Cult 'art-rock' band that skirted the London 'pub-rock'
and 'punk rock' scenes ( but were definitely neither) co-led by BJ and
Ian Trimmer.
Its five year existence gave BJ a thorough exposure to
the music industry and influenced his attitudes towards music and business.
Dick Ward writes:
'The summer of '72 had a poetic sounding ring to it and
it just so happened that it found the 22 y.o. Trimmer scuffling from bar
to cafe on the Cote De Azur, blowing his soprano saxophone for whatever
he could get, sitting in and learning from the likes of Harvey Mandel and
picking up the jazz from local gypsy guitarists, whilst back in foggy London
Town a young rock guitarist had just left school determined for success
in the music world. Even at sweet sixteen BJ had had enough of dance band
residences, riverside pubs and USAF bases.
Later that year in Bromley, Kent, a mutual horn playing
friend bought the two together and Burlesque was born, playing then what
has been described as 'Chicago meets Miles Davis meets Albert King meets
Charles Lloyd' whatever that means.
Eight hours at a time rehearsals, several changes of personnel
and direction and hundreds of exciting performances including residences
at the Tramshed, Woolwich, the legendary Speakeasy, The Marquee, The Nashville,
The Brecknock, Camden; Dingwalls Dancehall; regular sorties to South Yorkshire
- The Staging Post and Fforde Grene in Leeds being regular haunts; South
Wales; the college circuit and several club tours of Holland eventually
found Burlesque signed to Ronnie Scotts Directions and the target of every
A&R man in London.
Selected as the 'Band Most Likely To Succeed' in both
the tabloid 'Sun' and 'Melody Maker' at the end of '76, it took a flying
visit from America by music business legend Clive Davis to sign the band
to Arista Records.
Recordings taken from their '76 UK tours with the Kursaal
Flyers and Bill Nelson's Be Bop Deluxe resulted in an unusual (for the
rock/pop market) live debut album, 'Acupuncture', (with a single with the
same title) released to mildly critical acclaim in February 1977.
Non stop touring of the UK, Holland , two long residences
at the legendary PN Club in Munich, appearances on the 'London Weekend
Show' (ITV) and a video of live footage on the 'Old Grey Whistle Test no
doubt slightly enhanced their reputation.
August '77 found the band in Finland for a successful
tour and the recording of the first album ever to be recorded in that country
by an English band. The resultant 'Burlesque' was released in November
of that year.
Having given over 700 performances and having felt objectives
had been achieved, the only way forward being repetitious touring of the
USA to promote old recordings (Arista were scheduled to release the first
album there the following year), they gave their last ever performance
at the London School of Printing at the Elephant and Castle, London, ironically
on the day their longtime friend, roadie and sound engineer Tony Williams
was cremated as a result of a fatal motorway crash en route to a gig in
Nottingham eight days previous.'
~
Mainstays of the group were Steve Hughes (el.bass), professionally
known as Antonio Vivaldi Junior - now a tenor jazz saxophonist; Steve Parr
(keyboards) who runs his own studio and ironically plays with The hKippers
who have a CD out on Eccentric, an associate label to Babel; and various
drummers including (in reverse order of usage):
Kevin Curry (who came to the band via Supertramp and John
Cale); Adrian Shephard (last heard running a surf school in Portugal);
Paul Warren (a Dave Mattacks acolyte, last seen when dropped off at his
residence in Mayfair mid 1977); Steve Knight (1974-76; still drumming in
SE London and last heard running a video shop); Ian Hamilton-Wargent (1973;
keen light aircraft flyer and British Telecom employee, presumed still
playing) and original 1972 drummer JohnWilliams, who despite a series of
debilitating and life threatening illnesses that include
throat cancer, continues to drum away in blues bands and social clubs around
Bromley and the South East.
Special mention also to original second saxophonists ('72-'73)Dave
Harries (a collapsed lung put paid to his aspirations - helped no doubt
by the salted peanuts T & J bought him when recuperating in hospital);
Pete Spice (the first horn player BJ ever played with, last heard of managing
a record shop in Kent); top sound engineer Chas Braithwaite (with Burlesque
all the way, having first been a drummer with BJ when they were fourteen
year olds. Now lives in Australia); 'always on hand' drummers Ken Taylor
and Andy Shuttleworth (now one of the top Steady Cam operators in the world)
roadies Robin Fox and Dave Prior and bass players Howard Edgar (1972) and
Peter Pope (1972-74), who put in £50 towards a PA system in early
'73 and never got it back.
Peter, Billy wants you to know that he has never forgotten
and truly hopes one day to be able to afford to pay the compounded interest.
~
T&J thought it time to come off the road with the
band when they realised they were looking more forward to finding the best
eatery in the next town rather than that evening's performance.
~
Collectors!
Look out in boot fairs and jumble sales for the following
long deleted Burlesque albums and single:
'Acupuncture' - Arista ARTY 151
'Burlesque' - Arista SPARTY 1028
'Acupuncture' c/w 'Bananas' - Arista 87
and one track ('Bizz-Fizz') on
'Front Row Festival' - Warner Bros K66077
an interesting curio sort of documenting the London pub-rock
scene of '77.
See Vox Pop for a collection
of Webzine readers Burlesque stories.