The New English

Songs, photographs and stories from the 1980s

The New English were a London indie pop band of the late 1980s, built around Johnny Rasheed and Shareef C. A10, A12, A14

This archive gathers the tickets, posters, fanzine pages and publicity sheets that survive from those years, with the album and videos that later appeared online.

Every item has its own page, with a note on what it can and cannot prove.

Explore the archiveListen to the recordings

Black and white photograph of three people posed outdoors on a low brick wall under trees, cropped from an agency publicity sheet, with handwritten names beside it.
Detail of an undated band publicity sheet: the trio photograph and handwritten names. Full scan
Cream Rock Garden admission card for The New English at 'Breakthrough I', Monday 7 DEC, 7.30pm to 3am, £3.
Rock Garden admission card, Monday 7 December. No year is printed; 1987 is attributed.

At a glance

Origin
Fulham, south-west London, according to band publicity and a fanzine interview. A fanzine review says the East End, and a later account says Surrey. A08, A14, A09, B01
Genre
Indie pop, in the band’s own publicity. In a Reading preview Johnny Rasheed said the band wanted to drop that label and move towards soul pop. A12, A10
Active
1986 to 1988 according to a later account. The earliest dated review of the band is from 28 October 1986, and a poster is attributed to February 1990. B01, A05, A07
Line-up
A fanzine interview names Johnny Rasheed (bass, vocals) and Shareef (guitar) and credits the drums to a machine. Later accounts add Joz on vocals and Sara on drums. A14, A12, A09, B01
Recordings
London 1987, an eleven-track digital album listed with a release date of 2 January 2019. Its recording dates are not established. Discogs has a user-submitted entry for a 2001 CDr of the same title. B03, B05, B14
Later projects
Johnny Rasheed’s solo CD Inspiration (1993), and The Internationalists, an acoustic duo according to a later account. B04, B02
Not to be confused with
The New English Rock Ensemble, the 2005 album New English on Popster, or The New English Weekly. B22, B23

The story of The New English

The New English were a London indie pop band built around Johnny Rasheed and Shareef C. Band publicity says the pair grew up in Fulham in the late 1970s and early 1980s and first met at the age of eight, in a “jumpers for goals” football match in Normand Park. Their songs, the same sheet says, told true stories of teenage love in the schools, parks and pubs of south-west London. A08

A later account traces the partnership further back, to a duo called Years of Backwater in December 1983 and a group called The Fallen Idols in May 1985, with the name The New English adopted in May 1986. No contemporary document in this archive confirms those early dates. B02

The documents describe the line-up in different ways. A fanzine page printed in or after late March 1987 carries a photograph of three people and notes that Joz, the one in the middle, was no longer with the band. An undated interview lists Johnny on bass and vocals and Shareef on guitars, with drums by a machine the page calls “Sequestial”. An undated publicity sheet has the handwritten names Sara Hewes, Johnny Rasheed and Shareef C around a photograph of three people. Another sheet opens by calling the band “2 boys”, with part of the sentence blacked out. A09, A14, A12, A08

Their reference points came from the independent scene of the time. Interviews name Felt, Morrissey and the Redskins, and the publicity sheet adds the Woodentops, the Smiths and the Housemartins. In a Reading preview, Johnny said the band wanted to lose the “Indie Pop” tag and move towards soul pop. A14, A12, A10

Two live reviews anchor the story. A fanzine writer reported an audience of 25 at the Tunnel Club in Greenwich on a very wet Tuesday, 28 October 1986, and judged The New English the better band on the bill. At Le Beat Route on 23 February 1987, a review that probably comes from the same fanzine called them “the liveliest band out on the night” and recorded that this was their tenth gig since October. A05, A09

Band publicity claims support slots with the Brilliant Corners and Frank Chickens, a place at the Wimbledon Festival and a television appearance on Network East. Tickets and posters add the ordinary details of a working band: £3 at the Rock Garden, a 10.30pm stage time at Zeeta’s in Putney, £2.50 before ten o’clock in Reading. They show what was advertised, not what was played. A12, A08, A03, A04, A06

A later account places the end of the main period in March 1988. The name returned on a handwritten poster for a show with S.P.G. at the Bazooka, attributed to February 1990, and the songs reappeared much later, when London 1987 reached digital platforms on 2 January 2019. B02, A07, B03

