About

KajaFax are Steve Conley and Steve Yeo.

~ Steve Conley (StevieTooShy)~

My name is Steve Conley, I am 36yrs old, living in the UK and a big fan of KajaGooGoo.

The name ‘Kajafax’ heralds back to the early days of the band when this was the name of the official fan club.  It felt very apt to resurrect this name and use it for our own offerings!

My Kaja story begins back in 2008, I was having one of those nights sat at the computer listening to music videos on YouTube and I stumbled across a video by the band.  I decided to listen to some more and started to discover how awesome the band are!  I distinctly remember watching Top of the Pops as a ten year old boy in 1984 and seeing the band perform ‘The Lions Mouth’, it had obviously made a lasting impression.

In terms of timing, I couldn’t have landed this interest any better.  Fans of the band from back in the eighties had waited twenty five years for what I walked straight into.  The 2008 album ‘Gone to the Moon’ was initially given by the three piece band as a free download to the fans and I was absolutely blown away by what I was hearing.  This was not the work of an 80’s bubblegum pop band, this was the work of a seriously accomplished group of musicians who really had something to give, intense creativity and passion.  Shortly afterwards (too shortly for me but hey, that’s another story), the five piece band were back together and a new EP was recorded called ‘Death Defying Headlines’.  In 2009, the band toured the UK and they’ve played two shows in 2010.

I’ve seen the band play live five times now and they are phenomenal musicians and that is a huge part of what inspires me to continue supporting the band in any way I can.  Not just are they this, they are also really nice guys.  I’ve met the band a few times and often communicate with them, they are always friendly and always have time for their fans.  I’ll always remember approaching Steve Askew at a gig and him greeting me by name, that’s a very cool personal touch!!

When the subject of KajaGooGoo comes up, so often the answer is ‘Oh yeah those guys with the hair that did Too Shy’ or ‘One Hit Wonders’ words to a similar effect!  There is so much more to the band than Too Shy and if I can help get that message out there, my job is done!

 

 Me with Steve Askew and his Wife, Anna

So that is why I am here.  I want the world to hear the talents of these musicians.  Forget the hair, forget the screaming girls and just enjoy the music.

Ladies and gentlemen, KajaGooGoo….

I shall answer the quick fire three that I ask to the SuperFans!

What is your favourite KajaGooGoo track?

Difficult question as the answer to this could change now and again, depends on my mood really.  For something relaxing, it’s ‘Nightingales’ from the album ‘Gone to the Moon’.  It’s a beautiful song, plain and simple.  If I just want some full on Goo, it has to be ‘Frayo’.  It has everything I love about the band, mind blowing bassline, screaming ebow and Limahl sounds fantastic on it.

What is your favourite KajaGooGoo album?

For me, this is ‘Gone to the Moon’, just ahead of White Feathers.  When this album was released in 2008, I had no idea what to expect from the sound and I was just blown away by it.  It’s recorded and performed by a three piece Goo (Beggs, Askew and Neale) and is just such an accomplished piece.  If you haven’t heard this album, listen to it in full as my blog post: http://kajafax.co.uk/2010/11/22/gone-to-the-moon-full-album/  The album carries a bit of a sting in its tail for me though, it was overshadowed by the five piece band coming back together for the 2009 tour.  As much as I loved the five piece re-uniting, this album should have had far more attention.

Who is your favourite KajaGooGoo band member?

Well, that’s a question isn’t it.  I’ve met all the guys and they are all truly genuine and lovely people.  For me though, my favourite is Steve Askew.  He is an incredible musician, and just a very nice chap.  His passion for his music is obvious, his versatility is evident (watch him with Lu Cozma or the Smalltown Elephants) and if you look back at the early Art Nouveau work, he can sing very well too!!  He has time for the fans and well yeah, he’s a good guy

My Other Hobbies and Musical Interests

Outside of KajaFax, I enjoy Kickboxing, running, learning to play the bass, my cars, playing my PS3 and good old fashioned family time!

I love stacks of artists and musical genres, here are just some!

A Flock of Seagulls, Alexisonfire, Bad Manners, The Beat, Beat Happening, China Crisis, Cud, Depeche Mode, Editors, Felt, The Field Mice, Fleet Foxes, Gary Numan, Half Man Half Biscuit, Heaven 17, The Jam, Japan, John Foxx, Kim Wilde (gorgeous!!), Level 42, Marc Almond, Mull Historical Society, New Order, OMD, The Pastels, Pooh Sticks, The Selector, Simple Minds, Spandau Ballet, The Smiths, The Specials, The Teardrop Explodes, UB40, Ultravox

 ~ Steve Yeo (theraggedtiger)~

My name is Steve Yeo.  I am 39yrs old, and live near Blackpool in the UK.  I am also a big fan of Kajagoogoo, and have been since the band first hit in ’83.

