YORK Bands Of The Past is a Facebook group which began as a lockdown project created by Rob Parker, a well-respected and talented local musician.
Heading into lockdown in March 2020, Rob reflected on all the fun, good times and great gigs he’d experienced in the past, which were now forbidden in the present by the government!
A significant involvement with young and local musicians in his career through PopShop 87, Megajam and music tutoring at York College had given him broad experience of the local band scene.
Rob had also been responsible for creating and successfully running The Old Dairy Studios, based opposite Rowntree’s in Haxby Road, a first “real” studio experience for many fledgling York bands.
Rob Parker, left, and John Fletcher, of the York Bands of the Past Facebook group He began to list all the gigs /performers he’d seen, and once the list had passed 40, he realised it would be good to relive those great times again through other people’s memories who were also stuck at home.
And so…… the Facebook group was born!
Realising fairly early that this would be a significant commitment of time and effort, he contacted me, who he also knew had considerable experience of local music.
My grandfather Cyril had founded York Philharmonic Male Voice Choir and my son Stuart had risen through local bands to be picked to play bass in Seahorses, the band set up by ex-Stone Roses guitarist John Squire.
I had successfully co-run four York Schools Battle of The Bands and the Barbican Band Blitz.
So, I was happy to come on board and assist him.
The group was set up and within three months had swelled to 1,000 members, confirming Rob’s hunch that past local band members would want to relive their memories and share anecdotes.
Photographs and stories flooded in, covering all the decades when York had a considerable amount of popular venues, a thriving music scene driven by what was happening in schools and youth clubs, plus the established high-quality bands who were gaining followings outside York and nationally.
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Angel Pavement, Travellers Express, Big Business in the 60s, Cyanide, Sema 4 and punk bands in the 70s, Nerve Senta and The Mood in the 80s, Shed Seven and Seahorses in the 90s and post-millennium bands all became group members, sharing their exciting memories and anecdotes.
Five years on, Rob keeps the whole site running smoothly – he is the backroom workhorse of the group, keeping an eye on dubious posts, filtering out applicants who just want to sell something or increase their tally of Facebook groups with no connection to the York scene.
I update the header photograph each week, and both of us as administrators try to contribute our extensive knowledge by commenting on new posts or starting new threads.
Jackson Cage . Photo credit John Fletcher And the statistics make interesting reading. As you might expect, the UK has the highest contribution figures, but group members come from many other countries: America is the next highest, followed by Australia, Spain, Canada, Germany and New Zealand. The age profile of members is usually the 45-65+ age group. Closer to home, towns and cities represented on the site are York, Selby, Leeds, London, Pocklington, Harrogate, Scarborough and Malton.
One of the most satisfying and interesting aspects of the group is the way it has brought people together. From a link or a thread, ex-band members from 30 or 40 years ago suddenly find themselves in contact with friends and band members they shared good times and good gigs with.
Rediscovering these memories and a desire to relive them has led to many reunions and reunion gigs with local musicians, such as Sean Parkin setting up Punk York at the Victoria Vaults a couple of years ago, a “Bands Of The Past” Podcast delivered by local musician Tim Bruce, and the recent “ Back At The Bonding…” which is reintroducing live music again to one of York’s most treasured venues.
From the acorns of nostalgia have grown many spin-off projects. With York’s very inclusive music scene, it soon became apparent that many musicians used to swap bands, or had played gigs with each other. Taking a lead from Pete Frame’s excellent volumes, Rock Family Trees, I began to create a series of York Band Family Trees, and that compilation is still ongoing with 16 “trees“ completed.
Another side project is a regular feature about York bands of the past in The Press and online. Topics under consideration for future articles are: York Punk Bands of the 70s and 80s; Pop Shop 87 at Scarcroft School; York Schools Battle Of The Bands; The Barbican Band Blitz; The Rise of Old Dairy Studios; Bands/Groups from York who have made it to the big time, and Lost Music Shops/Venues/Record Stores.
Nerve Senta at the Arts Centre. Photo credit John Fletcher
Membership of York Bands Of The Past continues to grow – you can request to join the group here: www.facebook.com/groups/221317005977259/?locale=en_GB.
Membership is now approaching 4,000, swelled by anyone who has ever been involved with local music in York.
As they discover and join the group, members bring a fresh set of stories and experiences for others to share.
Rob Parker’s small lockdown dream has touched a chord and awakened many nostalgic memories.
York may not be as entrenched in the public’s musical conscience as Liverpool or Manchester, but the city has a thriving, vibrant past and present, and that is something to be celebrated.
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