Red Guitars are thrilled to announce their second UK tour in two years. This highly anticipated news comes on the back of last weekend’s sold out two hour set in Hull to launch their 40th anniversary edition red vinyl and video of their number 1 Indie hit Good Technology 2023. The audience were treated to a mix of all the original favourites together with a selection of new songs revealed for the first time.
The Good Technology 2023 tour takes in 12 UK dates and we are delighted that support for the tour (except Sheffield) will be our friends Liverpool based band The Room.
“Just listening to a pre-release copy of Red Guitars extended 2023 remix of ‘Good Technology.’ And I don’t believe what I’ve heard. By a country mile, one of the greatest pieces of music I’ve heard in YEARS.” London Peaky
Red Guitars are vocalist Jeremy Kidd, lead guitarist Hallam Lewis, drummer Matt Higgins, rhythm guitarist John Rowley and Lou Duffy-Howard on bass. Initially cutting their teeth playing benefit shows for a series of left-wing causes in the early ’80s Red Guitars quickly built a loyal following before launching an assault on the charts with a series of singles via their own Self Drive Records label that would see them earn a nationally renowned status.
Proving an instant hit with their debut single, the quintet shifted an impressive 60,000 copies of their self-released “Good Technology” single, before going on to top the Independent Charts with consecutive No.1s with the classic cuts “Marimba Jive” and “Steeltown”.
Forging their own sound with a unique mix of infectious rock and African rhythms, the band quickly earned support from the tastemaker titles of the time including cult 1980s Channel 4 music TV show The Tube and the BBC’s Whistle Test, through to a number of memorable sessions for BBC Radio legend John Peel. The band were notably enjoyed by thousands when supporting The Smiths on their breakthrough tour too.
Releasing their seminal debut album ‘Slow To Fade’ in 1984, frontman Jeremy Kidd announced his departure soon after and Red Guitars ultimately disbanded completely two years later.
Fast forward to 2022 and Red Guitars returned with their complete and original line-up for what was their first tour since their 80s prime. The tour was a great success, with sell out shows and the band’s loyal followers turning out in force. June 24 th 2023 marks 40 years since Good Technology was released. The band are issuing a limited edition red vinyl 12” extended and augmented remix to celebrate the anniversary. A radio edit and remix of second single “Fact” is included along with a digital download of the tracks. A new video accompanies the release and following a sell out album launch in the band’s hometown of Hull, the ‘Good Technology 2023 UK Tour’ starts in September.
Shedding light on why the time is now right for the return of Red Guitars and what fans can expect from the upcoming live shows, Lou Duffy-Howard of the band says:
“We were contacted out of the blue by Steve Homer, CEO of worldwide events promotion company AEG Presents. He asked if we’d be up for a tour. We thought about it and the answer was … yes!…. We had such a great time with fantastic audiences that we’re doing it again. As well as all the singles and favourites from our first album we’ll be revealing one or two new songs before we start recording the new album. We’re delighted that our friends from Liverpool based band The Room will be our support for the tour. “
Wow, that was a hot one! We had a brilliant time, playing for two hours – a set of favourites and three new songs – to a sold out full house on the hottest night of the year. What an atmosphere!
Thanks to everyone who came along, sang along and jumped about at our Good Technology 2023 launch gig at O’Rileys, Hull. It was a whirlwind and we had a fantastic night. Thanks to Terra Fin for a superb set opening the show, Jeff Parsons on the SP404, and to Darren and the team at O’Rileys.
And a big thanks to everyone in the audience, especially all who travelled to Hull from far and wide for making it a fantastic night to remember!
Photos by Richard Duffy-Howard
Red Guitars are:
Jeremy Kidd vocals, Hallam Lewis lead guitar, John Rowley rhythm guitar, Lou Duffy-Howard bass, and Matt Higgins drums. Thanks to guest guitarist Jos Allen.
Look out for UK tours dates coming soon.
