SCUNTHORPE AREA BANDS: Part One
Under most of these potted histories some mentioned band members can be found listed alongside (>) other bands mentioned here; this is to indicate the relevant individual’s next band, where it is listed (we can’t guarantee that they didn’t appear in another, unlisted, band in the meantime). This enables the reader to follow the ‘career progression’ (or not) of the (many) individuals who served in multiple bands – but please note that it may sometimes be necessary to scroll back up while doing this...!
THE INSTANT AUTOMATONS were an alternative/ indie/ Avant-garde/ Do-It-Yourself band from Scunthorpe and Grimsby area, whose active life spanned the late 1970's until the early 1980's - the bands influence however goes on. Members were Martin Neish (Protag), Mark Lancaster, and later Mic Woods. Most of their music being released on cassette tapes on their own label Deleted Records. The Automatons were an early exponent and pioneer of the DIY music tape scene. But it was their self produced 'Peter Paints His Fence' EP, first introduced me to the band, and which impressed me at the time - probably as I could appreciate the sentiments behind the track 'People Laugh At Me (Coz I like Weird Music)' from painful experience! Got visitors? Quick, hide the Faust, The Residents and Henry Cow albums! The 6 track EP was released in 1980 with a fold out sleeve, various inserts and, if I remember right, a break down of the costs of pressing the record.
They played a few gigs, plenty in London, and even one at the Berkeley Hotel, Scunthorpe in September 1981, with Gainsborough's The Victims of Romance and Scunthorpe's Product of Reason. Still trying to figure out how I managed to avoid that one!
The late lamented Protag went on to play with Alternative TV, Zounds and Blyth Power.
They played a few gigs, plenty in London, and even one at the Berkeley Hotel, Scunthorpe in September 1981, with Gainsborough's The Victims of Romance and Scunthorpe's Product of Reason. Still trying to figure out how I managed to avoid that one!
The late lamented Protag went on to play with Alternative TV, Zounds and Blyth Power.
MUTANTS were listed among the earliest bands in the original FO&DD articles, owing to the description we were given of them as a "school of ’78 band". Now, whether they were formed in that year, or whether that phrase simply referred to their influences being of that era, is a moot point. If the former, it would mean that original vocalist Jonny ‘Sprog’ Hill was aged 11 or 12 at the time...which is no indication of anything, of course. Other founder members were Sprog’s elder brother Simon (alias Hilley) on drums, ‘Dave’ on guitar, and ‘Sham’ Sharman on bass. Subsequently Hilley moved to vocals to replace the departing Sprog, with Andy ‘Figgy’ Figliuzzi stepping in on drums (Figgy had either previously been in, or would later be in, SSIV – depending on when Mutants were actually around). One gig (the only one?) took place at the Youth Club in the nearby village of Burton, and was apparently "anarchy at its worst". All in all, a suitably under-informed and patchy paragraph with which to kick off, then. Bear with us, please...
Sprog > Harry The Spider’s Coming Out Party, Murderous Musicians; Sham and Hilley > System’s Poison; Figgy > SSIV
Sprog > Harry The Spider’s Coming Out Party, Murderous Musicians; Sham and Hilley > System’s Poison; Figgy > SSIV
FAULT 151 was formed in 1978 by Dean Taylor (vocals), Tony ‘Ilx’ Ilkew (bass), Paul ‘Clevey’ Cleveland (guitar) and ‘Andy L’ (drums); though Andy was soon replaced by Carl North, and Richard ‘Rocky’ Oxenforth joined on guitar that same year. However, the band’s best-remembered – and first gigging – line-up came with the arrival of Mandy Brookes as replacement for Dean on vocals. After their September 1979 live debut, in the following April Fault recorded "Radiation Man" for the compilation album Household Shocks, before splitting in March 1981. A couple of months later Ilx (now also on vocals), Clevey and Carl reunited for a brief period before laying the name to rest; "Radiation Man" however took on a new lease of life in the set of Rocky’s subsequent band Duck In Fog. Ilx has turned up in various bands over the years since, including a mid-’80s stint with Birdsong (a folk-rock band founded and fronted by long-serving local musician/DJ/promoter/studio proprietor/etc Steve Bird). As a footnote, on 29 October 2011 a reunited Duck In Fog, playing at a Priory all-dayer for ‘vintage’ Scunthorpe bands, gave us a version of "Radiation Man" with none other than Mandy on lead vocals; welcome as this was, the event inevitably lost a little of its sparkle due to the obvious absence of the late Rocky (see ‘In Memoriam’ page).
