Ian Lowery (27 March 1956 – 14 July 2001) was an English vocalist and poet who fronted several bands, including The Wall, Ski Patrol,

Folk Devils Folk Devils were an English 1980s post-punk ensemble born of the Notting Hill, West London music scene. History Founding member Ian Lowery had previously been the original singer in late 1970s punk rock band The Wall and then signed to Killi ...

, and King Blank, as well as recording as a solo artist.

Career

The punk rock years: the Prefabs and the Wall

Ian Lowery was born in

Hartlepool Hartlepool () is a seaside and port town in County Durham, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Borough of Hartlepool. With an estimated population of 90,123, it is the second-largest settlement in County ...

in 1956. He studied art at

Sunderland Polytechnic , mottoeng = Sweetly absorbing knowledge , established = 1901 - Sunderland Technical College1969 - Sunderland Polytechnic1992 - University of Sunderland (gained university status) , staff = , chancellor = Emel ...

where in early 1978 he formed his first band, The Prefabs, along with Gordon Craig (guitar), Peter Balmer (bass, vocals), and Alan Henderson (drums), Lowery at the time going by the stage name 'Johnny Yen'.Parry, Brian (1976) "Pub Rock is the Road to Big Time", ''Sunderland Echo'', 6 March 1978, p. 9 The band played regularly at local venues, but didn't release any records before splitting up later that year. Lowery then formed The Wall with art college friends John "Joe" Hammond (lead guitar), Andy Gr/iffiths (bass), and Bruce Archibald (drums).Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 404, 564Glasper, Ian (2004) ''Burning Britain: The History of UK Punk 1980–1984'', Cherry Red Books, , pp. 255–257'', A

demo tape A demo (shortened from "demonstration") is a song or group of songs typically recorded for limited circulation or for reference use, rather than for general public release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas in a fixed for ...

led to their signing by London independent label

Small Wonder Small Wonder or variants may refer to: Film, television and theatre * ''Small Wonder'' (TV series), a 1985–1989 American sitcom * '' A Small Wonder'', a 1966 Australian television film * '' Small Wonders'', a 1995 documentary film * ''Small Wond ...

, who released the band's first two singles. After relocating to London, Lowery was sacked from the band after a disagreement over who should be the band's guitarist.

Ski Patrol, F for Fake, and Phantom White Limb

Having relocated to London, Lowery teamed up with another art college friend, Nick Clift, to form Ski Patrol, recruiting Balmer and Archibald to complete the lineup. The band released three singles and recorded a

Peel session John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

before splitting up in 1981.Garner, Ken (1993) ''In Session Tonight'', BBC Books, , p. 245, 294 Lowery then formed the short-lived

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

-influenced F for Fake, which included former members of Ski Patrol. The band folded after recording a demo and playing live once. Lowery and Clift recorded a further single that was released under the Ski Patrol name in 1982. Lowery and Clift then teamed up again in Phantom White Limb, which also included Hammond, Louie Sasportas, and Dave Cringle. They recorded four tracks which were set for release before the Malicious Damage label folded. The band split up shortly after.

Folk Devils

In 1983, Lowery and Kris Jozajtis formed Folk Devils, with the aim of producing music that was "a cross between Country Blues and Einstürzende Neubauten".Peacock, Tim (2016)
Beautiful Monsters (Singles & Demo Recordings 1984-86) , Folk Devils
, ''Record Collector'', Issue 457, 10 August 2016 Former Ski Patrol drummer Alan Cole and bassist Mark Whiteley completed the lineup. They had independent chart success with their first single, "Hank Turns Blue" in 1984,Lazell, Barry (1997) ''Indie Hits 1980–1989'', Cherry Red Books, and recorded a

in March 1984. After two EP releases (both indie hits), and two more Peel sessions, the band split up in 1986. Lowery formed a new lineup of the group, retaining Whiteley and teaming up again with Clift, with John Hamilton joining on drums. This second lineup was short-lived, with Robert Mune taking over on bass guitar, and saxophonist Saul Taylor added. Lowery was signed by

Beggars Banquet ''Beggars Banquet'' is the 7th British and 9th American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 6 December 1968 by Decca Records in the United Kingdom and London Records in the United States. It was the first Ro ...

subsidiary Situation Two, but the only release on the label had little impact, and the band split up in late 1987. The label subsequently released a compilation of the band's work.Young, John
Folk Devils
, ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference to ...

