Purple Hearts (UK band)
Encyclopedia
The Purple Hearts were often considered one of the best English mod revival
groups
, the NME
calling them "one of the few mod bands to actually cut it on rock’n’roll terms”.
Jeff Shadbolt, Simon Stebbing, Bob Manton, and Nick Lake formed the band in Romford
, Essex as The Sockets, before they even knew how to play their instruments
(taking a cue from the then prevailing DIY aesthetics of the punk rock
movement). They formed for the sole purpose of getting a support slot at a Buzzcocks
gig
at the East London Polytechnic, to debut their tongue-in-cheek rock opera
, Reg. The amused audience took the amateurish teenage punks to their hearts and the group decided to soldier on. Several gigs followed, including an appearance on a float in the Romford Carnival.
In 1978, their drummer Nick Lake broke his leg. Struck down in his prime and with no chance of a quick recovery he was replaced by Gary Sparks from Romford Punk outfit `1348`. The band switched their name to Purple Hearts, after an amphetamine
-barbiturate
mixture popular with the mods of 1960s. Accordingly, they changed their sound from the rough-edged punk rock which was already beginning to fall out of favour to a more mod-influenced sound, which, thanks largely to The Jam
, was beginning to capture public attention.In September 1979 the band scored a minor hit with their debut single `Millions Like Us` which reached number 57. The band then toured the UK with Secret Affair and Back To Zero on `the march of the mods` tour in the late summer/early autumn of 79. The bands second single `Frustration` was released in November 79 but despite being described by Charles Sharr Murray as -`the best piece of teenage whingeing since `Teenage Depression` by Eddie and the Hotrods` it failed to make much of an impression on the charts only reaching number 92. A tour of the UK to promote the single followed.
In 1980 the band released their debut album `Beat That`,an interesting mix of sixties and seventies influences. The album was produced by Fiction Records supremo Chris Parry. The single taken from the album, `Jimmy`, gave the band another minor hit reaching number 60 in the spring of 1980.Once again the band toured the UK to promote the record. After the commercial failure of `Beat That` the band parted company with Fiction records before signing a one off single deal with Safari which produced the `My Life`s A Jigsaw` single, produced by Andy Arthurs. The 45 did make the Radio One daytime playlist but did not make the national charts. However in the Sounds Indie chart it reached number 20. A period in the wilderness followed allowing the band to change their music to much darker `underground` sounds. A final single, `Plane Crash` was released in 1982, on the small indie label `Roadrunner Records `before the band split in November of that year after a failed American trip.
After the Hearts, Jeff Shadbolt joined `The Rage` who included Brett Ascott from `The Chords`. Gary Sparks joined `High Zierra` with former members of Department S, Tony Lourdan, Mark Taylor and Michael Herbage. Simon Stebbing joined `Hearts on Fire` who recorded an LP,`Dreams Of Leaving` and two EP`s for Midnite Records. Bob Manton joined Simon Stebbing and Peter Green in the country rock band `Owen and the Deacons.
The Purple Hearts resurfaced in 1984 to release a live album, Head on Collision Time(1985) recorded live at the 100 Club
, and their second studio effort, Popish Frenzy(1986) which has been regarded by some critics as a template for the sound and stance of `The Stone Roses`.The album featured contributions from Michael Herbage (Dept S) on guitar and Brett Ascott (The Chords) on percussion. A single `Friends Again` taken from this album was released on `Unicorn Records and is notable for the added brass section and pyche/free jazz b-side `Head On Collision Time`.In 1986 the group toured West Germany,Austria and The Netherlands before once again calling it a day. They re-convened at the Mods Mayday '99 show, recorded for the Detour Records
live compilation album
. In 2003 Stebbing produced a rarities compilation, Smashing Time, also released on Detour Records. More recently he formed Speakeasy for an EP on Biff! Bang! Pow! Records, whilst helming his bands RT4, and current line-up, RT3, along with the former Hearts drummer Gary Sparks. Between 2007 and 2010 Bob Manton fronted `The Alley Jaggers`,a Norwich `Freakbeat` group which included former members of Norwich band `The Marksmen`.
