Category Archives: news

blog, news, upcoming gigs

Beltane Buzz to host stage at Kaya Festival

Bands from the Beltane Buzz, 2014
Bands from the Beltane Buzz, 2014

Our mates over at Beltane Buzz are pleased to confirm they will have their very own stage at this year’s Kaya Festival in Margam Country Park, South Wales on August 7th-9th.

Kaya offers an assortment of African, Jamaican, European, Latin, Caribbean, European and world musical flavours along with a diverse range of workshops, arts, food stalls and festival activities. They have national and international artists along with some of the best local upcoming and established acts, in 2015 we had over 100 musical acts across 4 stages!

Beltane Buzz are in the business of promoting the best unsigned talent in Wales and previous endeavours have included the Beltane Buzz Festival near St David’s in West Wales in 2012, numerous local gigs in South Wales and a compilation album ‘Music from the Beltane Buzz’. They aint some faceless corporate industry beast, just people who love music helping other people who love music.

They will be curating a stage at this year’s Kaya Festival and are on the lookout for bands wanting to play. If you are interested – contact them via e-mail BeltaneBuzz@yahoo.com .

If you are not in a band you could just rock up to their stage and check out who makes it to the line up!

blog, news, punk

All change on the Sporadics bus as guitarist Andy departs

Andy with the Sporadics in The Moon Club, Cardiff.
Andy with the Sporadics in The Moon Club, Cardiff.

It’s all change on The Sporadics bus, with a line-up change for one of the most vibrant and lively punk bands on the current festival scene, as they said goodbye to their guitarist Andy last weekend.

A statement on the Sporadics Facebook page said; “It is with a heavy heart that we say tonight (in Boscombe with Wonk Unit) is the last show with our Andy on guitar. Due to personal circumstances and a positive change in his life direction he has decided now is time for him to bow out”. Continue reading All change on the Sporadics bus as guitarist Andy departs →

blog, news

Help Doozer McDooze make his first million

Doozer McDooze - a one man dueling banjos type dude.
Doozer McDooze – a one man dueling banjos type dude.

Ever fancied being a music business mogul? Well here is your chance. You can get in on the act and help fund the career of the legendary Doozer McDooze, the beardy bloke you see at festivals.

Ok, so you aint going to become Richard Branson by getting involved in this project, but you will help the grass roots music scene, help get a new album out there, get your hands on some limited edition goodies – oh – and you can go to a cool gig (indoors in London so you wont get muddy and wet like you usually do at Doozer gigs).

To find out more, pop along to his website and check out the deal.

interviews, news, radio shows

IGUANA RADIO SPECIAL – Simon Philips – Cheap Sweaty Special Guest

On 23rd February 2016 Peppermint Iguana once again sneak in an extra radio show with a special guest dropping in to shoot the breeze and talk about life, the universe and seven inch vinyl.

Our ‘Star on the reasonably priced radio show’ will be none other than Simon Philips, record dealer, gig promoter and all round eminence grease.

Simon started out with Rockaway Records, a small record stall in Newport Provisions Market, and ended up organising record fairs the length and breadth of the UK. Along the way he casually put Newport on the map and played a major role in making Newport’s TJs Legendary throughout the world.

With no ambitions other than to get some of his favourite bands to play his home town, with a cheap ticket price, he played host to names that went on to take the world by storm, from local boys Dub War and Sixty Foot Dolls, to the likes of Therapy? Bad Brains, Green Day, the Misfits and The Melvins.

Expect two and a bit hours of three old mates chatting about Newport, obscure punk rock and obsessive record collecting – oh, and playing some notable tunes from back in the day.

If you want to interact during the show via facebook, go to our event page or twitter @clintiguana

To tune in, go to www.dapperfm.co.uk from 8pm on Tuesday 23rd February 2016.

As usual, thanks to our sponsors, Rhondda Cynon Taff UNISON, the union for public sector groovers.

blog, news, radio shows

Peppermint Iguana Radio Show # 110 – 02/02/16 – listen again

110thOur 110th show was not quite as seedy and 110th Street New York; no pimps, pushers or junkies – but we did have a fine blend of old and new, hard, and soft, funky and hard-core.

