OK, noticing the recent 'first bands you saw' & other musical topics, can I ask which purely local, amateur groupd people remember plus 'what happened to them', if anyone knows!
Personally, I lived in West Kirby and our local grop was 'The Morockans' (spelling?), a.k.a "The Moronkas"!!
What happened to them - any group members alive out there?
havent seen the key around for a while they where really good seen them around birkenhead a few years ago and i am sure there back around .
I thought the Moronkas were brilliant. "I'm a Believer" was a classic as was "Last Train to Clarkesville". By the way, I'm dyslexic. :-)
Does anyone remember a band called "Shout". They were brilliant asa a cover band. I think they do the odd gig locally.
Some of local bands I saw ('70s / '80s):-
The Dick Smith Band
Rocking Horse
Politburo
Alternative Radio
Street Legal
Mr Zero
French Lessons Hoi Poloi
Attempted Moustache
The Snipe (if anyone has their self produced tape I'd like a copy...)
Afraid Of Mice
No Exit
Thin End Of The Wedge
Cook Da Books
Body
In pubs & clubs around Wallasey , Birkenhead & Liverpool:-
Seacombe Labour Club
Sir James (The Jimmys)
The Empress
Peepers / The Grand
Daily's Dandelion
The Warehouse
The Shepherds Rest (Sheep's Head)
The Dale Inn
Most of these bands played their own material , quite a few released a single or two , some produced cassettes & one or two released albums .
Hope this rings a bell & brings back a few memories .
The Key will be back very soon, but now called Thunderbox with 2 ex of The Key, 1 ex of Insanity Beach 2 ex of Buscemi.
Aye Aye - which of the Key and which Insanity Beach?
PM me if you don't want to say on here.
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I saw most of those bands regularly at The Dale mostly, & Id like to add some of the bands Ive been in & associated with in around that time & played the same circuit. Dirty Eddy, Brook Band Tips, Legsakimbo, Know The Code, XS Baggage. Also Great bands missing off that list, Thunderboots, Export, Scharnhorst, Bunter, Prey, Next, Dante & many more I will remember later...ah happy days!
Legsakimbo!! I know 2 of the ex members (one no longer with us unfortunately
). Whatever happened to Mixie's Men? Half Man Half Biscuit is another one that I've not heard of for quite a while.
Afraid of mice,omg thats a blast from the past!
Cat Scratch Fever (I think it was Carl P's dreamchild) - they were fabulous!!
Ok don't know if this counts but I've only seen the spice girls lol plus insanity beach ect at pubs lol
I don't think the Spice Girls or Space count as "local" amateur bands
Did The Foundry ever make their comback?
Lol misread the topic wench, my bad!
But insanaty beach counts? Well I hope lol, used to like hush, brain the lead singer was fab
Insanity Beach do indeed, in more ways than one (but then I'm biased
).
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
The Id
Dalek I Love You
Teardrop Explodes
Echo and the Bunnymen
I didnt know echo and the bunny men were from the wirral lol!
No me neither dd sorry dude
Liverpool band, I thought one of them was from Wirral but not so.
Also
Pink Military Stand Alone
Yachts
Big in Japan
Deaf School
Wah! Heat
Did The Foundry ever make their comback?
The Foundry played at my mates wedding about 5 years ago.
Don't know what they are up to now though.
Decent band.
Another group who played locally in the 80's were The Touch. Seem to think they did the theme song for a series on telly, but can't remember what it was now.
Anyone remember Dave Lloyd's band Hijinx?
hi stingray whats your name i was with two of the bands you mention
How about Bob,Bob,Bob&Bob saw them at birkenhead park and the adina in cavendish street in the 80,s they were a punk band i have just googled them and it looks like they are still together and producing records.
Mixies Men are still going albeit very occasionally, and Cat Scratch Fever have recently played a few gigs with the original line up!
How about Sound of Guns!
Half Man Half Biscuit are still going strong. They are very big in Scotland for some reason. Blackie can be seen cycling the lanes of Wirral with Denise. He is a legend.
It is difficult to get a following if you play original music because there are very few decent venues around to play. Some of the writing talent in the Wirral is amazing. Check out "The Vivid Hollow". Two of the band (the lead guitarist and the drummer) are Wirral-based and responsible for a great deal of the writing along with the other three members of this female-fronted band. They are all amazingly talented individuals (average age only 22) who have a great chemistry as a band. They are appearing live at the Krazy House in Liverpool next month. Be there-or be square!! :-)
Hi Ged....I was in two groups with you?...guess who?????
A real old blast from the past - Kaspers Engine!
great band wench used to watch them at stairways with the crazy drummer ?
The lead singer was my older brother's brother-in-law. I believe they went everywhere in a fire engine (not sure if that's just legend or not).
