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Bad Manners | |
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.jpg) Bad Manners performing atBodega inWellington, New Zealand, 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | |
| Works | Bad Manners discography |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Labels |
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| Members | |
| Past members |
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Bad Manners are an Englishtwo-tone andskaband led by frontmanBuster Bloodvessel. Early appearances includedTop of the Pops and the livefilm documentaryDance Craze (1981).
They were at their most popular during the early 1980s, during a period when otherska revival bands such asMadness,the Specials andthe Selecter filled thecharts. Bad Manners spent 111 weeks in theUK Singles Chart between 1980 and 1983, and they also achieved chart success with their first four studio albums, withSka 'n' B (1980),Loonee Tunes! (1980), andGosh It's ... Bad Manners (1981) being their biggest hits.
Fronted byBuster Bloodvessel (real name Douglas Trendle),[1] the band was formed in 1976,[4] while most of the members were together atWoodberry Down Comprehensive School,[2] nearManor House,North London. They commemorated the 1981 closure of the school on the back sleeve of their album,Gosh It's ... Bad Manners, released that year.[citation needed]
Early versions of the band date back to 1976 but Bad Manners were formed and played their first ever gig in January 1978. Dougie Trendle (Buster Bloodvessel), Alan Sayag (Winston Bazoomies), David Farren, Brian Tuitt, Paul Hyman (Gus 'Hot Lips' Herman) and Louis Alphonso were all at school together. Martin Stewart, Chris Kane and Andrew Marson would join later.
After becoming popular in their native London, Bad Manners signed arecording contract withMagnet Records in 1980, and became regular guests on television shows such asTiswas. The band also appeared onThe British Music Awards (1981) andCheggers Plays Pop. In 1985, they also appeared onThe Time of Your Life, hosted byNoel Edmonds. Being closely associated with the2 Tone movement (though never signed to2 Tone Records itself), they were one of six bands featured in the 1981 documentary filmDance Craze.[1]
Some of theirhit singles through the 1980's include "Nee Nee Na Na Na Na Nu Nu",[1] "My Girl Lollipop",[1] "Lip Up Fatty",[1] "Can Can",[1] "Special Brew",[1] "Walking in the Sunshine" and "That'll Do Nicely".[4]
One of the main reasons for their notoriety was their outlandish huge-tongued and shaven-headed frontman,Buster Bloodvessel. His manic exploits got them banned from theBritishBBC TV chart showTop of the Pops, for painting his head red.[5] The band was also banned fromItalianTV after Bloodvesselmooned a concert audience on live television at theSanremo Music Festival 1981,[6][7] later being told that thePope was watching on television.[5][7]
Bad Manners had spent 111 weeks in theUK Singles Chart between 1980 and 1983,[4] however, Bad Manners left Magnet Records in 1983, and joinedTelstar Records releasing a compilation album,The Height of Bad Manners, which reached number 23 in theUK Albums Chart.[4] The album was assisted with atelevision advertisement, and it brought the band back to the attention of the media and the British public – but no further chart hits.
The group then went on to sign a contract withPortrait Records in theUnited States andMental Notes was released in 1985. For two years the band toured continuously all over the world but decided to disband in 1987.
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After Bad Manners disbanded for a brief spell after their deal with Portrait Records ended, Buster Bloodvessel formed a new outfit called Buster's Allstars in 1987, which enabled him and a few of his friends to continue performing in and around London. The capital's venues were often packed to capacity and this prompted the then 20 stone vocalist to reform Bad Manners with his fellow original members Louis Alphonso, Martin Stewart, Winston Bazoomies and Chris Kane. During 1988, the revamped Bad Manners band line-up started to play a number of shows at universities and at scooter rallies and they licensed the name and logo ofBlue Beat Records, setting up office inside a 50-foot (15 m)barge called the Blood Vessel in the back garden of Buster Bloodvessel's former home in London.[citation needed]
After Blue Beat became defunct in 1990, Bad Manners were without a recording contract, but continued to tour. In 1992, they signed a deal with Pork Pie Records andFat Sound was released in Europe. The album was originally intended to be released in the UK on Blue Beat.[citation needed]
In 1996, Buster Bloodvessel moved toMargate and opened a hotel on the seafront called Fatty Towers, which catered for people with huge appetites.[7] While living in Margate, he was a regular spectator atMargate F.C., and Bad Manners sponsored the club for one season. Fatty Towers closed in 1998 and did not re-open despite a facelift. After its closure, Buster Bloodvessel moved back to London.[citation needed]
After five years without releasing any new material, Bad Manners issued theirHeavy Petting album in 1997. Six years later, Buster set up another record label and the band releasedStupidity on Bad Records in 2003.
