featuring Lil Pump, The Pretenders, Leon Rosselson and more. Cheq out this superb early live footage of New York synth punks Suicide performing "Ghost Rider". The song was inspired by the Marvel comic book character of the same name and consists of and incessant 3 note synth pulse accompanied by Alan Vega's rockabilly style whops and yelps. Keyboard player Martin Rev can be seen briefly around the 4 minute mark wearing the coolest pair of shades you've ever seen. Vega was supposedly the first ever Ramones fan. He approached Johnny Ramone after one of the brothers earliest ramshackle gigs and declared "this is what I've been waiting for" . . . Johnny thought that he was insane!

Black 2 Comm 17th November 2019

Featuring Jane's Addiction, Bhad Bhabie, MC 900 Ft Jesus With DJ Zero and many others. Cheq out this clip of Shonen Knife performing "Twist Barbie" and "Riding On The Rocket" at New York's Irving Plaza inna 1993. The former track is about the popular doll manufactured by Mattel inc and includes the lines "Blue eyes, blond hair, tight body, long legs"! The group formed inna 1981 but there seems to be very little footage available from their early period. This is the original line up though, featuring singer/guitarist Naoko Yamano and her sister Atsuko with bass player Michie Nakatani.

Black 2 Comm 3rd November 2019

Featuring Megadeth, Solomon Burke, The Shaggs and more. Cheq out this footage of the Butthole Surfers performing "Mexican Caravan" at Traxx inna 1985. The Detroit venue, previously a biker bar called JC's Rock Saloon, ran from 1980 to 1987. The clip starts with a completely naked Gibby Haynes from another early concert. He sings the entire song through the cardboard tube in the middle of a toilet roll which produces an unusual, mid range heavy timbre.

Black 2 Comm 27th October 2019

Featuring Ike & Tina Turner, Discharge, Brinzley Schwarz and more. Cheq out this footage of The Kinks performing Waterloo Sunset on German TV program Beat Club inna 1967. The band were introduced by disgraced hairy cornflake, Dave Lee Travis. The Ray Davies penned tune is a certified classic but what I want to draw you attention to here is his brother Dave's impeccable style. He's playing a Gibson Flying V while rockin' a centre parting, out sized shades and an Amish style beard that Michael Eavis would be proud of!

Black 2 Comm 20th October 2019

Featuring Kim Gordon, Wu-Tang Clan, Eddie Cochran and more. Cheq out this footage of hirsute Texans ZZ Top performing "Cheap Sunglasses" on The Old Grey Whistle Test inna 1980. Guitarist, Billy Gibbons' tone is second to none. It sounds like one of his strings is slightly out of tune, but even that seems to add to his sound. He's rockin' some serious style too with his side slung stance and his synchronised side to side moves with bassist Dusty Hill. Irony of all ironies, drummer Frank Beard is the only member of the group not to have one! Apparently, Gillette offered them a million dollars each to shave them off for a TV add but they declined, probably because no one would know who they were without them. They've been rockin' the same look with the same line up for almost 50 years now. Maybe it's a case of the band that sways together, stays together!

Black 2 Comm 13th October 2019

Featuring Ann Peebles, AJ Tracy, Lightning Hopkins and many more. Cheq out this video of Kleenex performing "Hedi's Head" for more conclusive evidence. The footage sees the Swiss all girl combo performing the b-side of their first Rough Trade single in a room with walls covered in egg cartons to insulate the noise. This line up features their second singer, Chrigle Freund, Regula Sing having left the band by this point. The group were later forced into changing their name to LiLiPUT after the threat of legal action from the tissue manufacturer.

Black 2 Comm 6th October 2019

Featuring the Hollywood Brats, Siouxsie & The Banshees, Dub Syndicate and more. Cheq out this top grade footage of Fad Gadget performing their 2nd single, "Ricky's Hand" at the Hacienda inna February 1984. The non LP track was released on co-writer and co-producer Daniel Miller's Mute Records and was about a car accident, a subject that Miller had already mined to great effect on The Normal's J.G. Ballard inspired "Warm Leatherette". Frontman Frank Tovey puts in a great performance, flanked by a cellist, a violinist and a drummer. About halfway through the song he discovers that his mouth is bleeding. This doesn't deter him though as he concludes with an impressive backward stage dive and is returned to the mic just in time for the final line.

