Phil posted me some stuff about his local blues-band, Los Bluesfalos, which made me think back to the bands of my own youth… not because I used to go to lots of blues gigs (although we did from time to time get excited about the incredible string bending of the Papa George band, although I of course got more excited about the fast fingers of George’s bassist).

No, the reason I got excited is because the one band we would follow to the ends of the earth (or Fulham, whichever was nearest) was Los Bastados (sounds a bit like Los Bluesfalos, no? OK, weak connection, but it got my mind working). We first went to see them when they were Wasteland, and I was about 15. I remember once particular gig at St Mary’s Church Hall, Twickenham, (sadly long since demolished to make way for council offices) when I was extremely cider-fuelled in the way that only a 15-year-old can be, and I managed to spray vomit pretty much everywhere around the front of the stage, ended up dancing in it, sitting in it, lying in it, etc. To my eternal shame I also seem to recall pissing in the cutlery draw of the downstairs kitchen. I walked home that night, pissing as I went (most of it ended up on my coat), and remember slumping into bed to watch The Great Rock and Roll Swindle on TV.

We originally went to see Nexus, who Rob’s brother was playing bass for, but ended up loving Wasteland, despite the antics of the Wasteland Barmy Army (Phil’s brother Kentigern and his mates, who would slam dance around like lunatics and grab any unsuspecting souls to use as a launch-platform for their pogoing. Actually, the slamming was great fun, and I lost several pairs of glasses that way). After The Mission released a song called Wasteland, they decided the name was too poncey and changed it to Los Bastados, their sound evolving at around the same time (I think Des learned to sing an octave lower) into something grungier, more Mexican machismo. They also did the best ever version of LA Woman (which we in our naivitë tried to copy). I’ve a feeling they covered some Wayne/Jayne County and the Electric Chairs too, though I forget which song.

So anyway, here I am suffering from mid-80s nostalgia for about the third time in as many days, when I find that Josh, their lead guitarist and probably the least bastard-ish Bastados (I always hated Leo - that wanker stole my bass-EQ pedal and walkman from backstage when we supported them one gig. Charlie and Des were just scary. Josh had very little hair. It’s hard to be scared of somebody with very little hair, unless it’s Ben Kingsley in Sexy Beast), has put up a website devoted to Wasteland/Bastados. So now I can sit back and enjoy the MP3s (no doubt they won’t be as good as first time around, but then that’s what nostalgia’s all about).

Josh also engineered our first ever demo tape (we were called Light and Sound Department at the time) on his 4-track. Not the best sound in the world (especially as my copy was recorded at about minus 1000 decibels or something) but I ought to dig it out and MP3 it some time, if only to prove how much my vocals have improved since then.

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