60 Ft. Dolls

60 Ft. Dolls

Company type	Band
Industry	Music
Founded	1992 in Newport, Wales
Founder	Richard J. Parfitt, Michael Cole
Defunct	1998
Headquarters	Newport , Wales, United Kingdom
Products	Music albums, singles

60 Ft. Dolls were a Welsh rock trio active during the 1990s, closely linked to the Cool Cymru movement.

Formation

Established in Newport in 1992 by Richard J. Parfitt and Michael Cole, their introduction came through Donna Matthews (later of Elastica), who was dating Cole at that time. After an extensive search for a drummer, Carl Bevan, the son of a pastor, completed the lineup. Drawing inspiration from American hardcore punk bands that performed at Newport's T. J.'s venue, their music fused noisy yet tuneful rock elements. The NME characterized their style as "grunge mod...proto-pub metal blues of the first order". In 1993, Huw Williams of the Pooh Sticks took on management duties and issued their first single "Happy Shopper" on his Townhill label.

Tours and 1990s success

In 1995, 60 Ft. Dolls participated in the inaugural 'BratBus' NME tour alongside Veruca Salt, Marion, and Skunk Anansie. Having supported renowned acts such as Oasis, Elastica, and Dinosaur Jr., they released singles including "White Knuckle Ride" via Rough Trade Records and "Pig Valentine" on RCA's Indolent Records. These tracks received notable airplay from BBC Radio 1’s Steve Lamacq and influential KROQ-FM DJ Rodney Bingenheimer in the US, which facilitated a contract with Geffen Records. The New York Times recognized "Pig Valentine" as one of the standout singles of 1996. Their fourth single, "Talk to Me" (Indolent, 1996), cracked the UK Top 40 and featured a video showcasing Newport’s Transporter Bridge.

Their debut album, The Big 3, produced by Al Clay, earned widespread critical praise; NME hailed it as "as close to soar-away rock perfection as it's possible to imagine," while Melody Maker described it as "pure, unadulterated... rock 'n' roll". The album was listed among Select magazine’s top 30 albums of 1996 and later included in Mojo's 2003 compilation of the "Top 12 Britpop albums of the 90s".

The band embarked on extensive tours across the UK, Japan, and Europe, appearing at major festivals such as Glastonbury in 1997 and opening for The Sex Pistols during their Finsbury Park reunion gig in 1996. However, persistent struggles with alcohol impacted their progress; following three demanding US tours in 1997, they ceased performing live. Their sophomore album, Joya Magica (1998), was released prior to Indolent Records dropping them along with other artists, which precipitated their disbandment soon after.

They recorded two sessions for John Peel’s BBC Radio 1 show (in 1996 and 1998), ranking among the top 125 Peel sessions ever recorded.

Noteworthy is Mike Cole’s brief tenure playing guitar for Newport’s The Darling Buds and his decision to decline an offer to temporarily replace Oasis bassist Paul McGuigan during their US tour in 1996. The song "Hair," written by Cole about then-partner Donna Matthews, was ranked number seven in Mojo's list of "100 Most Miserable Indie Songs of All Time." The group also received recognition through a House of Commons Early Day Motion celebrating Newport’s musical heritage.

Carl Bevan’s father, Pastor Ray Bevan, who leads a prominent UK evangelical church, contributed guest vocals on the limited white-label track "Let The Spirit Move You," mixed by Wubble-U.

Later history

Following the band's breakup, Richard Parfitt pursued a career as a session musician collaborating with artists such as McAlmont & Butler and Dido, releasing his solo album Highlights in Slow Motion in 2002. He subsequently entered academia, initially teaching songwriting at Bath Spa University before becoming a senior lecturer specializing in popular and commercial music at the University of South Wales in 2015.

Welsh pop-soul singer Duffy credits Parfitt with key career support after he introduced her to manager Jeanette Lee.

After a break from performing, Carl Bevan transitioned into music production around 2008. He produced Cardiff-based trio Exit_International's 2011 album Black Junk, which was shortlisted for the Welsh Music Awards in 2012, and launched female-led rock band The Lash in 2012.

In 2015, The Big 3 was reissued as a special two-CD edition by 3 Loop Music, including B-sides handpicked by the band alongside tracks from their Peel sessions.

The passing of Carl Bevan at age 51 was announced on August 9, 2024.

Discography

Albums

• The Big 3 (Indolent, 1996 / Geffen, 1997) UK: No.36
• Joya Magica (Indolent/Geffen, 1998)
• The Big 3 (2CD reissue, 3 Loop Music, 2015)

EPs

• Supernatural Joy EP (Geffen, 1996)
• Hair EP (Indolent, 1996)

Singles

• "Happy Shopper" (Townhill, 1994)
• "White Knuckle Ride" (Rough Trade, 1995) UK: No.138
• "Pig Valentine" (Indolent, 1995) UK: No.95
• "Talk to Me" (Indolent, 1996) UK: No.37
• "Stay" (Indolent, 1996) UK: No.48
• "Happy Shopper" (re-recorded) (Indolent, 1996) UK: No.38
• "Alison's Room" (Indolent, 1998) UK: No.61

Compilation appearances

• "London Breeds" on I Was a Teenage Gwent Boy (Frug Records, 1994)
• "Dr Rat" on Club Spangle (Spangle Records, 1995)
• "British Racing Green" on For Immediate Use (Raw Records, 1995)
• "The Universal" on Long Ago and Worlds Apart (Nippon Crown, 1995)
• "Number 1 Pure Alcohol" on Home Truths (Echo Records, 1995)
• "Happy Shopper" on Indie Top 20 Volume 21 (Beechwood Music, 1996)
• "Talk to Me" on Indie Top 20 Volume 23 (Beechwood Music, 1996)
• "Pony Ride" on London Calling #1 (London Calling Records, 1996)
• "Talk to Me" on Mad for It (Telstar Records, 1996)
• "Stay" on The Best Album in The World Ever! Vol.3 (Circa Records, 1996)
• "Stay" on The Magnificent Seven cassette covermount by Melody Maker (1996)
• "Baby Says Yeah" on John Peel's Sounds Of The Suburbs (Shifty Disco,1999)
• "Talk to Me" on Shine #5 (Universal Music TV,1996)

See also

• Cool Cymru

External links

• BBC Radio 1 – Keeping It Peel – 60ft Dolls