Bands from the '79 Mod revival to the new generation had the Hope & Anchor jumping!
Tonight, as every Saturday, there are many gigs happening in and around London. However, it’s not often that the capital gets a visit from an original 1979 Mod revival band from Dudley, West Midlands – so it’s The Circles for me!
UXB Music Promotions and Sounds of the Suburbs Record Store have put together a generation-spanning bill, starting with Kent’s Dead Star Boys bringing their own twist to Punk and Post-punk, followed by Proper, local independent Rock and Mod-revivalists.
Hot on the heels of their second album, ‘Rats‘, which came out in April this year, Medway’s best-kept secret Dead Star Boys have been busy writing new songs for album #3! Lead vocalist & bassist Viv Tucker jumps around as much as the stage and its low ceiling allow him, while belting out a selection of songs from their first two records. Beside him, Ash Jordan is a solid presence on guitar, while behind them Pat McGinn keeps things together on the drums.
We’re treated to new numbers ‘Still Born’ and ‘Human Remains’, which will appear on Dead Star Boys‘ forthcoming LP, and very promising they are too. Amidst the cheers and applause, I hear mutterings from the audience behind me comparing Viv to “the original lead singer of Buzzcocks”. There’s more than a bit of Howard Devoto in his style and vocal delivery, so the comparison is justified. The band’s sound is unique, with almost random bass lines making it the lead instrument, while the guitar and drums keep the rhythm. Viv takes a high leap off the stage during the break in their final number, ‘Johnny’s Got A Gun’, to play amongst the punters, and then again at the end of the song – just as well I’d moved to the side to take notes! The eager crowd yelled for one more, which, after some consultation, the band agreed to: ‘Yeah, we’ve got another one!’
London band Proper take to the nicely warmed-up stage next. Celebrating their 10th anniversary with a refined “mk2” lineup, Ivano Bonfanti (guitar/vocals), Jez Payne (bass), and Len Fleckney (drums) bring us a selection of their energetic, three-minute guitar-driven tunes inspired by the mid-1960s and late-1970s New Wave/Mod revival.
Their songs are melodic, laid-back Mod, with catchy grooves and serious lyrics. Playing a set mainly drawn from last year’s second album, ‘Meant To Say Something‘, Proper guitarist Ivano makes plenty of use his of his whammy bar for echoing effects. The set gets livelier on ‘Nothing Like This’, then ‘Dynamics’ kicks it up another few gears – it’s a real head-bopper! Ivano thanks the audience for doing the important job of supporting live independent music, and as the band round off with their final two groovy numbers, the crowd show how happy they are to see them live again after a short break in gigging!
It’s mobbed down the front as our headliners The Circles assemble on the stage, introduced by tonight’s compere Albert, who cheekily jokes it took them 20 minutes to get up onto it at their ages! As the band swing into their first number, ‘Private World‘, there’s an enthusiastic cheer from the audience.
Frontman Mick Walker – an original founding member and The Circles‘ principal songwriter – leans over his guitar to explain the band’s history. “We had a pause of 20 years until the turn of the century, then another 20-year pause, but we keep writing songs so we keep coming back!” One of these – ‘I Wanna Know’ – is next on the set list, from their 2019 EP:
Longtime original members Keith Allen (drums) and Glenn Tranter (bass) have stepped away from active duties, but Clive Witcomb and Mark Owen stepped in on bass and drums respectively to take over rhythm section duties ahead of the band’s 45th-anniversary live dates. The Circles released a massive career-spanning compilation last year on Detour Records covering their original eras up to their latest 2025 additions. ‘Anthology‘ includes their latest hit ‘Writing on the Wall’, which reached No. 10 in the Heritage Chart. It’s played after a spirited ‘Angry Voices‘, one of their first ever singles.
The crowd are really getting into this performance, singing and clapping along to ‘Billy’, with its repeated refrain “They won’t believe you”. A surprise moment comes when The Circles play a cover of ‘I’m Only Dreaming’ in tribute to their heroes Small Faces.
Showing a remarkable degree of prescience, Mick wrote a song in 1979 about Russian invasions and nuclear threats – ‘Bury Your Head’ gets an airing next. Band comedian and lead guitarist Martin Ratcliffe is consistently knocking out spot-on solos, and earns well deserved praise from Mick. Their 1985 single ‘Circles’ sees the crowd vigorously joining in again:
Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and Mick introduces their final number as “The part of the evening for those who only know one song of ours – the first hit single” before launching into ‘Opening Up’. Of course it’s not quite over, and the band turn to face the drum kit while everyone behind them yells for an encore. The Circles oblige with a rousing cover of Small Faces’ ‘All Or Nothing’, co-written by Mick’s hero Steve Marriott, and dedicated to him by the band. It’s a tune Mick tells us was also the first song he ever learned to play. Cries of “fucking brilliant” from the crowd at the end prove what an incredible night this has been!
Catch The Circles live in Scotland next:
- Friday 9 October – The Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh
- Saturday 10 October – Nice N Sleazy, Glasgow
Main Photo Credit / All Photos: RUTH RAE
(Please contact me for additional & hi-res originals)
All Videos: RUTH RAE
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Usually found jumping around down the front at gigs, I also relish taking photos and videos, singing, speaking with fellow music fans, and asking musicians the questions nobody else does. Writing about my favourite bands and connecting with people who love music too keeps me more-or-less sane! I’ve worked for over 25 years at a video production company, mainly filming live music events, therefore I have an additional backstage perspective on the scene.
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