409 days ago:

Wicked Kitchen Staff existed in its original form during 1982-83.

WKS were a core of 6 people, (I don't remember everybody's last names), Tim on bass (and occasional violin), Steve on Drums, Finn on guitar, Andrew Kort on sax, Jeremy Richardson on synth, and myself on vocals.

We had a live performance open door policy of inviting other people to come up and play with us. We were regularly supplemented by Laura who would duet vocals with me and Mick on percussion (both of whom were on the album). I remember at one gig being a 12 piece.

I used to shoplift gifts to distribute amongst the audience and we would also regularly distribute food and pamphlets etc.

Debbie Grills was a regular at our gigs and she was the only person who replied to ....something that I've forgotten now. But we subsequently named the album after her.

As for Shout Records. Ultimately we never signed with them. I was staunchly anti-copyright and I felt that all record company contracts being offered to us were out of date concepts. Shout meanwhile stuck with us and pressed ahead with funding our album (and we were often playing on the same bill with Shout stable mates Hack Hack and Headhunters). I quit the band not long after the album was released.

Of a total 6 tracks that make up the 1983 Wicked Kitchen Staff album, "Debbie Grills Pulls Her Socks Up", there are just 2 tracks that, 25 years later, I'd award an A+ and a Recommendation to.

This is the second one.

"HYDE"

Waiting for the superheroes
in a bed and breakfast room.

Afternoon sun crawls across the floor.

Like a baby made of jelly
your saliva laps against my face.

I've been told to keep you talking till they arrive

And then I go and spoil it all
by saying something stupid like "I Love You"

(original Lyrics written and performed by
Russell Shaw Higgs)