Mandy > System’s Poison; Rocky > Loser; Carl > Torture Chamber
Mandy > System’s Poison; Rocky > Loser; Carl > Torture Chamber
SSIV (‘S-S-4’) formed in 1979 and split in the middle of the following year after a handful of gigs. The line-up was Jeremy ‘Jeg’ Kirby (lead guitar/vocals), Kev Westby (rhythm guitar), Figgy (drums) and Dave ‘Robbo’ Robinson (bass). The Musiclincs website also notes a later band – circa 1981 – named NO CONTROL, which apparently featured Jeg, Kev and Robbo alongside lead vocalist Paul Kennedy and drummer Mick Noble.
Figgy > Terminal Generation; Robbo > Fatal Feudalism
Figgy > Terminal Generation; Robbo > Fatal Feudalism
ONE GANG LOGIC may or may not have ever appeared live, but left their mark in the form of a four track 7" EP on their own Stark Products imprint (STARK ONE); the line-up on that 1979 record was Paul ‘Singer’ Singleton, Chris Leaning and Mick Clark. The following year, Stark issued the aforementioned Household Shocks compilation (LPCO 1); this featured two tracks by OGL (by now a duo of Singer and Chris). At different times Singer was also the proprietor of two independent record shops in Scunthorpe, All Tomorrow’s Parties and Parade; the latter closed its doors in the spring of 1982.
Singer > Jesuit’s Bark; Chris > The Product Of Reason
Singer > Jesuit’s Bark; Chris > The Product Of Reason
THE PRODUCT OF REASON, was founded in late1979 by Pip Lofas (vocals/synth) and Richard Todd (vocals/guitar); they were subsequently joined by drummer Graham Horn to contribute three songs to Household Shocks the following year. Richard also played bass on these tracks, but that role was taken over soon afterwards by Martin Walker…and from there details become a bit sketchy for a while. Graham exited the picture, to be replaced in the short term by Chris Leaning (ex-One Gang Logic); while it seems that Pip also took a more temporary leave at around the same time, and a vocalist remembered only as ‘Dick’ was briefly engaged. Furthermore, Richard and Martin also worked (with others) as Lucifer Junior and the Demons (though Martin assured us, back in ’87, that ‘The Prods’ had also been a going concern throughout this time). Back on more solid (factual) ground, new drummer Gaz Clayton (ex-Somebody Stole My Fridge) hooked up with Richard, Martin and the returning Pip in early 1982; there soon followed a track on another compilation No Platform For Heels (Tender Hooks Records HOOK 1), though PoR were Scunthorpe’s only contributors to that record. Regular gigs ensued – which soon became so good, Martin informed Leeds fanzine Roar, that he attended every one of them (ahem). That ’zine, published from the town’s Lion Studios, plugged a single (“Man Of Your Dreams”) released on Lion’s apparently short-lived Tenuous Lynx label (LYNX 1) in early 1983. Nine further tracks were recorded for a projected LP later that year, a plan that unfortunately fell through, and following Gaz’s replacement by Howard Daniels (a veteran of one single with Bingley proto-goths Skeletal Family) the band appears to have fallen silent some time in 1984. PoR (in the form of Martin and Pip) did however make a brief reappearance in 1987, with one track on the compilation LP Humber Beat (Criminal Records CRTWR 001); even by this time, Martin had become an experienced live sound engineer, and has since led a much-travelled life on the other side of the mixing desk.NB: As well as Martin, whose contribution is acknowledged in the foreword to these paragraphs (you did read it, didn’t you?), thanks are due to Pip and Richard who have each been in touch with further info/corrections.
COLOUR BLIND BABIES were originally (1980) the duo of Kent Prentice (synth) and Kev ‘Finch’ Brown (guitar/vocals); we’re told a couple of tracks were recorded for Household Shocks (with the participation of One Gang Logic) but these were not present on the record. The more permanent additions of bassist Sean Ingoldsby and drummer Dave Webb enabled the band to become a gigging entity (shows included the ’Enry, the Ad-Lib in Nottingham, and supporting Stroud noiseniks Blurt on that band’s first Baths visit in January 1982), in which capacity they particularly impressed this writer’s elder siblings (‘this writer’ as yet not being of gig-going age).
Kent and Dave > Splatt; Finch and Sean > Harry The Spider’s Coming Out Party
Kent and Dave > Splatt; Finch and Sean > Harry The Spider’s Coming Out Party
LOSER were founded in 1980 with their line-up eventually settling on Graham Davis (vocals), Rocky (guitar), Col Spence (bass), and Alan ‘Pilly’ Pilsworth (drums); the first and last of whom had previously played together in a band named Purple Haze (errrrr....). Graham’s original notes in 1986 singled out, as a highlight, a support slot to the long-serving Liverpudlian NWOBHM outfit Spider – fortunately this would be surpassed, for all concerned, by later developments...
