Man from Delmonte were an independent band from

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, England, formed in the mid-1980s.

History

Band members included Mike West (vocals and

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

), Sheila Seal (bass), Martin Vincent (guitar), and Howard Goody (drums). The band members had little in common with most Manchester bands. Goody was a graduate of Winchester School of Art. Vincent had been an art critic and painter. Seal, a Glaswegian, was a classically trained musician who had run an art gallery. And West, who wrote the songs, was the Australian-born son of the author

Morris West Morris Langlo West (26 April 19169 October 1999) was an Australian novelist and playwright, best known for his novels '' The Devil's Advocate'' (1959), ''The Shoes of the Fisherman'' (1963) and ''The Clowns of God'' (1981). His books were publ ...

. The band played many gigs at the

Boardwalk A boardwalk (alternatively board walk, boarded path, or promenade) is an elevated footpath, walkway, or causeway built with wooden planks that enables pedestrians to cross wet, fragile, or marshy land. They are also in effect a low type of bridge ...

club, in

, where they recorded their ''Big Noise'' live album in 1989. They took their name from a series of 1980s television advertisements for Del Monte fruit juices, featuring the " man from Del Monte". In these, the man would visit villages to sample their fruit juices, to see if they were good enough to be included in his company's drinks. The

tagline In entertainment, a tagline (alternatively spelled tag line) is a short text which serves to clarify a thought for, or is designed with a form of, dramatic effect. Many tagline slogans are reiterated phrases associated with an individual, so ...

, shouted jubilantly by a villager on approval was, "The man from Del Monte, he say 'Yes!'"'.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 406 At one point they were managed by the journalist

Jon Ronson Jon Ronson (born 10 May 1967) is a British-American journalist, author, and filmmaker whose works include '' Them: Adventures with Extremists'' (2001), ''The Men Who Stare at Goats'' (2004), and ''The Psychopath Test'' (2011). He has been desc ...

. After they split up in 1990, some members continued as Surfurbia. West moved to

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to pursue a solo career in the early 1990s.

Discography

Chart placings shown are from the

UK Indie Chart The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the rele ...

Singles

*"Drive, Drive, Drive" (

Ugly Man Ugly Man Records is a British independent record label based in Rhos on Sea, Wales, originally in Manchester. It released debut singles for many Manchester bands, including Elbow, the Man From Delmonte and I Am Kloot. It was set up in Bootle, ...

, 1987) *"Water in My Eyes" (Ugly Man, 1987) *"Will Nobody Save Louise" (Ugly Man, 1988) (#13) *''Monday Morning After'' EP ( Bop Cassettes, 1989) *"Big Noise" (Bop Cassettes, 1989) (#20) *"My Love Is Like A Gift You Can't Return" (Bop Cassettes, 1989) (#13)

Albums

*''Catholic Boys on Mobilettes'' (Bop Cassettes, 1989) – compilation *''Big Noise'' (Bop Cassettes, 1989) **''Big Noise'' (Vinyl Japan, 2000) – reissue *''The Good Things in Life'' (Vinyl Japan, 1999) – compilation

References

External links

Mike WestMan from Delmonte Fan PageTruckstop Honeymoon
{{Jon Ronson English pop music groups Musical groups from Manchester British indie pop groups