The Members
Encyclopedia
The Members are a British punk
band
that originated in Camberley
, England. Their best known recording is "The Sound of the Suburbs" (1979).
Nicky Tesco (Nick Lightowlers) in 1976, through an invited audition
at a recording studio
at Tooley Street
, London
. The original personnel, with Tesco (vocals), was Gary Baker (guitar), and Steve Morley (bass guitar), initially with Steve Maycock then Clive Parker
(drums). Morley and Parker were later replaced by Chris Payne and Adrian Lillywhite.
In 1976, the band performed for its first engagements at The Red Cow (London W6), The Windsor Castle (London W9) and The Nashville Rooms (London W14). In that year composer
Jean Marie Carroll (aka JC Carroll
) joined the band to complement Tesco's lyrics
. The Members had recorded
a number of songs, but the first released recording was "Fear on the Streets", produced
by Lillywhite's brother Steve Lillywhite
. This song was included on the first record
released by the Beggars Banquet label
, the punk
compilation
, Streets (1977). The song-writing collaboration between Tesco and Carroll moved The Members' sound towards an incorporation of reggae
, shown in the first single
released for Stiff Records
, "Solitary Confinement", produced by Larry Wallis
. Following these releases, band personnel became Tesco (vocals), Carroll (vocals and guitar), Nigel Bennett (guitar), Payne (bass) and Lillywhite (drums).
In 1978/79 The Members continued to play the London
pub
and club
circuit, and became a feature in the music press. They signed to Virgin Records
in 1978, for which they recorded "The Sound of the Suburbs", again produced by Steve Lillywhite. This became The Members' biggest chart
success and their best known song in the UK
. The follow-up single, "Offshore Banking Business", a reggae tune written by Carroll, did not achieve the same popularity. A version of "Offshore Banking Business" was recorded for the early 1980s film
, Urgh! A Music War
, produced by Michael White
, distributed by Filmways
and Lorimar Productions
.
The Members' first album, At the Chelsea Nightclub
, was followed by a second for Virgin, 1980 – The Choice Is Yours. Their last album was Going West, issued a year earlier as Uprhythm, Downbeat
(1982) in the US
. The album featured the single" Radio", which made the Top 10 in parts of Australia
.
The band broke up in 1983, when Tesco left the band after the last tour of the US. In 1989, Tesco appeared in Leningrad Cowboys Go America
, written and directed
by Aki Kaurismaki
, a film about a fictional Russian
rock band
touring the US. This fictional band then toured as an actual band, and recorded the Tesco song "Thru the Wire". Kaurismäki directed a video
for "Thru the Wire", featuring Tesco. As well as working as a music journalist
for the magazine
Music Week
, Tesco has been a commentator on new releases for BBC 6 Music
's "Roundtable".
In 2007, The Members were reunited at The Inn on the Green, Ladbroke Grove
, London, MC'd by Phill Jupitus
under his 1980s performance poet stage name
of “Porky The Poet”.
In 2009, a new single "International Financial Crisis" (a re-write of "Offshore Banking Business") was released, recorded by Tesco, Carroll, Payne and Bennett, with artwork
by the original Members’ album sleeve designer, Malcolm Garrett. The same year, Carroll and Payne toured as The Members, with occasional appearances of Tesco and Bennett. A Members' line-up of Carroll, Payne and Nick Cash (drums) performed during 2010, playing in Spain
and Italy
, and at the Isle of Wight
and Glastonbury
Festivals. At the beginning of 2011, they toured Europe with Rat Scabies
playing the drum
s.
Nigel Bennett currently plays with The Vibrators
where he shares singing duties since the departure of frontman Knox
, the band cover The Sound of the Suburbs in their live act.
1977
1977
1977-78
1978-83
1981-83
1981-83
1983
(disestablished)
2007
(reformed)
2009
2010
2011
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
that originated in Camberley
Camberley
Camberley is a town in Surrey, England, situated 31 miles southwest of central London, in the corridor between the M3 and M4 motorways. The town lies close to the borders of both Hampshire and Berkshire; the boundaries intersect on the western edge of the town where all three counties...
, England. Their best known recording is "The Sound of the Suburbs" (1979).
Career
The Members was formed by lyricistLyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...
