Po!
Encyclopedia
Po! was an indie rock
band formed in Leicester
, England
in 1987, with releases dating up to 1998 on Rutland Records.
(vocals and guitar), with Julian Glover (bass) and Mark Fuccio (drums). Usually subsumed under the C86
or twee pop headings - which is not essentially to misrepresent them - they possessed considerable originality. In particular, the themes of misogyny, disappointment, and nostalgia act as a counterpoint to the vocals, melodies, and jangly guitars so characteristic of the genre.
Part of the fanzine scene, Po!'s first release was the flexidisc Hopscotch in the Snow, which a Leicestershire fanzine Samantha produced from locally recorded demos in 1987. Jan Frazer replaced Fuccio on drums for this recording. This was picked up by BBC Radio 1
DJ John Peel
, and provoked some interest. In 1988 Po! released another flexidisc, this time shared with The Originals, who played the backing instruments on 'Glass King'. There followed an album
, released on the band's own Rutland Records label, entitled Little Stones, 1000 copies of which were pressed. It cost just £20 to record. The backing tracks were recorded on a Tascam reel-to-reel four-track at MikTon Studios (a former factory at 45 Chatham Street, Leicester; now private flats).The backing musicians for Little Stones were members of The Originals; Yvonne Blair (drums & percussion); Kevin Young (Guitar); Terri Lowe (Guitars, Bass Guitar). Equipment was supplied by Lowe and borrowed from Phil Hudson, the sound engineer at The Princess Charlotte, the premier music venue in Leicester. Bob Dylan
, an influence, was represented in the form of a cover version
of "All I Really Wanna Do", which featured a black 12-string Rickenbacker guitar.
Ruth continued to play, bringing in Mary Mills (Bass Guitar) and Jan Frazer returned on Drums. Frazer left and Lowe was added on Guitar, with Craig (?) on Drums. This line-up recorded a 7 inch single for Sunday Records; Sunday Never Comes Around / Fay. This line-up lasted for a year before Miller spent two years playing with Ruth's Refrigerator
. Miller then reconstituted Po!, again with Lowe on guitar, Paul Knight (drums), and Gary Gilchrist (bass), in which configuration they produced the album Ducks and Drakes, and several EPs. Most of these releases were recorded at White House Studio in Syston, near Leicester and produced by Mike Miller (no relation). During this period Po! recorded a session for BBC West Midlands (6 songs, 5 of which were broadcast) and Radio Leicester (6 songs performed in an unplugged session).
In 1994, the band recorded a Peel session. This was broadcast in April and repeated in June. Two years later there followed Not Marked on the Ordnance Map, by which time Gilchrist had left and Lowe taken on bass and guitar duties. Penny Holmes contributed backing vocals and oboe on parts of this album. Lowe added backing vocals on 'Summer Got Angry'. For live work Steve Cooke (formerly of The Swinging Laurels) played bass; he left before work began in 1997 on The Alphabet EP which was released in September and which the NME
journalist Steven Wells
made 'Single of the Week'. The last album was 'Horse Blanket Weather', released to coincide with a short tour in summer 1998. This album was recorded by Angus Wallace at Far Heath Studio in Northamptonshire. Further isolated tracks appeared on compilations.
Between 2004 and 2006 Lowe compiled a 33 track double CD of all the existing material which had not been issued in a digital format. This included the various BBC sessions, rare acoustic tracks, early demo tracks, out-takes from the Northern Wonder/No Flowers session which featured a string quartet, two tracks recorded live at Norwich Arts Centre in 1994 and various other extremely rare recordings. This compilation, called 'Rain and Ruin' was never released. Private copies of the tracks have been given to the Leicester and Leicestershire Museums and Record Office.
Miller, who played the character of Bridget in the comedy soap opera
"Chez Lester", broadcast on the Cable 7 community TV channel, and Lowe are now married with two children. Miller works as a deputy headmistress.
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...
band formed in Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, 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...
in 1987, with releases dating up to 1998 on Rutland Records.
History
Po! was originally formed by Ruth MillerRuth Miller
Ruth Blanchard Miller was an American artist.Miller was born to Kempster Blanchard Miller and Antha Miller in Chicago, Illinois...
(vocals and guitar), with Julian Glover (bass) and Mark Fuccio (drums). Usually subsumed under the C86
C86 (music)
C86 is a cassette compilation released by the British music magazine NME in 1986, featuring new bands licensed from independent labels of the time. As a phrase, C86 quickly evolved into shorthand for a guitar-based musical genre characterised by "jangly" guitars and fey melodies, although other...
or twee pop headings - which is not essentially to misrepresent them - they possessed considerable originality. In particular, the themes of misogyny, disappointment, and nostalgia act as a counterpoint to the vocals, melodies, and jangly guitars so characteristic of the genre.
