August 29, 2022

The Dancing Did

Worcestershire Weirdness With The Dancing Did.

Folk influenced post punk from Dancing Did. This track The Green Man And The March Of The Bungalows was released in 1982 on the Independent Kamera Record label. A very difficult band to categorize.

Catch another of their tracks 'On The Roofs' which was released in the same year originally on the independent 'Kamera' record label and re-released by other indie label 'Cherry Red' in 2007.

The band were formed in Evesham, Worcestershire in 1979 and released their eponymous single in the same year on their own 'Fruit & Veg' Record Label.

Band & Formation

They were started by Tim Harrison and Martyn Dormer who were school friends in 1979. Tim's brother Ollie played drums for new wave band The Photos (originally punk band Satan's Rats), have a listen to their track 'You Make Me Sick' for a bit of old school punk, it was released on the independent 'DJM (Dick James Music) Records' label in 1978.

Anyway, Tim and Martyn persuaded Ollie to join them and the three piece outfit set about cutting their first single below in the same year.

They were eventually to play support for The Photos and the Dancing Did began to grow, they became:

Tim Harrison - Vocals
Martyn Dormer - Guitar/Synth
Chris Houghton - Drums
Mick Davies - Bass

The line up changed a few times over the years, but the mad song titles remained consistent!

Catch 'The Badger Boys' at the link, taken from the 1982 album 'And Did Those Feet'.

Quirky Tunes & Stiff Records

Most of their songs appear to be on the quirky side with subject matter like:

Squashed Things In The Road
The Wolves of Worcestershire
Haunted Tea Rooms
Badger Boys/The World's Gonna End In Cheltenham

They did switch to 'Stiff Records' for the release of their 1981 single 'The Lost Platoon'. Likened to Tenpole Tudor's 'Swords of a thousand men'? Perhaps the two bands rubbed shoulders in the Stiff Studios?

All eccentrically English and surreal with music style described as "pastoral rockabilly" to a cross between "Steelye Span and The Clash" or hilariously by Dave Thompson of All Music in reviewing their album "The Cure meets The Wurzels"?

And Did Those Feet

They managed to release one album (as previously mentioned) 'And Did Those Feet' in 1982 the track listing:

- Wolves Of Worcestershire
- The Rhythm Section Sticks Together
- On The Roofs
- Squashed Things
- The Headmaster And The Fly
- Ballad Of The Dying Sigh
- Charnel Boy
- Badger Boys
- The Dancing Did
- Within The Green Green Avon O

The Kamera Record label on which it was originally released was also known for releasing material for bands such as The Fall.

Video, Info & Picture Sources Thanks To:

Post Header and 7" Single Photos: Discogs.com

Info Sources: Wikipedia, RateYourMusic.com