Party Day were an English goth/

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

band formed in 1981 in

Wombwell Wombwell () is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. In the 2011 census, data for the town was split between the ward of Wombwell and small sections that fell into the wards of Darfield (specifically the a ...

near

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...

South Yorkshire South Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the north, the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north-east, Lincolnshire ...

, England, originally a four-piece consisting of guitarists Martin Steele, Greg Firth, bassist Carl Firth and drummer, Mick Baker. Their sound was described as being "hard knuckleduster goth with post-punk overtones".

History

The band were formerly called 'Further Experiments' (1979–81) but refocussed as Party Day. They released their first single, "Row the Boat Ashore" c/w "Poison" on their own label, Party Day Records in 1983, and was well reviewed - "their simpering and delightful sound is a thing of beauty".Zigzag Magazine, singles review, July 1983 Their second single, "The Spider" was described as "Excellent punk junk howl"Tibet, Sounds, 19 May 1984 and was played on

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 ...

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

. We shall hopefully continue to see them rip up the roots of this bland desolate music industry.Richard Rouska, Rouska Magazine, 1984 Their debut album ‘Glasshouse’ (1985) "forms their most stunning statement to date... what they do, they do searingly well". Much of Party Day's music was "very melancholic at heart but with a drop of venomous punk inside", and as with their second album, ''Simplicity'' (1986), their music stayed with you - "the attractive, though slightly over-wrought black sheep, "Glorious Days", which could have brought a lump to Mario Lanza's trousers."Mick Mercer, Melody Maker, album reviews, 12 July 1986 Party Day released ''Rabbit Pie'' on the compilation LP ''Giraffe in Flames'' on Aaz Records to worthy acclaim. "Highlight though is Party Day's effort, a meaty guitar based number, Rabbit Pie. The threesome are coming on by leaps and bounds and Giraffe in Flames is worth buying just for them."Martin Lilleker, The Star (Sheffield), album review, 11 February 1984 They had a strong following in

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

, and were credited as being part of both the local scenes of

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

e.g. Leadmill and

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

"No strangers to the local circuit, Party Day have gigged consistently for almost a year".NEM. Leeds Other Paper, 27 January 1984 After the release of the ''Glasshouse'' LP there was a change in personnel, with Martin leaving due to ill-health. Other members came in, but by 1988 they broke up after abandoning their unfinished third album. Party Day were exciting to watch live; Sounds said "They roar along, driven by a good old-fashioned pumping drum-kit, and every so often one of those elusive moving chord-sequences falls into place, leaving you completely startled"Mr Spencer, Sounds, 19 May 1984 and also in the

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

, "They hold their guitars like loaded AK47's. They throb".Susan Williams (aka Seething Wells), NME, 3 March 1984 For Party Day, great success and major exposure were always just a step away.Granuaile, ZigZag Magazine, February 1986 Since their demise there has been quite an interest in the band. They were included within

Mick Mercer Mick Mercer (born Michael Mercer, 19 July 1957) is a journalist and author best known for his books, photos and reviews of the goth and punk scenes. Life and work Mercer is primarily a writer focused on the Gothic rock scene that emerged fro ...

's book Gothic Rock: All you ever wanted to know but were too afraid to ask, published by

Pegasus Pegasus (; ) is a winged horse in Greek mythology, usually depicted as a white stallion. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as horse-god, and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa. Pegasus was the brother of Chrysaor, both born from Medusa's blood w ...

1991 (UK) and Cleopatra Records 1993 (USA). Their song "Atoms" has been included on a couple of later but favourable Gothic compilations, most notable with Germany's Strobelight Records - Volume 3 (2006). And still today, their songs can be found aired at; Gothic clubs within Europe and beyond, on Livestreams.DJ Dragnet, League Of Extraordinary Dj’s Setlist, Nov 2016 (Amsterdam) Recently on World Goth Day 2020 with DJ

Benny Blanco Benjamin Joseph Levin (born March 8, 1988), known professionally as Benny Blanco (stylized in all lowercase), is an American record producer and songwriter. He is the recipient of the 2013 Hal David Starlight Award from the Songwriters Hall ...

's Livestream and with

Dark Wave Dark wave, or darkwave, is a music genre that emerged from the new wave and post-punk movement of the late 1970s. Dark wave compositions are largely based on minor key tonality and introspective lyrics and have been perceived as being dark, ro ...

Radio. 2021 sees the 40th Anniversary of the Band's beginnings, those moments where fun and optimism youthfully collide. Sorted! becomes the band's latest release, a comprehensive collection of all their recordings plus demos, and released by Optic Nerve Recordings.

Discography

Singles

* "Row The Boat Ashore" c/w "Poison" (1983, Party Day Records) * "Spider" c/w "Flies" (1984, Party Day Records)

EPs

*''Glasshouse EP''(1985, Rouska Records)

Albums

*''Glasshouse'' (1985, Party Day Records) *''Simplicity'' (1986, Party Day Records) *''Sorted!'' (2021, Optic Nerve Recordings)

Compilations

*"Party Day" on ''Real Time 5'' (1983, Unlikely Records assette *"Rabbit Pie" on ''Giraffe in Flames'' (1984, AAZ Records 2" vinyl *"Rabbit Pie" on ''Band-It No. 14'' (1984, assette magazine *"Athena" on ''Four Your Ears Only'' (1984, Play it Again Sam 2" vinyl *"Opium Gathering" on ''Raw Red Heat'' (1984, Flame Tapes assette *"Spider" on ''Raging Sun'' (1985, Rouska Records 2" vinyl *"Borderline" on ''Bites and Stabs'' (1985, Torment Records 2" vinyl *"Let Us Shine" on ''Torn in Two'' (1986, Torment Records) *"Let us Shine" on ''Zarah Leander's Greatest Hits'' (1987, Rouska Records D *"Atoms" on ''Strobelights Vol.3'' (2006, Strobelight Records D *"Atoms" on ''Return of the

Batcave The Batcave is a subterranean location appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is the headquarters of the superhero Batman, whose secret identity is Bruce Wayne and his partners, consisting of caves beneath his personal r ...

'' - Vol. 1 (2008, internet only D

References

External links

Party Day - official websiteParty Day Facebook Page
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Party Day Musical groups from Sheffield Musical groups established in 1982 PIAS Recordings artists British dark wave musical groups English gothic rock groups 1982 establishments in England Post-punk groups from Leeds