The Surprises: Little Sir Echo

After posting their seminal Jeremy Thorpe is Innocent the other day, I have become rather attached to The Surprises.

There is an article about the band on Punk77 by its guitarist John Wormald:

The band met in Moseley, Birmingham, all living within a stone's throw of one another. I suppose it was inevitable that we all bumped into one another at various pubs and parties. A combination of being students/on the dole etc...we had the time and the attitude. We started playing just sitting around in the flat next door with band members of Dangerous Girls, and did quite few gigs on the Moseley scene. We did a few gigs, our first was supporting Dexies Midnight Runners, and we also played on the same bill as The Beat and UB40. It was inevitable that we would try and put out a record...

That record was an EP. It included Jeremy Thorpe, Flying Attack and the song above. And at least one the track was played on the John Peel Show, which was the dream of all new bands in those days.

Where are they now? John Wormald explains:

Janice Connolly is very active on the comedy scene, having appeared on Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights, and as her alter ego "Mrs. Barbara Nice" (she's got a website). Rob, the drummer on the record, is still active on the music scene I believe, collaborating with Boo Hewardine. John Nestor the bass player runs a greengrocer's in Dorset (well, that's what I've heard), and Conrad Schwartz, lead singer and guitarist is technical director of the Dominion Theatre in London. I'm still in Birmingham, running my own business.

For a gentler take on Little Sir Echo, try the Bonzos.