Graham and Col > Duck In Fog; Rocky and Pilly > Çetiva
Graham and Col > Duck In Fog; Rocky and Pilly > Çetiva
FATAL FEUDALISM (established 1981) were originally Jake Ellis on guitar, former SSIV bassist Robbo, drummer Robin ‘Towie’ Tow and vocalist Steve Blood. A later line-up – with Arif alias Az and ‘Andy’ (both previously in Level Of Usage, who aren’t highlighted here) replacing Steve and Jake respectively – supported The Varukers at a 1983 gig staged at the Youth Centre (and co-promoted by Robbo with Neil ‘Nig’ Drayton). The band split shortly after this, but its name was to reappear in later years... We might also mention here a sadly undated newspaper photo/clipping, reproduced on the Musiclincs site, naming Jake, Steve and Nig as members of a band named Hysteria: a band about whom we must confess ignorance.
Andy and Az > American Ruse; Towie and Robbo > Anthem
Andy and Az > American Ruse; Towie and Robbo > Anthem
PLAGUE (who at some point also went by the name Yellowcake UF6) formed in 1981 – and marked the earliest stirrings of what was to become Terminus. That band’s history is, of course, fully documented elsewhere on this site; here it will hopefully suffice to reproduce what Mark wrote about those early days in the original 1986 fanzine article: "Mark Richardson: vocals/lead guitar; Glyn Hornsby: guitar/bass; Paul Carter: drums; Dave Bairstow: bass/drums. Practiced at Gunness W.I. Hall regularly; Dave playing when he was home from his job at sea. Disintegrated because Carter got fed up (and couldn't drum!), and Glyn thought he was Bruce Foxton. Mark went on to start Terminus, in which Dave also played at various times." Terminus nominally formed around Easter 1983, but were without a name for quite a while – one suggestion had been Museum Of Disease (a phrase taken from William Burroughs), but some were less than keen on its acronym!
Mark and Dave > Terminus
Mark and Dave > Terminus
SOCIAL DISEASE broke out (ho ho) in the summer of 1981; they were ‘Taz’ (vocals), Simon ‘Simmo’ Douthwaite (guitar), Mart Hughes (bass) and ‘Chris T’ alias ‘Wing’ (drums). Throughout the band’s existence Taz was serving in the army (though this didn’t stop Wing from ‘springing’ him from his barracks several times each week for a jar in the Henry!); this inevitably interfered with gigging, coupled with which one planned Priory appearance was cancelled in the wake of the near-riot that had ensued immediately after a recent visit by Derby punk band Anti-Pasti. In the spring of 1982 Taz was among the troops sent to ‘reclaim’ the Falklands following the Argentine invasion; thankfully he was also among those who returned in one piece but shortly afterwards, with army service completed, he moved away from the area. The other members persevered as the core of SYSTEM'S POISON, Mart moving to vocals with ‘Sham’ Sharman taking up bass duties; Mandy (ex-Fault 151) joined as second vocalist for a time but would leave, alongside Simmo, due to that old chestnut “musical differences”. Simon ‘Hilley’ Hill came in on guitar at this point only for Sham to then depart; the remaining members called it a day shortly after this. Subsequently Mart, Wing and Sham would relocate to Nottingham (though the last named would firstly spend brief stints in two further Scunny outfits – read on); there they formed a band which went by various names: each with the initials ‘N.C.P.’
NB: Many thanks are due to Wing for his recollections here.
Mandy, Sham and Hilley > Terminal Generation; Simmo > Torture Chamber
NB: Many thanks are due to Wing for his recollections here.
Mandy, Sham and Hilley > Terminal Generation; Simmo > Torture Chamber
SOMEBODY STOLE MY FRIDGE started life in the summer of 1981 – according to issue five of Lip Service fanzine (dated Aug-Sep 1982), which stated that the band had been in existence for "about a year". At time of that LS article the line-up was Dave Shaw (keys), Paul Vollans (drums), Julian ‘Rags’ McKenny (lead) and J P Dada (bass/vocals); it also referred to a number of previous line-up changes. The original FO&DD pieces in 1986 related that early band members had included Gaz Clayton on drums and Lee Hilton on bass (with Mr Dada on guitar) and that their final line-up (1983) was Dave, Paul, Rags and J P (again on guitar) with Bruce Watts on bass.
