Tiger Lily was a short-lived

glam rock Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was performed by musicians who wore outrageous costumes, makeup, and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists drew on diver ...

band and the seed of Ultravox! (later changed to

Ultravox Ultravox (earlier styled as Ultravox!) were a British new wave band, formed in London in April 1974 as Tiger Lily. Between 1980 and 1986, they scored seven Top Ten albums and seventeen Top 40 singles in the UK, the most successful of which was ...

). It was founded 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 ...

in April 1974 by

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It o ...

student Dennis Leigh (vocals), who left his northern industrial environment in

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...

, Chris St. John (bass) (born Christopher Allen), another college student who previously played with Stoned Rose, and

Stevie Shears Stevie Shears (born 1954/1955) is an English musician known for playing in the rock bands Tiger Lily and Ultravox! (later Ultravox), as well as being part of the bands Faith Global and Cowboys International. Biography Tiger Lily and Ultravox ...

(guitar), a Dagenham based musician. The following month, British-Canadian drummer

Warren Cann Warren Reginald Cann (born 20 May 1950 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada) is a Canadian drummer, drum machine programmer and songwriter, best known as a founding member of the British new wave band Ultravox, for which he was one of the ma ...

(drums), who was recently rejected as a band member by Sparks, joined the band, followed by William Currie (violin, keyboards), named

Billy Currie William Lee Currie (born 1 April 1950Ultravox.org.uk
) is a ...

, who was in a theatre band, later in the year. In August 1974, still as a four-piece band, without Currie, Tiger Lily made their first gig in Chorley, Lancashire, hometown of Leigh. The band wore clothes like New York Dolls, who influenced them. However, their true first show was in the

Marquee Club The Marquee Club was a music venue first located at 165 Oxford Street in London, when it opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and skiffle acts. Its most famous period was from 1964 to 1988 at 90 Wardour Street in Soho, and it finally closed wh ...

, supporting

Heavy Metal Kids Heavy Metal Kids are a British rock band. History Early years (1973–1985) Heavy Metal Kids were formed in 1972 by the merger of two previous bands: Heaven and Biggles. They took their name from a gang of street kids, featured in the nove ...

. Later, Billy Currie joined originally as violinist. The band had a glam style influenced by Rolling Stones, Beatles late era, and the current glam artists (like

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

Roxy Music Roxy Music are an English rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry—who became the band's lead vocalist and principal songwriter—and bassist Graham Simpson. The other longtime members are Phil Manzanera (guitar), Andy Mackay (saxophone ...

, New York Dolls and Steve Harley). Gull Records released on 14 March 1975 their only 7" single named " Ain't Misbehavin'", which was a cover of the Fats Waller song, while the B-side was "Monkey Jive". After a number of live concerts, the band changed names many times: The Damned, The Zips, Fire Of London, etc. until October 1976, when they decided on Ultravox!. During the pre-Ultravox! era (including Tiger Lily years), they composed many songs later to appear on their first album in early 1977, ''

Ultravox! Ultravox (earlier styled as Ultravox!) were a British new wave band, formed in London in April 1974 as Tiger Lily. Between 1980 and 1986, they scored seven Top Ten albums and seventeen Top 40 singles in the UK, the most successful of which was ...

''. By that time Leigh adopted the stage name John Foxx, and Chris St. John became Chris Cross. Their version of "Ain't Misbehavin'" was released on CD in 2000, in a compilation album of glam rock and pre-punk bands called ''Glitterbest - 20 Pre Punk 'n' Glam Terrace Stompers''. The 1975 single, "Monkey Jive", was never released on CD.

References

External links

Ultravox official fan pageThe Warren Cann ForumMySpace: Tiger Lily
{{Authority control English glam rock groups Protopunk groups Ultravox Musical groups established in 1973