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THE RADIO RATS
A session In Springs in 1977
THE BARNYARD THEATRES & SAVILLE CREATIVE PRESENT THE RADIO RATS Due to the success of eVoid and further public demand for historic acts in our musical history, we are proud to present Jonathan Handley, Dave Davies, Herbie Parkin & sum more Rats!” “ A Session In Springs in 1977 " 2 SHOWS ONLY SATURDAY 28 MARCH 2015 @ The Barnyard Theatre - Cresta Centre Special Guests: MADE IN WRONG KONG - Danny de Wet (eVoid, Petit Cheval & Wonderboom) has a crazy new band that features Tina Delacovias (Squeal, Shuttermouth & Cherries For Cannibals), Quinton Lotter and Vaughn Haylock. SATURDAY 11 APRIL 2015 @ The Barnyard Theatre - Emperors Palace Special Guests: THE HIP REPLACEMENTS – the original Joburg & Western, Soul & Rock outfit .... accept no substitutes. The Story Of A Band They had more drummers than Spinal Tap; they combined punk's raucous energy with melodic tunes about off-the-wall subjects; and they released one of South Africa's greatest rock albums - 'Into The Night We Slide'. The Barnyard Theatres and Saville Creative are delighted to present - The Radio Rats. The protagonist behind the Radio Rats was Jonathan Handley, a man with an unusual (some people might say "warped") view on life and music. Handley was the chief songwriter for the band, played guitar and sang. Handley learnt to play guitar in Springs and Welkom. After leaving Welkom High School, he studied Medicine at Wits University. His first band in 1977 was known as the Warehouse Rats (because they rehearsed in an old warehouse). This band evolved into Slither with the addition of fellow medical student John Griffith. Griffith went on to record under the name John Ireland .Slither drummer Niall Bell introduced Handley to vocalist Dave Davies and the two have remained close friends ever since. It was then that the band changed its name from Slither to the Radio Rats. When their first bassist Deon Coetzee (known as "Shorty", because he was tall) left David Parkin joined and stayed until October 1981. Dave Davies gave Parkin the nickname "Herbie", because he didn't want a band with 2 "Daves", and it stuck .The Rats spent August and September of 1978 recording with producer Greg Cutler at Satbel Studios in Johannesburg. Herbie Parkin remembered that the album was recorded over the weekends, starting on Friday evenings and then working 12 hour stretches (or as long as the beer lasted!). 'ZX Dan', the album's opening track, is a wonderful piece of new wave space-rock whose similar lyrical theme is a nod to David Bowie's 1972 smash hit, 'Starman'. The song was also inspired by the 1977 Stephen Spielberg film 'Close Encounters Of The 3rd Kind', and has a more polished production than the rest of the album, which is a closer reflection of the band's raw live energy. 'ZX Dan' was released as a single (backed by 'I'm In Love') and it entered the Radio 5 (now 5FM) charts at number 15 on New Year's Eve 1978. The song implores the listener to "turn up your radio, and play me that rock and roll", and it seems that is exactly what the public did. The song scuttled up the charts until peaking at No. 2 on 28 January 1979, where it stayed for two weeks. It was kept off the cherished No. 1 spot by Michael Jackson. Sniff. An outstanding RR album was “Via Dolorosa” (1988) which was then rerecorded by Lloyd Ross (Shifty 1990) and released as “Big Beat”. These two albums had the superb guitar-playing of Gil Marais-Gilchrist on them, and guests such as James Phillips, Willem Moller, Gary Herselman, and Johannes Kerkorrel. Steve Howells played drums on “Big Beat”. Where are they now? Herbie Parkin is living, working, and playing (with “Tuckers Lilla Capel”)in Sweden. Herbie recorded all bass lines on “Cyanide Lake”. Dave Davies still lives in Springs and has formed a duo with Ozzie Theron – they play the “Coffin Shoppe” every Friday night. Dave and Jonathan wreckorded more than 300 Radio Rats songs together and released albums such as: Theatre of Electric Chairs (with Niall Bell on drums, 1995) and Music For Funerals with Riaan Rattex Esterhuizen on drums, and Dave Allen on lead guitar (2000). Jonathan Handley is in Pietermaritzburg and continues to record and archive in his home studio. Leonard Dickson lives in Vienna and plays percussion in an orchestra. Leonard played drums on “Cyanide Lake” (RR 2013/2014) a 12-song album which will be on sale at these two Barnyard gigs. Riaan Esterhuizen lives in Lichtenburg and recently played with RR at the Shifty Records Reunion (2014). Riaan has also collaborated with Jonathan on many Radium Wreckords recordings, and is doing a C&W project with him now. Ozzie Theron lives in Springs and played with Radio Rats in 2009 at the Springs Town Hall

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