Weekend were a Welsh band formed by

Alison Statton Alison Statton (born March 1958) is a Welsh singer best known for her work with Young Marble Giants. Fans of the singer have included Kurt Cobain, Courtney Love, Stephin Merritt, Belle and Sebastian and Renato Russo. Musical career Born i ...

in 1981, following the split of

Young Marble Giants Young Marble Giants were a Welsh post-punk band formed in Cardiff, Wales, in 1978. Their music was based around the vocals of Alison Statton along with the minimalist instrumentation of brothers Philip and Stuart Moxham. Their early sound was ...

. The band was a merger between two projects. Statton began writing with

Spike Spike, spikes, or spiking may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Books * ''The Spike'' (novel), a novel by Arnaud de Borchgrave * ''The Spike'' (book), a nonfiction book by Damien Broderick * ''The Spike'', a starship in Peter F. Hamilto ...

of Z Block Records and Reptile Ranch in

Cardiff, Wales Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

in the summer of 1981, before moving to London where she teamed up with

Simon Emmerson Simon Emmerson (born 12 February 1956) is an English record producer, guitarist, DJ, musical director at Lush, and founder of the group Afro Celt Sound System. He is also the main organiser of The Imagined Village, a collaborative work from ...

(at that time using the name Simon Booth) of Methodishca Tune. The band signed to

Rough Trade Records Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London, England. It was formed in 1976 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove. Having successfully promoted and sold records by punk rock and early post-pun ...

in December 1981, but recorded only one studio album, ''La Variete''. ''La Variete'' was released in 1982 on the Rough Trade label and made it to no. 4 in 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 ...

staying there for 15 weeks. It was revered by critics on release as a bold new departure from the prevailing post-punk ethos, and served as a major influence on Saint Etienne,

the Sundays The Sundays were an English alternative rock band, formed in the late 1980s, which released three albums throughout the 1990s. The band's beginnings came with the meeting of singer Harriet Wheeler and guitarist David Gavurin while attending ...

Belle and Sebastian Belle and Sebastian are a Scottish indie pop band formed in Glasgow in 1996. Led by Stuart Murdoch, the band has released eleven albums. They are often compared with acts such as The Smiths and Nick Drake. The name "Belle and Sebastian" come ...

and many others. According to Cherry Red, ''La Variete'' is: "A beautifully realised and delicate collection of songs set against a jazz backdrop, it switches across myriad musical settings including samba, cabaret, Afrobeat and highly personal, confessional pop." After splitting up in 1983, members Simon Booth and Larry Stabbins formed the more jazz orientated Working Week.

Discography

Chart placings shown are from the

.Lazell, Barry (1997) ''Indie Hits 1980-1989'', Cherry Red Books,

Albums

* ''La Varieté'' LP (1982) - Rough Trade (No. 4) * ''Live at Ronnie Scott’s'' - 12"

mini-LP A mini-LP or mini-album is a short vinyl record album or LP, usually retailing at a lower price than an album that would be considered full-length. It is distinct from an EP due to containing more tracks and a slightly longer running length. A ...

(1983) Rough Trade (No. 3) * ''Nipped in the Bud'' (1984) - Rough Trade (includes tracks by Young Marble Giants and Gist) * ''Tidal Blues'' (1994) - Vinyl Japan (credited to Alison Statton & Spike)

Singles

* "The View from Her Room" / "Leaves of Spring" - 7" and 12" (1982) Rough Trade (#7) * "Past Meets Present" / "Midnight Slows" - 7" (1982) Rough Trade (#6) * "Drumbeat for Baby" / "Weekend Off" - 7" and 12" (1982) Rough Trade (#8) * ''The '81 Demos'' EP (1995) - Vinyl Japan

References

External links

* {{Authority control Musical groups from Cardiff Musical groups established in 1982 Welsh new wave musical groups