The Members
| The Members | |
|---|---|
|
The Members in London, 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Camberley, England |
| Genres | Punk rock |
| Years active | 1976–1983, 2007–present |
| Labels | Stiff, Virgin, Arista |
| Website | theMembers.co.uk |
| Members |
Jean Marie Carroll Chris Payne Nigel Bennett Nick Cash |
| Past members |
Rat Scabies Nicky Tesco Adrian Lillywhite Calle Engelmarc Paddy Carroll Gary Baker Steve Morley Clive Parker Steve Maycock Rudi Thompson Simon Lloyd Chuck Sabo Adam Maitland |
The Members are a British punk band that originated in Camberley, England. Their biggest hit recording is "The Sound of the Suburbs", which reached 12 in the UK Singles Chart in 1979.
Career
The Members were formed by lyricist Nicky Tesco (Nick Lightowlers) in 1976, through an invited audition at a recording studio at Tooley Street, London.[1] The original personnel, with Tesco (vocals), was Gary Baker (guitar), and Steve Morley (bass guitar), initially with Steve Maycock then Clive Parker (drums). Morley and Parker were later replaced by Chris Payne and Adrian Lillywhite.
In 1976, the band performed for its first engagements at The Red Cow (London W6), The Windsor Castle (London W9) and The Nashville Rooms (London W14). In that year composer Jean Marie Carroll (aka JC Carroll) joined the band to complement Tesco's lyrics.[1] The Members had recorded a number of songs, but the first released recording was "Fear on the Streets", produced by Lillywhite's brother Steve Lillywhite. This song was included on the first record released by the Beggars Banquet label, the punk compilation Streets (1977).[2] The song-writing collaboration between Tesco and Carroll moved The Members' sound towards an incorporation of reggae, shown in the first single released for Stiff Records, "Solitary Confinement", produced by Larry Wallis. Following these releases, band personnel became Tesco (vocals), Carroll (vocals and guitar), Nigel Bennett (guitar), Payne (bass) and Lillywhite (drums).
In 1978/79 The Members continued to play the London pub and club circuit, became a feature in the music press and were championed byJohn Peel. They signed to Virgin Records in 1978, for which label they recorded "The Sound of the Suburbs", again produced by Steve Lillywhite. This became The Members' biggest chart success and their best-known song in the UK. The follow-up single, "Offshore Banking Business", a reggae tune written by Carroll, did not achieve the same popularity. A version of "Offshore Banking Business" was recorded for the early 1980s film Urgh! A Music War, produced by Michael White, distributed by Filmways and Lorimar Productions.[3]
The Members' first album, At the Chelsea Nightclub, was followed by a second for Virgin, 1980 – The Choice Is Yours. Their last album was Going West,[2] issued a year earlier as Uprhythm, Downbeat (1982) in the US.[1] The album featured the singles "Radio," which made the Top 10 in parts of Australia,[4] and "Working Girl," the music video for which gave the band exposure in North America via MTV.
The band broke up in 1983, when Tesco left the band after the last tour of the US. In 1989, Tesco appeared in Leningrad Cowboys Go America, written and directed by Aki Kaurismaki, a film about a fictional Russian rock band touring the US.[5] This fictional band then toured as an actual band, and recorded the Tesco song "Thru the Wire". Kaurismäki directed a video for "Thru the Wire", featuring Tesco.[6] As well as working as a music journalist for the magazine Music Week, Tesco has been a commentator on new releases for BBC 6 Music's "Roundtable".
In 2007, The Members were reunited at The Inn on the Green, Ladbroke Grove, London.
In 2008, a line up of Carroll, Payne and Nick Cash resumed touring, In 2009 a new single "International Financial Crisis" (a re-write of "Offshore Banking Business") was released, recorded by Tesco, Carroll, Payne and Bennett, with artwork by the original Members' album sleeve designer, Malcolm Garrett. This line up played Glastonbury and Isle of Wight festivals. The Members line-up of Carroll, Payne and Rat Scabies (drums) performed from 2010 to 2013, playing over 90 Shows including 3 European Tours and New Zealand and Australian Tours, Nick Cash rejoined the Band in 2014.
