The Dancing Did
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The Dancing Did were a short-lived British Punk Folk Rock group.
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[edit] Formation
In 1979 vocalist Tim Harrison convinced school friend and active guitarist Martyn Dormer to join him on his musical quest. Tim’s brother Ollie played drums with The Photos and was roped in for two DIY independent singles, with the eponymous single in 1979, and then in 1980 for ‘Squashed Things On The Road’, both on their own Fruit & Veg label.
Supporting The Photos that year at a local gig convinced Tim he wanted do a lot more of it, while Martyn insisted they needed a band, and so recruited his drumming friend Chris Houghton. A capable local muso Mick Davies (Dick Crazies) joined on bass, soon replaced by Stuart Dyke, who only appears on a recording for a Chainsaw fanzine flexi of ‘The Rhythm Section Sticks Together.’ Stuart was killed in a car crash in 1981 (which led to the formation of the band Finish The Story by his girlfriend Nicola), by which time the Dids were making quite a live reputation for themselves and getting a lot of positive press.[citation needed]
Replacing Stuart was John Wallin, better known as Wally, who soon gave way to Roger Smith that year. They released a single, ‘The Lost Platoon’ with Stiff Records in 1981, and then switched to Kamera Records in 1982 to release two singles, ‘Badger Boys’ and ‘The Green Man And The March Of The Bungalows’, and an album, ‘And Did Those Feet’.
[edit] Disbanding
The band split up in 1983, leaving some unreleased material which will shortly see the light of musical day.
To quote writer Mick Mercer, who regards them as his all-time favourite British group: “The Dancing Did were also unique, not something ascribed to many bands. Like an unholy union of Punk, Folk, Rockabilly/Bebop and true English Goth imagery, you can plot them on a creative line somewhere between CS Lewis, Alan Garner, Mervyn Peake, P. G. Wodehouse and The Avengers; Pagan legends, various ghosts and Vikings invading village greens rubbing lyrical shoulders alongside nuclear war, feral wolves and burning witches. What other band could have started a song with the lyrics, ‘Take good care of your petticoats Alice, if you want to play cricket with your brother’? Hell, I’m shocked that their final gig wasn’t honoured with a Spitfire flypast, but you can’t have everything.”
[edit] Recent Activity
Tim became a magazine designer and had no further musical activity.
Dick Crazies and Wally appear to have disappeared.
Martyn dallied briefly with iconic Did roadie-turned-troubador Bod, in the multi-membered burlesque rock 'n' roll outfit The Big Beat Band, performing randomly around the Cotswolds at balls and country house parties.
Roger Smith worked with Rhythm Oil and then Underneath.
Martyn moved to the West Country where he was in folk duo, Man Overboard, but currently scares onlookers with Skiffle Haze, a ukulele band formed when "Hendrix’s ghost specifically asked Martyn to fulfil his destiny". He is also forming a duo with Bill Smarme, The Red Hot Lovers.
Drummer Chris Houghton didn’t play for a long while but then joined covers band The Bassetts, which led to R&B specialists The Disciples, which in turn morphed into a pub/club/function band of the same name, who became so popular locally that even now, several years after they officially disbanded, they are still called on to perform. After leaving the Disciples Chris returned to the blues/r&b vein as a founder member of Doctor's Orders who's tagline is 'good time blues blues with a twist of funk, rock, swing & jazz'. The most recent development in his musical "career" is his teaming up with 20 year old songwriter/singer/guitarist Emma Howett to form (with others) the lively Will Dance For Chocolate who's music was described by a local reviewer as 'unashamed bubblegum pop' and by Emma as 'Stalker Pop'.
