Jackdaw with Crowbar
| Jackdaw With Crowbar | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Leamington Spa, England |
| Genres | Rock |
| Years active | 1986–1992, 2007–present |
| Labels | Ron Johnson |
| Members |
Tim Ellis Fergus Durrant Adam Sindall |
| Past members |
Dave Tibbats Dan Morrison Steve Law Fran Juckes Tris King Andy Guthrie Alan McCulloch Andy Grimmer Wilf Plum Charley 'H' Bembridge |
Jackdaw with Crowbar are an English multi-media indie band from Leamington Spa.[1] The band was formed in 1986 and signed to Ron Johnson Records.[1]
History
Jackdaw with Crowbar's original lineup comprised Tim Ellis, Fergus Durrant, Dave Tibbats, and Dan Morrison with Adam Sindall, Steve Law and Fran Juckes making 8mm films which accompanied live performances.[1][2][3] Under this makeup, the group released their first three records: Monarchy, Mayhem and Fishpaste, Sink Sank Sunk, and Hot Air.[4]
The band contributed to the 1988 compilation album Take Five in aid of the charity Shelter.[5]
In 1991, Jackdaw released Hanging In the Balance, expanding their lineup to include Tris King (formerly of Bogshed and later of A Witness),[6] Andy Guthrie, Alan McCulloch (aka "Wak"), Andy Grimmer, Wilf Plum (Dog Faced Hermans) and Charley 'H' Bembridge (The Selecter).
Jackdaw had two John Peel sessions on 19 May 1987 and 4 October 1987.[7] Jackdaw stopped touring around 1991 or 1992. In 2005, Fuck America was released on a compilation CD Commercially Unfriendly: The Best Of British Underground on Gott Discs.[8] In 2007 Tim Ellis and Adam Sindall started working together and Jackdaw was re-hatched with Fergus Durrant joining them soon after. With all new films and songs, Jackdaw has a new EP available from Hybrid Cuts. Gone are the 8mm films replaced by lap tops and video projectors. Jackdaw are currently getting air play on BBC Radio 6 in Stuart Maconie's Freak Zone and Don Letts' show.
Jackdaw went live again in March 2010. Flatpack film festival. 'The opening event that sees scratchy jazz-punks Jackdaw With Crowbar play'. (Iain Aitch The Guardian 20/03/10)
Musical style
The band's musical style was described by musician and writer John Robb as a combination of "spiky and dark guitar-driven blues and guitar-punk disco-filth".[1] Discussing debut EP Monarchy, Mayhem, and Fishpaste, writer John Corbett described the music: "a song sung through a bull horn ("Crow"), an accordion reggae-dub ("Fourth World"), a two-step featuring slide guitar reminiscent of Zoot Horn Rollo in Captain Beefheart's Magic Band ("The Night Albania Fell on Alabama")."[3] In Corbett's view, "the brief appearance of Jackdaw's records exemplifies the local-mode commodity at both its most appealing and its most politically volatile".[3]
Discography
| Year | Title | Label | Catalog | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Monarchy Mayhem and Fishpaste | Ron Johnson Records | ZRON24 | 12-inch single |
| Sink Sank Sunk | Ron Johnson Records | ZRON31 | 12-inch single | |
| 1988 | Hot Air | Ron Johnson Records | ZRON33 | LP |
| 1989 | First After Epiphany | Ron Johnson Records | ZRON36 | LP |
| 1991 | Hanging in the Balance | HAX Turino | HAX04 | LP |
| 2010 | EP200 | Hybrid Cuts | 069CDEP200 | CD EP |
References
- 1 2 3 4 Robb, John (2009) Death to Trad Rock, Cherry Red Books, ISBN 978-1-901447-36-1, p. 369
- ↑ Booth, Vachel (1987) "Clapperboard Clash! Jackdaw With Crowbar in Film Fun", Underground, October 1987 (Issue 7), p. 26
- 1 2 3 Corbett, John (1994) Extended Play: Sounding Off from John Cage to Dr.Funkenstein, Duke University Press, ISBN 978-0-8223-1473-8, p. 48
- ↑ Turner, Simon (17 September 1988). "Crowbar Attack", Melody Maker 64 (38): 16.
- ↑ Wilde, Jonh (16 July 1988). "Albums: Take Five (Proceeds to Shelter)", Melody Maker 64 (29): 34.
- ↑ Strong, Martin C. (2003) The Great Indie Discography, Canongate, ISBN 1-84195-335-0, p. 237
- ↑ "Jackdaw With Crowbar". BBC Online. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
- ↑ Lee, Stewart (29 January 2006). "Various Artists: Commercially Unfriendly: The Best of the British Underground 1983–1989", The Sunday Times, p. 21.