RELEASES

‘Homelife (1979-1980)’ – Private Dicks

There really can’t be many bands from the Punk/New Wave era whose back and future story involves anyone from Wham, Robbie Williams, Tears for Fears, Coldplay, Kate Bush, The Stranglers, Scars (with a frontman also with the surname King, as did the Gang of Four) and Mod revival acts. Here’s part of the story of how it happened.

With the gang of four (later five) that was Bristol band Private Dicks, so it went in the late 70’s into the early 80’s: it was all high wire booze fuelled thrills and spills, near misses, near hits, dodging corporate music business ‘bullets’, highly inventive and great songs, roared out at crazy gigs. Then the band became a cold closed case music business file.

That situation has been rectified and is no longer. The release of the Homelife album on Bristol Archive Records finally sees the proper presentation of a set of don’t get stoned or you miss it, nailed down full-on classics. Homelife will get you bang to rights. This is an asking no stupid questions, forty-minute collection of awesomeness, angst, anger and attractions. Nothing overstays its welcome either. Rough and ready the recordings may be at times, but these gems still shine so hard.

The Dicks were a quartet that, when they played the cauldron of London, you could imagine, late for the gig, rattling pell-mell headlong down Pall Mall, dodging corporate business rat bites from hell and not being the only ones. The two minute frenzy of “You Want It, You Got It” would be a prime candidate to be blasting out through the taxi windows.

Private Dicks were a band getting serious attention. They had been tipped by ‘Sounds’ to be one of three breakthrough acts for 1980. The others were pre-Virgin signed Scritti Pollitti and some other combo called U2. Our noisy Bristol boys had also been featured on the seminal Avon Calling 1978 Heartbeat Records compilation which John Peel had championed so avidly. “Don’t Follow My Lead” still has that epic visceral thrill rush which captivated him, having a definitive gaze in the direction it travels.

“Exile in Neverland” is a still under three minutes longer bundle of utter ‘we’re getting it’ glory: a lost classic – until now. “Catalogue Girls” a delicious blend of new wave Elvis watching the detectives in Soho set against a Springsteen bobbysox style throwback. “Green Is in The Red” is no homage to the later US band but a sharp reminder of what it is like to be brassic lint – skint.

That you have got this far in reading this release means your investigating is done, the evidence is overwhelming and beyond reasonable doubt, so…. Just one more thing – make sure you plead guilty to loving this fizzer of an album. Otherwise, you’re nicked.

KATSU – ‘Awakening‘

It has long been Bristol Archive Records mission to tell the story of reggae in the city, and we plan to bring a similar level of coverage to the 1990s as we have for previous decades. To kick things off, we have chosen an album from Katsu, now mostly forgotten. They burst onto the Bristol scene in 1995 and over the next couple of years played numerous gigs at Bristol and Bath’s top venues, including to thousands at the Bristol Community Festival at Ashton Court and even an appearance at Glastonbury Festival.

Although their gigs received wide acclaim, and they recorded plenty of music, they only managed to self-release a four-track EP and a CD album, both of which sold in tiny numbers. Gigs live in people’s memories, but physical releases that transcend generations and tend to be the key to keeping a band’s music current, an element Katsu’s legacy has been lacking.

The band had originally come together as the musicians behind the first four Armagideon albums and included Phil a former Rhythmite and member of Vin Gordon and the Authentics, Wilbert who had engineered for The Revolutionary Dub Warriors and worked with Adrian Sherwood as well as Guy who would form Dub From Atlantis. They were key members of the local reggae scene, experienced musicians and their recordings are just as good as their live shows were.

We decided their 1997 album “Awakening” deserved the release it didn’t receive back then, a proper pressing run with distribution, making it available to a wider audience, doing justice to the music. Rather than copying the CD release of the original, we have gone with both the traditional and current reggae format of choice, vinyl. We have selected eight tracks and re-sequenced them to create a very strong LP.

‘Times Are Getting Harder’ / ‘Hard Times Dub’ – Bunny Marrett

Released on Limited Edition Black Vinyl (200 Copies only) 28th August 2026 via Bristol Archive Records

For someone who had been performing since childhood in Jamaica and regularly sang with
bands after relocating to the UK as well as writing several songs for other artists, Bunny Marrett was poorly served for contemporary releases. In fact his sole vinyl outing was 1980′s “Times Are Getting Harder”, a nice roots vocal with accompanying “Hard Times Dub” released on Gene Walsh’s nascent Shoc Wave label.

