The Edgar Broughton Band

 

The Edgar Broughton Band

by Pete Clemons

Now Rob (Edgar) Broughton may not view me as an A star student but, when younger – and to a degree throughout my life - a lot of what he and others said made sense to me at an individual level. Especially when he talked about doing things your way and not being led. Or at least that was my interpretation of it.

Frontman Edgar Broughton was a fierce, uncompromising political agitator. Their raw, aggressive proto-punk style and tracks like the election-defying single "Up Yours!" aggressively challenged the social and political establishment.

The Edgar Broughton Band became notorious for chaotic free concerts, anti-establishment politics, and incidents of disorder that led several towns to ban their live shows.

Even today, as with a recent social media post I noticed from Rob, he still has an ability to make me smile 'I think the repetition of tales and anecdotes by some one of my age must be tolerated to some extent especially when a critic has nothing worth telling'.

The recent loss of Edgar's bass player and long time friend, Arthur Grant, had my mind wandering back to when the band made a leap of faith by relocating to London.

1969

If the word 'underground' still has any meaning on the music scene, then it is typified by Edgar Broughton a man who passionately believes in social change and that music is a revolutionary weapon.

On stage the Broughton band have a remarkable sinister quality, an example being what Edgar describes as their 'exorcism bit' where they get the audience to chant out their demons - the atmosphere this built up on the recent free concerts in Hyde Park and Parliament Hill Fields had to be felt to be believed.

In person Edgar turned out to be a dedicated, intelligent and obviously sensitive man who was not the least offended by the use of the word 'sinister' to describe his stage presence.

'It's not really an image we are trying to project, but it is probably what we are' he agreed. 'We do a lot of stuff that is dramatic and heavy'.

'If we do have this peculiar, unknown, sinister quality then I feel it helps us to achieve a genuine participation from audiences. This is our ambition to involve the whole of Britain in some type of positive action - get people to do things without saying what they should do. There is a tremendous void in everything at the moment, a lack of direction'.

'Music is for people, so it is people, and people are music. Obviously people identify with a trend in music which effects their day to day existence and in this way, hope to really get into them'.

'It's all subversive in a way. As a genuine underground band we are trying to subvert the old ideas and start a revolution'.

'This might sound a bit strong, but we feel strongly about the parent-child relationship. There is this parent hate of the pop figure and, partly by design and partly by accident, we seem to arouse it - even if it's only 'what can you see in a group of long haired violent people?'. The parents are worried and disturbed by it and that forces them to discuss it with their children'.

'Any sort of aggression you create between two parties has to turn into communication between them. People hate you so much they just have to ask why. It's not a question of age but of parent-child relationship because that is so important'.
'What we want is for people to look at themselves, and society, and decide if this is the way they really want to live. We feel we can help do this through our music reaching as many people as possible'.

The band came to London seven months ago after two years of what Edgar describes as 'total obscurity' in the Midlands - Warwick to be precise. Edgar had had a guitar from the age of eleven but has only been playing 'seriously' for the past three years.

'I suppose, originally, my taste was somewhere between R 'n' B and blues' he says. 'But there was something about R 'n' B I didn't like and a lot about the blues I didn't know. Now I listen to most of the underground things like Captain Beefheart and The Fugs, but also in classical music and jazz'.

He is most enthusiastic about his signing with EMI's Harvest label which releases the band's first album this week.

'I think Harvest will open things up' he said. 'We had so much freedom with the album, nobody telling us what music we should play. I had always had this feeling that the big corporations like EMI or the BBC, in the first place, oppose new things, but this certainly isn't true at EMI. Maybe things are changing'.

Footnote: and I do enjoy these anecdotes.....

Tony Cox memories - I think I've told this story before, but it bears repeating. Rockin' Chair Blues Band were good friends with the band. We were all at school with Rob, and later, Steve. When I decided I needed a new drum kit, we piled in my old Morris 1000 traveller and went down to the smoke to visit them. Steve kindly accompanied me to a music shop he used and thanks to him I got a bargain Premier kit. Back at the flat, Vic Unitt, who had joined The Pretty Things from the Broughtons, arrived and played us the newly released Pretty Things album "Parachute" which is still one of my favourite albums to this day.

Joyce Broughton their mum, drove Wandering John a few times when we needed a van to get to gigs.

