{"id":4930,"date":"2015-07-20T13:28:16","date_gmt":"2015-07-20T12:28:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.eyeplug.net\/magazine\/?p=4930"},"modified":"2013-07-31T18:24:06","modified_gmt":"2013-07-31T17:24:06","slug":"indie-icons-june-brides","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eyeplug.net\/magazine\/indie-icons-june-brides\/","title":{"rendered":"Indie Icons – June Brides"},"content":{"rendered":"
This entry is part 4 of 8 in the series Cherry Red Icons<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>

During their brief recording career, from 1984 to 1986, the June Brides<\/strong> were among the most important independent pop groups in their native UK. Based in South London, the band released 4 singles and one LP, “There are 8 Million Stories”, which stayed at the top of the UK independent album chart for a month. The band did sessions for BBC Radio 1, including one for the legendary John Peel which was later released by Strange Fruit records. The band also featured on the front cover of the NME – the June Brides being the first independent pop group to have been given such a cover. In 1985 Morrisey named the band as his favourite group and they supported the Smiths on their 1986 tour of Ireland. They also played with the Go-Betweens, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Mekons, Alternative TV, The Television Personalities and The Wedding Present.\u2028\u2028Following the band’s split in 1986 (due to persistent record label problems and internal fractures), singer-songwriter Phil Wilson signed as a solo artist to Creation records (the home of many influential British artists, such Primal Scream, Oasis and My Bloody Valentine). Phil released two singles on Creation, and one further single on the Caff label (run by Bob Stanley of Saint Etienne). The solo singles marked a change in sound from The June Brides. \u201cWaiting for a Change\u201d, for example was a precursor of what later became known as \u201cAlternative Country\u201d. However, whilst garnering critical acclaim, the records were probably too radical a change for his June Brides fans, and failed to sell.\u00a0Phil returned to making music in 2007 after a 20 year break. He released the \u201cGod Bless Jim Kennedy\u201d album in 2010, which received terrific reviews in Uncut, Mojo and the Daily Mirror. The band decided in 2012 that it could be time to think about playing together again\u2026<\/p>\n

01. Tell us how you got that name?<\/h3>\n

I wanted a name that didn\u2019t suggest a type of music. \u201cThe June Brides\u201d could sound like anything! I liked that idea\u2026<\/p>\n

02. When did the June Brides come into existence?<\/h3>\n

As a joke band called International Rescue in 1982 \u2013 but with more serious intent as the renamed \u201cJune Brides\u201d in 1983.<\/p>\n

\u00a003. You and other members of the June Brides come from South East London. What was this part of London like in the 1980s?<\/h3>\n

Grim! But it had a vibrant music scene, and housing could be found dirt cheap. Several of the band lived together, and rehearsed, in a house in Lewisham. We played our first concerts in local pubs, and with the local Performance Collective.<\/p>\n

04. When did you first meet Alan McGee and what was it like playing at his club night \u2018The Living Room?<\/h3>\n

I met Alan when he was running a club before the Living Room \u2013 I went to see the Television Personalities play there. It was very sparsely attended night, so it wasn\u2019t difficult to get to meet he few people there! I bought Alan\u2019s fanzine \u201cCommunication Blur\u201d from him that night, and sent a (really poor) demo tape to him at the address in the fanzine. He asked us to play his new club \u201cThe Living Room\u201d soon after that.<\/p>\n

Playing for Alan was usually great fun \u2013 there were always too many people packed into small rooms above pubs. He paid us a pittance! But used the money from ours and other nights to finance early Creation releases.<\/p>\n

05. The June Brides only album \u2018There Are Eight Million Stories\u2019 went to number 1 in the Independent Album Charts in 1985. Why did the band split the following year considering the success of the album?<\/h3>\n

We\u2019d moved to a new Record label (InTape) and moved on soundwise. Our following singles (\u201cNo Place Called Home\u201d and \u201cThis Town\u201d) had moved on from the more jangly, scratchy sound of the album. But they weren\u2019t as popular with the public. We decided to split up as we\u2019d achieved far more than we ever set out to do. It just felt right to stop.<\/p>\n

06.The band also had famous fans including Morrissey, and the June Brides even went on tour with \u2018The Smiths\u2019. Any recollections or standout moments from that tour?<\/h3>\n

It was really exciting to see The Smiths in their prime, but, at the same time, it kind of put me off the whole idea of becoming a pop star! They were on a tight schedule constantly, and it looked like they were having no fun whatsoever. Playing with them as another small part of why we broke up\u2026<\/p>\n

07.Many have referred to the June Brides as innovators of \u2018Jangly\u2019 Indie music. Do you feel flattered by these plaudits?<\/h3>\n

I feel extremely happy to still be mentioned by people in bands who\u2019ve mentioned us as an influence \u2013 that\u2019s the most important thing for me. We, of course, didn\u2019t invent anything, but merely adapted lots of things that were already there.<\/p>\n

08. Is it true that the June Brides refused to be on the C86 tape because you did not want to be \u2018pidgeonholed\u2019?<\/h3>\n

Yes! We thought we\u2019d get wrapped up in some sort of spurious \u201cC86\u201d jangly-pop movement. Which is exactly what happened, anyway, so it was a big mistake on our part!<\/p>\n

