A BRIEF HISTORY OF SCUNTHORPE AREA BANDS
Foreword
During its 40+ years on air, BBC TV’s Top of the Pops apparently played host to just four people from the wider Scunthorpe area: Ian Matthews, Stella Barker, Carmel McCourt and Stephen Fretwell (the reader may find a visit to Wikipedia useful at this point). None of the people mentioned on these pages ever received the invitation, and it’s debatable as to how many would have been interested anyway (although it must be pointed out that Ms McCourt had previously appeared on the Household Shocks LP mentioned here, as a member of The Thunderboys). What this part of the site intends to do is give a picture – for those few who may be interested – of the other musical activities of the many former members of Terminus (both prior to and following their membership of the band), as well as those of their friends and contemporaries from the early years. In other words, it’s a short history of Scunthorpe’s ‘alternative’ band scene during the 1980s, with brief overlaps to the decades either side.
Well, at least that had been the original intention, but nothing’s ever quite so simple. We were never arrogant enough to think we could put together the definitive guide, but it wasn’t long before the realisation dawned that even the ‘reasonably comprehensive’ we might have hoped for would be too tall an order. First of all, there’s the question of how to define a ‘Scunthorpe’ band...obviously not every band here was made up solely of native Scunthonians (as Mark will be the first to emphasise), but in restricting ourselves to ‘Scunthorpe bands’ we’ve omitted some outfits who often played in town and hence may have been regarded as part of the ‘scene’, but were actually ‘based’ in smaller neighbouring towns (notably Barton’s Aki, and The Diseased from Brigg). Perhaps the best loose definition of a ‘Scunthorpe band’ would therefore be one whose members usually socialised in the town centre pubs (Bentley’s – formerly The Furnace Arms – would be by far the most popular during the second half of the decade), or perhaps The Priory (no relation) for those based in the Ashby area of town, roughly a mile south of the town centre.
As for ‘alternative’, it’s as vague, and hence ultimately useless, a term in defining music as it ever was: if any of the bands here ever described themselves thus it will have been with some reluctance and/or irony. Many were at least partially informed/inspired by punk/post-punk/‘new wave’ music (and later developments), and it was with this in mind that we took our original starting point. That said, however, a number of bands mentioned worked in more straightforward ‘pop’ or ‘rock’ fields, but are included here as they featured personnel who’d at other times been in bands of a ‘less commercial’ nature.
In the end, and bearing in mind that this is the Terminus website, we prioritised as follows: a) those bands featuring future/former Terminus members; and b) bands whose personnel included those who had played/would play alongside future/former Terminus members. Some relevant bands may still have been overlooked; others who don’t belong in either of the above categories still feature. Remember, we’re not claiming to be definitive – even consistency is, I’m afraid, beyond us.
Additionally, in order to avoid getting (too) bogged down in arcane detail, for the most part only those bands that enjoyed reasonably high profiles are highlighted. There are plenty of others that could have been listed, but most were ‘pick-up’ outfits formed only for a single gig, never to reappear. These are mentioned only in passing, if at all; where, for example, members may have previously played/gone on to play in other more permanent bands, such details of their more obscure activities may be found there. This point became particularly pertinent during the latter half of the decade, when many such ‘pick-up’ bands were formed solely to play in the restricted time slots of Rock Open heats (read on), rather than ‘proper’ gigs.
Well, at least that had been the original intention, but nothing’s ever quite so simple. We were never arrogant enough to think we could put together the definitive guide, but it wasn’t long before the realisation dawned that even the ‘reasonably comprehensive’ we might have hoped for would be too tall an order. First of all, there’s the question of how to define a ‘Scunthorpe’ band...obviously not every band here was made up solely of native Scunthonians (as Mark will be the first to emphasise), but in restricting ourselves to ‘Scunthorpe bands’ we’ve omitted some outfits who often played in town and hence may have been regarded as part of the ‘scene’, but were actually ‘based’ in smaller neighbouring towns (notably Barton’s Aki, and The Diseased from Brigg). Perhaps the best loose definition of a ‘Scunthorpe band’ would therefore be one whose members usually socialised in the town centre pubs (Bentley’s – formerly The Furnace Arms – would be by far the most popular during the second half of the decade), or perhaps The Priory (no relation) for those based in the Ashby area of town, roughly a mile south of the town centre.
As for ‘alternative’, it’s as vague, and hence ultimately useless, a term in defining music as it ever was: if any of the bands here ever described themselves thus it will have been with some reluctance and/or irony. Many were at least partially informed/inspired by punk/post-punk/‘new wave’ music (and later developments), and it was with this in mind that we took our original starting point. That said, however, a number of bands mentioned worked in more straightforward ‘pop’ or ‘rock’ fields, but are included here as they featured personnel who’d at other times been in bands of a ‘less commercial’ nature.
