Benny Profane were a rock band from
Liverpool
Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
, England that existed from 1985 until 1990. They released two albums, various singles and EPs, and recorded three
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...
sessions.
History
When
The Room split up in 1985, singer Dave Jackson and bassist Becky Stringer recruited Joe McKechnie (guitar/drums, formerly of
The Passage) to form Benny Profane. After recording their first demo with
Will Sergeant helping out on guitar, they were joined by Robin Surtees.
[Strong, Martin C.:The Great Alternative & Indie Discography", 1999, Canongate, ] The name was taken from a character in the
Thomas Pynchon
Thomas Ruggles Pynchon Jr. ( , ; born May 8, 1937) is an American novelist noted for his dense and complex novels. His fiction and non-fiction writings encompass a vast array of subject matter, Literary genre, genres and Theme (narrative), them ...
novel, ''
V.''
[Larkin, Colin: ''The Guinness Who's Who of Indie and New Wave Music'', 1992, Guinness, p. 32, ] The first release was "Where is Pig?" (the title also a reference to ''V'') on Sub Pop UK (not related to the US label
Sub Pop
Sub Pop is a record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman. Sub Pop achieved fame in the early 1990s for signing Seattle bands such as Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, central players in the grunge movement. They are oft ...
). They then signed to Leeds
indie label, Ediesta, releasing three more singles in 1987 and 1988. The band had three drummers at various times, Dave Brown, Roger Sinek and Liam Rice. The band later moved to
Dave Haslam's
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
indie label, Play Hard.
1989 saw the release of the
Ian Broudie produced "Skateboard To Oblivion" single and their debut album, ''Trapdoor Swing''. They then switched label again to Imaginary, for a further single and the second album, ''Dumbluck Charm'' (the CD version of which also includes the debut album). The band split up in the summer of 1990.
Jackson and Stringer then formed Dust, followed by The Dead Cowboys.
Dave Jackson released his first solo album on Higuera records in 2010, with ''Cathedral Mountain'' recorded and produced with John Head and Tim O'Shea.
Lineup
*Dave Jackson – Vocals
*Joe McKechnie – Guitar/drums
*Becky Stringer – Bass
*Robin Surtees – Guitar
with
*Peter Baker – Organ
*Dave Brown – Drums
*Roger Sinek – Drums
*Liam Rice – Drums
*
Will Sergeant – Guitar (on the band's first demo)
Discography
Albums
*''Trapdoor Swing'' (Ediesta, 1989)
*''Dumb Luck Charm'' (
Imaginary Records
Imaginary Records was an independent record label based in Heywood, Greater Manchester, England, which specialised mainly in indie rock and post-punk. It was started in 1985 by Alan Duffy, known for his lyrical contributions to Porcupine Tree's ...
, 1990)
Singles and EPs
*"Where is Pig?" (1986, Sub Pop UK)
*''Devil Laughing EP'' (1987, Ediesta)
*"Parasite" (1988, Ediesta)
*"Rob a Bank" (1988, Ediesta)
*"Skateboard to Oblivion" (1989, Play Hard)
*"Hey Waste Of Space" (1990, Imaginary Records)
References
External links
Benny Profane videos on YouTubeJoe Mckechnie's music on bandcamp
*Dave Jackson'
of the band
Video of one-off Benny Profane reunionJohn Peel Sessions
{{DEFAULTSORT:Benny Profane
English pop music groups
Musical groups from Liverpool
Musical groups established in 1985
Musical groups disestablished in 1990
British indie pop groups
Imaginary Records artists
1985 establishments in England