Good Technology 2023 Order Now! June 24th marks 40 years since Good Technology was released. Low stock remaining – limited edition red vinyl 12” extended remix to celebrate the anniversary. Info and pre-order at the link: https://redguitars.co.uk/goodTech12inch.html
“Just listening to a pre-release copy of Red Guitars extended 2023 remix of ‘Good Technology.’ And I don’t believe what I’ve heard. By a country mile, one of the greatest pieces of music I’ve heard in YEARS.” London Peaky Webzine
Feast your eyes on all nine and a half minutes of the brand new video which accompanies the extended re-mixed and augmented edition of Red Guitars number 1 Indie hit Good Technology – originally released 40 years ago to the day.
Good Technology 2023 – brand new video released today!
Feast your eyes on all nine and a half minutes of the brand new video which accompanies the extended re-mixed and augmented edition of Red Guitars number 1 Indie hit Good Technology – originally released 40 years ago to the day.
“Just listening to a pre-release copy of Red Guitars extended 2023 remix of ‘Good Technology.’ And I don’t believe what I’ve heard. By a country mile, one of the greatest pieces of music I’ve heard in YEARS.” London Peaky
Info:
The band are issuing a limited edition of 500, red vinyl, 12” extended remix to celebrate the anniversary.
Release Date: June 24th 2023 Track Listing: A: Good Technology 2023 Fact (Remix) AA: Good Technology 2023 (Extended Mix)
Remixed by John Rowley Good Technology, words and music by Stuart Ross, arranged by the Red Guitars
Good Technology 40th anniversary party – SOLD OUT
The Good Technology release party will be followed by a newly commissioned video and the band are planning a UK tour later in the year.
More records are arriving, thanks for your photos everyone. And thanks to London Peaky webzine for this fab comment:
“Just listening to a pre-release copy of Red Guitars extended 2023 remix of ‘Good Technology.’ And I don’t believe what I’ve heard. By a country mile, one of the greatest pieces of music I’ve heard in YEARS.” London Peaky
They are selling fast – good job we saved a box for Saturday’s launch gig!
We’re putting the final preparations into place for the 40th anniversary of Good Technology, a red vinyl 12″ remixed and augmented edition, a sold out anniversary party at O’Rileys in Hull and a new video, all of 9 and a half minutes long.
But cast your mind back to ten yars ago …
June 24th 2013 was the 30th anniversary of the release of the Red Guitars first single Good Technology. The lyrics – written by Stuart Ross – comprise a whole songful of evocative lines including the prophetic “We’ve got computers that can find us friends.”
So, to celebrate this momentous occasion we had a bit of fun with our computer-found friends on the RGs Facebook and RGs Twitter pages with a competition to write some new lyrics for the song.
Original coverRed Guitars in shop in San Francisco
Scroll down for the competition winning entries – not forgetting the honorary winner at the bottom of the list.
And if you want a reminder of the Red Guitars’ Good Technology, here is the video from The Tube…
Look out for our brand new video out on June 24th 2023
Good Technology – original lyrics by Stuart Ross
We’ve got photographs of men on the moon, We’ve got water that is good for us, We’ve got coffee that’s instantaneous, We’ve got buildings that are very tall, We’ve got cigarettes that are low in tar, We’ve got policemen can tell us who we are, We can reproduce a work of art, We’ve got missiles can tear the world apart, Good, good, good, good, good, good technology.
We’ve got trains that run underground, Aeroplanes that fly very fast, We’ve got music that is popular, We’ve got machines that sound like orchestra, We’ve got ability to transplant a heart, We’ve got freezers full of body parts, We’ve got computers that can find us friends, We know roughly when the world will end, Good, good, good, good, good, good technology.
We’ve got animals with transistors in, We’ve got pills that can make you slim, We’ve got factories turning frozen chickens out, We’ve got ovens that cook in seconds flat, We’ve got plastics that are indestructible, We’ve got deodorants that make us smell of flowers, We’ve got detergents to clean up the sea, We’ve got sounds can turn you inside out!
