Moody post-punk/ indie from luckless mates of Rik Mayall
Label: BDI
Year of Release: 1987
When Rik Mayall passed away, one of the things I expected to go a tiny bit viral - but never did - was the clip of him appearing in a music video
with the obscure eighties indie band Circus Circus Circus. During the
promo for their debut single "Butcher Bitches", Mayall plays the role of
a nerdish fan of the group, aping their dress sense and their moves
(right down to falling over when one of their guitarists accidentally
hits the deck). I'd be a liar if I claimed it was a red-hot, top grade
Mayall performance, but it was done for free when he was feeling unwell,
and entirely for the benefit of a band who didn't even have a proper
record deal at that point. If nothing else, I felt that it underlined
his good nature and his spirit, as well as being a performance which had
barely ever been repeated anywhere.
"Butcher Bitches" was a fairly swinging piece of garage rock and roll,
and didn't really prepare anybody for their follow up. While "Inside The
Inside Out Man", written about Francis Bacon, initially has a faintly
"House of the Rising Sun" air of doom and despondency about it, it's
closer in style to the moodier indie releases of the day; more long mac
and shades than cardigans and NHS glasses. It's also really rather good.
Filled to the brim with moody guitar riffs and quivering sixties vocal
harmonies, it's a huge leap forward from their debut. It managed to get
television exposure on "The Chart Show" at the point of its release, but
they never gained serious traction in the indie charts despite the
publicity - and two more singles later ("Magic Girl" and "Under The
Library") and they threw in the towel. An album was recorded but never
released, something which somebody could consider remedying.
The group were formed in Beckenham, South London in 1985 and consisted
of Doug Hart on vocals, Ric Clark and Mark Shaw on guitars, Richard
Bentley on bass guitar and Rich Spicer on drums.
(When I originally uploaded these tracks here four years ago, reader Ian Fryer put in a word for the B-side "No Hips", which he said was a "joyous Postcard label influenced piece of pop frippery". Those of an indiepop persuasion might get a bit more out of that - personally, my love for the thick atmosphere of "Inside The Inside Out Man" can't really be beaten in this contest).
If the previews below fail to load, please go right to the source.
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