Sleepy People (British rock band)
Encyclopedia
Sleepy People was a British psychedelic rock
band known for eccentric, energetic songs and live performances, as well as for incubating three of the five future members of short-lived (but briefly famous) Britpop band, Ultrasound
.
Sleepy People should not be confused with The Sleepy People (a New Wave indie rock band from Oregon
) or Sleeping People (a Californian progressive rock
band.
, New Wave
pop
, punk
, and progressive rock
. Other ingredients have included noise-rock, nursery rhymes, ska
, Muzak
, bossa nova
, circus/fairground music, tango
and anything which the band members found inspiring. The band was strongly influenced by the theatrical British psychedelic band Cardiacs
and shared much of their sound, with other cited influences including The Monochrome Set
. The band’s lyrics varied from cheerful or sinister nonsense to surreal
representations of everyday life and hallucinatory twists on eccentric stories from tabloid newspapers.
, Newcastle
, which the members called "Sleepy Hall".) It began making itself a fixture on the small venues of the British live circuit, gaining attention via a bizarre stage act featuring eccentric costumes, make-up and haircuts plus music-hall-style comedy (in the manner of Split Enz
and Cardiacs
). Tiny Wood also made the most of his imposing stage presence and considerable bulk, dressing up in a variety of costumes (including one resembling a Chinese mandarin). Early supporters of the band included the "Organ" fanzine.
Though tuneful, Sleepy People's music was complicated, demanding and often considered noncommercial, winning over some audiences and confusing others. Paul Hope has commented, "The songs... were all part of a stage show that was designed to provoke a response on the soporific and conservative pub circuit up and down the country, and at that we excelled!" The band was also characterised by a frequent turnover of personnel. Between 1992 and 1995, Pete Haslam replaced Liz Wardby on keyboards, and Andy Peace replaced Kerry Harrison on drums (he himself was subsequently replaced by former Dead Flowers drummer Graeme Swaddle).
A major line-up change followed in 1995 when Wood, Green and Haslam all amicably left Sleepy People in order to move to London and set up a new band with Andy Peace. Initially called Pop-A-Cat-A-Petal, this band (now minus Haslam, and adding Vanessa Best and Matt Jones), cut down on their early progressive rock instincts and eventually became the more glamorous Ultrasound
.
To replace the departed members, Paul Hope and Rachel Theresa Hope recruited singer Phil "Earl Slick" Sears (who would become godfather to their newborn baby girl Dorothy Pippin Hope), bass player Bill Bailey and keyboard player Danny Orange. "Home Is Where Your Telly Is/Hanghar" (a self-released double A-side single featuring the new lineup), kept up the momentum. Orange and Bailey both left in 1997, to be respectively replaced by Anna Blaydon (also known as "Anna Tanglewood") and Gary "Spangles" Bowden.
violinist Graham Clark
made a guest appearance on the album. Several songs from this period were recorded for a live-in-the-studio mini-album called Paint a Ceiling On the Sky, which was released on cassette.
Further line-up changes followed in 1998. Phil Sears left the band to try his own luck in London (and, later, Australia). Gary Bowden also left, following clashes with Hope. They were replaced by bass player Mark Greenwood and teenage singer Lee Haley. This lineup of Sleepy People recorded the 1998 cassette single "All Systems Fail/Every Wave Is Higher On The Beach". Haley was a lighter singer than Sears, and brought an air of cool insouciance to the band, which by now had jettisoned most of the make-up, costumes, and theatrics in favour of letting the music work by itself. At this point, Ultrasound were rising stars on the Britpop scene: Paul Hope remained friendly with the former Sleepy People members in Ultrasound's line-up, and cheerfully exploited the connection between the two bands.
Lee Haley’s time with the band was brief, and he left in 1999 to form a more straightforward band called The Embassy. Phil Sears obliged the band by filling in for several gigs, but was unable to make a long-term commitment. Haley's eventual replacement as singer was Mark Dunphy (the brother of Cud
guitarist Mike Dunphy), whose more flamboyant style returned the band to their previous sound.
imagery). The band’s initial line-up was identical to the final Sleepy People line-up – Mark Dunphy (lead vocals), Paul Hope (guitar, backing vocals), Rachel Theresa (flute, backing vocals), Graeme Swaddle (drums), Anna Blaydon (keyboards), and bass player Tom Evans (who'd replaced Mark Greenwood).