Grainy black and white photograph of three men standing by a doorway and a brick wall, cropped from a fanzine page.
Three people by a doorway, on a fanzine page printed in or after late March 1987. The caption on the page names only Joz, the one in the middle, and says Joz is no longer with them. The other two are not named. See the whole page

the liveliest band out on the night

From the fanzine review of the 23.2.87 gig; the writer is not named on the review itself. See the whole page
Red-printed card from The World at Zeeta’s with The New English, Thurs 11th Feb and 10.30pm handwritten in.
Red-printed Zeeta’s club card with The New English, Thurs 11th Feb and 10.30pm written in by hand. No year is given; 1988 is attributed and the date is disputed. See the whole page

Timeline

This timeline of The New English runs from 1983 to 2019, and each entry is labelled by the kind of evidence behind it. Entries from later accounts are retrospective, and they do not corroborate one another.

  1. Years of Backwater reported formationReported only in a later account; no contemporary document in the archive confirms it.Later account B02
  2. The Swan performance reported for predecessor duoReported only in a later account; no contemporary document in the archive confirms it.Later account B02
  3. The Fallen Idols reported formationReported only in a later account; no contemporary document in the archive confirms it.Later account B02
  4. The New English name adopted according to later accountReported only in a later account; no contemporary document in the archive confirms it.Later account B02
  5. Tunnel Club live reviewContemporary document A05
  6. Le Beat Route live reviewContemporary document A09
  7. Get Ready recorded at Triple X Studios, according to an upload notePer the YouTube upload note; the channel sc101101 has not been identified as an official source.YouTube upload note Y04
  8. Publicity names Network East and Wimbledon FestivalClaims made by the band’s own publicity; the exact date is not established.Band publicity A08, A12
  9. End of original band period reportedReported only in a later account; no contemporary document in the archive confirms it.Later account B02
  10. You Make My Day Shine recorded at Cymbelline, Reading, according to an upload notePer the YouTube upload note; the channel sc101101 has not been identified as an official source.YouTube upload note Y03
  11. Poster for a show at the Bazooka, attributed to February 1990Year attributed by the archive. A YouTube upload note dates a Bonn recording to March 1990.Contemporary document, date attributed A07, B02
  12. The Internationalists reported formationReported only in a later account; no contemporary document in the archive confirms it.Later account B02
  13. Inspiration by Johnny RasheedCatalogue listing B04
  14. Bracknell performance attributed to The InternationalistsA later account places the performance with The Internationalists, although its infobox calls it a New English reunion. The upload title reads The New English.Later account B02
  15. CDr of London 1987 listed by DiscogsUser-submitted Discogs entry; no document in this archive confirms it.User-submitted catalogue entry B14
  16. London 1987 digital releaseCatalogue listing B03, B05
  17. Date unresolvedSolo Reading poster with an unresolved yearA faint pencil note appears to read 1995, while the label supplied with the scan says 1993.Conflicting evidence A01

The musicians

The two core musicians of The New English were Johnny Rasheed (bass, vocals) and Shareef C (guitar). Joz and Sara each appear on a small number of items, and a later account adds Dave Beech to the earliest chapter. Names are given as they appear in the documents, and no dates of birth or career histories are added beyond what the sources support. A14, A12, A09, B01

Johnny Rasheed

Bass and vocals

Johnny Rasheed sang and played bass. A fanzine interview lists Johnny on bass and vocals, and a Reading preview uses “singer/bassist” and quotes Johnny on the band’s direction. A later account adds acoustic guitar. The specialist catalogue TweeNet also lists a solo CD, Inspiration, from 1993. A14, A10, B01, B04

Shareef C

Guitar

Shareef C played guitar, and the two live reviews in this archive both single out that playing: “brilliant riffs” at the Tunnel Club, where the name is typed Sharef, and “brilliant guitaring” at Le Beat Route, despite the wrong opening chords to one song. In a fanzine interview Shareef talks about the independent scene and an admiration for Lawrence of Felt and for Morrissey. A05, A09, A14

Joz

Early line-up

A photograph caption on a fanzine page printed in or after late March 1987 names Joz as the person in the middle and says Joz was no longer with the band. Later accounts describe Joz as a vocalist. The same page runs a quiz asking who left the band with no bassist, so the exact role stays an open question. A09, B01

Role from later accounts (B01). The contemporary caption (A09) records only that Joz had left the group.