J P > Harry The Spider’s Coming Out Party; Gaz > The Product Of Reason; Paul and Bruce > Big Red Gun
J P > Harry The Spider’s Coming Out Party; Gaz > The Product Of Reason; Paul and Bruce > Big Red Gun
TERMINAL GENERATION (no date given, presumably 1982) may not have actually gigged, though we have it on good authority that some recordings took place at the home studio of ex-Fault 151 guitarist Rocky. Vocals came courtesy of Mandy, synth/vocals from Hilley, and bass from Sham – all most recently (to our knowledge?) of System’s Poison; the band was completed by Dave Proudfoot/ Proudlove (?) on guitar and Figgy on drums. Returning to gigs, an appearance was planned for The Priory, but was again cancelled in the long drawn-out aftermath of the aforementioned Anti-Pasti episode.
Hilley and Sham > Çetiva; Dave and Figgy > Music UK
Hilley and Sham > Çetiva; Dave and Figgy > Music UK
MUSIC UK enjoyed a high local profile following their 1982 formation, and were described by Lip Service co-editor Kev Reeder as proffering an "original blend of pop and funk". Dave (guitar/vocals) and Figgy (drums) had previously played together in Terminal Generation; here they were joined by sax player/vocalist Mick Lumb, guitarist/vocalist Joe Malaspina and bassist/vocalist John Dwightflower. Concentrating their gigging efforts on other towns due to what they perceived as an inattentive and apathetic Scunthorpe crowd (ah, plus ça change!), they did nevertheless enter (and win) the first Rock Open in their home town, apparently following up their victory with a single, "House With The Red Gate" (Fairview Records). Subsequent changes in line-up led to the adoption of a new name, Reola Damme, in 1984.
Figgy > Lulu Kiss Me Dead
Figgy > Lulu Kiss Me Dead
NEGATIVES IN COLOUR evolved out of White Flag in 1982; vocalist Mick Walker, guitarist Roland ‘Rolly’ Rands and bassist Kev Davies had all served in that band (with the latter two having originally joined forces in The Hurt in 1980). The NICs were completed by Ray Wells on keys (previously of the synth-based Urbantech, who had contributed a track to Household Shocks) and drummer Pete Fenwick, and issued a self-financed single "Caught In Possession" (no label, NEG 1) in 1982; the next year this was followed by a filmed clip of "Images On A Skyline" being shown on BBC 2 TV music prog the Oxford Road Show. Alas, the band failed to capitalise on that break, but pastures new soon beckoned for all concerned.
Mick, Rolly, Kev > Lulu Kiss Me Dead; Ray > Big Red Gun; Pete > Duck In Fog
Mick, Rolly, Kev > Lulu Kiss Me Dead; Ray > Big Red Gun; Pete > Duck In Fog
ÇETIVA appear to have operated for but a brief period in 1982; again we have no details of gigs, and again recordings were apparently made in Rocky’s home studio (though the band kept the results to themselves). Hilley (bass/vocals) and Sham (bass) were joined by Rocky himself (guitar/synth) and
Pilly (drums).
Hilley > Harry The Spider’s Coming Out Party; Rocky > Duck In Fog; Pilly > Dark Entries
Hilley > Harry The Spider’s Coming Out Party; Rocky > Duck In Fog; Pilly > Dark Entries
DUCK IN FOG came together in "the ’82 ’shroom season", reuniting three-quarters of Loser: Graham, Col and Rocky. Again, several drummers passed through the ranks before the adoption of Pete Fenwick (previously with Negatives In Colour). Strong showings in several Rock Opens were eclipsed by victory in another county-wide ‘Battle of the Bands’ competition in 1985, from which their set was broadcast on BBC local radio. Probably the most eclectic – not to mention the most entertaining – band on these pages, the former probably worked against them: their across-the-board appeal and defiance of categorisation meant they could never be pitched to any specific audience (like that’s a bad thing). Still, let’s not get po-faced; the band certainly never did, and they left a couple of demos’ worth of deft and daft singalongs that have always been welcomed at their occasional reunions down the years (sometimes under the ‘not quite a tribute band’ handle of Duckwind, usually with Mick ‘Harey’ Hare on drums). In 1990 Graham and Col (again with Harey, among others) began exploring similar territory in The Madjik Allotment; the former then moved on into even quirkier areas (and eventual victory in the Rock Open) as the frontman of Spoke.
Col and Rocky > Terminus
Col and Rocky > Terminus
SPLATT first resounded in 1983 in the shape of Dave, Rick and Jon Webb (all previously of a band named Street Credibility; drums, guitar and sax respectively) alongside Kent Prentice (ex-Colour Blind Babies) on synth, Andy Kean on vocals/guitar, and Daz Ebbotson on bass. In September of the following year – by which time Daz had been replaced by Danny Douglas – they opened the first Scunthorpe Free Rock Festival (a council-funded open-air all-dayer, held annually from that year until 1987 and headlined in ’84 by Leeds-based goth faves The March Violets). A subsequent change of name (to Strange Fruit) preceded a move to Sheffield, where they recorded a few sessions for local radio (by this time Adam Barnes had replaced Jon on sax). They disbanded in 1985 when Danny emigrated to Russia.