In the end, and bearing in mind that this is the Terminus website, we prioritised as follows: a) those bands featuring future/former Terminus members; and b) bands whose personnel included those who had played/would play alongside future/former Terminus members. Some relevant bands may still have been overlooked; others who don’t belong in either of the above categories still feature. Remember, we’re not claiming to be definitive – even consistency is, I’m afraid, beyond us.
Additionally, in order to avoid getting (too) bogged down in arcane detail, for the most part only those bands that enjoyed reasonably high profiles are highlighted. There are plenty of others that could have been listed, but most were ‘pick-up’ outfits formed only for a single gig, never to reappear. These are mentioned only in passing, if at all; where, for example, members may have previously played/gone on to play in other more permanent bands, such details of their more obscure activities may be found there. This point became particularly pertinent during the latter half of the decade, when many such ‘pick-up’ bands were formed solely to play in the restricted time slots of Rock Open heats (read on), rather than ‘proper’ gigs.
Thanks & Sources
These pages would still have been possible, but probably far less detailed, without Mark’s foresight in commissioning and co-writing a series covering such ground for the FO&DD fanzine way back when. Three articles appeared in 1986-7 (followed by a partial update in 1988), and thanks are due now as then to the people who shared their info and recollections: (in no particular order) Carl North; Dave ‘Robbo’ Robinson; Simon ‘Simmo’ Douthwaite; Simon ‘Hilley’ Hill; Christopher Henry (who for much of the time covered here was better known to many by the nickname Stinky Jr or, later, simply Stinky); Graham Davis; Col Spence; Arif alias ‘Az’ (surname?); and Geoff Bolam. We’re particularly indebted to Martin Walker, who following the second article was moved to write us a letter(!) plugging gaps in the info we’d originally been given regarding The Product Of Reason, and also Pip Lofas for correcting a line-up error.
Much of the information here is drawn from that series, but other sources heavily consulted include The Rock and Roll Years (a 2001 series of ‘pull-outs’ included in local newspaper the Scunthorpe Telegraph, and itself drawn from the paper’s own archive); ‘original’ clippings from the Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph (as it had once been) itself and its sister freesheet the Scunthorpe Target; band interviews/articles from FO&DD and various other local fanzines (Lip Service, Ignite, Airstrip, The Mouth, Get That Anorak Off); the record collectors’ websites Discogs.com and 45cat.com; and assorted unpublished articles and jottings made by this writer down the years (rhetorical question: at what point does a ‘hoarder’ become an ‘archivist’?)
Many further snippets of information have been appropriated from a website named Musiclincs, which is itself well worth exploring. Though the site is at its most in-depth when covering the Lincolnshire music of the ’60s and ’70s, it has also helped to plug more than a few gaps here; our apologies, and gratitude, to the proprietor(s) of that site are hereby expressed.
Much of the information here is drawn from that series, but other sources heavily consulted include The Rock and Roll Years (a 2001 series of ‘pull-outs’ included in local newspaper the Scunthorpe Telegraph, and itself drawn from the paper’s own archive); ‘original’ clippings from the Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph (as it had once been) itself and its sister freesheet the Scunthorpe Target; band interviews/articles from FO&DD and various other local fanzines (Lip Service, Ignite, Airstrip, The Mouth, Get That Anorak Off); the record collectors’ websites Discogs.com and 45cat.com; and assorted unpublished articles and jottings made by this writer down the years (rhetorical question: at what point does a ‘hoarder’ become an ‘archivist’?)
Many further snippets of information have been appropriated from a website named Musiclincs, which is itself well worth exploring. Though the site is at its most in-depth when covering the Lincolnshire music of the ’60s and ’70s, it has also helped to plug more than a few gaps here; our apologies, and gratitude, to the proprietor(s) of that site are hereby expressed.