In March 2012, the Members released their fourth studio album, InGrrLand, featuring Carroll, Payne, Bennett, Cash and Rat Scabies. in December 2013 Nigel Bennett rejoined the Members. In 2014 The Members mounted a coast-to-coast tour of the USA, without Payne's temporary replacement Calle Engelmarc who had injured his hand. Instead, JC Carroll played bass. This was the band's first tour of the USA for 32 years.[7]
In 2015, the band began work on their fifth studio album in studios in London and West Byfleet featuring a nucleus of Carroll, Cash, Payne and Bennett together with guest appearances from Guy Pratt and former Jam guitarist Steve Brookes. One Law, released in early 2016, was produced by Carroll, and received reviews in Record Collector, Vive Le Rock, Louder Than War,[8] and The Aberdeen Voice.[9]
The band's 1979 protest song, "Offshore Banking Business", achieved viral cult status as the unofficial anthem on the Panama Papers.[10]
Discography
Albums
| Year | Title | UK | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | At the Chelsea Nightclub | 45 | Stiff/Virgin |
| 1980 | 1980 – The Choice Is Yours | - | Virgin |
| 1982 | Uprhythm, Downbeat | - | Virgin |
| 1995 | Sound of the Suburbs (Best Of) | - | Virgin |
| 2010 | Live in Berlin | - | Smash The System |
| 2012 | Ingrrland | - | AngloCentric |
| 2016 | One Law | - | AngloCentric - Cadiz Music |
| 2016 | At The Luton Hat Factory | - | AngloCentric |
Singles
| Year | Title | UK | UK
Indie |
US
Main |
AUS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | "Solitary Confinement" | - | - | - | - |
| 1979 | "The Sound of the Suburbs" | 12 | - | - | - |
| 1979 | "Offshore Banking Business" | 31 | - | - | - |
| 1979 | "Killing Time" | - | - | - | - |
| 1980 | "Romance" | - | - | - | - |
| 1980 | "Flying Again" | - | - | - | - |
| 1981 | "Working Girl" | - | 41 | 34 | - |
| 1982 | "Radio"[2] | - | - | - | 5 |
| 2009 | "International Financial Crisis" | - | - | - | - |
| 2011 | "New English Blues" | - | - | - | - |
| 2015 | "(I Love my)English Girls" | - | - | - | - |
| 2016 | "Emotional Triggers c/w Apathy in the UK" | - | - | - | - |
| 2016 | "Incident at Surbiton (3 Mixes)" | - | - | - | - |
Compilation appearances
- Streets (Beggars Banquet 1977 – Track: "Fear on the Streets")
- The Moonlight Tapes (Danceville Records 1977 – Track: "Rat Up a Drainpipe")
- The Sound of the Suburbs (Columbia Records MOOD18 (1991) – Track: "The Sounds of the Suburbs")
Line-ups
|
1976
1977
1977
1977–78
1978–83
1981–83
1981–83
|
1983 (disestablished)
2007 (reformed)
2009
2010
2011
2013 Australian Tour
2014
2014 Summer tours
|
2014 French tour
2014 Dutch tour
2015 Buzzcocks dates
2016 Cornwall Campaign
2016 Scottish Campaign
|
References
- 1 2 3 "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 November 2006. Retrieved 17 November 2006.
- 1 2 3 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 361. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ↑ "Urgh! A Music War (1981)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2016-06-27.
- ↑ Steffen Hung. "Forum – 1982 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
- ↑ "NICK TESCO conversations. Pt-08. Leningrad Cowboys and Aki Kaurismäki.". YouTube. 2010-05-20. Retrieved 2016-06-27.
- ↑ "NICK TESCO conversations. Pt-07. Berlin, Aki Kaurismäki, Thru the Wire.". YouTube. 2010-05-21. Retrieved 2016-06-27.
- ↑ Harr, Dan (August 25, 2014). "UK Punk Trailblazers The Members Touring America Now". Nashville Music News. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
- ↑ "The Members: One Law - album review". Louder Than War. 2016-03-22. Retrieved 2016-06-27.
- ↑ "The Members One Law – A Punk Coming Of Age Album". Aberdeen Voice. Retrieved 2016-06-27.
- ↑ John Dizard (2016-04-08). "Offshore banking business, international crime!". FT.com. Retrieved 2016-06-27.
External links
- The Members Official YouTube Channel
- The Members web site
- Nick Tesco music review blog.
- Review of The Members in Sacramento 2014
- Record Collector Article September 2015
- J C Carroll Official Site
- Nicky Tesco filmography
- Nick Cash: a bio
- Nick (Nicky) Tesco biographical videos.