Sweet and Tender Romance

Trust me #80 
Sweet and Tender Romance by The McKinleys

I always love when my sister Carla phones me up. I especially love it when she phones and I barely get a word in as she sets off telling me about her latest adventures, her creative energy burning bright, passion shining like the brightest stars. 

During the filming of her documentary Since Yesterday - The Untold Story of Scottish Girl Bands, Carla travelled to Dunbar to meet Jeanette McKinley to learn all about her time in Scotland's first girl band - The McKinley's! 

Carla told me about what she had learned; the glamour of the 60's - Jimmy Page playing on Sweet and Tender Romance, supporting The Stones at Wembley Arena, playing with The Beatles, being on Ready, Steady, Go!,  interest from Brian Epstein ... and then the tough stuff; no money, sharing a bed and a bag of chips on tour, being dropped ...

Since Yesterday reflects on The McKinleys and loads of other Scottish girl bands and redefines what success is. Whether that is simply getting on stage as teenage girls in front of hostile predominantly male crowds, recording Peel sessions or being in a band with your sister or your friends.

Carla raved about Sweet and Tender Romance and no wonder. This is 2 minutes and 9 seconds of 60's power pop. A pounding piano motif ushers in a cool groove before Jeanette and her sister Sheila create a Spector-esque wall of sound through the force of their harmonies. 

Jimmy Page comes in at 1 minute 13 seconds and lets rip on lead guitar. Page only plays for 15 seconds but it is electrifying. The sisters come back in for one final chorus, repeating the closing line several times and that's it. Glorious!

Like a leaf on the breeze

I fly high on the sky

Then I fall on my knees

When you whisper goodbye

Sweet and tender romance

Last night I had the absolute privilege of seeing and hearing Jeanette sing the song at Mono, following the Glasgow premiere of the documentary. Backed by the Hen Hoose band, Jeanette (in her 80's) still has it. We also had the delight of seeing Louise Rutkowski from Sunset Gun singing Be Thankful for What You Got and Rose McDowall bring the house down with Since Yesterday. All three were tremendous - once a pop star, always a pop star. We were then treated to the first performance in 40-years by Sophisticated Boom Boom who were beautifully raw and cool.

Anyway, back to Sweet and Tender Romance. Written by Bill Bates, Ken Lewis and John Carter, the song was originally released by Bick Ford in April 1963, PJ Proby was among another few artists to record and release the song in a little over a year before The McKinley's version. Many years later The Bangles would record the song. 

I love the pace and raw power of the song. There is teenage innocence portrayed through the lyrics, someone is completely head over heels in love. Jeanette and Sheila's voices are so natural together, I just fell for this song hook, line and sinker and hope you do too.

Sweet and Tender Romance is added to my Trust Me playlist; search for Everything Flows - Trust Me on Spotify or CLICK HERE 

Check below for all previous blogs in my Trust Me series.

