Department S (band)
| Department S | |
|---|---|
| Origin | United Kingdom |
| Genres | Post-punk, new wave |
| Years active | 1980–1982 2007–present |
| Labels | Korova, RCA, Demon, Stiff, LTM Sartorial Records |
| Website | www |
| Members | Mike Herbage Eddie Roxy Stuart Mizon Terry Edwards Michelle Brigandage Sam Burnett Mark Taylor Pete Jones Phil Thompson |
| Past members | Vaughn Toulouse Jimmy Hughes Tony Lordan John Hasler Mark Bedford |
Department S are a British new wave band formed in 1980, who took their name from the 1960s TV series Department S.[1] They are best known for their debut single, "Is Vic There?", which was originally released in December 1980 and reached No. 22 on the UK Singles Chart the following year.
Contents
Career
1980s
Department S evolved from a previous punk/ska combo, Guns for Hire, fronted by Vaughn Toulouse and also featuring former Madness drummer John Hasler.[1] Mike Herbage joined them on guitar and wrote Guns for Hire's only single, "I'm Gonna Rough My Girlfriend's Boyfriend Up Tonight", released on the Korova record label.[1] The group then became Department S, with the addition of Eddie Roxy (later replaced by Mark Taylor) and Stuart Mizon.
They debuted at the Rock Garden in London on 24 September 1980.[1] Demon Records subsequently released their debut single, "Is Vic There?", in December 1980 (reissued on RCA a few months later).[2] It was produced by former Mott the Hoople members Buffin and Overend Watts, but its initial success led to the better-equipped RCA Records reissuing the single in March 1981.[1] The single then began to climb the charts, and the band appeared on Top of the Pops. The B-side, a cover version of T.Rex's "Solid Gold Easy Action", featured Thunderthighs on backing vocals.[1]
The group defied easy categorisation, but recorded a session for John Peel on 3 December 1980. The tracks featured were "Is Vic There?"; "Age Concern"; "Ode to Cologne (Stench of War)"; and "Clap Now".
The follow-up single, "Going Left Right", was issued on Stiff Records and failed to chart as high, while still managing to sell 60,000 copies.[citation needed] Poor sales of third single "I Want" as well as differences of opinion with their record label resulted in the band being dropped by Stiff, but not before £50,000 was reputedly spent on an unreleased debut album, Sub-Stance (subsequently issued on LTM in 2003).
Toulouse later worked as a DJ under the name the Main T, and in 1983, as the Main T Possee, he released the single "Fickle Public Speaking" which reached No. 89 on the UK Singles Chart. He recorded as part of The Style Council's 1984 miners' charity project the Council Collective. as released a solo single, "Cruisin' the Serpentine", in 1985.[3] He died in 1991 from an AIDS-related illness.[1][3]
Revival
In February 2007, Department S recorded their first new single in 26 years, a cover version of Alvin Stardust's 1973 hit "My Coo-Ca-Choo". It was released on Sartorial Records in October, and included a guest appearance by Mark Bedford of Madness on bass guitar. A re-recording of "Is Vic There?" and new tracks "Wonderful Day" "God Squad Saviour" and "Outside" were also recorded, and included contributions from Glen Matlock, Marco Pirroni, Michelle Brigandage of Brigandage and Susie Honeyman of The Mekons, with John Keeble of Spandau Ballet contributing drums to the latter two tracks. Concert dates were planned for September 2008, but were postponed until 2010. In August 2008, drummer Stuart Mizon left the band due to family commitments, but returned to the fold in early 2009, while former Back to Zero guitarist and songwriter Sam Burnett joined on a full-time basis. In June 2009, Mark Taylor, formerly the keyboard player in Department S, rejoined the band on bass. A single, "Wonderful Day", was released in August 2009.
In February 2010, the band made their live comeback at London's 100 Club, with more gigs undertaken throughout 2010, including appearances at the Rebellion Festival and Sinners Day Festival in Belgium. June 2011 saw the single release of "God Squad Saviour" b/w "Slave", followed by the live album Mr Nutley's Strange Delusionarium, both issued by Sartorial. The band played at the Hertals Rocks Festival in Belgium in October 2011, and at the 2012 Benicassim Festival in Spain.
In April 2014, former Public Image Ltd bass player Pete Jones joined Department S to play various live dates through 2014.
Discography
Singles
| Year | Singles | UK Singles Chart | US Hot Dance Club Play | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | "I'm Gonna Rough My Girlfriend's Boyfriend Up Tonight" | Korova | Band then billed as Guns for Hire | ||
| 1981 | "Is Vic There?"[2] | No. 22 | Demon | B-side; "Solid Gold Easy Action" | |
| 1981 | "Is Vic There?" (remixed) | No. 67 | Stiff | B-side; "Put All the Crosses in the Right Boxes" | |
| 1981 | "Going Left Right"[2] | No. 55 | Stiff | B-side; "She's Expecting You" | |
| 1981 | "I Want" | Stiff | B-side; "Monte Carlo or Bust" | ||
| 2007 | "My Coo-Ca-Choo" | Sartorial | |||
| 2009 | "Wonderful Day" | Sartorial |
Albums
| Year | Albums | UK | US | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Is Vic There? | Mau Mau | Compilation album | ||
| 2003 | Sub-Stance | LTM | Unreleased 1981 album, together with all tracks from their three UK singles, as well as previously unheard live and demo tracks |
Band members
1980-1981
- Vaughn Toulouse (born Vaughn Cotillard, 30 July 1959, St Helier, Jersey, Channel Islands; died August 1991) – Vocals
- Mike Herbage – Guitar
- Eddie Roxy (born Anthony Edward Lloyd-Barnes) – Keyboards (1980)
- Mark Taylor – Keyboards (1981)
- Tony Lordan – Bass (1980)
- Jimmy Hughes – Bass (1981)
- Stuart Mizon – Drums (1980)
- John Hasler – Drums (1981)
2007–present
- Eddie Roxy – Vocals, keyboards
- Mike Herbage – Guitar
- Stuart Mizon – Drums
- Sam Burnett – Guitar
- Mark Bedford – Bass
- John Keeble – Drums
- Terry Edwards – Saxophone
- Susie Honeyman – Strings
- Michelle Brigandage – Backing vocals
- Pete Jones - Bass
- Phil Thompson - Guitar
