Nov 12, 2022 · 35 min
KP
Music
Known Pleasures
Gang Of Three
A sometimes wry look at the highly influential music that washed up in the seismic splash that was punk.
- 78 episodes
- Updated Sunday
Episodes78
- KPSep 29, 2022 · 1 hr 3 min
Known Pleasures Ep 37 - Gang Of Four
When late night talk turns to the turbulent musical period known as “post-punk”, three names invariably crop up: Joy Division, Wire and Gang of Four. Like some sort of unholy trinity, they remain standing like not-so-silent sentinels, lighting the way forward. Here at Known Pleasures we’ve already twisted ourselves into knots over Wire and despite our name, are still afraid to tackle Joy Division, so…Gang of Four it is. From 1978’s spiky Damaged Goods EP through to 1983’s pop-tinged Hard we’ll try to explain why this Gang of for(mer) art students deserve their Champions League place at the post-punk table. Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/1230971434/playlist/6kTznje9g7c1FQWfU1jQ3O?si=0fEgmwgFSg2ws_SKbozQ5Q Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Known-Pleasures-131768500804116 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/knownpleasurespodcast/ Twitter: @pleasuresknown
- KPJul 18, 2022 · 1 hr 1 min
Known Pleasures Ep 36 - Depeche Mode
In 1981, a yoghurt-factory worker, a window dresser, and two blokes employed by an insurance company and a bank, somehow conjured up one of the most irresistible songs of the decade. Forty years and a hundred million records later – including 35 Top 20 hits in the UK – Depeche Mode are solid-gold, electronic-rock royalty. In this episode, we join the band for the first part of their expedition – from the sparkling pop of ‘Just Can’t Get Enough’ to the industrial clank of ‘People Are People’, losing members, attracting the scorn of the media, and wearing a skirt or two along the way. So, let’s speak, and spell it out for our listeners about Depeche Mode. Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/1230971434/playlist/39QGuohqd0FEBl83Rv8WMY?si=nqDiH6SOTb6SUJqEArvfCA Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Known-Pleasures-131768500804116 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/knownpleasurespodcast/ Twitter: @pleasuresknown
- KPApr 9, 2022 · 1 hr 10 min
Known Pleasures Ep 35 - Blondie
At the legendary CBGB’s in New York in the mid 70’s, I think it’s fair to say that Blondie were outliers. Still, they took enough from the attitudes and performances of their punk contemporaries to create a style of idiosyncratic pop that made them stand out from the crowd. Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/1230971434/playlist/1KQsSZDvmnpCxBu6n5Nmzg?si=vteJC5bFTjam5Q8hBH12Ng Twitter: @pleasuresknown Instagram: knownpleasurespodcast
- KPFeb 2, 2022 · 51 min
Known Pleasures Ep 34 - Wire
Hit singles: nuh. Hit albums: nuh. Unusually charismatic singer? Unforgettable visual image? Brilliant band name? Nuh. Nuh. Nuh. So why, 46 years after they formed, are we talking about Wire? Pink Flag, Chairs Missing, 154 might sound like the opening line of a really good poem; it is, though, the list of albums – released between 1977 and ’79 – which, despite making only the barest dent in the charts, remain among the most influential of the era. Beloved by everyone from Johnny Marr to Elastica, from REM to Henry Rollins to Sonic Youth, Wire are still, as Rolling Stone noted in 2017, ‘Punk’s ultimate cult band’. Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/1230971434/playlist/1VLiKVlWbrLbxvtAkCnGOD?si=-Oa7As9oSNWmfyNdQEz_cw
- KPNov 17, 2021 · 1 hr 12 min
Known Pleasures Ep 33 - Adam & The Ants
In this episode Mark, Patrick & Graham hold a magnifying glass over Adam & The Ants. Not to set fire to them & watch them burn, but to illuminate them and watch them glow. Vote for us: https://australianpodcastawards.com/vote Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/1230971434/playlist/6x2LPIq9LtunoVWugVg8mn?si=l0wFQ0NcQM6zWChbHjCL9w
- KPOct 1, 2021 · 50 min
Known Pleasures Ep 32 - Psychedelic Furs
