It’s fan festival time again. Coming up on 20–22 June at the Mecca in Swindon, the sold-out 2025 XTC Fan Festival is a chance for friends old and new to come together and share in their love of all things XTC. On the line-up, as well as a trip to the Uffington White Horse, and interviews with Dave Gregory and Hugh Padgham, are performances from sev…

Twenty-five years after their final album, XTC continue to inspire new generations of musicians. In this episode of What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast, Grammy Award-winning songwriter Madison Cunningham talks about finding inspiration in River of Orchids, 1000 Umbrellas and Easter Theatre. The musician also talks about her love of a riff,…

How much further up the charts would Senses Working Overtime have climbed if the sleeve had been made of heavier material? What does the finish on the cover of Wait Till Your Boat Goes Down tell us about its sales? In this edition of What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast, we explore the fascinating relationship between XTC and cardboard in t…

To commemorate the death of Rick Buckler on 17 February 2025, this episode of What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast features an interview the drummer did with a group of XTC fans and fellow musicians in March 2018. Buckler recorded Sound Affects with the Jam at the same time as XTC were working on Black Sea and, indeed, he joined in with the…

Darryl Bullock was a massive fan of XTC, an avid record collector and one of the tireless organisers of the online and in-person XTC fan conventions. He died, way too young, on 23 December 2024. He was such a pillar of the fan community that this month’s episode of What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast is dedicated to him – with thoughts esp…

In this edition of What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast, we go behind the scenes to see how deals get signed, press releases get written and records get released. Joining us are Ronnie Gurr, who went from producing a punk fanzine to working in the Virgin press office; Mike Smith, who signed Andy Partridge to Warner Chappell Music as a songw…

In the second of a special two-part edition of What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast, supporters on Patreon ask questions they had always wanted Andy Partridge to answer that he never gets asked. The challenge was to come up with questions that would surprise, delight and generally intrigue the XTC frontman. They do not disappoint! The resul…

Ace remixer Steven Wilson has already given XTC’s 1986 album Skylarking a 5.1 surround sound makeover and now he has gone one step further with a mix in whizzy new Dolby Atmos, which means those glorious sounds come at you from every direction – including above. This episode of What Do You Call that Noise? The XTC Podcast heads to the L-Acoustics s…

In the first of a special two-part edition of What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast, supporters on Patreon ask questions they had always wanted Andy Partridge to answer that he never gets asked. The challenge was to come up with questions that would surprise, delight and generally intrigue the XTC frontman. They do not disappoint! The result…

From handing a tape to John Peel to encouraging Colin Moulding to write songs, Steve Warren is a key part of the XTC story. In a fascinating interview, he recalls befriending Andy Partridge as a child, working as a roadie for the Helium Kidz and touring the world with XTC. Also in this episode, Gaz Barrett describes how he commissioned a mural of E…

XTC fans were out in force at the Neo-Ancients festival in Stroud, Gloucestershire on Saturday 4 May 2024 when producer Hugh Padgham joined festival co-director Ben Wardle to talk about XTC’s English Settlement. Your dedicated podcast host, Mark Fisher, was on hand with his trusty tape recorder to share it with you. Hugh talks about drunken jam ses…

Terry Chambers and EXTC are back on the road and they are sounding fantastic. In this episode of What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast, we catch up with Terry, Steve Hampton and Terry Lines at the start of a tour that will take in more than 20 dates in the USA, from Philadelphia to Virginia, and further gigs and festivals in the UK throughou…

In the 50th episode of What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast, we go back to the formative years of XTC in the company of Ian Doeser and Lee Moulding. As well as being front man with the Hamsters from Hell, Ian was in Swindon’s first punk band, the Aggravators, and has been sharing his memories of XTC and others in a book, A Big Fish in a Sma…

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of XTC’s landmark album Apple Venus Volume I, producer Haydn Bendall talks to What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast about the fraught recording sessions that nonetheless resulted in such majestic songs as River of Orchids, Easter Theatre and Greenman. “The songs were fabulous,” he says. “I loved the songs.” …

In this month’s episode of What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast we hear from Jason Repantis who works as a manager at the Universal Music Group archives. It was his job to dig out the original tapes of The Big Express for the recent Steven Wilson 5.1 Atmos remix – as well as to locate the original recordings of the 3D EP which has just been…

Peter Pumpkinhead proclaims that "Any kind of love is alright" and gets nailed to a chunk of wood for saying so. What does that tell us about XTC's attitude to love and human relationships? In particular, how welcoming does this heterosexual band seem to those who aren't heterosexual themselves? This episode of What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC …

Steven Wilson has returned to XTC's 1984 masterpiece and given it not only a stunning 5.1 surround remix but also, for the first time with XTC, a Dolby Atmos mix. Released on 29 September 2023, The Big Express comes complete with a two-disc digipack sleeve and 16-page booklet. Mark Reed, Mark Smotroff, Jon Jacques, David White and Steve Cox have en…

