The Monochrome Set
Encyclopedia
The Monochrome Set are an English
post-punk
band originally formed in 1978 from the remnants of a college group called The B-Sides (whose members had included Stuart Goddard, later known as Adam Ant
). The band is notable for its witty lyrics, the laconic delivery of lead singer Bid
, and the idiosyncratically retrogressive playing style of original lead guitarist Lester Square
.
(real name Ganesh Seshadri), Canadian guitarist Lester Square
(real name Thomas W.B. Hardy), drummer John D. Haney, and bassist Charlie Harper. The band went through several bassists in the next few years, including Jeremy Harrington, and Andy Warren of the Ants
, a childhood friend of Bid.
Experimental film
maker Tony Potts began collaborating with the band in 1979, designing lighting and stage sets with film projections for their live appearances
. The band's early persona was defined by the shadowy, uncertain stage images created by the films to such an extent he is often described as being the band's "fifth member".
They released several singles for the Rough Trade
label before recording their debut album
, Strange Boutique
, produced
by Bob Sargeant, for Virgin Records
' imprint DinDisc in 1980. It peaked at #62 in the UK Albums Chart
in 1980. Their follow-up effort, Love Zombies
, was produced by Alvin Clark and the band later that same year. Haney left the band in 1981, and was replaced by Lexington Crane.
In 1982, the band switched labels to Cherry Red to release their third album, Eligible Bachelors
, produced by Tim Hart
. Square and Crane left soon afterwards, and were replaced by keyboardist Carrie Booth and drummer Nicholas Weslowski. This line-up recorded 1982 single
, "Cast a Long Shadow", for Cherry Red before Booth was in turn replaced by new lead guitarist James 'Foz' Foster
(later of David Devant & His Spirit Wife
).
In 1983, Cherry Red released Volume, Contrast, Brilliance...
, a retrospective of the band's early Rough Trade singles, BBC and Capital Radio sessions, and other unreleased early sessions.
In 1985, with the same line-up as on Cast a Long Shadow, The Monochrome Set recorded The Lost Weekend for Warner Bros. Records
. The Lost Weekend failed commercially, and after a few singles, the band officially broke up, though they served as Jessica Griffin's backing band on the first album by the Would-Be-Goods
, The Camera Loves Me.
. The band released several low-key albums for Cherry Red during the 1990s, before going on hiatus in 1998.
Bid has since recorded a number of albums with his new band, Scarlet's Well
. The song, "He's Frank", appeared on the TV series
Heroes. The recording used was a cover version
of the original recorded by the Brighton Port Authority (aka. Fatboy Slim
) featuring Iggy Pop
.
, London. It also marked the 30th year of The Monochrome Set. Bid, Warren and Square were joined by Jennifer Denitto (drums) and Sian Dada (keyboards) of Scarlet's Well, and performed thirteen songs.
and keyboard player John Paul Moran. The band played dates in the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Greece, Japan and The Netherlands.
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...
post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
band originally formed in 1978 from the remnants of a college group called The B-Sides (whose members had included Stuart Goddard, later known as Adam Ant
Adam Ant
Adam Ant is an English musician who gained popularity as the lead singer of New Wave/post-punk group Adam and the Ants and later as a solo artist, scoring ten UK top ten hits between 1980 and 1983, including three No.1s...
). The band is notable for its witty lyrics, the laconic delivery of lead singer Bid
BID
Bid may refer to:*Bidding, making a price offer in an auction, stock exchange, or card games*Bid , a British home shopping channel...
, and the idiosyncratically retrogressive playing style of original lead guitarist Lester Square
Lester Square
Lester Square is the lead guitarist for The Monochrome Set. He also sings backing vocals, designed some of the band's record sleeves, and co-wrote much of their music...
.
Original band: 1978-1985
The original line-up consisted of Indian-born lead singer and principal songwriter BidBID
Bid may refer to:*Bidding, making a price offer in an auction, stock exchange, or card games*Bid , a British home shopping channel...
