Bad Manners

All Music Guide:

Bad Manners, composed of vocalist Buster Bloodvessel (born Douglas Trendle), Louis Cook (guitar), David Farren (bass), Martin Stewart (keyboards), Brian Tuitti (drums), Gus Herman (trumpet), Chris Kane (saxophone), and Andrew Marson (saxophone), were one of the many bands to take their inspiration from the Specials and the ska revival movement in England in the late '70s. They quickly became the novelty favorites of the fad through their bald, enormous-bodied frontman's silly on-stage antics, earning early exposure through 2-Tone Records package tours and an appearance in the live documentary Dance Craze. In the early '80s, they managed several U.K. hits including "Ne-Ne Na-Na Na-Na Nu-Nu," "Lip Up Fatty," "Special Brew," and "Can Can." By the mid-'80s, the ska craze was over and the band retired temporarily after the release of 1985's Mental Notes, only to return in 1989 with Return of the Ugly, remaining a live attraction despite a lack of recent hits. By the mid-'90s, a third wave ska revival renewed interest in the band. Eat the Beat was released in 1996 and Uneasy Listening followed in 1997, as well as several collections from the band's peak years.

Wikipedia:

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 Buster Bloodvessel's on-stage antics, earning early exposure through their Top of The Pops exploits and an appearance in the live film documentary, Dance Craze.

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, 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.

Formation

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.

Career

After becoming popular in their native London, Bad Manners signed to Magnet Records in 1980, and became regular guests on television shows such as Tiswas. The band also appeared on The British Music Awards (1981) and Cheggers Plays Pop. In 1985, they also appeared on The Time of Your Life, hosted by Noel Edmonds.

Some of their more notable hits include "My Girl Lollipop", "Lip Up Fatty", "Can Can", "Special Brew" and "Walking In The Sunshine". 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. The band was also banned from Italian TV after Bloodvessel mooned a concert audience, after being told that the Pope was watching on TV.

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 television advertisement promotion, and it brought the band back to the attention of the media and the British public.

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 decided to disband in 1986.

Break-up and reformation

Buster reformed the band with original members Louis Alphonso, Martin Stewart and Winston Bazoomies. Another original member, Chris Kane, also remained in the band, but left in 1990. In 1988, the band licensed the name and logo of Blue Beat Records, and set up office in a 50 ft barge in the back garden of Buster's former home in Spring Hill, London. After Blue Beat closed in 1990, Bad Manners were without a recording contract, but still continued to tour. In 1992, they signed a deal with Pork Pie Records and Fat Sound was released in Europe. The album was initially intended to be released in the UK on Blue Beat.

In 1995, Buster Bloodvessel moved to Margate, and opened a hotel on the seafront called Fatty Towers, which catered for people with huge appetites. While living in Margate, he 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, he 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 United States in 1997. Six years later, Buster set up another record label and the band released Stupidity on Bad Records in 2003.

Bad Manners appeared on Never Mind The Buzzcocks in the 2004 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).

Buster Bloodvessel is the only original member left in Bad Manners, but the harmonica player, Winston Bazoomies, is an 'honorary member' of the band and he has a Facebook fanpage set up in his honour and he currently lives in North London.

Martin Stewart left Bad Manners in 1991, and performed and recorded with The Selecter for fifteen years. Louis Alphonso lives in Paris while David Farren left in 1986, after the band's contract with Portrait Records finished. A gifted artist, he designed the original band logo, and painted the front cover of the Gosh It's... Bad Manners album. He currently performs in a tribute outfit called The Rollin' Stoned. Chris Kane is a session musician living in Wanstead. He became a music teacher during the 1990s and also performed with The Jordanaires. Brian Tuitt also left the band in 1986, and he runs his own rehearsal studios and lives in Kent, while Andrew Marson, another band member who left the same year, has worked as a carpenter in and around London. Paul Hyman lives in Enfield, and 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.

Cherry Red Records released the band's first four albums, Ska 'n' B, Loonee Tunes!, Gosh It's... Bad Manners and Forging Ahead on CD for the first time with added bonus tracks. The albums were issued on their sister label, Pressure Drop.

In 2011, Bad Manners performed a world tour and played a number of shows in the USA, France, Canada, Slovakia, Germany, Japan, Australia and Spain. The group will also be playing a number of festive dates in the United Kingdom.