The Man from Delmonte are an independent band from

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

, England, formed in the mid-1980s.

History

Band members included Mike West (vocals and

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked, its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

), Sheila Seal (bass), Martin Vincent (guitar and harmonica), and Howard Goody (drums). The band members had little in common with most Manchester bands. Goody was a graduate of

Winchester School of Art Winchester School of Art is the art school of the University of Southampton, situated 10 miles (14 km) north of Southampton in the city of Winchester near the south coast of England. History Winchester School of Art (WSA) was founded in 1 ...

. Vincent had been an art critic and painter. Seal, a Glaswegian, was a classically trained musician who had run an art gallery. West, who wrote the songs, was the Australian-born son of the author

Morris West Morris Langlo West (26 April 19169 October 1999) was an Australian novelist and playwright, best known for his novels ''The Devil's Advocate (West novel), The Devil's Advocate'' (1959), ''The Shoes of the Fisherman (novel), The Shoes of the Fi ...

. The band played many gigs at the

Boardwalk A boardwalk (alternatively board walk, boarded path, or promenade) is an elevated footpath, walkway, or causeway typically built with wooden planks, which functions as a type of low water bridge or small viaduct that enables pedestrians to ...

club, in

, where they recorded their ''Big Noise'' live album in 1989. They took their name from a series of 1980s television advertisements for Del Monte fruit juices, featuring the " man from Del Monte". In these, the man would visit villages to sample their fruit juices, to see if they were good enough to be included in his company's drinks. The

tagline In entertainment, a tagline (alternatively spelled tag line) is a short text which serves to clarify a thought for, or is designed with a form of, dramatic effect. Many tagline slogans are reiterated phrases associated with an individual, so ...

, shouted jubilantly by a villager on approval was, "The man from Del Monte, he say 'Yes!.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 406 At one point they were managed by journalist

Jon Ronson Jon Ronson (born 10 May 1967) is a British-American journalist, author, and filmmaker. He is known for works such as '' Them: Adventures with Extremists'' (2001), '' The Men Who Stare at Goats'' (2004), and '' The Psychopath Test'' (2011). H ...

. After they split up in 1990, some members continued as Surfurbia. West moved to

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

to pursue a solo career in the early 1990s. The band reformed in 2024 to play gigs in the UK in February and April 2025.

Discography

Chart placings shown are from the

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 ...

Singles

*"Drive, Drive, Drive" ( Ugly Man, 1987) *"Water in My Eyes" (Ugly Man, 1987) *"Will Nobody Save Louise" (Ugly Man, 1988) (#13) *''Monday Morning After'' EP ( Bop Cassettes, 1989) *"Big Noise" (Bop Cassettes, 1989) (#20) *"My Love Is Like A Gift You Can't Return" (Bop Cassettes, 1989) (#13)

Albums

*''Catholic Boys on Mobilettes'' (Bop Cassettes, 1989) – compilation *''Big Noise'' (Bop Cassettes, 1989) **''Big Noise'' (Vinyl Japan, 2000) – reissue *''The Good Things in Life'' (Vinyl Japan, 1999) – compilation

References

External links

Truckstop HoneymoonAnnouncement of The Man From Del Monte reforming via Facebook post
{{Authority control English pop music groups Musical groups from Manchester English indie pop groups