History

Paperhouse were a late eighties space-rock outfit from Surrey. Originally consisting of Jake Stephenson (guitar, vocals), Gray E (bass) Andy (keyboards) and Phil Merrall (drums), they played a psychedelic mix of dub-tinged space rock. The first line up played a handful of party gigs to friends and family in the Weybridge area, releasing a number of live recordings on cassette. These were sold through Jake’s record stall, at various record fairs and markets in the Surrey and SE London area. He was well known on the record fair circuit, in his distinctive yellow VW Camper.

Phase II

A second line-up of Jake, Phil, Andy Taylor (bass) and Brian Trower (keyboards) ventured forth with greater commitment, securing gigs further afield, and in front of paying punters (albeit mostly as support act). This line-up’s first gig was at Southampton University in 1991, supporting south coast festival stalwarts Doctor Brown (later to feature Hawkwind

Hawkwind

Hawkwind are an English rock band, one of the earliest space rock groups. Their lyrics favour urban and science fiction themes. They are also a noted precursor to punk rock and now are considered a link between the hippie and punk cultures....

’s Huw Lloyd Langton on guitar), and other gigs included supporting the Magic Mushroom Band, Astralasia and a slot at Kingston Green Fair. An album, ‘Spongy Comestibles’, was produced at White Dove Studios in Weybridge (actually Jake’s spare bedroom) and released on the Mystic Stones label, with a couple of thousand pieces of vinyl and a couple of thousand CDs being pressed, most of which were exported straight to the Italian market. Paperhouse were a couple of years too late for the UK festival scene, and were probably too similar to the Ozrics

Ozric Tentacles

Ozric Tentacles are an instrumental rock band from Somerset, England, whose music can loosely be described as psychedelic or space rock. Formed in 1983, the band has released 28 albums as of 2011, and become a cottage industry selling over a million albums worldwide despite never having major...

 to establish themselves properly - the lure of electronic dance music proved too much and they split in 1994 to pursue alternative avenues. Among the subsequent projects were Jake and Brian’s Optic Eye, Jake’s solo trance alter ego Shamanic Tribes On Acid and Phil and Andy T’s Jupiterhead.

Influences

Heavily influenced by Hawkwind

Hawkwind

Hawkwind are an English rock band, one of the earliest space rock groups. Their lyrics favour urban and science fiction themes. They are also a noted precursor to punk rock and now are considered a link between the hippie and punk cultures....

, Ozric Tentacles

Ozric Tentacles

Ozric Tentacles are an instrumental rock band from Somerset, England, whose music can loosely be described as psychedelic or space rock. Formed in 1983, the band has released 28 albums as of 2011, and become a cottage industry selling over a million albums worldwide despite never having major...

, Gong

Gong

A gong is an East and South East Asian musical percussion instrument that takes the form of a flat metal disc which is hit with a mallet....

, Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix

James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...

, and latterly by electronic acts such as The Shamen.

Releases

• A (cassette only, 1991)
• Spongy Comestibles (RUNECD011, 1992)