Five Thirty – in session for Mark Goodier – March 31, 1991 – BBC Radio 1 –
Five Thirty to start the week. Another in that seemingly endless series of bands that came and went in a flash, left an album or two and a handful of singles – stuck around long enough to make a dent and then disappeared.
According to their Wikipedia page:
Five Thirty
Origin Oxford, England
Genres Indie rock
Years active 1984–92
Labels Atco/East West
Website www.five-thirty.co.uk
Past members Tara Milton (vocals, bass)
Paul Bassett (vocals, guitar)
Phil Hopper (drums)
Nick Baker (vocals, guitar)
Steve Beatty (drums)
Shawn Gwin (vocals, guitar)
Keith McCubbin (drums)
Five Thirty, sometimes written 5:30 and 5:30!, were a three-piece rock band from London, England, briefly popular in the early 1990s.Tara Milton and Nick Baker formed Five Thirty whilst still at school near Oxford in 1983. They met and recruited drummer Steve Beatty and played their first official gig in May 1984. This initial line-up played a number of gigs supporting bands like The Truth, Makin’ Time and Direct Hits.
Baker decided to leave the band in March 1985 and American replacement Shawn Gwin (formerly of the bands East Cambodia and The Numbers in New Orleans) was spotted advertising his services in the then popular weekly Phoenix List. They quickly recorded a demo of Gwin’s songs Weight of the World, Catcher in the Rye, Mood Suite and Suburban Town.
After Gwin left to return to New Orleans (and before Paul Bassett took over the reins) Five Thirty released their demo on 12″ vinyl while Catcher in the Rye was also included on a compilation entitled The Cutting Edge, a mod revival vinyl record that also contained songs by Purple Hearts, The Blades and The Dansette.
Paul Bassett took over on guitar and vocals after Gwin left. Eventually, the original drummer Steve Beatty was replaced by Keith McCubbin and finally Phil Hopper.
This lineup (Milton/Bassett/Hopper) then signed to Atco/East West Records in 1990 and released four singles and one album, Bed (released 19 August 1991). The band disbanded in 1992. They also contributed a cover version of My Sweet Lord to the anti-poll tax album Alvin Lives (in Leeds).
This session comes roughly around the time of the release of their 4th single, 13th Disciple (May 1991) and a few months ahead of their debut album. Good material – they should have stuck around just a little bit longer. But I guess hindsight is 20/20.
Play loud and check out what you may have missed.
