Thrilled Skinny were an indie band from Luton

Luton

Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....

 formed in 1987, who released several singles and two albums between 1987 and 1995, although they split up in 1991.

History

Thrilled Skinny formed in Luton and comprised the pseudonymously-named Simon Goalpost (vocals, bass guitar, formerly of Mod band The Theme), Andy Furniture (aka Vic Sinex, vocals, guitar), Utensil Realname (keyboards, backing vocals), and Elliot P. Smoke (drums, backing vocals). They released records on their own Hunchback label and were regularly played by 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...

 on his 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...

 show. They recorded a session for the show in 1988. Described by John Robb as "one of the last of the quixotic British DIY underground bands", they drew comparisons with The Wedding Present

The Wedding Present

The Wedding Present are a British indie rock group based in Leeds, England, formed in 1985 from the ashes of the Lost Pandas. The band's music has evolved from fast-paced indie rock in the vein of their most obvious influences The Fall, Buzzcocks and Gang of Four to more varied forms...

 but with their own brand of oddball humour. They were inspired by 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...

 bands such as Wire

Wire (band)

Wire are an English rock band, formed in London in October 1976 by Colin Newman , Graham Lewis , Bruce Gilbert , and Robert Gotobed...

, Swell Maps

Swell Maps

Swell Maps were an experimental English rock group of the 1970s from Birmingham that foreshadowed the birth of post-punk.Influenced by the disparate likes of T.Rex and the German progressive outfit, Can, they created a new soundscape that would be heavily mined by others in the post-punk era...

, and the Television Personalities, and by Medway

Medway

Medway is a conurbation and unitary authority in South East England. The Unitary Authority was formed in 1998 when the City of Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with Gillingham Borough Council and part of Kent County Council to form Medway Council, a unitary authority independent of Kent County...

 bands such as Thee Milkshakes and Thee Mighty Caesars

Thee Mighty Caesars

Thee Mighty Caesars were a primitive garage punk group, formed by Billy Childish in 1985 after the demise of The Milkshakes. They influenced many American bands, especially The Mummies, and Sub Pop groups...

. Debut album They Said We Wouldn't But We Did was released in 1989, featuring 22 songs in 38 minutes. The band also created the Clod fanzine.

A compilation of their work was released in 2009 by Pop Noise, who also reissued the Smells a Bit Fishy album.

Simon Goalpost later recorded with Noise Annoys Simon and solo as Simon Bish. The other members formed instrumental band The Knockouts.

Albums

• They Said We Wouldn't But We Did (1989), Hunchback
• It's a Good Doss (1990), Hunchback
• Smells a Bit Fishy (1993), Artlos - reissued (2003), Pop Noise
• Just Another Teenage Dream (2009), Pop Noise

Singles, EPs

• Piece of Plastic EP (1987), Hunchback
• "White Grid" (1988), Hunchback - flexi-disc
• "So Happy to Be Alive" (1988), Hunchback
• Little Piggies and Cows EP (1989), Hunchback
• Teenage Dream EP (1990), Hunchback
• Let There Be Shelving EP (1991), Hunchback
• Not Half an EP (1991), Hunchback
• "Popstar Prat" (1995), Damaged Goods

Compilation appearances

• Fridge No. 1 EP (1989), Glut: "Pop Star Prat"
• Something's Burning In Paradise Again... (1989), Subtle: "Pop Star Prat"
• Cloth Ears Five, Fourth Dimension: "Pinless"
• Own Goal, Goalpost Records: "Biscuits in the tin (live)", "Common Ground (remix)"