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THE REACTIONS F ::RMELL PERFORMANCE m The Button, Ft . Lauderdale }3Y OLIVIER IN AUGUST 1981 And yet again I was accosted by Fate , EDITOR :BOZ friend of many years . I found mysel f table, sitting in a bar, at a the Blue in a CONTRIBUTORS :OLIVIER, WENDLE Waters , decaying hotel called IN on Miami Beach one chilly evening i n HOLIDAY, CATHY SHEEKE1, CRAIG January and the tension grew intense . SNYDER, KAREN SNYDER What was to happen here was a minut e COVER PHOTO & LOGOS :CRAIG SNYDER fragment of a greater whole, what coul d be described as a part in the evolution ETC :CRAIG & KAREN SNYDER(fo r of Western civilization's undergroun d everything), TED & LESLIE , movement . Ideas were exchanged, relation .* ships forged . A R&R band calling themLYNN, DAVE FUN, ROY, LIBBY , selves the Reactions played one of thei r VIOLENT LOVE & FRIENDS , first sets ; this very band encapsulate d , of our youth the emotions & rebellion),(anger have PRIMITIVE ROMANCE, RICHAR D that frustration, ULLOA, MICHAEL DEAN, DON & exploded throughout society's history . Before one could notice, the night was EVERYONE ELSE WORTH MENTIONIN G relegated it's end and the prevailing feeling of danger diminished inexplicably . The present . Our friends the Reaction s have matured into a competent club band. ALL BRIBE MONEY, FAN MAIL , capable of creating classic pop songs . LOVE LETTERS, & VINYL, MAY Concurrently, the tension and sense o f BE SENT TO : danger have been replaced by a boredo m SUBURBAN RELAPS E and apathy not deserving of such didacti c 8500 SW 35 Terrace individuals . This evening's gig, billed as i a farewell performance was respectable , Miami, Florida 3315 5 exactly what one expected . It could have been much more but rather than challenge their audience, they themselves chose t o bask in maudlin sentimentality and go out EAT YOUR HEART OUT : NY ROCKER , with nothing more than self masturbation , THE FACE, NME, SLASH, BOSTO N literally and figuratively . Too bad . ROCK, PUNK, TROUSER PRESS , Unknowingly, Denise gave the night it' s SOUNDS, CREEM, MELODY MAKER , U relevance by repeatedly proclaiming , & of course ROLLING STON E a "Bury the dead ;" Amen . 01981 by THE MARIEL REFUGE E HALL OF FAME

"Punk Rock Sucks " I am getting so tired of hearing that . It comes from pur e ignorance and inner-breeding . The plus about using labels i s that people can refer to things and others will know wha t they are talking about . . .sometimes . But then there's th e example of abstract art or surrealistic films . Things can' t be seen as they are and be left alone . People will see an odd object or image and say, "Oh, that looks like it sorta ' could be a tomatoe" and then forget about it . It's now labeled , they think they understand it and they don't need to think about it anymore . Why can't people say this is this, it' s not like anything else, just what itis . The same thing applie s to people also .(and I know quite a few examples) . But yo u see, if things can't be labeled then people get confuse d and can't function by their own means . No brains . Sometime s labels are very viable and neccessary but most of the tim e they belong to ignorance and misuse . Let's get back to Punk Rock . Punk is dead, at least that' s what I've been hearing . Let's use another label, New Wave . I hate that . How about . . . New Music! Yeah, I like that , sounds better, more viable . OK New Music! Now people tel l us they think all this "punk rock" and new wave sucks . I wonder . Have they pulled their head out of their hole lately and looked around . I mean looked around really well . The world, at least from my perspective, has been extremel y influenced by the New Music and the art and fashion it brough t forward . Someone at work said to me the other day "Is thi s Hall and Oates song new wave? It sounds like it could be , but it's not very good ." I told her it wasn't new wave(o r very good) and that they were using the "mechanics" of th e New Music in their own work . Some of the people who knoc k the new music are right now listening to their rock n roll , disco, or pop albums and not realizing that those groups are enlisting the use of new music mechanics on many of thos e songs . Album covers . . . I almost can't tell anymore . Years back I used to buy every album that had the "new wave" look and not have to worry about whether it was going to be goo d or not . Now everyone in the music "biz" is using the new art . The press, who once thought the new use of jumbled type was ugly , are now using it in their advertisements and feature stories . Just now the fashions are starting to become noticable in the marketplace . Did you know GQ(gentleman's quarterly-a hig h fashion mag for the preppy American man) recently ran an articl e on "what's the newest thing in new wave" . Did you know Sears and Walgreens sell New Wave sunglasses? I could be wrong, the y might be Italian sunglasses . Never know, Italy could be th e next big thing . In just a couple of years( if we all live that long), New Wave will saturate the entire market and everyon e will say, "Hey New Wave is great! Boy, am I sick . . .