Sara

Drums, according to a later account

The name is handwritten as Sara Hewes on a band publicity sheet, beside a photograph of three people and directly below the booking details. A later account calls the drummer Sarah Hughes. The archive uses the first name until the credit is confirmed, and the sheet does not say which person in the photograph is which. A12, B01

Role and spelling of the name come from a later account; the contemporary publicity sheet reads Sara Hewes.

Earlier line-up and predecessor project

Dave Beech

Earlier project

Later accounts name Dave Beech as bassist in The Fallen Idols, the project before The New English. No contemporary document in this archive places Dave in the band itself. B01

Later accounts only (B01). Any tenure in The New English is not established.

Grainy black and white photograph of two people in dark jackets standing against a solid black background, cropped from a fanzine page.
Two people beside an interview with the band in The Mighty Utterance! The page prints no caption, so they are not identified here. See the whole page
Small high-contrast photograph of two people, the nearer one in a polo shirt, cut to a slanted edge on a fanzine page.
A small photograph on the first page of a fanzine interview with the band. It has no caption, and the people in it are not identified. See the whole page

Live history

The New English played clubs in London and advertised dates in Reading and on a German-language poster, but only two performances are described by a review in this archive. A review describes a performance. A poster or ticket records what was advertised. A later gig list is a recollection. The archive keeps those three kinds of evidence apart. A05, A09, A06, A07, B01

Photocopied stage photograph of two musicians playing electric guitars, with part of a drum kit at the far left, cropped from a handwritten poster.
Stage photograph pasted onto the Bazooka poster. The poster gives it no caption, so the musicians and the occasion are not identified. See the whole page

Tunnel Club, Greenwich

Reviewed

The Tunnel Club was best known as Malcolm Hardee’s alternative comedy club. A fanzine review places The New English there on a bill with The Third Man. The writer reports 25 people on a very wet Tuesday, at a pub and club on an industrial estate near the Blackwall Tunnel, and rates The New English “by far the best”. The fanzine’s title is not shown on the page. A05, B25

Le Beat Route, London

Reviewed

Le Beat Route was a Soho nightclub at 16 Greek Street, and the review heading spells it La Beatroute. The reviewer called The New English “the liveliest band out on the night”, noted wrong opening chords on “Sixteen” and recorded that this was their tenth gig since October. A photograph on the same page carries the note about Joz. A09, B26

View the extended gig chronology

Extended gig chronology

Reviewed means a contemporary review describes the performance. Advertised means a ticket or poster announced it, which does not prove that it took place. Later account means the entry comes only from a retrospective source. Date unresolved means the sources disagree or give no date. This is a selection, not a count of every show the band played.

