TalesOfAggro-MatteoSedazzari-ZaniThefirst novel from the pen of author Matteo Sedazzari was the
acclaimedACraft yCigarette–Tales ofaTeenage Mod fromafew years
ago. Tales Of Aggro is his second novel, written inastyle that draws
from the work of the likes of HunterSThompson’sgonzo-type of
approach. It also comes with an accompanying three-track CD single,
written and co-performed by Matteo. Tracks are Tales of Aggro (Bovver
Boy Edit), Crafty Cigarette (Revolution is Coming edit), andTales of
Aggro (Undercover Cockney remix), all of which were recorded during
the summer of 2018, inspired and influenced by the (imaginary)
soundtracks to Matteo’sbooks, drawing from the likes of The Jam, The
Who, The Smiths, Madness and The Kinks, and blending in soul, funk,
beats and grooves. The result isatrioofi nteresting, promising and
exciting new offerings. Of course, the single isabonus to complement
the book. Tales of Aggro comes in two parts, set in different eras, albeit
the same characters, in the main, are featured in both part one and
part two. Set predominantly in the late 80s, withafew track-backs to
the 70s to illustrate or punctuateaparticular story,part/book one of
Tales of Aggro focuses on the exploits, collective and individual, of a
bunch of mates in Shepherds Bush, who have evolved through skinhead
and mod to become casuals, collectively known as the Magnificent Six.
Each of the six main characters is involved in the spider’sweb of plots
and sub-plots interweaving throughout, along with friends, family and
adversaries of differing levels. It’sarites of passage novel with countless
reference points for interested readers of cult fiction novels to relate to
and empathise with. Part/book two re-visits the colourful, likeable rogues
adecade or two on, in more contemporary times, who, when back on the
familiar ground of their misspent youth, can’t help but revert to adegree
to type.Acaptivating fictional novel that works real characters from the
real world, into fictional events that never really took place, yet in Tales
of Aggro are surrounded with an aura of pseudo-authenticity.Afun
romp through the fringes of London’sWest End during two time periods,
seen through the eyes of Matteo’scharacters.Anoth er cult fiction
winner from the pen of Matteo Sedazzari, along with an impressive CD
single, too.
SargeTheGents-TheRiseAndTheFallOfTheGents-Detour (DeluxeEditionBook, double CD,DVD)
It hastobesaidthatthe term
‘DeluxeEdition’applie dtothis
offeringfromDetourisabitofan
understatement.Presentation and
packaging of this, thefourthand
probably definitivecollec tion that
showcases all thehighpoints fr om
the careerofDonc aster’ smod revival
act, The Gents, hasbeen superbly
put together.ResemblinganA5-sized
bookwith strikin gcover art,
contained withinare twoCDs,aDVD
plus abooklet crammedto
overflowing with information
and images. Included in the
booklet are in-depth overviews
of all of thesingles,bsides
and brandnew tracks,along
with rareimages of theband
members, newspapercuttings
of The Gentsat their peak,
along withare-visitation of
custo mVespa, Revenge,
themed on TheGentsrelease
of th esame title,and which
was afeaturescoo ter in
Scooteringdurin gthe late
80s. CD1 ismore or lessThe
Gents, almost greatest hits,
featuring all thereleased
singles,Asides,Bsides and
12” versions. 19 tracks in
all, that are an audio
snapshotofThe Gentsat
their peak. CD2istitled
Unfinished BusinessEP,
consisting of fourtracks,firstissuedonvinyl by Detour in2009,
namely Wake Up, PackOf Lies with
newversion sofWaitin gand DayTo
Day. Final part to thisexcellent, final
pieceint his package, itselfbeing the
missingpiece fromThe Gentscareer
jigsaw,isaDVD withfootage from
BBC NorthTVprogrammeBubbling
Under,first broadcast in 82.Also,
the re’smost of TheGents’ last of six
consecutivenights residency filmed
at theFrontier Club, Batley, in May
85.Takenfromanold VHS
recording,sound andvisionquality
is, understandably,given the original
format, not perhaps as crystalclear
on both counts asamore
contemporary capturing offootage
might be today.Nonetheless,the
essenceof amod bandabout to
embark on tour to promotetheir
debut album (How It AllBegan),
along with both excitementand
atmosphere during the 80s is
captured. Thatparticularlive
performancefinally sees the light of
day inall its glory ,warts ‘n’ all. A
superblypackageddeluxe boxset,as
well asapotential collector’sitem of
the future.
Sarge