Nicky Tesco (Nick Lightowlers) in 1976, through an invited audition
Audition
An audition is a sample performance by an actor, singer, musician, dancer or other performing artist.Audition may also refer to:* The sense of hearing* Adobe Audition, audio editing software...
at a recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
at Tooley Street
Tooley Street
Tooley Street is a road in South London connecting London Bridge to St Saviour's Dock; it runs past Tower Bridge on the Southwark side of the River Thames, and forms part of the A200 road. - St Olave :...
, London
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...
. The original personnel, with Tesco (vocals), was Gary Baker (guitar), and Steve Morley (bass guitar), initially with Steve Maycock then Clive Parker
Clive Parker
Clive Parker also known as Clive Parker-Sharp, is a British drummer, active in the punk, post-punk and New Wave genres. He was a member of the bands The Members, Spizzenergi/Athletico Spizz 80, Big Country, and Scary Thieves...
(drums). Morley and Parker were later replaced by Chris Payne and Adrian Lillywhite.
In 1976, the band performed for its first engagements at The Red Cow (London W6), The Windsor Castle (London W9) and The Nashville Rooms (London W14). In that year composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
Jean Marie Carroll (aka JC Carroll
JC Carroll
Jean-marie Carroll is an English composer, songwriter and musician of French-Irish extraction. After playing in various school bands, JC's first taste of serious music was a 1974 chance meeting in the Three Mariners in Bagshot, Surrey with pub rock pioneer and 1970s icon Graham Parker...
) joined the band to complement Tesco's lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
. The Members had recorded
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...
a number of songs, but the first released recording was "Fear on the Streets", produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by Lillywhite's brother Steve Lillywhite
Steve Lillywhite
Steve Lillywhite is an English Grammy Award winning record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited for working on over 500 records and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including XTC, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Dave Matthews Band, U2, Peter Gabriel,...
. This song was included on the first record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
released by the Beggars Banquet label
Beggars Banquet Records
Beggars Banquet is an English independent record label that began as a chain of record shops owned by Martin Mills and Nick Austin, and is part of the Beggars Group of labels...
, the punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
compilation
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
, Streets (1977). The song-writing collaboration between Tesco and Carroll moved The Members' sound towards an incorporation of reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
, shown in the 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...
released for Stiff Records
Stiff Records
Stiff Records is a record label created in London in 1976, by entrepreneurs Dave Robinson and Andrew Jakeman , and active until 1985. It was reactivated in 2007....
, "Solitary Confinement", produced by Larry Wallis
Larry Wallis
Larry Wallis is a guitarist, songwriter and producer. He is best known as a member of the Pink Fairies and an early member of Motörhead.-Early bands:...
. Following these releases, band personnel became Tesco (vocals), Carroll (vocals and guitar), Nigel Bennett (guitar), Payne (bass) and Lillywhite (drums).
In 1978/79 The Members continued to play the London
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...
pub
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
and club
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
circuit, and became a feature in the music press. They signed to Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
in 1978, for which they recorded "The Sound of the Suburbs", again produced by Steve Lillywhite. This became The Members' biggest chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
success and their best known song in the 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 follow-up single, "Offshore Banking Business", a reggae tune written by Carroll, did not achieve the same popularity. A version of "Offshore Banking Business" was recorded for the early 1980s film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, Urgh! A Music War
Urgh! A Music War
Urgh! A Music War is a British film released in 1982 featuring performances by punk rock, New Wave, and post-punk acts, filmed in 1980. Among the artists featured in the movie are Magazine, The Go-Go's, The Fleshtones, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, XTC, Devo, The Cramps, Oingo Boingo, Dead...
, produced by Michael White
Michael White (producer)
Michael White is a British theatrical impresario and film producer.Theatre impresario and film producer Michael White was born in Scotland on 16 January 1936, and educated at the Sorbonne in Paris....
, distributed by Filmways
Filmways
Filmways, Inc. was a television and film production company founded by American film executive Martin Ransohoff in 1958...
and Lorimar Productions
Lorimar Productions
Lorimar, later known as Lorimar Television and Lorimar Distribution, was an American television production company that was later a subsidiary of Warner Bros., active from 1969 until 1993...
.
The Members' first album, At the Chelsea Nightclub
At the Chelsea Nightclub
At The Chelsea Nightclub was The Members' first album, released in 1979.-Track listing:# "Electricity" # "Sally" # "Soho-A-Go-Go" # "Don't Push"...
