
Hatfield And The North were an experimental Canterbury scene rock band that lasted from October 1972 to June 1975, with some reunions thereafter. In mid-1972 the band grew out of a line-up of ex-members of blues/jazz/rock band Delivery, Pip Pyle (drums, who had since played with Gong), Phil Miller (guitar, who had joined Matching Mole), and Phil's brother Steve Miller (Wurlitzer electric piano, who had joined Caravan). Replacing Roy Babbington on bass was Richard Sinclair (who played with Steve Miller in Caravan). This line-up moved away from the blues idiom of the early Delivery towards pieces based on riffs in odd time signatures and protracted melodies associated with the Canterbury style. The name of the band was inspired by the road signage on the main A1 road heading north from London, where the a succession of signs referred to the first major town, and the overall direction, as 'A1 Hatfield & the North'.
Links to Peel[]
One of the bands from the Canterbury scene, which Peel liked in the early 70's. The group did three four for his shows. In 1975, Peel ranked their track Let's Eat (Real Soon) at number 36 in his personal 1974 Top Fifty One Singles for Sounds music newspaper.
Sessions[]
1. Recorded: 1973-01-22. Broadcast: 01 February 1973. Repeated: 22 February 1973
- Rifferama / Fol De Rol De Rol / Licks For The Ladies / Finesse Is For Fairies / Nan True's Hole / Lything And Gracing
2. Recorded: 1973-07-24. Broadcast: 31 July 1973. Repeated: 13 November 1973
- Medley: For Robert / For Cyrille / Son Of 'There's No Place Like Homerton' / Medley: To Mum And The Gongs/Lobster In Cleavage Probe/Invasion Of The Land Crabs, For Robert' available on Hatwise Choice (self-released).
3. Recorded: 1974-03-19. Broadcast: 02 April 1974. Repeated: 14 May 1974, 26 January 1978
- Shaving Is Boring / Licks For The Ladies / Your Majesty Is Like A Cream Doughnut, Aigrette / Rifferama / Top Gear Commercial
4. Recorded: 1974-11-21. Broadcast: 05 December 1974. Repeated: 16 January 1975
- Do The Lethargy Shuffle (Yeah Yeah) / Let's Eat (Real Soon) / Fitter Stoke Has A Bath / Calyx
Other Shows Played[]
- 1974
- 05 March 1974: Big Jobs (Poo Poo Extract) (album - Hatfield And The North) Virgin V 2008
- 1975
- 06 March 1975: Share It (album - The Rotters Club) Virgin
- 10 March 1975: Lounging There Trying / (Big) John Wayne Socks Psychology On The Jaw (album - The Rotters Club) Virgin
- 17 March 1975: (Big) John Wayne Socks Psychology On the Jaw (album - The Rotters Club) Virgin
- 12 June 1975: Share It (LP - The Rotters' Club) Virgin
- 03 January 1978: Let's Eat (Real Soon) (7") Virgin
- 1980
- 10 April 1980: Fitter Stoke Has A Bath (LP - Afters) Virgin
- 1993
- 08 January 1993: Let's Eat (Real Soon) (7 inch) Virgin