Black Parrot Seaside by Geoff Veasey

 

Black Parrot Seaside by Geoff Veasey

by Pete Clemons

Coventry band Black Parrot Seaside formed in 1975 as a full electric
outfit. The original line up was Rob Lockington (drums), Tez Tehegee (guitars)
Arnold Chave (guitars) with Graham Caldicott and Geoff Veasey sharing the
vocals. Three of the original line up were ex-Caludon Castle pupils.
BPS performed a mixture of covers and self-penned material. In their first
ever gig at Wolvey Village Hall. The first song they began the set with that
night was John Lee Hooker’s “Dimples.” Barry Ousby (bass) was soon added
and Jeff Styles replaced Lockington on drums. Arnold Chave had previously
been in a band called Satin Pig with Steve Johnson, a lifelong friend of his
who went on to be an integral part of Lieutenant Pigeon. Guitarist Dave
Blundy who was in Davy and The Starliners stepped in to beef up the BPS
sound occasionally, including one fairly riotous gig at The Smithfield, opposite
Coventry Hippodrome. BPS played many of the central Coventry rock venues
including The Golden Cross, The Climax, The Colin Campbell, The Craven
Arms, the Dive Bar and The Dog and Trumpet.

In various formats they played mostly pubs and colleges in the
Warwickshire, Nottinghamshire and West Midlands area. Dave “Vance”
Anderson eventually replaced Jeff on drums, Martin Smalldon replaced
Ousby on bass and another Caludon ex pupil, Mick Harris, joined on
keyboards. Punk Rock appeared distantly on the horizon and influenced by
Edgar Broughton, Heavy Metal Kids and Alex Harvey, BPS began to lean
towards more radical, original material. Their stage act contained some
visuals and some dramatic sequences. “Brutus” “Mr. Unusual,” and “Small
Maladjusted and Mean” were popular with audiences. A stage act which by
now could be both explosive and controversial got them banned in s handful
on pubs in Birmingham and Coventry. During this time however, they also
played Nottingham, Warwick, Coventry and Birmingham Universities, where
larger and more diverse audiences liked their approach to satire and parody.
Occasionally they strayed further south, notably with a gig at Hitchin Poly
where they played support to Rocky Sharpe. ( Later The Darts).

By 1976 Graham Caldicott had drifted away. Then the group was rocked
by Vance announcing that he was quitting to join another Coventry Band, The Flys.
Vance proved impossible to replace. His brilliant musicianship and
spectacular stage presence had been invaluable in a band which by now was
doing almost exclusively their own material. It was an amicable parting.
Vance eventually relocated to the USA where his studio production and
organisational skills endeared him to a number of prestigious stars. This
included Stevie Wonder and Tony Bennett who recruited him as a Tour
Manager. BPS members kept in touch with Vance all the way to his death
in ???

BPS took the decision not to replace Vance but migrated steadily
towards a Folkier, more acoustic sound. They added Eddie Jones on fiddle
and accordion. Martin Smalldon continued to play a few gigs on acoustic
bass. Much of the older material stayed on the set list, with “I am a Vacuum
Cleaner.” still attracting a lot of attention. So much so that in 1978 Chris King
The Flys manager, impressed by the originality and outlandishness of BPS,
offered them a recording, management and publishing deal. Their mini album
“Roll It Up and Eat It,” was released that same year in vinyl, on King’s Zama
Record label, with Vacuum Cleaner promoted and packaged as the single. It
was recorded in Pathway Studios, London, and remixed at Monty Bird studios
in Warwick. Jim Pryal was drafted in on drums and bass player Arun Bhandari
also worked on the recording. Some of the Flys personnel put in some
sessions work on the tracks. The picture disc and sleeve carried the
nomenclature “Black Parrot Seaside and The Exploding Sheep.” The sheer
wackiness of “Vacuum Cleaner” continued to be popular and the single
attracted new fans like DJ John Peel who played it several times on Radio
One.

After the recording and record release, the BPS format settled as a four
piece. Martin Smalldon continued to make occasion forays on electric and
acoustic bass. By 1976 BPS were hosting The Bulls Head Folk Club in
Brinklow, running on a Friday night.

BPS added guitarist John Walker (yet another ex Caludon Coventrian)
to the line up. The band finally folded in 1982 as other commitments took
precedence.

