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October 2020
October 31, 2020

So Tough

This picture was taken by Steve Double as part of an NME cover shoot we did at his studio on Leather Lane in Clerkenwell just as So Tough was coming out. I loved the trouser suit and lime green jacket (not so fun in black and white) I'm wearing, I got those from a thrift shop in New York, god knows where they are now. Happy Halloween!!

Sarah Cracknell - October 2020

Photograph: Steve Double

(sotough, youreinabadway, stevedouble, stevedoublephotography, drdouble, nme, covershoot, thriftshopclothes, halloween, happyhalloween, bobpetesarah, saintetienne) 		Photo
October 30, 2020 (Four Pictures)

He's On The Phone - is 25 today

(25yearsoldtoday, 25years, hesonthephone, saintetienne, etiennedaho, saintetiennedaho, weekendarome, brianhiggins, heavenlyrecordings, popmusic, bobpetesarah) 		Photo
October 29, 2020

1990

Photograph: Chris Clunn

(bobandpete, bobstanley, rocking_bob, petewiggs, needhamsound, harringtonjacket, cencijumper, skysdead, onlylovecanbreakyourheart, kissandmakeup, foxbasealpha, saintetienne) 		Photo
October 28, 2020

Seattle 1998

(saintetienne, goodhumortour, goodhumor, seattle, 1998, arospace, subpop, concertposter, concertposters, concertposterart, gigposter, gigposters, bobpetesarah) 		Photo
October 27, 2020

1998

Photograph by: Hamish Brown

(bobpetesarah, goodhumor, sylvie, losethatgirl, thebadphotographer, popmusic, ninetiesstyle, malmo, sweden, torejohansson, hamishbrown, hbsauce14, heavenlyrecordings, saintetienne) 		Photo
October 26, 2020 (Three Photos)

Croydon Municipal

Croydon Municipal was a CD label I ran from 2013 to 2016, when I rested it after I began doing re-issues for Ace Records. The idea was that it was an extension of making tapes for people, something I'd been doing since I was 15, when I had started to build up a decent record collection.

Everything on Croydon Municipal was public domain, or out of copyright, so all from 1962 or before. Many of the comps were done with the help (and mighty 45 collection) of Martin Green (watch out for our Choctaw Ridge comp on Ace early next year). The catalogue number was based on my home town's postcode, there were meant to be 22 releases, but distributors Cherry Red pulled the plug before we could release Soho Nocturne, or CR9 017. So there are only 21 releases. Top tip for this week - Songs For Swinging Ghosts!

(croydonmunicipal, bobstanley, rocking_bob, martingreen, martin-green-sound, eddiecalvert, sylvievartan, theenchanters, adamfaith, johnbarry, johnnydankworth, doowop)

Saint Etienne Disco Note: Check out the Croydon Municipal section of the Disco here 		Photos
October 25, 2020

Sarah Cracknell

Photograph: Matthew R Lewis

(sarahcracknell, saintetienne, matthewrlewis, matthewrlewisportraits, portraits, whistles, thisiswhistles, selectmagazine, nintiesstyle, bobpetesarah)

Saint Etienne Disco Note: Postcard photo included with Sarah Cracknell Take The Silver 7 Inch record. 		Not Available
October 25, 2020

Pete Wiggs - Rome 1994

Photograph: Jane Miftah Elidrissi

(petewiggs, rome, roma, romanholiday, sidestreets, 1994, persol, bensherman, bobpetesarah, saintetienne) 		Photo
October 23, 2020 (Two Photos)

50,000,000 Saint Etienne Fans Can't Be Wrong

We lied about the gold lame suits, they had another outing on the Foxbase Alpha anniversary tour - we just weren't KLF enough to set fire to them, although I don't think they were quite worth 1M Pounds. Mine's hanging in my wardrobe, it's lost some of its shimmer but it makes me smile when I notice it amongst my slightly less flamboyant togs.

Pete Wiggs - October 2020

Photograph by: Julia Maloof
Suits by: Paul, Berwick Street, London

(timeoutmagazine, timeoutlondon, timeout, 1993, juliamaloof, juliamaloofverderosaphoto, juliamaloofverderosa, elvispresley, elvis, goldlame, goldlamesuit, paulthetailor, bobpetesarah, saintetienne) 		Photos
October 22, 2020 (Two Photos)

LoveCut.db

Shortly before joining Saint Etienne I was one half of an electronic duo called LoveCut DB, with one my oldest friends Douglas Benford

Sarah Cracknell - October 2020

I met Sarah at a fab social hub, the Adam & Eve pub, in Windsor in the late 80s. The pub was frequented by everyone that was anyone, copious musicians and DJs, from the Boys Own peeps inc Mr Weatherall, to local bands such as Soul Family Sensation, Mexico 70, with visitors like Felt and the Primals. I was dabbling in ambient stuff and rave records myself, putting my own pop ambitions aside, with the Si-cut.db project, which spawned LoveCut.db as a side thing, with Sarah. There were subsequently three LoveCut db 12 Inchs which resurfaced on Suburbs Of Hell compilations.

