60 Ft. Dolls were a Welsh

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

trio active in the 1990s, known as the

Cool Cymru Cool Cymru ( cy, Cŵl Cymru) was a Welsh cultural movement in music and independent film in the 1990s and 2000s, led by the popularity of bands such as Stereophonics, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Manic Street Preachers, Catatonia and Super Furry ...

era.

Formation

They were formed in Newport in 1992 by Richard J. Parfitt and Michael Cole, who met through

Donna Matthews Donna Lorraine Matthews (born 2 December 1971) is a Welsh musician who was the lead guitarist of the Britpop band Elastica. Music career When she was 20, Matthews answered an advert in ''Melody Maker'' for a guitarist with a new band. She became a ...

(later of

Elastica Elastica were an English rock band formed in London in 1992 by ex- Suede members Justine Frischmann and Justin Welch. The band was stylistically influenced by punk rock, post-punk and new wave music. The band's members changed several times ...

), who was at the time dating Cole and working part-time in the same pizza restaurant as Parfitt. After problems finding the right drummer, they eventually took on pastor's son Carl Bevan. Initially influenced by touring American

hardcore Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film * ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott * ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...

bands that played in Newport (and in particular prominent local venue T. J.'s), the Dolls played noisy yet melodic rock, described by the ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' as " grunge

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...proto-

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metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

blues of the first order". In 1993, Huw Williams of

the Pooh Sticks The Pooh Sticks were a Welsh indie pop band from Swansea, Wales, primarily recording between 1988 and 1995. They were notable for their jangly melodiousness and lyrics gently mocking the indie scene of the time, such as on "On Tape", "Indiepop ...

became their manager and released the debut single "Happy Shopper", named after a British convenience store chain, on his own Townhill

label A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product, on which is written or printed information or symbols about the product or item. Information printed ...

Tours and 90s success

In 1995 they joined the first 'BratBus' NME tour with

Veruca Salt Veruca Salt is an American alternative rock band founded in Chicago, Illinois, in 1992 by vocalist-guitarists Nina Gordon and Louise Post, drummer Jim Shapiro and bassist Steve Lack. They are best known for their first single, " Seether", th ...

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and

Skunk Anansie Skunk Anansie are a British rock band whose members include Skin (lead vocals, guitar), Cass (bass, guitar, backing vocals), Ace (guitar, backing vocals) and Mark Richardson (drums and percussion). Skunk Anansie formed in 1994, disbanded in 2 ...

. After support spots with Oasis,

and

Dinosaur Jr. Dinosaur Jr. is an American rock band formed in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1984, originally simply called Dinosaur until legal issues forced a change in name. The band was founded by J Mascis (guitar, vocals, primary songwriter), Lou Barlo ...

, 60 Ft. Dolls released their second single "White Knuckle Ride" on Rough Trade Records and then "Pig Valentine" on the RCA imprint

Indolent Records Indolent Records was a British record label established up in 1993 as a subsidiary of RCA Records and BMG. The label roster included Sleeper, The Wannadies, Stephen Duffy and 60ft Dolls. The label was folded into RCA Records in 1998. See also ...

. These early singles were championed heavily by

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Steve Lamacq Stephen Paul Lamacq (born 16 October 1964), sometimes known by his nickname Lammo (given to him by John Peel), is an English disc jockey, currently working with the BBC radio station BBC Radio 6 Music. Early life He attended The Ramsey Academ ...

, and as a consequence were picked up by influential American DJ

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of KROQ-FM. This resulted in the band signing a deal with

Geffen Records Geffen Records is an American record label established by David Geffen and owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M Records imprint. Founded in 1980, Geffen Records has been a part of Interscope Geffen A&M since 1999 and h ...

in the US. ''

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'' listed "Pig Valentine" among its 1996 singles of the year. The band broke into the UK Top 40 with their fourth single "Talk to Me" (Indolent, 1996), the video for which extensively featured the

Newport Transporter Bridge The Newport Transporter Bridge ( cy, Pont Gludo Casnewydd) is a transporter bridge that crosses the River Usk in Newport, South East Wales. The bridge is the lowest crossing on the River Usk. It is a Grade I listed structure. It is one of ...

. This was followed by their debut album, ''The Big 3'', which was produced by Al Clay, Reviews called it "as close to soar-away rock perfection as it's possible to imagine" by the ''NME'' and "pure, unadulterated, no nonsense, emotional, tuneful, impassioned, purposeful, hedonistic rock 'n' roll" by '' Melody Maker''. The album was included in '' Select'' magazine's top 30 albums of 1996 and ''

Mojo Mojo may refer to: * Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * MOJO HD, an American television network * ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film * ' ...

s 2003 retrospective feature "Top 12 Britpop albums of the 90s", which called it "a devilishly evocative document of the period". The band toured extensively in the UK, Japan and Europe, including several summer festival appearances such as

Glastonbury Glastonbury (, ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town, which is in the Mendip district, had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbur ...

