Chelsea (band)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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