#monochrome set

[bandcampsnoop]

7/21/23.

The Five Year Plan were a Bristol, England band whose members went onto bands like Heavenly, The Beatnik Filmstars among others. It's always interesting to listen to the pre-bands of indie semi-gods. Rob Pursey (Heavenly, Swansea Sound) and Tim Rippington (The Beatnik Filmstars, The Charlie Tipper Rebellion) founded the band as teens. It's the classic story of learning to play instruments together and finding a sound.

The band wrote and recorded "1985" but it never released. A couple of years ago they reformed and "properly" re-recorded the album, but added no new sounds. We posted their 2014 compilation CD release "Peacetime Broadcast" back in 2016. A lot of the comparisons remain - The June Brides, Orange Juice, Monochrome Set. This has a decided C86 sound.

[theeboyracer]

2021, a year in records - February 28th

[amandashaped]

Another week flies by. Yet another journal Bid, 2018. Gonna have to wait a touch longer to see Monochrome Set (and some others I had lined up). But I’m just really looking forward to coming out the other side of this safe and sound, with all my old neuroses roundly stifled again, and ready to conquer all the original obstacles I was facing long before all this began.

[omegaplus]

# 2,803

Dorothy (Max Prior) “I Confess” b/w “Softness” (1980)

From the 1984 Industrial Records Story compilation. “I Confess” happened when, according to Industrial’s copy found on the back of the single, she walked in the label’s offices and played the single featuring a young Alex Fergusson. Guess what? “HIT---was stamped all over it!” and thus Prior’s career was born. How easy was that? Genesis’ label was known to be subversive of its own, so him releasing a pop single was deemed subversive in itself. Of course, that came with Fergusson and Genesis having more involvement in this release as performers. They also stated that she was 19 when this was created when in fact she was already 27. What a way to pitch someone’s career to the masses to make it sound like she’s ready for the world. “Dorothy’s got what it takes!” said the 7″ sleeve with rip-roaring enthusiasm. Right, she got it: she went on to perform in The Weekend Swingers, The El Trains, Rema-Rema, The Monochrome Set, and later performing for Psychic TV. As for Genesis and Fergusson? Well...

“I Confess” is a love letter that’s all-the-way sweet, catchy and cute, reading like a what’s-what of Dorothy’s interests. “Softness” is heavily laden with squelching synth lines, disco-pop rhythms, and fashion attitude. Both sides are cliche but be damned if they don’t demonstrate Prior’s passionate vocal abilities.

[lostjohnny]

The Monochrome Set

He’s Frank

[ozkar-krapo]

The MONOCHROME SET

"Volume, Contrast, Brillance..."

(LP. Cherry Red. 1983 / rec. 1978-81) [GB]

[stillunusual]

On 31st August 1979 Joy Division played at the Electric Ballroom in London, supported by A Certain Ratio, Monochrome Set and Scritti Politti....

[theunderestimator-2]

Stills from the absolutely minimal video of “Jet Set Junta” by The Monochrome Set, an early ‘80s British new wave/pop band with distinctive sound, witty lyrics and melodies so catchy, you can never easily forget.

A great hit from the distant 1982 is the neglected, yet classic, “Jet Set Junta”, making satyrical references to military juntas (and somehow predictive of the conditions leading to the Falklands war).

“...Broom, broom, goes the armoured Cadillac through Montevideo, Rat-a-tat goes the sub-machine gun to restore the status quo, Snip, snip, go the tailor's scissors on the suit in Saville Row,

Here we come, the jet set junta...”

If you got 10 minutes to spare, do yourselves a favour and enjoy this, here (the actual single is under 2 minutes long but it’s such a brilliant song that 5 times on repeat should be enough).

(via)