Turning his back on pop stardom as a solo performer, Stephen ‘Tin Tin’ Duffy dropped the ‘Tin Tin’ part of his name (after legal action by lawyers representing Tin Tincreator Hergé) and formed the Lilac Time with his brother, Nick, in 1987.
Purposely low profile, the group’s debut, The Lilac Time, was released by the tiny Birmingham label, Swordfish. The other group members were Michael Giri (bass) and Micky Harris (drums).
The subtle blend of pop harmonies and folk instrumentation was well-received and Phonogram signed the band and re-released their debut. Paradise Circus (1989) was more commercial with pop gems like The Girl Who Waves at Trains.
And Love For All (1990) – produced jointly by Duffy, Andy Partridge of XTC and John Leckie – was more introspective and despite strong efforts by Phonogram, the group failed to score a hit in the singles chart, mainly because of a general unwillingness to forget Duffy’s rather twee past as a pop idol.
In 1991, the group signed with independent label Creation and released Astronauts. In the week of its release, it was announced that the group had split and that Duffy would revert once again to solo status.
Stephen Duffy
Vocals Nick Duffy
Guitar Michael Giri Bass Micky Harris
Drums
Related Posts
Woodentops, The Taking punk's DIY ideal and applying it to stripped-down acoustic pop, South London five-piece The Woodentops achieved a great deal…
BoDeans BoDeans frontmen Kurt Newmann (aka Beau BoDean) and Sammy Llanas met in high school in 1977 in Waukesha, Wisconsin, and worked…
Sugarcubes, The The Sugarcubes formed in June 1986 in Iceland (which helps explain their unconventional sense of melody). The members of the group had…
Tin Machine Tin Machine had its beginnings when Sara Gabrels, a journalist who had worked as David Bowie's press liaison person during his…
Machinations Australian band Machinations formed around guitarist Tim Doyle and keyboard player Tony Starr in 1979, using what electronic instruments they…
Pandoras, The The Pandoras - an all-female rock band from Los Angeles - were associated with the Paisley Underground era in Hollywood's…
Adventures, The Formed in 1984, The Adventures were a melodic six-piece group from Belfast. Founder member Terry Sharpe had previously been the…
Zimmermen, The After working with several Australian bands - most notably Young Modern - during the late 1970s and early 1980s, singer…
