THEE brand new studio album by THEE HEADCOATS is out today!
Irregularis (The Great Hiatus) is available on vinyl or CD, and streaming on all services.
Order direct by clicking the cover art below.
OR YOU SHOULD FIND IT IN YOUR LOCAL RECORD SHOP
Read on for more info and a fun Q&A with Billy, Bruce and Johnny!
Thee Headcoats - Irregularis (The Great Hiatus) (CD/LP)
The undisputed kings of
garage rock are back!
It’s been 22 years
since the last Headcoats album, but now Billy, Bruce, and Johnny return with a
brand-new studio album! Recorded last year at Ranscombe Studios in Rochester.
Billy, Bruce, and Johnny kindly answered some pertinent
questions…
You got back together
recently as Thee Headcoats Sect to make the ‘Tribute to Don Craine’
EP. What was it like working with each other again after all this
time?
BILLY: It was 'fab' and
'gear.'
BRUCE: The weirdest thing for
me was how weird it wasn't. It was like time compressed, but to the
'good old days', early on. I was wary that it 'wouldn't be like
Thee Headcoats', but it was.
JOHNNY: I'm with Bruce and Billy on that one. I think we
were all surprised how it all just worked. If I remember correctly, we kicked
off role playing like we detested each other. Then we got started and well, you
can hear the result.
What were the first songs you
ran through when you got in the studio?
BILLY: That’s a very good
question. No idea.
BRUCE: I can't remember.
They all sound the same to me.
JOHNNY: Bill had stuff on his phone that went
“KSSHHCCCKSSHHHH”! So, we did that first.
You’ve also paid
tribute to Don with a track on the Irregularis album – ‘Oh Leader We
Do Dig Thee’. He was, along with the other members of Downliners
Sect, a big inspiration to Thee Headcoats. When did you first become aware
of his music and what was he like to work
with?
BRUCE: We were given (or
possibly lent) a reissue of the Sect's first LP around 1977, marketed as
'Punk From The Vaults', which certainly floated our boats and definitely
popped our corks, due to the somewhat aggressive yet carefree nature of the
tunes and sound in general. Ollie, our old bassist, found an ad in a trade
magazine for them with a contact number for a Michael O'Donnell, which I
excitedly called almost immediately. T'was none other than Don his'self
and we managed to convince him into venturing down to Rochester to record some
tunes with us which became the first Headcoat Sect EP. We were fairly starstruck
and presented him with a brand new 'dearstalker' (or 'Headcoat',
as they were now known). He was very accommodating and a great laugh and spent
the evening with us, regaling us with tales of yore. I recorded a lot of it on
cassette, which I may still have somewhere. Gawd bless
Don.
BILLY: I heard them via Ron
(Bruce). I picked up a copy of The Rock Sects In, a truly great LP. Next thing I
was picking up Don from Rochester station in the Old Ambulance then driving down
to the boat yard to winkle Ron out of his bunk, if you’ll pardon the
expression. Next it was off to Red Rodders studio to record Sect Maniac, then an
evening in a Borstal pub trying to get Don to stop talking too loudly about his
uncle being on bombing trips to the UK when he was in the IRA and musing about
kings being bled into the fields if the harvest failed. Top
Chap.
JOHNNY:
‘Glendora’ and
‘He was a Square’. I don't know how or when I discovered these
tracks - probably from my older sisters. When Don first came down to record with
us, I hadn't been in the band that long so I pretty much kept stumm. By the
time we got to the laughs, stories and general hilarity I was tanked up, so l
probably spent the evening glaring at him.
The New York Times famously
called you “the kings of garage rock”. We reckon they were correct.
Do you agree?
JOHNNY: Ahh journalists, bless 'em. They're right
though.
BILLY: I think the term was
'undisputed kings of garage rock.' of course I concur, apart from we
call it rhythm and beat/ drums and racket.
BRUCE: What's one above
'kings'?
I’m sure Headcoats fans
would love to see a live show. Is there any
possibility?
BILLY: There’s always
possibility.
BRUCE: I'm sure it's
highly possible that Headcoats fans would love that.
JOHNNY: Oh gawd. I've dropped me
plectrum!
Out of the three of you, who
makes the best cup of tea?
BRUCE: That'll be me,
then.
BILLY: I definitely did most of
the tea making and cooking the bastards’ breakfast! (And dinner come to
think of it.)
JOHNNY: Nothing like a nice cup of tea, is there? What was the
question?
TRACKLISTING
1. The Baker Street
Irregulars 2. Full Time
Plagiarist
3. The Ballad of Malcolm Laphroaig 4.
Cops and Robbers 5.
Mr H Headcoat 6. Thee
Headcoatitude
7. Tubs Help Out
8. The Leader of the Sect 9. Oh Leader We Do Dig
Thee 10. One Ugly
Child 11. 7%
Solution 12. The
Kids are All Square
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OUR NEXT
RELEASE HAS ALSO BEEN A LONG WHILE COMING...14 YEARS IN THE MAKING...
PRE ORDER STARTS NEXT WEEK!!
Graham Day
The Gaolers 'Reflections In The Glass'
It’s been a good time recently to be a fan
of Graham Day. Last year saw the release of A Little More Time With, a 10”
mini LP by The Senior Service, as well as his recent debut solo album, The
Master Of None, (released on Acid Jazz). There’s also been a string of
hometown reformation gigs with the Prisoners, and a US tour with the
Woggles,
And now this!
We’re extremely proud to be releasing
'Reflections In The Glass', the great new album by Graham Day & The
Gaolers.