Art of noise in no sense? nonsense!

WE WERE THE first band of our generation that started to grow up,” Billy Corgan says, reflecting on the making of the Smashing Pumpkins’ 1995 grand opus, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. “The b

Born in the titular Kent city in the late 60s, the Canterbury scene spawned some of prog’s most creative and quirky acts. From The Wilde Flowers and Soft Machine to Caravan and Gong, each had a distinctive sound and, in many cases, image that captured the hearts and minds of their followers. But the scene’s impact didn’t end in the 70s. Phil Howitt, Facelift editor and Hugh Hopper’s biographer, explores the new breed of progressive acts inspired by it, both consciously and unwittingly, and unearths the secrets of the ‘Canterbury chord’.

Truth can be stranger than fiction, and that’s something Hats Off Gentlemen It’s Adequate embrace on their latest album, The Uncertainty Principle . Moving away from sci-fi and exploring themes of science and human interaction, Malcolm Galloway and Mark Gatland explain why they took a deep dive into the history books to uncover tales of scientists, spies and nuclear bombs.

He began leading London punks Tubeway Army but was diverted into brooding synth-rock by a stray Minimoog. Cue 1979’s mysterious monster hit Are ‘Friends’ Electric? and the adoration of superfans the Numanoids. Follow-up solo 45 Cars also hit Number 1, but soon GARY NUMAN dramatically retired from live performance at the height of his success. “A whole world descended on me,” he says. “I wanted to get out of the burning building…”

Feeling hassled by The Man? Andrew Male smooths the path.

Rather gear collection of punky outsider artists’ BBC work recorded between 1978 and 1980.