The Bureau

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The Bureau were a New Wave soul group formed in late 1980 in Birmingham, England when the original lineup of Dexy's Midnight Runners split-up.

Ex-Dexy's members Pete Williams (bass), Geoff Blythe (tenor sax), Steve Spooner (alto sax), Stoker (drums), and Mick Talbot (keyboards) were joined by Paul Taylor (trombone), Rob Jones (guitar and trumpet), and Archie Brown (vocals) from a group called The Upset which had supported Dexy's on tour. The Bureau retained their Dexy's roots and played powerful brass driven sounds.

The debut single Only For Sheep was a big hit in Australia, reaching #6^[1], but failed to reach the British charts - as did the follow up single Let Him Have It, inspired by the great miscarriage of justice that was the Derek Bentley / Christopher Craig case. An eponymously titled album was released in 1981, but only in Canada and Australia and the band members went their separate ways soon afterwards. The album was finally released in Britain in 2005 and the band reunited to play two launch gigs in London and Birmingham in February that year.

Talbot went on to enjoy greater success with Paul Weller in The Style Council, while Brown formed Flag with ex-Secret Affair guitarist Dave Cairns. His current band, Archie Brown and The Young Bucks, is based in Newcastle, with a catalogue of 9 albums and a line-up of Brown (vocals, sax, guitar), Patrick Rafferty (vocals, accordion, guitar, lap steel guitar, keyboards), Ian Thompson (bass), Phil Screaton (lead guitar) and Neil Ramshaw (drums). Blythe teamed up with former colleague Big Jim Paterson in The TKO Horns. Pete Williams went on to form the band These Tender Virtues in the mid-1980s and more recently, Baseheart.