One Little Independent Vinyl & CDs

Review: Ann Robie Bandes batter known as Little Annie, or in this instance, Annie Anxiety, is what one could call a punk rock renaissance woman, cited as a singer, painter, poet, writer, recording artist, pastor, and stage actor, while her ties to Steve Ignorant and Penny Rimbaud of Crass would aid her in becoming an underground Patti Smith of the crust generation. Upon moving to London at the behest of her newfound contemporaries and performing poetry readings at Crass shows across the UK, in 1981 she would release her much adored Bared Wire Halo 7" on Crass Records with the help of Rimbaud. This new expanded LP edition restores the original EP along with bonus content collected from differing compilations contributed to by Annie in aid of differing causes, such as 'Gates of Freedom' which originally featured on the 1985 Here We Go compilation to benefit the UK Miners' strike, and 'Soweto Suntan' which came from the Devastate To Liberate LP released by David Tibet's Yangki imprint and also featured Nurse With Wound, Coil, Current 93 and The Legendary Pink Dots. Anarcho-punk memorabilia at its finest.

Review: The Cuckoo Storm might never have been, were it not for a social media post Adrian Crowley wrote on a wintry late-night walk in a quiet neighbourhood of Dublin during lockdown. Struck by Waterson's previous album Death Had Quicker Wings Than Love (co-written with David A Jaycock), Crowley wanted to mark the moment, and so pressed 'send' into the ether with no way of knowing what would follow. Drawn to his voice and seeing a kindred spirit in his poetic lyrics, Waterson was touched by his message and responded by asking if he would be interested in working together. His answer was a resounding 'yes.' Cuckoo Storm followed; a deeply compelling album and serendipitous collaboration comprising eleven beautifully crafted songs, sung by two matching voices that are a powerful match. Waterson's brilliantly distinctive voice is underpinned by Crowley's rich baritone, and together it's an intoxicating mix.