Any Trouble

Any Trouble

Company type	Band
Industry	Music
Founded	1974 in Crewe, England
Founder	Clive Gregson, Tom Jackson, Chris Parks
Headquarters	Crewe , England
Products	Music albums, singles

Any Trouble is a rock band originating from Crewe, England, known primarily for their recordings during the early 1980s.

In 1980, Melody Maker hailed Any Trouble as "the most thrilling new rock 'n' roll band since the Pretenders".

Early days

The band was formed in 1974 by Clive Gregson (guitar), Tom Jackson (vocals), and Chris Parks (guitar), who met at Crewe and Alsager Teacher Training College. Shortly thereafter, Mel Harley (drums) and Phil Barnes (bass) joined to complete the ensemble.

Initially performing covers of Bob Dylan, The Band, and American rock classics, the group transitioned their style in response to the emergence of punk rock and new wave. Gregson began crafting original songs, explaining in 1999, "We were like a human jukebox... if we wanted to get anywhere we needed original songs."

Following the departure of lead singer Tom Jackson, Gregson assumed vocal duties. This quartet recorded their debut single "Yesterday's Love" in 1979, written by Gregson. The track received airtime on UK radio, including BBC Radio 1 hosts such as John Peel and Andy Peebles.

Signed to Stiff Records

The indie single "Yesterday's Love" attracted attention from major record companies including WEA, Chrysalis, EMI, and Stiff Records. The band ultimately signed with Stiff, citing a shared ethos: "because they were our kind of people."

Their initial release under Stiff, Where Are All the Nice Girls?, became their most commercially successful album. Produced by John Wood (known for his work with Fairport Convention), the band gained notable visibility following a Melody Maker cover story and a glowing profile by Allan Jones. Nonetheless, early vocal comparisons of Gregson to Elvis Costello and Ian Dury may have impeded their sustained success.

For their sophomore album, Wheels in Motion, Martin Hughes replaced Mel Harley on drums; Mike Howlett took on production duties. This record marked their final output with the original lineup under Stiff. Despite vigorous touring and promotion, sales plateaued. During a 1983 American tour supporting Ian Hunter, Stiff dropped the band. Their manager secured opening slots with Molly Hatchet to maintain momentum. Gregson later recalled that the tour concluded with their van being robbed in New York while arranging return flights. The group returned to the UK on standby tickets.

Move to EMI America and break-up

After a break following the tour, Gregson resumed demo recordings and reassembled Any Trouble after encouragement from manager Ray Williams, who landed them a deal with EMI America based on these demos.

The revamped lineup featured Andy Ebsworth on drums and Steve Gurl on keyboards alongside Gregson and Phil Barnes. Initial recording sessions with producer Val Garay ended due to contractual disagreements; David Kershenbaum then produced their self-titled third album Any Trouble. The band expressed dissatisfaction with the final mix’s heavy use of synthesizers. Although they toured in the UK, no financial support was provided for a US tour and the album failed to chart internationally.

Gregson invested significant effort into their second EMI release, an ambitious double album titled Wrong End of the Race, combining fresh material with previous recordings to highlight their versatility. Despite label backing, it did not achieve commercial success. Subsequently, Gregson dissolved Any Trouble once more.

He embarked on a solo career before briefly joining Richard Thompson's band and later forming a successful folk-rock duo with Christine Collister in the mid-1980s. From 1992 onward, he returned to solo work while collaborating with artists such as Boo Hewerdine, Eddi Reader, Nanci Griffith, Andy Roberts, Ian Matthews, and Dennis Locorriere.

Andy Ebsworth went on to join Ryder, representing the UK at the 1986 Eurovision Song Contest.

Re-formation

In 2007, after several Any Trouble albums were reissued on CD, the band reunited featuring the Wheels in Motion lineup: Clive Gregson, guitarist Chris Parks, bassist Phil Barnes, and drummer Martin Hughes. Following a handful of live performances, Barnes departed due to other professional obligations.

