Heading To Portabello Road

"The Ballad Of F*uk Off Records" The Sell Outs

Jonathan Barnett Joins Here & Now

Planet Gong

Virgin HQ Occupation

"Terrified Of Dogs" ATV

In Contact with Mark Perry

Kif Kif and F.O. Records

"Pretty Nun" Androids Of Mu

Mark Automaton Meets F.O.

Danny & The Dressmakers

The Idiot Ballroom & Meanwhile Gardens

Weird Noise Tapes

"Total Disregard For Greenwich Theatre" ATV

"Fish From Tahiti" The 012

"Asbestos Lead Asbestos" WDE

Emerging from the squats, free gigs and improvised studios of late-70’s Portobello Road, F*ck Off Records operated at the volatile intersection of hippie idealism and punk DIY. Active between 1979 and 1982, the label released copied-to-order cassettes alongside a small number of vinyl EPs and LPs with music by Alternative TV, The 012, Danny & The Dressmakers, Here & Now, The Instant Automatons, The Androids Of Mu and their many collaborators.

Founded by Kif Kif Le Batteur and Jonathan Barnett in a period when Portobello was dense with creative possibility: vacant houses, squatted venues, free festivals and heaps of talent.

We join Jonathan Barnett to trace the roots of the label through the influences of Sniffin’ Glue and Mark Perry to Here & Now’s free-music ethos and open minded approach to supporting others. Central to the label’s emergence was Street Level Studios, a low-cost recording space that allowed bands to record without compromise, and the cassette as a format that made duplication, circulation and autonomy possible.

Hosted by Martin Franklin.
Theme music “This Is Concrete” by The Happy Citizen

KIF KIF
We would like to dedicate this episode to the memory of Keith Dobson aka Kif Kif Le Batteur, who passed away in July 2025. His influence runs through the whole scene that we document in Cassette Culture, and joins many dots in my own life. We are proud to be able to tell at least a small part of his story and so sorry that we just missed him.

(https://www.eatsdrinksandleaves.com/rip-keith-dobson-1956-2025/)

 

LINKS
Portobello Film Festival (https://www.portobellofilmfestival.com/)

“Floating Anarchy” Here & Now documentary (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsg8cMdYtuM)

Good article on the late-70’s Punk/DIY scene by Bob Stanley:
Birth Of The Uncool (https://www.theguardian.com/music/2006/mar/31/popandrock1)

VIDEO
You can find videos of some of the amazing fanzines and cassette releases that drop through our letterbox on our YouTube channel: youtube.com/@CassetteCulturePodcast

IN THIS EPISODE

VOICES
Martin Franklin
Jonathan Barnett
Keith Dobson, aka Kif Kif Le Batteur
Mark Automaton

MUSIC

“The Ballad of F*ck Off Records” The 012, Weird Noise EP (F*ck Off Records 1980)

“Allez Alibaba” Planet Gong, Floating Anarchy 1977 (Charly Records 1978)

“Terrified of Dogs” Alternative TV, Back To Sing For Free Again Soon compilation (F*ck Off Records 1979)

“Pretty Nun” Androids of Mu, F*ck Off Demo Tape (F*ck Off Records 1979)

“Too Big” The Instant Automatons

“Drop Dead” / “Don’t Make Another Bass Guitar, Mr Rickenbacker” Danny and the Dressmakers, Back To Sing For Free Again Soon compilation (F*ck Off Records 1979)

“Total Disregard for Greenwich Theatre” ATV/The Good Missionaries, Scars On Sunday (F*ck Off Records 1980)

Fish From Tahiti — The 012, Weird Sampler (F*ck Off Records 1981)

Asbestos Lead Asbestos — World Domination Enterprises, Let’s Play Domination (Product Inc 1984)


Many thanks to Jonny Zhivago and the invaluable resource for underground music that is Die Or DIY (https://dieordiy2.blogspot.com/)

FIND US
https://cassetteculturepodcast.com

SUPPORTERS
Help us keep Cassette Culture alive! This podcast is enabled by generous supporters who gift a small monthly contribution toward the costs of researching, producing and publishing each episode. You can become one of them at:
https://cassetteculturepodcast.bandcamp.com/subscribe

 

Cassette Culture is produced by Martin Franklin for East Coast Studio (https://eastcoaststudio.com.au)

