Lost bands and artists.

B

Billy Budd

Guest
THEATRE OF HATE - Good band, quite similar to Joy Division, though not quite as intense.

RELUCTANT STEREOTYPES - early 80s ska band, can't remember if they were East or West Midlands, but they were quite unique, strong reggae leanings, the singer sounded very similar to Joe Strummer.

MICRODISNEY - lead singer Cathal Coughlan formed the more succesful High Llamas after Microdisney, but Microdisney were far superior, were signed to Rough Trade same time as The Smiths, which is not the only thing they have in common, musically they weren't that far apart.

THE FLYS - Mod influenced band from the late 70s, were one of the mod revival bands of the time along with the Purple Hearts and The Chords, though The Flys had stronger punk leanings.

THE PHOTOS - Sort of like the UK answer to Blondie, although Wendy Wu would give me a swift knee to the groin for that remark. They had a really powerful guitarist who would really make their songs.

HAZEL O'CONNER - Whatever happened to Hazel O'Conner ? She did a bit of acting but I haven't seen her in anything for years. Anyway she did 2 excelent albums 'Sons & Lovers' and 'Cover Plus'.

ALTERED IMAGES - They had a massive single called 'Happy Birthday', remember seeing them supporting The Banshees, they had loads of potential.

It doesn't smell so bad in this wilderness of forgotten bands, anyone remember any of these lot, anyone suggest anymore bands, who no one seems to remember ?
 
not sure if they fit in with your list, but i always thought XTC were/are a fantastic band... very seldom mentioned anywhere. very underrated.
 
> MICRODISNEY - lead singer Cathal Coughlan formed the more succesful High
> Llamas after Microdisney, but Microdisney were far superior, were signed
> to Rough Trade same time as The Smiths, which is not the only thing they
> have in common, musically they weren't that far apart.

Actually, it was Sean O'Hagan, another Microdisney member, who went on to form The High Llamas. Singer Cathal Coughlan formed the much more intense Fatima Mansions. All three bands are well worth investigating.
 
Re: Cathal Coughlan (Microdisney, Fatima Mansions, Bubonique, etc.)

> MICRODISNEY - lead singer Cathal Coughlan formed the more succesful High
> Llamas after Microdisney, but Microdisney were far superior, were signed
> to Rough Trade same time as The Smiths, which is not the only thing they
> have in common, musically they weren't that far apart.

Cathal Coughlan has a new solo album just out - "The Sky's Awful Blue" - which is v. good IMHO. His most highly-rated solo album is probably "Black River Falls" - but my personal favourite solo album is "The Grand Necropolitan". As well as his band The Fatima Mansions which someone already mentioned, he was also in Bubonique. Hotpress (the Irish music magazine) have a fairly recent interview with him archived on their site at http://www.hotpress.com/archive/392220.html
 
Just about every band from Leeds. Whatever happened to Cud?
 
> Actually, it was Sean O'Hagan, another Microdisney member, who went on to
> form The High Llamas. Singer Cathal Coughlan formed the much more intense
> Fatima Mansions. All three bands are well worth investigating.

So it was always get that one the wrong way round.
 
> not sure if they fit in with your list, but i always thought XTC were/are
> a fantastic band... very seldom mentioned anywhere. very underrated.

They were good, but they played so few gigs, at least as far as I'm aware they didn't play live as much as they should have done, any idea why ?
 
> Just about every band from Leeds. Whatever happened to Cud?

Gang Of Four were from Leeds, at least students at the university I think, they were an important band at the time of Entertainment.
 
> They were good, but they played so few gigs, at least as far as I'm aware
> they didn't play live as much as they should have done, any idea why ?

Wasn't Andy Partridge supposed to have some sort of disabling stage fright that used to cause him to collapse before gigs etc. ? I think this was the official reason they gave, in any case, when XTC announced that they wouldn't play live any more (in the early '80s) ?
 
