What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast

In this episode of What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast , author Jon Woolcott talks about The Tattooed Hills , his new book about the chalk figures of southern England, including the Uffington White Horse, cover star of XTC’s English Settlement . “It’s timeless, simple and classic,” Andy Partridge tells him in the final chapter of the book.   With fellow XTC fan Chris Badley , we talk abou...

Exactly 50 years after XTC last played the Town Gardens Bowl in Swindon, drummer Terry Chambers is returning to the open-air art deco venue with EXTC. In this episode of What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast , Terry talks about celebrating his 21st birthday in 1976 and his 71st birthday in 2026 – and the many gigs he has played in between. The all-day event on 18 July at the Town Gardens Bo...

In a Record Store Day exclusive, XTC are releasing Live Boots , a double-LP recording of their gig at Emerald City, New Jersey, on 17 April 1981 – exactly 45 years ago. Sitting behind the sound desk for that gig was Gary Bradshaw , this month’s guest on What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast . In a revealing interview, Gary talks about graduating from guitar tech to sound engineer and onward...

Fireball XL5, All Along the Watchtower, Cut It Out, Go+, Take Away/The Lure of Salvage, Living Through Another Cuba …   There are more – and they’re all examples of XTC’s early experiments with dub. In this special two-hour edition of What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast , we are exploding together as we go on a deep dive into XTC’s fascinating adventures in sound.   Sharing their love of...

The first episode of What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast of 2026 includes not one but two interviews.   The first is with photographer Kathleen Hiraga , who took pictures of XTC at Hurrah! in New York City on 16 January 1980 – a gig that wound its way onto The Rhythm bootleg album. On her website , she is selling copies of her favourite images.   The second is with Tom Morley , the origin...

Twenty-five years after its release, Wasp Star remains XTC’s final statement. So how does the album stand up? Is it underrated? Is it neglected? Is it eclipsed by Apple Venus ? And is it in need of some more love?   In this month’s episode of What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast, we head to the west of Scotland where Glasgow-based XTC fans Stephen Hope, Lorraine Lee, Alison Eales and David...

In this month’s episode of What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast we return to the 2025 XTC Fan Festival to hear Ian Gregory who, under the pseudonym of EIEI Owen, was the drummer in XTC’s psychedelic alter ego the Dukes of Stratosphear. He is also the brother of Dave Gregory.   What Do You Call that Noise? The XTC Podcast is sponsored by Burning Shed , the online home for all XTC CD, vinyl...

In this month’s episode of What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast we return to the 2025 XTC Fan Festival to hear engineer and producer Hugh Padgham remembering his work on Drums and Wires, Black Sea and English Settlement , not to mention his time with Brian Wilson, the Police, Phil Colins and many others.   The episode also features a review by Jonathan Jacques of the new Atmos remix of Dru...

This episode of What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast features a fascinating conversation with Stu Rowe recorded at the 2025 XTC Fan Festival in Swindon. Stu talks about working with Andy Partridge, Colin Moulding, Terry Chambers, Barry Andrews, Peter Blegvad and Jen Olive on everything from the 3 Clubmen to Gonwards .   XTC-inspired music comes courtesy of Callum Wilson and Nick Lacey   Ca...

This episode of What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast features a highly entertaining conversation between XTC guitarist Dave Gregory and fellow musician Thomas Walsh (Pugwash) recorded at the 2025 XTC Fan Festival in Swindon. The interview covers everything from facial hair to inspirational guitarists. The episode also includes a round-up of the weekend’s events from first-timers Gayle Rama...

In this episode of What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast, we join Alfredo Marziano , the author of the newly published XTC: Skylarking – A Life in A Day, the Making of a Pop Classic. This 152-page book draws on archive material and original interviews to go on a deep dive into the record that many XTC fans regard as the band’s finest.   As well as setting the scene, describing where the ban...

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 several cover bands. They include our guests in this...

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, lyrical ambiguity and following her musical i...

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 the company of Professor Penelope Letterhead…  ...

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 clapping on Don’t Lose Your Temper .   Recorded...

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 especially for his husband Niall Milligan. As well as...

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 songwriter; Ben Wardle, who paved the way for one of...

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 results take us on a fascinating journey from the...

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 studio in North London for a playback session of...

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 results take us on a fascinating journey from the...

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 English Settlement in the centre of Swindon.   Ar...

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 sessions, Andy Partridge as a sumo wrestler and cre...

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 throughout the summer.   EXTC website     Music from Felix...

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 Small Puddle . As well as being Ian’s drummer, Lee...

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.” Fellow producer Guy Sigsworth joins Mark Fisher...