| The Dandys a history
...Strangely, talk shifts to boys pants. Mike and Tony are keen to show off their body
hugging undergarments. Andy doesnt wear any, because "theyre too restrictive".
So its not surprising that the lads admit to being show offs. "Im in it for the fame
and adoration first, and the music second" smirks Tony. (19 Magazine)
HEY HEY... ANDREW FIRTH (VOCALS, harmonica, beauty), MIKE BROOKE (KEYBOARDS glimmer twin),
BEN DAVIES (Cherub faced baby-GUITAR-hero), TONY BEASLEY (BASS glimmer twin) and original
drummer, BRYAN MUNSLOW (DRUMS, chat, cheek and charm) were The Dandys. The band have new
songs and a new drummer in 1999, but in their short history, they are already quite a
story!
"Classic guitar-pop" A
Dandy is "a smartly dressed pervert" - according to The Dandys, quite possibly
one of the most perfect pop acts. Not just pretty faces, The Dandys live the life of baby
Rolling Stones, they mix melodic suss, flamboyance, sex and glam with the gang mentality
of all our greatest bands. Serious musical ability CAN be fun! "You
have to be good and have your own songs before you face a crowd. People dont want to see a
band who cant play and are mucking around so we try and give a professional show"
(Andy)
"They proved to be every reviewers dream"
"Blooming marvellous.", "Firth was quite electric when singing and
positively willed the audience to dance and get into his tunes.",
That these Wilde boys of pop can write songs is left in no doubt. The psychedelic beats
great to dance to, the lyrics fun to sing to, the tunes are dark, twisted, unforgettable
and Andy can really sing. A smile back on the face of pop. The Dandys worked hard to build
their loyal following by releasing and performing excellent music - theyre no "next
big thing". "We dont want to be fashionable. We want
to create fashions" (Andy)
"The Dandys are sure to go far"
Hasty comparisons have been made for such a new act, but The Dandys are unique. They cite
their influences as Bowie, The Doors and practically everything else. Their music evolves
constantly. Being fun, having no particular "sound", being part of no current
"scene" and therefore unfashionable means they are never going to be media
darlings during these serious times but that doesnt seem to bother the dandy boys and
beatnik babes that follow their every tour... "We have
really varied likes and dislikes so our sound is different from song to song, which keeps
us interested and hopefully the audience too" (Andy)
The first "proper" gig was Leeds Sound City in 96. (The Dandys hail from
Yorkshire). Along with Embrace they were the only other act to get signed and were also
one of The Evening Sessions new bands of the week. Fate parted the two bands after that,
with The Dandys building their own fan base with minimum exposure.
"Not only are they going to be stars, they know they
are"
Each tour wins new fans and they sell an extra thousand records, at least, with each
release. "We used to get quite nervous before gigs and
spent quite a while rehearsing then kicked this guitarist and keyboard player out and Mike
came in about a week before Sound City." (Andy) "I had a piece of paper and they
had to write out all the chords for me on the keyboard! I knew the songs, but Id been to
see them rehearse when I was in another band I just sat there and thought "Oh my
god... how does this go?". (Mike)
"The boys with the bones structures to die
for",
They arrived on the scene with "I Wanna Be Like You" (May 97). Before it was
even released, one hearing earned them a booking at Reading Festival and introduced The
Dandys (via The Chart Show) to the public. Around this time they often played to less than
twenty people in tiny venues, but still treated them to A SHOW that wouldnt have looked
out of place at Wembley Arena. They supported Kenickie and The Divine Comedy, whipping up
the start of a fervent following.
"the band are clearly on their way up. Their brand
of pop described as quirky has assured them a place in the hearts of the S.U. who are
booking them again as soon as possible"
Because of their PERFORMANCES and the crowd reaction (reminiscent of watching videos of
The Beatles Cavern era) by November 1997 most small venues were full (many sold out) and
they were invited to return immediately (February 98 tour!). If you are a music fan in the
90s, it is ESSENTIAL to see The Dandys at a live gig. There is a huge word-of-mouth buzz
on this act who, so far, have hardly been seen, but who easily have the potential to make
an entire arena scream!
