I've been lucky enough to see some really great bands down the years but one name that springs to mind whenever anyone asks who were the best is Lightyear. Maybe they didn't attract the crowds or sell the amount of records of some of the other acts I've seen (eg, Siouxsie And The Banshees, Stranglers, SLF, UK Subs, PIL, Dickies, Smiths, Killing Joke, Buzzcocks etc etc etc...) but for sheer fun and enjoyment they were as good as anyone.
From Derby, they formed in 1997 and after their self released Just Another Demonstration ep and a split with Evil Macaroni, they signed to Household Name Records. Their debut album was 2001's Call Of The Weasel Clan which featured fan favourites such as Blindside, Three Basics and the absolutely wonderful Pack Of Dogs.
A seven piece, the convenient tag for them would be ska punk but they were more than that. Featuring two trumpets and a tenor sax, they had a great brass section which combined with their sense of fun and innovation made them stand out from the pack.
Album number two followed a couple of years later, Chris Gentleman's Hairdresser and Railway Book Shop was slightly more polished than the debut but no less innovative or fun. The album's final track, 2,000 kebab shops, was an indication that the end of the band was nigh ("Well yeah, I find this really hard to do. I love being in a band, there's
nothing like performing and playing live, and meeting people; but
sometimes it all gets a bit too much. There are a few months where
you're surviving on three pounds a day, which is three portions of
chips and whatever we can steal off the big headline band. I'm
spending that much time in a van with other people, it's a bit of a
headfuck to say the least."), they split soon after. There's been reunion shows since (including the recent Slam Dunk Festival) but no new material.
Good news though, frontman Chas Palmer-Williams will be releasing an album titled American Smile, British Teeth and you can find out more here : http://www.chaspalmerwilliams.com/home
The ep he released a few years ago is available here : https://ashesrecords.bandcamp.com/album/we-showed-them-didnt-we
From Lightyear's last album, this is Life Jacket Water Wings.....
Head down pretending
Like you've never seen them
An old street called Withdraw and you walk on
Everything's a pound
Everything's too loud
When I try and speak to you I'm speaking Klingon
Who do you talk to?
I wish you were see-through
Where's the "Vod's Theory"?
Where's the "Cotton Weary"?
I look back, you're wonderful
You're wonderful
Hold on
Life jacket
Water wings
(Life jacket)
If I promise not to listen would you talk to me please?
Hold on
Life jacket
Water wings
(Life jacket)
If I promise not to listen would you talk to me please?
Smile
I said smile
(S.M.I.L.E)
In Street Fighter 2 that would be your special move
Against Guile
Is everything still there?
Remember how we would drop anything, go everywhere?
Yeah these songs say
I spent my life on the motorway
Hold on
Life jacket
Water wings
(Life jacket)
If I promise not to listen would you talk to me please?
Hold on
Life jacket
Water wings
(Life jacket)
If I promise not to listen would you talk to me please?
Head down pretending
Like you've never seen them
An old street called Withdraw and you walk on
Everything's a pound
Everything's too loud
When I try and speak to you I'm speaking Klingon
Who do you talk to?
I wish you were see-through
Where's the "Vod's Theory"?
Where's the "Cotton Weary"?
I look back, you're wonderful
You're wonderful
Hold on
Life jacket
Water wings
(Life jacket)
If I promise not to listen would you talk to me please?
Hold on
Life jacket
Water wings
(Life jacket)
If I promise not to listen would you talk to me please?
Hold on
Life jacket
Water wings
(Life jacket)
If I promise not to listen would you talk to me please?
Hold on
Life jacket
Water wings
(Life jacket)
If I promise not to listen would you talk to me please?
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