Broken Dolls

 Broken Dolls

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From Wiki

Broken Dolls are from Coventry.

They signed a five-album deal with Southern Fried Records in 2004, and toured extensively playing such events and shows as Get Loaded in the Park, Glastonbury, Hyde Park (O2 festival), Radio One Big weekend/ Live Lounge, NME awards, Radio 1, Radio 2 and 6Music.

The band was also featured on the E! True Hollywood Story of Kate Moss, and featured their song, "Here We Go," in reference of Moss' drug problem.

Their first album was produced by Jim Abbiss (Arctic Monkeys, Kasabian, Editors) and Jagz Kooner (Primal Scream, Infadels).

"Here We Go," was also featured on the Test Drive Unlimited soundtrack.

Their album Broken Dolls was released on 23 July 2007, to rapturous reviews and excellent support from top national radio DJs.

They have starred as mentalists in a video for their "Here We Go" song, which was published on YouTube in November 2007.

" Frontman Neil Lole and guitarist Jay Langdell, ever-influenced by the psychedelic blues of Zeppelin and the urgent rock and roll of The Sex Pistols, played in numerous local bands and flirted with success. It wasn’t, however, until the late 90’s that they met. After sharing tales of late night boozing, smiley faces and cold sweaty mornings they decided to get back to their roots and play in a band once again. Jay called me so many times I thought he either wanted to fuck me or I owed him money.” Says Neil. Fast forward. Long nights and days spent in dingy basements, smoky blues parties and liquor sodden after hours clubs give rise to 'Rock and Roll' a three minute celebration of excess and a worthy addition to the pantheon of Midlands born anthems. Well-crafted guitar-driven songs, fused with breaks and synths, tussle with soaring vocals performed with that cheeky punk rock sensibility. Broken Dolls have endured a rollercoaster of a ride over the past 4 years with many highlights such as playing Glasto and some not-so-highlights such as losing band members/friends along the way. The end result is, however, the way Broken Dolls had always envisaged and with an album produced by Jim Abiss (Arctic Monkeys) and Jagz Kooner (Infidels) in the bag they are a kickass rock band ready to get those fists pumping airborne again. Broken Dolls are: Neil Lole-Vocals Jason Langdell-Guitar Chris Pemberton-Keyboard Vas Stylianos-Bass Ash Hancox-Drums “Broken Dolls are the best band since sliced bread and I’ve met Sting.” David-South Wales .."

Broken Dolls - Stronger

Broken Dolls - Shot to the Head

Broken Dolls:"Here We Go" Promo Video: Directed By Jon Pratt

Rock and Roll

Godiva Festival interview 2008

The Brethren

The Brethren

THE BRETHREN circa 1965 Beat group.

 

Line up: Ian Elson (guitar), Simon Aston (bass), Howard Smith (Vocals), Paul Hughes (Drums) and Edward Tudor (Ted) Crum ( Vocals and mouth organ). 

Originally “The Exclusive Brethren”. Ian went on to join The Heart of England Folk Group in 1968, a popular folk group based in Leamington. Ted Crum joined Sneaks Noise. 

Source - Broadgate Gnome

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Breaker

 Breaker

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Breaker was Horace Panter's Soul / club band before the Specials. 

Line up of Breaker
Margo Buchanan - vocal, Gordon Reaney - guitar, Geoff Conway - drums, Horace Panter - bass.

A little bit of the history and lead up taken from his book Ska'd for Life and from the Hobo Magazine archives.

Horace was born in Croydon in 1953 and brought up in Kettering. His first band, c 1970 was "Mobius or Mobius Strip after the MC Escher called the Mobius Strip. Horace did "vocal and bass duties". They played live 6 times and Horace's own words "we were awful".

He landed a place at Coventry's Lanchester Polytechnic studying Fine Art in October 1972. Geoff Conway was his first musical contact in his 2nd year 73 - 74 - he was Social Secretary and a drummer. One of the first year recruits was Jerry Dammers, born in India in 1955, his father was a clergy man. Together with Bob Carter and Roy Butterfield (who had played lead in the early version of Indian Summer and later wrote songs with Tom Robinson, they formed a band called Alive and Smilin' - short lived though.

In June 1973, I, Trev Teasdel and John Bargent (who ran Rougestar Music Promotions and Disco), set up Hobo Coventry Music and Arts Magazine. We received an advert from Horace in the August. It appeared in the February .1974 issue. 

Funding for Hobo was difficult with printing costs rising rapidly, so Horace had already found a band by then as his follow up letter indicates.

