| The Monochrome Set | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Hornsey, London, England |
| Genres | Post-punk |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, bass, drums, keyboards |
| Years active | 1978–1985 1990–1998 2008–present |
| Labels | Rough Trade DinDisc Cherry Red Blanco y Negro Records Warner Bros. |
| Associated acts | Adam and the Ants Scarlet's Well Would-be-goods |
| Members | |
| Bid Lester Square Andy Warren |
|
| Past members | |
| J.D. Haney Charlie Harper Jeremy Harrington Philip Morris Lexington Crane Orson Presence Carrie Booth Nicholas Weslowski James 'Foz' Foster Tony Potts |
|
The Monochrome Set are an English post-punk band originally formed in 1978 from the remnants of a college group called The B-Sides (whose members had included Stuart Goddard, later known as Adam Ant).[1][2] The band is notable for its witty lyrics, the laconic delivery of lead singer Bid, and the idiosyncratically retrogressive playing style of original lead guitarist Lester Square.
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The original line-up consisted of Indian-born lead singer and principal songwriter Bid (real name Ganesh Seshadri), Canadian guitarist Lester Square (real name Thomas W.B. Hardy), drummer John D. Haney, and bassist Charlie Harper. The band went through several bassists in the next few years, including Jeremy Harrington, and Andy Warren of the Ants, a childhood friend of Bid.[3]
Experimental filmmaker Tony Potts began collaborating with the band in 1979, designing lighting and stage sets with film projections for their live appearances. The band's early persona was defined by the shadowy, uncertain stage images created by the films to such an extent he is often described as being the band's "fifth member".
They released several singles for the Rough Trade label before recording their debut album, Strange Boutique, produced by Bob Sargeant, for Virgin Records' imprint DinDisc in 1980. It peaked at #62 in the UK Albums Chart in 1980.[4] Their follow-up effort, Love Zombies, was produced by Alvin Clark and the band later that same year. Haney left the band in 1981, and was replaced by Lexington Crane.
In 1982, the band switched labels to Cherry Red to release their third album, Eligible Bachelors, produced by Tim Hart. Square and Crane left soon afterwards, and were replaced by keyboardist Carrie Booth and drummer Nicholas Weslowski. This line-up recorded 1982 single, "Cast a Long Shadow", for Cherry Red before Booth was in turn replaced by new lead guitarist James 'Foz' Foster (later of David Devant & His Spirit Wife).
In 1983, Cherry Red released Volume, Contrast, Brilliance..., a retrospective of the band's early Rough Trade singles, BBC and Capital Radio sessions, and other unreleased early sessions.
In 1985, with the same line-up as on Cast a Long Shadow, The Monochrome Set recorded The Lost Weekend for Warner Bros. Records. The Lost Weekend failed commercially, and after a few singles, the band officially broke up, though they served as Jessica Griffin's backing band on the first album by the Would-Be-Goods, The Camera Loves Me.
In early 1990, Bid, Square and Warren reformed the band, with the addition of keyboardist Orson Presence and drummer Mike Slocombe (who was quickly replaced by Trevor Ready). The new band toured extensively, especially in Japan, where Bid had become a star. The band released several low-key albums for Cherry Red during the 1990s, before going on hiatus in 1998.
Bid has since recorded a number of albums with his new band, Scarlet's Well. The song, "He's Frank", appeared on the TV series Heroes. The recording used was a cover version of the original recorded by the Brighton Port Authority (aka. Fatboy Slim) featuring Iggy Pop.
The band reunited on 8 October 2008 for a one-off performance at Cherry Red's 30th anniversary party at Dingwalls, London. It also marked the 30th year of The Monochrome Set. Bid, Warren and Square were joined by Jennifer Denitto (drums) and Sian Dada (keyboards) of Scarlet's Well, and performed thirteen songs.
In 2011, Bid, Square and Warren reformed the band, with the addition of drummer Jennifer Denitto from Scarlet's Well and keyboard player John Paul Moran. The band played dates in the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Greece, Japan and The Netherlands.