Ski patrol
| Ski patrol | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Genre (s) | Post-punk , dark wave |
| founding | 1979 |
| resolution | 1981 |
| Website | Ian Lowery website |
| Founding members | |
singing |
Ian Lowery † |
guitar |
Nick Clift |
Bass (1979–1980)
|
Pete Balmer |
Percussion (1979–1980)
|
Bruce Archibald |
| Later members | |
Bass (1980–1981)
|
Francis Cook |
Percussion (1980–1981)
|
Alan Cole |
Ski Patrol was a British post-punk band from the Killing-Joke environment that existed from 1979 to 1981.
Band history (1979–1982)
The band was founded in October 1979 in London by singer Ian Lowery and guitarist Nick Clift. Lowery was previously a singer in the punk band The Wall , but was kicked out of his own band when he tried to replace the guitarist of The Wall with Nick Clift.
The two formed the new band Ski Patrol (named after a John Cale song) and recorded their first single Everything Is Temporary , which was released in February 1980 on the band's own label Clever, for a budget of just £ 37 pounds sterling Metal Records appeared.
Lowery and Clift had thus made the musical transition from punk rock to more avant-garde post-punk within a few weeks , the instruments were now used more sparingly and coldly and clearly delimited, the lyrics had become more thoughtful and subtle.
Ski Patrol caught the attention of the band Killing Joke , who for their Malicious Damage - Label me a contract. In August 1980, Ski Patrol's best-known song Agent Orange was released as a single, on which Jaz Coleman had a guest appearance on the synthesizer: The song consists of a repetitive ascending bass line over a constant mechanical drum rhythm, while Lowery's vocals and Clift's guitar increase from the beginning more restrained Calm more and more excited until the song suddenly breaks off in the middle of one last scream. Agent Orange was also Ski Patrol's most powerful and popular song at concerts, was used on several compilations and finally re-released on CD in 1992.
Radio DJ John Peel also became aware of the band, and Ski Patrol recorded three new songs ( Cut , Extinguish and Where The Buffalo Roam ) for its radio show on January 19, 1981 . Shortly thereafter, Cut was re-recorded and released as the next single.
In July 1981, Ski Patrol went back into the studio, three songs were recorded as a follow-up single for Malicious Damage ( Concrete Eternal and two unknown others), which was never released. A week later, Nick Clift and bassist Francis Cook left the band and Ian Lowery disbanded Ski Patrol.
At the end of 1982 Lowery and Clift got together again and released a dance-oriented single ( Bright Shiny Things ) under the name Ski Patrol , which had nothing to do with the old band except for the name.
Follow-up projects to Ian Lowerys (1981–1994)
Lowery founded a new experimental band F For Fake in August 1981 , but they only got one live concert. A follow-up band called Phantom White Limb did not get beyond the rehearsal room stage. At the beginning of 1984 Lowery founded the Folk Devils , which musically oriented themselves more towards bands like The Birthday Party and Gun Club and existed until 1987. Then Lowery concentrated on solo projects such as King Blank (1988), The Ian Lowery Group (1989-1990) and Drug Of Choice (1993-1994) and then withdrew from the music industry.
Ian Lowery died in 2001.
Discography
Singles
- Everything Is Temporary / Silent Scream (Clever Metal Records, February 1980)
- Agent Orange / Driving (Malicious Damage, August 1980)
- Cut / Faith In Transition (Malicious Damage, Spring 1981)
- Bright Shiny Things / Electric Bell Girls (Clever Metal Records, late 1982)
CD single
- Agent orange; Driving; Cut; Agent Orange (1992 re-recording) (Three Lines Records, 1992)