Gene was still finding his feet in the music industry and still learning the balancing act between copies pressed and potential demand. For “Times Are Getting Harder” Gene kept his costs low and did the minimum pressing run. He also kept costs down with his choice of B side using his pool of local musicians including Joshua Moses to provide a brace of dub tracks, “Running Dub” and “Creation Dub” enigmatically credited to Don Gordon.

Like countless other excellent British reggae singles, the lack of proper distribution and promotion saw “Times Are Getting Harder” barely sell beyond Bristol or more specifically the St. Paul’s area where Bunny was well known as a pillar of the community. It’s likely that “Times Are Getting Harder” is the scarcest Bristol reggae release with copies having always being difficult to find, even in Bristol. With online sellers now asking three figure sums for the occasional copy that surfaces, a properly done reissue is long overdue.

‘The Bristol & Bath Blitz Club Meets Art School Sound – 80’s Explosion’ – Various Artists

Released on Limited Edition Trans Violet Vinyl (150 Copies only) and Limited-Edition CD (100 Copies only) and Digital – on 7th August 2026 via Bristol Archive Records

The 1980’s era literally changed how things looked – as well as sounded. The importance of the Blitz club (‘The Club That Had Changed the Eighties’) that had held sway in London is now being seen as a central factor in what was happening musically and stylistically.

There was an Art School impact explorative element too. The art school factor is acknowledged as providing a fertile setting for acts from the 1960’s and 70’s onwards. So it would be in the 80’s.
This also applied in cities like Bristol and Bath. Music curator Dave Massey had sensed these strands having an influence on local musician’s creativity and approach. In compiling the first Bristol and Bath Blitz/Club Meets Art School Sound – 80’s Explosion albums (one version on vinyl, one on CD) for Bristol Archive Records these became more apparent.

Massey looked to use songs and tracks from out west that reflect the feel, themes and actions of what was happening in that 80’s time, both locally and nationally. There was also an attempt to emulate the sheer eclecticism of a Rusty Egan DJ set list on a ‘’typical’’ Blitz club night. Previously punk and funk were certainly mixing locally in bands, as they had in the ethos of Duran Duran, a product of Birmingham clubland. The Pop Group and Glaxo Babies had already shown that and much would flow from various members as time went on. Later the emergence of Massive Attack would be very much rooted in club culture.

In these recordings there are cute as well as acute pop sensibilities in the likes of groups like Vicious Circle, Wadi Vision, Hey Belaba! Creature Beat and Big Outdoor Type, plus electronic dance driven grooves with Umo Vogue, Either/OR and the darker of the night God Bless You. By contrast it’s possible to set the utter hedonism of Nite Watch against the out of their head explorations outré, lyrical and textural of Glaxo Babies, Essential Bop and (very much multi-media) Startled Insects; the new transformation European ideals of The Escape, Distant Cousins and Europeans themselves, and the sheer film noir deliciousness of Great Naked.

Some of the musicians involved with these acts would go on to work with the likes of Tears for Fears, Talk Talk, Bros, Pet Shop Boys, Massive Attack, Roger Taylor (Queen), Robert Plant, U2, Goldfrapp, Roni Size & Reprazent and others. This body of work has real significance across the board.

That overall legacy from the 80’s lives on in other ways – in books, documentaries, blogs, exhibitions, even the launching of magazines in the spirit of Blitz, this one called Blitzed! Locally, it’s the music and the good times. This release represents a small part of it. As God Bless You put so succinctly and in the spirit of clubbers the world over – “we’ve only got this one life”.

“The Bristol Meets Africa Sound” – Various Artists

It’s more than a special moment when you discover music you’ve never heard (of) before or ever knew existed. 1982 was a critical spark for the development of wider (world) musical styles, both in Bristol and the UK at large. The central event from that year was the first WOMAD festival, held in the unlikely surroundings of the agricultural themed Bath and West Showground near Shepton Mallet in Somerset.

One common thread in Bristol to all of these discoveries was the Ekome Dance Company and most notably Artistic Director, Barrington ‘Barry’ Anderson. Barry had also recruited musicians from African countries such as Cameroon and Ghana, from Jamaica and others from the Bristol area. This was to form the Ekome Arts Band which would offer music with either a specific African or Caribbean focus.

This kickstarted a process and practice in the West Country city where musicians brought over from African countries would collaborate with those from the locality. It is those activities – a sound clash and culture clash, producing material of real depth – that constitute the three different combinations, along with one connection originating in London, that make up material on the first The Bristol Meets Africa Music Sound album, released on Bristol Archive Records.