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PHOTOS :K . SN YDE R

It was a typical Saturday evening at the New Wave d teo; however tonight Primitive Romance, a new band from Tampa was in town to check out the set-up at the club for their upcoming gig Monda y night . Almost ANY out of town band is somewhat of an event for me , it helps break the monotony of living in this arm pit of the worl d called South Florida . Huddled around one of the broken patio table s was myself ; Lester Esser, guitarist and vocalist ; Allen Esser, drums ; and Randy Barnwell, bass guitarist . Inside the crowd was dancing t o the B 52's or was it Visage . . . who really cares? Lester didn't see m too impressed with the crowd or music, still he didn't appear to o suprised ; this is Ft . Lauderdale afterall , what else can you expect ? Unfortunetly on Monday they played the same night tha t the Ramones were playing the Agora . The turnout was not exactl y overwhelming, 75 people at tops, nevertheless th e fortunate few in attendanc e weren't disapppinted . Fo r myself it was perhaps th e most enjoyable gig by an y Florida band I'd seen pla y all year(the Hayhead s included) . They sounded quite confident on stage , not bad for a band that' s been together for 2 i months . It would be eas y to play up the influenc e of such bands as Jo y Division, Wahl Heat, .The Bunnymen, etc . . . but thi s would be inaccurate . Wha t they do share with thes e bands however, is tha t "vital edge", a sense o f tension that is alway s presenteven in lighter moments giving the music a sense of urgency . Their sound is more positive ; not the gloomy despair of an Ian Curti s or an Ian McCulloch . Their .set was compelling, Lester's driving abrasiv e guitar played off Randy's throbbing bass and Allen's drumwork creatin g a collision of sound and noise, similar to the musical assault of band s like the Gang of Four and Mission of Burma . In an interview I jus t finished reading Stuart Adamson formerly of the Skids said tha t "there's only one way to classify music, it either gives you shiver s up the back or it doesn't ." If you'll excuse me to look silly, but stuff like this is similar to an opiate, nothing else matters excep t the music of the moment . OK . Enough soul bearing . . .back to reality . . . what about their songs you ask? Well let's see . . .there's "Time to Talk", a speedy tune featuring Lester's dissonant almost "psychedelic " sounding guitar work(I really hate to use that term but . . .), "Everything Means Nothing Anymore" is a lazy offbeat song ; a change o f pace, so to speak . My personal favorite was "Enter-Communion", a desperate urgent sounding plea .

Both Lester and Allen were previously in the StraitJackets who in their only Miami gig a year ago recieved a mixed reactio n from the crowd ; apparently some general comments refering to certai n peoples lifestyles didn't agree with everyone in attendance . We briefly discussed the demise of the Jackets . Lester explained that the whole thing with the band "just turned into something that wasn' t real ." "We ran into a few financial problems, we recorded an albu m that was never released ." Aparently this is still a sensitive subjec t for them to discuss, some bad feelings exist with one of the othe r former band members . Randy used to play in another band called No t Much . According to Randy this was basically a punk band that"poke d a 1(:4t of fun at people" and that they "weren't serious about muc h of anything ." Hence the band name . They all see Primitive Romance as something totally different from their previous ventures . I couldn't agree more , although a few old Jackets' tunes remain, among them, "Jamaican Love" . I questioned the inclusion of "Jamaican Love", an upbea t island song and Allen quickly defended it,"we like it", everything doesn't have to fit into a set sound . Aparently they don't wish t o be stereotyped into any fixed catagories . Many new bands often fal l into the early"burn-out syndrome" due to a lack of new material , often becoming stagnant . I doubt that this will be the case here as Lester pointed out that they have apretty much unlimited source o f original materialthat we haven't learned ; everyday something comes up . " They are determined to progress musically, for example they expresse d the possible limited use of a synthesizer in recording to add mor e to their already textured sound . Unfortunetly Florida is not exactly the best enviromen t for developing bands to suceed . In October the band plans on makin g the move to a more open city, Boston . Lester defends the move, "w e want to play everyplace we can . . . there's no record companies, no backing, not many clubs here at all . Allen summarized things with the bitter truth that "the odds are against you here in Florida for sure ." By the time you read this a 3 song flexi-disc should be out , designed primarily for promotion, a flexi being "cheaper to mai l away ." This will be followed by a standard 7" single, all on their own label, Dot City . Of course the ultimate goal would be an actua l contract with a "real" label . They expressed their intrest in a larger independent label such as .Rough Trade, where they would b e free to pursue their own artistic direction . Since Tampa seems to be the only other city in th e state which can rival Miami with original bands I wa s kind of curious to se e which scene they prefered . Unsuprisingly Leste r strongly stated "beside s a few excepti I lik e .ns bands in Tampa better . Bands down here seem to be so fak e so backwards . The Cichlid s were like big frauds ." The Stick Figures, a forme r Tampa band who have relocated to D .C ., who were famous for constantl y changing their instrument s throughout their sets

