Harvey and the Wallbangers
# Harvey and the Wallbangers

Harvey and the Wallbangers were a 1980s jazz vocal harmony group, playing major festivals and the main concert halls in Europe and the UK, such as the Royal Albert Hall, Sadler's Wells, The Forum, Ronnie Scotts and the Berlin Tempodrom. The group also appeared on the Royal Variety Show and scores of other television programmes including Wogan, Russell Harty and Carrott's Lib.

Harvey and the Wallbangers recorded four albums on their own label (Hubbadots) and also The Jazz Album with Simon Rattle (EMI).

## Band members

* Jeremy Taylor – Vocals, trombone, trumpet, percussion
* Harvey Brough – Vocals, saxes, organ, cor anglais, percussion
* Christopher Purves – Vocals, trumpet, percussion
* Jonny Griffiths – Vocals, Guitar, violin, phonofiddle, percussion, ukulele
* Neil "Reg" McArthur – Vocals, piano, guitar, harpsichord, melodica, percussion
* Richard Allen – Vocals, double bass, percussion
* Andrew Huggett – Drums

## Early band members

* Paul Daniel – Vocals
* Russell Watson – Bass Vocals
* Brian Shelley – Vocals
* Peter Stephens – Piano
* Chris Cox – Bass

## Stage shows

Each year the Wallbangers would put together a new stage show, normally premiered at the Edinburgh Festival (the only time they missed performing in Edinburgh was 1985). The shows were produced by a selection of inspiring Directors.

| Performance Year | Show Name | Director |
| - | - | - |
| 1983 | Hep Cats Go Ape | Jude Kelly (Royal National Theatre) |
| 1984 | Allez Bananes | Rod Natkiel |
| 1985 | Like men Possessed | James Runcie (TV series Grantchester) |
| 1986 | Park the Tiger | David Gilmore (Daisy Pulls It Off) |

## Radio Series

On 26 June 1985, the Wallbangers appeared on BBC Radio 2 (at 22.15) for the first of a series of five 15-minute Wednesday night shows of "music & mirth". The series was produced by Paul Mayhew-Archer and featured additional material by comedy writer James Hendrie. The short series was repeated again in April the following year.

This was followed in 1987, when the Wallbangers had their own half-hour Tuesday night radio show on BBC Radio 2. Produced again by Paul Mayhew-Archer and written by James Hendrie, the series ran for 6 episodes, hosting a number of special guest celebrities.

| Episode No. | Original Air Date | Guests |
| - | - | - |
| Episode 1 | 20 January 1987 | Jeremy Hardy, Roger McGough, Pete McCarthy. |
| Episode 2 | 27 January 1987 | Paul Merton, John Irwin. |
| Episode 3 | 3 February 1987 | John Dowie, Nick Revell. |
| Episode 4 | 10 February 1987 | Jeremy Hardy, Roger McGough, Pete McCarthy. |
| Episode 5 | 17 February 1987 | Paul Merton, John Irwin. |
| Episode 6 | 24 February 1987 | John Dowie, Nick Revell. |

In 1986 the band also provided music for an adaptation of Dario Fo's Archangels broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

## Dissolution

After Griffiths left the band, the band decided to break up after a final tour. The band performed with Simon Rattle and the London Sinfonietta, later released on Rattle's Jazz Album.

The final show, on Sunday 3 May 1987, was originally booked at the Duke of York's Theatre in the West End, but having sold out in just a morning, it was finally moved to the Sadler's Wells Theatre in Clerkenwell, London, where the Wallbangers performed for the last time.

Stephen Grater (the band's manager for the past four years) had contracted a brain tumor, and died a few days before the final concert. According to Purves, this partly inspired the band members to stop.