Douglas Benford - October 2020

(lovecutdb, douglasbenford, the_d_benford, sarahcracknell, heartspin, fingertips, journeytothecentreoflove, suburbsofhell, soulfamilysensation, mexico70, felt, saintetienne)

Saint Etienne Disco Note: for Douglas, Lovecut DB, and Suburbs Of Hell information and discography click here 		Photos
October 21, 2020

You're In a Bad Way



(etienneon45, seveninchsingle, 7inch, 1993, youreinabadway, californiasnowstory, heavenlyrecordings, hvn25, iancatt, bobpetesarah, saintetienne) 		Photo
October 20, 2020

Heathrow Airport 1998

Photograph: Paul Kelly

(heathrow, heathrowairport, 1998, adidasbag, adidas, adidassler, goodhumor, spacetravel, paulkelly, paulkellyfilm, bobpetesarah, saintetienne) 		Photo
October 19, 2020

How We Used To Live

We first saw Julian Opie's artwork at an airport - it was an installation of figures on a walkway. Very clean and simple, and we liked the way it was commercial art that worked really well in a commercial setting. Proper pop art. We got in touch, and he was a gent. Aside from the Sound Of Water artwork, he designed some lightboxes that we took on tour over the next year. They ended up in Pete's greenhouse, and looked rather mossy when we returned them to Julian. I like the idea they belong to some Russian art investor who has little bits of a Croydon back garden secretly lurking in his collection.

Bob Stanley - October 2020

(julianopie, julianopieart, howweusedtolive, soundofwater, dotallison, aim, mantrarecordings, roseneck, redsetter, bobpetesarah, saintetienne) 		Photo
October 18, 2020

Berlin 1999

Photograph: Rachael Cassells

We wanted to record Sound Of Water in Berlin because we'd had such a good experience making Good Humor in Malmo, and - well, we liked the idea of doing a Berlin album. We were listening to a lot of electronica at the end of the 90s, and saw Kreidler playing at the Buffalo Bar at Highbury Corner. We talked to their bassist Stefan afterwards and got on really well. So, that bit was easy. The tricky bit was dealing with Berlin in winter - it was bloody cold. The studio was in the old east (a converted piano factory) and we stayed in a very Weimar flat in the old west. The divide was still pretty obvious in 1999.

Bob Stanley - October 2020

(berlin, kurfurstendamm, 1999, soundofwater, torococorot, kreidler, eastberlin, bobpetesarah, saintetienne) 		Photo
October 17, 2020 (Two Photos)

1990

Picture by: Joe Dilworth

Me and Bob in our fresh clothes from Cenci in Covent Garden, they had loads of great vintage Italian clothes there, most didn't fit me properly but I still bought them hoping to get away with it. Bob used to insist I sat in front of him on the bus like I was his driver (joking). This was a Joe Dilworth shot - we loved going to his studio, it was like being in Blow Up (without the murder, nude romping, etc).

Pete Wiggs - October 2020

(petewiggs, bobstanley, londonbus, londontransport, onthebuses, doubledecker, topdeck, cenci, cencicoventgarden, joedilworth, onlylovecanbreakyourheart, saintetienne) 		Photos
October 16, 2020

Smash Hits Poster

Photograph: Jamie Fry

(smashhits, smashhitsmagazine, smashhitsposter, poster, pinups, 90sstyle, jamiefryphotography, saintetienne, bobpetesarah, bobstanley, petewiggs, sarahcracknell, sotough) 		Photo
October 15, 2020 (Five Photos)

Foxbase Alpha - 29 today

(heavenlyrecordings, foxbasealpha, touchedbythehandofjoemeek, vodlives, arthurlee, elvispresley, adrienneposta, rodstewart, collinnekink, littlerichard, dirkbogarde, mariannefaithfull, judygeeson, mikenesmith, brianwilson, lesliecarron, mickeydolenz, audryhepburn, billyfury, barrygibb, bobpetesarah, saintetienne)

SaintEtienneDisco Note: Foxbase Alpha turned 29 on October 14, 2020 in the UK. The understanding is the European/German pressing may have been released in September. 		Photos
October 14, 2020

Tiger Bay

From our educational program music genres 101 or should that be 909 arf arf. This was from around the time of Tiger Bay, we were all excited about the way electronic music was heading and were very happy to have enlisted the supreme programming talents of Rick Smith of rising stars Underworld on our latest endeavour. (although we don't look outwardly very happy, inside we're beaming).