Trash Can Sinatras!

MOCK TURTLES

SOUP DRAGONS *Shite*

> THEATRE OF HATE - Good band, quite similar to Joy Division, though not
> quite as intense.

> RELUCTANT STEREOTYPES - early 80s ska band, can't remember if they were
> East or West Midlands, but they were quite unique, strong reggae leanings,
> the singer sounded very similar to Joe Strummer.

> MICRODISNEY - lead singer Cathal Coughlan formed the more succesful High
> Llamas after Microdisney, but Microdisney were far superior, were signed
> to Rough Trade same time as The Smiths, which is not the only thing they
> have in common, musically they weren't that far apart.

> THE FLYS - Mod influenced band from the late 70s, were one of the mod
> revival bands of the time along with the Purple Hearts and The Chords,
> though The Flys had stronger punk leanings.

> THE PHOTOS - Sort of like the UK answer to Blondie, although Wendy Wu
> would give me a swift knee to the groin for that remark. They had a really
> powerful guitarist who would really make their songs.

> HAZEL O'CONNER - Whatever happened to Hazel O'Conner ? She did a bit of
> acting but I haven't seen her in anything for years. Anyway she did 2
> excelent albums 'Sons & Lovers' and 'Cover Plus'.

> ALTERED IMAGES - They had a massive single called 'Happy Birthday',
> remember seeing them supporting The Banshees, they had loads of potential.

> It doesn't smell so bad in this wilderness of forgotten bands, anyone
> remember any of these lot, anyone suggest anymore bands, who no one seems
> to remember ?
 
Re: Cud were brilliant..

> Just about every band from Leeds. Whatever happened to Cud?

I remember seeing them at an afternoon gig once.. It was surreal.. the guitarist was pretty camp in a gold lame shirt.. and Carl, was it he? used to wear a helmet didn't he!! ha ha..

that track 'sticks and stones' you should play on your decks, boy!
 
Re: Cud were brilliant..

I still see Carl from Cud around town, he's often riding a bike.
The guy who replaced Peter Salowka in The Wedding Present is always in my local Morrissons supermarket. It's a shame theres no real stars from Leeds.
 
Re: Trash Can Sinatras!

> MOCK TURTLES

The Mock Turtles had that Madchester baggy sound before many of the other bands made it. Was it the song "Then She Smiled", the hit for them. It wasn't to bad. Paris Angels were another good band from around that era.
 
Re: Cud were brilliant..

Next thing you'll be saying Kingmaker were good!
 
> It doesn't smell so bad in this wilderness of forgotten bands, anyone
> remember any of these lot, anyone suggest anymore bands, who no one seems
> to remember ?

What the band Bleach? They were a bit more recent, about 1990-91. They had that female singer, Dali? She often got more attention than the music. They wrote these fantastic songs with a razor sharp guitar in each of them. "Wipe It Away" was the hit for them. The song had that knock out line "I go to work, I go to work, I go to HELL!". I've always liked songs with a bit of spite in them.
 
My nominations

The Bodines - Jangly band from the mid-80s, signed to a major and then imploded. Re-emerged as Medlark 11 on Creation in the mid-90s for one LP.

The Man From Delmonte - Manchester band who were a cult hit but not much known outside of the NW.

See link below for my site which mops up some more neglected bands.

TMF


Bird Poo - home of the forgotten
 
hmm

Young Marbles conspiracy was great but no one seems remenber them
 
Re: Cud were brilliant..

> Next thing you'll be saying Kingmaker were good!

Kingmaker?? I couldn't avoid their thousand yard stare..
 
Re: My nominations

> The Bodines - Jangly band from the mid-80s, signed to a major and then
> imploded. Re-emerged as Medlark 11 on Creation in the mid-90s for one LP.

I have a wicked 12 incher.. apardon the expression.. Skankin' Queen.. by the Bodines.. It was the zeitgeist of that late 80's indie sound.
 
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