New York is a city that comes draped in mythology. It's a mythology that Public Access TV enjoy playing with.
From the spiky riffs to the snotty vocals, the band revel in the gritty romanticism of life in the Big Apple.
New single 'Patti Peru' is out now, and it's a storming return from the group. Seizing on their live energy, Public Access TV have taken their sound one step further.
Clash invited the band to piece together their Influences - focussing on the art of live performance.
From John: "These are Public Access TV's top five influences for live music performance. I don't particularly follow these exactly by any means or want to say as a band that we try to emulate them... these are just specific performances that have been a major influence on me overall and left a lasting impression on what I think a live performance can be."
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Lou Reed ('Street Hassle' from 'Take No Prisoners')
This whole fucking record is great. This track in particular is a way different style than the album version, especially with the chugging distorted bass line. Public Access TV usually sound check to this song. One of the best parts on the record though is Lou's stage banter. He talks shit about everyone. Andy Warhol and all of his superstars, critics, even Patti Smith... "Fuck Radio Ethiopia man, I'm Radio Brooklyn!".
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Bob Dylan ('Changing Of The Guards, 1978)
Dylan is the best. No one has ever been better than him. Even today his new albums are the greatest. It's also insanely hard to find 70's live footage of him online... he must have a team working constantly to pull that shit. This performance is up online (for now) and it's of one of my favourite songs of his. Live it's faster, its angrier, and he looks fucking cool in this video. It has the most epic sax and guitar jam on it. I love Bob.
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Johnny Thunders
I can't find a link to this online so I'm putting another. Max our bassist has this bootleg of Johnny Thunders and there is no music at all its just his stage banter. It is unbelievable. He says so many classic lines "Spaghetti Dinner! Whose cookin'?". It's somewhere between a 10 year old and a rock star and its just so entertaining to listen to him talk like that onstage for an hour. I always like to imagine the Heartbreakers on tour pulling up to the venue and the sound guy just having to deal with these psychos.
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David Bowie - 'Let's Dance' (From 'Serious Moonlight', 1983)
Bowie re-hired Carlos Alomar to play guitar for this tour. He also was the bandleader and it's possibly the funkiest shit I've ever heard in my life. Usually I'm not so into a giant production for a live concert, but Bowie pulls it off with such class that it's impossible to not be completely in awe.
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The Ramones (Live in Arturo Vega's loft, 1975)
"You're a loud-mouth baby and you better shut it up." I mean c'mon, it doesn't get better than that. Everything about this is perfect. I saw this on a VHS bootleg when I was 13 and it just totally blew my little mind. I have wanted to rip this off for every video I have ever been a part of... so far with no luck. It actually kind of upsets me how perfect it is... If only we could make something that looks this classic.
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'Patti Peru' is out now.