Colenso Parade were an alternative rock

Alternative rock

Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...

 band from Belfast

Belfast

Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

, Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

 formed in 1984. Taking their name from a street in the Stranmillis

Stranmillis

Stranmillis is an area in south Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is also an electoral ward for Belfast City Council, part of the Laganbank district electoral area. As part of the Queen's Quarter, it is the location for prominent attractions such as the Ulster Museum and Botanic Gardens and is popular...

 area of their native city, the original line-up was Oscar (Thomas) Askin (vocals), Linda Clandinning (keyboards), Neil Lawson (bass guitar), Jackie Forgie (guitar) and Robert Wakeman (drums). After releasing two singles on their own Goliath label, they moved to London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 and signed to their manager Dave Bedford's Fire Records

Fire Records (UK)

Fire Records is an independent record label in London, England. The label was founded by Clive Solomon in 1986 and is currently run by James Nicholls.-Current roster:*Giant Sand*Guided By Voices*Howe Gelb*Josephine Foster*Wooden Wand*Bobby Conn...

, with Forgie being replaced by future The House of Love

The House of Love

The House of Love is an English alternative rock band. Formed in 1986, the band rose to prominence in the UK as a leading indie rock band in 1988 and split up in 1993, eventually reforming a decade later in 2003. The band is best known for its detailed psychedelic guitar sound and for the...

/Levitation

Levitation (band)

Levitation were an English rock band fronted by ex-House of Love guitarist Terry Bickers. Levitation's music and attitude challenged an early 1990s UK alternative music scene dominated by shoegazing and Madchester....

 guitarist Terry Bickers

Terry Bickers

Terry Bickers is an English guitarist, singer and songwriter, best known as a member of the rock bands The House of Love and Levitation...

. After an EP and LP on Fire, Bickers departed to join The House of Love, to be replaced by John Watt (previously of Kissed Air and currently composer for BBC's Dragons' Den). Wakeman also left, his replacement being ex-Big Self drummer Owen Howell. Their next release, "Fontana Eyes" was arguably their best, receiving heavy airplay, although they split soon after, in 1986. Singer Oscar was offered the job of replacing Ian McCulloch

Ian McCulloch (singer)

Ian Stephen McCulloch is an English singer, born in Liverpool, and is best known as the frontman for the rock group Echo & the Bunnymen.-Career:...

 in Echo & the Bunnymen

Echo & the Bunnymen

Echo & the Bunnymen are an English post-punk band, formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bass player Les Pattinson, supplemented by a drum machine. By 1980, Pete de Freitas had joined as the band's drummer, and their debut...

 but declined, and went on to work in corporate events as MD of the Technical Production company Metro Ecosse. Drummer Wakeman later resurfaced in the band Salad

Salad (band)

Salad were a UK-based pop music group formed in London in 1992, that included Dutch vocalist/keyboardist Marijne van der Vlugt, bassist Pete Brown, drummer Rob Wakeman , and guitarist Paul Kennedy...

.

Singles

• "Standing Up" (1984, Goliath)
• "Down By The Border" (1985, Goliath)
• "Hallelujah Chorus" (1986, Fire)
• "Fontana Eyes" (1986, Fire)