DateVenuePlaceEvidenceSource
Tunnel ClubGreenwichReviewedA05
The TramshedWoolwichLater account Listed only in a later account; no contemporary document in the archive confirms it.B01
The HarlequinPeckhamLater account Listed only in a later account; no contemporary document in the archive confirms it.B01
Mad HattersSouthportLater account Listed only in a later account; no contemporary document in the archive confirms it.B01
Le Beat RouteLondonReviewedA09
112 London St. on the poster; Paradise Club in a later account Venue name from a later account; it is not visible on the poster scan.ReadingAdvertised Advertised on a ticket or poster. An advertisement does not prove that the performance took place.A06, B01
Le Beat RouteLondonLater account Listed only in a later account; no contemporary document in the archive confirms it.B01
Wimbledon FestivalWimbledonLater account Date from a later chronology. The publicity sheet names the Wimbledon Festival as a claim, and an upload note says “Playing at Wimbledon Festival July 1987”.A12, B01
Sir George RobeyFinsbury ParkLater account Date and venue from a later chronology. The publicity sheet claims support slots with Frank Chickens and the Brilliant Corners but names no venue.A12, B01
DingwallsCamdenLater account Listed only in a later account; no contemporary document in the archive confirms it.B01
The Old White HorseBrixtonLater account Listed only in a later account; no contemporary document in the archive confirms it.B01
Edge Hill CollegeOrmskirkLater account Listed only in a later account; no contemporary document in the archive confirms it.B01
Sipson Community HallSipsonLater account Listed only in a later account; no contemporary document in the archive confirms it.B01
Date unresolved
  • 27 November 1987 (A10: printed day and month; calendar year inferred)
  • 23 November 1987 (B01: retrospective list)
St David’s HallReadingDate unresolved The advertised and the later date differ; the performance date is not established.A10, B01
Rock GardenLondonAdvertised Advertised on a ticket or poster. An advertisement does not prove that the performance took place.A03, B01
Polytechnic of Central LondonLondonLater account Listed only in a later account; no contemporary document in the archive confirms it.B01
Date unresolved
  • 11 February 1988 (A04: handwritten Thurs 11th Feb; year from archive)
  • 10 February 1988 (B01: retrospective list)
The World at Zeeta’sPutneyDate unresolved The advertised and the later date differ; the performance date is not established.A04, B01
Date unresolved
  • 17 February 1990 (A07: Samstag Feb. 17th handwritten; year supplied with the scan, and the weekday agrees)
  • March 1990 (Y07: YouTube upload note, March 1990)
Bazooka Spelled Bazooka on the poster and in a later account.Bonn, according to later accounts City from a later account.Date unresolved The sources disagree or give no date; the performance date is not established.A07, B02, Y07

Photographs, posters and documents

The New English archive holds fourteen scans: fanzine reviews and interviews, tickets, posters, publicity sheets and two items naming Johnny Rasheed alone. These are the things that tend to survive in folders. Each item has its own page, with a description, a source note and the date information that can be established from it.

Where a later scan label differs from the document itself, the original wording is kept and the difference is explained. A handwritten year, a printed day of the week and a remembered date are separate pieces of evidence.

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Reviews and interviews

All the press in this archive comes from fanzines and local listings sheets: live reviews, a review of a two-song demo and interviews about music and life in London. Band publicity sits alongside them and is labelled as publicity. A05, A09, A10, A11, A13, A14

Who wrote about the band

The Tunnel Club and Le Beat Route pages both carry a sign-off from someone called Nik and thank the same contributors, so they probably come from one fanzine, though neither page shows its title. Pages from What’s Happening? and The Mighty Utterance! in Reading share one contact block, which points to a single publisher who covered the band three times. A05, A09, A10, A11, A13

  • Typed fanzine page headed Reviews; the right-hand column reviews The New English and The Third Man at the Tunnel Club.

    The New English were by far the best, with Sharef playing some brilliant riffs.

    Unattributed fanzine reviewer, review of the 28/10/86 Tunnel Club gig; the page is signed off 'Nik' and the zine is unidentified.

    Tunnel Club review, 28 October 1986

    28/10/86Contemporary document

  • Typed fanzine page with a New English gig review, a three-question quiz box and a grainy photo of three people by a doorway

    the liveliest band out on the night

    From the fanzine review of the 23.2.87 gig; the writer is not named on the review itself.

    Le Beat Route review, 23 February 1987

    23.2.87Contemporary document

A two-song demo

A What’s Happening? review discusses a tape of Get Ready and This Evening. The writer hears “two sprightly pop songs”, compares the vocals with Lloyd Cole and Paul Weller, and notes that the brass sounds synthesised. It is a response to two recordings, not a general history of the group. A13

Two interview pages

One undated fanzine page lists the line-up and runs through short topics, from drum machines and the independent scene to Morrissey and Marr. A page from The Mighty Utterance! has Johnny on London, teenage love and the band’s name, with a short answer: “We ARE the new english!” The two pages may belong together, but that is not established. A14, A11

  • Typewritten fanzine interview page with ruled topic headings, a black panel with a rotated slogan and a small photo

    Johnny Rasheed (Bass and vocals)

    Line-up statement in the interview’s introduction; the page’s own wording.

    Fanzine interview, first page

    UndatedContemporary document, date not printed

  • Fanzine page with a typed band interview beside a grainy photo of two people, a Reading live review and a masthead below

    We ARE the new english!

