The Parachute Men were a British

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and su ...

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 from

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 ...

, England, formed in 1985. They released two albums and several singles before splitting up in the early 1990s.

History

The Parachute Men formed in 1985, with a line-up of Fiona Gregg (vocals), Stephen H. Gregg (guitar), Andrew Howes (bass and keyboards), and Mark Boyce (drums and keyboards). After two years of gigging, the band were signed by large

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 ...

indie label

Fire Records Fire Records was an American independent record label, set up in 1959 by Bobby Robinson. Amongst others, it released records by Lightnin' Hopkins, Elmore James, Buster Brown and Arthur Crudup. At one point it was thought Fire had issued the la ...

in 1987. Their first release was a four-track EP with "Sometimes in Vain" as the lead track, in May 1988. This was followed in August of the same year by debut album ''The Innocents'', which made the ''

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'' top 50 albums of that year. The album was followed with two singles, "If I Could Wear Your Jacket" (which author

Mike Gayle Mike Gayle (born October 1970) is an English journalist and novelist. Biography Gayle was born in Quinton, Birmingham, to parents from Jamaica, and is the younger brother of broadcaster Phil Gayle. He attended Lordswood Boys' School where he ...

has stated is one of his all-time favourite records) and "Bed and Breakfast". A further single, "Leeds Station" was released and also featured on the ''

s ''Carry On Disarming'' video. Howes and Boyce departed soon after, with Fiona and Stephen continuing as an acoustic duo until they recruited Matthew Parkin (bass) and Paul Walker (drums). 1990 saw the release of the second album, ''Earth, Dogs, and Eggshells'', preceded by the single "Every Other Thursday" (a reference to signing on to the dole). The album was released over a year after it was recorded, losing much of the momentum the band had built up. The band line-up changed again, with Canadian Colleen Browne replacing Matthew Parkin. They eventually recruited a further bass player, Tony Hodges, but after playing just one gig, at Liverpool University, split in the early 1990s with no further releases. Mark Boyce later turned up in the band The Durbervilles. Andrew Howes has recorded music for the netlabels Surrism-Phonoethics (Germany) and CJC/LEEP (France) and is a contributor to the quarterly surveys published by Classwar Karaoke (UK) under the name Kalistongue. Matthew Parkin went on to play with The Starlings,

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, The Mission,

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, and

Silver Sun Silver Sun are a British power pop band, who formed in 1995 in Camden, London. They released their self-titled debut album in 1997, and after two major label releases that saw moderate success, the band released two further albums independe ...

. Colleen Browne later joined

Pale Saints Pale Saints were an English alternative rock/shoegazing band formed in 1987 in Leeds by singer-bassist Ian Masters, guitarist Graeme Naysmith and drummer Chris Cooper.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 907 ...

, The Warm Jets,

The Heart Throbs The Heart Throbs, also known as The Heartbreakers, is the name of a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Antonio Thomas and Romeo Roselli, currently wrestling on the independent circuit. Thomas and Roselli are billed as being popular "wi ...

, and White Hotel. Stephen Gregg gained a PhD in English literature at the

University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

and is now a senior lecturer at

Bath Spa University Bath Spa University is a public university in Bath, England, with its main campus at Newton Park, about west of the centre of the city. The university has other campuses in the city of Bath, and one at Corsham Court in Wiltshire. The insti ...

, specialising in eighteenth century literature.

Discography

Albums

*''The Innocents'' (1988) Fire *''Earth, Dogs, and Eggshells'' (1990) Fire

Singles

*"Sometimes in Vain" (1988) Fire (12" EP) *"If I Could Wear Your Jacket" (1988) Fire *"Leeds Station" (1989) Fire *"Bed and Breakfast" (1989) Fire *"Every Other Thursday" (1990) Fire

References

External links

The Parachute Men at TweeNet"Leeds Station" on YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parachute Men Musical groups established in 1985 Indie rock groups from Leeds 1985 establishments in England English indie pop groups