Chelsea (band)
Chelsea | |
---|---|
General information | |
origin | London , England |
Genre (s) | punk |
founding | 1976 |
Website | www.chelseapunkband.com |
Founding members | |
Gene October | |
Billy Idol (until 1976) | |
John Towe (until 1976) | |
Tony James (until 1976) | |
Current occupation | |
singing |
Gene October |
guitar |
James Stevenson |
Drums |
Lee Morrell |
bass |
Tony Barber |
former members | |
Drums |
Carey Fortune |
guitar |
Martin Stacy |
bass |
Bob Jessie |
bass |
Henry Daze |
Guitar, vocals |
Nic Austin |
Bass, vocals |
Mat Sargent |
Drums |
Stuart Soulsby |
Lead guitar |
Rob Miller |
Chelsea is a British punk band formed in London in 1976 by Gene October , Billy Idol , Tony James and John Towe .
history
In August 1976, Gene October was looking for musicians for a band with an ad in Melody Maker . It was William Broad, who later became famous under the stage name Billy Idol , Tony James and John Towe, who came from the band London SS . They founded Chelsea. After three months idol, James and Towe left the band again and founded Generation X . They were replaced by drummer Carey Fortune, bassist Bob Jessie and guitarist Martin Stacy. Stacy and Jessie were soon replaced by bassist Henry Daze and James Stevenson on guitar. Stevenson later also played for Generation X, but still belongs to the current line-up together with the replaced drummer Tony Barber.
In 1979 the band released their first LP Chelsea . In Germany , Chelsea became known to a larger audience outside of the punk scene in 1991 when the successful Düsseldorf punk band Die Toten Hosen covered the Chelsea piece Right to Work together with Gene October on their album Learning English Lesson One . In 1993 the group released the album The Alternative on the Bremen Weser label with the line-up Gene October (vocals), Nic Austin (guitar, vocals), Mat Sargent (bass, guitar) and Stuart Soulsby (drums) . The following year, the same record company released the album Traitors Gate in the line-up, which was expanded by lead guitarist Rob Miller . The last current studio LP Faster, Cheaper and Better Looking was released in 2005.
style
Chelsea is known for the socialist outlook and the raw emotionality at the first live concerts. The first single We Have a Right to Work , which addresses the problem of mass unemployment, was her greatest success. In terms of content and music, Chelsea stayed true to this line on their later releases. Sociopolitical content - such as the thematization of poverty and uprisings - and the criticism of Thatcherism occupy a dominant position both in the texts and in the design of the CD cover and booklet of the 1993 album The Alternative . His compositions are musically reminiscent of traditional melodic punk rock, as it was played by them or groups like Cock Sparrer in the late 1970s and early 1980s . The follow-up album Traitors Gate from '94 is also recognizable in this tradition, but is more varied in terms of instrumentation and compositions, as the group also uses rock music from other fields , which gives it a much more modern overall impression.
Miscellaneous
Walter Hartung , founding member and guitarist in the first line-up of the Toten Hosen, was named after Chelsea singer Gene October Walter November and W. November.
Discography
Albums
- 1979: Chelsea
- 1980: Alternative hits
- 1982: Evacuate
- 1985: Original Sinners
- 1986: Rocks Off
- 1989: Underwraps
- 1993: The Alternative (CD, Weser Label)
- 1994: Traitors Gate (CD, Weser Label)
- 2002: Metallic FO: Live
- 2005: Faster, Cheaper and Better Looking
Web links
- Official website
- Chelsea at Discogs (English)