Rote Kapelle were a post-punk/indie pop band from Edinburgh, Scotland, active during the 1980s. Its band members included musicians who were also members of Jesse Garon And The Desperadoes and The Shop Assistants.
The band was formed in the early 1980s by Andrew Tully (vocals) and Marguerite Vasquez-Ponte (vocals), both of whom would also form Jesse Garon and the Desperadoes, with Chris Henman (guitar), Ian Binns (keyboards, also a member of The Stayrcase), Malcolm Kergan (bass, also a member of The Thanes), and Jonathan Muir (drums). The band's debut release was The Big Smell Dinosaur EP in late 1985, after which they were signed by Marc Riley's In-Tape label.
Tully described the band's sound in 1987 as a blend of noisy post-punk and anorak pop. Vasquez-Ponte was also a member of a third band, The Fizzbombs, alongside the Desperadoes' Angus McPake and The Shop Assistants' former drummer Ann Donald. They released two further singles and two more EP's, one of which featured tracks from their Peel Session, before splitting when Vasquez-Ponte joined the re-formed Shop Assistants. An LP, No North Briton, was released in 1990.
Links to Peel[]
Peel irst played Rote Kapelle on his radio programme in January 1986 via their debut single, 'The Big Smell Dinosaur EP'. Further records from the group were played on his radio programmes including a session they recorded for his radio show in November 1986.
Sessions[]
ROTE KAPELLE John Peel 9th November 1986
1. Recorded: 1986-11-09. First Broadcast: 03 December 1986. Repeated: 17 December 1986
- Marathon Man / Sundays / Acid Face Baby / Jellystone Park
Other Shows Played[]
- 1986
- 15 January 1986: "Fergus! The Sheep!" (7" - The Big Smell Dinosaur E.P.) Big Smell Dinosaur
- 08 October 1986: These Animals Are Dangeroos (7") In Tape
- 31 October 1986 (BFBS): 'These Animals Are Dangeroos (7")' (In Tape)
- 1987
- 26 June 1987 (Radio Bremen): Acid Face Baby (12" - It Moves...But Does It Swing?) In Tape
- 05 August 1987: Acid Face Baby (LP - It Moves...But Does It Swing?) In Tape
- 12 August 1987: Marathon Man (EP - It Moves But Does It Swing) Intape IT Forty Four
- 25 August 1987: Anna (12" - It Moves...But Does It Swing?) In Tape
- 26 August 1987: Jellystone Park (12" - It Moves... But Does It Swing?) In Tape
- 1988
- 25 April 1988: Fire Escape (7") In Tape
- 03 May 1988: Fire Escape (7") In Tape
- 15 June 1988: San Francisco Again (12") In Tape
- 1990
- 10 July 1990: No North Briton (album - No North Briton) In Tape
- 12 July 1990: Shakedown Crawl (album - No North Briton) In Tape
- 18 July 1990: You're Out Of Time (album - No North Briton) In Tape
- 26 July 1990: Calamity Comes Down (album - No North Briton) In Tape