Black 2 Comm 29th September 2019

Featuring Donovan, M.I.A. The Dicks and more. Cheq out this footage of Thin Lizzy performing "Fighting" at a triumphant home town gig in Dublin at the National Stadium in December 1975. Their twin guitar sound had found its groove by this point, front man Phil Lynott having recruited axemen Scott Goreham and Brian Robertson the previous year. Goreham added some Californian cool to the line up (cheq out his leg kick move at the beginning of the song for proof) while the 18 year old Glaswegian, Brian Robertson really was a street fighting tearaway. Almost a year to the day after this performance, he was involved in a dispute at London's Speakeasy Club. The guitarist broke one man's leg, another's collarbone and Glasgow kissed a third before being smashed over the head with a bottle and knocked unconscious . . . go on son!

Black 2 Comm 22nd September 2019

Featuring The Upsetters, Anal C**t, The Mescaleros and more. Cheq out this classic footage of Patsy Cline singing her hit "She's Got You" on the Grand Ole Opry inna 1962. She's dressed in regular clothes and hardly moves during the performance, letting her flawless voice do the talking. The previous year, she was involved in a near fatal car crash in which she was thrown through the windscreen, leaving her with deep scars on her forehead. She underwent plastic surgery and suffered headaches for the rest of her short life. The following year she boarded a plane with her manager and two other country singers which crashed in Camden, Tennessee, killing all those on board.

Black 2 Comm 15th September 2019

Featuring The Adverts, SafOne, Buffalo Springfield and more. Cheq out this early footage of the mighty Black Sabbath performing at the Olympia Theatre inna Paris inna 1970. Ozzy belts out the lyrics through a double microphone set up. This configuration was quite popular at the time but is rarely seen today. From what I understand, the upper mic would be placed "out of phase" in the mix, which would effectively cancel out much of the ambient stage noise and allow the sound engineer to push the vocals louder before they fed back.
Guitarist Tony Iommi looks like he's the only one wearing his metal crucifix. Ozzy's father made one for each member of the band and one for their road manager to protect them while they were away from home! The ends of the guitarist's middle and ring finger were cut off in an industrial accident and his self made plastic finger extensions can clearly be seen in some of the shots.
The song that they're playing, "Fairies Wear Boots" was a biographical account of an incident in which the group were attacked by a gang of skinheads (which was a popular youth cult at the time). It seemed that in the midlands back then, your hair was either really long or non existent!

Black 2 Comm 28th July 2019

Featuring Megan Thee Stallion, Baby Ford, Ray Charles and more. Cheq out this footage of The Sugarcubes playing "Hit" live at the Manchester Academy inna March 1992. Singer Bjork puts in a flawless vocal performance and skips around the stage with her Princess Leia, bagels on the sides of the head, hairdo. The only thing that spoils it for me is Einar's rap, in place of the middle eight / guitar solo, as was the fashion in the 90's. The group would open to massive crowds on U2's ZooTV tour in October and November '92 before disbanding at the end of the year. Bjork, of course, would go on to international fame and success.

Black 2 Comm 21st July 2019

Featuring Bobby Shmurda, Canned Heat, Sid Vicious and more. Cheq out this footage of Gang Of Four performing "To Hell With Poverty" on The Old Grey Whistle Test inna 1981. The clip starts with Andy Gill attacking his Strat-style guitar (minus neck pick up), teasing out harsh notes that are on the verge of feedback. He uses a transistor based Carlsbro Stingray combo with the treble turned full ip. This would be seen as an awful amp to many guitarists, as most are looking for a warm valve tone. Gill clearly wasn't after that kind of sound! The other thing of interest here, is Jon Kings awkward, white man in a suit dance. His moves are reminiscent of David Byrnes performance on the Stop Making Sense movie, although this clip pre-dates that by a good three years.

Black 2 Comm 14th July 2019

Featuring Aerosmith, Black Uhuru, Marlena Shaw and more. Cheq out this interview with Peter Kember and Jason Pierce of Spacemen 3 from the Transmission TV show inna 1989. The two met at Rugby Art College in 1982 when they were both 16 years old and began performing under the name Spaceman soon after. By this point in their career the two weren't getting on well and Peter Kember was seen, by the music press at least, as being the leader of the band. Kember does most of the talking here, while Pierce stares on, vacantly. The interview sections are interspersed with the promo video for the Pierce penned "Hypnotized" single, that was chosen and released without the bands permission, much to Kember's annoyance. Tensions between the two increased and by the time of their following, final LP, "Recurring", they were working in isolation and would produce one side of the album each.