Chris Braide, one of the most successful songwriters of his generation, talks to What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast about his collaborations with Andy Partridge, including Goodbye to You (Sister Shame) on Celestial Songs, the latest album by the Downes Braide Association, and the six-track Queen of the Planet Wow! EP expected out in 2024.…

As Steve Conte releases his Fourth of July single, the guitarist and singer talks about writing songs with his XTC hero, joining the New York Dolls and playing on stage with Chuck Berry. He also gives tantalising pointers to his forthcoming album of co-writes with Andy Partridge. This episode of What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast also inc…

Andy Partridge and Stu Rowe have been working together since the recording of Monstrance in 2006. Andy then produced Jen Olive's album Warm Robot in 2009 and Stu produced Jen's album The Breaks in 2013. Somewhere in between all that they laid down a series of improvisatory ideas that have become The 3 Clubmen EP. In this third episode, XTC's Andy P…

Ten years ago Stu Rowe, Jen Olive and XTC's Andy Partridge started working on material which, after all these years, is finally – and gloriously seeing the light of day. To celebrate the arrival of The 3 Clubmen, we're talking to each of the brilliant musicians in turn. This week, Jen Olive talks about the genesis of the 3 Clubmen EP as well as wor…

It's the music we've been awaiting for a decade – and now it's out! Stu Rowe, Jen Olive and Andy Partridge have gone public with The 3 Clubmen and their very wonderful eponymous four-track EP is released at the end of June. But with three such gifted musicians to choose from, what's a humble podcaster to do? There can be only one answer: three week…

Oh we do like to be beside the B-sides. In this month’s episode of What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast, Mia Rankin, Ashley LeCron, Crawford Blair and Mark Fisher pick their favourite non-album songs , ranging from She's So Square to The World Is Full of Angry Young Men. Music provided by Jeff Nicholson. The episode was inspired by Mia’s ra…

What happens when a Christian, a Humanist and a Buddhist congregate to talk about the songs of XTC? Will they give praise? Or will they be torn asunder? David White, Belinda Blanchard and Ash Jñānagarbha share a pew with Mark Fisher to discuss Dear God, Dying, The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead, Easter Theatre, The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul, Scat…

In the second of a two-part conversation for What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast, five fans, journalists and photographers recall what it was like to witness XTC explode onto the scene. On 20 January 1978, XTC released their debut album, White Music, setting our radios in motion for the next 45 years. Tony Mitchell, editorial staffer on So…

On 20 January 1978, XTC released their debut album with its defiant cry of This Is Pop! In the first of a two-part conversation for What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast, five fans, journalists and photographers recall what it was like to witness XTC explode onto the scene with White Music. Tony Mitchell, editorial staffer on Sounds, followe…

Illustration: Ashley LeCron In October 2020, we handed over What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast to a bunch of fans in their 20s. Time has passed and we're ready to hear from an even newer generation of XTC fans who are as wise and articulate as the last. In a lively conversation, Ashley LeCron, Lexie Ward, Lee Saunders and Lewis Wilkinson …

Picture © Lou Dommett Young What was it like to be on the road with one of the hardest working bands of the late 70s and early 80s? We find out from four veterans of XTC's touring years: drummer Terry Chambers, journalist Allan Jones and roadies Pete Dewhirst and Steve Warren. Many thanks to Mike Smith and Steve Manning and the other XTC Convention…

Picture © Lou Dommett Young One of the many highlights of the 2022 XTC Convention in Swindon was an in-depth interview with producer John Leckie. Talking to co-organiser Darryl Bullock, he recalled his formative studio experience working with former members of the Beatles and the excitement of going into the studio with XTC for their first two albu…

As they prepare for one last run around the block, the members of Fossil Fools, the UK's longest running tribute to XTC, talk about their origins, their famous fans and their appearance at the XTC Convention 2022. Under Mark Fisher's intense questioning about their final set list, Terry Arnett (drums), Ed Percival (guitar), Dan Farmer (keyboard) an…

It takes seven musicians to reproduce the sound of XTC when the fantastic Scarecrow People take to the stage. In this episode of What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast, we talk to three of them about keeping the XTC flame alive in Australia. As they prepare for their next gig at Camelot Lounge, Marrickville on 29 October 2022, Les Rankin (gui…

In this episode of What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast, we dig deep into the centre of the songs of XTC with a celebration of some of the band's best middle eights – and there are a lot to choose from. The musically minded XTC fans picking their favourites are: Crawford "Me and the Wind" Blair Kavus "Jason and the Argonauts" Torabi Sarah "…

What was it like being the eight-year-old asked to sing on XTC’s landmark album? Thirty-five years after recording Dear God, Jasmine Veillette looks back at the making of Skylarking with studio manager Ralph Legnini. And, in a podcast exclusive, the two of them reveal their plans to re-record Dear God with the support of a crowdfunding campaign (de…

In this month's episode of What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast, we reassess XTC's most frequently neglected album in the company of some of its biggest fans. Mummer is the eleventh in a series of XTC classics to be issued on 200g vinyl. Joining in the celebrations are sound engineer Crawford Blair, who was briefly a member of the XTC cover…

