The Very Things

The Very Things

The Very Things form in 1983 after the collapse of The Cravats, the post-punk and jazz/punk fusion group founded by Robin Raymond Dallaway and The Shend. The pair draw on late-night television such as The Twilight Zone and Outer Limits, Motown singles, 1950s science fiction films and 1960s psychedelic music as they build the new band.

Background

The band are active for around five years and become associated with post-punk, new wave and gothic rock. They gain attention from John Peel, who gives them the first of five sessions. Their cult reputation also leads to a film made for and with The Tube, using black-and-white low-budget horror and science-fiction pastiche around two of their tracks.

Recognition and releases

Ken Russell describes the film as “wonderfully gothic” and says it makes him “want to destroy my greatest work.” During their career, The Very Things do not follow a conventional release schedule, and their intended second album remains unreleased for nearly a decade. Fire later issues that record, along with reissues of the other two albums. The missing album has the full title It’s A Drug, It’s A Drug, It’s A Ha Ha Ha, It’s A Trojan Horse Coming Out Of The Wall.