"the sound is awesome and the build up at the end
shows the live abilities of this excellent band. Watch out for The Dandys",
July 97, second single "Dirty Weekend" picked up an extra thousand fans. August:
The first festival appearance (Reading, Dr.Martens stage) was in front of a PACKED crowd -
the front rows mouthing the words! The band cite it one of their favourite shows. (In 1998
The Dandys were invited to play most of the major festivals, and moved up to the second
stage to boot).
"Pretty Boy indie band who look like Suede and will
be big news..."
They like to play off stage too... When in London, The Dandys used to stay at a hotel up
the road from Noel and Megs Supernova Heights. One night, The Dandys and Primal Scream,
entertained guests on the piano in the reception until the early hours of the morning.
(Mani is a fan of The Dandys.) A month or so later, their after-gig-rowdiness got them
banned from that establishment when Andy fell into a glass table after too many drinks and
broke it, then got stuck in the lift with so many female fans that it got stuck between
floors for over an hour! There are hundreds of such tales that this amiable but ambitious
quintet are happy to regale until the early hours... "Really were just young lads
having a bit of a laugh. Were not really lads., being laddish to me, always seems the same
as being a yob. Yknow, the kind of wearing stripy tops and jeans and drinking larger, sort
of thing. Thats not us. "We do get a bit carried away after
a few drinks, but any time weve been banned from hotels, its been by accident" (Andy)
"Radiohead meets ABC",
The last part of 1997 was spent recording "Symphonic Screams" with Chris Sheldon
(Foo Fighters, Terrorvision, Feeder etc.). It is a highly accomplished debut - most of the
tracks wouldnt be out of place in the Top 10. The year ended with a show at the Mean
Fiddler 15th Anniversary week in front of an audience that included various members of Dub
Star, The Bluetones, Terrorvision, Manic Street Preachers, Theaudience, Dodgy, Shampoo and
Edwyn Collins.
"Catch them before the big bang"
"We wrote it like a week before we went into the studio, so
it were a bit of a rushed job" "But it came out really well" (Andy and Mike
on "You Make Me Want To Scream). They began 1998 with "You Make Me
Want To Scream" a venom-tipped pop wonder that earned them "single of the
week" on Virgin Radio and a second Jack Docherty appearance. Full stop on national
exposure - but selling as many copies as next-big-things hefty critical massage/exposure.
This dark anthem still didnt endear them to the national music press who either dont like
their name or confused them with American band, The Dandy Warhols.
By now their following had greatly swelled despite no particular special attention. The
fans wanted to read about The Dandys (most of their followers dont even know their
individual names) so two new fanzines started up - Dirty Weekends and Bitter Kisses
dedicated to all things Dandy.
"Their tongue-in-cheek tunes are catchier than a
bout of flu and every other track has single potential"
Tinged with beautiful Winter chords, next single "English Country Garden" was an
anthem for Spring evoking the Summer is coming feeling. Two friends meeting up
after many years and finding they are still mutually empathetic. How many situations can
you find like that in friendships? How many flowers can you find in an English country
garden? Debut album, "Symphonic Screams" is full of such tales.
"The Dandys are a rather fantastic band. Not only
are they extremely talented, good- looking, friendly people, but they will, given time,
conquer the music industry as well".
The English Country Garden Tour started with The Dandys being invited back for some more
support slots by Shed Seven. Bass player Tony managed to break his leg in a freak
go-karting accident the day before the first gig and arrived to play by ambulance, on
crutches. Thats how he played the entire tour, plus the appearances on "Fully
Booked" and a third appearance on "The Jack Docherty Show". (The Dandys
were also invited back to GLR Radio and Virgin Radio for live sessions). The tour was a
chance to show off excellent new material - a very prolific act, The Dandys already had a
second album of songs while many of their so called "b-sides" would be anybody
elses a-sides. Tony on crutches only added to the usual mayhem of The Dandys on tour.
Every day begins with a hangover. "A Dandy never gets out of bed before mid
day". The hardcore following ensures theres some kind of party every day. Each Dandy
also has their own individual fan club of followers.
"The crowds massed to see this up and coming five
piece from Leeds, and their performance, suggested that they could well be on the way to
the top.
