Hugh Whitaker (born 18 May 1961) is an English musician and the former drummer for the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

indie rock Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produc ...

band

The Housemartins The Housemartins were an English indie rock group formed in Hull who were active in the 1980s and charted three top-ten albums and six top-twenty singles in the UK. Many of their lyrics conveyed a mixture of socialist politics and Christianit ...

. He replaced original drummer Chris Lang and drummed for the band's first album, ''

London 0 Hull 4 ''London 0 Hull 4'' is the debut album by The Housemartins, released in June 1986. It contains the singles " Flag Day" (#124 UK), "Sheep" (#54 UK), " Happy Hour" (#3 UK) and " Think for a Minute" (#18 UK). The title refers to the band's home ci ...

'', and its attendant single releases. He left the band before the recording of their second album, ''

The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death ''The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death'' is the second and final studio album by The Housemartins. It was released in 1987, and produced three singles - "Five Get Over Excited" (#11 UK), "Me and the Farmer" (#15) and " Build" (#15 UK). The ...

''. Whitaker left the band on amicable terms and even participated in the promotional video for the band's first single without him, "

Five Get Over Excited Five Get Over Excited is a song by The Housemartins released as a single from their album ''The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death''. The follow-up to their #1 UK hit "Caravan of Love" (although it was preceded by the USA-only release of "Fla ...

", wherein he was kidnapped by his replacement,

Dave Hemingway Dave Hemingway (born David Robert Hemingway, 20 September 1960) is an English musician and songwriter, best known as a vocalist for the Hull-based band The Beautiful South until they disbanded in 2007. Previously he had been a member of The House ...

, and locked in a hessian sack. Whitaker went on to play drums in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

-based

indie Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Gaming *Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies *Indie game, any game (board ...

band

The Servants The Servants were an indie band formed in 1985 in Hayes, Middlesex, England by singer-songwriter David Westlake. The band was the original home of Luke Haines. The band’s '' Small Time'' album was well received on its 2012 release, more th ...

, and then in several Hull

rock bands A musical ensemble, also known as a music group or musical group, is a group of people who perform instrumental and/or vocal music, with the ensemble typically known by a distinct name. Some music ensembles consist solely of instrumentalists, ...

, including The Penny Candles, The Juniper Chute, The Fabulous Ducks, and The Gargoyles. In 1993, Whitaker was sent to prison for six years for assaulting former business associate James Hewitt with an axe and setting fire to his house. In 1997 Hugh moved to

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...

. After a short stint as drummer with

Freddie and the Dreamers Freddie and the Dreamers were an English beat band that had a number of hit records between 1963 and 1965. The band's stage act was enlivened by the comic antics of Freddie Garrity, who would bounce around the stage with arms and legs flying. ...

he joined a local band,

Percy The English surname Percy is of Norman origin, coming from Normandy to England, United Kingdom. It was from the House of Percy, Norman lords of Northumberland, derives from the village of Percy-en-Auge in Normandy. From there, it came into use ...

. In 2012, back in Hull, and having played a range of musical styles in many bands, he joined eclectic rock outfit Pocketful O'Nowt. In 2013, he guested on drums on Barnsley comedy band

The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican are a British comedy folk and parody band from Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Formed in 2006, they claim to be the hardest working comedy band in the UK, having played over 1200 shows throughout the UK. They ...

's ''Tarnlife'' single, and worked with them again in 2014 on ''Jump Ararnd'' and ''Place Of Spades''.

References

English rock drummers The Housemartins members Workers Revolutionary Party (UK) members Living people 1961 births English people convicted of assault British people convicted of arson {{UK-drummer-stub