Sometimes I wonder what it is all about? There’s lots of leisure time to sit and work it out. There’s a tv show I’ve got to see, Good, good, good, good, good, good technology, Good technology.
Here are our favourite new whole song lyrics:
Eddie Coates-Madden’s Good Technology
We’ve got the NSA to read our every word We’ve got facebook to make us look absurd We’ve got hangouts because we’ve got no friends We’ve got a twitter hate that never ends We’ve got lifestyles that we keep in the cloud We’ve got an ology to make our parents proud We’ve got Starbucks so fresh and pure We’ve got the EDL who make us feel secure
Good, good, good, good, good, good technology
We’ve got Brian Cox to tell us everything And pretty Justin, but he can’t really sing We’ve got cinema downloading through the air We’ve got Will.i.am; a spinning chair We’ve got Wikieaks and nothing’s true We’ve got Monsanto. They know what’s good for you We’ve got Higgs boson when we accelerate We know language: we have google translate
Good, good, good, good, good, good technology
We’ve got animals, we gave them BSE We’ve got Botox to keep us twenty-three We’ve got factories but no-one works in there We’ve got a deficit, so we don’t really care We’ve got health food; would you like fries with that? We’ve got lipo to suck out all the fat We’ve got city streets that look the same We’ve got Murdoch, he knows your name
Sometimes I wonder what this is all about There’s lots on social media to help me work it out There’s a Jeremy Kyle show I got to see
Good, good, good, good, good, good technology. Good technology
Red Herring’s Good Technology
We’ve got photographs Of river beds on Mars We’ve got the building blocks To build us dinosaurs We’ve got satellites That see what we can see
Good, good, good, good, good, good technology
We’ve got printers That print 3D guns We’ve got bridges That we can ride for fun We’ve got a virus So that the blind can see
Good, good, good, good, good, good technology
We’ve got beauty Where there once were scars We’ve all got web sites We all are popular There’s a person That I’ve got to be
Good, good, good, good, good, good technology
Karl Oakes’ Good Technology
We have cosmetics, I look half my age We have blue tooth, ‘cos it is all the rage A V.A.D, were my heart should be A mobile network says, it will set me free We’ve got a product, it is in our food Makes us happy when, we’re not in the mood We got police, never on patrol We got neural lace book, it’s just mind control
Good, good, good…..
We got hate, sharp as a knife For technology, that controls our life Pull the power, switch off at the mains Don’t let it hard wire into your brains We named an atom, it is very small Just one split, and it blurs us all We have A.I. they are all our friends Their control, it never ends
Good, good, good….
The panel of Red Guitars judges chose these favourite lines…
We’ve {still} no jetpacks, but they’re coming soon (Paul Tucker) (I like the idea of a line about something that hasn’t actually happened yet – plus I’ve always wondered whatever happened to the promised jetpack…)
We’ve got city streets that {all} look the same (Eddie Coates-Madden)
We’ve got cameras to watch the streets all day (Gierran Jameson)
“We’ve got Will.i.am; a spinning chair.” (ECM)
More plausibly:
“We’ve got (high?) city streets that (all) look the same,” (ECM)
“We’ve got (mobile) phones, can tell us where we are,” (Rob Howard)
“We’ve got plans to go and mine the moon.” (Paul Tucker)
“We’ve got an ology to make our parents proud” (Eddie Coates-Madden)
“We’ve got valve amps that are solid state.” (Phil Redman)
And:
“We got neural lace book, it’s just mind control.” (Karl Oakes) I had no idea what neural lace was until I googled it – which puts it out of contention – still don’t really know but it’s something to do with Iain Banks who died last week, so an honourable mention I guess.
My fave, the one that stayed with me was ‘We’ve got memories of a more simple past’ (Katie Rain Lewis)
Also…
We’ve got politicians who HAVE, whilst we have not enough (Stim Citytigers) And to round it off….