## Discography

| Album Title | Album Details | Tracks |
| - | - | - |
| Allez Bananes | Released: 1984 Recorded: Gateway Studios, Battersea Engineer: Pascal Gabriel Produced: Rex Brough & Harvey Brough | (1) Five Guy's Named Moe, (2) Who Do You Know in Heaven, (3) My Baby's Gone, (4) Jailhouse Rock, (5) Shine, (6) Your Feet's Too Big, (7) I'll Be Forever Loving You, (8) Boogie Nights, (9) Sweet Talkin' Guy, (10) Sixteen Tons, (11) Traffic Jam, (12) Nutrocker, (13) Right Next Door to An Angel, (14) Sh Boom, (15) Blue Skies. |
| Wallbangers A – GoGo | Released: 1985 Recorded: Gateway Studios, Battersea Engineer: Pascal Gabriel Produced: Rex Brough & Harvey Brough | (1) Make Your Mind Up, (2) Lets Make It Today, (3) Sea Cruise, (4) Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens, (5) Breakaway, (6) The Falling Rain, (7) Someday Soon Somehow, (8) Needle in a Haystack, (9) Anything (You Want Me To Do), (10) 523 423, (11) Sometimes Ali, (12) Got The Woo-Woos, (13) Cool Dog, (14) Every Second Every Minute Every Hour of Every Day (I Need Your Love). |
| Park The Tiger (EP) | Released: 1986 Recorded: Hollywood Studios, London Engineer: – Olly Hitch Produced: Harvey Brough & Olly Hitch | (1) I Ain't Got You, (2) Tons & Tons of Sunshine, (3) Dancing in the Ballroom, (4) Devil Went Down To Georgia, (5) Like I Should. |
| Someday Soon Somehow | Released: 1987 Recorded: BBC Paris Studios, London W1 Engineer: John Whitehall Produced: Paul Mayhew-Archer, Jo Cooke & Harvey Brough | (1) Here Comes Leroy, (2) We're Heading for the Poorhouse, (3) False Alarm, (4) Traffic Jam, (5) Baby Don't Drink, (6) Out of the Shadows, (7) The Concept, (8) Inflation Blues, (9) I Think You're Something Else, (10) Sometimes I Feel like A Motherless Child, (11) Marie, (12) Occapella, (13) Cool Jerk, (14) Let Me Down, (15) Life Is Easy, (16) Since I Don't Have You, (17) Lipstick Traces on a Cigarette, (18) High School Confidential, (19) Who's Fooling Who? (20) Someday Soon Somehow, (21) Breaths. |
| Simon Rattle Jazz Album | Released: 1987 Recorded: CTS Studios, Wembley Conductor: Simon Rattle & London Sinfonietta Produced: EMI Records Ltd | (3) After You've Gone, (8) Sweet Sue, (10) Makin' Whoopee!, (11) My Blue Heaven. |
| Final Concert | Released: 1987 Recorded: Live at the Sadler's Wells Theatre Date: Sunday 3 May 1987 | |
| Early Days | Remastering of 'Allez Bananas' with some added out-takes Released: 2004 Recorded: Gateway Studios, Battersea Engineer: Pascal Gabriel Produced: Rex Brough & Harvey Brough | (1) Five Guy's Named Moe, (2) Who Do You Know in Heaven, (3) My Baby's Gone, (4) Jailhouse Rock, (5) Shine, (6) Your Feet's Too Big, (7) I'll Be Forever Loving You, (8) Boogie Nights, (9) Sweet Talkin' Guy, (10) Sixteen Tons, (11) Traffic Jam, (12) Nutrocker, (13) Right Next Door to An Angel, (14) Sh Boom, (15) Blue Skies, (16) Glad To Be Here, (17) Paper Moon, (18) Deacon Jones, (19) Atom & Evil, (20) Mr Paganini, (21) Old Man River, (22) Don't You Worry 'bout A Thing, (23) Sunny Side of the Street. |

## Post-Wallbangers careers

Christopher Purves, who left the band due to the pressures of touring, trained as an operatic baritone and his first major role was in Inés de Castro by James MacMillan in 1997. He also played the lead roles in Alban Berg's Wozzeck and Verdi's Falstaff, Beckmesser in Wagner's Meistersinger, Tonio in Leoncavallo's Pagliacci and Balstrode in Britten's Peter Grimes. He also sang in a television commercial for fruit drink Um Bongo.