In this month's episode of What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast, we're thinking about XTC music played live – in the past and the present. Bass player Matt Hughes talks about joining EXTC and discovering the XTC catalogue, as he hits the road with Terry Chambers' band. Margaret Brown and Julie Matthews ask the questions. Julie also talks ab…

It was 18 March 1982 at La Palace in Paris when Andy Partridge left the stage for the last time, overwhelmed by the pressures of relentless touring and Valium withdrawal. Until that point, XTC were one of the hardest working live bands on the circuit and in this episode of What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast, music journalists David Nolan …

On 12 February 1982, XTC's English Settlement was released. Forty years on, What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast reunites guitarist Dave Gregory and co-producer Hugh Padgham to look back at the recording of one of the greatest ever double albums. They talk about favourite songs, hanging out at the Manor and Andy Partridge's after-hours tomf…

What does the Bishop of Leeds think of All of a Sudden? What does Pat Kane of Hue and Cry make of Leisure? What can classicist Charlotte Higgins tell us about Jason and the Argonauts? It's the 40th anniversary of XTC's English Settlement and, in the first of two special birthday episodes, What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast asks the expert…

What is the holy grail for the XTC completist? Is it the 7in Science Friction with picture sleeve? Or is it the 7in Wrapped in Grey that was never officially released? Or perhaps it's a one-of-a-kind poster from the days of Star Park. In this episode of What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast, dedicated collectors Darryl Bullock and Per Aronss…

Nick Heyward first saw XTC at the Croydon Greyhound in 1978, two days after the release of White Music. The Haircut 100 frontman has been a fan ever since. Thomas Walsh has written with Andy Partridge and collaborated with Dave Gregory. He also appeared on Colin Moulding's Say It. The two musicians talk about meeting their heroes, the collaboration…

After being delayed 18 months by the pandemic, Terry Chambers is finally out on the road, giving XTC classics the live airing they deserve with his new band EXTC. The drummer is our very special guest on this episode of What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast along with bandmate, frontman and all-round multitasker Steve Tilling. We also hear f…

Headphones at the ready as audio-guru Steven Wilson talks to What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast about his stereo mixes and 5.1 surround versions of XTC classics. Quizzed by three Marks – Fisher, Reed and Smotroff – the Porcupine Tree musician takes a deep dive into Drums and Wires, Black Sea, Skylarking, Oranges and Lemons and Nonsuch– no…

To mark the release of My Failed Songwriting Career Volume One, XTC's Andy Partridge talks about writing to order, the collaborations that work – and those that don't – and the perils of being a songwriter for hire. As well as sharing insights into the four songs on the first EP, the XTC frontman gives a sneak preview of the four that follow on Vol…

To mark the release of The Hardest Battle (2 July 2021), the mighty Colin Moulding talks about being true to himself, avoiding cliches and fighting off being beige. The XTC bassist and songwriter reveals the inspiration behind his first solo single since 1980's Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen to Mark Fisher, Sarah Palmer and Peter Mills, who ask: · W…

In this second deep dive into XTC's lyrical references, we talk about the flora and fauna of River of Orchids, the one-way traffic of English Roundabout and the coastal retreat of Bungalow. In a lively and, above all, morally uplifting discussion, we swing from the suburban angst of New Town Animal to the assembly-hall nostalgia of Harvest Festival…

After enjoying a stateside hit with The Freshmen in 1997, Brian Vander Ark of the Verve Pipe got the chance to write with his hero Andy Partridge. His band had already recorded a cover of Wake Up (and an unreleased Blue Beret) and now he'd fly to Swindon to co-write Blow You Away. It's a story he tells in Go Further: More Literary Appreciations of …

With their allusions to town and country, chalkhills and steam trains, XTC have deep Swindon roots. But how well do their references travel? In the first of two episodes exploring XTC's Wiltshire worldview, we look at the influence of British nursery rhymes on songs ranging from Ladybird to We're All Light, Ballet for a Rainy Day and Brainiac's Dau…

"You think they're going to zig and they zag," says Ami Parkerson about XTC. In this multinational episode, our guest presenter introduces fellow fans Orit Friedland, Ondine PM, Ursula Marie and Leslie Randall to talk about Ladybird, Church of Women, Take This Town, The Last Balloon and The Mayor of Simpleton – not to mention The Woman's Encycloped…

Guest presenter Kevin Winser discovers XTC are as good to read about as they are to listen to as he chats to three of the authors who have put the band in print. This episode features Chris Twomey, author of XTC: Chalkhills and Children, "the definitive biography", Todd Bernhardt, co-author with Andy Partridge of Complicated Game: Inside the Songs …

More than 40 years after its release, Making Plans for Nigel is still haunting the imagination. In this episode, Tom Clarke, formerly of The Enemy, explains why he has brought Colin Moulding's character into the 21st century on The Chronicles of Nigel. He's joined by Laurie Nankivell who talks about the influence of XTC on Squid, whose song Housepl…