(real name Ganesh Seshadri), Canadian guitarist Lester Square
Lester Square
Lester Square is the lead guitarist for The Monochrome Set. He also sings backing vocals, designed some of the band's record sleeves, and co-wrote much of their music...
(real name Thomas W.B. Hardy), drummer John D. Haney, and bassist Charlie Harper. The band went through several bassists in the next few years, including Jeremy Harrington, and Andy Warren of the Ants
Adam and the Ants
Adam and the Ants were a British rock band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The original group, which existed from 1977 to 1980, became notable as a cult band marking the transition from the late-1970s punk rock era to the post-punk and New Wave era...
, a childhood friend of Bid.
Experimental film
Experimental film
Experimental film or experimental cinema is a type of cinema. Experimental film is an artistic practice relieving both of visual arts and cinema. Its origins can be found in European avant-garde movements of the twenties. Experimental cinema has built its history through the texts of theoreticians...
maker Tony Potts began collaborating with the band in 1979, designing lighting and stage sets with film projections for their live appearances
Rock concert
The term rock concert refers to a musical performance in the style of any one of many genres inspired by "rock and roll" music. While a variety of vocal and instrumental styles can constitute a rock concert, this phenomenon is typically characterized by bands playing at least one electric guitar,...
. The band's early persona was defined by the shadowy, uncertain stage images created by the films to such an extent he is often described as being the band's "fifth member".
They released several singles for the Rough Trade
Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
label before recording their debut 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...
, Strange Boutique
Strange Boutique (album)
Strange Boutique is the debut album by The Monochrome Set.-Side one:#"The Monochrome Set " #"The Lighter Side of Dating" #"Espresso" #"The Puerto Rican Fence Climber" #"Tomorrow Will Be Too Long" Strange Boutique is the debut album by The Monochrome Set.-Side one:#"The Monochrome Set (I Presume)"...
, 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 Bob Sargeant, for 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...
' imprint DinDisc in 1980. It peaked at #62 in the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The 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...
in 1980. Their follow-up effort, Love Zombies
Love Zombies
Love Zombies is the second album by The Monochrome Set. Trouser Press described the album as possessing "a smoother and more accessible sound" than the band's debut, "Strange Boutique", praising its melodies, as well as "lyrics that take sharp, light jabs at emotional traps and social mores."The...
, was produced by Alvin Clark and the band later that same year. Haney left the band in 1981, and was replaced by Lexington Crane.
In 1982, the band switched labels to Cherry Red to release their third album, Eligible Bachelors
Eligible Bachelors
Eligible Bachelors is the third album by The Monochrome Set.It was produced by former Steeleye Span member Tim Hart and was the Monochromes Set's first album since the departure of original drummer John Haney...
, produced by Tim Hart
Tim Hart
Tim Hart was an English folk singer and multi-instrumentalist, best known as a founding member of electric folk band, Steeleye Span.-Early years:...
. Square and Crane left soon afterwards, and were replaced by keyboardist Carrie Booth and drummer Nicholas Weslowski. This line-up recorded 1982 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...
, "Cast a Long Shadow", for Cherry Red before Booth was in turn replaced by new lead guitarist James 'Foz' Foster
Foz Foster
James 'Foz' Foster is a composer and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the lead guitarist in the art-rock band, David Devant and his Spirit Wife, and in the 1983-5 incarnation of The Monochrome Set. Foster also plays guitar, musical saw and vibraslap in the house band of Karaoke Circus...
(later of David Devant & His Spirit Wife
David Devant & His Spirit Wife
David Devant and His Spirit Wife are an indie/art rock band from Brighton, England. They are named after the English magician and early film exhibitor, David Devant .-History:David Devant and His Spirit Wife formed in Brighton in the early 1990s...
).
In 1983, Cherry Red released Volume, Contrast, Brilliance...
Volume, Contrast, Brilliance...
Volume, Contrast, Brilliance... is a 1983 compilation of singles, B-sides and previously unreleased recordings by The Monochrome Set.Its original sleeve was designed by Thomas W.B...
, a retrospective of the band's early Rough Trade singles, BBC and Capital Radio sessions, and other unreleased early sessions.
