bIG fLAME

Children of anti-rockist post-punk bands like the Pop Group, Josef K, and Gang of Four, Manchester, England's bIG fLAME was a self-proclaimed "tense and quirky three-piece pop group," combining the restless talents of bassist/vocalist Alan Brown, guitarist Greg O'Keefe, and drummer David "Dil" Green (the one who looked like Harry Connick Jr. with a squirrel on his head). They carried the traditions set by the U.K.'s vibrant post-punk scene of 1978-1981: they favored three-song 7" singles over 12" releases and LPs; their encore-free gigs lasted less than half an hour; the longest song they recorded is well under three minutes; there weren't any songs with "baby" in the title; there weren't any guitar solos, just lots of atonal screeching, off-kilter rhythms, and vocals that weren't so much sung as they were yelped. During their four-year existence, they issued six singles and appeared on a handful of compilations, including the famed C86 cassette released by the NME.

After they broke up, Brown joined the Great Leap Forward. In 1996, Dan Koretzky's Drag City label issued Rigour 1983-1986, which compiled the trio's entire recorded output. Brown is currently on bass guitar duties in Sarandon.

-Andy Kellman