Not quite the end of the story however as in 2007 they were invited to
reform for a one off Charity Bash in Brinklow. They had so much fun doing it
(and such a positive reaction), that they stayed together until 2014, recording
a second full length album titled “Aint It Grand?” This was produced and
engineered by Norman Wheatley. New songs and traditional covers featured
on it, including the ubiquitous “Vacuum Cleaner.” The band continued to play
Folk Clubs and Festivals, with their last ever gig being at Nuneaton Folk Club
in October 2014. During this time the band also appeared with different line-
ups and under several aliases including The Grit Tray and Macaw On Tour.
Local folk musicians often made guest appearances on such occasions.

Chevy

 

Chevy

by Pete Clemons

The recent loss of lead vocalist Martin Cure had me searching for reviews of Chevy that indicated just how good this band was and how close they were to making it big. Luck and timing is everything of course and I cant help they somehow got lost in a crowded market.


General Wolfe 1980

And the heat was on. Outside the evening was warm and pleasant but inside was hot, hot, hotter than hell. The sort of Turkish Bath conditions that melt your shirt, lubricate your trouser legs and make catching a band more a case of survival than anything else.

But Chevy, blending inspiration and perspiration to a fine degree were worth dropping the odd pound for. Simply, they were a revelation. The stage was cramped, the PA small and the crowd similar but the band rattled through an all too short set of harmony tinged US style rock, a boogie with the sort of confidence that only comes from knowing your good. And, of course, they are.

Guitarists Steve Walwyn and Paul Shanahan play with a power and finesse reminiscent of Boston at their knee trembling best, drummer Chas Chaplin and bassist Bob Poole provide an unfaltering backbeat and singer/sometime guitarist Martin Cure proves the possessor of a very healthy pair of lungs indeed. But then, coming from the spa town of Leamington (as do they all) that's just what you'd expect.

But what convinces me that the name Chevy wont provoke cries of 'who?' for very much longer is the quality of the songs. To combine raw, gutsy power with instant memorability is no easy task but this band do just that, ensuring that their John Stronach produced debut album will be worth saving the shekels for.

Particularly ear catching are 'Chevy' (their contribution to the patchy 'Metal For Muthas Vol 2'), 'The Taker', 'Rock On' and the magnificent 'Rock City' which sounds like prime singles material even to these battered ears.

In September the band will be leaving for America where, being as their music is more in synch with Zep and Bad Co. than Saxon and Maiden, their management feel they'll be more rapturously received, but hopefully a few British dates will precede their departure. So if you get a chance to check them out then do. I guarantee you'll be impressed. And, if not, well you can always send me back to Coventry - as long as Chevy are playing there.

Chevy article 1980 (rated 4 stars - precious metal)

Riding out from Coventry, this five piece strike out with a decidedly natural Transatlantic blend of effervescent melodies and primal boot boy aggression. Formed two years back the band has remained constant in their line up. Martin Cure (lead vocal/guitar), Paul Shanahan and Steve Walwyn (guitar/vocals), Andy Chapman (drums) and Bob Poole (bass/vocals), first came to the public eye via their signature tune 'Chevy' on EMI's album, 'Metal For Muthas Volume 2'. Since then they've signed with new label Avatar, owned by Alvin Lee's manager Jon Brewer, subsequently releasing their first single 'Too Much Loving' towards the end of July 1980. During the remainder of that year you did hear and read a lot about Chevy. At the start of Autumn they'll be out on tour with Alvin Lee and there's a proposed US trek in October (again with Lee), to coincide with the British release of their first album.

Gillan/Chevy

1981 seemed to be shaping up more positively. For a start the disintegration of the heavy metal bandwagon had led to greater demand for diversity and depth laying more emphasis on songwriting, structure and execution, all of which were in Chevy's favour. Their was a graceful thrustfulness about this quintet that took your breath away. A selection of quality material from the thunder of 'The Taker' through to the majesty of 'Skybird' won over an audience to whom Chevy were previously an unknown quantity. The release of 'The Taker' confirmed Chevy's natural class and potential. Towards the end of that year, this promise began to harden and take real shape when the band unleashed three new songs on the Hawkwind tour. 'Wind of Change', 'Same Old Feeling' and 'Hit and Run' were instant classics. Chevy have had a virtually stable line up since it all began in early 78. The sole change being the addition of guitarist/vocalist Steve Walwyn (in October of that year) to the quarter foundation. So, given the length of time this band has been together playing hard rock (a full 18 months BEFORE the HM media explosion), its incredible that they've been accused of bandwagon jumping.

This was based on a misconception concerning a certain cabaret act with which various members of Chevy appeared at one time - Cupid's Inspiration.