, was followed by a second for Virgin, 1980 – The Choice Is Yours. Their last album was Going West, issued a year earlier as Uprhythm, Downbeat
Uprhythm, Downbeat
Uprhythm, Downbeat is the final album from punk rock band The Members. It includes one of the band's most successful singles in the U.S., "Working Girl", and the single "Radio", which was a major chart hit in Australia...
(1982) in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The album featured the single" Radio", which made the Top 10 in parts of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
The band broke up in 1983, when Tesco left the band after the last tour of the US. In 1989, Tesco appeared in Leningrad Cowboys Go America
Leningrad Cowboys Go America
Leningrad Cowboys Go America is a 1989 road movie by Finnish film director Aki Kaurismäki about the adventures of a fictional Russian rock band that travels to the United States to become famous...
, written and directed
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
by Aki Kaurismaki
Aki Kaurismäki
-Career:After studying Media Studies at the University of Tampere, Aki Kaurismäki started his career as a co-director in the films of his elder brother Mika Kaurismäki. His debut as an independent director was Crime and Punishment , Dostoyevsky's famous crime story set in modern-day Helsinki...
, a film about a fictional Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
rock band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
touring the US. This fictional band then toured as an actual band, and recorded the Tesco song "Thru the Wire". Kaurismäki directed a video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "Thru the Wire", featuring Tesco. As well as working as a music journalist
Music journalism
Music journalism is criticism and reportage about music. It began in the eighteenth century as comment on what is now thought of as 'classical music'. This aspect of music journalism, today often referred to as music criticism , comprises the study, discussion, evaluation, and interpretation of...
for the magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
Music Week
Music Week
Music Week is a trade paper for the UK record industry.Founded in 1959 as Record Retailer, it was relaunched on 18 March 1972 as Music Week . On 17 January 1981 the title was again changed, owing to the increasing importance of sell-through videos, to Music & Video Week...
, Tesco has been a commentator on new releases for BBC 6 Music
BBC 6 Music
BBC 6 Music is one of the BBC's digital radio stations, was launched on 11 March 2002 and originally codenamed Network Y. It was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years....
's "Roundtable".
In 2007, The Members were reunited at The Inn on the Green, Ladbroke Grove
Ladbroke Grove
Ladbroke Grove is a road in west London, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is also sometimes the name given informally to the immediate area surrounding the road. Running from Notting Hill in the south to Kensal Green in the north, it is located in North Kensington and straddles...
, London, MC'd by Phill Jupitus
Phill Jupitus
Phillip Christopher Jupitus is an English stand-up and improvised comedian, actor, performance poet, musician and podcaster....
under his 1980s performance poet stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
of “Porky The Poet”.
In 2009, a new single "International Financial Crisis" (a re-write of "Offshore Banking Business") was released, recorded by Tesco, Carroll, Payne and Bennett, with artwork
Work of art
A work of art, artwork, art piece, or art object is an aesthetic item or artistic creation.The term "a work of art" can apply to:*an example of fine art, such as a painting or sculpture*a fine work of architecture or landscape design...
by the original Members’ album sleeve designer, Malcolm Garrett. The same year, Carroll and Payne toured as The Members, with occasional appearances of Tesco and Bennett. A Members' line-up of Carroll, Payne and Nick Cash (drums) performed during 2010, playing in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and at the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight Festival 2010
The Isle of Wight Festival 2010 was the ninth revived Isle of Wight Festival to be held at Seaclose Park in Newport on the Isle of Wight. The event ran from 11 until 13 June 2010...
and Glastonbury
Glastonbury Festival 2010
The 2010 Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts took place in Pilton, Somerset, England in June 2010.The festival was headlined by Gorillaz, Muse, and Stevie Wonder. U2 were initially announced as headliners, but withdrew on 25 May 2010 citing Bono's recent back surgery...
Festivals. At the beginning of 2011, they toured Europe with Rat Scabies
Rat Scabies
Christopher Millar , better known by his stage name Rat Scabies, is a musician best known for his tenure as the drummer for The Damned....
playing the drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s.
Nigel Bennett currently plays with The Vibrators
The Vibrators
- Early career:The Vibrators were founded by Ian 'Knox' Carnochan, bassist Pat Collier, guitarist John Ellis, and drummer John 'Eddie' Edwards. They first came to public notice at the 100 Club when they backed Chris Spedding in 1976. On Spedding's recommendation, Mickie Most signed them to his...
where he shares singing duties since the departure of frontman Knox
Knox
- People :* Knox , including list of persons with the surname* John Knox, Presbyterian reformer* Henry Knox, American Revolutionary War hero and namesake of Fort Knox...