The band re-formed in 2009 and played all over the UK, including gigs at London's 100 Club (where they were joined on stage by members of the Undertones & The Chords), Belfast, Isle of Man scooter rally & Manchester Academy where they were joined on stage by Mani of The Stone Roses & Primal Scream.They continued playing in 2010 and are presently in the third year of their reformation.
The band released a new live album from the 2009 tour in April 2010 called 'Purple Hearts Live! (Pride and Joy Records) This included the bands first new material in 25 years with the track 'Urban Soul'.
Mod Revival
The mod revival was a music genre and subculture that started in England in 1978 and later spread to other countries . The mod revival's mainstream popularity was relatively short, although its influence has lasted for decades...
groups
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
, the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
calling them "one of the few mod bands to actually cut it on rock’n’roll terms”.
Career
The mod revivalists, the Purple Hearts started in 1977, when teenagersAdolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
Jeff Shadbolt, Simon Stebbing, Bob Manton, and Nick Lake formed the band in Romford
Romford
Romford is a large suburban town in north east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Havering. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan...
, Essex as The Sockets, before they even knew how to play their instruments
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
(taking a cue from the then prevailing DIY aesthetics of the 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...
movement). They formed for the sole purpose of getting a support slot at a Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton in 1976, led by singer–songwriter–guitarist Pete Shelley.They are regarded as an important influence on the Manchester music scene, the independent record label movement, punk rock, power pop, pop punk and indie rock. They achieved commercial...
gig
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
at the East London Polytechnic, to debut their tongue-in-cheek rock opera
Rock opera
A rock opera is a work of rock music that presents a storyline told over multiple parts, songs or sections in the manner of opera. A rock opera differs from a conventional rock album, which usually includes songs that are not unified by a common theme or narrative. More recent developments include...
, Reg. The amused audience took the amateurish teenage punks to their hearts and the group decided to soldier on. Several gigs followed, including an appearance on a float in the Romford Carnival.
In 1978, their drummer Nick Lake broke his leg. Struck down in his prime and with no chance of a quick recovery he was replaced by Gary Sparks from Romford Punk outfit `1348`. The band switched their name to Purple Hearts, after an amphetamine
Amphetamine
Amphetamine or amfetamine is a psychostimulant drug of the phenethylamine class which produces increased wakefulness and focus in association with decreased fatigue and appetite.Brand names of medications that contain, or metabolize into, amphetamine include Adderall, Dexedrine, Dextrostat,...
-barbiturate
Barbiturate
Barbiturates are drugs that act as central nervous system depressants, and can therefore produce a wide spectrum of effects, from mild sedation to total anesthesia. They are also effective as anxiolytics, as hypnotics, and as anticonvulsants...
mixture popular with the mods of 1960s. Accordingly, they changed their sound from the rough-edged punk rock which was already beginning to fall out of favour to a more mod-influenced sound, which, thanks largely to The Jam
The Jam
The Jam were an English punk rock/New Wave/mod revival band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. They were formed in Woking, Surrey. While they shared the "angry young men" outlook and fast tempos of their punk rock contemporaries, The Jam wore smartly tailored suits rather than ripped...
, was beginning to capture public attention.In September 1979 the band scored a minor hit with their debut single `Millions Like Us` which reached number 57. The band then toured the UK with Secret Affair and Back To Zero on `the march of the mods` tour in the late summer/early autumn of 79. The bands second single `Frustration` was released in November 79 but despite being described by Charles Sharr Murray as -`the best piece of teenage whingeing since `Teenage Depression` by Eddie and the Hotrods` it failed to make much of an impression on the charts only reaching number 92. A tour of the UK to promote the single followed.
In 1980 the band released their debut album `Beat That`,an interesting mix of sixties and seventies influences. The album was produced by Fiction Records supremo Chris Parry. The single taken from the album, `Jimmy`, gave the band another minor hit reaching number 60 in the spring of 1980.Once again the band toured the UK to promote the record. After the commercial failure of `Beat That` the band parted company with Fiction records before signing a one off single deal with Safari which produced the `My Life`s A Jigsaw` single, produced by Andy Arthurs. The 45 did make the Radio One daytime playlist but did not make the national charts. However in the Sounds Indie chart it reached number 20. A period in the wilderness followed allowing the band to change their music to much darker `underground` sounds. A final single, `Plane Crash` was released in 1982, on the small indie label `Roadrunner Records `before the band split in November of that year after a failed American trip.