Born like so many others out of 1977’s London punk scene, the Psychedelic Furs however seemed to deliberately stand out from the off. There was the name for a start - not very punk and more redolent of the despised 60s if anything, and then there was the music. Never a huge critical or commercial favourite they nevertheless struck a chord with new wave hungry audiences around the world and continue to this day. Over the course of four albums released from 1980 to 1984 we’ll examine where the Furs went right or wrong, the hits and the misses and where they fit into post-punk rock’s rich tapestry. Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/1230971434/playlist/1URDN9AS8HshmsPjjkGgeq?si=PhUlVpf4R7mCNU5Pbe0CxA
- KPAug 1, 2021 · 53 min
Known Pleasures Ep 31 - One Hit Wonders
“The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long - and you have burned so very, very brightly”. Known Pleasures is back with a podcast of Bladerunner proportions - one hit wonders of the new wave era. Here we explore our favourite supernova tracks of the time and ask “where are they now? does that even qualify as new wave?” and “whose idea was this again?” Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/1230971434/playlist/6PUtCDlsvXsm7RzjFkQZ9A?si=8xqvq5ZYR8WPjeYnr_fvBw
- KPFeb 8, 2021 · 58 min
Known Pleasures Ep 30 - INXS
You might… know of… INXS as sinuous rock-funk exponents from the late 80s and early 90s. You might… know how…. they came to rule the world with their infectious hook laden songs. But_ did_ you_ know_ that back home in their native Australia there were plenty who saw them as just another rock band who’d graduated from the macho, 60s-influenced pub rock scene that had produced the likes of AC/DC. Well, here at Known Pleasures that really gets our goat up. INXS were not an Aus Rock band. They were a new wave band and a really good one. Spotify Play List: https://open.spotify.com/user/1230971434/playlist/2TPpHXX1YYLGsoh6YDwV2s?si=crAOCVu2T-iObgxvHziYFQ
- KPDec 11, 2020 · 59 min
Known Pleasures Ep 29 - Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
When Andy, Paul and Winston took to the stage at a club in Liverpool in 1978, the small crowd assembled didn’t quite know what to expect. Especially because Winston was a tape recorder. What they wouldn’t have anticipated was that, within three or four years, this peculiar band - Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - would rattle off a string of hit singles and eccentric inventive albums, placing them firmly on the frontline of the electro-pop invasion of the early to mid-80s. Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5N5hZGmo8v289gom799R2M?si=iKm_jpCQSyizFhdF3oD10Q
- KPOct 12, 2020 · 53 min
Known Pleasures Ep 28 - Magazine
If 1978 can be regarded as Year Zero for post punk, then Magazine were already wide awake when day one dawned. From 78-81 they produced four challenging albums and set the tone for the next 30 years. Episode 28 of our Known Pleasures podcast examines what made Manchester’s Magazine one of the greats. Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1SWGj9qxomqduRKvzssYLu?si=nqItmi_8QPWZIloTF9iMDQ
- KPAug 26, 2020 · 53 min
Known Pleasures Ep 27 - Ian Dury and the Blockheads
When the BBC website ran a poll on great disabled Britons, he came second only to Stephen Hawking. That’s how loved and admired was the geezer from Upminster. So how does his music stack up after all these years? Has our trawl through the Ian Dury back catalogue left us thinking what a waste, or was it as good as cheddar cheese and pickle, a Vincent motorsickle or slap and tickle? Spotify Playlist Link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7uXGJG3bDGq4xcAP6qRsQz?si=rljXylSjQ16QnhptiPh8_w
- KPJun 30, 2020 · 51 min
Known Pleasures Ep 26 - Our Top Ten Bandwagon Jumpers
In this special episode we discuss the New Wave Bandwagon Jumpers. Be it a post punk appropriation by genuine fans, a dabble in the New Wave by former wave makers or an opportunists opportunity to sell records. We went in hard and found our top ten recording artists who dared to try their hand at new music in the early eighties. Our bandwagons are in a circle. Let the gunfire commence.
