Bee Vamp were a four-piece formed in 1978. Members were Jim Paris / Parris (bass); Paul Ablett (saxophone); Martin King (guitar); and Rory Lynch (drums). They took their name from a jazz standard by Booker Little (made famous by Eric Dolphy), and extended their penchant for this style by inviting guest musicians to jam with them at their gigs. They first appeared on record on the 1979 compilation Monsters In Orbit 2 with a jazz-influenced track named Valium Girl, and this headed up their 1981 EP.
The band appeared with Peel on one of his roadshows at Manchester, 06 March 1982 [1]. Their sole Peel session was repeated in tandem with the 1981 Festive Fifty, but the group disbanded shortly afterwards. One of the tracks appeared on a posthumously released 12 inch. Paris and a guest improviser, Gerry Darby, went on to form Carmel with Carmel McCourt, herself another band guest, and the band became more widely known in 1984 with the LP The Drum Is Everything.
Festive Fifty Entries[]
- None
Sessions[]
- One session. 'Our Eyes Met Across A Disco Floor' released on 12" (Red Flame).
1. Recorded: 1981-10-24. First broadcast: 09 November 1981. Repeated: 23 November 1981, 23 December 1981.
- Lucky Grills / London Bridge (Is Falling Down) / Valium Girls / Nigel Follows Barry To Bengal / Our Eyes Met Across A Disco Floor
Other Shows Played[]
- 1981
- 20 December 1981 (BFBS): Without Barry In Bengal (7" - Valium Girls) Monsters In Orbit TV EYE 2