, the band cover The Sound of the Suburbs in their live act.
Singles
- "Solitary Confinement"/"Rat up a Drainpipe" (1978) StiffStiff RecordsStiff Records is a record label created in London in 1976, by entrepreneurs Dave Robinson and Andrew Jakeman , and active until 1985. It was reactivated in 2007....
- "The Sound of the Suburbs" (1979) UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#12 - "Offshore Banking Business" (1979) UK #31
- "Killing Time" (1979)
- "Romance" (1980)
- "Flying Again" (1980)
- "Working Girl" (1981)
- "Radio" (1982)
- "International Financial Crisis" (2009)
- "New English Blues c/w M1DL1FECRi5i5" (2011)
Albums
- At the Chelsea NightclubAt the Chelsea NightclubAt The Chelsea Nightclub was The Members' first album, released in 1979.-Track listing:# "Electricity" # "Sally" # "Soho-A-Go-Go" # "Don't Push"...
(1979) UKUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
#45 - 1980 – The Choice Is Yours (1980)
- Uprhythm, DownbeatUprhythm, DownbeatUprhythm, Downbeat is the final album from punk rock band The Members. It includes one of the band's most successful singles in the U.S., "Working Girl", and the single "Radio", which was a major chart hit in Australia...
(1982) - Going West (1983)
- The Members: Sound of the Suburbs Virgin Records (1995)
- Live in Berlin (2010)
Compilation albums
- Streets - Beggars BanquetBeggars Banquet RecordsBeggars Banquet is an English independent record label that began as a chain of record shops owned by Martin Mills and Nick Austin, and is part of the Beggars Group of labels...
1977 (Track: "Fear on the Streets") - The Moonlight Tapes - Danceville Records 1977 (Track: “Rat up a Drainpipe”)
- The Sound of the Suburbs - Columbia Records MOOD18 (1991) (Track: "The Sounds of the Suburbs")
Line-ups
1976- Nicky Tesco: vocals
- Gary Baker: guitar
- Steve Morley: bass guitar
- Clive Parker: drums
- Steve Maycock: drums
1977
- Nicky Tesco: vocals
- Gary Baker: guitar
- Steve Morley: bass guitar
- Adrian Lillywhite: drums
1977
- Nicky Tesco: vocals
- JC Carroll: guitar/vocals
- Gary Baker: guitar
- Steve Morley: bass guitar
- Adrian Lillywhite: drums
1977-78
- Nicky Tesco: vocals
- JC Carroll: guitar/vocals
- Gary Baker: guitar
- Chris Payne: bass guitar
- Adrian Lillywhite: drums
1978-83
- Nicky Tesco: vocals
- JC Carroll: guitar/vocals
- Nigel Bennett: guitar
- Chris Payne: bass guitar
- Adrian Lillywhite: drums
1981-83
- Nicky Tesco: vocals
- JC Carroll: guitar/vocals
- Nigel Bennett: guitar
- Chris Payne: bass guitar
- Adrian Lillywhite: drums
- Steve "Rudi" Thompson: horns
- Adam Maitland: horns
1981-83
- Nicky Tesco: vocals
- JC Carroll: guitar/vocals
- Nigel Bennett: guitar
- Chris Payne: bass guitar
- Adrian Lillywhite: drums
- Steve "Rudi" Thompson: horns
- Simon Lloyd: horns
1983
(disestablished)
- Nicky Tesco: vocals
- JC Carroll: guitar/vocals
- Nigel Bennett: guitar
- Chris Payne: bass guitar
- Chuck Sabo: drums
- Steve "Rudi" Thompson: horns
- Simon Lloyd: horns
2007
(reformed)
- Nicky Tesco: vocals
- JC Carroll: guitar/vocals
- Nigel Bennett: guitar
- Chris Payne: bass guitar
- Adrian Lillywhite: drums
2009
- Nicky Tesco: vocals
- JC Carroll: guitar/vocals
- Chris Payne: bass/vocals
- Nick Cash: drums
2010
- JC Carroll: guitar/vocals
- Chris Payne: bass/vocals
- Nick Cash: drums
2011
- JC Carroll: guitar/vocals
- Chris Payne: bass/vocals
- Rat Scabies: drums