Previous Trust Me blogs

1. Something On Your Mind by Karen Dalton

1A. Crimson and Clover by Tommy James and the Shondells

2. I Am, I Said  by Neil Diamond

3. Where's The Playground Susie?   by Glen Campbell

4. If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lighfoot

5. Gimme Some Truth by John Lennon

6. Gone With The Wind Is My Love by Rita and the Tiaras

7. In The Year 2525 by Zager and Evans

8. The Music Box by Ruth Copeland

9. The Ship Song by Nick Cave

10. Sometimes by James

11. I Walk The Earth by King Biscuit Time

12. Didn't Know What I Was In For by Better Oblivion Community Centre

13. When My Boy Walks Down The Street by The Magnetic Fields

14. The Man Don't Give A F**k by Super Furry Animals

15. All Flowers In Time Bend Towards The Sun by Jeff Buckley and Liz Fraser

16. Are You Lookin' by The Tymes

17. A Real Hero by College & Electric Youth

18. Feelings Gone by Callum Easter

19. Sunday Morning by The Velvet Underground

20. Did I Say by Teenage Fanclub

21. Don't Look Back by Teenage Fanclub

22. Your Love Is The Place Where I Come From by Teenage Fanclub

23. Belfast by Orbital

24. Clouds by The Jayhawks

25. Dreaming Of You by The Coral

26. Everlasting Love by Love Affair

27. Walk Away Renee by The Left Banke

28. Teenage Kicks by The Undertones

29. Shaky Ground by Sneeze

29. Rill Rill by Sleigh Bells

30. I Can Feel Your Love by Felice Taylor

31. The State We're In by The Chemical Brothers w/ Beth Orton

32. Sunshine After The Rain by Ellie Greenwich

33. Losing My Edge by LCD Soundsystem

34. Mondo 77 by Looper

35. Les Fleurs by Minnie Riperton

36. Rat Trap by The Boomtown Rats

37. How High by The Charlatans

38. I Can't Let Go by Evie Sands

39. Pop Song 89 by R.E.M.

40. Summertime Clothes by Animal Collective

41. There She Goes by The Las

42. We're Going To Be Friends by White Stripes

43. Autumn Sweater by Yo La Tengo

44. Sister Rena by Lomond Campbell

45. Revolution by The Beatles

46. Lazarus by The Boo Radleys

47. Wrote For Luck by Happy Mondays

48. American Trilogy by The Delgados

49. Loser by Beck 

50. Silent Sigh by Badly Drawn Boy

51. Comedy by Shack

52. Take The Skinheads Bowling by Camper Van Beethoven

53. Freakscene by Dinosaur Jr

54. Thank You For Being You by The Pastels

55. I Think I'm In Love by Spiritualized

56. Chestnut Mare by The Byrds

57. Cannonball by The Breeders

58. Like A Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan

59. You Make Me Weak At The Knees by Electrelane

60. Lucky by Radiohead

61. Strange Currencies by R.E.M.

61. I Am The Cosmos by Chris Bell

62. Like A Ship (Without A Sail) by Pastor TL Barrett and the Youth for Christ Choir

63. Nothing But A Heartache by The Flirtations

64. Made of Stone by The Stone Roses

65. Tonight In Belfast by Orbital, David Holmes, DJ Helen and Mike Garry

66. Anything by Adrianne Lenker

67. I Hold Something In My Hand by Bill Ryder-Jones

68. I Meant Every Word by Burnett Sisters

69. Dream Baby Dream by Suicide

70. Stove by The Lemonheads

71. Red Lady by Phil Cordell

72. Little Fluffy Clouds by The Orb

73. I Can Do It With A Broken Heart by Taylor Swift

74. Turnin' My Heartbeat Up by The M.V.P.'s

75. Razzle Dazzle Rose by Camera Obscura

76. Such Great Heights by The Postal Service

77. The Rat by The Walkmen

78. My God Has A Telephone by Aaron Frazer

79. Unfinished Sympathy by Massive Attack

Since Yesterday - The Untold Story of Scottish Girl Bands

The stars of Since Yesterday 

Those of you who visit my blog regularly will likely know that I have a younger sister, Carla, who I am immensely proud of. Carla has a fierce creative energy that burns incredibly bright.  Over the last 7 or so years, quite a lot of that energy has been invested in the making of a documentary entitled SinceYesterday - The Untold Story of Scottish Girl Bands alongside her friend Blair. 

While filming a music video together, an off-the-cuff remark along the lines of 'someone should do a film about Scottish girl bands' resulted in the duo beginning to track down and interview members of bands from the 60's up to present day.

Their time, energy, resilience, empathy, hard work and patience was rewarded earlier this week on Wednesday 21st August when their documentary premiered as the closing film at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. 

Photo by Euan Robertson

What began as a hobby quickly became quite serious, as Carla balanced being a music obsessive with top notch detective skills. Carla would phone me up enthralled to tell me about her day with Jeanette McKinley from The McKinleys who released Sweet and Tender Romance on Parlaphone in 1964. A young Jimmy Page played guitar with them, they supported The Beatles and played on Ready Steady Go! and with The Stones at Wembley Arena.