After the Hearts, Jeff Shadbolt joined `The Rage` who included Brett Ascott from `The Chords`. Gary Sparks joined `High Zierra` with former members of Department S, Tony Lourdan, Mark Taylor and Michael Herbage. Simon Stebbing joined `Hearts on Fire` who recorded an LP,`Dreams Of Leaving` and two EP`s for Midnite Records. Bob Manton joined Simon Stebbing and Peter Green in the country rock band `Owen and the Deacons.
The Purple Hearts resurfaced in 1984 to release a live album, Head on Collision Time(1985) recorded live at the 100 Club
100 Club
The 100 Club is a music venue in London situated at 100 Oxford Street, W1, originally called The Feldman Swing Club.The 100 Club attained legendary status in modern British music, having played host to live music since 24 October 1942....
, and their second studio effort, Popish Frenzy(1986) which has been regarded by some critics as a template for the sound and stance of `The Stone Roses`.The album featured contributions from Michael Herbage (Dept S) on guitar and Brett Ascott (The Chords) on percussion. A single `Friends Again` taken from this album was released on `Unicorn Records and is notable for the added brass section and pyche/free jazz b-side `Head On Collision Time`.In 1986 the group toured West Germany,Austria and The Netherlands before once again calling it a day. They re-convened at the Mods Mayday '99 show, recorded for the Detour Records
Detour Records
Detour Records was started in 1990 as a Miami record label and has gone on to become Godbout Entertainment producing Music Videos & Indi Films. Detour Records CDs can still be purchased at the new site....
live compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
. In 2003 Stebbing produced a rarities compilation, Smashing Time, also released on Detour Records. More recently he formed Speakeasy for an EP on Biff! Bang! Pow! Records, whilst helming his bands RT4, and current line-up, RT3, along with the former Hearts drummer Gary Sparks. Between 2007 and 2010 Bob Manton fronted `The Alley Jaggers`,a Norwich `Freakbeat` group which included former members of Norwich band `The Marksmen`.
The band re-formed in 2009 and played all over the UK, including gigs at London's 100 Club (where they were joined on stage by members of the Undertones & The Chords), Belfast, Isle of Man scooter rally & Manchester Academy where they were joined on stage by Mani of The Stone Roses & Primal Scream.They continued playing in 2010 and are presently in the third year of their reformation.
The band released a new live album from the 2009 tour in April 2010 called 'Purple Hearts Live! (Pride and Joy Records) This included the bands first new material in 25 years with the track 'Urban Soul'.
Singles
- "Millions Like Us" (Fiction) 1979
- "Frustration" (Fiction) 1979
- "Jimmy" (Fiction) 1980
- "My Life's a Jigsaw" (Safari) 1980
- "Plane Crash" (Roadrunner) 1982
- "Friends Again" (Unicorn) 1986
Albums
- "Beat That!" (Fiction) 1980
- "Head On Collision Time" (Razor) 1985 – recorded live at the 100 Club December 1984
- "Pop-ish Frenzy" (Razor) 1986
- "Head On Collision Time Again" (Yeaah) ? – Combines the two Razor LP`s
- "Smashing Time" (Detour) 2003 – collection of unrealeased demos and live material
- " Mod Singles Collection" (Captain Mod) 2009
- "Purple Hearts" – Live! (Pride and Joy) 2010 -recorded live at Camber Sands July 2009
External links
- Purple Hearts site
- Scooter Rallies – 1980s style
- The Mod Revival – The story of the Mod Revival, by Chris Hunt, published in the New Musical Express Mod special edition, April 2005
- Links to sites relating to Purple Hearts
- A list of 2010 Purple Hearts dates.
- Fan site about the great Mod band BACK TO ZERO.