Biggie Tembo & Startled Insects – “House of Stone”

Released on Limited Edition Gold Vinyl (300 Copies only) and Digital – 26^th June 2026 via Bristol Archive Records

There are some artistic collaboration’s that are both unexpected and the fruits of that liaison very often fail to see the light of day.  This was so nearly the case when it came to the Bristol and Zimbabwe collision that would be between former Bhundu Boys frontman, Biggie Tembo, and the sonic sculptors that were Startled Insects.

The experiment that would yield the tracks that make up the “House of Stone” album came about after both Biggie and the group had left their respective band and label situations and needed a new way forward creatively. A totally inspired suggestion put the four individuals together, Biggie moved his family to Bristol from Harare to stay with one of the group, work commenced at the Insects studio and nine songs completed. After that, nothing happened.

Three decades later an opportunity was presented for the music to emerge from the vaults. Music curator Dave Massey had worked on a Startled Insects compilation album, heard the tracks and immediately contacted Bristol Archive Records owner, Mike Darby, to insist that this incredible melange of ideas to backgrounds had to be released! 

Darby was moved by both the music and the back story to the making of this wonderful offering, to be released as a vinyl album and digitally. The record is both legacy for Bristol and for Zimbabwe. It would close a chapter for all concerned in its making as Biggie Tembo did not live to see his art be recognised. He died in 1995 as his own demons took him over. But nevertheless “House of Stone” is a soaring tribute to his talent. How the album got made ties in with its importance.

As the group commented in an agile aside ‘Having seen them play a number of times in Bristol, we knew the Bhundu Boys and liked them. But the prospect of a fruitful collaboration between a wacky postpunk artsy-fartsy bunch and a fairly middle of the road African “Jit” musician seemed a bit crazy.’

Further memories for the three Insects come thick and fast.

‘We came up with a bizarre fusion of African and Western music styles. I remember Mike Darby thinking that this would be a ‘world music’ album but realizing that it transcended this categorization and would like to avoid the dreaded cultural appropriation scenario.

The original idea behind ‘Skin’ (as a working title) was the idea that the colour of skin, black and white – English and African – was irrelevant to the making of the album. We were just four guys mucking around in the studio, writing and recording music.’

The eight tracks on the vinyl release take the listener on a journey between the veldts and urban sprawl of southern Africa, crashing with the drum and bass dexterity synonymous to the west of England capital, with adroit musicality that infuses every multi-faceted song. 

The recordings include contributions from some of the crème de la crème of local musicians. Will Gregory is well known for his work with Tears for Fears, and on a longer-term basis in the extraordinary phenomenon that is Goldfrapp. Rob Merrill likewise has credits with Massive Attack and Roni Size & Reprazent.

Be prepared to be both soothed and confronted. This is deeply felt music, pushed by Biggie’s own personal and political experiences and beliefs merging with three Brits who were equally open to new ideas and directions. The end result is a true find, a total gem which is both unique and universal. Take this wonderful travelogue into your life and make your own destination.

Big Outdoor Type – Blue Eyed Boy ’80-’84

Released on Limited Edition Black Vinyl (200 Copies only) and Digital – 10th April 2026 via Bristol Archive Records

The name of Neil Davidge is more familiar for his seminal work with Massive Attack, the link with the dance grooves and adjustments of DNA and for film and TV music credits. By contrast the first half of the 1980’s Bristol band Big Outdoor Type was an earlier pop-tinged project with a planet of rhythm thrown in.

Neil and his writing partner, vocalist Tracey Fuller, had managed to come up with something a little more sophisticated than much of the local fare usually on offer. Music journalist Dave Massey picked up on the band and reviewed them to a national readership for Sounds. After that, well nothing much happened. Fast forward some four decades and Massey was able to compile the ‘Blue Eyed Boy’ album for Bristol Archive Records, saying:

‘I was hearing terrific tracks I’d not come across before. The overall quality was so high it was too good not to see the light of day. These tracks, along with a whole mass of home, four-track and Bristol demo studio produced works, have come together in a rather wonderful collection that was a delight to compile.’

Opening track ‘Don’t be a Stranger’ is a beautiful blast of summery warmth that easily breezes into the ears from the off. It’s a song and arrangement that can keep you guessing as it rolls along sweetly into a place that’s a bit more dramatic but still uplifting.

The next tracks are a blissful cross between Swing Out Sister’s ‘Breakout’ and the woozy sway of Associates in ‘Sulk’ mode on ‘Winters Cold’, the jive swing of ‘The Spell’, while the haunting ‘Incredible Shrinking Girl’ and the later ‘Follow Love’ are songs that echo the classic Postcard era of Sound of Young Scotland with some southern sweetening.