Sweet & Tender Romance by The McKinleys (audio)

Then Carla would tell me about The Ettes who were super DIY punk, Lung Leg who burst out of grunge and riot grrl, Sophisticated Boom Boom, His Latest Flame, The Hedrons and the wonderful tale of getting in a car with Rose from Strawberry Switchblade. Maybe that will make the book ... as there will be so much recorded that didn't make the film.

In 2021 I helped Carla and Blair take their project to the next stage by managing a kickstarter for them. 659 generous people raised almost £29,500 to allow them to develop animation, clear archive footage and bring other people on board. Suddenly, a film was appearing.

Fast forward (and it didn't feel so fast when Carla and Blair were spending weeks on end locked in an editing suite! ) 3-years and the film has arrived!

Since Yesterday is a global story told through a local lense. It's emotional, beautiful, funny, soulful, defiant and it gives a voice to some astonishingly creative, resilient and wonderful women. 

The documentary redefines success, celebrating landmark achievements that have been overlooked by the Scottish music scene and the wider industry at large. Sophisticated Boom Boom (morphing into His Latest Flame) were the first band to play The Barrowland as we know it, as they were the support act for Simple Minds. This is something that I am positive the good folk at The Barrowland will look to highlight in the venue after watching the film.

There are harrowing stories about sexual abuse being common at gigs, bands being dropped (or not even being signed) because a member was pregnant or 'could become' pregnant. Rightly, the film highlights the severe lack of diversity in publishing and at festivals. 

There are memories of how it felt to get in a room and make a noise with friends, reflections on tours, using cardboard boxes for drums and lots of funny stories - Rose McDowall could do stand up! While I love The Hedrons being interviewed together, they come across as a real gang and they giggle their way through the interview - laughing at the absurdity of 12-songs taking them around the world, but then recoiling in horror as they recall the reason why major labels rejected them.

Peel sessions, demo tapes, Smash Hits covers, Top of the Pops, supporting The Stones, Mick Jagger's catwalk, offers, rejections, fall-outs, make-ups, fanzines, touring, fun .... Since Yesterday covers all this and much, much more.

The interviews are moving, everyone opens their hearts to the camera. Carla's passion for music, her own experiences and strong feminist values must have helped with this. Blair has done a magnificent job in filming and congratulations to all the team for pulling together the interviews, old footage, memorabilia, photos and animation to create something that flows beautifully.

Since Yesterday brings us right up to the present day; Hen Hoose, Amplifi, The Cords and many more. Wonderful teenagers and women who are creating, fighting, advocating, inspiring, pushing boundaries and looking out for each other. The DIY ethic and sense of communities that are being created is exceptionally inspiring; focusing on safety, support, platforms and encouraging creativity and co-working. 

Who knows? Maybe in 20-years time there will be another documentary about them. 

Who knows where this film will go? Who will it inspire? But right now, my sister and her friends have united Scottish girl bands from the 60's to present day. They have told their stories and documented them on a film that has brought them together. That in itself, is a remarkable thing. I am intrigued as to what will stem and flower from the energy and community that I was part of for a while at the premiere. Well done to all involved.

I'm super proud of Carla and I am super proud of my youngest daughter Rosie who appears throughout the film, discovering all kinds of Scottish girl bands along the way and making friends to form her own band.

Rosie (natural poser!) and her Aunt Carla on the red carpet

Who knows if Rosie will form a band later in life?! She was buzzing at and after the premiere where she met so many strong women. The film could well position these women as role models for young girls who watch it over the months and years to come.

Here are some links (below) to interviews that Carla and Blair did ahead of and at the premiere. Lots more news to come!

The Skinny - interview by Fiona Shepherd

The Herald - interview by Lorraine Wilson

Snack Magazine - interview by Andrew Reilly (page 53 - August edition)

BBC - feature and interviews by Jonathan Geddes

The Guardian - feature and interview by Katie Hawthorne

Holywood Reporter - interview and feature by Lily Ford

Film Authority - feature

The Herald - 5 star review by Barry Didcock