The Squares
Encyclopedia
The Squares are an English band formed in Huyton
, Liverpool
in 1985. The Squares consist(ed) of Mick Dubbin (vocals/guitar), John Bukta (guitar), Gunter Schalke (bass) and George Plainfield (drums).
After a chance meeting in a Huyton fish and chip shop in May 1984 Dubbin teamed up with ex-school friends, John Bukta and Ged (George)Plainfield, to form The Huyton Squares, playing cover versions of pop
hits in local bars and cabaret lounges such as The Blue Bell, The Seel Arms and The Hillside. With Huyton-born Les Burberry joining them on bass they recorded one EP
called Live at The Oak Tree featuring their first self-penned composition "(Go) Get out of Prescot, Baby!" on their own River Alt Records label.
When Burbery was arrested in the summer of 1985 following police investigations into the rioting at the Heysel Stadium
, Brussels, the band were left without a bass player. With local press interest growing the band found themselves with a string of gigs as far afield as Kirkdale and Speke
, but no bass player. After auditions failed to unearth a replacement Dubbin stumbled across Schalke who was now selling training shoes from the back of van in Liverpool
city centre. Schalke was only convinced by Dubbin to rejoin the band when Dubbin agreed to drop the "Huyton" from the band's name as he was now living in Croxteth
.
As The Squares the band rehearsed solidly through the summer of 1986 before embarking on a low-key tour of Scotland
and Northern England. In December 1986 the released their first "Squares" single, "Jingle Jangle", which was voted record of the week in the New Musical Express
. In January 1987 they signed to Polydor Records
and under the production wings of Ian Broudie
they recorded 3 tracks for their E.P. The Inflatable Inflatable. in Liverpool at The Picket studios. The E.P.was released to critical acclaim in April of that year. The record was played extensively by John Peel
on his Radio One
show and reached number 28 in the BBC Top 40, as well as inclusion in that year's Festive Fifty
.
Bolstered by the response to the EP Dubbin and Bukta embarked on a frenzy of song writing at the later's parents' caravan in Abersoch
, North Wales. Songs written during the 3 week session in early January 1988 included "Is Rice", "The Lid", "Farting Around" and soon to be legendary "All the way from Moscroft". All of the songs on their seminal debut album were either written in this session or derived from fragments recorded on Bukta's tape recorder on their return to Liverpool before the start of February.
Huyton
Huyton is a suburb of Liverpool within the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley, with some parts belonging to the borough of Liverpool in Merseyside, England. It is part of the Liverpool Urban Area and has close associations with its neighbour, Roby, having both formerly been part of the Huyton with...
, Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
in 1985. The Squares consist(ed) of Mick Dubbin (vocals/guitar), John Bukta (guitar), Gunter Schalke (bass) and George Plainfield (drums).
History
Before founding The Squares, Michael Dubbin and Gunter Schalke were in cult 1980s band The Roms, and released one now deleted album, Grooving On the 9d in March 1982. However, though critically acclaimed (The Huyton and Prescot Reporter called them, "Whiston's next big thing "), the album only reached Number 184 in the UK album charts and so the band failed to recoup the £1,000 that the band had signed to Pilch Lane Records for. The band folded soon after.After a chance meeting in a Huyton fish and chip shop in May 1984 Dubbin teamed up with ex-school friends, John Bukta and Ged (George)Plainfield, to form The Huyton Squares, playing cover versions of pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
hits in local bars and cabaret lounges such as The Blue Bell, The Seel Arms and The Hillside. With Huyton-born Les Burberry joining them on bass they recorded one EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
called Live at The Oak Tree featuring their first self-penned composition "(Go) Get out of Prescot, Baby!" on their own River Alt Records label.
When Burbery was arrested in the summer of 1985 following police investigations into the rioting at the Heysel Stadium
King Baudouin Stadium
The King Baudouin Stadium is a sports ground in north-west Brussels, Belgium. It was inaugurated on 23 August 1930 as the Stade du Jubilé or Jubelstadion in the presence of Prince Leopold. It was built to embellish the Heysel plateau in view of the Brussels International Exposition...
, Brussels, the band were left without a bass player. With local press interest growing the band found themselves with a string of gigs as far afield as Kirkdale and Speke
Speke
Speke is an area of Liverpool, Merseyside, England, close to the boundaries of the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley. It is south east of the city centre and to the west of the town of Widnes....
, but no bass player. After auditions failed to unearth a replacement Dubbin stumbled across Schalke who was now selling training shoes from the back of van in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
city centre. Schalke was only convinced by Dubbin to rejoin the band when Dubbin agreed to drop the "Huyton" from the band's name as he was now living in Croxteth
Croxteth
Croxteth is a suburb of Liverpool, Merseyside, England and a Liverpool City Council Ward. Although housing in the area is predominantly modern, the suburb has some notable history. It is known locally as "Crocky"...
.
As The Squares the band rehearsed solidly through the summer of 1986 before embarking on a low-key tour of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and Northern England. In December 1986 the released their first "Squares" single, "Jingle Jangle", which was voted record of the week in the New Musical Express
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...
. In January 1987 they signed to Polydor Records
Polydor Records
Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
and under the production wings of Ian Broudie
Ian Broudie
Ian Broudie is a British singer-songwriter, musician and record producer from Liverpool, England. After emerging from the post punk scene in Liverpool in the late 1970s as a member of Big in Japan, Broudie went on to form the short-lived groups Original Mirrors and Care in the early 1980s as well...
they recorded 3 tracks for their E.P. The Inflatable Inflatable. in Liverpool at The Picket studios. The E.P.was released to critical acclaim in April of that year. The record was played extensively by John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
on his Radio One
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
show and reached number 28 in the BBC Top 40, as well as inclusion in that year's Festive Fifty
Festive Fifty
The Festive Fifty was originally an annual list of the year's fifty best songs compiled at the end of the year and voted for by listeners to John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show...
.
Bolstered by the response to the EP Dubbin and Bukta embarked on a frenzy of song writing at the later's parents' caravan in Abersoch
Abersoch
Abersoch is a large village in the community of Llanengan in Gwynedd, Wales. It is a popular coastal seaside resort with approximately 1,000 inhabitants, on the east-facing south coast of the Llŷn Peninsula at the southern terminus of the A499. It is about south-west of Pwllheli and south-west of...
, North Wales. Songs written during the 3 week session in early January 1988 included "Is Rice", "The Lid", "Farting Around" and soon to be legendary "All the way from Moscroft". All of the songs on their seminal debut album were either written in this session or derived from fragments recorded on Bukta's tape recorder on their return to Liverpool before the start of February.