Young Punks in Liverpool (1979)

From a crappy Italian TV programme. From the Beatles to Eric's.

The Lilac Trumpets (1983-87)

After the demise of the Precautions in 1983 Neil Senior (bass) and Steve Caughton (aka Steve Coughlan, vocals, guitars) (ex Precautions) formed the Lilac Times, recruiting John Patterson (drums). According to Coughlan, he and Senior meet in Paris in 1984, after losing touch some time before. On returning to Liverpool they recruited Patterson and started writing new material and playing live. In 1984 their first two-track demo came out (Waiting for the Tide, A Day in Gaza), followed by a second five-track tape later the same year (Opposite Sides, When the Rains Come, Something’s Happening, Things We Say, Temporary Things). By 1985 the trio was extended by the inclusion of Ian Lewis (keyboards, ex Precautions, later Dream Legion, now Alternative Radio).

 

In 1986 the Lilac Trumpet released their first and only 12” vinyl, recorded at Pink Studios and produced by Ian Broudie:

Someone Else’s World (1986)

- Someone Else’s World

- I Should Have Known

- One of These Days

In 1987 Ian Copestake (guitar, vocals, former South Parade) briefly joined the band (February-July 1987). A song by the band (My Heart Bleeds) resurfaced in 2007 on The Sound Of Leamington Spa Vol. 6.

lilac trumpets

Godot - Extended Player (1981) [Re-Up]

"Dave Hughes is probably best-known in OMD circles as being a keyboard player for the band during the early part of 1980. But prior to this, Hughes had been a founder-member of Liverpool's pioneering synth outfit Dalek I Love You alongside Alan Gill [David Balfe and Chris Teepee, aka Chris Shaw].
Both Alan Gill and Dave Hughes had attempted to reactivate Dalek I Love You following the release of the band's 1980 debut album Compass Kum'pas. But both band members were by then pulling in different musical directions and the idea was shelved.” In fact in January 1980 Hughes left Dalek I Love You and began rehearsals with OMD for their first headline tour of the UK. Hughes remembers: "I hadn't really left Dalek when I joined the Orchs, but I'd known both Paul and Andy since The Id -- I went to watch them a few times, because we were checking out their equipment!".

Hughes (rigth, in th picture) then remained with OMD until November of that year, notably creating the backing tracks for Souvenir from layered tapes of a choir tuning up (this single went to number 3 in the UK charts). In November 1980, Dave Hughes teamed up with ex-Radio Blank and Dalek I band member Keith Hartley (left in the picture) to form Godot which gave Hughes a chance to experiment with new ideas.
In the meantime “Alan Gill had decided to relaunch Dalek I Love You and pulled in Keith Hartley to help him. Left without a band, Dave Hughes recruited some new musicians which included Ronnie Stone, Steve Byrne and Martin Cooper. With the addition of a drummer, this new line-up of Godot toured with Dalek I in the winter of 1981. But when Ronnie Stone decided to join China Crisis, the band split up.” Martin Cooper and Hughes in 1982 worked with Freeze Frame, the Cooper started working with OMD. In 1984 Keith Hartley teamed up with ex-Dalek Kenny Peers in Bamboo (later Sex Tribe).
The first release by the band was Extended Player (1981), recorded at Amazon Studios and self-financed, featured 4 songs written during Keith Hartey's time in the band and features Hartley's vocals on the tracks.

Extended Player (1981)
- Wait For...
- Teeth
- Love?
- Theme For Bureaucrats

(Martin Luther was an historical figure that Dave Hughes admired and the sleeve artwork features Lutherian print designs. )

Godot 1981

(Major thanks to our friend Endorphin)
(see also: http://www.omd.uk.com/discography/godot/html/ep.html
http://robinparmar.com/dalek-i-love-you.html#part5 )

The Precautions (1980-83)

The Precaution, form Ellesmere Port, formed in 1980 and included Ian Wilson (vocals, later Action Transfers, now running Whitby Studios), Steve Coughton (aka Steve Coughlan, guitars, later Lilac Trumpets), Neil Senior (bass, later Lilac Trumpets), Dave Cooil (drums). They started doing cover-versions of Joe Jackson and Tom Petty numbers, then started writing their own material (a shift which the band thought of signaling by a change of name, one possibility being Toga Party). They recorded demos at Cargo studio in Manchester and at Amazon in Liverpool and released a three-track tape in 1982 (including Modesty Blaise, Safe Inside, Leeks on Mount Fiji), and gigged all over the country (supported Afraid of Mice at the Wharehouse). Inevitable Records was interested in signing them and they were to be featured on a Skeleton compilation, but nothing came of both. 

The Precaution “established a slight reputation within the small confines of Ellesmere Port. Coach trips have been organized to watch them at the Moonlight Club in London, their logo appears in graffiti all over the town centre and record shops display publicity photos” (Merseysound #1, January 1982)

By 1983 things started to change. According to their manager A.N. Jones:

‘They were one of the most promising act I ever worked with but due to general disorganisation within the group it never went further. I managed to secure them support dates with Siouxsie and the Banshees (Devon, 83), Blue Rondo (Manchester, 83), Claire Hamill (London, 83) and Icicle Works (several dates).

‘All these dates apart from one with the Icicle Works were blown out due to Dave Cooil deciding he wanted to leave just one week before the Siouxsie date. The biggest tragedy was that he never gave us a reason as to why he was leaving and it was just too short notice to get a replacement! It was eventually found in Tony Elson from the System, but this only lasted for one gig – Ellesmere Port. For this date the group also had the group also had a keyboard player called Ian [Lewis (keyboards, later Lilac Trumpets, Alternative Radio)]. That date was pretty shambolic and it could be seen that this lineup would not last and slowly the band crumbled.

‘A long period of inactivity followed until late ’83, when Ian Wilson went on to join the Action Transfers as second vocalist to Dave Whibberley and Neil and Steve went on to form the Lilac Trumpets’

No audio material seems to have survived.