Big Flame

Children of bands like the Pop Group, Josef K, and Gang of Four of the U.K.'s vibrant anti-rockist, post-punk scene of 1978-1981, Manchester, England's bIG fLAME were 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 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 C-86 cassette released by 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. ~ Andy Kellman, Rovi