BOB were an

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with a DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and s ...

band from North

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England, formed in 1986.

History

The initial line-up was Richard Blackborow (vocals, keyboards, guitar), Simon Armstrong (

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

, vocals). Jem Morris (

bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...

), joined the duo in 1986, and, augmented with a drum machine, they recorded the band's first release, a flexi disc, released in 1986 on their own House Of Teeth label, and containing three short songs: "Prune (Your Tree)", "Groove" and "Brian Wilson's Bed". The band gave a copy to

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...

in a fortuitous encounter in the Rough Trade record shop, and he played it many times. The drum machine was replaced by Gary Connors (drums) in 1987, and this line-up recorded 1987's ''What a Performance'' EP and the first of three John Peel sessions. Blackborow stated in 1988 that the band had a diverse set of songs in their repertoire at that stage and that the songs on the EP were selected from "by doing a quick poll of our friends".Dickson, Ian (1988) "BOB's Your Uncle", ''Underground'', February 1988 (Issue 11), p. 4 Early in 1988, Gary Connors was replaced by former Jamie Wednesday drummer Dean Leggett, and the band recorded their second single, the ''Kirsty'' EP, a session for

BBC Radio One BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, hi ...

Simon Mayo Simon Andrew Hicks Mayo (born 21 September 1958) is an English radio presenter and author who worked for BBC Radio from 1982 until 2022. Mayo has presented across three BBC stations for extended periods. From 1986 to 2001 he worked for Radio ...

, and their second John Peel session. Both singles received heavy play by John Peel.Strong, Martin C.: ''The Great Alternative & Indie Discography'', 1999, Canongate, The two singles were compiled together with the earlier flexi disc as ''Swag Sack'', which was their final recording for the Sombrero label. All later releases were on their own House Of Teeth label. In 1989, the band released the ''Convenience EP'' (which reached no.31 in John Peel's

Festive Fifty The Festive Fifty was originally an annual list of the year's 50 (though the exact figure varied above and below this number) best songs compiled at the end of the year and voted for by listeners to John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show. It was usually do ...

at the end of the year),BBC – Radio 1 – Keeping It Peel – Bob
Bbc.co.uk followed by a limited edition/fan club release containing three songs: "Esmerelda Brooklyn", "I Don't Know" and "Sink". After their third and final John Peel session, Morris was replaced by ex- Caretaker Race bassist Stephen 'Henry' Hersom,Larkin, Colin: ''The Guinness Who's Who of Indie and New Wave Music'', Guinness, 1992, p. 42, and this final line-up recorded the ''Stride Up EP'' in 1990, an LP ''Leave The Straight Life Behind'' and the ''Tired EP'' in 1991, and one last single, the ''Nothing For Something EP'' in 1992. BOB became one of the victims of the demise of Rough Trade's distribution arm, which limited sales of the album and forced the band to tour for an extended period to recoup the album's costs. A feeling of disillusionment with the 'business' side of the music caused a drop in morale, and they disbanded early in 1995. The BOB single "Convenience" was released for the first time on a digital format on the John Peel compilation box set ''Kats Karavan'' in October 2009. In February 2014, "Leave the Straight Life Behind" was re-released by British independent label 3 Loop Music as a 2CD expanded edition which included the remastered album plus a bonus CD of all the John Peel and BBC sessions, as well as extra tracks. In 2015, "The singles and EPs" was released by 3 Loop Music as a double CD compilation of remastered tracks from Swag Sack and all vinyl Sombrero and House of Teeth releases. In 2019, the band announced six final concerts in England and Germany featuring Blackborow, Armstrong, Leggett and newly recruited old friend Arthur Tapp on bass. A limited edition 7" of "Convenience" was released on red, amber, and green vinyl with an unreleased B-side from 1992. The single reached number 18 on the official UK vinyl sales chart. A double album of unreleased tracks entitled ''You Can Stop That For A Start'', was released in September 2020 on Optic Nerve. Bassist Stephen 'Henry' Hersom died in October 2023.

Discography

Albums

*''Swag Sack'' (1988, Sombrero, LP, Sombrero Five) *''Leave the Straight Life Behind'' (1991, House of Teeth, LP/CD, HOT13013) *''You Can Stop That for a Start'' (2020, Optic Nerve, double LP/CD, OPT4.030)

Singles

*"Prune (Your Tree)", "Groove!", & "Brian Wilson's Bed" (1986, House of Teeth, HOT 001) 7" flexi-disc *''What a Performance'' EP (1987, Sombrero, 12", Sombrero One) *''Kirsty'' EP (1988, Sombrero, 12", Sombrero Two) (

UK Indie Chart The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the ...

#17)Lazell, Barry: ''Indie Hits 1980-1989'', 1997, Cherry Red Books, *''Esmerelda Brooklyn'' EP (1989, House of Teeth, HOT 003 w/ 'I Don't Know', 'Sink', & 'Esmerelda Brooklyn instrumental', Fan Club/Limited Edition EP, 12" Vinyl in 2 different sleeves, and 7" white-label, HOT 7003/12003) *"Convenience" (1989, House of Teeth, 7"/12", HOT7002/HOT12002) *''Stride Up'' EP (1990, House of Teeth, 12", HOT12004) *''Tired'' EP (1990, House of Teeth, 12", HOT12005) also a 7" white-label promo *''Nothing for Something'' EP (1991, House of Teeth, 12", HOT12006)

References

External links

* {{Authority control English indie pop groups Pop music groups from London Musical groups established in 1986