Stripey Zebras
Encyclopedia
Stripey Zebras were a post punk band from Southend on Sea in Essex
, UK
. The group formed in 1980 with a line-up consisting of
The band was also augmented, at various stages, by
and did their final gig in 1981. Amongst the songs they played live were:
"Monsters on TV (Godzilla
)", "I love Disco", "Sergeant Bilko Plays Pop", "Donny & Marie
", "Greta Garbo
Goes Shopping", "Skellington Flat", "Sore Eyes Party", "Walking home".
Covers included The Troggs
' "Wild Thing
" and a very free adaptation of Ron Grainer
's 'Old Ned', better known as the theme from Steptoe and Son
.
the band were an important part of the cassette culture
movement, in 1980 they released their first cassette album -Live in Burnetts Bedroom and this was name checked in the 'Garage Bands' section of The New Musical Express. The group was also mentioned in 'Smash Hits
' and 'Sounds
'. They frequently featured in 'The Obscurist Chart' section of the latter musical publication. Influences included The Fall, T.Rex, Bay City Rollers
, Sparks
and The Residents
.
The group played live, mostly around the Southend areas in venues such as (the aforementioned) Zero 6 and Focus Youth Centre.
The usual 'musical differences' caused the band to disintergrate during 1981. Graham formed 'Autumn Poison
' and Stephen joined another Southend band, The Get. The band reformed for a one off gig at The Spread Eagle on 05.12.81, this turned out to be their last performance.
Martin Fulton died in 1999.
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The group formed in 1980 with a line-up consisting of
- Martin Fulton - Vocals
- Graham Burnett - Drums
- Martin Hardy - Guitar
- Stephen Dobson - Bass/Vocals
- Paul Brown - Guitar
The band was also augmented, at various stages, by
- Wayne Avrili - Guitar
- Colin Dobson - Guitar
- Julian Ware-Lane Guitar
- Sheena Fulton - Vocals
1980s
In the summer of 1980 they played their first gig at Zero 6 club in RochfordRochford
Rochford is a small town in the Rochford district of Essex in the East of England. It is sited about 43 miles from Central London and approximately 21 miles from the Essex county town, Chelmsford...
and did their final gig in 1981. Amongst the songs they played live were:
"Monsters on TV (Godzilla
Godzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
)", "I love Disco", "Sergeant Bilko Plays Pop", "Donny & Marie
Donny & Marie
Donny & Marie may refer to two television shows hosted by Donny and Marie Osmond.* Donny & Marie , a variety show aired from 1976 to 1979* Donny & Marie , a talk show aired from 1998 to 2000...
", "Greta Garbo
Greta Garbo
Greta Garbo , born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson, was a Swedish film actress. Garbo was an international star and icon during Hollywood's silent and classic periods. Many of Garbo's films were sensational hits, and all but three were profitable...
Goes Shopping", "Skellington Flat", "Sore Eyes Party", "Walking home".
Covers included The Troggs
The Troggs
The Troggs are an English rock band from the 1960s that had a number of hits in UK and the US. Their most famous songs include, "Wild Thing", "With a Girl Like You", and "Love Is All Around"...
' "Wild Thing
Wild Thing (The Troggs song)
French singer Amanda Lear covered "Wild Thing" for her comeback album Secret Passion and added a synthpop feel to it. The single was produced by Christian De Walden and released in 1987. On the B-side another Secret Passion track was released, "Aphrodisiac", whose French language version...
" and a very free adaptation of Ron Grainer
Ron Grainer
Ronald Erle “Ron” Grainer was an Australian-born composer who worked for most of his professional career in the United Kingdom. He is mostly remembered for his film and television music.- Biography :...
's 'Old Ned', better known as the theme from Steptoe and Son
Steptoe and Son
Steptoe and Son is a British sitcom written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson about two rag and bone men living in Oil Drum Lane, a fictional street in Shepherd's Bush, London. Four series were broadcast by the BBC from 1962 to 1965, followed by a second run from 1970 to 1974. Its theme tune, "Old...
.
the band were an important part of the cassette culture
Cassette culture
Cassette culture, or the cassette underground , refers to the practices surrounding amateur production and distribution of recorded music that emerged in the late 1970s via home-made audio cassettes...
movement, in 1980 they released their first cassette album -Live in Burnetts Bedroom and this was name checked in the 'Garage Bands' section of The New Musical Express. The group was also mentioned in 'Smash Hits
Smash Hits
Smash Hits was a pop music based magazine, aimed at teenagers and young adults and originally published in the United Kingdom by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006 and was issued fortnightly for most of that time...
' and 'Sounds
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...
'. They frequently featured in 'The Obscurist Chart' section of the latter musical publication. Influences included The Fall, T.Rex, Bay City Rollers
Bay City Rollers
The Bay City Rollers were a Scottish pop band who were most popular in the 1970s. The British Hit Singles & Albums noted that they were "tartan teen sensations from Edinburgh", and were "the first of many acts heralded as the 'Biggest Group since The Beatles' and one of the most screamed-at...
, Sparks
Sparks (band)
Sparks is an American rock and pop band formed in Los Angeles in 1968 by brothers Ron and Russell Mael , initially under the name Halfnelson...
and The Residents
The Residents
The Residents is an American art collective best known for avant-garde music and multimedia works. The first official release under the name of The Residents was in 1972, and the group has since released over sixty albums, numerous music videos and short films, three CD-ROM projects and ten DVDs....
.
The group played live, mostly around the Southend areas in venues such as (the aforementioned) Zero 6 and Focus Youth Centre.
The usual 'musical differences' caused the band to disintergrate during 1981. Graham formed 'Autumn Poison
Autumn Poison
Autumn Poison were an English anarcho-punk band from Southend on Sea, Essex, between 1980 and 1985. A number of musicians in the Southend area passed through the group, including Julian Ware Lane and Chris Kemp of 86 Mix, Kevin Hickling, Steve Palmer, James Perry and Wayne Avrilli, though the 'core...
' and Stephen joined another Southend band, The Get. The band reformed for a one off gig at The Spread Eagle on 05.12.81, this turned out to be their last performance.
1990s
Paul and Graham compiled a CD in 1998, which, along with Live in Burnett's Bedroom, included live performances and tracks from rehearsals.Martin Fulton died in 1999.
2008
The Stripey Zebras' song "Walking Home" was featured on the compilation album 'Messthetics Greatest Hiss' released in 2008. The song was recorded in 1980, live at Zero 6, Rochford. The Line-up playing this song consisted of- Martin Fulton - Vocals
- Wayne Avrili - Guitar
- Graham Burnett - Drums
- Stephen Dobson - Bass
Discography
- Live in Burnett's Bedroom (New Crimes Tapes, 1980)
- Why Are Pianos Rude? (Rasquap Tapes, 1981)
- Live in Burnett's Bedroom and Other Places (1999)
- 'Messthetics Greatest Hiss (Messthetics) ' (2008)