We even kicked off with a brand new jingle recorded for us by Fraggle of Back To The Planet in his barn with his ferret.

To hear the show again, listen to our cloudcast below.

Peppermint Iguana Radio # 110 – 02/02/16 by Peppermintiguanaradio on Mixcloud

to catch up on previus shows, go to our mixcloud page

PLAY LIST

1. Sweden: BY THE STRANGLERS
2. Refugee: BY FLECK
3. Love Spreads: BY THE STONE ROSES
4. Somethings are better left unsaid: KITTY LESTER
5. Debt crisis: BY THE SPORADICS
6. Messiah: BY TANGLED FEET
7. Kowalski: BY PRIMAL SCREAM
8. Silver John: BY THIS IS KIT
9. No borders: BY DOGHOUSE
10. He’s a raver: BY DAVE DEE DOZY MICK AND TITCH
11. Monkey man: BY TOOTS AND THE MAYTALS
12. Monkey speaks his mind: BY DAVE BARTHOLOMEW
13. Serotonality: BY DR DIDGE
14. Restless: BY PETROL GIRLS
15. Orgasm addict: BY THE BUZZCOCKS
16. Mods skins punks: BY THE PROFESSIONALS
17. Do it: BY THE PINK FAIRIES
18. Slow death: BY THE FLAMIN GROOVIES
19. Baby hold on: BY THE JAMES HUNTER SIX
20. Gods zoo: BY DEATH CULT
21. Whatever happened to the likely lads: BY SNUFF
22. Well everybody’s fucking in a UFO: BY ROB ZOMBIE
23. Skinhead a message to you: BY DESMOND RILEY
24. The dogs: BY GIL BURNEL
25. White rabbit: BY JEFFERSON AIRPLANE
26. Across 110th street: BY BOBBY WOMACK
27. Hallelujah time: BY BOB MARLEY AND THE WAILERS
28. Some velvet morning: BY NANCY SINATRA

Big up our sponsors, Rhondda Cynon Taff UNISON, the union for public sector groovers

Next show Tuesday 16th February from 8pm on www.dapperfm.co.uk

blog, campaigning, news

WELSH VALLEYS SAY NO TO ‘AN EVENING WITH LIONS AND TIGERS’

DSC_0872

Tyr-y-berth has been revolting this week, as protestors have gathered every night to say ‘down with this sort of thing’, outside a travelling show put on by the UKs last Lion Tamer.

The once famous Chipperfield Circus, regulars on prime time 1970s Saturday night TV, appear to have fragmented. Thomas Chipperfiled now splits his time between running ‘An Evening with Lions and Tigers’ and defending himself in the media.

The show cannot tour England at the moment, because the cages in which he keeps the animals have been declared too small by DEFRA. As a result, he has resorted to touring Wales, where the legislation is slightly different. The aim of the tour appears to be to raise money to increase the size of the animals ‘enclosures’.

An enclosure sounds nice, but what they actually mean is ‘cage’. If you read between the lines, they seem to be accepting themselves that their cages are currently too small. (We have not touched on whether they should be in these cages in the first place). Continue reading WELSH VALLEYS SAY NO TO ‘AN EVENING WITH LIONS AND TIGERS’ →

news, radio shows

Peppermint Iguana Radio # 103 – a farewell to Mark – listen again

Mark Humpries, equally at home playing to huge crowds on stage, or simply busking and making Cardiff city centre a nicer place to visit
Mark Humpries, equally at home playing to huge crowds on stage, or simply busking and making Cardiff city centre a nicer place to visit

Our most recent radio show was a mixture of elation and deep sadness. We celebrate the welsh football team qualifying for their first major tournament since 1958, mark the arrival of new albums by Cosmo and Killing Joke and look forward to the knees up that will mark the 20th and 25th anniversaries of Tarantism and AOS3 respectively.

However, we also say goodbye to Mark Humpries, who has sadly gone on to the great gig in the sky since our last show. Many will remember him playing with bands like Pod, Dooffer and Cakehole Presley. Many more will have seen him simply busking around the Hayes area of Cardiff, casually putting all other buskers to shame with his abundance of talent, making the most complicated of things look simple.

Expect Mark to pop up throughout the show.

