Finish The Story
Encyclopedia
Finish the Story were formed in Evesham
(UK) in 1981. The original members were Nicola Mumford, Garry Smout and Peter Bright (aka This Window
). Finish the Story were very much a part of the 'Evesham Scene' which included bands The Photos
and The Dancing Did
Formed as a cathartic reaction to the death of Nicola's boyfriend, Stuart Dyke, who was killed in a car crash in 1981. Stuart was the bass player with The Dancing Did
. Tim Harrison the singer with The Dancing Did
invited Nicola to put her angst into words and music and support his band at their next gig. With only a handful of songs, a home-made video and under rehearsed, Finish the Story appeared for a one-off gig at The Phoenix Club, in Great Malvern
(UK) as the support act for The Dancing Did
In the audience was freelance journalist Mick Mercer
who was there to review the main act for Record Mirror
. A review of the same gig appeared in ZigZag (magazine)
written by Sara Jones who said,
With only a few gigs to their credit they supported The Cure
at Hammersmith Odeon. Other bands they have appeared with include Blurt
and And Also The Trees
. Headlining in towns and cities like London
, Birmingham
, Bristol
, Exeter
. Finish the Story refused to compromise making signing to a record label virtually impossible. Their artistic intensity ultimately forced them apart, they were a live performance band and even with the support of music journalists there was only one inevitable conclusion and that was to split up and go their separate ways.
Their first release was on Gunfire and Pianos (SITU 17) released by ZigZag/Situation Two
. Also appearing on this album were Psychic TV
, Jazz Butcher
and All About Eve (band)
.
Evesham
Evesham is a market town and a civil parish in the Local Authority District of Wychavon in the county of Worcestershire, England with a population of 22,000. It is located roughly equidistant between Worcester, Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon...
(UK) in 1981. The original members were Nicola Mumford, Garry Smout and Peter Bright (aka This Window
This Window
This Window was formed by Peter Bright around 1985; earlier tape experiments exist from 1979 to 1984. These tape experiments formed the basic philosophy of This Window. The analogue tape machine became the main instrument used to create ‘songs’...
). Finish the Story were very much a part of the 'Evesham Scene' which included bands The Photos
The Photos
The Photos were a British new wave band fronted by Wendy Wu, who had a top 5 album in the UK in 1980.-History:The Photos were originally a punk band named Satan's Rats that formed in Evesham, Worcestershire in 1977, with the first stable line-up of Paul Rencher , Steve Eagles , Roy Wilkes , and...
and The Dancing Did
The Dancing Did
The Dancing Did were a British post-punk/folk punk group formed in Evesham in 1979, who were described as "a cross between the Clash and Steeleye Span". They released an album in 1982 and split up the following year.-History:...
Formed as a cathartic reaction to the death of Nicola's boyfriend, Stuart Dyke, who was killed in a car crash in 1981. Stuart was the bass player with The Dancing Did
The Dancing Did
The Dancing Did were a British post-punk/folk punk group formed in Evesham in 1979, who were described as "a cross between the Clash and Steeleye Span". They released an album in 1982 and split up the following year.-History:...
. Tim Harrison the singer with The Dancing Did
The Dancing Did
The Dancing Did were a British post-punk/folk punk group formed in Evesham in 1979, who were described as "a cross between the Clash and Steeleye Span". They released an album in 1982 and split up the following year.-History:...
invited Nicola to put her angst into words and music and support his band at their next gig. With only a handful of songs, a home-made video and under rehearsed, Finish the Story appeared for a one-off gig at The Phoenix Club, in Great Malvern
Great Malvern
Great Malvern is an area of Malvern, Worcestershire, England. It is the historical centre of the town, and the location of the headquarters buildings of the of Malvern Town Council, the governing body of the Malvern civil parish, and Malvern Hills District council of the county of...
(UK) as the support act for The Dancing Did
The Dancing Did
The Dancing Did were a British post-punk/folk punk group formed in Evesham in 1979, who were described as "a cross between the Clash and Steeleye Span". They released an album in 1982 and split up the following year.-History:...
In the audience was freelance journalist Mick Mercer
Mick Mercer
Mick Mercer is a journalist and author best known for his photos and reviews of the goth, punk, and indie music scenes. He has photographed the bands Tragic Venus and Blondie in the UK and Europe.He publishes a monthly online magazine called "The Mick"....
who was there to review the main act for Record Mirror
Record Mirror
Record Mirror was a British weekly pop music newspaper, founded by Isadore Green and featured, news articles, interviews, record charts, record reviews, concert reviews, letters from readers and photographs. The paper became respected by both mainstream pop music fans and serious record collectors...
