QUAD90 released their debut single Le Blank as a 12” one-sided white label diskomix on the Last Night From Glasgow label - it quickly sold out. The track was a homage to producers Bob Blank and Martin Hannett, and also highlighted the QUAD90 debt to the Ze Records mutant disko aesthetic and artists like Cristina, Material, Was Not Was etc.

QUAD90 is vocalists Amelia Lironi and Naomi Mackay, who met at Riverside Music College and started working on the group while at university. They recorded with a range of musicians to create an album with producer Samuel Joseph Smith at Green Door Studios in Glasgow.

The vibe is Chic meets The Contortions, the eponymously-titled QUAD90 album features a cover version of the James Chance classic Contort Yourself.

QUAD90 is released on Last Night From Glasgow

MACKENZIES are from Glasgow and formed in 1985, inspired by the power-lifter Precious McKenzie.

Paul Turnbull (drums) and Iain Beveridge (guitar) were at the same school but got together musically when Paul was released from his previous group after being in a car accident which totalled his drum set and so was no longer required by the band.

Gary Weir (vocals and guitar) and Peter Gilmour (bass) formed another group, however, the two factions came together over their shared love of Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, James Brown, Prince, Funkadelic and Parliament. Emboldened by witnessing live performances closer to home from Josef K, Fire Engines and Orange Juice, the group began to rehearse regularly in Paul’s bedroom as they worked on their sound, crafting sonic punk funk fusion.

The recruitment of saxophonist Peter Ellen with his love of Ornette Coleman and Archie Shepp made him the ideal candidate to join the others. The final piece in the jigsaw was the crucial element of the second guitarist that is David Allen.

In November, 1985, a demo recorded in Paul’s bedroom made its way to Radio 1 and the office of John Peel who invited Mackenzies down for a session at legendary Maida Vale studios. Peel was a big supporter of the band inviting them for a second session only months after their first visit.

By the time of the first Peel session in February 1986, the band had signed to Nottingham-based record label, Ron Johnson (home to bands Stump, Big Flame and Dutch band, The Ex) with owner Dave Parsons also impressed by the demo. Shortly afterwards, the debut single, ‘New Breed’ was recorded and released in July 1986.

The NME thought well of it, anointing ‘New Breed’ as their Single of the Week. And then came the invite from the paper to contribute to the C86 cassette - a collection of twenty-two independently signed guitar-based bands that featured leading lights of the 1986 independent scene. The cassette featured tracks by Scottish groups The Pastels, Shop Assistants, Mackenzies, (among others). C86 quickly became synonymous with a new wave of independent groups and gave its name to the resultant scene.

Mackenzies revelled in their live shows which were a fast, full-on mutant funk attack to the senses, sometimes a dozen songs in twenty minutes, no introductions, no respite. This was evident from shows in Edinburgh, Manchester, Nottingham, Bristol and London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) through to Glasgow’s legendary Splash One Club

Although the band received a lot of attention from their two Peel sessions, C86 and live shows, ‘New Breed’ was the only record Mackenzies put out in 1986. The follow-up to their debut single, the ‘A Sensual Assault’ ep didn’t see the light of day until the following year.

The release in 2022 of the book ‘Whatever Happened To The C86 Kids - an indie odyssey’ by Nige Tassell brought fresh attention to the band.

The invite to play at the 30th anniversary of the Creeping Bent Organisation event Creeping Bent 30 / C81 - C86 - GO!! as part of the 2025 Celtic Connections festival reinvigorated the band who are now set on finally getting to work on their debut album!

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