    Johnny, answering the prompt about the band name; the band’s own words.

    Interview in The Mighty Utterance!

    After 2 April 1987Contemporary document, details in conflict

Johnny on soul pop

In a Reading preview, Johnny says the band wanted to lose the “Indie Pop” label and compete with Rick Astley rather than Voice of the Beehive or All About Eve: “We’re trying to move more towards soul pop.” The piece advertises St David’s Hall on Friday 27 November. A later gig list gives 23 November, so the date of the performance stays open. A10, B01

  • Photocopied listings zine spread: band article at left, gig calendar in the centre, advert and What’s Happening? banner

    We’re trying to move more towards soul pop.

    Johnny Rasheed, quoted in the preview article; the band’s own description of its direction, not critical praise.

    Reading preview in What’s Happening?

    FRIDAY 27th NOVEMBERContemporary document, details in conflict

Publicity is labelled as publicity

The promotional biography and the agency sheet are band publicity, and who wrote them is not recorded. The claims they make, such as support slots with the Brilliant Corners and Frank Chickens or a place at the Wimbledon Festival, are recorded as claims. Interview answers give the band’s own account of its music and are not treated as independent criticism. A08, A12, A10, A14

Network East

Network East was a BBC Two programme for Britain’s Asian communities, launched on 25 July 1987. Two band publicity sheets claim an appearance on it, one of them calling it the band’s first national TV appearance. That sheet gives a date ending /9/87 with the day cut off, the other gives no date, and a later account gives a different month. A YouTube upload titled This Evening shows a band playing in a television studio. The later account links it to Network East, but the upload names no programme, so the broadcast date stays open. B24, A08, A12, B01, Y06

  • Typed publicity biography of The New English with a vertical band-name logo and black bars covering two names

    Songs to hum now and forever!

    Slogan near the end of the band’s own publicity text.

    Band publicity biography

    After September 1987Band publicity

  • Publicity sheet with a photo of three people by a wall, handwritten names and booking details, typed questions and answers

    We play Indie-pop like eg Woodentops, Smiths, Housemartins

    The band’s own answer to the first typed question on its publicity sheet; self-description, not independent criticism.

    Publicity sheet with trio photograph

    1987 attributedBand publicity

Recordings

London 1987

The New English

Digital release 2 January 2019

London 1987 is listed on Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, Deezer and Tidal as an eleven-track album of about 35 minutes, released on 2 January 2019 with a RipItUp Records credit. The year in the title is not a release date. B03, B05, B21, B18, B19

Get Ready and This Evening, the two songs reviewed on a demo tape in What’s Happening?, are tracks 1 and 2 of London 1987. The titles match, but the audio has not been compared. A13, B05

The title does not fix the recording dates either. Upload notes on the YouTube channel sc101101 place Get Ready and This Evening at Triple X Studios, North Acton, in 1987, and You Make My Day Shine at Cymbelline, Reading, in April 1988. They also date a live Get Ready to the Bazooka in Bonn in March 1990, while the poster in this archive gives 17 February. These are the uploader’s notes, not confirmed credits. Y02, Y03, Y04, Y07, A07

Identified from platform catalogues under the artist name The New English. The archive has not compared the audio with any 1980s recording, and the original recording dates are not established.

Discogs also lists a limited CDr called London 1987, credited to New English on Jackfruit Music (JRJF004) in 2001, with fifteen tracks, one titled Sixteen, which is also the title of a song named in the Le Beat Route review. That entry is user-submitted, and no document in this archive confirms it. B14, A09

No.TitleLength
1Get Ready
2This Evening
3Alone
4Secretly I Wonder
5The Day After Tomorrow
6You Make My Day Shine You Make My Day Shine on Spotify
7This English Day
8Let’s Take a Walk
9Tufnell Park
10Get Ready (Live in Bonn)
11This English Day (Live in Bonn)

Track order as listed by Amazon Music, Apple Music and Deezer. Durations as listed by Amazon Music; other platforms differ by a second on two tracks. B05, B03, B18

Videos

Eight uploads on the YouTube channel sc101101 are catalogued here, and all eight played when checked on 5 November 2026. The channel shows no owner’s name and has not been identified as official, so the recording places and dates beside each video are the uploader’s notes. No video loads until a visitor chooses to watch it. Y01, Y02, Y03, Y04, Y05, Y06, Y07, Y08