Harvey Brough followed the dissolution by scoring John Godber's Shakers with his brother Rex, providing what the Times described as "blues, country and Bananarama-ish tunes". But like Purves, he later went in a more serious direction, including composing and performing Requiem in Blue, a composition with elements of jazz, folk, and classical music, in tribute to his dead brother. He was married to jazz singer Jacqui Dankworth.

## Harvey and the "New" Wallbangers

The members of the band worked together occasionally after the split. Harvey Brough was joined by the reunited Wallbangers for a 2004 concert at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh.

In 2016 Clara Sanabras asked Harvey to reform the Wallbangers to appear on one song (Travellers Never Did Lie) on her album "A Hum About Mine Ears". The CD was launched at the Barbican, London in March 2016, by Clara with the new Harvey and The Wallbangers, Britten Sinfonia, Jacqueline Shave, Violin and two choirs – Chorus of Dissent and Harvey's Vox Holloway conducted by Harvey.

In 2017, after a 30-year hiatus, three of the original Wallbangers (Harvey Brough, Jeremy Taylor & Richard Allen) plus two new Wallbangers (Clara Sanabras & Naomi Hammerton) decided to reform the band. They were joined by a rhythm section Andy Hamill and Roy Dodds to perform in three sold-out gigs in London and Southampton, followed by an appearance at the Bury St Edmunds music festival.

At the London shows the Wallbangers were joined on stage by original pianist "Reg Prescott", for the song Blue Skies.

## Film and TV

| Show Title | Program Details |
| - | - |
| Six Fifty-Five | Released: Tuesday 9 August 1983 Channel: BBC 2 Cast: Lenny Henry Editor: Peter Hercombe Songs: Stranded in the Jungle & Right next door to an Angel |
| At Last -It's 1984! | Released: Sunday 1 January 1984 (New Year Show) Channel: BBC 1 Cast: Michael Barrymore Director: Bach Tony Songs : Schboom & Paper Moon |
| Folio – TV Arts Show | Released: 1984 Channel: Anglian TV Cast: Paul Barnes Songs : Grazing in the grass, Allez bananes, Who put the Bomp, Schboom, Nobody, Ain't nobody here but us chickens, Sea Cruise, Boogie Nights |
| Royal Variety Performance | Released: Sunday 25 November 1984 – Victoria Palace Theatre Channel: BBC 1 Cast: Various Musical Director: Ronnie Hazelhurst Songs : Who put the Bomp & William Tell |
| Cabaret (TV series) | Released: Wednesday 6 February 1985 Channel: BBC 2 Cast: Robyn Archer, Bertice Reading, Rory Bremner Director: Philip Chilvers |
| The Laughter Show (TV series) | Released: Saturday 2 March 1985 – (repeated Thursday 25 July 1985) Channel: BBC 1 Cast: Les Dennis and Dustin Gee with Slither Spook and Roy Jay Director: John Bishop |
| The Laughter Show (TV series) | Released: Saturday 23 March 1985 – (repeated Thursday 29 August 1985) Channel: BBC 1 Cast: Les Dennis and Dustin Gee with Greg Rodgers Director: John Bishop |
| Kelly's Eye | Released: 1985 – 6 episodes Channel: TVS (Television South) Cast: Matthew Kelly Songs: 523423, Someday soon somehow, Needle in a Haystack, Cool Dog, Falling Rain, Breakaway |
| Summertime Special | Released: Saturday 26 July 1986 Channel: TVS (Television South) Cast: Randy Crawford |
| Minstrel of the Dawn | Released: Monday 21 March 1988 Channel: BBC 1 Cast: Mary O'Hara Director: Alan Tongue |
