The Parachute Men
Encyclopedia
The Parachute Men were an indie pop
/indie rock
band from Leeds
, England
, formed in 1985. They released two albums and several singles before splitting up in the early 1990s.
indie label Fire Records
in 1987. Their first release was a four-track EP
with "Sometimes In Vain" as the lead track, in May 1988. This was followed in August of the same year by debut album The Innocents, which made the NME
top 50 albums of that year. Two further singles were taken from the album, "If I Could Wear Your Jacket" (which author Mike Gayle
has stated is one of his all-time favourite records) and "Bed and Breakfast". A further single, "Leeds Station" was released and also featured on the NME
's Carry On Disarming video.
Howes and Boyce departed soon after, with the Greggs continuing as an acoustic duo until they recruited Matthew Parkin (bass) and Paul Walker (drums). 1990 saw the release of the second album, Earth, Dogs, and Eggshells, preceded by the single "Every Other Thursday" (a reference to signing on to the dole). The album was released over a year after it was recorded, losing much of the momentum the band had built up. The band line-up changed again, with Canadian Colleen Browne replacing Parkin. They eventually recruited a further bass player, Tony Hodges, but after playing just one gig, at Liverpool University, split in the early 1990s with no further releases.
Mark Boyce later turned up in the band The Durbervilles.Andrew Howes has recorded music for the netlabels SuRRism Phonoethics (Germany} and CJC/LEEP (France) and is a contributor to the quarterly surveys published by Classwar Karaoke (UK) under the name Kalistongue. Colleen Browne later joined Pale Saints
and The Warm Jets
. Stephen Gregg gained a PhD in English literature at the University of Leeds
and is now a senior lecturer at Bath Spa University
, specialising in eighteenth century literature.
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...
/indie rock
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 from Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, 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...
, formed in 1985. They released two albums and several singles before splitting up in the early 1990s.
History
The Parachute Men formed in 1985, with a line-up of Fiona Gregg (vocals), Stephen H. Gregg (guitar), Andrew Howes (bass and keyboards), and Mark Boyce (drums and keyboards). After two years of gigging, the band were signed by large LondonLondon
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...
indie label Fire Records
Fire Records (UK)
Fire Records is an independent record label in London, England. The label was founded by Clive Solomon in 1986 and is currently run by James Nicholls.-Current roster:*Giant Sand*Guided By Voices*Howe Gelb*Josephine Foster*Wooden Wand*Bobby Conn...
in 1987. Their first release was a four-track EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
with "Sometimes In Vain" as the lead track, in May 1988. This was followed in August of the same year by debut album The Innocents, which made 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...
top 50 albums of that year. Two further singles were taken from the album, "If I Could Wear Your Jacket" (which author Mike Gayle
Mike Gayle
Mike Gayle is a British author.- Biography :Mr. Gayle is a chick-lit author and freelance journalist contributing to a variety of magazines including FHM and Sunday Times Style....
has stated is one of his all-time favourite records) and "Bed and Breakfast". A further single, "Leeds Station" was released and also featured on 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...
's Carry On Disarming video.
Howes and Boyce departed soon after, with the Greggs continuing as an acoustic duo until they recruited Matthew Parkin (bass) and Paul Walker (drums). 1990 saw the release of the second album, Earth, Dogs, and Eggshells, preceded by the single "Every Other Thursday" (a reference to signing on to the dole). The album was released over a year after it was recorded, losing much of the momentum the band had built up. The band line-up changed again, with Canadian Colleen Browne replacing Parkin. They eventually recruited a further bass player, Tony Hodges, but after playing just one gig, at Liverpool University, split in the early 1990s with no further releases.
Mark Boyce later turned up in the band The Durbervilles.Andrew Howes has recorded music for the netlabels SuRRism Phonoethics (Germany} and CJC/LEEP (France) and is a contributor to the quarterly surveys published by Classwar Karaoke (UK) under the name Kalistongue. Colleen Browne later joined Pale Saints
Pale Saints
Pale Saints was formed in 1987 by Ian Masters , Graeme Naysmith , and Chris Cooper in Leeds, England. The group began as a jangly indie pop band, influenced by Primal Scream's early sound.-History:...
and The Warm Jets
The Warm Jets
Warm Jets were a British pop indie band, who had two UK top 40 singles and a top 40 album in 1998.-History:The band formed in 1995 by Louis Jones, Paul Noble and Ed Grimshaw and signed to This Way Up records in early 1996...
. Stephen Gregg gained a PhD in English literature at the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
and is now a senior lecturer at Bath Spa University
Bath Spa University
Bath Spa University is a university based in, and around, Bath, England. The institution was previously known as Bath College of Higher Education, and later Bath Spa University College...
, specialising in eighteenth century literature.
Singles
- "Sometimes In Vain" (1988) Fire (12" EP)
- "If I Could Wear Your Jacket" (1988) Fire
- "Leeds Station" (1989) Fire
- "Bed and Breakfast" (1989) Fire
- "Every Other Thursday" (1990) Fire