Stephen Nancy
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Stephen Nancy were a 3-piece political punk rock band from Manchester, UK, whose short life span (2000 - 2002) is remembered by many in the Manchester area. Gay lead singer and band songwriter Ste McCabe caused much confusion and sometimes outrage both onstage and with the band's locally famous flyposter campaign which often included tongue-in-cheek homophobic slurs and sexist stereotypes (other band members were female and feminist). In 2001 Ste was arrested for damaging public property when spray painting "Free Stephen Nancy" across Manchester with Julia Fenlon, a campaign which was accompanied by flyposters claiming "Stephen Nancy arrested for outspoken homosexuality". In an interview for the Manchester Evening News in 2000, Ste threatened to shoot hip hop artist Eminem (famed for homophobic lyrics, although many claimed it was irony) and the paper was inundated with complaints. Frontman Ste was often confrontational at Stephen Nancy shows and often was involved with very public disputes (usually when onstage) with other bands.
The line up was Ste McCabe (Vocals, guitar), Sarah Crewe (Bass) and Cath Geiss (Drums), although Ste's brother, left-wing poet Chris McCabe, was the drummer in the band's second year after Cath Geiss left the band.
The band wrote a one-off fanzine called Culture Sucks in 2002, discussing queer and feminist politics with a focus on the UK's alternative music scene.
Stephen Nancy self-released three EP's on their own label, Nancy Records; Detect and Abort, Worthless EP and No Apologies, although how many of these CD's were in distribution is not known but thought to be very limited and copies extremely rare.
The band split in 2002 after the band all moved to London. Ste moved back to Manchester after seven months, apparently not taking to London life. The band did a few more gigs in Manchester and then split up.
Ste McCabe has since began performing as a solo artist with releases on Cherryade Records, using a drum machine and a guitar, showing a more pop sensibility than previously with Stephen Nancy, although still clearly concerned with gay and feminist issues. Sarah Crewe and Chris McCabe married in 2006 and have since become parents to a boy, Pavel Crewe-McCabe. The couple now live in Essex.