The revitalized ensemble recorded a new album with session bassist Mark Griffiths, which was released by the revived Stiff Records label on 10 September 2007. Named Life in Reverse, the record contained thirteen fresh tracks written by Gregson, was produced by John Wood, and showcased cover art created by Stiff Records’ designer Tobbe Stuhre. To promote the album, the band headlined a reunion show at London's Jazz Cafe.

After taking another break, in November 2013 Cherry Red Records released a comprehensive 3-CD collection titled The Complete Stiff Recordings 1980-81. This set compiled the group’s first two studio albums alongside singles, B-sides, and the Live at the Venue album packaged in mini-sleeves. The band marked this release with a one-time performance at London’s 229 Club. By this point, Griffiths had become an official member, rounding out the lineup with Gregson, Parks, Griffiths, and Hughes.

Any Trouble continued their activity in 2014 by recording the album Present Tense and conducting a tour across England in December of that year. Their performances included venues such as Band on the Wall in Manchester, as well as shows in Newcastle, Birmingham, and London’s 229 Club. Additionally, they appeared at the Purple Weekend Festival held in León. Released in November 2015, Present Tense comprised eighteen new songs penned by Gregson.

Current members

• Clive Gregson (vocals, guitar & keyboards)
• Mark Griffiths (bass)
• Martin Hughes (drums)
• Chris Parks (guitar)

Former members

• Phil Barnes (bass)
• Andy Ebsworth (drums)
• Steve Gurl (keyboards)
• Tom Jackson (vocals)
• Mel Harley (drums)

Members' current work

• Phil Barnes moved into producing television advertisements after working on music videos for bands including Oasis.
• Andy Ebsworth serves as a lecturer specializing in music technology at Croydon College, England.
• Clive Gregson remains a professional musician performing internationally across countries such as the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Japan. He established The Guilty Men in 2022.
• Mel Harley manages a design and marketing agency alongside running a property enterprise.
• Tom Jackson reunited with Gregson in the Oatcake Brothers before departing from music to pursue social work.
• Chris Parks is employed as a developer of music software within the United Kingdom.

Albums

• Where Are All the Nice Girls? (1980; reissued 2007), Stiff Records (produced by John Wood, Any Trouble, Bob Sargeant)
• Wheels in Motion (1981), Stiff Records (produced by Mike Howlett)
• Any Trouble (1983), EMI America (produced by David Kershenbaum)
• Wrong End of the Race (1984), EMI America (produced by John Wood & Will Birch)
• Life in Reverse (2007), Stiff Records (produced by John Wood)
• Present Tense (2015), Cherry Red

Live recordings

• Live at the Venue (1981), Teldec (exclusive to Germany) (produced by Barry ‘Bazza’ Farmer)

Compilation albums

• Girls Are Always Right - The Stiff Years (2002), Cherry Red (production credits include Any Trouble, John Wood, Bazza, Bob Sargeant, Mike Howlett, Martin Levan)
• The Complete Stiff Years (2013), Cherry Red

Singles

• "Yesterday's Love" (7") (1980), Stiff Records
• "Second Choice" (7") (1980), Stiff Records
• "Girls Are Always Right" (7") (1980), Stiff Records
• "Dimming of the Day"/"Another Heartache" (7", France exclusive) (1981), Stiff Records
• "Trouble with Love" (7") (1981), Stiff Records
• "Touch and Go" (7") (1983), EMI America
• "I'll Be Your Man" (7") (1983), EMI America
• "Baby Now That I've Found You" (1984), EMI America
• "Open Fire" (7") (1984), EMI America
• "That Sound" (CDr) (2007), Stiff Records

External links

• Any Trouble Discography at Discogs
• Official website of Stiff Records
• Official webstore for Stiff Records
• Andy Ebsworth’s Myspace page
• Phil Barnes’ official site