Pete Wiggs - October 2020

Photograph: Jamie Fry

(tigerbay, ricksmith, underworld, roland909, roland808, roland, techno, graffiti, jamiefryphotography, likeamotorway, bobpetesarah, saintetienne) 		Photos
October 13, 2020

The Forum, Kentish Town - June 2nd 2000

This was a fun show. The crowd were very lively as I recall and wouldn't let us leave the stage. I'm really looking forward to playing live again next year

Sarah Cracknell - October 2020

Photograph: Johnny Green

(forumkentishtown, o2forumkentishtown, london, 2000, soundofwater, mantrarecordings, howweusedtolive, heartfailedinthebackofataxi, bobpetesarah, saintetienne, live, tour, gig, gigphotography, kenzo, johnnygreen, johnnyintheechocafe) 		Photos
October 12, 2020 (Four Photos)

English Weather - a compilation album by Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs

English Weather was the first compilation me and Pete did for Ace Records, after brief re-issue stints with Zonophone and Eclipse. This time we didn't have our own imprint but (much more important) we got a free hand with the track listing and the artwork. The idea was Britain on the first day after the sixties - progressive rock hadn't yet solidified into a genre, psychedelia hadn't quite gone away. Things felt slightly directionless for British rock but there were plenty of ideas buzzing around - periods of flux like this tend to produce the most adventurous and individual music. The sound on English Weather was gently optimistic, but rainy and reserved; Peter Mitchell's cover shoots suited the mood. We followed it with a kind of Volume 2 called Occasional Rain at the start of this year.

Bob Stanley - October 2020

(englishweather, acerecords, compilation, matchingmole, robertwyatt, johncale, caravanband, camelband, vandergraafgenerator, johnpeel, bobstanley, rockinbob, petewiggs) 		Photos
October 11, 2020 (Two Photos)

So Tough - Sarah Cracknell 1973

These photos were taken by my dad in 1973, he was a keen photographer so I was a really well documented kid! These were taken on the same day as the So Tough cover shot. I'm by the Thames in Windsor, just along from a small children's fair run by an old man who went by the name of Pop. There was a small train and a few other things like boat swings and a cup and saucer ride, they also had candy floss and ice cream cones with a flake! I bloody loved it there

Sarah Cracknell - October 2020

Photography: Derek Cracknell

(windsor1973, derekcracknell, sarahcracknell, swan, windsor, riverthames, thames, hushpuppies, hushpuppiesshoesuk, saintetienne) 		Photos
October 10, 2020

The Face Magazine - 1991

This was shot for The Face who were great supporters of ours from the very beginning. It was such a key magazine for me growing up as it always had the perfect mix of culture, style, music and fashion and I was so pleased to see it's return last year. That said, I remember the photographers assistant threw a bucket of water over us without warning. We were about to head off for a lunch meeting with our US label after the shoot, hence the menacing stares into the camera lens! All water under the bridge now though, ha!

Sarah Cracknell - October 2020

Photograph: Richard Burbridge

(theface, thefacemagazine, richardburbridge, bobpetesarah, umbrella, showerscene, foxbasealpha, oxfam, fredperry, saintetienne) 		Photo
October 9, 2020

10pm tonight on Twitter 		Photo
October 9, 2020

Split Screen Live visual created by Paul Kelly (paulkellyfilm)

(paulkellyfilm, splitscreen, goodhumor, sainetienne, gigvisual, livevisuals, gigprojections, bobpetesarah) 		Video
October 8, 2020

Bob Stanley - April 1994

Portrait by John Stoddart

Remember to join Bob and Tim Burgess for a So Tough album listening party at 10pm (UK time) on Friday 9th October. Cue up your copy of the album, turn the dial to Twitter and join in the conversation.

(timstwitterlisteningparty, rocking-bob, ogenesisrecords)

(bobstanley, rocking-bob, saintetienne, tigerbay, halcyonhotel, johnstoddart, johnstoddartphotography, paulsmithdesign, johnsmedleyknitwear, 1994)

(sotough, listeningparty) 		Pictures
October 7, 2020 (Two Photos)

Casino Classics - released this day in 1996

Sleeve photography by Elaine Constantine

An album of Saint Etienne remixes featuring contributions from

(andrewweatherall, thechemicalbrothers, aphextwin, underworld, davidholmes, monkeymafia, deathinvegas, broadcast, broadcasttheband, pfm, secretknowledge, lionrock, justinrobertson, sureispure, wayoutwest,primax)

(remixalbum, casinoclassics, saintetienne) 		Pictures
October 6, 2020

Manchester Uni - May 26 2000

It was the first time I photographed Saint Etienne, who I'd loved to death ever since hearing Foxbase Alpha back in sixth form, in Leicester. I'd seen them live twice before: Leeds Poly on the Tiger Bay tour and at Glastonbury, who knows what year. I remember a friend seeing them in Liverpool with Pulp supporting in 1994. How I'd loved to have gone to that.