Initially, the name change led to a new lease of life for the band. The band recorded a new double A-side single – ("Who’s That Calling?/Sunshine Valley Paradise Club" – which was released as a one-off arrangement with cult Oxford indie label Shifty Disco
. Both songs were inspired by bizarre true-life newspaper stories: a tale of a man falling off a bridge while conversing on his cellphone, and one of unpleasant goings on in a retirement home. Former Sleepy People/Ultrasound member Richard Green (by now leading his own Leeds-based band, The Somatics) added noise-guitar to "Sunshine Valley Paradise Club". The single attracted attention from the national music press, leading to an appearance in Melody Maker
. Blue Apple Boy followed up with a more sinister single called "Freak" (released on the band’s own Bad Apple Records) which dealt with vigilante/mob violence and was inspired by the then-current paedophile panic in the UK (during which several innocent people had been harmed by mobs on the suspicion of being paedophiles). However, "Freak" did not gain the same level of attention as its predecessor, which added to the band's continuing instability. In 2001, Dunphy was asked to leave the band after falling out with Hope, and Evans and Blaydon also left.
work to her flute-playing and singing duties. At around the same time, Paul Hope renewed his musical relationship with Tiny Wood (who had returned to Newcastle after the collapse of Ultrasound to form his new band, Siren). Wood agreed to join Blue Apple Boy as singer. Revitalised, the band set about assembling the debut Blue Apple Boy album. Wood re-recorded vocals for earlier songs (including some late Sleepy People ones), rewrote others and worked on new material with Hope.
Credited to "Blue Apple Boy featuring Tiny Wood", the Salient album was released on the Soma Sound label in 2002. It showed a further strengthening of the band's songwriting skills, including "Jump Start" (a rewrite of "Freak" with new Wood lyrics) and "Cold War" (another Wood co-write which was apparently a sequel to the Ultrasound anthem "Stay Young"). Although Wood sang on most tracks, the band was now pursuing a more flexible approach to vocals: Rachel Theresa sang lead vocals on "Leave The Mud For The Worms" and the bossa-nova song "The Moon Is Hungry" (influenced by G. I. Gurdjieff
) and the Hopes' two children featured on "Apples And Pears".
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
band known for eccentric, energetic songs and live performances, as well as for incubating three of the five future members of short-lived (but briefly famous) Britpop band, Ultrasound
Ultrasound (band)
Ultrasound are an English indie band, predominantly active during the late 1990s. Although the band's focal point was their tall, obese singer/guitarist Andrew "Tiny" Wood, the main songwriter was guitarist Richard Green, with the line-up completed by drummer Andy Peace, keyboardist Matt Jones and...
.
Sleepy People should not be confused with The Sleepy People (a New Wave indie rock band from Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
) or Sleeping People (a Californian progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
band.
Sound
In both incarnations, the band featured an eclectic sound blending psychedelic rockPsychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
, New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
, and progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
. Other ingredients have included noise-rock, nursery rhymes, ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
, Muzak
Elevator music
Elevator music refers to instrumental arrangements of popular music designed for playing in shopping malls, grocery stores, department stores, telephone systems , cruise ships, airports, doctors' and dentists' offices, and elevators...
, bossa nova
Bossa nova
Bossa nova is a style of Brazilian music. Bossa nova acquired a large following in the 1960s, initially consisting of young musicians and college students...
, circus/fairground music, tango
Tango music
Tango is a style of ballroom dance music in 2/4 or 4/4 time that originated among European immigrant populations of Argentina and Uruguay . It is traditionally played by a sextet, known as the orquesta típica, which includes two violins, piano, double bass, and two bandoneons...
and anything which the band members found inspiring. The band was strongly influenced by the theatrical British psychedelic band Cardiacs
Cardiacs
Cardiacs are an English alternative rock/psychedelic pop band formed in 1977 and led by Tim Smith. Noted for their complex, varied and intense compositional style and for their eccentric, theatrical stage shows, they have been hailed as an influence by bands as diverse as Blur, Faith No More and...
and shared much of their sound, with other cited influences including The Monochrome Set
The Monochrome Set
The Monochrome Set are an English post-punk band originally formed in 1978 from the remnants of a college group called The B-Sides...