DARK ENTRIES (formed 1983) featured Nige Stones on vocals (who’d briefly served with Level Of Usage), Pete Ellis on bass, Dean Ellis on lead, Andy Hobson on rhythm and Andy Perry on drums. They made a respectable showing in the Rock Open that year, though soon after Andy P was replaced by Pilly in early 1984 the band folded, when the latter himself departed.
Pilly > Harry The Spider’s Coming Out Party
Pilly > Harry The Spider’s Coming Out Party
LULU KISS ME DEAD was the next home of Mick, Rolly and Kev of Negatives In Colour, reprising their roles in that band alongside Hughie Davies (keys) and drummer Figgy. The only band here (as far as we’re aware) to get a U.K. deal with an established label, their 1985 debut single "The Ultimate Solution" was issued on 7"/12" on the Beggars Banquet offshoot Situation Two (SIT 39[T]); though it was back to more obscure territory for the 12"-only follow-up "Speak To Me" (Big Fish CARP 1; 1986). The band threw in the towel later that year (a third single may or may not have actually appeared).
Figgy > Big Red Gun; Kev > The Gatecrashers
Figgy > Big Red Gun; Kev > The Gatecrashers
BIG RED GUN were also formed in the wake of the split in the NICs’ ranks; that band’s Ray Wells (keys) was originally joined by Kev Ladden (guitar/vocals), Bruce Watts (bass) and Paul Vollans (drums), soon to be joined by second guitarist Paul ‘Golly’ Gouldthorpe. That said, Ray had already departed by the time a three-track 7" (headed by "Golden", Grasshopper Records SRT 5KS 596) appeared in October 1985. Another band who, from the off, largely eschewed Scunthorpe gigs to concentrate their efforts elsewhere, they did however play a high profile anti-heroin benefit gig at the Baths in April 1986, organised by Martin Walker and headlined by New Model Army. This was followed by further line-up changes; firstly Golly was replaced by Nic Salmon, then Paul’s departure for London led to Figgy stepping in on drums from the recently imploded Lulu Kiss Me Dead. A move by the band to London, and some higher-profile gigs, apparently followed later in the decade; the hoped-for big break, alas, did not.
Nic > The Day It Rained Frogs, My Foolish Friend; Figgy > The Gatecrashers
Nic > The Day It Rained Frogs, My Foolish Friend; Figgy > The Gatecrashers
HARRY THE SPIDER’S COMING OUT PARTY are the only band mentioned here, or probably anywhere, either to be named after the pay-off line from a TV commercial for a brand of biscuits (Cadbury’s Chocolate Fingers, in case you had forgotten/were curious; it’s probably on YouTube) or to describe their music as "hardcore werewolf". Their first line-up (early 1984) was (deep breath): Gaz Ingoldsby (vocals), his brother Sean (guitar), Finch (keys), Daz Whitelaw (bass), Pilly (drums), and the Arachnidettes (Karen and Jo) on backing vocals. Hilley replaced Sean on guitar when the latter left town; by the end of the year Finch had been replaced by Christopher Henry (alias Stinky Jr) and Daz too had departed (as had the Arachnidettes). Before a permanent replacement for Daz was appointed, a demo (The Music They Played At Harry The Spider’s Coming Out Party) was recorded with both Finch and Sprog (the latter being Hilley’s brother, as previously observed) contributing bass. Sprog eventually joined up full-time in early ’85 (in addition to his membership of the recently-formed Murderous Musicians); at around the same time former Fridge magnate (...) J P Dada was signed up on second guitar. This line-up held until their appearance in that year’s Rock Open final, though due to many more changes and false starts it was almost a year before their next – and final – appearance (billed simply as Harry The Spider), at which Gaz was joined by Adrian Clutterbuck: guitar, Ilx: bass and Dave Norman (a veteran of several local bands, including the long-serving heavy rock outfit Gaskin and an early Duck In Fog) on drums.
Finch and Daz > Jesuit’s Bark; Stinky Jr > Finkenstinch; Pilly > American Ruse; Sprog > Murderous Musicians; J P Dada > Johnny X
Finch and Daz > Jesuit’s Bark; Stinky Jr > Finkenstinch; Pilly > American Ruse; Sprog > Murderous Musicians; J P Dada > Johnny X