== Big Cash Prizes ==

BIG CASH PRIZES are a 5 piece electronic rock band from Stoke on Trent, England.

Members of the current line-up include Thomas J Bath (Guitar/Vocals/Programming), Glyn "G-Unit" Chapman (Vocals), Nathan "Naypalm" Smith (Basoon), Matthew "Ruud Bazooka" Derbyshire (Electronics) and Will "Doesn't merit a nickname" Heaney (Drums).

The band is managed by self-styled Scouse Wide-Boy Andrew "Terry" Conroy (who also somehow holds down a job as a senior lecturer in Cultural Studies at Staffordshire University despite resembling an extra from The Sweeney).

Big Cash Prizes are currently signed to the Slogan Records imprint (a sub-division of The Sanctuary Group). Labelmates include The Fall, Make Good Your Escape and Lancaster Bombers.

Early Years

An early incarnation of the band was formed in 1999 by schoolfriends Tom J Bath ( born 3rd December 1981) and Dean "Diamond" Quinn (born 1st July 1982) after discovering a shared love of Stoke City FC, Mark Radcliffe, New Order, Irvine Welsh, and the Madchester scene.

Bath, a proficient guitarist, had previously been involved in various musical projects, (all of which came to little or no consequence) and cut his teeth on the circuit of his hometown whilst working as a roadie for North Staffordshire and South Cheshire's premier rock covers outfit Roadrunner (whose line-up included Prince's former guitarist Tim Reed).

Although Quinn possessed no obvious musical talent, the frontman's chiseled features and razor-sharp sardonic wit (coupled with his eloquent expressive nature) meant that alongside Bath (who had a considerable propensity for the effortless production of melodic arrangements), the pairing presented a formidable embryonic line-up.

Upon forming, the pair set about tentatively experimenting with Bath's back catalogue of songs using primitive equipment including an Argos-purchased Yamaha Portasound PSS-50 Keyboard which the two relayed through Bath's DBX 7 Guitar Pedal to create drum and synth loops. The simplistic studio arrangement was completed by an Amstrad TS-40 Hi-Fi that had resided in the front room of Quinn's parent's home since around 1981 (operated during the sessions by friend and former Stoke City footballer Martyn Shaw).

Although these early sessions often gave way to childish prankery (often perpetuated by the meddlesome Shaw), they did, however, see the early BCP sound galvanised by the main axis of Bath/Quinn and layed the foundations for what was to come. Material resulting from these sessions would form the backbone of the eponymous Fisher-Pryce Sessions EP - their first release as a full 'band'.

2000 and onwards

Despite the apparent contentedness of the pair to annonymously live out their youthful fantasies of being in a band by messing about with tapes and wires in someones front room, both members somewhat inexplicably decided that it would be a good idea to recruit extra personnel to complete the line-up.


Ben "The Vole" Davies was recruited after a chance meeting with Bath and Quinn at a Charlatans gig at Victoria Hall, Stoke on Trent. Although the pair had often seen Davies frequenting various music venues in the city (and prevoiusly thought ill of him due to his foppish "Shaggy from Scooby-Doo" appearance) , it wasn't until this meeting that they had took the opportunity to converse with him and upon doing so, discovered that Davies shared similar tastes in music and culture. Davies initial role within the band was at first unclear, but upon revealing that he had access to both a bass guitar AND an amp, it was decided that he would become the Bassist (despite his apparent inability to play said instrument). Prior to Davies joining, the pair had made a tentative approach to recruit aquaintance Simon Green (oddball corporate lawyer and nephew of Bullseye score-keeper Tony Green) to fill this role.


At the time of his joining, Davies was a student at Staffordshire University and lived in a shared student house with his girlfriend "Pork Pie" and other assorted miscreants (most notably 37 year old Spanniard and man-child Jesus Garcia-Marinez). As the basis of the operation shifted from Quinn's parents home to the Chatham St. residence of "The Vole", encounters with various musical-types passing through the digs increased and eventually lead to the procuring of the sevices of Nathan "Nail" Smith.


Music Technology student Smith had been a stalwart of the local music scene (performing with the likes of "Rigsby" and the improbably-monikered "Blue Light District") before taking advantage of Jesus Garcia-Martinez's good nature (and lack of English-speaking skills) by cajoling Martinez into allowing him to illegally move into his bedroom, paying only minmal rent.