Bad Manners

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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]

Career

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 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.

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 #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.

Break-up and reformation

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. 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. He closed the record label in 1990, and the band found themselves without a recording contract but still 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 in the US in 1997. Six years later, Buster decided to set up another record label and the band released Stupidity on Bad Records.

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 2009, 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. The harmonica player currently lives in Hackney.

Louis Alphonso 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. Brian Tuitt works at a recording studio owned by a-ha and lives in Kent, whilst Andrew Marson now works as a carpenter in and around London. 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 'Badfest' in 2005 and 2006. This festival featured ska, mod-related acts and punk rock bands from the 1980s to the present.

Discography

Studio albums

• Ska 'n' B (Magnet) 1980 UK #34
• Loonee Tunes! (Magnet) 1980 UK #36
• Gosh It's... Bad Manners (Magnet) 1981 UK #18
• Forging Ahead (Magnet) 1982 UK #78
• Mental Notes (Portrait) 1985
• Return of the Ugly (Blue Beat) 1989
• Fat Sound (Pork Pie) 1992
• Heavy Petting (Moon) 1997
• Stupidity (Bad Records) 2003

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]

Singles

Compilations and reissues

• Bad Manners (MCA Records / U.S.) (1982)
• Klass (MCA Records / U.S.) (1983)
• The Height of Bad Manners (Telstar Records) (1983) UK #23
• Can Can (Hallmark Records / Ireland) (1986)
• Live And Loud (Link Records) (1987)
• Return of The Ugly (Relativity / U.S.) (1991)
• Return of The Ugly (Elsoldun / France) (1992)
• Greatest Hits Live (Dojo Records) (1993)
• Fatty Fatty (Lagoon Records / France) (1993)
• Fat Sound (Triple X Records / U.S.) (1993)
• Skinhead (Lagoon Records / France) (1994)
• Inner London Violence Live (Lagoon Records / France) (1994)
• This Is Ska (Dojo Records) (1995)
• Return of The Ugly (Dojo Records) (1995)
• Forging Ahead (CD re-issue / Epic Records / U.S.) (1995)
• Rare (T - Leaf Records) (1996)
• Lip Up Fatty (Castle Records / U.S.) (1996)
• Can Can (Tin Box CD) (Harry May Records) (1997)
• Anthology (FGL / France) (1997)
• Don't Knock the Baldhead: Live (Receiver Records) (1997)
• Return of The Ugly (Triple X / U.S.) (1998)
• Viva La Ska Revolution (1998) (Snapper)
• The Collection (Cleopatra Records / America) (1998)
• Mental Notes (CD re-issue / Captain Mod) (1999)
• This Is Ska ! (Moon Ska Europe) (1999)
• Eat The Beat (Moon Ska Europe) (1999)
• Rare & Fatty (re - issue / Moon Records / U.S.) (1999)
• The Singles Album (Crash Records / Germany) (2000)
• Ska 'N B (CD re-issue / DSS Records / Austria) (2000)
• Magnetism : The Best of Bad Manners (Warner Music) (2000)
• The Best, The Baddest And The Ugliest (Ceresco / France) (2000)
• Buster Bloodvessel's Bad Manners (Time Music) (2000)
• Ska Party (Platinum Records) (2000)
• Bad Manners (GFS) (2000)
• Special Brew (Harry May Records) (2000)
• Anthology (Eagle) (2001)
• Best of Bad Manners Live (Pegasus) (2002)
• Oi Our Greatest Hits (Blitz) (2003)
• Bastards (Culture Press) (2003)
• All Favourites (Brilliant Records / Netherlands) (2003)
• Bad Manners 15 Years Jubilee Edition - CD Box set (Pork Pie / Germany) (2004)
• Bad Manners Box Set Collection (10 Themed Albums / Bad Records) (2004)
• Special Brew: The Platinum Collection (Warner Platinum) (2005)
• Bad Manners Live! (Crown) 2005
• Feel Like Jumping: Greatest Hits Live! (Sanctuary Records) (2005)
• Can Can (Digipak) (Snapper Music) (2006)
• Stupidity (SOS Records) (U.S. edition) (2007)
• Walking In The Sunshine: The Best of Bad Manners (Warner Music UK / Demon Music Group) (2008)

References

External links

• Bad Manners official MySpace
• Bad Manners biography at Allmusic website
• http://www.badmannersontour.com