Crikey,
it’s the Cromptons! formed in 1985. The earliest line-up included Ian Travis and
Dave Morgan of the Jades (later Jactars), along with Tony Crompton (aka Tony
Crompton Vest, Tony Chesnut) and Huw Williams (later Jactars). Tony Lonorgan,
of the Jactars, suggested Midi (with whom he
was in the gospel band Pieces of Glass)
and Karen (with him co-member of La Voix Celeste) to join the Cromptons.
This is how
Tony Crompton described the band in 1985: ‘We have a powerful
jazzy-pop-dischord-new sound-crazy sax-sound. We’re not the typical Mersey band. The band is a result of many years of
different experiments and ideas I’ve had musically’. At the time (1985-86) the
line-up was indicated as consisting of Tony Crompton Vest (guitar, vocals), Midi the Magnanimous (bass), Di Wagstaff (sax, trumpet,
vocals), Reg Crikey (drums), Henry Spencer (former Jactars, guitars).
Apparently this line-up is responsible for the band’s first six-track
self-titled demo (May 1985).
‘The early
bands of Tony, Trav, Dave, and Co. were different from the Jactars and Crikey
it’s the Cromptons! They comprised a group of friends with a common interest in
music who had been influenced by ‘punk rock’ and its ‘do-it-yourself’
philosophy and began making music together in each other’s houses in groups of
fluctuating membership that went under a variety of different names. Their
music-making was thus unstructured, experimental, improvisational, and was
taken less seriously than that of later years. It was a preoccupation − or
‘self-indulgence’ as Tony described it − rather than an occupation, and their
few public performances were usually relaxed, taking place in church halls or
youth clubs. Unlike many young people living on the Wirral whose bands
dissolved when they went to college or got married, members of the Jactars and
Crikey it’s the Cromptons! progressed from band to band, gaining more
experience with each and becoming gradually more committed and ambitious about
their music-making, moving on to bands with fixed membership and name’ (Sarah
Cohen, Rock Culture in Liverpool, 27)
The first
stable line-up included Tony Crompton (vocals, rhythm guitar, former Cardboard
Cutouts, Zyloids, Crompton Vest Band, Jades), Dave Treble (lead guitar), Pete
McPartland (bass, former Pieces of Glass, Third Man, later Jactars, Rash), Huw
Williams (drums, The Big I Am, Jactars). This line-up recorded the track
(Food for Feet) the band provided for
the Vulcan compilation Ways to Wear Coats (1987) and is responsible for the
band’s first vinyl release, a six track 12″ EP Mouthing Off (1988)
Mouthing
OFF (1988)
- Nicely
Smelling
- Starfish
(on Seagrass)
- Hey it's
the Chicks
- Mad Geek
/ Magique the Magnanimous
- Colder
Parts
- Vegetable
The songs
were recorded at Out of the Blue Studio, Manchester,
and was produced by Nick Garside. Soon after the release of the first record,
the band split up for some time.
(Thanks to
our friend Tony, Roger and Jane)