09. How do you feel about the June Brides inclusion on Cherry Red Records \u2018Scared To Get Happy\u2019 box set? It could be argued (although not by me) that the June Brides could be \u2018pidgeonholed\u2019 by being on this particular compilation?<\/h3>\n

See above! I actually played a small part in getting the compilation together, and am proud to be on there. We will forever be pigeonholed as part of the C86\/Indiepop scene, so staying off it would probably have made no difference. And I think it would have been foolhardy, and possibly a bit churlish, to have done so! And I really don\u2019t now mind, if I could now be pigeonholed alongside the Wild Swans and The Fire Engines.<\/p>\n

10. What inspired your songwriting in the June Brides and did you already have the songs written before presenting them to the rest of the band?<\/h3>\n

Inadequacy! I felt I wasn\u2019t very good, so was inspired to try and make the songs better and better. Whether I succeeded is entirely another question. I did present songs just about finished to the band. Very little changed in the arrangements, other than the addition of individual parts by the band members.<\/p>\n

11. You released a solo album [single \u2013 not an album] appropriately titled \u2018Waiting for A Change\u2019, which saw you follow a more \u2018country\u2019 influenced sound? Have you always been a fan of country music? Who were the musicians on this record?<\/h3>\n

My father (who had split up from my mother when I was very young) re-appeared in my life when I was about 10, and he was a country singer in the Northern Working Men\u2019s\u2019 clubs. He introduced me to the joys of Johnny Cash, Marty Robbins and Hank Williams at that age, and I\u2019ve loved good country since (and that does exclude an awful lot of bland Nashville nonsense). I liked the idea of surprising the press, and the Junies fans, by doing a country flavoured song. But it was a very poorly received (and selling!) record. I still lie it, though!<\/p>\n

The band on it are The Triffids, plus the 76 year old (and since deceased) steel guitar player from my Dad\u2019s band. It was his first, and last, time in a recording studio and he absolutely loved it.<\/p>\n

12. Who would you say has been the biggest influence on you musically?<\/h3>\n

Probably a couple: the Velvet Underground and Hank Williams. They both had the supreme gift of being able to use simple chords and words to create complex songs. It\u2019s what I aspire to, but have seldom achieved.<\/p>\n

13. How did the June Brides eventually get back together?<\/h3>\n

Naturally, which is the best way! I had been playing with a new bassist and drummer (Arash Torabi and Andy Fonda, since replaced by Steve Beswick), and playing as \u201cPhil Wilson\u201d rather than as the \u201cJune Brides\u201d. I was under pressure to use the old band name, but refused as it would not have been fair to them. However, in the intervening years, Frank Sweeney (Viola), Jon Hunter (trumpet) and Simon Beesley (Guitar) from the old band gradually started to play with us. When the line-up was complete again, it felt natural and right to go back to the original name.<\/p>\n

14. The June Brides played the Cherry Red Records \u2018Scared To Get Happy\u2019 album launch night. Is this much need reappraisal to what many consider \u2018under-appreciated\u2019 music?<\/h3>\n

It felt more like a celebration on the night. Indiepop has never really gone away, it\u2019s just looked poorly on occasion! It continues to be regarded well by small numbers of young musicians around the World. I think it will continue to operate on that sort of level, with the very occasional act breaking through. But that\u2019s enough for me.<\/p>\n

15. What does the future hold for the June Brides and yourself? Can we expected new music from the band and do you have any more plans for further solo releases?<\/h3>\n

The June Brides plan to do an album. But we don\u2019t want to rush into it \u2013 it\u2019s been 28 years since the last one, so there\u2019s no real need to do so. Maybe next year or the year after? Time will tell\u2026<\/p>\n

Web Links:<\/h3>\n

junebridesmusic.com<\/a>
\nfacebook.com\/The-June-Brides<\/a>
\nmyspace.com\/thejunebrides<\/a><\/p>\n

Tour dates:<\/h3>\n

November 28: Glasgow
\nNovember 29: Dundee
\nNovember 30: Aberdeen<\/p>\n

Records available @:<\/h3>\n

UK: occultation.co.uk<\/a>
\nUSA: slumberlandrecords.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Photographs by:\u00a0Heimo Reifetshammer,\u00a0Nigel King & 2 unknown.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This entry is part 4 of 8 in the series Cherry Red Icons<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>

During their brief recording career, from 1984 to 1986, the June Brides were among the most important independent pop groups in their native UK. Based in South London, the band released 4 singles and one LP, “There are 8 Million Stories”, which stayed at the top of the UK independent album chart for a month. The band did sessions for BBC Radio 1, including one for the legendary John Peel which was later released by Strange Fruit records. The band also featured on the front cover of the NME – the June Brides being the first independent pop group to have been given such a cover. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":4941,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,128,88,73,71],"tags":[750,121,1177,785],"series":[769],"class_list":["post-4930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-hot-plugs","category-indie","category-interviews","category-music","tag-cherry-red-records","tag-eyeplug","tag-indie","tag-june-brides","series-cherry-red-icons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eyeplug.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4930","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eyeplug.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eyeplug.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eyeplug.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eyeplug.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4930"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.eyeplug.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4930\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4940,"href":"https:\/\/www.eyeplug.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4930\/revisions\/4940"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eyeplug.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4941"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eyeplug.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eyeplug.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eyeplug.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4930"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eyeplug.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=4930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}