We unravel the history of one of the ’90s garage rock scene’s best-kept secrets, The Nuthins. Bob Taylor and Jon ‘Mojo’ Mills navigate us through the alleys of their Salisbury roots to the bustling streets of London’s mod resurgence. With no need for polished introductions, we delve straight into the untold narratives that shaped The Nuthins. No frills, no filter – just the unvarnished truth behind the music that made them, the moments that broke them, and the legacy that lives on.
How did the members of The Nuthins first meet, and what sparked the idea of forming a garage band in 1989?
Bob: I first met Carol as mods, then we met Mike who moved down from Edinburgh. He was the first indie/garage kid we’d seen in Salisbury who actually looked like us! Bowl cut, Chelsea boots etc. Then Lee Tea moved down from Oxford, with Tash his girlfriend, after being at art school in Swindon, for a job. Again, a complete garage look. Or like Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull. Leed did all the early artwork. Jon, I met in a pub, with his mates, looking like they just walked out of late ’60s London! Richie, I think later when we were looking for a drummer, he was playing in a local punk band The Stand. He was great, so of course we stole him. Marcus was later, through Jon.
It really was the right time, right place. For somewhere like Salisbury, it was quite amazing! During the ’80s and ’90s it had a good alternative scene with a lot of great bands. We looked like a band so started a band!
Jon: I knew Richie from a mate, they were kinda gothics. Richie suggested I should come and see his band support The Fuzztones. And that was it. I’d been into ’60s garage for a few years, so was blown away. We all met there. That was definitely the start.
What was the significance of the village hall south of Salisbury where The Nuthins had their first rehearsal?
Bob: Redlynch was the village Carol grew up in, so the hall was available to us. It was our second home. We would practice twice a week, did some of our early recordings and photo shoots (mates taking photos), we learnt to play. Full of great memories.
Jon: I lived a few miles away, and it was easy for me to get my dad to run me over with my guitar and amp. St Birinus Hall was an old church hall; very dowdy. The décor was very ’50s, so it was suitably vintage.
How did the group come up with the name The Good For Nothings, and what led to the eventual change to The Nuthins?
Jon: Neighbours, was one of the most popular TV programmes at the time. It came from a line from one of its main characters, the meddling gossip, Madge Bishop.
Tell the story behind the debut single ‘Allergic Kiss’ and ‘Colour Trip’, including the involvement of Merry-Go-Round label and Radio 1 airplay.
Bob: Our debut single was possibly the first time we had been in a proper studio, we recorded four originals, kind of. Then began to send them to labels or anyone who would listen.
Jon: We’d actually been to the studio before those recordings, when we cut our demo tape, which we sold at gigs. By the time of those sessions, we were somewhat better, and the tracks were used across our first two singles. We sent lots of tapes off and it was Greg Shaw at Bomp! who introduced us to Joss and Charlene at Merry-Go-Round. Phil had also sent tracks to Nick Saloman (who liked them too, but wasn’t releasing singles, or so he said). Everything took time in 1992 without the internet, so the single arrived sometime after we recorded the sessions. Probably a year. Both us and the label sent copies out. I recall being at home one night and my phone rang. It was Lois, Mole from The Mystreated’s girlfriend, calling to say that we had just been played on Mark Radcliffe and Lard (Marc Riley’s) Out On Blue Six. That single received a fair bit of airplay. As did the follow ups.
Bob: Radio airplay… that was great when it happened. It was such a rush!! Like, we’d arrived.
How did the band’s sound evolve with Marcus Turner joining as the vocalist and rhythm guitarist in May ’92?
Jon: Lee, who is now Leadfoot Tea, a purveyor of blues and trash, believe it or not, was then getting more and more into Gong and hippy sounds, and temporarily moved on from his garage roots. He formed a new band called The Tangerine Tea Company, so I brought in my old school mate Marcus. I can still remember getting him to sing Beatles songs to me at primary school. I’d known him since I was four.
Bob: Our sound evolved with Marcus because he is a really good song writer and singer, I think he made myself and Jon really try and pick up our writing skills, separately and together.
Jon: Yes, initially Marcus offered a good voice and rhythm guitar, singing what were the punk R&B songs Bob primarily wrote lyrics for and me the music, with input from all. But he soon evolved and started writing his own material. We would spend hours together with guitars, as he lived up the road from me. As Bob said, we got better and embraced The Beatles, Monkees, Byrds etc. We went more pop and folk-rock with more melody and textures. ‘Girl Has Gone’ is undeniably one of our classics. Marcus wrote it all and I can vividly remember sitting on his bed and coming up with this ‘Last Train To Clarksville’ guitar part. We took a lot from The Mystreated.
Describe the overseas trip to Paris, and what impact did it have on The Nuthins’ trajectory?
Bob: Our first trip to Paris was special because, personally, it was an adventure and opened us up to a whole new scene; brilliant friendly people who also played in bands, different ideas, and styles and flavours. It couldn’t help but influence. Also being in a band you have to change; it was human nature.
Jon: It was fantastic. We were regularly playing London at The Wild Western Rooms at The St John’s Tavern in Archway at this time. After a really good show, a French/American girl living in London, called Genevieve Nevin, who was totally into the ’60s scene, invited us over to play. After that, we were regularly sailing across to the continent, where the reception was always so much better, and so much fun.
