A Witness, from Stockport in Greater Manchester, were initially active between 1982 and 1989, and then again in 2014.
They released four singles/EPs and one album, with the first four releases coming out on Ron Johnson Records between 1985 and 1989, with the final EP being issued on Vinyl Drip, the label owned by John Robb of The Membranes. There were also four sessions for John Peel. If I mention that they initially used a drum machine through to late 1986, but this was replaced by a former member of bIG*fLAME, then you might have an idea of what they sound like.
mp3: Sharpened Sticks – A Witness
Track 9, Side 1 of the C86 cassette and Track 9, Disc one of C86 The Deluxe 3CD Edition
Yup…another of the surprise inclusions on the C86 cassette, but as is probably becoming clear, the compilers had quite a soft spot for bands on Ron Johnson Records.
It would, later in the year, be included on the band’s debut album, I Am John’s Pancreas. This had been released on a debut EP, Loudhailer Songs, that had reached #9 on the Indie Chart. The album would reach #18.
The band came to a sudden and sad end in 1989 when guitarist Rick Aitken died, aged 33, while rock climbing in Scotland. The band broke up immediately and their final single on Vinyl Drip, was a posthumous release. To mark the 25th anniversary of the death of Rick Aitken, founder member and bass player Vince Hunt assembled a new line-up of A Witness to perform some live dates. This included appearances at the launch of the re-released NME C-86 album in London and a tribute to John Peel event alongside The Nightingales, Blue Orchids, Inca Babies, The Wolfhounds and Ted Chippington.
The Fizzbombs were a short-lived four-piece from Edinburgh, who released one flexi and two singles in 1987/88.
Their debut single was released on Nardonik Records, a level set-up by Eddie Connolly, formerly of Meat Whiplash (see part 21 of this series), that would in some sense be Edinburgh’s equivalent of Postcard in that there were only a small number of releases – six in total – but the quality would always be high.
mp3: Sign On The Line – Fizzbombs
Track 6, Disc 2 of CD86
It was the third single to appear on Nardonik, and it was released in early 1987. By the time The Fizzbombs were ready to record a follow-up, circumstances surrounding university education had seen two members leave both city and the group, including lead vocalist Katy McCullars. The second release, on the London-based Calculus Records, wasn’t well received and so the remaining members called it a day.
A Riot of Colour were from London, and their entire recording output amounts to one 7″ flexidisc and two 12″ singles
The debut, unsurprisingly, was the flexidisc in 1986:-
mp3: Skink (flexi version) – A Riot Of Colour
Track 23, Disc Two of C86 The Deluxe 3CD Edition
The flexi got reviewed positively in one of the weekly music papers, It got played by John Peel who liked it so much that a session was offered to the band. Shortly afterwards Dan Treacy got in touch and offered to release their next single on Dreamworld Records. The four songs were recorded in the summer of 1986 but the eponymous EP, which included a re-recording of Skink, wasn’t actually released until April 1987, by which time the momentum and a fair amount of enthusiasm had been lost.
It would be 1989 before the band’s second EP, Swallow, was released, this time on the Cambridge-based label, Everlasting which came and went in just over a year (talk about being ironically named). A Riot Of Colour decided to quit shortly afterwards.
King Of The Slums, from Manchester, were initially active between 1986 and 1991, and then again from 2009 to 2021
The debut single came out on their own S.L.R. Records in 1986. It has been described elsewhere as a demented and thrilling offering that showcased the band’s experimental blend of distorted violin, raw guitar and almost impenetrable vocals. Don’t say you haven’t been warned!
mp3: Spider Psychiatry – King Of The Slums
Track 10, Disc Three of C86 The Deluxe 3CD Edition
There would be three singles in 1988, all on Manchester-label Play Hard Records, while 1989/90 would bring three singles and an album via the Midnight Music label, and then just prior to breaking up, there would be one single and one album on Cherry Red Records.
After an 18-year hiatus, the band got back together, and having resurrected S.L.R. Records, would release four albums between 2009 and 2020, and an EP in 2019. The death of the band’s singer, Charlie Keigher, in November 2021 after a long fight against illness, brought an end to King of The Slums.
JC