Paul Vickers

Paul Vickers

Paul Vickers AKA Mr. Twonkey in 2014
Background information
Genres Indie rock, alternative rock, lo-fi, cabaret, comedy
Years active 1996–present
Labels eastwest, SL,
Associated acts Dawn of the Replicants, The Leg
Website twonkey.blogspot.co.uk

Paul Vickers is the vocalist and lyricist with cult rock band Dawn of the Replicants. After the group went on indefinite hiatus in 2007, he continued to release music with various collaborators as well as branching out into comedy and writing. Since 2010 he has performed an award nominated annual cabaret show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe as Mr. Twonkey.[1] He has also released three albums with Edinburgh band The Leg. In 2013 he published his first book, Itchy Grumble.

Early Years

Vickers moved to Galashiels from Marske-by-the-Sea to work on a short-lived Scottish music magazine, Sun Zoom Spark.[2] Several of the contributors formed the band Dawn of the Replicants and landed a major label record deal with eastwest, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group. Despite strong reviews and the backing of DJ John Peel, the group were dropped from eastwest after two albums. They continued releasing new material to critical acclaim on independent labels until Fangs (2006), their last studio album to date. Vickers also released an album of electronica with Replicants band member Roger Simian as Pluto Monkey in 2000.[3]

Comedy

Vickers, who enjoyed talking to the audience between songs at live shows, had long been encouraged to try his hand at stand-up. In 2008, he released a comedy album Recording The Impossible in collaboration with Andy Currie. The album featured impersonations by Currie, elaborate sketches and musical backing, inspired by the likes of Ivor Cutler, the Jerky Boys, Chris Morris and Tom Waits.[4] By 2009, Vickers was performing one-off stand-up gigs around Edinburgh as a solo act.[5]

Mr. Twonkey

In 2010, he made his debut at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, performing Twonkey's Cottage throughout the month of August. He has performed a new ‘Twonkey’ show at each subsequent Fringe Festival (and the Brighton Festival since 2012). Title character ‘Twonkey’ was initially a small on-stage puppet, described as ‘half dragon, half witch, all accountant’[6] and she featured heavily in the absurdist storytelling. By his fourth show, Twonkey’s Blue Cadabra, the puppet was gone, with Vickers himself referred to as Mr. Twonkey. His on-stage persona has been described as ‘Harpo Marx on heroin,’[7] as he tells 'tales of such ridiculousness that they make the works of Edward Lear sound like the Six O’Clock News.'[8]

The shows have been a critical success, garnering positive reviews from, amongst others, The Scotsman[9] and Time Out,[10] where the show’s unique peculiarity allowed it to be described as ‘a steaming pile of twaddle’ in a four star review.

2013's Twonkey’s Blue Cadabra ‘about young Stan Laurel’s sexual yearnings, a flying Parisian tailor and a girl who regrettably booked a skiing holiday while on ecstasy,’[11] had 'a warmth that's often missing from absurdism.'[12] It was nominated for a 2013 TO&ST Award[13] for Best Cabaret at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which lead to a 2014 performance at London's Soho Theatre.[14]

Fifth show Twonkey’s Private Restaurant opened in 2014, featuring tales of ‘time travel, puffer fish and dictators,'[15] and rated as ‘oddly entertaining and utterly bizarre,'[16] and ‘mind-boggling from start to finish’.[17] Time Out described it as ‘a dog's dinner of unexpected, absurd, even offensive content. But it’s also a classic.’[18]

Music

Since Dawn of the Replicants went on hiatus, Vickers has continued to release music. His collaborators include Replicants bandmates, The Leg, Pierre Chandeze and various local musicians.

Paul Vickers & The Leg

After the last Dawn of the Replicants album, Vickers joined up with Edinburgh band The Leg. Their first release, the ‘brilliant but frightening’[19] Tropical Favourites, came out in early 2008 as Paul Vickers & The Leg. The ‘majestic debut’[20] was followed by Itchy Grumble in 2010. Described as a ‘demented Beefheartian blues punk clatter,’[21] Vickers would return to the story behind this ‘glorious mini rock opera’[22] in 2013 with his debut novel.[23] The band’s third album, The Greengrocer, was initially announced in 2012 but not released until 2014.