Bob: Except the French police who had us spread-eagled against the van because of the way we looked, and were dead certain we had drugs. Luckily, we didn’t by then.
What details can you provide about the unreleased album recorded for Music Maniac?
Jon: That was a funny one. Hans Kesteloo came to us on the back of our singles. He was releasing a series of albums under the banner ‘Teen Trash’ focusing on the early ’90s garage wave – which was essentially an extension of the ’80s revival. We entered a makeshift local studio, where a bunch of bohemian hippys live. Lots of lentils and weed. We’d worked hard on writing material, which in hindsight covered too much ground. The punk R&B, fuzz, jangle and organ were still there, but we were perhaps running before we could walk. There was jazz, Hendrix-inspired funky-rock and psychedelic excursions. Some of it was rather good, but it was a bit outside the remit and was never released. Two tracks ‘Alice’ (a bizarre Floydesque psych trip with an ’80s psych feel) and ‘Mr Bartholomew’ (my Ray Davies rip) will be on the vinyl rarities comp, due soon.
Bob: Yes, really we all had a lot of influences and hadn’t really settled on a direction. The recording didn’t help, very uneven. Definitely too much weed!!!!
How did the line-up changes in March ’95, with Marcus leaving the band, impact The Nuthins’ sound and direction?
Jon: Marcus was good and wanted to do his own thing, the parting was amicable. Carol left soon after. We continued playing the old songs in a more stripped-down manner with me moving on to vocals. I enjoyed it. I guess we continued to evolve in a much more garage band manner, more purist. The weirdness had gone and the songs we then wrote followed a more 1966 feel. It suited us.
Bob: Andy came in on bass, we were happy more settled and by now into the groove of being a garage band.
What are your memories of the recording of the ‘1 Step Forward… Further Steps’?
Jon: The album was called ‘1 Step Forward…’ the ‘Further Steps’ refers to the new expanded edition with all singles and compilation appearances. The album recording was fun. We were well-oiled as we’d just toured Italy. We recorded at the legendary Toe Rag studio in East London. We laid down the tracks and mixed it in three days in true mid-60s style. Maybe it was a bit rushed, and perhaps we didn’t have enough new material, but it was a lot of fun, and we were very happy with it.
Bob: It was all a bit rushed, so I just think we didn’t have the time to write properly for the album, hence using some of our back catalogue; but ultimately it was a great experience, I loved it and we were happy.
How did the band continue to evolve in the late ’90s?
Jon: Our belated single, recorded in 1998, released in 1999, was the best thing we did. Marcus even rejoined to lay down the vocal. Both Bob and I were writing, and Marcus was about to, but we folded shortly afterwards. Again, the songs we recorded after the album will appear on the vinyl comp. They were great, maybe a bit more pop and folk-rock, honing the sound we achieved with ‘Mistake’ and the album. I think if we continued after ‘Thoughts And Visions’ we would have become a great band.
Bob: I totally agree. That last session we recorded was how we were evolving. Myself and Jon were writing really well and ‘Thoughts And Visions’ was one of those songs. Along with Marcus, who knows!!?
Why did The Nuthins split after almost a decade? Was it the logistical challenges and changing dynamics within the band?
Jon: Richie, our bassist Andy, and I were all living in London as students. (Andy and I still do.) We had been since 1995 and managed to make it work, but it just slowly fell apart. No bad blood, just kids who were unable to organise themselves and with other things to do. Perhaps the dynamics and direction had shifted a little and it wasn’t for everyone, it’s a long time ago, so I’m not sure. We’re all still mates, so it wasn’t anything bad. Richie, Andy, and I joined forces with Bronco Bullfrog’s Andy Morten and played two gigs and released a single as Little Bare Big Bear and Marcus and Bob did things down there.
Bob: Logistics and life get in the way, we are still friends and keep in contact. Both myself and Marcus played as The Autumn Reign alongside members of The Unchayned before reconvening as The Neighbourhood Strange.
What are your favourite tracks and reflect on the significance of The Nuthins’ legacy captured in the new collection?
Jon: I have a soft spot for all of them now, even the weird shit. It was a rite of passage, and we were all mates. Gigs and touring were always filled with adventures, they were the best of days. For me, we hit our stride at the end, so it’s ’Mistake’, ‘One Step Forward’, and ‘Thoughts And Visions’ and the earlier ‘Girl Has Gone’, which was really the first song in our folk-punk vein. There’s also a tape of us playing live at Mark Raison’s Carousel club at The Boston Arms. It was about a year after Marcus joined and we were on fire. We did a great cover of The Wheels’ ‘Bad Little Woman’ based on Shadows Of Knight version. We were probably always better live as the wild Nuthins’ shows couldn’t be bottled.
Bob: Yes, it’s a body of work that’s there, alongside experiences you couldn’t write! Maybe a small legacy, but to me it’s huge. Favourites: ‘Thoughts And Visions’, ‘The Mistake EP’, ‘Girl Has Gone ‘I Feel Fine’ and ‘Ages I’ve been Waiting’ (a punk fuelled domestic).
Further information
1 Step Forward… Further Steps is out now on Detour. The vinyl rarities comp Oddities, Allsorts & Magic Mixtures will follow soon.