He doesn't mention the name of the band in the letter but i assume it was Alive and Smilin'. I sent some possibilities for local gigs.

Breaker began in 1975 when Horace finished his degree. He and Geoff Conway remained when Alive and Smilin' split up and Horace met Margo Buchanan and her boyfriend Gordon Reaney. Margo had done vocals with Alive and Smilin' latterly and both her and Gordon had been in a band from Matlock in Derbyshire called SMACK back in 1973 and they moved to Coventry for the music scene and signed up with Craig ward's Sunshine Music agency in Gulson Road Coventry. Olllie Oliver aka Doc Mustard and Nick Trevisthick complete the line up. The original band back in Matlock was called Pug Ma Ho.

Horace says of Breaker, in his book Ska'd For Life."The plan was to form a band that was versatile enough to play funky / soul stuff in discos but had a 'standard' repertoire to do Working Men's Clubs. The band was to be called Breaker which had an American CB kind of vibe...We emptied dance floors all over the country. We couldn't possibly compete with the new funk 12-inch releases that the DJ's were playing..Working Men's Clubs were another universe completely. Three half hour spots in between several games of bingo. No fast tunes until the end, please. One time we got sent packing because people got up and danced when they weren;t supposed to, Newcastle, Sunderland and Middlesbrough. "And tonight, ladies and Gentlemen, all the way from...where are you from again?..The Breaker Showgroup!'

In retrospect, Breaker was on a hiding to nothing from the start, but I wanted to play, and if anything good came from my stay in the band, it was that I learnt to be comfortable on stage."

Breaker had a Monday night residency at the Smithfield Arms in Coventry, in 1976 and it was there Jerry Dammers came to see them and asked Horace to work on some songs he had written and eventually to join the Coventry Automatics who became The Special AKA.

Horace Panter

Craig Ward of Coventry's Sunshine Music Agency, Gulson Road Coventry, wrote a history of the band SMACK featuring Gordon Reaney and Margo Buchanan later of Breaker.

The BOYS BLUE

The BOYS BLUE

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The BOYS BLUE
circa 1964-5 R&B / Beat group

This site explains some of the confusion between this band The Boys Blue and The Sorrows.

The Sorrows had a UK hit in 1965 with Take a Heart but another Coventry Band The Boys Blue covered this Miki Dallon song before the Sorrows and also You Got What I want - another Dallon song. 45 Cat site says "The Boys Blue - Biography

Jeff Elroy (vocals)
Michael Holloway (guitar)
Tony Hart (bass)
Paul Colletto (drums)

Although The Boys Blue were the first group to record Miki Dallon's "You Got What I Want" and "Take a Heart", with both tracks later recorded by The Sorrows, The Boys Blue had no connection to The Sorrows as has sometimes been suggested. 

Coventry band The Boys Blue were formed in 1964 by vocalist Jeff Elroy. Bass player Tony Hart knew a guitarist, Michael Holloway who knew a drummer, Paul Colletto with this quartet becoming The Boys Blue. Singer Jeff Elroy was friends with budding songwriter Miki Dallon, resulting in the group recording two of his compositions for their lone single with Miki also producing the two tracks. 

The Boys Blue backed Miki Dallon during his own vocal sessions on at least six occasions. The Boys Blue also appeared on Thank Your Lucky Stars in June 1965 with The Rolling Stones, The Kinks and Lulu. A scheduled tour in 1965 with Chuck Berry with The Boys Blue as a support act was cancelled at the last minute, resulting in their having to give back all the new equipment they had just received. The group disbanded soon after in 1965.

Lead singer, Jeff Elroy recorded a single "Honey Machine" released in November 1966 credited to Jeff Elroy and Boys Blue. However, bassist Tony Hart claims the original Boys Blue split in 1965 and the band backing Jeff Elroy in 1966 may have been a new group."

And

It was the only single by the Boys Blue, although their singer, Jeff Elroy, did a single in 1966 for Philips that was credited to Jeff Elroy and the Boys Blue. Both tracks have been reissued on a number of British Invasion obscurity compilations. ~ Richie Unterberger, Rovi"

Take a Heart - The Boys Blue

The Boys Blue - You Got What I Want

Jeff Elroy And Boys Blue - Honey Machine

Box of the Blues (Neol Davies / Horace Panter)

Box of the Blues (Neol Davies / Horace Panter)

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Doesn't appear to be any tracks from the album now available on line. 

