• Thomas McLaughlin - vocals
• Owen Conroy - vocals
• Pete Dench - guitar
• Pat Diskin - bass
• Ray Rowland - drums
  
  
  LABF in 1984, l-to-r: Conroy, McLaughlin, Dench

Bio:

The early lineup (c1984) included 2nd vocalist Owen Conroy, who appears on the Hip City Boogaloo tracks. Original drummer Ray Rowland appears on the same tracks. He was replaced by Hughie Gallagher, who was the band's drummer up until his sudden death at the end of 1985. Mark A.Sheppard (drums), born in London of Irish-German parentage, then became the drummer and appears on the 2nd LP. He'd previously played with The Barracudas and Robyn Hitchcock. Pete Holidai of The Radiators joined the band in 1986, adding breath to their sound; he also appears on the 2nd LP. Work began on a third LP in 1987-88. Producer Tony Platt mentions engineering & co-producing this on his website.

Lead singer Thomas McLaughlin left shortly after the recording of the 3rd LP had finished in May 1988. The band had to find a new frontman and presumably think about re-recording the vocals for the new LP. Gregory Grey (ex Perfect Crime) was considered but in the end the job went to Ken Duffy (ex The Experiment), who joined in August 1988. Holidai and Sheppard both left in early 1989, sounding the death knell for the band sometime after a short-lived name change to The Believers. The 3rd LP never came out.

The original lineup is shown above. The second LP lineup was Thomas McLaughlin (vocals), Pete Dench (guitar), Pete Holidai (guitar), Neville Seventeen (keyboards), Pat Diskin (bass) and Mark Sheppard (drums). Mark Sheppard later formed School of Fish and is now a TV actor. Thomas McLaughlin is now better known as a writer and dramatist. Pete Holidai is back with the reformed Radiators. Ken O'Duffy formed Nijinsky with his brother Vincent on bass, Tosh Flood on guitar, and Joey Stamp on drums; they later became Saville (1995-2001?).

See also Videos page.

tracks:
Light A Big Fire
Cruisin' Down Sunset
Picking Up Signals

 

 



side one:
C.I.A.
I See People
2 Moons
Green Boys [cassette only]

side two:
The Boom Boom Room
Tommy's Got A Good Job
You Can Love A Woman
Danny [cassette only]

Notes: PS incorrectly says HWS 853, some corrected with sticker

side one:
I See People
C.I.A.
Hunger
Mr Twilight (live in London )

side two:
Women
You Can Love A Woman
Ship On The Prairie
Charlene
Two Jokes
Times We Cried

Notes: Pete Holidai appears on some tracks

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