. The band’s lyrics varied from cheerful or sinister nonsense to surreal
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
representations of everyday life and hallucinatory twists on eccentric stories from tabloid newspapers.
Early years
The band's roots were in a short-lived previous band called Pop Kid, led by guitarist/songwriter/backing vocalist Paul Hope. Sleepy People subsequently formed around a line-up of Hope, his wife Rachel Theresa (flute, backing vocals), Tiny Wood (lead vocals), Richard Green (bass), Kerry Harrison (drums) and Liz Wardby (keyboards). The band established itself in a run-down house in JesmondJesmond
Jesmond is a residential suburb and is split into two electoral wards just north of the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The population is about 12,000. It is adjacent to, and to the east of, the Town Moor, providing pedestrian and cycle paths to Spital Tongues and the city's two Universities...
, Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, which the members called "Sleepy Hall".) It began making itself a fixture on the small venues of the British live circuit, gaining attention via a bizarre stage act featuring eccentric costumes, make-up and haircuts plus music-hall-style comedy (in the manner of Split Enz
Split Enz
Split Enz were a New Zealand band of the 1970s and early 1980s featuring Phil Judd and brothers Tim Finn and Neil Finn. They achieved chart success in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada during the early 1980s ‒ most notably with the single "I Got You", and built a cult following elsewhere...
and Cardiacs
Cardiacs
Cardiacs are an English alternative rock/psychedelic pop band formed in 1977 and led by Tim Smith. Noted for their complex, varied and intense compositional style and for their eccentric, theatrical stage shows, they have been hailed as an influence by bands as diverse as Blur, Faith No More and...
). Tiny Wood also made the most of his imposing stage presence and considerable bulk, dressing up in a variety of costumes (including one resembling a Chinese mandarin). Early supporters of the band included the "Organ" fanzine.
Though tuneful, Sleepy People's music was complicated, demanding and often considered noncommercial, winning over some audiences and confusing others. Paul Hope has commented, "The songs... were all part of a stage show that was designed to provoke a response on the soporific and conservative pub circuit up and down the country, and at that we excelled!" The band was also characterised by a frequent turnover of personnel. Between 1992 and 1995, Pete Haslam replaced Liz Wardby on keyboards, and Andy Peace replaced Kerry Harrison on drums (he himself was subsequently replaced by former Dead Flowers drummer Graeme Swaddle).
Blunt Nails In A Sharp Wall and departures to Ultrasound
In 1994, the band issued their first album Blunt Nails In A Sharp Wall on self-released cassette. The songs – based on a broad template of tightly-played psychedelic pop – were eccentric and sometimes absurdist, with ingredients veering from disco ("Sordid Sentimental") to full-on progressive rock ("Rare Bird At The Window"). The album was re-released on CD by Org Records in 1999.A major line-up change followed in 1995 when Wood, Green and Haslam all amicably left Sleepy People in order to move to London and set up a new band with Andy Peace. Initially called Pop-A-Cat-A-Petal, this band (now minus Haslam, and adding Vanessa Best and Matt Jones), cut down on their early progressive rock instincts and eventually became the more glamorous Ultrasound
Ultrasound (band)
Ultrasound are an English indie band, predominantly active during the late 1990s. Although the band's focal point was their tall, obese singer/guitarist Andrew "Tiny" Wood, the main songwriter was guitarist Richard Green, with the line-up completed by drummer Andy Peace, keyboardist Matt Jones and...
.
To replace the departed members, Paul Hope and Rachel Theresa Hope recruited singer Phil "Earl Slick" Sears (who would become godfather to their newborn baby girl Dorothy Pippin Hope), bass player Bill Bailey and keyboard player Danny Orange. "Home Is Where Your Telly Is/Hanghar" (a self-released double A-side single featuring the new lineup), kept up the momentum. Orange and Bailey both left in 1997, to be respectively replaced by Anna Blaydon (also known as "Anna Tanglewood") and Gary "Spangles" Bowden.