  • V013:00

    The New English - The Day After Tomorrow

    Uploaded

    Uploader note: Artist: The New English / Song: The Day After Tomorrow (this version recorded 1998) / Playing at Wimbledon Festival July 1987 / © 1984 RipItUp records

    Per the YouTube upload note; the channel sc101101 has not been identified as an official source. Y01

    Watch on YouTube

  • V022:35

    The New English - This Evening

    Uploaded

    Uploader note: © 1987 (P) 1987 RipItUp Records / Recorded at Triple X, North Acton, London 1987

    Per the YouTube upload note; the channel sc101101 has not been identified as an official source. Y02

    Watch on YouTube

  • V032:52

    The New English - You Make My Day Shine

    Uploaded

    Uploader note: © 1988 ℗ 1988 The New English / Recorded at Cymbelline, Reading England April 1988 / RipItUp Records

    Per the YouTube upload note; the channel sc101101 has not been identified as an official source. Y03

    Watch on YouTube

  • V043:02

    The New English - Get Ready!

    Uploaded

    Uploader note: Recorded at Triple X Studios, North Acton, London October 1987 / Ⓒ 1987 Ⓟ 1987 RipItUp Records

    Per the YouTube upload note; the channel sc101101 has not been identified as an official source. Y04

    Watch on YouTube

  • V052:43

    The New English - You Make My Day Shine (99Mix)

    Uploaded

    Uploader note: Recorded New Rising Studios, Essex / New Years Day 1999 / Ⓒ 1987 Ⓟ 1999 RipItUp Records

    Per the YouTube upload note; the channel sc101101 has not been identified as an official source. Y05

    Watch on YouTube

  • V062:31

    Watch on YouTube

    The New English "This Evening"

    Uploaded

    Uploader note: The upload has no description beyond the text “abc”, so no recording place or date is given.

    A later account links this upload to Network East. The channel sc101101 has not been identified as an official source. Y06

    The uploader has disabled embedding, so this video opens on YouTube.

  • V073:59

    The New English - Get Ready! (Live)

    Uploaded

    Uploader note: Recorded Live concert at Bazooka, Bonn, Germany March 1990 / Ⓒ 1987 Ⓟ 1987 RipItUp Records

    Per the YouTube upload note; the channel sc101101 has not been identified as an official source. Y07

    Watch on YouTube

Later projects and solo work

After the main period of the band, Johnny Rasheed released a solo CD, Inspiration (1993), and a later account describes two further groups, The Internationalists and Those Meddling Kids. Each project keeps its own name and credits here. A handwritten poster bills The New English with S.P.G. at the Bazooka on Saturday 17 February, with no year or city printed. The archive attributes it to 1990 and a later account places the show in Bonn, while an upload note dates a recording there to March 1990. B04, B02, A07, Y07

Inspiration

Johnny Rasheed

CD 1993 Jackfruit Music

TweeNet lists Inspiration as a CD by Johnny Rasheed, with eight songs including Living in Surrey, Summer Strangers and George Harrison. Discogs gives the catalogue number JRJF001 and credits Shareef C on guitars. A Reading poster and a Saturday running order list Johnny Rasheed under that name alone, and their dates are discussed on their own pages. B04, B15, A01, A02

A solo release credited to Johnny Rasheed. It is not a New English release.

  1. Close To Me
  2. Living in Surrey
  3. Summer Strangers
  4. Hope
  5. May
  6. Smile In The End
  7. Cressida
  8. George Harrison

The Internationalists

A later account describes The Internationalists as an acoustic duo of Johnny and Shareef, reported from December 1991, with a Radio Berkshire appearance in 1992. A sixteen-minute video from Bracknell Festival in July 1997 is titled The New English, and its upload note reads “The New English aka The Internationalists”. The archive files that performance with the later project. B02, Y08

Reported in a later account (B02). A separate group from The New English.

Those Meddling Kids

A later account lists Those Meddling Kids as a separate early-1990s band with Johnny on bass. B02

Reported in a later account (B02). A separate group from The New English.