1997 as well as opening for

The Sex Pistols ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

at their 1996 Finsbury Park reunion gig. But they were dogged by alcohol problems, and after an exhaustive three tours of the US in 1997, never toured again. They released their second album ''Joya Magica'', in 1998 but the band were dropped from their label deal along with other acts at Indolent and split soon after. The band recorded two sessions for John Peel's

show, in 1996 and 1998, and appear in the top 125 Peel sessions of all time. Mike Cole once played guitar for Newport's

The Darling Buds The Darling Buds are an alternative rock band from Newport, South Wales. The band formed in 1986 and were named after the H. E. Bates novel '' The Darling Buds of May'' – a title taken in turn, from the third line of Shakespeare's Sonnet 18 ...

but was asked to leave after just three gigs. He was also asked to stand in for Paul McGuigan on Oasis' 1996 tour of the US, but declined. The track "Hair", written by Mike Cole about his then-girlfriend Donna Matthews, was placed Number 7 in ''Mojos "100 Most Miserable Indie Songs of All Time" feature. The Dolls were included, with

Catatonia Catatonia is a complex neuropsychiatric behavioral syndrome that is characterized by abnormal movements, immobility, abnormal behaviors, and withdrawal. The onset of catatonia can be acute or subtle and symptoms can wax, wane, or change during ...

and others, in a

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, extolling the virtues of Newport's

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm a ...

credentials. Carl Bevan's father, Pastor Ray Bevan, heads one of the biggest evangelical churches in the UK and once sang guest vocals on the Dolls' "Let The Spirit Move You", a 12" white label-only release, limited to one thousand copies and mixed by Wubble-U.

Later history

Richard Parfitt played as a session musician after the band split, working with the likes of

McAlmont & Butler McAlmont & Butler are an English rock/soul music duo, comprising singer David McAlmont and guitarist Bernard Butler. History Formed in 1994, David McAlmont and Bernard Butler had already experienced individual success: Butler as the guitaris ...

and Dido, and later released a solo album called "Highlights in Slow Motion" in 2002. He started teaching songwriting at Bath Spa University and then in 2015 Richard became a senior lecturer in popular and commercial music at the

University of South Wales The University of South Wales ( cy, Prifysgol De Cymru) is a public university in Wales, with campuses in Cardiff, Newport and Pontypridd. It was formed on 11 April 2013 from the merger of the University of Glamorgan and the University of Wa ...

. Welsh pop-

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singer Duffy credits Richard Parfitt with "changing her life" and setting her on the road to fame after he hooked her up with manager

Jeanette Lee Jeanette Lee (born Lee Jin-Hee, Hangul: 이진희, July 9, 1971, in Brooklyn, New York) is a Korean-American professional pool player. She was nicknamed the Black Widow by her friends because, in spite of her sweet demeanor, she would "eat peop ...

. Carl Bevan took a few years off from music, before getting into producing into 2008. More recently, Carl produced Black Junk, the 2011 album by Cardiff trio Exit_International, which was shortlisted in the 2012 Welsh Music Awards. In 2012 the former 60 Ft. Dolls drummer launched a new project, the female-fronted rock and roll band The Lash. ''The Big 3'' was re-released as a 2CD special edition in 2015 by 3 Loop Music, including B-sides chosen by the band and tracks from their Peel sessions.

Discography

Albums

*''The Big 3'' (Indolent, 1996/ Geffen, 1997) UK: No. 3660ft Dolls at Official Charts Company
''officialcharts.com'' *''Joya Magica'' (Indolent/Geffen, 1998) *''The Big 3'' (2CD reissue, 3 Loop Music, 2015)

EPs

*''Supernatural Joy EP'' (Geffen, 1996) * ''Hair EP'' (Indolent, 1996)

Singles

*"Happy Shopper" (Townhill, 1994) *"White Knuckle Ride" ( Rough Trade, 1995) *"Pig Valentine" (Indolent, 1995) *"Talk to Me" (Indolent, 1996) UK: No. 37 *"Stay" (Indolent, 1996) UK: No. 48 *"Happy Shopper" (re-recording) (Indolent, 1996)UK: No. 38 *"Alison's Room" (Indolent, 1998) UK: No. 61

Compilation appearances

*"London Breeds" on ''I Was a Teenage Gwent Boy'' (Frug Records, 1994) *"Dr Rat" on ''Club Spangle'' (Spangle Records, 1995) *"British Racing Green" on ''For Immediate Use'' (Raw, 1995) *"The Universal" on ''Long Ago and Worlds Apart'' (Nippon Crown, 1995) *"Number 1 Pure Alcohol" on ''Home Truths'' (Echo, 1995) *"Happy Shopper" on ''Indie Top 20, Volume 21'' (Beechwood Music, 1996) *"Talk to Me" on ''Indie Top 20, Volume 23'' Beechwood Music, 1996) *"Pony Ride" on ''London Calling 1'' (London Calling, 1996) *"Talk to Me" on ''Mad for It'' (

Telstar Telstar is the name of various communications satellites. The first two Telstar satellites were experimental and nearly identical. Telstar 1 launched on top of a Thor-Delta rocket on July 10, 1962. It successfully relayed through space the fi ...

, 1996) *"Stay" on ''The Best Album in The World Ever! Vol. 3'' (Circa Records, 1996) *"Stay" on ''The Magnificent Seven'' cassette (Melody Maker covermount, 1996) *"Baby Says Yeah" on ''John Peel's Sounds Of The Suburbs'' (Shifty Disco 1999) *"Talk to Me" on ''Shine 5'' (Universal Music TV, 1996)

References

External links

*
BBC - Radio 1 - Keeping It Peel - 60ft Dolls60ft Dolls
{{DEFAULTSORT:60 Ft Dolls People from Newport, Wales Musical groups established in 1993 Cool Cymru Musical groups disestablished in 1998 Musical groups from Newport, Wales 1993 establishments in Wales Welsh alternative rock groups Britpop groups British musical trios