This is issue #20 of Smash It Up, which is a Toronto punk fanzine put out by Nick Smash. This issue came out in December 1981. The issue starts out with a road trip diary for the Young Lions and 20th Century Rebels for a nuclear disarmament benefit show they play in Montreal. It didn't go so well. There is an article on the Professionals who played the Voodoo Club. there is bits of an interview with Paul Cook in the piece.
There is an interview with Simple Minds who are from Scotland. This was the second time they had come to Toronto and was around the time that "Sons of Fascination / Sister Feelings Call" had come out because the band talks about it in the interview. They are pretty chatty and down to earth which is surprising to me because I saw them play Maple Leaf Gardens when they were a bit full of themselves and scolded the audience for coming up on stage. Difficult to think of them as the same band.
There is an update on Toots and the Maytals who had broken up and then gotten a new band together to come back up to Toronto. This is the man who wrote "Pressure Drop". There is a lengthy interview with Echo and the Bunnymen at their second show which took place at the El Mocambo. I think all the shows were happening there after the Edge closed down.
Jill Heath does an interview with the Young Lions where she starts out with the show in Montreal. They also cover:
- the song "United"
- the song "Goodnight Belfast"
- the Toronto Sun newspaper
- the song "One Little Nazi"
- and a big show they have organized featuring seven of Toronto's newest punk bands.
Jill Heath also does an interview with the ska band from Vancouver called the Villains. it was at a sold out show at the Masonic Temple on November 14th, 1981 and they were booked to come back for the end of December to play the Headspace for 8 days which was unheard of back then.
There is an update on Toots and the Maytals who had broken up and then formed with a new line up. This is the guy who wrote "Pressure Drop".
There is an article written about Youth Youth Youth, which is one of the only pieces I have ever seen written about what I would consider Canada's best hardcore band. The article provides some insight into motivations behind their songs and some interpretation into lyrics. There are a couple of quotes from Rob Mallion the guitarist and they mention that the third issue of Civil Disobedience had come out. They refer to Civil Disbobedience as a political zine that members of the band published.
There are some record reviews of John Foxx of Ultravoxx and Bow Wow Wow.
There is an interview with a band from Toronto called Boys Brigade. They sound like a percussion based dance new wave band similar to bands like Bow Wow Wow or Pigbag or Parachute Club or Norda. There was lots of other bands doing that same sound. Boys Brigade formed out of members of Arson and the Androids. I don't think they ever went anywhere because I never heard of anything about them outsude of this interview.
There is a write up on the Pinkertones who relocated to Toronto from Halifax.
There is an interesting scene report on Liverpool that writes about bands like Big in Japan, the Spitfire Boys, Crucial Three, the Nova Mob, the ID which became OMD, Dalek I Love You, Echo and the Bunnymen, and Teardrop Explodes.
There is a show review of Siouxsie and the Banshees at the El Mocambo.
There is a review of a Start Dancing show at a hall on Claremont that motsly describes the V-Necks.
There is also a review of an Iggy Pop show at the Music Hall.
This is courtesy of Daibhid James and his archive. Daibhid hosts Moondoog Ballroom on CIUT.
