First of all…..many thanks for the positive responses to the idea of this series. It has to be said that not all the 114 songs that will be featured over the coming months have aged well….and indeed a number of them were pretty awful to begin with, but then again taste is subjective!!!
Three more today, but thankfully all of them pass the litmus test here in Villain Towers.
Another Sunny Day was the name used by multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, Harvey Williams, who hails from Cornwall in the far south-west of England. He was one of the first to join the then fledgling, and later to become famous, Sarah Records, based in Bristol. Between 1988 and 1992, he would release five singles on the label and one other for the Caff Corporation, a boutique label run by Bob Stanley, with each single usually getting a very limited run of around 500 copies. This was the debut:-
mp3: Anorak City – Another Sunny Day
Track 8, Disc 1 of CD86.
SARAH 3. A flexidisc, released in April 1988 and given away with SARAH 4, a 22-page fanzine. Second-hand copies of Anorak City, if and when they appear on the market, go for upwards of £200. Just as well, then, that the song has been included on a number of subsequent compilations.
Harvey Williams would later join The Field Mice, Blueboy and Trembling Blue Stars, all of whom were hugely popular bands on Sarah Records or its successor label, Shinkansen Recordings. He also recorded two solo albums in the 90s.
Anorak City is a wonderful song, albeit, like many from the era, is of its time and place; but then again, that’s largely the entire point about TVV and particularly this series. I’ll leave the discovery of new bands to others……(insert smiley face emoji!!!!!!!!!!!!).
Yeah Yeah Noh are from Leicester and were originally around between 1983 and 1986, before reforming in 2011. The band was initially signed to In-Tape Records, a label from Sale, just outside of Manchester, which was owned and run by Marc Riley, best known at the time as a past member of The Fall. The band and would go on to release five singles and one studio album and in 1984 and 1985.
mp3: Another Side To Mrs Quill – Yeah Yeah Noh
Track 2, Disc 2 of C86 The Deluxe 3CD Edition.
Their fourth single for In-Tape in 1985. It reached #10 in the Indie singles chart. The band, after reforming, would re-record the song in 2014. I’ve had a listen to the update version over at their bandcamp page, and whisper it…..I prefer the 2014 recording, especially as some of the vocal delivery reminds me of Cathal Coughlan.
A few things to mention. Yeah Yeah Noh were first mentioned on the blog last year, thanks to their inclusion on a guest compilation mix from Leon McDuff. The band remain very much on the go, gigging and in the process of recording and releasing a new album. They are part of the line-up at the 2026 Leicester Indiepop Festival taking place on 28 February/1 March.
Oh, and Sale, the base for In-Tape Records, is also home to our great friend Adam, whose Bagging Area blog is an essential read on a daily basis.
The Wolfhounds are from Romford, on the outskirts of London, and were originally around between 1985 and 1990, before reforming in 2005. The band was signed firsly to the London-based The Pink Label for whom there would be three singles and one album in 1986/87 before moving to Midnight Music, based in Watford, on the outskirts of London, with two singles and three albums across 1989-90.
They are one of a number of bands who will make more than one appearance in the series, and today’s offering is an absolute belter of a song. It was their second single for The Pink Label, released in September 1986 and which would reach #6 in the Indie Charts.
mp3: The Anti-Midas Touch – The Wolfhounds
The Wolfhounds have released three studio albums since reforming, the most recent being in 2020.
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 