Blyth Power
Encyclopedia
Blyth Power are a British
rock band formed in 1983 by singer/drummer Joseph Porter, formerly of Zounds
and The Mob.
Blyth Power's music shows strong influences from punk rock
and folk music
, and the band members have described their sound as a cross between The Clash
, Steeleye Span
and The Rubettes
.
, Somerset
). The band's lyrics often deal with episodes from history, ranging from the Trojan War
to the Cod War
— as well as aspects of English culture such as cricket
, village life and trains. Porter is an avowed trainspotter
, and in August 1998 the band appeared on the LWT television programme Holy Smoke! in a slot in which musicians discussed their individual religions — with trainspotting cited as his religion.
Since 1993, Blyth Power recordings have been released on their own label, Downwarde Spiral. Since 2000 they have cut back on their touring schedule due to various personal commitments, but they have organised an annual mini-festival, the Blyth Power Ashes. The festival takes place in August of each year, and combines live music with a cricket match featuring band members and their associates. From 2011 the event moved to The Plough, in Farcet Fen near Peterborough due to its ever increasing popularity.
Joseph Porter has also being involved with various side-projects, such as doing solo guitarist/vocalist performances and collaborating in 2 other bands, Red Wedding and Mad Dogs & Englishmen.
1985/86 releases were on All the Madmen
, 1988 to 1991 releases on Midnight Music, with the exception of "Do the One About the Horse" which was on Kahootz, and all releases since 1992 on Downwarde Spiral with the exception of "Ten Years Inside the Horse" which was on Anagram, a division of Cherry Red Records.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
rock band formed in 1983 by singer/drummer Joseph Porter, formerly of Zounds
Zounds
Zounds are an English anarchist band formed in 1977 from loose jamming sessions around the Reading area. Originally they were part of the cassette culture movement, releasing material on the F**k Off Records label, and were also involved in the squatting and free festival scene...
and The Mob.
Blyth Power's music shows strong influences from punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, and the band members have described their sound as a cross between The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
, Steeleye Span
Steeleye Span
Steeleye Span are an English folk-rock band, formed in 1969 and remaining active today. Along with Fairport Convention they are amongst the best known acts of the British folk revival, and were among the most commercially successful, thanks to their hit singles "Gaudete" and "All Around My Hat"....
and The Rubettes
The Rubettes
The Rubettes were an English pop band assembled in 1973 by the songwriting team of Wayne Bickerton, then the head of A&R at Polydor Records, and his co-songwriter, Tony Waddington, after their doo-wop and 1950s American pop-influenced songs had been rejected by a number of existing acts...
.
Career
Established in 1983 and named after a railway locomotive, the one constant in an ever-shifting lineup has been drummer/vocalist/songwriter Joseph Porter (real name Gary James Hatcher, born 21 February 1962 in TemplecombeTemplecombe
Templecombe is a village in Somerset, England, situated on the A357 road five miles south of Wincanton, twelve miles east of Yeovil, and 30 miles west of Salisbury. The village has a population of 1,506...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
). The band's lyrics often deal with episodes from history, ranging from the Trojan War
Trojan War
In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, the king of Sparta. The war is among the most important events in Greek mythology and was narrated in many works of Greek literature, including the Iliad...
to the Cod War
Cod War
The Cod Wars, also called the Icelandic Cod Wars , were a series of confrontations in the 1950s and 1970s between the United Kingdom and Iceland regarding fishing rights in the North Atlantic....
— as well as aspects of English culture such as cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, village life and trains. Porter is an avowed trainspotter
Railfan
A railfan or rail buff , railway enthusiast or railway buff , or trainspotter , is a person interested in a recreational capacity in rail transport...
, and in August 1998 the band appeared on the LWT television programme Holy Smoke! in a slot in which musicians discussed their individual religions — with trainspotting cited as his religion.
Since 1993, Blyth Power recordings have been released on their own label, Downwarde Spiral. Since 2000 they have cut back on their touring schedule due to various personal commitments, but they have organised an annual mini-festival, the Blyth Power Ashes. The festival takes place in August of each year, and combines live music with a cricket match featuring band members and their associates. From 2011 the event moved to The Plough, in Farcet Fen near Peterborough due to its ever increasing popularity.
Joseph Porter has also being involved with various side-projects, such as doing solo guitarist/vocalist performances and collaborating in 2 other bands, Red Wedding and Mad Dogs & Englishmen.
