Girish Mahajan (Editor)

The Shrubs

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Also known as
  
The Kevin Staples Band

Associated acts
  
Stump The Creepers

Record label
  
Ron Johnson Records

Years active
  
1985 - 1988

Active until
  
1988

Genres
  
Rock music, Post-punk

Labels
  
Ron Johnson, Public Domain

Past members
  
Nick Hobbs (1985-88) Julian Hutton (1985-88) Mick Ricketts (1985-88) John Bentley (1985-88) Phil Roberts (1985-86) Steve Brockway (1986) Mark Grebby (1986-88)

Origin
  
Watford, United Kingdom (1985)

Albums
  
Take Me Aside for a Midnight Harangue, Vessels of the Heart, Full Steam Into the Brainstorm, Blackmailer

Similar
  
A Witness, Miaow, Big Flame, Bogshed, Mighty Mighty

The Shrubs were an English rock music group, formed in Watford in 1985, releasing three albums before splitting up in 1989.

Contents

History

Future Shrubs singer Nick Hobbs had previously managed Henry Cow and after living in Stockholm for a year joined Swedish band Kraeldjursanstalten. When that band split up he relocated to London and looked for a new band. After being sacked from Stump for "being too serious", Hobbs formed his own band, taking inspiration from Captain Beefheart, Pere Ubu, The Fall, and The Ex, initially as The Kevin Staples Band, but changing name to The Shrubs before first release Full Steam Into The Brainstorm, a 6-track 12" EP in July 1986 on the Ron Johnson label. Bassist Phil Roberts left shortly afterwards to join Marc Riley in The Creepers, to be replaced by Steve Brockway, and subsequently by Mark Grebby, who had been the bass player for original Ron Johnson artistes Splat!

Shrubs contributed Bullfighters Bones to the NME's famous C86 album.

A further 12", Blackmailer followed towards the end of the year, with debut album Take Me Aside For A Midnight Harangue hitting the shops in July 1987. With the collapse of the Ron Johnson label and the indie distribution network The Cartel, several hundred copies of "Harangue" were incinerated, much to Hobbs' annoyance. Shrubs signed with the Hertfordshire-based Public Domain label for a studio/live 12", Another Age, and second and final album Vessels Of The Heart, both in 1988, after which the band split. Hobbs went on to form Mecca, who toured the former Soviet Union with Nitzer Ebb and others, and subsequently Infidel, along with current Pere Ubu guitarist Keith Moliné and Nico's former drummer Graham Dowdall (a.k.a. Dids), at the same time carrying on in artist management. He carries on making music solo and with different groups under the name of Nikolai Galen.

The band recorded two sessions for John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show, the first in June 1986 and the second in August 1987.

Singles

  • "Full Steam Into The Brainstorm" (Jul 1986, Ron Johnson, ZRON10 [12"])
  • "Blackmailer" (Dec 1986, Ron Johnson, ZRON17 [12"])
  • Albums

  • Take Me Aside for a Midnight Harangue (Jun 1987, Ron Johnson, ZRON23 [LP])
  • "Another Age/live tracks" (Sep 1988, Public Domain, DOM001 [12" mini-LP])
  • Vessels of The Heart (Nov 1988, Public Domain, DOM002 [LP])
  • Songs

    Bullfighter’s Bones1986
    BlackmailerBlackmailer · 1986
    Claykiln MouthTake Me Aside for a Midnight Harangue · 1987

    References

    The Shrubs Wikipedia