Made up about Cat Scratch Fever & HMHB. I've not seen Mixie for years! Last time I saw him was a lock-in gig in Birkenhead. Can't even remember the name of the pub - I could sink a fair few in those days & regularly did
OMG!! i used to watch Mister Zero and Alternative Radio. In fact I was humming a tune the other day and realised it was a Mr Zero one. haha - showing my age now!!
We used to watch them in the Leasowe Pub in Reeds Lane.
I also liked half man half biscuit - but never watched them live. A lad I worked with used to play their tapes in work and I got to know the music through him. Memories!!
Pegasus - with a hippie Andy McCluskey
Radio Blank - First Punk Band in Wirral
Next - Phil Jones's prog rock band
Attempted Moustache - other early Punks
Strife - Big hair prog rock
All wirral bands 74-77
Don't remember them - mine were in the 80s. Maybe I'm not as old as I think I am haha
The foundry are still about yeah, not sure where their next gig is tho! There's not all that much live music going on nowadays, unfortunately
I saw most of those bands regularly at The Dale mostly, & Id like to add some of the bands Ive been in & associated with in around that time & played the same circuit. Dirty Eddy, Brook Band Tips, Legsakimbo, Know The Code, XS Baggage. Also Great bands missing off that list, Thunderboots, Export, Scharnhorst, Bunter, Prey, Next, Dante & many more I will remember later...ah happy days!
I remember most of those mentioned & mostly from the Dale too .
Half Man Half Biscuit are still going strong, selling out the likes of the Manchester Academy and Shepeherd's Bush Empire. They recently released their 12th album "90 Bisodol (Crimond)".
The band with the "mad drummer" was undoubtedly Engine (as opposed to Caspar's Engine, different band). The mad drummer has been playing in The Jalapenos for 15 years. Despite being a Wirral-based band, they hardly ever play around here but still manage 3 or 4 gigs a week elsewhere. Great band.
ANOTHER I REMEMBER BUT NEVER SEEN WAS PICTURES OF INNOCENCE THINK THATS RIGHT
ANOTHER I REMEMBER BUT NEVER SEEN WAS PICTURES OF INNOCENCE THINK THATS RIGHT
your shouting again
sorry for shouting again I text quick as I am in work and forget the caps lock is on
The Lodge used to have loads of groups on, mad nights.
All far too recent for me - the 1960s were my era! Interesting, though to see how many (fairly) recent local groups there have been. When my local started having 'live music' in the 80s it was always a guy singing along to backing tapes and I thought that signalled the end of the road for groups.
I took the dog on the "deathwalk" today and noticed a blue plaque on the stone by the Tower Grounds saying that The Beatles played there on 27 occassions between 1961 - 1963. I took a picture of it but need to find the lead for the phone to send it
I'll post it once I find it.
Found it
HMHB I know that one member of that group used to work at Gmt on the wallasey side Making railway sleepers That was about 2003.
Also another band was expermentle gardens ( think that how you spell the groups name,
I think the best local band not to "make it" were Colonel Bagshot's Incredible Bucket band....they were like a "Beatles" in the early 70's, they were the tightest band around ...and people like me who were in a band would be totally in awe of these guys....when they finished their set with " A little help from my friends" (Joe Cocker version) it was like an epiphany ....you were totally gobsmacked....How I'd love to be back in The Embassy Club watching these guys again ...they are all still doing their own thing ...but just like the fab 4 ...It's the chemistry that made it special.
Remember "Engine" always used to play Stairways. Phil the bass player used to work at Candy domestic appliances. Used to be loads of bands around in the early 80's that played the Hamlet and the Cleveland in Birkenhead. My old band "Frontline" used to play the Cleveland and the Rock Station and we used to do the Muso's jam session on a Sunday in the Cleveland with Rob and Allan from AR and Saxophone Jones, Jimmy Summertime etc. Happy memories.
Our singer, Steve Mason, went on to work at Ronnie Scotts and now lives in Ireland. Kenny and Steve McKinney are still playing and are in a Blues Band called the "SHED BROTHERS". They often play the Wellie in Bebington.
Great list, some fuzzy recollections for sure
Would a band called Amsterdam Lil ring any bells with you?
hi torryman sorry about late reply dont get to computer to often. you dont say whitch two bands so that makes it real hard ive been in a band or two. i am sitting here trying to make my head work all i can think of is skonny or dave donnely let me know GED
I remember Shout, they were fab. really entertaining. Yozza the lead singer is still on circuit, often see him at Queens Oxton.
Did you play in XS-Baggage with Biffo? He was my uncle.
hi torryman sorry about late reply dont get to computer to often. you dont say whitch two bands so that makes it real hard ive been in a band or two. i am sitting here trying to make my head work all i can think of is skonny or dave donnely let me know GED
You may have known him as Alan!
Did you play in XS-Baggage with Biffo? He was my uncle.
hi torryman sorry about late reply dont get to computer to often. you dont say whitch two bands so that makes it real hard ive been in a band or two. i am sitting here trying to make my head work all i can think of is skonny or dave donnely let me know GED