Exclusive photo: 'A Scene In Between: Tripping Through the Fashions of UK Indie Music' by Sam Knee

Next month sees the release of a very special book indeed, Sam Knee's A Scene In Between: Tripping Through the Fashions of UK Indie Music. If anything 'book' seems barely an adequate descriptor, it's a labour of love, a precious document - something like that. Blasted will have an interview with Mr Knee up on the site within the next week, but until then we've got an exclusive (never before seen) photo of the Shop Assistants to whet your appetite. Cheers Sam!

The Shop Assistants, 1985. Photo by Martin Whitehead. Courtesy of Sam Knee.

Happy Birthday Mark E. Smith

​​Everyone's favourite reprobate (well, almost everyone...) Mark Edward Smith turns 56 years of age today, and he doesn't look a day over... Um... Errr... Actually, scrap that.

Anyway, Mr Smith is one of the finest lyricists this country has ever produced and his ever-changing band The Fall continue to exert considerable influence on many artists, young and old. So, why not take a moment to reflect on how much we still need the man by reading an interview where he manages to actually quite charming, or by remembering his attack on execrable Cameronite dung-mongerers Mumford & Sons? Or, why not let the music speak (decry, declaim, slur and spout) for itself (see below)?

Whatever you do, please join us in wishing a very happy birthday to the one and only Mark E. Smith.

From their debut album "Live At The Witch Trials" 1979

The Fall "Kicker Conspiracy" from the dvd "PERVERTED BY LANGUAGE BIS/LIVE AT LEEDS"

Feature: An Interview with Lenzie Moss →

Lenzie Moss (AKA Glasgow based singer, songwriter, guitarist and keyboardist Finlay Macdonald) took the time to speak to Andrew R. Hill about the creation of his marvellous debut album (under this alias), his songwriting process and the future.