Henry's Final Dream
Encyclopedia
Henry’s Final Dream were a 1980s London
indie
rock
band who played the college circuit and recorded two EP
’s with the Eskimo Vinyl label. They took their name from the cult movie, Eraserhead
(and an illustration in Carl Jung
's "Man And His Symbols").
Their sound was described by Paul Morley
of New Musical Express as “go-getting sax stirred art-pop… Airy melodies, self-conscious lyrics, an early Undertones
with pretension – could one day be sublime.” Sheffield fanzine
NMX commented, “Sounds to me (like) The Distractions
too stoned to play properly and put through a fuzz-box. I like it, very much.”
. Peter Millward wrote their original material, and was guitarist, vocalist and all-round front-man. Martin Pavey played bass guitar, Tiffer Breakey, drums, and Gary Bryson tenor sax, harmonica and occasional vocals.
HFD were formed in the crucible of a student musical appreciation society, set up originally to squeeze beer money out of the Student Union. However, the band quickly realised there was more money to be made taking their brand of anarchic indie rock to the masses. This proved to be a shrewd move, and the resulting 1 pound 75 pence was put towards a recording session which produced their first EP in the summer of 1980, Indian Summer. This was followed in early 1981 with their second offering, I Couldn’t Jump. Ilford indie mag Outlet described I Couldn’t Jump as “a haunting theme and a fizzing sax solo”, and The St Alban’s Review and Advertiser said it was “fun… a cut above the all-out punk thrash of most such records.” A bootleg
recording of the band’s legendary appearance upstairs at London’s Ronnie Scott’s Club in 1981 is also known to be in existence, though something of a rarity.
Peter Millward now lives and works in Hong Kong
where he runs Drum Music with partner and friend Eddie Chung, He also records his own music under the name Celestial, which he reluctantly describes as "asian dub". Martin Pavey is believed to now run his own music company in the UK, Tiffer Breakey lives and works in England
, and Gary Bryson is a journalist and author now living in Sydney
. His novel Turtle, is published by Allen & Unwin
.
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...
indie
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band who played the college circuit and recorded two 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...
’s with the Eskimo Vinyl label. They took their name from the cult movie, Eraserhead
Eraserhead
Eraserhead is a 1977 American surrealist film and the first feature film of David Lynch, who wrote, produced and directed. Lynch began working on the film at the AFI Conservatory, which gave him a $10,000 grant to make the film after he had begun working there following his 1971 move to Los Angeles...
(and an illustration in Carl Jung
Carl Jung
Carl Gustav Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist and the founder of Analytical Psychology. Jung is considered the first modern psychiatrist to view the human psyche as "by nature religious" and make it the focus of exploration. Jung is one of the best known researchers in the field of dream analysis and...
's "Man And His Symbols").
Their sound was described by Paul Morley
Paul Morley
Paul Morley is an English journalist, who wrote for the New Musical Express from 1977 to 1983, during one of its most successful periods, and has since written for a wide range of publications...
of New Musical Express as “go-getting sax stirred art-pop… Airy melodies, self-conscious lyrics, an early Undertones
The Undertones
The Undertones are a punk rock/new wave band formed in Derry, Northern Ireland, in 1975.The original line-up of the Undertones released thirteen singles and four studio albums — The Undertones , Hypnotised , Positive Touch and The Sin of Pride — before disbanding in July 1983.Music guide Allmusic...
with pretension – could one day be sublime.” Sheffield fanzine
Fanzine
A fanzine is a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon for the pleasure of others who share their interest...
NMX commented, “Sounds to me (like) The Distractions
The Distractions
The Distractions are a British punk rock/new wave band from Manchester, England.-History:The band was originally formed in 1975 by college friends Mike Finney and Steve Perrin , alongside Lawrence Tickle and Tony Trap...
too stoned to play properly and put through a fuzz-box. I like it, very much.”
History
The band members met in the late seventies as students at the Polytechnic of Central LondonUniversity of Westminster
The University of Westminster is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom. Its origins go back to the foundation of the Royal Polytechnic Institution in 1838, and it was awarded university status in 1992.The university's headquarters and original campus are based on Regent...
. Peter Millward wrote their original material, and was guitarist, vocalist and all-round front-man. Martin Pavey played bass guitar, Tiffer Breakey, drums, and Gary Bryson tenor sax, harmonica and occasional vocals.
HFD were formed in the crucible of a student musical appreciation society, set up originally to squeeze beer money out of the Student Union. However, the band quickly realised there was more money to be made taking their brand of anarchic indie rock to the masses. This proved to be a shrewd move, and the resulting 1 pound 75 pence was put towards a recording session which produced their first EP in the summer of 1980, Indian Summer. This was followed in early 1981 with their second offering, I Couldn’t Jump. Ilford indie mag Outlet described I Couldn’t Jump as “a haunting theme and a fizzing sax solo”, and The St Alban’s Review and Advertiser said it was “fun… a cut above the all-out punk thrash of most such records.” A bootleg
Bootleg recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...
recording of the band’s legendary appearance upstairs at London’s Ronnie Scott’s Club in 1981 is also known to be in existence, though something of a rarity.
Peter Millward now lives and works in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
where he runs Drum Music with partner and friend Eddie Chung, He also records his own music under the name Celestial, which he reluctantly describes as "asian dub". Martin Pavey is believed to now run his own music company in the UK, Tiffer Breakey lives and works in 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...
, and Gary Bryson is a journalist and author now living in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. His novel Turtle, is published by Allen & Unwin
Allen & Unwin
Allen & Unwin, formerly a major British publishing house, is now an independent book publisher and distributor based in Australia. The Australian directors have been the sole owners of the Allen & Unwin name since effecting a management buy out at the time the UK parent company, Unwin Hyman, was...
.
EPs
- "Indian Summer", b/w "In The Marketplace", "Autumn" (1980) Eskimo Vinyl
- "I Couldn't Jump", b/w "If I knew (What Love Was)", "Locked Inside Your Wardrobe" (1981) Eskimo Vinyl
Compilations
- "Eskimo Vinyl Anthology" (with Pocket Spiders and The Jangletties), (2005) Eskimo Vinyl