In 1985, with the same line-up as on Cast a Long Shadow, The Monochrome Set recorded The Lost Weekend for Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
. The Lost Weekend failed commercially, and after a few singles, the band officially broke up, though they served as Jessica Griffin's backing band on the first album by the Would-Be-Goods
Would-be-goods
Would-be-goods are a British indie pop band fronted by singer Jessica Griffin, noted for her precise received pronunciation accent when singing . Their name was inspired by the 1899 adventure story by children's author E...
, The Camera Loves Me.
Reformed: 1990-1998
In early 1990, Bid, Square and Warren reformed the band, with the addition of keyboardist Orson Presence and drummer Mike Slocombe (who was quickly replaced by Trevor Ready). The new band toured extensively, especially in Japan, where Bid had become a starCelebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
. The band released several low-key albums for Cherry Red during the 1990s, before going on hiatus in 1998.
Bid has since recorded a number of albums with his new band, Scarlet's Well
Scarlet's Well
Scarlet's Well are a British pop band formed in 1998 by Bid of The Monochrome Set, after the latter band amicably split for the second time.They originally started as a studio project, the first four albums featuring a total of ten lead vocalists, including Bid , Zarif and Alice Healey, the latter...
. The song, "He's Frank", appeared on the TV series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
Heroes. The recording used was 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 the original recorded by the Brighton Port Authority (aka. Fatboy Slim
Fatboy Slim
Norman Quentin Cook better known by his former stage name Fatboy Slim, is a British DJ, electronic dance music musician, and record producer. He is a pioneer of the big beat genre that achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s...
) featuring Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
.
Reunion
The band reunited on 8 October 2008 for a one-off performance at Cherry Red's 30th anniversary party at DingwallsDingwalls
Dingwalls is a venue adjacent to Camden Lock in London, England. It houses bars, cafes, clubs . The building itself is one of many industrial Victorian buildings that were put to new use in the 20th century. The original owner of the building, T.E...
, London. It also marked the 30th year of The Monochrome Set. Bid, Warren and Square were joined by Jennifer Denitto (drums) and Sian Dada (keyboards) of Scarlet's Well, and performed thirteen songs.
Reformed: 2011
In 2011, Bid, Square and Warren reformed the band, with the addition of drummer Jennifer Denitto from Scarlet's WellScarlet's Well
Scarlet's Well are a British pop band formed in 1998 by Bid of The Monochrome Set, after the latter band amicably split for the second time.They originally started as a studio project, the first four albums featuring a total of ten lead vocalists, including Bid , Zarif and Alice Healey, the latter...
and keyboard player John Paul Moran. The band played dates in the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Greece, Japan and The Netherlands.
Albums
- Strange BoutiqueStrange Boutique (album)Strange Boutique is the debut album by The Monochrome Set.-Side one:#"The Monochrome Set " #"The Lighter Side of Dating" #"Espresso" #"The Puerto Rican Fence Climber" #"Tomorrow Will Be Too Long" Strange Boutique is the debut album by The Monochrome Set.-Side one:#"The Monochrome Set (I Presume)"...
(DinDisc, 1980) - Love ZombiesLove ZombiesLove Zombies is the second album by The Monochrome Set. Trouser Press described the album as possessing "a smoother and more accessible sound" than the band's debut, "Strange Boutique", praising its melodies, as well as "lyrics that take sharp, light jabs at emotional traps and social mores."The...
(DinDisc, 1980) - Eligible BachelorsEligible BachelorsEligible Bachelors is the third album by The Monochrome Set.It was produced by former Steeleye Span member Tim Hart and was the Monochromes Set's first album since the departure of original drummer John Haney...
