Biography
Jez Coad
Although best known as a filmmaker and record producer he frequently describes himself as a painter, his varied projects also call on his skills as an anthropologist, linguist and translator.
Coad was born in Bath, in a bath. His early childhood was spent in the Pacific Northwest. His father was a watchman for the local salmon canning company. His mother taught school on the Lummi Indian reserve. By the age of fifteen Coad had spent time recording many songs and rituals of the Lummi and Samish people and was compiling a dictionary of several Puget Sound dialects.
He later became proficient in Kiowa sign-language and Kwakiuti.
Taking up guitar as an art form in his late teens his early work owes much to the influence of the non objective school as well as "Angst" Fischinger and to some extent Buddy Kandinski.
Despite warnings he joined the Surfing Brides and continues to play with the band as part of an unfinished art project.
James "Little Jimmy" Dartnell
Dartnell’s activities and interests put him firmly at the centre of late twentieth-century St.Albans’ avante-garde. He has a life long interest in the occult and esoteric fields of knowledge, leading him to speak of his art in alchemical and cosmological terms.
Dartnell’s parents are Theosophisists, and from an early age exposed him to a variety of pantheistic ideas which persisted in his in fascination with unorthodox spirituality and tribal drumming.
After refusing to be interviewed for the past ten years he has recently been hinting that he might finally be ready to answer the obvious question which continues to mystify those fortunate enough to have attended his workshops.
It is widely believed to be Dartnell who is at the centre of the darker rumours surrounding his band the Surfing Brides.
Drew Campbell
"I don’t care how much it rains, so long as my feet are dry" One of several quotations attributed to Campbell.
Some think his words hide deeper meanings but as Campbell protests "I look cleverer than I really am."
Recent sabbaticals from recording sessions have involved him building little igloo houses for theme park penguins. "You have to measure the buggers to make sure the door bit is high enough, the only way to get them to stand still is to hold a bit of fish in your mouth, they’ll do anything for a bit of fish you know."
Campbell enjoys long walks on his own. He has completed the Pennine Way and Hadrian’s Wall, "You walk all day, stop at a pub when it gets dark, spend the night do the same the next day".
He will release his first solo cd in early 2004, "The Brides play on some of the tracks but not all, if you know what I mean?"
The release has been put back yet again because "I need to give the boat a clean, you have to get them out the water to do that, give them a right good scrubbing"
Sean Kelly
Born in Cambridge, boyhood spent looking out of windows in Hong Kong, Germany and Scotland.
Accounts of legendary laziness include:
Physics report age 12
"With him we are not one more, without him we are not one less"
His three knock out moments.
"The first man on the moon"
"Bowie at the Greens Playhouse, Glasgow"
"Getting off with Connie Waddell"
CV
Jewels Shop, Record Shop, Glass Factory ("hot end" and forklift), Electric Ballroom, admin’ hell, songwriter, PADI Scuba Divemaster, Organic Baker, Library.
"I’m definitely starting to go bald" is all the singer could be heard saying to anyone listening at a recent show.
This perhaps indicates a turnaround from the usual narcissistic, pessimistic, whinging, whining, end-of-the-world, we’re all stuffed conversations Kelly is known to instigate.
Could the reclusive orator be finding a more upbeat vein to mine?
"You can see, it goes right back to here on this side!"
For further information contact Ian Mole on 020-8968-3707 or email webmaster@thesurfingbrides.co.uk
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