- KPMay 10, 2020 · 48 min
Known Pleasures Ep 25 - Tears For Fears
If the Tears For Fears story ended after their first album we would gladly induct them into our own Post Punk Hall Of Fame, no hesitation. But in 1985, they went out to rule the world with well crafted, hook laden pop songs that America fell 'Head Over Heels' for and MTV heralded them as one of the bands at the forefront of the 2nd British Invasion. So, after that first album do Tears For Fears qualify as a New Wave band, and indeed does it really matter? Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/1230971434/playlist/4OEEf5tBTEVZ6PNXKgHoyP?si=PPKXo9kxSbyejQjBCLBbag
- KPApr 8, 2020 · 1 hr 4 min
Known Pleasures Ep 24 - The Birthday Party/Nick Cave
It’s fairly safe to say there’s never been another Australian band, before or since, like The Birthday Party. While it would be unfair to blame these Boys Next Door entirely for the subsequent invention of Goth, they were most certainly grave-side when the body was being exhumed. We give you the lowdown on the wild ride of how St Nick got his start – and more. Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/1230971434/playlist/0U30jUbhcAxsvjaK2mR5oT?si=lYYdxhwGSmqN47fdcHmTiw
- KPJan 30, 2020 · 26 min
Known Pleasures Ep 23 - JJ Burnel (The Stranglers) Interview
When talk turns to legendary bass players of the punk and post punk era, one name always surfaces near the top: JJ Burnell of The Stranglers. We caught up with the Euroman himself ahead of their 2020 Australian tour. People Are The Enemy Interview: http://peoplearetheenemy.libsyn.com/people-are-the-enemy-episode-104?fbclid=IwAR1rcBC-g_eUj8hGXlDBs12boxxl8jS3J5Fu8g3q5Hincs9yO2HG96lrol0
- KP
Jan 9, 2020 · 1 hrKnown Pleasures Ep 22 - The Cars
At first glance, The Cars might seem an unlikely choice for a post-punk dissection, but they’re just as much a part of the US conversation as Blondie, Talking Heads and Devo. So, put the top down, your pedal to the metal and take a spin with The Cars. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/20wz3mYLp8xwxhV0pEpOQX?si=9I4-Nfb_QaKI-81mVYkbxg
- KPNov 26, 2019 · 1 hr 3 min
Known Pleasures Ep 21 - Our Top Five Post Punk Albums
Ever wondered what the best 5 albums of the post-punk era were, as defined by three self-appointed experts? Well, wonder no more as we’ve got you covered.
- KP
Aug 24, 2019 · 17 minKnown Pleasures Ep 20 - Andy Gill (Gang Of Four) Interview
Gang of Four were at the forefront of post punk and no one did more to influence the sound of post punk guitar in particular, than Andy Gill. We spoke with Andy before he toured Australia in 2020 in one of his last recorded interviews.
- KPJul 30, 2019 · 1 hr 11 min
Known Pleasures Ep 19 - Ultravox
When their single Vienna reached #2 in the UK charts in February 1981 Ultravox became popstars overnight, but overnight had been a long time coming. In the 7 years since their formation, shedding a lead singer on their travels, they’d evolved from New York Dolls and Velvet Underground wannabes to become standard bearers for innovative, sometimes epic electronic pop. They were never the darlings of the music press but has the passage of time been kind to Ultravox and where do they stand now in the world of post-punk ROckwrok? Spotify Playlist link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6PU75VpIehjRO896922Uhh?si=5b_rJJ6QQnS_-XpQzOs_Gw