Black 2 Comm 7th July 2019

Featuring The Wailers, Death, Peaches and loads more. Cheq out this amazing footage of Black Sabbath performing at the California Jam festival at the Ontario Motor Speedway inna 1974. Sabbath had caught a lot of flak from the music press for their lumpen riffing but were still big fan favourites. Ozzy's big, theatrical gestures work perfectly in this setting, energising the massive crowd. The clip starts with hell-raising singer Ozzy Osbourne being interviewed. He says what a beautiful and peaceful event it is and promises to go on and play their music, not blow up the stage or anything like that. Ironically, it was the much better behaved Richie Blackmore of Deep Purple that would go on later in the day and destroy one of the TV cameras and blow up his amp!

Black 2 Comm 30th June 2019

Featuring Killing Joke, Etta James, Cali Swag District and many others. Cheq out this super awkward footage of Sigue Sigue Sputnik's Tony James and Martin Degville sharing the TV-am sofa with total freaks Ann Diamond, Nick Owen, Giles Brandreth and Michael "the fist" Barrymore inna 1986. Former Generation X bass player, Tony James was going out with Janet Street-Porter who was appointed head of yoof TV by BBC2 controller, Alan Yentob. James would later become a member of uber-goths Sisters Of Mercy and eventually come full circle to form the group Carbon Silicon with long time spar Mick Jones of Clash, B.A.D. fame.

Black 2 Comm 23rd June 2019

Featuring Led Zeppelin, Sugar Minott, The Soft Boys and more. Cheq out this funky fresh footage of Run-DMC performing Sucker MC's on the Graffiti Rock TV show inna 1984. The programme was intended to be a hip hop Soul Train series but only one episode was made. The show also features a rap battle featuring Kool Moe Dee and Special K from the Treacherous Three against Reverend Run and Darryl DMC McDaniels with Jam Master Jay manning the wheels of steel. Also of note, cheq out the young Vincent Gallo (aka Prince Vince) in the white upturned Kangol, at the beginning of the clip.

Black 2 Comm 16 June 2019

Featuring Bomb The Bass, Brenda Lee, Post Malone and more. Cheq out this film of The Doors playing a full set at the Isle of Wight festival inna 1970. Singer Jim Morrison was on trial at the time, for "lewd and lascivious behaviour" at a previous concert in Miami. He was eventually sentenced to six months in jail with hard labor and fined $500. The case went to appeal but the singer checked out inna Paris before any resolution was reached. The lizard king is in fine voice here, putting in a powerful, if subdued performance. In other words, he didn't instigate a riot or get his cock out on this occasion!

Black 2 Comm 2nd June 2019

Featuring Marvin Gaye, The Go-Go's, The Abyssinians and much more. Cheq out this footage of thrash giants Megadeth performing "Wake Up Dead" in San Diego in 2008. Frontman Dave Mustaine, who was unceremoniously thrown out of Metallica in 1983 for his drug taking and erratic behaviour, became a born again Christian in 2003. As a result of his new found faith, he refused to perform on the same stage as bands including Rotting Christ and Dissection because of their un-Christian beliefs . . . not only that, but he stopped performing some of his own compositions too!

Black 2 Comm 26th May 2019

Featuring the Ramones, Aretha Franklin, Dr. John and more. Cheq out this old footage of Cream's Ginger Baker talking us 'round hit drum kit. Inspired by seeing Duke Ellingtons's sticksman Sam Woodyard, he and Keith Moon were the first of the big rock drummers to use a double bass drum set up. While Baker ordered a custom double bass drum Ludwig kit, Moon immediately bought two Premier kits and stuck them together! What's most unusual about the clip though, is the stark contrast in the interviewer's received pronunciation and Baker's slurred, opiated tones!

Black 2 Comm 12th May 2019

Featuring The Byrds, Melt-Banana, Sex Gang Children and many more. Cheq out this footage of Japanese noise rock duo, Melt-Banana performing at the Obscene Extreme festival in the Czech Republic in 2016. The extreme metal festival has been going since 1999 and serves up vegetarian an vegan food to the dreadlocked punters. The duo consist of vocalist Yasuko Onuki, who holds up an illuminated, hand-held midi controller, and guitarist, Ichirou Agata who rocks a surgical mask, despite not having a cold while the disturbed audience members take to the stage to spaz out when the spirit takes them.