Venues
Numerous venues are mentioned here, so a few more details might be in order for non-Scunthorpe residents. The aforementioned Priory, and The Lincoln Imp, are pubs that have survived the decades since the times addressed here more or less unscathed; not so the likewise aforementioned Bentley’s (alias ‘The Furnace’), nor Jensen’s, which have both since disappeared from the local landscape. The Crosby (formerly The Henry VIII, or ‘The ’Enry’) is, as I write, unoccupied and in a serious state of disrepair: again, demolition seems to be of a far greater likelihood than reopening; while The Queens – itself disused for a number of years – is soon to undergo conversion into a shop/flats. The also-aforementioned ‘Rock Open’ is an annual ‘Battle of the Bands’ competition that was first held in 1982 at the Scunthorpe nightclub Tiffany’s; after the closure of that venue in early 1984 it was moved to the council-run Baths Hall where it stayed until that venue was also closed – and itself subsequently demolished – a few years after the millennium celebrations. A ‘new’ (privately run, but publicly subsidised) Baths Hall was built on the site, but its ‘rock’ promotions (of any stripe) are as good as non-existent; the Rock Open final is again staged there as a sop to local fans, but the heats are, of necessity, hosted by local pubs with a far lower capacity.
Finally, The Hangar: this was a ‘club night’ held (usually) in an upstairs room of The Crosby during an all-too-brief few months in 1986. The promoter was fanzine editor Sean Burkill (The Primitive Patriot, Fun and Games, and latterly Airstrip), who gave local bands support slots to such visitors as The Membranes, Blyth Power and The (post-‘Newtown’) Neurotics. About a decade and a half later The Crosby’s penultimate landlord, Ian ‘Charlie’ Charles, re-christened that upstairs room (still regularly hosting gigs and discos) as The Hangar (complete with sign!) as a nod to times past; when informed of this Sean (by then having long since left/escaped the locality) typically mused "Could he not think of his own name to call it?"
One aspect in which these pages are sorely lacking – for now – is in giving the opportunity for interested parties to hear what the bands actually sounded like. A few made it onto vinyl while several more recorded demos to varying degrees of ‘professionalism’, these are mentioned where known; there are also live tapes from a few others (many shows – especially from The Queens – were preserved by the late Gary Leavy). It’s our intention to have sample tracks by as many bands as we can available to stream on the page at some point in the future (i.e. when we’re sufficiently clued up to be able to do it). For now, hopefully illustrations of some of those records/cassettes will suffice.
The inevitable appeal for help: in a number of instances, people are referred to only by first names (or nicknames); this was the info we were furnished with way back when, and having quite possibly not personally known the characters concerned we are now, as then, unable to fully identify them. Any further information from people who may be able to fill in these (or indeed any other) gaps will be welcomed – as will, of course, corrections to the myriad errors that have doubtless slipped in. Our source material often suffered from scant information especially with regards to dates, so the chronology is likely to be all over the place – particularly with regard to the earlier bands.
Lastly, and mindful as we are that some people may be reading these pages as a result of idly Googling their Mum or Dad’s name, any tales of ‘rock ‘n’ roll excess’ we’re aware of have been omitted.
Pete Lazenby; April-August 2014
Finally, The Hangar: this was a ‘club night’ held (usually) in an upstairs room of The Crosby during an all-too-brief few months in 1986. The promoter was fanzine editor Sean Burkill (The Primitive Patriot, Fun and Games, and latterly Airstrip), who gave local bands support slots to such visitors as The Membranes, Blyth Power and The (post-‘Newtown’) Neurotics. About a decade and a half later The Crosby’s penultimate landlord, Ian ‘Charlie’ Charles, re-christened that upstairs room (still regularly hosting gigs and discos) as The Hangar (complete with sign!) as a nod to times past; when informed of this Sean (by then having long since left/escaped the locality) typically mused "Could he not think of his own name to call it?"
One aspect in which these pages are sorely lacking – for now – is in giving the opportunity for interested parties to hear what the bands actually sounded like. A few made it onto vinyl while several more recorded demos to varying degrees of ‘professionalism’, these are mentioned where known; there are also live tapes from a few others (many shows – especially from The Queens – were preserved by the late Gary Leavy). It’s our intention to have sample tracks by as many bands as we can available to stream on the page at some point in the future (i.e. when we’re sufficiently clued up to be able to do it). For now, hopefully illustrations of some of those records/cassettes will suffice.
The inevitable appeal for help: in a number of instances, people are referred to only by first names (or nicknames); this was the info we were furnished with way back when, and having quite possibly not personally known the characters concerned we are now, as then, unable to fully identify them. Any further information from people who may be able to fill in these (or indeed any other) gaps will be welcomed – as will, of course, corrections to the myriad errors that have doubtless slipped in. Our source material often suffered from scant information especially with regards to dates, so the chronology is likely to be all over the place – particularly with regard to the earlier bands.
Lastly, and mindful as we are that some people may be reading these pages as a result of idly Googling their Mum or Dad’s name, any tales of ‘rock ‘n’ roll excess’ we’re aware of have been omitted.
Pete Lazenby; April-August 2014