The camera’s lens is never out of focus and the image can always be altered. That comes into view in The Secret, a magical merging of 1967 era romanticism and explorations with that sorry for laughing sensibility from our Caledonian cousins.

Fun is on the agenda too. The frisky detour that is ’Casseybottom Stomp’ is followed by the wildness of ‘Giants’. The band tune right into the early 80‘s jazz-punk-funk heritage that came through via the likes of Bristol favourites, Pigbag, Animal Magic and Maximum Joy.

The more jangly angles of ‘City of Hell’ and spacious, sub psychedelic Latin lusciousness of ‘Our Last Man in Brazil’ – the latter to be found on the digital release – take that process several dance steps further. There is also a hint of the filmic element that would later inform Neil Davidge’s future career.

The spread of options is tribute to the core band during the 80’s of Tracey, Neil (swapping between guitar and bass), drummer Steve Dew and guitarist Phil Willmott. At differing stages, the group was refreshed by a second backing singer and live keyboard player Dianne Woodward; brass and, on demos, the keyboard contributions of Phil Andrews and Dave Patterson.

Steve would go on to play with the later Davey Woodward (Brilliant Corners) band The Winter Orphans, as well as contributing to albums by several other local acts. Bassist, Reg Shaw, is in the leading The Clash tribute band, London Calling!

This album collection was for so long a lost possible classic that never was. That’s not the case any longer. Dive right in, breathe the refreshing air, enjoy the view and feel the benefit of the great outdoors.

Zion Band – “Freedom City”

Released on Limited Edition Black Vinyl with a replica of the original insert (300 Copies only) 27th March 2026 via Bristol Archive Records

The beginning of the 1980s wasn’t a great time to be young, between
1979 and 1981 youth unemployment more than doubled to over 900,000.
Many approaches were tried to tackle the problem and one of the more
innovative was the Arts Opportunity Theatre a charity founded in Bristol
by Reynold Duncan and Yvonne Deutschman. Financed by assorted public
bodies, it aimed to train young people in a range of performing arts as
well as the multiple skills needed to produce, organise and put on
shows.

Over a seven year period the Arts Opportunity Theatre put on a
succession of shows not only locally, but travelling as far as the
Continent and trained hundreds of young people in everything from
music to book keeping. People who passed through the collective would go on to form the core of many local bands and be involved in a large proportion of Bristol music releases, especially reggae.
The first show put on in 1981 and 1982 was “Freedom City” which
prominently featured Zion Band. In May 1982 the Zion Band musicians
from the show went into Right Track Studio in Bristol and recorded four
vocals and two dubs that would be released the following January on a
12” single.
Back in 2011 Bristol Archive Records included “Twelve Tribes” on a
compilation and would later also compile “Babylon Fire/Babylon Dub”,
but the other three tracks could only be found on the scarce original 12”
which in recent years has rocketed in price fetching in excess of £150.
We believe music should be affordable and available so 2026 will see
Bristol Archive Records reissue the Zion Band “Freedom City” 12” in it’s
Entirety, complete with its original picture sleeve and insert with a limited pressing
of 300 copies on black vinyl.
This release is dedicated to the late Reynold Duncan RIP.

Fear of Darkness – Phobia ’1986-1988′

‘When you’re growing up in a small town….you say ‘no-one famous ever came from here.’ There’s only one good thing about a small town…..you know you want to get out……you hate it and you’ll have to leave.’

Lou Reed and John Cale (Songs for Drella – a fictional drama about Andy Warhol)

Living in the satellite town of Yate, a few miles from Bristol, was the equivalent to the Warhol situation for the members of the young indie/Goth band, Fear of Darkness. If you didn’t get out, the options for your future life were limited, personally and professionally. It was the proverbial dead end street, a wasteland in terms of fulfilling any potential you had.

Kindred spirits did. A precedent had been set shortly before by Wayne Hussey, front man and leader of The Mission. His band was aptly named given his parents strong religious beliefs. Another musician of note, Angelo Bruschini, used his talents to go on to play with local Bristol legends Massive Attack, with earlier work with Blue Aeroplanes and his own post-punk band, The Numbers.

It would by amplified by a name checking for Yate (‘the kind of a town referees come from’) by Half Man, Half Biscuit and then the literary phenomenon of J K Rowling and her Harry Potter novels!

This small town back-drop gave Fear of Darkness the motivation and opportunity to make their bid for freedom and expression. The first attempt was with initial singer Dave Mac where the band attempted a fusion of The Alarm and The Clash, all rebel rousing punk attitude cries of despair and rage against the climate of the times in the mid 1980’s. Songs from this period can be heard on The Virgin Land album that was released on Bristol Archive Records.