PRIMITIVE ROMANCE (CONTINUED ) remain personal favorites, "they're almost idols . " Next time you get the chance to see Primitive Romance , you owe it to yourself to do so . You can watch TV or listen to you r Ramones records anytime . Everybody is so quick to complain abou t the scene down here, but when something interesting happens nobod y shows up . Well I guess I'm asking for too much, I mean afteral l the Ramones are "superstars" . Why would anyone want to go see a band doing new original music when they can go somewhere else an d see their "idols" doing the same stuff that they've done for th e past five years . Maybe I'm out of touch but, I always thought tha t the reason why people went to see bands in the first place wa s for the "music" .

Top Sevens

7. HEAVEN 17- FASCIST GROOV E TFjANG (IMP ) ALBUM S 45 1 . JOY DIVISION- CLOSER(DOM ) N'?(DOM ) SINGLES, 3 . XxEWILDTGIFT(DOM) 1. JOY DIVISION- LOVE WILL TEAR US 4 . AU PAIRS- PLAYING WITH A APART(DOM 7 " ) DIFFERENT SEX(IMP ) 2. U2- FIRE(IMP 7 " ) GEN X- KISS ME DEADLY(IMP ) 3. SPECIALS- GHOST TOWN(7" & 12" IMP) 6 . RAMONES- PLEASANT DREAMS(DOM ) 4. REACTIONS- LOVE YOU(DOM 7") 7 . PYLON- GYRATE(DOM ) 5. GANG OF FOUR- TO HELL WITH CHART COMPILED BYg LESLIE/OPEN POVERTY(IMP 7") S &C O 6. SIOUXSIE & BANSHEES-SPELLBOUN D (IMP 7") (DOM) DOMESTIC / (IMP) IMPORT

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INTRODUCING this month's winner : MR . JOHNNY THUNDERS Here's a picture of Johnny at Zappas ; Brooklyn NY , May 1981 . He actually played a whole set o f Heartbreakers' tunes without tripping over the mik e stand . True fans will be pleased to know however , that he still had to be carried on and off th e stage by a roadie . SEND IN YOUR VOTES FOR NEXT ISSUE!! ! Send them to "Wasted Guitar Heroes" c/o Suburba n Relapse . Don't delay ! Possible contenders ; Eric Clapton, Tom Verlaine, & Keith Richards .

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T"NEN EVERYdOD''s NAPPY AT "ME CNEAP~sr ALTERNATIVE R OPP SroKE IN TM ! 5P5.CIALIZ1NO: IN IMPORT AN D SLAT sou-rN OF S.1NRISE ON INDEPENDEN T' LP's, EP's, a L4 N.E . 3m AVENUE, la TH6 P go1 1 USED RECORDS BOUGHT $e Sot-D , GRESSo RA2A .I(3o5)522-35 '761 FANZINES FROM THE U . K . AND U.S.A ., #(5 AND RECORD Mott-FR! 12-9, sar. 11-9, SUN . 2-6 BUtTONS, T SNJRTS, AND PoSTOP-i-! since 1971 -Cl

