After The Dance Party (previously Ho Ho Bacteria!) and Egypt For Now, in early 1981 Dave _1.jpg)
Tracy Palmer (aka Yorkie, vocals and bass) formed put together the Balcony.
Here’s what the man himself remembers about the band coming together: “[As Egypt for Now] we recorded a session to be used for the Street To Street Volume 2 album, but the band was short lived as I had recently played Mike (Head, ndr) the band Love, and it changed his life forever. Musical differences in direction split the band: Mike wanted to sound like Love and I wanted something far more experimental. (As an aside, EFN actually recorded a cover of Love's She Comes in Colours at the very same session). John Peel's producer, Chris Lycett, got in touch with a request for EFN to do a Peel session, but as we had gone our separate ways, this was impossible. I told him of my new band The Balcony, and after sending a demo we had just recorded, he booked us.”
The band that turned up for the session included Pete McAsey (aka Peter Macassey, bass, also with This Final Frame), Paul Cavanagh (guitar, bass, former Chinese Religion, later Room), Peter Baker (keyboards, later Room) and Bert Gardner (drums). This line-up (plus Caroline Henning, on backing vocals) on November 18th 1981 recorded three songs, Lizard Hunt, Surprise after Surprise, and She Keeps Her Secret), later broadcast on November 24th. Sporting a radical pot
pourri of styles, with jazz and funk influences, and a psychedelic approach to song structure, Balcony didn’t fail to get noticed, in fact, “after playing only one gig, we secured a deal with local record label Praxis and shortly after the Peel session (24.11.81) our debut single was released. It was produced by one of my heroes at the time: Mayo Thompson, from 60's psych gurus The Red Crayola”. In the meantime, in mid-1982 Gardner left and was replaced by Glyn Haworth, and in August 1982 the Balcony first single was out, with Sue and Hilary (whoever they are) on vocals, and Shehzad on clarinet:
_1.jpg)
Tracy Palmer (aka Yorkie, vocals and bass) formed put together the Balcony.Here’s what the man himself remembers about the band coming together: “[As Egypt for Now] we recorded a session to be used for the Street To Street Volume 2 album, but the band was short lived as I had recently played Mike (Head, ndr) the band Love, and it changed his life forever. Musical differences in direction split the band: Mike wanted to sound like Love and I wanted something far more experimental. (As an aside, EFN actually recorded a cover of Love's She Comes in Colours at the very same session). John Peel's producer, Chris Lycett, got in touch with a request for EFN to do a Peel session, but as we had gone our separate ways, this was impossible. I told him of my new band The Balcony, and after sending a demo we had just recorded, he booked us.”
The band that turned up for the session included Pete McAsey (aka Peter Macassey, bass, also with This Final Frame), Paul Cavanagh (guitar, bass, former Chinese Religion, later Room), Peter Baker (keyboards, later Room) and Bert Gardner (drums). This line-up (plus Caroline Henning, on backing vocals) on November 18th 1981 recorded three songs, Lizard Hunt, Surprise after Surprise, and She Keeps Her Secret), later broadcast on November 24th. Sporting a radical pot
pourri of styles, with jazz and funk influences, and a psychedelic approach to song structure, Balcony didn’t fail to get noticed, in fact, “after playing only one gig, we secured a deal with local record label Praxis and shortly after the Peel session (24.11.81) our debut single was released. It was produced by one of my heroes at the time: Mayo Thompson, from 60's psych gurus The Red Crayola”. In the meantime, in mid-1982 Gardner left and was replaced by Glyn Haworth, and in August 1982 the Balcony first single was out, with Sue and Hilary (whoever they are) on vocals, and Shehzad on clarinet: 
Surprise after Surprise (b/w Lizard Hunt)
The band also had a couple of tracks on some compilation releases (namely Those Dangerous Dark Nowheres on Interzone compilation, and Black Ivory Coast Towers on the compilation 
cassette Index Edition 2, released in 1982). After a period of very fluid formations (one including Judith Latey, Joe McKechnie, and Paul Sangster of Send No Flowers, see picture above), in 1983 the band line-up changed again, with only Yorkie left of the original members. The new Balcony (1983-1984) included Steve Powell (guitar, vocals), Mark Davies (bass), the ubiquitous Joey McKechnie (drums, former Activity Minimal, Modern Eon, Wild Swans - only for some gigs - The Passage, later Benny Profane) and Phil Lucking (trumpet, brass). “Various line-up changes over the course of The Balcony's history meant that the sound and style of the band was consistently changing. The common thread was me, and my urge to create something akin to Dada Pop.”
In 1983 The Balcony privately released a compilation cassette,
Portrait, including 10 of the songs written up to that moment by the various line-up (among which featured She Keeps Her Secret, one of the very first composition by the band, performed during their first Peel Session, and Too Late, with which the Balcony contribute to the soundtrack for Chris Bernard and Frank Clarke film Letter To Brezhnev (depicting working class life in Liverpool during the early Eighties, released in 1985).
Balcony – Some Recordings (1981-1985)
(see also http://www.yorkiestinyuniverse.co.uk/Pages/timeline.html
http://www.incendiarymag.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1176 )
cassette Index Edition 2, released in 1982). After a period of very fluid formations (one including Judith Latey, Joe McKechnie, and Paul Sangster of Send No Flowers, see picture above), in 1983 the band line-up changed again, with only Yorkie left of the original members. The new Balcony (1983-1984) included Steve Powell (guitar, vocals), Mark Davies (bass), the ubiquitous Joey McKechnie (drums, former Activity Minimal, Modern Eon, Wild Swans - only for some gigs - The Passage, later Benny Profane) and Phil Lucking (trumpet, brass). “Various line-up changes over the course of The Balcony's history meant that the sound and style of the band was consistently changing. The common thread was me, and my urge to create something akin to Dada Pop.”In 1983 The Balcony privately released a compilation cassette,
Portrait, including 10 of the songs written up to that moment by the various line-up (among which featured She Keeps Her Secret, one of the very first composition by the band, performed during their first Peel Session, and Too Late, with which the Balcony contribute to the soundtrack for Chris Bernard and Frank Clarke film Letter To Brezhnev (depicting working class life in Liverpool during the early Eighties, released in 1985).Balcony – Some Recordings (1981-1985)
(see also http://www.yorkiestinyuniverse.co.uk/Pages/timeline.html
http://www.incendiarymag.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1176 )
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