(Cherry Red, 1982) - The Lost Weekend (WB, 1985)
- Fin (El Records/Cherry Red, 1986, a compilation of live songs from 1979 to 1985)
- Dante's Casino (Vinyl Japan, 1990, later re-released on Cherry Red, 2001)
- Jack (Honeymoon, 1991)
- What a Whopper! (Cherry Red, 1992)
- Charade (Cherry Red, 1993)
- Misère (Cherry Red, 1994)
- Trinity Road (Cherry Red, 1995)
Singles (incomplete)
- "He's Frank (Slight Return)" / "Silicon Carne" / "Fallout" (Disquo Bleu/Rough Trade, 1979)
- "He's Frank" / "Alphaville" (Rough TradeRough Trade RecordsRough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
, 1979) - "Eine Symphonie Des Grauens" / "Lester Leaps In" (Rough Trade, 1979)
- "The Monochrome Set" / "Mr.Bizarro" (Rough Trade, 1979)
- "The Strange Boutique" / "Surfin SW12" (DinDisc, 1980)
- "405 Lines" / "Goodbye Joe" (DinDisc, 1980)
- "Apocalypso" / "Fiasco Bongo" (DinDisc, 1980)
- "Ten Don'ts for Honeymooners" / "Straits of Malacca" (Pre, 1981)
- "The Mating Game" / "J.D.H.A.N.E.Y." (Cherry RedCherry RedCherry Red is a London-based independent record label formed in 1978.-History:Cherry Red grew from the rock promotion company founded in 1971 to promote rock concerts at the Malvern Winter Gardens...
, 1982) - "Cast a Long Shadow" / "The Bridge" (Cherry Red, 1982)
- "The Jet Set Junta" / "Love Goes Down the Drain" / "Noise" (Cherry Red, 1982)
- "Jacob's Ladder" / "Andiamo" (Blanco Y Negro, 1985, UK #81)
- "Wallflower" / "Big Ben Bongo" (Blanco Y Negro, 1985, UK #97)
- "Killing Dave" / "House of God" (Live) / "Sweet Death" (Honeymoon, 1991)
- "I Love Lambeth" / "Kissy Kissy" / "All Over" / "Closing Time" (Cherry Red, 1995)
Compilations (incomplete)
- "405 Lines" and "Apocalypso" appeared on the LP Dindisc 1980 (Dindisc 1980)
- "Eine Symphonie Des Grauens" appeared on the LP and CD editions of Pillows & Prayers (Cherry Red 1982-1983) (Cherry Red 1982)
- Volume, Contrast, Brilliance...Volume, Contrast, Brilliance...Volume, Contrast, Brilliance... is a 1983 compilation of singles, B-sides and previously unreleased recordings by The Monochrome Set.Its original sleeve was designed by Thomas W.B...
(Cherry Red, 1983) - "Starry Nowhere" appeared on the LP Debut LP Magazine Issue 11 (CBS, 1985)
- "Jet Set Junta" appeared on the CD Diving For Pearls Volume 1 (Dino Entertainment, circa 1986)
- "Cast a Long Shadow" appeared on 12" EP Eyes of Barbara Steele (Cherry Red 1986)
- "The Mating Game" appeared on the LP and CD editions of And Suddenly It's Evening (Vap Inc. 1986)
- "Alphaville" appeared on the LP and CD editions of Clear Cut Final (Japan Record 1986)
- "Jet Set Junta" and "The Mating Game" appeared on the CD Ambition - The Cherry Red Story Volume 2 (Cherry Red 1991) and the edited "omnibus" edition, entitled Ambition - Volumes 1 & 2 - The History of Cherry Red Records 1978-1988.
- "He's Frank" appeared on the CD The Indie Scene 79 (Connoisseur Collection 1991) A cover version appears on Season 2 of TV Series "Heroes"
- "Jet Set Junta" appeared on the CD The Indie Scene 83 (Connoisseur Collection 1992)
- Westminster Affair (Cherry Red, 1988)
- Colour Transmission (Cherry Red, 1993, a compilation comprising the whole of the first two albums)
- Tomorrow Will Be Too Long: The Best of the Monochrome Set (Virgin/Caroline, 1995 - a repackaging/retitling of Colour Transmission)
- Compendium (Cherry Red, 1996, compilation)
- Chaps (Recall, 1997)
- Volume, Contrast, Brilliance (reissue with 25 songs) (2004)
- The Independent Singles Collection (Cherry Red, 2008)