"Shrug In A Quango" OUT NOW
Tracklisting:
1.Doggerland (Thrilled Skinny)
2.Last Train From Station Town
3.Wheres Stevie Gone?
4.Magic Ket!
5.Quango Fandango
Buy now for £4 (inc P&P); Shrug were formed by Robert Nichols, Richard Pink and sometimes Robert March in the summer of 1985 or thereabouts. October 2005 was the 20th anniversary of our first ever gig, upstairs at The Albert, Middlesbrough. We celebrated that 20th birthday week with a support slot for The Fall (lifetime ambition) and a headline gig for John Peel Day in Stockton's Georgian Theatre. Some week.
We started out with no drummers, then co-opted a drum machine which wouldn't keep time! We being Kev Wall, Richard and Rob Nichols. Sarah O'Brien soon played keyboards for us. Eventually we bit the bullet and brought in some percussion, double trouble, with future Space Raider Gary Bradford and Richie O'Brien.
We released an EP Nevil Wanless in 1988 - and album Septober Octember Nowonder a year later, rushing it out for a German tour - which included a gig in East Berlin and featured 3 drummers, Weg Hornby at 6ft 7" the tallest of our drummers. Carl Sims and earlier Michael "Monk" Sanderson also plied the sticks. Carl sticking (bad joke!) around till 1999.
It's as a live band that most people know us. Whether it was for the 3 drummers drumming. Or me haring around the stage in loads of stupid costumes and masks or just that dynamic orange 60s organ. Oh and there's always the horses head!
There were several more singles, Beardo Weirdo, Building Society and (Return) Mission From Todd and tours abroad in Holland, France, Belgium. A high speed van crash. Not good. Tours with Sebadoh and The Ex. TV appearances, and all sorts of stuff. Richard left, replaced by Dale and then Nathan. And the drummers eventually worked their way back down to one.
We gradually wound down and Kevin grew older. No I'm lying the rest of us grew older, Kevin has a picture in the attic. Then in 2005 we got invited back, Richard rejoined and now we're back with plans for gigs and who knows recordings etc. Should be fun.
You can see a couple of very old interviews with us and a couple of tv appearances from about 18 years ago!! Type in "Crackpan" and "Shrug" on Youtube
Beardo Weirdo Live @ The Hat Factory, Luton 2007
Donna And The Daleks (Tyne Tees 1989)
Sir Walter Raleigh's Fast Food Takeover (BBC 1989)
Egg And Chips Promo Video
Through The Iron Curtain - Look North - Jan 1990
