Wednesday 15 February 2017

1991 - 1995 - Blue Sky Falling and Fruit Tumor

In 1991 me and my cousin Mike (top left) decided to get a band together after tinkering around on a keyboard at home and coming up with some ideas. He was always going to be the singer / shouter, while I was happy just giving input and managing our affairs. We auditioned at Red House Studios next to The Marble Arch pub on the outskirts of Shudehill and ended up with a drummer, bass guitarist and guitarist. We had some right laughs doing this. You will be amazed at some of the people you come across that don't have a clue! We continued rehearsing at Red House and got some kind of set together, did a demo in a small studio in Whitworth in Rochdale and I got us a few gigs! Our first gig was a The Swinging Sporran just off Sackville St in the City Centre. We supported a popular Middleton band called The Wax Tablets. It was an eventful night due to Northside turning up and certain people robbing all the booze from behind the bar due to no staff being there!! We did a good set and I felt proud that we were actually making small steps on the music scene. We got gigs in Oldham, The Boardwalk, The Venue. I could describe the music at the time as jingly jangly indie with a bit of menace! This band fell apart after a while. The bass player decided not to turn up to rehearsals and the guitarist was looking in other directions from what me and Mike were looking for. We were listening to Pixies and Nirvana at the time and wanted to go into a more punk direction. This was when Danny, Scott and Nigel came on the scene. We decided the name Blue Sky Falling didn't cut it and came up with Fruit Tumor. We did a couple of demo tapes in a studio in the City Centre (I forget the name but it was near The Roadhouse. I got a press pack together and started booking us gigs. We played PJ Bells on Oldham St, The Boardwalk a few times (we supported Cornershop), had a monthly residency in Oldham and a nice little following going on. We also had a new drummer Darryl who gave us a punkier sound and carried on rehearsing in our little hovel in Bolton (see pic above). With a growing fan base we decided to get T-shirts together and release a single on our own label Tumor Records. I had secured us a double page spread in The Manchester Evening News and I convinced John Robb (Membranes / Gold Blade / uber journalist) who had heard our demo to produce us. I got us a gig at the old Piccadilly Records and The In The City music conference which Anthony Wilson organised.
We were doing really well with more gigs like The Roadhouse, The Boardwalk again, Hebden Bridge Trades Club, The Limelight Crewe, Winnington Rec in Northwich it was a hard slog. Then Mike dropped the bombshell that he was moving to Scotland where he eventually got married and the band broke up. It was a sad time but Mike had his priorities and we all went our merry / unmerry ways. We have a bit of a reunion next week in Night N Day where Nigel's new band Adventures Of Salvador will grace the stage with their Surf rock / punk psychedelia stuff. Check out their album Chocolates & Drugs. He is having fun again!! See you next time people!

2 comments:

  1. I was in Malia 94 and got chatting to a lad in a bar about 7am ! Was on the outskirts of Malia as the police shut everywhere in the resort centre..he told me he was in a band called fruit tumour ... probably the same band 🤣

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  2. Hey Wayne so you were in Blue Sky Falling? Do you remember doing gigs with a band called Clayhouse at the Shack in Oldham, Middleton Civic and the Crown and Cushion in Bolton?

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