mini biographies

Click to jump-to: Delta 5, Urban Disturbance, Treatment Room & Freshmen

DELTA 5

Julz Sale (v/gtr)
Ros Allen (b/voc)
Alan Riggs (gtr)
Bethan Peters (b/v)
Kelvin Knight (drums)

Formed within the late post punk bands Leeds art school scene in the late 70s that included Gang of Four and the Mekons (all bands that share a certain similarity in style as well as a love for Faversham pub, which was a favourite student hang out back then). 'Mind Your Own Business', released in 1979 on Rough Trade Records, was their first single and made it to number 3 in the alternative charts. There were two subsequent singles on the label followed by an album 'See The Whirl' and then two singles on Pre Records. The album showed a conscious effort to present something different to their live sound. As a fan, I felt that I lost out a bit here because their live sound was so good. After a bright start, interest in the band waned. They quit in 1982. More recently, the band released a compilation of the Rough Trade singles alongside track from their BBC sessions and some live songs. This is highly recommended click here.

For more about the Delta 5 see an interview that appeared in the very first ESN. It dates back to when they supported Gang of Four in Newcastle on the Solid Gold tour in 1981 click here.

Delta 5

URBAN DISTURBANCE

Barry 'Baz' Sylvester (v/gtr)
Steve Carvey (d)
Tone Control (gtr/v)
Jonny Stephens aka Walter Malone (b)

'Wild Boys in Cortinas' was a song that slipped out on a 7" split single (a different artist on each side the record) in 1979. The other song was 'Just Can't Let You Go' by the VIPs and was part of a quick fire set of 10 split singles (a different band on each side) on the ROK label. They all looked identical with ROK logo looming large on the label and the sleeve and each band coming in some way behind. 'Wild Boys in Cortinas' is a gloriously simple song that last 90 seconds but refuses to be rushed. The band describes how to stand tall in a small town. They were from Swindon so perhaps they knew something about that.

Urban Disturbance

Treatment Room

TREATMENT ROOM

Chris Simpson (v/gtr)
Steve Oliver (b)
Brian Ward (d)

Formed in the Newcastle area in 1979, Treatment Room released 'Shapes' and 'Awayday' (sic) on their own Plug label in 1981. There were 1,000 copies pressed that, on the back of steady gigging in the north east, sold well locally. I first saw the band supporting the Au Pairs in 1981 and took to them immediately and went to see again shortly after that. Chris Simpson was a regular face on the Newcastle scene, very distinctive looking with a thin pony tail that came forward and sat on the left side of his chest.

'Shapes' is an amazing track. Chris is obviously a very talented singer with a very distinctive guitar style with the tuneful contribution of the bass and the percussive clicks from the drummer - all elements that were ahead of their time - gave it an astonishing impact. Many bands only released one single and if it was a goodie, you can be grateful for what you got but having heard Treatment Room's whole set, I still feel very cheated that their legacy is so small. Chris formed Fashionable Impure shortly after Treatment Room. You can read more about them in the back issue of ESN 1 click here and ESN 4 click here.

UPDATE: Inspired by writing this synopsis, I have revisited a previously unpublished interview with Chris recorded in 1981; it is now the basis of a much more in-depth Treatment Room piece recently posted on the ESN site click here.

FRESHMEN

Billy Brown (k/v)
Tiger Taylor (gtr)
Paddy Feeney (d)
Derek Dean (v)
Pat Carey (b)

Despite the raging cockney accents, The Freshmen were actually an Irish show band and not the post punk band that this release indicates. 'I've Never Heard Anything Like It' is a supremely confident and spirited song although probably not representative of their other material. Released in Ireland and only available in the UK on import, with John Peel playing it on Radio 1 and also one of his ranting in-store tapes for Virgin Record it achieved brisk sales a place in the alternative chart.

Freshmen