Dirty Water Records Shine Weekly 'Back Cat' Artist Spotlight Series: Thee Vicars, Teen Terrors Remembered

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Keeping in line with the recently coined digital tradition of #ThrowbackThursday, Dirty Water Records will be spotlighting one artist each week, from our prolific back catalogue that spans well over a decade long. In addition to these weekly 'nuggets' and 'pebbles' dug up deep from our warehouse vault, of which some are, or nearly, out of print, or buried deep below our more current output, Dirty Water Records will also release a FREE digital single download (courtesy of Bandcamp), from various bands' most glorious moments, captured from our humble beginnings as a record label. Today we launch this weekly series with a band that many thought should have been kings: Thee Vicars.

Thee Vicars were four small-town teenaged terrors who decided to form a band for exactly the right reason: they were sick to death of the typical, boring, run-of-the-mill indie bands around their area playing the same kind of music as everyone else and believed that life was too short for boring music.

They had self-belief and faith in what they did and made that clear – they didn't just talk, they went out and did it. They were “ready to, if it comes to it, to kick kung fu style all the shit bands into orbit! They would set the bullshit bands’ hair straighteners on fire. . .make them melt, and their hair go curly! Make them go out and buy a belt for their jeans! So they sit at the right height! Not with their arses hanging out!

Their question to other kids was: “Do you wanna be the problem? Or do you wanna be the solution?” And before long they were going on stage in their home town of Bury St Edmunds to Beatlemania type screams from local teenage girls.

Their manic energy was palpable. They hit you with a jolt, almost like receiving an electric shock. But then one would hope that would be the case if you were still aged aged just 17 and playing raw rock’n’roll that is shot through with a punk and garage band aesthetic – whilst visually resembling The Jam in 1978 (but a whole lot better looking).

During their six years they were one of the hardest working bands in the UK, constantly travelling around Europe and the UK, playing festivals and touring. They travelled across the USA, including an appearance at a Vice Magazine music festival in Portland, Oregon. The Horrors chose them as support act for their first gig in a year for the live debut of the songs from their Mercury nominated album Primary Colours. And the Black Lips chose them as their European tour support during the summer of their rise to infamy.

Great reviews were written by many publications. NME said that “there's more than enough here to justify adding Thee Vicars to your collection". While Clash magazine said that, “Ironically, in displaying barely a drop of originality, Thee Vicars actually sound fabulously fresh when set against the current crop of synth-pop bunnies...” and that it “reveals both glorious tunes and a sense of mischief. Mindless, and endless, fun.”

After a couple of line up changes as various members went into higher and further education, Thee Vicars continued with the core membership of bassist/singer Mike at the helm. However, the group came to a sad end following the tragically early passing of guitarist Chris Langeland at the too young age of 23. Replacing members who have departed for university is one thing. A death in the family is another. The band still plays, with members from the earlier line up re-joining for these one off events, which they call Chris Mass, every December with the specific intention of remembering Chris on his birthday.

Here is a band that left a legacy of recorded work that stands the test of time. After all, garage-rock is timeless, and especially so when recorded by kids in their teens and very early twenties. They had fun, they provided good times, never got old and boring. Thee Vicars.

Discography 

Don't Try To Tell Me / Why Have You Changed? (7” vinyl single, download) 2008 

Back On The Streets (Vinyl LP, CD, download) 2008 

You Lie / Gonna See Me Again (7” vinyl single & download) 2009 

Psychotic Beat (Vinyl LP, CD, download) 2009 

Every Day / Don't Wanna Be Free (7” vinyl single & download) 2011 

I Wanna Be Your Vicar (Vinyl LP, CD, download) 2012

The Dirty Water Club started in October 1996 in the Tufnell Park neighbourhood of north London, at a venue called The Boston. The club's name is derived from The Standells' 1966 hit 'Dirty Water' which glorifies the US city of Boston, Massachusetts.

Past performers have included The White Stripes (voted by Q Magazine as one of the top 10 gigs of all time, Mojo one of the top 30 and Kerrang one of the top 100!), The Gories, NOBUNNY, Kid Congo Powers (from the Cramps), The Fleshtones, Billy Childish, Radio Birdman, The Dirtbombs, Thee Michelle Gun Elephant, The 5.6.7.8's, The Horrors and The Brian Jonestown Massacre to name just a few. The club has also seen some original '60s performers, such as The Monks, ? and the Mysterians, Kim Fowley, Sky Saxon, GONN, Michael Davis of the MC5 and more grace its stage.

Their in-house record label, Dirty Water Records, is one of the leading garage/beat/(real) R&B labels in the world.