This week marks the 20th anniversary of the release of The Strokes' debut EP 'The Modern Age' - so what better time to get band producer Gordon Raphael on the show to talk all about New York's finest?

*If you want to skip our prattling on about why we love The Strokes, you can hear the interview at 27:55. It's good prattling though*

Gordon gives us the inside track on the music that kicked off not just The Strokes' career, but a whole era in indie rock'n'roll on both sides of the Atlantic: 

Gordon also talks us through his work on the band's follow-up LP 'Room on Fire' and third album 'First Impressions of Earth', a project which he would ultimately exit before completion. 

We also delve into Gordon's own weird and wonderful musical career pre-Strokes and find out who he has been working with more recently now he's based in the UK. Check out these artists and let us know what you think, listeners....

• Billy Conquer: https://open.spotify.com/album/1KbShhxfnUQG2wIpv2ltJ7

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Noughties North London rockers The Holloways formed with a simple premise, outlined in their Top 20 smash and signature song 'Generator': making the music to make you feel better.

However, underneath their calypso-pop indie sound and raucously fun live performances was a darker side. Frankly, few bands before or since have suffered as much misfortune: in the space of a few short years, their label went bust, the pub they lived and practiced in burned down and the band split as members quit in disillusionment.

Holloways bassist Bryn Fowler joins us on this episode to pick through the highs and lows of the band's career. From London band turf wars to his memories of nights at the legendary Nambucca venue, it's all here. With planned reunion gigs as part of the Propaganda tour scuppered by Covid (typical Holloways luck...), we also find out if there's another chapter of the band's story yet to be written.

Elsewhere on the episode, Rick and Sarah run the rule over Shame's excellent new album 'Drunk Tank Pink' as it crashes the Top 10 of the UK albums chart and ask: when was the last time you saw a live performance as good as this on TV, let alone Soccer AM? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qzOGubzfxg

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Turin Brakes are a British indie institution so we were delighted to get singer Olly Knights on the show to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of the folk heroes' 2001 debut album 'The Optimist LP'.

Olly reflects on the conception of the Mercury Prize-nominated record, how the band scaled the heights of chart success with its follow-up 'Ether Song' and how they've stayed together and delivered a steady stream of albums since. He also gives an update on how Turin Brakes album number 9 is coming along...

Elsewhere on the episode, Rick and Sarah discuss why 2001 was such a pivotal year for the direction of the post-millennial music scene, from The Strokes heralding a new year zero for rock'n'roll and Slipknot taking nu-metal to Number One in the charts, to how the Neptunes and Timbaland were shaping the pop landscape.

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Leeds saw an explosion of musical activity in the mid '00s - and brilliant art-punks Black Wire, active 2003-2007, were right at the heart of it all.

Their bassist Tom Greatorex joins the show this week to tells us about BW's beginnings, how their debut gig inspired fellow Leodensians Kaiser Chiefs to write I Predict a Riot and why he thinks Yorkshire briefly became the centre of the musical universe.

Unlike many of his peers from back in the day, Tom doesn't just have a great memory for past scenes - he's an absolute oracle of info, meaning his interview is a must for all '00s guitar music historians.

Elsewhere on the episode, Sarah and Rick discuss why back catalogues are becoming such big business - pensioners are taking over pop apparently - and which new releases they're excited about this month. Spoiler: it's fairly slim pickings unless you're a fan of 1D solo stars or members of the Bee Gees.

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When we heard someone was making a movie drama about the guitar scene of the mid-'00s we couldn't have been more excited - not least because it sounded like the film version of this very podcast!

That someone is writer, director and star of 'Giddy Stratospheres' Laura Jean Marsh, and she joins the show to talk to us about her inspirations for the film: everything from the Long Blondes track it's named after to her time in scene band Screaming Ballerinas and memories of an amazing time in British music. She's also appeared in Peep Show, so we quiz her on that too. 

Inspired by the interview, and noting that Christmas is a time for movies (at least according to the current Sky Cinema ad), elsewhere Rick and Sarah run down their 10 favourite music movies of all time. If you'd rather not hear us rambling through our list you can skip to the interview with LJM at around the 50 minute mark. But why would you want to do that, when the rundown is packed with top movie recommendations and trivia that should keep you going well through the festive period???

Find out more about 'Giddy Stratospheres' by clicking here.

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Young Knives recently returned with their first album in seven years, the brilliantly bonkers 'Barbarians' - and we've got them on the show to tell us all about it.

