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Nightingales (U.K.) & Surplus 1980

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Date/Time
Date(s) - 09/04/2015
9:00 PM - 11:00 PM

Location
Amnesia SF

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$7-$10

Birmingham’s original punk group The Prefects had been part of The Clash’s ‘White Riot Tour’, recorded a couple of Peel sessions, released a 45 on Rough Trade and, years after splitting up, had a retrospective CD released by NY label Acute Records to all round glowing reviews – from Rolling Stone to webzines.

The Nightingales was formed by former members of The Prefects following that band’s demise in 1979.

Described in John Robb’s definitive book on ‘post punk’ (Death To Trad Rock) as “The misfits’ misfits” and comprising an ever fluctuating line up, based around lyricist/singer Robert Lloyd, the Nightingales enjoyed cult status in the early ’80’s as darlings of the credible music scene and were championed by John Peel, who said of them – “Their performances will serve to confirm their excellence when we are far enough distanced from the 1980’s to look at the period rationally and other, infinitely better known, bands stand revealed as charlatans”.

The group recorded a bunch of critically acclaimed singles (Almost always ‘Single Of The Week’ in the music press) and three albums, plus many radio sessions for their great supporter Peel. They also regularly toured the UK and Northern Europe, as headliners and supporting acts as diverse as Bo Diddley and Nico.

Surplus 1980 is a San Francisco Bay Area-based post-punk band founded in 2009 by former Sleepytime Gorilla Museum multi-instrumentalist Moe! Staiano.

As alluded to in its name, Surplus 1980’s music takes cues from the angular bands of the 1980s such as Dog Faced Hermans and Diagram Brothers and fuses it with the heavy, fierce attack pioneered by The Ex and The Fall to create their own blend of modern no-wave angst. Combined with Staiano’s playful lyrics, Surplus 1980’s music is a thick slab of out-jazz, with more than a dash of punk ferocity.

Staiano originally created Surplus 1980 as a studio-only collaboration, with the goal to further a musical journey begun with Staiano’s previous no-wave instrumental group, Mute Socialite. After recording, Moe! assembled a live configuration of the band with guitarist Bill Wolter (Inner Ear Brigade). The line up soon coalesced with the addition of bassist Steve Lew (Eskimo), drummer Thomas Scandura (Molecules), keyboardist Amanda Chaudhary (Reconnaisance Fly), and guitarist Melne.

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