Emerging from the squats, free gigs and improvised studios of late-70&rsquo;s Portobello Road, F*ck Off Records operated at the volatile intersection of hippie idealism and punk DIY. Active between 1979 and 1982, the label released copied-to-order cassettes alongside a small number of vinyl EPs and LPs with music by Alternative TV, The 012, Danny &amp; The Dressmakers, Here &amp; Now, The Instant Automatons, The Androids Of Mu and their many collaborators.
Founded by Kif Kif Le Batteur and Jonathan Barnett in a period when Portobello was dense with creative possibility: vacant houses, squatted venues, free festivals and heaps of talent.
We join Jonathan Barnett to trace the roots of the label through the influences of Sniffin&rsquo; Glue and Mark Perry to Here &amp; Now&rsquo;s free-music ethos and open minded approach to supporting others. Central to the label&rsquo;s emergence was Street Level Studios, a low-cost recording space that allowed bands to record without compromise, and the cassette as a format that made duplication, circulation and autonomy possible.
Hosted by Martin Franklin. Theme music &ldquo;This Is Concrete&rdquo; by The Happy Citizen
KIF KIF We would like to dedicate this episode to the memory of Keith Dobson aka Kif Kif Le Batteur, who passed away in July 2025. His influence runs through the whole scene that we document in Cassette Culture, and joins many dots in my own life. We are proud to be able to tell at least a small part of his story and so sorry that we just missed him.
(<a href="https://www.eatsdrinksandleaves.com/rip-keith-dobson-1956-2025/">https://www.eatsdrinksandleaves.com/rip-keith-dobson-1956-2025/</a>)
&nbsp;
LINKS Portobello Film Festival (<a href="https://www.portobellofilmfestival.com/">https://www.portobellofilmfestival.com/</a>)
&ldquo;Floating Anarchy&rdquo; Here &amp; Now documentary (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsg8cMdYtuM">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsg8cMdYtuM</a>)
Good article on the late-70&rsquo;s Punk/DIY scene by Bob Stanley: Birth Of The Uncool (<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2006/mar/31/popandrock1">https://www.theguardian.com/music/2006/mar/31/popandrock1</a>)
VIDEO You can find videos of some of the amazing fanzines and cassette releases that drop through our letterbox on our YouTube channel: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@CassetteCulturePodcast">youtube.com/@CassetteCulturePodcast</a>
IN THIS EPISODE
VOICES Martin Franklin Jonathan Barnett Keith Dobson, aka Kif Kif Le Batteur Mark Automaton
MUSIC
&ldquo;The Ballad of F*ck Off Records&rdquo; The 012, Weird Noise EP (F*ck Off Records 1980)
&ldquo;Allez Alibaba&rdquo; Planet Gong, Floating Anarchy 1977 (Charly Records 1978)
&ldquo;Terrified of Dogs&rdquo; Alternative TV, Back To Sing For Free Again Soon compilation (F*ck Off Records 1979)
&ldquo;Pretty Nun&rdquo; Androids of Mu, F*ck Off Demo Tape (F*ck Off Records 1979)
&ldquo;Too Big&rdquo; The Instant Automatons
&ldquo;Drop Dead&rdquo; / &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t Make Another Bass Guitar, Mr Rickenbacker&rdquo; Danny and the Dressmakers, Back To Sing For Free Again Soon compilation (F*ck Off Records 1979)
&ldquo;Total Disregard for Greenwich Theatre&rdquo; ATV/The Good Missionaries, Scars On Sunday (F*ck Off Records 1980)
Fish From Tahiti &mdash; The 012, Weird Sampler (F*ck Off Records 1981)
Asbestos Lead Asbestos &mdash; World Domination Enterprises, Let&rsquo;s Play Domination (Product Inc 1984)
 Many thanks to Jonny Zhivago and the invaluable resource for underground music that is Die Or DIY (<a href="https://dieordiy2.blogspot.com/)">https://dieordiy2.blogspot.com/)</a>
FIND US <a href="https://cassetteculturepodcast.com/">https://cassetteculturepodcast.com</a>
SUPPORTERS Help us keep Cassette Culture alive! This podcast is enabled by generous supporters who gift a small monthly contribution toward the costs of researching, producing and publishing each episode. You can become one of them at: <a href="https://cassetteculturepodcast.bandcamp.com/subscribe">https://cassetteculturepodcast.bandcamp.com/subscribe</a>
&nbsp;
Cassette Culture is produced by Martin Franklin for East Coast Studio (<a href="https://eastcoaststudio.com.au/">https://eastcoaststudio.com.au</a>)

The stories of the global underground movement that shaped experimental music and culture, told by the artists that were there…

For two decades during the '80's and '90's, the international mail system fostered a network of underground artists, exchanging cassette tapes of music and homemade artwork – all under the radar of mainstream media. Taking the DIY message of Punk as a jumping off point, we travel through the network to find the creators of the fanzines, the music, the labels and events.

The stories of the global underground movement that shaped experimental music and culture, told by the artists that were there&hellip;
For two decades during the '80's and '90's, the international mail system fostered a network of underground artists, exchanging cassette tapes of music and homemade artwork &ndash; all under the radar of mainstream media. Taking the DIY message of Punk as a jumping off point, we travel through the network to find the creators of the fanzines, the music, the labels and events.

Cassette Culture

The stories of the global underground movement that shaped experimental music and culture, told by the artists that were there...

For two decades the international mail system fostered a network of underground artists, exchanging cassette tapes of music and homemade artwork - all under the radar of main stream media.

We track down some key figures in the cassette scene, and follow the web of connections outward from the UK around the world, mapping the impacts and their ongoing effects.

We speak with musicians, label runners, and fanzine writers, who share their experiences of connecting through the mail system and its ongoing effects on their lives.

Hosted by Martin Franklin & Hudson Graham | Podcast produced by East Coast Studio

Find us on www.cassetteculturepodcast.com

The stories of the global underground movement that shaped experimental music and culture, told by the artists that were there...
For two decades the international mail system fostered a network of underground artists, exchanging cassette tapes of music and homemade artwork - all under the radar of main stream media.
We track down some key figures in the cassette scene, and follow the web of connections outward from the UK around the world, mapping the impacts and their ongoing effects.
We speak with musicians, label runners, and fanzine writers, who share their experiences of connecting through the mail system and its ongoing effects on their lives.
Hosted by Martin Franklin &amp; Hudson Graham | Podcast produced by <a href="https://eastcoaststudio.com.au/">East Coast Studio</a>
Find us on <a href="https://www.cassetteculturepodcast.com">www.cassetteculturepodcast.com</a>