. A review of the same gig appeared in ZigZag (magazine)
ZigZag (magazine)
ZigZag was a British rock music magazine. It was started by Pete Frame and the first edition rolled off the printing presses on 16 April 1969...
written by Sara Jones who said,
Finish the Story's debut gig was better than the second coming of Jesus Christ.
With only a few gigs to their credit they supported The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
at Hammersmith Odeon. Other bands they have appeared with include Blurt
Blurt
Blurt is a British musical group founded by the poet, saxophonist and puppeteer Ted Milton in 1979 in Stroud, Gloucestershire; with Milton's brother Jake Milton, formerly of psychedelic group Quintessence, on drums and Peter Creese on guitar...
and And Also The Trees
And also the trees
And Also The Trees are an English rock band, formed in 1979 in the United Kingdom. They are most notable for their poetic lyrics and evocative music which is strongly influenced by their native English countryside.-History :...
. Headlining in towns and cities like London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
. Finish the Story refused to compromise making signing to a record label virtually impossible. Their artistic intensity ultimately forced them apart, they were a live performance band and even with the support of music journalists there was only one inevitable conclusion and that was to split up and go their separate ways.
Their first release was on Gunfire and Pianos (SITU 17) released by ZigZag/Situation Two
Situation Two
Situation Two, aka Situation 2, was a record label created in 1981 by Peter Kent as an offshoot of the larger Beggars Banquet label. At the time, Beggars Banquet records were distributed by WEA Records; so, to appeal to the indie audience and to get releases into the indie charts, the Situation Two...
. Also appearing on this album were Psychic TV
Psychic TV
Psychic TV or PTV, is a video art and music group that primarily performs psychedelic, punk, electronic and experimental music...
, Jazz Butcher
Jazz Butcher
The Jazz Butcher, also known as The Jazz Butcher Conspiracy and The Jazz Butcher And His Sikkorskis From Hell, are a British musical group founded by Pat Fish.-History:...
and All About Eve (band)
All About Eve (band)
All About Eve were a British rock/pop band. The creative core consisted of the Coventry born Julianne Regan , and the Huddersfield born Andy Cousin , with other members changing over the years...
.
Articles
- Clipping of 'one-off' Malvern gig in Record MirrorRecord MirrorRecord Mirror was a British weekly pop music newspaper, founded by Isadore Green and featured, news articles, interviews, record charts, record reviews, concert reviews, letters from readers and photographs. The paper became respected by both mainstream pop music fans and serious record collectors...
August 8th 1981 by Mick MercerMick MercerMick Mercer is a journalist and author best known for his photos and reviews of the goth, punk, and indie music scenes. He has photographed the bands Tragic Venus and Blondie in the UK and Europe.He publishes a monthly online magazine called "The Mick"....
http://www.finishthestory.co.uk/images/RecordMirror.pdf - ZigZag (magazine)ZigZag (magazine)ZigZag was a British rock music magazine. It was started by Pete Frame and the first edition rolled off the printing presses on 16 April 1969...
clipping of 'one-off' Malvern gig September 1981 by Sara Jones http://www.finishthestory.co.uk/images/ZigZagMalvern.pdf - Review of gig in BristolBristolBristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
by Dave Massey in Sounds (magazine)Sounds (magazine)Sounds was a long-term British music paper, published weekly from 10 October 1970 – 6 April 1991. It was produced by Spotlight Publications , which was set up by Jack Hutton and Peter Wilkinson, who left "Melody Maker" to start their own company...
July 2nd 1983 http://finishthestory.co.uk/images/SoundsReview.pdf - Interview in 'Women In Rock' published by The Daily MirrorThe Daily MirrorThe Daily Mirror is a British national daily tabloid newspaper which was founded in 1903. Twice in its history, from 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was changed to read simply The Mirror, which is how the paper is often referred to in popular parlance. It had an...
http://finishthestory.co.uk/images/WomenInRock.pdf 1983 - Review and interview with the BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
in 2005.http://www.bbc.co.uk:80/herefordandworcester/content/articles/2005/09/26/finish_the_story_profile_group.shtml There is a link on this page to an audio clip of the interview. - Collection of a few reviews and quotes. http://www.finishthestory.co.uk/reviews.html
External links
- Band website which includes the early DIY videos shot on a domestic VHSVHSThe Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
video camera which were shown before their gigs in 1981 website - List of releases in Europe on DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
.com http://www.discogs.com/artist/Finish+The+Story