The Moment (band)
Encyclopedia
The Moment were among the leading bands of the 1980s UK
mod revival
, described retrospectively by Paul Moody of the NME
as "English pop music's greatest ever secret".
Formed in Haverhill
, Suffolk, in 1983, The Moment were fronted by the singer-songwriter
, Adrian Holder
, releasing a series of singles
, including "In This Town" (1984), "One, Two They Fly" (1985) and "Ready To Fall" (1988). They released one album
, The Work Gets Done, in 1985. "Sticks And Stones", a track released on the Countdown compilation album
in 1986, saw The Moment described by British music paper Melody Maker
as sounding "like The Jam
wanting to be The Clash
". While their influences did indeed include the best of British mod and punk, they also drew their inspiration from The Beatles
, northern soul
and classic rock, taking their name from song "The Unguarded Moment" by Australian neo-psychedelic rock band The Church
.
The Moment were managed by UK music journalist Chris Hunt
. They toured extensively in Germany, where they maintained a strong cult following until their split in 1990. All of their vinyl recordings, and their unreleased final single, were collected together and issued as, Mod Gods: The Best Of The Moment by Tangerine Records
in 1996. Singer Adrian Holder now lives in Germany, and released his first solo recording since The Moment, Goodbye Tuesday, on a Biff Bang Pow Records compilation album in 2006. Bass player, Robert Moore, subsequently joined Paul Bevoir
in Smalltown Parade, supporting Take That
on a short UK tour in 1992. Steve Rinaldi released his debut solo album, What's It All About? under the name of Rinaldi Sings
in 2005.
The Moment worked with several record producer
s during their career. Cult musicians Paul Bevoir and Edward Ball shared the production duties on the album The Work Gets Done (Rave, 1985). Paul Bultitude
was responsible for "Poor Mr Diamond" (Big Stuff, 1988), while "Sticks And Stones" (Countdown, 1986) was produced by Pat Collier and Will Birch. Their later material was in the hands of Ian Shaw, who also engineered all their recordings from 1985 onwards.
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...
mod revival
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...
, described retrospectively by Paul Moody of 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...
as "English pop music's greatest ever secret".
Formed in Haverhill
Haverhill, Suffolk
Haverhill is an industrial market town and civil parish in the county of Suffolk, England, next to the borders of Essex and Cambridgeshire. It lies southeast of Cambridge and north of central London...
, Suffolk, in 1983, The Moment were fronted by the singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, Adrian Holder
Adrian Holder
Originally from Haverhill, Suffolk, United Kingdom, Adrian Holder was the charismatic singer, songwriter and guitarist of cult indie mod band The Moment....
, releasing a series of singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, including "In This Town" (1984), "One, Two They Fly" (1985) and "Ready To Fall" (1988). They released one album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, The Work Gets Done, in 1985. "Sticks And Stones", a track released on the Countdown 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 1986, saw The Moment described by British music paper Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
as sounding "like 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...
wanting to be 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...
". While their influences did indeed include the best of British mod and punk, they also drew their inspiration from The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, northern soul
Northern soul
Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged from the British mod scene, initially in northern England in the late 1960s. Northern soul mainly consists of a particular style of black American soul music based on the heavy beat and fast tempo of the mid-1960s Tamla Motown sound...
and classic rock, taking their name from song "The Unguarded Moment" by Australian neo-psychedelic rock band The Church
The Church (band)
The Church is an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1980. Initially associated with new wave and the neo-psychedelic sound of the mid 1980s, their music later became more reminiscent of progressive rock, featuring long instrumental jams and complex guitar interplay...
.
The Moment were managed by UK music journalist Chris Hunt
Chris Hunt
Chris Hunt is a magazine editor, journalist and author. He has worked in journalism for over twenty years, most often writing about football or rock music. He was managing editor of Match from 1993 to 2001, a period that saw the weekly title become Britain's biggest selling football magazine...
. They toured extensively in Germany, where they maintained a strong cult following until their split in 1990. All of their vinyl recordings, and their unreleased final single, were collected together and issued as, Mod Gods: The Best Of The Moment by Tangerine Records
Tangerine Records (1992)
Tangerine Records is a UK-based independent record label founded in 1992 by musician Paul Bevoir, music journalist Chris Hunt and marketing executive John Ashworth.-History:...
in 1996. Singer Adrian Holder now lives in Germany, and released his first solo recording since The Moment, Goodbye Tuesday, on a Biff Bang Pow Records compilation album in 2006. Bass player, Robert Moore, subsequently joined Paul Bevoir
Paul Bevoir
Paul Bevoir , is a pop/rock songwriter and musician. He is probably best known as a member of the 1980s English pop band The Jetset, who were associated with the British Mod revival.-Early life:...
in Smalltown Parade, supporting Take That
Take That
Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...
on a short UK tour in 1992. Steve Rinaldi released his debut solo album, What's It All About? under the name of Rinaldi Sings
Rinaldi Sings
Rinaldi Sings is the stage name used by Steve Rinaldi, a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose orchestrated pop music prompted the New Musical Express to describe him in 2004 as a "cocksure 20th Century Scott Walker".- Background :...
in 2005.
The Moment worked with several record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
s during their career. Cult musicians Paul Bevoir and Edward Ball shared the production duties on the album The Work Gets Done (Rave, 1985). Paul Bultitude
Paul Bultitude
Paul Bultitude is an English musician and record producer. He was the drummer in power pop band Advertising, working with his cousin Dennis Smith, Tot Taylor and Simon Boswell, before replacing Seb Shelton as the drummer in Secret Affair...
was responsible for "Poor Mr Diamond" (Big Stuff, 1988), while "Sticks And Stones" (Countdown, 1986) was produced by Pat Collier and Will Birch. Their later material was in the hands of Ian Shaw, who also engineered all their recordings from 1985 onwards.