The Null Device

Bowlie Nite

Seen on a flyer picked up from a record shop in Islington:
Bowlie Nite
1st Thursday of every month at Lounge Bar

DJ's
The Hatster
Kid Sinead and Friends
With regular guests including:
Billy Reeves (BBC London Live)

Playing Bowlie favourites such as: Free Design, Mamas & Papas, Beach Boys, Young Marble Giants, Stereolab, Belle & Sebastian, Black Box Recorder, Broadcast and a Bowlie shaking selection of 60s/French Pop, Northern Soul, 50's Jives and varied records of sweet and melodic sounds, old, new & rare!

The obverse of the flyer has a drawing from an old children's book of a little boy and girl running along a street, with a Belle & Sebastian lyric printed over it.

Does anyone know what the word "Bowlie" means in this context? I get the feeling it's a (new?) name for a twee-pop subculture, but why Bowlie?

There are 9 comments on "Bowlie Nite":

Posted by: idle Thu Oct 31 11:55:45 2002

it's all in the haircut

Posted by: Graham http://grudnuk.com Thu Oct 31 12:59:37 2002

There's a band called "Free Design"? What the hell is it with people taking off Stereolab song titles as band names? Someone hit me over the back of the head with a 4x2, please.

PS. I wore my Stereolab T to the You Am I gig (because I freakin' well could, OK?) and the one comment I got was from some bloke who looked like he'd be into all that other stuff.

I must stop being snooty.

Posted by: acb http://dev.null.org Thu Oct 31 19:17:37 2002

Either that or move to an inner city where there are other snooty people.

Posted by: walton lobot http://www.lobot.net Thu Oct 31 22:23:16 2002

"I dream of all the bowlie kids that hang around you, youre no different from the rest" (or something like that) <P> uhhuh, there is some sort of tie with the whole twee B+S thing, but my guess is more of a sub-sub-culture. <P> I could be wrong, but here is my take: The Bowlie was a club that kids in Scotland, the twee bunch, used to hang out there.. Belle and Sebastian made a few references to "Bowlie Kids" in their songs, and, well, give a kid a gun and what do you get? <P> Belle and Sebastian have swapped record labels if anyone cares.. Moved from Jeepster to Rough Trade, despite pretty much their whole entire debut album being a paeon to "saying no to the record man"

but, isnt Rough Trade The Smiths old label? maybe they couldnt resist..

Posted by: scott http:// Thu Oct 31 23:07:34 2002

free design was an enoch light (persuasive percussion?) produced sugar rush of a band from the late 60's. nice reissues on cornelius' label out of japan. http://www.rcb.easynet.co.uk/light/freedesign/

Posted by: acb http://dev.null.org Thu Oct 31 23:52:54 2002

Isn't Rough Trade part of Mute/EMI? And is it the same Rough Trade that signed The Smiths? I thought that one went out of business, and that's how Warner got the Smiths back-catalogue.

Posted by: Graham http://grudnuk.com Fri Nov 1 07:54:39 2002

Hmm... I've got this theory that the next Stereolab studio album might come out in Australia (prolly early next year) via Spunk/Inertia, owing to their ex-UK contract with Elektra having expired, since other Duophonic releases already being put out here by Spunk. Could be wrong, of course...

Posted by: Charlie http://www.threedworld.com.au Sun Nov 3 21:31:37 2002

Bowlie was the original name for what is now known as All Tomorrow's Parties - www.alltomorrowsparties.co.uk - the UK-based festival founded and curated by Belle & Sebastian. I think the name comes from a Glaswegian nickname for people with pudding-bowl haircuts, a popular style among indie types I suppose...

Posted by: Melanie http:// Sat Jan 8 11:20:53 2005

Bowlie also is an online community. For more info see: www.bowlie.com

randon comment - Free Design have a cool song called "I like kites", very Stereolab-esque , but i know nothing else about them at all.