S/T

Description

The band Lo Yo Yo was formed in London in 1984 by John "Alig" Pearce after the dissolution of his legendary group Family Fodder. Joined by Mick Hobbs (The Work, Officer!), Joey Stack, and Carrie Brooks, the quartet blended elements from their previous projects with a strong dub/reggae influence, in the spirit of bands like The Raincoats, Naffi, and Amos & Sara. Just before recording their only studio album with Charles Bullen (This Heat), the band self-produced a demo on an eight-track reel-to-reel tape recorder. Reissued for the first time by Concentric Circles, these recordings capture a more urgent and less polished Lo Yo Yo. While several tracks were later re-recorded, they overflow here with energy, driven by Alig's heavy bass lines, polyrhythmic percussion, and Stack's sharp, socialist lyrics. The result is a rich and layered DIY production that belies its modest origins, balancing angular post-punk with irresistibly catchy pop choruses. This release reveals a missing piece of the arty and dubby puzzle of 80s post-punk, a piece that deserves to be listened to, and perhaps even danced to.