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Alongside New Model Army and a fertile bhangra scene, Terrorvision are the Yorkshire city of Bradford's chief musical export. And, after capturing a UK number 1 single in 1999, there is every reason for them to be a source of local pride. After abandoning the name Spoilt Bratz in 1991, Terrorvision (named after a cult B-movie) formed around vocalist Tony Wright, guitarist Mark Yates, bass player Leigh Markley and drummer Shutty. A single demo tape was enough to convince EMI Records to offer them not only a deal, but their own imprint, Total Vegas. A succession of albums followed, melding pop hooks with metal guitars (akin to a harsher Cheap Trick). These included Formaldehyde (1992), How to Make Friends and Influence People (1994) and Regular Urban Survivors (1996). These spawned a series of chart appearances for singles such as "New Policy One," "Pretend Best Friend," the excellent "Alice, What's the Matter?" and "Perseverance." The latter took them into the UK top five, illustrating their broadening commercial appeal. That was confirmed with the release of 1998's Shaving Peaches, a heady mix of wacked-out pop and rock piledrivers with a real dumb charm that some compared to the Ramones. Despite attendant single "Tequila" topping the charts, Terrorvision were nevertheless dropped by EMI before the end of the millennium. However, their own label scored a working relationship with Papillion in May 2000. A sixth appearance on the "Never Mind the Buzzcocks" Christmas special soon followed prior to the band returning to the studio the next year. Good To Go, their fifth album which sparked the hit single "D'Ya Wanna Go Faster?," appeared in February 2001. Sadly, after a string of spring shows, Terrorvision's 13-year career came to a halt when the band disbanded in June. A small farewell tour in the UK was scheduled for late fall to coincide the release of the retrospective, Whales & Dolphins, in September. ~ Alex Ogg, All Music Guide |
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