| 25th | Top performers on Top of the Pops: 1980 |
| Bad Manners | |
|---|---|
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | Ska 2 Tone |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Labels | 2 Tone, Magnet, Portrait, Blue Beat, Pork Pie, Moon, Bad |
| Members | |
| Buster Bloodvessel Lee Thompson Andy Perris Tony ' Rico ' Richardson Patrick Pretorious Paul Jobson Colin Graham Trevor Edwards Dave Welton David Turner |
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| Former members | |
| Winston Bazoomies Louis 'Alphonso' Cook David Farren Brian Tuitt Martin Stewart Paul 'Gus' Hyman Chris Kane Andrew Marson |
|
Bad Manners are an English 2 Tone ska band. They quickly became the novelty favourites of the UK pop scene through their bald outsized frontman's on-stage antics, earning early exposure through their Top of The Pops exploits and an appearance in the live film documentary, Dance Craze.[1]
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Fronted by Buster Bloodvessel (born Douglas Trendle), the band was formed in 1976 while the members were together at Woodberry Down Comprehensive School near Manor House, North London. They commemorated the 1981 closure of the school on the back sleeve of their Gosh It's... Bad Manners album.
They were at their most popular during the early 1980s, during a period when other ska revival bands such as Madness, The Specials and The Selecter, filled the charts. Bad Manners spent 111 weeks in the UK Singles Chart between 1980 and 1983 [2] and they also achieved chart success with their first four studio albums with Gosh It's... Bad Manners, Loonee Tunes! and Ska 'n' B being their biggest hits.
After becoming popular in their native London, Bad Manners signed to Magnet Records in 1980 for a six figure sum, and became regular guests on television programmes shows such as Tiswas and Hold Tight.
Some of their more notable hits include "My Girl Lollipop", "Lip Up Fatty", "Can Can", "Lorraine", "Just A Feeling" and "Special Brew". One of the main reasons for their notoriety, was their outlandish huge-tongued and shaven-headed frontman, Buster Bloodvessel. His manic exploits got them banned from the British BBC TV chart show Top of the Pops.[3] The band was also banned from Italian TV after Buster mooned a concert audience, after being told that the Pope was watching on TV.[4]
Bad Manners left Magnet Records in 1983 and Telstar Records released a compilation album, The Height of Bad Manners, which reached Number 23 in the UK Albums Chart. The album was assisted with a TV advertisement promotion, and it brought the band back to the attention of the media.
The group then went on to sign a contract with Portrait Records in the United States and Mental Notes was released in 1985. For two years the band toured continuously all over the world but originally decided to disband in 1987.
In 1987 Bad Manners went their separate ways, but Buster soon reformed the band with original members Louis Alphonso, Martin Stewart and Winston Bazoomies after he licensed the Blue Beat Records name and logo. Another original member, Chris Kane, also remained in the band, but left in 1989. He set up office in a 50ft barge in the back garden of his former home in Spring Hill, London, and released albums by Bad Manners, Napoleon Solo and Buster's Allstars. In 1990 he closed the label and Bad Manners found themselves without a recording contract but continued to tour. In 1992, Buster travelled to Berlin and signed a deal with Pork Pie Records and Fat Sound was released in Europe.
In 1995, Buster moved to Margate opening a hotel on the seafront called Fatty Towers, which catered for people with huge appetites. While living in Margate, Buster was a regular spectator at Margate F.C. and Bad Manners sponsored the club for one season. Fatty Towers closed in 1998 and did not re-open despite a facelift. After its closure, Buster immediately moved back to London.
During the late 1990s, a Third Wave ska revival renewed interest in the band and Bad Manners released Heavy Petting on Moon Ska Records in the US in 1997. Six years later, Buster decided to set up his own record label and the band released Stupidity on Bad Records in 2003.
In 2004, Bad Manners appeared on Never Mind The Buzzcocks in the Christmas special, performing festive songs to Phill Jupitus' team. (Jupitus is a fan of the band, and Buster Bloodvessel had appeared as a panellist on the show earlier that year)
As of 2010, Buster still performs with Bad Manners in venues all over the UK and Europe. He is the only original member left in the band, but Winston Bazoomies is an 'honorary member' of the group, meaning he can rejoin Bad Manners at any time he wishes to.
Louis 'Alphonso' Cook and Martin Stewart went on to play in Skaville UK, who released two albums on Moon Ska World in the UK. The keyboard player announced his retirement from the music industry in January 2009, and lives in North London. David Farren now plays in The Rolling Stones' tribute band The Rollin Stoned, while Chris Kane is now a session musician. He became a music teacher in the early 90s and also performed with The Jordanaires. Brian Tuitt works at a recording studio owned by a-ha and lives in Kent, whilst Andrew Marson worked as a carpenter in and around London after leaving the band. He now lives in his hometown of Birmingham. Paul Hyman lives in Enfield and he has often guested with his trumpet with the ska band, Too Many Crooks.
Bad Manners headlined their own annual music festival known as Bad Fest in 2005 and 2006 at RAF Twinwood Farm. This festival featured ska, mod-related and punk rock bands from the 1980s to the present.
An album, Eat The Beat, was released in 1988. Only 1000 copies were printed, and sold to members of the Bad Manners Fan Club. Some of the tracks later appeared on Return of the Ugly in 1989. [2]
| Title | Released | UK Singles Chart[2] | Weeks in chart[2] |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Ne-Ne Na-Na Na-Na Nu-Nu" | February 1980 | 28 | 14 |
| "Lip Up Fatty" | June 1980 | 15 | 14 |
| "Special Brew" | September 1980 | 3 | 13 |
| "Lorraine" | December 1980 | 21 | 12 |
| "Just A Feeling" | March 1981 | 13 | 9 |
| "Can Can" | June 1981 | 3 | 13 |
| "Walking In The Sunshine" | September 1981 | 10 | 9 |
| "The R'n'B Party Four" (EP) | November 1981 | 34 | 9 |
| "Got No Brains" | May 1982 | 44 | 5 |
| "My Girl Lollipop (My Boy Lollipop)" | July 1982 | 9 | 7 |
| "Samson And Delilah" | October 1982 | 58 | 3 |
| "That'll Do Nicely" | April 1983 | 49 | 3 |
| "Blue Summer" | August 1985 | - | - |
| "What The Papers Say" | December 1985 | - | - |
| "Tossin' In My Sleep" | March 1986 | - | - |
| "Skaville UK" | May 1989 | - | - |
| "Gonna Get Along Without You Now" | July 1989 | - | - |
| "Christmas Time Again" | November 1989 | - | - |
| "Fatty's Back in Town" (EP) | September 1995 | - | - |
| "Millennium Knees Up" | December 1999 | - | - |
   | Bad Manners biography at All Music Guide website - allmusic ((( Bad Manners > Biography ))) |
| | The Official Bad Manners site - The Official Bad Manners Web Site |
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