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.