Phase two saw the introduction of Rich Hulands and a shift towards a darker, more Goth tuned approach. It was supplemented by the addition of Angela Huggins to their ranks providing a gender and textual counter point to Huland’s edgier vibe. This preceded the similar vocal contrasts used in the mid 1990’s by Leeds gloomsters, Sisters of Mercy after Hussey’s period spent in the band.

The newly released ‘Phobia’ album contains eleven songs recorded from 1986 to 1988. A first statement of intent with this new direction is in the opening track ‘Lay Me Down’. This was originally released as a single in 1987. The song is a straight into the heart and ears classic, with sonic twisting and turning leading to an epic but economical Darby guitar solo. The track exits in bright, heads-up blaze of positivity.

‘She Said’ has guitar pyrotechnics blasting out great shards of sound before the band show the heavier dimension to their palette. There was always a brave battle to add further ingredients into a genre that had many adherents in this time period. Fear of Darkness sometimes succeeded and sometimes fell short. But that didn’t stop them trying again.

A potential lost anthem follows later in the tale that is ‘True’. It could be a story of the make me special modern age where everyone struggles with how they feel and how they are, either about themselves or someone they care about. This version of Fear of Darkness could be tough or tender, both in terms of content and conclusions.

Rise above any phobia as not for love nor money should you pass on enjoying this album.

“The Famous Five Session” – 25th Anniversary – Crashland

Released on Limited Edition Trans Red Vinyl (200 Copies only) and Digital 30th January 2026 via Bristol Archive Records/Sugar Shack Arkive

Some bands come and go, others leave an impression so strong that even decades later, their songs feel like old friends you’ve just rediscovered. Crashland are one of those bands.
Formed in the mid – 90s and quickly touted by NME as “Britain’s best new band,” Crashland had everything: killer songs, a compelling live energy, and a frontman in Alex Troup whose melodic instincts and lyrical heart made him one of the most quietly gifted songwriters of his generation.
This release, The Famous Five Session, brings together five never-before-heard demos recorded in 2001 as the band regrouped after their deal with Independiente fell apart, together with the bonus of the four tracks from The Devoted ep, never before released on vinyl. Mastered and released for the first time, the five tracks on Side A represent the “lost chapter” of a band that in another timeline would have been huge.

But let’s rewind.
A formative version of the band began in Monmouth, South Wales where Alex Troup and drummer Marc Childs met at school, bonding over AC/DC, Iron Maiden, and a shared love for making noise. But the real magic began to take shape in the mid 90s when the sound shifted, shorter songs, sharper hooks, bigger choruses. With a new name ‘Crashland’ and a new purpose, they set out with a mission: “to offer a wake-up call you won’t be able to ignore.”
In 1997, they recorded a demo for EMI. It didn’t land a deal, but it did start circulating around London, catching ears and turning heads. That buzz led them to Independiente home of Travis, who signed the band on June 4, 1999. And from there, things started to move fast.

Crashland released three stand-out singles, New Perfume, Standard Love Affair, and Modern Animal each filled with punch, melody, and subtle lyrical detail. Modern Animal was even hailed by NME as “The Jam for the 21st Century.” Live, the band were electric, tight, frantic, full of passion and completed the 2000 NME Tour with Coldplay and My Vitriol. NME again: “Their live set is an explosion of wired, unbridled energy.”
Then came Glued, their debut album. Released in 2000, it was full of infectious, radio-friendly indie anthems that could stand proudly alongside the era’s best. But timing wasn’t on their side. Britpop’s moment had passed, and the UK was shifting toward the garage-rock revival spearheaded by The Strokes and The White Stripes. Glued peaking at 125 in the UK album chart, a heartbreakingly low number for an album so full of quality. From the title track to deeper cuts, Glued never had a weak moment. It was and remains an overlooked gem. Crashland left Independiente Records, undeterred and the band carried on.

In 2001 with a new line-up they released the The Devoted EP on Sugar Shack Records and began work on new material, including the demos presented here. After charting at #2 on the U.S Alternative Radio Airplay Chart in 2002, talks with American major labels offered flickers of hope… but ultimately, the momentum faded. Crashland drifted apart, and Alex Troup moved to Los Angeles, where he has continued to write, record, and perform under the name Troup.

But now, to mark the silver anniversary of the tracks being committed live to 2” tape at Famous Studios in Cardiff, the story isn’t quite finished. “The Famous Five Session” is released by Bristol Archive Records/Sugar Shack Arkive on 30th January 2026, distributed by Shellshock/Proper and available from good retailers worldwide.