The Melons
Encyclopedia
The Melons were an indie pop
band formed in Nottingham
, England
in 1993, by Helen Melon (vocals) and Shelly Melon (songs, instruments), aka: Vanessa and Sheggi, Nottingham music scene veterans.
For their first live appearance they were joined by an unknown guitarist and bassist, but for all subsequent appearances they were joined by Colin Altuccini (guitar) and Nigel Turner (bass). Drums were provided by a drum machine
until late 1995, when drummer Rob Scott joined and took over those duties. For a number of live appearances they were joined by Roger Melon on mandolin
.
Katy and Vanessa appeared on all the recordings
by The Melons. Altuccini and Turner appeared on all recordings after "Strictly Melonhead" and Rob Melon appeared on the "Fast Lane" single
.
The track "Fire Engine Girl", from the "Heaven Sent!" flexidisc, was played by Mark Radcliffe
on his evening show on BBC Radio 1
. This led to The Melons playing two live sessions on his show, on 18 May 1995 and 6 March 1996.
The Melons only appeared live on stage fifteen times, but managed to play with Heavenly
, Prolapse
, Bis
, Modesty Blaise, The Television Personalities, Helen Love and Super Furry Animals
.
Altuccini and Helen Melon appeared as Mr and Mrs Cantaloup, and Turner as Mr Honeydew, in a number of episodes of Chez Lester, a soap opera
on Leicester's
Cable 7 community TV channel. In episode 63, they performed The Melons track, "Little Death Wishes".
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
band formed in Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
, 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 1993, by Helen Melon (vocals) and Shelly Melon (songs, instruments), aka: Vanessa and Sheggi, Nottingham music scene veterans.
For their first live appearance they were joined by an unknown guitarist and bassist, but for all subsequent appearances they were joined by Colin Altuccini (guitar) and Nigel Turner (bass). Drums were provided by a drum machine
Drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
until late 1995, when drummer Rob Scott joined and took over those duties. For a number of live appearances they were joined by Roger Melon on mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
.
Katy and Vanessa appeared on all the recordings
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...
by The Melons. Altuccini and Turner appeared on all recordings after "Strictly Melonhead" and Rob Melon appeared on the "Fast Lane" 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...
.
The track "Fire Engine Girl", from the "Heaven Sent!" flexidisc, was played by Mark Radcliffe
Mark Radcliffe
Mark Radcliffe is an English broadcaster who has worked in various roles for the BBC since the 1980s and remains one of Britain's most recognised DJs. He is currently a presenter on BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music, where he hosts an afternoon show five times a week alongside Stuart Maconie, called...
on his evening show on 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...
. This led to The Melons playing two live sessions on his show, on 18 May 1995 and 6 March 1996.
The Melons only appeared live on stage fifteen times, but managed to play with Heavenly
Heavenly (British band)
Heavenly were a 1990s twee pop band, originally forming in Oxford, England in 1989. Amelia Fletcher , Mathew Fletcher , Peter Momtchiloff and Robert Pursey had all been members of Talulah Gosh, a key member of the C86 scene.-History:Heavenly debuted with the 7" single "I Fell in Love Last...
, Prolapse
Prolapse (band)
Prolapse were a musical group formed in Leicester, England, UK active from c.1992 to c.2000. The group's sound was a mixture of punk rock, krautrock and shoegazing styles....
, Bis
Bis (band)
Bis are a Scottish indie pop band composed of Steven Clark , John Clark , and Amanda MacKinnon . Formed in 1994, the band broke up in 2003, but reformed briefly in 2007 for a series of concerts.-History:...
, Modesty Blaise, The Television Personalities, Helen Love and Super Furry Animals
Super Furry Animals
Super Furry Animals are a Welsh rock band that lean towards psychedelic rock and electronic experimentation. Since their formation in Cardiff, Wales in 1993, the band has consisted of Gruff Rhys , Huw Bunford , Guto Pryce , Cian Ciaran and Dafydd Ieuan Super Furry Animals are a Welsh rock band...
.
Altuccini and Helen Melon appeared as Mr and Mrs Cantaloup, and Turner as Mr Honeydew, in a number of episodes of Chez Lester, a 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,...
on Leicester's
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...
Cable 7 community TV channel. In episode 63, they performed The Melons track, "Little Death Wishes".
Singles / EPs
- "Heaven Sent!" (7" flexi, 1993, Heaven Records, HV07)
- "Strictly Melonhead" (7”, 1994, Sunday Records, Sunday 034)
- "From Hell to Helsinki" (7”, 1995, Damaged Goods, Damgood 79)
- "Fast Lane" (7”, 1996, Damaged Goods, Damgood 91)
- "Black and Blue" / "Eskimo" (7”, 1997, Pickled Egg RecordsPickled Egg RecordsPickled Egg Records is a UK independent record label founded in Leicester in 1998 by Nigel Turner. It has dedicated itself to redressing the world’s musical balance in favour of quirky genius, bent tunefulness, noisy playfulness, jazz turmoil and inventive retro-futurism...
, Egg1)
Tracks on compilation albums
- "Eskimo" on Casablanca (1997, Elefant RecordsElefant RecordsElefant Records is an independent record label based in Spain. Elefant records was founded in 1989 by Luis Calvo as an offshoot of a fanzine he produced called "La Línea Del Arco"...
, ER-1056) - "Big Freeze" on Suction Prints (1998, Sorted Records, SRLP4)