By now I was living back in Leeds and had my first job as a photographer, though the jobs I had to shoot possessed nothing of the soul and beauty of Saint Etienne. It was after work that I'd photograph all the things I love, and one of these is Saint Etienne. It was the Sound Of Water tour, yet another beautiful album by the band. The sentiment of How We Used To Live still resonates madly within me and not many bands would encore with Just A Little Overcome. And any gig where both Nothing Can Stop Us and Only Love Can Break Your Heart are played, is a great gig. Even the mighty Neil Young hasn't done this, although I'd love to hear his take on Nothing Can Stop Us. I wonder if the heavenlyness might work both ways?

Johnny Green, Instagram: johnnyintheechocafe

(saintetienne, gig, gigphotography, manchester, manchesteruniversity, hopandgrape, universityofmanchester, sarahcracknell, soundofwater, tour, livemusic) 		Picture
October 5, 2020

Nothing Can Stop Us

This was one of the first shoots I did with Bob and Pete after I'd sung Nothing Can Stop Us. The East German motorbike was Joe Dilworth's. Carefree times!

Sarah Cracknell - October 2020

Photograph: Joe Dilworth

(nothingcanstopus, saintetienne, 1991, bobstanley, sarahcracknell, petewiggs, lamentforcement, joedilworth, mz, mzzschopau, motorbike) 		Picture
October 4, 2020 (Three Pictures)

We were overwhelmed by all the responses to yesterday's competition. It was a very hard task to choose just three from all the fantastic answers you sent in. We've (had a minion) compile a top 40 of the singles you chose in order of popularity with Like A Motorway romping in at number one just three votes ahead of Only Love Can Break Your Heart.

Congratulations to our three winners - swipe for the next image to see who you are - and thanks to everyone who took part. We'll be in touch with the winners for your addresses shortly. This was a lot of fun and we’re hoping to see you in 2021 for some live shows.

Lots of love Bob, Pete and Sarah xxx

(competitiontime, pocketcall, saintetienne, favouriterecords, youreinabadway, onlylovecanbreakyourheart, nothingcanstopus, joinourclub, avenue, likeamotorway, whodoyouthinkyouare, tonight, burntoutcar, sidestreets) 		Pictures
October 3, 2020

Competition

To celebrate our 100th instagram post we thought we would host a small competition. Up for grabs are three copies of the rarest Saint Etienne single Pocket Call which was an edition of just 300 seven inch records that came with early pre-orders for the Saint Etienne photo book in 2014. All we want you to do is post a message in the comments below stating the title of your favourite Saint Etienne single followed by your reason why. Your answers can be as long or as short as you like. All entries must be posted here today - Saturday 3rd October 2020. We will review all the answers tomorrow morning (UK time) and post the names of our three favourite answers by early evening UK time. We'll then contact each winner for an address to send the Pocket Call 7 Inch to.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Love Sarah, Bob and Pete xxx

(competitiontime, pocketcall, saintetienne, favouriterecords, youreinabadway, onlylovecanbreakyourheart, nothingcanstopus, joinourclub, avenue, likeamotorway, whodoyouthinkyouare, tonight, burntoutcar, sidestreets) 		Picture
October 2, 2020

So Tough - Tim's twitter listening party

Cue up your copy of So Tough, turn the dial to Twitter and join Bob and Tim Burgess to listen to and talk all things So Tough at 10pm (UK time) tonight (Friday 2nd October). There's a link for So Tough on Spotify in our bio.

(timstwitterlisteningparty, ogenesisrecords, rocking-bob, sotough, listeningparty, saintetienne, timburgess)

SaintEtienneDisco Note: this may be an error as this was originally scheduled for October 9th, 2020 		Picture
October 1, 2020

Places To Visit was a stop gap between our short stay at Creation and Beggars Banquet. Before we set off on a US tour, Sub Pop asked if we could do an EP to tie in. Pete had just set up the first Needham Sound at his place in Maida Vale, and we used the opportunity to experiment a little, like our version of Felt's Let The Snakes Crinkle Their Heads To Death. Meanwhile our friends Marcus and Holger in Berlin ran the Bungalow label. Would we like to release something on Bungalow? Yes we would, and so they released it on 12 inch vinyl, with the additional Garage For Gunther, so we became labelmates of the excellent Pop Tarts. The cover, like 52 Pilot, was taken from an old copy of Architectural Review.

Bob Stanley - October 2020

(placestovisit, saintetienne, subpop, subpoprecords, bungalowrecords, thepoptarts, berlin, thearchitecturalreview, shopposter) 		Picture

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