Saturday, September 1, 2018

Tubilah Dog

Tubilah Dog
(1985-1990)


"One of the country's best festival bands in the late 80s and still going..." Igraine - Comment on Godiva Rock Cov Telegraph article.


BACK TO THE BAND INDEX

Line Up
Steve Mills - Vocals (Ex-TRESPASS/FX)

Jerry Richards - Guitar

Alf Hardy - Synths.

Mark "Banni" Bannister - Guitar.

Andy Copeland - Drums

John Oddy - Bass replaced by

Tom (UK WARRIORS) - Bass

Tim Kelsell - Bass

Steve "Lennon" Whitaker/

Neil Fisher (Lighting and Stage)

Tracks on My Space - Lament for the Lady of Tarn / Star City / Short Story / Watching / Anywhere / She Talks to Angels / Flight 2342 / Le Chien Noir / Timothy Archer pt 2 / Stoat
And hear more on Sound Click  and more on You Tube.

From Rex Bough


Played Colin Campbell regularly, amongst all other venues in Coventry/ Birmingham/Rugby/Leamington area. Went on the Free Festival Circuit of the late Thatcher era, often supplying the PA and lighting for Wango Rileys guerrilla stage. (Our Big Blue van was often the target of police interest.) Witnessed the police-instigated violence of the late 80s Stonehenge Festivals. Joined forces with DAVE BROCK of HAWKWIND and played in various line-ups under the HAWKWIND banner as well as "HAWKDOG" and "DAVE BROCKS AGENTS of CHAOS." Supported HAWKWIND on major UK tours 1988-1989, including 3 nights of HAMMERSMITH ODEON (No Sleep 'til) one of which was broadcast live on Radio One (including support band). Played the all-dayer ACID DAZE events alongside Spacemen3, Suicide, Pink Fairies, Doc & the Medics, Robert Calvert etc. Supported Doc and the Medics, and headlined gigs supported by then unknown band The Levellers. Finally ran out of energy/money/optimism and gave it a rest before insanity truly set in. STEVE MILLS and JERRY went on under the name TUBILAH DOG with members of ANGELWITCH, the last gigs being around 1991. STEVE released a home produced album under the name on the Italian BEARD OF STARS label. The only recording released of the original Tubilah Dog is on a compilation of late 80s festival bands "Travellers Aid Trust" released on Flicknife Records, supposedly for charity. TUBILAH is HALIBUT backwards.


JERRY RICHARDS Joined HAWKWIND and also works as Foley artist with Andre Jacquemin, worked on many films from the Handmade/Python stable. ALF HARDY engineers at Cabin Studios. MARK "BANNI" BANNISTER is a ighly skilled electronics engineer now works FOH and maintenance for PA companies. ANDY COPELAND went to Film School. JOHN ODDY is a respected PA installer/engineer on the Dance/Club scene and was one of the invisible forces behind the success of the seminal Eclipse/Amnesia Club in Coventry. TIM KELSALL now runs TOTAL MUSIC COMPANY) STEVE "LENNON" WHITAKER DJs under the Black Cat moniker and still promotes gigs and prepares and lights stages in Coventry.

And from their My Space


"A Justified and Ancient collection of old farts , younger farts and a bunch of inveterate hash heads who rock like Paris Hilton in the prison showerblock bending over for the soap. A collection of like minded lunatics who should know better considering their education The grandaddys of *Post Rock* a melange of guitars, things that go whibble, topped off with a lyrical content that is both acerbic and stupid within a single sentence The house band for a P K Dick convention Syd Barret's idiot offspring caught scrumping apples from Roger Waters orchard Steve Mills ; Vocals;Guitars;Keys Tim Kelsall; Bass Alf Hardy; Keys Chris Beach;Guitars Mikey Walsh : Guitars & large femme following ..arf arf... .."



"TUBILAH DOG" .. Formed 1984 in Coventry from a bunch of festival going hash fiends. Early line up consisted of Alf Hardy (keyboards), Mark "Banny" Bannister (guitar), Steve Mills (vocals), Jerry Richards (guitar), John Oddy (bass), Andy Copleand (drums). Played just about every free festival betwen 1985 and 1990 John Oddy moved to mixing the sound Tim Kelsall, Steve's old compadre from a couple of rock bands joining on bass. After 1990 went through many line up changes these days the band consists of Steve Mills Vocals (guitar), Ashley Dreher (bass). Alf and Banny play keyboards and guitar on studio projects...
Similar bands... HAWKWINDS. The Dogs often played as HawkDog with Dave Brock and Harvey bainbridge from HAWKWIND. Songs have been described as sounding like ... The CLASH playing JETHRO TULL... Euro Pop meets the MINISTRY on black acid... and PINK FLOYD on skunkweed. At present Steve is producing and playing on the album ‘Dark Erotika’ for the Artist Bel Adair.
Steve Mills, ENGLAND for ProgArchives
The Hop Pickers Ball was Tubilah Dog's way of finishing off the hop picking season. A lot of Coventry folks had been after the summer festivals and the band wanted to have a bash to celebrate the homecoming/end of the hard work. It was a quid a ticket - to pay for the petrol costs. Screech Rock turned up out of the blue and played support. Dave Brock was at the gig; the year after, Tubilah Dog were playing support with Hawkwind.
It was a frantic late night drive down from Coventry to Kent; trying to find the venue down dark country lanes and making many wrong turns. Space cakes, cider and 'shroom tea were a-plenty when we got there. We freaked out to the ultra violet madness that was Screech Rock, met old friends and danced to the Dogs. At one point the cops drove past us...slowed down and looked in amazement as freaks and hop pickers partied their arses off...and then they drove off into the foggy night.


Tubilah Dog on Spotify. Below is a graphic only  - click on link below to sign in to spotify.


https://open.spotify.com/album/1mpY4beNVOFwPqO4YYEDiw?si=HL-Guut6SuCihs4qwQRerQ

Here's what they missed.
01- Imhotep
02- Hassan I Sabbha
03- Making Love On The Telephone
04- Forty Floors Up
05- The Facts
06- Step Down
07- Waiting For A Jam
08- Not Just Another Maybe
09- Safe Zone
10- City Of Tiny Lights
11- 'U.F.O' theme
12- Saucer Surfing jam
13- Motorway City
14- Shot Down In The Night
Source: Tape copy of the original mixing desk recording {a bit rough in places }

YouTube Video


working on the hops


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