Headless Chickens (UK band)
Encyclopedia
Headless Chickens were a five-piece melodic punk band from Exeter
, England
, comprising at various times Thom Yorke
(guitar and vocals), Simon "sHack" Shackleton
(bass and vocals), John Matthias (violin), Laura Forrest-Hay (violin), Martin Brooks (drums), Andy Hills (bass) and Lindsey Moore (drums), they were well known on the Exeter punk scene in 1989. In June 1989 they released their first single
, "I Don't Want To Go To Woodstock", on the Hometown Atrocities EP
, along with tracks from three other bands (Beaver Patrol, Jackson Penis and Mad At The Sun). This is believed to be Thom Yorke's first ever released recording
, on which he played lead guitar
and sang backing vocals
.
The Headless Chickens performed to packed out houses in and around Exeter during this period, including acclaimed solo shows and supporting acts such as Eat
and De La Soul
.
Their "poly-sensual" shows often involved avant-garde visual experimentation, with the occasional bizarre act of total nudity.
While he was in Headless Chickens, Yorke's earlier band, On A Friday, was mostly in a state of suspended animation; after he left Exeter, On A Friday restarted, eventually becoming Radiohead
. Headless Chickens mutated into the techno-influenced Flickernoise (led by Shackleton) who later changed their name to Lunatic Calm
in 1996.
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...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, comprising at various times Thom Yorke
Thom Yorke
Thomas "Thom" Edward Yorke is an English musician who is the lead vocalist and principal songwriter for Radiohead. He mainly plays guitar and piano, but he has also played drums and bass guitar...
(guitar and vocals), Simon "sHack" Shackleton
Simon Shackleton
Simon Shackleton is a musician, operating primarily under the name Elite Force, but also under aliases such as sHack, Killer Elite, Futurecore, Double Black, pHrack R and Zodiac Cartel. While a student at Exeter University he started his first band, Headless Chickens with future Radiohead frontman...
(bass and vocals), John Matthias (violin), Laura Forrest-Hay (violin), Martin Brooks (drums), Andy Hills (bass) and Lindsey Moore (drums), they were well known on the Exeter punk scene in 1989. In June 1989 they released their first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "I Don't Want To Go To Woodstock", on the Hometown Atrocities EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, along with tracks from three other bands (Beaver Patrol, Jackson Penis and Mad At The Sun). This is believed to be Thom Yorke's first ever released recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
, on which he played lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
and sang backing vocals
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
.
The Headless Chickens performed to packed out houses in and around Exeter during this period, including acclaimed solo shows and supporting acts such as Eat
Eat (band)
Eat were a British alternative rock band who were active in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They released two albums on The Cure's label Fiction...
and De La Soul
De La Soul
De La Soul is an American hip hop trio formed in 1987 on Long Island, New York. The band is best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres...
.
Their "poly-sensual" shows often involved avant-garde visual experimentation, with the occasional bizarre act of total nudity.
While he was in Headless Chickens, Yorke's earlier band, On A Friday, was mostly in a state of suspended animation; after he left Exeter, On A Friday restarted, eventually becoming Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
. Headless Chickens mutated into the techno-influenced Flickernoise (led by Shackleton) who later changed their name to Lunatic Calm
Lunatic Calm
Lunatic Calm were a UK-based electronic music group formed in 1996. Despite a wide-ranging sound palette, the group was best known for their high impact, industrial-tinged big beat compositions.-History:...
in 1996.