Sheep Look Up was a Canadian

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-r ...

band, based in

London, Ontario London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximat ...

. They were active from 1982 until 1988. The band's name derives from the

John Brunner John Brunner may refer to: * Sir John Brunner, 1st Baronet (1842–1919), British industrialist and Liberal Member of Parliament * John L. Brunner (1929–1980), Pennsylvania politician * Sir John Brunner, 2nd Baronet (1865–1929), British Liberal ...

novel ''

The Sheep Look Up ''The Sheep Look Up'' is a science fiction novel by British author John Brunner, first published in 1972. The novel is decidedly dystopian; the book deals with the deterioration of the environment in the United States. It was nominated for the ...

'', but the band drops "The" from the title.

History

Their original line-up consisted of Matt Owen (vocals), Brian Boug (guitar), Greg Moore (drums), Mark Deroux (bass) and John Francom (piano, saxophone). In early 1983 the guitarist was replaced by Gilbert Smith and the vocalist began using the stage name Will Power. From 1983 until 1986 Lisa Patterson was a member and played saxophone and keyboards. Their first release was the 1983 four-song cassette ''Entropic Concern''. The tracks ("Burning", "Civil Disobedience", "Jumper" and "Wordless One") received airplay on college radio stations. The original tape featured Brian Boug but was later dubbed to reflect Gilbert Smith's different sound. They were also featured on the seminal alternative compilation ''Domestic Animals'', released by Peter Moore. It was compiled from his huge collection of Live Binaural of the local music scene and a variety of other recordings made from 1979 to 1983. In 1984 they were included on the equally seminal ''Animals Fight Back'' (A Christape), a compilation also made from a variety of recordings between 1977 - 1983. In 1986 "Like A Rat" was included on the vinyl LP ''London Underground'', a compilation released by

CHRW-FM CHRW-FM (branded as Radio Western) is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 94.9 FM in London, Ontario. It is licensed as a community-based campus radio station by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. The stati ...

. In 1986 the vinyl EP ''Sheep Look Up'' was released. The record consisted of four songs: "Rapture", "Falasha", "Big Heart" and "Spaghetti Western", and got a good deal of local airplay. The

Milan, Italy Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

and

Bath, England Bath () is a city in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary area in the county of Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman-built baths. At the 2021 Census, the population was 101,557. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, ...

. The band toured "Across the left half of Canada" in the spring and fall of 87 to promote the EP. The band spent the spring and fall of 1988 doing a variety of showcases for major labels and a number of North American, Canadian and European subsidiaries. In 1988 a rough mix of their soon to come full-length LP circulated as a demo tape. It featured four songs recorded and produced with Chris Wardman; "No Good Men", "Propaganda Train", "Girl Song A" and "Final Days". A final version of the LP was never released due to lack of funds and eventual dissolution of the band. Three videos were made. "Like a Rat" was from a Halloween performance at the Forest City Gallery in London Ontario, "Iskra" was an experimental video shot during a live performance at the Rivoli in Toronto, Ontario and "Spaghetti Western" was made from a variety of found footage, live performance and candid videography compiled while on tour in 86/87. All three videos aired on Much Music. Over the course of their career they opened for a number of big acts, including The Fall, The Stranglers, Marianne Faithful, Gene Loves Gezebel, Shriekback, and numerous others. They also did a short US tour supporting John Cale in the winter of 86 and supported Love and Rockets across Canada in the spring of '87.

References

Ground Zero

London Music Archives

External links

Their music is available for free download from the London Music Archives

Myspace, including free downloadsVideos of the "second line-up" while opening for Howard Devoto on YouTube

My London: Post-punk era can still rock us

Punk by the Country: Canada
(Reddit thread, 2014) {{Authority control Canadian post-rock groups