This Heat

Excellent interview at The Quietus by Simon Reynolds with Charles Hayward about the great SE London post-punk experimentalists This Heat. Hayward mentions coming from Camberwell, going to Dulwich College with Phil Manzanera (of Roxy Music), squatting in Deptford, hanging out with Crass, and being inspired by fellow Deptfordites Alternative TV.

Two recording studios are highlighted, the famous Cold Storage: 'We came across this old disused meat fridge on Acre Lane, in Brixton. It had been turned into artist studios, Cold Storage. That gave us an incredible power base'; and the Workhouse on the Old Kent Road: 'we'd hooked up with Peter Jenner who ran this management company Blackhill Enterprises. Bit of a wide boy, he'd worked with Pink Floyd early on, Roy Harper, and at that time we hooked up with him he was having a lot of success with Ian Dury and the Blockheads. Jenner said: 'I've got half shares with Manfred Mann in this studio on the Old Kent Road called the Workhouse and while we're looking for a record deal for you, we’ll get you to start on that album...'

The latter, as mentioned here before, was where the Asda now stands, and was used by the Gang of Four, Ian Dury and many others.

Here's my favourite This Heat track, SPQR:



Charles Hayward is still performing in various musical projects, working at the Albany in Deptford with people with learning difficulties and doing stuff in his studio at Lewisham Arthouse on Lewisham Way.