Line Up

Neol Davies Guitar / vocals

Horace Panter bass guitar

Anthony Harty drums

"Neol Davies is in heaven playing the blues and so is Horace Panter. With ska there was not much room for improvisation. Box of Blues allows Neol Davies to show off his mastery of the guitar and employ an asset that has been underused, his voice. Neol Davies and his two colleagues are enjoying the novelty of playing small, intimate venues again. Far from the land of ska, into a land called the blues, Neol Davies, Horace Panter, and Anthony Harty are welcomed members of the community. The soulful presentation of Box of Blues proves to all that they have found a genre where black and white musicians, like two-tone ska, can and have grooved to the same beat for many years." ~ Larry Belanger, Rovi 

From Last FM 

"Neol’s first album under his own name -Box of Blues, (released in 1999/2000) is a collection of original Blues songs and one instrumental, the sublime Paradise Re-visited, which finally brought Neol together with Horace Panter, aka Sir Horace Gentleman, the original bass-ace from The Specials. A mutual love of guitar, bass, drums (and vocals) bands like Free and the Who led to the recording philosophy of the album, which was to keep it simple and raw, but with snappy arrangements learnt from the 2 Tone experience. With former Paul Weller and Dennis Greaves sidekick, Anthony Harty, defining a new style on the drums, Box of Blues was highly praised throughout the blues scene, both here and internationally, and the classic three-piece guitar, bass and drums line-up toured extensively as a result."

Box of Blues Review by Larry Belanger 

https://www.allmusic.com/album/box-of-blues-mw0001008673
Neol Davies displays another side of himself with this creative album of blues lead guitar licks and blues vocal expressions. Far from the two tone ska sound that has for so long been his signature cry for fame, he easily flows with fluidity into the blues genre. His seasoned experience as a musician lends a gracefulness to his playing, but it is the creative genius in the artist that brings the strength to the album. The partnership with Horace Panter, who displays creative genius in his improv-style bass chops, and the precise percussion from Anthony Harty only strengthen the charismatic elements of the album. The album starts off with, "this time it is for real," which is a rockin' blues number, via some screaming lead guitar riffs and a sound that feels very "live." Neol Davies' vocal style on "This Time It Is for Real" is clean and melodic, not the rough and gritty style all too commonly heard in the blues genre. The lyrics are contagious and memorable, flowing with ease between the well-balanced instrumental accentuations. With echoes of Jimi Hendix, Robin Trower, Jimmy Page, and the few masters of creative guitar genius, "Paradise Revisited" hypnotizes and magnetizes the listener. Neol Davies has allowed all to enjoy another side of his creative genius with his hypnotic guitar work in the blues genre. He, along with the fantastic rhythm section of Horace Panter and Anthony Harty, have blessed blues fans with another gem to add to their treasured library of classics. Box of Blues easily fits in the niche with albums from other masters of the blues. Just file it in any favorite "box of blues."

The BO WEEVILS (Boll Weevils)

The BO WEEVILS (Boll Weevils)

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The BO WEEVILS (Boll Weevils) 

Sources Tim James, Broadgate Gnome, Paul Kennelly, Coventry Express, Kevin Dempsey.

circa 1963-6

R&B / Blues group

Line up: Tim James (vocals, harmonica) (also with Acme Patent Electric Band / Ra Ho Tep / Last Fair Deal), Steve Bentham (guitar, vocals), Barry Smale (bass), Joe Craner (drums). Bill Campbell bass, Gordon Stansfield lead guitar,

Kev Dempsey (later guitarist with Dando Shaft / Side Effect) replaced Craner on drums. Fred Liggins on Tenor Sax

Formed around 1963 as The Boll Weevils as an R&B outfit. Changed name to The Bo Weevils  in 1964 to avoid confusion with London group and Kevin Dempsey replaced Joe Craner on drums. With Fred Liggins on Tenor Sax, they Eventually gravitated towards the more soul orientated sounds of Otis, Pickett, Brown etc. as public tastes changed. Jazzier influence arrived with addition of Gordon Wood and Greg Taylor on Baritone and Tenor sax respectively added in 1965, this coincided with interest from Pye Records.

Tim James left early 1966 and Steve 'Tiny' Bentham took over. Eventually split July 1966. Kevin Dempsey later played guitar in Dando Shaft.

From Tim James's Website " I made my first public performance with newly formed blues

Tim James on sax with later band Ra Ho Tep

band, the Boll Weevils at Willenhall Youth Club. A week later we played Trinity Hall, Pool Meadow, Coventry City Centre, the big time  at last. We then did the rounds and learned the  ropes for a few months but our most successful regular gig was the Coventry Gauge & Tool Social Club - you may laugh but they were a hip audience and about the only crowd who didn't want us to play chart material. But we dreamed of playing the big local gigs such as the Locarno, Matrix and so on. Our opportunity came via school colleagues, Colin Towe and Dave Taylor, who took over our management, and Fred Liggins who joined the band on alto sax. Before long we were playing all of the above places plus the Leofric Jazz Club and The Birmingham Marquee, making us the only local band to get anywhere near these gigs, the rest having never got past Merseybeat. Our sound was unique, featuring alto sax and harp riffs, more jazzy than most but still funky, too good to last ... and it didn't."

