Section 25

Section 25 are an English post-punk group from Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, active from 1977 to the present. They form around the Cassidy family and have also been associated with electro and indietronica. The band begins in Blackpool in November 1977 as a duo featuring brothers Larry Cassidy on bass and vocals, and Vincent Cassidy on drums.

Early line-up and Factory Records

The group gives its live debut in June 1978 and adds guitarist Paul Wiggin later that year. Their first single, Girls Don’t Count, appears in 1980 on Factory Records and is produced by Rob Gretton and Ian Curtis of Joy Division. All of the band’s releases go through Factory. Their debut album, Always Now, follows in 1981 and is produced by Martin Hannett.

Between 1979 and 1981, Section 25 play extensively in Britain and northern Europe, both as headliners and alongside other Factory acts including Joy Division, A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, Crispy Ambulance and New Order. They also issue a second album, The Key of Dreams, which is self-produced.

Electronic shift and 1980s releases

The original line-up splits in 1982 when Paul Wiggin does not travel to the United States for the band’s first North American tour. With percussionist Lee Shallcross added, Section 25 move towards a more electronic and dance-oriented sound. This direction is reflected on From the Hip and the single Looking From A Hilltop, both released in 1984 and produced by Bernard Sumner of New Order. This version of the band also includes Angela Flowers on vocals and keyboards, and Jenny Ross on vocals and keyboards. The line-up completes a second North American tour in 1985.

In 1986 the group splits again, leaving Larry Cassidy and Jenny Ross to finish a fourth album, Love and Hate, which appears on Factory in 1988.

Later activity

Section 25 then remain inactive for more than a decade, although their catalogue is reissued on CD by LTM and an archive DVD also appears. In 2001 Larry Cassidy reunites with Vincent Cassidy and Ross to write new material. Jenny Ross dies in 2004.

By 2006 the band returns to live performance with Ian Butterworth, formerly of Tunnelvison, on guitar and Roger Wikeley on bass and keyboards. They play their first live show in nearly two decades in Poulton-le-Fylde, followed by dates in Blackpool, Paris, Brussels and Leicester. Larry and Vin Cassidy also appear in the 2006 Factory documentary film Shadowplayers.

The band’s profile rises again with the studio album Part-Primitiv in 2007. At the Factory Night (Once Again) event in Plan K that year, Peter Hook of New Order joins them onstage for a version of Temptation. In 2008 they play further European dates, again with Hook appearing on several songs before the after-show DJ sets. A new album, Nature + Degree, follows in 2009 and includes Bethany Cassidy, Larry and Jenny’s daughter, as the band’s new singer. Larry Cassidy dies in February 2010. The re-recordings album Retrofit, completed before his death, is released later. The band continues after Larry Cassidy’s death, with Vincent Cassidy as the only remaining original member, and later line-ups including Bethany Cassidy, Joanna Cassidy and Stephen Stringer.

Current membership

Section 25’s listed members are Ian Butterworth, Jenny Cassidy, Larry Cassidy, Vin Cassidy, Angela Flowers, Lee Shallcross, Paul Wiggin and Roger Wikeley.