Benny Profane
Encyclopedia
Benny Profane were a Liverpool
band that existed from 1985 until 1990. They released two albums, various singles and EPs, and recorded three John Peel
sessions.
split up in 1985, singer Dave Jackson and bassist
Becky Stringer recruited Joe McKechnie (guitar
/drums
, formerly of The Passage
) to form Benny Profane. After recording their first demo with Will Sergeant
helping out on guitar they were joined by Robin Surtees. The name was taken from a character in the Thomas Pynchon
novel, V.
. The first release was "Where is Pig?" (the title also a reference to V) on Sub Pop UK (not related to the US label Sub Pop
). They then signed to Leeds indie
label
, Ediesta, releasing three more singles in 1987 and 1988. The band had three drummers at various times, Dave Brown, Roger Sinek and Liam Rice. The band moved to Dave Haslam
's Manchester
indie label, Play Hard.
1989 saw the release of the Ian Broudie
produced "Skateboard To Oblivion" single and their debut album
, Trapdoor Swing. They then switched label again to Imaginary, for a further single and the second album, Dumbluck Charm (the CD version of which also included the debut album). The band split up in the summer of 1990. Jackson and Stringer then formed Dust, followed by The Dead Cowboys. Dave Jackson released his first solo album on Higuera records in 2010, with Cathedral Mountain recorded and produced with John Head and Tim O'Shea.
with
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
band that existed from 1985 until 1990. They released two albums, various singles and EPs, and recorded three John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
sessions.
History
When The RoomThe Room (band)
The Room were a post punk band from Liverpool formed in late 1979. They released three albums and several singles before breaking up in 1985. Two of the band members went on to form Benny Profane, Dust and Dead Cowboys.-History:...
split up in 1985, singer Dave Jackson and bassist
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
Becky Stringer recruited Joe McKechnie (guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
/drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, formerly of The Passage
The Passage (band)
The Passage were a post-punk band from Manchester, UK who appeared on several record labels including Cherry Red Records, and their own label Night & Day, a subsidiary label to Virgin Records.-Biography:...
) to form Benny Profane. After recording their first demo with Will Sergeant
Will Sergeant
Will Sergeant is an English guitarist, best known for being a member of Echo & the Bunnymen. Born in the centre of Liverpool, he grew up in the suburb of Melling and attended nearby Deyes High School...
helping out on guitar they were joined by Robin Surtees. The name was taken from a character in the Thomas Pynchon
Thomas Pynchon
Thomas Ruggles Pynchon, Jr. is an American novelist. For his most praised novel, Gravity's Rainbow, Pynchon received the National Book Award, and is regularly cited as a contender for the Nobel Prize in Literature...
novel, V.
V.
V. is the debut novel of Thomas Pynchon, published in 1963. It describes the exploits of a discharged U.S. Navy sailor named Benny Profane, his reconnection in New York with a group of pseudo-bohemian artists and hangers-on known as the Whole Sick Crew, and the quest of an aging traveller named...
. The first release was "Where is Pig?" (the title also a reference to V) on Sub Pop UK (not related to the US label Sub Pop
Sub Pop
Sub Pop is a record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman in Seattle, Washington. Sub Pop achieved fame in the late 1980s for first signing Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney and many other bands from the Seattle music scene...
). They then signed to Leeds indie
Indie (music)
In music, independent music, often shortened to indie music or "indie" is a term used to describe independence from major commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, and an autonomous, Do-It-Yourself approach to recording and publishing....
label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, Ediesta, releasing three more singles in 1987 and 1988. The band had three drummers at various times, Dave Brown, Roger Sinek and Liam Rice. The band moved to Dave Haslam
Dave Haslam
Dave Haslam is an author and DJ. Originally from Moseley, Birmingham, and educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham. Having moved to Manchester in 1980, he DJ'd over 450 times at the Haçienda nightclub, including Thursday's Temperance club night in the late 1980s...
's Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
indie label, Play Hard.
1989 saw the release of the Ian Broudie
Ian Broudie
Ian Broudie is a British singer-songwriter, musician and record producer from Liverpool, England. After emerging from the post punk scene in Liverpool in the late 1970s as a member of Big in Japan, Broudie went on to form the short-lived groups Original Mirrors and Care in the early 1980s as well...
produced "Skateboard To Oblivion" single and their debut album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Trapdoor Swing. They then switched label again to Imaginary, for a further single and the second album, Dumbluck Charm (the CD version of which also included the debut album). The band split up in the summer of 1990. Jackson and Stringer then formed Dust, followed by The Dead Cowboys. Dave Jackson released his first solo album on Higuera records in 2010, with Cathedral Mountain recorded and produced with John Head and Tim O'Shea.
Lineup
- Dave Jackson - Vocals
- Joe McKechnie - Guitar/Drums
- Becky Stringer - Bass
- Robin Surtees - Guitar
with
- Peter Baker - Organ
- Dave Brown - Drums
- Roger Sinek - Drums
- Liam Rice - Drums
- Will SergeantWill SergeantWill Sergeant is an English guitarist, best known for being a member of Echo & the Bunnymen. Born in the centre of Liverpool, he grew up in the suburb of Melling and attended nearby Deyes High School...
- Guitar (on the band's first demo)
Singles and EPs
- "Where is Pig?" (1986, Sub Pop UK)
- "Devil Laughing" EP (1987, Ediesta)
- "Parasite" (1988, Ediesta)
- "Rob a Bank" (1988, Ediesta)
- "Skateboard to Oblivion" (1989, Play Hard)
- "Hey Waste Of Space" (1990, Imaginary Records)
External links
- Dave Jackson's biography of the band
- Video of one-off Benny Profane reunion
- John Peel Sessions