Listen to the show below

PEPPERMINT IGUANA RADIO SHOW # 103 – a farewell to Mark by Peppermintiguanaradio on Mixcloud

Play list for show
1. Bloody Revolutions: BY CRASS
2. Screwed up: BY MENACE
3. Spiritual Embryo: BY POD
4. Meibyon y ddraig: BY SUCKAFISH
5. Spirit of the bliss: BY DOOFER
6. Natty dread: BY DELROY AND TRINITY
7. Let the good times roll: BY CHRIS PHILLIPS
8. Euphoria: BY KILLING JOKE
9. The hop: BY THEATRE OF HATE
10. Tracing paper: BY THE STONE FOUNDATION
11. Knock it on the head: BY TARANTISM
12. Jah war: BY RUTS DC
13. Johanesburg: BY GIL SCOTT HERON
14. Covered in candy: BY CAKEHOLE PRESLEY
15. These streets are ours: BY COSMO
16. SchNews: BY THE SPORADICS
17. Here comes the judge: BY PETER TOSH
18. Whipper snapper: BY LAVERNE BAKER
19. Seventy seven: BY AOS3
20. Abstract reality: BY LACERTILLIA
21. Anti-fascist fascist: BY THE TOFU LOVE FROGS
22. If you’re nice to me: BY FUNKEE AND THE TWO TONE BABY
23. All the young dudes: BY MOTT THE HOOPLE
24. True meaning of dub: BY THE MAD PROFESSOR
25. Tavira girl: BY MARK HUMPHRIES
26. Party time: BY THE HEPTONES
27. Naked in the rain pure trance mix: BY BLUE PEARL

Show first broadcast on community radio station www.dapperfm.co.uk on Tuesday 27th October 2015

Show sponsored by Rhondda Cynon Taff UNISON, the union for public sector groovers.

news, radio shows

PEPPERMINT IGUANA RADIO # 101 – TUESDAY 6TH OCTOBER

Due to our next scheduled show clashing with Wales playing Andora, we will be hosting a live show on 6th October.

Soccer - 2014 FIFA World Cup - Qualifier - Group A - Wales v Scotland - Cardiff City Stadium

Expect a Balkan connection. Expect some football related stuff. Expect the usual unexpected stuff.

Tune in to www.dapperfm.co.uk from 8pm till 10pm (UK time) on Tuesday 6th October.

As usual, a big shout out to our sponsors, Rhondda Cynon Taff UNISON, the union for public sector groovers.

If things come together properly we will record it and rebroadcast it on our scheduled day of 13th October.

Now then – anyone got any reccomendations of some Bosnian music?

news, radio shows

NEXT IGUANA RADIO SHOW – 29TH SEPTEMBER 2015

4 Comments

Our next radio show will be broadcast between 8pm and 10:30pm(ish) GMT on 29th September 2015 – on Dapper FM. It will be a ‘We Shall Overcome’ Special.

we shall overcome we shall overcome

The We Shall Overcome Weekend, takes place over the weekend of 2nd 3rd and 4th of October 2015. There will be cultural events happening all over the UK to both to simply celebrate our culture and to shout from the roof tops that we are opposed to austerity.

Never ones to miss out on a rebellious knees up, Peppermint Iguana Radio will be showcasing some of the bands playing up and down the country on our next show on 29th September. Continue reading NEXT IGUANA RADIO SHOW – 29TH SEPTEMBER 2015 →

news, upcoming gigs

WE SHALL OVERCOME WEEKEND – GROOVE AGAINST AUSTERITY

Line up for We Shall Overcome Newport
Line up for We Shall Overcome Newport

Love dancing but hate austerity? Well the We Shall Overcome Weekend, is made for you. It takes place over the weekend of 2nd 3rd and 4th of October 2015. There will be cultural events happening all over the UK across the UK to both to simply celebrate our culture and to shout from the roof tops that we are opposed to austerity.