Black 2 Comm 5th May 2019

Featuring Tom Waits, D.A.F., Serious Drinking and many others. Cheq out this spellbinding performance of "We Got To Have Peace" from Curtis Mayfield and his band in the Old Grey Whistle Test studio in 1972. They are completely in the groove, having turned down their amplifiers for this super quiet rendition. This stripped down version sounds much more intimate than the orchestrated studio recording on his "Roots" LP. Curtis's sweet falsetto, as heard here and in his previous work with The Impressions, would go on to influence countless reggae artists in the years that followed.

Black 2 Comm 28th April 2019

Featuring Iggy Pop, Stereolab, Chaka Demus & Pliers and more. Cheq out the "Twerk" by Miami duo, the City Girls. The video features guest rappers Cardi B and Yung Miami in full animal body make up, painted as a tiger and a zebra respectively. The promo is based around a contest to find the worlds greatest twerker. This is definitely upping the ante in the gratuitous booty shaking stakes once again.

Black 2 Comm 14th April 2019

Featuring The Exploited, Bobby Gentry, Metal Urbain and many others. Cheq out this promo for The Beatles "Rain" which appeared on the b-side of their "Paperback Writer" single in 1966. This is my favourite Beatles period. The effects of their exposure to psychedelics are apparent, though the unadvisable facial hair had not yet become part of their look. This is the "mod on the brink of psychedelia" vibe that Oasis based their entire career on.
The sound of the bass guitar is incredible and surprisingly loud in the mix. Paul MacCartney wanted to get a sound similar to the soul records of the time. In the video, Paul's chipped tooth is on display and John's attempt to lip-synch the backwards vocal at the end of the track always makes me chuckle. Everyone seems to talk about '67 and the summer of love, but this was when the real shit was going down.

Black 2 Comm 7th April 2019

Featuring Black Flag, Arlo Guthrie, Anne Clark and many others. Cheq out this footage of The Von Bondies performing at the Glastonbury Festival inna 2004. The Detroit rockers treat the rain sodden crowd to a blistering set of garage rock. I love the symmetrical stage set up with the two girls flanking singer/guitarist Jason Stollsteimer. It's also interesting to see the minimal drum kit, comprising of just a kick, a snare, with only one cymbal and tom. They were so good that Jack White had to kick his ass!

Black 2 Comm 31st March 2019

Featuring Soft Cell, The Shangri-Las, Tenor Saw and more. Cheq out this promo for Blondie's "Rapture" which was the first rap video to be screened on MTV back in 1981. The clip starts at a house party where Debbie Harry dances individually with all the members of the group. She chats with the DJ played by artist Jean-Michel Basquiat (not Grandmaster Flash as planned) then goes "out to the parking lot" where graffiti artists, Fab Five Freddy and Lee Quinones are making a mess of a wall. She was definitely mixing in the right circles!

Black 2 Comm 24th March 2019

Featuring Jefferson Airplane, Napalm Death, Lil Yachty and more. Cheq out this footage of Dennis Wilson appearing from behind his kit to sing "You Are So Beautiful" with The Beach Boys at Knebworth in 1980. The song was credited to Billy Preston and Bruce Fisher though many believe that Wilson co-wrote part of the song with Preston at a party. The drink and drugs took their tole on the drummer who would die before reaching his 40th birthday. Despite straining to reach the high notes and being in poor physical shape, he puts in a moving performance. The song was a live fan favourite . . . especially with the ladies!

Black 2 Comm 17th March 2019

Featuring Dead Or Alive, Theatre Of Hate, Dua Lipa and more. Cheq out this clip of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young performing live at the Fillmore East in June 1970. The footage is taken from Neil Young's art house film "Journey Through The Past". The group perform Young's "Ohio", written about the Kent state shootings that had happened earlier in the year and "Southern Man", followed by Buffalo Springfield's "On The Way Home" and finally a solo rendition of "Birds".

Black 2 Comm 10th March 2019

Featuring Johnny Cash, Clock DVA, Lush and more. Cheq out this promo for Jaden Smith's "Ghost" single. The video is shot in Tokyo's Shibuya district and see's him rocking a surgical face mask and sliding down a set of stairs on his back for some strange reason. He can also be seen flexing with Monopoly money in what appears to be a hip hop video parody. 20 year old Smith is no stranger to the Benjamin's though, as he's the son of rapper and Hollywood actor Will Smith and starred in the 2010 remake of The Karate Kid. He moved out of his parents home into his own $4 million mansion in L.A.'s Hidden Hills when he was only 18 . . . keeping it nepotistic y'all!

