Terrorvision

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Terrorvision are an English rock band. They were formed in 1987 (originally as The Spoilt Bratz) in Keighley, and initially disbanded in 2001. The band used Bradford as a base after the name change to Terrorvision, by which time the band members had left home and all moved there.

Career

The re-release of their second single, "My House" (from the album Formaldehyde), in December 1993 proved to be Terrorvision's breakthrough to UK Singles Chart success, and preceded by months the release of their second album How to Make Friends and Influence People in April 1994. The leading single from that album, "Oblivion", was also a chart success. Indeed, all their singles achieved Top 40 entries in the UK culminating in the release of "Tequila", which reached number 2.

A video compilation, Fired Up and Lairy, was released in April 1995, and included spoof documentary segments interspersed with all the band's videos to date. A third album, Regular Urban Survivors, followed in March 1996, and spawned four singles; "Perseverance" (their first Top 5 single, peaking at number 5), "Celebrity Hit List", "Bad Actress" and "Easy". Lead singer, Tony Wright, presented the BBC TV music show Top of the Pops on one occasion, and made several appearances on the comedy music quiz Never Mind the Buzzcocks.

The band's fourth album, Shaving Peaches, appeared in October 1998. The album's first single, "Josephine", had been well-received the previous month, but it was a Mint Royale remix of "Tequila" which was to prove to be their biggest-ever hit, reaching number 2 in the UK chart in January 1999.

The choice was a controversial one among fans. The band originally put a selection of their potential single releases to members of their official fan club, who voted in favour of "Day After Day". However, the remixed version of "Tequila" gained favour with BBC Radio 1 DJ Zoe Ball, who championed its release as a single. Plans to release "Day After Day" were hastily shelved, and a video quickly shot, for the "Tequila" release. A few promo copies of the "Day After Day" single still exist.

Thus, despite having their greatest hit in 1999 with the track, they were dropped by their record label, EMI, after the release of the album's third single, "III Wishes". It was the band's first single to fall outside the UK Top 40 since the release of "My House", six years earlier. During this time the band recruited a fifth member, Josephine Ellul, who played keyboards and sang backing vocals at concerts.

The band signed to a smaller label, Papillon and put out a fifth studio album, Good to Go, in 2001. The record, like all their others, was also credited to 'Total Vegas', the band's own independent imprint. A number of singles followed, but the band was unable to replicate their previous success. Their final single, "Fists of Fury", gained some notoriety for its video, which aped the cowboy-themed clip accompanying Madonna's single, "Don't Tell Me".

EMI issued Whales and Dolphins, a greatest hits collection in 2001, and the band decided to call it a day, after a farewell tour. The 'final' concert took place at Penningtons nightclub in their hometown of Bradford, on 4 October 2001, and was released with an interview DVD as a live album, Take the Money & Run - The Final Concert.

The aftermath

Since splitting up, singer Tony Wright formed Laika Dog; guitarist Mark Yates joined firstly the short-lived Boston Crabs and then formed Blunderbuss, releasing one album to date, Relentless, and then formed another new band, Badwolf; whilst Leigh Marklew formed Malibu Stacey who released one album On Heat before splitting up. Ian Shuttleworth sought employment in Leeds, serving the UK's public education sector.

The re-unions

The group has since reformed to play two tours in 2005, and played what was described as their 'last ever show' at Rock In The Castle in Scarborough, Yorkshire, on 17 September, 2005. A collection of b-sides and rarities was also issued by EMI in September 2005.

Terrorvision played three dates in November 2007 in Manchester, Holmfirth and Sheffield. Bassist Marklew was replaced by Danny Lambert, the singer in Yates' band Blunderbuss, which was inactive. This was followed by a special homecoming show at the Victoria Hall in Saltaire in December 2007 and a new tour in 2008 entitled the '4 Days in May Tour' in Nottingham, Bristol, London Shepherds Bush and Norwich UEA, this time with Marklew. They also played three dates over Easter 2009 to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the release of How to Make Friends and Influence People, at the Manchester Academy, the Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall, and the London Shepherds Bush Empire. The gigs at Manchester Academy and Shepherds Bush Empire offered limited edition live recordings of the shows through Concert Live. A similar tour is set to take place in December of 2009.

They are scheduled to play at Stormin' the Castle in September 2009 and The Leamington Spa Assembly in December 2009.

Covers

Terrorvision have covered many songs, often as B-sides to their singles. Notable covers include Wishing Well by Free and Surrender by Cheap Trick. Other covers include "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter" by Iron Maiden with a jazz flavour, performed in a Radio One live session, and more recently covered " Oh My God" live during their 'Lost Weekend' 2007 tour, with stand-in bassist Danny Lambert performing lead vocals.

Band members

• Tony Wright – Vocals - born 6 May 1968, Bradford.
• "Shutty" – Drums - born David Ian Shuttleworth, 20 March 1967.
• Mark Yates – Guitars - born 4 April 1968, Bradford.
• Leigh Marklew – Bass - born 10 August 1968, Bradford.
• Josephine Ellul – Keyboards (1999-2001) - born 31 July 1978.
• Danny Lambert – Bass/backing vocal (2007) - born 24 March 1983.
• Milly Evans – Keyboards/trumpet/backing vocal (2005-present) - born 31 August 1975.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Chart singles

EPs

• Thrive (1992)
• Problem Solved (1993)
• The First and the Last (2001)

References

External links

• Official Terrorvision Site
• Official Terrorvision MySpace
• BBC history of the band
• Last FM - listen to tracks & watch videos
• Mark Yates Paintings and Prints
• Malibu Stacey (Leigh Marklew)
• Laika Dog (Tony Wright)