FROM THE WE SHALL OVERCOME WEBSITE: “Every weekend we have an explosion of music and culture. It’s something to be proud of – Gigs, open mics, poetry, stand up. It makes our communities vibrant and strong. But we also know that in our communities people are being hit hard by homelessness and poverty. There is a human cost to the politics of austerity. Continue reading WE SHALL OVERCOME WEEKEND – GROOVE AGAINST AUSTERITY →

news, radio shows

Peppermint Iguana Radio Show 100 – 15th September 2015

DSC_0271Our next show, on 15th September 2015 marks our 100th outing on the Radio (well, it does for Clint, John has been truant a few times so will have to catch up). Expect a few celebratory tunes, with our usual unexpected twist.

Because this is show 100, john is opting for songs and bands with numbers in them, like Sham 69, 25th May, Love Potion number 9 etc. Continue reading Peppermint Iguana Radio Show 100 – 15th September 2015 →

music review, news

REACH OUT: WELSH ROCK FOR REFUGEES

VARIOUS ARTISTS: Welsh Rock for Refugees

rock for refugeesWhen the going gets tough, the tough get rockin’. In response to the refugee crisis that is being played out daily on our TV screens and in the media, this thirty track download only compilation has been put together to raise money for Refugee Action.

Compiled in just seven days, by music journalist David Owens, this mixes the cream of the current crop of Wales’ mainstream rock bands, some of the best of the upcoming bands and a sprinkling of previously unreleased and live tracks that have not seen the light of day until now. Continue reading REACH OUT: WELSH ROCK FOR REFUGEES →

news

BRYN MERRICK GOES TO THE GREAT GIG IN THE SKY

Bryn Merrick, bass guitarist with Victimize, the Damned and The Shamones, sadly passed away on Saturday 12th September 2015 following a long battle with cancer.

Bryn Merrick, performing with the Shamones in Caerphilly 2015
Bryn Merrick, performing with the Shamones in Caerphilly 2015

Andy Johnson, Guitarist with both Victimize and The Shamones posted the following on Facebook Yesterday….

“On behalf of his daughter, Ella and sons, Richard & Christian, it is with so much sadness that I announce that my best friend, Bryn Merrick, passed away, peacefully, this morning, after a long battle with cancer, at Llandough hospital near Cardiff. Continue reading BRYN MERRICK GOES TO THE GREAT GIG IN THE SKY →

news, radio shows

Next Radio Show: 1st September

velvet coalmineThe next live edition of the Peppermint Iguana Radio Show will be on 1st September and will be a Velvet Coalmine special, featuring many of the bands playing Blackwood’s number one cultural festival.

The festival takes place in various venues throughout Blackwood, South Wales and will feature live music, films, literary stuff and much more.

You can expect our play list to include Dub War, Slaves, Henry’s Funeral Shoe, Commander Boom, The Noses, Meat Puppets, Don Letts and much more.

To listen live log on to TUNE IN from 8pm

The Peppermint Iguana Radio Show is sponsored by Rhondda Cynon Taff UNISON, the union for public sector groovers.

blog, interviews, news

Peppermint Iguana meets Velvet Coalmine in a pub

Blackwood is as cultural as f**K. And if you need proof, check out the Velvet Coalmine Festival, which takes place each September. It features fifty live bands, DJs, film screenings, workshops and much more.

Highlights for the 2015 festival, which takes place between 1st and 6th September, include gigs with Dub War, Slaves, Commander Boom, Houdini Dax, The Johnstown Flood, the Noses and a massive coup in the shape of US legends The Meat Puppets playing their first ever Welsh gig. There will also be film screenings with Don Letts and Viv Albertine will be doing a Q+A.

We had hoped to get Iain Richards, the driving force behind the event, to join us on the radio show, but it clashes with the opening of the festival (some people need to get their priorities right). So instead we headed to the pub for a chat about the 2015 festival. We picked early evening on a quiet night in a quiet pub? What could possibly go wrong? Well a birthday party for a start. Anyway — here is an audio recording of the chat warts and all.

Peppermint Iguana meets the Velevet Coalmine in a pub by Peppermintiguanaradio on Mixcloud

blog, news

Peppermint Iguana launch new website to mark 20th anniversary

iggy-yinyang-write onThis year marks 20 years since Peppermint Iguana first started dabbling with gig promotions and fanzines.

To mark our 20th anniversary, we have dumped the old website and have started rebuilding from the floor up with this new searchable site. In the next few weeks we will be uploading all the stuff from the old site and uploading a load of new material. Watch this space.