Speaking to guest interviewer and firm friend of Demo Tapes Jamie Fullerton (www.twitter.com/jamiefullerton1), the Oxford-based band look back on their 20-year career, reminisce on their mid-'00s commercial high point with Top 40 smashes such as 'Weekends and Bleak Days (Hot Summer)' and explain how they've been spending lockdown playing virtual gigs in a caravan. Find out more on that by clicking here: https://young-knives.com/live-streams/

Elsewhere on the episode, Rick reviews The Orielles' virtual gig from the Hebden Bridge Trades Club last weekend and Sarah wistfully remembers Saturday afternoons spent discovering hot new bands like the Lighthouse Family in HMV in the olden days before Spotify and YouTube. Magic.

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The Orielles have released one of our favourite albums of this (or any) year in ‘Disco Volador’, so we were delighted to get all three of them on the show to tell us all about it.

The Halifax indie trio explain their intergalactic inspirations, how the planets aligned when they formed the band a few years back and how they’re planning to turn ‘Disco Volador’ into a “cinematic experience” to be released next year.

They also reveal what fans can expect from their upcoming virtual gig this Saturday (December 5th) - tickets are still available from here. 

Elsewhere, Rick and Sarah discuss what Guy Garvey, Ed O’Brien and Nadine Shah’s recent trip to the Government’s digital, culture, media and sport select committee inquiry could mean for the post-Covid music industry and add more shows to our ever growing virtual gig guide, which now features:

Blossoms Live from London - December 3rd - Tickets here 

Liam Gallagher Down by the River Thames - December 5th - Tickets here

John Cooper Clarke, charity show 'I Wanna Be Yours at Christmas' at Colchester Arts Centre - December 11th - Tickets here

Gorillaz Song Machine Live - December 12 & 13 - Tickets here

Courtney Barnett global live stream - December 17th - Tickets here

Why not Bung a Band a Bob and attend a few of them?

And whilst you’re at it, contact the show on: [email protected]

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The Paddingtons were one of the leading lights of the London grot'n'roll scene of the mid '00s - despite being from, er, Hull.

Singer Tom Atkin and bassist Lloyd Dobbs join this week's episode to reminisce about the raucous squat party gigs that helped them make their name, what it was like being feted by Pete Doherty (and slated by Liam Gallagher) and an infamous photo shoot with the leading lights of the scene outside Buckingham Palace.

Lloyd and Tom also talk about how a Libertines connection brought them to London, why legendary music mogul Alan McGee signed them to his Poptones label and how they ended up modelling on the catwalk for photographer and fashion designer Hedi Slimane.

They also discuss what the band - still occasionally active - have been up to since the release of their last album in 2008 and how Tom is carving out a new solo career (hear his new track by clicking here).

Elsewhere in the episode, Rick continues the Covid campaign that absolutely no one (yet) is calling 'Bung a Band a Bob'. This includes a rundown of upcoming virtual gigs we recommend checking out, including:

The Orielles at Hebden Bridge Trades Club - December 5th - Tickets here 

Liam Gallagher Down by the River Thames - December 5th - Tickets here

John Cooper Clarke, charity show 'I Wanna Be Yours at Christmas' at Colchester Arts Centre - December 11th - Tickets here

Courtney Barnett global live stream - December 17th - Tickets here

Contact the show on: [email protected]

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Demo Tapes is back on the podcast airwaves after an extended break! And who better to kick off Series 3 than one of our most popular previous guests, Tom Clarke?

The former frontman of chart-topping indie-punks The Enemy returns to the show to talk us through his debut solo album 'The Chronicles of Nigel', a concept album that sounds like nothing else Tom has ever been involved with. He gives us in depth insights into the story behind the lyrics, his surprising musical inspirations and how he convinced Ralph 'Finchy from the Office' Ineson to appear as the album's narrator.

Elsewhere, Rick and Sarah reveal the music that has soundtracked their lockdowns and discuss why it's so important for music fans to support the bands and artists they love during the Covid era.

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How do you go from being one of the musical sidekicks to the world's most notorious rock star Pete Doherty to a psychotherapist to the stars? This is the question we put to sometime Babyshambles drummer Adam Ficek in this episode.

Adam invited Rick down to his clinic in central London for a good old chinwag about his unusual career change and some classic tales from his days in Babyshambles. He talks about how he joined the band, recorded a couple of their albums and toured the world, before being unceremoniously kicked out by Pete, seemingly on a whim. Adam also gives us the latest on his solo project Roses Kings Castles and discusses whether Babyshambles will ever perform together again.

Elsewhere in the episode, Rick and guest co-host Jamie Fullerton question how a musical written from the point of view of Michael Jackson's fingerless white glove could work and run the rule over Tyson Fury's tilt at the Xmas One spot with Robbie Williams. You can hear their unlikely collaboration by clicking here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33893SFfjUs

Contact the show on: [email protected]

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If you really must, our personal Twitter handles are:
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