Part of the fanzine scene, Po!'s first release was the flexidisc Hopscotch in the Snow, which a Leicestershire fanzine Samantha produced from locally recorded demos in 1987. Jan Frazer replaced Fuccio on drums for this recording. This was picked up by BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
DJ John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
, and provoked some interest. In 1988 Po! released another flexidisc, this time shared with The Originals, who played the backing instruments on 'Glass King'. There followed an album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, released on the band's own Rutland Records label, entitled Little Stones, 1000 copies of which were pressed. It cost just £20 to record. The backing tracks were recorded on a Tascam reel-to-reel four-track at MikTon Studios (a former factory at 45 Chatham Street, Leicester; now private flats).The backing musicians for Little Stones were members of The Originals; Yvonne Blair (drums & percussion); Kevin Young (Guitar); Terri Lowe (Guitars, Bass Guitar). Equipment was supplied by Lowe and borrowed from Phil Hudson, the sound engineer at The Princess Charlotte, the premier music venue in Leicester. Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, an influence, was represented in the form of a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of "All I Really Wanna Do", which featured a black 12-string Rickenbacker guitar.
Ruth continued to play, bringing in Mary Mills (Bass Guitar) and Jan Frazer returned on Drums. Frazer left and Lowe was added on Guitar, with Craig (?) on Drums. This line-up recorded a 7 inch single for Sunday Records; Sunday Never Comes Around / Fay. This line-up lasted for a year before Miller spent two years playing with Ruth's Refrigerator
Ruth's Refrigerator
Ruth's Refrigerator were a psychedelic rock/indie pop band from Leicester, England, formed in 1990 as a collaboration between guitarist/songwriter Alan Jenkins , singer/guitarist Ruth Miller and bassist Terri Lowe , keyboardist Blodwyn P. Teabag, and drummer Robyn Gibson...
. Miller then reconstituted Po!, again with Lowe on guitar, Paul Knight (drums), and Gary Gilchrist (bass), in which configuration they produced the album Ducks and Drakes, and several EPs. Most of these releases were recorded at White House Studio in Syston, near Leicester and produced by Mike Miller (no relation). During this period Po! recorded a session for BBC West Midlands (6 songs, 5 of which were broadcast) and Radio Leicester (6 songs performed in an unplugged session).
In 1994, the band recorded a Peel session. This was broadcast in April and repeated in June. Two years later there followed Not Marked on the Ordnance Map, by which time Gilchrist had left and Lowe taken on bass and guitar duties. Penny Holmes contributed backing vocals and oboe on parts of this album. Lowe added backing vocals on 'Summer Got Angry'. For live work Steve Cooke (formerly of The Swinging Laurels) played bass; he left before work began in 1997 on The Alphabet EP which was released in September and which the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
journalist Steven Wells
Steven Wells
Steven Wells was a British journalist, author, comedian and notable punk poet born in Swindon, Wiltshire. He is best remembered for ranting poetry and his provocative, unapologetic music journalism. In June 2006, he wrote in the Philadelphia Weekly about his treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma...
made 'Single of the Week'. The last album was 'Horse Blanket Weather', released to coincide with a short tour in summer 1998. This album was recorded by Angus Wallace at Far Heath Studio in Northamptonshire. Further isolated tracks appeared on compilations.
Between 2004 and 2006 Lowe compiled a 33 track double CD of all the existing material which had not been issued in a digital format. This included the various BBC sessions, rare acoustic tracks, early demo tracks, out-takes from the Northern Wonder/No Flowers session which featured a string quartet, two tracks recorded live at Norwich Arts Centre in 1994 and various other extremely rare recordings. This compilation, called 'Rain and Ruin' was never released. Private copies of the tracks have been given to the Leicester and Leicestershire Museums and Record Office.
Miller, who played the character of Bridget in the comedy soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
"Chez Lester", broadcast on the Cable 7 community TV channel, and Lowe are now married with two children. Miller works as a deputy headmistress.
Albums
- Little Stones (1989, LP)
- Bedroom Tapes Vol.1 (1989, cassette)
- Bedroom Tapes Vol.2 (1990, cassette)
- Bedroom Tapes Vol.3 (19??, cassette)
- Fragile Debris (compilation) (19??, cassette)
- Live In Leicester (1992, cassette)
- Ducks And Drakes (1993, cd/lp)
- Not Marked On The Ordnance Map (1996, cd/lp)
- Bedroom Tapes Vol.4 (19??, cassette)
- Past Perfect Tense (compilation) (1997, cd)
- Horse Blanket Weather (1998, cd)
Singles
- "Hop-scotch In The Snow EP" (flexi-disc) (1988)
- "Glass King" / "Japan" by The Originals (flexi-disc) (1989)
- "Fay" (USUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
release on Sunday Records) (1991) - "Fay" (1992)
- "Tina" (Split flexi-disc cw Balloon Farm, Applicants and St. Christopher) (1992)
- "Northern Wonder" (1994)
EPs
- Grains Of Sand (1991)
- Treasure (1992)
- Ghost of The Green Grass (1992)
- A Page A Day (1996)
- The Alphabet (1997)