The Dandys played their first Welsh gig at Cardiffs Ifwr Bach - or rather they didnt.
Having set up their equipment they were mortified to discover that only four people had
turned up. Although, as a new act, they have no problem playing to around ten people, they
wont play to an audience that is smaller than the number of people in the band!. Just as
soon as theyd put the last instrument away, around fifty people arrived thinking they were
on stage at a later time!
The next night it was back to business as usual in Maidstone. A packed frenzied, singing,
mosh followed by a Dandys session (they often try to set world records for how many people
can fit in the dressing room after theyve played), which continued on to their hotel. It
caused the smoke alarm to go off and meant that every single guest was evacuated for half
an hour at three in the morning. (er..oops!). After their recent London show they spent
the entire night/morning clubbing at The Midweeker Club with Gucci's new supermodel
Bridget Hall and approximately thirty other fans.
"The Leeds group whip the crowd into a frenzy with
cool tunes like Dirty Weekend and "I Wanna Be Like You" ending their set with
the criminally-underrated "You Make Me Want To Scream",
Again, "English Country Garden" received no national exposure at all, and
actually just missed being a Top 40 hit because of that. Despite being censored, The
Dandys are determined to make it, and as they get nearer to the Top 40 with each release,
are becoming unstoppable. Its not impossible that with the next single they will probably
GET THEMSELVES into the charts with nothing more than the fervent support of their fans
and the regional and independently minded press! The "Next Big Thing Gang" may
not like em, but "The Kids", no baby goats, certainly do.
"Theyve got a growing fan base, theyre selling out
gigs...",
Sadly, when The Dandys debut album SYMPHONIC SCREAMS was released, The Dandys were still
unable to get played on the radio, the LP wasnt even advertised in the press, so who was
to know about them? The music press couldnt give a flying fuck about glam and guitars
until Gay Dad, and Mercury Records soon dropped the band. Drummer, Bryan, left at the end
of 1998 and now The Dandys are currently rehearsing and writing new material and havent
given up despite their shitty experience of the UK music industry. Neither have their fans
who petition for the band, continue to start fanziness and believe they saw and heard one
of the greatest bands of the 90s.
"You kind of get the general idea that theyre the
next Verve", so youve got to see them in the flesh."
Discover The Dandys and you will love them too...
This from Genine, March 1999:
further to my conversation with Mike of the Dandys last
night, yes they are all alive and well ! I can confirm the following, they do indeed have
a new drummer, Paul Blant. Mike mentioned they have been rehearsing and the new drummer is
fitting in really well. The lads have been busy writing new songs, and they are to be
going into the studio to do some new demos in the next few weeks. The Dandys (!) have not
reached a decision on a new name yet, so any decent suggestions are more than welcome !
They also hope to be gigging in the next couple of months... so watch this space....
Mike thanks everyone for their support and patience and he is confident that everyone will
be happy with the new stuff...
thats about all just now, email any suggestions for band names to me and i will be sure to
pass them on....
love, genine xox (contact: gmoodie@brucknergroup.com
)
"I Wanna Be Like You" 19/5/97
(ATF1) Ltd purple 7" backed with "Stormy Weather", CD extra track
"Real"
"Dirty Weekend" 4/8/97 (ATF2) Ltd clear 7" backed with "Elephant
Man", CD extra track "Glory Glory"
"You Make Me Want To Scream" 2/3/98 (ATF3) Ltd blue 7" backed with
"Til There Was You" / CD1 "You Make Me Want To Scream"/ "Til
There Was You" / "Wintery Gate" CD2 "You Make Me Want To
Scream"/"Sunshine Superstar"/"Pop Tart"
"English Country Garden" 18/5/98 (ATF4) 7" "English Country
Garden" "Man Eater", CD1 "English Country Garden" "Man
Eater" "Real" (live version), CD2 "English Country Garden"
"Braindead" "Oh Yuko"
Symphonic Screams" "Intro" "Merry Go Round" "Drag
Queen" "You Make Me Want To Scream" "English Country Garden"
"Dirty Weekend" "All That You Do" "I Wanna Be Like You"
"Walter Ego" "Long Live The King" "The Butterfly Song"
"Johnny Foxtrot" |
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