The Piranhas
The Piranhas | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Brighton, England |
| Genres | Punk |
| Years active | 1977–1982 |
| Labels | Sire, Anagram Records |
| Members | Bob Grover Dick Slexia Johnny Helmer Reginald Frederick Hornsbury Zoot Alors Al Hambra |
The Piranhas were a
Career
The Piranhas formed in 1977, and were originally part of the Brighton punk scene, first coming to prominence when
Much later it also became a popular chant amongst British
Guitarist Johnny Helmer went on to become a songwriter. He is best known for writing lyrics for Marillion's second incarnation with Steve Hogarth, after the departure of original singer Fish. He also published a novel entitled Mother Tongue in 1999. As a day job, he works in marketing for a Brighton company (as of 1999).[3]
The band gave their blessing to a song that entered the UK chart in 2005, a remake of their biggest hit entitled "
In 2015 Grover and Helmer featured in the BBC's Top of the Pops: The Story of 1980 documentary.[6] Alongside their 1980 performance and interviews with both, the film also features rare tour footage and John Peel soundbites.
In 2018 drummer Dick Slexia (real name Richard Adland), died of lung cancer.[7]
Original line-up (1977–1981)
- Bob Grover - guitarist, lead vocals, trumpeter
- Dick Slexia (real name Richard Adland)[7] - drummer
- Johnny Helmer (born 1956) - guitarist, vocals
- Reginald Frederick Hornsbury - bassist
- Zoot Alors (real name Phil Collis) - saxophonist
- Al Hambra (Alan Bines) - stand in saxophonist, who played whilst Collis recuperated from the effects of a car accident.
Discography
Studio album
| Year | Album | Label | UK
[1] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | The Piranhas | Sire Records | 69 |
Compilation albums
- Tom Hark - The Piranhas Collection (Anagram Records, 2004)
- The Complete Collection (Anagram Records, 2021)
Singles
| Year | Song | Certifications | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | "Space Invaders" | — | |
| "Coloured Music" | — | ||
| "Yap - Yap - Yap" | — | ||
| 1980 | "I Don't Want My Body" | — | |
| "Tom Hark" | 6 | ||
| 1981 | "Vi Gela Gela" | — | |
| 1982 | "Zambezi" | 17 | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||
References
- ^ ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ "YouTube". YouTube. Archived from the original on 25 March 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
- ^ a b Jane Ridley (15 October 1999). "Eighties hit is No.1 with soccer fans". The Mirror. Archived from the original on 30 December 2004.
- ^ "Brighton fans single makes top 20". BBC News. 10 January 2005. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
- ^ "Tom Hark (We Want Falmer) - The Story of a Hit!". Attilathestockbroker.com. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
- ^ "The Story of 1980". Top of the Pops. 2 January 2015. BBC. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
- ^ a b Walton, Josh (11 January 2018). "Bandmates pay tribute to punk rock drummer". The Argus. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
- ^ "PIRANHAS - full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
- ^ "Piranhas - Tom Hark". bpi.co.uk. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
External links
| International | |
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| Artists | |