Typhoid and Swans, Paint a Ceiling On the Sky and All Systems Fail
In 1997, the band recorded their second album Typhoid and Swans (released on Edgy Records). The band's songs were now less eccentric than previously, with Hope favouring more direct lyrics and making use of Sear's rich quasi-operatic voice (although signs of the band’s more theatrical past remained in the shape of the lengthy "Everything You Know Is Wrong"). Former GongGong (band)
Gong is a Franco-British progressive/psychedelic rock band formed by Australian musician Daevid Allen. Their music has also been described as space rock. Other notable band members include Allan Holdsworth, Tim Blake, Didier Malherbe, Pip Pyle, Gilli Smyth, Steve Hillage, Francis Moze, Mike Howlett...
violinist Graham Clark
Graham Clark (violinist)
Graham Leslie Lionel Clark is an English jazz violinist based in Buxton, Derbyshire. He also plays guitar, and double bass; a freelance violinist in most styles of jazz, rock, blues and pop, he specialises in improvisation...
made a guest appearance on the album. Several songs from this period were recorded for a live-in-the-studio mini-album called Paint a Ceiling On the Sky, which was released on cassette.
Further line-up changes followed in 1998. Phil Sears left the band to try his own luck in London (and, later, Australia). Gary Bowden also left, following clashes with Hope. They were replaced by bass player Mark Greenwood and teenage singer Lee Haley. This lineup of Sleepy People recorded the 1998 cassette single "All Systems Fail/Every Wave Is Higher On The Beach". Haley was a lighter singer than Sears, and brought an air of cool insouciance to the band, which by now had jettisoned most of the make-up, costumes, and theatrics in favour of letting the music work by itself. At this point, Ultrasound were rising stars on the Britpop scene: Paul Hope remained friendly with the former Sleepy People members in Ultrasound's line-up, and cheerfully exploited the connection between the two bands.
Lee Haley’s time with the band was brief, and he left in 1999 to form a more straightforward band called The Embassy. Phil Sears obliged the band by filling in for several gigs, but was unable to make a long-term commitment. Haley's eventual replacement as singer was Mark Dunphy (the brother of Cud
Cud (band)
Cud are a British indie rock band formed in Leeds, England in 1987, consisting of vocalist Carl Puttnam , guitarist/keyboardist Mike Dunphy , bassist William Potter , and drummer Steve Goodwin .Though an indie rock band, their music incorporated elements of funk...
guitarist Mike Dunphy), whose more flamboyant style returned the band to their previous sound.
Fresh start and early singles
In 2000, in search of a fresh start, Sleepy People changed their name to Blue Apple Boy (a name apparently based on MasonicFreemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
imagery). The band’s initial line-up was identical to the final Sleepy People line-up – Mark Dunphy (lead vocals), Paul Hope (guitar, backing vocals), Rachel Theresa (flute, backing vocals), Graeme Swaddle (drums), Anna Blaydon (keyboards), and bass player Tom Evans (who'd replaced Mark Greenwood).
Initially, the name change led to a new lease of life for the band. The band recorded a new double A-side single – ("Who’s That Calling?/Sunshine Valley Paradise Club" – which was released as a one-off arrangement with cult Oxford indie label Shifty Disco
Shifty Disco
Shifty Disco is a British independent record label based in Oxford, England.The label was started by local enthusiasts in January 1997 and their early releases were often featured by John Peel on his BBC Radio 1 show...
. Both songs were inspired by bizarre true-life newspaper stories: a tale of a man falling off a bridge while conversing on his cellphone, and one of unpleasant goings on in a retirement home. Former Sleepy People/Ultrasound member Richard Green (by now leading his own Leeds-based band, The Somatics) added noise-guitar to "Sunshine Valley Paradise Club". The single attracted attention from the national music press, leading to an appearance in Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
. Blue Apple Boy followed up with a more sinister single called "Freak" (released on the band’s own Bad Apple Records) which dealt with vigilante/mob violence and was inspired by the then-current paedophile panic in the UK (during which several innocent people had been harmed by mobs on the suspicion of being paedophiles). However, "Freak" did not gain the same level of attention as its predecessor, which added to the band's continuing instability. In 2001, Dunphy was asked to leave the band after falling out with Hope, and Evans and Blaydon also left.