It was way back in September of 2010 when Steve and I first discussed the idea of a Kajagoogoo fan site.  The original idea was going to be a Kajagoogoo internet radio station, playing both Kajagoogoo and ‘goo related music.  Things developed, and the end result is what we have now – KajaFax!  I love being a part of what makes this site tick, and love to research any articles that I submit and try to keep things vibrant and interesting!

Naturally, I love other bands too – Duran, Spandau, Scritti, and Human League being particular favourites, but it is Kajagoogoo that for some reason inspire me to be pro-active and get myself involved!  One thing is for sure – after 27 years of listening to ‘White Feathers’, I still love it.  Not many albums have that appeal!  The last few years and the reunion have been great, and being able to see the band on stage again has been more than I ever expected – let’s hope that the band continue to gig for many more years.

In KajaFax tradition – and taken from the ‘Superfan’ series, here are my quick-fire three questions and answers!

How did you come to be a big fan of Kajagoogoo?

When I was at school, synthesizer music dominated the charts. I loved (and still do) acts like Visage, Human League, Japan & Spandau Ballet to name but a few. Bass lines were always the hook for me, and I always admired and wanted to be like my bass playing heroes – namely John Taylor and Martin Kemp. What made me a Kajagoogoo fan? ‘Too Shy’ had already charted by the time I heard it, receiving serious Radio 1 airplay. I was captured by Nick’s bass line after one listen. At that point, Nick Beggs was added to my list of bass guitar heroes. I invested 3 weeks of my pocket money in a copy of the record (a big buy for mini me) and was very happy that it had a great ‘B’ side too!

Which has been your favorite live Kajagoogoo show that you’ve seen?

Kajagoogoo are a superb live outfit, so I have never been disappointed by them.

My favorite gig however would have to be the Rescue Rooms,Nottingham, in 2009 – one of the ‘Space Cadet Tour’ shows. I thought the venue was right, the support act was superb, and Kajagoogoo played better than I ever saw them play before. The reunion shows are so much sweeter than the shows of the 1980’s, purely because we fans never thought we would ever see them! Also, nowadays the guys are technically better musicians. Years of working with other people on solo projects has turned the youthful exuberance of the early days into seriously accomplished musicianship. Simon Le Bon once said that solo projects ‘stimulate the nucleus’ of a band, and I think he is probably right. Each individual band member has so much more to bring to the table nowadays.

Not to ignore the Wavendon shows, of course. I do have a soft spot for ‘The Stables’ and thoroughly enjoyed the shows the guys have played there………

What is your favorite Kajagoogoo track?

Well, that is a rather difficult question to answer.  I think that ‘White Feathers’ would probably be my overall favorite, given that it has survived constant rotation on my turntable and/or CD player since 1983 without becoming boring! The mark of a great album, I guess.

My favorite ‘Limahl-less’ song would probably be ‘The Power To Forgive’, but again there are many songs that are a close second to it – ‘Rivers’, ‘Turn Your Back On Me’, and ‘Nightingales’ are good examples.

What is your favorite Kajagoogoo album?

That’s an easy question…..’White Feathers’. Not to dismiss the other three long players, but ‘White Feathers’ has that nostalgia attached to it as it was their first, and of course the album that introduced me to a band that would remain a part of my life

Being a part of the KajaFax team is hard work, time consuming, and I love it!

 ~ The Summary ~

This blog is totally unofficial, we do this because we want to and because we enjoy doing it.  Official recognition was the ultimate approval for KajaFax!  It was wonderful to see the blog linked up on the band’s official site on 14th February 2011 in the news section, can we get a full on link someday? We will always seek permission before using anything on the blog where the source can be identified.  If we use photos on the blog that you own, without seeking your permission, please do contact us and express whether you wish us to remove the items or credit you for them.

If you enjoy what you see here, please do take a moment to drop a comment or drop a line on Twitter and let us know, knowing that what we are doing interests people is such an inspiration to continue.

If you like what you read and could share the blog with others or push a message out on Twitter, this is deeply appreciated.  There are so many fans out there in the world, reaching them is the hard part.

Please do follow us on Twitter @KajaFax / @raggedtiger1973 and subscribe to the blog.

Love,
Steve and Steve of KajaFax

The legal stuff

All content of KajaFax (unless otherwise stated) is the intellectual property of Steve Conley and Steve Yeo. This content may be reproduced only with permission.

© Steve Conley / Steve Yeo 2010-2012