In 2004, Bad Manners appeared onNever Mind the Buzzcocks in theChristmas Special, performing festive songs to the contestants which includedPhill Jupitus andNoddy Holder (Jupitus is a fan of the band, and Buster Bloodvessel had appeared as a panellist on the show earlier that year).[8]
Buster Bloodvessel is the only original member to remain in Bad Manners, but the harmonica player, Winston Bazoomies, was an 'honorary member' of the band. Bazoomies had aFacebook fanpage set up in his honour and lived in North London.[citation needed]
Martin Stewart left Bad Manners in 1991, and performed and recorded withthe Selecter for fifteen years. He now lives in Middlesex with his family, and most recently[when?] played the keyboards in a band called the Skatalysts. Louis Alphonso lives in Paris and released hisA Noir solo studio album on the French Fries record label in 2015, while his fellow musician, David Farren, left in 1987 after the band's contract with Portrait Records ended. Farren designed the original band logo, and painted the front cover of the albumGosh It's ... Bad Manners (1981). Chris Kane is asession musician. He became a music teacher during the 1990s and also performed withthe Jordanaires after leaving Bad Manners. Brian Tuitt also left the band in 1987 and lives in Kent. The drummer has been performing with Ben Russell & the Charmers in recent times[when?] while also working with the Barry White Unlimited Love Tour at various venues in the UK, while Andrew Marson, who also left the group the same year, has worked as a carpenter and also performs in acountry and western outfit called the Drawbacks. Paul Hyman, another original member who left the band in the late 1980s, lives in Enfield and works in theLondon Stock Exchange, an occupation he has had since leaving Bad Manners.[citation needed]
Bad Manners headlined their own annualmusic festival known as Bad Fest in 2005 and 2006 atRAF Twinwood Farm. This festival featured ska,mod-related andpunk rock bands from the 1980s to the present.
In 2011,Cherry Red Records released the band's first four studio albums,Ska 'n' B (1980),Loonee Tunes! (1980),Gosh It's ... Bad Manners (1981) andForging Ahead (1982) onCD for the first time with added bonus tracks. The albums were issued on their sister label, Pressure Drop.
In December 2012, the band released their first single in thirteen years. "What Simon Says" was released via download just before the festive season, and themusic video featured Bad Manners fans from across the world but none of the band members themselves. The song hints at the powerSimon Cowell has within the UK music industry.[9]
In December 2012, founding members of the band met for the first time in decades at the Ship public house in Soho, London. Paul Hyman, Martin Stewart, Brian Tuitt and Chris Kane met with band historian and harmonica player David Turner, and Christopher 'Dell' Wardell, a music writer and promoter fromDarlington. On 18 July 2013, seven of the original nine members reunited at The Brownswood public house, nearFinsbury Park, that is within striking distance of their old school, Woodbery Down Comprehensive. The 'Bad Manners Originals' who attended the reunion were Andy Marson (alto sax), Paul Hyman (trumpet), Winston Bazoomies (Alan Sayag) (harmonicas), Chris Kane (tenor sax), David Farren (bass), Martin Stewart (keyboards) and Brian Tuitt (drums). The meetings were arranged after Wardell's 'Where Are They Now?' article was published inThe Northern Echo in 2012, providing details on the current whereabouts of all of the original band members.[citation needed]
During 2016, Bad Manners toured the United Kingdom to celebrate their 40th Anniversary.[10]
Original member Winston Bazoomies died on 1 December 2022, at the age of 63.[3]
The band are still touring the United Kingdom in 2025.[11]
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