Spithead (band)

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Spithead were an English anarcho ska-punk band, who gigged around Europe and recorded during the 1990s.

Based in Birmingham, SPITHEAD were started when John Middleton (Guitar and Vocals) - who had recently moved from Barking, Essex - answered an advert in a Kings Heath newsagent's window which had been placed there by Paul Harris (Bass) looking for people to start a band. It turned out that they were living directly across the road from each other.

After a couple of try-outs with various drummers, an advert placed in Friends of the Earth was answered by former Anorexia drummer, Scott Davies.

The band gigged extensively around the British Isles as a three piece, initially playing a variety of styles fused with punk, but increasingly moving towards ska-punk. They recorded two demos, released on cassette: 'Rant Music For Vexed People' and 'Kill Two Pigs With One Stone'. The former contained the track 'Fuck The Right To Vote' which was released on the vinyl album 'Get Orf Moi Larnd!' (Scumbag SBLP001). The latter bought them to the attention of Martin at Kollusion Records who, in 1994, released their first three-track ('Margarine', 'Traffic' and 'Sitting Too Close To The Telly') EP, 'Skascraper'(Kollusion Records SAB003, in two pressings, the first on pink vinyl, the second on black.

The recordng session for Skascraper took place in a decommissioned nuclear bunker in Bearwood, Birmingham and also included the tracks 'Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam'(unreleased), 'Inconvenience' (released on the 1995 compilation LP, 'When The Punx & Skins Go Marching In' (Red Rosetten Records, RRP042)and a cover of the Specials' 'Stupid Marriage'(unreleased).

This had been intended to feature on a proposed 2-Tone cover version compilation planned by Rutured Ambitions Records. Additional vocals were added by Roadie, Paul Carey and Middleton's partner, Charlotte Bedford.

Gigs continued, with them moving from support to headline billing, and developing their stagecraft, with Bedford gradually increasing her role in the band, including many with Sheffield folk-punk-ska band, Blind Mole Rat, with whom they planned to release a split single, on Ruptured Ambitions.

At their 100th gig, at Birmingham's prestigious Jug of Ale venue, the band were joined onstage for an encore of 'Rankin' Full Stop' by The Beat's Rankin' Roger.

In 1995, Davies decided to leave the band. This conicided with the break up of Blind Mole Rat, and led to BMR members Rob Overdrive (Drums) and Tony Baloney (Keyboards) joining the band. In 1996, this line up recorded the Swag CD (Kollusion Records, SAB 010) album over two weekends. This album came to best represent the fusion of sardonic lyrics, uncompromising anarchist politics, ska and punk for which the band became known. The CD cover was designed by Dublin artist and member of Oi band, Boz Mugabe.

Two other tracks recorded at the same time, 'Porky' and 'Some People Want Shootin(the BMR cover version mentioned earlier) were later released on a split (with Travis Cut) single on Southampton based label, Suspect Device (SDR004).

Soon after, Baloney left the band (he later briefly joined Blyth Power) and was replaced by Julee Newman, with whom the band undertook their most intensive period of touring, incuding gigs in France, Germany, Holland, Belgium and Ireland as well as the UK.

This line up recorded their final single, a split 7" (with Jackbeast) a joint venture between Kollusion Records and Rejected Records, containing the tracks 'Personal' and 'Hard Dog Club'.

Overdrive left the band and gave up drums in 1997 to pursue his violin playing and was replaced by Mike.

In 1997, Bedford became pregnant, and the band took a break from touring.

They have since played only four gigs, with Davies on drums.

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