Return of Tiny Wood, and Salient album
Once again, Hope restructured the band, re-recruiting Bill Bailey as bass guitarist and bringing in Vietgrove synthesizer player Norman Fay to cover keyboard parts: however, this time the band opted not to bring in a full-time keyboard player. Instead, Rachel Theresa took over the keyboard playing role, adding Moog synthesizerMoog synthesizer
Moog synthesizer may refer to any number of analog synthesizers designed by Dr. Robert Moog or manufactured by Moog Music, and is commonly used as a generic term for older-generation analog music synthesizers. The Moog company pioneered the commercial manufacture of modular voltage-controlled...
work to her flute-playing and singing duties. At around the same time, Paul Hope renewed his musical relationship with Tiny Wood (who had returned to Newcastle after the collapse of Ultrasound to form his new band, Siren). Wood agreed to join Blue Apple Boy as singer. Revitalised, the band set about assembling the debut Blue Apple Boy album. Wood re-recorded vocals for earlier songs (including some late Sleepy People ones), rewrote others and worked on new material with Hope.
Credited to "Blue Apple Boy featuring Tiny Wood", the Salient album was released on the Soma Sound label in 2002. It showed a further strengthening of the band's songwriting skills, including "Jump Start" (a rewrite of "Freak" with new Wood lyrics) and "Cold War" (another Wood co-write which was apparently a sequel to the Ultrasound anthem "Stay Young"). Although Wood sang on most tracks, the band was now pursuing a more flexible approach to vocals: Rachel Theresa sang lead vocals on "Leave The Mud For The Worms" and the bossa-nova song "The Moon Is Hungry" (influenced by G. I. Gurdjieff
G. I. Gurdjieff
George Ivanovich Gurdjieff according to Gurdjieff's principles and instructions, or the "Fourth Way."At one point he described his teaching as "esoteric Christianity."...
) and the Hopes' two children featured on "Apples And Pears".
After Blue Apple Boy
Blue Apple Boy effectively split up in 2003, although the end of the band was never formally announced. From 2003 onward, Paul and Rachel Hope concentrated mainly on running The Sky Apple Cafe, their vegetarian restaurant in Newcastle. Both Hopes became chefs and managers, with Tiny Wood also involved. The various core band members retained their friendships (although the stress of running the restaurant would eventually end the Hopes' marriage). Tiny Wood would continue, on and off, with Siren and would join the reformed Ultrasound in 2010.The River Valley Giants
In March 2009, Paul Hope returned to musical work, forming a new trio called The River Valley Giants (with Julie Carpenter and Beresford Francis Delany). They have described their music as containing elements of post-punk, progressive rock and film soundtrack music. Tracks recorded so far have included a reworking of the Sleepy People song "Halfway World".Albums
- Blunt Nails In A Sharp Wall (1994), cassette release (reissued as CD, Org Records 1999)
- Typhoid And Swans (1997), Edgy Records
Singles
- "Home Is Where Your Telly Is" (1996), Edgy Records
- "All Systems Fail/Every Wave Is Higher On The Beach" (1998) cassette release
Singles
- "Who’s That Calling?/Sunshine Valley Paradise Club" (2000), Shifty Disco
- "Freak" (2000), Bad Apple Records
External links
- [ Sleepy People at Allmusic]
- [ Blue Apple Boy at Allmusic]
- Org Records biography of Sleepy People/Blue Apple Boy
- Progressive World review of ‘Blunt Nails In A Sharp Wall’ by Stephanie Sollow
- Blunt Nails In A Sharp Wall review on Everything Tiny Wood fanpage
- Progressive World review of Typhoid And Swans by Stephanie Sollow
- DPRP review of Typhoid And Swans by Neil Durant
- Play Louder review of Salient by Simon Williams
- Aural Innovations review of Salient by Jerry Kranitz