'The fact is we were getting great money for going out as Cupid's' added Bob Poole. 'Switching to hard rock has meant us taking a large drop in earnings'.

Another problem was that Chevy weren't too pleased with their debut album.

'I don't think it helped that working on 'The Taker' was the first time the band had gone into a studio properly' said Poole. 'We just kept our mouths shut and let the producer get on with the job, which was a mistake'.

Voyage 35 - The Nostalgia Collective

 

Voyage 35 - The Nostalgia Collective

By Pete Clemons

The link between Porcupine Tree and Coventry is a tenuous one but bear with me. The band played Antics club - formerly known as the Tic Toc during 1993 - on the bands very first tour. It was actually Porcupine Tree's third or fourth ever gig. Depends on if you include a Marc Radcliffe BBC radio session or not. Plus Coventry holds the distinction of being the only place where the band performed as a 3 piece.

Porcupine Tree's now 30 plus year history has taken its own story but began as a live band with Steven Wilson, Richard Barbieri, Chris Maitland - who left during 2002 and Colin Edwin - who remained with the band until they took a hiatus in 2010.

As Porcupine Tree grew more famous and took on a heavier direction, their earliest tracks were left behind. Edwin, and a dedicated team, decided to take a real risk by creating a band to play these classic songs again with a fresh approach.

Two years on from those initial thoughts and a band with the name 'Voyage 35' pays tribute to Porcupine Tree's famous 1992 ambient track, Voyage 34 and many others have just completed their debut tour. The set list focuses heavily on music from the early 1990s up to the 'In Absentia' era.

Voyage 35 does not just play the old songs al dente, they bring a full live band and authentic visual elements to every show. They even tour with the original psychedelic light show known as Fruit Salad Lights.

The Voyage 35 project started after bass player Colin Edwin reconnected with original drummer Chris Maitland and reminisced over the old mid-1990s recordings. They were reminded as to how good that early music was.

According to band co-founder Colin Edwin, Maitland remains a full-time working drummer, and his schedule lacked the required flexibility to commit to a full tour schedule. Instead, Alessandro Vagnoni, a band mate of Colin's from O.R.k. was recruited to handle full-time drum duties.

The O.R.k. Link continued when vocalist and keyboard player Lorenzo Esposito Fornasari (Lef) was drafted into the band.

Finally, former Colin Edwin approached John Wesley to join the project after they reconnected when Wesley provided guest guitar work for an O.R.k. Track. John Wesley joined Porcupine Tree as a touring guitarist and backing vocalist in 2002 during their In Absentia world tour. He stayed with the band for nearly a decade through 2010, performing in over 450 shows and contributing to albums like In Absentia and Fear of a Blank Planet.

Voyage 35 have released fresh studio takes of early gems like The Nostalgia Factory and Even Less to prepare themselves for the stage. The live set gives fans a rare chance to hear atmospheric, lesser-played tracks that have not been performed live in decades. And wow have they given them a new lease of life. Voyage 35 honoured the enduring material by interpreting classic tracks with a fresh modern energy.

Steven Wilson, who continues to push boundaries with his music, has also expressed full support for Voyage 35 project.

Just as impressive has been getting this project together in terms of geography and logistics. John Wesley is from Miami in Florida while both Alessandro and Lef reside in Italy.

In its formative years, as much as Porcupine Tree was a bedroom conception, it took the efforts of many others to springboard it into the music loving public's eyeline. And this tour was an incredible reminder just what a force Porcupine Tree had become. Booking agent Glenn Povey and his Circle Sky Agency ensured that the whole tour was an unconditional triumph and inspired thinking to actually do this.

A delighted manager, Richard Allen, and for whom the tour has far exceeded expectations mentioned after the tour 'A group effort that came together pretty much as planned. It was obviously meant to happen!'.

Richard continued 'We genuinely had no idea how it would do. We only had a hunch that there were fans out there who loved the early period of the band. I've said many times I wasn't really into what they did later although I respected it. Prog Metal was never my thing. It's good to know that those 12 years at the start are remembered because PT was a different animal back then as I'm sure those who never saw them now realise. Signify remains my favourite album and I have a soft spot for the first one not least the lyrics of the late Alan Duffy (RIP) It's a real shame Alan never got to see this tour'.

Finally, and back to the Coventry gig of 1993, I had a brief chance to say hi to Colin Edwin during the tour. His razor sharp memory remembered that particular evening. The memory brought back a wry smile and the comment 'how did we get away with that one'.