Black 2 Comm 3rd March 2019

Featuring Yello, Richard Hell & The Voidoids, The Kinks and more. Cheq out this black and white footage of Skeeter Davis performing her 1962 tearjerker "The End Of The World" on an American TV show. She looks quite nervous, wearing an awful dress in front of a painted countryside scene but what is most incredible about this clip is her hairdo. It looks as though she's got a helmet on her head as her hair doesn't move an inch!

Black 2 Comm 17th February 2019

Featuring Grace Jones, The Small Faces, Gary U.S. Bonds and more. Cheq out this super early clip of the Beastie Boys performing "Cookie Puss" and a jam based around a Trouble Funk groove at the Kitchen inna New York City. The video was shot in 1983 and captures the groups first foray into hip hop and rap. They were a hardcore punk band at the time and had already played a full show with singer Michael Diamond wearing a Santa hat. They ended the set with a version of their first single "Cookie Puss" which was based on a prank phone call to the Carvel ice cream restaurant chain (the Cookie Puss being an ice cream character created by the Carvel brand). The footage is notable for the appearance of the Beastie's original drummer, Kate Schellenbach who rocks the house with her T & A (her words not mine)!

Black 2 Comm 10th February 2019

Featuring Television, The Runaways, Gregory Isaacs and more. Cheq out this clip of Roky Erickson & The Explosives performing "Red Temple Prayer (Two-Headed Dog)" inna 1980. The song was written shortly after his release from a 3 year stay in a mental hospital where he underwent extensive electro-shock therapy. A couple of years after this footage was shot, he he signed a legal affidavit to say that an alien being had taken up residence in his body.

Black 2 Comm 3rd February 2019

Featuring Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Die Toten Hosen, Altered Images and more. Cheq out this clip of the mullet headed John Roberts trying to make sense of Flea and Anthony Kiedis from the Red Hot Chili Peppers inna 1986. The pair are clearly out of their gourds on some form of illegal stimulant(s), Flea's eyes looking almost reptilian. When asked about their influences they instantly reel of a list of made up bands including Harry Skidmore and the Armpit Hairs from Kalamazoo. Anton the swan's hand is resting on the bass players upper thigh throughout the interview while Flea's microphone is clipped onto his right nipple.

Black 2 Comm 27th January 2019

Featuring Nico, The Trashmen, MC 900 Ft. Jesus and more. Cheq out this amazing footage of Detroit rockers, the MC5, kicking out the jams live in an empty German TV studio in 1972. The session was recorded for the Beat Club programme shortly before the band imploded. The group had already sacked original bassist Michael Davis and recruited Englishman Steev Moorhouse and would eventually perform dreadful shows with guitarist Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith taking over on vocal duties. They're firing on all cylinders here though, with the twin axemen dropping to their knees during the instrumental section while singer Rob Tyner busts out some inspired shapes in his glittery jacket and full 'fro combo . . . kick 'em out!

Black 2 Comm 20th January 2019

Featuring Sly & The Family Stone, Connie Stevens, Plastic Bertrand and more. Cheq out this incredible footage of Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers performing at the Gibus club in Paris in 1984. Johnny's looking cool as a cucumber in his kamikaze headband and gold lamé jacket. The reformed Heartbreakers are on fire here, unlike in the professionally filmed Lyceum show of the same year (which was a car crash). They tear through a set of their own junkie rock numbers interspersed with early 60's classics including Gary U.S. Bond's Seven Day Weekend and the Contours' Do You Love Me.

The L.A.M.F. era line up included former New York Doll and Thunders' partner in crime, Jerry Nolan on drums. Both would die young as a result of their rock 'n' roll lifestyles as would bass player Billy Rath, although he would find God beforehand. The only surviving member is second guitar/vocalist, Walter Lure who went on to work as a stock broker on Wall Street!

Black 2 Comm 13th January 2019

Featuring the Yellow Magic Orchestra, Slowdive, Mercury Rev and more. Cheq out this footage of Dylan's press conference for the second Isle of Wight festival in 1969. The organisers of the Woodstock festival had hoped to lure the great songwriter onto their bill by placing the festival in his back yard but he would snub them and the late '60s counter culture in general. He actually left for the Isle of Wight on the 15th April, the day that Woodstock began, traveling to the UK on the QE2 with his pregnant wife Sara. He would perform his subdued set to 150,000 fans including John Lennon, Yoko Ono, George Harrison, Patti Boyd, Keith Richards and Jane Fonda while bustin' for a piss!