We were soon locally famous and touring the Northern & Midlands R&B circuit. Drummer Joe Craner was mercilessly replaced by Kev Dempsey and ,soon after, all of the originals except me had gone. We were now playing soul music, were known as the Bo-Weevils, and everyone in the band now had the ambition of being rich & famous ... except me ... all I wanted to do was play the blues ... naive idiot! So when I left school (in 1966) I left the band. I was offered a recording contract with Columbia which I turned down, because no way was I falling into the usual cesspit of singing Tony Hatch songs. I would rather get a day job to earn money and play music for enjoyment, which is exactly what I did.

.............................................

From "Coventry Sound is Coming into its own" 

by Paul Connew City Beat, Coventry Express Friday May 28th 1965

The Club Scene
..Birmingham has a very atmospheric all-nighter. The Crazy E (in Navigation Street) which

attracts quite a few Coventry Mod Set. (The club also had the likes of The Spencer Davis Group and Zoot Money). One of the groups that frequently play there are The Boll Weevils. They came a surprising 5th in the Coventry Express poll. The are also regulars at the Leofric Jazz Club, probably the nearest we have to the London scene. And the Boll Weevils illustrate more aptly than anyone else in the poll, the shift in pop music business. They are Jazz based, short haired, and very Mod.

Sound
An alto-saxophonist 18 year old Fred Liggins is the often frighteningly proficient lead instrumental voice. Vocalist, harmonica player Tim James frequently throws pop music convention to the wind and starts skat singing.

From The Coventry Standard June 16th 1966

Kevin Dempsey extracted from the palebloomsandbeyond Interview 9.11.22 on youTube

"My dad was a drummer, they had band rehearsals at my house. Drums were my first instrument, my dad was a drummer so I wanted to be a drummer as well. I started lessons about 7, played in a couple of bands when I was 13, we played the pop songs of the day. My dad liked country and Irish music and big bands - he was the drummer / leader of the New City Sounds in the 70's. I switched to guitar later at 16 and then joined Dando Shaft.. Meanwhile I was in a band called the Bo Weevils, a three sax band and a organs, keyboards, bass, drums and a singer and they were already going, I joined them, as their drummer, they were playing a lot of this Alexis Corner stuff of the time, and his rhythm and blues all stars, Dick Heckstall-Smith Cyril Davies on harmonica, however that was an introduction to me. I was with them 18 months to 2 years and it changed to more soul music , we began to be listening to the Impressions who I love, Soloman Burke, Lou Rawls, Joe Tex, Motown, Otis Redding material and stuff."

The full Kevin Dempsey Interview on youtube.

Franks Dempsey's band 

Bourbon Street

 

Bourbon Street

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A blues / soul band like The Commitments (as in the 90's film of that name) in the 1990's.
Material kindly sent in by Leigh Malin who was tenor / baritone sax player with Bourbon Street 1992-95 ish.

Thanks too, to Meryl Barrett for remembering this band at the 'Colly' and enquiring about them.


The Line up of Bourbon Street in its various forms - Clyde Barrow - lead vocals
Martin Heath - bass
Simon Heath - guitar
Andy Owen / Steve Tombs - drums
Karl Stevens - alto sax
Paul "Scobie" Jenkins - tenor sax
Leigh Malin - tenor/baritone sax
Tony ? - trumpet
Nipper - trumpet
Cath Nightingale - backing vocals
Juliet ? - backing vocals
Belinda ? - backing vocals
Grace Haynes - backing vocals
Viviane ? - backing vocals
Jay Forrester - organ
Martin Barter- organ
..............
Meryl Barrett recalls "they played the 'Colly' - Colosseum night club in Coventry and one of the members was called Kev."

Leigh Malin says "not sure of some of the surnames, but we did the Colly (tic toc possibly at the time), Mr g's, dog & trumpet, the Holyhead, the Belgrade & loads of other venues around the city. We ended up doing a lot on the buttons circuit until the band fizzled out. I have some info on other bands i have worked with if you are interested, such as "brians band", which went on to become "the medicine shack", "the relatives", "n.v" & some others i could probably shed some light on!"