We are all online but who is listening? (Nick Spence)
“We’ve got smartphones that can make you dim We’ve got 1000 channels but no one keeps an eye on things We are all online but who is listening? We’ve got Facebook, Twitter to complain about things Better ‘Like’ than actually protest and march about anything Good, good, good, good, good, good technology”
We’ve got memories that we can share on line …
We’ve got mp3s that play happily and mobile phones to call us in for tea
We’ve got phones that can tell us where we are.
We’ve got Facebook that can find us friends… and photo shame-sites; for when the romance ends.
We’ve plans to go and mine the moon, we’ve no jetpacks, but they’re coming soon
“We’ve got surgeons who could transplant my face, Hadron Collider will blow us into space… good, good, good, good, good, not so good technology
We’ve got cameras to watch the streets all day We’ve got sounds to keep the youths away We’ve got Photoshop to make us seem thin GPS can tell us where we’re wanderin’”
“We’ve got Red Guitars…remastered on CD Videos on you tube…I thought I’d never see If there is one thing I’d like for free It’s the new CD…Good technology”
We’ve got telephones, that can run our lives
“We’ve got high-speed trains/prisoners/hospitals etc that are privatised, we’ve got internet full of cyber-spies.”
We’ve got Simon Cowell on 3D TV, we’ve got cup cakes that are gluten-free
We’ve got City in the Premier League
We’ve got downloads for our mobile phones.
We’ve got men who think they are fish
At the end of the day it’s hard to beat the legendary Eddie Smith’s “We’ve got photographs of men on the bog.”
Red Guitars CD
Good Technology – In the words of Paul Du Noyer in the NME on 27/08/83
Via one delicious melody and an ominously building beat, Red Guitars itemise the sundry achievements of modern science, from underarm personal hygiene to the hardware of instant Armageddon. In so doing, the song constructs an unforgettable vision of a world that’s grown too clever by one-and-a-half at least.”
Red Guitars talking heads feature in last month’s Record Collector magazine. Thanks to Tim Naylor for the questions, we had fun with the answers
Politically charged 1980s indie stalwarts and proud citizens of Hull, Red Guitars are back to celebrate 40 years in the business.
Red Guitars: Jeremy Kidd – vocals, Hallam Lewis – lead guitar, John Rowley – rhythm guitar, Lou Duffy-Howard – bass, Matt Higgins – drums
What film could Good Technology soundtrack?
Matt: Threads.
Hallam: The latest Chat GPT promo video.
JR: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
What is planned for Red Guitars fortieth anniversary celebrations?
JR: A red vinyl 12″ remix, a terrific gig in front of our home crowd, and a few surprises!
Matt: Lots of fun, nostalgia and also new stuff.
You’ve re-recorded Good Technology and Fact for a limited 12” single – any other plans in the pipeline for recording?
JR: The new material is sounding fantastic and we’ll start recording tracks for the new album very soon.
Is there anything unissued and languishing in the vaults?
JR: There are some old songs but they have curses put on them and must never see the light of day.
Matt: There is, but some of it needs to stay there!
What have the various band members been up to in the intervening decades?
Hallam. Languishing in the vaults
Lou: Rockin’ in the free world.
JR: Mostly International banking and the weapons industry
Matt: Too embarrassing to mention.
As one of the most successful independent bands in the mid-eighties would you rather be a big fish in the indie pond or an aspiring act on a major label?
Hallam. Big fish – the illusion of success is preferable.
JR: Is always good when you’ve never really made it. Your credibility remains high.
Lou: The former with the possibility of an exciting future over the horizon.
Who are your favourite indie bands or artistes from the last few years?
Hallam. Michael Kiwanuka’s ‘Cold Little Heart’ was one of my fave tracks from the last decade or so.