''. Retrieved 31 January 2021

King Blank, the Ian Lowery Group, solo work, and subsequent bands

Still contracted to Situation Two, Lowery recorded with a fluid lineup of musicians under the King Blank name. Collaborators included Bill Carter of the Screaming Blue Messiahs (on first single "Mouth Off"), Nigel Pulsford (later of

Bush Bush commonly refers to: * Shrub, a small or medium woody plant Bush, Bushes, or the bush may also refer to: People * Bush (surname), including any of several people with that name **Bush family, a prominent American family that includes: *** ...

, former Folk Devil Jozajtis, Hugh Garrety, and Kevin Rooney. After 1988's ''The Real Dirt'' album and an appearance on ''

Snub TV ''Snub TV'' (also known as simply ''Snub'') was an alternative culture television program that aired from 1987 to 1989 as a segment on the '' Night Flight'' overnight programming on the USA Network, and subsequently for three seasons on the BB ...

'', Lowery adopted the name 'The Ian Lowery Group' for future work, releasing the album ''King Blank to * the Ian Lowery Group'' in 1989, preceded by the single "Need", which was described by Penny Kiley of the ''

Liverpool Echo The ''Liverpool Echo'' is a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror North West & North Wales – a subsidiary company of Reach plc and is based in St Paul's Square, Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is published Monday to Sunday, and is Liverp ...

'' as "Demanding and dirty, loud, simple and repetitive. Four minutes long and not a superfluous second." With his Situation Two contract ending in 1990, Lowery subsequently recorded as a solo artist, releasing the single "Time is Gone" in 1992. In 1992, Lowery relocated to Edinburgh and teamed up with local musicians to form Drug of Choice, the band releasing the album ''Cooler'' in 1993.Ranson, Gerry (2018)
Going Blank Again!
, ''Vive Le Rock!'', 12 June 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2021Dan, Jen (2017)
Ian Lowery (1956 – 2001) – Singer, Songwriter, Musician, and Producer
, Rebel Noise, 23 August 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2021 While in Edinburgh he also produced recordings by other bands and continued to write poetry. Relocating to London in 1994, Lowery formed Blacklist, later to become Memory Zero. He went on to form SquareJohn in 1998 with two female violinists and in 2001 formed SlumRich along with Jim Ledbetter (drums), Nicky Green (guitar), and Joe Griephan (bass).

Death and legacy

On 14 July 2001, Lowery was found dead in his London flat. Several compilation albums including much previously unreleased material by Lowery and his various bands have been released since his death.Canty, Ian (2021)
The Wall: A New Way To Peroxide – album review
, ''Louder Than War'', 31 January 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2021

Discography

with The Wall

*"New Way" (1979),

*"Kiss the Mirror"/"Exchange" (1979), Small Wonder - UK Independent no. 26 *''A New Way to Peroxide'' (2021) (compilation)

with Ski Patrol

*"Everything is Temporary" (1980), Clever Metal - UK Independent no. 44 *"Agent Orange" (1980), Malicious Damage *"Cut"/"Faith in Transition" (1981), Malicious Damage *"Bright Shiny Things" (1982), Clever Metal *''Versions Of A Life (Recordings 1979-1981)'' (2014), Definitive Gaze (compilation)

with Folk Devils

*"Hank Turns Blue" (1984), Ganges – UK Independent no. 9 *"Beautiful Monster" (1984), Ganges – UK Independent no. 4 *''Fire and Chrome'' EP (1985), Karbon - UK Independent no. 10 *"The Best Protection" (1987), Situation Two - UK Independent no. 22 *''Goodnight Irony'' LP (1987), Situation Two *''The Best Protection & the BBC Sessions'' (2015),

(compilation) *''Beautiful Monsters - Singles And Demo Recordings 1984-1986'' (2016), Optic Nerve (compilation)

King Blank

*"Mouth Off" (1988), Situation Two *"Uptight" (1988), Situation Two *"Blind Box" (1988), Situation Two *''The Real Dirt'' (1988), Situation Two

The Ian Lowery Group

*"Need" (1989), Situation Two *''King Blank to * the Ian Lowery Group'' (1989), Situation Two

with Drug of Choice

*''Cooler'' (1993), Three Lines

Solo

*"Ian Lowery Speaks" (1990), Eva-Tone Soundheets (flexi-disc) *"Time Is Gone"/"Sucker Punch" (1992), Resivu *''Get Out the Sun'' (2014), Spectacle Music Ltd. (compilation) *''Ironic'' (2015), Spectacle Music Ltd. (compilation) *''Agent Orange'92 plus Drug of Choice Sessions'' (2017), Spectacle Music Ltd. (compilation) *''The Eye of the Beholder'' (2019), Spectacle Music Ltd. (compilation) *''But Even Stars Must Die'' (compilation)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lowery, Ian 1956 births 2001 deaths People from Hartlepool English punk rock musicians English male singers 20th-century British male singers