The Bolshoi
Encyclopedia
The Bolshoi were a London
-based music group prominent mostly in the mid-late 1980s. They are best known for the hits "Sunday Morning" and "A way" or "Away" (the name is interchangeable and has been noted as both on different albums/singles).
, drummer Jan Kalicki, and bassist Nick Chown; Tanner and Kalicki had previously played together in the short-lived punk band Moskow. Early gigs supported the likes of The Cult
, The March Violets
, and Lords of the New Church
. In 1985, the band released their debut single, Sob Story, followed by the mini-album, Giants and their hit song "Happy Boy". Word of mouth was such that the Bolshoi were able to sell out many of their early headlining performances.
The band migrated to London in 1985, and their lineup expanded to include Paul Clark
on keyboards. In 1986, they released their first full-length album, Friends, and expanded their touring schedule to U.S.
, South America
, and Poland
. It was followed in 1987 by the album Lindy's Party, on which the sound was more pop-oriented. TC Wall, reviewing the album in Underground magazine, described Lindy's Party as "completely confident, commercial, professional, and dangerously catchy" and "a fine album that'll be caressed for generations".
Stylistically, The Bolshoi was difficult to categorize. It has been described as a proto-goth band, similar in their live act to fellow Beggars Banquet
signees, Bauhaus
. Tanner was recognized for his dark, pensive lyrics that belied a social responsibility and awareness.
After the release of Lindy's Party, the band recorded a fourth album, but problems with their record label management impeded its release, and they disbanded as the 1980s drew to a close. The unreleased fourth album, apparently titled "Country Life", is reportedly still in the vaults at Beggars Banquet.
Since the band disbanded Trevor Tanner moved across the Atlantic to the USA and has continued to record both as a solo artist and as a founding member of 'cult' Celtic Rock band Rathkeltair.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
-based music group prominent mostly in the mid-late 1980s. They are best known for the hits "Sunday Morning" and "A way" or "Away" (the name is interchangeable and has been noted as both on different albums/singles).
History
The band formed in 1984 in Bath. The original lineup consisted of singer/guitarist Trevor TannerTrevor Tanner
Trevor Tanner is a British musician and composer, best known as the singer and guitarist of post-punk/gothic rock band The Bolshoi during the 1980s...
, drummer Jan Kalicki, and bassist Nick Chown; Tanner and Kalicki had previously played together in the short-lived punk band Moskow. Early gigs supported the likes of The Cult
The Cult
The Cult are a British rock band that was formed in 1983. They gained a dedicated following in Britain in the mid 1980s as a post-punk band with singles such as "She Sells Sanctuary", before breaking mainstream in the United States in the late 1980s as a hard rock band with singles such as "Love...
, The March Violets
The March Violets
The March Violets are an English goth rock band of the 1980s, incorporating singers of both sexes, drum machine rhythms and echo laden electric guitar, much in the way of scene mates The Sisters of Mercy, who also originated from the city of Leeds...
, and Lords of the New Church
Lords of the New Church
Lords of the New Church may refer to:*The Lords of the New Church, a 1980s post-punk band*"Lords of the New Church" , a 1993 song by Tasmin Archer...
. In 1985, the band released their debut single, Sob Story, followed by the mini-album, Giants and their hit song "Happy Boy". Word of mouth was such that the Bolshoi were able to sell out many of their early headlining performances.
The band migrated to London in 1985, and their lineup expanded to include Paul Clark
Paul Clark (musician)
Paul Clark is a musician and business entrepreneur, possibly best known as the keyboard player of post-punk band The Bolshoi.-Biography:Born June 12 in Leeds, Yorkshire, Paul was educated at Lofthouse Gate County Primary School, Benton Park Grammar School and finally at Jacob Kramer College of Art...
on keyboards. In 1986, they released their first full-length album, Friends, and expanded their touring schedule to U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, and Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. It was followed in 1987 by the album Lindy's Party, on which the sound was more pop-oriented. TC Wall, reviewing the album in Underground magazine, described Lindy's Party as "completely confident, commercial, professional, and dangerously catchy" and "a fine album that'll be caressed for generations".
Stylistically, The Bolshoi was difficult to categorize. It has been described as a proto-goth band, similar in their live act to fellow Beggars Banquet
Beggars Banquet Records
Beggars Banquet is an English independent record label that began as a chain of record shops owned by Martin Mills and Nick Austin, and is part of the Beggars Group of labels...
signees, Bauhaus
Bauhaus (band)
Bauhaus was an English rock band formed in Northampton in 1978. The group consisted of Peter Murphy , Daniel Ash , Kevin Haskins and David J . The band was originally Bauhaus 1919 before they dropped the numerical portion within a year of formation...
. Tanner was recognized for his dark, pensive lyrics that belied a social responsibility and awareness.
After the release of Lindy's Party, the band recorded a fourth album, but problems with their record label management impeded its release, and they disbanded as the 1980s drew to a close. The unreleased fourth album, apparently titled "Country Life", is reportedly still in the vaults at Beggars Banquet.
Since the band disbanded Trevor Tanner moved across the Atlantic to the USA and has continued to record both as a solo artist and as a founding member of 'cult' Celtic Rock band Rathkeltair.
Studio albums
- Giants (1985)
- Friends (1986)
- Lindy's Party (1987)
- Country Life (c.1988, unreleased)