Paul Vickers and Friends

Vickers has also been ‘turning out magnificently warped albums on an annual basis’[24] to accompany his Fringe shows. The first in 2010, Fucking Storys, was composed almost entirely of spoken word absurdist comedy. Since Oom-pah! in 2011, the albums have consisted of a roughly even mix of spoken word and songs. Oom-Pah! was from Paul Vickers and The Vicarage,[25] but subsequent albums have been credited to Paul Vickers and Friends, possibly to avoid any confusion that The Vicarage were an actual backing band. 2012’s Nest of Knickers included four new songs by Dawn of the Replicants, the first tracks credited to the band since 2007.[26] The album also featured his first collaborations with Parisian musician Pierre Chandeze, credited as Paul & Pierre.

Vickers, who stated he ‘always wanted to try every single area of the arts before I die’,[27] added the radio play to his repertoire with Pissed as a Postman: The Radio Play, the closing track to 2014’s Giddy World.

Writing

An expansion of the storyline first presented in the 2010 album Itchy Grumble finally appeared in prose form, which Vickers considered a huge achievement given his dyslexia.[28] In 2012 he won the Shortbread Stories: Self Publish or Perish competition[29] and Itchy Grumble (the book) was released in 2013. It also contained 27 short stories taken from the Twonkey shows and albums from 2010 to 2013.[30] He also produced an audiobook of Itchy Grumble in 2014.

Shows

Discography

Recording The Impossible

Paul Vickers (and Friends)

Paul Vickers & The Leg

Bibliography

External links

References

  1. ↑ http://www.comedy.co.uk/fringe/2014/twonkeys_restaurant/
  2. ↑ http://slrecords.net/dawnofthereplicants/
  3. ↑ http://www.shiftydisco.co.uk/plutomonkey/brendai.html
  4. ↑ http://slrecords.net/rti_biog.php
  5. ↑ http://slrecords.net/paulvickers/lone75.php
  6. ↑ http://www.theskinny.co.uk/comedy/reviews/302539-paul_vickers_twonkeys_kingdom
  7. ↑ http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/twonkey-s-kingd-alternative-fri-7731
  8. ↑ http://www.wow247.co.uk/blog/2013/08/15/comedy-reviews-richard-herring-phill-jupitus-red-bastard-set-list-twonkeys-blue-cadabra-adrienne-truscott/
  9. ↑ http://www.wow247.co.uk/blog/2014/08/08/twonkeys-private-restaurant-free/
  10. ↑ http://www.timeout.com/london/comedy/twonkeys-private-restaurant-review
  11. ↑ http://www.timeout.com/london/cabaret/twonkeys-blue-cadabra-review
  12. ↑ http://www.theskinny.co.uk/comedy/fringe_2013/305639-paul_vickers_twonkeys_blue_cadabra
  13. ↑ http://www.timeout.com/london/cabaret/to-st-2013-nominees-announced
  14. ↑ http://www.sohotheatre.com/whats-on/twonkeys-blue-cadabra-with-paul-vickers/
  15. ↑ http://www.isthismusic.com/twonkeys-private-restaurant
  16. ↑ http://edinburgh.fringeguru.com/reviews/edinburgh-2014/twonkeys-private-restaurant-free
  17. ↑ http://www.broadwaybaby.com/shows/twonkeys-private-restaurant/37023
  18. ↑ http://www.timeout.com/london/comedy/twonkeys-private-restaurant-review
  19. ↑ https://www.list.co.uk/article/6240-paul-vickers-and-the-leg-tropical-favourites/
  20. ↑ https://www.list.co.uk/article/23375-paul-vickers-and-the-leg-itchy-grumble/
  21. ↑ http://www.scotsman.com/news/album-reviews-glee-paul-vickers-and-the-leg-guillaume-connesson-mark-lockheart-and-the-ndr-big-band-the-bevvy-sisters-ali-farka-toure-and-toumani-diabate-1-790597
  22. ↑ http://www.heraldscotland.com/a-real-mix-of-talents-in-the-early-hours-1.838555
  23. ↑ http://slrecords.net/paulvickers/lone75.php
  24. ↑ http://www.scotsman.com/what-s-on/music/music-review-paul-vickers-nest-of-knickers-1-2450929
  25. ↑ http://slrecords.net/paulvickers/lone88.php
  26. ↑ http://www.scotsman.com/what-s-on/music/music-review-paul-vickers-nest-of-knickers-1-2450929
  27. ↑ https://edinburghfestival.list.co.uk/article/53471-paul-vickers-presents-ivor-cutlerian-nonsense-in-twonkeys-blue-cadabra/
  28. ↑ http://www.wow247.co.uk/blog/2014/08/02/interview-paul-vickers-aka-mr-twonkey-returns-to-the-free-fringe/
  29. ↑ http://shortbreadstories.wordpress.com/2012/08/13/and-the-self-publish-or-perish-winner-is/
  30. ↑ http://itchygrumble.net/