 This LP hasn't exactly bee n too well recieved with the British press . fg a_ a -010 5_ Apparently they seem more concerned wit h the latest fashions (by the way what i s it this week?) than listening to music . d Siouxsie's no longer JOSEPH K "THE ONLY FUN IN TOWN" I supposesetter she once was . considere the trend (POSTCARD IMPORT LP) Siouxsie's matured since th e 1 crude lineup of the original Banshees . Fortunetly the improved productio n compromised Postcard records is an a hasn't music . "Ju Ju the brooding intensit y l still sounds a s of her independent label from Scotlan d menacing as anything on "The Scream" . whose roster includes Orange Still there are some concessions t o Juice, Aztec Camera and of cours e Joseph K . I've previously heard I current fads, such as "Spellbound",nth e single which is a nod to "the moder a few of Joseph K's Postcar d dance" presently in vogue . Howeve r singles, they were quite enjoyable unlike other recent dance hits which somewhat reminescent of th e are based more on style rather tha n Monochrome Set at times . substance, "Spellbound " is stunning, a beautiful hypnotic melody . It woul d s Well, they finally got I sound quite comfortable on last year' an LP together and like their "Kaleidoscope" . singles it's quite good . Man y different influences are present ; psychedeliclt, funk, modern po p etc . . . that ft's reall y impossible to catagorize thi s stuff . Infectious hooks an d quirky guitars which ramble all over the place mix with th e detached, cool, off the cuf f vocals . The melodies are odd , bouncy, and full of unusual twists which keep you alert . Don't let the "arty" cover foo l you ; this is a funband with a good degree of intelligence whic h helps keep things interesting . This LP is highly recommended . ~~~~~~`~~ Suprisingly the majority of "Ju Ju" doesn't follow the more commercia l = assesibility of "Kaleidoscope", instea d Siousie reaches back to the doom y psychotic sounds of her past . John McGeoch's dissonant guitar interplays S well with the adventorous rhyth*sectio n and Siouxsie's unrestrained vocals . On "Voodo Dolly" Siouxsie sounds like a female Iggy Pop living in some kind of nightmare vision created by Jimb o Morrison . "Ju Ju" is scary, beautiful , and seductive ; play it late at night All reviews by BOZ unless noted and turn out the lights . [El
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SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEES "JU JU " (POLYDOR IMPORT LP)

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MISSION OF BURMA " SIGNALS , CALLS, & MARCHES" ( ACE OIL HEARTS DOMESTIC 12" EP)

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v , FIRE ENGINES "EVERYTHING' S ROSES" b/w "GET UP & USE ME " (CODEX IMPORT 45 )

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This is Mission of Burma's debu t EP . Their music is much to o complex to be considered garage music, but it still retains a raw and asture sound ; thei r rhythm is steady enough for on e to dance to but abrupt enough t o throw one askew. The mos t outstanding track is "That' s When I Reach For My Revolver" , it begins with a somewha t melancholy sound then builds t o a brillant climax as the vocal s reach the point of an angry cr y out by someone who has jus t lost faith in humanity . All the tracks are well written, Mission of Burma is a group that show s that originality still exist s in music . (Cathy Sheekey )

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111 n n n n n n n n n n n 11 I know this has been out fo r awhile and that the band ha s since done other things but I just heard this for the firs t time the other day . It's noisy , the guitars are way out of tune , the vocalist is off-key, in fac t the whole thing sounds like two fire engines sliding into a train at 80 mph . Needless t o say it's great! This is wha t Richard Hell, Jerry Garcia, an d Bryan Gregory would sound lik e if they each took 10 hits o f speed and then decided to make a record together . THE RAINCOATS "ODYSHAPE " (ROUGH TRADE DOMESTIC LP )

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L The long awaited follow-u p to their debut LP! This is muc h different from what I ha d expected . Instead of followin g the direction of their las t U I single, "Fairytale in the
If you want some good ole Southern rock put this one on . I dare you! Sounds fucking grea t doesn't it? Listen to Charlie' s legendary slide guitar work , this isn't some tired old Dav e Edmunds record, NO WAY! This i s the kind of hard headed R& B that the Stones used to thriv e on way back when . I'm sorry if they don't write about this stuf f in NY Rocker but this is th e Real McCoy, the real "Sound of the South" livesi : Supermarket" with it's great Velvet Undergroundish sound the Raincoats have "mellowe d out" . The mood is quiet, almos t sounding like Eastern fol k music ( what??),, it's quite reserved . Actually I like it . However I do say that with hesitation because what ma y pass as musical innovatio n today can easily turn int o excess tomorrow . It's happene d before . Fortunetly the amateu r quality of the band is stil l evident and overall this LP is relaxing, I'll even go a s far as to call it charming .

CHARLIE PICKETT "IF THIS IS LOVE " b/w "SLOW DEATH " (OPEN domestic 45)

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VIOLENT LOVE & THE DEAD WHORES THE NEW WAVE LOUNGE :8/3/81 What's going 9n here? Let's see . . . . we had the grea t "unadvertised original disbanded members of Smegma plus friends reunion, the Dead Whores, or was it the Fat Boys or the Cult Heroes? Maybe it was the new Hayheads . Afterall they did do an old Hayheads ' tune along with a demented version of "La Bamba" , that had to be heard to be believed . This was t o be their last gig however Lane, the real "Violen t Love" and Cathy are putting together another band , while Pete will continue with the Essentials and Johnny will become an American refugee in England . If none of this makes any sense, well I guess yo u just had to be there . To be continued . . . . (BOZ )

THE COINS

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