Ian Lowery
Ian Lowery | |
---|---|
Born | Hartlepool, England | 27 March 1956
Died | 14 July 2001 London, England | (aged 45)
Genres | Punk rock, post-punk, alternative rock |
Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, poet |
Years active | 1978–2001 |
Labels | Situation Two |
Website | ianlowery |
Ian Lowery (27 March 1956 – 14 July 2001) was an English vocalist and poet who fronted several bands, including The Wall, Ski Patrol, Folk Devils, and King Blank, as well as recording as a solo artist.
Career
The punk rock years: the Prefabs and the Wall
Ian Lowery was born in
Lowery then formed The Wall with art college friends John "Joe" Hammond (lead guitar), Andy Gr/iffiths (bass), and Bruce Archibald (drums).
Ski Patrol, F for Fake, and Phantom White Limb
Having relocated to London, Lowery teamed up with another art college friend, Nick Clift, to form Ski Patrol, recruiting Balmer and Archibald to complete the lineup.
Lowery and Clift then teamed up again in Phantom White Limb, which also included Hammond, Louie Sasportas, and Dave Cringle. They recorded four tracks which were set for release before the Malicious Damage label folded. The band split up shortly after.
Folk Devils
In 1983, Lowery and Kris Jozajtis formed Folk Devils, with the aim of producing music that was "a cross between Country Blues and Einstürzende Neubauten".
King Blank, the Ian Lowery Group, solo work, and subsequent bands
Still contracted to Situation Two, Lowery recorded with a fluid lineup of musicians under the King Blank name.
With his Situation Two contract ending in 1990, Lowery subsequently recorded as a solo artist, releasing the single "Time is Gone" in 1992.
In 1992, Lowery relocated to Edinburgh and teamed up with local musicians to form Drug of Choice, the band releasing the album Cooler in 1993.[12][13] While in Edinburgh he also produced recordings by other bands and continued to write poetry.
Relocating to London in 1994, Lowery formed Blacklist, later to become Memory Zero. He went on to form SquareJohn in 1998 with two female violinists and in 2001 formed SlumRich along with Jim Ledbetter (drums), Nicky Green (guitar), and Joe Griephan (bass).[14]
Death and legacy
On 14 July 2001, Lowery was found dead in his London flat.[15]
Several compilation albums including much previously unreleased material by Lowery and his various bands have been released since his death.[12][13][16][17]
Discography
with The Wall
- "New Way" (1979), Small Wonder
- "Kiss the Mirror"/"Exchange" (1979), Small Wonder - UK Independent no. 26[6]
- A New Way to Peroxide (2021) (compilation)
with Ski Patrol
- "Everything is Temporary" (1980), Clever Metal - UK Independent no. 44[6]
- "Agent Orange" (1980), Malicious Damage
- "Cut"/"Faith in Transition" (1981), Malicious Damage
- "Bright Shiny Things" (1982), Clever Metal
- Versions Of A Life (Recordings 1979-1981) (2014), Definitive Gaze (compilation)
with Folk Devils
- "Hank Turns Blue" (1984), Ganges – UK Independent no. 9[6]
- "Beautiful Monster" (1984), Ganges – UK Independent no. 4[6]
- Fire and Chrome EP (1985), Karbon - UK Independent no. 10[6]
- "The Best Protection" (1987), Situation Two - UK Independent no. 22[6]
- Goodnight Irony LP (1987), Situation Two
- The Best Protection & the BBC Sessions (2015), Beggars Banquet (compilation)
- Beautiful Monsters - Singles And Demo Recordings 1984-1986 (2016), Optic Nerve (compilation)
King Blank
- "Mouth Off" (1988), Situation Two
- "Uptight" (1988), Situation Two
- "Blind Box" (1988), Situation Two
- The Real Dirt (1988), Situation Two
The Ian Lowery Group
- "Need" (1989), Situation Two
- King Blank to * the Ian Lowery Group (1989), Situation Two
with Drug of Choice
- Cooler (1993), Three Lines
Solo
- "Ian Lowery Speaks" (1990), Eva-Tone Soundheets (flexi-disc)
- "Time Is Gone"/"Sucker Punch" (1992), Resivu
- Get Out the Sun (2014), Spectacle Music Ltd. (compilation)
- Ironic (2015), Spectacle Music Ltd. (compilation)
- Agent Orange'92 plus Drug of Choice Sessions (2017), Spectacle Music Ltd. (compilation)
- The Eye of the Beholder (2019), Spectacle Music Ltd. (compilation)
- But Even Stars Must Die (compilation)
References
- ^ Parry, Brian (1976) "Pub Rock is the Road to Big Time", Sunderland Echo, 6 March 1978, p. 9
- ^ ISBN 1-84195-335-0, p. 404, 564
- ^ ISBN 978-1-901447-24-8, pp. 255–257
- ^ ISBN 0-563-36452-1, p. 245, 294
- ^ Peacock, Tim (2016) "Beautiful Monsters (Singles & Demo Recordings 1984-86) | Folk Devils", Record Collector, Issue 457, 10 August 2016
- ^ ISBN 0-9517206-9-4
- Aberdeen Evening Express, 22 July 1987, p. 4
- ^ a b c Young, John "Folk Devils", Trouser Press. Retrieved 31 January 2021
- Aberdeen Press and Journal, 14 May 1988, p. 27
- ^ Popson, Tom (1988) "Roy Orbison Soars; Danny Partridge Surfaces", Chicago Tribune, 5 August 1988. Retrieved 31 January 2021
- ^ Kiley, Penny (1989) "Lowery Is Brushing Up on Success", Liverpool Echo, 12 August 1989, p. 7
- ^ a b Ranson, Gerry (2018) "Going Blank Again!", Vive Le Rock!, 12 June 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2021
- ^ a b Dan, Jen (2017) "Ian Lowery (1956 – 2001) – Singer, Songwriter, Musician, and Producer", Rebel Noise, 23 August 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2021
- ^ Peacock, Tim (2015) "Get Out The Sun | Ian Lowery", Record Collector, Issue 437, 28 January 2015. Retrieved 31 January 2021
- ^ Ranson, Gerry (2020) "Folk Devils Unveil New Music", Vive Le Rock!, 27 July 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2021
- ^ Robb, John (2016) "Folk Devils to release complete singles And demos box set", Louder Than War, 20 July 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2021
- ^ Canty, Ian (2021) "The Wall: A New Way To Peroxide – album review", Louder Than War, 31 January 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2021