Current members
- Joseph Porter (drums/lead vocals) Formerly of The Mob and ZoundsZoundsZounds are an English anarchist band formed in 1977 from loose jamming sessions around the Reading area. Originally they were part of the cassette culture movement, releasing material on the F**k Off Records label, and were also involved in the squatting and free festival scene...
- Annie Hatcher (keyboards/harmony vocals)
- Steven Cooper (guitar) Formerly of The Maccabees
- Jerry Hatcher (bass)
Former members
- Neil Keenan (guitar)
- Curtis Youé (bass) - a former member of The Mob
- Andy Morgan (harmony vocals)
- Sarah Lewington (harmony vocals)
- Martin "Protag" Neish (bass) - a former member of Alternative TVAlternative TVAlternative TV were an English rock band, formed in London in 1976. Their punk rock and post-punk sound was influential for several musical artists.-History:...
- Steve Ardcorr (guitar)
- Jamie Hince (guitar) - later formed ScarfoScarfoScarfo were a British rock band, formed in Andover, England in 1994, by former art college students Jamie Hince , Nick Prior , and Al Saunders . Scarfo was the culmination of several other bands and line ups involving Hince and Saunders including "Remember the Rabbitts" , and "Electric Turkey Land"...
and The KillsThe KillsThe Kills is a rock band formed by American singer Alison Mosshart and British guitarist Jamie Hince . Their first three albums, Keep On Your Mean Side, No Wow, and Midnight Boom, have garnered much critical praise... - Sian Jeffreys (harmony vocals)
- Julie Dalkin (harmony vocals)
- Helen Rush (harmony vocals)
- Wob (guitar)
- Darren Tansley (keyboards)
- John Rutherford (guitar)
- Chris Hopkins (guitar)
- Andrew "Jessi" Adams (guitar) - Member of Eastfield
- Bambi (bass) - Member of Eastfield
- Gary Miller (guitar) - Member of The Whisky Priests
Albums
- Wicked Women, Wicked Men and Wicket Keepers (1986) #6
- The Barman and Other Stories (1988)
- Pont Au-Dessus de la Brue (1989, compilation of early singles)
- Alnwick and Tyne (1990)
- The Guns of Castle Cary (1991)
- Karpov Crosses the Border (1992, but unreleased until c.2000)
- Pastor Skull (1993)
- Ten Years Inside the Horse (1994, compilation)
- Paradise Razed (1995)
- Out from Under the King (1996)
- A Rededication of Pastor Skull (1997, live re-recording of the Pastor Skull album in its entirety)
- When Death Went to Bed With a Lady (1998, Joseph Porter solo album)
- Gladly Give to Caesar (1999, live album)
- Going Down with Alice (2000, album by Mad Dogs and Englishmen, including Joseph Porter)
- The Bricklayer's Arms (2000, new recordings of early songs)
- On the Viking Station (2002)
- Red Wedding (2004, acoustic album by Joseph Porter and Stephen Cooper)
- Fall of Iron (2006)
- Land Sea & Sky (2009)
Singles
- Chevy Chase (1985) #11
- Junction Signal (1985) #18
- Ixion (1986) #12
- Up from the Country (1988)
- Goodbye to All That (1988)
- Better to Bat (1990)
- A Wild Card to Play (1995)
Compilations
- Reality Asylum (cover version of the song by CrassCrassCrass are an English punk rock band that was formed in 1977, which promoted anarchism as a political ideology, way of living, and as a resistance movement. Crass popularised the seminal anarcho-punk movement of the punk subculture, and advocated direct action, animal rights, and environmentalism...
on the compilation album 'You've Heard It All Before' Ruptured Ambitions RecordsRuptured Ambitions RecordsRuptured Ambitions Records first began life as a 'do-it-yourself' promotional outfit for punk, and punk-related independent musical ensembles based in the Plymouth and West Devon areas of the UK....
(1993)
Videos
- Do the One About the Horse (1990)
- Live in Harlow (1995)
1985/86 releases were on All the Madmen
All the Madmen
"All the Madmen" redirects here. For the David Bowie song, see All the Madmen .All the Madmen Records was a record label started by The Mob in Yeovil, England before relocating to London...
, 1988 to 1991 releases on Midnight Music, with the exception of "Do the One About the Horse" which was on Kahootz, and all releases since 1992 on Downwarde Spiral with the exception of "Ten Years Inside the Horse" which was on Anagram, a division of Cherry Red Records.