Miss Ludella Black – ‘No One Makes A Fool Out Of Me’ – “perfectly formed pieces that belong in a time-warp”

DAMAGED GOODS 13^th November 2026

Part of a four-album release from friends and associates of Billy Childish, Ludella Black brings us rushing sixties garage pop. This hasn’t got the Kinks obsession of Thee Headcoats and Thee Headcoatees releases, going instead for a bit of rock and roll blues and a stack of backing chorus oohs and aaahs. It’s a fine slab of originals and four covers, all recorded with a minimum of fuss, captured raw and ready.

Amongst the covers are a song by the long-forgotten Betty O’Brien and an ultra-obscure ‘Why Don’t You Smile Now’, recorded as The All Night Workers by Lou Reed and John Cale pre-Velvets as part of a project to compose and record cheap for a budget label and make some cash. ‘Matchbox’ is a clattery rockabilly slice of fun. I can almost hear a tea-chest bass. And ‘Seven Day Fool’ is a tip of the hat to Etta James.

Ludella Black is Sarah Crouch, a houseboat-dwelling potter and the originals are by her partner and co-musician, Mick Hampshire. The rest of the band are Bruce Brand (Thee Headcoats, The Milkshakes) and John Gibbs. Some of the originals are perfectly formed pieces that belong in a time-warp. ‘Every Once In A While’ is a superb bouncy, racing tale of love and regret. ‘I Can’t Even Cry’ is a rougher follow-up but an authentically rough girl-group song, recorded as if it was a demo in a chainsaw factory. ‘It’s My Affair’ is a ringing success, with a gloriously simple guitar solo and thumpy drums. ‘I’ll Get Over Losing You’ is a live favourite and runs a race with itself. There’s slower pieces like ‘The Breaking Point Of Love’, a heartbreaker teleported here from sixty years ago but the highlight for me is the Shirley Bassey-esque closer, ‘You Waster, You’. Hammered-on guitars pound with the drum beat and Ludella spits venom before a semi-sobbing chorus.

Check out:

November 2026’s Medway Scene albums

https://www.vanguard-online.co.uk/thee-headcoats-children-of-the-sect-garage-excitement/

https://www.vanguard-online.co.uk/thee-headcoatees-evrybodys-gonna-be-happy-celebration-of-the-crude-visceral-fun-of-rock-and-punk/

https://www.vanguard-online.co.uk/miss-ludella-black-no-one-makes-a-fool-out-of-me-perfectly-formed-pieces-that-belong-in-a-time-warp/

https://www.vanguard-online.co.uk/armitage-shanks-charge-of-the-shite-brigade-rough-and-ready-as-it-should-be/

November 2025’s Medway Scene albums

https://www.vanguard-online.co.uk/thee-headcoats-the-sherlock-holmes-rhythm-n-beat-vernacular-somewhere-between-dr-feelgood-and-vivian-stanshall/

https://www.vanguard-online.co.uk/thee-headcoatees-man-trap-vital-stripped-down-primal-rock/

Ross McGibbon