The Smirks
Encyclopedia
The Smirks were an English
new wave
band from Manchester
who played from the late 1970s to the early 1980s. Although they failed to meet with commercial success, they built a small but loyal base of fans.
They are remembered mostly for a quirky vocal style and for a curious campaign Smirks against Travolta
, simultaneously a homage and a parody
of Rock Against Racism
. The Smirks session for the John Peel
show was recorded on 19 April 1978 and broadcast a week later.
Despite being more of the new wave/'power pop' genre, they did support Killing Joke and Joy Division at the ULU gig in London, 1980.
Their acrimonious dispute with Beserkley Records
, for whom they recorded an album that was never released, is also noteworthy and was the subject of a BBC Radio 4
documentary. The album was finally due to be released in October 2007, but was delayed by the sale of Sanctuary Records to Universal Music and is still awaiting release.
's Swan Song Records
, while the DHSS prefix to their own label's release suggested the Government department dealing with the unemployed, as the band no longer had a contract.
Ian Morris and Simon Milner later released a single under the pseudonym Captain Mog and Private Sigh. Mike Doherty went on to play for The Freshies
.
Simon formed The Bernhardts, a predecessor to The Oscar Bernhardt Ensemble, who play 1930's and 1940s Swing and Latin Music.
Ian Morris, now presents a show on ALL FM
called Standing in the Shadows of Lev.
Neil Fitzpatrick and Simon Milner were part of the group Distant Cousins, who released two albums with Doreen Edwards.
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...
new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
band from Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
who played from the late 1970s to the early 1980s. Although they failed to meet with commercial success, they built a small but loyal base of fans.
They are remembered mostly for a quirky vocal style and for a curious campaign Smirks against Travolta
John Travolta
John Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease...
, simultaneously a homage and a parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of Rock Against Racism
Rock Against Racism
Rock Against Racism was a campaign set up in the United Kingdom in 1976 as a response to an increase in racial conflict and the growth of white nationalist groups such as the National Front. The campaign involved pop, rock and reggae musicians staging concerts with an anti-racist theme, in order...
. The Smirks session for the John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
show was recorded on 19 April 1978 and broadcast a week later.
Despite being more of the new wave/'power pop' genre, they did support Killing Joke and Joy Division at the ULU gig in London, 1980.
Their acrimonious dispute with Beserkley Records
Beserkley Records
Beserkley Records was an independent record label based in Berkeley, California, from 1973 to 1984. Beserkely is usually regarded as a powerpop & rock and roll label; during the seventies, the band released albums by Earth Quake, Greg Kihn, Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers, The Rubinoos, and...
, for whom they recorded an album that was never released, is also noteworthy and was the subject of a BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
documentary. The album was finally due to be released in October 2007, but was delayed by the sale of Sanctuary Records to Universal Music and is still awaiting release.
Parody
Smirks against Travolta was only one example of the band's use of parody, though the campaign had a serious side: keeping live music venues alive against the increasing incidence of discos with only recorded music. Their slogan The most fun you can have with your shoes on was a parody of Beserkley's The most fun you can have with your clothes on, while after Beserkley, their choice of Smirksong as a label name was a parody of Led ZeppelinLed Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
's Swan Song Records
Swan Song Records
Swan Song Records was a record label launched by the English rock band Led Zeppelin on 10 May 1974. It was overseen by Led Zeppelin's manager Peter Grant and was a vehicle for the band to promote its own products as well as sign artists who found it difficult to win contracts with other major labels...
, while the DHSS prefix to their own label's release suggested the Government department dealing with the unemployed, as the band no longer had a contract.
Other projects
Ian Morris and Mike Doherty both played on the demos for the Jilted John single.Ian Morris and Simon Milner later released a single under the pseudonym Captain Mog and Private Sigh. Mike Doherty went on to play for The Freshies
The Freshies
The Freshies were a punk band from Manchester, England formed in the late 1970s and dissolved in the early 1980s, fronted by singer and comedian Chris Sievey .-Career:...
.
Simon formed The Bernhardts, a predecessor to The Oscar Bernhardt Ensemble, who play 1930's and 1940s Swing and Latin Music.
Ian Morris, now presents a show on ALL FM
ALL FM
All FM is a local Community Radio station serving south, central and east Manchester and based in the South Manchester suburb of Levenshulme. The station is run by paid staff and volunteers living in its coverage area....
called Standing in the Shadows of Lev.
Neil Fitzpatrick and Simon Milner were part of the group Distant Cousins, who released two albums with Doreen Edwards.
Discography
- 1978: 7" single "OK - UK" / "Streets" (Beserkley Records BZZ 17)
- 1978: 7" single "Rosemary"/ "Up Eh Up" (Beserkley Records BZZ 23)
- 1978: album Andrew Jasper presents The Smirks (Beserkley Records BSERK 19) (unreleased)
- 1978: 7" EPExtended playAn 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...
"American Patriots" / "Angry With Myself" / "Penetration" (Smirksong Records DHSS 01) - 1979: 7" single "To You" / "New Music" (Smirksong Records DHSS 02)
- 1979: 7" single "Joe And His Mates" / "She's Out Of Love" (unreleased)