JR: Ren stands head and shoulders above most things Ive heard in a long while. I still listen to local musicians. Bitmap are very good and deserve more exposure.
Lou: Gina Birch has a brilliant new single out. Bob Wayne, The Yawpers, North Mississippi Allstars, nearly everything on Fat Possum.
Matt: I love a band I heard recently called The Lathams.
The eighties were turbulent and political themes infused your work … if Red Guitars were starting out today, what would be grinding your gears?
JR: Jesus Christ! Where to begin? We thought Thatcher was crap!
Lou: The same, unfortunately.
Kier Starmer asks to borrow Good Technology as his walk-on music for a major conference speech… do the ayes or the nays have it?
Hallam: It’d be an ‘Aye’ from me – literally anything to rid ourselves of the current lot.
Lou: ‘Aye’ if he selects Jeremy Corbyn for Islington North.
JR: I’ll refer you back to the question about credibility.
Matt: Probably not.
Collaborations are all the rage – who would Red Guitars like to work with?
Matt: With the Matt Higgins band on his new triple album with the London Philharmonic and Rick Wakeman.
What were you listening to when you started out in the early 80s?
JK: As a teenager I was an avid reader of Zigzag magazine. John Tobler lived across the road from my school in Knaphill. Consequently I became a big fan of the British “pub rock” bands like Graham Parker and the Rumour, Kilburn and the High Roads and Bees make Honey as well as American West Coast bands like Clover, Love and Quicksilver Messenger Service. The Zigzag Fifth Anniversary concert at the Roundhouse in 1974 was amazing and certainly inspired me join a band myself.
JR: We all had very diverse musical tastes. I think that comes across in our material. It’s what made the band so special.
Lou: Velvet Underground and Hal’s Soweto compilation.
Matt: Public Image, The Clash, and of course, Sonya.
What was the last album you bought?
JR: Bob Log III, Log Bomb.
Lou: Hespèrion XXI – Codex Las Huelgas.
Hallam: Lost in the mists of time.
What was the first record you bought?
Hallam: Black Sabbath – the ‘Paranoid’ album
Lou: Ride a White Swan
Jeremy: The McCartney penned “World Without Love” by Peter and Gordon. It was a duff pressing and I had to take it back to Maxwell’s on the corner of Heathside Road and Station Approach in Woking.
JR: Kaiser Bill’s Batman by Whistling Jack Smith. Banging tune!
Matt: Joe Cocker With a Little Help From My Friends
Does anyone in the Red Guitars actually own a red guitar? And if yes, what?
They all have to be red. It’s stipulated in the band contract. Page 24 subsection 9.
Hal: Proud owner of cherry red Gibson 335, with P90s.
JR: Mine is a Gretsch Electromatic.
Jeremy: A 1964 Hofner Verithin, which I’ve had since 1982.
Lou: My orange Mustang bass has red go faster stripes.
Matt: I do & I can play it, unlike the likes of Lewis & Rowley who just twang. Who do you think REALLY played in the studio?
Red Guitars video shoot photo by Richard Duffy-Howard
In 1983 we went into Fairview Studio, owned by Keith Herd, where we recorded all our singles and album Slow to Fade. This was so exciting for all of us – a life changing time. Yesterday, 40 years on we had a lovely afternoon with Keith – a great catch up over pizza and cake in his garden in the sunshine. Here we are in Keith’s mastering studio, where we listened to music and looked through the original 1983 studio diary.
Whenever anyone in the music biz wanted to meet up we always invited them up to Hull. We spotted visits from Arista and Brian Morrison & Dick Leahy in the diary. Needless to say we weren’t impressed by any of them. The 40th anniversary remix of Good Technology is released on our own Self Drive label.
Good Technology 2023 – pre order your copy now!
June 24th marks 40 years since Good Technology was released. We are issuing a limited edition red vinyl 12” extended remix to celebrate the anniversary. A radio edit and remix of second single “Fact” is included along with a digital download of the tracks.
